It has been about 6 years since I have last blogged here at Frugal Canning. Life happens. I am now retired and taking care of my mother full time. I have not canned in quite a while but I keep up with the newest methods and scientific advances and monitor quite a few blogs and Facebook pages. So I guess you could say I am canning in my mind.
I am still learning about being frugal. That is in my blood. I believe frugal is just a way of life. It brings me joy when I save a few dollars here and there and love to share with others how I did it. I am always on the hunt for new ideas.
My newest venture is a new blog called NWPrepper at http://nwprepper.com/ where my friend Teri and I discuss preparing for emergencies of all kinds. Lots of subjects to discuss and hopefully you will be inspired to get ready for anything. Please come by and take a look and leave me a comment.
I will begin to add posts here again this week. Hopefully all my old friends and some new ones will come by to visit.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rotating Your Food
Rotating your food is the biggest challenge that a family working on preparedness can face. I have been guilty of not rotating and loosing viability of my food. Tsk tsk tsk I should know better. For me buying, canning and drying food became a hobby which lead to hoarding behavior. I have a large cache of food put away but I rarely eat any of it.
I read about a canner who only cans 2 jars of something the first time she can. Example is soup. When she tries a new recipe instead of making 2 gallons of it she makes enough for dinner and 3 jars to be canned. The family tries it out at dinner and then in the next month they also try the canned soup. Tastes can change with canning and some soups can better than others. If the soup is a success with the family then more can be made on a larger scale and canned up and put away. I love this idea because the food is being tested and eaten rather than canned and put away for some Days to Come event.
Now I hear you say, "but what a waste to only can 3 jars". Use the remaining space to can dry beans. Just fill the jar (same size jar as you are canning the soup in) with dry beans half way to the top. Fill with water leaving 1 1/2 inch head space and can along with the soup. A pint will be 75 minutes and a quart will be 90 minutes. Beans come out all cooked and ready to eat or to be added to another dish. We all have dry beans around and wouldn't it be nice to have your own beans canned instead of having to store up store bought beans in cans? So much cheaper too.
Let me know if you have any other ideas on rotation other than the obvious of dating every thing and incorporating it in your food shopping list.
I read about a canner who only cans 2 jars of something the first time she can. Example is soup. When she tries a new recipe instead of making 2 gallons of it she makes enough for dinner and 3 jars to be canned. The family tries it out at dinner and then in the next month they also try the canned soup. Tastes can change with canning and some soups can better than others. If the soup is a success with the family then more can be made on a larger scale and canned up and put away. I love this idea because the food is being tested and eaten rather than canned and put away for some Days to Come event.
Now I hear you say, "but what a waste to only can 3 jars". Use the remaining space to can dry beans. Just fill the jar (same size jar as you are canning the soup in) with dry beans half way to the top. Fill with water leaving 1 1/2 inch head space and can along with the soup. A pint will be 75 minutes and a quart will be 90 minutes. Beans come out all cooked and ready to eat or to be added to another dish. We all have dry beans around and wouldn't it be nice to have your own beans canned instead of having to store up store bought beans in cans? So much cheaper too.
Let me know if you have any other ideas on rotation other than the obvious of dating every thing and incorporating it in your food shopping list.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Canning Spinach
Spinach is an acquired taste but if you love it it is worth canning.
I was given two six gallon pails of New Zealand spinach. It is beautiful with large green leaves, very clean and was grown in a green house.
I was skeptical at first and concerned it would come out mushy. To my surprise it came out delicious. Here is the process:
Throughly clean the leaves. Watch for bugs and slugs. Trim off all the stems. Cut the spinach into smaller pieces. To do this I grabbed a large bunch and ran a knife over it. Some people like to cut it with a pizza cutter. Put the sliced leaves into a large pot of boiling water and blanch for 9 minutes. Fill jars to one inch from rim and add water from the blanching water to the one inch mark. Burp the jars for air bubbles and wipe off the rims. Put lids and rings on as directed and pressure cook for 75 minutes for pints.
The jars are very green and full of chlorophyll.
I was given two six gallon pails of New Zealand spinach. It is beautiful with large green leaves, very clean and was grown in a green house.
I was skeptical at first and concerned it would come out mushy. To my surprise it came out delicious. Here is the process:
Throughly clean the leaves. Watch for bugs and slugs. Trim off all the stems. Cut the spinach into smaller pieces. To do this I grabbed a large bunch and ran a knife over it. Some people like to cut it with a pizza cutter. Put the sliced leaves into a large pot of boiling water and blanch for 9 minutes. Fill jars to one inch from rim and add water from the blanching water to the one inch mark. Burp the jars for air bubbles and wipe off the rims. Put lids and rings on as directed and pressure cook for 75 minutes for pints.
The jars are very green and full of chlorophyll.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Earthquake and Tsunami
I am glued to CNN watching the fallout of the worst earthquake to ever shake Japan and it's Tsunami. The pictures are haunting and unbelievable. Each clip is worse than the next.
I had to take time and reflect on what if it were happening to me? What can I do to prepare? You might be one of those who says nothing you can do will prepare for such devastation while others of you say I am going to do all I can to educate myself and prepare my home and family. I am one of the latter obviously.
1. Know the fault lines in your area. There are fault lines all over the world especially all over the U.S. I know there are fault lines in my area of Washington and the coast is a possible tsunami area.
2. If you live in a tsunami area know your prescribed evacuation route and have a plan.
3. Have a family emergency plan. Where will you meet? Who is your contact person?
4. Can you live without electricity, running water and sanitation?
5. How long could you go without needing a grocery store?
6. What if there weren't any gas stations?
7. What if the banks were closed and the ATM machines did not work?
8. Have I earthquake proofed my home to the best of my ability?
Check some of my older posts on how to prepare for an earthquake.
I had to take time and reflect on what if it were happening to me? What can I do to prepare? You might be one of those who says nothing you can do will prepare for such devastation while others of you say I am going to do all I can to educate myself and prepare my home and family. I am one of the latter obviously.
1. Know the fault lines in your area. There are fault lines all over the world especially all over the U.S. I know there are fault lines in my area of Washington and the coast is a possible tsunami area.
2. If you live in a tsunami area know your prescribed evacuation route and have a plan.
3. Have a family emergency plan. Where will you meet? Who is your contact person?
4. Can you live without electricity, running water and sanitation?
5. How long could you go without needing a grocery store?
6. What if there weren't any gas stations?
7. What if the banks were closed and the ATM machines did not work?
8. Have I earthquake proofed my home to the best of my ability?
Check some of my older posts on how to prepare for an earthquake.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Holiday Present
In lieu of sending you each a box of homemade Christmas Cookies, I have researched some good recipes online. Just click on the site and you will find the recipes. Enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
great site with pictures of the cookies.
cowboy cookies
no bake cookies
Readers Digest top nine cookies
Foodnetwork’s cookie recipes
Goodhousekeeping cookie recipes
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