Day 17 - When life hands you cucumbers, make pickles...and other canning helps!

You know how it goes when you have a garden; no matter how hard you try to stagger your planting, a glut of vegetables is always a problem.  Everything seems to be ripe at once, and doorbell ditching your neighbors with zucchini is one option, canning the excess veggies is another.  

In a post the other day I shared on of my favorite new books, Canning for the Next Generation.  It has some excellent "not your grandma's canning" recipes.  The following ARE your grandma's canning recipes, and there's nothing wrong with that.  These are tried and true, and require nothing more than time, ingredients, and some basic canning equipment.  

I've shared some of my canning on the blog before, like salsa and peaches, and my basic canning equipment checklist.  There are instructions on how to can all over the internet.  If you have never canned before and would like to try, here's an Intro To Canning pdf file from Ball.  I've collected my canning equipment over the years and just have basic enamel canners in a large and small size.  That means I can only process acidic foods since I don't use a pressure canner.  I've been looking for one for a while, and I'm coveting my mom's find of a pressure canner at a garage sale for under $10 since they cost over $70.

(I've noticed, at least in our area, that it is really hard to find canning jars and equipment.  Seems like everyone is getting in touch with their inner Homemaker and are growing and preserving their own food.  That's awesome, but now I can't go to a garage sale and find a box of canning jars for a couple of bucks anymore!)

The other three canning tools I use are a jar lifter, a magnet on a stick (not sure what it's really called!) for getting the lids and bands out of the hot water, and a jar funnel.  I have a plastic funnel, but found this lovely black enamel one at a thrift store!

Suggested supplies are:

• Sauce pan 
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups 
• Cutting board
• Kitchen knives 
• Ladle
• Large spoon 
• Non-metallic spatula
• Dish rags
• A Water bath Canner
• And of course, your jars, lids and rings.

These recipes take some time because the pickling liquid needs to sit on the vegetables to get the pickling process going. 

Sweet Relish

6 medium cucumbers

3 green or red bell peppers

6 medium onions

1/4 cup pickling salt

3 cups sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tsp. celery seed

2 1/2 tsp. mustard seed

1/2 tsp. turmeric

Wash cucumbers.  Chop finely.  Wash and chop the peppers, discarding stems and seeds.  Peel and chop the onions.  Measure and combine in a bowl 6 cups of cucumbers, 3 cups of peppers and 3 cups of onions.  Sprinkle with the salt and add cold water to cover.  Cover loosely and let the bowl of veggies sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

After two hours, pour vegetable mixture into colander set in a sink.  Rinse with fresh water and let it drain well.

In a 4-quart non-reacting pot combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, mustard seed, and turmeric.  Heat to boiling.  Add the drained vegetables; return to boiling.  Cook over medium-high heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or till most of the excess liquid has evaporated.

Ladle relish into hot, clean half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids.  Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.  Remove the jars from the canner and cool.  Let sit 24 hours before moving.  Makes 7 half-pints.

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Pickled Three-Bean Salad

3 cups 2-3 inch green beans
2  16oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2  16oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (1 medium) sliced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup (1 medium) sliced green bell pepper
2 1/2 cups water 
2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
1 Tablespoon pickling salt

Prepare green beans by washing, snapping off ends and cutting to length.  Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Cool in ice water, then drain well.  Combine beans with remaining vegetables in a large bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and pickling salt.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Pour hot vinegar mixture over vegetables and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day bring everything to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Immediately fill hot pint jars with vegetables, leaving 1-inch head space.  Carefully run a non-metallic utensil down inside of jars to remove trapped air bubbles, then wipe jar tops and threads clean with a damp dish rag.  Put the hot lids on jars and screw bands on firmly.  Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

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Day 16 - Simple Menu Shopping Trip

After posting Day 11's Simple Menu  and thinking about my estimate for the groceries, I thought I'd take a look at what the groceries really are at my local Winco grocery store for that menu.  I have to say, I didn't do too badly!  

Simple Menu Shopping List:


Baking and dried goods
5 lb. bag flour for tortillas and bread  $1.89 
1 box baking mix for pancakes, waffles, biscuits; prepared w/powdered milk, no eggs  $2.98
1 box cornbread mix  $ .48 (I bought 2 for $ .96)
2 lbs. pasta  (I bought 3 lbs. for $2.48)
4 lb. bag sugar (I bought 2 lbs. brown sugar for $1.58)
1 small box powdered milk  $6.51


Canned or Jarred goods
1 bottle syrup $1.68
2 cans pasta sauce  $ .88 each/ $1.76 total
4 cans tuna $ .75 each/ $3.00 total
2 medium cans chili (I bought 4 at $ .98 each, $3.92 total)
2 cans chicken  $1.98 each/$3.96 tota
l2 cans green beans  $ .65 each/$1.30 total
1 jar or can of peaches  (I bought 2 cans mandarin oranges $ .58 each/$1.16 total)
2 cans tomatoes (I bought 2 cans w/chilis and 2 cans Italian style at $ .57 each/$2.28 total)
1 can fruit cocktail  (I bought 2 cans mandarin oranges $ .58 each/$1.16 total)
2 boxes mac and cheese (I subbed Pasta Roni w/same servings at $.88 each/$1.76 total)
1 can pork and beans (I bought 2 cans at $ .68 each/$1.36 total)
Total spent this trip:       $39.74
Extras bought equal:      $  5.08
Total from original list: $ 34.66

This receipt tape did not print clearly, but the prices are all there!

Missing from my shopping trip purchases from the list above were these items and my estimated cost for them:
2 lbs. rice  $1.50
2 lbs. pinto beans   $2.00
1 small bottle canola oil  $2.00
1 jar mayonnaise  $2.50
1 small bottle Parmesan cheese  $2.00
2 cans mixed veggies  $1.25
1 jar Peanut butter $3.00
1 jar jam  $1.50
1 box oatmeal $2.50                        
Total needing to spend:    $18.25
Total spent above:             $34.66
Approximate total cost:    $52.91  


Other ingredients used but not purchased:
Baking powder
salt
pepper
dried onions
spices

Again, I realize this is not a perfect menu; it is basically my way of getting some bang for a buck and slowly adding to food stores one week at a time in an inexpensive way.  Most of the products I bought were store brands, and I've had good luck using them.  Sometimes the quality of generic brands is not great, but with these I'm confidant they'll be fine.  

This menu also allows for a minimal amount of cooking and could be cooked on a wood stove or a single propane burner, or even in a dutch oven in case the electricity is out.

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Day 15 - Some of my favorite books about Food Storage and Survival

Books that I am LOVING:

These are some books that I think anyone who is determined to be self-sufficient or even just dabble in self-reliant living should have on their bookshelf.

I know this might sound funny, but The Little House Cookbook is one that I would love to have if I had to cook from scratch with only things I have/am raising/growing/foraging/hunting/fishing.  If you are familiar with the Little House on the Prairie set of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you'll know that much of the stories revolve around food.  In 19th century rural America your days were spent making sure you have food to eat now and in the lean winter months.  Barbara M. Walker uses tons of detail in describing what the Ingalls and Wilder families would have done and used, and then translates it into modern day terms.  It think I relate so well because growing up on a farm we did some of the same things.  My dad was a hunter, my grandma a gardener, and my mom could make anything into a meal fit for a king. 

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Now that you are building your food storage, how do you cook it if there is no gas or electricity?  Don't be afraid of you food storage...just Dutch It! has a huge variety of recipes using basic food storage items, a dutch oven, and charcoal.  I recently took a class on dutch oven cooking and we made a breakfast casserole, chicken enchiladas, and 2 different desserts in dutch ovens.  They all turned out amazing!  Dutch oven cooking is definitely a skill that will be handy to have in an emergency.  We've done a little bit of cooking this way while camping, and there a lot of websites with recipes, but the recipes in this book use things like dried beans, wheat, powdered milk, and other food storage staples, AND tell you how to store charcoal and tons of other tips and tricks to dutch oven cooking.  This would make an awesome Christmas present to the budding outdoor chef in your family.

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Canning for a New Generation is my new favorite cookbook.  I picked it up at the library, keep picking it up at home, and have tried a few things in it.  It is plum FULL of canning recipes, other cooking and preserving tips; enough to make your mouth water!  This book is full of incredibly detailed instructions and beautiful but not overwhelming photographs.  It is now on my wish list because I need a copy of my own.  Very precise recipes, with tips throughout like “Fruit-Juice Stain Removal” and recipes to use your canned goods in.

What do I want to try?
Charred Tomato and Chile Salsa pg. 169
Cardamom Plum Jam p 117
Persimmon Pudding pg 215 with directions for freezing Persimmon pulp.
Pumpkin Chips pg 228 
Lemon Curd pg 245 (refrigerated)
Hot Cumin Pickled Summer Squash  pg 159 (always an abundance of squash, and I’m a lover of cumin)

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If you are truly in a survival situation, the Emergency Disaster Survival Guidebook is the book you want to have with you!  The author covers a LOT of different areas in a general way.  If I paired this with a Boy Scout Handbook I think I would definitely be prepared!  It is not very large and heavy and I have it in my 72-hour kit.  

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Natural Meals in Minutes also has a lot of recipes that utilize basic food storage items and includes a whole section on sprouting.  Also included are shopping lists, a glossary, and how to make bean flour to use in baked goods for a more complete protein and fiber.

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This is just a sampling of excellent books.  I have not been compensated or coerced into recommending these books and none of these links are affiliate links, just letting you know what is available and would be worth owning!

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Day 14 - Some More Resources to help along the Preparedness Journey!

Some helpful websites I have come across in my quest for becoming prepared:

The Survival Mom has some great "getting started" type articles on her website.  She's pretty much a preparedness super hero!

The ladies at Food Storage Made Easy have it down to a science.  Sign up for their newsletter and they'll send you checklists and baby steps.  Their 7 Day Challanges are also a great way to figure out where your preparedness Achilles heal is.

Duct Tape, anyone?  25 uses in a survival setting.  I'm sure there are a hundred more, too!

Here are 25 ways to be more self-reliant.  

With tornado season right around the corner, and earthquakes and fires always a possibility out west, here are 9 Checklists to help when you evacuate your home.

Home Ec 101 has a great post about stocking an emergency pantry.  She says:

If you don’t have ready cash, don’t freak out. A pantry can be built slowly over time, it doesn’t have to be done in one giant run to Sam’s or Costco. Set aside a portion of each week’s food budget to purchase shelf stable foods. When planning the purchases make sure the foods are ones that will be eaten and have a decent nutritional punch. In a serious emergency it’s better to have plenty of peanut butter, beans,  or tuna than a case of ramen noodles.  Why? Empty calories cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, which leave most people cranky, headachy², and lethargic.

New to me things I want to try:

Peanut Butter Powder

I have seen these "dry canned" foods on a lot of websites and really want to try it.  I don't have a foodsaver, but using the oxygen absorbers should get a good result and keep the food for at least 1 year.

Go here to read the rest of my 31 days of blogging posts, and enter my giveaway here!!

Day 13 - Cooking From Scratch

Cooking from scratch is a great way to use and rotate your short and mid-term storage, not to mention the money you will save from your grocery budget!  It also allows us to have some comfort foods using ingredients we have on hand.  

I cook from scratch most of the time.  I also prefer to cook with produce that is in season, or use frozen or home canned/commercially canned foods out of season.  It is so easy to find a "homemade" version of so many things you can buy in the store online!  Any kind of mix you can think of can be made at home instead of coming from a box or can.  

Pancake Mix

Cream of Something Soup Mix

Brownie Mix

And here is a website with TONS of links for TONS of homemade mixes.

We wanted to try making some homemade poptarts.  The only time I buy poptarts are when we go camping, so they are not in our house on a regular basis!

These are made from a basic pie crust dough and apricot jam made from apricots from our tree and a neighbor's tree.  Of course you can make these with refrigerated pie crust and store-bought jam, but knowing how to make a good homemade pie crust is so worth it!  (The trick is not overworking the dough!) 

Basic Pie Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup shortening

6 to 7 Tablespoons water

Stir together flour and salt.  Cut in shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas.  Make ice water to use by putting some water and ice in a cup and measure out and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of the water at a time into the flour mixture and toss with a fork between tablespoons.  Repeat until it is all moistened and divide the dough in half.  Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape between two pieces of waxed paper to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut into 10x4 inch strips for poptarts.

Homemade Poptarts

Make the pie crust dough above, or your favorite recipe.  Roll out into the rectangle and roughly cut into 10 inch by 4 inch strips.  Put a tablespoonful of your favorite jam in the middle of one half of the strip.  Carefully fold the dough over to cover the jam and make a 5 inch by 4 inch poptart.  Use a fork to press and crimp all of the edges.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Let cool and top with some icing.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Milk

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk together.  Continue stirring milk a few drops at a time until it just gets to a thick consistency.  Add color if wanted and drizzle over cooled poptarts.  The icing will harden if you let it sit.

I'm pretty sure these poptarts can't go in the toaster, and I don't want to try it!  If you want to heat them I would use a microwave or toaster oven, or even crisp in the regular oven for a few minutes.  We liked them as is, and the crust is much flakier than the crunchy, weird crust of the poptarts.

Hot Cocoa Mix
We love hot cocoa and can and do drink it year round!  My mom would make a big tupperware container of cocoa mix and we'd drink it up until it was gone and she'd mix up another batch!  A basic Hot Cocoa mix is easy to make.

1 8 quart package nonfat dry milk powder
1 16 oz. package powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 6 oz. jar powdered nondairy creamer

Mix in a a large bowl until totally combined.  I like to process mine in a food processor to make it really fine. For on cup use 1/3 cup cocoa mixture in a cup with 3/4 cup hot water.  Stir.  You can leave out the nondairy creamer and have a darker cocoa, which is what I prefer.

Home-popped Microwave Popcorn
Put 1/3 cup popcorn kernels into a paper lunch bag.  Fold the top over twice and pop in the microwave for 2 minutes or until the kernels quit popping regularly.  Air popped and definitely better for you!  Then you can make some of this yummy Candy Corn Popcorn!  You can easily half this recipe and still have a lot.  

Candy Corn Popcorn
24 cups popped popcorn
2 cups walnut halves
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Apple pie spice {or cinnamon}
½ tsp. Baking soda
2 packages candy corn {12.5 oz each} The chocolate candy corn is good, too

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine popcorn and walnuts in a lightly greased large roasting pan. In a heavy large saucepan, melt butter over med-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes without stirring.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, apple pie spice, and baking soda. {Mixture will foam} Pour syrup over popcorn mixture; stir until well coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on lightly greased foil to cool. Sprinkle candy corn over popcorn mixture. Store in airtight container.

Yield: about 30 cups popcorn mix 

Some more Cooking From Scratch recipes I'll be trying:

I'll also be making this Homemade Ricotta Cheese soon!  It will be yummy in my roasted eggplant lasagna!

And this bread is getting mixed up tonight!

Cookie mixes are something I like to have on hand during the holidays.

Pretzels are the best when you're addicted to carbs like we are.  These will go heavenly with the hot cocoa!

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