Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: July 9~15, 2023

[Griz3752]

Good Morning, All!

Getting the thread started while my coffee pot does it's thing - will be back as soon as I'm caffeinated enough to make sense.... Or at least as much sense as I ever do

Up at my usual 0400 so getting my 3rd 12 oz cup & breakfast.

Ready when all y'all are

 

[nomifyle]

The visit with my cousins was very nice. Wish it was more often, but we don't live close. They brought Popeyes, its not as good as it use to be, but they aren't New Orleans anymore, just living off the reputations.

I was so tired last night after all the cleaning yesterday, after our company left I sat down in my chair to take a nap before I got ready for bed. I woke up at 2:30 am, went to the bath room and back to sleep, woke up again at 9:30 this morning. I feel pretty good this morning. And I've already swept in the front room again. And duh, it occurred to me that if I want that floor to stay nice I need to sweep it every day, what a concept.

Today I need to work on finding a home for all the stuff I hauled out of the front room. Really not all the much, some things left from the last commodities we got a couple of weeks ago. And some dry things I need to vacuum seal, and then try to find a place to put it all.

 

[hd5574]

If anybody uses Hormel chili with beans...it's on prime day day for under $2.00 per...about $2.50 plus here in the stores....but has long time to the ship date.....

 

[SouthernBreeze]

If anybody uses Hormel chili with beans...it's on prime day day for under $2.00 per...about $2.50 plus here in the stores....but has long time to the ship date.....

Hormel chili with beans is a staple in my pantry as one of the meats that we rotate through on a regular basis. I have cases of it stored away. No need at this time to add more. Thanks, though.

 

[kyrsyan]

One more Prime order. This one for Mom. She inherited one of those circular multi tray dehydrators. But none of the silicone or puree sheets to go with it. So I found her the sheets and sent them to her. I prefer the horizontal styles, but if this one works for her, then so be it.

Brain power is slowly coming back online in full. Which is being helpful in a whole lot of things. The kitchen is finally resembling a kitchen again. I'm taking steps to get things figured out on the van. Etc, etc.

Son is going to be happy. I ordered him more putty. I'm going to be happy because I ordered covers for his desk chair so they can be washed when the putty gets all over them. He'll love the texture and the color. I had been looking for a chair, but when I discovered that they make covers for them I decided to go with that. The chair is in good shape, it just has a bunch of putty stuck to it, which then sticks to whatever sits in it. I did order a heavier duty mat to go under the cover. That's to provide an extra level of protection.

I resisted more cast iron. But oh, that was seriously tempting. But I made myself accept that I can't get dutch ovens until I have a home for them. And right now, I don't have a home for them. I barely have room for what I have now.

Friend recovered very well from hurting himself. And successfully made several recipes. And in general is doing much better. I think the extra time off, with mandatory down time, did a lot of good.

I have cucs and squash. And a few bell peppers. And I'm happy with that. I saw where I have either a honeydew, cantaloupe, or watermelon coming in. I won't know until it gets larger. The tomatoes are all green.

And the sunchokes... well that has been amusing. It seems that invasive is not quite the word. Unless you are thinking kudzu level invasive. I started putting them in the grow bags, inside of larger pots. And that's when I made the discovery that they grow roots down faster than they grow leaves up. So now all the pots are on a tray while I wait to get more soil so they can all be upsized and put in grow bags, inside of larger pots. And Mom wants some, but she's willing to put them in the ground and have Dad mow around them to keep them reigned in.

But I did have the thought to get some more of the grow bags and use them to create the berm I need to stop the washout in one area. That would let plants grow down with strong root systems to stabilize the soil in them. While other plants grow to stabilize the soil behind them. So I'm letting the brain play with it.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

It's been a busy day. I got the laundry all washed, hung on the clothesline, brought in, folded, and put away. I got all the bacon cooked out, and ready for supper, later. Gathered all the garden veggies, washed them, and stored in the fridge. Then I decided to work in my flowers, deadheading all my roses while Cary mowed and sprayed round-up in spots. We both had to take advantage of a "no rain" day.

Tomorrow will be house cleaning day. I always start with the living room, dining, and kitchen, then move on to the bathroom and bedroom. Dusting, mopping, changing bed sheets, scrub the bathtub/toilet/sinks, and cook.

 

[nomifyle]

We use the Southgate brand of chili with beans. DH likes it so I've stored a lot of it from DT and we've also gotten it in commodities. Southgate also has beef stew that DH likes.

I saw a recipe for stew with a cornbread topping that I want to try. My picky eater likes beef stew and corn bread, we'll see if he likes it together.

I've vacuumed and swept the front room this morning. Before the clean up DH kept a lot of shoes under the table, he's taking the excess to the cabin and keeping the clutter out of the front room.

I'm in the process of putting away the food that was piled in the front room, its now in the way in the kitchen. I'm close to getting the dehydrator moved. I've got a very heavy duty extention plug to plug it into, as the cord won't reach the outlet. I need to get that moved today because we have a ton of tomatoes to dehydrate. I have little room for anymore in the freezer. I could only get one of my cousins to take any last night and he only took too, his brother has his own at home in Texas.

 

[prudentwatcher]

I was in Mexico recently so I went to a pharmacy and got painkillers and antibiotics to add to the stash.

Went to Sam's today. Got 2 cases of Gatorade, some juice, some butter, lotion, salt, vitamins and a bag of granola. They had meat that was marked down, but my freezers are full and I don't have time to can it right now. Still cost me $125, but I am fully stocked plus. Good thing, as my job seems to be kind of day to day at the moment.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I was in Mexico recently so I went to a pharmacy and got painkillers and antibiotics to add to the stash.

Went to Sam's today. Got 2 cases of Gatorade, some juice, some butter, lotion, salt, vitamins and a bag of granola. They had meat that was marked down, but my freezers are full and I don't have time to can it right now. Still cost me $125, but I am fully stocked plus. Good thing, as my job seems to be kind of day to day at the moment.

It's probably been a year, since we were in Sam's. I've always ordered everything I needed online. Now, they have stopped shipping a lot of what I normally buy online, "in store only" now. So, I'm going to be forced to make out a long list and make a trip over there one day this month. Maybe then, it'll be another year, before I have to go again. I'll still order what I can online.

 

[anna43]

I decided to go to town this a.m. but didn't get to leave until around noon. I was back home by 3:30 totally exhausted and in considerable pain. Still, I managed to add a good bit to my preps. Mostly canned foods, boxes of cereal and some personal items. Also, ordered a pair of New Balance shoes. At Dollar Tree I got the last four quarts of shelf stable whole milk on the shelf which expires 7/24.

Walmart had a lot of empty spaces on shelves including fruits. Both Aldi and Walmart did not have much store brand chunky soup. Actually, Aldi had none. They have Campbells on the shelf, but I'm resisting paying the price. Walmart had Chicken/Corn Chowder but only one undented can. I like those soups because I can put half a can over rice and have a meal so two meals to a can. Economical IF I can find store brands. I wanted to add to my supply of jello but Walmart brands were pretty much down to cherry, strawberry and orange which I do not need and lime which I do not like. I can get orange and strawberry at Aldi for much less and I've already stocked up on cherry on sale from other stores. Aldi also did not have any cans of beef stew and if Walmart did I could not find it. I wanted small cans of mandarin oranges, but they cost nearly as much as the larger can so I bought larger instead.

Aldi frozen orange juice is now $1.99 per can up from $1.69. The only meat I purchased was a pound of 85/15 ground beef (frozen chub) $3.99 and 16 oz. package of Black Forest deli ham for $4.19. The ham was actually on sale! Only non-food item at Aldi was toilet paper and I spent $75.62. Walmart total was $73.00 and about $10 of that was food. Oh, I bought Hormel chili without beans and it was $2.72.

We did not get the rain forecast last night but hopefully we will get the rain forecast for tonight. Even with temps more moderate (70's) we are totally dry again. The field crops are looking very good. A lot of the corn is tasseling, and the beans look green and lush. Just enough rain to keep things going although I know they've had more rain in areas around us. Seems to happen every year that we're the dry spot.

 

[connie]

We live 100 miles from Costco so go about 4 times a year. Last trip it had been longer so list was very long. I tend to stock up more for winter in case we are sick or the weather is bad and we don't want to travel.
I am thankful I can buy in bulk. Then I can shop locally once a month.
It has been so hot this summer I don't want to cook. Nothing sounds good. With just the 2 of us I try to cook once and eat twice. I am building a stash of quick breads and muffins u p in the freezer.

Sherree I am impressed at your organization and replacing what you use.

 

[Digger]

I saw the Rheumatoid dr or the nurse practitioner anyway. They took blood to run a bunch of lab work. But I don't go back till September to see the actual dr. I really don't think that is my problem. But hopefully the blood work will give us some clues as to what is going on.

Monday we did my new contract job. It wasn't as bad as to expected. But we still picked up as much trash at that one area as we usually get at the other 3 combined. Hopefully, like the others, it will get better. The less trash laying around, the less people throw out.

I felt really good the day we did my job. We got home and I mowed part of the yard and did some pruning of junk in my garden fence. Yesterday I picked up the prunings and some limbs out of the north yard. All that went to the burn pile. Hubby sprayed some fence rows. We still have 2 small hayfields to cut, but we are getting rain to often.

We got a inch of rain over the weekend. I fertilized the gardens. The last bit I was out in the rain getting it done. The gardens have really grown. They had looked so nice before the rain. Now there are weeds coming up everywhere. I hoed a little last night. But I need to run the tiller through it. My corn is head high, some higher. I planted bloody butcher corn. I want to grind it into meal.

I planted a different yellow squash this year. It is not as good as yellow crook necked in our opinion. So last night I planted yellow crooked necked squash.

Today is grandkids day. I won't get much done but fun kid time. Everyone have a good day.

 

[Illini Warrior]

If anybody uses Hormel chili with beans...it's on prime day day for under $2.00 per...about $2.50 plus here in the stores....but has long time to the ship date.....

last on my list of chili to buy - unfortunately, #1 was the Kroger store brand and its gone bye bye in the Biden Disaster

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Sherree I am impressed at your organization and replacing what you use.

I wasn't so organized in the beginning. I bought everything that I could think of that would last for a while. I stacked it all in one corner of my small kitchen and on kitchen shelves. Once the boys moved out, we took over their bedroom and turned it into wall to wall, floor to ceiling shelves that Cary built. That's when I began to organize everything, because I had room to do it. I only buy what we already eat on a regular basis. I buy nothing for a "just in case" scenario where we "might" eat it. To me, that's a waste of money. I also made out a month's worth of different main dish recipes that we eat now. Buy only those items to make those main dishes. It has expanded from there to what I have today. Yes, when I use an item from my pantry, I replace it with 1 or 2. I keep a running list on my kitchen counter so I can add to it as necessary. Everything stays in rotation and dated. It's work on my part, but no matter how much is on the shelf, the oldest is always on top. Doing this for quite a while, it's expanded to where I have about 3 yrs. worth of food that we love to eat in my pantry now. That also includes many cases of Moutain House meals in #10 cans of all varieties.

Also, everything I buy, almost, are either in flats or cases. It's easier to stack on the shelves and makes it easier to rotate. Use a flat or a case, replace with another flat or case or 2.

 

[ginnie6]

canned my first batch of tomatoes yesterday and today I cleaned out the chest freezer. Tomorrow I'm going to a local place that usually sells their B grade tomatoes cheap and get a couple baskets as I need to put up a bunch this year and I'm worried I won't have enough. I also need to clean the stand up freezer and the fridge. Moving the last lone chick out of the house this week and then I can deep clean the laundry room. I am DONE raising chicks in the house. We got a free rooster this past week so hopefully we can raise some naturally next year. I did order a cherry pitter and a pineapple corer off amazon during the prime sales. One of them (don't remember which) will be here today.

 

[connie]

I keep a good supply of shelf stable food and it is organized so I can rotate through it. I have bought things like a few canned soups that we don't eat on regular basis but I want to have if we got sick.
I also have Long term emergency preps.

I need to go back to meal planning. I do have a list of recipes that we like. I've just gotten lazy !
So if I used a fresh fruit or vegetable - since they are available, would you have a canned fruit or vegetable put back in case they weren't available ? Especially without a garden.
I want to use fresh when I can but still have stored available. Like most people we tend to eat with the seasons.

This is easier for me in winter as I can store potatoes , sweet potatoes and onions for months.
I do keep an inventory of meat in freezer.
.I start in fall with winter stock up. Learned that from now extinct blog I read. She would inventory her food/ pantry every year and make a list of food and household items for winter months. Then she would gradually accumulate them. They grew a garden too.

I keep learning from everyone here.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

So if I used a fresh fruit or vegetable - since they are available, would you have a canned fruit or vegetable put back in case they weren't available ? Especially without a garden.

Absolutely yes. I plan on canning my own green beans this year, but if they don't produce as many as I hope for, I have cases and cases of green beans in my pantry. The same goes for tomatoes, too. I've learned, as many have, that you just can't depend on your garden every year to produce enough to put up yourself. In a good year, yes, but like our gardens this year, there is just too much rain. I have beautiful tomatoes, but with all the heat and rain, some are splitting, before they ripen good. Right now, I don't know if they will produce enough for me to can, or not. Same with my green beans, very few blooms on them.

 

[nomifyle]

It's raining, not hard, but raining. So its a little cooler this morning. I did get the dehydrator moved yesterday, not to get it and the trays all cleaned up. It fit perfectly where I put it. I have crockpots next to it.

I stayed up reading last night, a doomer book that that I had on my kindle that I bought years ago, read until I couldn't see, turned my light off at 2:00 am and just got up at 10:00 am. I may not get much done today.

 

[hd5574]

You are both so right about the garden and not being able to count on the yield....last year we planted only 17 feet of mixed pole green beans...they were both Kentucky wonder and Blue lake...and boy did they produce...I was hoping to can about 36 to 48 pints...
. just the 2 of us.... they came and came...so I canned and canned....I canned 72 pints ...cooked as many as we wanted to eat and even gave some away....

This year we are getting green beans but not nearly as many as last year...but plenty to eat..but the snow peas came on like crazy...so lots of those frozen... eaten and given away ...now our thornless blackberries are getting ready to turn so it looks like I will be canning a lot of blackberries very soon....

I also backup with canned grocery store veggies and fruit because we never know what God will give us.

Got up early this morning and checked Amazon for Hormel no bean chili...it was $19.00 and change for a flat of 12...about $1.62 a can a supper deal... we both grew up with Hormel chili...but we always add things to it..usually add a can of some type of Mexican corn.. chopped onions, some of the frozen Mex peppers we grow..some chopped garlic and a bit of cumin...just a great source of a precooked basis...to start with
.
.I also make homemade scratch chili but loving having it around for quick meals....I also have several recipes that call for a can..you can also can your own homemade chili ..

 

[SouthernBreeze]

.I also make homemade scratch chili but loving having it around for quick meals....I also have several recipes that call for a can..you can also can your own homemade chili ..

I don't make from scratch chili too often. Cary likes the Hormel with beans from the can chili better. I have recipes that call for a can of chili that are in my meal prep recipes, and we also like to have chili over rice, topped with green onions and cheese. Hotdogs are always topped with the no bean Hormel chili. We've tried different brands, but always come back to Hormel.

 

[kyrsyan]

Sooo... I was a little bad. I've been wanting a maslin pan for years. Literally years. And not just for jam making. It's a good pan style to use for anything that has to be cooked down and you want to limit the direct heat surface areas. And one of the good ones was on Prime deal. So that is headed here. I think that is honestly one of the last canning supply items that has been on my list.

And the dressmaker rulers. Those are going to be a blessing. I've wanted them for longer than the Maslin pans.

Now off to get lunch made. And then to work on a different client. I am finally remembering to use the blue light computer glasses again. And that is making a big difference in how much my head hurts. I think I may need to get a regular set of glasses with amber tint. Not necessary blue light but that tint does do a lot when the daylight is just the wrong spectrum for my eyes.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I managed to get everything done as planned in my little world, today, except for mopping. It was too hot for anyone to be outside waiting on the floors to dry. It was already 111 heat index before lunch today. Maybe, I'll get that done tomorrow.

Was too tired and it's too hot to cook tonight, so more BLT's and chips for us tonight. I just reheated the thawed, cooked out bacon in the microwave, and supper was done!

Too much rain and too high temps are really hurting the gardens. Not to mention being overtaken by weeds. Sigh. I think it's going to be another bad gardening year for us in that I'm not going to get enough to do any kind of canning. Just enough to eat fresh, but I am thankful for what we are getting. It's so nice to have supper from the garden.

 

[hd5574]

Prime has the counter top areo gardens on prime day the one with list price of $164.99 is up there for $49.95...some of the veggie pods are on sale also....looks like might be nice to have fresh veggies in the winter... lettuce tomatoes etc...

 

[kyrsyan]

There are only two Prime sale things I didn't get. The first was a greenhouse. Because I am honestly tired of plastic greenhouses. But I think I'm going to save up for a poly carb greenhouse.

The second was for grow bags to help with leveling a washout area. And that was mainly because the prices on those are pretty affordable anyways. And the maslin pan had a higher importance rating for me.

This week I am finally starting to feel like a functional human being again. The kitchen is getting cleaned and I'm managing to keep up with it on a daily basis. I'm getting back on track for getting all the outdoor, and indoor, projects back on track. In fact, I'm about to go write up the to do list for this weekend. I can work a little on things during the week after work, but it will also help me focus on how to move forward when Friday afternoon hits and I can focus on non-work stuff for a few days.

I want to get moving on van issues, but I'm having a problem locating a mechanic I can trust since my old mechanic retired. Apparently something I missed during COVID is that a lot of the small mechanic shops shut down. And the ones that remained open, at least in our area, are slammed with business and have seriously jacked their rates. And don't even start on going to the dealership. None of the dealerships in our area have good reps when it comes down to repair. Extremely high prices for parts, and just as high, if not higher, prices for labor. And you still can't be sure that the repair was done well. The back up person I had is now stacked with things for his normal job for at least the next month. And while I don't mind being a hermit for that long, we have doctor appointments that have to be taken care of. And I have to get son in to the health center for a blood draw.

Anyways, off to prep for bedtime. Because it's never as simple as just going to bed. And we have rain. This is really weird weather for here but the garden loves it. Now if some of my tomatoes would just turn red.

 

[hd5574]

We took a good sized zucchini squash tonight and sliced it length wise..hollowed out the seeds..put a little Italian seasoning in it topped that with cream cheese and a little garlic herb seasoning then some paprika on top baked at 350 (in the convection oven) until we could pierce it all the way through with a cooking fork...about 20 to 30 minutes .. smelled wonderful cooking.....you can eat it peel and all..was a delicious way to have a zucchini....plus more calories for DH..You could use any spices that would suit you...

It was a hot humid day and DH really didn't have an appetite..but this with cold rotisserie chicken (always grab one when we go to Costco)...and cold chunked fresh tomatoes, Vidal onions chopped and garden cukes in dressing... got him eating ...

 

[hd5574]

I don't make from scratch chili too often. Cary likes the Hormel with beans from the can chili better. I have recipes that call for a can of chili that are in my meal prep recipes, and we also like to have chili over rice, topped with green onions and cheese. Hotdogs are always topped with the no bean Hormel chili. We've tried different brands, but always come back to Hormel.

Have you tried regrowing your green onions..just cut off the roots and about half of the white and put in water for a couple of days ....the roots will start growing longer.in a day or two..then plant them in dirt....I have a big pot ..I plant mine in and water as needed and it will grow a new green onion...we use tons of green onions as a topping on all kinds of things...free onions is super cool.
Leeks will do the same thing if you use them..in fact I believe there are a bunch of veggies you can regrow..

 

[Illini Warrior]

Have you tried regrowing your green onions..just cut off the roots and about half of the white and put in water for a couple of days ....the roots will start growing longer.in a day or two..then plant them in dirt....I have a big pot ..I plant mine in and water as needed and it will grow a new green onion...we use tons of green onions as a topping on all kinds of things...free onions is super cool.
Leeks will do the same thing if you use them..in fact I believe there are a bunch of veggies you can regrow..

you can actually just snip off the green onions off in the garden and leave the rooted heads in the ground - conditions need to be good for them to re-grow - plenty of watering ....

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Have you tried regrowing your green onions..just cut off the roots and about half of the white and put in water for a couple of days ....the roots will start growing longer.in a day or two..then plant them in dirt....I have a big pot ..I plant mine in and water as needed and it will grow a new green onion...we use tons of green onions as a topping on all kinds of things...free onions is super cool.
Leeks will do the same thing if you use them..in fact I believe there are a bunch of veggies you can regrow..

No, I haven't done that, but I have thought about it. I mostly use chives that I have cut, chopped, and frozen from my freezer during the winter. In the spring and summer, I use my walking onions fresh out of the garden. I have a garden bed full of those.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I have a question some of you may be able to help me with.

I have 3 #10 cans of powdered whole eggs that are getting really old, close to expiration. If I open a can to use, can I store the rest in the freezer in freezer bags to keep the rest fresh? I think you can keep it refrigerated after opening, but I'm afraid I won't be able to use the whole can, before it spoils.

I've been going through all our Mountain House long term storage foods and checking with Mountain House online to see if they have any new #10 meals in a can that we don't have. I found 2 more, so I plan to order those. They are Chicken Alfredo and Mexican Chicken and Rice.

More rain and storms today! I didn't even bother going to the big garden this morning. Tired of wading in the soupy mud. Nothing down there needs gathering for the next few days, anyway. I got 6 really nice large tomatoes, 6 cucumbers, and another good size yellow squash this morning. I have so many banana peppers that I'm giving them away. All the bell peppers are still producing, but not as fast. Still no sign of watermelons or green beans.

Temps are cooler, today, so I'm cooking a regular meal, tonight. It will be one of my prep meals that I rotate through each month, along with roasted garlic potatoes, with tomato and cucumber salad. My recipe makes, from scratch, the Hamburger Helper version of Cheeseburger Macaroni.

 

[hd5574]

If you put the green onions in a pot you can bring the pot in the house like a house plant and have fresh green onions in the winter... we get pretty cold here and so we are trying to have more fresh without going to the grocery store in the winter time
Working on lettuce, green onions, cherry tomatoes and cukes.. suddenly it's a salad from the house in the winter...

Years back my mom died from an accidental fall..she was nearly 80 and on no meds.... nothing wrong with her..... except reading glasses....she always advocated to eat something raw fresh everyday.... even in the winter.. sometimes she would make a salad from an orange sliced over lettuce...she ate very little junk food..and cooked from scratch...not too many carbs..lean meats fruit and veggies mostly ...she always said you are what you eat

So I try to follow her ideas ...DH is 70 and working full time as an equipment mechanic at a tractor dealership....often working out in a field in the sun and humidity ...if a piece of equipment breaks down in the field.. that is where he has to work on it....I am 76 last December and going strong working in the garden canning, etc..our house has stairs.(my gym)....
. running up and down them all day and no meds here...
The older I get the more I believe Mom was on to something...

 

[hd5574]

SB if you open the eggs I would vacuum seal the remaining ones in vacuum seal bags in portion sizes you would use , the number of eggs per bag..might be different for different recipes ...then freeze them

 

[SouthernBreeze]

If you put the green onions in a pot you can bring the pot in the house like a house plant and have fresh green onions in the winter... we get pretty cold here and so we are trying to have more fresh without going to the grocery store in the winter time
Working on lettuce, green onions, cherry tomatoes and cukes.. suddenly it's a salad from the house in the winter...

Years back my mom died from an accidental fall..she was nearly 80 and on no meds.... nothing wrong with her..... except reading glasses....she always advocated to eat something raw fresh everyday.... even in the winter.. sometimes she would make a salad from an orange sliced over lettuce...she ate very little junk food..and cooked from scratch...not too many carbs..lean meats fruit and veggies mostly ...she always said you are what you eat

So I try to follow her ideas ...DH is 70 and working full time as an equipment mechanic at a tractor dealership....often working out in a field in the sun and humidity ...if a piece of equipment breaks down in the field.. that is where he has to work on it....I am 76 last December and going strong working in the garden canning, etc..our house has stairs.(my gym)....
. running up and down them all day and no meds here...
The older I get the more I believe Mom was on to something...

I agree. Eating right and getting plenty of exercise makes for a healthy body. Can't have one without the other and be healthy, IMHO. My mom is almost 83 (next month) and still has the stamina and abilities of those 20 yrs. younger than her. She stays in physical shape by being very active. She believes in staying off your butt and staying active. She taught me and my sister to do the same. She has several autoimmune diseases and is on a restrictive diet per her doctor, but I really believe that her staying in physical shape keeps her ahead of that disability. Mom and Dad always had a huge garden each year, and we ate year around out of that garden, even though, during the winter, it was taken from either her home canning or the freezer. She bought very little from a grocery store.

I wish I had a place to grow winter veggies in my house. We don't have but one sunny window in the whole house that would work well for doing it. It's in the laundry room, but I don't have room in there to grow anything. Small house underneath a canopy of old oak trees.

I really want Cary to build me a nice sturdy greenhouse out from under all these trees, but he won't do it! I not much up on one of those plastic covered ones. Each time we have a thunderstorm, I can just see tree limbs going through it.

 

[hd5574]

SB
I bought 2 of the areogardens yesterday on Amazon prime days. they each have space for 6 pods.. they have pods and each pod can grow something different and they are really very small 10 x6 the height adjusts..also got more pods to start...some with heirloom veggies..and non GMO seeds..there are also pods and starting stuff where you can add your own seeds..the grow light is included and adjusts up as the plants grow....so you don't need a sunny window...they also make a plant stand that sits on a table...with an adjustable grow light..mostly likely will get one of those for the green onions.. I have a tiny kitchen...with the washer and dryer in it but have figured out a place for all of the things... They were all on an amazing sale yesterday...even saw that you can grow kale..in them..would like to try spinach in the future to add to salads...
I also grow sprouts and planning to start studying about growing mico greens...these both have amazing nutrients....I really plan not to eat bugs... like they want us to do...have already eaten enough bugs on the harley..lol

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

At church this morning during coffee time, several were complaining about the weeds in front of the empty hoarder house next to me. When I came home, I took a closer look and found a cocklebur taller than me! So, I came in changed clothes, grabbed my equipment and started on the mess. I had to cut the cocklebur down piece by piece and put it all in a bushel basket so I can make sure none of the seeds get spread. The rest was thistles and catnip. Both were shoulder high. I piled all of the stuff I cut or pulled on the cement next to the front steps. I cut one tree and need to go back with my ratcheting loppers to cut it and the cocklebur closer to the ground. It took me about 1½ hours, and I got overheated even though it was mostly in the shade. I'm sure the catnip will come back because I cut it. The clumps are too large and deeply rooted for me to pull. BTW that one cocklebur filled the entire basket. This is one flower bed in front of her house. I pulled a few thistles on the side of the house closest to me but left everything else. I'm not going to do the sides or back.

I would have preferred to be pulling purslane from my garden, but felt I needed to do the neighbor's mess. I must say it looks a WHOLE LOT BETTER! The bed has some lovely daylilies but only one is blooming. There is a good-sized clump of another flowering plant, but I don't know what it is. If I'm able, I'm going to try to keep ahead of the mess and not let it get so bad again.

I did pull most of my onions and have them laid out in the garage to cure. Several of the yellow onions were rotted but all the white look good. I've found over the years that the white onions keep better than the yellow for some reason.

This week has more "needs to be done" than I know I'll have the energy to do. I keep putting off going to town, but I really need to do so. I need to order shoes because I definitely consider them a majorly important prep. Also, I need to do regular shopping plus I have a good-sized list of prep food items I want to add. Wednesday is supposed to be stormy so I think I will work on the purslane issue Monday and Tuesday and maybe get fence around the sweet potatoes. I plan to clean on Wednesday and to town on Thursday. I hate going to town because the whole town is one big mess of detours. I swear their planning department sits down and figures out how best to inconvenience everyone as the plan priority. There are two main throughfares to get to shopping area. One has been closed since early spring and detoured to the other main street which is now down to two lanes. Only good thing is the newspaper publishes "closing" each Monday.

If you have real purslane, it's edible and delicious! I pick a few stems, rinse off, roll it around in a frypan and then eat.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Temps are cooler, today, so I'm cooking a regular meal, tonight. It will be one of my prep meals that I rotate through each month, along with roasted garlic potatoes, with tomato and cucumber salad. My recipe makes, from scratch, the Hamburger Helper version of Cheeseburger Macaroni.

Since I've been going through all our LTS food, today, I decided to try out a can of the Keystone ground beef to use in the "from scratch" Hamburger Helper recipe for our supper tonight. It was awful! Cary wouldn't even eat it after taking one or two bites. I ate a bit more than that, and I had to stop, too. The flavor was non-existent, and the texture was even worse. He said he would eat it as a last resort, but not until then. Now, I'm stuck with several cases of this stuff! I will find some way to use it, maybe with more spices and such. I hope the chunks of beef and the pork are lots better!!! A big fail on my part for sure for not trying it out first before buying so much of it.

I've made this same recipe using either my home canned ground beef or from the freezer ground beef many times. They all came out perfect, but not with this ground beef.

 

[Toosh]

I've been accumulating a "wish list" for Amazon prime day so I went bonkers yesterday! Ordered a reverse osmosis water filtration unit, new motion-sensor lights, a water alarm for the basement, window alarms, another CO detector, 3 fire extinguishers, another 23qt canner, 200w solar panels, more copper wire for my electriculture, another downspout diverter, solar path lights and a slow-start switch so we can run the AC from the generator. Oh boy, just wait until I tell Hubby what's on his To-Do list.

 

[kyrsyan]

I've been accumulating a "wish list" for Amazon prime day so I went bonkers yesterday! Ordered a reverse osmosis water filtration unit, new motion-sensor lights, a water alarm for the basement, window alarms, another CO detector, 3 fire extinguishers, another 23qt canner, 200w solar panels, more copper wire for my electriculture, another downspout diverter, solar path lights and a slow-start switch so we can run the AC from the generator. Oh boy, just wait until I tell Hubby what's on his To-Do list.

This was me too. Everything I got was already on the wish list except a set of springs. Friend asked me how did I know what I wanted. I told her it was because it was already on the list. I just looked for the items I already saved or found another version that was on sale.

Oh, and the dehydrator sheets for Mom weren't planned. But that's okay. She got them today and loves them. I'm silently laughing. She went canning crazy last year. This year it's dehydrating. I figure she'll learn the balance as time goes on. Because they really liked the canned French onion soup. And that can't be dehydrated.

Been a busy day today. About to go be more busy. Just because. But Kathy's new chapters have had perfect timing for when I needed mental breaks.

 

[connie]

I would also like to know about freezing whole powdered eggs. As with all dried foods the shelf life is much shorter after opening. That is the down side of the large cans IMO. If I could freeze the dried powdered eggs I would be more likely to open and use in baking especially. At this point we have a local source for fresh eggs.
I have some cans of beef crumbles I have not opened to try.

 

[anna43]

Since I've been going through all our LTS food, today, I decided to try out a can of the Keystone ground beef to use in the "from scratch" Hamburger Helper recipe for our supper tonight. It was awful! Cary wouldn't even eat it after taking one or two bites. I ate a bit more than that, and I had to stop, too. The flavor was non-existent, and the texture was even worse. He said he would eat it as a last resort, but not until then. Now, I'm stuck with several cases of this stuff! I will find some way to use it, maybe with more spices and such. I hope the chunks of beef and the pork are lots better!!! A big fail on my part for sure for not trying it out first before buying so much of it.

I've made this same recipe using either my home canned ground beef or from the freezer ground beef many times. They all came out perfect, but not with this ground beef.

This is why I try to home can my own meats. I do have to admit though that home canned ground beef isn't 100% in taste or consistency but still editable. Definitely needs to be used in a casserole with good seasoning. The cost of store-bought cans has stopped me from buying much of it. The beef chunks in gravy are pretty good. Still, I like my home canned better. I think food stored in glass jars as opposed to cans tastes better longer especially when stored in a dark cool spot.

I have three bags of frozen chicken hind quarters and another of legs that I need to cook and can. It's a big job and my energy level is low, so I keep putting it off. My freezer is full so I need to get it done.

 

[kyrsyan]

Did you rehydrate the beef crumbles before using? If so, did you use water or beef stock?

Both of those things could drastically affect flavor. And a trick I learned with something else is to let it soak in a batch of stock or broth to add flavor back in. Not necessary with everything but hasn't hurt anything so far. And I could see meats needing it.

And I've learned to always have leftovers available on days where I experiment. Because some things just don't come out as expected.

I have also canned ground meats before and had mixed results. The very first batch was horrid texture wise. It had the texture of those canned dog food loaves.

I have done it since with more success by par cooking the meat beforehand. But at this point, the only time I'll do ground meat is if it is a batch of taco meat that is par cooked.

I may try chili at some point, but not right now. Mainly because, for us, chili is made with venison, and venison is not plentiful. I've been doing some experiments with a mix of lamb and pork. So that might be tried with chili. Although I think plain pork might work for that.