Weekly Prep Thread, May 11 - May 17, 2008

[The Freeholder]

Kickin' it off early this week. I have to get up early and go in to work for a while tomorrow morning.

No real plans for this week here. I'm taking a break, I guess. Anyone doing anything interesting. Anything that isn't interesting? Anything at all?

 

[Running Dog]

canning beef. Just got my new pressure canner. Fun and lots of work. Boy, does it look nice, having jars of food.

 

[thompson]

It's a good feeling of satisfaction to know you've got those jars of beef put up, isn't it, Running Dog? It is work, but the more you do it the easier it becomes and after a while it doesn't seem to be the chore it probably does now. Even if we weren't facing uncertain times, I think just the luxury of having your own 'convenience food' made how you like it is reason enough to learn how to use a pressure canner.

 

[WalknTrot]

Finished fertilizing and spreading lime on the fields yesterday right before a good rain. Now we need some warm weather. I have fruit trees and bushes to plant, another garden bed to prepare and some fenceposts that need immediate attention.

Have more chicks coming, so need to get ready for them. Staying out of the stores and cooking from basics in the pantry. Conserving $$$ for other things now.

 

[Running Dog]

Thompson, thanks for the positive note. Have you made canned stew? I have potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions, and garlic. I have the quart jars. If so, do I cook the veggies with the meat first, before packing them in the jars? Or do I cook the meat, then add raw veggies, then put in the jars? Does this make sense?

 

[thompson]

Running Dog, I've canned up stew as left overs that had already been thoroughly cooked (tasted fine, but the veggies were a little softer than I like, but not terrible). It's better, though, to brown the meat in oil, add the vegetables and cover with boiling water then bring the whole shebang to a full rolling boil, then ladle into hot jars and proceed with the processing. So yes, you made sense. That's how the Ball Blue Book says to do it; I think they're a really excellent resource and highly recommend getting a copy. Even though I've canned for many years I always like to keep current on things and their book is excellent (and very reasonable in price).

I also like to can up meatballs (separate from sauce), chicken chunks and pot pie filling, etc., so an easy meal can be scared up quickly. And I can a lot of plain old browned hamburger because it's so versatile; I don't season it with anything except a bit of salt and throw in whatever spices I need according to what I'm making.

 

[Barb]

I would can the meat and veggies separately and combine to make stew. That widens your options for use and you don't have to worry about something being over or under done. Barb

 

[summerthyme]

You CAN can up mixed stews... basically, you want to JUST get the vegetables hot and then put them in the jars and process it.

A couple of drawbacks- minor ones- is the lack of "flexibility"... if you have everything canned up separately, you can decide to have stew with- or without- carrots one night, for example.

The bigger issue is whether or not you have enough jars... Meat alone can be processed in small jars (half a pint is plenty for 2 people under normal conditions for a meal, but could even be stretched farther if you needed to). I can store potatoes and carrots in the root cellar for months, so canning them is more for convenience than anything else. I do have plenty of canning jars, so I do can up mixed stews, soups, etc. But if you're limited on jar space, consider using them for plain meat and find other ways to store some of the other ingredients.

Summerthyme

 

[thompson]

Good point about the flexibility and best use of jars, Summerthyme. I like having the option of being able to have some leeway with my canned ingredients just like I would if everything I was using was fresh.

 

[Running Dog]

Thank you. so far I just cut up the beef and put it in a large pot, with water, and cook it till done. I add salt only. So it is just a big pot of beef and liquid. This way I can make gravy, later if I want. I have potato flakes, for mashed potatoes. Or soup stock.
I did up 9 pints jars, this morning. It was easier, this time, than yesterday. Makes the kitchen smell good.

 

[chickenrancher]

Canning more hamburger today. Finally got my mylar bags so will be packing the flour and sugar, pastas, into buckets. I like the idea I read earlier about using the big new garbage cans for multiple bags of food. Buckets aren't cheap, so that could be an alternative, so long as mylar bags are used.

Getting new brakes on the truck tomorrow...definitely a prep BEFORE they go out all together! Paying down debt with the rest of my "incentive". Somehow I don't think that's what the government would wish I'd do with it. Car dealers are offering to double your rebate IF you buy a new vehicle.

cr

 

[BaywaterRoss]

I worked on my freezer this weekend and did some shopping today. I spent $140 on food alone.

See this thread for more info.

-Ross

 

[prudentwatcher]

Just took the pressure canner off the stove--another 5 pints of spaghetti sauce done with 5 more ready to go after dinner tonight.

Sales around here continue to be terrible, so not much else is planned. I hope they put chicken breasts on sale again this week, I would like to can some more.

 

[blueberry]

Like a lot of us, I have really been concentrating on storing meat lately. Right now, it is so cheap and so plentiful - and probably won't be by the end of the year. I have been canning beef and stocking up on sales for other canned meats, like tuna.

Walgreens has seed packets for 9¢. I thought it was early in the year for seeds to go on clearance, but who am I to argue - I bought bunches of them.

A little girl about 8 or 9 came over and picked out a packet of seeds while I was there. She went though the whole scene with her mother (that pleading that all parents know ) pprreeeetttyyyy ppplllluuuuusse, mommy, can I have these seeds? I want to grow a garden!

The mother looked at the seeds, put them back, and said, "too much trouble."

 

[Da Yooper]

Bout to order roughly 900 lbs of food from honeyville. Yes I said 900, lol. Been putting this purchase off for a very long time and am regretting doing so. So, I'm gonna buck up and shell it out. It'll be a good feeling to have 18 fifty pound bags of food arive on your doorstep.

 

[Running Dog]

Da Yooper: that is a lot. Hopefully the UPS or who ever, is strong enough to do all that lifting. And don't you hurt your self either.

 

[Pass Go]

Got a new breadmaker, a couple more tarps, another (better) first aid kit and a Swedish steel fire starter. Also picked up two metal military gas cans which can be used for either gasoline or water. I now have an official doomer section in my library, too.

 

[prudentwatcher]

canning beef. Just got my new pressure canner. Fun and lots of work. Boy, does it look nice, having jars of food.

I just took 5 pint jars of beef chunks out of the canner--another ping just now!!! I've done a lot of chicken and a fair amount of hamburger and spaghetti sauce, but this was the first time with beef chunks. Bought some nice round steak at Sam's. Think I'll do this every couple of weeks while I can still afford it. I also got another 5 lbs of ground chuck to can as well.

Also got some more seeds today, as well as more salt and bouillon (chicken, not gold LOL).

Also pre-registered at the hospital for my surgery in a couple of weeks. Had to pay $2K up front, and probably up to another $2K afterwards. Good thing I have lots of preps. Will also be out of work 2-3 weeks. As I work part-time, I don't get sick leave.

Ohhh, another ping!!! One more to go.

Had to order something from Amazon so I went ahead and used a gift certificate I had and bought Carla Emory's book. I've been wanting to add that to the library for a long time.

 

[Running Dog]

prudentwatcher: Good for you. I canned 9 pints of beef chunks, today. The canner says it can fit 10 jars. But in reality it is 9. Thats OK. I can make beef stew with the extra meat. Yes, the jars ping right away. Nice.
Hope the surgery goes well.

 

[summerthyme]

The canner says it can fit 10 jars. But in reality it is 9

Runningdog... are you using brand new jars, by any chance? Because I noticed the Golden Harvest brand (at least... I'll have to look at the cases of new Ball jars I just bought) are now 500 milliliters and 1000 mls... instead of 1 pint, and 1 quart. Not a LOT of difference (a pint has 480 mls, and a quart 960).... but they made the jars slightly bigger around to compensate.

And, no... they don't fit into the canners the same way!

Summerthyme

 

[Running Dog]

You are right. They are new and golden harvest. Lower price than Kerr or Ball. This makes sense, in why they didn't fit.
The box says 500ml and pints. Ok, I can work with that. I got tons to can.
Last year I got a smaller canner to do pints, since my regular water bath canner rack was not right for pints. So I have learned to make do. So now I have two water bath canners, and one pressure canner. Fun, and lots of work.
I just hope and pray that there is enough bees to pollenate the trees so we can get fruit this year.

 

[Traveler]

In the past 3 weeks, I have felt very driven to get preps in place.

Doubled raised bed garden by 408 squares, planted pinkeye purple hull peas, greenbeans, cantelops, watermelons, squash, more tomatoes, more bellpeppers.
Harvested califlower, onions, some strawberrys (garden supplies stocked up)

There were no purple hull peas availabe this year from the local feed and seed store so I had to use some seed from my freezer

Picked, vac sealed 25 gal dew berries

Made 20 self-watering containers, planted (They are wicking great)

Topped off medical supplies, paper goods, landry products and other non food household products

Sent both sons with their familys, 6 mo food storage from Nitro Pack (Delivered in 2 weeks)

Topped off years supply with more powdered eggs, meat, cheese combo packs and potato pearls, flour, oxi absorbers (Emergency Ess)

50 more lbs rice in freezer needs to be sealed up

Meds for elderly mother 6 months (complete including over the counter items)

Purchased, vac sealed, seeds for fall planting. Stocked up on fertilizers

Currently researching:
- purchasing non electric water distiller vs building solar one myself (already have plans printed out)
- pruchasing excaliber food dehydrator vs building solar dehydrator
- still need to build hen hotel, greenhouse

What's a girl to do - Must paddle faster

 

[Running Dog]

Did up white rice in mylar bags. Then put them in buckets. I made up my own size bags, by cutting up the 5 gal. bags, into four smaller bags. I ironed new edges . This way when I open up a bag of rice, I don't have a large amount of rice opened at the same time. I used 2 oxygen absorbers per bag. (300 cc) . Each bag contains 12 cups of white rice. Four bags fits a five gal. bucket. These sealed up real tight. Now I will put on the lid, and label the bucket, and that is done.
I have done this custom sizing bags for other things as well.
I use my clothes iron for this. If the iron gets stuff sticking to it, I use the product ' iron off '. It comes in a tube, this cleans the iron, real well. Put a dab of it on a clean- folded rag, and rub it on the hot iron.