Canning Jam

I made 8 pints of strawberry rhubarb jam this week. I am trying to clear out some freezer space and can up some things. My goal is to have more stuff canned than in the freezer. I don't want to have to worry about losing food (and money) if we were to lose our electric. We don't have a generator for back up. I also cleaned out our extra frig that we keep in the garage. So it's unplugged and not costing us anything. We will keep it for fall harvest time and for when we have large family get-togethers here and we need the extra frig space. I'm excited to see if it puts much of a dent in our electric bill. Hopefully it makes a difference!

Have a good weekend!

Winter at my farm this morning

Don't let these beautiful, serene pictures fool you. It is cold here. Not near as cold as the upper Midwest, but none the less, it is cold. Last night is was -6. We had a high of 2 degrees today. Right now, at 10:53pm, it is -9 degrees with a windchill of -29. We are to have a low of -15 tonight with windchills in the -30's !! BRRR!! I am sooo glad that we burn wood to heat our home. There is nothing like it on a cold night!

Here is a picture of my favorite tree here. It is always so beautiful with snow on it! We got about 5" of snow yesterday on top of about 3" we already had. Not much, but it makes for some stunning pictures!

Thank goodness I keep my windows clean - I took all these pics from indoors. It was far too cold

to go out just for pictures!

Disposing of Disposables...Diapers and wipes

Using cloth isn’t what it used to be! No pins, rubber pants or toilet-dunking here! You can even purchase diapers gently used if that doesn’t bother you. Or make them! There are so many resources online to help you with all aspects of cloth diapering! We have been using cloth with our 16 month old since she was about 3 weeks old. I love the independence that using cloth gives to me. No quick trips to the store because we are running low. And every child we have in the future can reuse the same diapers until they fall apart! Now that saves money and sanity, not to mention less in our landfills!
Here is how we do it.
I really like prefolds and Thirsties diaper covers.

I fold the pf(prefold) diaper into thirds longways and just lay it in the cover.

It’s that easy! No learning different folds and no pins. You can easily add extra layers for heavy wetters. I just lay a terry cloth Kissaluv doubler under the pf. However you can use any type of doubler that suits you. I have even done 2 pf’s in the cover for naptimes. The Thirsties diaper covers have a laminated interior that makes it easy to wipe clean. They also have leg gussets so nothing leaks or oozes out. You know what I’m talking about!

My baby is on the thin side, and so far no explosions or messes outside the diapers. Try that with disposables! Now there is one drawback of laying a folded pf in a cover like this as compared to actually folding and pinning the diaper around the child. It is the runny poopy messes. Like I said, they don’t leak OUT the diaper, but they can and do mess the entire inside of the cover. So, with this method, it pays to have extra covers so you can wash the messed ones. As far as the wet diapers, I just lay the cover out to air dry and reuse it later in the day.
I also use some fitted diapers and wool covers. They work just as wonderful as pf’s and Thirsties. I just don’t have as many of them.
We also use cloth wipes instead of disposables. I absolutely, hands down, think they are superior to ANY throwaway one I have used. I made them out of old flannel receiving blankets. I cut them into 8” squares and put 2 squares wrong side to each other. I then sewed the edges with an overlapping stitch. I didn’t even turn the edges to hem. I just sewed them straight across. They are holding up fine.. If you have a serger, that would work great too. I just don’t have access to one. I made 4 dozen of them, and that amount has always served me well. To use, just get them wet and go at it!

Here is my diaper stash:
Infant Prefolds – 24
Toddler Prefolds – 12
Fitted Diapers – 6
Thirsties covers – 5
Wool covers – 5
Wipes – 48
Wet bags – 2 (for holding the dirty ones until wash day)

Websites I recommend:
http://www.diaperswappers.com/ a great place to buy, sell, swap diapering products
http://www.diaperpin.com/ for ratings on all diapering products and companies
http://www.thediaperhyena.com/ how-tos, caring for your diapers, make your own resources

My diaper routine.
How do you wash them, you ask? After I change the diaper, if it is only wet, it gets thrown into the wet bag until wash day. If it is a messy diaper, I dump the solids into the toilet then I rinse the diaper out in our utility sink. It has a pull-out spray faucet to rinse the diapers.

The waste goes down the drain into our septic. That diaper gets thrown into the wet bag also. Treat your wipes the same as the diapers. If the cover gets dirty, it gets rinsed also. Do not put the laminate covers in the wet bag! They attract the ammonia and do not clean out as well. I keep an old plastic dishpan in the laundry for the covers. Now it’s wash day. Around here that comes about every other day or two. I set my washer on rinse only and dump the entire contents of the bag into the wash. The wipes, covers and the bag get thrown in as well. Run through the rinse first to get the urine and any missed solids rinsed out. After that, run a normal wash cycle with your detergent of choice. I have used Allen’s Naturally and Charlie’s Soap, both successfully. Make sure you use a detergent that has NO ADDITIVES of any kind. They coat the diapers making them less absorbent and they will stink. As far as water temperature, a scalding is not always necessary. In the summer time, I hang my diapers outside so I can get away with washing the diapers in cold water. In the winter, I hang them indoors and it seems if I don’t wash the diapers in warm or hot water, they tend to stink. See what works for you. After the normal wash cycle, I run the diapers in an extra rinse just to make sure there is no detergent residue left. We have hard well water, and that makes it harder to cut through the soap residue. My experience is that if I don’t do the extra rinse, my daughter will get a rash and the diapers will stink. I line dry all the diapers. When they are dry, I typically throw them in the dryer with a clean, wet wipe for 10 minutes to soften them up a bit. I especially do this when I indoor dry. It seems to turn them into cardboard.
Some things I have learned along the way is to make sure you don’t throw the laminate covers and bags into the dryer to often. It shrinks and wears them out. The wool needs different care. Refer to the instructions that came with your wool, or see some of the links above. Experiment with different thicknesses of diaper and the covers to find what works for your situation. My daughter was such a heavy wetter very early on, I tried so many variations of folding, doublers, covers and wool to find a solution. With persistence and a will to do it, you too can cloth diaper your children!

What I did today...

Helped dh haul in some wood for our furnace. This is a pic from last years last pile. We have the furnace in our basement.



Hung laundry to dry in basement (because that wood furnace does a wonderful job drying laundry!)

And now I'm gonna go to bed!

Make your own...

SEASONED SALT

2tbsp salt
2tsp sugar
1/2tsp paprika
1/4tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp turmeric

Combine in a small bowl and mix well. Pour into an empty spice bottle. Make about 1/4 cup.

Make your own...

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

1/2c hot water
3/4c sugar
3/4c powdered milk

Blend together in a blender (or mix well by hand). Store in frig or freezer. Makes 1 can.

Make your own...

EVAPORATED MILK

1-1/2c warm water
1c powdered milk
1tbsp butter

Mix milk and water together in a small saucepan. Add butter. Heat and stir at medium until the butter is melted. Use right away, or cool and then refrigerate. Equals one store-bought can.

Homemade Pizza recipe

Finally, after many failed attempts, I have developed a homemade pizza that both my dh and I love! Yay! Here it is:

CRUST
makes 2

4c flour - I use King Arthur unbleached white
1tbsp sugar
2-1/4 tsp dry active yeast(or 1 pkt)
2 tsp salt
1/4 oil - I use canola
1 and 1/3c warm water
seasonings to your taste - garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, etc.

Mix 1/3c warm water and yeast. Make sure the water is not too hot or else you will kill the yeast. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1c hot water to dry mix. Add yeast water once it has tiny bubbles on top. Add oil. Mix well.Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm spot.
Once it has risen some (an hour usually does it), divide in half and roll out onto an oiled sheet. I like to use stoneware because it seems to cook more evenly and it keeps it warm while you serve it. Prick the dough all over with a fork so that it doesn't form bubbles while it cooks. Then I like to prebake the crust in a 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes. Take out the crust and top as you like. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until it looks done.
An alternative, is to freeze the crust after it is prebaked. Thaw when you need it and top it off and cook it the same as above.

I use homemade sauce made from home canned spaghetti sauce. Yummy!

SPAGHETTI SAUCE - from my sil Diane

16 qts or 1/2 bushel Roma tomatoes
6 med onions - chopped
Puree or blend the tomatoes. put in large pot with the onions. Cook about 1-1/2 hrs on low to med heat - low boil.
Add
2 c veg oil (optional - I don't do this and it turns out wonderful)
8 cloves crushed garlic
3 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1-1/2c brown sugar
1/3c salt
Cook for 1 hr. Add (4) 12 oz cans of tomato paste. It's ready for canning!

One variation I mistakenly made with this recipe, is with the red pepper. One batch I accidentally used cayenne pepper instead! Makes for a hotter sauce, but it tastes wonderful for pizza!

For making into a pizza sauce:
For every 1 pint of the spaghetti sauce use (1) 6oz. can of tomato paste. Mix together to thicken. Spread on the pizza crust.

Enjoy!!!

Stocking the pantry from the garden 2008

Canning, I love it and I hate it. I love the independence it gives my family. I love looking at the beautiful colored jars in my basement, just waiting to be ate. I love that I don't have to buy everything at the grocery as long as I can some foods. I hate the long hours standing and making my feet, legs and back hurt. I hate the time not spent with my daughter because she is too young to help me. I hate how tiring it can be. Thank goodness I don't do the harvest-type of canning year-round! All in all, I really do love to can my foods. Like I said, I love the independence it gives us! In 2008, I did more canning than I have ever done before. I had alot given to us, and we made our garden larger. Some other foods I froze, dried or kept in a dark cool place.
Here is what I did:

Canning-
11 qts green beans
42 qts tomato sauce
11 pts carrots
7 qt mater soup
5 pt apple butter
31 qt apple sauce
7 qt pear sauce

Dried-
28 apples
lots of parsley, oregano and lavender
all onions (189)
1 pt maters
1 head sunflower seeds

Froze-
4gal strawberries
12 bell peppers
1gal blackberries

Keeping fresh-
15# carrots
5 pumpkins
5# taters

Key to my abbreviations: qt=quart, pt=pint, gal=gallon, mater=tomato, tater=potato

Notes:
I did not personally grow the apples, pears or blackberries. The apples and pears were given to me. I bought the blackberries from a local farmer.
The peppers did very poorly this year, hence only 12. Then they ended up getting pitched because they had such a horrible taste to them. Don't know what happened there.

What we ate - 2008

Our dinners mostly consisted of ground beef and chicken. I buy our beef from a local butcher. I usually get about #30 at a time as we have an upright deep freeze. I buy my chicken on sale at Kroger. I buy as much as I can afford at the time. It is usually breast meat, but I do buy quarters or bone-in breast if they are exceptionally priced or I want to make some canned shredded chicken. About 4 times a year, I will buy a whole chicken or turkey and boil it in a big pot for the broth. Then I have lots of poultry to can or freeze. The pork and fish are also store-bought since we don't raise any animals yet. They usually come from Aldi's or Kroger. Anything marked with a * is cooked in the crockpot.
Deciphering my abbreviations - sammies=sandwiches, chix=chicken, boxed/frozen=store-bought.

Beef Entrees:

Meat and Noodle skillet
BBQ Cups
Sweet and sour meatballs over rice*
Sloppy Joe sammies
Taco twist casserole
Meatloaf
Boxed lasagna
boxed Dirty rice mixed with beef
Italian Mac Bake*
Tator Tot blop casserole
Frozen ravioli with spaghetti sauce
Veggies Beef stew with taters and carrots*
Tacos
Chili soup*
Spagetti with meat sauce
Hobo Meatball Stew*
Skillet hash
Beef barley soup*
Hamburgers
Lasagna
Pot roast and veggies*
Taco Ring
Baked ziti

Poultry Entrees:

General Tso chicken and rice
Frozen Chix Tenders
Chicken tacos
BBQ chix*
Cheesey chix and rice casserole
Fried Rice with chix
Shredded Chix sammies
Chix pot pie, sometimes not in pie but over biscuits
Chix carbonara
Chix quesidillas
Grilled chix breast
Chix cutlets with spaghetti over them
Chicken rice soup
Whole chix
Whole turkey

Pork entrees:

Pigs in a blanket
Potato soup (ham)
Whole ham*
Marinated pork chops
Fried ham slices
Baked pork chops and taters
Breakfast egg casserole(ham)
Ham and greenbean soup

Fish entrees:

Frozen fillets
Store-bought clam chowder
Tuna casserole
Salmon patties

Other:

Pizza (usually has meat on it, but not always)
Minestrone
Breakfast for dinner - pancakes, eggs and hash browns
Grilled cheese with whatever lunch meat we have on hand

Side dishes:

Glazed carrots
Raw carrots
breads - regular, garlic, corn
biscuits
tator tots
oven taters
plum buckle
fried taters
cheesy taters*
corn pudding
corn
Zuchinni patties
pears
pear sauce
apple sauce
cherry cobbler
salad
cole slaw
fresh fruit - grapes, berries, apples, oranges
rice
homemade puddings
sweet taters - casserole, oven fries or baked
noodles

What we drink:
water
milk
sweet tea
lemonade
the occasional soft drink, it is very rare that I buy these
herbal teas
apple juice
grape juice

I think I have covered it all! It alot more than I thought. I always knew we ate really good, I just never saw it in a list like this. Kind of an eye opener! There are so many things I would like to be producing here on the farm instead of buying them at a store. I always have to remind myself that I can only do so much.

What we ate - 2008

Trying to get back into blogging here. Seems lately my brain can't figure out how to post anymore. Well, today the wheels in my brain started grinding away again. I am so glad!

I have kept a rough list of the meals I made for my family in 2008. I didn't write them down everyday, but I "know" what recipes I was using. Most everything I make is homemade, or semi-homemade. By semi-homemade, I mean that maybe I added a store-bought can of soup to some meat or a store-bought packet of seasoning such as for Fried Rice. I do not produce any of our animal products. I do garden, so some of my veggies, herbs and the strawberries are produced on our farm. Some of the apples, all the pears, cherries and rhubarb came from my mil or sil's farms. Everything else is a store-bought item. These are the things I would like to replace with home-grown or local foods. Some things, such as breads and pasta's, I know that I can make myself and this is a goal I am woking toward reaching. For me, it's all about being as self-reliant as I possibly can be. Saying that, I will also add that we did go out to eat about twice a month for the first part of the year. However, in November dh's work pretty much came to a stand still, so going out to eat has not been an option. Not a bad problem to have, is it?

I will break things up into breakfast/lunches/snacks because these have a much shorter list. Then I will do my Dinner's. They will be broken down into beef, poultry, pork, fish and other meals. This way it is easier for me to see what we eat in a years time.


Breakfast:

Cheerios (baby and dh)
Grape-Nuts (me)
Baked Oatmeal
Eggs
French Toast
Milk
OJ

Lunches:

Mostly leftovers
Canned soup with grilled sammies (my word for sandwiches!)
Frozen Chicken tenders and taters
Frozen Fish fillets and taters
Egg salad sammies (me)
Chicken salad sammies(me)
Tuna salad sammies (me)
Egg, cheese and bagel sammies

Snacks:

Amish Friendship bread
Pretzels dipped in cheese or black bean dip
Mozzarella cheese sticks
Yogurt
Nachos - sometimes smothered in leftover chili or sloppy joe meat
Brownies/cookies on occasion
Fresh fruit, sometimes with my Peanut butter fruit dip
Carrot sticks
Goldfish cracker and graham crackers for baby


Notes: I eliminated the Grape-Nuts in early fall. I replaced it with the baked oatmeal. The bread was store bought until early winter, then it was all homemade. The crackers weren't the only snack the baby ate. She ate whatever we ate as long as it was appropriate for her. She never did like jarred baby food. She wanted to be "big" and eat what we ate! Saved us lots of money that way!

Happy New Year!