Next Year. You'll Be Ready.

I've been given quite a few boxes of quart jars, more like six boxes. If you do any canning you know this is always a good thing. I strive to can more each year as I get faster and more efficient. One thing that I am doing to speed up the process is wash the jars not being used and once they are thoroughly dried, on go the lids and rings that I will use next year when I start my canning again. I don't screw the lids on tight just enough to keep them closed.

Now I've had some people think that this is just awful. I will ruin the lids. How I don't know, but they feel this way none the less. That's fine let them do what they want. I have done this for two years now and never had a problem. I have not ruined a lid by putting it on the jar early yet and I canned over fifty quarts this year so.....It's so much easier to have your jars prewashed it just doesn't make since to me not go ahead and get it over with when you have down time. I do the same throughout the winter as I use my canned goodies.

You may not feel like messing with jars when you don't have to but all you need to do is think back to the summer and remember how much washing you had to do before you could even get started. That is one thing I will not miss. Take your time, you have all winter.

A Dry Sense of Humor

This is harvest time! At least in our area. There is much canning being done and as I was going through my Stocking Up III book looking for processing times and generally looking at what I can and can't lock up in my quart jars. I came across a whole chapter on dehydrating. Oh! The possibilities are endless. So now I can dehydrate along with canning. Not to mention the fact that dehydrated food takes up much less space than...well, non dehydrated.

So. Why in the world would I want to dehydrate my veggies? Space, we have already mentioned. Believe me if you do a lot of canning this does become somewhat of an issue. Where to put all this stuff? imagine going to the store and bringing home ten carts full of canned goods. Where you going to put it?

In the book it will tell you which foods rehydrate the best. The best ways to revive them. Things like cabbage can be dehydrated and used in soups. Make your own sun dried tomatoes, which are expensive in the store. Broccoli comes back good, as well as carrots, etc.

Think about all the rice packets and dry soup mixes. All dried veggies and spices. You've been eating dehydrated food longer than you realize. One thing that I would like to point out when eating food that has been dried. If you boil it or steam it to bring it back to life. You are leaching out nutrients into the water. It would be best to cook with dried veggies in soup or your own rice mix. Anything where you will not have to strain them or take them out of liquid. That way any nutrients that may escape with escape into your food. There are even recipes that are done with the dehydrator. Instead of cook time it's dehydrate time!

There was also another interesting idea. Grinding the dried veggies into vegetable flour. Then you can substitute some of the veggie flour in your recipes. I like that idea, I'm always trying to find ways to sneak more veggies into my son's unwilling mouth. Not to mention being dehydrated the nutrients are concentrated. He won't know a thing. So I guess I better get to it. Farewell!

The Sun Still Shines

This year has had it's many ups and downs. There is just no where to know which way the wind is going to blow. I know that the year started and I had the feeling that this was going to be the year! Even wrote that under my profile pic "I have a feeling this is going to be the best year ever!" ...Well it hasn't exactly turned out that way. But such is life starter plants get roasted, little boys wash away the seeds that you try to restart, chickens go to that big chicken coop in the sky. Deer runs out in front of you and wreck the truck, ALLSTATE insurance screws us over by totaling truck and not covering insurance costs even though we have $10,000 in medical coverage. Leaving us with thousands of dollars in debt. Charging us insurance on a car that they have already towed away, explain that one.

This has not been the best year ever. The strain of finances are effecting a lot of people in this year and I'm sure it will in the following year to come. But for me, at least I still have six chickens left, broccoli producing as well as cabbage, I've found the joys of zucchini this year (zucchini and spinach lasagna is awesome). The tomatoes are doing well and about to produce almost more than I can handle if it wasn't for canning. The cabbages are almost ready. The lettuce was wonderful and about to do the second planting. The rooster still crows, my son still grows and the sun still shines.

There's one thing that I always make sure and try to do. If I talk about the negatives, then I have to talk about some positives. Live isn't always good, but it isn't always bad. It helps to remember that and focusing on the positive will help it be number one in your life. For everyone out there having a difficult year. Bless you and remember what's still good happening, even if it is that the sun still shines. The sun still shines.

A Dual Purpose Chicken Coop

We have recently gotten started with chickens. They provide us with endless fun to watch them. I always heard that from people that have chickens and it is true, they are very entertaining. The one thing that does bring me pleasure is hauling water to them every day. I have a lazy personality I believe. But they say that is how most inventions are thought up, by a lazy person trying to make their life easier. Anyway....

I talked with my husband and we now have added a gutter to the back of the chicken coop to catch water which will go into a 55 gallon barrel and save us a trip. We can now water the chickens without having to go for a walk. Some point in the future I will set them up with an automatic watering system with the water source being the rain barrel.

When he is able my husband is going to get what they call a tote. A 250 gallon tub that already has a spout at the end and will be free to us. One works trash is another man treasure. This rain barrel is also closer to our garden and we will use this to water our garden when necessary. Which will save us from having to haul water out to the garden. Which is a time consuming chore. So by utilizing what we have we will now have a free source of water. You know that makes me happy.

When The Sun Warms Up (a warning)

Early in March I started many, many seeds for the garden. Beautiful flowers and herbs aplenty where all growing in my son's window on top of his dresser. I watered them faithfully every day and sometimes twice a day when the son was especially warm. Everything we need growing great.

I was so happy when the weather was warm enough to put them outside, I could water with the garden hose instead of with a sprayer. Then the cold decided it was not done doing it's thing. Luckily my mom was nice enough to loan me her little green house for those cold days that were on the way as well as the freezing nights. Thanks mom!

At last the weather was starting to warm up again and I could even go outside with out a jacket. Excited about this years garden I've been counting the days till we could plow. There was just one horror I did not see coming. I had forgot to open up the little green house during these lovely warm days and killed every single plant inside. I'm talking over two hundred plants. I'll just let you know that those little things turn into ovens if you have never used one before. So now I get to start all over. I won't be using the greenhouse this time either, course it is warm enough I don't need it now. Live and learn, live and learn.