Monday, October 15, 2018

Off and Running like a Herd of Turtles

Having spent a relaxing weekend, it is time to get busy.

15 lbs. of hamburger are waiting to be jarred and processed.
4 lbs. each of broccoli and cauliflower and onions await the dehydrators.
10 lbs. of potatoes need to be peeled and sliced and dried

My bread machine has been dusted off and is ready to produce lovely loves of bread and some tasty rolls.  My gosh, but store bread has become expensive.  I don't like baking bread in the machine, but shape the dough into loaves and bake it in the oven, now that the heat of summer has past.  The only drawback is that I can make only one loaf at a time.  But I can live with that.  The machine makes it possible to have good bread for pennies and it does the stirring and kneading for me. 

So I am off, like a herd of turtles, to see what I can accomplish in the next couple of days.  As they say, 'Keep on prepping.'  Judging by what is going on in Portland with the antifa mob taking over the streets and all the craziness elsewhere, that seems to be pretty good advice.

20 comments:

  1. I'm doing some more food prep here, but not to that extent. I hope to get meats stocked soon.

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    1. Kristina...It isn't like I am overly ambitious. It is just that the food in my freezer was beginning to pile up and it was time to get it canned and dried and on the shelves. I need to concentrate on the meat, too. Thing is, I use my home canned food all the time so now that it is cold outside and the stove going won't make my apartment unbearably hot, it is time to can like a crazy person. :)

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  2. Well, Vicki, Get you a good rifle and if Antifa ever comes to your street and starts beating onlookers, you're in a good spot to be a sniper!

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    1. Gorges...I suppose I could use something with a bit more accuracy than my 12 gauge. Although I'm thinking that a few rounds of double ought buck might slow them down some. :)

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  3. I am ready for meat to can too. Hunting season is upon us!! yay. Your post is getting my prepper side goin!! :)

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    1. Mary...Good luck with the hunt. I would love to have some jars of venison on the shelf. I doubt any of mine will hunt this year, so I will have to make due. My prepper side got a bit lazy over the summer, so it is time to get back to it. :)

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  4. Good for you, Vicki! Every little bit helps AND it is so much better than store bought canned goods. I love having homecanned meats to make a quick casserole or skillet dish or soup. A neighbor told my son he could pick all the apples he wanted from his orchard. There were four varieties so my son got busy and filled several 5 gallon buckets. Over the weekend, I made several batches of apple butter and then today I canned a dozen 12 ounce jars of the deliciousness. Tomorrow my son will take a jar over to the neighbor and get more apples. We have had some snow and low thirties but not cold enough to damage the apples. It is so hard to let good food go to waste.

    Also, Vicki, your mentioning the out-of-control mobs brought something else to my mind and want to share. Last week we had two "undesirables" attempt to break into our home. They pulled the old trick of ringing our front doorbell twice. When no one answered the door they went around to two back entrances and began to force their way in. They got a big surprise when my husband opened the door and told them they were not welcome. We live in a very small community... 2 blocks from the sheriff's department and two LEO's living within a half block of our home. It takes all kinds BUT like you..we are prepared to defend ourselves and our property if need be the next time. The crazier it gets, the harder I prep! Take care...

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    1. CW...I just love having a variety of home canned meats on the shelves. Makes cooking a meal so much easier for me. I have been ordering a little at a time with my grocery delivery and just freezing it until I have enough to can. You are right - every little bit helps and it adds up fairly quickly.

      Good for you on the apples! You have a really generous neighbor. I can't stand to see anything go to waste, either. I have to admit to being a little bit green with envy. I need to get my hands on more apples. I can lots of applesauce in half pint jars. That's just the right size for my son to take in his lunch for work or for me to have a nightime treat. I haven't been making apple butter due to the cost of apples, but would really like to can apple slices in a thin syrup. They have many uses and are just plain good to eat right from the jar. :)

      I'm so glad nothing bad happened to you when those creeps tried to break in. I don't think there is a safe place to live anywhere any more. And it seems to be getting worse. Valley Fair is less than 5 minutes from my apartment. A couple of weeks ago a gang of 75 - 100 Somali men crashed the gates, started screaming at people, picking fights and raising hell until the park had to be evacuated. There is craziness like that everywhere, which has had the effect of lighting a fire under me to get busy. We just never know what will happen. You take care, too.

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  5. We buy the cheap white bread from Wally World. In a pinch we buy the cheap local store brand. That is 1.79 loaf. WM is .98 I think its better off to make rolls, biscuits vs loaf. You know all that soup I bought. well its almost gone. I guess I should have bought 2 or 3 cases of each. Don't over do it, we all will come down to that little town of yours and .....

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    1. Rob...I'm kind of limited as to where I can buy bread. To get it anywhere other than with my grocery delivery service, I would have to ask a kid to buy it for me, and they already do so much that I don't want to ask. Anyway, I have the bread machine so I might as well make use of it.
      It sure doesn't take long to go through cases of food when you are feeding a family. It seems to go fast even for one.
      I'm taking it easy - a little bit at a time. Sure don't want you to come down here and.....:)

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  6. It's a great Fall day here - clear skies and sun.
    I'm about to tackle the leaves for the day with my handy leaf blower.
    Have you posted your bread recipe some where here? If not, could you? I'm thinking that I might be able to handle baking bread if I only did one loaf at a time. The price of my favorite loaf from the store is over $4 now and I need to find something else to eat!
    Cheers,
    SJ

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    1. SJ...It is a nice day here, too. Temps in the 50's and actual sunshine!!

      Here is the recipe I use in my bread machine. It can be stirred up by hand easily. Makes a nice loaf of white bread.

      Traditional White Bread

      1 cup lukewarm water
      1/3 cup lukewarm milk
      3 tablespoons butter
      3 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
      3 tablespoons sugar
      1 1/2 teaspoons salt
      1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

      I just mix the dry ingredients together. Then heat the water, milk and butter together slightly in the microwave and add a little at a time to the flour mixture. Knead until it looks good to you. Shape into a loaf and let rise in the pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

      I don't like to bake in the machine but bake in the oven. Makes a good loaf of bread. Let me know how it works for you.

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    2. I just love the posts where I grab a pen and paper first and then start reading.LOL.
      So, how do you use this recipe with your bread maker? Load all the individual items or load the bread maker so it does the kneading? I have a bread maker but it's been sitting on a shelf since I made several 'doorstops' with it.
      Cheers, SJ

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    3. SJ...When I use this recipe in my bread machine, I put in the ingredients in the order they are listed. (liquids first and then dry) I set the machine on the 'dough' setting and let it go. The machine mixes and kneads the dough, then warms just enough for the dough to rise. At that time it beeps at me, I remove the dough, shape it into a loaf, put it in a pan and let it raise again before baking in my oven. I let the machine bake bread just once and that produced a doorstop, so I never used that feature again. Besides, I want a loaf of bread that looks like a loaf of bread and not like a building block. And there is nothing better than the smell of baking bread filling the apartment when it is baked in the oven. :)

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    4. Thanks so much!! I had always baked the bread in the machine & got the 'doorstops'. I'll try your method!
      MrDog and I are both moving slowly this morning and that's ok. I went to my garden meeting last night which got me to bed later then normal.
      I start my new meds at bedtime tonight.
      Cheers, SJ

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    5. SJ...Hope the bread works out for you. I need to make some tomorrow as I am nearly out of my last loaf of store bought bread.
      I am with you on the slow moving thing today. This morning I had my yearly Dr. appointment. The trips down the stairs and up again did me in. All is well. I am 20 lbs. lighter than last year. All the levels are within 'normal' parameters and apparently I am not senile as yet. :)
      I will be praying that your new meds do the trick for you.

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  7. Mom, I will do my best to bring you some venison in a few weeks.
    David

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    1. Son...I'm glad to hear you are going hunting this year. I really look forward to some venison. :)

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    1. BW...I must be off my game today, for I have no snappy comeback. :)
      Cauliflower = flavor in soup.

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