Keep on Prepping

"For those new to prepping there's a rule: when you have twice as much as you need, double it. It may barely be enough."
Ol' Remus - The Woodpile Report
21 Apr 2020 (624)

With this in mind I am spending today canning.

My grocery order included the following:  12 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 lbs. of carrots. 2 bunches of celery, 10 lbs. of potatoes and 4 lbs. of onions.

The chicken was cut into bite-sized pieces.  The vegetables were cut into 1/2 inch dices.
Quart jars were filled with layers:
1 Cup chicken
1 Cup potatoes
1 Cup carrots
1/2 Cup celery
1/2 Cup onions
This was topped off with 1 Tablespoon of powdered chicken bouillon and the jars were filled with water to 1 inch of the rim.  The jars were processed in the pressure canner for 90 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure for my altitude.  I got 21 quarts of chicken/vegetable base.

This can be used as a soup with added broth.  It can be thickened for chicken pot pies or served over rice or with biscuits.  I think it might also be used as the base for some casseroles.

The idea here was to get the most mileage possible from the meat.  Meat processing plants across the country are closing.  If things don't straighten out soon, it is entirely possible that some meats will not be available and those that are will have a hefty price on them.

We tend to forget that before this virus hit, there were concerns among those who pay attention that the possibility of food shortages were very real.  Now due to the virus panic, other food processing plants are closed or about to close.  My grocery delivery guy tells me that there isn't much of a selection in the canned fruit and soup aisles of the store.  Some stores are already either low on or out of some staples like flour. 

I admit to becoming a little bit lazy when it comes to canning and dehydrating.  No more.  The plan is to can everything I can lay my hands on that will fit in a jar and to dehydrate the rest.  I can't let circumstances stand in the way of making sure my family is fed.

So tomorrow the 12 lbs. of hamburger in my fridge will be canned.  So will the leftover potato dices from today's canning session.  And the leftover onions will go into the dehydrator.

The times are way too uncertain to wait until tomorrow to prep.  History shows the best way to control the population is by controlling the food.  It would not surprse me at all if that is the road we are headed down now.

Pray and prepare.