Friday, April 24, 2020

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.

14 comments:

  1. Yes, we had to kill the nation to save it (politi-think).

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    1. Gorges...Never let a crisis go to waste. Seems the only way the Left has to achieve their goals. Too bad we had to lose our freedom for it.

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    2. I'm sorry, Linda, but I have no desire to get into a political sparing match with you.

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  2. I will be moving both dehydrators outside tomorrow.Even though my Husband says we have enough food, it doesn't feel like it. So it is a trip to the Supply store for more frozen veggies and a few other items. The garden is going well. We'll be having fresh picked salad fixings on Sunday. Do what you can everyone and remember to have iodized, kosher and pickling salt in your pantry. In God's Safekeeping. Red

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    1. Red...There is this nagging little feeling that there is not enough food yet. The direction things seem to be taking, I believe we are going to need every crumb. Glad to hear your garden is doing well. God bless.

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  3. Food, movement, medicines, communication.
    I read that Book all the way through and it is all foretold
    Inevitable
    Horrible times are coming
    May be the beginning of birth pangs
    Remember He said that if
    He had not foreshortened the time there would be nothing flesh left alive
    I pray for my daughter
    Don,t want her to be a slave or worse
    Pray blessing and protection over all your children

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    1. deb...I hope I am wrong, but right now I believe it will get worse before it gets any better. We need whatever we can gather to get through. Prayers for you and your daughter.

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  4. Vicki, you are doing the right thing. The more we prepare, the better we will be able to deal with the hardships coming. Thank you for sharing your wonderful method of canning such a versatile home canned product. Stay well...

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    1. CW...I remember Mother's methods of stretching food to the limit to feed us in hard times. That's the idea behind getting as much bang for the buck as I can on meat. I'm not seeing our world getting back to what we like to think of as normal, any time soon. Take good care.

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  5. Well done.
    So, are the canning jars regular or wide mouth? Does it matter?
    I'm having a quiet day. The garden is too wet from this morning's and last night's rain storm to do anything. My seed order arrived Thursday and I'm looking forward to planting more.
    Cheers
    SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. Thanks SJ...It doesn't matter which size jar since everything is small pieces. Glad to hear you got your seeds. There are places where they are hard to come by. Happy gardening!

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  6. We are rethinking our next shopping trip. Ran to WM Buffalo they had a limit on fresh meat one pack of this species...Didn't go for food. Stopped at a Menards. A line to get in..passed. Went to WM.

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    1. Rob...Things are changing fast. Lines - social distancing - limits on meat. I got lucky with my grocery order. The service shops at Cub. I got the 12 lbs. of chicken breast and 12 lbs. of hamburger with no limits. I expect that will change soon.

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