Friday, October 16, 2020

Bits and Pieces...

 The pressure canner is put away until our quarter beef arrives mid-November.  Although my supply of canning lids has increased this week due to a good friend who surprised me and blessed me with a box containing enough lids for over 150 more jars of canned food, I am still putting off doing any more canning until I see how many lids and jars I need for the beef.  Oldest son has contributed half the price and yesterday we talked about what to can and what to keep in the freezer.  He says canning any kind of steak would be a sin and I tend to agree, but we both decided that we will set aside a few pounds of hamburger and a couple of roasts and can the rest of those.  My chest freezer isn't all that big so canning is the best way to have much of the meat preserved. 

In the meantime, the dehydrators are getting a workout.  I had dried cut green beans in the past, but decided to try dehydrating French cut green beans.  I had six 1 lb. bags of them, frozen, and they turned out fine.  I tried rehydrating a few in warm water and they actually rehydrated better than the cut green beans.  Even so, I expect I will use these, crumbled, in soups for flavor.

My memory, being a bit frazzled around the edges these days, had failed me when I discovered about 10 lbs. of onions in a milk crate stashed in a corner.  Lucky for me, none had gone bad, so I peeled and quartered them and ran them through my food processor.  The idea was not to puree them but to turn them into onion flakes.  They are in the dehydrator and when dried, I will be making onion soup mix using the following recipe:

ONION SOUP MIX RECIPE

3/4 cup dehydrated minced onion

4 teaspoons onion powder

1/3 cup beef bouillon powder

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Stir each time before using. To make a bowl of onion soup, mix 2 tablespoons in a cup of boiling water. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. For onion dip, mix 1 tablespoon (or to taste) in one cup sour cream. Let sit for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to allow onions to rehydrate.  Use this mix any way you would use the commercial onion soup mix.

In case you hadn't noticed, although I'm pretty sure those of you who stop by here have, the world around us has lost its collective mind.  There are those well paid thugs who like to burn and loot and harass and destroy that are threatening widespread thuggery should their boy lose the election.  There are food shortages as well as shortages of other products on the horizon.  Some of those shortages are already being felt in the stores.  And we have mayors, governors and candidates threatening to shut us all down again due to a virus with an over 98% recovery rate.  Because of the fear-mongering main stream media, we have people too afraid to live their lives normally.

I still keep up with the news because it is always good to know what the enemy is up to, but have found that in order to maintain a positive attitude, it has become necessary to limit my time absorbing the news of the day. 

Instead, most of my time is spent on 'stacking it to the rafters' when it comes to preparing.  And spending time doing what I love - sewing, crocheting, working on scrapbooks and genealogy, reading mystery books, etc.  If I weren't housebound, I expect I would be going for a walk in the park or down along the river, enjoying the beauty of Fall. 

Fear has turned us into a nation of sacredy cats.  We don't get together with friends or family.  We don't hug.  We mostly hide and wait for some government entity to tell us what to do.  That is just wrong.  It is not normal.  Humans need to be with other humans.  Living in fear shrivels the soul.  

We need to just live.

15 comments:

  1. The enemy's whole purpose is to make us feel disconnected from the human race and scared. As you know, God doesn't want that.

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    1. You are absolutely right, Gorges...We need to get back to living - not just existing.

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  2. Good Evening Vicki~
    Remus was so right about having DEEP larders. I miss his wisdom and sense of humor.
    Still dehydrating veggies and storing whole grains and legumes.You might want to have some additional pop corn, corn meal and masa flour. NOW. I let my son and daughter-in-law know they needed to get the special food their dog Spike eats. I recommend 3 years worth. The use by dates are normally two to three years out. Plus the bags can be broken down and vacuum packed for safety and no bugs. I was in a market today and found bands, lids and jars. Sitting on the shelves. I left them there for those that have a need. I'm tired of the fear mongers trying to control US. It would be great to flip them the one finger salute or paddle their butts. Though I think some already pay for that service.
    We are getting heavy clear tarps to keep the warmth in garden beds over the winter. Tomorrow I will be blanching and dehydrating carrots. Also baking sugar pie pumpkins for Thanksgiving and Christmas pies and breads.
    Keep putting it way everyone. Red

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    1. Hi Red...I miss Remus too. He sure was spot on with his advice.
      I just finished writing out my grocery order list. More popcorn is included, but I had forgotten about masa flour, so added that. Thanks for the reminder. I just saw a new video from Ice Age Farmer talking about corn shortages, after the storm that flattened so many corn fields in the Midwest. I'm ordering several bags of frozen corn to dehydrate. I have lots already dried, but stacking to the rafters! Also ordering more celery to blanch and dry. This time I think I will try setting the root ends in water to see if I can get them to grow more celery.
      Lids and jars can not be found anywhere around here. But I did read a report from Ball/Kerr saying that although they had planned to build up inventory to send out in March of 2021, they have revised their plan and will begin shipping to select stores. Kroger's and Walmart were mentioned along with a few others that I can't remember. Thanks to a surprise package in the mail, I am OK until spring on canning supplies.
      The fear mongering here is mostly about the virus. To listen to the dire warnings on local news, you would think people were dropping like flies in the streets. I'm right there with you on the punishment. And as far as paying for the service - every other perversion seems to be just fine and dandy, so why not!!
      You are one busy lady and an inspiration. Good to hear from you. Take care.

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  3. Hi Vicki,
    After getting most all the food storage unpacked and organized, I decided to take an inventory. I'm thrilled to have a dedicated food storage room now. It makes it so much easier to see where the holes are. The most glaring one was the yeast, (probably because I had to help out my son and daughter-in-law who couldn't find it anywhere earlier in the year), followed by the baking soda (I think I've got another bucket of it yet to be located, but I'm not sure). I couldn't find any of the 1-pound packages here, which is what I prefer, so I just ordered several packages online. Just a reminder to everyone to make sure you've got a good supply of yeast, baking soda, and baking powder.

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    1. Jennifer...Glad to hear that you are getting settled into your new home. Having a room dedicated to storage makes keeping track of what we have so much easier.

      You are so right about having an abundance of yeast, baking soda and baking powder. In places where famine has occurred, it seems that having bread was the most important thing to have to stave off starvation. I was lucky enough to have stocked up on all three items on an earlier Sam's Club run. I keep the yeast in the freezer, including the jar I use it from for baking bread and have had no problems with it losing its potency. I wonder how many these days even know how to make a loaf of bread.

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    2. Vicki, I know how to make a loaf of bread; but a *good* loaf of bread has escaped me. My bread does make good paper weights though. :)

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    3. Don't feel bad LindaG...I have produced loaves of bread that made really good door stops. That's one reason I bought a used bread machine a while back. And we don't want to talk about the pot of baked beans that I buried out in the woods. :)

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  4. I've been saying it for years, Vicki; Fear did not build America, but fear WILL destroy it. I don't live in fear; anger sometimes, thinking about what my beloved country has become, but not fear. As for the anger, I get my news a couple of times a day, and shut off the TV, radio, or whatever. That limits the anger. Pundits on BOTH sides want us angry, anxious, and WATCHING. My philosophy, and from the looks of it, yours as well, is that when the ship is going down, you can either watch the water rise, or you can look for a lifeboat.

    If the "pandemic" has done one thing, it's shown me the holes in my preps. No one's every going to be TOTALLY ready, but I believe I'm a quantum leap ahead of where I was in March. God's teaching us. It's ours to listen "if we've got ears..."

    God's blessings be on you and yours!

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    1. Pete...I guess that I am just one of those people who can't "go gentle into that good night." I can not just hide under my bed waiting for some politician who has never held a real job, to tell me what I can and can not do within the boundaries of the law. I refuse to live in fear.

      I understand the anger at watching my country that I dearly love moving at a rapid pace toward becoming just another third world nation. Although I have been known to rant on occasion, I would much rather live in peace. So I limit my news intake.

      I have this nagging little voice in the back of my mind telling me that now is not the time to slow down on the preps. My grocery list for next week's order is long, filling in where I need to fill in. Knowing that even if the worst happens, we will be able to take care of our families brings some peace of mind.

      Take care, my friend, and may God richly bless you and yours.

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  5. The very best thing to come out of all the craziness is that I now have an amazing sourdough starter. I too have yeast and other baking supplies but hte SD starter is a lot of fun.

    I'm also puttng together a shopping list for next week - light bulbs and vitamins are needing a little top up.

    Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC Canada

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    1. SJ...It never ends, does it! About the time I think my preps are in pretty good shape, I find something else that needs shoring up.

      I haven't tried sourdough yet, but think that might be a good idea to have an alternative method for making bread. Fits with the 'one is none and two is one' thing.

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  6. We went to a flea market that is held once a month in Hammond Louisiana. Some good friends sell home made goods and eggs there.
    We always meet and talk.
    And we hug each other.
    Good times.
    May God bless us all.

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    1. LindaG...That is exactly what we need to be doing. Spend time with friends. Hug those we care about. Get together with family - no limitations. Stop the foolishness and live. God bless you and yours.

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