It Will Be Interesting...

to see just how much I can accomplish in a weekend.  It is probably a good thing that much of it can be done while sitting at my kitchen table.  :)

Last evening Son came home with 15 lbs. of frozen chicken breast.  The price hasn't gone up as yet, so he is going back to the store today for more.  Every day we hear of the bird flu spreading to another farm.  I have lost track of how many millions of chickens and turkeys have been destroyed.  One of the largest chicken/turkey processing plants in our state just laid off 233 workers because of it.  It is a sad state of affairs, especially for those who were working and now are not.  Common sense tells me that before too long the prices in the stores will reflect the damages.  The local news reports have even suggested that folks would do well to think about serving something other than the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner this year.  So I am buying as much chicken as I can now while it is still affordable.  When canned and stored under the right conditions,  it will keep for years.

Our local store got rid of that awful bacon I canned and then had to toss, and replaced it with the good stuff.  Another 3 lb. package came home with Son as well.  Both of us really like the bacon bits I can and even though he won't be living with me forever, he will still benefit.  All of my kids know they can shop in Mom's pantry whenever they want, and they can leave their cash and credit cards at home.  That's what makes Moms happy - feeding their kids, even when they are all grown up.

Fresh carrots are also on sale this week for 50 cents a pound, so Son grabbed 10 lbs.  Last evening I peeled them and cut them into pieces that will fit in my Vidalia Chop Wizard.  I love that little gadget.  I already wore one out and replaced it.  Lucky for me our local Target store carries them.  Tomorrow I will dice, blanch and get the carrots to drying in the dehydrators.  I really like having the dehydrated vegetables on hand.  They take up so much less space than the canned.  I prefer the canned or frozen for meals, but for soups that I simmer all day on the stove or in the crock pot, the dried can't be beat.  And kept away from light and moisture, they will keep indefinitely.  Son is getting more carrots, too, as long as they are so cheap.

I finally feel like I am getting caught up from this past winter.  Before I started with the grocery delivery service, I pretty much just ate from my food storage.  And I ate well.  There are those who can't figure out why I spend so much of my time on food preservation and storage.  I am blessed to have children close by who have been happy to bring me the food I needed at other times when I couldn't get out myself.  And I have no doubt that any of my four would do whatever I asked of them.  But it is very important to me to be able to take care of myself, even with the physical limitations that seem to show up fairly regularly as I age.  And should everything come crashing down around our ears, the knowledge that my family will not go hungry is a huge comfort.  I pray we never have to test the theory, but if we do, I would rather be ready than wonder where the next meal was going to come from.  Been there.  Done that.  Don't ever want to do it again.