Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: August 21~27, 2022

[SouthernBreeze]

Our late purple hull peas are beginning to come up, along with the turnips. It's turned off hot again, so I don't know how well the turnips, mustard, and lettuce will do. The peas should be fine if they can make before cold weather gets here (They have an old timey name of "6 week peas" here in the south. 6 weeks from planting to harvest). I gathered squash this morning and will be gathering more bell peppers for the freezer in a couple more days. We're having a bumper crop of bell peppers. Tomatoes are still not getting ripe, but there's lots of them. Nice size, too.

Did more laundry this morning and hung them out. I'm waiting for the sun to break through all this heavy fog we have out there. Fog in August is not a good sign for the coming winter for us.

We like the frozen hash browns best, but I have lots of the dehydrated ones from Sam's in storage. I made some last night for our breakfast supper. Bacon, hash browns, egg, cheese, onion, and green pepper omelets, and biscuits. I keep a few packages of the frozen hash brown patties in the freezer for quicker prep times.

edited......I forgot to mention that I'm going to be using some of my home canned ground beef for the first time tonight. I'm making Hamburger Helper with it. I sure hope we like it ok, cause it's too late now if we don't!

 

[WanderLore]

Daughter canned pickled okra, venison and spaghetti sauce. She is canning what she can in freezer make room.
She is so automatic about it she does it while she's doing all kind of other stuff I am so grateful for that!
Thank you for the kudos about the hike group. I would much rather do that then the 4-H but then you can't go to the fair with projects and so on.
The one thing that bugs me it's hard to get over is trying to get everybody prepared. I give them lessons and talk to them and teach them. But the parents show up with the kids and flip-flops and shorts no bugs spray no chair a bag of Cheetos to eat.
The kids put it together in their head though. These are kids age 7-12.
Boys and I will sleep in tent in back acre tonight. We have a little camp spot out there lol.
They are going to ride a steam train tomorrow with mom and grandpa.
There is a lot to do this time of year and trying to finish it before winter.

 

[John Deere Girl]

It's been a busy week of canning and wine making. I plan to do both today as well. God really blessed our orchard, berries, and garden this year, and I'm very thankful!

 

[ioujc]

Well, I am now confused and a bit worried. Remember I had talked about feeling weak and getting tired lately???

Well, it happened again today, but in addition to being tired and feeling very weak....actually shaking all over, I puked and it was coming out of both ends to be completely honest.

Those symptoms match both Heat exhaustion añd heart attack.

I don't think it's a heart attack, because everything gets better once I get inside and cool down, although I do have pain in my right shoulder.....but I also had a "frozen shoulder" years ago, for which I never had medical care, and it hurts when I am tired or have been working hard.

I have an appointment with my PCP next week and I will discuss this with him....he is an MD, and I really like him.

Don't like this ....HOWEVER, got another RIPE cantaloupe and a bunch of maters and cukes today, so there's lots of things to be happy about too!!

 

[paxsim2]

Take care of yourself ioujc!

We are on a four day weekend Dh started it this month and we both like it. We have a lot to catch up on before the contractor comes to work on the house.
Need to get the brussel sprouts planted, I think I'll plant them in the lower part of the vertical garden since nothing is planted there. I have the plant supports for the planter so I'll put those on at the same time. I want to plant some kale and carrots this weekend since the weather will be cooler then.
Trying to catch up with laundry and finish cleaning the kitchen up after canning. I did the counters but there are still sticky places! Ack!
That's about it for now!

 

[summerthyme]

Well, I am now confused and a bit worried. Remember I had talked about feeling weak and getting tired lately???

Well, it happened again today, but in addition to being tired and feeling very weak....actually shaking all over, I puked and it was coming out of both ends to be completely honest.

Those symptoms match both Heat exhaustion añd heart attack.

I don't think it's a heart attack, because everything gets better once I get inside and cool down, although I do have pain in my right shoulder.....but I also had a "frozen shoulder" years ago, for which I never had medical care, and it hurts when I am tired or have been working hard.

I have an appointment with my PCP next week and I will discuss this with him....he is an MD, and I really like him.

Don't like this ....HOWEVER, got another RIPE cantaloupe and a bunch of maters and cukes today, so there's lots of things to be happy about too!!

Get a blood glucose meter and use it! If your blood sugar is crashing, you get similar symptoms. In the meantime, drink a bit of juice and thenbeat a bit of cheese or other quality protein and see if it helps. (Not in place of seeing your PCP, but it may help rule out some things.

Summerthyme

 

[philkar]

We too are taking a 4 day weekend ahead of Labor day. My canner needs a break! High School football is a passion with us so we are starting the weekend with a game and then going to the beach for a couple of days. Have to take a break before we start paying the school bills for all the US young adults. We will come home to Limas that should be ready to pick and sunflowers that need to be harvested. But we are just going to focus on fun til then. Our house will actually be finished by the end of today. All those little unfinished finishing things done! Our fall garden is up and yes it is hotter than blazes with high humidity but I bet turnips and rutabagas have lived thru it all before! We shall see.

 

[hd5574]

I remember my mom getting cans of roma style whole tomatoes in the winter...she hated the grocery store tomatoes in the winter...so she would make her salad and slice a roma over top of it and it was really quit good...sometimes she would make a slice lettuce and slice an orange over the top ... She believed in something raw..fresh everyday.
We grew roma tomatoes this year so off to the kitchen to can a load of whole roma tomatoes for salads with winter

 

[nomifyle]

I remember my mom getting cans of roma style whole tomatoes in the winter...she hated the grocery store tomatoes in the winter...so she would make her salad and slice a roma over top of it and it was really quit good...sometimes she would make a slice lettuce and slice an orange over the top ... She believed in something raw..fresh everyday.
We grew roma tomatoes this year so off to the kitchen to can a load of whole roma tomatoes for salads with winter

I've frozen a lot of whole tomatoes, I'm wondering how they would be thawed and in a salad.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I remember my mom getting cans of roma style whole tomatoes in the winter...she hated the grocery store tomatoes in the winter...so she would make her salad and slice a roma over top of it and it was really quit good...sometimes she would make a slice lettuce and slice an orange over the top ... She believed in something raw..fresh everyday.
We grew roma tomatoes this year so off to the kitchen to can a load of whole roma tomatoes for salads with winter

I would like to try using whole canned tomatoes in our salads. I don't have any. All my home canned tomatoes are stewed not whole. Guess I could buy a small can at the store and try it. I've just never thought of doing that before. Thanks for the idea.

 

[John Deere Girl]

Tomatoes, applesauce, grape juice canned, peppers dehydrated, and 2 batches of wine done today. I still need to pick more basil, grapes, and apples, but I'm going to wait until later this evening.

 

[hd5574]

I would like to try using whole canned tomatoes in our salads. I don't have any. All my home canned tomatoes are stewed not whole. Guess I could buy a small can at the store and try it. I've just never thought of doing that before. Thanks for the idea.

Your welcome...I keep share things that might help people..the paste type tomatoes are very meaty and have few seeds...and also ...nearly no core.....so they slice well ...even in the summer

 

[Marseydoats]

Del Monte used to have some little tomatoes in a jar, and those things were awesome! I haven't seen them in quite awhile though.
The Tuttoroso (I probably spelled it wrong) brand of whole tomatoes are decent as well.

 

[ioujc]

Your welcome...I keep share things that might help people..the paste type tomatoes are very meaty and have few seeds...and also ...nearly no core.....so they slice well ...even in the summer

I LOVE ROMAS FOR EVERYTHING!!!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Taste Test Update.......I could tell a difference in my canned ground beef and fresh browned ground beef tonight. It wasn't a difference that is bad. We can live with it, but I like the fresh browned better. It'll do for canned, though. Cary said that he couldn't tell any difference at all. I used it with Hamburger Helper and made potato salad and fresh out of the garden baked squash.

 

[hd5574]

Another thing I remember is the my Dad loved cold whole canned tomatoes as a side dish in the winter. Just regular tomatoes not the paste type. Just a jar of whole canned tomatoes put in the refrigerator and then opened and put in bowls as a side. I liked them a lot back then but hadn't thought about them in years. I lost him back in 1981...so it has really been a while. I'll have to try it again and see if it is as good as I remember.

 

[John Deere Girl]

Another thing I remember is the my Dad loved cold whole canned tomatoes as a side dish in the winter. Just regular tomatoes not the paste type. Just a jar of whole canned tomatoes put in the refrigerator and then opened and put in bowls as a side. I liked them a lot back then but hadn't thought about them in years. I lost him back in 1981...so it has really been a while. I'll have to try it again and see if it is as good as I remember.

I like to eat canned tomatoes with a bit of salt.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I use my home canned stewed tomatoes as soup stock instead of broth when I make homemade soups and stews. Cary likes stewed tomatoes as a side dish with some meals.

I had him bring out a load of canning jars from the mini barn this morning for me to wash. I've got some food items that I've had stored in my freezers for a couple of weeks that need to be taken out and converted to the jars. I really need more pint jars. I hope Walmart keeps theirs out a while longer. When I was canning to feed a family of 4, I canned everything in quarts, so I have hundreds of those. I hardly have any pints. I only bought those in the past for things like jelly. Now, pints are what I need, and I'm running short.

 

[nomifyle]

I use my home canned stewed tomatoes as soup stock instead of broth when I make homemade soups and stews. Cary likes stewed tomatoes as a side dish with some meals.

I had him bring out a load of canning jars from the mini barn this morning for me to wash. I've got some food items that I've had stored in my freezers for a couple of weeks that need to be taken out and converted to the jars. I really need more pint jars. I hope Walmart keeps theirs out a while longer. When I was canning to feed a family of 4, I canned everything in quarts, so I have hundreds of those. I hardly have any pints. I only bought those in the past for things like jelly. Now, pints are what I need, and I'm running short.

Earlier in August I ordered 4 cases of pints from wm.com

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

This is what I'll do. I just want some on hand to eat from time to time, since neither oatmeal nor grits are something we eat every day. Adding a bit of variety is all. I always buy the instant oatmeal and grits in the variety flavor boxes. They should keep for as long as I need them to in the freezer.

I got my canning all done and put away for this week. I added another case of ground beef to my stash of canned meats. My second Sam's order came late, yesterday, and I was able to add another 8 cans of roast beef, also, along with other storage foods.

Wouldn't you know it?!!!! Went ahead and planted the mustard, turnips, and lettuce thinking all our hot weather was over. NO! It's supposed to be 102 with heat index, tomorrow! That's going to stunt it all I'm sure, since all of it is already up. We have plenty of seeds, so we may have to replant, later. I'm determined to have me some fresh greens!!!

I've been cleaning house and doing laundry, today. With all the rain, I've waited about doing the laundry, until I could hang them outside. Today is sunny, so I had a lot to do. With my dental problems and the ear infection, I didn't do any house cleaning. I have been going like a gangbuster this morning.

SB,

I have learned from years of growing a garden thaat no matter how cool it might get in August, NEVER plant lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, spinach, mustard greens, or turnip greens until after Labor Day.

Live and learn...

 

[John Deere Girl]

Earlier in August I ordered 4 cases of pints from wm.com

I've ordered pints from them this summer too. I only need to move them once doing that.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

SB,

I have learned from years of growing a garden thaat no matter how cool it might get in August, NEVER plant lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, spinach, mustard greens, or turnip greens until after Labor Day.

Live and learn...

Thank you for giving us that definitive date! We were just taking a shot in the dark, since we've never grown anything in the fall. Plus, Cary got "itchy", and wanted to go ahead and do it. We'll probably have to replant, but it's up really good, and doing good right now. I don't know how big it will get. He sowed it waaaay toooo thick! Purple hull peas will have to be thinned out. He planted them too thick, too. He keeps telling me that's it's just an experiment, and I told him that next spring, it won't be!

 

[ioujc]

Get a blood glucose meter and use it! If your blood sugar is crashing, you get similar symptoms. In the meantime, drink a bit of juice and thenbeat a bit of cheese or other quality protein and see if it helps. (Not in place of seeing your PCP, but it may help rule out some things.

Summerthyme

I think I have determined what is wrong.

Woke up this morning with a sore throat and my ear throbbing. Took my temp....yep, 99 degrees, which is high for me. My normal temp runs about 96.5. I have been sick and just continued to push myself. I knew I had been feeling bad......now I FINALLY 'get it.'

DUH...... I'm sick ....dimwit me!!

 

[Digger]

We had to go to town yesterday for parts. So we did some errands. I downloaded the Kroger app. It really helped us save money.with the app and coupons Kroger sent me in the mail, I saved 26%. We spent $50 on formula for the grandbaby and $55 on our household. We just got some produce and some more pantry items. Then to our local Harps on the way home. Harps has a basket in produce that they put discounted produce in. They bag it in bags that are $1. Yesterday they had 4 spice bottles of freeze dried onions in a bag for $1. I bought 8 bags. Both my kids were getting some. That was my deal of the day. Each bottle was originally $4.79 and I paid .25 cents a bottle. The expiration date is July 2024.

The hay baler is fixed now too.

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Made two pans of stuffed peppers, one with poblanos, one with Marconi's. I used a can of enchilada sauce, hope they turn out good.

 

[nomifyle]

I did a walmart pick up today and I'm glad I did it that way. I did go in the store to pick up a few other things and I was very tired and my knee started hurting. I had to park my buggie and buy a soda at subway and sit down and rest for a bit. I had finished my shopping and only had to check out, it was just a few things. This was the first time I'd been to walmart by myself in a couple of months. I did okay.

Folgers large canister of coffee was 13.98 on line and in the store it was 11.98. I'd already gotten a canister in the pick up but it was the walmart brand. I got more Jiffy mix and its going in the freezer for a couple of days.

I got three cases of water, but I need to get more to replace what I've used since the last time I bought water. I also got some of the Barilla protein Plus pasta. I also replaced the 4 cans of pickled beets that we've eaten. They are so good and I don't remind myself that they are probably GMO beets.

 

[John Deere Girl]

I did a walmart pick up today and I'm glad I did it that way. I did go in the store to pick up a few other things and I was very tired and my knee started hurting. I had to park my buggie and buy a soda at subway and sit down and rest for a bit. I had finished my shopping and only had to check out, it was just a few things. This was the first time I'd been to walmart by myself in a couple of months. I did okay.

Folgers large canister of coffee was 13.98 on line and in the store it was 11.98. I'd already gotten a canister in the pick up but it was the walmart brand. I got more Jiffy mix and its going in the freezer for a couple of days.

I got three cases of water, but I need to get more to replace what I've used since the last time I bought water. I also got some of the Barilla protein Plus pasta. I also replaced the 4 cans of pickled beets that we've eaten. They are so good and I don't remind myself that they are probably GMO beets.

I don't think the beets are GMO. They look like the type I grow.

 

[moldy]

So much of the garden is coming in at once. Today, I filled the freeze dryer with broccoli, blanched and cut corn off the cob to freeze, and canned apples. Of course, 4 of the 6 quarts of apples decided not to seal, so I'll be redoing those tomorrow (with more corn and apples to put up!).

It's a nice problem to have, but it will keep me busy till October, I'm sure.

 

[SAPPHIRE]

Digger: You did good! I'd love to find that deal too! Picking up odds and ends.....