Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: January 28 ~ February 3, 2018

[ReneeT]

Good evening, All!

Asking that you please keep Moldy's father, and Moldy and her family in your prayers this week...


It's been a busy weekend here; I've been on the run with the grandkids - a basketball game, cheer competition, and then a wrestling meet for both grandsons. So glad to be home and plopped in a comfy chair instead of sitting on hard wooden bleachers - oh, the things I find to complain about; shame on me!

Got a call from one of my cousins when we were on the way home from the game last night; he was planning to come out and see if he could call in some coyotes. Haven't heard back from him, sure hope he was able to get a few! There is a hide auction nearby next month; I'm betting that the coyote pelts are nice this year, wonder what they will bring???

Hit a few stores while I was out and about yesterday and today; stocked up on 18# of bulk oatmeal for Hubby - he'll vacuum seal all but a months' worth tomorrow. Added a total of 8 more boxes of 'Senior' multivitamins at CVS during their buy one, get one 50% off sale; had assorted scanner coupons for $3/$12, $4/$15 etc... vitamin purchases, so the price was reasonable and we are now set for over a year. Also picked up a few 'alphabet' vitamins - C, B12, etc.. - at buy one/get one free while I was there. Found a couple more clearenced coats @ $9 each for future use for the grandsons, plus pajamas on clearance for $5/pair as well, so we are set for next winter (and possibly the one after, if older grandson doesn't grow too much lol!) That was about all I had time to do, especially with the short people tagging along.

I did get outside in the yard this afternoon after I got home from the wrestling meet to drive my new-to-me Mule again; the ground was dry enough that I was able to drive around 2 of our 3 fields. Looks like the beekeeper who has hives on our place has lost the bees from three of his hives, but the bees at the other ones were busy doing housekeeping chores.

Co-worker Buddy was bored so he just drove out to visit and dropped off my Sunday papers, but Hubby hasn't taken the papers apart to find his puzzles, so I haven't had a chance to check out the ads and coupons for this week as yet. I did dig through the coupon insert stash on the table to find the Steak 'n Shake coupon flyer and gave it to CW Buddy before he left, just in case we need (NEED!!) a milkshake run tomorrow though....

It's going to be another busy week here - work Mon/Wed/Sat/Sun, Tue/Thu pool with neighbor, need to see about setting up private swim lessons for the grandsons while I'm there as wrestling is done for the season. Cheer competition 2 hours from home one direction starting Friday morning and a basketball game Friday evening a bit over an hour from home in the other direction, so I'll be spending half the day on the road, it seems. I've got a large bag of khaki pants to carry to the clothing pantry at work sitting by the kitchen door, plus I told Hubby I would carry at least 2 boxes of the grandsons outgrown toys and clothes to either the thrift store or my cousin's house this week. Now all I need to do is figure out where to fit in laundry and a couple of naps, and I'll have it made

Take care all; have a blessed week!

 

[Deena in GA]

Just curious, and I figured y'all would be the ones to ask, am I the only one who goes around mentally tabulating how many days worth of food we have? I have found myself doing that a lot lately, but not sure why I'm doing it more. Usually its just a few times a year.

I did go get some more groceries today to add to the stock, which is also unusual to go twice in just a few days. Also picked up some more yarn at Goodwill. It was a bag of mixed yarn that had three balls of cotton in it, which I use a lot of and a couple of skeins of variegated acrylic that I can find something to do with. It also had three balls of that "yarn" that they make those twirly scarves with. You don't really crochet with it. Basically you just pull it apart and then draw up one side and it makes a scarf. Do you know what I mean? I don't use it all, so either need to find someone to give it to or figure out some other way to use it. The whole bag cost less than the three skeins of cotton would have cost at a regular store.

 

[summerthyme]

I'm not really doing mental inventory at this point... We've got the cellar almost emptied out of all the 5 gallon pails, in order to build a VERY long planned shelf unit thst will hold them so I don't have to essentially climb a bucket mountain, and then lift 40# pails to get to the one I want.

I HAVE been feeling a very strong urge to get my seed potatoes ordered... a very short crop last year, plus blight means I want to start with all fresh seed stock.

Money is really tight, partly because a buyer who contracted to buy baleage weekly all winter found a "better deal" (apparently some crap someone gave to them for free, to get it out of their barn!), but hubby came to the same conclusion that I did (separately and with no urging) that, rather than advertising it for sale, we'll just keep squeaking by and hold onto it for our animals, just in case of a bad hay year. If the weather-and Korea, and everything else- holds, well have more to sell next year. But not to the unreliable buyer, ever again... something I doubt he's thought about yet!

Waiting for my milk cow to freshen at the beginning of April. I froze about 3 gallons of milk, mostly for hubby's yogurt addiction <grin>, and have plenty of butter and mozzarella cheese in the freezer, but I miss having all the milk and cream I can use to cook and bake with.

We ordered some more bees, as we want to expand the hives, but it looks like this horrid up and down weather (48 degrees today, snowing hard now, going down near zero tomorrow night) has killed one of my strong hives, as well as a weak one which swarmed for some unknown reason in October, and which we knew we were probably going to lose. So now I'm trying to figure if I want to take a few hundred bucks from my emergency fund and order 2 more nucleus hives... I only have to put $50 down payment on each right now, so I think I will...we should have some hay income by early June when they'll be ready to pick up and the balance will be due.

But it looks like we're going to have to put building a Russian bee house up towards the top of our list for next summer... the winter's are just getting too unpredictable, and bees can survive a lot but not the constant fluctuation of temps were seeing.

We've got a ton of fruit, veggies and meat in the freezers, and are just eating from them and the root cellar, waiting for spring!

Summerthyme

 

[ReneeT]

Well, since I can't get anyone to update the paper inventories other than myself, and since daughter has been hitting the pantry lately (which is fine with me!), I did notice that food has been disappearing from the pantry at a higher rate, so I've been doing more mental inventory. I stock with daughter and family in mind, but she hadn't been pulling much but laundry soap from stores for a while so seeing bare spots on shelves had me perplexed for a bit - I knew Hubby had been doing minimal cooking, and I've been slacking on that some too. I'll be looking for sales on bulk beef to can; ditto chicken and soup.

Extra partial shift at work today - that blasted moon is sucking people in the doors already! Oh well, it's an incentive shift, so will pay for my garden seed order at least. I'll stop on my way home to pick u[ a few things here and there - Hubby wrote out a grocery list and it's been sitting on the table for three days, so I guess I'll bite the bullet and go

Saw something weird last night - I've never seen an aurora, but this was large areas of the sky lighting up - not like sheet lightning exactly. Happened around midnight, I was in bed but still awake and noticed the flashing. It was clear as a bell outside - I could see across the fields thanks to the moon. I stayed in bed for a minute or two, then got up to look out the window but couldn't really tell much other than it was bright and flashing - and that it wasn't the pole light shorting out By the time I'd pulled on a jacket and pants over my pjs and gotten to the door and outside, it had stopped. We still had power and all the electronics were still working, so I just went back to bed.

Blasted alarm - tiime to hit the road. Take care all; stay safe!

 

[Rayku]

Just curious, and I figured y'all would be the ones to ask, am I the only one who goes around mentally tabulating how many days worth of food we have? I have found myself doing that a lot lately, but not sure why I'm doing it more. Usually its just a few times a year.

It's weekly for us and we tabulate via spreadsheet and checklist. It's broken down to near, mid, and long term supplies. We know when we put it up, what it cost, how much of it there is, and the specific lot and batch numbers where applicable. Sample schedules based on term and type of food are tracked in the same manner.
What we track mentally are things like a loaf of bread, when it was made, fresh vegetables, gallon of milk, meat from the butcher, etc.

 

[Deena in GA]

Impressive, Rayku! We are not that organized. We do rotate what we buy and know where things are though.

 

[moldy]

My dad passed away last night. We are heading out tomorrow to be gone 5 days (funeral is Monday, I anticipate we'll drive back home Tuesday). 8 hour drive each way. I would appreciate prayers/good thoughts.

 

[summerthyme]

I'm so sorry, Moldy. Prayers for peace for your family, and for safe, uneventful travels.

Summerthyme

 

[Tennessee gal]

Praying Moldy for you and your family.

 

[Deena in GA]

Praying for y'all, moldy! I'm so sorry!

 

[SAPPHIRE]

sorry Moldy.........may the Lord watch over you and all family and hold you tight..............

 

[Raggedyman]

first of all praywers up for you and your family Moldy and for traveling mercies as you go back and forth.

I see a lot of discussion on inventories and rotation. . . well I had an interesting experience Wednesday. I went into the fruit cellar to retrieve some sliced almonds for Raggedyann who was baking muffins. we buy them in bulk from Sams - generally TWO 2 lb bags at a time - then I pack them down into quart mason jars and vacuum seal them, label and date the contents and set them on the shelf - being careful to rotate stock as I do that.

well lo and behold I found a jar of WHOLE almonds that apparently "got lost" . . . it was dated 11.25.03 if you can believe it. never thinking it was going to still be good I carefully unsealed it - to that long SSSSSSHHHUUUUCKKK sound of a good tight vacuum breaking . . . and those almonds were in EXCELLENT CONDITION. not the slightest odor or taste of rancidity - - - shocking when you consider all the oils that are in nuts.

in fact I am nibbling on them now - 2.2018 minus 11.2003 . . .

14 yrs and 4 months sealed and VACUUM PACKED in COOL DARK storage and good as new . . . I'm both pleased and shocked - but that's the truth about a good seal and cool darkness

another testimony to the safety of cool darkness for storage - we use a LOT of olive oil. typically we will have on hand at all times TEN - TWELVE 3 liter tins of Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil. when we are opening tins typically they have been in storage 4.5 - 5 years and it is ALWAYS perfect.

 

[ReneeT]

Keeping you and your family in our prayers, Moldy...

 

[littledeb]

So sorry moldy about your father. My thoughts and prayers are with and your family.

I was wondering if anyone has waxed cheese before. I came across a deal on cheese (4/$5) and was wondering if I can double or triple wax it and place it on the shelf. Has anybody done this before? I know I've double waxed the tops of my jellies to sealed them.

 

[summerthyme]

I was wondering if anyone has waxed cheese before. I came across a deal on cheese (4/$5) and was wondering if I can double or triple wax it and place it on the shelf. Has anybody done this before? I know I've double waxed the tops of my jellies to sealed them.

Definitely do not try this "putting in on the shelf" at room temperature! It will not keep for long. Waxing can help preserve cheese, keep it from drying out and molding, but your storage temperatures need to be 50° or lower. And unless you are actively trying to age cheese, the lower the better.

If you want to wax cheese for refrigerator storage, it will help prevent mold and drying, but you first need to carefully wipe all the cheese surfaces (as well as any kitchen surface you're working on) with vinegar to help eliminate any mold spores.

The biggest problem I see is that you must be talking about very small bricks of cheese.. maybe 4 ounce? Even done properly, waxing will create a "rind" on all surfaces of the cheese. You generally trim this off. If you were in a starving time, you'd eat it- it just wouldn't taste very good and the texture is odd. But if you've waxed a 2# or 5# block of cheese, cutting off 1/4" from the outside isn't any big deal... you're losing maybe an ounce or so, total.

When you're talking about a cheese brick that's only 2" thick to start with, your losses might be unacceptable to you.

And last, your cheese WILL get sharper and sharper as it ages... the warmer the temperatures you're storing at (up to about 50°- after that, rancidity will happen at least as quickly as the sharpening process), the quicker that happens. Refrigeration slows it down, freezing essentially stops it.

When I waxed cheese for storage, I bought 5# blocks of a decent quality MILD cheddar at a restaurant supply place. I cut them into smaller blocks (nothing smaller than 1#) dipped the blocks in vinegar, and then dipped them in cheese wax (plain paraffin is too brittle- it will crack and allow air to get in, negating the entire process). I double dipped them. I then stored them in my root cellar, except during July and August, when temps get up to 60°... I activated an old refrigerator we had sitting in our machine shed and set it at its highest temperature settings, which kept it around 48°, and moved the cheese into it for the warm months.

It did work well, and 5 years later, we used the last of the cheese- by then, very sharp and delicious.

But waxing isn't a magic formula for preservation... it simply seals out air from the food. Vacuum sealing, if you have a good sealer and really reliable bags (the biggest drawback I've seen in vacuum sealing is that too often, the bags get a tiny puncture or the seal fails, and you might as well have just stuck them into a ziplock bag), it's going to do the same as waxing.

Also, you can extend the life of cheese and prevent it from molding or drying out just by dipping a clean piece of muslin or other cotton fabric into vinegar, wringing it out until it's just damp, and wrapping the cheese well in it. Put it in a plastic bag in your fridge. It will keep a LONG time.

Summerthyme

 

[Deena in GA]

Speaking of cheese and finding things that have been stored longer than expected, we keep all our cheese in the freezer. Recently we found some that had slipped underneath some other things in a box in the freezer. It was five years old. Looked kind of funny because it had somehow started separating, but tasted fine.

We, too, have found that olive oil keeps much longer than they say, if its stored in a cool, dark place.