Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: July 14 ~ 20, 2019

ReneeT

Veteran Member
Good Morning, All!

It's going to be another scorcher outside later today, but I have the kitchen door open to a beautiful 68*F morning - can hear the buzzing of the hummingbirds and our two Mama wrens carrying on out on the porch, phoebes and cardinals calling farther off in the yard... so lovely.

I was too lazy to go into town yesterday, so will have to make a quick run this morning for a few items for grandson's birthday party. The prep plan for this week is to continue stocking up on sugar so I will also pop into Rural King while I am in town; I'm up to 300# purchased, but am also going through approximately 3 cups/day in the hummingbird feeders. I will need sugar for canning peaches late this month/early August, and pears later in the year.

CVS has Duracell batteries on sale Buy One/Get One 50% off but I will pass this time since we are fairly well stocked up.

Well darn, coffee cup is empty; that means I need to get off this bar stool and fill it up; reckon I'd best get ready to head to town as well. You folks stay safe out there this week....
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My prep run for this week will be to get fresh OTC medical supplies. I have already stocked up on the basics, but there are still several things that need to be added. Also, I ran out of budget money last time, and saw a great book about Essential oils with recipes to make all kinds of home remedies and health products. Lots of other things, too. I love using Essential oils, and this book will certainly aid in that. I made an allowance in my budget to get it on this run.

Now, I have to try and figure out which day to make my run with all this rain coming down! Looks like we may have soakers all week, due to Barry.
 

prudentwatcher

Veteran Member
I started a very long overdue project---finding old preps (mainly #10 cans), checking them out, inventorying them and getting rid of some. I mean digging way back in the closets for stuff buried since Y2K to see what I actually have. Some was more recent but still had to dig to find things as they are stashed all over the house. Tossed old muffin mixes, pancake mixes, cake mixes, and the like--some had bulging cans. Also got rid of a bunch of stuff I had packed away that was way past date--like pasta, rice and beans. I am about 2/3 of the way through right now.

It's amazing what you forget you have when it is stashed away. My previous inventory was lost and this stuff was meant for LTS storage, not necessarily rotation. Won't do us any good if we can't eat it. I actually feel much better as I realized I have more than I thought and when I get rid of the old stuff, I have room for some new stuff if I want to order more (just ordered 10 cans from Auguson last week). My panic levels are down by quite a bit, and though I do hate to throw things out, I realize it is necessary. I have just put it off too long.
 

moldy

Veteran Member
worked yesterday. For those of you with nurse friends or family - please pray for us. Every day, there are more and more nurses, doctors, paramedics, and other health care personnel being assaulted while trying to do their jobs. Sadly, very few of these incidents lead to jail time (or any other consequences) for the offenders. This is one reason I went back to school to be able to start my own business. I can decide who I will or won't see. In the ER, we see whoever walks thru the doors - and no matter how we are treated. Administration is less than helpful most of the time, and I live in a state that has legalized marijuana and a very liberal governor. We have seen a huge increase in meth, heroin, and other drugs since weed was legalized. it is leading to more violence and mental illness. I know that fact won't make some on this board happy, but there are serious studies to back up the link between marijuana and mental and physical illnesses.

Anyhow.... (off my soapbox for a while), today I made several pints of lemonade concentrate. A friend had gifted me a quart of homegrown lemon juice a while back, so I made concentrates with it and strawberries, and a separate batch with peaches. Yum! Adding about one part of the peach to 5 parts unsweetened tea gives me a lovely peach tea. MMMMMMM. DH and I did some weeding this morning, and a little shopping this afternoon. Our local grocery chain (part of a national chain) was having issues with their payment system and could only accept cash. while I was waiting for DH, I saw so many folks read the sign on the door and then turn away. I'm guessing that few of them learned from that to carry some cash, even if you don't think you'll need it. So many of my younger co-workers only carry a debit card.

Working every other day for the next couple weeks, so we'll see what all gets done. It's so hot here, it's hard to do much other than nap in the afternoons.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
[ATTACH[/ATTACH]My week has been simple. Move the grass and reorganize the pantry. I didn't finish the lawn, but the pantry has been done. Not that I won't change a few things in the coming weeks.

The top shelf is full on one side with rice, beans, potato flakes, etc. I still have more than enough room for more food storage, etc. The plan is to one day get to 6 months of food of all types. Currently we have about 4-6 months, but it is mostly rice, beans and veggies.

We have been improving our homemade preps over the last few months.

Here are a few pictures.
 

Attachments

  • #2a.jpg
    #2a.jpg
    24.9 KB · Views: 118
  • #1a.jpg
    #1a.jpg
    24.3 KB · Views: 116
  • #2a.jpg
    #2a.jpg
    24.9 KB · Views: 114
Last edited:

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
anther attempt at pictures.
 

Attachments

  • #1a.jpg
    #1a.jpg
    24.3 KB · Views: 115
  • #2a.jpg
    #2a.jpg
    24.9 KB · Views: 118
  • #3a.jpg
    #3a.jpg
    26.8 KB · Views: 116

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Wow! Nice photos, 20Gauge! I have a spare bedroom that looks just like your photos. Floor to ceiling shelves on every wall. I'm pretty sure I have at least a year's worth of food stored and organized the way you have yours. I like to stay organized, and steer clear of clutter.

You're doing good, and keep those photos coming!
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Wow! Nice photos, 20Gauge! I have a spare bedroom that looks just like your photos. Floor to ceiling shelves on every wall. I'm pretty sure I have at least a year's worth of food stored and organized the way you have yours. I like to stay organized, and steer clear of clutter.

You're doing good, and keep those photos coming!

Thanks!

The fourth side is where I store bulk water, boxes, oil, etc. So no pictures for that.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks!

The fourth side is where I store bulk water, boxes, oil, etc. So no pictures for that.

I understand. I like your photos of things you get from your garden, too. This is the first year, since DH and I were married, that we haven't had one. I have an outdoor storage barn that I use to keep all of my non-perishable items in, like soap, TP, lamp oil, laundry detergent, dish wash, etc. That way, I have more room in the pantry room for food storage only.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
I understand. I like your photos of things you get from your garden, too. This is the first year, since DH and I were married, that we haven't had one. I have an outdoor storage barn that I use to keep all of my non-perishable items in, like soap, TP, lamp oil, laundry detergent, dish wash, etc. That way, I have more room in the pantry room for food storage only.

I have two sheds, both are full of tools, etc.

It has taken us nearly 8 years before we finally got our gardening skills to the point where we can produce enough food of on a particular item. In our case it was a variety of peppers. This has allowed us to be able to produce such items as salsa, (the way we like it, thick and very hot!), and spaghetti, (also thick and hot!). What people don't seem to understand is that it takes years to learn these skills.

We are expanding the garden to include 3 more planters. This will allow us, (we hope), to produce enough to put aside enough so that we don't use it all before spring hits. Yes, we can produce nearly year around here in SE Georgia, but the rate of production drops off after September and doesn't pick up until March. For example, after 4 years of hard work, we are able to can about a case of quarts in Salsa each month. Yet we consume that much or more as we use it on everything.

Having to calculate the rate of consumption versus production of food products. It really sucks as you then realize that you would starve if you needed to support yourself with what you produce.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have two sheds, both are full of tools, etc.

It has taken us nearly 8 years before we finally got our gardening skills to the point where we can produce enough food of on a particular item. In our case it was a variety of peppers. This has allowed us to be able to produce such items as salsa, (the way we like it, thick and very hot!), and spaghetti, (also thick and hot!). What people don't seem to understand is that it takes years to learn these skills.

We are expanding the garden to include 3 more planters. This will allow us, (we hope), to produce enough to put aside enough so that we don't use it all before spring hits. Yes, we can produce nearly year around here in SE Georgia, but the rate of production drops off after September and doesn't pick up until March. For example, after 4 years of hard work, we are able to can about a case of quarts in Salsa each month. Yet we consume that much or more as we use it on everything.

Having to calculate the rate of consumption versus production of food products. It really sucks as you then realize that you would starve if you needed to support yourself with what you produce.

We did all of our gardening in raised beds, and yes, we would starve if we had only what we could produce, unless we only ate tomatoes, green beans, and southern peas. I canned enough of those to last from one year to the next. Everything else was only eaten fresh out of the gardens while it lasted. Like you, we can have gardens going almost year around, except for December and January. Most folks here start their spring gardens in February.

Yes, it takes years to learn gardening skills. I was raised on a farm, and started at an early age. Still, we had crop failures of one item or another all the time. That's one reason I don't depend solely on our gardens.

I wish you great success with yours!
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
We did all of our gardening in raised beds, and yes, we would starve if we had only what we could produce, unless we only ate tomatoes, green beans, and southern peas. I canned enough of those to last from one year to the next. Everything else was only eaten fresh out of the gardens while it lasted. Like you, we can have gardens going almost year around, except for December and January. Most folks here start their spring gardens in February.

Yes, it takes years to learn gardening skills. I was raised on a farm, and started at an early age. Still, we had crop failures of one item or another all the time. That's one reason I don't depend solely on our gardens.

I wish you great success with yours!

We aren't even at the point where we are able to can for the next year. Hopefully soon. We did have our best year yet on tomatoes. Over 200 of them for eating. For us it is cost effective to buy #10 cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and ketchup instead of trying to grow enough to make them.

The crop failure is something I am worried about. We have not had one for the last 3 years. I do expect it to happen at some point. The worst we have had is a mini-drought for 8 weeks at peak growing season. We later learned to over water at that point. The 2nd worst was the animals, deer in particular. We have learned to cage everything.

In about 2 weeks I will have new garden pictures. They will show the new planters in process. Granted they will only be the footers and the first row for 2 of them. The 3rd still needs to be dug out, but that can't happen until the first 2 are in process. Once the footers are in place, the 3rd can be dug out, ( space issue).

You should see some of the pepper plants now. I have one that must be 8ft tall. I'll try and get a picture for when I come back from vacation.
 
Wow, 20Guage.....your storage shelves are impressive!!!!! I have a lot of things stored in my basement, where it is cool, but I need to get more organized! A lot is organized...have a lot of storage space plus storage units, too.

Since this flooding crisis, I've been mostly concentrating on adding some grains and dried legumes, knowing they will be scarce. Probably everything will be, eventually.

I had to give up gardening, this year....at my age, just too much effort...one of the hardest decisions in my life. I used to can just about everything, too. Still have a lot of my home canned items...they keep well. Nothing like opening up a can of home canned Chili on a cold day!

I had never looked at one of these sub-forums, before, so this will be a new adventure....that and the Grand Solar Minimum, too!
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Michiana MaJo said:
I had to give up gardening, this year....at my age, just too much effort...one of the hardest decisions in my life. I used to can just about everything, too. Still have a lot of my home canned items...they keep well. Nothing like opening up a can of home canned Chili on a cold day!

Same here with us. Not so much an age factor, but for health reasons. I still have a lot of home canned items. Some were canned back in 2009, and are still good today. I just finished with all of my dill pickles I canned back then. I had to buy a gallon jug of them at the grocery store, since we don't have a garden this year. Maybe, next year, our health will be better. I hate we had to give it up.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Wow, 20Guage.....your storage shelves are impressive!!!!! I have a lot of things stored in my basement, where it is cool, but I need to get more organized! A lot is organized...have a lot of storage space plus storage units, too.

Since this flooding crisis, I've been mostly concentrating on adding some grains and dried legumes, knowing they will be scarce. Probably everything will be, eventually.

I had to give up gardening, this year....at my age, just too much effort...one of the hardest decisions in my life. I used to can just about everything, too. Still have a lot of my home canned items...they keep well. Nothing like opening up a can of home canned Chili on a cold day!

I had never looked at one of these sub-forums, before, so this will be a new adventure....that and the Grand Solar Minimum, too!

One thing I have learned. Just buying the pressure canner is but a start to the process of canning. I soon realized that even though I thought I had more than enough jars, (5 dozen), it wasn't true. I heard stories about people having up to 2,000 jars and at the time thinking that person was a nut!. Nope, I currently have about 250 jars, it is apparent that I do not have enough. We are on a kick of buying a case of jars twice a month. I expect once I hit a 1,000 jars, I will be getting to the point of just enough. That is despite us using the product almost daily and recycling the jars. Every time I can something new, I find that I do not have enough jars.

The other thing I learned is that a single row on a single canner is a waste of time. I need extra trays to allow me to can multiple layers of pints. I also, need another pressure canner so that I can do multiple things at once. I have learned to hate waiting to do a 2nd batch of jars.

The last thing was that even though quarts are great, pints do a better job at a number of things.

I am sure I will be learning more as I can more, but that is the top three lessons so far.

I have always had respect for those who canned as part of their lives, I am coming to the point where that respect is increasing each and every time I learn something new.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
20Gauge... one tip on storing home canned goods. (and yes, I'm one of those "nuts" who had over 2000 jars, and filled most of them every year. Since the kids are grown and on their own, many of the jars are now in their homes, and I encourage them to fill them and reuse them, but they usually get "sent home" every few months- and exchanged for full ones of whatever food product we had too much of that year... this year, it's going to be green and yellow beans again, I suspect. Last year it was tomato puree...)

Anyway... it's not advisable to stack full/sealed canning jars. Weight on top of the sealed lid can cause problems with the seal, over time. Even if you store them in their original cardboard boxes, they can break down under the weight and cause problems over time.

What I'd suggest is if you are planning on increasing your storage of home-canned foods (and I think that's a GREAT idea... every time there is a recall of a food product, I look at my home-produced equivalent and think, "gee, it's nice to not have to worry about what's in those jars!!"), consider adding shelves in one section, so they are spaced just far enough apart to comfortably hold jars. Or, to let you slide in full cases of jars.

I'll try to get some photos of our set up... I designed and made the plans for our shelf units, and they have proven to work well over the years. My units to hold canning jar cases are made in a modular form... "towers" that hold 1 stack of jars each. They hold either 7 cases of quarts or 11 cases of pints... and it's very easy to simply build another tower or two to accommodate more jars (finding the ROOM to put more in isn't quite as easy, though! LOL!)

I agree on the "second canner" for convenience, and for letting you get a large crop of whatever processed safely and easily. I have an All American 931... which holds two stacks of either pints or quarts. I was tempted to get the even larger one (which holds 3 stacks of pints, IIRC), but at the time, I had an electric stove and there was already major problems with us having to replace the wiring to the burners every year or two, due to heat build up... I figured the bigger canner would make that worse. Now that I have a commercial style propane cooktop, that's not as big of an issue... but I'm canning for 2 (plus gifts) now, not 6 (and half the high school senior class! LOL!)

Anyway, I bought an All American 915 for my second canner, and it was a great choice. Smaller, lighter weight, it only holds one tier of jars (either pints or quarts). I use it often in the winter... I make "planned overs"; it doesn't take much longer to prepare a large kettle full of soup or stew compared to making 3-4 quarts, and it's simple enough to can the extra while I"m cleaning up the kitchen... wake up the next morning to 7 more quarts or pints of soup or stew to stash.

And when things are busy ( like they will be in a couple of weeks when all the beans start ripening!), I can process 25 pints of beans at a time, which really helps speed up the process.

(for extra trays for the canner, or replacement parts, as well as the best prices I've found on All American canners, try www.redhillgeneralstore.com)

Pints vs quarts... these days, it's almost all pints, for obvious reasons. I still put tomato puree, spaghetti sauce and applesauce in quarts... also grape juice, and when I sometimes make a big batch of chicken broth but don't have time to turn it into soup, I'll can it in quarts. Everything else is pints. I can pulled pork in half pints, as it makes nearly a perfect "lunch size" batch of sandwich filling. Pepperoni is also in half pints, as is all jam and preserves. The only real drawback is that you use twice as many jar lids, which adds up these days! But I stocked up on Tattler lids a few years back, and I'm using them almost exclusively (exceptions are jars I plan on giving for gifts)

I'll see if I can get some pics... believe me, it won't be as pretty and neat as your storage area! LOL... hubby teases me that we need to dig out the other half of the cellar (we have a basement under the new half of the house, but the other half, which survived our house fire in 1980, only has a crawlspace) just for my food preps and canning stuff! And of course, that means there's lots of stuff we can't keep in the machine shed (paints, etc that can't freeze, and good tools we can't afford to get rusty)... about the best we can do is keep it organized and so we have a clear path to walk!

Summerthyme
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Ok, I warned you... not neat and pretty!

The first one is the "pail storage" shelves I designed when I got sick and tired of trying to find the oldest pail of wheat or whatever, at the bottom of a large pile/stack of buckets! There are four floor-to-ceiling units, in an "E" formation... one at the back against the wall, and three perpendicular to it, with just enough walkway room to be able to easily access the contents.

The second one is the "canning jar towers"... there are 4 "towers"(bolted together for added stability, although they are remarkably stable when full) in the pic... the one on the far left is for quarts, the others hold pints.

The only thing I'd do differently on the canning jar shelves is to make them SLIGHTLY farther apart.... I've got about 1" clearance on both sides and top of each case of jars, and trying to pull a box full of full canning jars out of the shelf unit that's placed against the wall is a bit of a PITA. I'll probably be securing some sort of rope handle on one end of the boxes to help with that... the towers that are pictured are free standing, so it's easy to simply go to the "back" of them and push a box forward a bit to get a better grasp.

Summerthyme
 

Attachments

  • bucket shelves.jpg
    bucket shelves.jpg
    105.2 KB · Views: 194
  • canning jar shelves.jpg
    canning jar shelves.jpg
    135.6 KB · Views: 199

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Ok, I warned you... not neat and pretty!

The first one is the "pail storage" shelves I designed when I got sick and tired of trying to find the oldest pail of wheat or whatever, at the bottom of a large pile/stack of buckets! There are four floor-to-ceiling units, in an "E" formation... one at the back against the wall, and three perpendicular to it, with just enough walkway room to be able to easily access the contents.

The second one is the "canning jar towers"... there are 4 "towers"(bolted together for added stability, although they are remarkably stable when full) in the pic... the one on the far left is for quarts, the others hold pints.

The only thing I'd do differently on the canning jar shelves is to make them SLIGHTLY farther apart.... I've got about 1" clearance on both sides and top of each case of jars, and trying to pull a box full of full canning jars out of the shelf unit that's placed against the wall is a bit of a PITA. I'll probably be securing some sort of rope handle on one end of the boxes to help with that... the towers that are pictured are free standing, so it's easy to simply go to the "back" of them and push a box forward a bit to get a better grasp.

Summerthyme

I said I "used" to think they were nuts. Now I understand why so many....lol

As far as stacking you may be correct as time will tell. I do keep the rings on them so that gives the lids protection. I have some beans that I sealed years ago, ( 2012 ), that seem to be doing well so far. Everything you generally see is stuff that will be gone in 6 months or less. I also hate the stacking 3 high and have been thinking about how to improve upon it. I like your idea. My original thoughts were to install rails that pull out for each 12 pack. Not sure as I am still working on it.

Overall, it doesn't look messy at all. What it does tell me is that I am very much behind in storing food.

Thank you for the pictures. This is how we learn new things. I not only find it helpful, but inspiring.

thank you again!!
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh my, Summerthyme, that's impressive. You've probably got more food stored than I can ever hope to have! Wish I had a good basement, but we don't, so I have to depend on an extra bedroom, and keep it temperature controlled. No heat during the winter, and ac in the summer.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Well, we prepped for 11 people... and have had 4 grandchildren born since we started. Plus, I literally only grocery shop twice a year... having stocked up on wheat, grains and pasta, plus salt, sugar and a few more basics, lets me make almost anything we could want combined with our meat, milk and garden fruits and veggies.

Summerthyme
 

Marseydoats

Veteran Member
Those pantry photos are certainly inspiring! I will never make it to those levels but I applaud those who do!
Had to make a non planned Walmart run, and checked out the canned vegetable aisle. Major holes, but no signs advertising shortages. Since last week, they had moved 6 aisles of summer stuff and replaced it with school supplies. And naturally what I needed had been in the "summer" area. Walked all over the store and couldn't find what I wanted.
I guess the raising pork prices have hit. Spam went up 32 cents a can in less than a week...
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Those pantry photos are certainly inspiring! I will never make it to those levels but I applaud those who do!
Had to make a non planned Walmart run, and checked out the canned vegetable aisle. Major holes, but no signs advertising shortages. Since last week, they had moved 6 aisles of summer stuff and replaced it with school supplies. And naturally what I needed had been in the "summer" area. Walked all over the store and couldn't find what I wanted.
I guess the raising pork prices have hit. Spam went up 32 cents a can in less than a week...

The wife works there and she is telling me that the vendors have been having problems for some time keeping the shelves stocked. Combine that with a tighter supply chain and lazy stock people and you have chronic shortages. Just to make it better, they are moving to computer ordering with no overrides. In the past a department or store could order extra, etc. It would appear that this is no longer the case.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
My garden as of this week....I do consider this a prep or at least skill building.

note: the pepper plants have now reached 8 feet tall. The white poles stop at 5 feet. I have another one (in the background) that is now 7 feet tall. Both plants are now 3 years old.

The wife has been doing some tracking of the garden so that she knows what is good and what sucks and she tells me that a number of the plants are doing better in their 3rd year than they did in the first two years combined.
 

Attachments

  • garden 7-17-19.jpg
    garden 7-17-19.jpg
    36.9 KB · Views: 87

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well, I managed to make my shopping run, yesterday, for more OTC med supplies. I bought Epsom Salt, Imodium, Pepto tablets, eye drops, Aleve, Tylenol, GasX, BioFreeze, denture adhesive ( I have a partial plate), and my book on essential oils. I'm pretty well stocked on medical OTC's now. I had already stocked other meds and med supplies. I forgot another bottle of Benadryl, so will get that on my next run, along with more essential oils.

The name of the book is, "Essential Oils, Ancient Medicine", by Dr. Josh Axe.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Well, I managed to make my shopping run, yesterday, for more OTC med supplies. I bought Epsom Salt, Imodium, Pepto tablets, eye drops, Aleve, Tylenol, GasX, BioFreeze, denture adhesive ( I have a partial plate), and my book on essential oils. I'm pretty well stocked on medical OTC's now. I had already stocked other meds and med supplies. I forgot another bottle of Benadryl, so will get that on my next run, along with more essential oils.

The name of the book is, "Essential Oils, Ancient Medicine", by Dr. Josh Axe.

Question: Why or what use for the Epson Salts? We use them for the garden to give trace minerals to our plants. Other than that I have no idea what they can be used for.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Epsom salts have medicinal uses... it is a potent laxative, for one. It is magnesium sulfate, so is a good source of magnesium if you are having problems with muscle cramps. We use epsom salts soaks for sprains, strains snd just sore, overused muscles.

Definitely a useful addition to the medicine chest.

Summerthyme
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Epsom salts have medicinal uses... it is a potent laxative, for one. It is magnesium sulfate, so is a good source of magnesium if you are having problems with muscle cramps. We use epsom salts soaks for sprains, strains snd just sore, overused muscles.

Definitely a useful addition to the medicine chest.

Summerthyme

Nice to know. I did know it was magnesium sulfate. Didn't know the rest.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Question: Why or what use for the Epson Salts? We use them for the garden to give trace minerals to our plants. Other than that I have no idea what they can be used for.

There are days when several of my joints ache due to Lupus inflammation. I use Epsom Salt along with a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to soak in the tub. Does wonders to ease the pain and soreness. I also use it as a soak for strains and sprains. And you're right, it works great for gardens, too. I try to keep at least 3 or 4 large bags on hand at all times.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have a question for all you pressure canners, LOL! I was looking at an Instant Pot, yesterday. It said on the label that it can be used for canning. I had my doubts, so thought I would ask.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
There are days when several of my joints ache due to Lupus inflammation. I use Epsom Salt along with a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to soak in the tub. Does wonders to ease the pain and soreness. I also use it as a soak for strains and sprains. And you're right, it works great for gardens, too. I try to keep at least 3 or 4 large bags on hand at all times.

Yeah the wife had been after me for a while about using the salts on the garden. We now use it regularly to keep the leaves from turning splochy and yellow. I guess we need to get more. We only have a bag on hand.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I have a question for all you pressure canners, LOL! I was looking at an Instant Pot, yesterday. It said on the label that it can be used for canning. I had my doubts, so thought I would ask.

I've heard and read no on using the insta pot for canning. Probably something you would water bath might be okay. I have two pots, a 6 qt and and 8 qt, had them both for two years and have yet to use them.

All the pantry pictures are wonderful to look at. I have a nice kitchen pantry (not actually in the kitchen though) but it needs to be cleaned out. Last year I had a problem with the edges of cans rusting and moved a large portion of the cans to a couple of other areas.

As for home canning, I've tried three different times and had one failure with apple sauce, my pintos siphoned off at least a third of the water, and I canned some pears a few years ago and they ended up going to the pigs last year because we never ate them. I want desperately to be able to can, but just the idea of it makes me tired (I'm 72).

With all the store shortages of canned foods in the news I think I have become obsessed with buying canned foods. I spent a little over $100 at the Dollar tree today and the majority was canned, 6 of this and 6 of that, etc. Went to save a lot and bought 10 cans of green lima beans for 89 cents each. Got some other things too, but can't remember just now.

Our second bedroom (that also houses my pantry) is stacked up and piles of food I've purchased in the last couple of months. That on top of what I already have.

I'm just so tired.

Judy

PS I do need to get more epsom salts.
 

JasmineAndLace

Senior Member
Summerthyme, I know you do lots of canning and preserving and I always enjoy your posts. Have you ever used the Victorio steam canner for things that can be canned with water bath canner? I have a glass stove top and am not supposed to use water bath canner or pressure canner on it. I have an old free standing hot plate that I use sometimes but it takes forever to get the the water up to a boil in the water bath canner. Due to age and health issues I don't do a lot of canning any more but when I manage to make something I want to be sure that it is sealed properly and doesn't go bad. Thanks for all your help and advice.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
No, I've never used a steam canner... they've never bern found to be safe, in terms of achieving adequate internal jar temperatures by various state cooperative extension labs.

If you still would like to can occasionally, I'd suggest getting a turkey fryer or other portable propane stove. It needs to be set up on level, solid ground (a deck, patio or driveway, or indoors *if* you keep a window cracked open for ventilation... not *sure* if that's necessary- it's not a problem with my commercial propane stove- but at least read the instructions), but they work really well.

This is similar to the one I have... https://www.amazon.com/CONCORD-Outdoor-Regulator-Concord-Cookware/dp/B00GHZAS9A

It makes a nice "dual purpose " prep item, too... if your power goes out, you still have a working stove.

Summerthyme
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
No, I've never used a steam canner... they've never bern found to be safe, in terms of achieving adequate internal jar temperatures by various state cooperative extension labs.

If you still would like to can occasionally, I'd suggest getting a turkey fryer or other portable propane stove. It needs to be set up on level, solid ground (a deck, patio or driveway, or indoors *if* you keep a window cracked open for ventilation... not *sure* if that's necessary- it's not a problem with my commercial propane stove- but at least read the instructions), but they work really well.

This is similar to the one I have... https://www.amazon.com/CONCORD-Outdoor-Regulator-Concord-Cookware/dp/B00GHZAS9A

It makes a nice "dual purpose " prep item, too... if your power goes out, you still have a working stove.

Summerthyme

We got a "free" (birthday gift) dual propane BlackStone grill. It allows us to grill, attach a flat top, or remove both for larger pots. It is the tailgate version that allows a single person to collapse it and throw it into a truck. It is great. You have to have back ups!
 

Marseydoats

Veteran Member
Got 2 pairs of boots for dh and a round bale of hay. Finally found a pair of shorts for me that fit. I don't like them, but evidently they don't make shorts with pockets for women anymore. That will fit me anyway.
Getting more worried about the food shortages but this isn't my week to buy groceries and $$ were allocated elsewhere.
 
Decided to do some serious stocking up on canned goods for a change, today, at our Hardings store. I didn't find any empty shelves....tho one or two items were low, but none out....so far. Was hoping I'd beat the crowd. Half expected someone to ask why I got so many cans of things, but no one said a word or looked surprised. Did have to ask for help in taking all my stuff and packing it into my car trunk. (The checkout clerk kind of expected me to ask, anyhow, maybe because of my white hair. )

From now on, I am going to keep a running list of each item I buy, the date it was bought, the store, and price per item. Should be interesting, tho it involves quite a bit of extra time. Started doing that with my grains and legume purchases at the health food store.

I did notice a price increase on one of the bean purchases....I try to buy organic on grains and legumes, and non GMO, also. Costs a bit more than the non OG and non GMO.
 

moldy

Veteran Member
I ran by the grocery store last night to pick up cucumbers. Our garden is the pits, but honestly it's more from lack of trying on my part than anything. I just didn't have it in me while I was finishing school. I noticed a few empty spots in the canned veggie aisle, but that was it. I was thrilled to find the chopped salads in the marked down bin for about 1/5 of what I usually pay. I picked up quite a few.

Today I"m baking some quick breads this morning while it was still cool-ish to have to eat with the salads. If I get everything done I want to do today, I may run to Dollar General and pick up a few things - OTC meds, epsom salts (thanks for the reminder) and see what groceries they have cheap.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I ran by the grocery store last night to pick up cucumbers. Our garden is the pits, but honestly it's more from lack of trying on my part than anything. I just didn't have it in me while I was finishing school. I noticed a few empty spots in the canned veggie aisle, but that was it. I was thrilled to find the chopped salads in the marked down bin for about 1/5 of what I usually pay. I picked up quite a few.

Today I"m baking some quick breads this morning while it was still cool-ish to have to eat with the salads. If I get everything done I want to do today, I may run to Dollar General and pick up a few things - OTC meds, epsom salts (thanks for the reminder) and see what groceries they have cheap.

I've never been in a Dollar General. The closest town to me is about 20 miles, and someone just put in a Dollar General a couple of miles from here, and we are very rural. Think I will stop in there just to see what all they have. Are they generally cheaper than Wal-Mart?
 

Barb

Veteran Member
My grand daughter who was a Dollar General store manager, says you have to watch the prices. In some places Dollar General is cheaper and some places not. If you watch sales you can mostly get things at other places for the same price or cheaper.
 
Top