Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: October 20 ~ 26, 2019
- Thread starter ReneeT
- Start date
Woo-Hoo! It worked!
I lost the first two threads this morning; one popped up that I needed to log in again, and when I tried, the post disappeared; the second time the computer locked up. I've had a few problems with the site since the update, but it looks like I was at least able to get the thread started. I'll try to finish up the 'what I'm doing portion' a bit later!
Take care all; have a great week!
I lost the first two threads this morning; one popped up that I needed to log in again, and when I tried, the post disappeared; the second time the computer locked up. I've had a few problems with the site since the update, but it looks like I was at least able to get the thread started. I'll try to finish up the 'what I'm doing portion' a bit later!
Take care all; have a great week!
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
I have my salve started. I was having trouble keeping my coconut oil liquid until I thought to put it on top of the hot water heater. It is not to hot with a trivit under it. I am making plantain salve and plantain with jewlweed.
We are having the pole barn finished on the new property. We are having it closed in and sliding doors on two ends. I hate to spend the money, but it needs to happen. I sold a little more hay this weekend to.
We are having the pole barn finished on the new property. We are having it closed in and sliding doors on two ends. I hate to spend the money, but it needs to happen. I sold a little more hay this weekend to.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
My garlic dies back over the winter, then pops back out in the spring. I never have to replant it.
Yes, thank God! It's finally raining! I'm thankful for what we're getting, and I hope we get enough to break our drought!
Yes, thank God! It's finally raining! I'm thankful for what we're getting, and I hope we get enough to break our drought!
school marm
Senior Member
I dehydrated tomatoes and also made some tomato powder for using in instant meals. Made a few instant meals for our emergency kits. And I ordered a couple dozen 15-ml bottles of sterile saline for the various medical kits.
Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
you guys down south should be able to plant green onions - should sprout first thing in the spring and have an early crop of greens >>> we can do it up north but it's chancy with a deep & long freeze and insulating under a leaf/mulch covering is important ...
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
My week will be busy (as long as I can keep my back pain under control so I can do stuff!). Both my older daughters are coming this weekend, one from Ohio and one from NH, to help me shift furniture and take the cheap paneling off the walls so the electrician can get in here and do his stuff, followed by new windows and insulation, then sheetrock. I *think* I have enough money to get all of that done! So my week consists of getting ready for them to be here, and running a few errands, and figuring out where we are all staying over the weekend (probably in the travel trailer Friday night, then a motel room Saturday night so we can get cleaned up for church Sunday morning; it's Sunday night I'm not sure about yet. Probably back in the travel trailer, though.) I have to get the travel trailer leveled, and the propane tanks filled, and finish setting up the TT for camping.
Kathleen
Kathleen
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Speaking of greens. We grow turnips/greens and mustard greens here all winter long. Green onions, too. The turnips are sweeter after they have had a bit of frost on them.
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We have had decent rain all summer and this fall. Not sure what is going on elsewhere, but the wife says we were in a "flash drought" though with the puddles around the house I am not so sure.
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
I asked the wife about it and she says the starters she likes are just not available around here until spring. As we just ordered our spring seeds, we may just wait until next year before we order some from on line.
Also, we did plant some new varieties of heirloom peppers this week. We used clear cups with the bottom cut out to make mini - greenhouses. Hope it works!
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
We received around an inch and a half of rain, yesterday! Hopefully, that will at least be enough to lift the "burn ban" that's in place. We'll see.
Dinghy
Veteran Member
If any of you live near a Sharp Shopper grocery store, you might want to make a run. Yesterday I stopped at one and found a great deal on canned ground beef. It’s Crider brand, 24 ounces for $1.49! Only contains beef and salt. I don’t know how the taste compares to the Keystone brand, but at that price I was willing to take a chance. They didn’t have many.
To make my salve, I first picked my herbs and dried them. I dry them in my office on brown paper laid in old bread racks. The herbs should be out of the direct sunlight while drying. It should retain its green color. What I read said water would ruin the salve. Even the water in the plants. That is why I chose to dry mine first. Next I just crumble the herbs into a jar an cover with just liquid coconut oil. You can use olive oil too. The oil needs to stay liquid to extract the herbs goodness. But you don't want to get the oil too hot as it will destroy the herds medicinal properties. That is what I read anyway. I plan to let mine sit a couple of weeks. Then I will strain it and add bees wax to keep it solid. I is suppose to be good for cuts and skin irritations. The second jar is the same but I mixed jewlweed in with the broadleaf plantain. It should be good for poison ivy.
The last 2 weeks have been busy - if not physically, it was mentally. We got the tenants out - they left the place cleaner than I thought it would be. We sold our cows and calves, so right now we have one old cow (that will go to the sale barn in a couple weeks), and 2 steers (that will go to freezer camp in December). When DH ran the numbers (with our small herd), we could make almost as much just renting out the property - and not have the risks associated with running livestock. While the decision was somewhat of a no-brainer, it is still so hard to give up something that has been a part of your life for so long.
This last week, we went out of state to visit family. It was a nice visit, highlighted with games of corn hole, a hot cinnamon bear eating contest, and lots of family. We rented an RV so we could stay close, but have our own space. DH is brilliant when it comes to things like this.
Back to work on Monday and back into the swing of things here and at work. I need to work on cleaning the house - our dog got fleas, and we have spent today bug-bombing the house, then vacuuming and wiping down things.
This last week, we went out of state to visit family. It was a nice visit, highlighted with games of corn hole, a hot cinnamon bear eating contest, and lots of family. We rented an RV so we could stay close, but have our own space. DH is brilliant when it comes to things like this.
Back to work on Monday and back into the swing of things here and at work. I need to work on cleaning the house - our dog got fleas, and we have spent today bug-bombing the house, then vacuuming and wiping down things.
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
The wife harvested some more peppers. You will notice that the ratio of large to small is now very slanted to small. As the year progresses, the yields will drop further and they will be smaller. Total this year is now 6,879. Not a bad year at all. We had planned only 5,000 overall so we are pleased.
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1911user
Veteran Member
A local outlet store has received a shipment of food from a sams club. Wolf chili is $6 for a box of 6 cans; normally $1.50-$2 per can. Regular spam is $12.50 for 8 cans with 2022 expiration dates. This is undamaged and recently canned; spam lists 3 year best-used-by dates. Single cans of spam are almost $3 each normally and the 8-packs are $20 at sams. I'll go to the outlet store today to see if they have other good deals.
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Illini Warrior
Illini Warrior
if you haven't seen it yet - it's the canned tomato sale time of the year >>> they'll be selling off last year's processed crop >>> my local store chain has the annual Red Gold sale started ....
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Man! I bet all those peppers made lots and lots of salsa!
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We have 2 1/2 cases of qts stored and an 8 qt pot full right now. That is addition to the 8 pints of canned chopped peppers. I need to add this new batch to the canned chopped peppers.
Just think we are also doubling our growing space this year. We hope to hit as many as 12,000 per year of the heirloom variety.
The reason, we are trying to build up enough to allow us to consume a quart per week all year long!
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Now that's a plan!
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
Yep! At that point we add another item to our independence from grocery stores. SALSA! Yeah!!!
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
We haven't done that with salsa, but with tomatoes. I have at least 52 quarts of home canned tomatoes in storage. That's one quart a week for a year. I use them a lot for homemade stews and soups. I'd rather have a tomato base instead of broth in most of them.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
Worked at the senior center yesterday and picked up my commodities. The only canned foods were 2 cans a piece of pumpkin. No dried beans either, but we did get white rice. Dried potato flakes, which I store. Peanut butter, we have good supply of PB. Several bags of dried cranberries (DH can't eat those because of his blood thinner), but I like them. Raisins and we had not gotten raisins about a year, so I was glad to see them. 2- 32 oz bags of pistachios, I love them but DH does not. Two packages of cheddar cheese and two large blocks of American cheese, the cheese goes in the freezer. Since I'm on a diet I have to limit what I eat of the nuts and the cheese, but I can have a small amount rather than the almost whole package I was consuming in about 4 days.
More pork sausage patties and pork loins. The pork comes in packaging that it looks like it was done for commodities, along with several other things.
Fresh fruit, grapes and plums. I'm going to freeze the plums to (if I get the urge) can plum something this winter.
so the commodities were generous, although I was disappointed there were not dried beans and more canned veggies, although we have a good store of these.
I did stop at walmart to pick up more water. DH has cut back on his soda consumption and is drinking more gatoraid that he mixes with juice we get in a different commodities. We normally don't drink juice, I stopped drinking it years ago because I stopped consuming much in the way of processed foods.
I noticed the other day we are short on green peas (DH will eat them but I won't) so I picked up a few cans. They had green peas with the pop top for 50 cents, but I paid a little more to get them with the solid lids. I avoid the pop tops because they don't store as long and the solid tops do.
Thank you Jesus for the generosity we get in commodities.
Judy
More pork sausage patties and pork loins. The pork comes in packaging that it looks like it was done for commodities, along with several other things.
Fresh fruit, grapes and plums. I'm going to freeze the plums to (if I get the urge) can plum something this winter.
so the commodities were generous, although I was disappointed there were not dried beans and more canned veggies, although we have a good store of these.
I did stop at walmart to pick up more water. DH has cut back on his soda consumption and is drinking more gatoraid that he mixes with juice we get in a different commodities. We normally don't drink juice, I stopped drinking it years ago because I stopped consuming much in the way of processed foods.
I noticed the other day we are short on green peas (DH will eat them but I won't) so I picked up a few cans. They had green peas with the pop top for 50 cents, but I paid a little more to get them with the solid lids. I avoid the pop tops because they don't store as long and the solid tops do.
Thank you Jesus for the generosity we get in commodities.
Judy
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
You are truly blessed, Judy! I'm happy for ya.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
Thanks, we are blessed, but we do have a small income which is why we qualify for this help. We are blessed in so many ways, one is that we can live on our small income, which we would not be able to do if we lived in town, any town.
Judy
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
My mom gets something similar to what you describe each month. It's not based on a person's income. It's just for senior citizens, though. Thing is, she doesn't like a lot of the items she gets, so she gives them away to her church friends and sisters. I guess CaryC and I would qualify as senior citizens, but it's too far to drive to get it, and I'd rather let others have it that may need it more. Mom is disabled, so it does help her with her grocery shopping which is a big ordeal for her.
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
I should probably check to see if there's a food bank for low income people around here. We wouldn't qualify right now (because the money for the house repairs is still in the bank) but once the house work is done, we'll be back to living on daughter's SSI of less than $800/month. We manage, because we have no rent or mortgage, but a bit from the food bank would be helpful. We probably wouldn't be able to eat a lot of it, since we both have celiac disease, but years ago when we went to a food bank for a few months, if they had something gluten-free come in, they would set it aside for us.
Kathleen
Kathleen
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
This is not from a food bank, it comes through the local Council on Aging, I believe you have to be 60 to qualify. There is a food bank near me, but I don't qualify because I get commodities. We are very greatful for all we get, with your income for 2 people you should qualify for many things.
And yes, no mortgage or rent is what enables us to manage on our income.
Judy
20Gauge
TB Fanatic
We can not grow tomatoes here consistently. So that is off the plan for a couple of years. Congrats on being able to do so.
I hope next year we can say so on citrus beyond lemons. Fruit in general is 2 to 3 years.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Ok, I see the difference in what you get and what Mom gets. She gets hers from a food bank sponsored by the local Methodist church in town. All she has to do is drive up to a loading area, and they load her with boxes of food items. How many boxes one gets is based on how many in the household.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
We don't really eat much in the way of salsa, but we do like black bean and corn salsa, although the jar we buy gets moldy before we eat it all. I'm thinking I could can some of this salsa in smaller jars. The only thing I've ever canned that was a success was grape jelly. When DH and I met he had a lot of grape juice from his concord grapes in Illinois in the freezer that his first DW had strained and frozen. Not wanting it to go to waste we made two cases of grape jelly, that was almost 6 years ago and we just opened the last jar a little while back.
Judy
Judy
Freeholder
This too shall pass.
I'll see if there's anything like that in this area. I'm 62, so might qualify.
Kathleen