Sunday, November 29, 2009

Independance Day - Nov. 29

It's been a quiet week. Thanksgiving was about half local, half easy food. Still had piles, even for just the two of us.

1. Plant something
– nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Drying brussels sprouts, lemon slices, shredded cabbage, turnip greens.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken; days have been in 50-60'F range.

5. Preparation and Storage –Does decluttering count?

6. Build Community Food Systems – nothing

7. Eat the Food – Apple pie, roast chicken, pumpkin pie, turnip greens with bacon, mashed potatoes & rutabagas that I remember from childhood.

8. Crafting – Cross-stitch, arguing with sock yarn again. I mean, working on knitting socks :)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Independance Day - Nov. 23

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Canned 60lbs of apples, in sauce, canned apple pie filling, and 4 qts apples in medium syrup to play with. Have 20lbs left that I plan on dehydrating this week.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage –I found a "mini" glass oil lamp at the thrift store, brand new. Bought 3-liter sealing glass jars for storage of dry items - I needed more.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Farmer's market.

7. Eat the Food – Apple pie, roast chicken.

8. Crafting – Finished niece's purse. Dropped off some sewing at sempstress, which is a general help. Started a new cross-stitch pattern.

A Good Day's Work

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Independance Day - Nov. 15

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Dried turnip greens, tomatoes, and lots of apples.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage – Bought more canning jars, because I ran out. Bought 3-liter sealing glass jars for storage of dry items.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Farmer's market had to close (the nor'easter was coming) but I managed to get there early enough. Two coworkers came with me for the first time. Yay!

7. Eat the FoodApple brown betty. Brussels sprouts with Kielbasa and red onion (yum!). Stuffed cabbage leaves. Lettuce-and-tomato sandwiches. Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store.

8. Crafting – Finished 2 items from sewing bag (repairs). Did some work on niece's purse - nearly done!.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Prep Check

A nor'easter hit my area this week - yesterday & last night were the worst of it. While we haven't lost power, I'm still counting it as a prep check - at least for my nerves!

We woke up yesterday to the wind and rain hitting the building, and wind-lashed trees. The weather worsened as the day passed. I filled extra jugs with water, in case they were needed. I made sure chores were caught up, and cooked dinner early. The power flickered, so I lit candles and the oil lamp in case it went out. Then we turned on the scanner to see what we could hear - lots of trees down, roads flooded; they had to put up a second set of barriers in at least one place because the first set floated off. A scanner is a wonderful thing to have during a storm or other emergency.

The worst is now over. My only real concern last night was cooking if the power went out. We had water, food, light, plenty of non-electric things to do, and it wasn't cold.

Assessment: I need to find a non-electric way to cook during storms, and get a bit more in the way of oil lamps and supplies for them.

So far, so good!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Storage Comparision: Turnips

The turnips on top are local, organic ones from the farmers market.

The ones on the bottom are from the local grocer - bought a week after the others. All are kept in the same place.

I'll take the fresher, smaller ones, thank you...

A Learning Year

This is my first year storing local food for the winter. We should be OK on strawberry jams & jellies -there are about 2 dozen in the pantry, plus the raspberry jam. I've canned 12 pints applesauce, and have the same to do again, plus 40lbs of granny smith apples to dry & can. We have home-canned chicken & beef broth, beef stew, Hobbit Stew, and bread & butter pickles.

A lot of food has been dried: tomatoes, potatoes, turnips, turnip greens, bananas, watermelon, peppers, celery - if I can dry it I'm trying it! We have a box of winter squash stored as well.

I plan on learning to make sourdough bread, and keep the starter going.

I'm still putting up, for as long as the local market is open. I'm not sure how long our stores will last, but it's a learning year.

for a full pantry list, scroll all the way down the page

Monday, November 9, 2009

Apple Harvest

118 pounds of Granny Smith and Fuji apples from a local orchard

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Independance Day - Nov. 8

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Dried turnip roots, turnip greens, tomatoes, and broccoli flowers & stems. Canned 12 pints of local, homemade applesauce :)

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken. Discovered 'waste heat' from canning can heat our living room.

5. Preparation and Storage – bought 2 more trays for the dehydrator.

6. Build Community Food Systems – went to local apple orchard with DD, picked & bought 115lbs of apples for canning & drying. Also went to farmers market.

7. Eat the Food – Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store.

8. Crafting – Nothing; I've been in the kitchen!

Friday, November 6, 2009

A Handmade Yule

Buy Hand for the Holidays Challenge - 2009

I plan on making a fair bit of my gifts this Yule. I like to make gifts that are used. My shelves are quite full of knicknacks, and no one needs more clutter. Things like Gifts-in-a-Jar are great - it's like saying "Have a night off from cooking dinner!" or "Enjoy special hot chocolate while it snows" and such sweet things. I've picked up two recipe books for these, and I have links below as well.

Here's my list so far:
  • Purse for Dear Niece
  • Lemon Hand Scrub for various relatives
  • Cider Jelly for various relatives
  • Basket of homemade jellys for Grandfather (which he loves)
  • Basket of home-dried diced peppers for mother
  • Not sure what else, yet...
Although I do knit and crochet, except for what's already started I'm not sure I'll be able to make more yarny gifts. And, granted, there are only a few people that get those ... I'm more generous with food than knitwear :)

Gift-in-a-Jar links:
Cookies in a Jar
Painted Desert Chili - makes a lot of chili, tastes great, looks almost too pretty to eat. Yes, it got rave reviews as a gift!
Gifts in a Jar Recipes (several sections!)
Gifts in a Jar - LOTS of recipes!

with many thanks to Ravelers who have posted them!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Resources

I thought I'd add a quick post on the links I've added under Resources, and why they're listed.

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy -

"The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect over 150 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction. Included are asses, cattle, goats, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys."

I believe that the old heritage breeds are breeds good for homesteaders, and they and their genetic diversity should be preserved. By looking at their site, I learn more about the old breeds. As a shopper I can ask farmers about the breeds they are raising, and at least know what they mean if they say they raise Randall cattle. I'll know that the turkeys will be delectable if they say they have Bourbon Reds. I'll know, setting up a homestead, that I'd like to preserve the old breeds, and find them to raise on my land.

Listening to Katrina
"On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the largest natural disaster in United States history. After the levees failed, it became the largest man-made disaster in United States history. This blog is a chronicle of what happened to myself and my family during those events. It is also a documentation of lessons learned from a survival and recovery viewpoint."

Written by someone who bugged out before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA. He covers bug-out plans (including 60-second plans) and bug-in plans. He covers what he did, what helped, what didn't, what he suggests after having used the plan. I've been referred several times to his site as a good source for information.

Local Harvest

"The best organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. "

If you can't find what you want locally, try this site. Angora yarn? Beeswax? Soap? Crafts? You may also be able to sell your products here, in addition to Etsy and other such sites.

National Center for Home Preservation
University of Georgia, USA

My go-to site to answer questions and find basic recipes for home canning. It also has sections for freezing, drying, smoking, fermenting, and storing all that yummy goodness.

Slow Food USA

"Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. We inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces so that they ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat."

You can't go wrong with that. Slow Food also has a Ark of Taste - a catalog of 200 foods in danger of extinction - from breads, herbs, and wines to taffy. The Bourbon Red turkey is on the Ark of Taste.

Sustainable Table
"Sustainable Table celebrates local sustainable food, educates consumers on food-related issues and works to build community through food."

Information on recipes, shopping, issues, news, and community. Nice layout and graphics, and has a blog. If you want to know where to start, look here.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Cooking Turnip Greens

I made these because my fiance likes them, and I feel very bad giving him canned greens when I make so much else from scratch.

Greens are also a great source of nutrients, easy to grow, and inexpensive. They are a cool-weather crop, and so may help extend your growing season.

Here is the recipe I tried:

Turnip greens
3 slices bacon
water
  1. Put bacon in a medium pot, and fill pot half-way with water. Bring to boil, and boil for about 20 minutes.
  2. While bacon is boiling, rinse turnip greens well. I removed most of the stems and sliced them into roughly 1-inch strips.
  3. Add greens to pot. Cook until they are as tender as you would like. Scoop out greens, draining water from them, and serve
  4. If you dice the bacon you can serve them together. I didn't do this; they're back in the fridge with the little we didn't eat.
We both enjoyed this and I plan on cooking it again soon. The greens are tender without being 'cooked into submission,' and the seasoning from the local bacon was wonderful.

sneak peak

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Independance Day - Nov 2

1. Plant something – nothing.

2. Harvest something – Nothing.

3. Preserve something – Still have local turnips that need drying. Dried some tomatoes from the farmer's market before they could go bad, and ate the rest.

4. Reduce waste – Regular recycling and eating of leftovers. Still playing heater-chicken.

5. Preparation and Storage –bought a total of 3 5# bags of flour, stocking for winter. It's been a rough harvest season I think. To get more I'll need another place to put it. Also worked on our 60-second plan.

6. Build Community Food Systems – went to farmers market. Bought tomatoes for a coworker. At the grocers I tried to buy 'local' foods as well - their definition is within 6 hours by truck, so about 300 miles? Better than 2,000!

7. Eat the Food – Regular eating from pantry. Using the farmer market as primary store. Getting brave, trying to cook turnip greens for DFH who loves them - new recipe for me! DFH loved them, and I enjoyed them as well. I can't touch the canned stuff so I wasn't sure I would eat these. Fresh broccoli for dinner. Eating egg salad sandwiches for lunch - eggs are local, lunch meat isn't. Made french toast for dinner, to eat older bread. Daughter was delighted!

8. Crafting – I made half of niece's gift - a crocheted and felted flower-purse. I have one side ready, and need to crochet the other half.