I was able to buy a bushel of peaches for a decent price last week and have them all used up now....Since I want a record of what I was able to "put up" this year....I thought I'd just do this here too
1 bushel of peaches yielded....
7 quarts canned peach slices
7 half pints peach preserves
5 half pints peach butter
2 pints, 2 odd jelly jars (between half pint and pint size), and 3 half pints peach jelly.
1 big cobbler
several fresh to eat and gift a few.
The peach slices are beautiful but I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer them frozen in the future. The preserves and butter are perfection itself. The jelly tastes more like slightly peach flavored sugar to me so we'll see what everyone else thinks.
The cobbler was great and the fresh peaches in our oatmeal so so yummy!
Still finished up with the tomatoes although I'm almost ready to just mow them down. I'm so tired of canning and my cabinets are FULL. And I know I have apples and pumpkin to do in a few weeks.
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
MIA!
I've been MIA for a while. I've been on facebook because I can do that in 30 seconds or less. But I've not blogged and I've not really seen many people in the last few weeks.
We finally made it to a homeschool hangout yesterday and people were like "Woah! You are out in public" yep, we've been a bit reclusive for a while...but not without reason.
In the last 4 weeks or so I've canned
40 quarts of green beans
24 pints of pickles
21 pints of salsa
7 pints of pizza sauce
5 pints of pickled tomatoes
7 pints of pickle relish
and frozen
45 or so quarts of corn.
And a few bags of shredded zuchinni
and some chopped green peppers (I chop these and add them to a big freezer bag...and use them for soups and stuff-just busting off the bits I need)
I wish I had double or so the green beans and corn. I wish I had a few more bags of zuchinni. And I'm hoping for at least 24 pints of pizza/pasta sauce. Next year, I'll know how to plant and plan differently.
All that produce has been grown, picked, cleaned, prepped and processed by little ole me. The family has helped a bit. We all plant together. The King helps with the tilling some and so did A. But I do most of it. The kids snapped 8 gallons of green beans one afternoon.
We were supposed to start school on Monday. But I have at least 3 more canners of tomatoes to run thru (they'll be pizza sauce) not including the tomatoes still left to pick on the plants (which will likely be unseasoned tomato sauce or BBQ sauce). And I have a crisper drawer in my fridge full of green beans I have to decide what to do with (eat fresh or can). So school is being pushed back one week. I have the boys first week of lessons all laid out but I still need to get L's preschool work figured out (that takes more planning from me).
If i can get my hands on peaches, I'll can/freeze those and make peach jelly and later in the fall we'll be doing applesauce and apple butter and pumpkin puree and butter.
Sometime this fall, the pig will be ready to butcher (which we'll pay to have done so we can have bacon, ham, and lard) and deer season will be rolling around. We process all of our own venison. By December or January, we'll also have a cow to butcher. And we'll be borrowing a billy goat so we can have baby goats in the spring....when gardening starts again.
Although it is a never ending cycle, which has never been more apparent than when typing this out, the few weeks of canning and freezing the garden's produce are crazy. I hide out. Frankly, I neglect my house and the kids watch too much tv/play too much wii so they aren't in the kitchen with all the hot/boiling stuff. But it always feels so great to have a pantry full of food knowing that if the winter is like it was last year (which is being predicted), that we will have plenty to eat without leaving the house. :)
(PS- Although I totally enjoy sharing things like this about our lives, I am also sharing so that next year I can remember how much of each thing I had in the cabinet so I know how to change up my plans and have enough to last the year without much leftover-I don't anticipate any leftovers this year. If I write it on a paper I will, without a doubt, lose the paper HA!)
We finally made it to a homeschool hangout yesterday and people were like "Woah! You are out in public" yep, we've been a bit reclusive for a while...but not without reason.
In the last 4 weeks or so I've canned
40 quarts of green beans
24 pints of pickles
21 pints of salsa
7 pints of pizza sauce
5 pints of pickled tomatoes
7 pints of pickle relish
and frozen
45 or so quarts of corn.
And a few bags of shredded zuchinni
and some chopped green peppers (I chop these and add them to a big freezer bag...and use them for soups and stuff-just busting off the bits I need)
I wish I had double or so the green beans and corn. I wish I had a few more bags of zuchinni. And I'm hoping for at least 24 pints of pizza/pasta sauce. Next year, I'll know how to plant and plan differently.
All that produce has been grown, picked, cleaned, prepped and processed by little ole me. The family has helped a bit. We all plant together. The King helps with the tilling some and so did A. But I do most of it. The kids snapped 8 gallons of green beans one afternoon.
We were supposed to start school on Monday. But I have at least 3 more canners of tomatoes to run thru (they'll be pizza sauce) not including the tomatoes still left to pick on the plants (which will likely be unseasoned tomato sauce or BBQ sauce). And I have a crisper drawer in my fridge full of green beans I have to decide what to do with (eat fresh or can). So school is being pushed back one week. I have the boys first week of lessons all laid out but I still need to get L's preschool work figured out (that takes more planning from me).
If i can get my hands on peaches, I'll can/freeze those and make peach jelly and later in the fall we'll be doing applesauce and apple butter and pumpkin puree and butter.
Sometime this fall, the pig will be ready to butcher (which we'll pay to have done so we can have bacon, ham, and lard) and deer season will be rolling around. We process all of our own venison. By December or January, we'll also have a cow to butcher. And we'll be borrowing a billy goat so we can have baby goats in the spring....when gardening starts again.
Although it is a never ending cycle, which has never been more apparent than when typing this out, the few weeks of canning and freezing the garden's produce are crazy. I hide out. Frankly, I neglect my house and the kids watch too much tv/play too much wii so they aren't in the kitchen with all the hot/boiling stuff. But it always feels so great to have a pantry full of food knowing that if the winter is like it was last year (which is being predicted), that we will have plenty to eat without leaving the house. :)
(PS- Although I totally enjoy sharing things like this about our lives, I am also sharing so that next year I can remember how much of each thing I had in the cabinet so I know how to change up my plans and have enough to last the year without much leftover-I don't anticipate any leftovers this year. If I write it on a paper I will, without a doubt, lose the paper HA!)
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Strawberry Time! Strawberry Time!
Well, now that its June and we are out of school, I think it is safe to say it is officially summer. We've been to the pool, we've swam in the pond (I haven't yet I guess), and yesterday the kids played slip n slide at a friends house.
For me, though, one of the biggest "steps" to it actually being summer is strawberry season. I love strawberry season. And so do the kids. They don't even complain about the picking part. HA! And we enjoy the "fruits" of labor all year long. Well, as long as it lasts.
There aren't more pictures of us picking (although I wanted them) because the kids are the "slacker police" and will call you out on it-loudly. One year my dad came with us and ran into someone he knew (which isn't hard) and the kids STILL get on to him about what a terrible berry picker he is cause he runs his mouth too much. :)
For me, though, one of the biggest "steps" to it actually being summer is strawberry season. I love strawberry season. And so do the kids. They don't even complain about the picking part. HA! And we enjoy the "fruits" of labor all year long. Well, as long as it lasts.
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| The kids helped pick these 2 flats of berries at our local strawberry patch. And they are still smiling. |
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| 2 flats = 26.5 lbs of berries. Nom nom nom. |
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| First batch of strawberry jam! I love the color when you make strawberry jam! |
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| Berries in the dehydrator....you can not fathom how good this makes the house smell...but it doesn't yield much so I don't plan to do it again but I'm glad I tried it! |
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| Some of what all those berries yielded. On the left-jam, on the right-sliced berries in syrup, and in the center dehydrated berries. (yes they are sitting on my floor-it is less cluttered than my kitchen counter-don't judge)
From all the berries we picked, we yielded 10 pints of jam, 1 pint of dehydrated berries, and 6 pints of sliced berries in syrup. Plus plenty to eat fresh and bake with for a while. On my list for next year, a raised strawberry bed. It is gonna happen!
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Thursday, January 3, 2013
Freezer baking! Muffin edition!
I was talking about this on facebook yesterday and people seemed interested. One person even said they would read a blog post if I did one. It is hard for me to do posts like these because I don't really think about what I'm doing....I just do it! I tried to take pictures but that didn't go so well...partly because when I'm cooking I forget to take pictures and partly because I just have so much "help" but I did get a few.
So this is what I did. We like to eat muffins of all sizes and varieties. I use them for breakfasts and for snacks. I do not always feel like making muffins first thing in the morning. So I make lots of muffins and freeze them. They thaw and warm up nicely in the micro. So today in just under 2 hours I made 2 double batches of muffins. I make some regular sized muffins (2 plus fruit or yogurt=breakfast). And I make mini muffins (2=snack). This (with the few that I have left from my last baking frenzy) will be enough to last me about a month unless I get a wild hair to make another flavor...
Ok, where do I get these recipes? The 2 I used today (recipes included at the end) were from Country Baking by Gooseberry Patch. One is peanut butter muffins and the other is Oatmeal. Both are yummy. Of course, I very very rarely follow a recipe exactly. And today was no exception. I will publish the original recipe and then share my changes.
But first....here are a few pictures I did take!
OATMEAL MUFFINS
1 T lemon juice
1cup milk
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1 cup flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Add lemon juice to milk and let stand at room temp for 5-10 minutes. Soak oats in milk mixture for 1 hour; then add egg and beat well. Blend in brown sugar and add cooled shortening. Sift flour with baking powder, salt and baking soda. Combine with oat mixture and stir by hand 20 strokes. Fill greased (or paper lined) muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
And for my changes. I double this first of all. Except I only bump the brown sugar to 3/4 cup and they are plenty sweet. I also use 1/2 whole wheat flour. And replace the melted shortening with melted butter. Adding a teaspoon of vanilla is nice too.
PEANUT BUTTER BREAD
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cup flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
In a large bowl, blend together sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Gradually pour in milk; mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to peanut butter mixture. Spread batter into greased 9X5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
My changes- I double the recipe and use half whole wheat flour. Other than that the only change is to bake in muffin tins (greased or with paper liners-PICK paper liners). They took about 25-30 minutes but I just check every couple minutes after 15...toothpick should come out clean.
So for freezing just let them completely cool (COMPLETELY COOL!!! or your bag will fog up and then freeze and it is icky). Bag them in gallon freezer bags labeled with the variety and the date. And freeze! Pretty simple. I accidentally undercooked a batch the last time I did this and although they are fine they do not freeze as nicely so make sure they are fully fully cooked and the top isn't shiny (does that make sense?)
To eat from frozen; take whichever muffin you want...or one of each because the kids all want something different (another reason I like doing this this way)...pop them in the micro for a few seconds and eat warm. YUM!!!
So this is what I did. We like to eat muffins of all sizes and varieties. I use them for breakfasts and for snacks. I do not always feel like making muffins first thing in the morning. So I make lots of muffins and freeze them. They thaw and warm up nicely in the micro. So today in just under 2 hours I made 2 double batches of muffins. I make some regular sized muffins (2 plus fruit or yogurt=breakfast). And I make mini muffins (2=snack). This (with the few that I have left from my last baking frenzy) will be enough to last me about a month unless I get a wild hair to make another flavor...
Ok, where do I get these recipes? The 2 I used today (recipes included at the end) were from Country Baking by Gooseberry Patch. One is peanut butter muffins and the other is Oatmeal. Both are yummy. Of course, I very very rarely follow a recipe exactly. And today was no exception. I will publish the original recipe and then share my changes.
But first....here are a few pictures I did take!
 |
| My little helper putting the liners in the muffin tins. To freeze I ALWAYS use a paper muffin liner. Makes cleanup easier and freezing nicer. |
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| Finished oatmeal muffins. I did not get as many as I'd hoped for from this double batch. |
 | ||||
| Peanut butter muffins. YUM! |
OATMEAL MUFFINS
1 T lemon juice
1cup milk
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1 cup flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Add lemon juice to milk and let stand at room temp for 5-10 minutes. Soak oats in milk mixture for 1 hour; then add egg and beat well. Blend in brown sugar and add cooled shortening. Sift flour with baking powder, salt and baking soda. Combine with oat mixture and stir by hand 20 strokes. Fill greased (or paper lined) muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
And for my changes. I double this first of all. Except I only bump the brown sugar to 3/4 cup and they are plenty sweet. I also use 1/2 whole wheat flour. And replace the melted shortening with melted butter. Adding a teaspoon of vanilla is nice too.
PEANUT BUTTER BREAD
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cup flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
In a large bowl, blend together sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Gradually pour in milk; mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to peanut butter mixture. Spread batter into greased 9X5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
My changes- I double the recipe and use half whole wheat flour. Other than that the only change is to bake in muffin tins (greased or with paper liners-PICK paper liners). They took about 25-30 minutes but I just check every couple minutes after 15...toothpick should come out clean.
So for freezing just let them completely cool (COMPLETELY COOL!!! or your bag will fog up and then freeze and it is icky). Bag them in gallon freezer bags labeled with the variety and the date. And freeze! Pretty simple. I accidentally undercooked a batch the last time I did this and although they are fine they do not freeze as nicely so make sure they are fully fully cooked and the top isn't shiny (does that make sense?)
To eat from frozen; take whichever muffin you want...or one of each because the kids all want something different (another reason I like doing this this way)...pop them in the micro for a few seconds and eat warm. YUM!!!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Resale Madness!!
So today I took the limit of what I was allowed to take down to the resale shop where I take my stuff. I ALWAYS take the limit! There is always stuff to get rid of. No matter how often I take stuff down there always seems to be more I can take. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Then mom, the kids, and I decided to walk around the store and see if there were any bargains to be had. And as it turns out there were....maybe that is why I always have big bags to take to the resale shop.
Anyhow, The Prince had some fall/winter clothes but he seems to never have long sleeve shirts and his pants are getting shorter (it can't be that he is getting taller cause he is never gonna grow up, right?). So I decided to see what there was to be found. And he SCORED! He ended up with 2 new pairs of jeans. One of them are Wranglers and there is nothing cuter than a little boy butt in Wranglers. Then we found 6 long sleeve shirts, 1 zip up hoodie jacket, new cleats (since his soccer coach cut the toe cleats off of his other ones- long story- sigh). Nanny bought Knight rubber boots and another shirt for Prince that I think is ugly. And we spent next to nothing. My total was just around $30 and I don't really know what hers was.
I am honestly kinda new to resale shopping but, man, is it worth it. I love getting my kids clothes for pennies on the dollar and still look great. We felt a little dusty when we left but the clothes are in great shape and I just saved a fortune.
Anyhow, The Prince had some fall/winter clothes but he seems to never have long sleeve shirts and his pants are getting shorter (it can't be that he is getting taller cause he is never gonna grow up, right?). So I decided to see what there was to be found. And he SCORED! He ended up with 2 new pairs of jeans. One of them are Wranglers and there is nothing cuter than a little boy butt in Wranglers. Then we found 6 long sleeve shirts, 1 zip up hoodie jacket, new cleats (since his soccer coach cut the toe cleats off of his other ones- long story- sigh). Nanny bought Knight rubber boots and another shirt for Prince that I think is ugly. And we spent next to nothing. My total was just around $30 and I don't really know what hers was.
I am honestly kinda new to resale shopping but, man, is it worth it. I love getting my kids clothes for pennies on the dollar and still look great. We felt a little dusty when we left but the clothes are in great shape and I just saved a fortune.
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