I was up at about 3:00am. The new moon was lovely peeking over the back hill. I happened to glance at the thermometer and was shocked to see it was only 38 degrees! It was 92 last week. The temperature swings are hard on both people and plants. Living in New England my whole life has taught me not to put the coats away until mid June.
It is time to do a food inventory. I started mine yesterday. The cabinet in the basement that holds most of my canned goods is nearly empty. The are few pitiful jars of beet sauce left. I had this beautiful red juice left after canning pickled beets last year. I hated to waste it so I made a thin jelly out of it, thinking I would use it to glaze pork. Well, I didn’t. That was fed to the pigs along with a couple of jars of strawberry jam that hadn’t sealed well. If you don’t feel real resistance when you take off a jar lid, toss the contents. I still have relish. I made way too much last summer. I just love making relish and the jars look gorgeous sitting on a shelf but really, hos much relish is one family likely to eat? I gave a lot away as gifts and still have some left. I have a few jars of gingered pears and some peaches left too but we will eat those up. The only other thing left is rhubarb-not good as I have to harvest rhubarb today.
Here’s my problem. I generally plan to have enough food put away to feed my family for a year. But the definition of family is fluid. I want to have enough for charity as well. There is also no telling how much family will be here in a crisis. I usually end up erring on the high side which leaves me with leftovers each spring. I suppose it’s not wasted if the pigs eat the beet sauce and we eat the pigs.
I did the dried food inventory too. We had an amazing pepper harvest last year and I still have a lot of dried peppers left. There were just small amounts of other things like celery, onions, summer squash and such. I put everything in my big stock pot with some leeks, parsley, mushrooms and whatever else was wilting in the refrigerator and made a wonderful stock. I managed to get 5 quart jars and couple of ice-cube trays of stock and the pigs got the leavings of that as well. Waste not, want not.
Phoebe is home sick today (the reason I was up at 3:00) and I had hoped to get out to do some weeding. As that is not to be, I am going to clean out the entertainment cabinet. Know anybody who wants 25 old Barney videos?
June 9, 2010 at 7:31 am
I loved making relish when the kids were young. In this house, no one cares about having it, so I haven’t done any in years…
I have to do a food inventory this week also, I am heading out to get a big food & supply purchase. I just have a funny feeling and want to make sure we are all topped off.
Take care!
June 9, 2010 at 7:40 am
I’m topping off too. I just put in a big wheat order. I can’r believe how fast I go through it.
June 9, 2010 at 8:23 am
There must be something in the air/water this week, because I’m getting ready for an inventory too.
Last week, we had the health dept. in to do a water test and they had to do it as close to the source as possible, which meant they would be tramping through my food supply room to get to the utility crawl space. I hid/stashed/stacked/concealed things as well as I could, and now I hope there isn’t a note in my permanent record that I have a grocery store in my basement. I’ve never been paranoid about people seeing my supplies…until now.
June 9, 2010 at 8:58 am
It’s so funny to hear you say that. I felt the same way when the new freezer was delivered. I got “the look”, the one that says “crazy lady here” and then I got a bit paranoid too.
June 9, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Kathy, now I may be wrong on this. But my thought has always been if at all possible to have enough canned stuff that if something didn’t grow for a year that I was still covered. Like the year we had snow in August. Needless to say we got very little from the garden that year. And didn’t get any green beans at all. They were almost ready to pick when it snowed. And then there wasn’t enough time to replant. And this year will also be a challenge. We have had a LOT of rain. It is even raining now. The garden should all be planted by now. But it is just to muddy and the ground is still cold. We did plant part of it yesterday anyway. but we are thinking we may not get a lot from all the work this year. We did make 4 large raised beds in the back yard this spring. And they are planted. But it is just a small part of what we would normally use in a year.
June 9, 2010 at 12:20 pm
With that kind of weather you’re absolutly right to have that much in storage! Snow in August gives me the willeys. May I ask where you live?
June 9, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I live in MT.
June 9, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Oh and just to show you how odd our weather can be. This year on April 20th we had 85* weather. WE then went back into winter after that. But it was very warm in April. Then the rains have started and pretty much kept up.
June 9, 2010 at 12:28 pm
We’ve been having the same swings. 95 last week and 38 this AM. Tough on tomatoes. At least the rain has been moderate this year. Last year we had something like 6 sunny days in a two month stretch and that let the blight in.
June 9, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I’m working through my inventory too. Unfortunately, I don’t have as much home canned foods as you do, especially since last year would have been my first year to can tomatoes, and you know, the blight got all but the earliest fruit. I’m hopeful that this year will be better. Fingers definitely crossed!
I do know how you all feel about people seeing your food supply. I wonder if they just think we’re nuts or are squirreling the info away if there’s ever a problem.
Kathy, I saw that Janaia at Peak Moments interviewed you! How wonderful (and smart of her to choose you!)Do you know when she’ll have it up on her site?
June 9, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Speaking of blight, Kathy, have you heard about treating your garden with raw milk to help prevent blight? I’ve read/heard this from 2 different sources and I’m wondering if there’s any fact behind it.
June 9, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I was so excited about that interview. She was lovely. I think it will air in a couple of weeks. I’ll be sure to let everybody kbnow. We are all doing anti-blight dances by the light of the moon around here.
June 9, 2010 at 1:19 pm
I have never heard about raw milk. I wonder if the extension service would have the info. I have such good tomatoes this year (thank you so much-the seeds all sprouted I think) it would break my heart to lose them.
June 9, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Someone told me yesterday that powdered milk sprinkled over my potato plants would keep the potato beetles at bay. She didn’t know if it would also kill beneficial insects (I know DE will). Has anyone heard this strategy before? I’ve just been picking the little buggers off each day.
I am determined to learn how to can food this year since it’s the first time I’ve had a garden producing food. We already have abundant zukes, cukes, squash, and glorious kale and arugula.
June 9, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Last year my Daughter-in-law jokingly said that I have enough food stored away to feed the entire family for a year. Last week she made the same remark, but in a much different tone of voice-this time she said it with relief. She nearly lost her teaching job for next year, my husband had his take home pay cut 10%, and I have had a pay freeze for the last 3 years.
June 9, 2010 at 4:01 pm
It is a problem with DE. If anybody knows if this is true could you let us know. I have the feeling that my kids are really glad to have us doing all we do although they rarely mention it. We are just starting to see the job loses and pay cuts.
June 9, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’m in MT as well and even though I’m in the south-central area, it has still been a slow start to the planting. I got everything in terribly late in the spring (um, late May) but with this cooler weather holding on the way it is I may actually get cool weather crop harvests in spite of the late start. Like the peas. It’s been pleasantly warm the past couple of days, but forecast to be down in the 60s by the weekend with lows in the 40s.
I’ve looked in my pantry, metaphorically thrown up my hands, and not done my inventory yet… lol! I have learned, however, that I really only need to make one or two small batches of pickles. But I need to make a much larger quantity of tomato sauce.
When I do my inventory I include *everything*, from food to OTC medicines to toiletries and so on.
I’ve read some of the books about MT pioneers and the early days of our state history, and I just feel more comfortable having a nice buffer set aside. I’d rest much easier if my buffer were larger. It’s a beautiful place, but it wouldn’t be an easy place to live without modern conveniences.
June 9, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Remind not to complain about my climate. MT sounds rugged.
June 9, 2010 at 10:45 pm
It is really pretty here. We live up in the NW corner of the state. We can not grow tomatoes, peppers or even cukes without a hoophouse. And still sometimes it doesn’t work. We are always trying different things to do for gardening. I can as well as dehydrate. I do freeze some stuff but not much. I prefer to save freezer space for meats. One thing about gardening here you really learn to appreciate what you can grow. And never count on it till it is in the house and in the jar.
June 10, 2010 at 8:40 am
Kathy,
I just purchased a dehydrator to help with my food storage. We are empty nesters with 2 married daughters, 1 single and 3 grandchildren, all live in our area. We want to store a year of food for our entire family but with just the two of us we could never rotate can goods fast enough and space is also an issue, living in the south we have no basement. I do still plan to can but just not as much as in the past.I wondered your feelings on keeping the bulk of our food storage dehydrated, thanks for your continued encouragment to all of us!! I also hope to stop some of the comments regarding our large pantry since dehydrated foods can be store in larger quanities using less space. Right now I just laugh at the comments and say but I thought you loved getting my goodie baskets at Christmas loaded in Jelly, soups and quick bread mixes, that shuts them up for a time
June 10, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I LOVE dried food-light, compact and full of nutrients. It’s the only way to have a deep pantry with limited space.
June 11, 2010 at 8:33 am
Could you post information or links on dehydrating food? I have a dehydrator, and one book for it, but feel it’s still very hit-and-miss with what I put up and use. I’ve also got limited pantry space and would like to make the most of what we have. Thanks!
June 11, 2010 at 3:08 pm
The best info I have found is at the website dehydrate2store. I think this lady could dehydrate the family dog and bring him back to life.
June 12, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Dehydrate the family dog…… oh Kathy you crack me up. I needed a laugh. My daughter looks at my pantry and sez Mom you seriously need to start eating up your stored food, and shakes her head. We do rotate but of course I keep replacing. She shops week by week and I know if there is an emergency, she and her hubby will be the first ones over. They are going to start a family and I’m curious to see if her food storage ideas change after the kids come.