I missed a day of prepping as Phoebe, Ben and Karen were all under the weather. But then I never said that the days had to be continuous. I just plan to get them in before winter’s end. We have a couple of inches of snow on the ground this AM and it’s only 28 degrees so it certainly feels as though winter is beginning. that means I need to get up to the big closet and finish pulling out the winter outerwear. I’ll do an inventory of what needs to be replaced and make a trip to the thrift and second-hand shops before buying new. I don’t now about anybody else but the thrift shops around here have raised their prices so much that they aren’t the bargain they used to be. I guess the days of $2.00 woll sweaters are over.
I have to get a schedule going today if I want to get everything done that needs doing. I need to get the rest of the apples in the dehydrators. My plan is to soak them in pineapple juice rather than lemon juice and dry the pineapple chunks at the same time. We all love dried fruit and I go through a lot of it. While the fruit is drying I’ll get started on the winter clothes. Then I need to get out to the garden and see what I can salvage. I still have to pull the carrots and beets and get the cabbage in. I have friends coming over this afternoon to press some cider and I may get some more done too.
I made a pretty good vegetable beef soup with home canned beef and dried vegetable last night. It was tasty but I don’t think anybody will be thrilled to see soup on the menu again tonight. I’m thinking I could make a pot pie with it if I just thicken the broth. That will taste good after a day outside.
I know I’ve been promising more pictures but Maggie lost the cable that goes to her camera. I think she bought a new one and I hope to get some more pictures downloaded soon. We will be working on the sewing center over the next several weeks and it would be fun to have a photo journal of the process of setting it up. I also have a lot of pictures taken of the summer kitchen. I still need to get the stove to the refurb shop but then it will be ready to go.
A trip to the restaurant supply store is on the agenda for tomorrow morning. Here’s the shopping list.
Heavy duty glasses.
cutting boards
microfiber cloths
two aprons
If they have bulk food, I’ll probably stock up on a few things. Now that I’ve canned beans I know how easy it is and I want to do more of that. It’s also a good way to store jars and Tattler lids. Otherwise I just look nuts for having so many. As I count calories and people and multiply by weeks I realize just how fast food would go around here. I could easily go through e quart jars each day. That’s a lot of jars. I wonder if I can get those at the supply shop.
If they have b
October 28, 2011 at 6:42 am
I’m headed out for a big stock up shopping today as well. I hadn’t thought about the cutting boards! A timely tip for sure. Thrift stores seem to have a very high opinion of their inventory these days. Some are charging retail!
October 28, 2011 at 9:27 am
Uh-uh. Kathy, your post got cut off. How many jars a day was that? (3? 10?) Good luck with your provisioning trips. We need to make a couple here…
October 28, 2011 at 9:34 am
I too have found that most all of the GoodWill stores within my area have indeed raised their prices. Salvation Army is still a good deal around where I live. I still shop these stores but have to be more careful with the money t hat I spend.
October 28, 2011 at 12:59 pm
The same around here (MN) about high thrift store prices. Good news that many are taking that route,but no longer the bargains we used to experience. In our area Goodwill has an “overstock” type store that is cheaper, but everything is in bins and not so well displayed. Also some thrift stores run by smaller charities still have pretty good prices.
October 29, 2011 at 3:19 pm
In the Pacific NW the thrift store are doing the same. What bothers me is, when I donate to Goodwill they are very picky about what they will take. So first we try to find someone that can use the items. We hate to fill the landfills so we take out what is left to a charity that will take our items.
The snow reports online are saying this is the earliest and most snow in some Northeast areas since 1925. So far we have not had snow but I expect it will come in Nov. Now to make sure I have all the necessary items.
Have fun shopping!