homemade and homegrown

[nccountrygirl]

The only veggie that I have found I can't freeze is green beans they get mushy. Canning is not hard at all, I use the Ball canning book too, just sit down and read it really well before you start and we are always here to help you out if you need it.

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

Terrielacy is right...the Ball canning book is great and it is not that hard at all!! My Ball canning book has a section on freezing fruits and veggies!! Definately need both types of canners!!

 

[DuckLady]

Quote:
You bet! This is verbatim from a 1950's Betty Crocker Cookbook that belonged to my mom. She made this every summer. I added my notes at the end.

Best Tomato Catsup

1-1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1-1/2 teaspoons broken stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup white vinegar
8 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 25 medium tomatoes)
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons salt

Measure spices into saucepan. Add vinegar. Cover. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand while you prepare the tomato mixture. (Spices steep in vinegar- just like tea. It's this separate brewing for spicy flavor that keeps catsup a rich red color.)

Peel tomatoes. Place in kettle; mash. Add onion and red pepper. Heat to a boil; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put tomatoes through a food mill or a coarse sieve. Add sugar. Heat to a boil; then simmer briskly. Cook til you have only half the amount you began with (Measure amount now with a ruler so you won't have to guess later. When mixture looks as if it has cooked down to half, check your guess with ruler.) It will take 45 to 60 minutes.
Strain vinegar and spice directly into tomato mixture. Discard spices; add salt. Simmer to consistency you like for catsup. Stir frequently. Fill hot sterilized pint jars; seal; label. Makes 2 pints.

My notes
After I put the tomatoes through the food mill for a bit, I dump it into the food processor and pulse it 2 or 3 times to moosh up the tomato meat that is left. I rinse the seeds from the food mill. Then I put it through the food mill again. After it is done cooking down and right before I process it, I run it though the food processor again. It makes it smoother. I use a water bath to process for 15 minutes.

I usually do a double or triple batch, depending on how many tomatoes I have ripe at any one time. It is a lot of work for 2 measly pints.

It sure is good. Better than anything from the store. We have made it with yellow tomatoes. Not as acidic, but just wasn't "right". Catsup should be red after all. LOL.

We have used this as a base for BBQ sauce too. We replace the sugar with Karo and add fresh garlic or elephant garlic, smoke flavor and other spices to taste. Once we made a cherry garlic BBQ sauce that was heavenly!

Have fun!

 

[silkiechicken]

That's a great recipie! I must save it somewhere. They made like green and purple heintz ketchup... no idea what happened to it though! Good ridance!

 

[NewGuineaChooks]

Here's the recipe we use for our green bean pickles (and yes, green beans are a little mushy after frozen, but still good when cooked into mixes dishes)

Stuff a clean quart jar full of green beans (stem ends removed)
add 2 cloves garlic
1 teas. cayenne
2 teas. dill

bring to a boil a brine solution of:
1 c. water
1 c. vinegar
1.5 Tbl. salt (non-iodized, no caking ingredients, to avoid sediment)

poor brine into jar(s), filling to 1/4 inch of the top
seal with lids and rings
Put jars in a pot of hot water. They should sit on a rack, not touch each other, and have 1/2 inch water over their lids. Bring pot of water to a boil, boil for 15 minutes, then carefully remove jars to cool undisturbed. (label with month/year on masking tape)

The nice thing about brine canning is that you can use the 'water bath' method. When you get to sweet foods, like fruits, you have to do the more complex, cautious canning method, for food safety.

-maureen

Edit: I'll add another bread recipe to those already shared. i think making bread is like riding a bike....you've got to try a few times before you get really good, and sometimes you'll fall (or your bread will fall) before you get there. Bread makers are nice because they save your arm the effort of stirring and mixing.....a 'dough hook' for your counter-top mixer will do the same. But I recommend trying the whole process yourself at least a couple of times....so you know whats going on. Some Tips: A couple tablespoons of gluten flour will help even the most coarse whole grain flour turn into fluffy bread. Yeast likes to eat 'sugar' and likes to grow in mildly warm water. As long as you keep the yeast growing, bread can take a lot of 'abuse' and variations without failing.

Mix togetherin a large bowl:
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup. warm water (baby bottle temp)
Let sit 15 minutes till it bubbles up nicely (if it doesn't bubble, your yeast is too old, or its a cold winter morning)

Add;
1 cup warm water
1-2 Tbl sugar
1-2 teaspoons salt
4-4.5 cups flour

Warning: don't add the flour all at once. Your bread will end up a rock! Add 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, mixing it in between. When it stops being really sticky, and your arm is dead tired, flour your counter top, dump the dough out of the bowl and push the last cup of flour in with the palms/heels of your hands.

Grease a baking pan, shape the dough how you want, and set in the pan to rise (almost double in size) 30 minutes in a warm, draft free place. Then, carefully (so it doesn't collapse) place in the oven, baking at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown. If you want a finer texture bread, add this step: before placing in the bread pans, let it sit and rise once for 30 minutes, then squish it down again and shape and put in the pans to rise again.

 

[schmoo]

I make homemade bread all the time. It only takes a little practice. If you mess up a couple times its not a big deal because atleast the ing. are cheap.
I see bread machines at goodwill and resale shops all the time. Last year I was lucky enough to receive a stand mixer for Christmas so I can now use that to knead the dough You can also add attachments to grind meat and make pasta. I have not done that yet though. Maybe this year.

We canned tomatoes last week and so far I made strawberry and blueberry jam. I want to try making some apple butter also. I always pack my DH's and sons lunch, it's MUCH cheaper than buying school lunch and I know he actually likes what I make. Sheesh today he has a piece of homeade apple pie in there- you can't get that from a school hot lunch

We have a wood stove for heat to save on gas costs. It always makes me feel much "safer" in the winter because we live in the boonies. I know if the electricty goes out we will still be warm.

I am definetly going to try making some egg ornaments, that sounds fun.

 

[SandraChick]

Quote:
I've always had bad luck freezing zucchini....do you do anything special?


to answer the original question....
--Grow a garden
--Chicken eggs (mine ARE cheaper than the store....they freerange for most of their food)
--swap with others (I get peaches from someone who has an orchard, and he gets some of the jam I make and some fresh veggies from my garden)
--making jam from extra fruit is a good way to "preserve them for later"...besides...when it doesn't set, I just call it syrup...we don't use maple syrup here anymore...fruit "syrup" is WAY better.

Sandra

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Kristina -- I love your egg ornament idea! Awesome!

Good thread idea too.

Homemade bread tastes better and is healthier for you, because you determine what gets put in it. It might cost more to make it, but I think the expense is worth it. I have always made mine by hand, because I prefer the results to what I have sampled from other peoples' bread machines -- why spend a bunch of money, only to be disappointed?

Canning is pretty easy. Start with jam and start with the water-bath method. It's fast and straight-forward. Once you learn how, then you can get as deep into canning as you care to go.

If you want to try your hand at gardening, I would start with herbs and salad greens. They are easy and yield results quickly. Start fruit and nut trees sooner than later, as they will take time to mature. I believe anyone can successfully plant a tree.

Learn to knit or sew. Again start with small and easy projects and decide how much you enjoy it, and whether to pursue it further.

Like anything else, you should try to stick to what you are passionate about, because you will get the best results from that. I like what others have said about bartering for what your neighbors may have and/or specialize in.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I almost forgot to add that I have nearly entirely weaned myself off of those chemical cleaners.

I have found that baking soda and vinegar are good enough for most tasks. Baking soda is somewhat abrasive and saves you elbow grease. Vinegar is great for cleaning windows and pet accidents. I keep vinegar in a spray bottle and baking soda in a large spice container (that has a perforated lid for sprinkling). I often clean my bathroom with borax and hot water. At first I was a little concerned it would not be as sanitary as using chemical cleaners, but I have found that it does a great job, and also has an abrasive quality that works better than most liquid chemical concoctions. If you have a shower stall with soap scum that has built up over the years, you will be amazed by what baking soda or borax can do!

If you need something a little stronger, I like to use Simple Green, because it is biodegradable.

 

[cruelshoes]

I can all of our jam from raspberries we grow. Someone gave me a few starts a few years ago, and they have really gone to town in one corner of our yard. We have fresh berries from June - September. I use the Ball Blue book for reference, but don't use any of the recipes out of it because I use Pomona's Universal Pectin. I have picked a lot of blackberries in the past, but haven't had much time in the last few years due to illnesses and having a baby a year ago. I have canned salsas in the past and those turned out well, also. I would love to learn how to make pickles, too.

I bake all of our cookies, cakes, bread and other baked goods from scratch because my son and I have Celiac Disease, and cannot tolerate gluten. All of the food in our house is free of gluten - any food derived from wheat, barley and rye. Gluten Free food is available in stores, but many of the baked goods are prohibitively expensive, and don't taste as good as the stuff I make from scratch.

I too use vinegar and baking soda to do most of our cleaning. I used to make our laundry soap too, but stopped when we got our frontload HE machine.

Chickens has been our latest foray into self sufficiency. It has turned into a great family project. Earlier in the week, I used the last of our storebought eggs, and am now relying on the girls to keep on cranking them out.

We put in a bunch of new garden beds this year,and will have a much expanded garden next year. We usually grow strawberries and tomatoes too.

I sew and do beadwork too, but don't have as much time for that as I would like. I really need to quit my job to have more time to devote to hobbies. But if I didn't work, how would Barg have $ to expand the chicken coop and buy new chicken gadgets!