Oven canning dry goods

A few months ago I read an article in the Countryside magazine about oven canning dry goods. When properly sealed these canned items are good for decades. I thought it was a great idea and tried it. I canned flour and rolled oats...but you can do any DRY good...beans, rice, cereal.
I bought a 50lb. bag of rolled oats for $25. I filled 12 half gallon jars(twice, plus some on the counter), packing them tight by "stomping" the jar on a folded towel. Didn't want to break the jar. The next step is to place the open jars in a preheated oven(200degrees F)for one hour. When the time is up, open the oven and start placing the lids and rings on the jars. It's hot so be sure to wear an oven glove or use hot pads. The OV glove works best because I had my fingers free. Once the lids are snug, take the jars out of the oven and place on a towel lined counter to cool. As the jars cool, the lids seal. This process kills any larva or critter that may have been in the oats or flour. Ever open a bag of flour in the back cupboard only to find tiny black bugs? ick. I usually store my flours and oats in the freezer...but that takes up space I need for meat.
I have been using the oats and flour... they are great. The only thing I have found is that I need to sift my flour before using it. since it is packed down in the jars it seems clumpy and I like it nice and fluffy.
I save money buying in bulk, it is sealed and I don't have to worry about bugs or rancid flour. Plus, with the shaky economy, I have a stock pile to help get through the winter.
Now, I have friends who oven can food, but I don't trust that method. I either water can or pressure can my foods. Since I didn't grow up learning how to can, I stick to the proven safe methods. I would hate to go through all the prep work and expense of buying the products only to have it spoil due to poor storage methods.
But the dry goods seems pretty safe and as I said I have been using them without any issues.
I hope this inspires someone else to try it. It took about 2 and a half hours total time investment filling the jars and heating for an hour and cooling .

Planning and Dreaming

This is the time of the year when I sit back with a good seed catalog and plan my spring garden and dream of all the harvesting and canning I will be doing. I generally leave out all the work, digging, weeding and planting. For some reason that always comes as a shock come spring and I end up not planting everything I dreamed about in the winter months. Anyone else do that?
Hubby and I were sitting with our evening coffee discussing what and where we were going to plant. He wants to make the garden area we already have established, a potato garden and establish a new garden area in the side yard outside my kitchen door. While I see it in my head...skipping out to the garden in my apron to select fresh veggies for that nights delectable dinner...I'm leaving out the hours of breaking new ground and all the hard labor that goes into composting and weeding the area. I focus on the end result and not the journey to get there.
You learn so much about life when you think about gardening. I know I do anyway. I see in my mind the future I want, the garden, the herbal business, the booming contracting company...but I have to keep in mind all the work involved and am I willing to do it to get the end results. Or do I need to rethink my goals and make them into something I can manage and am willing to devote my time.
My imagination tends to run from reality.
BUT we will try it. Maybe work it in small sections so that by the end of the summer we will be ready for more next year.
We also discussed what is the most efficient veggies to plant. An example Hubby brought up was to plant cherry tomatoes but purchase canning tomatoes(Amish farms near by sell them fairly cheap by the bushel), plant beans, buy carrots, grow broccoli buy cabbage...
He has a dream of growing a strawberry patch...we tried it before, but all our plants died. We had bought bare roots (200)that is a lot of planting and a very frustrating failure. Maybe if we plant in a different area it will work...more digging.
I suggested horseradish and he asked me why I would plant that, I don't even use it...I think it was just the seed catalog high talking...

Goals for the New Year

I think just about everyone makes up some sort of resolution or goals even if it's to say I'm not making a resolution...see still resolving not to make a resolution.
I've decided that I'm going to list my goals to help me move forward to my dream of being closer to the Proverbs 31 woman.

Goal number one is to rely on GOD for everything. To trust in Him and to LISTEN for what He needs me to do. Because seriously, I fail on my own all the time.

Goal number two is to stop being so negative about myself. I need to stop doubting myself, I need to stop being so critical of myself. I am worthy of success and need to stop fearing it. I'm actually a pretty cool chick if I would stop comparing myself to others or trying to be something I am not. I'm chatty and easy to talk to, creative, resourceful, honest and open, passionate in my interests, loyal to my family and friends and I am able to adapt to life's ups and downs without too much mental trauma.

Goal number three is to focus my main energy into raising my family. Whatever my dreams are for the future, I cannot allow them to interfere with my job as wife and mother today. My children will grow up too fast for me to have regrets later that I focused on my soaps and salves instead of my children. If I can find a way to have it all work together that would be great. But if it came to a choice, family first.

Goal number four is to research the herbal world. I want to take a few classes on herbs and their uses and to be able to identify them in the wild. I can always keep learning and growing.

Goal number five is to learn to finish what I start. If you have read my blog before...you know what I mean. Intentions are nothing without actions.


So those are my goals for 2013

I'm excited for this new year

Slowly....

I am slowly getting busy making and selling my soap, salves and lip balm. I really have to get over this fear of rejection. The ladies were over on Tuesday and I was talking about how I felt. I would rather not try, than try and be rejected. My Hubby gets soooo irritated with me. My one girlfriend told me the number one rule is to not take the NO personally. She says they are saying NO to the product not me. My issue is the product IS me. It's made by my hands. So much love and passion goes into each product. I have a hard time even pricing the stuff! I sit and think...what if someone buys it then doesn't like it? What if I priced it too high, they will think I'm a rip off? What if... Sounds pretty pathetic doesn't it? I'm even frustrated with myself. I don't know how I even became so full of self doubt.
But I am biting the bullet. I sold several jars of salve and lip balm just from people asking for it. So today and tomorrow I am making a few more jars of salve and lip balm, digging out some aprons I have made and I'm going to set out Saturday. I am surrounded by prim shops and they are all having sales Saturday. I am right in between two of them so I thought what better way to get started. People will pass my house to get to the prim shop. I also have soap at another prim shop...but so far, no sales. I'm ok with that because I'm not there to be rejected...lol.
So I am making the healing salve and a breath ease salve(eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon)and a tea tree lip balm and maybe a cocoa mint lip balm. I finally figured out how to make my labels so I will even have our Up The Creek Homestead name on the products.
I have bottles coming from Mountain Rose Herbs for my homemade vanilla. I also ordered some herbs to make more infused oils and tubes for the lip balm. I'm hoping I can sell more so I can make more.
I really have to lock up the lip balm because my daughter keeps taking it! I told her she was going to have to work it off...the tubes cost about .50each!

I also tried a new to me idea of whipping coconut oil. I can't remember if it was a blog, pinterest, or facebook. But you whip coconut oil and it gets white and creamy. It's used as a moisturizer. I made some up and added a few drops of peppermint oil. It smells nice...I may add more more, just testing it out now. The coconut oil firms up a bit after whipping but not as hard as it is otherwise. It also melts into your skin as applying it. I think I like to use it more at night as it is pretty greasy feeling at first.
Well, I'm going to get busy.

I'm still breathing...sometimes deeply...

The homestead has been busy. Butchered more chickens, the two pigs(714 lbs), 11 turkeys, and two deer. I think we are done unless they get another deer. I had vacuum sealed meat until my freezers were protesting. Then I switched to canning jar after jar of turkey and venison and stock. Can I just say I LOVE canned chicken stock or rather MY canned chicken stock. YUM.
I am cyber schooling my 17yr old...not an easy task as it seems I am stupid and unable to understand the world today(that's what she says) Well, from what I see of the world today...it sucks. I would rather live in my old fashioned values of working for what we have, giving what we can, taking responsibility for our actions...Even if I home schooled all my kids, unless I sheltered them in a bubble, I couldn't keep them from the worlds influence. *sigh* but I TRY!

I thought i would post some pics as they are worth a thousand words...

My brother and I cutting down chicken

the makings of chicken stock

Applesauce making

green beans galore!

Sold all but one of my goats. I kept my Saanan for milk. That's an interesting story because I sold the goats because the cost of feed and I figured I would have a little extra cash for Christmas...then I ended up in the dentist office and there went the extra cash...I'm trying hard to be thankful I had the extra cash to pay for the dentist.

Made my own soft soap...peppermint scented. I was given a 5gallon bucket of grated lye soap from someone's grandparents house...how cool is that? Anyway, I took some fresh peppermint and steeped it in 6C. of water for about 30 min. then I strained it and added a few cups of the lye soap and stirred it on low heat until it melted. then i let it cool and added a couple teaspoons of peppermint essential oil and incorporated it into the soap. It was a bit thick, so i put some in the blender with a bit of water and thinned it down. Poured it into a bottle with a pump and kept the rest in a canning jar until i needed to refill the bottle. FUN!

most of our fall was spent at the football field. i find homesteading and sports are not very compatible...that was very time consuming and fast paced days.

This is the pork from our pig raising experience...5 boxes...plus two buckets of lard! That was a family project getting it all sealed and packed in the freezer. Hubby and i sat and made 216 sausage patties. we portioned someone bagged and two others sealed.

And this is why we live the way we do...for our kids. Charlie wrote us this note in church. I keep it in my purse so I can look at it when I would rather run away from home!
Hope you all are having a great fall and a wonderful holiday season!

Up the Creek Homestead

I can't believe how busy I have been. Canning, freezing, raising animals, raising kiddos...it never stops.


We finally named our homestead.

Up the Creek Homestead


There is a creek that runs behind the house so it could be related to that, but in reality...it comes from "up the creek without a paddle".


Hubby and I had been tossing names around...wanting to come up with something that was meaningful but described us. Leap of Faith Farm was our first choice because it is exactly what we did, took a leap of faith. But there are way to many farms and homesteads named that. Then we checked out "whim and a prayer" again taken, as was Creekside, Crickside, and Crooked Corner.

Then, August 12th I woke Hubby up. I had been canning and freezing corn all day and had planned on canning the bushel of peaches that night. But when the corn was done I didn't feel well and thought I just over did it. I had the most horrible pain in my side. I actually thought it was "gas", kept getting in the tub thinking I could get it to pass. When I started vomiting I thought I had a blockage. I was sick and scared. Hubby took me to the ER at 2am, leaving our four kiddos at home, alone. (They are old enough, but we just don't do that!)The nurses kinda rolled their eyes and didn't give me much sympathy. I was in so much pain, I felt like something was going to bust inside...worse than labor, at least that pain came in waves. This was a constant pain that just kept getting worse. The hospital staff took blood and sent me for a CAT scan, an hour and a half later, the doc said I had acute appendicitis and it had to come out. I have to say the nurses snapped into action and gave me something for the pain( guess they figured I wasn't faking for a fix). I didn't care that I had to have surgery...I said, "I can't do this I have a bushel of peaches sitting in my kitchen that isn't going to hold for a few days!" Hubby didn't really care about my peaches or the bushel of beets on the back porch. He was worried about his wife, in the past three years he has lost both his grandparents and his aunt who had raised him. He called my mom at 4am and waited until 630 to call our pastor...I wasn't aware of this, my mama told me later. For my hubby to call the pastor...that was a big step for him.

Obviously the surgery went well, I'm alive and healed now. After the surgery, and after the meds wore off I started to panic about the medical bills and I said...we are really up the creek! My hubby said not to worry. He felt that everything was in God's plan and we didn't need a paddle... We both, at that time, looked at each other and said Up the Creek... Scary how we think on the same lines.
So that is how we are now Up the Creek Homestead...no paddles just God's Guidance.
As for my peaches, I only lost half of them. My mama and I did what was left when I got home from the hospital and two girlfriends came over the following day and canned the bushel of beets I had on the porch. I was so thankful for their help. My girlfriend came and took my daughter for two weeks so that I had one less child to care for and could rest a bit easier. Amazing how God put people in place to meet all our needs. I am just overwhelmed sometimes!
And that is my Homestead naming Story!

Home made poptarts

Recently I have seen several blogs making homemade pop tarts. I don't buy them at the store myself because, with four kiddos, a box doesn't last long. But I thought, what the Hay,why not. My son Roberto loves cooking with me... and eating so we made these pop tarts from a recipe in the book, The Homemade Pantry, 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making, by Alana Chernila

These are so simple...Pie crust and fruit filling

Pie crust can be tricky. It's not just the ingredients, but the technique that can mean the difference between a hard crumbly crust or a light flaky crust.

Ingredients:
1C.(2 sticks) cold butter(do not substitute)
2 1/4C flour plus additional for rolling out on the counter
2t. Apple cider vinegar(ACV)
1/4t. salt
1/3C. water

Technique:

Dice the cold butter and toss into the flour. Add the salt. place bowl in the freezer. In a measuring cup measure out water and ACV place this in the freezer. Freeze 10 minutes.

I use a stand mixer. After 10 minutes take out the bowl and cut the butter and flour together. (I use the paddle on my mixer for a few minutes) slowly add the liquid until the dough forms. (works well in the food processor)
Pull the dough together and form two disks and wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours.

Read a few blogs, toss the laundry, and fold it and put it away. Or play Candy Crush Saga on Facebook and two hours will fly by.

Now is the fun part. Preheat the oven to 375* and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Take out a pie crust disc and roll it out. You can slice it into rectangles or use a biscuit cutter and make circles. Make an even number all about the same size(why I changed over to the circles!)

Place half the pieces on the parchment covered cookie sheet.

Now use an egg wash (egg scrambled with a tablespoon of water) and paint the dough. Take a tablespoon of your filling, I used strawberry jam, and place it in the center of the dough. take a second piece of dough and place it over top, pressing the edges together. I used a fork.

Paint the top of the tart with the egg wash and poke a few holes in the top with the fork to release steam. Place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe made 12 pastries for me. Fortunately, I put up two for my Hubby because when my boys and their friends came in they inhaled them. They were very good. One caution is that the jam is VERY HOT it does burn when it runs out of the tart and down your chin...please wait for them to cool.

These can be made savory as well using ham and cheese or pizza sauce and cheese...more of a hot pocket I guess.
You can make these up to the point of baking and place them in the freezer. I would put the cookie sheet in the freezer until the pastries are frozen and then put them in a bag together, then place them frozen on a cookie sheet and directly into the oven...add an additional 5 minutes to the baking time. Great snacks for the kiddos to put in the toaster oven. You may even bake them ahead of time and then you can nuke them in the microwave wrapped in a damp towel.

Frugally Sustainable