What were up to

Last November after Thanksgiving, our local Veggie Stand had a close out on fresh Pineapple. I snatched them up and my husband and I canned them in a very light syrup. We just popped open the 1st jar to have with some Ham for dinner. The only word to describe this is YUMMY, it is so much better than store bought canned pineapple. I found the directions to can the pineapple here.

Canning our pineapple was such a success that as soon as I read Marisa's post at FOOD IN JARS for canning mandarin oranges I knew we were going to can some, Her tutorial, Click here, makes it look so easy and fun and mandarin oranges are a staple food for my Grand kids. So today it's the Olympics and canning clementines ☺

Books (Free Downloads) GARDENING, WILD FORAGING AND SELF SUFFICIENCY

I found this great website with lots of free book downloads. So far i've downloaded books on candle and soap making, gardening, Weaving loom plans, spinning, The Homesteader's Handbook To Raising Small Livestock, chicken raising, lots of shortwave radio stuff for my husband, The Formula Manual for making your own recipes for almost everything other than food, Natural Dyeing Of Textiles. You've got to check this out, my Kindle is goingto be filled up with losts of free books to read now.

Click here to go to this amazing collection of downloads.

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 10

1. Plant something –
*Enriching garden for the Spring
* Started with harvesting Llama poo and adding to the garden
2. Harvest something –
* Chives
3. Preserve something –
* Chives,
* Green peppers
4. Reduce waste –
* Recycling cans, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with.
5. Preparation and Storage –
* Continuing my water storage.
6. Build Community Food Systems –
* Continuing to shop at a locally owned grocery store instead of the large corporate store and local fruit stand.
7. Eat the Food –
* Spaghetti Sauce
8. Learn something –
* Continuing to take the Preserving food at home online self study course offered thru the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the University of Georgia, Need to get off my butt and finish this.
* Reading about raising Llamas
9. Simple Living –
* DH and I attended an evening of celebrating Grandparent’s Day with DGD at her school. We had such a great time that she was mad the next morning because we couldn’t go to school with her for the whole day ☻
* Celebrated DH’s birthday with a dinner of his favorites.
* Enjoying an ice-cream with DGD
* Reconnecting with family and friends out of town
* Reading
* Taking care of and enjoying our animals.
10. To Do –
* Finish sewing DGD school clothes
* Working on Christmas gifts

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 8 AND 9

1. Plant something – Potted the garden chives and moved them into the kitchen for the cold months.
2. Harvest something –Green Peppers. Tomatoes, Potatoes.
3. Preserve something – 1 case of quart jars filled with spaghetti sauce
4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with.
5. Preparation and Storage – Nothing this time.
6. Build Community Food Systems – Began my water storage.
7. Eat the Food – Spaghetti Sauce
8. Learn something –
* Continuing to take the Preserving food at home online self study course offered thru the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the University of Georgia,
* Reading about raising Llamas
9. Simple Living –
* Spent the day at the Zoo with DD, DGD and DSG. DD packed a lovely lunch and we used the aluminum Pepsi bottles with cork stoppers to carry our drinks from home. We had a lovely day and the only money we spent was for the gas to drive to the Zoo.
* Celebrated DGS’s first birthday and then the next week we celebrated my mother’s birthday with a great dinner and a family game of Monopoly.
* Yesterday and today we tore down the garden for the year.
* Continued making Christmas gifts. Sewing DGD school clothes
* Finished reading The Sword of the Lady by S. M. Stirling, Received 2 more books thru The Paperpack Swap to add to my reading list.
10. To Do –
* Finish sewing DGD school clothes
* freeze remainder of green peppers.

How was your Labor Day?

Saturday - DS won 3rd place in the In the C Class at the OXC Ozarks Cross Country ATV Championship. That's him on the left, I wish he would keep those wheels on the ground.

Sunday - I sewed 4 Jumpers for my DGD. And finished sewing 7 cloth shopping bags that my mom ordered from me to give away as presents.

Monday - my DS and I spent the day fencing in a bigger pasture area for the girls, aka the Llamas. I hurt everywhere, even my toenails hurt. But boy were there 2 happy Llama's running around when we let them out into the bigger pasture. Chili was running around kicking up her back heels in the air and both of them were observed rolling around in the grass a couple of times☻ Right now I'm reducing 30 lbs of tomatoes into Spaghetti Sauce so I can get them processed into jars and I still need to bake a cake for DGS's 1st Birthday tomorrow.

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 7

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something –Green Peppers. Tomatoes
3. Preserve something – Re-pickled 25 lbs of Pickled Onions, The men of the family had insisted I make them as I had 20 years ago with a Jalapeño pepper cut in half in each jar, well either Jalapeño peppers are hotter now, not, or my men are wimpier, because they were too hot, “Did you do something different?” they asked. So I had to open up each jar remove the peppers tone down the juice a little and reprocess them. Aren’t men sweet.
4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with.
5. Preparation and Storage – Nothing this time.
6. Build Community Food Systems – Nothing this time.
7. Eat the Food –Chicken Broth8. Learn something –
Continuing to take the Preserving food at home online self study course offered thru the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the University of Georgia, Reading about raising Llamas
Learning each day on how to raise my Llamas.
9. Simple Living – Continued making Christmas gifts. Sewing DGD school clothes
10. To Do –* Finish sewing DGD school clothes

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 6

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something –Green Peppers
3. Preserve something – 25 lbs Pickled Onions
4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with. Mom and Dad bought a new Frig. and Stove, I took their old ones (Brand new to me), my daughter received my frig, and a young couple that my son works with took my stove.
5. Preparation and Storage – Bought extras of groceries. Bought and set up shelving for food storage.
6. Build Community Food Systems – Went shopping at a locally owned grocery store instead of the large corporate store.
7. Eat the Food –Tomatoes diced, Broccoli.
8. Learn something –
Continuing to take the Preserving food at home online self study course offered thru the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the University of Georgia, Reading about raising Llamas
Finished reading The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure by Catherine Scott-Clark.
9. Simple Living – Continued making Christmas gifts. Canned an extra dozen pints of pickled onions for my dad’s birthday present, they are his favorite.
10. To Do –* Sew DGD school clothes

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 5

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something – Tomatoes, Green Peppers, last of the Watermelon
3. Preserve something – froze 10 lbs broccoli .
4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with. mailed off 2 books thru the paperback swap and ordered 2 books also,
5. Preparation and Storage – 10 bottles BBQ sauce, whipped up another batch of laundry soap
6. Build Community Food Systems – Went shopping at a locally owned grocery store instead of the large corporate store.
7. Eat the Food –Tomatoes diced, and sauce.
8. Learn something – Continuing to take the Preserving food at home online self study course offered thru the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the University of Georgia,
currently reading The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure by Catherine Scott-Clark. This is the (true) story of two journalists who embark on a quest to find out what happened to the Amber Room. The Amber Room was a room in Catherine Palace in St Petersburg that was decorated with panels of amber mosaics. During World War 2, with the Nazis heading towards St Petersburg, the Russians packed up as many treasures as they could and sent them across the country to be safely stored. But they were unable to pack up the Amber Room, so they tried to conceal it in situ. This ruse was unsuccessful. The Nazis dismantled the room and relocated it to Konisberg Castle in Prussia. When the war ended, the Russians went to recover the room - but it had vanished. Where was it? Was it still in existence? There was evidence to suggest that it may have been moved again - but to where? The story is told from the point of view of the two authors, as they sift through archived data in both Russia and Germany, and also try to track down any surviving witnesses to that time. It's very easy to read and surprisingly gripping. Not a dry history book at ALL.
9. Simple Living – Continued making Christmas gifts.
10. To Do –* Sew DGD school clothes * Blackberry jelly

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 4, Late post this was last weeks.

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something – Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Watermelon
3. Preserve something – 14 pts diced tomatoes.
4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, Use cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using homemade laundry soap, saving old jeans to reupholster a chair with.
5. Preparation and Storage – Reorganized, began extended shopping list.
6. Build Community Food Systems – Nothing at this time.
7. Eat the Food –Tomatoes diced, and sauce.
8. Simple Living – Began making Christmas gifts.
9. To Do –* Sew DGD school clothes * Blackberry jelly* Make new batch laundry soap

INDEPENDANCE DAYS CHALLENGE, WEEK 3

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.

2. Harvest something – Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Green Beans

3. Preserve something – Need to get my butt in gear.

4. Reduce waste – Recycling cans, Use cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, Bought a pressure cooker and a neat spice rack at the thrift store.

5. Preparation and Storage – Stocked up on spices.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Bought 2 qts. of blackberries at the local farmers market.

7. Eat the Food –Tomatoes diced, and sauce.

--I thought I add number 8 to the list so I can’t procrastinate anymore--

8. To Do –
* Sew DGD school clothes
* Can tomatoes
* Freeze green beans
* Blackberry jelly
* Freeze green peppers

Independance Days Challenge, week 2

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something – Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Green Beans, Basil
3. Preserve something - Canned 2 batches of diced tomatoes, dried 4 batches of basil
4. Reduce waste – Accidentally ate the wrapper on a cupcake. Does that count?
5. Preparation and Storage – Stocked up on toiletries and paper products, double bought 1/3 of my dry goods
6. Build Community Food Systems - Nothing this time.
7. Eat the Food – Pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, BBQ pulled venison sandwiches with home grown potato fry's

Free Online Class

I spent the evening with the FoodSaver®, vacuuming up bags of dried rice, pinto beans and mashed potato’s for the pantry. I picked basil leaves from my garden and have the 1st batch in the dehydrator and now I have to can some relish and some diced tomatoes from my garden. I was looking around the internet for a diced tomato canning recipe when I came across this free online course on preserving offered thru

the National Center for Home Food Preservation,

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html##

I’m all signed up, I really need a brush up on the new canning techniques.

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Here’s the preview the first steps of the course.

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and the how to for signing up.
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Announcing a free, self-paced, online course

for those wanting to learn more about home canning and preservation.
Introduction to Food Preservation

1. General Canning
2. Canning Acid Foods
3. Canning Low-Acid Foods

This course is offered in the University of Georgia WebCT system.

UGA requires registration for you to receive a login.

Independance Days Challenge, week one

I’ve been seeing a lot of Independence Days Challenge participants on blogs and started to investigate it. It is a challenge started by Sharon Astyk, on her blog called Casaubon’s Book. In her blog she’s stated that it is “ desperately needed that we do declare our independence from the globalizing, totalitarian, destructive, toxic, dangerous agriculture” She then challenged herself and everyone else to participate in a Food Independence Days challenge that she started. “That all of us try to do one thing every day to create Food Independence.” She then goes on to explain the how to’s of the challenge at http://sharonastyk.com/2008/04/29/independence-days-my-first-challenge/

I couldn't wait to start so here's my first week:

1. Plant something - Nothing this time.
2. Harvest something – Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Peppers.
3. Preserve something - I made some Gherkin pickles, and 2 batches of Tomato Sauce
4. Reduce waste – Bought my Pepsi in aluminum bottles and will recycle them by using them as water bottles.
5. Preparation and Storage – Home baked bread, Pickles, Tomato Sauce, Bought an old metal drip coffee pot at a garage sale.
6. Build Community Food Systems - Nothing this time.
7. Eat the Food – Pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, venison steaks from deer season.