The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Pantries and Preparedness. A lesson on food preserving by Glenda.


Last week we talked about it is better to have something rather than nothing. Now on to a whole series of ways to preserve food so we can build up our supplies and make the most of what we might have or have come by on a great special. There are so many ways to build up a pantry!
This week I am thrilled to have a post by Glenda who is a great teacher to me. Before we get started I have to show you Glenda's stove...

I just love it. I just had to show you!
Now over to Glenda...
There are many ways of preserving foods to stock our deep pantry shelves. History is the best teacher to learn different methods of food preservation, storage, and stocking. Very early forms of preservation of foods were sun drying, open fire or stove drying, salting, smoking, fermenting, and root cellaring.

In earlier times, farm wives and homesteaders grew what they were going to eat for the upcoming year. The homemaker had to work long and hard in her garden and in the kitchen, preserving the food for the non-growing months. The Little House on the Prairiebooks are full of examples of the hardworking homesteaders and the difficulties they faced. Laura Ingalls Wilder, wrote in her book Farmer Boy: “There was no rest and no play for anyone now. They all worked from candle-light to candle-light. Mother and the girls were making cucumber pickles, green-tomato pickles, and watermelon-rind pickles; they were drying corn and apples, and making preserves. Everything must be saved, nothing wasted of the summer’s bounty. Even the apple cores were saved for making vinegar.”

Early homesteaders built smoke houses to smoke the meat for winter. Sometimes, the meat was hung and the dairy items kept in early ice houses which were built with thick insulated walls and high up ventilation. The ice would be packed in sawdust to preserve it for long periods of time. Some ice houses were built partially underground.

The modern form of canning in jars and cans is relatively new. Jar and metal can preserving of foods was first developed in the early 1800’s. The modern two piece canning jar lid was not invented until 1915. We live in an age of blessings and convenience.

In our home, we employ several methods of food preservation. All work well and, due to modern conveniences, it takes a lot less time than it would have 200 years ago to preserve foods.

Air drying is one of my favorite ways to dry herbs, although they can also be dried in a dehydrator. I hang the herbs, I cut from the yard, on a large clothes drying rack in a room with a southern facing window.

I cut the herbs, place a rubber band around the stems then put a large paper clip through the rubber band. Next I make a label for the herb bunch and put the label on the paper clip. I hook the paper clip over string or ribbon that has been tied onto the dryer rungs. This is a very easy and inexpensive way to dry herbs to use during the year for cooking.


Once dry, I place the bunch on a piece of wax paper, fold the wax paper over and roll it around rather vigorously to shake loose the leaves. I dispose of the stems and grind the leaves in a small manual herb grinder, then store them in labeled glass canning jars of various sizes for future use. I sometimes vacuum seal the canning jars if I have a lot of an herb, which keeps the herbs fresher longer.

Dehydrating foods, using a food dehydrator, is another favorite method of food preservation. Dehydrated food saves a lot of space on shelves as it reduces in size significantly during the dehydrating process. We use our dehydrator for drying fruit and vegetables. One year we were blessed with 250 pounds of fruit from one of our dwarf plum trees, so after canning plums, canning plum conserve, and canning plum jam, we dehydrated the remainder to eat like candy.


Carrots and celery are easy to dehydrate and inexpensive when found on sale. They are nice additions to soup, stews, and casseroles during the winter. We purchase a four pound bag of organic carrots from Sam’s Club for $2.98. We wash the carrots thoroughly, then dry them before slicing into a uniform size with the electric slicer. Then we just lay the slices on the dehydrator trays and dry for the specified time required. Celery is done the same way. A good old fashioned cutting board, a sharp knife, and a good eye for size will elicit the same results.

In season, most fruits and vegetables are available for a reasonable price in grocery stores or at Farmer’s Markets. It is relatively easy to grow one’s own fruit and vegetables. People are now enjoying their home grown food in areas as small as patio’s and balconies. Many vegetables and herbs grow very well in pots. Some people are fortunate and know gardeners that have excess and will either give it away or sell it at a very inexpensive price. Some farms allow people to pick berries, corn, or other farm produce and purchase it less expensively. Some people who have fruit trees will allow neighbors to glean the produce as they don’t want it for themselves. Water bath canning, pressure canning, or dehydrating these items adds significantly to the pantry and food security for difficult times.


We purchase broccoli, fruit, and chicken breasts, currently, from Sam’s Club in large packages. It is very cost effective to buy a large bag of organic vegetables or fruit and break it down into serving sized portions and vacuum seal it.


I love the vacuum sealer attachment for the Food Saver as it helps extend the shelf life of dry goods. I use canning jars for sealing chips, nuts, seasonings/spices, bay leaves, crackers, and many other dry items with the vacuum sealer attachment for jars.




Fermenting foods is another good way to preserve them. Sometimes, depending on the food, it might require refrigeration after the fermentation process. A few foods that would classify as fermented would be yogurt, sauerkraut, and fermented vegetables. Wine is, also, a fermented product from grapes. Elderberry wine or syrup is a wonderful addition to the home pantry.

A good source of information for early methods of food preservation is the bookPreserving Food without Freezing or Canning. This book addresses various preserving techniques using salt, sugar, oil, alcohol, vinegar, dehydrating, cold storage, and lactic fermentation.

A few other books that I have found very useful are Making & Using Dried Foods, by Phyllis Hobson; Sourdough Cookery, by Rita Davenport, and two of my very favorites arePantry Cookbook and Growing and Canning Your Own Food, both by Jackie Clay.

In addition, the internet is a good source for historical and current information on food preservation. If I find an excellent article on the internet I will run a copy, site the source, and save it in a binder for future reference.

Thank you so much Glenda. And also thank you to Glenda's husband John for taking the photos. 

This summer I am planning to use air drying much more. Also to use the sun to dehydrate tomatoes, apricots etc. 
How many times have we wasted things that we could have preserved in some way? Sometimes time beats us. But it doesn't have to. Once I was given a whole bag of plums the day before we were going away on holidays. I put them in the freezer and stewed them and made jam when I got home! The freezer is very handy for buying time!

The more we learn, the more we can save money on food and add to our pantry.

Thank you so much Glenda! xxx

27 comments:

  1. Thanks Glenda! So many good ideas to remember when I gave a glut of fruit or vegies.. Will have to do more drying of foods other than herbs. Celery and carrots dried would be great in soups and stews.
    Thanks Annabel for helping us to fill our pantries xx

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    Replies
    1. Hi Debbie,

      Thank you for commenting. We like to use the celery and carrots for soups and stews, as well as, dehydrated peas, green beans, and potatoes.

      The easiest way to dehydrate vegetables is to use frozen one's. They have already been blanched, so a lot of the work is already done. Several times a year frozen vegetables go on sale for a very good price. Peas, green beans, and broccoli are three of our favorite frozen vegetables to dehydrate.

      Potatoes are, also, easy to dehydrate, but a little more work. It is so nice to have jars of dried potatoes to add to soups and stews in winter. We have always had a problem keeping potatoes long term and by using our dehydrator and storing them in jars, we are assured of nice fresh tasting potatoes year around that don't take up much space.

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

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    2. Thanks for that Glenda, I wouldn't have thought of drying frozen vegetable, that would save a lot of time

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  2. Thanks to Glenda for those hints. Annabel some people dry their tomatoes on a tray on the dasboard of their car in summer. Don't dry onions though ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nanna,

      Thanks for the additional idea on air drying. We've dried tomatoes in our dehydrator, but never air dried them.

      I've seen diagrams and detailed instructions on air drying foods outside on screens, under the shade of trees. Two screens were used, one for the top and one for the bottom, so as to protect the foods. Where we live the wind blows and so does the dust, but cheese cloth would help protect the food even more. Air drying foods is a great addition to resourceful ideas if there is no electricity.

      Thank you for your comment.

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  3. Glenda I loved your detailed method of drying and storing the herbs. I've never thought to grind them. That is sheer genius and I'll be doing that for sure! Thankyou to you and to Annabel for allowing us to share in your secrets. Love, Mimi xxx

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mimi,

      Thank you so much for your comment.

      I've used a small electric coffee grinder, a mortar and pestle, and, also, a hand crank herb grinder to grind herbs. It usually depends on the herb as to what I use to grind them. They turn out just like store bought herbs that can be purchased in those small jars for a lot more money than it costs to dry and grind them at home :).

      Love, Glenda

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  4. Great tips, indeed. Surely it's with a grateful heart that these preparations are made, looking well to the ways of one's household.

    Hugs,
    Kelley
    Letters Unfolded

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kelley,

      Your comment was so nice and describes all of us as we prepare daily for the needs of our families. Thank you.

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

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  5. Thanks so much Glenda for sharing your expertise - especially on the alternate ways to store food. It gives me a good idea of what equipment to invest in and goals to set each month towards acquiring necesarry jars, sealers and equipment.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kaye,

      I love jars, so there are never enough of those (LOL). We use our Food Saver a lot, so my husband recently told me to buy a back-up in case the one we have quits working. I am rather fond of the older one we have and hope it hangs on for a long time, but I do understand why he suggested a back-up, as it is one of the pieces of kitchen equipment that is used almost daily.

      We have both electric and non-electric equipment. The ease of using electric equipment is wonderful, but we feel the need to have non-electric equipment, also, for food prep and cooking, in case the electricity is out.

      Thank you so much for your comment.

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

      Delete
  6. Great tips! I especially like the paper clip idea when drying herbs. I want to start using my greenhouse more to dry things in as opposed to my dehydrator. I love that stove!!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Patsi,

      We had the stove moved when we moved (LOL). I wasn't going to leave the previous home without it. The man who cleans our chimneys is also an expert wood stove installer, so he and his helper moved it and installed it here. It required a new hole in the roof, but he did a wonderful job of making it look like the stack had always been there.

      I would love to have a greenhouse. Do you start your seeds there during the late winter?

      Thank you for your comment.

      Hugs,
      Glenda

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  7. Hi Glenda,
    I too love your stove you lucky lady! I do air drying outside when we have nice hot days. I did spinach and celery on cookie sheets in the sun and went out every now and then to turn everything to make sure it doesn't clump together. Breezy days are best, but I plan on making something I can put my trays on and have them swing back and forth to create the breeze needed to speed up the process.
    We are also going to cut down a cherry tree and if I can talk y husband into leaving me a nice sized stump I hope to make a small smokehouse out of it. I really want to do some fine tasting sausages!
    Thanks for you great post!
    Vicky

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  8. How long will your nuts keep in the jar. Also can you use dehydrated potatoes to make mashed potatoes and fry them. We raise as much as we can. Last year was the best potato year, we had 3 rows and got 7 bushels. We gave a lot of them to family members.
    Rue

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rue,

      The nuts will keep easily for 2-3 years in the jars, depending on storage conditions. We rotate our food supply regularly, so the longest I've had any on the shelf was three years and they were fine. We keep our food storage in a cool, dry, dark room with a temperature that ranges between 60 and 65 degrees year round.

      I honestly don't know if they would work for mashed or fried potatoes, as I haven't tried to use them for those dishes. I have used them in soups, stews, and as scalloped potatoes and they were delicious. If anyone knows if they would work for mashed potatoes or fried, please jump in and let us all know. Thanks!

      Seven bushels of potatoes is a real blessing. It is wonderful that you were able to share with your family.

      Have a great day!
      Glenda

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    2. They will fry when rehydrated and drained, but the texture is not exactly the same and they do not work well for mashed unless you make potato flakes out of the first. Hope this helps.
      Vicky

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  9. Hi Vicky,

    Your idea of creating something to swing the trays for dehydrating back and forth sounds great! It is always so much nicer to be able to preserve foods without the added cost of electricity. Although, electricity is fairly inexpensive where we live, it's sounds outrageously expensive in Australia.

    I love your idea of using the stump of the cherry tree for a small smokehouse. Please share with us how that works out.

    Thank you so much for commenting.

    Blessings to you,
    Glenda

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  10. Glenda, love this post! The stove is so cute! I air dry in the windowsill sometimes but most often use my dehydrator. I like the way you hang your herbs. Today, my dehydrator is full of tomatoes and tomato peel, which I will grind.

    I do use my food saver to vacuum seal jars but a lot of my jars that hold dried foods don't have the "right" kind of lid. That's ok, I haven't had any problems with food going bad as long as I rotate it.

    I just wanted to say that we have rehydrated potatoes and made potato salad but I haven't fried or mashed them. Have you?

    Thank you again Glenda and Annabel! Have a good week. Love, Teri

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    Replies
    1. Hi Teri,

      Thanks for the information on the dehydrated potatoes and potato salad. That's another great use for them that I haven't tried, but will.

      I like to dehydrate the frozen mixed vegetables or, sometimes, just other vegetables and grind them into powder to add to soups, stews, and casseroles. This works especially well if there are people in the family who aren't big vegetable lovers, as the powder can be mixed in without any discernable taste. Children who won't normally eat vegetables have no idea that the seasoning on their pizza or in their mac & cheese is actually vegetables :).

      Thanks for commenting, Teri. Have a great day.

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

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  11. What a wonderful post Glenda...you have me looking into vacuum sealing units now. I also love your stove!
    Helen

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    Replies
    1. Hi Helen,

      I don't know what we'd do without our Food Saver. We use it almost every day. My mother-in-law purchased one of the first Food Saver's out and gifted the two sons families with one. We are now on our third unit :).

      Thank you for your comment.

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

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  12. Thank you Glenda for the tips. So glad to hear That Jackie Clay has some cookbooks (she is such a wealth of knowledge). It was the Little House books that inspired our family's journey into canning and preserving food.

    Lord bless you ladies!

    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    Replies
    1. Hi Leslie,

      Yes, Jackie is a virtual walking encyclopedia of how-to on homesteading, preserving food, and gardening. Her food related books are wonderful. I love the section on making one's own dry mixes.

      The Little House books have long been one of my favorite reads. One never gets too old to enjoy them; my opinion, of course (LOL).

      Thanks for your comment, Leslie.

      Hugs,
      Glenda

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  13. Annabel, again thanks for bringing someone as wonderful as Glenda to your blog. I too loved the Little House on the Prairie books and as a child always wished I was called Laura. There's plenty to learn from you Glenda. A great post and you are making me want to get out the food sealer that we were gifted recently. We've only got as far as purchasing 10 metres of bpa free plastic roll that can be cut to the size required for whatever it is I will seal.

    Very inspirational.
    Fi

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    Replies
    1. Hi Fiona,

      I truly appreciate your comment; thank you.

      You will love the food sealer once you start using it regularly. A couple of years ago I had a lot of cantaloupe and watermelon, so I made balls out of each. I put them on cookie sheets and froze them, then placed them in sealer bags and vacuum sealed them. They kept great all winter. In the middle of winter, I made sorbet from the watermelon and a cream cheese dessert with the cantaloupe. Both were real treats when the snow was flying :).

      Blessings to you,
      Glenda

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  14. i love my food saver http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/08/monday-message_24.html here i show how to use it with canister it is to the bottom of this blog post you can use any jar that has that rubber in the lid like applesauce jars jam jars i have not had luck with baby food jars but all the others in this post tho i am using a canning jar but it could have been a smuckers jelly jar and i point out about the danger of using powder products and how to protect your sealer when vac sealing powders becky in central iowa usa

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