Pantries and Preparedness. After the Harvest by Teri.

Hi everyone! Once again I am blogging with the help of a friend today thanks to Teri.
Dad is doing pretty well and came out of intensive care so we are very happy about that!

Today we are discussing using your already preserved, canned, dried and frozen goods. Just being able to go tot he pantry and right there you can whip up all sorts of good things. I saw Rosanne had done this last week. She went to her pantry and got out apples she had canned and used the crock pot to make apple butter for over Christmas. It looks amazing. One ingredient can be used in many ways! Just having preserved it means it is there when you want it. The possibilities are endless. Over to Teri and how she uses her harvest later in the year...

AFTER THE HARVEST

I thought it would be nice to share some ideas and recipes about how I use all the

produce I’ve been canning. Actually, my “canning season” goes most of the year.

But the produce from our garden and from others who have so generously shared

with us is done for the year.

A couple weeks ago, my husband asked if I would have time to make some goodies

for him to share at work. So, I took a package of grated zucchini from the freezer

and made two big loaves of zucchini-chocolate chip bread. This is the zucchini that

my friend gave me and I will be making more bread in the coming weeks. I’m sure

everyone has lots of zucchini recipes. Bread and muffins are a favorite at our house

and adding chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans or different spices can

change up your recipe a bit. And just leaving it plain is often how I make it. This

past week, I made our Christmas fruit cakes, using my own dried fruit.

I was able to can lots of tomatoes this year. We use them many ways but often for a

side dish, I make what we call macaroni and tomatoes. After cooking 2 cups of

macaroni (a bit underdone), I add 1 quart of tomatoes. To this, I add a little sugar

and some salt and pepper to taste and let this warm on low heat. Sometimes, I add a

small can of tomato sauce (mine or store bought). That’s it. It simple and very

yummy! (Leftovers can be warmed the next day for lunch or added to a can of

condensed tomato soup and served with a grilled cheese sandwich).

I also make our spaghetti sauce from scratch using my own canned tomatoes, some

tomato sauce and dried powdered tomatoes. I often just add veggies and spices to

the sauce and no meat. (The meat is not even missed). Served with garlic toast and

pasta, it makes a yummy dinner. (Several years ago, my mom was visiting us during

the harvest season. I needed to use a big lot of tomatoes, so I made spaghetti sauce

without meat and canned it in quart jars. My mom helped and asked where the

recipe was. I just started adding a little of this and that, (don’t have a recipe) and

when she tasted it, she said it was great but couldn’t believe I didn’t measure

anything! LOL This is a very easy, convenient way to make a quick dinner)!!

Another way to make a quick meal is to thicken a jar (pint or quart) of chicken or

beef broth, add some cooked chicken/beef (this can be leftovers from the freezer), a

small bit of dried onions (or fresh), some canned mushrooms and seasonings to

taste. Serve over cooked rice, potato pearls or mashed potatoes. We serve this

about once a week. Some of my broth that I can has meat chunks in it but this is a

great way to use leftover roast chicken or beef. Or, I make chicken a la king. I

make a “white sauce” using a little butter and flour; cooking that a couple minutes,

then add chicken broth and milk and cook until thickened. To that I add some

cooked chicken, canned mushrooms and salt and pepper. We serve it over toast,

cooked rice, potato pearls or mashed potatoes. This is yum! Serve with a cooked

vegetable or fresh green salad and dinner is quick and yummy!!  (FYI- potato

pearls are dehydrated mashed potatoes that have butter and salt added. Just adding

boiling water and a good stir and they rehydrate fast).

This past week, our daughter had some dental work done. So, I made a big pot of

chicken rice soup for her family. I used carrots and onions from the garden and

some rehydrated celery (all sautéed first in a bit of olive oil), then poured in 3 quarts

of my chicken broth and a package of cooked chicken from the freezer. Let it all

simmer (add s/p, garlic powder) while I cooked the rice in a separate pan. The rice

was added to the pot of soup just before I took it to them. (I was able to do my

“shopping” in my pantry/food storage room and this saves so much time and

money)!!

Today, I have some stew meat (we were blessed with 3 packages of stew meat from

our daughter) cooking in the slow cooker with some dried celery, canned

mushrooms, some fresh onion and garlic, a little salt and pepper and a splash of red

wine vinegar. When ready to serve, I will cook some spaghetti noodles and serve in

a bowl with a hard cooked egg and a sprinkle of dried green onion tops and soy

sauce. This is yum! And so easy. Again, all items from our pantry!!

We love fresh potatoes, onions and other veggies. But when we don’t have them, I

use my dried veggies. It takes a bit of planning but I don’t mind. I’ve learned how

to adjust/substitute/leave out ingredients for many years. Slow cooking in a crock

pot or simmering on the stove work the best.

Another thing I like to make is our own sun tea. I use a 2-quart jar, add water and a

couple black tea bags and set it on the window sill for a few hours. Then, I make a

two quart pitcher of kool-aid (usually a fruit punch or berry flavor) adding half the

sugar and 2 cups of my fruit juice (cranberry-apple, plum, apple or raspberry-apple),

then fill with water. (When using a quart of fruit, I will save the juice to add to our

tea mixture or make gelatin with it). I mix half kool-aid and half tea together in

another 2-quart jar and refrigerate. Serve over ice. (In summer, I add a fresh sprig

of mint). This is so much better homemade and more economical too! When I do

go shopping, I always take a cooler with me and a big jug of my tea, along with some

homemade cereal mix, dried fruit and a sandwich. 

We like having quarts of fruit juice handy, so I thought I would tell you how I make

and bottle juice. I don’t have a “juicer” so I wanted to figure out a way to make juice

without a lot of extra work or steps. When I cook my fruit (this year it was peaches,

plums, and tomatoes) to can or to make fruit butter, I use my metal colander (food

mill) to strain the fruit. This collects the juice in one pan and then I puree the fruit

in another pan. To the juice, I add a bit of sugar and bottle it. Also, I like to hot

pack my fruit before bottling it, (instead of raw pack), so when I’m done there is

always juice left over. I put this into bottles also, and water pack it along with the jars

of fruit. Many years ago, I made grape juice by putting grapes, sugar and water in

jars, then water packing it. When using, just strain and add a bit of water. With this

juice I made lots of grape jelly. (I haven’t had grapes to bottle for a long time since

we don’t grow them and they are too expensive). But, I found that the other way

works well, (we get juice and fruit/butter) and I often combine two fruits together,

which makes lovely juice. And, if I find fresh cranberries on special, I will freeze

them until needed and they add a lovely color and flavor to my juices also!! 

Using our food storage/pantry staples has saved us many trips to the store and take

away isn’t really an option for us. We use, rotate and re-stock our supplies, as

needed. I like the way Annabel has said that the different seasons each year give us a

busy time (growing/harvest/canning) and a rest time (crafting, sewing). We are all

busy year round but I am grateful that our garden has been “put to sleep” and we get

a bit of a rest, sort of!! Like I said, I put food by year round but I’m not rushing as

much and I will have time this winter to sew and craft gifts for next year!!!

I’ve learned so much from all of you!! Thank you so much! Teri 

I have to show you this....Teri saves all her pumpkin and sunflower seeds. They are healthy additions to many things!

I am happy to say I have reached the point that I could go a long time not going to the store and whip up all sorts of things from the pantry. Over time I have found things to add and fill any gaps I made have to make complete meals. This year I have got much better at this!

Next week there is a post on a challenge I am doing in the newyear and for anyone who wants to join in it could be a game changer! I am very excited about this!  I love having something different to start in the New Year and so I will introduce it so we have time to get ready and start on January 1. I am so excited about this!

I hope your week is going well. Thank you to everyone.xxx