It all began back in June when I was reading my friend Beth's blog aka Rambling girl she posted about her freezer and how she may not be crafty but she was crafty with the goodness of the land. I posted a comment on that post and said the following:
Rachel said... Trust me the Ability to Craft FOOD is always better then crafting! I mean when hard times hit I won't be able to eat my glue gun & covered buttons! :)
I thought a lot about her post and really it started innocently enough like most things do......
I said to my friend Carol. "We really don't have much food supply" not even 1 week later it was free green beans from our friends the Hibbert's (twice), then it was tons of free corn from my hubby's Aunt Beverly which now resides in the freezer (the corn not dear Aunt B. :) Then I moved onto Peaches which I paid 20 bucks for 120 pounds. Then the apples............ OH THE APPLES!!!!
I also made some Sweet Zucchini Relish which is DELISH & a bunch of Canned Stew which is just plain awesome!
We also have 300 pounds (and counting) of wheat in storage and I am working on rice, flour, sugar & well everything else for that matter.
Making Apple Sauce: A Tutorial
I used a metal teaspoon to do this job.
I sprinkle a little Fruit Fresh on my sauce to help it keep from browning while it waits to be jarred.
P.S.S. I'm feeling a little better, still on the mend but much better then a couple days ago. ;)
You go girl!! I wish I had all the jars to can with! I will build up for next year for sure :)
ReplyDeleteAwhh how sweet of you to mention me. I love my freezer full of goodies...now I need to learn how to do the applesauce...I think I will try this out. Again thanks for the mentioned of my cosey place. I am also on the mend of my aweful canker sore and URI. My cough syrup made me wide awake but now I think I am going to go back and try to rest before work tomorrow...I am going to try and get back at least once this week.
ReplyDeleteIt is really the best feeling in the world to have those bottles all lined up.
ReplyDeleteI think it's so cool that you felt the inspiration and acted on it.
PS, your photographs are so beautiful (of course). And your fruitroom is a work of art.
Good for you! I'm not good at canning and so I buy mine. I admire all your work. This is just an idea for you but maybe one you'll want to do. We put a wood "lip" on the front of our shelves so that if we had a small earthquake my bottled food wouldn't slide off the shelves and smash. It's is nailed into the front of the shelves and only goes up about 1/2" above the shelf. It's enough to hold the bottles but not enough to hinder putting my food on the shelves. I just noticed that yours are flat and my immediate thought was of all your hard work laying on the floor in a small earthquake. It's just an idea. Loved the post.
ReplyDeleteoh my canning dream! did you do this all by yourself?
ReplyDeleteincredible!
Are you kidding me??? I had to double check the photo to make sure it was yours! It looked like something out of a canning catalog! (Do they have canning catalogs?) :) Spectacular!
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS!!!! I'm soooo jealous! Living in the south we have a long growing season, but not alot of fall fruits. Makes me want to move north again so I can find some deals to can!
ReplyDeleteLove the post. Not much?!? Looks like a bunch to me! My mom used to freeze and can...I remember the days. However, I really am not good at it! I have started to freeze leftovers and such. Just me and my teen daughter at home. Your photography is AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteI'm green with envy at all that you have accomplished ;o)
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Good job. Good luck with your super saturday. Ours was last saturday. Glad its over. I was in charge of 3 things. Next time, I'm calling you for ideas!
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love seeing all those jars lined up in your storage room? It gives me such a sense of satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteYou absolutely amaze me and you must never meet my husband...for I am sure he would wish to have you as his wife! lol He totally digs canning, homemade stuff, and anything else that everyone used to HAVE to do long ago! He should have been born in the LittleHouse on The Prairie Era! Seriously...you make me wish I knew how to do more of these things!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Sometimes it seems like canning is a lost art. It really is not hard at all though! Our peaches are displayed on a black hutch in the kitchen. Everyone thinks I do all the work, nope! It's my husbands hobby! Your work looks so beautiful too, so gratifying isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're feeling better. Just don't overdo it too soon. I'm still on the mend. .tired more than anything with a cough:( But getting better. Nothing like a {good} illness to make you realize how great it feels to be well! LOVE your food storage - looks like a bomb shelter {remember the can opener!}. When you empty the jars you can pee in them! LOL. {sorry-my brain is still demented} I'd love to have that apple stash - but then I'd have to quit my job to get them all processed! {hmm, not bad idea!}
ReplyDeleteYou've been busy! It's such a great feeling to open up a jar of green beans in the middle of winter and enjoy the taste of summer. Mimi
ReplyDeleteThat's not much?!? That looks like a boatload of food storage to me! Way to go.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a fun summer and an easy winter ahead.. What's for dinner?? :D I saw a great recipe for canning apple pie filling at www.skiptomylou.com the other day.
ReplyDeleteare you kidding me? Not only did you can all of that but it looks perfect on the shelf. I love you. But I hate you (not really). I want to be you. :)
ReplyDeleteINSPIRATIONAL! i gave a talk in sacrament meeting a couple of months ago about my experience with being in a catagory 3 hurricane that made a huge mess, no power or water for 10 days. it was a huge lesson. no matter how much i read my scriptures it was going to grow a food storage under my bed. food storage is just as important as other things! great job rachel!!!
ReplyDeletewhere's my applesauce woman! :P
ReplyDeletedude your fruit room is gorgeous. I am glad you are feeling a little better. Tht was a long time to be sick. hang in there. your a trooper.
ReplyDeleteYou've been busy!! We cannot some, but nowhere near that much. Way to go!
ReplyDelete♥ Seriously that is the most awesome thing ever!!! I agree the glue sticks don't sound so tasty! :)
ReplyDeleteWay to go! Really... I'm impressed maybe some day I'll have a fabulous stash like that! :)
Love all your jars lined up. Reminds me of when I was little. My mother jarred everything.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what you have saved. I am nowhere near that. I do want to add to our stock and fill up our pantries. That is the goal I am working toward. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou have an awesome food mill/grinder. Where did you find it?
Ruth
I am AMAZED! You are a total rock star. I need to learn how to can!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow!! I want your pantry. That is an amazing amount of canning... I bow down to thee.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, that is a beautiful food storage shelf. I love it!!!
ReplyDeletekeep it up girl!!! I so need to do this as well... if something happened, my family would be out of luck... i guess i either need to start a garden or get some friends that have one... LOL! the only thing that grows around here is our finger nails... that does not sound like a healthy diet. i hope you are doing well... i hope you do not gasp too much bc I finally have my stuff together enough to comment...
ReplyDeleteA beautiful bounty. I hope to make apple sauce very soon.
ReplyDeleteCan you give a tutorial (and recipe) for the stew?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought my food storage wasn't looking too shabby until I saw yours - holy smokes - that is awesome. I think you've inspired me to get a little more into it!
ReplyDeleteLook at you go girl, I'm SO impressed and jealous!
ReplyDeleteCan I just say I am very impressed with all the stuff you have in your pantry! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteYou know with inflation looming some economists say one of the best investments you can make is to stock up on canned food...but your larder is even better!
ReplyDeleteI have canned, but not the last few years...so here's a virtual shoulder rub and now go put your feet up for real!
Aaak! You are killing me. I've been a looooong time reader of yours. I've left comments once or twice. I've always just adored your canning and preserving pictures and thought how fun it would be to have a friend to make and do things like that with. But this post. Oh, this post has been on my mind for days. I kind of feel like throwing the glue gun away and purchasing a freezer in it's place. Ok that won't really happen because I don't use a glue gun ever, and we have no room for a freezer. But you really have my head spinning from this wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Anjeanette
I'm so impressed. I've got my peaches canned for this year, but have so much more to do still.
ReplyDeleteyour food storage looks great..it looks pretty..just like your crafts! :)
ReplyDeletenot much!?!?!? are you kidding me!? it looks amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteI found this through Pinterest an I'm jealous! I do realize this post was 4 years ago (explains the CHEAP fruit) but I'm wondering after all this time if you still have applesauce leftover and if it still tastes as good as it did then.
ReplyDeleteI just learned how to can about a month ago and so far I have 8 1/2 pints of plum butter (free plums!) 4 other jars didn't seal so I gave some away and we ate the other, 6 qts of stewed tomatoes and 10qts of pasta sauce all homemade from our garden veggies and tomatoes, and 9 jars of apple butter (bogo sale on apples) I freeze a lot of food and I have about a 2 month food storage I used to have better but we had to move to another state and we decided to use it up before we moved and start over to save $ for the move and be able to use a smaller moving truck