For now ...

newly remodeled pantry

... we have a three season pantry.

But oh how nice it would be to have a four season garden production and stored goodness.  This link has much to offer for overwintering plants and food storage.  Time .. that's all it takes!  And .. preparation.  Our forefather's had no option .. and it's a good thing to put into practice ... add to your skills .. each year another food storage method.  THE FOUR SEASON PANTRY

Tiny steps taken one after the other, year after year can lend to building your food storage skills.  Beginning with herbs and a few easy to grow crops such as lettuce and spinach can give you the impetus to add more variety the following season.  Then .. starting seeds in pots late winter .. and eventually ending up with some type of cold frame or hoop house for winter greens.

Don't feel bad, I'm stuck at the THREE SEASON PANTRY and have been for quite some time.

I'm happy to have added fruit to our seasonal and canned goods pantry.

Do you have a seasonal pantry?  Extra garden goods stored away?  Overwintered cold hardy greens?

Finally ..

A break in the heat.

Although, last night a whopper of a storm rolled through the Inland Northwest of epic size!  A large dust storm .. ahead of thunder and torrential downpours scoured the area.

The kitchen has been steamy of late with outside temps in the 90F's .. and simmering pots of tomato based chili sauce AND applesauce waiting to get canned.  I gave up canning outside temporarily due to the 'meat' bees (yellow jackets) swarming around any type of food. 

Autumn is a welcome change and will spur us on to get the garden harvested before any frost hits.

Are you squirreling away provisions for winter?  Taking down a garden?  Saving seeds?

Speaking of seeds, we must be vigilant to be seed savers as countries try to adopt policies to 'force' their citizens to use seeds tested and approved by the government.  Imagine that!  What would the food supply look like without regional heirloom garden seeds? 

Plant Reproductive Material Law
 
Vegetable Seed Saving Handbook
How to Save Heirloom Tomato Seeds
How to Save Heirloom Vegetable Seeds
How to Save Seeds

Oh Shucks

This has been a busy few weeks.  Summer is in full swing with vacationing AND gardening.  The calendar may say September, but I'm not in any hurry for the season to change; it took too long for summer to arrive.

Last weekend we drove to Sandpoint, Idaho with the family and stayed at a dude ranch.  There was some cooking involved as we had cabins with kitchens and shared meals.  This cut down on the expense and was actually fun to cook together and eat our meals outside on a picnic table.

Yesterday my pop and I drove to the local farm to pick 70 ears of corn to store away for winter.

shucked corn waiting to get blanched and frozen

 I think he was transported back to his farm boy days as we traversed through the corn field with our satchels.

Pop .... still a mid west farm boy at heart

The corn was shucked, blanched with some left on the cob and some cut to leave more room in the freezer.  Last year I canned corn and still have enough left to last through this winter.

shucks drying in the shed for winter tamales

There's no denying that autumn is just around the bend; our mornings are crisp ... and the day's are slow to heat.  The gardens are winding down.  Apples are filling out and limbs need propping up.  Raspberries are starting to put on a second crop ... tomatoes are turning red (FINALLY).  Lettuce is bolting, onion tops are flopping over.  And .. I've noticed the hummers have gone with the last of the summer breeze.

Soon ducks will fill the sky with their honking ... then I'll be happy for a rest from gardening and farm girl work.

How is your summer or winter winding down?

Bone Health ..

I've written about the benefits of making your own beef and chicken stock before.  When we purchase our beef from a local ranch, I always ask for about 15 pounds of bare bones cut in 2 inch pieces (no meat).  These get roasted (approx. 5 lbs at a time and the rest are frozen until needed) in a moderately hot oven (400F) for two hours in a roasting pan .. then added to my enamel canning kettle with 5 quarts of water, 4 large yellow onions, quartered and skins left on, a pound of whole carrots (don't peel) .. and a head of celery (I used the woody parts and leaves from my garden crop) .. NO SALT.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 hours .. adding water if necessary to end up with 5 quarts of liquid.  After defatting and straining the liquid, it can be frozen or canned for later use.  This year I canned it due to limited space in my freezer.  When refrigerated is congeals .. so you know that it's got lots of nutritional properties.

chicken stock

It always amazes me after making soup and consuming this broth for several weeks, that I notice less and less aches and pains .. and cricks in my bones.  My shoulder injury from a year ago spring is healed as well.

For chicken stock, buy whole chickens and save the backs and wing tips.  Freeze wrapped individually in plastic wrap until you have about 8-9.  Fill a canning kettle with the frozen bones, 3-4 onions, carrots, and celery .. you can add a few herbs too .. NO SALT.  This doesn't take nearly as long to make as beef stock, as you don't have to roast the bones, and it cooks in about 3-4 hours on the stove top.  Defat, strain and store same as the beef broth in freezer or by canning.

Forget those little bouillon cubes and broth in a can from the market.. make your own broth from bones that most people throw away.


Be sure when freezing to use freezer safe containers.  I prefer to use straight sided glass jars (without narrow openings as these will crack), leaving about an inch or two for expansion as it freezes.

Broth is beautiful - 

Picture Perfect Weather

Today is a beautiful sunny day in the North Woods.  I'm hoping the temps are warm enough to kick start some growth in the garden.  My rhubarb plants have been producing for a few weeks and it's time to start thinking about preserving some of their yummy goodness.  Perhaps canning some rhubarb sauce this week is in order.  Rhubarb freezes well .. it's great to pull out in the winter to bake up a pie or for stewing.

The leaves are poisonous .. but you can add them to the compost heap without a problem.  Nothing says it's gardening time better than the arrival of rhubarb.

Simmered Rhubarb:

4 cups diced rhubarb stalks
3/4 cup sugar
water to cover

Simmer the rhubarb for a few minutes then cover the pan and let it sit until cool.  This method keeps the rhubarb pieces whole.  For a sweeter version, cook uncovered until tender and liquid has reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2 in volume ..  Rhubarb goes well with strawberries and apples in pies.

Small Batch Freezing

 We're still harvesting some green beans, broccoli, and sugar peas ... so every other day I'm blanching small batches of veggies, cooling and drying them off, and freezing single layer on trays .. then storing in freezer bags for use this coming winter.  It's amazing how fast the stockpile is growing from small batch freezing. 

Home Preserving Tomatoes

This week and last have been spent busily in the kitchen canning various tomato recipes.  While I love to have tomatoes canned and on the shelf, it's nice to have some in the freezer too.  The recipe below is one that was handed down to me by a neighbor.  It had been given to her .. and I'm not sure of the origins.  I made it last year .. and was very happy with how easy it is to make ... it's slow cooking as I type.

Crock Pot Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 - six ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
2 teaspoons basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon brown sugar

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook the onions, carrots, peppers and garlic until tender.  Place vegetable mixture and remaining ingredients in a 5 quart crock pot.  Cook on high for 8 hours.  When done, cool then divide into 2 cup portions and freeze.  Yields 11 cups.

You can puree it a bit if desired in a food processor after it's cooked and cooled.