No, I still haven’t gotten my leftover turkey and broth canned up. But I did get the celery done. Yea! Then I spent two afternoons down in the basement pantry, putting away and arranging cases and cases of canned goods that I’d had Will carry down for me, due to my still-sore knees. I was amazed at just how many cases there were … and still are, down there. I hadn’t realized I’d been so busy! I also had a few jars, through the months and even years that had failed seals or mystery yucky stuff in them. Hey, I haven’t cleaned out the pantry in quite a while and there are thousands of jars down there.
I spent the last two days putting “Packed for 2025” labels on seed envelopes that the “girls” had packed this fall. We make every single effort to keep our prices as low as possible, including putting these labels over the “packed for 2024” that had been printed on the envelopes by the company we buy them from. Yep, instead of throwing these boxes of envelopes away and buying new ones with the correct date on them, we print out labels and put them over the old date. Believe it or not, it saves us hundreds of dollars that can be passed on to our loyal customers. Waste not, want not applies to every aspect of our lives!
It’s been really cold this week, with some more snow falling. We’ve been using plenty of firewood, which Will hauls in by the wheelbarrow load. I have to laugh as our cat, Mittens, insists on having a ride out to the woodshed and back in the wheelbarrow. Every time, she hops right in the empty wheelbarrow and stares at Will. And out they go! When the wheelbarrow is full, she either rides it back into the kitchen or hops off and follows Will into the house. (I think she’s seen over-full loads dump out on the ground and thinks that might be dangerous.
— Jackie
You Mittens looks like my Chloe (whom came on my property on Oct 20th). I’ve decided to make her a full-time indoor cat.
I can’t tell if Mittens expression is “hurry up and take the picture, I’m ready to roll” or you’re harshing her mellow with Will time. The male cat has been in cuddle overdrive (he’s not a small cat by any mean, frame and weight) since the T-Day crowd all went home. Surprisingly he hung out with the crowd this year. He’s not people food motivated so that wasn’t the reason.
Happy to read you reuse those packets – nothing is cheap today. We all know the landfills should be nowhere as full as they are, so many usable items get tossed.
And a very Merry Christmas to you too! Time just flies, doesn’t it? We sure don’t have trouble keeping busy. There’s always something that needs doing. But wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t understand how people live, being bored every day.
My wood pile is shrinking with the cold. It helps to do inventory on food supplies. This year I didn’t get a deer/sons got 4. I look forward to your seed catalog. I’m getting snow moving equipment ready. Come on Winter/hah!
I think winter’s definitely on the way. We’re very cold, snowing and the wind is supposed to gust to the 50 mphs or even more tomorrow. Yuck! And we’ve seen no sun for days and days. That’s so depressing this time of the year. But it sure could be worse.
Our seed catalog should be out in mid December. I sure hope!!
The first time I canned celery, I got a lot of comments about celery not being safe to can. But it was so handy and easy to use. I can the potatoe soup with onions and celery. So and quick to prepare. My husband loves it.
Yep, there are always the food police. Recommendations sure change from year to year about what’s safe to can. I’ve canned celery for over 50 years now and Mom canned it for years before I started canning. So, why isn’t it “safe”??? Not dense, chopped into small pieces and pressure canned. I sure don’t know.
Aren’t animals so full of personality! Life would be so boring and lonely without them.
How wonderful to have all your groceries put up and ready in the basement. What a great accomplishment.
I better go through my seed stash and see what I need to order coming soon. Thank you so much for all that you do to help us be more self sufficient.
Thanks Toni! I feel like we have a little store in our basement, both the freezer and pantry, including root crops in bins too. It’s such a great guard against inflation, sickness from chemical additions in store food, plus safety against whatever emergencies may come at us.
I’m already plotting out our next gardens!!
You are doing a great job. Can’t wait to pour over the catalog. I am going to try gardening again this year after the loss of my husband and illness . It sure is different getting ready for one person but you never know who will stop over!!!
That’s for sure. I sure know how it feels to lose a husband after Bob died suddenly. Gardening really helped me fill in the empty feeling of loss. I hope it does for you too.
@Cindy I think whatever you can grow is a good thing. Great exercise, gives you something to do, provides safe food, and saves you money. Even if you just eat fresh during the growing season it is a good deal.
Glad that you’re catching up a bit! That always feels so good. Stay warm!
We are. Around here, that means burning a bunch of wood. Mittens doesn’t mind though as she gets more wheelbarrow rides that way.
How do you can celery?
It’s very simple. I rinse it very well to remove any dirt. Then I cut the base off of the bunch. I cut it into slices, cutting the longest slices into smaller pieces. Then I pack it into pint or half pint jars, leaving one inch of headspace. (To get more in each jar, you can put the slices in a big pot with water and boil for 3 minutes.) Ladle either boiling water or cooking liquid over celery, leaving an inch of headspace. You may add 1/2 tsp salt to pints or 1 tsp to quarts to enhance the flavor if you wish. Pressure can at 10 pounds for 30 minutes. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions on increasing your pressure to suit your altitude.
Reminds me of our German Shepherd, Harley, who would run behind our backhoe tractor all the way back to the other side of the farm, just to ride back, in the bucket, and it had to be raised clear up so he could sit up straight and look like the king of it all. Loved that old dog and after all these years, still think of him fondly.
Looks like you two have been busy. I think of you whenever I see severe weather in your area. Enjoy what little idle time you have, time seems to wisk away so fast. I can’t believe
Christmas is so near. Take care and know that your trials are felt by all of us who keep track of you. Merry Christmas!