Providing From the Pantry....Dry Storage

Dearest Readers,

With the cost of feeding your family on the rise, I wanted to share another way that you can continue Providing Meals from Your Pantry....dry food storage.

What am I talking about you ask?  Well, I am referring to all the items you keep in your pantry that neither need to be frozen, refrigerated or come already vacuum sealed in cans or jars.  I am speaking of foodstuffs such as rice, powdered milk, chocolate chips, dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, etc., etc.......

Usually these items expire fairly quickly once the store-bought package is opened.  Even those items designed for long-term food storage have a limited shelf life once the container has been breached.  So just what is a frugal, self-reliant homekeeper to do?

Well....I just grab my canning jars, seals and rings and use my handy-dandy FoodSaver and the Jar Attachment to preserve my dry storage....it is easy, peasy, lemon squeezy! (You can purchase a FoodSaver at your local discount store or you might try looking on Craigslist or Ebay for a used FoodSaver at a reasonable price.  I bought my Jar Attachment directly from FoodSaver.)

 

I purchased this large bucket of dehydrated potato shreds....they are delicious once re-hydrated and I use them in recipes and as good ol' hash browns when I am serving a farm breakfast or a delicious "turn-around supper"...

 

 

I find that the wide-mouth jars are the easiest to use..... 

 

 

It doesn't take long for the jars to seal.....

 

 

Sparkling jars ready for the pantry....a wise investment that will feed my family for a long while....

 

If you are interested in the myriad of options regarding dry storage...using your FoodSaver or oxygen absorbers for sealing powdery items, I want to recommend that you take a few moments and visit my favorite source here....this gentleman has taken the time to put up over 60 different short videos about preserving dry foods for longer storage.  Be still my heart!

 

Yours so kindredly,

Shan

 

Please remember, you cannot substitute dry storage for items that require water or pressure canning!

Always be safe rather than sorry when it comes to the safety of the foods that you store.

 

A Clean Slate......

 

Dearest Readers,

 

Whew!  I have finally finished putting away the Christmastide decorations and have put my beloved Honey Hill back in good and proper order.  What a wonderful feeling to have a clean slate all ready to be filled with various and sundry pleasantries in this new year of 2013!

 

It has started off rather cold this January and much time and energy has been put forth to keep both the animals and plants (in the greenhouse) happy and warm.  Not to mention, the comforts required to keep body and soul agreeable. However, it is going to be in the upper 50's today and the sun's warmth is a welcome respite indeed.  I shall fling open the curtains and let the sunshine chase away the shadows!

 

Dearest and I plan an outing with our Darling Girl tomorrow and our looking forward to seeing her as we have kept our distance these last two weeks.  We have both been passing around some type of bug...not quite the flu...but perhaps it is a distant cousin, and thought it best to keep it to ourselves.We shall visit the Brass Armadillo, one of our favorite places, and spend an enjoyable day scouring its shelves for a bit or a bob to bring home...doubtless entertainment assured.

 

I have been obsessed looking over my many gardening books and seed catalogs and will be ready to place my order very soon.  I am thinking I shall try to grow some determinate tomatoes for canning, along with some indeterminate tomatoes for summer eating...any advice from a learned gardener would be most welcome. Of course, I will plant the usual..carrots, peas, beans, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, and pumpkins.  I also have raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and grapes.  All in all, I think it will be a very well rounded garden and I am praying that we will have abundant rainfall this year.

 

My sewing basket is filled with aprons for both myself and my Darling Girl, a very cute fleece vest pattern and I want to make a few faux shades for the upstairs bathroom.  On the crafting end of things, I have some beading of necklaces and pins, embroidery, and I am still learning how to crochet.

 

The fruit cellar has been re-orgainzed and cleaned and I have need of a few more lights which Dearest has graciously offered to install.  I bought a Foodsaver, with the jar sealing attachment, and I am excited to be able to successfully store the drygoods that I purchase in bulk.  I have become much more attuned to the need for food preservation and I am trying to learn as many techniques as possible.  I do not want to sound like Chicken Little, but should there be an event that causes a crisis in our lives, I want to be able to take care of those around me, and a nice warm meal would be a good way to start.

 

My, oh my, what a wonderful affair this idea of a clean slate brings!  A whole year with no mistakes in it!  I hope that you will fill yours, dear reader, full to over-flowing with blessings and delight.

 

Ever so kindredly,

Shan

 

 



Finally...The Christmastide Home Tour 2012

Dearest Readers,

Without further adieu, I present the Honey Hill Farm Christmastide Home Tour of 2012...





 

 

 

Yours kindredly,

Shan