Month: April 2023

Where has the time gone?

It’s finally getting warm here, so my daughter and I have spent considerable time outdoors during the week when I’m not working.

A few weeks ago, I rented a roll-off to assist in removing items, and now it’s complete. Ace Roll Off is the company I used. Their prices are very reasonable, and their customer service is fantastic. This is my second time this year using them. This is a 20-yard roll-off; my first was a 30-yard roll-off. Ace will be picking up the roll-off between today and Friday.

I’ve purchased additional equipment to make the process a bit smoother; The gas/oil-powered items are all made by Stihl.

What did I purchase?

1. STIHL SH 86 C-E 170 mph 444 CFM Gas Handheld Blower/Mulcher/Vac
2. STIHL FS 111 R 16.5 in. Gas Brushcutter, and the Stihl Backpack BR800x
3. STIHL Magnum BR 800 X 239 mph 912 CFM Gas Backpack Leaf Blower

I must say that the devices have reduced the time I’m outside.

Because of the weather, my daughter and I have been outside almost daily.

We’ll be back out today after I’m off of work.

This morning,

I removed bananas and tomatoes from my Harvest Right freeze-dryer.

The drying cycle stopped around 9:00 am last evening; however, upon opening the freeze dryer, I decided they needed a few more hours since I did not want to awaken within a few hours. So, I added ten more hours to the freeze-dryer. So, I pulled them out of the freeze-dryer this morning. The banana and tomatoes are delicious, and I’m looking forward to more freeze-drying tomorrow.

The weather has been excellent, so I’ve been outside daily since Saturday, preparing the garden for the raised Vego garden beds I purchased.

Yesterday evening, I was craving potatoes and made a potato bake.

 

Initially, I was going to add some of my canned chicken to this dish; however, I decided to make this vegetarian. What’s in it? Well, potatoes, garbanzo beans, red onion, portabella mushrooms, ginger, and other herbs. I cubed the potatoes, placed them in a skillet, and added water. I allowed it to simmer until the potatoes were soft and then put them in a baking dish. I spread a layer of the potato mix and added garbanzo beans and provolone cheese. I repeated this one more time and then placed it into a preheated oven (375F). It took about 15 minutes to cook.

My daughter loved the dish and called it “juicy and yummy!” I’ll take that as a compliment. Guess what: the garbanzo beans were canned, and the portabella mushrooms and ginger were freeze-dried.

Since December, I have stepped up my canning game.

I have two All-American canners that I use to can my low-acid foods. My smallest canner has gotten a workout over the past few months. In the above picture, I share a glimpse of one of my canning shelves. I need to upgrade these shelves so I can have wider frames. However, this is doing fine for now. You’ll find mainly chicken, beef, meatballs, soups, and New England clam chowder on these shelves. I also have vegetables and beans. I can reach my shelves when I’m super busy and still have a delicious and nutritious meal. I like that I know exactly what’s going into the items since I made them myself, and they don’t have any unnecessary ingredients added. If canned properly, canned foods can be shelf stable for several years. I don’t can food to save. I use my canned goods weekly.

Admittedly, I have slowed down canning the past month. However, I will step up my canning game when I find meats and other items on sale. Between canning and freeze drying, I have a few ways to snap up meat/produce when it’s on sale and preserve it so I have shelf-stable food.