Prepping For Winter & Apples!
Some of the talk out there about possible major economic nasties in the U.S. this fall reminds me to keep focused on preserving and storing foods. Then there's the Godzilla El Nino, and the Idaho Soda Fire, now the largest in the lower 48. I could see the smoke wall Thursday-
When highways get closed down trucks get stopped. Foods don't come in. Hours are not a problem, but days could be. While it's great to have home-grown foods, there are things I can't grow well, or not at all. There there's the basics in life, like TP :) I'm starting to actively fill up my freezer and re-stock my pantry. Rain barrel is pretty full, and I have plenty of kerosene for lamps and heaters. I also have some small propane cans for my Mr. Heater heater. I always tend to worry about winter heating since we don't have a wood stove YET :) I'm still working on Dave! I just saw the smaller version, the Little Buddy-
Nice for a smaller space
And now for APPLES!!!- Fruit trees seem to be one of the highest producers of food for the investment. BUT you never know how the weather, etc. will affect them. Great harvest this year! They are organic, and have some wormy spots. I just trim that off. I made my first monster cobbler 2 days ago-
What's great about prepping is it saves you money in the long haul, even if there is no crisis. We actually need a lot of rain/snow this winter to normalize things a bit. Time will tell. I'm back to work next Tuesday, oh joy! Too soon for me~~~
Love the color, they're Pippins
Ready for crumble topping!
bucket #1 ready for slicing
Perfect ones for just plain eating!
Kitchen set up, boiling water and syrup
Today I canned 26 Qts. of light syrup apple slices! I use the Ball Blue Book mostly, works great. It was only in the low 80's today so not bad outside. I can outside with a steam canner, on a camping cook stove, works great for what I do. I won't can on my glass top stove. I hope to have gas someday. I can do 6 Qts. at a time on my set up-
Cooling on the table
I go back and forth between the kitchen and the deck, a short trip. I used about 1/3 of what's on the tree today. The rest aren't quite ripe, so will wait for the next 2 weekends. I'll make more slices and applesauce! Loving what I did today! This new tool came in handy-
An 8' picker, $18.00
I'm glad we made the investment of our canning rack this spring. I had a sense we'd need it-
More jars coming!
First ones in!
Last of my jars, I may need more! I ran out of lids too :)
My very first apple vinegar brewing away!
French Baked Eggs
25 Delicious Ways To Eat Eggs For Dinner-
With lots of fresh eggs it's easy sometimes to forget how many different ways they can be used for dinner! This fun article caught my eye- Delicious Ways to Eat Eggs For Dinner Enjoy!!!
6 comments:
That's a fantastic harvest of apples. And they look so picture perfect! We got a small apple harvest this year and I just finished canning apple sauce. I love the galas because they are sweet enough to not need sugar!
Very excellent comments about the need to be an active prepper, Nancy. Folks pooh-pooh the more fantastic "end of the world" scenarios but in truth, it things like what you describe which are more likely and more common.
Thanks Leigh. They are pretty wormy since we don't spray! We're all vulnerable to all kinds of calamities, good to be ready...
It's always a good idea to be prepped and ready for winter, but there sure are predictions and signs of possible tough times ahead starting this fall. Food, clothing and shelter . . . good to have a handle on all three. (Although my clothing could definitely (!) use some spiffing up, it's plenty warm and serviceable so that's what counts! As long as the fashion police don't show up, that is.) :o}
Your apples are BEAUTIFUL despite a few worm holes!
Thanks Mama. yes- food, fuel, and heat. All those basics!
We think of the same kinds of things as we near winter. It's not uncommon for us to get 5 feet of snow in a week and we end up with blocked roads, so planning ahead is is necessary. Thanks for sharing at the Weekend Blog Hop (myflagstaffhome.com).
Jennifer
Thanks!
Post a Comment