My new OLD flat back china cabinet

When I was a kid I dreamed of moving to Lena Graham's farm on the outskirts of the little town where I grew up.  It was a scattering of outbuildings, white painted fenced paddocks and tons of room to play and pretend. The house was a three story towering brick thing-of-beauty.  It had multiple rooms, a grand staircase, and attic big enough to ride a bike in - that's what we thought when we were kids anyway! 

I remember visiting there with my Mom and playing on the swing hanging from the tree out front.  I did lots of sweet day-dreaming on that swing!  I would look around and see a huge mill stone used for decoration in the yard and wonder what it had been used for in the past.

Inside the house the kitchen was my favourite room. (Big surprise - huh?)  It was huge.  It had a massive wood cook stove, a separate pantry off to the side, a bench near the door so you could sit close to the wood stove and it was always filled with yummy foods and canning jars filled with unknown delights.  I'm sure it smelled heavenly too because Mrs. Graham was always baking something.

I remember seeing the boot scraper on the back step for the first time and thinking that was a really good idea.  I marvelled at the "rugs" in the parlour that were made of some kind of painted cardboard-cloth but very stiff.  It had pretty designs on it.  The house had a back stairs - that was also fascinating to my little child's mind.  It was filled with "antiques" that weren't antiques to the owners - they were wedding presents and hand-me-down furniture.  I was so in love...

So all of this life-that-I-live started as a dream a long time ago.  As I grew older and dreamed out loud of living in a house like theirs my dad would say:  ARE YOU CRAZY - DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WOULD COST TO HEAT THAT PLACE?  Ha - of course he was right but it didn't stop the dreaming!!

Last weekend we met with some of our kids at a little breakfast place in a small town nearby to celebrate a birthday. After a noisy and fun breakfast of bacon and eggs (just think about that - we went OUT to eat eggs...) we crossed the street to visit an antique shop.  I knew it was dangerous!  I even said it out loud - but it didn't stop me.  I think the reason I like antique stores so much is the sense of history, the bits and pieces of peoples lives from a different time and a bit of insight into what they required to live and the things they thought were valuable.  I could spend hours just looking around - well maybe not JUST looking!

Since we moved to this house I have had a wall needing a specific piece of furniture.  I could see it in my mind but I couldn't find it in real life and I've looked at plenty of quaint little places with no luck.

Saturday was the day to find my treasure.  It was buried under a lot of other stuff but as soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect.  My DH took one look at my face and knew I really wanted it!!  He says I have a certain look and it's one he knows not to argue with!!  It was sitting in our dining room a few hours later...  It was interesting to hear the shop owner say that as soon as he cleared the shelves and moved the cabinet to the door for pick-up people started talking about it and how wonderful it was.  "It couldn't have been here long because it wasn't here LAST week," someone said.  In fact it had been there for months but no one could SEE it.  Another instance where It was not hidden FROM me but hidden FOR me...isn't it pretty??

I haven't been able to take a picture that truly does it justice so this will have to do.

I finally have a place for all my multiple sets of dishes to go and it's the first time in our whole married life that I have a place to put the crystal glassware that we received as a wedding present from Granny Irene.  They had been a wedding gift to her when she got married.  She passed away many years ago and they are a nice reminder of her part in my life.

We've had to play musical furniture since this arrived.  You know how that happens - we get one new thing and then the cabinet that was there made a pit-stop in the garage before I realised it would be perfect for a TV cabinet in the family room...so back into the house and up the stairs it went.  Everything is now in place... for a little while anyway until I sneak back into the antique store for another breath of history and another fermenting crock or a rolling pin with red handles or the beautiful spinning wheel that would look great in my living room (and be useful if I learned how to spin) - well - you get the idea.

Mrs. T is on the move...

My blogging friend Mrs. T. has been waiting and waiting and has an amazing story about her process of  moving to her own little piece of heaven in the country.  Today is the day.  She and DH and one of her sons are on their way as I write this.

It brings back all kinds of memories of my own waiting-to-move-adventure.  She has been on my mind a lot today.

You can find her blog here: A Separate Path

Mrs. T - I hope your next few weeks are calm and peaceful but somehow I don't think they will be!!  I'm cheering you on from Shalom Engedi Farm!!

Sally Fallon Morell: Nourishing Tradtions

While I have been "resting" with a cold I've had some extra time to watch some videos.  This one is particularly interesting!!  First some background on the speaker.

Sally Fallon received a Bachelors Degree in English with honours from Stanford University, and a Masters Degree in English with high honours from UCLA.  Mrs. Fallon is founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) and editor of the Foundation's quarterly magazine and author of the cook book Nourishing Traditions.

Mrs. Fallon and her colleague, Mary G. Enig, PhD., a world renowned expert on the subject of lipids and human nutrition, draw on a wealth of scientific and anthropological findings that include the importance of traditional broths as a source of minerals and as an aid to digestion, made from the bones of chicken, fish, beef and lamb; of proper preparation of grain, nuts and legumes to neutralize enzyme inhibitors and mineral-blocking substances found in all seed foods; and of ancient techniques for food preservation that enhance nutrient content while supplying beneficial digestive flora on a daily basis.

Mrs. Fallon explains the importance of returning to organic farming, pasture-fed livestock and whole traditional foods, properly prepared, if Americans are to regain their health and vitality, and return to an economy based on small scale organic production and food processing that returns added value to the independent farmer, rather than to large scale food processing conglomerates. (Thanks to Lisa for the heads-up on this great video!)

It's a challenging video. I've had her book Nourishing Traditions on my to-buy list for a long time so it may get bumped up closer to the top now.  Enjoy!

Elderberry Extract - a helpful extract for colds & flu

I'm sick. I caught a whopper of a cold somewhere in the last week and so I have been holed up mostly inside trying to find things to do that take my mind off of coughing and sneezing.

Through a sad set of circumstances I squeezed the last of the elderberry extract out of the jar on day one - there was no more to be had after that as it takes 6 weeks to make.   Elderberry extract has rave reviews on-line for it's health properties.  It's used to support your immune system so you are less likely to catch a cold in the first place and to help you get better faster when you do - I guess I won't now if that's true this year.  At the very least taking a swig of elderberry/vodka before bed should help you sleep better.

For the OH SO complicated recipe:  Take fresh or dried elderberries - I had dried ones purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Place 2 cups in a large jar - I used an 8 cup size (larger than a quart but I could have used a bigger bottle of vodka) and poured a bottle of 80 proof vodka over the contents.  After waiting 6 weeks while it sits on the counter - drink by the teaspoon full.  I put it i the fridge after that but I'm don't think you need to - it just tastes better cold.  I didn't strain out the elderberries as some recipes recommend - I just assumed the longer it sat the better. Maybe fresh elderberries soaked in vodka taste good enough to eat but the dried ones are rather lacking!  For a family that doesn't drink much we managed to finish the bottle I made in December just in time for me to catch a cold.  Next time I will have to make a bigger batch.

I can't say it tastes great but it's not too bad.  It turns a beautiful shade of burgundy and it tastes a lot better than straight vodka!  I am hoping to find a elderberry bush or two to plant but I'm having trouble finding the right one.

Besides echinacea tea with honey, lots of vitamin C and garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice and  my daily dose of "Triple Mix"  which is what DH calls a powdered juiced vegetable product that we take as a supplement - actually called Trio Max and some rest I don't have any new solutions for the Cure for the Common Cold - except to not catch it in the first place.

Usually when I know someone is brewing a cold I get out the hand sanitizer and place it in a prominent spot.  I also add a teaspoon of bleach to the dish washing water to kill any germs and spraying counters and cleaning with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide makes me feel better!

Any tips you'd like to add??  I want to make a info sheet to hang on the inside of my kitchen cupboards with all the handy tips about what to do when you catch a cold.  My daughter remembered me telling her about putting Vicks Vapour Rub on the bottom of your feet to stop the coughing...I didn't even remember reading that one!  I'll post the final results if you give me some more things to add!

Now I just have to get better so I can sneak back into the liquor store for more vodka so I can make more extract...says the girl who never even tasted vodka until last fall...

Presto vs. All American Pressure Canner Comparison

Well - I've had a year to use my All American canners and I am ready to give a review!  I bought my All American's at Lehman's on a trip to the States last year.  I've had a 23 quart Presto for many years so after that much time I have some opinions!

Each time I bought a canner I had a hard time deciding which size to buy.  Bigger?? Smaller?? What's the most practical?  Over time I have learned that there are good reasons for each canner and each size.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca

I'll start with the 23 Quart Presto.  I was able to order it though Home Hardware for around $150.00.  It wasn't far from home so I didn't have to pay shipping.  I hadn't even laid-eyes on a pressure canner in real-life before I ordered it so it was rather a blind choice based somewhat on internet reviews.  No one I knew in real-life pressure canned so I was on my own to figure it out and learn.  I remember how scared I was at first - ha ha!!  I've heard from many others who had the same experience and left the canner in the closet for a year or two before they screwed up the courage to try it.  Hasn't  everyone heard a story about a canner exploding all over the ceiling???  I'm sure it might be possible but if you follow the rules and let the canner de-pressurize before you open it - its IMPOSSIBLE!

My 23 quart Presto holds 7 quarts or 14 pints if you stack them in two rows.  It depends a little on the size of the pints - some older ones are slightly different sizes.  As far as I know this is the biggest size that Presto currently sells. The 16 Quart Presto holds 7 quarts or 9-10 pints. In comparison to the All American it's not too heavy - even when it's full.  It's safe to use on my glass top stove - or any other stove for that matter.  Mine (exactly as pictured except not as clean - ha ha) has a gauge and a weight and apparently you can get a "jiggler" for it.  I'll explain that later.  The seal which needs to be replaced every few years has held up for over 6 years with no problems. 

The down side of my Presto - I wish it was bigger.  If it was just a little taller you could double stack quarts in it - this of course would double your output. I also have trouble with keeping the pressure steady when I use it on my electric stove.  Up - down - waaaay up- waaay down...you can't be more than a few steps away from it the whole time.  I've gotten used to it.  I would guess it would be more steady if it was on a gas stove due to the constant heat as opposed to the cycling nature of the electric stove.

The Presto has served me well and I expect to use it for many years to come.

My All American are absolute brutes.  I bought the canners at Lehman's for about $400.00 because I didn't want to pay shipping - they are very heavy!  I ones I bought hold 14 quarts and 19 pints - meaning you can process twice as much at a time as the Presto!  When I stood in the store second guessing my decision on which sizes because I was dazzled at the choices to buy - I chatted with a few women who were also looking at them.  I asked their advice hoping they would steer me in the right direction.  One woman mentioned that she didn't have help at home (no daughters or family) so she was happy with the smaller canner.  That seemed to make sense for her.  I debated for quite awhile but finally decided to GO BIG OR GO HOME.  I got two model 930 - 30 quarts.  All American's come in many sizes - there are is one size even bigger!!

http://www.bridensolutions.ca/all-american-pressure-canner-30-quart

All American's don't have a gasket.  They are metal on metal so there's nothing to wear out.  Closing the canner takes a little practise - you tighten the knobs a little at a time as you go around the canner so the lid stays level.  AA's also have a "jiggler" - that's what I call it. It's actually a regulator and it releases the pressure a little at a time so the pressure stays where it's supposed to.  Once you get the temperature right you don't have to fiddle with it like the Presto.

AA's can NOT be used on glass top stoves - they are too heavy.  I have a Chef King double propane stove - it's definitely my favourite "stove" for outdoor use.  I also have two kerosene canning stoves for indoor winter use.

So what's MY favourite?  By far the All American's.  I like to can lots at one time but I usually have help.  It depends a lot on what I am canning.  Some items require more preparation.  Canning 14 jars of most things wouldn't be too much in my home!  The quality can't be beat - they are heavy duty and are built so you can hand them down to your kids in your will - if they aren't tired of canning before then!

If cost is a factor - and when ISN"T it - I would buy the Presto first and save up for the All American to be purchased at a later date.  I have NEVER seen one for sale second-hand but if that option opened up I would be careful.  The gauge can be damaged and then the pressure would not be correct. I have still not been able to find a place in Ontario where you can take the canner to have the pressure checked - if anyone knows please let me know.  

Pressure canning is a huge leap forward in being able to preserve your own food. You can process meat, soups, low acid vegetables and everything has ONLY what YOU put in it - no chemicals or preservatives - no impossible to read ingredients.  Healthy and delicious and FUN too - and I promise the canner won't blow up!  What'cha waiting for????

Marathon canning with friends

I was looking forward to the pressure canning marathon for several weeks - myself, my daughter and our friends -  a mom and three teenage girls - got together for a day and we had a blast.  Our friends had never canned before so we were starting from the beginning.   We canned chilli, spicy kidney beans, spicy chickpeas, potatoes and chicken  soup.  

First of all I wouldn't recommend doing this until you've had some simple canning experience under your belt because this much pressure canning takes some extra organization - a bigger kitchen and work space wouldn't hurt either!

I was able to put all my canners to the test - all three - at the same time.  I have a 23 quart Presto and two 30 quart All Americans.  I can't use the AA's on my glass top stove because the combined weight of the canner the water and the filled jars would probably crack the stove top. I've had to try several different methods for these heavy-duty workhorses.  I tried an electric hotplate.  It worked but it took HOURS to come up to the pressure.  Not worth the time and effort.  I have two kerosene canning stoves but I am having trouble with the wicking system - they apparently work GREAT but I have yet to use them.  (long story!)  These are supposed to be my "winter - option".

What I do use is amazing!  It's a Camp Chef two burner propane stove on legs.  This is by far the best way to go!  The gauges are easy to turn up or down incrementally so you can get the heat just right.  The stove is big enough and heavy-duty enough to handle to the two large canners and all the weight with the jars and water inside.  I really like this stove.  

NOW - as we all know propane should NOT BE USED INDOORS.  We set ours up in the far-back-room with the back door wide-open because the weather was much cooler than it was supposed to be.  I had hoped that would solve the pollution problem - but it didn't work as well as I hoped.  Eventually we figured out that putting a huge fan in front of the back door to draw the fumes out helped a lot but it wasn't perfect.  Next time they will go outside for sure!  

I'm hoping to set up an outdoor kitchen this summer under a canopy to keep the canning heat outside - I'm still thinking about how that might work the most efficiently.

The two All Americans were "out back" about 25 feet from the kitchen and the Presto was on the stove in the kitchen.  We did most of the chopping and cutting and jar filling at the dining room table and carried the jars out in wash basins to the canners.  I was worried about that step but there were many hands and it DID make the work light so it worked out fine!

We set up a table in the far-back-room to place all the finished jars on.  We covered the table with a towel and had towels ready to cover the jars as soon as they were lined up.  It wasn't freezing in that room but it was cold and I wanted to minimize jar breakage caused by the temperature extremes of the hot canner and the cold room.  We didn't experience any problems when we used the towels.

Some things to think about when organizing canning with a crowd:

• Before the canning marathon get your recipes ready and make a list of everything you will need including every teaspoon of spice and salt - you will go through more than you think you will!
• Remove everything non-essential from your kitchen counters.
• Have the recipes written out so everyone knows what to do next.
• Soak the beans overnight if you're doing beans!
• Prepare the chicken or turkey before canning day.  I cooked mine the week before and froze the de-boned meat and the broth.
• Get out every bowl and container you own - you will need them all and wish you had more.  I get snarky comments from my kids when they put the dishes away sometimes about the amount of bowls I own.  At canning time they are all in use!  (I told-you-so!)
• When making multiple recipes you will also need every pot you own and wish you had more.
• Make sure your tea towel/dish cloth drawer is full - you'll use lots of them.
• Pull out all the paring knives, vegetable peeler's  chopping boards, strainers and other tools you will need and put them on the largest surface area you have - ie your kitchen table.
• Having a hotplate for extra "stove-space" is very handy - I bought one from kijiji.
• Have multiple timers available.
• Have ONE person in charge of the timers!!
• Keep the kettle full of boiling water - as soon as it's empty - fill it again.
• Try to have the "next-step" in mind so you are always thinking ahead.
• Explain all the canning "rules" before you start with as much detail as you can think of - especially if you are working with first-time canners.
• Wash dishes as you go.
• Don't forget to take breaks!

My day began early as I decided to start preparing a canner load of chilli before our friends arrived.  I had everything ready so that the load was finished just as they were arriving.  This allowed me to show them the whole process - albeit starting with taking the jars OUT of the canner and then quickly getting things ready to fill it again.

With three canners to fill it took all of us working to make it happen without wasting too much time in between loads.  Our goal was to get all three canners filled twice in the 6 hours between lunch and dinner.  Each load takes approximately three hours from filling the canner to pulling out the finished product when you count the canner getting up to pressure, the canning and then waiting for the pressure to drop again. We almost made it!  

Our final weekend tally was 21 pints of chilli with meat, 11 pints of vegetable chilli, 27 quarts of layer chicken soup, 23 quarts of spicy kidney beans, 7 quarts of spicy chickpeas and 8 quarts of "french fries".  Almost 100 jars of lovely ready-to-eat food and one huge pot of soup that incorporated all the leftover food.

This is a great way to get a LOT of canning done in a short amount of time.  I already have someone up for a marathon peach and pear canning session this summer - bring it ON!

Springtime mess and baby lambs

It feels an awful lot like spring outside today!  The sun is shining and everything is melting into muddy pools of mess.  The baby lambs are bounding around in the paddock and the ducks are pooping on the back porch.

I wonder sometimes if I have given you a romanticised version of life on the farm.  I am about to burst the bubble!

This week has certainly been a taste of spring.  It's been a little warmer each day - getting to above freezing most days which make working outside much more pleasant - and LOTS more muddy. (I am pretending that we won't get any more snow but I am probably just fooling myself) The back hallway where we come into the house and leave our barn clothes is also the main entrance to our home.  Right now it's dirty-with-bits-of-hay-and-shavings and full of poopy muddy boots.  Right outside the door is the ducks favourite place to hang out because it's out of the wind and it faces south so it warms up and melts there first.  I often look out the kitchen window to see 6 or 7 ducks splashing in the melting snow and talking to the cats.  They get along really well with the cats trying to get friendly and the ducks mostly ignoring them. The ducks are always trying to get the last of the cat food as well so there's lots of flapping and noise when they fly up on the table - I've already mentioned the poop.

The walkway to the driveway was an ice covered slope until DH and son sprinkled it with a mixture of sand and salt from the local works department depot where you can get it free for the taking.  We were not aware of the salt until it was too late - it's not my first choice because the damage to the grass and it's not great for the ducks or chickens feet either. They did such a good job but went completely overboard on the amount required to do the job.  Now the walkway is a muddy mess - but it's not slippery!








The driveway is all slop.  Half frozen and half mud we just sorta tiptoe through it to get where we need to go - thankful that there is plenty of snow to walk through to clean off our boots afterwards.


The eaves-trough leak right above the main entrance to the barn so now there is a puddle big enough for the ducks to swim in right in front of the door.  You need to be careful not to slip but quick enough not to get too many icy cold drips down your back from the melting roof.  The water from this new little pond backs up and runs into the barn creating another muddy icy patch to navigate.

Oh joy!

The other day through a series of mishaps most of the sheep got loose.  As I came out of the house all I could see was the whole flock running down the driveway towards me headed pell-mell back to the paddock. Even little Opal - 5 days old was running with sheer abandon through the mud and ice.  If sheep could grin - I'm sure they were all grinning.  What fun for them - not so much for me. 

This morning we needed to dock the lambs tails.  We should have done it sooner but it's a two person job so I was waiting for my daughter to be at home.  The best time to do tails is when they are still confined to the lambing jug.  After about day 4 those cute little buggers can run faster then I can!  We managed to catch the first two without too much trouble but Opal gave us the run around.  I'm sure it would have been comical to watch.  

Yesterday was a sad day as we said goodbye to Freddy - the first lamb born on the farm last spring.  We sold him to friends of ours but neither of us has a truck or a trailer so we had to get creative.  We made a temporary "holding cell" in the back of the van and placed an old piece of carpet on the bottom to catch the mess.  My son and I managed to get JUST Freddy out of their pen and tied an seatbelt-like strap around his belly.  He was not impressed but we had to move him from the barn up a slippery hill and into the van.  There's no driving down there in the winter time.  It was quite the show!  Freddy fought us all the way as we pushed-pulled-dragged him to the van and hoisted him in.  It was like taking a very strong naughty dog for a walk!  All went well and out home made "holding cell" did the job really well.  I am still looking forward to the day we have a proper trailer!

For all the muck and mess I wouldn't trade living here for the world!  Isn't she sweet!!

Three little lambs arrived today.

We welcomed another sweet little lamb to the farm today.  She arrived this morning and was promptly named Opal...  

As I finished writing that sentence my son came running in to say Mom - there's another baby.  Oh dear - we only have one lambing jug set up and this was Mom number two!  We all headed for the barn and a few minutes after we arrived out came number three! One girl named Ruby Mae and one boy we've named Jed.

These are certainly happy days!  The first two years I was so stressed with what could potentially go wrong that it took most of the joy out of the process.  There's always the potential for things to take a wrong turn so it's nothing to take lightly and yet for the most part everything just happens on it's own and personally I think it's best that way.

We bought a beautiful lambing jug from the feed store a few years ago.  It has four parts that clip together like a big 4x4 dog cage with no top or bottom.  It's great but it's on the expensive side so we just bought one and crossed our fingers that no two ewes would lamb out at the same time.  Ha.  Not today.  We have lots of leftover pieces of 4x8 plywood, 2x4's and random other items like wooden doors and heavy cement bricks.  Living on a farm will turn me into a hoarder yet!  Today it came in very handy.  We blocked off a corner in the pen, added a heat lamp, straw, hay and a water bucket and made the "walls" out of the wood.  It's all being held up with chicken crates and a kids wagon.  Creative huh?  and much cheaper too.

I'll be out a few more times tonight checking on the lambs and the mommas. Ruby-Mae seems to be drinking less than Jed and I'm not sure if she just needs a little nap or a little encouragement.  

So we are now the proud owners of 11 sheep.  Who woulda thunk that would happen a few years ago - when I was planning to raise goats!  I'm so glad we didn't!  I love my sheep.  They have taught me by example the meaning of many of the "sheep" verses in the Bible.  They are stubborn, scare easily and can be so sweet and loveable all at the same time.  

I took a few pictures of Hubert this weekend - the lamb born just before Christmas.  He's a huge "little guy"!  His papa is from another farm and I can't believe the size of him!  He's a little shy - it this picture he's hiding behind a friend.

We had some visitors this past weekend.  Too bad they missed the babies!  One special little helper was very good at collecting eggs and feeding treats to the sheep and donkey.

Home made yogurt from fresh or powdered milk

A few months ago I came across a really good deal on milk - well - better than a good deal because it was free.  I had a $1.00 off coupon on milk that went on sale for $1.00. So I "bought" lots of them and stored them in the freezer.

We're a family that likes yogurt.  If it's in the house it disappears quickly and it can be kinda-pricey especially when you get those little individual containers.  I made yogurt once or twice a long time ago but my interest was rekindled when a friend traded me a yogurt maker for some Tattler lids.  She was upgrading to a larger yogurt maker model - that should have been a clue - because after several very successful batches of yogurt we ran into a problem.  At the rate we could eat this yummy yogurt I would have to make yogurt everyday which in my world is just too-much-work!

Enter the food dehydrator and some of my collection of canning jars.  I've used pints in the pictures here but you can use whatever size you like - half pints or the tiny 1/4 pint jam jars work great and then you have the same portability as those expensive personal sizes in the store. You can of course use any recycled jar but it helps if you still have the lid - you'll need them for storage afterwards.

The amounts of milk and yogurt are really not critical which is what makes this so simple.  I started with 3 litres of milk and about a 1/2 cup of either store bought yogurt or leftover home made yogurt.  I buy the plain organic yogurt when I need to start over.  Usually this happens at least once a month when we accidentally eat all of it.  Save some for the next batch by labelling the jar or putting a different coloured lid on it or divide up the original container of yogurt into an ice cube tray and freeze and use one or two in each batch depending on how much you are making.

This is the hardest part of the whole production - heat the milk.  You want to heat it without boiling it.  I watch for the tiny bubbles to start rising from the bottom of the pan and some steam - other people use a thermometer - you need to bring it to 180 degrees.  Over time you will just know when it looks right.  

I have also made yogurt out of powdered milk - a great option for being able to use a shelf stable item and even faster because you can boil the water in a kettle! I used 2 cups of Thrive powdered milk and 6 cups of boiling water.  I added it to my blender/food processor and mixed it on low - it's hot - so be careful!  I used a thermometer to measure when the milk had cooled to 150 degrees (edited to 115-120 degrees - although 150 has always worked for me - just to be on the safe side - see comments), added the yogurt starter and continued as below.  It makes about 4 pints - because that's all that will fit in my blender.

When the milk has reached the right temperature take it off the stove and allow it to cool.  While you're waiting wash your jars in hot soapy water and let them dry.  The milk needs to cool to room temperature or 150 degrees.  Use a funnel to fill your jars.

The jars go in the dehydrator at about 100 degrees for about 6 hours.  Check to see how thick it's getting.  You can leave it longer but it gets a stronger sour taste - which I like.  You can also heat the oven to 200 degrees, wrap the bottles in a towel and turn the heat off leaving just the light bulb on to keep the oven warm.  Some people use a thermos - a great no electricity solution.  I've tried them all but since my dehydrator is convenient and I can put something in it to dehydrate at the same time - it's win-win. 

You might think 5 or 6 pints is a lot of yogurt depending on how many people you have living at home and how much you all like yogurt.  You can of course make less at one time but we always find uses for it!

If you strain some through a clean cloth and let it sit the whey will drip out and you can use the thickened yogurt  to make your own cream cheese.  The whey is really good for you and can be used in place of milk or water in baking or smoothies.  It can also be frozen if you don't need it right away.

I add some Herbamare and some Mrs. Dash to my cream cheese but you can add whatever you like.  It tastes great on toast or used like goat cheese in a salad or anywhere you would use cream cheese.  We also use the plain yogurt as the base for some really outstanding smoothies.  

Yogurt is a great source of calcium, it helps to keep healthy bacteria flourishing in your stomach and tastes great.  Anyone else make yogurt???

Stocking Up in February

We have officially finished our EAT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FREEZER CHALLENGE  and this week I went shopping!

I'm sure it says something of my mental health to share with you how excited I was to make this trip.   I LIKE grocery shopping.  Of course NOT grocery shopping for more than a month is a great experience too.  I am always amazed at the creativity that comes out and the new recipes we try and of course HOW MUCH MONEY WE SAVE.  

Some people go off to the big city to shop.  They get all excited about going in to Toronto or some-similarly-sized-city - the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the fancy shops...personally just the thought gives me hives.  We've found a small city nearby - Peterborough - and once a month I do my shopping there.  It has a great health food store with 10% off on the first Tuesday of the month, every grocery store and thrift store you could ever want to shop in including a thrift FOOD store and it's only a half hour away from home.  

Subliminal messaging - buy eggs!

 I would love to get to the point of only shopping once a month but what would I do with all that pent-up shopping energy and no where to shop??   Probable lots!  My first goal is to shop less often because the less often I go shopping the less I spend.

You would never have thought so yesterday. I set off with my DD and my Mom for a Girls-Day-Out  Our first stop was an organic bakery that sells their frozen already baked and sliced bread for $20 for 12 loaves.  That's a $1.67 each.   It's the best tasting organic bread we've ever had. That's also cheaper than the regular "good" non-organic bread I used to buy.  It's only slightly more than making it myself and of course less work.  Starting the day off with such a score was exciting!

After an egg drop off and a visit and tea with my cousin we hit the thrift food store.  Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't but yesterday was a worthwhile stop.  We bought organic tomato soup 4 for $5.00, boxes of Kashi Cereal Bars for .99c, organic tea - 20 bags in each 4 for $8.00 and lots of other deals.

Then we went to my favourite health food store - on 10% off day.  What's not to like about that - except that it was a little busy!

I have lots of ideas up my sleeves to save money. You're probably tired of me saying you need to grow and can your own vegetables and fruit - so I won't even mention it!  I don't use coupons all that often because as many people find - the coupons are usually for things you wouldn't buy unless you had a coupon.  Of course if I was marketing coupons that's what I would do too however that doesn't end up saving you much money.  Except for Bulk Barns $3.00 off coupon it's very difficult to find basic food at a really great deal - and Bulk Barn is not really know for it's amazing prices anyway.  Things like wheat, beans, rice, sugar etc.  almost never have coupons that apply to them however if you keep your eyes open you will occasionally find them on sale in a regular grocery store.  I still find buying in bulk at Grain Process in Toronto is the way to go but not everyone likes to shop in massive bulk like I do!  The question is how do you know if it's a good deal or not??

Canned beets and pickled beets

You need to know the prices!!  This is where a Price Book comes in handy. This week was my stock up on cheese and butter week.  Cheese was $4.44 for 500gr. at "The Superstore". That's a pretty good price but sometimes it's on for $3.97.  My goal is to never pay more than $1.00 for 100gr. or anything less than $5.00 for that specific brick of cheese.  Butter was on sale at "Freshco" for $2.47lb - that's about as good as it gets.  When these sales come up I buy enough for about 6 weeks if it's a perishable item or longer if it's shelf stable.  That will keep us going until the next round of sales on those items.  If it all works out I never pay full price  - ever.  Imagine what would happen to your grocery budget if you could do that with almost everything you purchase.

I am often amazed that people don't pay more attention to sales and have no idea what the price of something "should" be considering that most of us are feeling the pinch of higher prices.  Some people shop and buy whatever they need for the coming week with no plan. You need a plan!

I am not the strict menu planning type. I find we eat the same basic things over and over again anyway so as long as I am on the look out for those items we will always have what we need to throw together a quick supper or a crock-pot meal or something more fancy.

I've been thinking about the true cost of some foods lately.  We freak out when tomatoes are $1.99 a pound in the winter but don't realise that potato chips cost about $5.00 a pound ($2.49/270gr).  We calculate that we can't afford to eat organic chicken at $4.50 a pound but we buy lunch meats of questionable quality like Schneiders Fat Free Lifestyle Chicken Breast slices for $15.37 ($4.27/125gr.)  Or Cheese Strings for $10.15 ($3.79/168gr.) when regular Black Diamond cheese is on sale as I mentioned for $4.00 a pound.  For $6.15 I can cut up my own cheese!

Wasn't that interesting?  Those were just some quick numbers I pulled from some grocery flyers I received today.  I bet we could come up with a lot more.

As I am stocking up in February I am making notes about what I canned this year and how much of it we're eating.  Some things were so worthwhile - canned potatoes are amazing - and we will be doing more next year.  Other things I need to plan to add to meals to make better use of them.  It feels good to have cleaned up the cupboards and the freezers and make room for the spring and summer bounty coming up.  I still have a few days of canning for some on-sale potatoes I bought and the layer hens in the freezer.  There's always the potential for canned soup too - anyone want some hands-on lessons while they keep me company?? 

I'm in the mood for canning but with a storm on the way I won't start - if the power goes out I will have a terrible mess to clean up!  What are you up to in February??