Garden out and doing great

[Patriotic Stabilist]

They are beauties aren't they and taste as good as they look. My neighbors are enjoying them and strangers going down the road stop and want to buy produce. Hubby said don't sell even 1 or you will be swamped. We are rural but within 5 miles from us there are likely 80 to 100k people.

Ok, here is what I have back so far. Hubby wants to know if I think there is going to be no more food produced. Heck, you never know.:laughing:

58 quarts of green beans
48 quarts of tomatoes
5 pints of meatballs
3 pints of chili meat fixuns'
2 pints chicken breast for chicken salad
1 canned butter purchased
1 canned cheese
5 cans 14 oz of various canned meats, purchased
8 pints carrots
9 pints beets
8 pints green tomatoes
7 quarts of green tomatoes
Some frozen spinach I grew in the freezer

I plan on 52 more quarts of tomatoes
then tomato juice, and spaghetti sauce if I have enough. Not sure how much, maybe 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce and whatever I can get 20 or 30 quarts of tomato juice

Also canning more chicken breasts, delicious, at least 10 more pints Going to get tuna from the fish market and can 1/2 pints of it, maybe 10 or 20?? I've read once you've tasted home canned tuna you won't buy it again, I know that's true with the canned chicken, we have gone through most of our meatballs and canned chicken these last few months.

Corn is tasseling so not ready for awhile, will cut off and freeze it, we have 6 80 ft rows, so hope it does well.

For eating we have watermelon and canteloupe for later we hope.

Our garden is helping our grocery bill, I still have bell peppers, banana peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, egg plant, onions, fresh sage and parsley, 1 huge head of cabbage out there, and of course lots of fresh tomatoes.

I have 14 chickens that will be ready to dress out in 2 weeks or so and 8 more for later. I'm thinking of keeping maybe 4 for eggs, was going to dress them all out but I like fresh eggs. So those will go in the freezer also.


I have 2 freezers, smaller and bigger one, and the freezer drawer under the fridge. Also a pantry full of food and lots of staples like TP, paper towels, etc.

50 pounds of wheat, 15 pounds of rice, extra white flour and sugar.

I figure everything I buy today is just getting it cheaper then I will tomorrow. I look for grocery shopping to get as painful for people as buying gas is for the next year and maybe further out.

 

[jinman]

Carolyn, you are a throwback to the time when people used to do all their canning and food preservation themselves. I always say that you can buy stuff cheaper, but you can't get the great flavor and taste of stuff that comes from the garden. At the store, processed and preserved tasteless food has become so common that people have become used to it and don't even know what good home canning tastes like. It's a dying art to do all that canning for yourself, but you should get a lot of satisfaction knowing you are eating better tasting and better for you food. Good for you!:thumbsup:

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I just enjoy doing stuff like this. I have to do something, how do people just sit around all the time and do nothing? Yes, I'm not an early riser and yep sometimes I will take a nap doing the day, but we always have something to do around here so you never run out of work!

My husband thinks its healthier for us to keep moving and keep busy, I agree with him. Plus I think the food is so adulterated with chemicals its just not healthy. I know I can eat a ton of stuff that I grow or the bread I make and we don't gain much of anything, lots of fiber. But the store bought stuff is almost like pouring weight on. I don't think we had to dust the garden twice this year and the tomatoes not at all. That's just got to be healthier for us.

I got fresh tuna yesterday that just came in that day. Well, not fresh but as fresh as we can get it from the fish market. I bought 2 pounds and it made 8 1/2 pints. There was no waste, but talk about expensive, ouch! Now I wonder how any foods in the supermarket are as cheap as they are after buying stuff like this. And he said he was even selling it $8 a pound below market price.

Our meat market is now handling all kinds of meats, pheasant, buffalo, alligator, rabbit. They make a lot of different kinds of sausages also. I bought 2 pounds of applewood bacon and 2 pounds of thick slice to put in the freezer, 2 strip steaks, and we ate the 2 ribeyes, they were awesome. I like bacon for seasoning some foods. I bought 2 rabbits and am frying one today, of course, I'm the only person that will eat it. These people don't know what they are missing.

So now I'm canning all this stuff and hubby gets a call last night. I think he will be heading to Borneo for a job. His company has a subsidiary and they need someone and he pretty much fills the bill. They had him go downtown today to take his passport shot, records, etc. It's not a done deal but sounding very close. I told him if he goes this stuff will last 2 or 3 years. It won't hurt canned goods for 2 years and possibly 3 but I wouldn't want to keep it any longer. He is telling me he only wants to work 2 or 3 more years, that would make him 67 or 68, but I'm betting if they offer and he feels good he will go. We shall see.

Anyway, I'm still canning more tomatoes, though I might stop on about 80 and start making juice instead. I have to let those get dead ripe for good juice. I have those little cherry tomatoes I haven't even been picking. But those are real juicy and have a great flavor, will thow them in when I start making juice. I have a neat gadget that you pour the hot tomatoes into a hopper and you turn a handle. The peelings and seeds come out one side and the juice the other. A lot better then the old strainer deal. I bought it from Lehmans.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Ok 14 more quarts at least today will make 62, so 18 more and I stop.

Hope to can bunches and bunches of juice next. With hubby gone really don't need that much.

It's looking pretty positive hubby will go. The contract has to be beat out between the two companies and they have to get his visa etc, so 2 to 3 weeks he figures, and of course until its all signed off on its not a done deal, anything can happen. First contract between the two companies, the one is a recent acquisition so he is the first guinea pig. That should be interesting.

So a big reduction in food consumption if he is gone.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

A hill of new potatoes I dug, wish I had a way to store enough for the winter. I have quite a few hills out there yet.

 

[jinman]

A hill of new potatoes I dug, wish I had a way to store enough for the winter. I have quite a few hills out there yet.

Oh my! Is there anything better than green beans with new potatoes? Put a little of your left-over bacon grease in there and enjoy.:licking::licking::licking:

 

[SandburRanch]

Oh my! Is there anything better than green beans with new potatoes? Put a little of your left-over bacon grease in there and enjoy.:licking::licking::licking:

------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, there is something better. Fresh garden peas and new potato gravy. That is if I can get to the house before eating all the peas I just picked.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I'm knee deep in tomatoes and working on juice today, not sure how much I will get, Just cut and heated about 3/4 of a cold packer and simmered. Now I'm letting it cool some before I run it through the separator. While its cooling a bit I'm knawing on a piece of rabbit. DD wanted to know what I was eating when I told her she ran for her room. :laughing:

I got to looking at the tomato plants yesterday evening and saw ripe tomatoes in under the thick foliage so I got a pitch fork to lift them up and found clusters of ripe tomatoes under there. I'm losing to rot also, even where we put the black stuff down but not on the staked ones. Next year all staked, but there's plenty.

I did peas one year. Had to tie them up, then pick, then shell and I thought it was way to much work. Were they delicious, of course, but.....

Also I got 2 smaller water buckets off those green beans again yesterday! I cooked one, sharing some with tenant and gave the second bucket to neighbor, froze 2 containers and we are having the rest for dinner tonight.

Back neighbor gave me cukes and some big sor of flat squash. I've never cooked one before, he said they hadn't either but fried one and baked one and they were really good. Anyone know a good recipe?

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

This is a fabulouse gadget for making tomato juice. It extracts all the juice and spits the debris out the cone.

I had about 3/4's of a cold packer of tomatoes mashed and heated and ended up with the big kettle of juice, haven't measured will let you know how much I got out of it. But there is little waste and the only straining you have to do. It's called a Roma Food Strainer.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Carolyn, you are a throwback to the time when people used to do all their canning and food preservation themselves. I always say that you can buy stuff cheaper, but you can't get the great flavor and taste of stuff that comes from the garden. At the store, processed and preserved tasteless food has become so common that people have become used to it and don't even know what good home canning tastes like. It's a dying art to do all that canning for yourself, but you should get a lot of satisfaction knowing you are eating better tasting and better for you food. Good for you!:thumbsup:

My sentiments exactly too. +1

Just latched onto this thread and am amazed at your gardening and canning skills. Keep on posting and thanks.

It takes a bunch of work and time to raise a garden (and chicks) like this.:thumbsup:

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I have a back neighbor, he is our age and his girlfriend who is older too is canning what I have left, I'm sure they are canning from their garden too.

The folks that moved in across the road said if I have tomatoes left after I get all I want they would love to can some too. I don't mind at all, don't want to see this food go to waste, we may all need it this winter.

The neighbor beside me likely cans too but I haven't seen much of her this summer, she is quite a bit older then us and I haven't seen her daughter at all, I used to give her stuff.

Compared to how we did it when I was small this is a walk in the park.

Dad didn't have a gas powered tiller for years, he used an old push plow after it was plowed and disked.

Mom had to heat water and wash jars, sterilize, etc. I pop them in the dishwasher on sterilize cycle. She would work at a little factory and come home and can, no wonder she was always falling asleep at night before she could get to bed. I taught myself how when I was probably 11 or 12 and she like to died, afraid I would ruin the stuff or get hurt. I didn't lose any and I didn't get hurt.

Washing on a wringer washer, heating water, hanging it out in winter when your fingers froze and the laundry froze to the line was work. None of us know what hard work is anymore.

My husband and I think that the activity and good food is probably the best thing for us. I do too, my dad was the same way, he was a workaholic and sadly his life was cut short at age 62 in an industrial accident.

I hear more and more people around us are getting chickens and neighbors are stopping and asking for gardening advice. I doubt its a need for any of us, its about flavor and goodness of the produce. The guys likely think because some woman is doing it its easy. Some will try once and never do it again, some will dig in and go for it.

I have to give credit this year. Hubby did the fertilizing and helped me till which really really helped. I would love for him to retire but he can't. He was here yesterday waiting to go downtown and meet with his boss and he was all over the place, "what can I do now". I said why not sit down and enjoy kicking back? He is over trying to finish tiling the floor in a rent house we bought.

He has been out of work since January and 5 days a week he is up and gone by 6 or 7, just like he had a job, working on that house. Me I work whenever it hits me and I'm sure not up at 5, 6, or 7 most of the time.

As long as we are able we will be working and I hope its for a long time.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I got 17 quarts of juice and I'm not canning anything tomorrow nor Sunday either if stuff isn't to ripe. I made a couple loaves of bread, cinnamon bread is one and I'm waiting for it to come out, I want some.

I cooked some pattypan squash never had any before wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Next time I know, it was ok, but can be delicious. Also beans and potatoes for dinner.

I hope to do 13 more quarts of juice, we shall see, maybe a few more and a few more tomatoes but I'm about ready to hang it up for this year. If neighbors want them to can that's good.

Next is freezing corn when it comes off. I LOVE sweet corn. After that I'm done for this year. Need to dig potatoes and pull onions and clean up my garden. Think I will plant a bunch of flowers out there till fall.

I have appointments for DD at docs next week and need to run over and look at the rent house tomorrow. I have to do cleaning there. And hubby said maybe a bit of stain on the cabinets and I will likely polyurethane them. He is trying to get most of it done before he leaves. I have a guy we hire to help but he's in jail right now.He had drivers licenses issues and opted to serve a few months rather then pay the fines. He is a good worker or we wouldn't mess with him.

 

[SandburRanch]

I have a back neighbor, he is our age and his girlfriend who is older too is canning what I have left, I'm sure they are canning from their garden too.

The folks that moved in across the road said if I have tomatoes left after I get all I want they would love to can some too. I don't mind at all, don't want to see this food go to waste, we may all need it this winter.

The neighbor beside me likely cans too but I haven't seen much of her this summer, she is quite a bit older then us and I haven't seen her daughter at all, I used to give her stuff.

Compared to how we did it when I was small this is a walk in the park.

Dad didn't have a gas powered tiller for years, he used an old push plow after it was plowed and disked.

Mom had to heat water and wash jars, sterilize, etc. I pop them in the dishwasher on sterilize cycle. She would work at a little factory and come home and can, no wonder she was always falling asleep at night before she could get to bed. I taught myself how when I was probably 11 or 12 and she like to died, afraid I would ruin the stuff or get hurt. I didn't lose any and I didn't get hurt.

Washing on a wringer washer, heating water, hanging it out in winter when your fingers froze and the laundry froze to the line was work. None of us know what hard work is anymore.

My husband and I think that the activity and good food is probably the best thing for us. I do too, my dad was the same way, he was a workaholic and sadly his life was cut short at age 62 in an industrial accident.

I hear more and more people around us are getting chickens and neighbors are stopping and asking for gardening advice. I doubt its a need for any of us, its about flavor and goodness of the produce. The guys likely think because some woman is doing it its easy. Some will try once and never do it again, some will dig in and go for it.

I have to give credit this year. Hubby did the fertilizing and helped me till which really really helped. I would love for him to retire but he can't. He was here yesterday waiting to go downtown and meet with his boss and he was all over the place, "what can I do now". I said why not sit down and enjoy kicking back? He is over trying to finish tiling the floor in a rent house we bought.

He has been out of work since January and 5 days a week he is up and gone by 6 or 7, just like he had a job, working on that house. Me I work whenever it hits me and I'm sure not up at 5, 6, or 7 most of the time.

As long as we are able we will be working and I hope its for a long time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a 78 year old sister that still does the canning thing. If she doesn't get at least a hundred quarts of tomatoes and green beans canned she sees it as a bad year. Last year she bought a MF tractor with a 72 inch tiller and is expanding. But she did give up raising and butchering 100 broiler chickens each year. This is above and beyond taking care of cattle and seeing that the windmills are turned and off at appropriate times etc. as all good farmers do.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

What does she do with all that food?

I have a friend, my realtor, about 76 or older I forget, she got a new tractor for her 30 some acres. She has several heads of cattle and sells some born each year. She said this year she had almost all bulls. She gets hay bailed and then uses the tractor with a lift to put it in the barn. She is still doing it at her age.

She just messes around with real estate to have something to do. We still use her because she works with us. She has an excellent retirement income and travels the world, she has been everywhere. She said she quit canning and raising chickens, had enough of that growing up. I sew a lot, haven't much this last year, haven't needed much new clothing, have way to much, and she said I quit that too.

Well today I'm pooped, not getting near that garden. I'm off to get hubby 6 gallons of paint, for the interior and a quart for the exterior. I haven't been able to help him on this house as DD has been having to many health issues.

But we are running up and looking at the corn and see what stage its in.

I'm doing probably 23 more quarts of juice this week and maybe 12 quarts of tomatoes and I quit on that. That will make 40 quarts of juice and 80 of tomatoes, that should be more then enough even if hubby should end up home which I doubt.

 

[SandburRanch]

Quote: What does she do with all that food?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
She has 3 children close by and another a hundred or so miles away. So between them, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren a place for all that food doesn't seem to be a problem.

And then she knows I always need a jar of her canned beets :licking:and save the juice for pickled eggs.:licking: So when the hoe needs sharpened or her (non-mechanical husband) needs his riding mower repaired or blades sharpened I usually get a call.:laughing:

 

[Bartcephus]

I wish I had the canning experience. I also wish my garden was putting out that much produce already! And too, I wish I had TWO freezers to put stuff in. I only have two refridgerators with it seems SMALL freezers on them. Not enough room to put all the venison, ferrel hog meat, and other edible little critters with the garden stuff. So canning would be a blessing. I just don't even know where to start. Maybe a topic for a new thread? Or even a new forum called Harvesting and preserving? Anyway great reading this thread!

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Buy a Ball Canning Book, it tells how to can EVERYTHING. It's very thorough and very easy to understand. It sells for less then $10. I'm experienced and I refer to it all the time as I forget some stuff year to year.

You just need some big kettles, I like stainless but did simmer my tomatoes for juice in an aluminum one. A cold packer can be bought online or Walmart, thinking Ace Hardware has them also. Just try to get an American Made one, yes they are way more expensive but my chinese made one rusted and its enamelware. I've had my canning pressure cooker for over 30 years, might get one at an estate sale or online, I imagine now they are expensive.

I order a lot of my lids online but buy my jars locally.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I bought a decent size freezer at Sears on sale for $359 and the smaller ones at Sam's for $200 some years ago. Never thought about needing a bigger one. They are like most things now, energy efficient so I can't even tell the difference in the electric bill.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I said I wasn't canning today but I looked out at a table full of ripe tomatoes so going to make some more juice today.

I'm not sure if I wrote it up but hubby may be going to Borneo to work for a year or so. Looks real positive, same company, just a subsidiary so has to get a pretty stringent physical. We think he is in good shape but you never know. So if all works out, he will finish the rent house. I will finish up the garden and freeze corn and dress out chickens. Then have to get this rental rented, then I'm hitting the road.

So hope all goes well.

 

[jinman]

We think he is in good shape but you never know.

You know, Carolyn, they still have cannibals in Borneo. You don't want to go over there lookin' too fat and well fed.:licking: You better keep Hubby out of those garden victuals you've been fixin'.:laughing: