Monday, October 18, 2010

Monday night dinner...

Tonight pork roast in the crockpot, pinto beans, corn, & zucchini.
Trying to make room in the freezer for our years supply of meat that we will be picking up on Saturday!

Sweet potato count...

I used a few from my other box & ended up with 19 qts and 1 pint of sweet potatoes!!!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Locally Grown Sweet Potatoes

We went to the local produce stand and bought 2 big boxes of sweet potatoes yesterday. One was a box of nice pretty medium sized potatoes for $15. The other was a box of "culls" for $5. When I got home I went through the culls box. Peeled, washed, and canned 13 quarts.

I'd never done this before so I looked on the internet and tried 2 different ways.
The first I just cut up the raw potatoes into chunks and placed them in the jar. Added 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and then filled with boiling water. Put into the pressure canner at 11lbs for 90 minutes....yes it was a long one! This is also how I can regular potatoes.

The second I cut them up in chunks and boiled them for about 5 minutes. Then placed into the jars with 1/2 tsp salt & 1 tsp lemon juice. Filled with boiling water & again pressure canned at 11lbs for 90 minutes.

Here were the results of my canning. Anyone want to know what one looks pretty & what one looks blurry?


The uncooked, salt & water only are to your left. The cooked ones with the lemon juice all look blurry. Of course they are perfectly fine but I think I'll stick with method #1 when I do it again.

So I paid $5 for the box. Ended up with 13 qts. and enough to make about 4 more. So lets say 17 qts. I had the salt & lemon juice (which I won't use again) So let's add the salt in to the price...So I'll be generous and say .30 for that. I already had the jars & seals but you always need new seals so let's add $1.50 for those. I really don't know how much propane it took to cook them so let's add in one more $1. Total would be $7.80.
So per jar would come to: .46 per jar. Not bad when last I checked Wal-Mart was selling their cans for $2.50 each!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Why I Love Rummage Sales

There are so many neat things you can use & then again you will sometimes find a bunch of old, broken junk. It doesn't matter to me or most of the women in our family. We just love to go!
Being as the holiday's are approaching I thought I'd share some of the things I look for & why...
plates: If you find a pretty plate it makes a great tray for putting homemade treats for Christmas gifts. Just wrap it all up with some celophane & tie on a pretty bow & card. A great gift. This is also good as it can be for the whole family so it saves money.
Cups & saucers: When I find a set of cute ones I get them. You can put in a few herbal tea bags, or some hot chocolate mix and perhaps a cute spoon or candy cane. Wrap it all up & tie on a bow for a nice get well, birthday, or whatever gift.
Canning jars: Well, because I can foods and you can use them for those cute gifts in a jar type things.
Ribbon: for just about everything.
Old cookie sheets & muffin tins: When the children were little I would use cookie sheets for them to do artwork on. (like instead of laying down newspaper) Muffin tins make great sorters and paint cups.
Material: If it's not all stained up I will buy it and then use for quilts, or whatever. This includes using table clothes, pillow cases, & large skirts.
Holiday decorations: I used to not decorate too much for the holiday's but lately I've been getting into the spirit of it. I found some nice Christmas decorations & a croched tablecloth the other day for only $1 each.
I know what things normally cost so I only buy if they are a good deal.
So next Saturday get up early and head on out...you might see me there.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

My new brew...

I've heard of kombucha for a while now but really didn't want to try to make my own. (I'm a little afraid of the whole fermenting process as I'm so scared of food poisoning) So for now I'll leave it to the experts.
My sister has also been giving me some of her views on it & has been drinking it for a while. So I decided to give it a try.
This was the only flavor at the store I went to. When I first opened up the bottle it smelled a bit like apple cider vinegar...not too appealing. The first few sips weren't impressive either. It tastes a bit like beer, which I'm not a fan.
However after a little while it started to taste rather good. I guess my "buds" just had to adjust. I bought a couple of bottles & have been drinking a little here and there during the day. I actually like it now!
I decided to try it for many reasons but mostly because I've just had the blah's lately. Is it helping my moods or curbing my appetite, I really think might be helping.
It does contain sugar but it's so minimal compaired to a soft drink or juice.
The co-op I'm in sell this in a different brand. I think it's worth buying a case.
Has anyone tried it? What flavors do you like?

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Early Morning

Let the fall decorating begin...