Stockpiling

I began stockpiling food and household items when I got married. I think initially it was a reaction against a poor childhood and a fear of running out of food. Nowadays I am a little older and wiser and I have learnt to trust God more, but stockpiling still makes good sense.

Stockpile in an old cellar

  To have a good amount of food stored away a good storage system is needed. This could be in the garage or, if you have a good sized pantry as I do, in the pantry. I have read of people who keep their stockpiled foodstuffs under their beds in storage boxes, or in the linen closet.  Where ever it is kept it does need to be vermin proof! There is nothing worse than getting out rice or oats only to find that the mice have gotten to it and it is all ruined.

 When I first started collecting extra food, I think Andrew thought it was a little weird. But during the course of our marriage so far, through many pregnancies, sicknesses, times of financial constraint, that extra food has come in so handy. For whatever reason I can't get out to the shops, I know I can always rustle up a pantry meal, and that can be so reassuring!

  I began my stockpile very simply. On grocery shopping days I would buy a couple of extra tins. Maybe tinned tomatoes or tinned tuna, whatever we usually eat. These tins would go to the back of my pantry to be stored. These days my tinned goods stockpile is quite full, so I have started on frozen goods. These don't keep as long naturally but it is still reassuring to know that there is extra chicken or fish in the freezer.

Home canning

  Eventually I hope to start canning more of my own goods and to stockpile these also. I also want to have some cleaning products and bathroom products in reserve. This will all take time and money, and I am a great believer in taking baby steps! But it is a good goal to have I think.


Jenny

Autumn canning

  Autumn is the busiest of seasons in the kitchen. Canning and preserving are in full swing with apples to dry for my homemade muesli  and to can for apple pies and crumbles

 come winter. Tomatoes are made into Passata, tomato sauce and BBQ sauce.   Capsicums and chilli's become Capsicum relish. This spicy relish comes from a friend of mine who has been making it for years. It has become a firm family favourite.

                                                       Capsicum Relish.

  Cut up: 1 lb capsicum
               2 cooking apples
               3 or 4 hot chillies
             
Add:      2 cups sugar
              1 tsp salt
              1 cup apple cider vinegar ( any vinegar could be used)
              1/2 cup water.

Boil till tender and bottle.


I love going to my pantry and seeing all my hard work put up in jars, and knowing that I am a little closer to living a more self-sufficient life. The dream is to one day grow most of our food, and supply most of our needs for ourselves. This will probably be a long time coming, so for now I am taking baby steps. Preserving what I can, from produce either grown by me or locally.

                                                      Tomato Sauce

                                                             
                                                              BBQ Sauce

                                                            Flowers from Andrew

Apple Rings

My dehydrator is getting a work out at the moment. I have been drying orange  rounds purely for decoration, and apple rings for eating.

My children love eating  apple rings by themselves or on cereal in the mornings for breakfast. I love them in my muesli. With the season of Gala apples so short, it is also a great way to preserve them for the rest of the year ( if they last that long!) . My next job is to get my Granny Smiths into jars as apple sauce, and maybe as a chutney or relish.

 I am trying to replace our store bought sauces, like tomato, BBQ, and Steak, with homemade relishes and preserves, so I need to find recipes while it is apple season, because apples seem to be a staple ingredient in many homemade sauces. When I was growing up we didn't use many condiments at all, so making them is all very new to me. So  my challenge for this autumn is to try out new recipes.

  God Bless,

 Jenny

Sauerkraut

I am trying a new recipe this week for sauerkraut. I grew up eating this with potatoes and sausage in typical dutch fashion, but I always hated it. So I am going to try a new recipe for fresh sauerkraut. It is just cabbage and salt packed into jars and left to ferment for 2-3 weeks. It is supposed to be very good for you full of good bacteria, like yoghurt.