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Farm Kitchen:  Please tell me I'm not the only nuts one out there  |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 12:13:30 AM
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It feels like my kitchen/freezers just aren't big enough.
Had to make room in the freezers for my half a pig, have a cow coming in the next month. Was cooking up quadruple batches of freezer meals (one for my family, one for a pregnant friend, one for a friend who's husband died, and for another lady who just had a stillborn), had to go make deliveries today with batch #1 since I ran out of room in the freezers for all the other stuff I wanted to prep for these ladies (and myself).
Right now as I'm starting the wood stove for the night, I'm still rendering lard (I have 31 pounds of raw pork fat to get through!), boiling turkey stock (again with the making room in the freezer), reheating maple syrup to can up, and simmering down 15lbs of bacon to can up bacon bits. Not to mention the apples I still have in the homeschool room to can up (raspberry applesauce and more vanilla honey applesauce is on deck) or the apples in the garage for our second cider pressing. Holy smokes, I'm ready for a brief few week break in January before seed starting time.
Oh, and what do you gals use beef tallow for? Thinking I should probably keep it this year, but not sure what I'd use it for yet...
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4234 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4234 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 04:34:58 AM
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Your a busy girl! good luck with it all.
You can use beef tallow in soap making. Not sure what else you would use it for though.
Michele |
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princesspatches
True Blue Farmgirl
431 Posts
arttie
iron mountain
michigan
USA
431 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 05:35:01 AM
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Lanna,
You are not nuts! Far from it. I felt the same way in Sept./October when all the harvesting had to be done. Now we are into deer season and we are processing venison like crazy. Everyone in the family hunts and all of our freezer need to be filled with food for the winter.
The funny part is, my sister believes money is endless, so she likes to send venison out to a processor to get done. She wouldn't even dream of touching raw meat.
My parents only need a small amount of meat for the two of them. So most of the work falls on hubby and I.
I know it seems like the work is endless, but it feels great to have a full freezer and pantry. So keep up the good work, Lanna. It is all worth it.
Arttie |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 06:39:41 AM
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Lanna - you're not nuts! You are my hero! :)
We have a friend who literally has a bank of three refrigerators and one standing freezer lining one wall of her kitchen, as well as two freezers in her basement. She is not a canner - at all. But we're going to be seeing each other at the company Christmas party in a few weeks, and I'm going to invite her to get together so I can show her what to do and maybe save some money. I'm sure those fridges and freezers don't run cheap, and I know she and her husband do NOT have a generator. She could replace the appliances with shelves full of pretty to look at canned goods - her kitchen would look sooo much home-y-er! ;) I think it would be so much easier for her with her busy lifestyle, too, to be able to just pull down a premade meal from her shelves! We had talked years ago about learning how to can together, but never got around to it. I finally learned on my own, and would love to set aside a couple of Saturdays to show her, too!
I have question, and am hoping you can answer it for me? About a year ago, I bought an entire gallon of real maple syrup. We haven't used very much of it, and it's been taking up a lot of space in the refrigerator the whole time. I don't really think it will go bad, to be honest, but I would love to can it, if that's an option. Can I still can it after all this time? If so, what do I need to do?
Thanks so much! And... You GO girl! You GO!!!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Nov 17 2012 06:42:01 AM |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 1:00:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninibini
She could replace the appliances with shelves full of pretty to look at canned goods - her kitchen would look sooo much home-y-er! ;)
I have question, and am hoping you can answer it for me? About a year ago, I bought an entire gallon of real maple syrup. We haven't used very much of it, and it's been taking up a lot of space in the refrigerator the whole time. I don't really think it will go bad, to be honest, but I would love to can it, if that's an option. Can I still can it after all this time? If so, what do I need to do?
Yes, canned goods are fun to look at, but I'm also a huge fan of not keeping all your eggs in one basket... Part of why I've got my freezers and extra fridge, a dehydrator, and canned/dried stuff (and I still buy some of the freeze-dried fruits/veggies like from Emergency Essentials or Augason Farms). I've got options.  Plus I have four kids (9yo, 6.5yo, 4.5yo, 2.75yo) so all the canned stuff is down in the basement out of the way (otherwise they'd knock it over).
Oh, and fwiw, the extra freezers may not add a ton to her electric bill. When we moved into this house 9 years ago with a 1mo baby, we had our side-by-side in the kitchen and a 4cf chest freezer (wedding gift). Now, several kids later, we have the kitchen side-by-side, an upright freezer in the laundry room, a fridge/freezer and a chest freezer in the garage, and our power bill has always stayed within the same $20 range (it goes up a few bucks during summer when we have the one window A/C going for a few weeks). I've seriously looked at our power bill over the years and compared, it's wild (okay, granted, we got a new washing machine two years ago, the bill went down $10 that first month when I was washing everything in sight to catch up from the broken washer).
Maple syrup, yeah, as long as it's still good and not showing signs of mold (although now after googling, looks like the mold isn't that big a deal).
I have a friend who buys it by the 5-gallon bucket (from some friend in Vermont?) and re-cans it into quarts. We don't go through as much maple syrup (usually prefer honey, honestly), so I'm re-canning my stuff into pints and half pints. I can also use regular mouth jars for it - I much prefer wide mouth jars for the thicker honey to make it easier to scrape out.
Anyway, I'm still figuring out what kind of headspace maple syrup needs... I'm thinking between 1/2" to 1/4" and I'll just BWB it for 15-20 minutes (I start from clean jars, but not necessarily sterilized) to get a good vacuum seal. Part of why I absolutely adore my Amish canner, I can do big old batches of things like this. 
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
Edited by - Lanna on Nov 17 2012 1:22:06 PM |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 1:09:16 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by princesspatches
The funny part is, my sister believes money is endless, so she likes to send venison out to a processor to get done. She wouldn't even dream of touching raw meat.
Hah, I'm almost in the same camp as her. I do *not* have a clue about butchering critters and how to cut what. I think we might be able to get away with butchering our own chickens if/when we ever get around to owning some, but still. We have some really awesome local butchers, who *know* their business, so I let them have at it... likely takes them an hour what it would take me 5 hours to figure out, so I just roll with it and admit butchering is likely not one of my strengths. Plus the local butchers are total characters, they're so much fun.
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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Katlady93
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
Charlotte
Denmark
SC
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 1:09:48 PM
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You ladies are making me dizzy. such busy little bees. what an inspiration.
Some dreams are worth the risk it takes to make them real.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon. |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 1:46:02 PM
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Oh, I know what you mean, Lanna! I just started dehydrating and REALLY canning this year myself! I love the options, too! SO true! :) I'm especially amazed at how little space my dehydrated goods take up on the shelves - I love it. As far as my friend goes, I just worry that if her power goes out, she'll lose it all. She doesn't store her food anywhere BUT her freezers and fridges! :)
Thank you for sharing the information about canning the maple syrup! I am SO excited and will definitely be doing that this weekend! My big ol' container just takes up so much space in the fridge. I can really use the extra room - especially for Thanksgiving! You ROCK, farmgirl! :)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2012 : 8:57:29 PM
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I don't think you are nuts. You are just busy. I love being busy. Keep up the good work.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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kysheeplady
True Blue Farmgirl
1291 Posts
Teri
KY
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - Nov 18 2012 : 03:43:23 AM
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Beef tallow is used for soaps ... Can't find it here.
Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
Posted - Nov 18 2012 : 08:37:27 AM
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Friend of mine told me the other day that she fried french fries in some tallow and they were amazing.
I just rendered 20# fat into lard and got almost 10 quarts. Have 2 freezers, 2 fridges stuffed full. Shelves of canning. Dried food. And I am not really sure how many bags of grain, peas, lentils, and beans that I need to get into the buckets.
I have tried to keep an overstuffed "pantry" for over 25 years. Buy in bulk. Can in bulk. Save in bulk!!!! =)
Do what you love, love what you do. |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Nov 27 2012 : 6:03:30 PM
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Lanna what kind of an amish canner do you have? I just have a regular water bath canner that holds 7 quarts and a pressure canner that holds the same. I would love to know what kind you have and how much it holds. Also where can you buy it. Thanks so much.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Nov 27 2012 : 11:02:27 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by wooliespinner
Lanna what kind of an amish canner do you have? I just have a regular water bath canner that holds 7 quarts and a pressure canner that holds the same. I would love to know what kind you have and how much it holds. Also where can you buy it. Thanks so much.
Linda, it's an Ashland Amish Canner. I think my hubby got it from here: http://www.wisementrading.com/canning/canners.htm
It was my Christmas present one year. <3 The one we got had a dented up something, they sent us a new one as we returned the busted one (I think), no worries. It was a pain because of the holidays, but besides that, it wasn't a problem at all.
It holds 15 quarts or 15ish pints or whatever, it's lovely. I use it outside on my dual-burner camp stove, so nice to not heat the house up and/or to be able to prep dinner or lunch in the actual kitchen. Poor hubby is seeing more and more why I need a secondary/summer kitchen.
My pressure canner is an All American 921. I love, love, love it. No joke. It's on my stairs right now since I'm going to need it in a few days for turkey stock. I can fit 7 quarts and 7 wide mouth half-pints in it at a time, and two layers of pints (can squeeze more regular mouth than wide mouth pints in there though). I've processed well over a thousand jars through that sucker over the years, and we just keep going (tuna, ground beef, stew beef, chicken, sausage patties and crumbles, vegetable/beef/turkey/chicken stocks, green beans, corn, peas, and something else I'm sure I'm forgetting). Amusingly enough, hubby got me the pressure canner for a previous Christmas than the Amish canner. He got a screamin' deal on Amazon for it, he paid something nuts like $125 or something.
In good news, it looks like I've won the fight with lard, despite a few setbacks. Just waiting for it to finish rendering before putting away for the night, yay!
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 10:46:54 AM
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Thanks Lanna I will check that out. Your canners must be really big. I guess I just have the standard ones. I had no idea that you could stack jars in a pressure canner. I thought they alway had to have liquid around them. I am still learning. Thanks so much for the info.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2012 : 1:00:15 PM
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The pressure canner just needs to come up to temp with the steam pressure, and you're golden. My All American came with two... uh, whatever those stacking-plate things are - that you put the jars on so they're not directly on the bottom of the canner. The water's just there to keep the [steam] pressure going and the canner from going kablooey. I've got a family of 6, sometimes 7, so yeah, I have to work in bulk quantities. :)
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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City Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
1402 Posts
Deb
Chattanooga
TN
USA
1402 Posts |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2012 : 12:01:51 PM
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Lana,
Nope, your not nuts at all! Smart and well prepared!
And I think there is nothing better than "shopping" in your freezers and pantry's for dinner. The less I'm at the grocery store the better!
(I, on the other hand, might be a bit nuts! Now have 3 Jersey Girls and milk filling an entire fridge, cheese and butter in the freezer. And the milk keeps on a coming! I did it to myself tho...LOL)
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2012 : 12:15:51 PM
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How fun, Alicia! I have plans for my 2-week old milk in the fridge - lots of labneh in jars for yumminess over the next several months, possibly even as gifts. :D I'm a bit envious of folks that have critters... I think the most I could handle (in addition to all the other stuff) is chickens, so we just drive up to our milk farm once a week. Now to unearth the dehydrator (apples and wheat berries are clogging the walkway) to make the yogurt... Sigh.
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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Farm Kitchen: Please tell me I'm not the only nuts one out there |
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Please tell me I'm not the only nuts one out there
