# August 2009 Prep Journal



## Guest (Aug 2, 2009)

Well, here it is August and still there has been no significant tropical weather in the Atlantic and Caribbean. This is a little unusual, but not unprecedented. The South Atlantic is steadily warming so sooner or later we'll start seeing storms. We're getting plenty of rain (and then some!) so I'll happily wait.

In the man-made world things are looking much as they did the month before and the month before that - a bit grim. No lack of forecasters saying better times are right around the corner, but I'll believe it when I see them. I hope they are right but I'm not going to count on it.

On the personal level we're mostly maintaining what we already have. We made a meat store run this weekend to restock the freezer a bit. Finally got all the vac-sealed stuff put away. The new grain mill has been ordered, but has not yet arrived. Between home and car repair bills from last month we're not planning on any other big ticket items before mid-fall at the earliest. Mostly we'll focus on bringing the rest of the food storage back up to snuff, but that won't require major money.

How is August looking for you folks?

.....Alan.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Made a trip to the mennonite store, got lemon juice for .95 qt, corn oil for 2.99 gal and coffee for .99 lb (restaurant paks..have gotten these before and been happy, packed in mylar) stocked up on all of the above for not too much


----------



## kabri (May 14, 2002)

Did 26 pints of spicy pickled green beans yesterday, turning 7 boxes of apples into sauce today and canning it too! Continuous extreme hot weather has been great for growing food this year!


----------



## shellrow (Feb 8, 2007)

I am hoping that August is going to be a good month for us. I just got a new job and that will help us out financially. With the move our garden was abandoned when we left in May and we did not have time to dig up another one here with all of the things that needed to be done but we do have several tomato plants that we started that are growing very well. I hope they produce enough to can some. The chickens and the duck are laying well and I even have one broody hen. I would love to have some baby chicks running around her soon! We are starting to prep the area that we are to have our garden in hopes that we can get a fall garden planted soon.


----------



## Cheryl in SD (Apr 22, 2005)

Our focus this summer has been learning gardening. This is the first year things appear to be working. I want to warn people, waiting until things go bad and then planning to raise your food is going to mean hungry people! Gardening to provide the most of your food isn't just tilling it up (or digging it0 and throwing seeds in the groud. We have been working on figureing this out for several years and this is THE FIRST year that it looks like we MAY get enough to make a significant dent in our food needs. August should tell the tale if we have finally figured it out.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

Well, July was prosperous for us in the growing and canning department. We also got peaches and tomatoes from local farms. The steer and pig continue to gain nicely. The pig has been fed exclusively from garden and house extras. We did lose 4 young chicks to a snake last month. One of our hens blessed us with 4 new ones last week. One of the chicks we hatched earlier in the spring must have laid for the first time yesterday as I got a very small egg out of the nest. We put 13 quarts of creamed sweet corn up yesterday. It appears that the Rattlesnake Pole Beans are going to do a second run of production as they quit during the July heat. Maybe the rain is helping. DH always says that God's watering does better than ours. Guess it is true. We hope to finish up the root cellar this month. I did great in finding a gas stove and yesterday FIL gave me a 110 gallon propane tank, so we will get it set up next weekend. We have a small 3-burner propane stove we use camping, and this was our back-up for SHTF senarios along with the wood-burning stove, but the gas stove will provide even more security, as long as the propane holds out. MIL has her stove hooked to the same size propane tank and it lasts them 3 years, so that is quite a bit of security.


----------



## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Welp. I can finally add to one of these threads.  My Artificer has started collecting waste oil (regular change your oil in the car type oil) to run the lister this winter. We already have 2 55gallon drums, which will run the thing for months. He's set up a filter system for it, and is working on an automatic filter system. 

He's also almost finished the masonry heater that will heat the house at the farm. :banana02: That means I have an oven ready to bake or roast without doing a THING all winter long. As long as the heater has been fired once that day...I have heat in the oven. 

I've also got the rabbitry for the meat rabbits ready to go. Just waiting for next weekend to purchase the first buns.

That gives us electricity off grid, battery storage, extremely efficient heating using wood (which we have plenty of), a source of cooking, and a hopefully continuous source of meat this winter. Add to that the 1/2 hog we're getting this fall, and the greenhouse that's setup, and things are looking pretty good. (fingers crossed)

I still have to dig my root cellar, but I have a number of 55gallon plastic drums that I may just dig into the side of the hill if push comes to shove this Fall.


----------



## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

kabri said:


> Did 26 pints of spicy pickled green beans yesterday, turning 7 boxes of apples into sauce today and canning it too! Continuous extreme hot weather has been great for growing food this year!


would you mind posting your recipe? I love dilly beans and would a love a spicy recipe!


----------



## jamala (May 4, 2007)

Added 15 lbs of corn meal and flour to the preps this weekend. Also added more pasta of different types. Started picking peas today to freeze for the winter.


----------



## Catshooter (May 11, 2009)

Our first garden here in SD. Man! What a dramatic difference between Washington state and South Dakota! Yikes!

We put our tomato plants two feet apart, so now we have _one_ plant about 18 feet long (five plants). Cherry tomatoes everywhere, cucumbers, beans, sweet peas, carrots, you name it. It's just silly.

The weather has been good, but not perfect. Pretty cool and we could have used more sun. My neighbor raises sheep and sells the manure. I've been helping them quite a bit including tutoring his daughter, so he gave us plenty of his one year cured manue. The plants sure love it!

I'm sure glad we escaped the coast. We love it here.


Cat


----------



## Browncoat (Jun 8, 2009)

Vacuum packed 45 pounds of flour and 30 pounds of sugar, plus rice, egg powder and butter powder to add to my stash. Found a gravy mix in the bulk aisle of Walmart and packed it, too, since I can't make gravy worth a darn. Dried okra and strawberries, and will be canning a few tomatoes tonight. Stocking up on other health supplies, trying to get ready for the flu season. Will be going back to school later this month, so I'm trying to get as much done as possible in the next couple of weeks, while I still have some of that elusive time.


----------



## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I haven't done much this month...Good thing that it is only the beginning of the month! I stocked up on 8 pounds of butter, 2 bags of chocolate chips and 6 cans of juice. Money is tight this month as we are trying to pay off a few more debts before the kids go back to college (and need stuff!) and before winter sets in with high heating bills.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

I have saved seeds for the first time: Datil pepper, Banana Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Tiny Tim Grape Tomato, Roma Tomato, and Purple-Hull Javie Pease. Still more variaties to save.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I made a major stocking run to Costco today and put a major dent in my checking account. Bought lots of pasta, #10 cans on various fruit, coffee, cocoa mix, butter, vitamins and other OTC meds, kitchen towels (I can't believe I bought them NEW!), cat food and litter, lots more. I also bought some snack type foods to put in our BOBs, things like granola bars, soup and nuts. We hit Goodwill and K-mart while we were down there, got the repair kit for the pool liner so I can fix the hole and have it filled. How many gallons of water can we store in a 12' round 4' deep swimming pool? I think it's around 2,800. That's a lot of water storage.  Stocked up on underwear and socks at the back to school sales. I found a small coffee grinder at Goodwill - might be a spice grinder, actually, as the drawer is very small, as is the hopper. Also bought lots more books - essential supplies if we are bugging in! Came home and picked the first cucumbers in our garden - not quite enough for the first batch of sweet pickles, but a great start. The plants are totally loaded with tiny cukes. We are starting to get ripe tomatoes, too, and the seeds from the onions are nearly ready to harvest. Even the corn is looking more like a success - the earlier planted corn is starting to tassel, and the corn I planted a few weeks ago is already nearly a foot tall! I might just get some corn on the cob yet.  I still have to get everything put away, but the pantry is looking good.


----------



## jehoshaphat (Feb 13, 2004)

One of my major areas for prepping has been doing as many have advised when short on cash, learn a new skill! or hone one you have. Have been working on cooking more & different recipes using ingredients on hand. growing a garden with raised beds & lasagna style methods, making gifts from things i have on hand (afghans from pile of yarn) doing without! the last one of doing without isnt just going without but not buying or doing something just because i used to do it or want it. reassessing needs vs wants. i dont typically shop for myself & it has shown. i get things for others but not me. i was getting low on some things & checked to see what i needed. i was able to delay getting some items & then found them new @ 75% off! i just harvested some potatoes from planting about 5 # that wouldve normally gone to waste before. they had sprouted big time & if i had cut out all the eyes there wouldnt have been much left. also had saved some eyes from peeling other potatoes. We've dug 3 times now & have gotten about 8-10# & only dug about 1 foot of a 10 ft lasagna bed! they are good too! love my raised beds & plan to build more. I need to keep on piling more layers to keep level high enough next yr. they broke down very well & ended up a bit low. so my prepping is going well.


----------



## Gardencrazy (Apr 14, 2009)

I picked enough hot peppers to can tomorrow. Have to go to Sam's to get vinegar and a few more things we're getting low on. My husband and I both purchased handguns and practiced at the range. Other than that trying to take it easy to rest my back before I have to go back to work on Friday.


----------



## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

Any kind of prepping is on hold right now as I get prepared to go to college next week. Even with scholarships and the HOPE Grant and going to a small school.....that hurts. I just hope that I don't have to take out student loans!!! I just can't see leaving school with debt!!! Arghh....


----------



## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

rose, don't let the tomatoes ripen in the sun...it makes them mushy. They just need a warm place to ripen...like on the counter in your kitchen.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

All preps are happening in the garden/kitchen here. Just finished 18 pints of green tomato relish...DH loves relish and it is over $2 a small jar around here. Everything but the spices and vinegar from the garden so just alot of chopping. So pretty think I'll make another batch for Christmas gifts...usually give the kids food baskets with herbs,soup mixes,etc.

DH always drains his oil cans..he says there is usually 1/2 cup or more from one of those 5 qt. jugs so it does add up. He does oil changes for the kids and they are all indoctrinated about 3 mos. or 3000 miles! Seriously, he ran his Neon for 260,000 miles with no major repairs; just oil changes and standard maintenance. Amazing how many things are discarded and just needed cleaning or lubricating. 

Got an order in from Emergency Essentials for their complete instant potatoes....just add water. They are really good and only boiling water needed. 

Going to take a run to a new store which advertises canning supplies if it rains like predicted this afternoon. Pa out bringing in the supers from his hives so know what we'll be doing tomorrow. Had the bee escapes on last several days. Hopefully, the bees will mind their own business and work the clover that is in bloom and stay out of the garage! DEE


----------



## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Collecting eggs for one last set of quail before the weather turns cold. The gardens are late this year due to the cool, wet weather so no canning yet. Rain in the forecast for this weekend so 'we be jammin' " in the kitchen to make room in the freezer (we freeze all the berries during the summer until we are ready to make jam) for this weekend's rabbit roundup...yep, time to cull the rabbits and send some to freezer camp. 

Time to set up the game camera too and dust off the bow. Archery season for whitetail deer starts in two months and I need to practice. Lots of activity this year with at least 3 pair of twins in the area.


----------



## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

This may sound small but we are just starting - I bought 10lb of each wheat flower and white flour, and an extra 3lb bag of rice this shopping trip.


----------



## RuralSerenity (Jul 6, 2009)

Stocked up on white vinegar while it was on sale at $1.49/gallon. 

Found a bulk supplier (online) for herbs, spices and essential oils - got a GREAT price on dill seed, so I bought 5 pounds at $2.38/pound.


----------



## rickd203 (Sep 11, 2005)

Hi everyone,
I havenât posted lately because I finally did bug-out/escape from the Peoples Republic of Connecticut. Right now Iâm sitting at the edge of a huge section of BLM land. Iâm not sure if I will stay here or move on to my original destination. Either place would be good for long term survival but with BLM land, I would have to wait until the govt. collapses to develop a retreat. I did try to post earlier but internet service here is not too reliable and my last message got lost. I have also been busy doing regular 5+ mile hikes with full packs to get my strength up and my weight down. My goal will be to go 5 miles carrying my body weight in gear.

One advantage of my present location is the abundance of stores that sell prep supplies. Even Wal-Mart sells super pail foods, freeze dried foods, 55 gallon water drums and other prep gear. Much of my original prep foods were grocery store items that generally had a 1 year shelf life so I am replacing them with prep foods that have a 5-20 year shelf life. The solar powered battery charger I picked up seems to be doing a good job. At least I know that I will be able to charge my AAA to D sized batteries. Now I need to work on getting some larger 60+ watt solar panels for general house electricity. There are also plenty of camping and farm supply stores here for me to stock up on supplies for building my retreat. 

I did find a web site with a really good assortment of free survival related eBooks, http://www.4shared.com/. I downloaded a bunch of medical, survival and military type books. After I collect a few easy to get supplies, I can sleep safer knowing that if a real EOTWAWKI situation develops, I can put up a ring of death around my retreat strong enough to stop a small army of zombies. I could also use it to blast out a quick down and dirty underground retreat.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Rose, you might want to call if you haven't gotten your Emergency Essentials order yet...I find them very speedy. Within a week I generally get my order FedEx and never has anything been backordered. We just ordered the instant potato deal and they were here in 5 days! Did you get an email confirmation? Even when we recently ordered 13 buckets they were here in 10 days...I keep track on my calendar! Had to send out a huge Fed Ex truck as they were on a pallet. DH was happy to get thepallet for stacking on on! DEE


----------



## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

The last couple of weeks I have purchased lots of pasta, 50 lbs flour, 25 lbs oatmeal, tuna (on sale), 10 cans ravioli (quick lunch if needed) 20 lbs sugar, a seal a meal sealer, a new bread machine (mine died), 8 cans coffee (on sale) coffee filters, frozen broccoli, 2 cans of instant drink mix, bottle juice and butter added this to the stock I have already and still feel that it is not enough&#8230;but I also know that I can only add a little at a time. If I didn&#8217;t buy the sealer and bread maker I could have purchased more food but need the sealer for the chickens that I will be slaughtering next month. Last year ice was in the bags I used and I do not want that this year. 

From this point on I will be adding more and more as we have a little extra money this time of the year. By October I should be ready if we have bad weather snow/ice.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Got the swimming pool fixed and set up - just need to call for it to be filled. Had a brainstorm about it, too. I think I'm going to try to divert rain water off the barn roof into the pool this winter. If I can keep the top covered, and figure out how to access the water for the animals without exposing all the water to elements (and the junk that blows off the trees, etc), and place a filter on the downspout, I should be able to store a good amount of reasonably clean water. Hmm, just thinking as I type here, I think I can just run the pool filter and instead of having the water go through the inlet hose into the pool, direct the hose into the buckets or figure out a connector to a hose for easier filling of troughs.  Now to figure out a good pool cover that won't allow water to collect on top of the cover, won't blow away in the high winds we can get here, etc. Any ideas?

On the garden front, I spent yesterday pruning out the spent 2nd year canes in the raspberry patch, giving the first year canes more room to grow and making it a little easier to harvest the coming fruit. I was able to pull a little rhubarb, lots more cucumbers (ready to start the sweet pickles), and snap peas. I noticed that my snow peas were putting out some fresh growth from the bottom, so I'm experimenting by cutting the plants back to just above that point. Will I get a fall crop from them? Only time will tell, but if it works, I can save the seed I dried on the old vines to plant in the spring instead of planting it for a fall crop. Wish I'd thought of that before I pulled a bunch of vines from the regular green pea row. <sigh> It'll be interesting, though, to see if replanting seeds for a fall pea crop works better or worse than cutting back the plants. Better to experiment now than in a survival-type situation!

Next up on the project list? I just HAVE to get my hearth frame built and installed. I am soooo bad about procrastinating - I can find lots of other projects to do in order to stall on this, most important job of putting in my wood stove. Please, guys, make me accountable to you? Nag me a little? TIA!


----------



## Jo (May 11, 2002)

MGM, I would think you would want to get the stove in, it would be a great savings, if you have a good supply of wood. Plus wood stove heat is so warm. 
Hey were going to the ocean at Westport and Long Beach again, so looking forward to the vacation. We take hwy 12 home, so I always think of you.


----------



## Ode (Sep 20, 2006)

We purchased almost 20 lbs of raw honey from our fave honey supplier. A mix of orange blossom and locust. I guess we got our order in just in time, they were nearly out of the raw locust honey for this year. Next year we'll probably order more than we did this year, one of our new treats is cinnamon toast made with a 4.5% oil content cinnamon (omg it's so fragrant and delicious!!!) and honey instead of sugar. Means we are going through the honey stash a little bit faster than we'd like.

http://ebeehoney.com/ 

We have planned 2 big purchases in the next few months, so those are the big prep items in our pipeline. A good sewing machine to replace the carp-tastic one I currently own, and a good meat grinder. I have one that is an attachment for my Kitchen aid but really want to have one with a bigger motor that can handle more volume. The Kitchen aid is sensitive, and I worry about it overheating.

Aside from those we really can't do much else. We spent quite a bit on an unexpected trip due to a death in the family, and that ate into the savings fund.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

mayngoatnmore,

When DH had a pool, he put a couple of those swing rings under the pool cover and the cover did not hold water, it would run off.

DH got the new gas stove installed and DS painted the gas tank. We got it finished and are on the list for the gas company to deliver propane next week. We are getting it from a compnay 60 miles away that is just trying to get some business, they told me that. Their price is $1.599. The gas company here is $1.999. 

I did save more Datil pepper, okra, banana pepper, and jalapeno pepper seeds.


----------



## jamala (May 4, 2007)

cleaned out the hurricane emergency cabinet today to check and make sure none of my supplies had expired or gotten used without me knowing. reorganized everything and made my list of things to add. Now to get into the pantry tomorrow and get it reorganized.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Last month was a busy month but this one looks to be even harder to get everything done. Buying some extra wood for the stove, 18-20' logs, have to be cut and split when they get here. Finishing the barn and getting all the batten put on. Hatching some chicks so they have time to get winter hardy. Right now we are working on canning 7 bushels of tomatoes into various sauces and such. Canning is taking a lot of our time as everything is coming in at a heavy rate right now. Our wheat order is placed, and I just finished re-tilling the garden and planting our fall crops. And then there is the other million things on the "if I get time list".


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*Jo*, you'll be happy to hear that I finally got my rear in gear and worked on the hearth today! I finished putting the frame together and screwing it to the floor, filling it with the concrete blocks and laid out the cement backer board - now to cut the backer board to size, screw it on and lay the tile. After that is done, I can put the stove up on the hearth and get the hole cut in the roof for the stovepipe. 

*firegirl*, did you mean swim rings? I puzzled and puzzled over swing rings and that's the closest I could come up with. :shrug:

I shredded zucchini for the freezer today, started a batch of sweet pickles, and canned rhubarb sauce - only made a couple half pints, but it's 2 more than I did have!


----------



## Jo (May 11, 2002)

MGM, Way to Go!! It's great to read here and see people getting things done. You'll love the warm heat this winter. 

Ron cleaned the freezer today and we found food that got put to the back, so more things to fix when we get back from our trip. Were trying to just spend cash......boy is that hard. 

I planted a new kind of tomato this year, may just be new to me, any way we are having tomatoes way earlier to eat this year. They taste good too. they should be riping really fast when we come back. I love having stewed tomatoes all year.


----------



## swamp man (Dec 25, 2005)

I went through quite a bit of my preps over the last several months due to slow times at work (folks ain't exactly beatin' down the door for landscaping and sprinkler systems when the economy is in the toilet), but have been able to start rebuilding the last coupla' weeks......but hey....that's what the stuff was there for, right?

As for storeable foods, I've been picking up whatever is on sale that I know I'll eat when I make my regular grocery trips.....lotsa' rice, lotsa' beans, lotsa' pasta, and I hit a pretty sweet deal on canned chicken breasts.

What's available as far as ammo at Wally's here is still very hit and miss, but what IS there has come down in price signifigantly...picked up another fifty rounds of .44 mag and another hundred of 9mm, along with a target so's I can dust of the bow. Shot a few arrows yesterday, and suffice it to say that I am......err...rusty.

I got eight banty hens and a new rooster a coupla' weeks ago, a free score from a buddy that had too many. These are my first bantys, and although the eggs are smaller, they're solid layers and are outlaying the RIR's and Buffs somethin' awful.

I've got a little work to do on the hog pen this weekend, and will put the boar and sow together for some pig romance.

The heat has been awfully hard on the rabbits, but when it cools off a little, we'll try breeding them again.

Been using my Dutch oven a little just for the easy stuff, but have been doing some reading, and hope to learn to use it to bake.


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Got my wheat order. Checked to see if it would sprout and it does so it needs to be packed and stored. Trying to reorganize. The humidity and wet has gotten to some of the stored items. Looking at filling some major duty holes, like cleaning supplies for the guns. Am not quite sure how that one got by......the logs are still looking to be cut, been to warm lately to cut wood. Seriously looking for a snowblower for the tractor and log splitter. Neither of them come cheap. The grain mill just got pushed down the list. Can't believe it is August already, am not sure where July went.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

Yes, I meant Swim rings. Typo on my part, glad you figured it out.


----------



## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I added a new flashlight to the preps tonight, it is an LED that runs off "C" batteries "AA' batteries, or "AAA" batteries, this one will be great for the kids because whatever batteries they have on hand they can use.


----------



## oakwoods201 (Dec 21, 2008)

pickled 9 pints of beets, 18 qts of tomatoes, 5 qts tomato juice, 24 pints of kraut and 8 qts white half runner green beans. Dug up a couple hundred lbs potatoes. Had a friend give me a 1/2 bushel of okra yesterday (it goes in the freezer tomorrow), my okra and corn will be ready this weekend. that's it as far as food so far this month. As for trying something new, I am making a braided rag rug. so far, so good!


----------



## Sabre3of4 (May 13, 2008)

Hey I finally have something I can add again.

I scrounged a trellis from a huge trash pile someone was throwing out. The pile also had a huge bunch of stackable plastic storage cubes that was got and there was a little weber kettle grill but while we were packing up the cubes, some guy drove up and grabbed it before I could get it in the car
I must say I was shocked, he didn't ask the homeowner if he could take(like I did) or anything:stars:. The whole thing is just strange to me because I was raised not to do that. Trash picking was allowed and indeed time honored but you always asked the owner and if someone else was there first, you asked before grabbing......

Oh well, the cubes are useful and I have a place for the trellis

Sabrina


----------



## topaz (Jul 28, 2009)

HI
would like to join in if that's ok.
Today I made 4 small holder cheeses, 2 ricotta and about a kilo of butter.
dehydrated a couple of kilos of potatoes.

Over the weekend, we paced out and dug the new vegetable garden Doubling the size of the outdoor gardens).

started seedlings of tomatoes, beans and onions ( I live in New Zealand, so we are about to enter Spring)

Its been a very busy few days!


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

Welcome aboard, Topaz! Sounds like you are very busy!


----------



## Guest (Aug 12, 2009)

If you wanna talk prep anyone can join! Welcome to the journal!

.....Alan.


----------



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Welcome Topaz! Sounds like you've been busy.

Our summer is winding down, and the garden is starting to look fried. We have been so dry, it's affected the production, even with watering by hose. This month I canned 8 quarts of tomatoes, dehydrated corn to fill one quart jar, pickled a bunch of jalapenos and pearl onions, made another 20 pints of dill and bread & butter pickles, and froze two quart ziploks of blueberries. Made 6 pints of grape jam thanks to generous neighbors bringing us their concord grapes. Dehydrated token amounts of broccoli, onions, chives and herbs, to add to existing jars. Also canned 10 quarts of green beans, and I think we're done with beans now. 

I've also made dehydrated beef crumbles from 4 pounds of ground beef. I like how easily it stores and how easy it is to rehydrate and cook with. I've got about two quart jars full now, but I have to work on it as we can afford it because beef is expensive and it dehydrates down to almost nothing.


----------



## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

Husband has been doing a great job with his gardens -weeding, picking, etc. Last week I dehydrated for the first time and can't wait to get some more fruit/veggies to do more. I also scored a FoodSaver for next to nothing! Works fantastic! I ordered more bags on ebay and got them within 2-3 days. I can't wait to seal more stuff. LOL 

I've been gathering more info for printing for my 3-ring binder of information. I'm trying to figure out what works for us and what steps to take next. I have my O2 absorbers and hope to add those to all my PETE 1 bottles of beans, rice, and pasta this week. 

I will say thanks for this thread. It always gives me more ideas and motivation! Oh, and last night I worked on getting some things out of the house to sell that we have never used (those lovely gifts that I always wonder how no one knows me at all?). They are taking up too much precious space.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Pa finished extracting his honey and we got it bottled up. Have it in four local shops and keep busy keeping them stocked. A good crop this year even though spring was rainy and we had to feed hives to keep them alive until the rain stopped. Got a few more supers but they will be the 5 gal. pail we put aside for our own use.

Don't understand where your order is, Rose...order 6 buckets last week and due by FedEx today per the tracking order.

Sure glad we have tons of tomatoes when I read about the blight. Glad I grow my own plants...never was impressed with the plants at the big box stores. Usually underwatered,overfertilized,pot bound and just plain sad! Everyone I give plants to rave on their gardens. Picking canteloupe now...and no one likes it but me so I can eat as much as I want! Over 100 qts. tomatoes done, still working on beans. Froze alot of pepper stripes as we like on pizza in the winter. Tried some pineapple jam which never really jelled but still yummy; especially on ice cream. 

Our new Jersey cow and her heifer are doing well. Coming when called now and oh, that creme! DEE


----------



## Browncoat (Jun 8, 2009)

Making sure winter coats/jackets are cleaned and ready to go. Also looking at getting more winter survival clothing, and the list provided in another post here will help immensely. Dress pants and boots with 2-inch heels aren't exactly EOTW friendly. Going to get the fall/winter bug-out-bags for me and the hound-beast ready to go. Almost had to use them a couple of years ago due to fires, and while it was a frightening experience, it was made somewhat less so because we were "ready" to go - no freaking out wondering what to take, since it was already packed. I've also informed mom that we're going to start storing extra clothes and provisions at her house just in case we do have to bug out for whatever reason. 

Mostly trying to get ready for the return to school with pre-cooking and freezing meals, especially soups. Trying to get an inventory of what I already have and to find a place for more. All my shelves are full. What a wonderful problem to have! Trying to save some seeds and making plans for next year's garden, but I'm a better planner than a doer.


----------



## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

In the past week at Price Chopper, we stocked up on personal hygiene products: shower gel, lotion and a few other miscellaneus products. We also got 4 packs of ground turkey sausage and a couple boxes of pasta. Our coupon savings & club savings were $51 there.

We did really well at Aldi's, too... Got 6 packs of whole wheat hamburger buns (75 cents each!), 1 box of powdered milk, a box of tea, 6 cans of evaporated milk, a couple of canisters of quick oatmeal, chocolate chips, walnuts for baking, more frozen canned juice, gallon of apple cider vinegar, 8 boxes of turkey breakfast sausage, a bag of chicken wings and 300 paper plates.

This weekend, we'll stock up on 100 lbs of feed for the chickens and quail and 5 lbs of oyster shell.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

I advertised on the newly returned Swap, Buy, and Sale at a radio station about 40 miles from us. You call in telling them what you want to buy or sale or swap. They also put it in the next day's newspaper. I got lucky because I called in last Friday, so my ad ran Sat, Sun, and Mon. I advertised for quart and pint canning jars. Two individuals called and told me that they had canning jars they would give me free. I went to one of them today and got 1 doz. Ball wide mouth quarts, 2 dozen regular mouth quarts and 2 dozen pints and half-pints. I took him a pint of the pear preserves I finished last night and he told me that he had a pear tree that was loaded at his farm and for me to call him in a couple of weeks and I could have all the pears I wanted. I see the other lady tomorrow to pick up hers. I also stopped in an antique store to look around and was telling the man in there why I was in that town. He told me he has people give him jars at auctions and he will save them for me and call me when he gets them for a couple jars of canned fruit and tomatoes. Can't beat that deal! What a nice score for today!


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Great deal on jars and pears, firegirl! 
Canning chx soup and ministrone today- use all the thinning carrots and onions for it. (and extra roosters from spring hatch)
Deer were in the orchard the night before last, really damaged some young trees! Put up wire last night, hope it worked.
Ordered from Emergency essentials- a great deal on freeze dried strawberries this month. 
Having a lady from church come over today to learn how to pressure can and help- will be nice to have extra hands! 
We are also planning for a preparedness fair in Sept.- T.C. Sherry is to be our speaker- should be great! 
Rose, you are smart to evaluate your productive seeds now, so easy to forget which varieties excelled! Good thinking.


----------



## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

I am still working on my solar panel project. We have the homemade frame built and all the compontents, just waiting on my ex (with electrical experience) to come and tie it all together. 
I installed a solar powered spot light on my back porch. Its a motion sensor one so it will come on when anyone walks by.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

Today I got the jars from the other lady who responded to my ad for canning jars. She gave me 5 dozen pint jars, 1 case of unopened jelly jars, and 2 gallon old blue Ball canning jars with the lids on them. I will treasure these and just use them for storage as they are too precious to actually can with. She also gave me a case of singing Birthday cards for the senior citizens.


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

TMC, LOL, right now 100 lbs of feed last about four days, I can hardly wait to butcher! 

Long overlooked prep, dug out the paperwork, which is two years old, for my pistol permit. I really hate to spend the money on it plus the scutiny. I have never been finger printed before!


----------



## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

I've been doing some fishing lately to keep grocery bill down, keep in practice, and relax. But I did hit some snags and lost some hooks. So I have been going through the fishing tackle and making sure I have extra of the basics.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

*tab*, I hear you n the fingerprinting - the most I've ever done is put a thumbprint on the back of a check some 10 years ago - wouldn't have done it then if I didn't have a check that I was sure wouldn't be good if I waited to send it through my own bank. I do want to get my concealed carry permit, though, so I may have to bite the bullet, so to speak, lol.

*Iris*, fishing gear is a big hole in my preps - thanks for the reminder. With a salmon and steelhead river right out the back door (well, close enough to walk, anyway), and a lake full of bass, crappie and carp, etc 5 miles away by road (closer as the crow flies), that should be a major SHTF/frugalness prep. We have a few hooks, etc around, but the fishing poles have disappeared along the line. Time to add them back onto the to-do list, along with fishing licenses. Seems like I don't take the time to go sit on the bank and fish - too much to do around here - but if I don't practice up again now (and teach my dd), it won't do us much good if we had to rely on our fishing skills.

Making more progress on the hearth. The deck backer board is cut and installed, and I've laid out the tiles with the spacers. I played with the tiles quite a bit until I got them the way I want them, including the trim pieces. I have most of the tiles marked for cutting for the deck edges and the sides of the deck. Still need to figure out the back of the hearth and build it. I have it pictured in my mind and have built it a few times in my head, so it should go together fairly quickly tomorrow. Once all the tiles are ready for cutting, I'll need to make a trip to town to use the machine at Lowe's. If all goes well, I should have everything laid, cured and grouted just in time for the good weather to return. It's been cloudy and rainy here for the past week, which the garden has appreciated, but which makes it a bit of a gamble to cut a hole through my roof!

Other than that, I've been working on the garden and starting to put more in the freezer and canner. The pea vines that I cut back are growing, flowering and setting new peas! So glad to see that my experiment worked (so far). This is sure faster than having to replant for a fall crop. The rhubarb has reestablished itself (after being mercilessly divided in spring), so I'm getting more put in the freezer and canned as sauce. After thinning out the old raspberry canes, I'm getting great fruit set from this year's canes - should be hitting the main crop in a few weeks. Just wish I was getting more ripe tomatoes - the plants are loaded, but the recent cool down has slowed the ripening. Supposed to get into the 90's this coming week, so I'm hopeful of getting enough to can yet.

The Costco trip really put a hole in my finances for the month - at least until next Friday's payday, so I've put off any further grocery shopping until then. So glad to have the garden, animals, freezer, and pantry to feed us - we are sure not going hungry!  Using the extra eggs to supplement our Great Pyr's diet - she whelped the 10th with *THIRTEEN* pups. Unfortunately, they are mixed breed pups, so I don't think I'll be able to sell them - I'll probably be giving them away in 8-12 weeks, if anyone is interested in 1/2 GP LGDs. They'll be raised with goats and assorted other critters, and mom is an excellent stock guardian, so with any luck, they'll take after Momma. Not sure who the daddy is, but I'm sure it's NOT the Golden Retriever I was hoping for. I might be out in front of Wal-Mart with a box, lol!


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

DH and I bought 75 lbs of pure cane sugar yesterday along with 25 lbs plain flour, 2 boxes (20 envelopes) of powdered milk, 3 bottles of lemon juice, 1 bottle of lime juice, and 2 boxes of black pepper. We are securing it in 5-gallon buckets today. We also picked up the long-awaited Breadbecker's co-op order yesterday afternoon. I can't fuss though as the delivery man was away picking up his child from a foreign adoption. Yipee for them! We got 90 more lbs of wheat berries, 45 lbs of hulled barley, 2 quarts of wildflower honey, and 2 gamma lids. I also got 2 gallons of wildflower honey from another honey co-op that delivered to our administrator's house. So this really filled in some holes in the preps. I hope to get some more bags of sugar this week as we bought all that was on the Wal-Mart shelves. They really had lots of holes in their shelves when we did our shopping yesterday.


----------



## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

Garden is starting to die out with the hot, dry weather we had lately. But this has been a busy few weeks. Dug out all of the onions which were starting to get mushy in the ground and about 1/3 of the potatoes. Planted a fall crop of lettuce and green beans. Traded veggies with a neighbor and got egg plants, green peppers and hot peppers for salsa - saving tomatoes until I get enough to can. Froze corn, green beans, shredded and cubed zucchini, and blueberries. Canned pickled beets. Made a trip to Costco and stocked up on honey, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, vitamins, soup, sugar, powdered coffee creamer, and trail mix. Baked zucchini bread â one to eat and the others to freeze. Inventoried freezer â found some surprises which we have to eat asap! And just for fun, potted cuttings from a philodendron to make a plant for my office so that I didnât spend money buying one.


----------



## Guest (Aug 17, 2009)

My, but the journal has really taken off this month! Glad to see it!

I made a Sam's Club run yesterday about half of which was shelf-storage stuff and the other half for the freezer. More cooking oil, coffee, M&Ms, Cheerios and that sort of thing. Got everything but the baking soda repacked and vac-sealed as I was working on supper. Messed up on getting on the road when I should have so didn't get home in time to make the weekly bread (grump!) but fortunately I've got some in the freezer. Still have to get everything labeled or dated then put away which I hope to get to during the week.

Saturday the low-pressure system that was to turn into Claudette stormed all over us so it was hard getting anything done outside. Managed to make a dump run between showers and on the way back picked up the rest of the materials we'll need to build the Kinder Major's chicken tractor for her show birds (black silkies). I'm hoping to use it as a proof-of-concept for a new design rather than the cattle-panel hoop I've been using. If it works we'll make a larger one for our working birds and retire one of the older tractors.

Finished the fifth (and likely last) of the cattle panel chicken tractors last week. This one has the White Midet turkeys and the Jersey Giant chickens in it so I made the next box larger and the roosts further apart. So far, so good. The turkeys graze the ground much harder than the chickens do. Looking forward to hatching our own poults next year.

.....Alan.


----------



## PulpFaction (Jul 23, 2009)

crehberg said:


> Any kind of prepping is on hold right now as I get prepared to go to college next week. Even with scholarships and the HOPE Grant and going to a small school.....that hurts. I just hope that I don't have to take out student loans!!! I just can't see leaving school with debt!!! Arghh....


I put off school until next year because I got a late start on getting my grants/scholarships together. 

Other than that, I bought an Airstream trailer at the end of the month that I will be working on when I head back down South at the end of the season (Octoberish) to work on as my studio. I've also been working about 60 hours a week and eliminated most over-head expenses in hopes of saving up enough to buy some land or something when I go back. The alternative might be to have a long sit-down with the parents and arrange to turn their 2 acre pain in the butt lawn into something useful in exchange for rent. It would also give me some time to save more instead of financing land. (Provided I can find a job there!)

Because of the upcoming move, I've mostly given up all plans for improving my current situation for when TSHTF, but do maintain some bulk dry foods since we have unlimited access to clean water, fish, and lots of other wild foods here.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

I went back to the Wallyworld we visited on Saturday. They had restocked their empty shelves, so I got 5 more 25 lb bags of pure cane sugar. I also got a gallon of apple cider vinegar and some bay leaves and allspice out of the hispanic foods section.


----------



## Nancy (May 14, 2002)

Gardening and canning and trying to resupply things as the money is available. I buy canning lid flats all year every time I go to the grocery store. Usually just a couple. That way I stay supplied without a lot of expense. Today I had a friend over who wanted to learn how I do my V-8 juice as she and her DH love it so. I let her borrow my Victorio Strainer so she can try it out. She wants to buy her own but thought it best to try it first before investing her money. We got 9 quarts of juice made today. Teaching someone else how to preserve their own food is a nice survival technique 
My pullets are now laying well to add to the egg mix. We have 36 hens now so we keep ourselves supplied with eggs as well as a few friends which pays for the egg feed.


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

A fireman in our station told DH that we could have all the pears we wanted off his tree. So, DH and I went yesterday and picked four 5 gallon bucket fulls. I canned 10 quarts and 1 pint of them in halves today. I also prepared pears for old-fashioned pear preserves that I will finish tomorrow. DH helped me prepare the pears, onions, and peppers to make a big batch of pear relish. I got it ready as it has to sit the night and I will finish it in the morning. We still have lots of pears to can as well, so I will do more halves and some pieces for tarts. The paper is still running my free ad for canning jars and I had two calls yesterday. One lady has 4 dozen pints she is going to let me get and a man called that has 10 dozen quarts, so DH will pick these up Friday when he is near the man's hometown on business. I sure am blessed to get these as I am almost out of jars.


----------



## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

My tomatoes are finally ripening. I canned 13 quarts of juice last night. Dried another dehydrator full of chard. Its amazing you can crunch all that dried chard into a pint jar! Starting to get okra which I'm also drying. I've dried a few tomatoes and will do more after I get enough juice canned. 

We got new carpet for our bedroom -- I consider necessary home upkeep as a prep. A friend & I ripped out the old and cleaned up the mess one Sat. The next Sat. we painted and Tues. had the carpet professionally installed. 

My second planting of green beans should be ready for picking next week. The pinto beans growing on the fence are absolutely loaded. Usual harvest is 1 gallon of dried beans but I anticipate a lot more unless we get an early frost. We've started harvesting potatoes. Supper of new potatoes with parsley, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet corn all from the garden. Life just doesn't get better than that!!


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Still plugging away at the hearth. I took all the tiles to Lowe's for cutting, but the guy goofed and cut 2 of the tiles the wrong direction first, making the rest of the pieces the wrong size. Then when I laid it all back out at home, I couldn't get it all to work. I ended up spending hours today figuring out what else needed cut to fix it all. I think I have it all planned out now and the pieces that need to go in for more cutting are all marked, complete with cutting order. I'm ready to mix mortar for the deck, but can't do the back or the base yet. 

I started another batch of sweet pickles today - the first batch is nearly ready to can. The tomatoes are still not ripening very fast. Luckily, my sister called me today and she has tomatoes coming out her ears - hoping she brings me some next week when they come over. Strawberries are setting lots of runners, so I should have plenty more strawberry plants to sell this fall and next spring. More raspberry plants coming up, too.  We dug another 5 gallon pail of potatoes yesterday and there are lots more plants not ready for harvest yet, plus the orchard patch growing under mulch.

I'm also working on getting the shed I started last year finished at last. I'm using a lot of partial sheets of plywood for the walls, so it involves a lot of cutting and piecing. Just got started on it tonight, so tomorrow I need to get cracking on it. It needs to be finished in time for the next shipment of hay. Need to build a few more matching sheds - a woodshed, lumber storage shed, and a general storage/garden shed. I still want to put a sunroom/greenhouse on the south end of the house, too, so I'm going to be busy.

I bought a couple big bottles of Stabil and a few more hoses yesterday while I was at Lowe's. My son borrowed my truck yesterday, so he took my load to the dump and filled another 5 gallon gas can for me. Unfortunately, even with fresh gas and oil, I can't get the lawnmower to start. I'd really like to get the rest of the dry grass in the pastures knocked down. I'm continuing to water the pastures, orchard and lawn heavily to keep the danger of wildfire to a minimum.

I spent some time fixing the swing sets up for my grandkids - play is a vital prep! If my kids and grands come here in a SHTF situation, I want them to be able to get outside and burn some energy on the playsets and swings. 

The power went out for about an hour today - gave me a chance to see what all I could still work on without grid power. I need a genny!


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Checked the pears and starting to fall from the tree so need to get them picked soon...before the deer get them all. Thank goodness the main crop of tomatoes is put by. Still picking green beans. Harvested more herbs to dry--parsley,sage,thyme. Made batches of sweet/sour chicken and layered chili and they turned out great...ate a jar of the chicken to see if I'd want to make more...delicious over rice. Trying to get more meat canned up as it is lacking in my storage.

Got our honey in the local stores that let us put it there and sales have been brisk. People wanting the biggest jars,too. Maybe just the customers that wanted more last year and we were sold out so getting it while the getting is good??? 

Our new Jersey cow is milking better now that she knows us...made our first batch of mozzarella cheese yesterday...did something wrong along the way but still turned into cheese! Guess we need to skim all the creme off our rich milk next time. Pa enjoying the whey along with the chickens and dogs. 

Working on getting the barn ready for winter. New sliding door for the cow side. Barn is ancient but does has concrete on one side with stanchions and Esther is happy to go to her stanchion to be milked. Want to get a pen built in there so can seperate Joy,her heifer at nite. Enjoying having milk again....and got our first two eggs from our new flock of Barred Rocks today!!!!! Yipee. The five old hens that survived the culling were only giving us 2-3 every other day. DEE


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

DH had to go out of town on business today as he does most Fridays, so I went with him and we met two people who had called about my ad for quart and pint jars. We brought home 10 dozen quarts and 7 dozen pints. What a score!


----------



## kully (Feb 19, 2008)

My daughters helped me clean out a storage building and we hauled stuff to the dump, to the Good Will and I let them take anything they wanted . When we got the building emptied, we added metal shelves all around the sides and took all the boxes and boxes of canned food out , I have checked the temps in there and I will need to get a small air conditioner to keep it cool enough, but that should not be a problem.The building used to be a small gift shop and there is an opening for the ac.

I'm so glad to have more room in the house now and love to go out and just look at all my jars lined up. Got to get a lock for the door, and lots more arranging to do , and an inventory. Ah, work is never done! For someone who is 70 and not in good health, even a little work is too much sometimes, but I keep plugging along. I find it very inspiring to read what everyone is doing and it helps keep me going. 

Good news! Both my daughters, (who for a long time, thought I was losing it) have come to the conclusion that prepping might not be a bad idea. They are getting started and I just pray they will have time to accomplish what they need to. 

There are 4 cases of swine flu in our little school just two streets behind me. My great grandson, 8, who lives with me is in third grade there. I am buying meds , and planning what to do if one of us gets sick. I have a "flu bucket" made up with things we'd need .


----------



## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

It was on the news that Georgia Southern University has 50 potential H1N1 cases. The tests for confirmation will be back next week. Scary as this is not that far from us.


----------



## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Just been gardening and canning.......lots and lots of gardening and canning...

Oh, and I did FINALLY buy a pressure canner. Lost power for two days a couple weeks ago and that was an interesting experience. Definitely gonna put most meats into cans from now on.


----------



## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

IMHO, canning is definitely the better way to go for things that go into soups, casseroles, stews, pies, and such. Longer shelf life. No power failure worries as long as the house doesn't get cold enough for the jars to freeze. 

I'm in the process of trying to cut down on the amount of food that I keep in my freezer. Either can or dehydrate for long term. Hope to switch the upright freezer to block ice storage. Temporary storage of things to be canned or dehydrated. And, storage of things that just don't work well in canned or dehydrated form, such as breads, premade pies, cuts of meat to grill, etc. 

Lee


----------



## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Even with the unpredictability of electric here, I like using the freezer(s) for prep foods better than canning. The food tastes fresher and it's easier for smaller food quantities since it's only DH and myself that are eating it. This month has been cut corn, corn on the cob, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, green beans, squash, whole tomatoes, stuffed green and red peppers, and now working on getting the lima beans frozen. 

Our tomato crop just isn't making what it should, so I'm getting several bushels from my brother. DH is canning these into juice. 

We haven't made a grocery stock-up trip in a few months so that's on the list for the end of this month to replenish supplies. We're still into a home remodeling project that's proceeding one baby step at a time. Next big step is tearing out the old back doors and frames and replacing before winter sets in. Also still have to clean the chimney and woodstove and get winter ready. There's always a never-ending list of things that need to be done.


----------



## SLD Farm (Dec 19, 2007)

I added 14 pts of Bread & Butter pickles, 2# of bread yeast and 5# of sugar to the pantry. Went thru a few things in the fruit cellar and checked on my jar inventory. In good shape so soon as the tomatoes start ripening well, I will be canning tomato juice and tomatoes. We won't have enough grapes for wine this year, so I will be making jelly & jams.
When we bought the farm 5 yrs ago, we were told that the cistern had a crack and wouldn't hold water. That has always been on the list of things to do, but never gotten done. I decided to take a look at it the other day, levered the very heavy concrete lid up, and it was 3/4 full of water! Maybe it does have a crack in it and leak, but it does hold water! Happy day!


----------



## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Wisconsin Ann said:


> Welp. I can finally add to one of these threads.  My Artificer has started collecting waste oil (regular change your oil in the car type oil) to run the lister this winter. We already have 2 55gallon drums, which will run the thing for months. He's set up a filter system for it, and is working on an automatic filter system.
> 
> He's also almost finished the masonry heater that will heat the house at the farm. :banana02: That means I have an oven ready to bake or roast without doing a THING all winter long. As long as the heater has been fired once that day...I have heat in the oven.
> 
> ...


 Ah, hello, so you have a Lister - I found one too - it's set up to make 12 volt DC (was on a small trailer to run a state highway sign), but don't know yet what else i might like to try to do with it, hay/firewood elevator, prolly AC generator ?? You apparently generate AC power, or 12 volt ? And you have been running straight filtered engine oil in yours for some time ? I was going to build a biodiesel processer, but wanted to see if I could find plenty of used veggie oil first - sounds good so far, right ? Well, prolly won't get the processor built, but have hundreds of gallons of oil !!!
If i have any usefull tip for preppers, it's to try to get an antique Hobart, or other industrial quality grocery store coffee grinder to grind grain, then you can easily finish it finer with your hand grinder. I have 2 of these, but only one running right now because of dead capacitor, which i don't know where to get proper replacement. The Hobart I recently got out of Craigslist was only $50.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Today I framed the new, revised version of the hearth back, got the concrete backer board on it, and started tiling the hearth deck (where the wood stove will actually sit). I decided to make the back higher so I could repeat the decorative detail I am using on the deck. I've never done tile before, so it was a learning experience. I'm still not sure that the trim pieces along the edge are going to set - the mortar was getting pretty stiff by then. If I have to, I'll chisel it back off in the morning and re-do it. I also opened up the stove pipe kit and started figuring out how all the pieces fit together. I am beginning to think I may really get my wood stove installed before winter this year!


----------



## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

Yesterday, I picked up 12 jars of spaghetti sauce and 20 cans of chicken noodle soup all on sale.


----------



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

We planted six more blueberry bushes over the weekend, and bought the lumber and soil to build up the raised beds around them. 

I also placed a big order of soups and other canned staples from Meijer.com and took advantage of the free shipping.

Have been finishing up the canning and dehydrating from the garden. We're down to the second crop of green beans, cucumbers, watermelons, canteloupe and sunflowers now. Everything else has burned up or finished. The neighbors have a half bushel of tomatoes for me, so I'll be canning those tomorrow.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Mo4 - that reminds me...while I was having tile cut at Lowe's, I found really big blueberry bushes in the garden dept for 6.98. I bought 3 more, which brings me to 10, plus all the wild blueberry bushes I traded for this spring. I just got a few blueberries off the bushes this year (the ones I already had), but they really took off and grew well, so I'm hopeful that I'll have a better harvest this coming year.

My first batch of sweet pickles is done, and I have a 3rd batch to start in the morning. I added anise seed to the spice mix this year for the first couple batches and the slight hint of licorce is really quite good! Now that I've replenished my pickle spice supply, this batch will be a bit more traditional, for those in the extended family that aren't quite as crazy about licorice as we are. I'm still hunting for the mustard seed, cinnamon sticks, etc that I'm SURE I still have in the storage room. Why do things disappear when I need them, and only reappear after the need has passed or the items have been replaced?

Still waiting for the tomatoes to ripen...looks like I need to get my greenhouse rigged up over the main tomato patch if I'm going to get ripe tomatoes before frost this year. At least the beans are producing, I'm getting a second harvest off the pea vines, the raspberries are nearly ripe, and the cukes are really going to town. Friends at work have brought me 1) a huge zucchini, so I'll be making zucchini bread and putting more grated zucchini in the freezer, and 2) 10# of sausage and 2 packages of lamb stew meat (we swap my chicken eggs for his meat). Another co-worker offered to give me back a Pygmy-Oberhasli doe that I sold to her as a kid. She freshened this spring with twins and a lot of milk, according to my friend, so I will probably take her. I'm selling the less productive milkers and extra bucks, wethers, cutting the herd back even more, but I've added a Kinder goat and now this one. Since we are not actively showing, I just want to keep the most productive stock and sell the rest.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Well,now that we have our sweet Jersey cow Esther we have been trying our hand at making cheeses...mozzarella going on pizza for supper. Today Pa made strawberry ice cream! 4 cups creme...no calories,right? Sure are enjoying having our own milk again. Our spring chickens are starting to lay,third planting of green beans ready to pick, still getting plenty of ripe tomatoes so will get some more jars washed and do up some 
V-8 juice made up this week. Concord grapes really coming on ....seems like everywhere I look something wants me to can it up!!! Stocked up on cold/flu remedies just in case. Go preparednesspro.wordpress.com/ and read an interesting opinion of Why I won't be taking the swine flu vaccination....since I'm allergic to thimerosal I don't take any flu shots. Last one caused hives all over my body and an ER visit several hrs. past getting the injection. DEE


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I grouted the deck of the hearth today. I think I've redone every part of this project at least twice, but it'll be worth it when I'm totally finished and enjoying the wood heat this winter.


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I organized my kitchen cabinets today. Now I have more space to use. I'll be moving a few things from storage into the cabinets to make life a little easier over the winter. 

Got 60 free 2x4's so will be framing up a chicken coop to keep breeding stock in over the winter. I won't be keeping a lot of chickens over winter so want to make danged sure that at least 1 breeding pair stays safe. 

Not doing any more prepping and haven't for the past few weeks. Still hoping to find a job and top off the few things I still need.


----------



## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Busy weekend between working on the solar dehydrator and the PV system. Looking forward to putting by dried fruit & vegis without having to can. The PV system is long overdue even if it is small. It will be nice to have power available for short periods of time if need be without having to crank up the generator. 

Sat down & made up a list of potential (and real) holes in my preps. Looks as if I still have a bit of work to do...


----------



## cheryl-tx (Jan 3, 2005)

I got my first order from Emergency Essentials to add to my stock this month. Never ordered from them so decided to try them out. Got 6 different #10 cans of dehydrated foods I will use. One was a can of peanut butter powder. I have plenty of jars in my storage but was curious as to how good it might be. I like the idea of adding the powder to baked goods. I will probably test a few of the different cans and if I like I will start ordering more from them, they have a really good variety of food stuff.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Mmm, peanut butter powder sounds good - let me know how you like it. If it works out well, I think I'll be ordering some for our pantry, too.

Made good progress on the shed today - using scrap and recycled plywood takes longer than just going to the store and buying all new supplies, but even so, I have about half of the sides sheathed, and the pallet floor pretty much leveled and covered. Ran out of daylight at that point, just had time to pick up tools and stack up the scrap wood piles before full dark. I think I can get the sides finished tomorrow and get started on the rafters.

The hearth deck looks great, especially for my very first tiling job. I still have a little haze to scrub off tonight, and then I need to get dd to help me lift the stove onto the hearth. Wish me luck - I sure don't want to crack the tiles right off! I think I'm going to use a lot of carpet samples to pad it and move it.

eta: Phooey - just tried to tip the stove enough to get it up on the hearth - dd is not strong enough to help me - I'll have to wait until ds is available. Oh, well, this way I can tile the back without the stove in the way. That's my next job, I guess, along with taking a few more tiles back to Lowe's for cutting tomorrow when I'm in town.


----------

