Store It Foods

The art of canning is appealing to more and more people these days, and for good reason.  It’s a way of saving money in tough times, it’s a method of making use of excess produce that might otherwise go to waste, and it’s a means of controlling and knowing all of the ingredients that are going to end up in those canning jars.   Those are great goals, but how do you start?  If you have never canned before, what is needed?

The first step could probably be summed up in one word – “Research”.  Not only do you need to know what tools may be required, you will also want to know how to use them.  There are a great many “How To” guides to canning and just about everything else available online.  That would be a wonderful way to start.   We would also recommend the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

Many refer to this as the ”Bible of Canning”.  It is chock full of lists, guides, suggested procedures and over 450 recipes for preserving homegrown fruits and vegetables.  Not only would it be useful for research, but it would be of continuing value once you have actually started to can.

Have you ever wondered why there are 31 days in August?  There were 30 days in April, 31 days in May, 30 days in June and 31 days in July.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep the sequence going, and have 30 days in August?

Well, that’s the way it was supposed to be.  We need to go all the way back to the early days of the Roman Empire to find the reason for the change.  Julius Caesar was responsible for modernizing the calendar.  The Julian calendar, as it was known, honored that fact by having one of the months named after the famous Caesar.  Hence, the month known as Quintilis was renamed July.

It was followed by Sextilis.

Julius’ successor was his nephew, Augustus, who became the first Roman Emperor.  It was decided that he, too, should be honored by having a month named after him.  For that reason Sextilis became August.  Then it was noted that Julius had 31 days in his month, while Augustus only had 30.  This had to be rectified!  A day was stolen from February, which was already suffering by being the leap year month, and given to August.  Then everybody was happy.

Scientifically, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  Sensible or not, we still have 31 days in August.  That’s the way it is and we live with it, and probably no one cares a whit.  After all, in the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference whether we say there are 30 days in that month or 31.  It could be changed, but why bother?

On the other hand, there are things in life that could be changed and should be changed.  Consider something like home canning.  There are too many people who still can the way grandma canned — just because “that is the way you do it.”

Well, in recent years it has been found that low acid foods are better done in a pressure canner, that “oven canning” is not always safe, and that other, once standard practices, have the potential for problems.  A potential for problems does not mean that a problem will always develop, but it could.  Using a water bath canner for canning low acid foods, for instance, was once the standard, and the possibility of not killing all micro organisms may be very small, but the fact that it is now known that some contaminants might survive that canning process, does mean that we should now be considering other, safer alternatives.

The lesson, of course, is that every so often we should re-evaluate our methods.  Is there a better and safer way of doing it?  Is there an easier way of doing it?  Is there a less expensive way of doing it?

When it comes to food preservation it could be very important to find answers to these questions.  Yes, as with the calendar, the answers may end up being that we could make changes, but that it doesn’t really matter.  Sometimes, though, we could make changes and it does matter.

Nesco has traditionally produced round food dehydrators.  One of their most recent dehydrators, however, is now more square in design.  This change, it is said, has added “200 more inches” or “over 40% more drying space than comparable round dehydrators.”

That sounds pretty good, and it is a plus, but when you consider that many round dehydrators can easily add shelf space without any loss in efficiency, then it may not be as big a plus as you might think.

As long as your food dehydrator is doing the job that you want, and doing it well, then you have a good food dehydrator.  Think carefully before you replace it solely because it is round and not square.  Make sure that will make a significant difference in your use of this particular kitchen appliance.

Probably the single most important (and costly) item that you will buy for home canning is a pressure canner. A good pressure canner will probably cost more than all other canning supplies combined. The good thing about a quality pressure canner is that you only have to buy it once. With proper care they can last for a very long time. I own an aluminum canner that belonged to my Great-Grandmother, and is probably 80+ years old. I still use it every year, with great success.

Choosing the right size pressure canner can be a balancing act. You don’t want to get one too small or you will be canning small batches one after another. At the same time, you don’t necessarily want to get one too big, or you will have empty space inside the canner.

Personally, I suggest you consider getting one larger than you think you will need. Once you get started, you will want to can more and more. For example, my new canner holds 18 wide mouth pints at a time (or 20 regular), because I can stack them two levels high. My old canner will only hold 8 wide mouth pints at a time. That makes a huge difference in the amount of time with canning supplies.

In some kitchens the dehydrator is given its own place on kitchen countertop where it is always ready for use.  In other homes that food dehydrator is kept in a cupboard and brought out just when needed.  In either case, it is wise to give it a little breathing room.

Your dehydrator is going to draw in air to be heated and circulated.  Let it do so efficiently.  A constricted space will not allow it to work properly.

Even if out in the open, pay attention to what is sitting close to it.  Because you are working with lower heat settings, you are not likely to set nearby items aflame, but a nearby margarine container could, for instance, be found to contain liquid margarine if it is benefiting from the full effects of the heat exhaust from your dehydrator.  In short, if you have something that you do not want heated, do not subject it to heating.

Expert dehydrator users are likely to already know this, but if you’re just starting out, there’s a little tip for you that will allow you to avoid these minor problems later on.

Believe it or not, you have quite a tool in your food dehydrator. 

If you’ve got one, you have probably used it for making a little bit of jerky, or perhaps for dehydrating fruit or fruit pastes for snacks.  You may have even put together the ingredients for soups or trail mixes.  If you do have a dehydrator and haven’t tried some of these things, perhaps you should.  After all, you’ve invested in the machine so why not see what you  can glean from that investment.

Your dehydrator likely came with a manual containing several recipes.  Why not try some of them?  You just might like them.  Sound out your friends who are also dehydrating at home.  They may have some great ideas for you.  Internet searches can also be worthwhile.

Here, for example, is a recipe that comes from an on-line blog named Food Under Foot.

Dandelion Flower Cookies

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup soaked cashews
• 1/4 cup agave nectar or raw honey
• 1 cup dandelion petals — Pluck the yellow petals off the green collar and stem
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 Tbsp lemon rind
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• smallest pinch of sea salt

Blend everything except dandelion petals in food processor until smooth.

Mix in dandelion by hand, mix well.

Form into cookies on dehydrator tray.

Dehydrate at 105 for about 6 hours, flip and dehydrate another 2. Cookies will still be a bit moist.

There’s nothing too complex about that, and it may have introduced you to a couple of new concepts in food dehydrator use — you can use them to make cookies, and you can make use of some the wild foods that you have simply taken for granted, not even realizing that they could be used for foods.

Of course the idea of dandelion flower cookies may not appeal to you, but if you do a little looking around, the possibilities are good that you will find something else that you will find both interesting and appealing.  Just try it and see.  It could be worth you while.

Food storage does not necessarily entail an initial outlay of thousands of dollars. 

You certainly can do it that way.  If you are thinking long term and would like to have enough food supplies on hand to support yourself and your family for an extended period of time, buying in bulk and buying it at once can be a very economical way of achiving that goal.  There are, in fact, many companies that specialize in providing you with a “year’s supply of food” for individuals or families, and they do so at discounted rates.

Unfortunately, discounted or not, not everyone can follow that “all in one shot” route to food storage.  For many, that kind of money is just not there.

Rather than give up in dismay, however, you can take the “one step at a time” route.  You begin by determining what you want and need by way of food storage then bit by bit you go about building up your stores.  If you like canned peas, and canned peas come on sale, why not buy an extra can or two to set aside for future consumtion?   If you’ve done that, you’ve begun your long term food storage.

The same would hold true for canned tuna, packaged pasta, or your favorite brand of rice.  Investments in canning equipment would allow you to can your own peas.  A dehydrator would allow you to prepare your own jerky or trail mixes.  Frozen peas taste good too, so wise use of your freezer and vacuum packaging could also help.

It would be nice to do it all at once, but you don’t have to do it that way.  A little planning, a little investing here and there, and a “do it one can at a time attitude” can truly work wonders.

Here’s a quick hint for you.

Once you’ve opened that package of instant rice, pasta, or hot cereal you may want to store the remainder in a secure plastic food storage container of some kind.  In fact, a lot of people buy the larger, economy size packages with the intent of storing it in such containers at home.  The large package has saved money, and the air tight food storage provides a safer way of keeping it.  It’s a win win situation.

Well, it’s not quite so “win win” if weeks or months down the line you go to use that hot cereal and have to say to yourself, “now just how much water do I use, and how long do I cook it?”  Admittedly, you might know, but what about other family members who want to do that food preparation in your absence?

Fortunately, there is an easy solution.  Merely take that now empty box of whatever it is, and, with that handy, dandy pair of scissors that you are sitting there somewhere, you can clip the cooking instructions from the side of the box.  It’s only a small, flat piece of thin cardboard that can simply be laid on top of the food in that new container.

Consequently, when you or someone else is ready to make use of that food, knowing how to do it will no longer be a problem.

Sometimes gardening enthusiasts just can’t garden.  The reasons are many.

It may be that arthritic joints cause the rigors of planting, hoeing, and caring for the garden to be just too burdensome  for those with such protesting bodies.  Other health problems can create similar difficulties for the would be gardener.  It might also be a simple matter of time.  In this busy world there are certainly those who simply lack the necessary time to dedicate to properly maintaining a garden.  Then, of course, there are those who cannot garden because they lack the space to garden.   Apartment dwellers are prime examples of those who might find themselves in this situation.  

Yes, the reasons are many and the solutions are few.

One of the few solutions that does exist, however, is one of which many people may be totally unaware. There is a device called the “AeroGarden“.  The AeroGarden turns the possibility of an indoor garden into a reality.  No soil is required, and little work.  It’s a lamp sized device that can sit on countertop or table.  Water is needed,  as are the appropriate seeds and the company supplied nutrient tablets.  Though some minimal maintenance of the growing plants is required, it’s almost a matter of just sitting back and waiting.

Before you know it, you have fresh greens, ripe cherry tomatoes, or a producing herb garden available to you year round.  It all depends upon what you “plant.”

This certainly will not give you the quantities of vegetables that a large, or even a small outdoor garden could, but it is a way of doing at least a little bit of gardening where you otherwise might not have been able.  It will also allow you to add at least some fresh produce to your food storage, and permit you to make use of “out of season” herbs and vegetables during all seasons of the year.

As a final incentive, it’s also fun to do.  Perhaps you should at least consider it.