Store It Foods

They don’t have to taste dreadful.  In fact, if you plan ahead you can actually enjoy the food and drink that you consume during times of emergency.  You really can make delicious soups, warm yourself with hot drinks, or even do some baking despite having to cope with power outages, or the lack of normal kitchen facilities.

There exist butane powered table top burners, as well as stoves or ovens that can draw their power from the 12 volt system on your car or truck.

Consider their usage as a part of your emergency preparedness planning, but don’t limit your thinking to those kinds of situations.  These poratble appliances might also prove useful for tailgate parties, long trips, or simple, family outings to the beach or other vacation spot.

At the end of the summer many people find themselves with an excess of vegetables grown in their home gardens. But don’t throw away those juicy tomatoes or crisp snap peas. Canning is an easy and economical way of saving your summer garden fare. You’ll need a few supplies before you can get started.

Start out by investing in a starter kit of canning supplies. Your starter kit will include; a water bath canner, canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrench, tongs and a lid lifter. Next, figure out which veggies you want to enjoy during the winter. If you are canning by yourself it’s recommended that you get an instructional book, like the “Ball Blue Book.” This book will guide you through each step and ensure you get a great end product.

Many people just can’t get through the day without that first cup of coffee in the morning. But for others it’s that cool glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice that gets their day started off right. Buying fresh-squeezed juice can take its toll on a person’s wallet. Making your juice at home may take a little more time, but the money saved and the fresh quality of the juice will make up for that.

A citrus juicer and fresh fruit are the only supplies you’ll need to make your mugs of morning magic. Fresh-squeezed OJ tastes great and is good for your body. These health facts may prompt you to get your own citrus juicer sooner than later.

• Orange juice is high in antioxidants. It may help prevent many forms of cancer.
• A large dose of vitamin C is contained in each glass of orange juice you drink. Vitamin C boosts the immune system and lessens your chances of catching the flu or a cold.
• Research has shown consuming orange juice reduces the risks of heart disease and improves circulation.

Your food dehydrator will both dry and dehydrate foods. 

Likely, there are many who read that brief sentence who will say to themselves, “Now wait a minute, when you’re dehydrating foods you’re drying foods, so that statement makes no sense.”

Yes, it is true that today those two terms tend to be intermingled, but, in reality, there is a difference.  With dried foods moisture is removed.  When done, that food will have lost approximately 75% of its water content.  The end product remains soft and pliable, and, under proper conditions, will store well for 12 to 18 months.  Dehydrated fruits and vegetables, however, will have that moisture content reduced to 2 to 3%.  The product becomes shriveled and very brittle, but the shelf life is also extended by a considerable amount.

Which is best?  Well, that depends upon what your goal might happen to be.  There are advantages to both.  Dried foods generally make better snack foods. Dehydrated foods may be more appropriate for long term storage.  Whatever the case, your food dehydrator will both dry and dehydrate. The choice is yours.

Do you have one or more apple trees in your yard or on your property?  Perhaps you have a friend or relative who does. 

Unfortunately, many of us in this situation merely admire the beautiful blossoms in the spring, witness the fruit growing larger and larger as the summer progresses, and then rake up the rotting fruit as summer turns to fall.  Every year you may say to yourself, “It’s too bad I don’t have more time to do something with all of these apples, for it’s a shame to see so many of them going to waste.”

Peeling, coring and slicing apples can be quite a chore, and very time consuming.  With today’s busy lifestyles it is no wonder that it is a chore that, for many, is not undertaken. Yet, with the expenditure of just a few dollars an apple peeler can be brought into the home.  A counter top apple peeler does more than just peel.  It can also core and slice, and make that chore much more manageable.

It does make it possible to prepare those once wasted apples for hot apple pies, or delcious apple crisps.  You can ready the fruit for juicing or dehydrating.  Yes, there will be a bit of work involved, but not nearly as much if you were doing everything by hand with only a paring knife to assist.

So if you really do hate seeing all of those apples going to waste, this might be a workable alternative that you just might want to consider.