Preserving: Canning, Dehydrating, And Freezing Foods

waretrop

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NE Pa. Zone 5
I have been preserving foods in my house for 40 years. I don't have much freezer space so I try to can and dehydrate as much as I am able to.

I would love to can things for my sully, Alice, but I don't believe it will be possible. I can get cactus pads, dandylion, collards,mustard, aloe most of the year here in Pa. I am going to try to can orchard grass soon. I don't get that in stores at all. I have frozen grape leaves and put them in a food saver bag. Works great but i didn't put up enough for all winter. Nest year I will but that is frozen. I will can some next summer also.

As far as people food I think I have it all covered.

My freezer:
freezer2.jpg


My pantry
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1020130820.jpg lime peel that I froze some and dehydrated some.
 

motero

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We like to can also, Apple sauce is one of our favorites, We will be doing 30 or 40 quarts in the next week or so. Also Tomato sauce, two summers ago I grew 100 tomato plants. Harvested over 500lbs of tomato and boiled it down into 70 quarts of nice thick sauce. Best tasting tomato sauce ever.
 

waretrop

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Nice.... I have a couple of bushels of apples this year and will make applesauce. That is just to replace what we have used.... When I plant tomatoes I do about 80 plants. This next spring I will do that, growing them in the greenhouse at first. Try siphoning the water off at first on the tomatoes so you don't have to cook them down so long. The more you cool them the more nutrition they loose. The clear water I can separately so you can use it as water when cooking rice or things like that.1011131746.jpg

It still has some nutritional value. I do that with pineapple and mushroom water also.

I also make tomato paste and salsa. I usually make enough for 3 years. That is just in case there is a bad year for that particular crop for a few years.

lime1.jpg
Here is my lemon juice. I do it in half pints, pints and quarts. We use allot of lime and lemon juice per year.
 

AnimalLady

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wow. this is is so neat. i have no clue how to do any of this stuff.. very very cool!
 

Tidgy's Dad

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What an incredible pantry!!!
I think this sort of thing is really great.
Thanks for posting.
 

waretrop

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Thanks guys. I am nuts when it comes to preserving foods both for the humans and animals. I almost never have, what I consider, out of date food. My foods are rotated and as they get to that date I give them to my chickens. It all works out great.

I have frozen grape leaves for Alice but not allot of other things. I will try to can a pint of Orchard grass soon.pantry pics1.jpg
These are my broths and juices from meats.

pantry pics2.jpg
So here we have chicken gizzards, pumpkin and cranberry sauce. The cranberry sauce is 2013 so the chickens will get this. The pumpkin will make something nice for us. The chicken gizzards are great bbq'd.

pantry pics3.jpg
Unfortunately, this will be our Thanksgiving dinner this year. It will turn out great and will have stuffing and gravy. We decided not to make anything for this holiday as we will be alone. We have no more relatives, it's just us now. For Christmas we will have singles over for the day. There are too many of us along. I can only say I am so happy and grateful to have this Turkey canned. It is such an easy meal yet has no extra chemicals or salt.
 

Prairie Mom

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Barb, you are INSPIRING!!! This is exactly what I want to be doing for my family some day! It's a slow work in progress and experience. Please keep sharing! I love your stuff!
 

Prairie Mom

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We like to can also, Apple sauce is one of our favorites, We will be doing 30 or 40 quarts in the next week or so. Also Tomato sauce, two summers ago I grew 100 tomato plants. Harvested over 500lbs of tomato and boiled it down into 70 quarts of nice thick sauce. Best tasting tomato sauce ever.
Very cool! I hope you'll show off your gardens some time.

I've recently started growing Goji berries and have been adding the berries to my spaghetti. I've been recommending it to everyone I can. It tastes wonderful and turns spaghetti into a nutritious power food. I highly recommend them.
goji.jpg
 

Prairie Mom

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Works great but i didn't put up enough for all winter. Nest year I will but that is frozen.
I didn't get as much as I would like stored this year either. I did way better than last year, but have learned that I need to start saving for winter way early beginning in the Spring time. A while ago I mentioned in the garden chat thread that I was thinking about starting a game next Spring for tortoise keepers that want to preserve food for winter and maybe we'll start up a thread in the diet section about it. There are a few people that want to participate. If we get around to doing it, I'll tag you.
 

waretrop

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So Prairie Mom, Do the Goji plants come back every year or do you have to grow new ones every year? Wondering where I might get some seeds..... I like that idea of hiding such nutritional things in sauce....
 

waretrop

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I am going to try to freeze our cactus pads. I buy a case at a time and if I can freeze them it would save me a long trip, saving on gas.....
cactus pads.jpg
 

waretrop

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Motero, They look great. A big batch of apple sauce is in the cards for me next year. We are getting low in that department.
 

Prairie Mom

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So Prairie Mom, Do the Goji plants come back every year or do you have to grow new ones every year? Wondering where I might get some seeds..... I like that idea of hiding such nutritional things in sauce....
Yes, they do come back. They are an extremely cold hardy perennial shrub. I think they can be as hardy as zone 2. They produce berries all season long. They grow really well in pots too. I running out of room in the yard, so I'm growing mine in pots. If they're planted in the ground they can take over. They spread from suckers. I got my two plants as off shoots from my Dad's plant. I'll let him know that I'm interested in more. If I ever get an overabundance, I'll send you a note.
 

waretrop

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Prairie Mom, I would love a couple of shoots. I think the hardiness zone for them is 3 to 10. They may live here if I mulch well. Looking forward you a note from you.....
 

Prairie Mom

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Prairie Mom, I would love a couple of shoots. I think the hardiness zone for them is 3 to 10. They may live here if I mulch well. Looking forward you a note from you.....
They would be fine. My Parents are in zone 5 and their goji is huge with no mulching. I'll get in touch if my Dad has more to spare:)
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Prairie Mom, I would love a couple of shoots. I think the hardiness zone for them is 3 to 10. They may live here if I mulch well. Looking forward you a note from you.....
I hope you don't mind me saying, but whenever I see your user name, i see ,"walliserops", not very close, I know, but typical of me.
(paleontologist).
upload_2015-11-18_18-42-36.jpegLots of this genus in Morocco.
 

waretrop

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Tidgy's Dad, Well, I had to go out and Google that.....LOL It's a primative bug....just like ME!!!!

It's actually part of an old business we had before retiring....and you may have guess it...."Tropical".....LOL
 

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