Joyfilled

I just watched someone dehydrate a bunch of veggies put them in a jar and vacuum seal them. Do any of you have a vacuum sealer that you recommend? Nothing that breaks the bank, mind you. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to dehydrate some foods so we don't depend so heavily on our freezer stock.

I have a pantry....but we are a family of 7, with growing kids. And a hubby who likes crackers. And...well....it gets crazy in there. Like I have to jump over things to get into the laundry.....

Also....11 quarts of chopped tomatoes canned today. I'm one tired, but happy, Mama. For my family, though, that's not a lot.

I heard my Christmas gift is in the mail. I'm so excited!! It will sure cut down on mess....and work....I look forward to using it!

Thank you, ladies! We have a few oak trees on our property, so I'll try one or two jars next time. I think we have grapes still alive, too (one week of too high temperatures did some in), so I'll try those too. I have whatever Ball uses for pickles and used that yesterday. We'll see how it goes. My cucumbers were less than a week old, I got them at the farmer's market on Saturday. Is that fresh enough?

They look awesome!! I really want to make some now. And I want a Reuben sandwich, too.

Oh, my. I'm learning so much by all y'alls posts! And I have to admit, I giggled a bit, too.... My salt/sugar story: When we first moved in, we invited the Pr and his wife over for dinner. I made some cinnamon nachos for dessert to serve with ice cream. Before they came, I took one out and tasted it. I gagged!! It burned my mouth! What in the world???? Hubby had brought home some "sugar" from our old place and dumped in with our current sugar, not realizing it was part of our stash of salt. Moral of the story: always taste your desserts before dinner.

Haha! So sorry,Jeepers....hopefully enough time has gone by for you to laugh at it! I still have a jar of beans that never sealed down in the basement. I call it the experiment.

Any of you have tried and true crisp dill pickle recipe? I love them....but hate how soggy they get. I have no idea how these will turn out as I just did them today. Here's hoping, though....

15 pints of dill pickles! Great feeling, thought I'd share, as I now ya'll understand.

Would love to see pictures, MidnightMom! I made some last year....we ate it all in two sitting (just one quart) with reuben sandwiches. Yummy stuff! I wish I had made more, but we never got around to it. Maybe I'll make more this year!

A little late, not sure if this will help. We have a blendtech (sp?) that my now husband bought over 10 years ago. If I add all the uses we've done, I'd say that we have used it at least daily in that time. I didn't use it today, for example, but I used it 6 times (for tomatoes, no less!) a couple of days ago. It's still works like a charm! The container has long lost its prettiness, but it still works wonderfully. I'm not sure what the juice would be like....it would be well blended for sure, but thick. If that's what you're going for, the blendtech is great! ETA: I use my blended tomatoes in soup, for the most part, not juice.

Hi! My hubby is thinking about getting a large tomato juicer (that can also be used for apples). Do any of you have any experience with one? He's watched a few videos of the Fabio brand one, and seems to think it's a good choice for us. Any thoughts? We don't have a huge garden this year (about 10 tomato plants), but have plans for more next year. This year we will supplement from other neighbors and farmer's market. Our goal is to put away enough sauce that we don't have to buy any (well....eventually, not right away).

A lot of great information, thank you!! I know how to knit (think simple, like scarves), so maybe I would pick it up quick. I like the more simple method! My husband thought of something. We have pets....and as you are aware, I'm sure, they sometimes throw up. I have a weak stomach when it comes to throw up....so he's concerned that I won't be happy for all the work put into it and then the dogs (or cat) throw up on it. How easy is it to clean with it?

Haha, I hear ya! I can't go to Lehman's (too far), but hubby and I would most likely blow any budget we would have if we went there! Pioneer Princess are niiiiice!

Thank you, Jeepers!! It's encouraging to know that you made them before. I don't crochet, but I can braid a simple braid and can stitch....and so can my Mom, making this a multi-generational project if I can teach my daughters. I hadn't thought of the sheets! I'll be going to the thrift shop today, so I'll look for some. I take it that bold colors, or at least a variety of colors would be best? I'm excited to start!! Well....after garden season.

Hi! Anyone here ever made rag rugs? I'm interested in making one, maybe one of those braided ones? How hard are they to make? And do they last? Is it worth my time? Do I need to be an expert? So many questions....

I think so too!! I really wanted something practical, of course, but I wanted it old fashioned and pretty. I think this accomplishes both!

That's not our stove yet, just a stock photo.

We got a La Nordica Milly Wood Cook Stove. It has an oven and a warming oven. Thank you for asking....I'm so excited!!

I realize I'm seeing this months later, but of course, the video is unavailable. I'm not sure you can find anything like it on youtube anymore. Crazy times.

So....we did it. We bit the bullet and we got the stove, it's on the way!! We are discussing what to put around it, what we need to get ready for it....I think things will be full crazy by October at some point, and we'd like to have it set up by then. I'll post pictures once we have it if anyone is interested!

Wow. Shortly after I wrote that we wanted to get this cow, Hubby lost his job. We were tight for a while, but didn't get the cow. And now, praise God, he has a new, better job!! It pays more, and he works from home for the most part. That said, he still has to travel about 20%, so I am hesitant to get the cow. That means we (kids and I) would be in charge of milking while he's away. It gets to be a lot with the other chores, and a now 2 year old that still wants to cuddle with Mama especially if Dad is gone. So....not sure what to do. Prices for everything is going up, if you can find it, including dairy, so it sounds like a good idea....

Hi everyone! Hubby and I are on the lookout for a new wood cook stove. Do any of you have one/use one? Any suggestions? We would like to get installed before winter. We had -17°F last Feb, but thankfully never lost electricity. If we did, it would have been disastrous!!

We use Himalayan pink salt, too! For all our cooking and baking. I like it a lot! 😊