mishbloom Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I'm Mish--me and my family of men are from Eastern PA. I've been working on our Emergency Prep/Survival plans for a little over a year now, and some days I think I've made less progress than I thought! We're currently practicing 'suburban homesteading' on our tiny little plot of land in suburbia. I guess it's safe to say we're the neighborhood weirdos, what with planting crops all over our quarter-acre and the homeschooling and whatnot. We've got some very nice garden boxes that hold a ton of stuff--everything from cucumbers and snap peas to squash and tomatoes and carrots. I try to only grow heirloom varieties, as I figure it's a waste of space to grow things that I can buy down the street at the local Mennonite farmer's stand. He supplies my roma tomatoes for canning spaghetti sauce; I save the exotic colored tomatoes and carrots for my patch in the yard where the kids can ooh and ahh over the rainbow of colors they eat! I like being able to support my fellow farmers and also to help preserve the heritage of my crops. I haven't yet been bold enough to use the pressure canner I bought the other year at a yard sale (for $5, never opened, WHOO-HOO!!); but it's one of my goals for this year. I hate my reliance on my freezer for the stuff I can't water-bath can. And in the even of an emergency, all that stuff will spoil first anyway. One of the things I really want to learn to can are SOUPS! We practically live on soup in the cold days of January and February. Point me in the direction of some good old-fashioned canning recipes for chicken noodle and vegetable barley and potato, etc. (We don't eat red meat.) I need all the help I can get! One of the other things currently on my list of things to do is get together some dehydrated supplies so that we have more variety to draw from. I found some suppliers when my kids asked for "peach oatmeal like you get from the box" and needed the dried peach bits. (For some reason, real peaches don't work in oatmeal? *eyeroll of motherly insanity*) I discovered a whole new world of bulk dried goods that made my eyes sparkle! I just need to find a happy balance between what I've got and what I can afford! My primary worry is having a food stock on hand in the event that my husband goes into the hospital again. (That's a long story, but he's been in seven times in the last six years. Not too serious, but always long enough to put a serious kink in our finances.) Four growing boys don't understand 'no money for food.' But they do understand that we eat simple, homemade foods which are more cost efficient and better for them. I just need to make sure we keep all the needed ingredients in stock. If I end up with a good supply for any other disasters, then I consider that icing on the cake. I look forward to chatting with everybody and learning a ton! Link to comment
Dee Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 So glad you've joined us Mish. Link to comment
serendipity Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Welcome, Mish!! We are so happy to meet you! Link to comment
dogmom4 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Welcome Mish! You sound like you're moving along really well and will be able to contribute a lot yourself. Come on down to the Urban Homesteading forum where we are talking about how to prep in an urban/suburban situation. Congrats on getting a canner for $5! I just learned to use one last year and made Darlene's chicken soup. It was delicious! Check out the tutorial (with pictures!)in the Preserving the Harvest forum. You'll find a lot of recipes there for soups and other things to can. I'm sure you'll like it here. Link to comment
BiscuitMaker Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Home schooling I do admire that. We will have you canning in no time. Link to comment
Pastors wife Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hello, I'm new here too, but I know you will find so many things here to help you along. I plan on doing quite a lot of pot gardening. I don't have the time to spend weeding a "garden", but I know I can keep up with pots. I've been sick this past week, usually I'm hardly ever home. I'm a pastor's wife and with the pastor gone four days a week, all visiting and helping is up to me for those days. I also homeschool a teen, take care of the church paper work, as well as the shop paper work. Pots are the way to go for me. Link to comment
JCK88 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Mish! You hang around here and you'll get that canner outta the box fer sure! Link to comment
Jewlzm Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Mish! Its good to have you here with us. Join us in the preserving forum and the homeschooling forum. I may need to pick your brain a bit as well as having you learn to cook all those soups to can! Link to comment
HSmom Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Wait til Darlene hears your canner is still in the box! Don't worry; she'll be gentle, and you'll be thrilled with the results. Make sure you come down to the homeschooling forum to share your struggles and victories. Link to comment
Jeepers Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi Mish. Glad you are here. Wow, what a great deal on the canner! The folks here will have you canning in no time. Link to comment
Becca_Anne Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Glad you're here! Sounds like you'll have a lot of fun checking out all the canning recepies, and have a lot to teach us about heirloom varieties Link to comment
WormGuy Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Hi Mish, good to hae you join us. John Link to comment
cookiejar Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Mish! Alright! Another Homesteader De ciudad! Another one of the suburban folks! Love the description of all you've done. Welcome Welcome! Link to comment
Shepherd Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Good to meet you Mishbloom - you'll fit right in. Nice to meet you too, Pastor's Wife. Link to comment
Snowmom Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 and I'm sure you will love this place. Link to comment
PureCajunSunshine Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Originally Posted By: mishbloom One of the things I really want to learn to can are SOUPS! We practically live on soup in the cold days of January and February. Point me in the direction of some good old-fashioned canning recipes for chicken noodle and vegetable barley and potato, etc. (We don't eat red meat.) I need all the help I can get! You'll love this thread...'tis one of The Best of MrsSurvival thread winners. Go here, and look up..."Chicken Soup - Pressure Canned"...Lookit all the others, too! http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthrea...st&Board=39 To borrow a line from Abigail, who nominated this thread as one of the best..."The step by step pictures are almost as good as having someone in your kitchen guiding you all the way." Quote: One of the other things currently on my list of things to do is get together some dehydrated supplies so that we have more variety to draw from. I discovered a whole new world of bulk dried goods that made my eyes sparkle! I just need to find a happy balance between what I've got and what I can afford! Are you familiar with cracked bulgur wheat? It's one of my favorite bulk dry goods because it is precooked, dried and ready to go into pretty much ANYTHING! If you're not familiar with it, Google it and be amazed! Quote: I look forward to chatting with everybody and learning a ton! Welcome to Mrs. S! I think you will enjoy it here as much as I do. I love the way a lot of the threads here evolve into many new ways around old problems! Sometimes, threads get a little off track, but keep reading, because sometimes the juciest fruit is buried where you least expect it! Mais cher! Don't miss out! Welcome to one of the most progressive "all-purpose" preparedness/survivalist sites on the Internet. Be sure to check out the for-members-only sections downstairs! --Sharon Link to comment
Buttercup Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Well Welcome Mish... Sorry it took me a little while to catch up on some posts or I would have welcomed you sooner.. Link to comment
mishbloom Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Thank you everybody for the very warm welcomes! My online time is kinda sporadic at the moment, what with homeschooling and my PT job. But I'm going to make it a point to get here at least one or twice a week, especially since I'm trying to get my preparedness plans more up-to-date. Thanks again! I've got so much to go look at! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.