canned veg. and fruits

[cootie]

It looks like our family will soon be able to only afford mostly canned veg. and fruits. I will still buy fresh with whatever cash we have to spare, but I'm worried that we will be missing out nutritionally. I know that fresh is best, and frozen comes in at a close second (will try to do this too).

 

I cringe when I give my kids the canned fruit with added sugar. Please tell me that its an insignificant amount and that I can be happy with the fruit that they are eating.

 

Honestly, I need to know, are we destined for poor health because canned produce is what we will probebly be eating for our fruits and veggies? I make chili with dried beans, and that's pretty much all my family will tolerate when it comes to beans. We use an all natural dehydrated mashed potatoes from costco too.

 

I'm trying to dehydrate carrots and apples as much as our budget allows, but I'm afraid what I have so far is a sad total to what I should have in storage.

 

I'm worried that our health will deteriorate. Am I worrying myself needlessly? Does anyone have any experience with eating mostly canned fruits and veggies? Are we going to be o.k.?

[Violet]

Cootie,

I see by your signature that you believe in Christ. Trust Him to provide for you. When we were really poor I was amazed at how God supplied our needs.

About the canned fruit. If you worry about the sugar, then rinse it off before serving. I am diabetic and I am supposed to do that if I have fruit with a heavy syrup.

You are wise to get all you are able at this time, though. Start looking for free things. I would even ask folks with fruit trees if you can have some if they aren't using it. If you can, make some applesauce and freeze it if you are not able to can any. That way you are able to use no sugar or however much you want. Same with pears. Buy what is fresh and in season that is on sale. Seems there should be yams and squash soon, if not already available. I made carrot muffins today.

Oh, and check out the churches food banks around. My daughter has to use them. It is a real blessing ! I give her what I can, but I can't provide all of what she needs. God can, though ! Amen !

We will pray and ask God to supply for you !

If you can get some vitamins and take them, that will help. Sometimes there are free samples. I can't remember the name right now, but there is one going on. NatureMade, I think. If I can find the link I will give it to you. Even cheap or free viatmins will help some.

Hold on, it will be Ok.

Hugs,

Violet

 

[westbrook]

http://www.freecycle.org find your state and cities nearest to you.

 

ask for any crops needing picking, ask for sewing machine, fabric, patterns. Ask for canning equipment; jars, canner, and etc.

 

 

if more then one person offers.. take them all! sale what you don't want on ebay.

 

canned vs. fresh.. we ate canned all winter and fresh in season.. that was how it was done! sitting here eating a handful of dried apricots.

 

sorry you are having a hard time.. nothing ever stays the same.

 

[Vlynn]

In the winter months, I don't know that the "fresh" fruits and veggies you buy are all that much better health-wise. Who knows when they were picked or how long they were sitting in a warehouse, and how long it took to get them from where they were grown.

 

Do you have farms or farmers markets nearby. You could stock up now on fresh, and freeze or can or dehydrate them yourself.

 

Your post shows you care a lot about your family's health. Just do your best - God will do the rest.

[westbrook]

you can dumpster dive! the trash bins behind a store.. lots of great vegies and fruits back there... pick through...if embarrassed, tell them you are feeding hogs! and if you can do a couple of hens... feed them the bad stuff!

[Violet]

Here we get fined or jail for doing that. We cannot take things out of the trash. Be sure it is legal where you live.

I know right now I see lots of fruit on trees that no one seems to want to pick.

I think asking on freecycle for free things is a good idea.

You may get fruit that way, too.

[cootie]

I wondered how truly self-sufficient people got by in the winter without fresh produce, and I thought they were all still healthy. Take the Amish for instance. They can their crops all summer and fall, and eat from that all throgh the winter. It must be fine. Right? Like Westbrook said, it's how it was always done. So if we need to live off our food storage through the winter, with an occasional trip to the grocery store for fresh produce, we should be nutritionally fine. Vitamins are getting expensive too. I'm not sure about getting those right now.

 

I know that the Lord always provides, but I also know that doesn't mean I sit back and watch it happen. God provides every bird their food, but He doesn't throw the food into it's nest. I need to do my part. I hope I'm doing a good enough job.

[pricklypear]

Okay, I am fessing up, Cootie, for your sake. I once went on a vegetable soup diet where I ate a baked vegetable soup, just vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic simmered in seasoned water in a casserole in the oven. I ate nothing but this for an entire week. I GLOWED! My skin never looked better in my entire life! I suspect if I did this with canned vegetables it would be the same...:*)

[cootie]

Thanks for that pricklypear, I appreciate it. I am begining to realize that it should be fine.....not the perfect choice, but good healthy fruits and vegetables nonetheless. We are blessed to have canned produce as opposed to having none at all.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Crazy4Canning]

In the Ball Blue Book, there is a recipe for home canned veggie soup, very similar to what my naturopath has people eat quarterly for a seasonal cleanse. I'm due to make some the end of Oct. It's very tasty. Add some brown rice and you're good! A very filling meal!

 

Cootie, also check stores like United Grocers..they have cheaper veggies - like 3 pkgs of celery for the price of 2 in the grocery, milk & butter cheaper, etc.

[Shandy]

Cootie, I have some remarkable stories from when I was a teen, and we became so poor (from middle class) that we had hardly anything at all to feed my mother and her 6 children. God *will* take care of you!

 

Something very simple to do to get fresh greens is to grow sprouts. You can put/hide sprouts in a lot of things. It's inexpensive and very simple. You just need a quart jar, some paper towels or something down there like cheesecloth maybe to absorb and keep the water, and some kind of strainer lid or an old pair of pantyhose.

 

Also, go out on freecycle or at the local thrift store and see if you can find one of those hanging baskets for the kitchen which are supposed to be like for onions and garlic. You know the ones...they have 3 tiers and are made out of metal. Then line them with dried moss you get off some trees somewhere (dried so you can get the bugs out) and fill it with potting soil and hang it from the ceiling over your kitchen sink (water will drip out the bottom when you water it.)

 

Then plant some good green stuff in there, like herbs.

 

Let's see. What else?

 

Oh yes! OK. Supplements! Do it! Do some research and see what you feel good about for your family.

 

What I would suggest is:

 

Grapefruit seed extract-really high in vitamin C. Tastes awful, but if you put it in an acidic juice like orange juice, you can't even taste it. If you won't be having juice, then get the chewable vitamins.

 

Fish Oil...ok, I know it sounds gross, but it isn't. It tastes like thick air when you get the kind that has been flavored with lemon. Do some research and see if your family could use this as a supplement. It's on the spendy side, but when you consider the benefits, it isn't too bad. We can get a quart of it here for $49.

 

An all purpose daily vitamin.

 

Add these supplements to your greens you can grow in the house, and you will probably do just fine thru the winter.

 

You know, since we eat mostly canned or frozen fruits and vegies from our garden all winter long, I just can't see that there will be that much difference in store canned goods. They might add some salt or sugar, but you can rinse the sugars off like someone else suggested, and just keep your salt low in other foods.

 

I think you will be ok.

[sassenach]

Shurleen those are wonderful ideas even I think I can set up.

 

[preparing]

I found a bunch of frozen vegetables on sale and put them in the freezer. Get vitamins. Dehydrate and try to find fruit stands or something where bulk produce is sold.

[cootie]

I love that hanging basket idea!

 

I've been dehydrating apples and carrots, but I'll keep looking for bulk sales.

 

I know I should stock up on vitamins...I'll do what I can. They can get expensive when you add up all you need for a toddler who can't chew hard tablets, older children's vitamins, and then adult. Add in the additional supplements and well...the cost adds up. But I'll try.

 

Thanks for the ideas and reassurance. I am really feeling better about the canned foods. I don't think it's as bad as I thought it would be. I will definately be rinsing those sugary canned fruits though!

[Cricket]

Oh, Cootie! Not to worry! I was raised on canned fruits and veggies, and so were my big, strapping, healthy gown-up sons. My boys have good eyes, good bones, good teeth, and good minds!

 

If you drain the syrup/juice from the fruits, save it and use it to make your own Jello with unflavored gelatin. Heck, even save the little bit of water you rinse them with for the gelatin.

 

Recipe from More-with-Less

 

Combine in saucepan:

 

1 c. fruit juice, drained from canned fruit (or 1 c. regular juice)

1 enveloped unflavored gelatin

Stir to begin dissolving gelatin. Then heat almost to boiling point until liquid is clear. Remove from heat and add:

 

1 c. cold fruit juice or water

1 T. lemon juice (optional; can omit if using strong juices such as grape or cranberry)

1 T. frozen orange juice concentrate (optional; can omit if using strong juices such as grape or cranberry)

Chill until set.

 

Serves 4-6

 

Variations

 

-When partially set, fold in fresh or drained canned fruits as desired. If using fresh unsweetened fruits and tart juice, add 2-4 T. sugar to hot gelatin mixture.

-When partially set, fold in 1 c. whipped cream or cottage cheese.

-Replace second cup fruit juice with 1 c. chilled yogurt (this is good, but different).

 

[cootie]

Oh Cricket, that is so reassuring. Thank you for sharing that. Each time I check this thread I feel better and better about serving canned fruits and veggies to my family. Thank you everyone for making me feel better about this.

[Shandy]

Originally Posted By: cootie

I know I should stock up on vitamins...I'll do what I can. They can get expensive when you add up all you need for a toddler who can't chew hard tablets, older children's vitamins, and then adult. Add in the additional supplements and well...the cost adds up. But I'll try.

We have that same problem here, Cootie. Too many different ages and too many different needs. So our picky eating teen son and his pre-menopausal mother gets multiple vitamins.

Everyone else gets Vit C (grapefruit seed extract in orange juice) and fish oil. That is good enough to offset our need for greens during the winter if things get too low...and we have our home canned vegies and some fruit (not much of a preserved fruit loving family here which is why we do Vit C supplements) to carry us the rest of the way.

You'll figure out what your needs are for your family, and I think you'll find you guys will be just fine.

[Violet]

I order mine from Puritans Pride. They often have a buy one get 2 free deal. I really do seem to save this way.

 

[mommato3boys]

Cootie my friend don't worry, I promise you your children will survive if nothing else they will turn out like mine - big strapping young men that eat anything that doesn't eat them first 5'10" to 6"0 weighing 155-210 they grew up eating canned foods.

 

If you are worried about the sugar read labels buy the fruit in lite syrup or its on juice. If you buy apple sauce read the label and get the one that only has apples no sugar added.

 

Go to the dollar store they have vitamins there. They may not be name brand but they work just fine.

 

coming your way.

 

Oh does your family like baked beans? You can use dried beans to make your own.

 

What about white bean chicken chili? That is another favorite around here.

 

Refried beans? Make your own using black beans or pintos.

 

Let me know if you need recipes. I will dig mine out and post them for you.

 

Maybe you can grind dried beans and add them to your flour to strech it.