The Farmhouse Kitchen - Day Three

Sometimes our harvest is small and kind of odd shaped.  But, small batch freezing and/or canning can really add up.  I have tried very hard to let nothing go to waste.

Odd shaped cucumbers, not ripe yet tomatoes and a bell pepper.

There's one okra pod cut into wheels in this bag! 

We have one grape tomato plant that has been bearing very well.  We have 3 okra plants that have just begun to bear.  I picked one okra pod on Saturday, and after slicing it into wheels, I threw it in with the grape tomatoes, when cooking them in preparation for freezing.  At least one vegetable soup this fall or winter will have a few bites of okra!

An Okra Plant

There were just enough of the regular size tomatoes to freeze one bag of tomatoes.
 

 

Canned or frozen tomatoes are beautiful:

Our three bell pepper plants are loaded with fruit that will need to be picked soon.  I plan to make stuffed peppers to eat now and some to freeze for later.  I will freeze them individually so that only the number needed will be used.

I have to confess that we have not been able to keep up with eating all the cucumbers we have grown.  I already have more than enough pickles.  We have eaten them marinated in vinegar and just plain in salads and also, peeled with a little salt and pepper.  We have given some away.  They are delicious, but there are too many of them.

In the Refrigerator Produce Drawer

There are still plenty of cucumber blossoms on the plants growing on this trellis.

 

The extras won't go completely to waste, though.  They will go into the lasagna/compost garden to help fertilize the soil there

Here's a new cucumber that came up in the lasagna garden from a discarded cucumber's seeds. There's plenty of time in our long growing season for it to produce before frost.

It has been amazing to see how much produce we have been able to get from our one raised bed garden.  I'm already excited about what we can grow next spring.  I'm also itching to plant some fall vegetables soon.

In The Farmhouse Kitchen - Day Two

Some recent from scratch cooking brought to my attention that the condition of my spice cabinet was pretty bad! LOTS of really old spices. Spices I paid dearly for and used only once. When I needed one of the spices that I use frequently, I was having a hard time finding it since they were all mixed up with the other ones.   It was just generally a mess!

Before

I brought over the kitchen trash can and started tossing.  It felt so much better to look into the spice cabinet afterward.  The small bottles of spices are in the basket.  See my cute mason jar salt dispenser?  I know there are lots of people with much more beautiful and organized spices, but this works for me.   I can turn the lazy Susan around to find what I need.  This cabinet is located to the left of, and right beside the stove.

After

I found some spices in there that I didn't realize I had and had planned to buy.  One was dry mustard and luckily it was still in date.

Then after church on Sunday I stopped by Dollar General and Food Lion and replenished my spices.  Dollar General has the best prices on basic spices, but you won't find many that you need there.  At Food Lion the spices are pretty expensive.  I couldn't find Cumin at Dollar General, so I looked in the Hispanic Food section at Food Lion and found a large bottle for only $1.39!  There was a huge selection of spices at great prices in this section.  I will check them out further when I have more time.  This is a tip given to me by Little Pen Pen.

Here's what I purchased at Dollar General.  Some of these things aren't spices, but I listed everything, just for informational purposes.

McCormick Meat Tenderizer - $3.00  (could probably find a better deal, but we don't use a lot of this)
Baking Powder (large can) - $1.15
32 oz Beef Broth - 1.60
Paprika - $1.00
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (large bottle)- $1.95
Oregano - 1.00
Parsley Flakes - $1.00
Vanilla Flavoring (imitation) $1.00
Cream Soups - 50 cents

I love that now I can find what I need much easier when cooking.  When I am making a new recipe, I know whether or not I have all the spices called for.

Here are some good "stock up" deals I found at Food Lion: (prices good through today)

My Essentials Peanut Butter, 1.16 each (bought 4) (Some will go in our emergency food storage and some will be donated to the food pantry)
28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes - $1.00 each (bought 4)
VanCamps pork and beans - 47 cents each (bought 4)
Bush's Great Northern or Pinto Beans 50 cents each (bought 4)
Pompeii Olive Oil - $6.00 (bought 2) (this will last us for a long time!)
12 oz sandwich ham - $1.64 each (bought 4, the date is good through October)
3 lb yellow onions - $1.79
2  16 count packs of Borden sandwich cheese $5.00, get a dozen eggs free.  Eggs are $1.87, so after deducting that, each of the 3 items were $1.04 each.  One pack of the cheese is pepper jack flavored and the other is sharp cheddar.  We can always use eggs and cheese, so I considered this a good deal.  The use by date of the cheese is a very long time.  Eggs are good for 4 to 6 weeks after their use by date, so we will have no problem using them.

My goal is to stock up when the prices are at their very lowest.  I don't think you will find peanut butter much lower than $1.16 each very often.  Then we can go shopping in our pantry, instead of buying things as needed at the grocery store at full price.  I am also slowly putting together a price book so my middle aged brain can keep up with what actually is a "stock up" price!

Soon, I'll be doing a post listing my "stock up" prices.

The Farmhouse Kitchen - Monday

I've been working diligently on meal planning and trying some new recipes.  Keeping up with what we have in the freezer and pantry and what needs to be cooked is an ongoing opportunity to save money.

Every year we are given several containers of blueberries.  I also noticed that the snack drawer was bare.  So I pulled out the last two containers of blueberries that had been languishing in the back of the fridge on their last leg, and made a Blueberry Crumb Cake.

The blueberries were put to use and there are some sweet snacks in the house now. 

Blueberries are good for you, but we won't dwell on the amount of butter in this recipe!  Click on this link to see the recipe.  PIONEER WOMAN BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE.

Oh my, it was delicious with vanilla ice cream!  No picture with the ice cream, but this picture tells the story of the yumminess!

I sliced the cake into individual squares and refrigerated some for use this week.  I froze a couple of pieces for lunches later. 

Notes about the recipe:

It calls for whole milk, but I only had 2%.  It seemed to work fine anyway.

The crumbs on top for me weren't crumbly.  I think I either didn't use enough of the dry ingredients, or a little too much butter.  It tasted great, but just wasn't crumbly.  I'll adjust this next time to achieve the desired results.

Making the cake, combined with freezing tomatoes, made a little mess!  I cleaned it up right away, I promise!

I worked in the kitchen, cooking, organizing and planning this weekend, and I'll be posting more about it as the week goes on.

My New Pocketbook Organizer

It seemed too good to be true, but I ordered this pocketbook/purse organizer on Amazon for only $3.43, with free shipping.  It took about two weeks for it to arrive, but I was very pleased with the quality.

It is soft, has two zipper compartments, a roomy center compartment and 4 nice pockets on each side.  There are handles to lift it out with when you want to switch it to another purse.

I really like it a lot.  I plan to make myself some new pocketbooks soon to fit it.  It works well in my current bag, but I will make the next one just a little wider and not quite as tall.

HERE is the link to Amazon, if you are interested in ordering one.  There's nothing in it for me, I just wanted to share a good deal.  Residents of North Carolina cannot be Amazon Affiliates due to the sales tax controversy.   Maybe this will change one day.

Emergency Preparedness in the Car

Good Morning!

Today I am going to tell you about my continuing efforts to be ready for emergencies.  I have been doing a little bit here and there in the areas of home, car, purse, and work. 

These are the things I have in place in my car now:

5 bottles of water
A tube of snack crackers
2 rolls of toilet paper
1 roll of paper towels
2 old cloth towels
2 wash cloths
1 complete set of clothes
1 pair of sturdy shoes and socks
1 package of baby wipes
A list of phone numbers
2 garbage bags and some plastic grocery bags
Flashlight with extra batteries
Gloves

Some very basic first aid supplies:  (still adding to this)

Bandaids of different sizes
Gauze
Tape for bandages that tears easily
Tweezers
Antiseptic wipes

Need:

New cell phone car charger
Gallon jug of water

I already had this, but there is also a car emergency kit that contains things like jumper cables, gloves, flashlight, flat tire fixer, and more.  My son gave me this a few years ago and it is very nice to have in case of a car breakdown or other problems.

I think the most important thing to have in your car for emergencies is a fully charged cell phone.   I try to get in the habit of charging my phone every day at home.  The car charger that I have doesn't work.  That's a bad thing.  I really need to take care of getting a new one.

If there is a major emergency like a car wreck, either you or somebody else, being able to call for help is the main thing that would be needed.  I don't have the training to start helping somebody who is injured and wouldn't know where to begin.  Visions of pulling someone out of a burning car come to mind, but lets hope and PRAY that this never happens!

We need to make sure that everything is there and in working order in case of a flat tire!  My car has a bag of tools in the glove compartment that would be necessary.  I don't know how to change a tire, but I need to know where everything is!  I'm afraid I would be no help in this area.  Luckily, there are guys who know all about this. 

Keep gas in your car!  Wouldn't it be terrible to have an emergency in the middle of the night and discover that you are almost out of gas.  Enough said!

I also think having a pair of sturdy shoes is important.  What if you had to get out of the car and walk.  Those flip flops, sandals or heels wouldn't be too good for walking through the tall grass on the side of a highway.

The old towels could really come in handy in either a major emergency or just when something has been spilled or a person gets sick to their stomach.  I can think of all kinds of ways that an old towel would come in handy.

I really was able to use the extra set of clothes recently!  On my job, I walk back and forth to the courthouse in the small town I work in.  On this particular day, the bottom fell out (southern expression for a sudden downpour of rain) and even though I had an umbrella, the blowing rain completely soaked me from the knees down.  I literally would have had to go home, if I had not had the extra clothes.  Now mind you, they weren't my normal work attire, but I was able to get through the rest of the day in them.

My point with all this is that a little thought and preparation can make our life easier in small and big emergencies.

The peak part of hurricane season is almost here for our area, so I need to make sure we are up to date on batteries, flashlights, candles, matches.... and all that kind of stuff.

This is a work in progress for me.   I'm still adding to our emergency food, first aid supplies and more, in all areas of our life.

Approval Junkie...

Are you an Approval Junkie?

Ooops!

I think I am.  I love to get complements, feedback and yes... blog comments.  But, if I have done my best on a meal, blog post, or quilt, do I really need to be told?

Yes, to a certain extent, but shouldn't I be secure enough not to care?

On a more significant level, what about my daily life?  Am I trying to please my fellow man, or my God?

I was already thinking about this subject when I was looking through my weekly devotional book "Encouraging Words for a Discouraged World", yesterday.  I chose this topic as my study for the week.

Constantly seeking the approval of others, whether or not it agrees with my own convictions, is crazy. 

I like to think that I am a peace maker and a peace lover.  I do hate controversy!  But, I should be able to stand up for my beliefs without worrying about what others think and trying to please them. 

Of course, some approval is healthy and needed!  Why would I keep trying, if everybody hated my efforts? 

Reputation is an important thing, but its time for me to stop worrying about what "so and so will think".  Only God knows what is in my heart and therefore, only He can judge me.

Meanwhile, my hubby should be relieved that I am trying not to ask him three times during every meal, "Is it good?  Don't you like it?"  

Making Vegetable Soup From Fresh Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

I've been playing with my food again.....

Our grape tomato vine is still going strong, but has slowed down a little.  However, one can only eat so many in salads.  I had to find some other way to use them up.

Tomatoes on the counter ripening.

A little experimenting with cooking them yielded a pot of soup for now and one for later.  They are delicious in this soup and I would think in other tomato dishes like chili.  I cooked them alone first by cutting them in half and adding a little water.  Once they were done I added some browned ground beef, 1/2 small can of tomato paste, one can of mixed vegetables (undrained) and enough water to cover it all.   Then it simmered for a while and made a wonderful meal.

Delicious and Nutritious

One half of this batch was used in the vegetable soup above and I was able to put a starter meal in the freezer for later using the other half.   All I will have to do is add a can of mixed vegetables and a little water.  This one is earmarked for the first cool day in the fall. 

The other half of the meat, tomatoes and  tomato paste for the freezer.
 

There are lots of healthy vitamins in this soup. All of the ingredients were in my pantry or freezer.   I was worried that the little tomato skins would come off when cooked, since I remove the skins on larger tomatoes before cooking them.  They didn't.  There were little chunks of tomatoes, but no loose skins.   This makes using the grape tomatoes in soup very easy!

Eli's Here!

Born July 24, 2013 at 12:57 PM.  7 pounds 6 ounces, 20 inches long.

Cute toes:

Big Brother:

 

Summer Glimpses From the Farmhouse....

The Humid North Carolina Summer days are moving along quickly and will soon be a memory to recall when a cold Winter wind is nipping at our heels. Its time to savor those warm days while we can.

A sunflower



Country baskets of vegetables nestled in blue checked farmhouse napkins.

Picklers of all sizes and shapes.

Out the kitchen window I can see very tall corn, loaded with ears.  May be genetically modified?

Stained Glass Art courtesy of Mama.

Juicy, ripe, sliced tomatoes

A week night supper of corn on the cob, marinated cucumbers and grape tomatoes, nacho meat with tortilla chips and lemonade.    The nacho meat is browned and drained hamburger, a can of Rotel tomatoes, cheese sprinkled on top, and heated in the oven until hot and the cheese is melted.

Puffy, white summer clouds over the farmhouse.

I dug out the bread machine last Sunday and made raisin bread. I had all the ingredients on hand..  The yeast was out of date, but had been stored in the refrigerator and seemed to work just fine.  Slices of this are really yummy when they are toasted and then slathered with butter or grape jelly.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour across the summer of 2013 at the farmhouse!

My Zero Cost CVS Deals This Week

I received a $3.00 bonus Extra Bucks coupon from CVS by email yesterday, which was only good for a couple of days.  If you want to play the drug store game at CVS, you really need to sign up for their emails. 

I found a great 75% off clearance on CVS brand Cold and Flu medicine that my hubby takes for allergies.  The ingredients in this one do not cause one's blood pressure to go up. 

There's a 79 cents off Just the Basics paper towels, that prints at the coupon center, which makes the paper towels free for everybody..... unless they run out.  Its not worth a special trip, but I was there anyway.

Here's the break down:

4 packs of CVS Cold and Flu HBP medicine $5.76 (total)
1 bottle of Wisk Laundry Detergent 4.99
1 roll of JTB paper towels .79

Less coupons and extra bucks

$2.00 off Wisk
$1.00 off CVS allergy medicine (printed at the coupon center)
$3.00 bonus extra bucks
.79 off the paper towels (printed at the coupon center)
$4.75 extra bucks

Notes:

1.  CVS has wonderful clearance sales if you can find them.  The CVS allergy medicine was only marked 50% off on the tag, but when I got to the cash register, they came up 75% off.  I ran back and grabbed 2 more at that price.  It would be a good idea to scan items at the coupon center to check prices.  I love to find a clearance item for which I also have a coupon.

2.  We don't use many paper towels at our house, since we have converted to cloth napkins, dish cloths and dish towels.  But, I'll take them anytime they are free!  I have 3 rolls in my stash right now that were all free with coupons.

3.  You can scan your CVS card at the coupon center more than once.  I always scan twice and save the coupons for when the items are on sale.  Lots of times, a week or 2 later, I will be able to combine these CVS coupons with other coupons and sales to get an unbelievable deal.


4.  I did what is known as "burning extra bucks" in this transaction.  This means that I used extra bucks coupons on items that did not generate more extra bucks.  In other words I didn't "roll" them.  Sometimes I just want to start over from scratch when I see some good deals.  I'll get more extra bucks, soon enough!

Another Mason Jar Magic Trick

A Mason Jar Salt Box:

I got this idea somewhere on the web. Just cut the top out of an ordinary cardboard salt box. Using the inner jar lid part as a pattern, trace around it and trim. It will be a perfect circle that fits perfectly on top of the jar with the ring holding it on.  Then just cover it with paper, fabric or you could just leave it as is.

Put some salt, or other shakable product, in the jar, put the lid on top and tighten down the ring. It looks much nicer than the cardboard salt box sitting in your cabinet or on the counter.

Some ideas I have for these would be for powdered parmesan cheese, pepper and sugar.  A cute spice set could be made using the really small mason jars with nice labels.   They would work well for measuring because you could slowly pour the contents into a measuring spoon or cup.

There are so many uses for Mason Jars.  I saw that the aqua blue ones are for sale again.  If I see any of them, I just may have to splurge on a few.