WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

I soaked bowls and bowls of black beans. For a bit too long, but they were aok.

Canned up four quarts. Two of them didn't seal!! I can reprocess, but I think I'll throw them into zip bags into the freezer. I add beans to lots of my recipes. Just to stretch the meat a bit.

FarmerJamie said:

Used the ball canning recipe. The house smelled great. The wife wants me to can some now. What I made today, we're going to add some ground beef and throw in the crock pot tomorrow to cook it down. It's supposed to be soupy prior to canning.

Click to expand...

Had these for dinner. Absolutely delicious

I am in the process of canning my last empty jars with chili. The pantry is now full. Just in time for spring and working outside. I also found some deals at Sam's Club yesterday morning on Rib Eyes, Filets and hamburger. The freezer is stocked for summer grilling season.

Well with canning done for this winter I thought I would take a picture of the canning pantry. Approximately 300 quarts of Vegetable Beef soup, French Onion soup, Chicken Soup, Pea soup, Navy Bean and Ham soup, and Chili.

It was a lot of work, but it kept me busy when it was cold and deep snow outside. It helped to keep the seasonal depression at bay as well. I am so looking forward to getting back outside, building more raised beds, gardening, and working more to turn my 5 acres to usable pasture.

I am also looking forward to seeing what all of you are doing this summer!

InterlochenVictoryGarden said:

Well with canning done for this winter I thought I would take a picture of the canning pantry. Approximately 300 quarts of Vegetable Beef soup, French Onion soup, Chicken Soup, Pea soup, Navy Bean and Ham soup, and Chili.

It was a lot of work, but it kept me busy when it was cold and deep snow outside. It helped to keep the seasonal depression at bay as well. I am so looking forward to getting back outside, building more raised beds, gardening, and working more to turn my 5 acres to usable pasture.

I am also looking forward to seeing what all of you are doing this summer!

Click to expand...

That looks great!

Impressive! You really filled the pantry. Here, I can a few soups but, mainly garden veggies and a smaller supply of meats. I keep a winter of storage veg I grow, squashes, potatoes, onions, etc. the idea, of course, supply max amount of own foods. A separate freezer is normally full. I need to raise another pig or two this year.

So, pasture? What do you plan to raise?

I freeze my vegetables and meat. Gardening is something I am just learning now. I am building raised beds and making my own fill dirt for them. It has been a process but I get wood chips, and composted manure from a local farmer and I mix them. I also get other stall clean outs too. So over time I am coming up with some good stuff. My raised beds are 12' x 4' x 30" deep so it takes a lot of material to make that.

My back 5 acres was just brush and small trees with some bigger ones mixed in. Last year I hire a forestry mulcher to come in and clean it up. So now I will be working and planting the ground. There will be suckers trying to come up, but I hope that over time as I bush hog it the pasture grasses that I plant and come back naturally will take over.

I am 63, and have arthritis issues. I let my chickens and rabbits go last year because I was having such a hard time taking care of them in the winter, so there will be no more livestock on my homestead. I am building my homestead for the next caretaker. I have a nephew that is interested, but employment where I live will be an issue for him. The plan is that my wife and I will build a tiny house and he and his wife will take over our house. But everything will have to work out for that to happen. When my wife retires in 6 years is when we will make our final decision then. I will be 70, and I hope my arthritis isn't too bad then, but in the mean time, I have a lot of work to do, and that is the medicine that I need to keep me going.

Thank you for your interest. I love talking about it. I wish I would have known what I loved to do 30 years ago. If I did I probably would have been doing Joel Salatin stuff for a living instead of working myself to death driving trucks.

@InterlochenVictoryGarden amazing pantry of soups! kudoes!

as for keeping a field clear, in MI we get enough moisture and seeds blown in that you cannot let a field stay unmowed for very long before it will start regrowing trees. at least once every three years needed IMO. i'm now several years beyond that due to beekeeper hives blocking access and the failure of the landowner not to convey my concerns to the beekeeper as i requested several times. hope to have this resolved this year for sure.