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Snow Day 02/12/2014 & A Little Talk About Emergency Preparedness

Snow Day 02/13/14

Snow Day 02/13/14

It’s actually pretty rare that we get any snow worth writing about in our area, but we did last week.  And, it was beautiful!  Everything was quiet, white, & clear!

We did not get all of the ice that other areas received, and we didn’t lose power what we were afraid we would, but it did make me painfully aware of areas of my pantry that are definitely lacking in case of an emergency.  (Remember, a pantry consists of the items that you would need to make it through our daily routines.  It’s not just food, but toiletries, canning supplies, dish detergent, heating supplies, batteries, flashlights, etc.)

 

Snow Day 02/13/14

Snow Day 02/13/14

Here are a few of the items that I discovered that I definitely need to add to my pantry as money allows:

* flashlights

*batteries (all sizes)

*2-4 more oil lamps (not only do these provide lighting, but a small amount of heat, as well)

*Lamp oil

*extra oil lamp wicks

Snow Day 02/13/14

Snow Day 02/13/14

*water!!! (potable & nonpotable)

*Propane

Again, we were very blessed to not lose power more than an hour or so a couple of times, but we may not be so fortunate next time.  And, now we have tornado season looming in the not-so-distant future.  I want to make sure that I take this time of awareness and start plugging the “holes” that need to be fixed.  Some can be done fairly quickly & are not too expensive.  Others will take more time since they are more costly up front.

There are other areas of my pantry that I do need to build up, but I’ll address that at another time.

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Canning Chicken Stock & Chicken

6 pints canned chicken broth & 2 pints canned chicken (*All jars canned according to Ball Blue Book Guidelines)

6 pints canned chicken broth & 2 pints canned chicken
(**All jars canned according to Ball Blue Book Guidelines**)

I had cooked some chicken a couple of nights ago to be used to make some BBQ chicken.  Of course, I saved the stock I cooked it in. (I’m not about to waste some delicious stock!)  So, yesterday evening, after I was done with my running for the day, I brought my stock back out and started heating it up to can.  I also saved some of the chicken to do a trial of canning chicken.   It’s something that I’ve been wanting to try, but just had not gotten around to it yet. It also gave me another chance to use some of my wonderful Tattler Lids!  I love how they look, don’t you?  And, knowing that they are reusable makes me very happy!

And, since I had the canner going, I also added a few pints of water to make a full run.  Why can water?  Well, in cases of emergency, we would have sterile water to use for drinking, cooking with, brushing teeth, etc.  This jars will also be rotated out.  I used jars that were already empty and just waiting for canning season to go into full swing.  What happens if I need those jars?  Well, then I can use the water to water plants, give to the pets, drink, etc., and use the jars for my canning needs.  I also used “used,” clean, seals for the water – no new seals, since it’s not food that I’m worried about keeping for at least a year.  I have to admit that it looks a little odd seeing water in jars all canned up, but it’s actually very pretty, and it’s nice to know that the water in the jars is consumable in an emergency.

Next up on my canning agenda……. I’ve got beef bones & chicken backs/necks that I need to turn into stock.  Maybe I can get started on that this weekend…..

Maybe……

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Canning Using Tattler Lids

IMG_1988This is only the second time that I’ve been able to use Tattler Reusable Canning Lids, but I have to say that I absolutely LOVE them!  And the fact that they are reusable instead of disposable is a wonderful perk.  That’s about the only thing in canning that has really bugged me – the fact that the metal lids were not reusable for canning.  Yes, I can use them for vacuum-sealing jars & for storing jars to keep them clean, but not for canning.  So, when I contacted Tattler in the Fall of 2012 about a sample, they were happy to send me 2 dozen lids to try out, as well allowing me to offer a giveaway where they would send one lucky winner 2 dozen lids, as well!

Let me tell you, I was HOOKED from the get-go!  I really do love them!  They work just ever so slightly different than your normal canning lids, but, if you follow their instructions, the lids work wonderfully!  So, what have I been canning in January?  POTATOES!  There is a co-op that I order through a few times a year.  In the winter time, they have 50lb bags of red potatoes for $10.75, and 50lb bags of russet potatoes for $9.75!  So, I bought 1 of each and finally got the red ones canned. Out of the 50lb bag, I only had 6 potatoes that I could not use.  This may have been due to the fact that I did not get them canned right away like I had planned since I had surgery on Christmas day to have my appendix removed.  But, the reset were great!  It took me 2 days to get them all canned, due to my schedule, but I ended up with 58 quarts of red potatoes to add to my pantry!

This couldn’t come at a better time since we are down to our last quart from the last batch that I canned.

What do you used canned potatoes for, you ask?  Well, the biggest thing I use them for is soups, but I can also throw a quick side of butter potatoes together.  I’ve also used them to make quick mashed potatoes, but they tend to be a bit pasty, so I don’t do that very often.  By having these potatoes already canned, it helps me to have supper on the table in about 30 minutes.

Stay tuned!  I’ve got lots more canning to do in the future – grape jelly & apple jelly, beef stock & chicken stock.  I may also try my hand at canning meat again.  I’ve done a little bit in the past, but I’d like to do a bit more.  It would be so nice to have the meat there ready & waiting to into a delicious soup/stew/casserole that I can throw together & serve in 30  minutes.

This post is linked to:

Tattler  Reusable Canning Lids

Heritage Homesteaders