A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall CoffeeHouse 2376--'Cause Someone Had To.....

Fresh produce here is very limited in Winter..

That is how it used to be here but now we can get it, of course it does not taste as good as the in season does and can cost more, but hey if you need it----but there is plenty of frozen stuff around. So I guess we are lucky, huh ???

I so need to buy in season and freeze for Winter...I spent all my time canning everything I could.

yes I try to freeze what I can too. (I am afraid of canning, so I freeze.) I DO make jellies & jams though-- BUT since we have moved, I do not have the blackberries like I used to have.

Hopefully next spring I can get some new berries started for the following year. Oh how I miss my blackberry jam...

Rod did not get out hunting this fall so when the deer I have is gone, I will be out of ground deer---he has promised me he will go out next fall...

By canning I mean...using bottles to preserve and pickle. I bottled up over 80 bottles this year...in fact I ran out of bottles and had to stop.

yea running out of jars would be MY problem--I had a lot of jars when we lived out on "the farm" but most did not survive the move. I use empty jelly jars for jam though --I was told that the boughten jelly jars with a seal inside the lid will re-seal one time--& ya know what ?? they DO reseal---and with the cute checkered lid, it is really nice for Jelly & Jam

Great idea...my problem is people not returning the jars after I give them jam or jelly. I'm sure I lost dozens and dozens of jars over the past years.

Back later...

well see, I know waht you mean---Could you say to some of your family that you wish you had not of given away so many with food goods in them, because 'now' you are short, when it comes to putting up more??--perhaps it will work like a game of "telephone" & people will soon hear that you really wanted to have your jars returned ???? (perhaps they will think, well if I return the jar perhaps she will give it back to me filled.... Worth a try anyway---and if they do not get it back, well---it was your jar in the first place right???


and Ok sure---see ya later---

Welcome to the club.
I just gave away 6 I may not get back. However all the material is worth it.

dodge

Good evening everyone! It was tough going back to work today but I had a pretty good day. I took Ashley out to the mall, then we got dinner, and now I'm relaxing under a heated blanket with a cup of tea. Ashley and I are going to work out later and I have a new book to start reading. The wind is blowing and it's raining a lot, I had to run out and get my garbage can before it blew even farther away. Good night to be hunkered in with a cup of hot liquid. I've never canned or frozen anything with the exception of freezer jam.

I also do not can. I am very aware of how lucky I am in produce availability all year long, too. I am trying very hard to get my freezers down so I can put all into one or two and really clean up the others. I have 3 but it is the deep freeze that is really needing the cleaning.

yes my chest freezer needs cleaned also--when we bought it, I was not thinking, & this one is not frost free--

so when it is cold enough to put my food outside, I am going to have to brave the cold garage & defrost it. Waiting to clean it out until the food is eaten down is out of the question..it will never happen.

good night to you all--I am going to go eat some popcorn--tomorrow it is back on the "diet" of a cardiac patient.

I put my food in a hamper, stick it in the snow bank then take a hairdryer to my deep freezer...it thaws it out super fast. Now that we don't have cattle anymore I think the next deep freezer will be a stand up version.

Oh by the way...I ate pistachio nuts a few weeks ago for the first time, California grown they said...lucky Tina

I've tried to get my bottles back..didn't work, so now I rarely give out my preserves.

When you say Bottles are you refering to the quart canning jars?
We use Quart, pint an 2 smaller size Mason cannin g jars.. I know language is different in other places.

Just wondering.
One year I put up 100 quarts of plums.. Had to jab everyone with a needle.. LOL Loved them , but they were no more.. Free from a friend. Tree died.

I did stewed tomatoes
ANd Relish ......this time. Had left over pickles.
Garden was not good this time.

SOunds like yours was.
Good luck Tamara with planting

dodge

A snow bank would be nice. But it is so warm you could walk outdoors in a t-shirt and shorts and be comfortable
I'd also prefer an upright freezer. They are easier to find food in when multiple people are turning over the stuff in there.
Pistachios are flavorful nuts. California grows a lot of things. It is the largest agricultural state in the union. I do know I am lucky in that.

Good morning. I hate my job today. I want to go back to bed.

Sleeping is easier.

b

I used to can green beans and freeze okra and corn all the time. I had a pressure canner. When the girls got bigger and I stopped cooking so much I stopped doing it. We had a 2 acre garden and I would can and freeze enough to fill a freezer but I cooked every single day. When Ronnie and I got divorced the freezer stayed with him. I don't miss Ronnie or the freezer.

I don't know how you guys live in the cold all the time. It's been 31 and windy here all day and I wouldn't like it every day.

We grin an bare it >LOL

yea Sheri--Barb is right---and we also hope for a Heat Wave--a real heat wave---

It'll soon be minus -40 * here....yup heat would be nice.

It is 1º here in Pennsylvania right now.8:38

brrrrrrrrr........

32*F here tonight...

48°

Weather lady says it will be in the mid 50's here this weekend

g'nite everyone

Thought I'd pop in here real quick before heading to bed. Did day two of the 30 day shred dvd today and both girls joined me this time. Ashley and I are determined to see it through, I hope that's enough motivation for Amanda to tough it out with us. I'm going to be very sore this week but it's worth it. I want to shed some of this excess fat and weight once and for all. Plus, the extra strength will help my running. I felt so much better after I worked out. I was so over emotional and depressed today and was almost in tears at one point. Thank goodness for endorphin's, they really helped me today. I'm getting up really early for a group run tomorrow morning. People are expecting me there so that will be all the motivation I need to get my lazy butt out of bed. It's 50's and cloudy with rain off and on. Typical, though a bit warm even for us this time of year. Good night!

Good luck Chermoni and the girls.
Rain days make us all sad.. But you keep running an doing I admire your spunk.
It does make one feel good after work outs. I used to walk it really firmed me up.
ANd gave me gumption for the day.
it was 0 last nite here.
I go aout an drag the lane with my 4 wheeler an the snow is not too much yet.

Take care

dodge

Morning all...warmed up to minus -19*C out this morning..I need to get my conversion chart for F*.

Exercise does a person good..wish I had room for a piece of equipment here.

Laundry today..back later.

Good morning. Your -19 C is about 0* F. Today we should get around mid 70's F which is pushing 25* in C for you.
I will be very happy with that. Laundry to do today. And in general getting ready to send my son back to school on Monday after a longish vacation.

How is Teddy doing?

Just finished up some baking..time to sit with a cup of tea.

Funny story..last night I was on the computer and ended up on Walmart for the U.S. instead of Canada, so for fun I tried to load up a sale..it said to enter a postal code so I entered Juniegirls(only one I know) and up popped the flyer. I walked away from the computer and DH started flipping the pages and stated that WalMart had great prices this week and that maybe we should pick up a few things. Sure I told him, I`ll let Carol know so that we will be stopping by

Ok so now I know--come on by---

we can hit all the stores that you want-----I even have a spare bedroom

Your prices are half the price of mine...might be worth the trip

hey !! a two-fer---we get to visit and you get great prices on stuff--..but seriously I do have a spare room and Walmart is 25 minutes away.

Hey..how was ceramics yesterday?

Morning all,

Hi all, still fighting my sinus crap , though did go shopping yesterday and did some laundry- was that or starve and go naked- to cold for one and not likley to do the other... also went to hubby's doc with him- the dermatologist.. he had a couple moles removed- will hear in a week to 10 days if they were okay or not- man will not wear sunblock... so hoping for the best..
It has warmed up some.. it's 52* today... snow is almost all gone now... boys went back to school today so they will be here after... they are glad to go back I think.. they were getting bored.

We are going to start taking down the Christmas stuff tonit..or maybe tomorrow.. going to dust it as we go and have new bubblewrap to put it away with.. do that every few yrs or so.. takes longer but I have some pretty fragile stuff ,dates back to my childhood ..
Well off to get something done- need to start calender pages- waiting on new budget doing till house refinance is done.. would have to redo it after anyway-- hopefully will give us a few more dollars to use for other stuff this year.
Nana

I just set up my budget for the next year too. I am always shocked, when I go to the stores, at how much prices have raised all around lately. But I do feel blessed that I can pay my bills.