All Things Prepping, Simple Living, Back to the Basics [Survival Today, an on going thread]

CottonBall

[CottonBall]

This is an ongoing thread – meaning come back to chat, post information, or ask questions any time. Hopefully the thread won’t stagnate and I’ll do better at posting weekly (or bi-weekly) topics than I have in the past. (anyone willing to post a topic now and then we'll be highly praised and appreciated).

We are in for some bumpy rides, and prepping can only help. If for peace of mind, if nothing else. We have a wonderful gardening thread and a current-events survival/prepping thread, and hopefully this one can piggyback off of those, maybe having a longer discussion about certain topics or … whatever. It's your thread, do what you like with it! (civilly, of course)

Here are granny’s threads, if anyone wants to peruse them:

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #1

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #2

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #3

[CottonBall]

“Are those the ceramic ones? I love finding those on job sites with history in the dirt!”

The tattler lids? Those are made of some kind of plastic. And are fairly new so probably wouldn’t be anywhere historical. What are the ceramic lids?

Welcome! Do you want me to add you to the ping list?

[CottonBall]

you’re on it!

[CottonBall]

“mini morsels which we use in homemade granola”

yum!!!

[CottonBall]

“Flour, sugar, and butter typically go on sale now, too”

When I picked up my turkey at Aldi’s yesterday, I also got some butter. They had them for a $2.49, limit of six.

https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/sauce-spread-spread/canning-butter.html

“Whenever you find a sale on REAL butter, go ahead and stock up. You can freeze butter or you can home-can it. Canned butter lasts for years if the seals are secure and it’s kept in a cool place.
Always pressure can butter instead of water-bathing it. Butter is dairy and non-acidic so the water bath method will not stop botulism. Canning butter is so easy and the best type of jars to use are half-pint, wide-mouth jars. The wide mouth makes it easier to get the butter out of the jars and opening a half pint at a time is convenient for most families.”

I used this method several years ago, it worked great. The jars I have are still sealed.

[metmom]

I put on a thin layer of vaseline every time I get the canner out to use it. Sometimes I’ll do two batches of canning but do not regrease the rim. I just do it once per use, even if there is more than one batch.

I always wash the canner out when I’m done with it. Hard as I try, there is always some leakage from the jars.

FWIW, when I fill the jars, I wipe the rim of the jars with white vinegar. I’ve heard that is supposed to help in the event that any meat fat gets slopped on the rim when you fill it. I also put the lids in hot water as usual for canning as it helps soften the rubber some and I think it makes for a better seal.

I do both turkey broth only, and turkey with chunks of meat in it for soup later in the winter. They do have different processing times. Also, the jars do not need to be hot although if you are going to put in boiling hot broth, you would want to warm them. I often do everything but then lids at room temperature and then load the canner up and seal it and then turn it on.

I never heat up the pot without the lid on it. I suspect, but don’t want to find out, that if you put a cold lid on a hot pot, since the metal expands that it would be more likely to get stuck on when it cools off since the pot and the lid would then be the same temperature. And there’s no way I would know of of heating the pot and not the lid if the lid is stuck on.

I don’t add the veggies to the soup as I don’t like how overcooked canned veggies come out. That’s why I just do the meat and broth. I suppose in a SHTF survival scenario, I would add them when I canned the soup because if they are on hand, it’s a way of saving them.

And make sure the liquid is NOT less than 1” from the top of the jar. Any higher and nit will leak out.

[DollyCali]

Diana if you ever get a chance to go to Lehman‘s please do so. it is the most remarkable store you’ll probably ever go into. I lived about an hour away from it and it was on the way to Amish country where I did a lot of shopping for produce and bin herbs and candies etc.

[metmom]

I’ve heard of canning butter but never tried it. I’ll look into that and maybe give it a go this year.

Cabot butter usually goes on sale at this time of year and it is very low moisture. It seems to not have the milk content of other butters. I found that when making cookies with it the cookies come out very dry.

[Spunky]

Yesterday I made a BIG Crock Pot of Lintel Soup. No recipe. I just threw in what I wanted.

1 chopped medium yellow onion- saute to carmelize
2 carrots cut into small pieces - add to onions after they are slightly carmelized
2-3 small stalks of celery cut into small pieces - add to saute
2 tablespoons of minced garlic - add
Salt & pepper to taste

After above has sauted for a while, throw in crockpot

Then I added 3 fair sized yellow potatoes cut in small pieces
Add little smokies. Beef or pork. I like pork cut in small pieces. However many you want
1 package of lintels 16oz washed
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can salsa tomatoes. If don't have add a few pepper flacks and another can of chopped tomatoes
2 cans of low sodium chicken broth
2 cans of water

You may have to adjust the amout of liquid so as to not overfill your crockpot.
Salt and pepper some more to taste.
I cooked on high for 7 to 8 hours as my lintels were a bit crunchy before then.

[JudyinCanada]

Whoa that looks good, Spunky!

It looks like a lot to finish - hope you can freeze some of it.

[Spunky]

Yes I have 4 large bowls in the freezer.

[Melian]

Every now and then, some organization leave a small Yellow Pages book on our doorstep. I save them because the paper pages can be used for so many things:

Starting fires, toilet paper, nose blowing, paper towels etc.
Or you could trade them for items you need.

[CottonBall]

Lots of great tips there, thanks for posting them. I never thought of having the canner bottom and lid at the same temperature, but that’s a great idea. Especially with this rather tricky canner.

[CottonBall]

Looks delicious. I think the Smoky flavor from the sausage is a great idea, and I’m surprised but I think lentil soup always needs tomatoes. It just doesn’t taste the same without them. Thanks for posting!

[CottonBall]

to relate this recipe to prepping -

I think soups will be a great way to go. They will require some time chopping up things, but it can easily cook all day with minimum supervision. With vegetables, meat, carbohydrates added, you can have all your nutritional requirements in just one bowl. Soups can also be filling, which we might be needing if calories are at a premium. Soup and a piece of bread make a great meal. You can also add any leftover vegetables or meat or starches from another meal, so nothing goes to waste.

[metmom]

Soup is the ultimate comfort food IMO.

Now that the wood stove is going, I can put it on to simmer there.

[DollyCali]

Looks wonderful ! I have all the ingredients on hand. I’m going to make some up today. Not in the large corner do you made a small crockpot

[DollyCali]

Awk Dictation !

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Definitely on the ‘Bucket List!’ :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Here’s my Lentil Soup recipe that got published at Food.com:

Diana’s Egyptian Lentils & Rice

https://www.food.com/recipe/dianas-egyptian-lentils-rice-96581

[Spunky]

Dolly, I always make a large crockpot because I like to freeze some.

You can make whatever amount you want. Just adjust the amount of ingrediants.

Does that answer your question?