Tracy in Ky Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thanks to those who replied on my plea for encouragement thread. I've been so scared to do this without Mom to help me (she died in 2004). I did use a pressure canner. I'm exhausted and my back hurts like everything, but wow--what a feeling of accomplishment. Before I started the green beans, I canned several jars of peach preserves and froze 5 quarts of peaches. Can I go to bed now?? lol. I'm waiting for the pressure to come down in the canner so I can collapse.:sleep: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 You go, girl! Right to bed, that is. . . .and unlike my 3 yo, maybe you'd rather not sleep with your vegetables.:D Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Tracy, I thought I was wonder woman today, just cleaning the school room. You win. Go wonder woman, go. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Tracy, as I've read your threads about gardening/chickens/cows/etc., lol, I've always wanted to ask you about it.. Are you doing this to save money, to be healthier, out of personal interest? If it is about expenses, have you been keeping track somehow to compare your costs/savings? I'm honestly curious! I mean, by doing all this canning and freezing, in the winter do you save a lot in food bills? Do you only work to be self-sufficient or are you selling some of your products as well? I hope I'm not being too nosy. It sounds like a lot of work, but could be rewarding to do as well, and I wasn't sure about the economics in the final assessment, and whether that even played a role... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Holy Cow, Tracy! I hope you went right to bed. I cannot even imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kribby Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 wow, that is great what a wonderful job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabola Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 How long did it take, to can all 21 quarts? How many were you able to do at one time? How big is your canner? I'm not being randomly nosy, just wanting to get an idea before I tackle the beans in our garden (or not). :) OH, and GREAT JOB!!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 That's great. Ours are just coming on and I froze 9 quarts this weekend. Wow! 21 quarts--that is a lot.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 Tracy, as I've read your threads about gardening/chickens/cows/etc., lol, I've always wanted to ask you about it.. Are you doing this to save money, to be healthier, out of personal interest? If it is about expenses, have you been keeping track somehow to compare your costs/savings? I'm honestly curious! I mean, by doing all this canning and freezing, in the winter do you save a lot in food bills? Do you only work to be self-sufficient or are you selling some of your products as well? I hope I'm not being too nosy. It sounds like a lot of work, but could be rewarding to do as well, and I wasn't sure about the economics in the final assessment, and whether that even played a role... Hi Kate :) You aren't being nosy at all. I think different motives drive different things that we do, but the main motives are health and economics. The garden is primarily for economic reasons at this point--I can grow lots of food for practically no money: just a lot of sweat and pain :D But running a close second to that would be health. We feel like most of the food from the stores is devoid of nutrition and even works against health. So, even where raising our own food might end up costing more money--like the chickens (those things eat a LOT), we think they save us money in the long run because of the incredible health benefits of eating good, clean food. As far as the milk cow, it is illegal to sell raw milk in Kentucky. There are ways around it, but when we searched for someone to get it from, they lived so far away from us that it is simply impossible to justify the cost of going to get it. Driving one hour to buy a gallon of $8 milk is madness :001_huh: The health benefits of raw milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt are so vast, and the effects from the hormones etc. in industrial dairy products so scary, that we decided to get a cow. I don't know of anywhere around here that I could even buy raw butter from. As far as saving money with our cow? I think eventually she will pay for herself, and she is going to have a calf in September, but right now I don't know if we are saving actual dollars in dairy products or not. Dollar for dollar we might be breaking even, but it's hard to tell. We have to feed her 8 pounds of feed a day, and that adds up. But again--I think we get back way more in health and vitality than we spend in dollars. But another huge motivation for us is wanting to learn self sufficiency skills and teach them to our children. I want my children to know how to produce and preserve their own food. They may or may not need those skills in their future, but I want them to have them just in case. So we demand a lot from them on the farm. They work, and they work hard! It also gives us a family-wide purpose of sorts. We all work together for a common goal, and it takes all of us to get it all done. It is fun having such variety and productive business right here at home. I don't sell anything. I was on the verge of selling eggs to a friend, but something snatched three of our laying hens :glare: and so I can't sell any until our other layers get big enough to start laying. We just produce for our family, and share some with friends and extended family. Well, that was a long answer! I hope I answered your questions :) Blessings, Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 How long did it take, to can all 21 quarts? How many were you able to do at one time? How big is your canner? I'm not being randomly nosy, just wanting to get an idea before I tackle the beans in our garden (or not). :) OH, and GREAT JOB!!!! :) Thank you! My canner holds 7 quarts. I got it at Wal-Mart for $59.00. Dh and dc picked the beans early, and then dc broke lots of them for me. It probably took about 12 hours or so to do that many quarts, but it was my first time and I was moving pretty slowly. I started around 1 in the afternoon and finally got to bed around 1 A.M. I didn't get them all canned, so I put the rest in the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 You go, girl! Right to bed, that is. . . .and unlike my 3 yo, maybe you'd rather not sleep with your vegetables.:D Well done! Ha! Dd became very attatched to a gourd a few months ago. She wrapped it in blankets and put it in a baby bed. It was like a baby to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thanks to those who replied on my plea for encouragement thread. I've been so scared to do this without Mom to help me (she died in 2004). I did use a pressure canner. I'm exhausted and my back hurts like everything, but wow--what a feeling of accomplishment. Before I started the green beans, I canned several jars of peach preserves and froze 5 quarts of peaches. Can I go to bed now?? lol. I'm waiting for the pressure to come down in the canner so I can collapse.:sleep: Wow! You are an inspiration!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmkclscroggins Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Wow! That's a lot in one day. I love to can veggies. Green beans can be a pain to do but tomatoes are fun! I feel the same way you do as expained in your response to Kate. There could come a time when you have to be able to grow your own food and preserve it. Also....in our family....I like to know what's in my food! Congratulations! Those beans will taste good this winter! Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Congratulations! Those beans will taste good this winter! Melissa Except that I am afraid to eat them. ha ha :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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