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Homestead Happenings

Sundays in the Pantry #1

by Margauex October 8, 2023

written by Margauex

Fall Is here

The weather is cool, the fireplace is on and we are living in big comfy sweaters. Cold weather means we are transitioning from fresh salads from the garden to warm soups, roasts, and bread. Lots of freshly baked breads. This week’s menu is full of recipes that feel like a nice warm hug at the end of a long day.

Prep

During the peak of preserving season, I canned a bunch of soup bases to make things easier for myself. So making multiple soups a week is pretty easy when you have the base of it completely cooked. That included meat and veggies. I then add ingredients that are unsafe to can… like dairy… hello whole cream for potato and corn chowder… and any dehydrated vegetables I feel like to bulk things up. One quart of base is one meal for my family.

I will only have to bake one recipe of each, Dinner Rolls and Country Bread Loaf. I always bake a loaf of sandwich bread and at the end of the week whatever isn’t eaten will be turned into croutons and breadcrumbs.

Snacks

Snacks generally consist of fruit, yogurt, a small untrustable, really whatever I have on hand that my daughter feels like eating. The only time I plan snacks is when I make homemade gummy bears, goldfish crackers, or applesauce muffins.

The Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Chia Seed Pudding

Lunch: Chicken Ceaser Salad with Minestrone Soup

Dinner: Baked Pasta with Ceaser Salad and Freshly Baked Country Loaf Bread

Tuesday

Breakfast: Soaked Oatmeal

Lunch: Chicken Noodle Soup with Country Loaf Bread

Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowls

Wednesday

Breakfast: Sourdough Waffles with Eggs and Bacon

Lunch: Potato Corn Chowder with Buttery Rolls

Dinner: Crockpot English Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

Thursday

Breakfast: Amish Casserole

Lunch: Roast Beef Sandwiches

Dinner: Cashew Chicken over Rice

Friday

Breakfast: Leftover Amish Casserole Breafast Burritos

Lunch: Pulled Beef Sliders on Buttery Dinner Rolls with Homemade Fries

Dinner: Homemade Pizza with Side Salad

Saturday

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Lunch:White Chicken Chili

Dinner: Meatloaf with Baked Potato and Canned Corn

Sunday

Breakfast: French Toast with Fruit

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Chicken Broccoli Braid

October 8, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #7

by Margauex October 6, 2023

written by Margauex

Case of the eaten Brussels Sprouts = Solved

I noticed a couple of weeks ago some of my Brussels Sprouts and cabbages had been chewed on. Last year we had a bunch of rats living in our barn. At the beginning of this season, I really focused on that and ended up getting rid of all the rats in about 2 weeks. So when I noticed veggies were getting eaten, I thought, “Ooh great! More rats, time to put my rat czar hat back on and get rid of them”. Turns out it wasn’t rats but a giant, very well-fed, groundhog. It’s unfortunately too close to winter to humanely get rid of it, so we now have a groundhog for the winter.

Here’s some great information on groundhogs and how to humanely eliminate them. This will be a big focus for me next season. If it wasn’t eating my crops, I’d leave it alone. But it’s not, so it has to go.

Preserving

This week has felt pretty overwhelming on the preservation front. Our first frost date is quickly approaching, so I’ve been trying to get everything out of the garden before it hits. This week I pulled all the hot peppers I could find and am making fermented hot sauces. One is a Lousiana hot sauce, made with cayenne peppers. The other is an experimental, mild, sweet sauce made with Anaheim/ Poblano peppers. All my jalapeños will be turned into more cowboy candy. I go through a pint almost every 10 days, so we can never have enough.

I’m also on a huge dehydrating kick lately. I can not get over how easy it is to do and how much space you save with the end result. You really just set it and let it go until it’s done. Then cure for a week and you have shelf-stable foods ready to use. Darcy at The Purposeful Pantry did a great write-up on what curing is and why it’s so important when dehydrating foods. This week, I did nine trays in my dehydrator of green beans and have started more carrots. I mainly use them in soups and casseroles, and with Fall here, those are a lot of our meals.

in the garden

I still haven’t gotten my garlic planted. . . That is the priority this week. I have 800 bulbs to plant and have decided to do it in my raised beds. The problem is I still have peppers growing in them and I’m trying to let them go for as long as possible before I pull them out to plant. With the weather turning unseasonably cold, I think this is the last week for them, so pulling them out and planting garlic is a must.

I also started building my temporary season extenders over my raised beds. I’m using things we already had stored in our barn for this year since it’s such a last-minute project. All I have left to do is attach the 6 mil greenhouse plastic. I’m hoping this will allow us to continue to harvest things like lettuce, spinach, radishes, and turnips, well into the winter.

October 6, 2023 0 comments

From Scratch Cooking | Meal Planning & Prep

by Margauex October 2, 2023

written by Margauex

Traditional meal prepping means getting your meals ready ahead of time. Instead of cooking every meal separately, you cook a bunch of meals all at once and store them in containers. This helps you save time during the week and makes it easier to eat healthy because you already have your meals good to go. For me and my family meal prepping looks a bit different. We don’t really like reheated foods/leftovers so doing bulk cooking for the week doesn’t really work for us. If you don’t really like eating the same thing every day or eating reheated foods, I have some tips and tricks for you.

Prepping for the meal prep

First, I started out making a list of all the meals we eat regularly. I separated our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and then further into each season. For us, in the late fall, winter, and early spring, we tend to eat more soups, stews, chilis, basically more hearty meals. In the late spring, summer, and early fall, we eat a lot more salads, grilled/smoked meats, lighter meals. I also find it easier for me to have theme night meals. It keeps me from making the same meals in a week, keeping us from getting sick of eating the same one over and over again.

Once I separated everything, I started making notes of meals that used the same base ingredients. You’ll start to see that a lot of meals have similar base ingredients, the difference is in the seasoning/ how it’s prepared. These lists are the starting blocks for everything I do on the homestead. It determines what and how much to plant in my garden along with how and what I will preserve for the year, and any bulk buying that we do.

Coming up with the weekly meals

Every Sunday, I write out a meal plan. I start by looking over my yearly list. I pick the meals that look good that week and make a note of what ingredients they take. 99% of the time I have everything I need or have the necessary ingredients to make a substitution. On the off chance, I’m completely out of something I need, I’ll pick a different meal and make a note to pick up whatever it is on my next grocery trip. The whole point of putting together a yearly list of meals is to have meals you’re guaranteed to have the ingredients so changing out the meals once I pick them rarely happens. Another homesteader recommended this planner. It is a teacher planner so the layout is Monday-Friday with Saturday/Sunday combined, but the layout works perfectly for me.

Prepping the ingredients

Once I have my meals planned out, I determine what prep I need to get done. Before I do anything, I clean my refrigerator. Any leftovers that didn’t get eaten, expired foods, do a quick wipe down of the shelves. This lets me know what is in my fridge, see stuff that got pushed to the back, and know if there is anything about to go bad, so I know to use it up that week. I pull out meat of the freezer on Mondays and Thursdays. I keep it in a plastic bin in the refrigerator. To thaw out. I have found that when pulling out multiple days worth of meat, the stuff on the bottom of the bin stays frozen longer, so I make sure to stack it with the stuff I’m using first on the top.

Next, I do my vegetable prep. I use my chopper to dice any onions/tomatoes/peppers I’ll need for the week. I also slice anything that needs to be sliced. Then I peel all the garlic I’ll need, chop and wash any lettuce, and hard boil any eggs. I store everything in these OXO containers except the lettuce. For that, I use this salad spinner to wash, spin, and store my lettuce. I use a lot of OXO stuff. It works really well and is pretty affordable. I will also precook any bacon for the week. I like to leave it in strips and then dice as needed. You can also do a big batch of bacon and store it between parchment paper in bags in your freezer. I will do that and then pull out what I need and chop it up, then toss it in a pan on the stove for a few minutes to heat up.

Once a month bulk cooking

Once a month I do a big bulk cooking day where I prep/cook meals or parts of meals to go into the freezer. I’ll make my pizza dough for the month. I also will prep chicken for meals by putting one meals worth of chicken in a freezer bag with marinade. Then I Stack them flat to freeze. It makes an easy, no-extra-thinking meal. For quick breakfasts when I don’t feel like cooking, I’ll do a batch of sourdough waffles.

I’m not a huge fan of doing a big bulk freezer meal cooking day. It just doesn’t really work for us. Instead what I do is when I make a meal I know freezes well, like this chicken tetrazzini recipe, I will make a double or triple batch and then freeze the extras. I don’t really have the option to order delivery, we live too far for most places to deliver, so after a month of this, I have a pretty good stock of easy, homemade, freezer meals I can pull out on a busy day when I would otherwise have ordered something.

Save yourself time

Is my meal plan set in stone? The simple answer is no. Meal planning is just a general guideline to make sure I have all the ingredients in stock and ready to use. Ten minutes of planning can save you so much time trying to figure out last minute what to make, if you have meat thawed, and what ingredients you even have.

As I said most meals, when cooking from scratch use a lot of the same ingredients, so if my meal plan says baked pasta for dinner and we don’t feel like baked pasta, I can still use that ground beef I pulled out of the freezer and make another pasta sauce recipe, or something totally different like meatballs or burgers. There is a lot of flexibility when you do a general yearly plan. It seems like there wouldn’t be but always keeping a stock of staples, that are unique to you, gives you the ability to make most of your meals.

October 2, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #6

by Margauex September 29, 2023

written by Margauex

In The Garden

This week really felt like fall. The leaves are changing, the weather is cool, and the heater has been turned on. But warm weather is on the horizon! We are looking at above-average temperatures, it’s supposed to be in the 80s, which my plants are loving. Production has definitely slowed down, but there is still produce coming in. In the garden, the pests have arrived.

I spent a lot of time mowing and tilling the market garden, prepping it for cover crop planting. Exactly 50 days ago I planted Provider Green Beans. They are a 50-day maturity crop that I planted with the hope I’d get at least one good harvest before my first expected frost date on October 7th. Today I harvested 3 perfect green beans with so many more on the plants! Unfortunately, while checking the plants on a few of the plants, I found a bunch of Mexican Bean Beetles. I spent quite a bit of time picking off all the larvae and caught one adult. I’m hoping that I caught it early enough that I won’t be overrun. We are expecting cold weather after this week-long warmup so hopefully there isn’t time left for it to become a real issue. I also found a tomato hornworm that had been killed by parasitic wasps which is pretty cool. It’s a big reason I do not spray anything, even organic, in my garden. Nature has its own checks and balances and to see it is pretty neat.

Next up in the garden is getting my raised beds cleared out for my garlic to be planted. I’m not doing any overwinter planting in the market garden this winter. After getting my soil test back, I’m focused on getting my soil quality up.

Preserving

This week I got a double batch of cowboy candy. I go through a pint every 10 days, so it’s a big one I try to stock up on. Next, I dehydrated celery, corn, and okra. I almost have enough tomatoes to do another batch in the roaster. I still need more pasta sauce and sloppy joe sauce. Next week I have to pick up my apples from our local Amish shop. I ordered a bushel of Honeycrisp and a bushel of Gala. I make them into applesauce, apple pie filling, and apple juice. I’m also going to attempt to make apple scrap vinegar. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.

Pantry Stock Up

This year we had a Generac installed through Costco. Because of the installation, we got a pretty big rewards check back. The closest Costco to us is about an hour and a half, one way, away… Or, at least until last week, it was. I got on to look for directions and Google Maps said there was a Costco 30 minutes away?!?! So I took the kiddo to her first Costco trip. Did you know Costco has organic flour now? And it’s $0.85 a pound! I opened my last small bag of emergency flour last week so I specifically went in for flour and couldn’t believe the price. The next cheapest price I could find was through Azure for @$1.27 per pound. I’m still going to get my Einkorn flour through Azure but now I’ll pick up my all-purpose flour from Costco. I ended up getting 60 lbs of flour so now I need to get one more 5-gallon bucket and gamma lid to store it.

September 29, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #5

by Margauex September 22, 2023

written by Margauex

Autumn is officially here but thankfully the weather hasn’t gotten the memo. I know people are excited for sweater weather but summer is still in my heart. I planted some stuff late but with enough time for our average first frost date, so everyday that it’s still warm is another day closer to harvest.

The garden this week has been, once again, full of mowing and weeding. The belt on our mower broke so I couldn’t do much until we got it replaced. As I was replacing the belt, I realized the front tire alignment is off, so I’m still working on how to get that fixed. In the spring I planted about 10000 flower seeds in my beds around the house hoping it would fill in and look beautiful. I didn’t cover them well enough and the wild birds got most of them. But some have started coming up ! I’m letting everything that does go to seed so I will hopefully have enough next year. I’ve already collected enough sunflowers for the year but still grabbing every single one that matures. There has been zinnias, dahlias and amaranth popping up. I’m very excited !

The majority of this week has been in the kitchen, cliche I know. I’ve been recipe testing a bunch of toddler meal prep stuff. I have perfected sourdough “eggo” waffles for the freezer. I’m currently working on sourdough teddy bear graham crackers and homemade goldfish. So far the kiddo is loving everything, she eats like a teenage boy right now. It’s been pretty difficult to keep up with 3 meals plus 2 snacks a day from scratch. So figuring out a good healthy meal prep is essential right now.

In other news, we just had a Costco open up about 35 minutes from us. The next closest one was 1 hour 30 minutes, one way, away. So we hadn’t been going. Luckily we could get diapers, paper towels and toilet paper delivered, but it left a hole for all our cheeses and butter. I haven’t been inside a Costco since pre-Covid so 2019. I’m not even sure if they still carry the stuff we like in store so I’m planning a trip next week to go walk around and check it out. I feel like it’s really hit me how old I am now, getting excited about Costco.

There is that trend going around where you ask your spouse how often they think about the Roman Empire. I asked Brandon and he looked at me super weird and asked why I wanted to know. I told him to just answer the question. So he says “ I don’t know sometimes a lot, sometimes not for months. Over my whole life it’d probably average to once a month or so”. I started laughing so hard, saying “so you do think about it” and tried to explain to him the online trend. ( He doesn’t have any social media ) I woke Avery at 11 pm and she was up until almost 2am. So not worth it.

September 22, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

Pantry Staples |Grains & Cereals

by Margauex September 20, 2023

written by Margauex

Around the world, grains and cereals are a huge part of most peoples diets. Having grains in your pantry is essential for maintaining a versatile and balanced diet. Grains, such as rice, pasta, and oats, serve as the foundation for countless meals, offering valuable carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They provide a reliable source of energy and can be easily incorporated into various recipes, from hearty main dishes to comforting side options and even wholesome breakfasts. A well-stocked pantry with a variety of grains ensures that you have the flexibility to prepare nutritious and satisfying meals, contributing to your overall health and culinary creativity. So, whether you’re looking for a quick and convenient meal or aiming to explore new culinary horizons, grains in your pantry are a fundamental resource for nourishing yourself and your family.

What are common grains and cereals?

Wheat: Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed cereal grains. It comes in various varieties, including hard wheat (used for bread-making), soft wheat (used for pastries), and durum wheat (used for pasta).
Rice: Rice is a staple food for a significant portion of the world’s population. It is available in different varieties, such as long-grain, short-grain, and basmati, each with its own cooking properties and uses.
Maize (Corn): Corn is a versatile grain used for a variety of purposes, including as a vegetable, animal feed, and in the production of cornmeal, corn flour, and corn syrup.
Oats: Oats are commonly consumed as rolled oats or oatmeal and are a good source of dietary fiber. They are used in breakfast cereals, baked goods, and granola bars.
Barley: Barley is often used for making malt and is a key ingredient in beer production. It’s also used in soups, stews, and salads.
Rye: Rye is primarily used for making rye bread and is known for its strong, distinct flavor. It’s also used in some alcoholic beverages like whiskey and vodka.
Sorghum: Sorghum is a drought-tolerant grain used for making flour, animal feed, and syrup. It’s a staple in some parts of Africa and Asia.
Millet: Millet is a small-grain cereal that’s a dietary staple in many countries. It’s used in various forms, including whole grains, flour, and porridge.
Triticale: Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye, combining the attributes of both grains. It’s used in various food products.
Quinoa: Quinoa is a protein-rich, gluten-free pseudo-cereal known for its nutritional value. It’s used in salads, side dishes, and as a rice substitute.
Amaranth: Amaranth is another gluten-free pseudo-cereal known for its high protein content. It can be used in a variety of dishes, including porridge, soups, and baked goods.
Buckwheat: Buckwheat is gluten-free and commonly used to make buckwheat flour for pancakes, noodles (soba), and porridge.

How do I store bulk grains and cereals?

Storing grains, like most other pantry items, you’ll want to put in a cool, dark, and dry place in an airtight container. There are all sorts of options when it comes to containers to store grains in. I store my grains and cereals a couple of different ways, depending on how much of it I have, and how much we will go through in a year.

Option #1: Mason Jars

I use storage gallon and half-gallon mason jars for items we don’t use a lot of. Different kinds of pasta, cornmeal, polenta, wild rice, Bob Mills Tasty Hot Cereal, etc. The mason jars keep everything sealed and are super easy to store.

I use chalk board stickers and a chalkboard marker to label them.

I order all my jars in the off-season. I have found them on sale for less than $12.00 a dozen during the winter months. You can also find them at thrift stores and garage sales.

Option #2: 5 Gallon food grade buckets with gamma lids

I use 5 gallon buckets for the grains we use a lot of. Things like white rice, rolled oats, einkorn etc. I keep the buckets in our cellar storage area and then put some in half gallon mason jars and keep them in my kitchen pantry for day to day use. For more information on storing foods check out my post here.

Where do I get bulk grains?

I get most of my bulk grains from my local Amish bulk store. Things like oats, cornmeal, rice and polenta. For things I can’t get at my local store, I order from Azure. They carry all the einkorn products we use. They main thing I order from Azure is einkorn pastas. See if there is a drop near you. By joining a drop you pay a fraction of the shipping cost.

How long will grains be edible?

Wheat: When properly stored in a cool, dry, and dark location with a gamma lid, whole wheat grains can last anywhere from 10 to 30 years or more.
Rice: White rice, if stored correctly, can have a shelf life of 8 to 10 years or more. Brown rice, due to its higher oil content, has a slightly shorter shelf life, typically around 6 to 12 months.
Oats: Rolled oats can have a shelf life of 2 to 5 years when stored in optimal conditions.
Barley: Similar to wheat, barley can last 10 to 30 years or longer when stored properly.
Corn: Dried corn kernels can have a shelf life of 8 to 10 years or more when stored in ideal conditions.

Remember that these are general estimates, and actual shelf life can vary based on factors like temperature, humidity, and the initial quality of the grains. The gamma lid and the food-grade bucket, when properly sealed, provide an airtight and secure environment that helps extend the shelf life.

To maximize the longevity of your stored grains, consider the following tips:

Keep the storage area cool, dry, and dark, ideally between 50°F and 70°F (10°C to 21°C).
Use oxygen absorbers inside the bucket to remove residual oxygen.
Ensure the grains are clean and dry before sealing them in the bucket.
Label the bucket with the type of grain and the date of storage.
Regularly inspect and rotate your grain supply, using the “first in, first out” (FIFO) method.
Check for any signs of moisture, pests, or spoilage during inspections.

Properly stored grains can remain safe to eat for many years, but over time, they may lose some of their nutritional quality and flavor. It’s a good practice to periodically replace stored grains with fresh ones to ensure that you have high-quality food available in case of emergencies or for everyday use.

September 20, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #4

by Margauex September 15, 2023

written by Margauex

I have this problem where I get things and then never get rid of them. I always say “ooh I might use that sometime in the future” ,“it can be a spare”, “I spent the money so I’m not going to get rid of it”. After we bought our homestead, my husband said we will keep this stuff and if you don’t use it in the next 1-2 years we will get rid of it. Now it’s the end of our third summer and I’m finally getting rid of things.

This week began with a basement clean out. I started to clean out our cellar room to get things ready for my storage crops that are almost ready to be harvested and I realized I could barely make it to the door. So I took a couple hours and tackled that section of our basement. It’s still a mess but I can now walk from the stairs to the freezers and the cold room.

In The Garden

For outside projects its been nothing but weeding. I let the raised bed area get really out of control. Brandon went through and weed wacked for me and then I went through with my Japanese sickle to pull out the rest. I decided for over winter I’m going to plant all my garlic in the back 4, so I am working to get them cleared out and prepped for that. The front 4 are going to have low tunnels put on them for some overwinter veggies like kale, lettuce, radish and turnips. Hopefully we won’t have as extreme cold this year and I can keep stuff alive to enjoy all winter.

Preseving

I’m almost out of canning jars so I’ve brought out the dehydrator. I haven’t used it too much because I had other ways to preserve it that I thought I liked better. But now, dehydrating has turned into my favorite. The space I’m saving is incredible along with the ease of use, I think I’m going to be dehydrating way more next year. I mainly use dehydrated stuff in soups and baked goods. All of my cherry tomatoes I’ve been dehydrating for tomato powder and lots of herbs. I used to hang my herbs to dry but they would turn yellowish brown. When you dehydrate them they stay bright green which I love.

It has cooled off a bit here this week with the 60s during the day and 40s overnight, making it obvious that fall is almost here. It’s definitely starting to feel overwhelming with all the projects I need to get done before winter hits. I just have to keep telling myself, “do a little bit each day, every it counts” and it will all get done eventually. Next week is going to be full of planting cover crops. . . If it doesn’t rain. . . Fingers crossed.

September 15, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

Food Storage | Basics

by Margauex September 10, 2023

written by Margauex

There is a bit of controversy surrounding food storage. When people hear the word “Prepper” they instantly go to the “End of the World DOOMSDAY IS COMING” people and that’s okay. If that is how someone thinks, good for them. That’s just not how it works for me and my family.

For me having food storage is an important part of our day day-to-day. We prep for a couple of reasons that fall into a few categories. The first would be loss of income, whether it be job loss, sickness, or an accident, you get the picture. The second is for weather-related happenings. We get hot and humid summers where our power can go out for days at a time. We also get very cold winters filled with snow and ice. So having food storage where we don’t have to go out in extreme weather is a must. The final category and I’m honestly a little embarrassed by this, is I am super lazy and hate to leave my house. Having a “grocery store” in my home allows me to stay home and not have to go to the actual store around other people.

So if any of that sounds like you, or you’re just curious about another homestead pantry, I have some information for you that will hopefully give you a bit of a head start, skipping all the unnecessary mistakes I’ve made while building out our pantry.

Getting Started

Why should should I think about preserving and storing food?

It is cheaper to buy in bulk.

It really is easier to buy in bulk because you shop less often. Because of this you end up spending way less money.

If a season of difficulty comes, it will ease some of the burden. Especially if money is tight, knowing your food is taken care of is a huge relief.

It is like having your own personal grocery store in your house. And that, in my opinion, is pretty cool.

Sourcing Quality Food for the pantry

Ideally, the homestead pantry is one that replenishes itself. You would grow, cook, and preserve everything you eat then start over to restock the pantry. The first way to start your pantry is to grow your own and learn to preserve and properly store it.

Not everyone has the time, space, or climate to grow everything you would eat. Purchased items are necessary to fill in the gaps of what you can’t produce. If you can’t grow your own, Buy Local Produce For The Pantry. Support your local farms and farmers by buying locally. They will usually give you good deals if you buy in bulk. If you are planning on canning, you can get really good deals on #2 produce. #2 just means it has some blemishes or is misshapen so people are less likely to buy it. Before I had the space to grow everything we do, I would purchase #2 tomatoes for pasta sauce and #2 apples for applesauce. They taste the same and you are getting a great deal to make things that would otherwise go to waste.

If you can’t find produce locally, the next option is to purchase high-quality bulk food.

Where can I buy food in bulk?

In our area we have quite a few Amish Bulk Stores. Don’t live in Amish country? That’s ok. There are quite a few options in todays day and age. One that we love is Azure Standard. They have really great prices on bulk foods. We get all of our einkorn products through them. They also have the best prices I have found on raw cheese and probiotic yogurts/sour cream. Azure has really expanded its reach, so check out their site to see if you are close to a drop point. It makes the shipping cost almost nothing. You will save a considerable amount of money going through a supplier versus purchasing the food at a natural foods store. Their selection of grains is much larger and they have quite a few heirloom varieties.

When crops are in season, check out your local farms. Most local farmers will sell directly to you in bulk. You get a great price, have fresh high quality produce, and most importantly support your local farmers.

How Does Azure Standard Work?

Azure Standard can be a bit confusing for people who have never ordered from there. Azure now ships directly to your door but the shipping cost is pretty high. The more common and affordable option is to select a “drop” during checkout.
The drop is a location near you that you drive to and pick up your items from a semi-truck that brings them. The benefit of doing this is the shared shipping cost and it is very affordable for heavier items.

Each drop has a coordinator, an unpaid volunteer, who helps the unloading stay organized and is the point person if the truck gets delayed. They usually communicate by email and update you on any changes to the drop time.

You find your items and order them online. There is a cutoff date and time because they only ship once a month. You want to make you list of items you want and then check back in the day before your cutoff to place your order. This is to make sure everything you want will ship. You don’t want to show up for just one item that you may or may not need.

In General, you help unload the items from the semi-truck if you are able to and then place them however your coordinator has it organized. Ours is by last name. Then once everything is unloaded you double-check your items, load up your car, and head home.

If something is missing, spilled, or in the rare case produce has gone bad, call customer service and let them know. They will refund you right away.

If all else fails and I can’t find what I need locally or from Azure, I have had luck purchasing organic foods from Costco in bulk.

Where and how will I store it?

We are lucky and have a basement with a designated root cellar space. But before we moved into our house, we stored things wherever we could. Buckets can easily fit into closets, under beds, garages or even hidden behind/under furniture. There is room, sometimes it just takes some creative thinking to find it.

I have 10 5-gallon buckets with gamma lids. Check your local stores before ordering them online. I got ours for 1/2 the price by shopping local. You can also check out your local grocery stores bakery department. They will sometimes have the 3-gallon buckets they will just give away. Just make sure they are food grade and have a good seal. They make gamma lids for 3 gallon buckets, making it easier to get in and out of them. So if you luck out with finding buckets, check into switching out the lids.

Canning jars are another way to store food, even if you aren’t using them for traditional canning purposes. Dried goods can be sealed in them with a jar sealer. I use one attached to my food saver. I also store all of my bulk seasonings in them.

Here is a list of my pantry staples. It might look a bit different than yours but it will hopefully giving you an idea of everything that goes into cooking all your meals from scratch.

Planning How Much Food You Need

To plan how much food you’ll need for your family, start by looking at what you eat over the course of a month. Write down every meal, listing the amount of every ingredient that goes into the meal. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks, desserts, and homemade treats. Add all the items and amounts up together.

This process may take a bit and seem tedious but it will give you a really good idea of what your family goes through and how much you will actually need to get your pantry stocked. Looking through charts and estimates will help you but there is a lot more trial and error involved. They are not customized to your family’s taste preferences. You do not want to stock up on something no one will eat. It is a waste of time, money, and storage space.

Take your monthly list and multiply that by how many months you want to be able to eat out of your pantry exclusively or how many months you would like to have storage for. I try to keep a year’s supply of items in my pantry at all times. It is a working pantry so we eat out of it all year long, rotating stock first in first out. My list also changes seasonally. You can check out more about meal planning and prep from the homestead pantry here.

For dry goods, the LDS church has the numbers really dialed in for a year’s worth of food. Their list is a really good starting off point, especially if you are cooking your meals from scratch.

Do a test run

A good way to test whether your amounts are accurate is to do a pantry or food storage challenge and see how long you can make it on your stored foods alone. Purchase everything you think you will need for a month and see how long you can go without going to the store.

I have been participating in the EveryBitCountsChallenge started by Jessica at Three Rivers Homestead on Instagram. You eat exclusively out of your pantry stores for the months of January and February. You come up with your own rules, for example, I give myself $20 a week I can spend on fresh produce and dairy if we need it. I have done this for a few years now and it has really helped me figure out what we use the most of, what we run out of, and what I wish I had more of.

If you were to go out and purchase everything you need all at once, it would not only be super overwhelming but a huge amount of money. Long-term buying in bulk, buying locally in season, and preserving your own foods will save you a lot of money.

Where will I find the money to stock up?

For most of us, this is the hard part. How do you prepare for a financially difficult time without creating one while doing it? Don’t try and do it all at once. Set aside a portion of your grocery budget each month for bulk supplies. Maybe one month you add an extra bag of flour, or dried beans go on sale and you get an extra pound or two to store. Every Bit Counts! It really is a journey. We wont be able to just go buy a ton of extra groceries. What we can do is slowly save to steadily build our supply. Even though it may take a while, it is important to build your storage in a financially responsible way. You don’t want to go into debt doing something that is trying to help keep you out of debt.

Once you answer the how and where of food storage, the hard part is over. The rest just takes time. I know I have a huge stress relief knowing that if we were to experience a season of difficulty we will be able to eat oatmeal, rice, beans, canned peaches, applesauce and salsa. And then we would pack up and move back to California with my Grandma. Lets hope it doesn’t get that far!.

September 10, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Happenings

Homestead Happenings #3

by Margauex September 8, 2023

written by Margauex

This week has been long and hot. Great for my peppers. . . Not so great for us. This week has been full of pests, preserving and outdoor clean up. The greenhouse is full of tools, sunflowers for seed saving and plants. when it cools off a bit, I’m planning on organizing a bit before I start to store things at the end of fall.

Squash bugs completely took over my summer squash and winter squashes. This is the first year I have had them. I think it’s because this is the first year we have planted in our pasture. According to our neighbors it hasn’t been anything but pasture for over 30 years. I spent a lot of time every evening going from plant to plant with duct tape. Squashing any bugs I saw and taping any eggs. Unfortunately I just couldn’t keep up with them so I harvested all of our winter squashes. Luckily most were almost completely cured. The ones that aren’t are laying out in my greenhouse in the sun to finish curing and ripening. Gardening tip: as long as your winter squashes have started to turn color, they will continue ripening if you put them in the sun. Just like tomatoes and peppers.

Speaking of tomatoes, mine are on their last leg. There is still quite a bit of fruits on the plants so I’m just hoping they survive long enough for what’s on the vine to ripen. I finished canning our years supply of pizza sauce so everything left will go into pasta sauce. I was hoping to have enough to make some homemade BBQ sauce but I don’t think that’s going to be on the table this year. It’s going on the goal list for 2024. All the tomatillos have been pulled out. I grew 3 plants last year and had over 200 volunteers pop up this spring. So I took the healthiest ones I could find and planted a row of them in the market garden. Fingers crossed I didn’t make a mistake and have 1000 pop up in the field.

I’m almost finished finalizing my 2024 garden plan so the seedlings I started last month will be ready to go into the garden for winter harvests and over wintering this next week. I’m working around what’s still in the garden to set up the beds. My tomatoes are smack dab right in the center of the garden and not a single set in between t posts is completely gone. This makes it incredibly difficult to set up the new beds because I can’t remove any t post trellising yet. I’m hoping to get it all cleared out in order to get garlic planted along with a test patch of over winter onions. I’m trying out a couple new to me varieties from Johnny’s called red spring and t488.

I got the dehydrator going this week, preserving some basil I randomly found in the garden, some fruits, cauliflower, tomatoes and corn. Unfortunately my blender stopped working correctly so I’ve been having to put all my tomatoes in the freezer. One of the reasons I chose my Vitamix over other brands was for this reason. They truest stand by their products so when I called and told them what happened they immediately got me set up with a repair. It was a very simple process. They emailed me a prepaid shipping label and gave me a list of places I could drop of off or I could schedule ups to pick it up from my house. I wrapped it up and put it in a diaper box, slapped the shipping label on it and sent it off. They received it the next day and let me know it would be repaired within 3 days and then sent back. So I’m hoping it will be back by mid next week and it was at no extra cost to me.

September 8, 2023 0 comments

Homestead Pantry

Pantry Staples | Spices & Seasonings

by Margauex September 5, 2023

written by Margauex

Let’s take a minute to talk about spices and why they are such an important part of your pantry. Have you ever had a bland tasteless meal before? Having the right amount of spices will make or break you meal. It’s what makes the food enjoyable to eat. You only get so many calories in a day. . . So why waste them on plain beans and rice, unseasoned chicken. Yuck!

One thing we know about spices and seasonings is that they can be really expensive. The price per ounce can range anywhere from $1.00 to $60.00+. One way to save on spices and keep your food tasting good is bulk buying and storing in airtight containers. I use mason jars.

where can I buy spices in bulk at an affordable price?
Fortunately for us we live in the middle of amish so we do a lot of our bulk buying at their bulk shops. You can check out your local area to see if there are any bulk buying places. I’ve found that if I take in my containers, they will weight them and then fill them. It takes the guess work out of how much you’ll need to buy. If that isn’t an option for you Azure Standard has great prices. I’ve also found some good deals at Costco.

So on to my must have top 10 list

Salt: Essential for enhancing flavor in almost any dish, it balances and brings out the natural tastes of ingredients. I use Redmonds real salt. I decided on this brand because it’s super versatile. You can use it in cooking, canning, fermenting and on the table. One salt for all your needs means spending less time and money with different salts.
Pepper: Adds a versatile, subtle heat and depth of flavor to various dishes, from savory to sweet. Coarse pepper is my go to. Why? I don’t really know. It’s what I’ve always used. I feel like it gives you a better fresher flavor versus the super powdered pepper. I do love the powdered pepper in soups though.
Garlic Powder: Convenient for adding a savory, garlicky flavor to dishes without the need to peel and chop fresh garlic.
Onion Powder: Provides a mild onion flavor and is great for seasoning soups, sauces, and marinades. Great to have on hand for when you don’t have fresh onions. Or just to add a slight onion flavor to dishes.
Paprika: Adds color and a mild, smoky or sweet flavor, depending on the variety, to a wide range of dishes. I love smoked paprika it’s adds so much depth to dishes and is such a pretty color.
Oregano: Commonly used in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, it imparts a robust, earthy flavor to pizzas, pasta sauces, and roasted meats. I didn’t realize how many spice blends contain oregano until I started making my own. I use it in almost everything.
Cumin: A key spice in many global cuisines, it offers a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor, perfect for curries, chili, and tacos. It’s also great added into marinades for things on the smoker.
Thyme: Delivers a subtle, earthy and herby note, enhancing the taste of soups, stews, and roasted meats. A must for chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie. Basically all the home style chicken dishes.
Rosemary: Known for its strong, piney flavor, it pairs well with roasted potatoes, chicken, and lamb. A little goes a long way. Ask me how I know.
Basil: With its fresh, sweet aroma and taste, basil is essential for Italian dishes, especially in tomato-based sauces and pesto. Fresh basil smells and tastes amazing. Having some dried basil on hand for adding flavor during the winter will really help brighten up the dreary time.

Once you have your basic spices, you can start making your own spice blends. Making them no really affordable and more importantly healthier. There are so many additives and fillers put into premade spice blends. By making them yourself, you get fresher tasting spices without anything extra.

Bonus Spice List

I keep these on hand and they will really help expand your cooking. You will be able to get by with just the basics but some dishes need a bit extra. Especially if you like desserts.

all spice
bay leaves
cardamom
cayenne
celery seed
chili powder
cilantro
cinnamon ground and sticks
cloves
corn starch -> replacing with arrowroot powder when what I have left is used. Arrowroot powder is flavorless and leaves food looking glossy instead of cloudy like with cornstarch.
curry powder
dill
fennel
ginger
mustard ground and seed
nutmeg
red pepper flakes
Sage
tarragon
turmeric
white pepper

Adding in these extra spices will allow you to cook even more flavorful dishes and give you. Or to work with when making your own seasoning blends.

September 5, 2023 0 comments

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