Self Sufficiency Part 2 - Canning at home

Being aware that there are many points of failure in the food chain and learning what they are is not being paranoid. It's simply having knowledge of the system that supplies you with the things you need to live from day to day. Our view of “prepping” is what we consider positive and balanced. We don't sit around in fear waiting for the end of the world. What we do is kind of what our great grandparents did. We endeavor to be as self sufficient and self reliant as possible. Producing and storing our own food is the same as money in the bank. You think nothing of buying auto insurance, medical insurance or even live insurance. Okay so what about food and water insurance? FEMA recommends that you keep a 72 hour supply of food and water. Most people don't even keep a seven day supply of food and water. I think a months worth of food is a good start and a bare minimum. It takes a little organization but it's easy.

Q – How do I find out how much food is needed for a given amount of time for my family?

A – There are several food storage calculators available on the Internet:

About.com Food Calculator

The Food Guys Food Calculator

Living Providently Food Storage Calculator

Q – Won't the food we store simply spoil eventually?

A – That depends on you. All food will eventually spoil if it's not used. The key is to store what you eat and eat what you store. You have to rotate your inventory. Incorporate what you store into your families menu. As you use something out of your supplies, replace it. Use the oldest first.

Q – Where can I learn to can food?

A – There are hundreds of books available on canning. There are also several videos on YouTube:

How to Can Tomatoes and Vegetables

How to Can Fruits and Vegetables

Pressure Canning 101 vs Water Bath Method

I hope this helps.  Feel free to post any questions comments and suggestions.

Just once I'd like to be caught up around here.

It's a new year and there's a lot of work to be done around here.  It seems that we just finished harvesting, processing and storing last years crops.  It's time to get things rolling around here for the coming year. Here's a sample of what needs to be done this winter:

• We've got a new hen house to outfit.
• Turn the old  hen house into a rabbit house.  
• Cull many of our old laying hens.
• Hatch or buy some new birds to replace them.
• Change the oil, hydraulic fluid and lube our tractor. 
• The 136' fence around one of our gardens has to be replaced. 
• There are four new gates that need to be hung not to mention setting the poles to hang them on.  
• The bee hives need to be readied for spring. 
• Two new sixteen foot above ground planters need to be built south of our other raised grow beds.  
• There are burn piles to be burned. 
• Compost piles to be turned. 
• I need to split the rest of the firewood we cut last fall and stack it in the wood shed.
• The new sink system needs to be installed and plumbed on the patio, but before I can install the sink, I need to relocate a cabinet that's in the way.
• Two of the roads around the property need to be re-cut and leveled.
• Several large trees need to be cut down and bucked into firewood.  
• The roof and one wall on our pump house need to be repaired.
• The rabbit butchering station needs to be set up.
• A goat enclosure and shelter needs to be built.
• The fire break on the west side of our ridge needs to be extended.

And that's just what needs to be done before we start working on the gardens. We also work our day jobs.  Farm life is not for the lazy.

In the end we reap the benefits of our labor.  We know where most of our food comes from and how it was grown.