Food Storage for September

 

For some of us, the harvest is over.  Canned goods in glass jars, the fruits of our labors, line the shelves. For some, the harvest continues, with fall vegetables sill growing.  The anticipation lingers.

Our food storage item for September is Fruits and Vegetables.*

Fruits and Vegetables: 5 servings (1/2-1 cup)/person /day

OR

desired servings/ week x 52

Time to take an inventory of what you have, see what you need, and build on it.  Check Grocery sale fliers for great deals.  Store openings is a good place to find a “3 for a dollar sale.”  Keep and eye open for good deals throughout the year. 

If you are on the baby step program, go through your pantry, check for canned fruits and vegetables you didn’t use last month and throw them the closet with what you tossed in there last month.  Do you have $2.50? $3.00?  Add an extra 3 cans of fruits or vegetables (depending on what you want)  to your cart next time you shop, then throw it in the closet.  You’ve just added to your food storage!  If you’ve found you can do more, even better.

Using Dried Apples

Dried apples are an excellent snack straight out of it’s can or package. To reconstitute them use equal parts of dried apples to boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. If you put this mixture through the blender you have Applesauce.

Stewed Apples and Raisins

In a saucepan, cover 1 cup dried apples and a few raisins with 4 cups boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.

"President Marion G. Romney said, “We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.”  Producing our own food frees us from worries and more importantly, we pass on food preservation skills to the next generation. Canning, freezing and dehydrating skills are like any other.  The first time we try will be the most difficult, but the process will get easier as we gain experience.  If you haven’t canned or grown your own garden, consider starting to learn now, so you are prepared for the next season.   I highly recommend the “Ball Blue Book of Preserving, “ which can be found in garden centers, book stores, and the canning supply aisle in the grocery store.  (Amazon.com , itself, does not this version any longer)

)

This book has recipes for how to can, dehydrate, freeze, recipes for canning salsa, jams, and even soups.

What Amazon carries now, is the newer version, titled,  “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”

Another option is “Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation.”  On this page, I also found a book about gardening on 1/4 acre and other interesting titles.

 

*It is suggested that we store seed.  You may find seeds still available at a Co-op, or farming store, to use for next season.  Also check local dollar stores, and other variety stores for seed packet sales.

Usable Lifetime of Common Seeds

Beans, 3 yrs                          

Eggplant, 4 yrs                             Pumpkin, 4 yrs

Beets, 3 yrs                          

Kale, 3 yrs                                   Radishes, 3 yrs

Cabbage, 4 yrs                      

Lettuce, 4 yrs                             Spinach, 3 yrs

Carrots, 1 yr                         

Melons, 4 yrs                               Squash, 4 yrs

Cauliflower, 4 yrs                 

Onions, 1 yr                               

Swiss chard, 4 yrs

Corn, sweet, 2 yrs                

Peas, 1 yr                                    Tomatoes, 3yrs

Cucumbers ,5 yrs                   Peppers, 2 yrs