Raised Bed relocation project underway

Awh, just like I've always dreamed...now it's GROW GROW GROW! I finally WON 1/2 the front yard growing space! I knew my husband would finally break :D  Love him! Will post as the garden looks much more lush! And lots more edible! LOL  I have 2 4 x16's still in the back with all the spring stuff.

ijustwannagrow

Goals for summer!

Cost savings goals for our family for summer 2013:

1.) install laundry line and USE it!

2.) stop buying store bought bread except on special occasions & hamburger buns 'til I learn how to do that too!


3.) install 2 additional cieling fans in the house to reduce the need for air conditioner to drop below 70-72 degrees!

4.) install drip/soaker irrigation through out the garden

5.) plan out all of our fruit trees, fruit bushes, & fruit vines locations (prepare the site) in prep for next spring

Facebook Page Contest: check it out, runs through 05/31/13 midnight

The link to our page:

https://www.facebook.com/ijustwannagrow

Friday night taco night on Tuesday night?

Why is that when some one mentions they're having tacos at home you immediately CRAVE them regardless if you specifically bought a corn tortilla press for Friday night taco night at home and it's only Tuesday night? It's bar none my FAVORITE meal at home! Most of the time it doesn't matter what your economic status is, taco night normally fits in there somewhere! Memories of my dad making us tacos before we went to church on a Wednesday night or two. Nothing like a hard shell taco straight from the box. I'm a die hard crunchy taco fan; however, with our venture & journey on doing "more with less" this seemed like it could fit in for the future IF it went well. Other than the first one being a bit too thick (would have rocked as a tostada for sure) it went superb! My family seemed to enjoy the extra effort mom put out there for them, but regardless it is even cheaper to just make them than buy them in a box (but I still have a small stash). And it didn't take but a second well actually 15 seconds on each side in a non greased/oiled cast iron skillet! The $16 I paid for the press should keep on giving and pay for itself not to far in the future! So give it a whirl, it's NOT hard! And the home made taco seasoning is a MUST do! No more prepackaged seasonings for sure thanks to pinterest. Just do a search and then adjust for your taste. I added more oregano to mine, 'cause that's just how I roll!

Happy Future Taco Nights in your home w/ your family

ijustwannagrow

Canning Swap

So since I just canned some jalapeño salsa my parents who just canned this delicious corn salsa is swapping me a jar! Swap with someone and diversify your canning pantry, it's taste & it's fun!

Test?

 Can I blog from my iPhone?? No way??

CAN IT! Um, Yeah I did!

So yeah, I've been gone for a while from my blog; HOWEVER, I've been super busy in "learning overload"!
I have had a BALL over coming my fear of pressure canning and well canning altogether really. I'm SO PROUD of myself for finally after 1 full year of purchasing my All American 21 quart canner I FINALLY decided I could do it! My husband stood around in the kitchen and definitely helped me lift that heavy sucker, but I did accomplish all the canning.

My first canning experience finally happened April 2013! That canner is built like a tank, it's SO heavy and for a first time canner it was a bit intimidating to be quite honest! But I FINALLY FOUND my MUSTARD seed and jumped up and did it! I had found a great sale on chicken breast & pork loin and my freezer space was getting narrow! And I wasn't letting the meat spoil! I've been watching youtube "how to's" canning videos for a year, so I knew what to do it was just doing it!

For an entire year, I bought canning stuff, LOL

the hubs helped me prepare the pot for first time use

First pressure canning (or canning ever for me) pork tenderloin on left and chicken breast on the right

Yeah the canning bug has hit me for sure. I asked for canning jars for mother's day. Here my buddy and I are picking up my gifts! So I'm looking forward to preserving our harvests by canning/ dehydrating/ freezing, etc. this year! It's just awesome to have so many options now!

I've never bought 16lbs of roma tomatoes before? But heck I can CAN now, so it was onto homemade jalapeno salsa this past weekend! I wanted to practice before my harvests start coming in!

Got 6 pints, then put the rest of the other 5lbs of chopped/skinned romas on the dehydrator 'cause I was too tired from being sick this weekend. But nothing wasted!

It's definitely a humble start to my first preserving pantry, but I'm enjoying teaching my little girl how to carry on family tradition! The rich chicken stock on the top shelf on the far left my mom canned! I've got a about 6 pints of homemade stock in my freezer I'm going to thaw and can this week from my own broth making! The lower shelf is to be preserved...empty jars to fill up with beautiful fruits/vegetables/meats/ and home cooked meals for winter!

 When I look at this cabinet it makes me think of of my Aunt Gertrude (my grandpa hash's sister). She lived in bunker hill, wv which is in the northern part of state. When we'd take grandpa to visit her house was decorated floor to ceiling with her preserving. She could whip up a garden fresh gourmet home cooked meal in a matter of minutes all the way from the homemade canned apple butter & jam on the scratch made buttermilk biscuits to the home canned chicken w/ scratch gravy to home canned green beans! Her canner was always running on her stove with the smell of garden harvest! The jiggy danced and the aroma was memorable! I wish she was still here, so she could see the humble beginnings of Savannah being taught to preserve and mommy learning to carry in family traditions! And Clint's grandparents Floyd & Martha canned a lot of their food/harvests as they were farmer's in KY/TN. There have been many times over the course of dating and being married to my wonderful husband that we dropped by to visit Floyd & Martha and they were canning their FAMOUS Pear Preserves! I hope to get the recipe to carry on this tradition with Savannah! And my parent's special "hunter's delight" recipe will be passed down to my daughter as well!

Get wild & crazy and "CAN" something! It's not as hard as you think!

ijustwannagrow

-I want to thank Michigan SnowPony, BexarPrepper, 255Sage, MistyPrepper, Noreen's Kitchen, West Coast Prepper RN, and the Prepper's Wife for uploading FREE educational videos of canning home harvests. And my special friend Sarah Wright who uploads her beautiful photos of her home canning and all her encouragement and guidance! I'm a visual learner and your videos TRULY helped me learn how to preserve my families garden harvest. We just have a small garden, but now I can shop at farmer's markets and not be afraid food will spoil and our diets will be come much more healthier by default skipping all the additives and preservatives that come prepackaged! It's just nice to have options! Thank You!