SAVING FOOD!

We had snow and ice again yesterday, but the sun is shining brightly today. The other snow had just melted and now we have 7 inches on the ground again. It sure is pretty but I much prefer green grass and leaves!

The seeds that I started last week are all up and growing, so I am checking the moisture of their soil each day. I will get out my little grow light tomorrow and set it up. They are getting sun (when it’s not snowing) in my West-facing picture window, but I think they need more light. This is not an exact science for me!

This week I want to talk about ways to preserve the goodness I plan on growing in my garden this summer. The ways I use are freezing, water-bath canning, pressure canning and drying. Pressure canners are somewhat expensive, but I was fortunate to buy one from a friend’s mother for 5 dollars. It’s not new, but it is in good shape. It’s a large pan pressure cooker, but that is large enough for me. I can my food (for one person) in half-pint jars and they fit perfectly inside. A word of caution about buying a used pressure canner: Take it to an extension office to have it safely checked out if you don’t know about its safety. Pressure canners can be dangerous if they are damaged. I also suggest getting a Ball Canning book. I think they are the best for instructions for canning. I pressure can most all of my garden produce except tomatoes. Tomatoes have enough acid in them that they are safe to water-bath can. You run the risk of getting botulism from water-bath canning most other vegetables.

You may recall in one of my first posts I suggested getting a freezer. A freezer, for me, is an indispensable tool for saving extra garden produce. My freezer is approximately 36″ x 20″ chest freezer and is just about the right size for one (or two) person’s frozen food. The size of freezer you need is determined by the size of your family, but my advice is, if you can only get a small freezer, that is better than none. Again that Ball canning book will have instructions on freezing food or look on YouTube to learn how.

And finally, my third way of preserving food is by drying it. Food can be dried in an oven on it’s lowest setting. I was lucky enough to find a used dehydrator in a thrift shop. I haven’t used it yet, but will give it a try this summer. I, too, will be looking on YouTube for instructions for guidance in drying food.

Food can also be dried outside on warm sunny days. I know my great grandmothers did this, but I have never tried drying food this way.

I purposely have not given specific instructions about any of these ways to preserve food. There are plenty of sites on line that will do that. I may get into more specifics during the summer as I am canning, freezing, and drying food.

I have to be careful to not wish my life away, but it would sure be nice if it was spring or summer now!

Have a good week! I’ll be here again next week.

HURRY UP, SPRING!

It is early February in mid-Missouri as I write this. One and a half weeks ago this area received a dash of freezing rain and then 13 inches of snow. That’s a lot for Missouri. We still have drifts remaining but much of it has melted. The weather is going to drop to near zero tonight reminding us that it’s still winter. I am so impatient for spring! My garden seeds are spread out on the table enticing me to start seeds to grow into plants to be transplanted when the season is right. If I start them now, they will be ready to transplant before the weather is warm enough for them to be outside, but Oh! How I want to play in the dirt!

Two days ago, when the temperature was 55 degrees outside, I gave in to temptation and planted the brassicas in my little pots. Cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts can all take colder weather than most plants, so I am gambling that by the time they are ready for transplanting the weather will be okay for them. So, now I am enjoying watching for the little green sprouts to appear. I am aware that I could just buy the started plants that I will need in the Spring, but growing my own is much more enjoyable and cost effective. I don’t want to pay for something that I can do myself!

I am also working on increasing my stamina so I will be ready to work in the garden when Spring arrives. I walk a mile or a mile-and-a-half each day and lift my little weights (one pound cans of beans) each day and do some other strengthening exercises. After all, at almost 79 a great many people are not able to grow their own food. I feel so lucky to not be one of them, but I work at keeping strong and active.

I think, with the price of groceries these days, there will be many more people growing and preserving their own food this year, so I need to inventory my storage supplies and order what I think I will need while they are still in stock. I will write about that next week!

I hope you have a good, productive week ahead. I hope you will revisit again next week!

FOOD (continued)

“Growing a garden is like printing your own money” except it is legal!

I am SO excited!! My order of garden seeds just arrived! I know I can’t plant anything in the garden yet, but it will soon be time to start those seeds in containers on a table in front of my picture window so I won’t have to buy plants from a store to transplant when it’s time for them to be in the garden!! Money, money, money! Everybody wants my money! So I grow my own plants and cut out the middle man (or men).

With food prices as high as they are and supply chains such a big mess, the quote above is spot on! One of the reasons I purchased this home is because it has a back yard large enough for a garden. There is a big maple tree in the middle of the yard, so we will see if the location I have chosen for the garden gets enough sun. Wherever you live, I would suggest you grow as much of your food as possible. If you live where you have a yard, dig some of it up and plant some seeds. If you live in an apartment, grow food in flower pots on your patio or inside in a sunny window. Home grown vegetables are the best! They taste much better than those in the grocery that have been shipped across the country (throwing carbon into the atmosphere) and you know what has been sprayed on the food you eat! Many of the fresh fruits and vegetables in stores have been sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals.

Gardening is great exercise. Being outside in fresh air, digging in the dirt is good for your mental health. It is an activity the whole family can do together. Little children will be fascinated “helping” grow their food. All of us need to connect with nature more (unless you have allergies such that you can’t enjoy being outdoors).

If you can’t dig up a plot, borrow or rent a tiller to break up the soil. I thoroughly enjoy working/playing in my garden. Yes, it gets hot out there in the summer, so I go work outside early in the morning. Inside housekeeping things are left for when I come back indoors. Growing food takes precedence over sweeping the floor! My floors get swept, just later in the day.

Choose what you grow. If your family doesn’t like tomatoes, don’t grow them. Growing food takes some work. You are going to need to pull weeds and water plants. If you are growing vegetables you don’t like, it’s going to feel like a waste of time.

You don’t know how to do this, you say. There are plenty of sites on the internet to show you how. I have been growing plants almost all my life and I learn something new with every garden I work. Majorly, don’t just plant it and forget it. You won’t harvest much of anything from that.

If you do not have a space of any kind to grow food, look for local farmer’s markets and shop there. Again, the food that’s locally grown tastes better, is fresher so the vitamin content is higher, and releases less carbon by not being shipped across the country.

There will be more garden ideas next week and ideas of what to do it you can’t eat all of the goodness before it spoils. Until next week —

FOOD

LOOKING AT FOOD THROUGH AN ECOFRUGAL EYE

This is probably the most difficult section for me to write because there is so much to write about. Where to start to write with any continuity? I’ll just take a leap and go!

The first thing I want to be sure to say is for you to buy a freezer: Save to buy one new and watch for sales, or ask for a scratch and dent freezer in a store, or buy from an estate sale, but if you have room, buy a freezer. A freezer has allowed me to save on food in so many ways. It was worth the scrimping to save to get it. As food prices continue to rise and supplies continue to be spotty, my freezer becomes even more valuable to me. I own a 832 sq. ft. home so there is no room for a freezer in my house. My little one-car garage barely has room for my pickup, but I managed to find room for the freezer out there, thank goodness.

Having that freezer allows me to shop and cook and eat healthily in a much more frugal manner. I bought and moved into my home last May, so I am planning to grow my first garden here when summer arrives, but for now while it is cold weather, I am forced to shop and buy all my food.

The nearest city large enough to have good food choices is 30 miles from my house. With the price of gas, and to avoid releasing more carbon into the air, I grocery shop once a month and do my other errands there in the same trip. Once a month shopping requires good organization and planning, but I eat quite well on $100 or less a month. After all, if our great or great-great grandmothers could shop once a month, so can I! I keep a running list of things I will need attached to the front of my refrigerator. If I notice an item is getting low, I write it on my list. If I want to try a particular recipe, I look through the list of ingredients and write down on my list any different products I need to buy.

The day before I shop, I check my pantry and freezer and then organize my list. I spend some time planning the most efficient list of all my errands I need to do while I am in that city and the grocery store(s) are last, so the perishable foods don’t get harmed. I plan on buying fresh produce to eat the first half of the month ahead and frozen produce to be eaten the last half of the month. If I need to purchase meat, I compare the price per pound and usually buy a family pack that I divide, repackage, and freeze after I get home.

I always plan on using less meat in recipes than what is called for. Meat is very expensive and our bodies don’t need all the meat we are used to eating. I try to make my meals heavier on the vegetable and fruit side. Vegetable and fruit are less expensive than meat and medically better for us. I realize that I am only cooking for one but if I was still cooking for a family, I would still cook this way. I am not vegan or vegetarian but neither am I addicted to meat. I always plan on having one meatless meal a week. Beans and eggs are less expensive and a good source of protein.

I rarely buy processed foods. Look at the ingredients in processed foods. I don’t want those chemicals in my body. I plan to live actively for another 10 years and simply prefer taking care of myself.

I usually buy store brand canned goods. They are less expensive and often produced by large, popular name brand companies. I bought quite a number of canned veggies last fall before prices went up and store them in my garage beneath where the front of my pickup parks. I also bought larger amounts of fruit when it was in season (and less expensive) and froze it for winter consumption.

For Earth’s sake, I try to use as little plastic as possible so I am in the process of slowly buying and saving glass containers and jars for holding fruits and veggies for freezing.

I will continue with more food ideas in my next post. It is really cold and snowy in Missouri. I hope you are warm wherever you are!

FASHION

I will be the first to admit that I am no longer a fashionista. There was a time I thought I needed to dress in the latest and best fashion trends. However, long before I became old, it occurred to me that by dressing in the latest trends, all I was doing was helping to make others rich: the fashion designers, the manufacturers, the stores that sold the clothes, etc. “Money, money, money. Everybody wants my money.” So, I started to think of ways I could keep my money and still dress professionally.

First, I organized my bulging closet. I had clothes stuffed in there that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Some things I found I knew I would never wear again, so they were either consigned or donated to thrift stores. After those clothes were removed, I hung everything I returned to my closet on hangers turned backwards. Whenever I wore something, I turned the hanger the right way when I rehung it. After six months it was obvious which clothes weren’t being worn and they were consigned or donated. I now had a much more manageable closet. The side effect was that I felt lighter, more free, each time I looked in the closet. “Stuff” had been weighing me down!

I quit going shopping, just looking at clothes had the effect of making me want to buy them, so I quit shopping and looking and found more productive and enjoyable ways to spend my time: volunteering, hobbies — all aimed at being productive, busy, and happy. I became much happier. I kept my money and I was making a difference in my little corner of the world!

On the occasions when I needed to buy clothes, I looked in garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops. It is quite possible to dress well by buying second hand clothing. I only buy what I need, take it home and wash it immediately. I look nice, keep clothing from being sent to the landfill, and keep new clothing from being manufactured thereby saving Earth’s resources. AND keep more of my money. That’s a win, win, win for me!

Now that I am retired and spend much of my time at home, I buy sweatpants and shirts, jeans, shirts, and capris at thrift shops whenever I need them. I am comfortable at home and keep used clothing out of the landfill.

I would suggest that everyone needs to learn how to use a needle and thread. Through the years I have saved a lot of money and resources by mending and patching clothing rather than throwing pieces away and buying something new. (You can learn practically anything on YouTube.) Just because a seam comes loose doesn’t ruin the item if I can sew it back. It seems I am always poking a hole in the toe of my sock. I am happy each time I mend the sock rather than buying a new pair — after all the sock is inside my shoe. No one sees it except me and it’s much more comfortable without the hole. Eventually the sock wears out, but I’ve had a lot more wear out of it than if I had thrown it away when it first got a hole in it. Resources and money saved! Kinder to the earth and to my wallet.

TRANSPORTATION

My first suggestion in this area is to walk more. Walking is good for our health and easy on the environment.

For me transportation is a difficult area to solve in an eco-friendly manner. Our country is built around having a vehicle for transportation. Vehicle traffic releases an enormous amount of carbon into the air. My doctors, grocery stores, and thrift shops are 30 miles away. If I lived in a city of any size, I think I would invest in an electric tricycle. (I’m too old to be riding a bike. I sometimes have trouble just walking in a straight line!)

I think EV’s are the way of the future. However, I own a perfectly good, totally paid for, 14 year old 6 cylinder pickup. If I trade it in, someone else will just buy it and drive it, so I think I will just keep it. BUT there are things I can do to lessen my carbon footprint when it comes to transportation. Most of the time my truck sits in my garage. When I do need to make that 60 mile round trip, I group all my errands in that one trip. I grocery shop once an month — my ancestors did that so I can too. Once a month shopping requires organization. I keep a running list all month long of items that are getting low so that when I buy groceries, I know what to get. I keep track of food I have in storage here at home. I try to grocery shop on the same day I have other appointments there so that one trip does it all.

I keep my truck in good working condition by having it serviced when it should be. I don’t want to add more carbon to the air by having the motor operate at less that optimal condition.

If I had to buy a different vehicle at this time, I would look for a good used vehicle that gets really good gas mileage. What I would prefer to do is wait until enough electric charging stations are built and then buy an electric vehicle. However, I would still organize my shopping trips so that I am not using more resources than necessary.

If I lived in a city of any size, I would use public transportation. A bus or a tram is going to run that same route whether there is anyone riding or not. By using public transportation for my errand I would not be adding to the carbon footprint.

The days of being able to do whatever we want are over. We need to live smarter, shop smarter, eat smarter and try to be as kind to the Earth as possible. The responsibility for living a more eco-friendly life belongs to each of us. We can no longer wait for someone else to do the right thing. We need to set the example if we want our progeny to have an inhabitable Earth.

ACTIONS

As I look to change my actions to help the Earth, I am immediately conscious of these categories: unchecked consumerism, food, transportation, and fashion. I may discover other areas as I work through these ideas, but these are the four I know I will cover on days of the future. Let’s begin with unchecked consumerism.

UNCHECKED CONSUMERISM

Americans seem to have the need to purchase “stuff” to make us happy. My question is, does that item give us lasting happiness? Usually, for me, that answer is a disappointing, “no”. I often think someone(s) someplace made the decision that the only way our economy could flourish was by convincing the general populace to buy, buy, buy. My mantra often is, “Money, money, money! Everybody wants my money!” In answer I have created a mind game to find ways to acquire what I NEED in the least expensive way possible. My money is only my money until I spend it. Once I spend it the money is no longer mine. Therefore, it makes me happy to only purchase what I need in the least expensive way possible. I like keeping my money.

For example, if I need to use a tool only rarely, I first look to borrow it from someone that has it. If I can’t borrow it, I look to purchase it second hand. If the item is second hand, someone else bought it and used it, so I am not adding to my carbon footprint by having a new item created. There are many sources to buy used items: estate sales, second hand shops, thrift stores, pawn shops, garage sales, to name a few. These are not just good sources for tools. Almost every piece of furniture in my house came from these sources and they are attractive, solid items. Most of my kitchen utensils are second hand. So are linens, clothing, wall hanging, etc. I buy second hand at a much smaller carbon footprint at a much lower cost, bring it home and wash it, clean it, and use it. It didn’t cost much and looks fine and stayed out of the landfill.

Buying anything new is a last resort!

Remember: my money is only my money until I spend it. Therefore, I really work at eliminating impulse buying. If I want an item, I think it over. Is the item a need or a want? Can I afford it? I buy very, very little on a charge card and if I do use a card, I pay it off in full each month. Those charge cards will really eat you up in interest!

All of these suggestions require will power. “Money, money, money! Everybody wants my money!” works for me. Find what works for you. The Earth will thank you and so will your wallet!

None of the things I do toward saving Earth is enough to make a difference in the future of the planet, but if enough of us work together to save the plant, together we will make a difference. In addition, working on goals to help Earth keeps me from feeling so pessimistic and feels good to be doing something positive, no matter how small.

It is my opinion that we (humans on Earth) cannot continue to wait for governments and large corporations to solve the problems of climate change. Both are too wrapped up in monetary gain to “bite the bullet” and do what needs to be done in a timely fashion. That situation leaves action to all of us “little” people. If enough of us make our changes, the economy will gravitate to our ways of doing things. After all, if the populace is not buying, businesses will change to our way of thinking. If they want profit, they will sell the products we want. That’s what I believe anyway.

To help save Earth, we must change many of the ways we have been living the last 50 years. Earth simply cannot withstand our continuation of being a “throw away” society. In the first place, there is no away. Everything we dispose of must go someplace. Just because we no longer have to deal with trash in our own hands doesn’t stop it from existing. Landfills are filled with our largess of “throw aways”.

During the 50’s so much plastic was not in use, thank goodness! Meat from the grocer was wrapped in paper, not plastic styrofoam. Rural people didn’t try to keep up with the Joneses (I can’t speak to what went on in cities because I wasn’t there). I wonder when it became “fashionable” to have a bigger house, the latest dress fashion, the newest car, all new furniture to update the look, etc. often at the incursion of a bigger debt. Why?

My parents were teenagers during the Depression. I can’t remember my mother ever washing aluminum foil so it could be reused and I don’t think we ever did without anything we needed, but money wasn’t to be wasted and creativity was used to solve problems.

It is to the ways I learned as a child that I find myself returning as I search for methods to help save the environment and I am finding that I also save money in doing so.

I can remember when my parents first got electricity. I can remember when my dad ordered plumbing materials from the Sears & Roebuck catalog and dug the water lines by hand to install indoor plumbing in our house. I am not suggesting we return to not having those things. I am suggesting that we think about living life in a simpler way. It is possible, I believe, to teach ourselves to be happier, less stressed, and kinder to the earth by simplifying out lives. Don’t think I am suggesting you suddenly become a minimalist or live simpler, but gradually, over time, adopt some of these ideas. You may be surprised at how much better life is.

As we walk this journey together, many of my ideas will be simple and others will be more complex. Change one thing at a time if you are more comfortable with that. Each change starts to make a difference.

ECO FRUGAL GRANDMA

Being environmentally friendly is currently becoming a fad with young people. I really admire Greta Thunberg and all she is accomplishing. It is also a fad to blame my generation and ones before mine for the shape the earth and climate are in — and rightly so. However, this Grandma (78 years old) is determined to do all I can to help the environment. I will most likely be long gone from this earth by the time the worst of the climate forecasts become a reality, but I have wonderful children and grandchildren and possible future great grands that I want to be able to enjoy the beauty of the earth as I did. It is for them that I have made a determination to do my part in saving the earth. In the process of being ecologically conscious, I have discovered the same things that help the climate and earth also are saving me money.

I was a child in the 1950’s. My parents were farmers in the Midwest. I guess we were poor by today’s standards, but we were happy and healthy and lived pretty much a middle class life. I grew up with always having a calf or hog or chicken for meat and fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in that lifestyle — helping in the garden, gathering eggs, feeding the chickens, feeding the calves, etc. We pretty much lived by the adage “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”.

Now as I strive to make a smaller footprint, I often harken back to the days of my childhood to guide me on my journey. I hope you will join me as we learn and discover ways to help the earth!

ECO-FRUGAL GRANDMA

Being environmentally friendly is currently becoming a fad with young people.  I really admire Greta Thunberg and all she is accomplishing.  It is also a fad to blame my generation and ones before mine for the shape the earth and climate are in — and rightly so.  However, this Grandma (78) is determined to do all I can to help the environment.  I will most likely be long gone from this earth by the time the worst of the climate forecasts become a reality, but I have wonderful children and grandchildren and possible future great grands that I want to be able to enjoy the beauty of the earth as I did.  It is for them that I have made a determination to do my part in saving the earth.  In the process of being ecologically conscious, I have discovered the same things that help the climate and earth also are saving me money.  

I was a child in the 1950’s.  My parents were farmers in the midwest.  I guess we were poor by today’s standards, but we were happy and healthy and lived pretty much a middle class life.  I grew up with always having a calf or hog or chicken for meat and fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden.  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in that lifestyle — helping in the garden, gathering eggs, feeding the chickens, feeding the calves, etc.  We pretty much lived by the adage “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”  

Now as I strive to make a smaller carbon footprint, I often harken back to the days of my childhood to guide me on my journey.  I hope you will join me as we learn and discover ways to help the earth!