We Pause this Life
As we know, life doesn’t always go according to plan. Instead of a half dozen other projects I could have been doing, I ended up spending the last two weeks dealing with Covid. Fortunately, I’ve had a light case so things are improving.
I hope to be back to normal in another week or so. While adding new content is not in the cards for a awhile, please enjoy reviewing previous posts.
Dagnabit!
I am done with Tattler!
I started to process the apples today and, emboldened by my pickle success, I decided to try the Tattler Reusable Canning Lids again.
As before, two of the four jars siphoned out into the canner. I tried these lids in the stovetop water bath canner and had one jar fail. Now I’ve tried them twice in the Nesco Smart Canner and had spectacular failures both times.
I am not going to waste anymore food on figuring them out. I’m going to scrounge as many one-use lids as I can and finish this year’s canning with those.
Later this year, I may try canning some water with the Tattlers and if I can get that to work, move up to broth. The shortages are hanging around so it is important to have the Tattlers as an alternative but doggone I’m having a hard time getting them to work.
The Ants and the Grasshopper
Those of us who are of a certain age are acquainted with the Aesop’s Fables story of The Ants and the Grasshopper. I don’t know if it is currently being taught in the public schools but the story has been used for years to teach the virtues of hard work and planning for the future.
Sticking with the ant, the hazards of improvidence are also addressed in Proverbs 6 which teaches “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! … it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”
IMPROVIDENT (dictionary.com)
It is wise and prudent that we provide for ourselves in times of plenty, to sustain us through times of need.
Having Food Storage in your home was an understood concept when we lived in the agricultural era. People back then understood that if they did not preserve and store the harvest in the summer, they would starve in the winter.
By contrast, in today’s society (in the United States anyway), the majority of people have become used to getting what they need from the grocery store – and expecting it to be there when they want it.
Hopefully, after experiencing shortages in the grocery store during the Covid-19 pandemic, more people understand how easily that business model can fail at any time and that to truly watch over our families we all need to have Food Storage in our homes.
Putting the dramatic demonstration of how quickly store shelves empty from last year and this year aside, here are just a few reasons why we should normalize having Food Storage in our homes.
1) SECURITY – There are so many scenarios that can result in your family doing without necessities if you are not prepared with an adequate food supply in your home. Have you ever noticed that any time there is a weather event predicted, such as a hurricane or blizzard, a large majority of the population hits the store seeking bread, milk, baby formula, diapers, and water to sustain their families? After a disaster, like an ice storm or widespread power outage, the grocery stores are just as crippled as everyone else and not available to take care of your needs. A truckers’ strike or shortage of drivers can prevent the transport of goods to the grocery store. The economic and emotional upheaval of job loss or income reduction is another, more personal, disaster that is not uncommon. The possibilities are endless. The likelihood of something dramatic, if not traumatic, happening in your lifetime is certain. A good meal in your belly goes a long way to making these events bearable.
2) SELF-SUFFICIENCY – Being self-sufficient (self-reliant) means you can take care of yourself. While no one can have all the skills to fully take care of themselves and their families in our modern world, everything you can do toward that end will bless your family. Having Food Storage in your home is the best first step to becoming self-reliant. Doing so will take care of your family’s most basic needs and it’s something everyone can do. Knowing that you will be able to feed your family despite the hardships life throws your way is empowering.
3) CONVENIENCE – Few things are more satisfying than being able to go to your cupboard and find whatever you need, to make whatever you want, whenever you want. With a well planned Food Storage, you rarely run out of things. When you unexpectedly have extra mouths to feed, it is not a burden because you are prepared and have what you need. When you maintain your household’s Food Storage, you don’t have to go to the grocery store as often. You don’t have to figure out over and over (and over and over!) what to make for dinner as you have already figured out what your family likes to eat and used that meal plan to build your storage. (I’ll post how to accomplish that later.)
4) ECONOMICS – Food Storage makes meal prep easier. When it’s easy to get a meal on the table, you can hit the drive-through less regularly. Eating out is expensive and that expense adds up fast. Eating food prepared at home is significantly less expensive than eating out.. Additionally, because you are not Out of anything, you are able to buy the food items you use and store only when they are on sale so your overall cost of groceries will decrease.
5) INSURANCE – Having Food Storage is like having insurance. We spend lots of money on insurance with the hope that we will never need it. We buy car insurance Just In Case something happens to our car; we buy health insurance Just in Case something happens with our health. Why wouldn’t you want to spend money on food insurance (Food Storage) knowing that you Will use it?
If you think about it, you can come up with even more reasons to have food stored beyond what you need for the next few days. Don’t spend too much time thinking, though: those are some very good reasons to establish a Food Storage plan in your home. If you haven’t yet started, now is the time!
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Over the next weeks and months, I will post information about how to accomplish what may seem unattainable to someone who is just begininng (or re-beginning) to establish a Food Storage plan in their home. (Really, if you’re already buying food for your family, creating a Food Storage plan is very simple.)
Check the “Food Storage” tab above frequently to see each bit of information as I add it.
It’s Time to Get Started!
Roaming Chickens
As fall deepens and it gets dark earlier every day, the chickens don’t have as much opportunity to get out as they used to. Today, though, I got home a few minutes earlier so they get a half hour of freedom before chicken bedtime.
The Greenhouse is Covered
After my thumb had a day of rest, (if you missed it, my thumb had an unfortunate encounter with a mandolin slicer), we finally got the plastic over the hoop house.
The clips I bought to secure the plastic to the hoop house didn’t work so we hillbilly-ed it and used ratchet straps.
We still need to close off the ends of the greenhouse but this will hold us for a few more weeks.
The peppers now have some extra warmth and the fall garden has protection from the decreasing temperatures.
Inside the greenhouse 
The peppers just keep growing and growing
I was sad to get an email from Guerneys that they ran out of nectarine trees before getting to my order. Besides not adding to the “orchard” this year, there’s now a big empty spot in the greenhouse and I don’t know what to fill it with.
It Was Supposed to be a Productive Day
With the cooler weather we’ve been enjoying, I was looking forward to having a productive Saturday. The plan was that Oscar would go into town to get a haircut and purchase more bedding for the chickens while I stayed home and processed pickles from the cucumbers I bought at the Farmers Market last weekend. He would get home about the time the pickle project was completed. Then we would join forces to put the plastic on the hoop house and make it into the greenhouse it is intended to be.
Plan in place, Oscar left to do his stuff (though I don’t know how he managed to make an hour and a half errand take four hours), and I started the pickles.
If I say the words “Mandolin Slicer,” who will know how the rest of the story goes?
That’s right, I looked away as I was finishing slicing the Second cucumber and sliced off part of my thumb.
By the time I got the bleeding slowed down enough to bandage my thumb, clean up the blood I had tracked from the kitchen to the bathroom to the kitchen to the bathroom, and re-sanitized everything, I had lost nearly an hour – almost the amount of time the original project should have taken.
The good news is I finished the pickles (with a vinyl glove on my hand) and am now the proud owner of 5 pints of bread and butter pickles. Even better, I successfully processed them in my Nesco Smart Canner – my first success using it! I had leftover cucumbers and vinegar/seasoning solution so I just put a lid on 2 additional pint jars to see how it all works out as refrigerator pickles.
Someday I will master the fine balance between having the contents float and “do not overstuff the jars.” Today was not the day though. Nevertheless, I’m counting this as a win.
Nothing else on the list was accomplished. It’s rather difficult typing this with my wounded and sore thumb. Yes, I have put cut-resistant gloves on my Amazon Wish List to wear when I use with my Mandolin Slicer.
Oregano for Chickens
The Oregano Oil I ordered arrived Monday and I have given Miss Piggy three doses.
By dose I mean I squirt a small amount into her mouth once a day. There were no instructions provided beyond that.
In the meantime, I’ve been doing more research on the use of oregano in chickens and have discovered that it is amazing!
Oregano contains carvacrol, a monoterpenoid phenol that gives oregano its characteristic pungent, warm aroma but is also what makes oregano one of the most powerful natural antibiotics ever studied. It also contains thymol which is an antifungal. Oregano is used to treat yeast infections (like Miss Piggy has), is a powerful antioxidant, benefits intestinal health, has anti-inflammatory properties, and provides pain relief.
Oregano oil, which is more potent than fresh or dried oregano, strengthens the immune system and can guard against common poultry illnesses such as avian flu, infectious bronchitis, respiratory illness, salmonella, e. coli, aspergillus, bumblefoot (staphylococcus) and internal parasites.
I’m using Oregano oil to treat a specific problem but will start adding it to the flock’s water on a rotating basis with the apple cider vinegar and vitamin/electrolyte powder that I already alternate as preventative health measures.
Regularly using fresh or dried oregano is also a great way to prevent illness and keep chickens healthy so I will definitely be growing Oregano next year. Then I can give them a tasty treat with a benefit.
It will also make the coop smell better! What a boon that will be!
If you are interested in the Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage side of being Self-Reliant, check out those menu tabs at the top of the page. I recently added information regarding Water Storage.
Hello Autumn, Goodbye Summer
The projects have been slowing down as Fall starts. We aren’t struggling to fit so much into our evenings and weekends. The cooler weather has been glorious. The reduction in the bug population has been wonderful. The ragweed? Not so welcome.
Greenhouse: the hoops have been secured to the frame, the fabric has been laid on the ground, the plastic covering has been ordered. The plastic will be installed next weekend, hopefully.
Garden: the fall garden has been planted and the seeds have sprouted. The last vestiges of the summer garden (the peppers) are still going at it. We still have one more cowhorn pepper, a few more serrano peppers, and several mini bell peppers on the vine. It seems like every time I pull some off, more develop. That’s a happy occurrence in the garden!
Brick bed: I planted Kale in the brick bed so the chickens have fresh greens to eat this winter. We cobbled together the framework of a cold frame from available wood scraps. This will be covered with plastic to protect the garden bed from winter weather.
Chickens: the dogs have not been around since we put up the trail cam. $300 – $500 for electric fence netting and equipment is not going to be in the budget for a loooong time so the poor chickens can only be outside when one of us can stand guard. That means they have been out of the run very little, especially since there is only 20 minutes or so before it gets dark after I get home from work.
Miss Piggy has been struggling with crop issues. We’ve tried several treatments but it persists. I would give her Nystatin to treat the yeast infection but I’m not willing to incur a vet bill to get the prescription. I have ordered some Oregano Oil though. It is supposed to be a natural fungicide. I hope it does the trick as, if it does not cure her problem, she will not live.
Fun with Food: I went to the Farmer’s Market and bought a bushel of apples (yes, just one) and some cucumbers for pickles. Fortunately, I had limited cash and most vendors don’t accept debit cards. Otherwise, I would have also brought home blackberries for jam, tomatoes for salsa, and who knows what else. In truth, I don’t particularly feel like processing pickles or applesauce; however, I will do it because it is an important task for increasing my food storage.
Orchard: a while back I ordered a nectarine tree from Guerney’s. When a package arrived I was excited to get it planted. This is what was in the box:
I am happy with what has been accomplished. That’s not to say we are done. We will never be Done. I’m not sure Oscar understands that his grandma’s mind is always thinking of the next project.
If you are interested in the Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage side of being Self-Reliant, check out those menu tabs at the top of the page. I have begun slowly adding things, so check back regularly.
Two Chickens Homestead 
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