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ShawnaB
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| Posted: Oct 15 2006 at 9:05pm | IP Logged
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a home canner, or do you buy in the can? Do you make bread, or buy? Soup in the can or homemade? Cake mixes or scratch? How much do rely on the convenience of the modern grocery store?
"Gooseberry Patch" catalogue just arrived in my mailbox, and this time of year always makes me want to bake bread and preserve foods and make soup and drink cider (maybe made from my own apples?). I have this longing to return to life on the prairie. I've dreamed about milking a cow and making butter, yet in my real life I don't even want to own a cat (not to mention that we live in a neighborhood!) Admitedly I have a romatic attraction to country living catalogues and a strange yearning to buy canning supplies and grain mills.
On the other hand, in my real life I will grab a latte at the drive through and a Murphy's Take-n-Bake Pizza!
I grew up on a farm. My mom grew a HUGE garden and canned or dehydrated everything. We had cherry pitters and food mills. In late summer, we'd butcher a beef. We gathered our own eggs.
25 years later, my mom buys Campbell's soup. Canned veggies come in flats from Costco, and my dad will only eat Williams white bread. She claims that the back-to-the-farm lifestyle just burned her out, and she was tired of us all complaining about home-canned green beans...again.
Our pantry is kind of a hybrid of store bought and make yourself. However, I still have this romance that I will can or freeze or dry fruits that I harvest or buy from local farmers, and make my own bread. I'd like to make more from scratch...I'd love to make EVERYTHING from scratch. I once read that Martha Stewart makes her own marshmellows to go with her cocoa and I actually considered it. Can you imagine?! But alas, just today I bought white kaiser rolls to go with our sandwiches!
Just wondering what how much you all make yourself? What is stored in your pantry?
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 15 2006 at 9:29pm | IP Logged
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Shawna, you sound like me! I always have grand plans for self-sufficiency and what I usually end up with is often more trouble than it's worth!
Gardening-mixed results.
Baking-occasional, but getting better and more frequent since I designated tuesday as baking day. Lost the instructions to the bread machine a year ago and have not bothered with that since!
Canning-we still have jars full of stuff I canned years ago. I will never do that again as long as I have a freezer!
I DO make my own soup, however, but that is just too easy to count. LOL! Chicken+veggies+crockpot=yum!
We do what we can, right?
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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stefoodie
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| Posted: Oct 15 2006 at 10:51pm | IP Logged
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if it can be made from scratch, you can bet i make it from scratch, or at least i've tried. my most recent disaster was blood orange marmalade that didn't set properly  i don't can things like green beans, though. we just try to eat with the seasons, and next year, go back to eating what we grow ourselves in a small yard.
i wasn't this way when we got married. but through years and years of exposure and reading, i've gotten rid of most instant/processed stuff in my pantry/freezer. my only not-from-scratch stuff that i have right now is a box of organic chicken broth, 3 cans of sliced peaches and 2 cans of pineapple slices. if i could grow pineapple here, i would:D. and i'm planning to plant peaches next year. i would so *LOVE* to have a farm, and i'm always envious when i hear tales of people growing up in one.
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stef
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Marybeth
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| Posted: Oct 15 2006 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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I try to make our baked goods, soups, breads and salsa from scratch..though in a pinch will buy them if needed. I really can't stand canned soups since learning to make homemade a few years ago. Dh will happily make any bread we want so that takes the pressure of me doing one more thing in the kitchen.
I would like to try canning someday..in someone else's kitchen  .
I had a recipe for marshmallows which my mil swears are easy to make.
At Christmas I enjoy making candy and fudge. We have the Wilton tent sale yearly in my backyard so my baking stuff is taking over the house!!!
We grow tomatoes and peppers yearly. We try to "mix it up" in garden every year but living by the woods and on a dead end street makes it very animal friendly around here. Read--they eat our gardens like crazy!!!
Hopefully next year we can plant some pumpkins and herbs which won't get eaten.
Sorry to ramble...I totally am envious of my dh's 30+ cousins who live on farms. I think I romance the livestyly too much vs. the reality of what it is day to day.
God bless,
Marybeth
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Maddie
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| Posted: Oct 15 2006 at 11:36pm | IP Logged
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I could have written your post a year ago, word for word.
Briefly, I too grew up in the country where my mother canned, grew a huge garden, etc. Dad hunted for our meat (I still HATE venison, but I'm trying to get over it as my two oldest will be hunting this year, free meat=good), Dad worked at a dairy farm, we lived without a fridge or a dryer. Clothes hung on the line in summer/spring/fall and in the basement in the winter. We used wood heat only, I remember many a morning waking up to a freezing cold house and having to run outside to help with bringing in wood. I had 2-3 changes of clothes, most of which mother made. If there was a way to be self-sufficent my parents tried it. We had forty acres of which I knew every inch. My brother and I roamed the fields and woods from dawn till dusk and each night I fell asleep happy and exhausted. Then sadly, my parents divorced, and mother moved us to the city.
Today, dh and I live on 10 acres in a 100 year old Victorian farmhouse with 30 chickens, 3 rabbits, 2 dairy goats, a pony, and a dairy cow will be arriving next month. We are presently building a hog pen for the two pigs we plan to raise next spring.
As far as what I make myself;
~I bake all our bread-I tossed the bread machine.
~I just learned to can-yippee, we will use everything I can, but getting the time to can is the biggest issue. I do stock up on canned goods when they are on sale and I freeze farmer market goods.
~Yes, I make my own soups. Just about everything is made from scratch. I should say, not everything I do is for the "quaintness" of it, we are very strapped financially~~a lot of what we do is a necessity.
~I doubt I'll ever be good enough at sewing to make our own clothes, I wish I had the time to spend learning how. My dd is learning and doing quite well. She's planning on making cloth diapers out of old cotton shirts we saved rather than give to Goodwill. We'll see how that goes, they could turn into rags yet.  I buy a lot of clothes 2nd hand. Consignment shops have far better quality than a thirft store, I do a lot of shopping in these types of places.
~We garden, but I buy in bulk at farmers markets for canning and freezing.
~We use wood heat and in the cold months I try to use our wood cookstove to save on elec. bill.
~I now make my own household cleaners thanks to a thread on that recently.
~Clothes line will be up next spring, for now I hang towels and jeans next to the wood stove to dry, a small attempt at lowering my elec bill.
I admit I have an advantage over the average homesteader as I live admist a HUGE Amish community that has "adopted" our family and is teaching me how to live a more self-sufficent life. My biggest concern is balancing homeschooling and homesteading. Homesteading takes a LOT of time and is exhausting, however my children are learning more than I am as they have time to read books like "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" and other homesteading books where I am a hopeless Martha, forever cleaning and trying to catch up all my work.
We are not very good at homesteading yet and are learning on the job, so to speak, but I love it. I have always been attracted to simple living and for better or for worse, I have jumped head long into it.
Somedays I wish we were back in the urban sprawl we came from, but then days like today wouldn't happen. Three of my dc discovered several old pear trees today and spent the evening picking pears, peeling them and then we cooked the pears on our woodstove with sugar and other spices. The children were cold, dirty and quite exhausted from running back and forth across the property with their find. Then I remembered that wonderful feeling I had as a child of fresh country air flowing through your lungs and falling in bed exhausted, and content, I knew for our family, this was where we are supposed to be.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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mom2mpr
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Wow, the country lifestyle sounds wonderful! I need to enjoy mine more!
We live on 6 acres(near the Amish, I wish some would adopt me, Maddie:) and I try to do most cooking from scratch. I have been baking bread since ds was about 1 due to his allergies. I do use a bread machine though. We also prefer homemade soups, though there are a few cans in my pantry in case of emergency. All baked goods are scratch. I don't can, and probably won't ever try it unless someone will come over and teach me. I shop once a week and make sure we have fresh produce, but do again have a few cans of fruit and green beans in the pantry, along with some frozen vegies and fruit in the freezer. Can't and refuse to sew, used to garden but since our move have been slowly trying to get my life back so have not had one in 2 years. I dreamed of living in the Little House days but the kids and dh are not as much into it...though we do have those "pear tree" moments Maddie.
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mumofsix
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 6:27am | IP Logged
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Soups and cakes, yes always homemade; most of what we eat is homemade from scratch, but simple also unless for a feast. We do buy our bread and (very limited) cans - tuna, pulses, tomatoes.
I like eating healthily, knowing what is in everything, cooking for my family as an act of love.
However, it is all a balancing act, isn't it? You can be too extreme, get stressed and spend too much time in the kitchen when your little ones want you to play with them. Time with the children is always my priority. Perfectionism in this area, as in any other, can lead to burnout, imo.
Jane.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 7:42am | IP Logged
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I bake a lot of bread in the winter (warm ovens aren't much fun in summer). I make our soups from scratch. We bake lots of chicken (whole) so I have plenty of chicken stock. Lentil soup is our frugal family favorite, hands down. (Add a leek when you sauté the veggies; it's great.)
Lately I have been trying to cook more breakfasts from scratch or semi-scratch. I also sewed my dd's Renaissance Festival costume (like I could afford the pre-made ones, ouch!) and am now into the Halloween one. She's learning to sew, too.
I am frightened of canning; somehow I have the idea that I'll give my beloved family botulism. Perhaps an experienced canner can share some resource info? (In seventh grade all the girls in my class had to learn to can grape jam, what a horrendous project! I've avoided grape-flavored things since then!)
Our pantry has about 10 different kinds of flour (dh buys them for when he bakes bread). We have some cans, mostly veggies and tuna, and a lot of esoteric cooking supplies (sesame oil, anchovy paste) for international recipes.
Oh, yeah, and a whole kitchen cabinet (the upper, 3-shelf kind) FULL of herbs and spices. The collection now spills over into another spice cabinet.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Maddie
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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mom2mpr wrote:
Wow, the country lifestyle sounds wonderful! I need to enjoy mine more!
We live on 6 acres(near the Amish, I wish some would adopt me, Maddie:) |
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Ask! I found them to be very open, but I think that varies from community to community.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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Maddie
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 8:10am | IP Logged
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mom2mpr wrote:
...though we do have those "pear tree" moments Maddie.
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Love those moments! I meant they wouldn't have happened at our old place. 
My favorite canning book is Putting Food By. Canning also frightened me and it wasn't until I canned with someone experienced that I really began to gain confidence. I haven't used a pressure canner yet, now that one scares me.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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ShawnaB
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 9:57am | IP Logged
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Maddie, your life sounds like a DREAM....but I do realize that it is surely a lot of hard, hard work, with plenty of wonderful rewards. I am particularly romanced by the 100 year old Victorian house! Your post did jar my memory back to the days of freezing mornings and wood heat, and my mom making quilted vests and prairie skirts, much to the chagrin of my sister and me!
I also dream about gardening and have many lovely books on the subject! But since having a toddler or baby for the last 6 years, I haven't figured out how to do it. I have often wondered how homesteaders kept from starving in the years that they had babies and toddlers, and no older ones to watch! I guess you could wear a baby, but what about the dirt-eating, trouble-finding toddler? And woe to the homestead gardener with twins! I guess necessity is the mother of invention though.
mumofsix wrote:
However, it is all a balancing act, isn't it? You can be too extreme, get stressed and spend too much time in the kitchen when your little ones want you to play with them. Time with the children is always my priority. Perfectionism in this area, as in any other, can lead to burnout, imo.
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Yes, yes, yes, I totally agree Jane! It is a balance!
By the way, I'll second the book "Putting Food By." My mom taught me from that book, and I will say that canning the acidic foods with the hot water bath method is really quite simple and even fun. I've done jams, fruits and fruit sauces, and pickles quite successfully. Anything that needs to be pressured canned I avoid.
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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mumofsix
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I forgot to add: we started gardening for food this year. I had wanted to do this for a while, but surgeries, new babies, etc. intervened. Finally this year we did it. The potatoes, leeks, beetroot, broad beans and herbs did well and the apples are coming on fine. The plums were great but very few. The brussels sprouts were eaten by something, the carrots did nothing, the corn did not do too well (not hot enough in England I think) and the tomatoes and courgettes were a disappointment (I think we started them too late). We will do better next year thanks to what we have learned this year.
The children joined in and learned a lot. It was a significant part of our primary science curriculum this year!
Jane.
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Servant2theKing
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If your jelly doesn't set, use it for syrup...orange marmalade syrup on pumpkin pancakes...yummm, delightful!
We make a lot from scratch, can and freeze some, garden, bake our own bread... but, like everything else in life, try to be balanced about it! If having a few cans of prepared soup (or other items) in your cupboard allows you to spend more time with your children, that's a good trade-off in my eyes! But, I know we also feel much better the more we eat natural and the less we eat prepared or processed foods! Strive for a healthy medium!
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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momwise
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| Posted: Oct 16 2006 at 11:34pm | IP Logged
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guitarnan wrote:
| Perhaps an experienced canner can share some resource info? |
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Nancy,
Have you checked out Maureen's Thrifty Homeschooler blog?. I really enjoy it and even though I wasn't planning to start canning she's given me an urge
Maddie,
Can your boys get an elk? It's delicious; so much less "gamey" tasting than deer.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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mom2mpr
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Servant2theKing wrote:
| But, I know we also feel much better the more we eat natural and the less we eat prepared or processed foods! Strive for a healthy medium! |
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So true!! When we travel I feel awful after 2 days! Then I try to enjoy my vacation--so hard!
Anne
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 7:54am | IP Logged
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Gwen's right. Elk is great. (We received some meat from a friend. My kids adore "elk burger!") The only way I've ever really enjoyed venison is via the crockpot and a lovely BBQ sauce. (Bear is right out. Ugh.) Deer jerky isn't bad...maybe you could try that?
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Maddie
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momwise wrote:
Maddie,
Can your boys get an elk? It's delicious; so much less "gamey" tasting than deer. |
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Penance, penance. That is how I view just about all game. We had duck , goose, deer, you name it, I had it growing up.  My plan is to raise a nice big steer next year.
There are somethings about country living I just can't stomach, no organic tomato throwing please, but I HATE pure maple syrup~~LOVE Mrs. Butterworths. My dh and children love it so we buy it when it's affordable.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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Maddie
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guitarnan wrote:
| Deer jerky isn't bad...maybe you could try that? |
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This is about the only way I'll eat it. I am trying to get over my dislike of game.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 8:49am | IP Logged
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Too bad you can't raise a bison...our family doesn't eat beef, but we occasionally splurge on ground bison meat and it's excellent! (How'd you explain that huge ugly beast to the neighbors, though?)
There are some frugal homemade "maple" syrup recipes out there (one's in the book "Miserly Moms") if you're looking for a way to replicate Mrs. Butterworth's at home...
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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ShawnaB wrote:
| I am particularly romanced by the 100 year old Victorian house! |
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Oh don't be too romanced. They are lovely and truly well built but 100 years is a long time and keeping thing in working order can be costly and time consuming.
We learned recently that there is a lot of lead in this house and are now having work done to minimize our exposure.
The furnance is 50 years old and a bit of a pain to keep going (we have to feed it water manually - so it will actually fill the radiators and heat the house) but a new one is really out of our price range.
I won't go on. I still love this house but the honeymoon is over.
FWIW I grew up in the country among the Amish. We gardened, canned, etc. I don't do any of that now. I cook from scratch if that means with fresh ingredients from the grocery store but we like to order pizza weekly too. I sew but because I like to.
My sister on the other hand tries to live as self-suffiently as possible and I think that's great. What bugs me is how she makes my other sister and I feel as though we are "less than" because we don't. Yes I BUY my milk (often straight from an Amish dairy farm) and she gets hers from milking a goat. I fail to see the difference there but she swears her way is superior - OK whatever! LOL!
God bless,
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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Topic: What do you make from scratch? Are you
