Yearly groceries and planning

I have been reading a lot of homesteading blogs today. I enjoy passing the time reading others adventures.

One particular subject I have been meaning to get on a little more is grocery shopping, the larder, food pantry, freezer, etc plans.

This subject is a bit of a chore for me because it means I have to do a lot of tracking, and find a way to do it where the other two in my family don’t throw me off my numbers. I am still thinking of a good method for this… The best I have so far is keeping a list, and then adding a tally (with an amount) for each time I buy a product during the year. At the end I look through the house to see what I have left and subtract that amount if it is anything substantial (as I like to over estimate rather than underestimate what I will need)

Out of that very long list of items I will also list what I can grow of those, how much of it I will need to grow, and how many cans/bags I would need to produce from said crop per person.

Each year I will put down what I have growing and if it is under, over, or right at what it needs to be for preserving.

Of course this list will change each year as our tastes do. I am sure what we eat in fruits and veggies now will greatly grow once we can have it fresh on the table during the harvest seasons.

We may eat more of something in the future because I can grow it, than we would if we were to buy it in a fruit stand or store. Artichoke is a good example of one veggie we all love but never really buy due to increasing prices.
I absolutely love steamed artichoke with Italian dressing to dip the leaves and heart in. I also hate the canned stuff because it is not usually cooked quite to my liking and doesn’t come out right.
Growing my own will solve that.

Everyone is going to use different things and different amounts. When someone thinks of a larder, or prepping for a year of food, one usually thinks of beans, rice, etc… And while we eat those things, we normally do not base our whole diet off of those. You need to base your pantry goods off of what you actually use, not just that but also how much you actually use. No need to buy 50lbs of beans if your family only uses 10lbs or less a year… That is just a random number for an example. I see people that buy a LOT of rice, when they only need maybe a small few bags a year.

The idea for me is that I will need to go through a multi-step process that may take a few years to get down. One at the very least.
First step is to go through my pantry and write down everything I have just to start the “what do we use” list
   Each time we go shopping I mark down new items with amounts, or add amounts to items already on the list.
   I would also like to add how much those items were so I can get a yearly grocery expense ballpark.
   I will then have my “currently growing” and “To grow” list. Based on the grocery list I can at least have a guess on how much of something I will need to grow and adjust accordingly.

Also I would like to make a “Thinks we would like to use, but don’t use much of, or do not presently use” list to see how I can incorporate new food items in the mix.

I may not go this particular route as I do not go shopping once a week, but something like what this blogger has posted about is a brilliant idea.  Click the link below to see how another blogger created their food pantry.
Food storage for people who don't hate food

There are some great charts on that site that give you a good idea on how to create your own list.

I keep seeing these “Eat from the larder challenge” Where basically for a month you are not allowed to eat anything except from what is already in your pantry/fridge/freezer.
People tend to eat out or shop so often that they end up with things in their pantry that they do not even remember when they bought it at times. I think the reason is that they end up with random cans of pumpkin, or boxes of noodles they don’t know what to do with. Random ingredients that are missing others to make something.
I think by building up your food storage, you have a well rounded pantry, freezer, fridge, and will be better able to cook more meals, and get creative with ingredients without it being an awkward mix.

What I mean is it is fun to experiment with random recipes whenever your heart fancies. It is not always fun when you have to try and throw random things together that are only passible by the taste buds as being ok for a one time meal.

I also think that if one was to do something like this they might bake more, eat healthier *depending on items they stocked up on of course* and can have more food groups to their diet.

I remember as a kid we literally had all the food groups at every meal like a good old fashioned home cooked meal would be imagined. You had your potatoes, your roll, your peaches, meat, veggie… It was much too large of a serving size back then, but people didn’t really know as much about portioning as they do now.

Nowadays I notice people are lucky if they have more than two food groups a day even, let alone a meal. That is not to say I think all food groups need to be there in every meal, but you should be getting enough servings of each food group for your bodies needs.

My problem with people today is laziness. People would rather pop a hot pocket in the microwave than cook something.
My brother and I have this argument all the time actually. He argues that he loves to cook, but all I ever see him do is use the microwave, yet he cooks at his friends houses all the time. I have been trying to get him to eat healthier meals and cook more here for ages. Heck, I have made healthier food accessible that is not even time intensive, or pre-prepared for him. Usually he only eats it if I make dinner for everyone.
  He finally told me it was because some of his friends families had a LOT of really random fresh ingredients which provided a better variety. He doesn’t really like to cook normal foods… He likes to play master chef and create new yummy food concoctions, some of which I love, others you couldn’t pay me to try haha.

While I admire his ambition and love for experiments, I doubt that he will do much more than basic cooking here. This is another reason why my freezer meal idea will be awesome once I can implement it further *As in fix the chest freezer* When I froze big batches of my home made chicken veggie soup he absolutely loved that. I will have to do that again soon as the weather cools.

What he said made sense to me, though I still frowned at him due to having things to cook, just not quite the variety that a Mex-Asian family who is traditional on both sides would have. Food is a very big part of both of those cultures.  I have been amazed at some of the meals he has told me he has had over there. I don’t usually shop for some of the more exotic ingredients they use.

I do think getting a rice cooker and a bread maker will entice my brother a bit though. He has mentioned those being handy on more than a few occasions.

At least I don’t have to force him to eat veggies.

My husband on the other hand is really picky about what veggies need to be cooked to what texture… He will not eat anything but raw when it comes to carrots. If they are cooked he won’t eat them. A few other veggies are like that for him. These things I have to take into consideration when cooking.

Considering what you eat raw, cooked, dried, fresh, frozen, the meals you like, how you like them prepared *baked, fried, etc* and doing a little meal planning in addition to just knowing how much of something you use might be useful when building up your larder. 

For me having options is both good and bad. Like loving ice cream but then going into baskin-robins and not knowing which of the 31 flavors you want so you sit on the floor for hours not sure what to pick. Well, for me it is the floor of the kitchen with my fridge door open every couple of minutes in hopes of deciding. I can be very indecisive.

Another great thing about doing this is you aren’t just doing it for quick meals, but also for cooking. For instance, I could put down that we can eat up to 4 granola bars during working days *20 days a month* for the year, equaling out to 80 bars a month or 960 a year (Yes that sounds like a hell of a lot of bars, but we really love them, and they make great work snacks) OR I could put down how much oats I need, honey, and all the other random ingredients I would need to make my own batches of granola bars.
  Not only would they be fun to make, it would save money, and be another way I could utilize the list.
    I don’t think we really eat quite that many, but for me I usually eat 1-2 a day. I only assume the same goes for the hubby for my estimation.
   Now if I make my own bars I have to take into account what kinds I will be making. I also think there is a great benefit in knowing what goes into making your food, as well as there are so many bars I go “You know I wish they would have added X to this bar… or why can’t I find a bar that tastes like X when I am craving it” So cooking has many benefits to it really.

I won’t go into the whole long rant about how most of our newer generation doesn’t know or care to know how to cook. That is an overgeneralization based on my own experiences and the ones I hear from others. I feel cooking is an essential skill everyone should know and I will leave it at that.

For now I am making a list (Not close enough to Christmas to make that joke)
It may take awhile to get the hang of it but I think it will be worth the effort later, especially since making a list on the fly or during breaks at work is not exactly easy.

I think the next challenge will be to add shelving for more canned and dried food storage.

Currants and tomatoes

Today I got 10 cabinets clear glazed. I still have 11 to antique and clear glaze. Still, it is much needed progress. Once those go into the kitchen I can work on the others.

After working on cabinets I decided to pick some of the ripe black and red currants hanging over into my yard. The bush borders three lawns, yet I am sure I am the only one who bothers to pick them.
A lot of people who have currants either do not know they are edible, or if they do, do not bother to pick them as it is time consuming. I however do not mind it at all.

There are some plums on one of the trees in the yard I am hoping will sweeten up soon. The cherries were sadly too high up to pick, however I was still able to get some cherry picking in this year up at my friends parents house.
I also got some orange currants, service berries, sage, yarrow, fresh farm eggs.

So now I have Orange, black, and red currants in the freezer. Small amounts of each but with each harvest I gain more bags. I have a decent amount of service berries. I also have a good sized strawberry box full of cherries. I may pit and freeze some of those as well to use in a pie later. I would can them if there were more than a couple small cans worth.

My garden got a good watering and I got two gardeners delight tomatoes off the vine. I am saving the seeds from them, but ate the rest. They were quite tasty. The plants still look not the best, but the fruits are very good. I got a few gold nugget tomatoes as well soon. Others are soon to ripen as well.
I will save seeds from heirloom varieties and grow them next year. Hopefully by then I will have the bug situation under control.

I know it is the bugs because my zucchini and yellow squash, which are in large containers, are doing great. The three squash I put in the ground are not doing as well.

I am however happy to report the corn is coming up through the ground. Not all have sprouted up yet, but a good 1/3 has so far. I am seeing signs of more to follow soon.

I plan to start lettuce and possibly broccoli inside soon, as well as direct sow carrots and beets in the near future.
The carrots and broccoli will probably end up near the corn, though broccoli will not be next to the carrots directly due to their shallow, easily damaged roots.
I am still deciding on the lettuce placement. The beets will most likely end up near the tomatoes and onions for partial shade.
The last place I was in the beets did a lot better in partial shade than they did in full sun.

I still hope to get out and do more foraging this year. It may not be as often as I would like to get out (Foraging or nature hiking) but it will still be something.

I also hope to get to work on my garden planner/art journal soon. Having information on the computer is nice, though I love books, and feel having it hand written  is much better. I have been given a lovely calligraphy pen that is perfect for this as well.

Birthday Adventures

Today has been awesome. I did not have any special plans for today really. With all that has been going on, I did not want to make plans then have to break them if something went wrong at the house.

Woke up to tickets to How to Train Your Dragon 2, a pearl bracelet, and a pretty glass hummingbird feeder. My hubby knows I get upset I kept missing out on seeing the hummingbirds, so he decided this might be perfect to help with that.

We went out to eat with friends and family at Steve’s Café. Great food and awesome company. Many wonderful conversations to be had. Not to mention very thoughtful gifts that I adore.

After breakfast we drove around a bit. Went to an antique store and a garden nursery. At the nursery he bought me 5 squash plants, some onion bulbs, and a packet of sweet corn seeds.  We got a good deal on the squash/pumpkin plants. They were .99 and buy 3 get one free.. so we got the plants for $4 total, then about .50 for the onions, and a 2.50 for the corn. Not bad really when I was seeing the same squash plants at the big box nursery's for like $15 a pot.. We went to the Fivemile Farms Nursery in Meridian Idaho.
Being that it is late in the season they are getting rid of the last of their plants, so that means good deals on plant starts.

I know it is hard work, but I actually enjoy working in my garden, so we got some Hawaiian BBQ, stopped at Vapoligy, and headed to the new house to get to digging. The condition was that I leave the work inside the house alone for my birthday he said.

He worked on some electrical sockets in the house while I tilled up some spots in the yard.

I plants 15 yellow onions and 7 white onions in between my wilting tomato plants. I am not sure if the tomatoes will make it but at least now I have a good spot for them. I planted the onions up to the sticks I put in the middle of the tomatoes.
 

You can see how my tomatoes are doing in this photo

Here is where I planted my squash plants. The space was already mostly cleared out.
The one in the back right of the photo is small sugar pumpkin, then to the left is acorn squash, and the right is butternut squash.

I also got zucchini and crookneck yellow squash that I put in large pots.

The area that previously had tomatoes in it before moving them is where I planted three rows of sweet (gold and yellow mix) corn. I got about 45 kernels planted in the three rows. They needed full sun and I thought they might do better in that site than the tomatoes did given that they are usually a bit more hardy.

Once shoots start popping up I will probably dig little trenches on either sides of the rows for watering. Where the big-ish rocks are is where the row starts. Thankfully I should have them started in time to get a good harvest. Any later and it would have been too late to start them. Since my garden is small this year, I could pretty much put them wherever I wanted to.

I can’t wait to start getting a harvest and get into canning. I will probably have more than enough corn to freeze if not can some. This kind of corn is the only corn I like so much I will eat it raw even.

Corn, squash/pumpkin, and tomato/onion. Slowly cultivating the land. Eventually I will get to the grass, which will be much harder to tear out I am sure :/

The hilariousness of the adventure was not having planned to garden today. This meant I was in wedges while tilling and digging in the garden. I need some proper gardening shoes soon haha. Though being that I am someones hobbit friend, one might say I don’t need shoes to garden lol. Though really I do… Especially with ants, box elder bugs, and earwigs I really need to get under control. Thinking of trying out this all natural bug spray my friend makes soon. Maybe that will do the trick.

It is only the end of Spring and I am already excited for seed starting come this Winter. I plan to actually write out my plan for each plant needed, measure out each section, so I know exactly how much I will need to start. I will then probably start a bit over that depending on the plants. That way if some die, I have backups, and also possibly extras for whatever.
This means I will actually need to set up a grow kit of sorts. I will need the lighting, shelving, etc, for optimal seed starting conditions. I thankfully have space for it now too.

I am overwhelmed with the joy of not only having some really amazing friends to share my dreams with, but actually being able to act on one of the bigger dreams I have. Seeing a dream become a reality takes a while for it to set it. It is very surreal. While I am sure there will be some trial and error in learning the land (i.e tomatoes) I am sure it will be a wonderful journey.

Part of the journey is coming up with a name for my homestead. I have yet to name it and as of late I feel as if the name is on the tip of my tongue, but not quite there yet. I am excited for when that name finally comes to me in a big realization. The name is a big deal to me so I can be patient until the right one comes to me.

The only thing I need to get a jump on as soon as we are moved and unpacked is my garden journal. I sadly packed that, so I am just kind of keeping notes on my garden plants in my tablet, and on my computer for now. My garden journal is going to be filled with garden art. Sort of a garden planner, calendar, and art journal all in one.

Yes I have a lot of plans. Yes I will be making them all happen in due time. I will reach for the stars in my steampunk flying airship, and my journey will be never ending. I encourage everyone to reach farther than they think possible, and see the amazing things you can accomplish if you only try, and not give up.

Now I think it is time for some coffee, good conversation, and possibly some blogtalk radio time.

Dreaming of arbors and trellises

I got to have my fun in my garden yesterday. It is such an amazing feeling to be able to call it my own. To not have to worry about whether I can actually plant directly in the ground due to land lords. To only be limited by the space my house is on, both the land area itself, as well as vertically.

I have all of these wonderful ideas bouncing around in my head. My garden is ever evolving into something magickal.

Last night I decided I would not buy trellises and arbors (Aside from the $12 metal one I already got for the front yard) Instead, I will be building my own.
We need to prune the maple tree out back this Autumn, and I am hoping the branches I get end up making about 2 sturdy arbors. One for the three grape vines and one for my pumpkin and squash patch.

I want to make trellises for my beans, peas, cucumbers, small squash, etc, that have yet to be planted.

I have never constructed anything quite like this before. I had planned to purchase lumber at some point to build the arbors, but once I saw the ones made from branches, I fell in love. I have no idea what I am getting myself into but I can’t wait to give it a try.

Here are some of the inspirational photos I found on pinterest.












It is wonderful seeing our dreams become a reality. That being said, today will be focused on cabinets and wall outlets today. Cabinets are going back up tomorrow, so the base of the top ones need to be glazed and clear coated by then. I can finish doors, drawers, and the other lower half later.. Thankfully I think I only have 2 uppers to glaze, then I need to clear coat them all. If I have time, I will get to priming the pantry, which isn’t easily moved due to size… or get to painting other cabinet drawers and doors. As much as I am loving the cabinets, and love that I can do this to them, I am so ready to be done with them.

I just want to play in the garden all day, though this time with better protection from the sun. I got my first sunburn in years yesterday. Thankfully it is already turning into a tan. There is not really much more that can be done in the garden right now though. I planted everything I could.

I will say I love the reaction I get when I tell people how many tomato plants I planted, and that each are completely different varieties. My comment to it is “Well yea, it may seem like a lot, but the guy I got it from had like 56 varieties growing, and many of each type… So it is not really that many” I swear I am not a crazy tomato lady haha.

In any case, it will provide a good crop and I can actually get to some canning this year. I will create a masterfully delicious spaghetti sauce one of these days from scratch to go with my teriyaki garlic meatballs. Sounds weird I know, but they hold so much more flavor than traditional meat balls. I would share the recipe, though I don’t have exact measurements. I just know what goes into making them, and eyeball the amount of ingredients I need. Unless you cook like I do, or unless I could give an estimation, you would most likely not create quite the same thing. I cook with teriyaki and soy sauce all the time, but it is very easy to over do it with those if you do not know what you like.

Anyways, off to get coffee, get dressed, and get a jump on house things. Hope everyone is enjoying my posts.