Pantry stocking ...

[ORChick]

... On another thread there is a discussion about canning cheese - some do it (or at least one does), and others don't see the need, as cheese is something that keeps pretty well as it is.

So, as it happens, I just read a blog post about stocking the pantry without unnecessary work - keeping whole squash rather than canning or freezing it for example. I thought it was very interesting, and pass it on here for those who might also find it so.

http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/making-do-farmstead-pantry-planning/

"... if you can store your food without processing then do it. Be more flexible in your gardening and preserving choices, many things store without a lick of electricity or processing. Think root cellar, cool room, or here in the Pacific Northwest in the garden, as is the case of some root crops. Or maybe winter growing under cover is a way to slow down your preserving chores. If you crave salads in the winter, put in some beds with hoopies over them (even in cold gardening zones), look for the icons that denote winter growing. Seed catalogs are a wealth of information, there is so much cultural information in them that you can glean tidbits even if you dont want to purchase from the company. As for salads in winter, you may need to expand beyond lettuce and get into some of the more flavorful, hardy winter greens but life is nothing but a grand experiment anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

 

[moolie]

Interesting article I've had a similar squash experience where what was a bit "over ripe" on the floor in the corner of the dining room determined what we were having for dinner that evening (butternut squash lasagne).

I think I look at it from both directions--transitory veggies like tomatoes (and yes, I know they are fruit) don't keep, so I can them... while hardier crops keep "fresh" longer but still might "last" longer (due to numbers) than they keep fresh so might need more processing as time goes on in order to keep longer.

We're still eating fresh garden carrots from our "root cellar" sand buckets in the basement, a few here and there are getting a little soft so I go through them more regularly at this time of year to pick the ones that need eating soonest. We keep apples in the garage after picking, then bring them inside when it gets too cold out and put them in boxes on boards on the basement floor in a cool corner--they usually keep for a couple of months or until we've eaten them all. But once they start to get soft we either dry them in slices or turn them into applesauce.

I've found that root veggies and gourds are the easiest to keep, just find them a cool place that suits their needs (cool and either dry or humid) and you're golden. Carrots, beets, potatoes, all manner of squash. And we've dried peas and beans on the plants (uprooted and hung in the basement if frost threatens) most years as a super simple way to keep the garden harvest. Cabbage does ok for a while if it's really tight but doesn't last as long out of the fridge as in the fridge.

I learn something new about food preservation every year

 

[ORChick]

Agreed moolie - different things are treated differently, and also get different treatments at different times. These different ways have been of interest to me for years; I think probably because I came to the canning bandwagon late. We don't particularly like canned veg., so I never saw a good reason to get a pressure canner until a couple of years ago (although I have waterbathed fruits and such for years). Also, and I admit it, I have always lived in areas with either very mild or reasonably mild climates, so getting around the canning is, perhaps, a bit easier (though you, living where you do, show that it is not at all impossible in rather less temperate climes ) I am looking forward to hearing how others here keep parts of their harvest with minimal or no processing ... or, if they don't, why not?

 

[moolie]

Oh ORChick, I often yearn to be able to garden on the coast where I grew up when I think about gardening here.

I need to be ever watchful for frost and also to ensure that I choose crops that are done before the season is over. I'd so love to KEEP my root crops in the garden! I'd love to grow brassicas and know that I don't have to keep an eye on the temperature and get them indoors before they are really tasty. I'd love to have the longer season and a less boring perennial garden--to have blackberries and hazelnuts and soft fruit...

But I live here, so I push the limits as much as possible to grow as much as possible. I've had some serious disasters, like this season's flint corn that got frost-killed with half-grown ears on it But I keep trying.

And I don't like canned veggies either, the only ones I do can other than what I put into my soups are my carrot "smalls" for stews etc. and the one canned veggie my hubs loves--seasoned French-style green beans.

 

[baymule]

Good article ORchick. That is inline with what I have been studying about. I ordered squash and pumpkins for spring planting that are good keepers. The only problem I have is it is hot and humid here. Nobody has basements because of the water table. There are no cool places to store anything. Even the winter can be hot although we have had 3 weeks of gray, gloomy, cold, freezing at night-in the 40's in the daytime, weather. If I built a vegetable cellar, I'd have to aircondition it.

 

[ORChick]

Good article ORchick. That is inline with what I have been studying about. I ordered squash and pumpkins for spring planting that are good keepers. The only problem I have is it is hot and humid here. Nobody has basements because of the water table. There are no cool places to store anything. Even the winter can be hot although we have had 3 weeks of gray, gloomy, cold, freezing at night-in the 40's in the daytime, weather. If I built a vegetable cellar, I'd have to aircondition it.

LOL! Here on the west coast we also don't have basements as a general rule (bad idea if/when the next big quake comes ) For us, in western Oregon, we don't have quite the same heat and, maybe, humidity problems as in Texas (is it humid where you are?), but I also have to search for proper storage areas. Though we don't have a basement our house is built into a hill - lower level is backed into the hill. So I have a section of the garage that is reasonably cool. Unfortunately (for me) it is also under the stairs to the upper level, so, to get to my stores I have to get down on hands and knees. As I told DH when we bought this house, it will either kill us quickly (with all the ups and downs) or we will live forever . Do you have any room under the house? Or maybe you need to just plan for storing during the winter, and not so much in the summer. I know that I can keep potatoes during the colder months, and not at all when it gets warmer; I don't even try anymore.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Good read! I have eventual plans for a "root cellar/icehouse", we have no basement but have a hillside I plan to dig into. I would like to use ICF or concrete blocks for the exterior walls and then create a space of about 2-3 feet all the way around and frame wood walls. I can then cut and stack ice in the space between the block and wood walls and cover it with straw and sawdust leaving a "refrigerated" room. I will likely need to bury drain tile under it but that's no big deal...I just hope that some day I manage to find time to tackle the project...too many dreams, not enough time and resources.

 

[BarredBuff]

Here are my views on canning:

1. Preserve your food in a variety of ways. We store our squashes and potatoes the live storage way, this is our primary method. Then we also have these canned for quick uses. I am a big supporter of home canning all kinds of food. I have canned the following: Ground meat, beef chunks, chicken dices, chicken breast filets, chicken stock, chicken broth (in pints, quarts, and illegaly in half gallon jars), chicken soup starter, sweet corn, celery, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, winter squash, pumpkin, summer squash, carrots, two kinds of veggie mixes, pinto beans, mustard greens, tomato juice, tomato sauce, tomatoes, apples, peaches, pears, blackberries, grape juice, all types of jams, all types of cucumber pickles, pickled eggs, pickled beets, pickled corn, baked beans, vegetable soup, bean soup with pork, vegetable broth, chilli, sloppy joes, and butter. But at the same type we have a freezer full of beef roasts, steaks, and some ground beef. However this is NOT reliable because of power outages, which we have sometimes. We also have dehydrated peppers, beans, apples, and tomatoes. Variety is the key. We lean more towards canning as did another member on this forum I also plan to can lard, butter, and cheese plus venison, sausage, bacon, ham, and roasted peppers.

2. Think about convenience. This what I don't like about that article. It doesn't take into mind that maybe we all don't have the time to cut up squash and cook. Maybe we need home canned anything for a quick meal. My case for canned meat, it is so quick to use!!!

3. Canning foods is better for indefinite storage. Canning works better for people who "prepare". It keeps indefinitely most times under good storage conditions. Hence why we would want to can cheese, butter, or lard. No risk for the fridge to fail in the summer, or when the freezer goes down in a massive power outage.

 

[ORChick]

BB, those are good points, especially about the convenience of opening a jar rather than starting from a whole, raw squash (for example). Though, to get around that (for this example) I might be tempted to cook the squash one evening while something else is in the oven anyway, and have it ready for the next few days. Just as convenient, for me.
And also, on your last point, none of those things need canning or refrigeration as long as a reasonably cool place can be found for storage. Cheese has already been discussed. Lard, if poured, hot, into sterilized jars, and capped securely will last for a long time on the shelf. I put a sterilized canning flat and ring on the jar, and it will suck down and seal as it cools - but I don't consider that canning as there is no pot of boiling water involved. And, as for butter, clarified butter, or the Indian version, ghee will keep in the same way as lard. Not to everyone's taste, granted, but how I would deal with my frozen butter if the freezer failed.
Definitely having a number of different options is of prime importance. And also knowing how to use them in a way that is acceptable to the family. This year, for example, I have given myself the task of dehydrating more veggies, and finding appetizing ways of preparing them, as this has been problematic in the past for me.

 

[BarredBuff]

It is all in what you like, and are use to using and eating.