Testing 1, 2, 3...

You put a lot of work, time and money into pressure canning food. When you are done canning, you just put the jars on the shelf, right? WRONG! I often say "there are questions that newbies don't even know to ask". I don't believe I have seen a list of the simple, yet very important steps to take AFTER you finish a canning batch to optimize and protect your hard work. In my mind each of these little steps are to protect the safety of my family & are so easy to do.

1. When you are finished canning a batch, gently set them out on a dish towel. Allow them to cool down.

2. Listen for the "pings". Though if you are using Tattler lids, they don't ping.

I tend to tap the lids periodically during this time, just in case there is a jar that doesn't seal. Recently, while I was pressure canning green beans, I found one jar that hadn't sealed. If you do this early enough, you are able to pop that jar in the fridge and still be able to use it. 

3. Let the jars cool down completely. Personally, I nestle the jars and cover with another clean dish towel. This will keep drafts off of the jars. I call this tucking them in and letting them sleep overnight. 

4. The next day, remove the rings & wash the jars. When I am washing the jars I actually fiddle with the lids to see if I am able to pop the lid off. Once, I had entire batch of pork where the lids popped off during this stage. This was the day my DH decided to check our the pressure canner in the middle of the canning process. I was sitting in the living room and heard a distinct change in the pressure! I sprang out of my seat and ran into the kitchen and there was DH holding the pressure gauge in his hand. You can imagine my dismay. This was early on in my canning. The entire batch had to be disposed off. If I had just stored this batch, I may have never known the batch hadn't sealed.

5. Leave those rings off.
For me there could be a chance that a jar contents could spoil, while rare - it does happen. If that happens pressure builds up and the seal will break on the lid.

The broken seal on the lid is the indicator, particularly if it doesn't start smelling, that you need to throw that container away.

6. Then I set them out on the counter for a few days and label the lids with a sharpie. 

At this point in my house, my jars go to a staging area. They stay there for a couple weeks. I periodically check them to insure they are still sealed. The jars are then rotated into storage area. 

7. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Stored in a cool, dark, dry place.

Optimal storage temperature is 50-70 degrees. The cooler the storage area is, the longer the food will last. 

"Do not store jars above 95° F or near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, in an insulated attic, or in direct sunlight. Under these conditions, food will lose quality in a few weeks or months and may spoil. Dampness may corrode metal lids, break seals, and allow contamination and spoilage."
(NCHFP Storing Home Canned Food)

8. Inspect all your jars once a year. 

Just to clarify, for safety's sake you ALWAYS use a new lid when canning. Once I have used a lid for pressure canning & it is in decent condition, it goes into a special jar. I will use those lids for vacuum sealing dry goods.

Last, but not least, did you know that you can actually wash sharpie off of the lids? It takes a little elbow grease, but I do it all the time. 

We are so glad you dropped by to visit today and would love to have you visit our Facebook community at Perky Prepping Gramma. 

                    

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6 Simple Tips for the Beginner Prepper...*

The thing about being a “newbie” is you have a lot of questions. You have questions that you don't even know to ask about. Getting started is deceptively simple.

For us it all started in the fall of 2011, trusted friends gave my husband a book called "Inflation Deception". We had a talk and we then decided to start preparing for the future.
I've always liked to have a “little put back”. Mostly because I hate to run out of something.
So, without even knowing about what “prepping” was, we made a plan. It was a very slow start, because we didn't have a clue.

Our first goal was to be prepared for 6 months here at home. In the beginning, I handled the “home” (beans, band=aids, everyday items, etc.), DH handled the defense (bullets) & the “go” plan. 

TIPS:
1. Make a List: The very first step for me was I simply started by making a list of everything thing we used everyday. Literally, from the time I woke up I wrote down what we used...

Things like: water, meds. (prescription and OTC's), TP, soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc...

This was list “A”. We established that we would set aside 10% of each paycheck for prepping. Slowly, every payday, I added to the “little put back”. I utilized Walmart & Amazon free online shipping. Order it and have it shipped to my home. At this time, also began purchasing items like peanut butter, canned meats (ugh!) and veggies. 

EDITED 040614: The (ugh!) mentioned above is in reference to purchased canned and shelf stable meat products.I tried in the beginning. Since that time I started canning my own meats and it has made a huge difference.
How To Pressure Can Chicken & 12 Nifty Tips I have Learned

2. Start utilizing the "Use one, buy two concept": This is so simple. When you open something, anything i.e. a package of toilet or a new tube of toothpaste, pick up two from the store. If you faithfully use this concept then at the end of our first year you will have at least 1 years supplies of said item stored.

3. Buy large: Toilet paper is something you will use no matter what. I buy the largest package I am able to get.

4. Buy cheap: If there is an item you are not picky about, buy something that doesn't cost a lot. For me, I am not too picky about shampoo and conditioner. So, I buy the least expensive I can tolerate. I didn't go overboard here because I decided early on I was going to develop skills & learn how to make items myself.

5. Buy wisely: Some items I don't compromise with. A lot of deodorants don't work me for or smell to strong for me to use. While I now try to wait for sales/use coupons; here I pay what it takes to get a product that works for me.

6. Think ahead: Now water is one item that I didn't purchase in my normal shopping. Yet, I knew I used it, based on my list. So, I just started added a gallon or two during each shopping trip. The brand I choose cost $1 each and it was in a long term storage container. The ones that are like milk cartons won't hold up for long term storage. Look for the ones that in are PET containers. Just Check the bottom for the code.

The thing about starting your own list is that it insures that you are actually storing items that YOU use everyday. It really works. I have been using this method for several years & I know that I have several years worth of these items stored. If you have questions, ask. There are people who will help you. 

So, this is how our journey began in the beginning. We are currently moving to our new property, which we paid for in cash. I am seeing the fruit of our beginning labors after I am boxing up all our preparations and I feel pretty secure. The hardest part for some is simply taking that first step...
How did you start?

Top Three Picks: What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. If you liked this post we would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

                                    

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 the beginning (part 2)...

Storing Cigarettes: Test Review

Welcome and thank you for joining Perky Prepping Gramma. 
Today we are talking about storage cigarettes. 
Whether it is for personal use or barter; the topic of storing cigarettes (tobacco products, etc) comes up frequently in discussions about bartering. But, I haven't seen anyone yet, that actually tried to store cigarettes.
Doing what I do, I decided to test out storing cigarettes a little over a year ago (December 2013).

One pack was simply vacuum sealed, the other (2 plus packs) was vacuum sealed in a canning jar. 

The results were as follows: 

Actually the vacuum sealing was an epic fail. LOL. Could pretty much tell that from the start. Crushed the cigs & thinking it through it would be a huge waste of money, particularly with the cost of the Food Savers bags. Though the cigarette was still fairly fresh.

The cigarettes that were vacuum sealed in the canning jar fared much better. But still the added cost of using jars really doesn't make it worth it. The cigarette itself was as fresh as it was when it went in.

All in all, if I was going to choose to store cigarettes for barter (not convinced of that at all), I think I would just stored the cartons as is. If there is a shortage, I would say most people who would be that desperate for a cigarette, wouldn't care about the freshness.

Now, storing tobacco seeds is a different idea all together. I do know there are people who are storing & or growing tobacco already. If you wanted to think of storing tobacco as a cash crop or for bartering I think storin seeds would be more practical.

Personally, I have purchased tobacco seeds. Honestly, I don't even know if these seeds are for smoking. We will see how that goes later. Growing tobacco isn't high on my list at this time. It is going to be one of those on my list of things to do. It does take practice to grow these types of products. Plus, I want it to be in a completely secure location to protect the animals.

If you have stored tobacco products I would be interested in your observations.

What you see here on my blog and on facebook is original work (and pictures) that I (Perky Prepping Gramma) actually do myself. I simply share my real life journey on preparing. If you liked this article, please feel free to like me (Perky Prepping Gramma) on facebook & keep up to date on things I post. I appreciate the support. Thank you.

5 Tips & How to Use Elderberries for Winter...

I have always been fascinated by homemade homeopathic remedies, so early on I decided to start learning how to make these remedies at home. I've been making elderberry syrup now since 2013. 

Mr. Perky stayed home from work today, which is a really rare occurrence. He was experiencing cold/flu like symptoms. So I went full scale making elderberry juice. I actually made four batches total. 

Today I am sharing various tips I have learned, plus how to dehydrate elderberries (sambucus nigra) and how to make elderberry juice.

Ripe berries:  The berries ripen varies from late summer to early fall. Mostly you can tell by the birds and the berries. If the birds aren't eating them, they are not ripe. When they are ripe they are soft, turn a deep purple color and are full of red juice.

How To Dehydrate Elderberries

First you need to identify your elderberry bushes, in Virginia they grow wild.

My DH and friends went elderberry picking a couple of weeks ago. Initially I just popped the bag in the freezer. Some of the seeds I am saving to plant this spring in my new home. 

TIP: Before or after dehydrating you need to clean/process the berries. They have short shelf life, so if you are not freezing them immediately they will need to be process within a few days. If you float the berries in a bowl of water after you have removed them, you can easily scoop up any floating debris. You need to remove berries that are not ripe, leaves, stems, old flowers blooms etc. It is time consuming, but leaving these other parts in the mix will leave a bitter taste to your elderberry juice. 
While we tried transplanting some elderberry bushes on our new farmette, I will probably order some elderberry bushes to insure I am getting sambucus nigra elderberries. I will keep you posted.

I find I am able to see a difference between the elderberries that we picked & the ones I purchased from Amazon (associate link). But, they both are really good. 

OLD FARMER TIP: Freeze the clusters, then shake the bag.

Left is before putting the berries in the freezer and the picture on the right is what was in the bottom of the bag after shaking. I did still need to pluck some berries, but shaking them certainly saved time. You may also do this when picking.

                        

    

Next, remove the remaining berries from the umbrels & my results.

TIP: Melissa Barnes Blake suggested using a fork to pick the berries off of the umbrels. Definitely going to do that next time.

                

  

I wasn't sure, but I spread the elderberries out in the 
Excalibur dehydrator tray. (associate link)  I was concerned they were going to fall through, but they didn't. I dehydrated the berries at 135 degrees until they were no longer soft. Probably about 4-5 hours. Honestly, I think that my dehydrator was one of the very best purchases I have made. I use it continually. 

Afterwords I set the trays on a towel (glad I did) and gentle rubbed the berries to remove them from the screen. Next time I will use dark towels.

Put the elderberries into a canning jar.

Then what was left of the towel was added to a canning jar and vacuum seal them.

There you have it. The elderberries on the left are the ones we picked. The ones I got from amazon are on the right. Look good don't they?

TIP: I write the recipe for elderberry juice on the lid of my stored elderberries. I also vacuum seal the jars between usages. Now my berries are ready to make elderberry juice.

How To Make 

Elderberry Juice

Originally I was using a recipe I found online, but I have edited it so much now. Many recipes I have found use 1 cup of honey, which is far too much for my taste.

Ingredients: (personally I now double the batch, since I use it so often)

1 Cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries.

3 Cups water

1/3 Cup honey (not really needed)

EDITED: Now I add a couple of slices of dehydrated ginger to my recipe. You may also add other medicinal plants.

First, add 1 cup fresh or 1/2 dried elderberries to a pot and add 3 cups of water.

Bring to a boil & then reduce the heat and simmer for 1/2 hour.

Strain everything through a strainer. Then smash the berries to get all the juice out. Previously I used a regular strainer and a spoon, but I have to tell you I just got an Oxo Food Mill.  It's one of those tools that I really wished i had gotten a lot earlier. I love this thing. Particularly, it makes the work so much easier and it is a breeze to clean.

CAUTION: Don't eat the seeds. There is some chance of toxicity. I just googled it & read about it. A couple won't hurt. just use caution.

Lastly, add 1/3 cup of honey. Since the juice is still hot, I pour it back and forth to melt & get all the honey out of the measuring cup. 

Don't you just love this bottle? I like them so much, I got them at Ikea. I just went back and bought some more swing-top bottles. Then I used a funnel and pour into a bottle of jar. You store the syrup in the fridge. It will last for several months.

DOSING: You may take it every 2-3 hours. Personally I have been just drinking an ounce or two at  time. 

REMINDER: Don't use raw honey with young children you are able to use other sweeteners like raw sugar. 

TIP: Since I made 4 batches, I also freeze my elderberry/ginger juice. Recently I have been utilizing the frozen elderberry/ginger. The cubes are super convenient. Which leads us to...

Perky's Go-Go Juice

One of my gramma names is Go-Go, long before Honey Boo Boo's go-go juice came into being. Once I started making the very best blueberry juice ever, I started mixing my elderberry/ginger juice which  I now have frozen and blueberry juice. This is an absolute fantastic afternoon pick me up. While I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on t.v., I am only able to share that this works extremely well for me. 

Items I used in this post and this week.

    

Just so you know I participate in the Amazon associate program. What that means is when you click on a link I post & purchase items; I receive a small percentage from Amazon. your cost is exactly the same. I try to make sure these are products I have used and recommend.

From herbwisdom.com: "Used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsillitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995.

Elderberries (Sambucus) have been a folk remedy for centuries in North America, Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, hence the medicinal benefits of elderberries are being investigated and rediscovered. Elderberry is used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system, to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsillitis. Bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice destroy the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell. People with the flu who took elderberry juice reported less severe symptoms and felt better much faster than those who did not."

Meals for 12 in a box(es)...

“Meals in a Box” Storage
I tend to store things separately so I will have some flexibility when it comes to making meals later down the road. I don't want to be “boxed in”. 
But, when it is a meal I know we like I “box it in”. I will then store it “12 meals at a time”. The reasoning behind this came from a wonderful post “The Magic Number 12”  on Preparedness Pro's blog. After I hit the goal of one years food supplies stored for DH and me; I am now working on storing meals for 12 people. 
Basically when you have a specific meal you like, work towards buying enough for 12 meals (one meal, once a month for 12 months). Do that 30 times & you have one year of stored food. Simple, huh? Here is one example:

So, if this is one meal, I need to have 48 pints of chicken, 48 cans of coconut milk & 48 packs of the Thai peanut sauce, plus rice.= one meal, 12 times in a year. To expand that:

This is what it looks like on paper:12 (people preparing for) x 12 (once a month for 12 months) x 31 (one month) x 3 (meals a day) = one year of storage.
Note: Currently of the 12 people I am preparing for, 6 are children. When I am storing for the children, I am storing an adult portion for them. While they are young now, if something happens say in five years, they will be teenagers. I want to insure that I have enough to feed them at what ever age.

 I often store these meals in these banana boxes, good movable size for this gramma. I label and date the boxes. 
You may modify it, based on your goals. For example, when I got started I modified it to “6 meals” so I could attain my first goal of 6 months storage goal. Don't forget to add water to your storage as needed.
I will be slowly working on these boxes and will share more as I go along.

Going bananas...

Early on I started using banana boxes for storage. Mostly because it is a handy size for me to lift & I get the boxes for free at work.
Having a portable system was very important to me from the beginning. I knew that if SHTF scenario happened, I would be moving everything possible. It has also come in very handy as I add and move my storage around.Moving 10 boxes compared to 100 jars or cans had been well worth the effort.

These pictures are from November 2012.

My November Goals focused on “Meat & other items that I use at Thanksgiving. So you will see whole cranberry sauce, pineapple, mandarin oranges, olives..Various items that are on sale in November & items that I use for the various holiday dishes that my are traditional for our family. I also did a lot of sweet potatoes, since I make at least 10 sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving. I also canned turkey.

Plus I was storing canned soup and Hormel Chili for simple meals. Most of these items were purchased when they were on sale 10 for $10. 

So, I simply put the cans in the box (upside down), mark the “best used by date” on each can. I store them upside down so the tops don't get dusty. I filled each box.

Added a little food grade diatimacious earth (DE) in the box, just in case some little critters think they want to munch on the cardboard.

Write the the appropriate information on the outside of the box. I marked the item, how many cans were in the box and the best by date.Then store it on the shelving unit. Ta! Da!

I am no longer really adding new types of canned food bought from the store, with the exception of “use one, buy two”. Honestly I just don't use a lot of canned food. After I started growing a garden last summer, I am now working more on dehydrating and canning my own home grown veggies.
I saw another tip on using empty soda boxes for storage. i made one up, but that doesn't really work for us, since we don't drink a lot of soda. But, the concept works well.

TIP: Later I went back through and removed all the "pull top" cans. The concern was that those cans had a weaker seal. I dehydrated those fruits and veggies.
Do you have any helpful hints for storing items efficiently? Why not share them back on Facebook?

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook. I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.