Dehydrating, Vacuum Sealing Oranges & a Tasty Treat

                                      

I often use my mandolin to slice items. It works really well. I HIGHLY recommend you use a Kevlar glove when using a mandolin, It is EXTREMELY sharp.
I have sliced off part of my finger before using the gloves. I was being very careful.

Then simply lay the slices on the trays.

Here they are in my dehydrator. I personally use the Excalibur. Many use smaller dehydrators, which work well. I just tend to do big batches & quickly graduated to a 9 tray dehydrator.

Lots of yummy oranges.

Then I use my Food Saver vacuum sealer with attachments to seal them in quart jars. Then they are stored in a cool, dark, dry location. How to: Album on vacuum sealing.

When I get around to eating the oranges, I peel off the rinds and save them. When I have a good amount of the rinds, I take some of the pith off and lay them out on parchment paper in a baking dish...

I break up some dark chocolate bars (which I also have vacuum sealed & stored in canning jars). I put them in the oven at a low temp. Probably about 250 degrees.

Once the chocolate is melted, I mix up the chocolate and the rinds.

Then I smooth the mixture out evenly...

Once the chocolate hardens, then I break it up into pieces and store. Goodness, it has been awhile since I have done this and this is making me really hungry. I haven't been able to store this sweet treat, since I eat it all up when I make it. 

Perky Prepping Gramma's Store

If you are interested in purchasing any of the above products, I have listed them in my Amazon Associate store.
1) I try to only recommend things that I actually use and like.
2) I find things that if you order the appropriate amount these items qualify for free shipping.
3) The cost is exactly the same for you, I simply receive a small commission on items people purchase that I recommend from Amazon.

Lessons Learned...

Many of you know that I support a local food pantry. It is actually a LINK of various organizations working together to serve others.

Where I go to church, is the highest-income county in the United States.

Yesterday I worked on the distribution day along with some friends. We helped about 800 families with loading their shopping carts.

 

What I wanted to share were some interesting things I learned, which I think also apply to preparations of food storage.

Pasta Sauce and tomatoes: There were at least 5 tables of various pastas, yet less than ½ table of pasta sauce AND tomatoes.

Mayonnaise: I have always known that mayo was a luxury item. But I was really struck that there wasn't any mayo.

Beans: In choosing beans, most walked by the baked beans and searched for black beans, red beans and chick peas.

Pumpkin: There was a can of pumpkin (and cranberries) for everyone. I was surprised that it seem to be a cultural item, which I hadn't realized before. Of all the families I helped only two chose to accept the pumpkin.

Brand names: Please don't get me wrong here. No one complained, but I watch as some mothers were delighted to find brand names. Another was overjoyed to find Goya brand beans, she remarked this was a really good brand from her country.

Mostly I was reminded that you should store what you eat. When times are tough, there is comfort in things that you know.

We will be helping out again in December. But, more importantly I will be giving in January. That is when most food banks are depleted.

ECD Car Supplies: All because of baseball

Mr. Perky cracks me up & I am grateful. 
Today's shipment is all because of our grandsons baseball game we attended about two weeks ago & the increase in our travel time to and from the "vacation home". 
First, we are now traveling several times week to the farmstead. Mr. Perky now insists that I carry my BOB (bug out bag) in my vehicle. Just in case something should happen.
Next, we were at a baseball game not long ago and it was cold. It was dark, cold and very windy. I was really surprised how unprepared most of the families were for the weather. It was 'bleeping' cold. Three hours.
One dad, a hunter pulled out his blind and propane heater for the children to huddle in during the game.

Thankfully, I had hand warmers (which I need to replenish, since I gave them all away), boots, hats, scarves and my Carhartt quilted bib overalls in my car to bundle up with. I certainly was the most prepared.

Anyway, Mr. Perky's reaction was to add more to my car from Sportsman Guide. 
Last night, our shipment arrived.

For some reason we now have two more sleeping bags.
What cracked me up was we already have sleeping bags, but I really liked his thought process of this adding this sniper bag for future baseball games. LOL. 

Plus, he got 4 Swiss Army blankets.

These are great additions for you to add to your bug-out-bag.

Mr. Perky took a trip...

Mr. Perky took a trip to North Carolina yesterday to talk to a company about putting up a 20' x 40' garage/outbuilding on our property. It was well worth the trip. Even with the company traveling to our area in Virginia for installation, he was able to save about $8,000!

We are also currently waiting on the installation of a new roof on our house. 

"Butterfly Circus" & Mr. Perky the Druid

Technically Mr. Perky is not a druid. In my family we spin tales all the time. Rather an imaginative group.

When we first met Mr. Perky was very turned off by established traditional church – proclaimed he was the only member of the Church of the Hermitage (a place of religious seclusion), who stayed home on Sundays and watched reruns of Star Trek in his underwear. I was a de-churched Christian.

The story that ensued over the years pulled from classic Celtic legends, was he would pilgrimage to Stonehenge, hugs trees etc. The reality is that he is simply a person whose family had extremely painful interactions with church and churchy people.
One month after we were married, my faith journey grew back into a strong relationship as a follower of Christ.

I believe the most important thing to know about me is that I REALLY love God and Jesus.

This influences my POV and everything I do. It gives me spiritual stability, which I personally feel is the first essential for being prepared.

You do not need to believe like me to be welcome on this journey; for truly everyone is welcome here. Recognize this is the very core of who I am and God will come up.

A vision statement outlines where you want to be. This communicates both the purpose and values of my life. It answers the question, “Why am I here?”

My vision statement is:

“love God, love others, it's simple” (Matthew 22: 34-40)

A Mission statement talks about HOW you will get to where you want to be. This defines the purpose and primary objectives of my life. It answers the question, “What do I do?”

My mission statement is:

“entice the skeptic, challenge the lukewarm & ignite passion in the believer.”

I believe these statements epitomize my journey here with you on being prepared. My heart breaks for the disenfranchised, those typically marginalized by society. It motivates all I do.

Mr. Perky and I have always maintained a strong mutual respect of each others faith journey.

This video entitled “Butterfly Circus” is worth the viewing. I feel it describes my faith journey well. It's not preachy, I promise.

So now you know a little more about me...

Welcome to the journey.

The Butterfly Circus - HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

FREE Canning Downloads

From the beginning, when I was learning I would read about what you can and can't do when canning. Eventually, I got to the point where I wanted to see what was actually said by the oft attributed USDA. I read these guides thoroughly & that is how I decided what I felt was safe for my family. That is what I always encourage people to do, read and determine for yourself.

Plus, it was the source of a lot of nifty pictures and charts you see.

There are seven free guides available for downloading and printing. It is a great resource to have on hand. 

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009 revision

If you want to buy a printed version, they are available from Purdue EDU Education Store for $14.40

How to be prepped for long term storage: Elderberry Juice...

Has anyone canned elderberry juice?

From the wall: Stephanie's Question: "When making Elderberry syrup are you canning it? If so do you water bath it or pressure can? I've made it and frozen some but it doesn't last long without molding in my fridge so I need to figure out if I can can it for long term storage." 

The short answer would be I haven't canned the actual juice. I use it so frequently & for me it is quick and simple to make. 

I do have it prepped for long term storage by having the individual ingredients stored. Each of the highlight words below link to a post on that topic.
I use four ingredients & have three stored. Water, dehydrated elderberries, dehydrated ginger and local raw honey. Didn't get my ginger in this picture.

First, I have dehydrated elderberries and dehydrated ginger. 

 

Then I vacuum seal them for long term storage. 

The honey is a forever food. Just keep enough in stock.

It is that simple to keep all the supplies on hand.   

It's that time of year...

My first batch...