MaeLyn's Musings

I made pickles yesterday. Our garden this year contained, among other things, four pickling cucumber plants. By yesterday, we had about fifty 3 inch long cucumbers. I've never made pickles before, so I had to do some research to figure out how, and I ended up purchasing a Mrs. Wages Pickling Mix, and following the directions on the packet. I started by washing the jars and lids in hot, sudsy water, and keeping them hot in almost boiling water. (I used my biggest stock pot, with a rack in the bottom to set the jars on.) Then I prepared the cucumbers, slicing the more curly ones, and cutting the straighter ones into long spears. Once the cucumbers were ready, I combined the pickling mix, water and vinegar in a pot over medium heat, and stirred it until the mix was dissolved and the brine was starting to boil. Then I took a jar from the hot water, loaded it with cucumber pieces, poured the brine in until there was only about 1/2 inch of air in the top, then put on a jar top an...

We have lived off our food storage for a while now, and there are several things I would suggest to one who is building up their food storage, even if you don't foresee yourself unemployed anytime soon. (You very rarely get sufficient notice, so it is always a good idea to start early!) Store the things you need to eat the things you like. Make a list of the meals that your family eats, and store all ingredients needed for those meals. Don't forget about things like side dishes and desserts.  Make a menu plan for several meals that you could eat if you only had your food storage to live on. (A couple years ago our Providential Living Specialist suggested planning 19 days of meals, and acquiring all the ingredients needed to make each of those meals 19 times for a one year supply.) Center your meals around inexpensive grain/starches like rice, pasta, or potatoes, add a tasty sauce and vegetables. Meat is more expensive, and not necessary for every meal. Breakfast for...