Bulk Cheese Purchase

When we were in Indiana this past Monday we went to an Amish Bulk Food Store.   This was the biggest bulk food store we have ever been to.  It would take a good half day or more to go up and down every isle and look at everything.  We were there for a couple special items and CHEESE.  Buying cheese in bulk saves so much money.  We cut it in chunks, vacuum seal it and then freeze it until we are ready for some.  Amish areas always have huge varieties of cheese and most have samples.  Of course there were samples of almost every cheese they sold and I tasted almost all of them.
We picked up small chunks of the following cheese:
Yogurt Cheese, Horseradish Cheese, Salsa Cheese, Cheese and Salami and Pepperoni Cheese.
We got 2 lbs of Amish Creamery Cheese, 6 lbs of the following: Baby Swiss, Smoked Baby Swiss, Smoked Mozzarella, Mild Cheddar and 12 lbs of Colby.
Prices for bulk cheese is a lot cheaper than small packages.  The cheddar was $1.99 #, Colby $3.15 #, smoked mozzarella and baby swiss was $4,49 # and the most expensive was the smoked baby swiss at $4.89 #.  If you would get any of the above cheese at a deli you would pay $2+ more a pound.
We also picked up 5 lbs of deli sliced smoked ham at $1.99 # and 6 lbs of smoked turkey at $1.99 #.  We packaged the ham and turkey in one pound packages and also that is how we packed the cheese.

Side parking lot and side of the bulk food store.

More of the side parking lot and side of the bulk food store.

1st basket of cheese going in the freezer.

The ham and turkey packed and in the freezer.

The Colby and Mild Cheddar before cutting.

2nd basket waiting to go in the freezer.

3rd basket ready to go in the freezer.

Bargain Find

My daughter Renee stopped yesterday at a Aldi store to pick up something and she found spiral sliced ham for $5 off.  She called me right away and we made plans to go today and pick some up for the freezer.  I got 5 hams for $31.53; 40 lbs; 79 cents a pound, 20 meals and a ham for Easter.  I packed 16 packs of ham steaks and 4 pkgs of the ham ends where they stop the slicing.  The Aldi's she found this at is closing next Thursday and moving to a new location.  There is also another store several miles from that one that is also closing.  The 2 stores are combining into 1 new store.  So next Thursday I will be going into town and going to both stores to see what good bargains I can find.  For those that shop at Aldi in Peoria it is the Sterling Ave and War Memorial Drive store that will be closing.

Check Your Weekly Grocery Ads

Now is the time to check your weekly local grocery ads to check for items that you use and are on sale.  You can dehydrate, freeze or can these items to enjoy later.  Items to check for right now that will be on sale will be:
turkeys; can, freeze, grind your own ground turkey
hams; can or freeze
celery; dehydrate or freeze
cranberries; can, dehydrate, freeze
sweet potatoes; can or dehydrate
potatoes; can or dehydrate
onions; freeze or dehydrate
If you are too busy this week to put up any of the above items up remember you can freeze the meats until you have time, cranberries can be put in the freezer right from the store and done later and the potatoes and onions will be OK for a couple weeks.  The only thing that really needs done immediately is the celery.

Also on sale will be cream of mushroom soup, green beans, sugar, flour, baking items.  If you use any of these items now would be the time to stock your pantry.  If you buy items ONLY when on sale you can save  a lot of money.  I can't remember the last time I purchased an item that wasn't on sale.  Even when I did not can I always purchased items when on sale only.  If you can change your buying habits and buy on sale items only and stock up this is the only way to do it.

Example, if you eat canned green beans regularly, buy a case when on sale and put them up.  Then when you see something else you use all the time purchase it in bulk.  Slowly you can build up your pantry and save money doing so.  Don't forget watching for meat items to be on sale and stock your freezer.

To me it's a challenge, be a wise shopper and buy when on sale only.

My Find at the Auction

This past Saturday we went to an estate auction, one of my favorite past times.   I bought 2 Presto Deluxe 17 quart canners for $12.50 each.  They are in excellent condition and now when pressure canning I will be able to do more at a time and cut down the amount of time it takes me.  I was hoping to fit the 2 new canners and my 23 quart canner on the stove all at a time but will be able to use only 2 at a time.  I thought the canners looked much smaller than they were.  Oh well I have a spare or a loaner to loan to the girls when they have huge amounts to put up at one time.  For the price I couldn't pass them up.  All I need to do is wash them up and I will be ready for my next canning adventure.

Cloudy, Ugly Day

It was a icky day today.  It was wet, cool and the sun was nowhere to be seen.  Made a trip into the village to the post office; then back home to list several jars on EBay.
For supper tonight I took a package of ground chicken and made a meatloaf, a quart of potatoes, drained them, drizzled some olive oil on them and sprinkled some garlic powder then baked uncovered for about an hour.  I also heated up a pint of calico butter beans and called it a perfect meal.  I love to open the pantry and see what wonderful things I can use.  Since I have been canning we eat a wide variety of things.  Before if I couldn't find an item on sale I wouldn't get it.  Now if I find it on sale I preserve it to enjoy for a long time.   Someone said to me once that they didn't can because they didn't have a garden.  You don't need a garden to can, watch for things to go on sale or glean the neighbor's garden/orchard.  Every week I look at Aldi's ad to see what fruit or veggies are on sale to see if there is something I want to put up.  Examples: carrots can be canned plain, pickled, dehydrated or add to jars of soup veggies; mushrooms can be canned or dehydrated; onions can be dehydrated or frozen; celery dehydrated; potatoes canned and dehydrated the possibilities are endless.  The key is to make sure you wait until things are on sale.   November and December you can get celery, cranberries, sweet potatoes, turkey and ham on sale.  The week between Christmas and New Years you can get lemons on sale; I dehydrate slices to add to ice or hot tea.  Again the key is to wait until you find things in season and on sale.

Fall Food Sales to Watch For

I have started to watch the sales and am watching for the following items so I can dehydrate or can them to use all year for bargain prices.
Celery, I dehydrate this to use in soups, stews and will use some next summer when I can mixed vegetables for soup.
Cranberries, will can this in 1/2 pint jars to enjoy all year.
Sweet potatoes, can or dehydrate to enjoy all year long.
Turkeys, want to can the meat and also can some turkey broth to use all year long.
In December I will start watching for ham and plan on canning some.  If you want to can some dried beans and ham this would be a good time to get the ham.

Making Ground White Meat Chicken

First thing this morning I cut the chicken breasts from the bone, returned it to the fridge to make sure it was nice and cold before grinding it.  The chicken breasts were very large so it made it really easy to cut the meat from the bones, I used a good knife and my poultry scissors.   As I cut the meat off of the bone I threw the bones and scraps in the roaster, added water and spices and it is simmering.  I will turn it off about 3, strain it and put it in the fridge to cool down.  If there is any fat it will solidify by morning and I will remove it and then can the broth; I'm guessing I'll get around 8 qts.  The ground chicken resulted in 21 lbs and that makes it $1.42 a lb, not bad.  I made myself a nice fresh ground chicken patty for lunch and it is delicious.  No additives, bones or gristle; just ground chicken.  I do grind the skin with mine to give it added flavor and texture but that is up to you.

Everything ready to remove the bones.

Grinding the chicken, LOVE my Kitchen-Aid and the attachments.

Ready to bag the ground chicken; the roaster in the background simmering the bones for the broth.

http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2012/10/carnival-of-home-preserving-32-come.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LauraWilliamsMusings+%28Laura+Williams%27+Musings%29

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2012/10/barn-hop-83.html

Canning Vegetable Soup Mix

Today I canned a mix of vegetables that I can use to make vegetable soup.  This is a list of the vegetables I used:
Red potatoes cut in cubes and boiled for 2 minutes.
Baby carrots cut up and boiled for 5 minutes.
Onions, celery and peppers cut up and boiled for 2 minutes.
Cabbage that was shredded and boiled for 5 minutes.
Green beans cut up and boiled for 5 minutes.
Frozen corn boiled for 2 minutes.
Frozen baby lima beans boiled for 2 minutes.
Frozen peas boiled for 2 minutes.
Because I am a little OCD I added each vegetable in layers and this way each jar has the same amount of each item.  Cooking each item separately made for a lot of dirty pans but oh well.  I added a tsp salt to each jar, filled with boiling water, sealed and put them in the canner.  I filled each jar leaving 1" head space before I added the water and then left a 1/2" head space; I processed the quarts for 90 minutes at 11 lbs of pressure.
When I want to make beef vegetable soup all I have to do is to put the beef in the crock with a quart of tomatoes and cook until done.  Then I will add a quart of the mixed veggies, simmer for about 30 minutes and a delicious pot of soup is nice and ready.  I can use the same vegetables and add some shredded chicken or turkey and some chicken or turkey broth and have a chicken or turkey vegetable soup.
The red potatoes were the ones I got 50 lbs for $8, carrots from Aldi for 49 cent a bag, cabbage from Aldi for 69 cents a head, celery from Aldi for 79 cents, onions, peppers and green beans from my garden and a bag of frozen corn, peas and lima beans.  Having the vegetables canned and ready saves time and money and makes enough so we won't have a ton leftover, Ron and Ian are not real good about eating leftovers.  Total cost for the veggies was about $7.50 and I got 21 qts.

Vegetables layered in the jars.

14 of the 21 quarts of vegetable soup mix I canned today.

As hard as I tried every jar does not have the exact amount.  I pointed this out because I know SLB would have.  :)



http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2012/09/barn-hop-80.html




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Errand Running Day

I had several things that I needed to do today so I was up and out on the road early.  I went to the Drivers License Facility and got my license plate sticker and renewed my license.  I was there for 45 minutes.  They are very nice people and it is a small county BUT 45 minutes was way too long.  I waited with no one in front of me for 20 minutes to get my license sticker.  After waiting at that counter for about 15 minutes someone finally said I'll be with you in a few minutes.  After that I sat and waited for my turn to renew my drivers license.  Speedy people they aren't.
Then to a couple of stores to pick up some water filters and air conditioners filters.  They don't give that stuff away.  Last place I went was to a grocery store in another town to get some meat that was on sale.  I only buy meat when it is on sale and then I stock up the freezer.  I got the following for $96:
12 meals of pork roast
9 meals of pork steak
5 meals of pork ribs
15 meals of ground chuck
Total of 41 meals for an average of $2.35 a meal, which is excellent.  Now I need to find some beef roast and some chicken breasts on sale and we will be good until the first of the year.  

The Apples are Done

I finished the apples today, I am glad.  I canned 21 quarts of cinnamon applesauce.  I was determined to get it done today so I could get the kitchen floor mopped.  Canning sure does a number on the floor and stove.  No mater how hard I try I always seem to make a mess.  I started this morning at 8:30 and did not get done until 7:00pm.  When Ron got home from work at 3:30 he helped me.  I did 2 roasters and both were overflowing with apples.   I am not canning anything tomorrow.  I need to make a trip into town to get my license sticker and also need to renew my drivers license that expires Friday.  I also want to go and get several whole pork butts that is on sale until Saturday for 97 cents a pound.  I will get a couple whole ones and several pks sliced into pork steaks.
Right now my neck and back are killing me, going to bed and sleeping in tomorrow.

1st roaster full of apples.

Making applesauce, I drape a towel over the kitchen-aid so if I spill something  it stays  clean.   Love that  kitchen-aid.

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2012/09/barn-hop-78.html

No More One Jar at a Time

Today Ron, Gina and I went down to Arthur to the Amish Produce Auction.  We came away with lots of bargains and had lots of fun.  The first place we went to was the auction.  There were several hundred 25 # boxes of home grown tomatoes of various sizes.  They also had various other home grown produce and some went very cheap and some things were a little out of my price range.  I brought home 2 pints of jalapeno peppers for $1.10 ea, 2 bags of Candy Onions (12 # ea) for $5 a bag, 2 boxes of very beautiful heirloom peppers of various colors for $4 a box, 1 huge cantaloupe and 17 boxes (25 # ea) of tomatoes.  These tomatoes are beautiful, various sizes and all are in perfect condition and were $3.00 a box, that is 12 cents a pound, yes a whole 12 cents a pound.
The first thing we will do with the tomatoes will be to make chili sauce.  Next will be some quarts of chopped tomatoes and then I'm not sure.  Ron has already cleaned the peppers and I have several dozen jars washed.  We will cut the peppers up first thing tomorrow and then go from there.
While in Arthur we went to the bulk food store and also a salvage store.  I picked up bacon for $1.34 a pound and got 2 cases (24 #s each case).  Our son wanted some so that is why we bought a lot.  I will can most of mine.  We eat bacon and eggs for supper a lot, use it in quiche and make potato soup with it; so for $1.34 that is a cheap meal.
We also stopped in an Amish shop that had ground Black Angus Beef, 81/19 for $2.19 #.  It came in 10 # rolls and you had to buy 4 rolls for that price.  We will be going down to the auction one last time this season sometime in September and will stop by and see about getting some of the beef then.

Amish Produce Auction, Arthur IL

Thank goodness we took the truck.

Ron looking over the stuff.

Back seat of the truck, Gina had just enough room to sit.

My bargains.

Some of the beautiful peppers.

The beautiful colors in these peppers were amazing.

Look at those tomatoes, all in perfect shape and very solid.




http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2012/08/mondays-homestead-barn-hop-76/

My Morning

First I need to stop making plans and just do things when I can.  I did not get the mulberries picked last night but I did make it my morning walk.  I picked over a gallon of mulberries and about 1/2 gallon of leaves.  I have the berries on the stove right now simmering and have used the potato masher to smash them to get all the good juice out.  I also have the leaves simmering and will turn both of them off soon and when they cool I will strain them and freeze them in ice cube trays and use them to color my soap.  When I want to use them all I have to do is take a cube or two out and not have to thaw a whole container of the juice.  I also picked lettuce, lots of lettuce this morning and will cook it and then run it through the blender to use to make soap.  I love these no cost items and they are all natural.

I have a neighbor who lives two doors from us going through a divorce.  The house is owned by his parents so he is living there, young guy around 30.  She planted lots of flowers, trees, bushes and herbs over the 5 years they were together.  She would plant the stuff and then never take care of it.  Out back there is a beautiful flower/herb garden (about 30' x 30') that I just love to look at when it is all in bloom.  The weeds have taken over so this morning when I finished picking my stuff I went over and weeded it.  I sure hope he doesn't mind and will watch for him to come home and tell him what I did.  I'm sure there is well over $500 worth of plants in there and I just hated to see it full of weeds.  If he doesn't mind I will probably keep it weeded this summer.  Now if I could get the weed eater started I would use it to go around the spot.  Now the 2 houses on the left side of us have single men who don't take care of their yards like I wish they would.  My sister-in-law from Texas reminded me this morning that I don't need to take care of it for them even though I wish I had the time and energy to do it.  Both houses have neglected landscape and they wait forever to mow their grass.  I keep mine mowed and everything has to look perfect.  In case you haven't noticed I am a LOT picky.  Oh well could be worse.
Later, take care.

Dehydrating

Soon the gardens will be abundant with all the goodies that we have planted.  One way to save these items is to dehydrate them to use later.  I have dehydrated items from the garden last year and when I get items on sale that I use and can dehydrate I do it,.  Last fall when we were in Colorado on vacation I picked up 50 lbs of organic grown Yukon Gold potatoes for $8.  When we got home I spent 2 days dehydrating them; I made shredded potatoes, sliced and diced potatoes and used them in soups, stew, and cheese potatoes.  I still have some and they are delicious.  At Thanksgiving I got 20 lbs of sweet potatoes for 19 cents a lb and dehydrated them.  All I do is add water and a little butter and simmer for 1/2 hour or so and they are as good as fresh mashed sweet potatoes.  I also picked up several bunches of celery and dehydrated them.  They were 59 cents each and I use them in soups, stew, and have made dressing using some. Below is a picture of some of the items I have in the cabinet right now that I have dehydrated.  Uses for these items are numerous and when you can get them on sale or from your garden you save money.

Not pictured are apple slices, these went about as fast as I could make them.  I sprinkled them with some cinnamon and sugar before putting them in the dehydrator and they were wonderful.

L to R; front; lemon slices, 4 lbs of carrots in a pint jar, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers; back; onions, celery, pineapple, orange slices, mushrooms.

Using Food Items for Soap

When making soap there are so many food items that are little or no cost that add color and scent.   Save and ask family and friends to save some of the following items for you.  All you have to do is put them in a baggie or plastic container and stick them in the freezer until you have enough.
These items cost nothing:
1. Avocado peels and seeds, when I get enough to fill the small crock pot I just throw them in, add enough water to cover and cook until they are soft and mushy.  When they cool I put them in the blender and blend until they are a thick liquid.  I put them in  freezer containers and freeze until I am ready to make some soap.  I replace about 1/2 of the liquid with the frozen avocado and add to the lye; the soap turns out a caramel color.
2. Orange, clementines and lemon peels, when I get enough to fill the small crock pot I just throw them in, add enough water to cover and cook until they are soft and mushy.  When they cool I put them in the blender and blend until they are a thick liquid.  I put them in  freezer containers and freeze until I am ready to make some soap.  I replace over 1/2 of the liquid with the frozen citrus and add to the lye; the soap turns out a pale orange and has a slight citrus smell.  You can also keep out some of the peels after they are cooked and just chop them in the blender and add some at trace to have some small specks of peelings in the soap.  I do this and it really looks nice.
3. Pineapple cores, when I get enough to fill the small crock pot I just throw them in, add enough water to cover and cook until they are soft.  Pineapple cores don't get real mushy but you are still able to get a thick or thin liquid from them when put through the blender.  I put them in  freezer containers and freeze until I am ready to make some soap.  I add water to the pineapple until I get the amount of liquid needed for the batch and add to the lye; the soap turns out a pale yellow.
4. Melon, after cutting the melon from the rind I then go back and cut any remaining pieces as close to the rind as I can get, add water to cover and simmer for 20 minutes on the stove.  Cool and then put through the blender and you get a pale orange color.
All of the above items I have used, play with the amounts added.  There is no wrong way to do it,
Try using mango peels, pears and apple skins, cucumber skins all of these items are what would have gone in the garbage or compost and by using them you are only out a small amount of time.
These items cost very little and will be trying them soon:
1. Carrots, I took 1 lb of the ones I got for 49 cents, put them in the crock pot, water to cover, cooked until soft, put through the blender and have them in the freezer ready to use.
2. Cucumbers, I am going to put 3 of the whole cucumbers and the peelings from the 4th through the blender tomorrow and freeze this until ready.  I got these for 29 cents each this past week, or use some from your garden if you grow them.
3. Spinach and lettuce, I have more than I will ever eat in my garden right now and plan on preparing these items this week and freezing them for some soap to have when ready to use them.

Here is a list that I found and there are many more out there.

http://standeyo.com/News_Files/Soap/Hand_Milled_Ing.html

What items have you used that are no or little cost to use when making soap?

Left to right, front; carrots sitting on top of avocado, strawberries, citrus mix (orange, lemon, lime); back; cucumbers in the 2 freezer containers sitting on pineapple (left), oranges (right), and the jar with the red cap is cantaloupe.

Saop making day

I made 3 batches of soap today.  Each batch will yield about 5 1/2 lbs when cured.  The first batch was scented with lavender oil and used assorted heart molds for most of it.  The second batch I used one of the wooden soap molds and poured most of it in the mold and saved a little and added some more cinnamon to make it darker and tried a simple swirl.  Really anxious to see how it turns out.  The third batch is a vanilla scented buttermilk soap.  I used the wooden soap mold for this one, buttermilk soap is very good for your skin.  I used some of the frozen buttermilk I had, will have to make butter real soon so I can freeze some more buttermilk.  The "true" buttermilk has a little bit of butter fat in it and that also adds to the advantages of the soap.
For the last 2 days I have been washing my hair with a bar of homemade soap.  Yesterday I used some avocado soap and today I used an unscented soap.  Both times my hair has turned out really soft.  I just get my hair wet, rub the bar on my hair and it when I have plenty of suds I just scrub my hair like I normally would.  I plan on using whatever bar of soap I am using on my body on my hair, the savings is huge.  I told Ron (my husband) yesterday that when he is out of liquid body wash he will have to start using bar soap.  He isn't real keen on the idea but why pay all that money when I make something that is better for the environment and better for you and better on the wallet.  I haven't said anything to Ian (grandson who lives with us) yet but I'm pretty sure he will react the same way. 
Later, take care.

On sale this week at Aldi

Avocados 59 cents, Roma tomatoes 59 cents for 16 oz, Sweet corn 4 pk for $1.29, Blackberries 79 cents for 6 oz, Strawberries 99 cents for 16 oz, mangoes 49 cents ea; either go to Aldi or take the add to your local Walmart and they will price match.  I plan on getting some of the strawberries, mangoes and blackberries.  I plan on using the blackberries to make a cobler, yum can't wait.

Homemade dish soap

Saw a recipe the other day for liquid dish soap and thought I would give it a try.  I changed it a little and this is my version:

Homemade Dishwashing Liquid

1 1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup homemade grated soap

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP washing soda
Wisk this all up for several minutes until soap melts.
I added several dehydrated lemon slices to the soap and it will give it a fresh lemon scent and helps cut the grease.

This recipe makes a little over 16 ounces and I use about 1 TBSP per sink of dishes.



I've used this twice now and the verdict is still out on it, gets the dishes clean and I knew it wouldn't make suds but there is just something about the suds and doing dishes.  I might try and add a drop of dish soap with it to see how that works next time. 

Lemon Homemade Dish Soap

Soap

Today I made two batches of soap and used the 2 new wooden soap molds that we made.  The liquid for the first batch was made from cantaloupe that I cut away from the skin, added some water, simmered it and then ran it through the blender.  The soap will be a light orange color and have added vitamin C in it.  The second batch I used the tops of the strawberries that I cut up the other day,  I added some water, simmered them and then ran them through the blender.  The color will be a light brown (not red as I had hoped for) and this too will have some added vitamin C.  Tomorrow night or Tuesday night I will take them out of the molds and will use my free miter box (got it at the garage sales we went to yesterday) to make the cuts nice and even.
Using fruit and vegetable scraps to color the soap is a real money saver.  I am making use of things that I would have gave to the chickens or thrown away.  When I get some cucumbers this summer I will try and make some soap with them.  I read that cucumber soap is very good.  Two weeks ago I used some of the true buttermilk that I had froze when I made some butter.  I don't bake a lot and use the buttermilk and had just been giving it to the chickens or putting it down the drain; now I will freeze it and use it to make soap.  Both batches I used tallow, used vegetable oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil. 

Buttermilk soap

Garage Sales

Had a good time this morning going to some garage sales.  Ran into Gina and she found some stuff for me.  Got several silicone molds, not sure they will all work for soap but for 25 and 50 cents I'll try.  Got some canning jars and should have enough now.  I will always pick them up if I find them real cheap.  Can't find any place to have the old caners that I got at the auction a couple of weeks ago tested.  They used to test them free at area farm extension offices but because of liability they can't do them anymore.  The lady said they did not know of anyone or anyplace to get it done. 
Renee went to see if she could get the silicone stuff that she saw on Friday and they weren't open today.  :(
Since I've been gone all day I have stuff to do.
Later, take care.

Bargains

Aldi has strawberries and pineapple again this week for 99 cents.  If you dehydrate, dehydrated pineapple is delicious.  Make sure when you buy fresh fruit that it is ripe and sweet before you use it.  Take the pineapple home and let it sit on your kitchen counter for a couple of days before cutting it.  Also on sale are navel oranges 4 pounds for $1.49 and Kiwi 1 pound for 69 cents.  As always you can take the Aldi ad with you to Walmart and they will price match, this is what I do.  Walmart doesn't run out of fresh fruit and vegetables like Aldi and in my opinion they are fresher and in better shape.