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August prepping

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Penham View Drop Down
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    Posted: August 01 2016 at 11:09am
Wow, the time is passing so quickly! It's hard to believe August is here already. I am in the process of restocking my freezer this month. What is everyone else working on as far as prepping goes?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 04 2016 at 8:17pm
I've just processed two pigs so am feeling I need a break. I've started on my veg garden for next season (we're in mid winter here). I've just planted 4 new gooseberry bushes and am moving my rhubarb plants to a better site.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 06 2016 at 6:26am
I picked up some marked down meat at the grocery store for my freezer the other day. I just happened to go in to pick up something else and walked past the meat counter and saw several packages had been marked down and thought "that's going into my freezer". So I'm slowly getting it filled again.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2016 at 8:10pm
Penham, more and more I've taken to processing meat before I freeze it. For example, I'll take 6 chickens, joint them, put them in a big pot, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Then let it go cold. I'll take the meat off the bones - it'll just fall off, then put it in the fridge overnight, put the bones in the pot again and boil hard for 3 or 4 hours. Let it go cold. 

The next day, I'll divide all the cooked chicken into 500g portions in seperate freezer bags and then add about a litre of the concentrated stock. Seal the bag and then freeze it. This way I'll get 8-10 portions from 6 chickens, and each bag will be enough to make a pie filling or a curry or a pasta sauce. No real cooking is needed, you just defrost and heat through and add any additional ingredients. I've found that this initial preparation saves me tonnes of time in the long run and makes my meat go further. 

I do similar with beef and pork, by partiallly processing it at the freezing state. Each of my portions will make a generous meal for 4 people. Certainly with chicken, it takes up much less food in the freezer. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hachiban08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 11 2016 at 10:34am
Chicken is 50% off at Ralph's this week so I'm stocking up on that. Also buying lean cuts of meat because they're on sale and I'm getting a dehydrator next week.
Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 11 2016 at 7:35pm
KiwiMum that is really a good idea! Especially for someone that wants to make quick meals, or in the case of a short term power failure you could just defrost something instead of having to actually cook something.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 11 2016 at 8:47pm
Penham, I also bottle meat using an All American canner (which is a pressure cooker). I bottle chicken, and also I bottled a whole cow this Easter because I had no freezer space and she broke her hip. I bottled 173 kg of meat over the weekend using the two largest pressure cookers that they do. The bottled meat is temperature stable and just sits on the shelf in our garage. Because the meat is cooked in the glass jar, if I make a bolognese sauce, for example, I make the whole sauce as normal without any meat, then open the jar and tip it in, heat it through for 10 minutes and eat. 

I can make a Hungarian goulash using canned meat in 20 mins instead of 2 hours with fresh meat. It was a lot of work but worth it. We'll be killing a year old calf soon, and I'll bottle him entirely. Just be warned that bottled chicken, whilst it tastes great, looks awful in the jar - like some horrible lab specimen!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arirish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2016 at 7:29am
KiwiMum- I agree completely with your statement on chicken! It's visual effect is so off putting I can't bring myself to eat it! I have two language questions for you. When you say "bottled", are you using bottles or jars. We say "canned" in the U S but we're using mostly Mason or Ball jars with a lid and ring. Also tell me about your meat pie. Does it have a top and bottom crust or is it more like a pasty?
Buy more ammo!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2016 at 11:55pm
Arirish, by bottled I mean glass jars. Either a pint or a quart. They have flat metal disc lids (that you never reuse if you're using meat) and metal rings that hold them one while cooling. Then you remove the ring the next day and pick up the jar by the edges of the metal lid to be sure it's properly sealed.

I take it you are asking about a traditional meat pie? They are truly delicious. They are about 4 or 5 inches long, generally oval and have a pastry top and bottom. Variations have a pastry bottom with a mashed potato top. My favourites are cracked pepper steak, and steak and cheese. They do not have a foil tray. They're cooked in some sort of tin and then laid out in a hot cabinet. They are juicy and full of gravy and you can't eat one politely in company. 

Be warned that they do very similar pies in Australia, and we were there and my husband just wanted a break from meat so when we were in the pie shop, one of the pies was labelled "vegetable" so he opted for it, only to discover it was full of steak, plus a couple of bits of carrot. Ha ha. 

We have been in Australia and seen people served the vegetarian option and it had chicken in it!

A kiwi pie is staple fare over here. People will travel a long way for a good pie shop. Pies are about $4.50 each.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 22 2016 at 8:39pm
Well my stockpile came in handy this past weekend! My daughter went back to college for the fall semester and "shopped" in my cabinets and pantry for food/snacks/items for her dorm room: tuna, chili, soups, ramen, UHT Milk, cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly, toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo, deodorant, soap, paper towels, tissues. I only ended up having to spend about $20 at the store for things like bananas, bottled water, Gatorade, goldfish crackers, bread, chicken pot pies and some other fresh stuff. I got off easy!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 23 2016 at 5:10pm
I need to start a "wish list" for myself and maybe buy one item a pay period or something to that effect. Things like a food dehydrator, certain books I want to purchase, a certain fruit tree or bush, a security system, etc. I think I do better if I see something visually on a list, rather than having things running through my mind, then I forget or they get put on the "back burner". Maybe if I had written goals?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hachiban08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 23 2016 at 9:31pm
I got my dehydrator for 35$ on Amazon, but for 50ish $, you can get one that has an on and off switch and timer. The 35$ one is a best seller though and works great for me. What I need is a dash cam.
Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 24 2016 at 10:19pm
Penham, I have a wish list on Amazon, and I find that a couple of weeks after I've put something on that wish list, Amazon.com send me details of a special offer concerning the item I've wished for. That's how I got both my All American canners, and the special offers were great, up to 50% off. As you live in the states, you'd get free shipping - lucky you. 

I also look on online auctions and have alerts for things I want. Since I get up very early each day, I can often grab something on a buy now offer that was put on overnight and I get it at 6am when everyone else is still in bed. Anything to save a buck or two. 

The last thing I'd say about any wish list is to prioritise things. There are some things on my list that I'd grab at any price if only I could find them as they are rare. I wouldn't wait to find a cheaper one. I've got things on my list that I've been looking for for over a year and still can't find one. Then there are other things I'd like but don't need, and invariably I don't end up getting them because I can't justify the purpose.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2016 at 4:44pm
I'm looking at dehydrators on Amazon and there's a lot to choose from. What makes one better than another? Is it just personal preference? I would be wanting to dry fruits, vegetables and beef. I
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hachiban08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2016 at 6:34pm
I based my purchase off which were considered best sellers and the amount of reviews. Mine has a booklet that has a section on fruits, and meats, and possibly veggies too. It tells you how long to dry them for and how to prepare them.
Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2016 at 8:18pm
Have you tried yours out yet?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hachiban08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2016 at 8:31pm
Yep, I've made four batches of jerky and so far so good :) it also advises you to put it in the oven at 275°  for around 10 mins to kill bacteria.
Be prepared! It may be time....^_^v
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2016 at 9:06pm
My dehydrator died! I had a Nesco American Harvester...it did not last as long as I thought it should, since I only used it in the fall and not that much. But that being said I purchased two Solar dehydrators, have not used them since I did not do a garden this year but maybe next year.

I got the "solar" because when TSHTF we most likely will NOT have electricity so a solar dryer is more logical for my needs. I have a canner but have not used it but it will be used on my volcano cooker using wood.

I have really gone to back to basics like our pioneer ancestors did things. The only thing I have "high tech" is my water processing I really don't trust sand/charcoal filtering.

For my prepping this month I purchased two different sized of Timberjacks and a two man saw, already have a one/two man saw. I purchased the Timberjacks when I figured out that when TSHTF my son will have to lift and cut the trees where he fells them, load them into his car/trailer. I have yet to purchase a trailer but working on that storage is a problem.

I have written out instructions on how to use all the wedges, and the timberjacks. I have several articles copied and in a notebook on how to fell trees. Notice I have only manual saws no chain saws...again back to basics.

I am not concerned about myself any more I am trying to train my son for the future what there will be left of it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 27 2016 at 10:26am
If you happen to have the Dollar General chain near you, they are running a 3 day 50% off already reduced clearance prices. August 26, 27 & 28. I was able to pick up 42 rolls of Sparkle paper towels for $7. I was very excited about this!!!! Also got a few packages of Charmin TP for $1.12, things I did not buy because I have a bunch but were great deals: name brand deodorants, 3 packs of bar soaps for under $1, dish detergent for .40, lots of cleaners and household items. I did get the odd marked down cat food for cheap to feed a stray that I feed in my front yard.
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