Canning Alternatives for Frazzled Lid Hunter

There has been a shortage of canning lids for purchase this year. Have you noticed? If you didn't stock up earlier and you are an avid home canner, then you likely have done more than noticed the shortage.

First of all, there are reasons for the shortage. The shut-downs in production due to COVID-19 restrictions is the biggest reason. When you must close your factories, how do you produce the product?

Secondly, now that production is back in place, it's difficult to stock up the stores that have back-ordered the lids. 

Thirdly, people are buying up stock as quick as they hit the shelves, seemingly creating more shortages.

The truth is, there is a shortage but not a shortage of canning lids available. Personally, I have noticed an uptick in the cost of the lids locally. Perhaps that isn't the case for you. Ball has them for sale on their website. If you buy in bulk, the price isn't too bad. I don't know how long you have to wait for delivery, though. The canning season is nearly over too.

There are ways to preserve the harvest without canning. Here are some of my favorites:

• Good old freezing works well and I haven't noticed shortages in freezer bags. If you have a vacuum machine and bags, you will find that your food lasts longer in the deep freeze. I usually don't use too many freezer boxes because they take up more space, but I do use repurposed spaghetti sauce jars to store some things in the freezer (dehydrated herbs and veggies that might not have all of the moisture out of them - more on dehydration following). If you plan to use glass jars in the freezer, it's best to put them on door racks to avoid breakage. 
• If you don't have freezer space, you can dehydrate vegetables and herbs easily. I have a Cabela's brand dehydrator that I use constantly during the summer and early fall. I dry herbs of all kinds as well as many fruits and veggies. Some of my faves are zucchini chips, cucumber chips, strawberry slices, apple slices (dip in lemon juice first to avoid browning), and cilantro. To  keep your food healthy and full of vitamins, try not to put the heat setting over 110 degrees F. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can always use your oven at the very lowest setting. Check on it often! Place your dehydrated foods in jars or plastic containers with lids. If moisture gets in, your food will begin to rehydrate and then mold, so be sure they are sealed well or placed in the freezer. The advantage of dehydrated foods is mostly that they use up far less storage space than other preserved items. 
• Root cellars and cold storage works for root crops. I don't have a good place to store squash, potatoes, carrots, and other good candidates, so I use other methods of preserving them. 
• One way that I like to preserve food, especially when I don't have a ton to put up, is by fermentation. Fermentation uses salt as a preservation tool, as well as the fermentation itself. In a nutshell, fermenting food means that you are allowing the natural enzymes to partially break down the food, making it more digestible. To learn more about fermenting, go to this post by Plantables.

I hope you will find ways to preserve your hard work without solely relying upon canning lids. I have been using all of the above methods (other than cold storage for root crops) and have been very pleased with the end results.

Sauerkraut

In my quest for better health, I have discovered home fermented sauerkraut. Previously, I had purchased all of our sauerkraut needs, which weren't really needs. Already prepared kraut from the store is almost always canned, and you don't want that because the bacteria gets killed in the heating process, though you can find some fresher versions in the refrigerated meat case. If you buy that fresh version in the store, check it carefully. I have not found one yet that does not contain preservatives, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of eating sauerkraut.

My doctor suggested that I eat more fermented foods for my never-ending digestive issues: fresh yogurt, sauerkraut, fresh fermented pickles (not in vinegar), kimchi, etc.

I have made my own yogurt in my dehydrator as well as larger amounts in my slow coooker. Great, but in order for the sugars (lactose, which bothers me) to completely "burn out", the yogurt must be fermented for 24 hours or longer. The longer it ferments, the tangier it becomes. I can't find dairy yogurt in the stores that is fermented longer than a standard 12 hours.

I have never tried kimchi, but I have made my own fermented pickles. I am not a huge fan, but I am going to try some different flavors and see what happens. I am a pickle fan for sure, but usually the standard canned in a vinegar brine kind. 

Now, as for the sauerkraut, I had only tried making it once in my crock. That didn't work out for me. The kraut was moldy and buggy and spoiled.

This Christmas, my husband bought me the fermentation kit below. The jar is a wide mouth quart mason jar. The kit includes a bag of celtic sea salt and a packet of spices. I decided to try making a jar of sauerkraut using the recipe (included) for a golden kraut (uses the spice packet). 

To make the sauerkraut, I took a small head of green cabbage and put it through my food processor (grating blade attached). I was in a hurry that day. Then, I put the grated cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkled in a tablespoon of the sea salt (important - must use non-iodized salt). I didn't have a mallet at the time, so I didn't pound it, opting to rub and rub the cabbage with the salt. It's kind of like kneading bread; just keep working in the salt. Before long, I had a good amount of liquid and I just let it sit for a bit (about 1/2 hour). Then I put in the spice mix and worked it a little more before putting it all in the mason jar. It all fit! I did not grate up the outer leaf and I placed that on top of the cabbage in the jar. Pushing down with that leaf, I found that I had plenty of liquid in the jar as is and didn't need to top it off with a salt water brine.

I put the plunger on and pushed down, squeezing everything down, and then placed a wide mouth ring on the jar. Then, I put the bubble cap on top and put the whole jar in a bowl (to catch any spillover during the fermentation process). I put a bit of water in the "moat" at the top of the jar and put the whole thing in my basement, where it is cool but not cold and out of direct sunlight.

Today, after five days, I am seeing bubbles as the cabbage ferments. I will leave this to ferment for another five days before taking off the top leaf and capping off with a regular lid, then placing it in the refrigerator. It is ready to eat after 10 days from the time it is begun. My sauerkraut is yellow because of the turmeric. I can't wait to try it, as it smells wonderful already!

Has anyone tried fermenting other vegetables? I would love to hear your success stories.

Book Review - The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook: Cub-Friendly Cooking with an Adult by Mike Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook: Cub-Friendly Cooking with an Adult is written and illustrated by Mike Berenstain and is published by Zonderkidz.

To give you a little bit of an idea of what this book is about, I will begin with saying it is filled with beautiful, colorful photographs of, what I believe must be, tasty food. All of the recipes are kid friendly, but they do require adult supervision. They involve using a stove and, sometimes, sharp knives. That said, the kids can do most of the preparation themselves. 

The recipes are not always what people consider to be healthy fare - something that is the craze in these days of overweight, unhealthy children - but they ARE foods that kids will like to eat. The one that caught my eye immediately is on pages 58 and 59: "Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob". This corn has a rub of mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, chili powder, pepper, and parsey on each plump ear of corn. 

There is a holiday theme in the cookbook, obviously. At the beginning of each "chapter" is an introduction to the holiday, such as 1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us - for Valentine's Day. This introduction is in the form of a very short, one page, story.

Okay, so I love this little cookbook, which really isn't all that little. This is a hardcover, well thought out book of 96 pages. I give it a 5 stars because I really like it and I believe it to be something that parents and children can do together, something that is becoming rarer by the day.

*I received a copy of The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook in exchange for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.*

Eat Your Weeds

My garden is coming up slowly but surely. As I weed, I try to harvest whatever I can. For instance, I usually throw radish or beet thinnings on my salads. I also use common "weeds" for a nutritious treat.

On the left (below) is purslane. It has thick leaves that have a bit of a lemony flavor. My garden is abundantly filled with purslane every spring and into the summer. This green, when eaten raw, contains Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2604/2#ixzz2WiPZSyXj

On the right is lambsquarters. It grows prolifically in the garden as well. This weed reminds me of spinach. When eaten raw, it contains a lot of Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2468/2#ixzz2WiP0q900

One food I grew up watching my father eat lots of is dandelion greens. You know, the leaves from the lovely, yellow dandelion flower. Yeah, it's a weed that most people want to rid their yards of. Not me. Every spring I scour our front yard for the leaves (before the flowers bloom). I wash them and eat them raw too. One serving of dandelion greens, raw, contains 112% the RDA of Vitamin A! They are also loaded with Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2441/2#ixzz2WiQtsbCA

As a warning, do NOT eat any weed or plant that you are not sure is safe. We eagerly hunt morel mushrooms every spring up here in northern Michigan. There is a look-alike mushroom, the false morel, that looks just like a true morel. The false morel is deadly poisonous. The difference in the two is that the true morel has a hallow stem and cap that are all one piece. The false morel is dense inside and the cap comes off of the stem - they are one piece. Get yourself a guide to wild plants and play it safe before you enjoy the bounty of the wild.

Giveaway - Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil

**This contest is now closed.**

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Are you a big fan of coconut oil? Maybe you've tried it before but weren't too impressed. Maybe you just needed to try a better brand.

I was eager to try Tropical Traditions again, as I originally tried it in my homemade cold pressed soap. It did a wonderful job and I was happy to be  using something organic for a skin product. This time, however, I wanted to try the virgin coconut oil in food - and I did just that.

The first thing I noticed is the brilliant white color of the oil. The cheaper stuff at the grocery store is not organic nor is it virgin oil - and it's color is an off white that is nearly yellow. I'm not sure if that means anything or not, but the organic, virgin coconut oil is purer looking just because of the whiteness. Also, Tropical Traditions has a sweet coconut smell that makes you want to take a spoon and eat it out of the jar. I did not do that, however.
 

I made a delicious vegan and gluten-free dessert which I have named Blackberry Surprise Pie. Here's what I did:

Take 1 1/2 cups pitted dates and soak them in water for about an hour. Take another 1/2 cup pitted dates and soak them in a separate bowl, in water, for that same hour.

After the dates have soaked, put the 1 1/2 cups dates, 1/4 cup carob powder, 3 Tablespoons Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil (melted), 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut, and 1/4 cup walnuts in a food processor. With the S blade, process until the mixture is very smooth. You might need to stop the processor and stir with a spoon every now and then.

Press the mixture into a 10 inch pie pan, pressing it up the sides. Set aside while you make the filling. Don't bother washing or rinsing the food processor bowl. Put in it:

2 ripe, peeled and pitted avocados and the 1/2 cup soaked dates. Process until smooth and creamy. Place into a large bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons Stevia powder and 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries. Fill the date/coconut crust with the blackberry mixture. Sprinkle with a little more shredded coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

This is the best "pie" I've had in a long time. The filling color will have a green color to it but it does not taste like avocados in the least. It tastes like a chocolate/fruit pie with lots of coconut chewiness and flavor bursting through. And the best part is there is NO refined sugar.

If you would like to "experiment" in your own kitchen with some Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil too, this is your chance to do so with a free jar! Here's how to enter:

Mandatory entry: Subscribe to Tropical Traditions' newsletter here. Then come back here and tell me you did so. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you should you win.

Bonus entry: Tell me how you would use virgin coconut oil in a comment.

This contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only. Contest ends February 28. Winner will be chosen shortly thereafter and will receive a quart jar of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut oil, shipped by the company.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Food Issues? The Value in "Free" Magazines & Books

If you have food allergies or sensitivities, you might be interested to know that there are free resources out there to help you "plan" your meals.

 My husband is diabetic, so I like to grab a Diabetes & You magazine when I'm in Walgreens. Each issue is free. It is also available online. It has good articles and recipes that I feel have helped me learn more about this disease and how to plan good food choices for my husband.

Amazon.com has a lot of free cookbooks (digital) available at different times. This month you can find recipe books for diabetic cooking, gluten-free cooking, vegetarian cooking, dieting, and more.

Speaking of Amazon.com, they have free food magazines (again, digital), all of the time. You can go here for Cooking Light.

If you visit Kikkoman's website, you can add your name and address to get a twice yearly issue of their food magazine, K.

Granted, not all of the recipe books and magazines are geared toward those of us who suffer with food issues, but most of them address healthy eating, which is good for everyone.

Getting the Most with What You Can

We decided to go back out in the state forest last weekend in order to have a cook-out over an open fire. The real reason, though, was to forage and get whatever food we could to store up for winter use. Wow, did we ever find some good stuff!

These mushrooms are Fly-Agraic ones. 

The Chanterelle mushrooms are in abundance in the north woods this year. Supposedly, these are the real delicacy, above and beyond morels. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to correctly identify Chanterelles and they are afraid to eat them. To learn about them, go here.

The berries (above are blackberries mixed with red raspberries) are in abundance too. In fact, most people are saying that this is the best crop of blackberries that they've ever seen. Red raspberries grow wild here, and they, too, are large and abundant. The only problem with the berries is that the thorns just about kill you - and you have to be on the lookout for black bears on an eating frenzy before they hibernate. We found lots and lots of places where the bears had been. They trample down the bushes and leave other - ahem - reminders that they were there.

As long as you are able to walk and move freely, you should make the best use of your abilities to store up for the coming months. 

As an aside, planning for winter is not the same as hoarding. When one hoards, she is amassing all sorts of stuff that she will never use because she is not trusting the Lord to provide - or else she's just plain greedy. Both are considered sin.

Rachel Ray Griddle - Review

I am so proud to give you this review about the Rachael Ray double burner griddle that CSN Stores sent me to test!

This griddle is big - 18" x 10" and has an inch edge around it. In one corner is a pourable "spout" that allows the cook to pour out grease and other liquids without making a mess of the kitchen counter. It's made out porcelain enamel and is actually quite heavy. It has a nonstick interior and the handles are made of silicone - they're supposed to be oven safe to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On top of all that, there is a lifetime limited warranty on the product.

To try this fancy griddle out, I decided it would be fun to make a Rachael Ray recipe. We chucked the meatloaf we had on the menu plan for last night and looked for a good recipe using ground beef. What could be more perfect than the Long Boy Tex-Mex Burgers that we had just watched Rachael make on her show a couple of days earlier? Before I continue, I have to tell you that this is not a healthy recipe at all. The burgers are 1/2 pound each and I'm sure they're loaded with fat and cholesterol. 


Now that you have been warned about the huge burgers and their not-so-healthy properties, let me tell you how well they cooked and how good they tasted done on this griddle.

Our Long Boy burgers were tasty and reminded all of us of those gourmet hamburgers you get in fancy restaurants. I'm not exaggerating either. You'll have to try them for yourself to get an idea of what I mean.

This is a great griddle. In all, we made seven burgers, all at once, without having to cook some and put them in the oven to keep them warm while more cooked. They cooked evenly, though the smaller burgers could be done in the center because that is where the heat was a little less (between the burners.)

We have a gas stove, so I do wonder how the bottom of the griddle will hold up after many uses. It seems as if the pans get messed up more because of the flame. Time will tell. As for now, though, I LOVE this griddle.


And if you're in the market for the same griddle, CSN Stores has them at a price less than what you'll see in many other stores. I priced them to be sure.