Monday Message

"Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward." (President Spencer W. Kimball)

Winter is fast approaching and the chill is in the air.

This week I have been busy putting up the peaches.

Our tree gave us two bushels of peaches this year. A real blessing.

I made six batches of jam. Two batches of peach and two batches of peach raspberry and raspberry and raspberry blueberry. They are all yummy!

Tippy Longstockings tried to help by gingerly walking around the ones that aren't yet ripe. We will eat as many fresh as we can and freeze what is left.

We also enjoyed peach cobbler...a favorite of ours.

Peach Cobbler

Melt 1 stick of butter in a 9x13 pan.

In a bowl, mix...

1 c. sugar

1 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

Then add to the mixture 1 c. milk.

Pour mixture on top of the melted butter in the pan (don't mix it in)

Place peaches on top then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Yummy!

So it has been a very busy week.

If you are canning, tell us what you are working on below. We all would love to hear!

I am very glad to be at the end of these peaches. In total, it was twenty quarts of halved peaches. I think our little tree is so very happy to be relieved of the burden. We had seven supports under the branches to keep them from breaking.

We have very much enjoyed eating the fresh peaches.

We have to thank our neighbor for this tree. He brought starts from his father's trees and this was a great blessing.

I have to say peach raspberry jam is one of our favorites.

Between Tippy Longstockings doing the peach obstacle course and Missy doing her basket workout, they have busy as well.

I continue to see high prices and hear that grocery prices will still continue to rise. I think we need to continue to stock our pantries. I know we all are approaching the expensive time of year with gift buying and all. I encourage you to pick up one or two things extra when you are in the store or rearrange your groceries to allow for one bulk purchase that will last for a few months like I did with the hamburger sale or getting apples from the orchard. This month I will try to get oatmeal in bulk and see if that is possible. But whatever you choose to do, at least get a can of meat or so on your shelf.

One thing I have been doing too for a month or so now is making yogurt. I make two quarts at a time.

https://cheesemaking.com/products/yogurt-recipe - I have been using their recipe and culture. The only difference is we use non-instant powdered milk as that is what we usually use and I add an extra half of a cup of powdered milk as they say to do this for thicker yogurt. I get their creamy culture $7.95 for a pouch, with five packages of culture in each pouch. Each packet makes two quart jars and for that amount it was costing $5.89. This sure has helped us.  

I measure two quarts of the powdered milk mixed with the water plus an extra half cup, stir and cook to 185 on the thermometer, then cool it down. Once that temp is achieved, you cool it to 112. When there, you add the little package of culture, stir well, then I put into two quart jars. I have plastic lids I put on them and put them in an ice chest along with a jar of the hottest tap water, put a plastic lid on that too. All are in the ice chest, I close the lid and keep overnight and in the morning I put it in the refrigerator. We have it served with drizzled syrup and the granola I gave you the recipe in the blog earlier.

This is how I came up with a solution to the high cost of store bought yogurt.

What other things can we come up with to make an item at home that we found we purchased?? Share your ideas and recipes, we all need to help each other. These are hard times.

I think we will find we like the homemade better. This has been the case with the yogurt for us. And also with the gravy mix and the SOS mix all have been shared on the blog.

Also the hamburger helper and the snack cakes.

We just have to be open to these things.

Missy says canning peaches is hard work but things that are good often require hard work.

Tippy Longstockings says canning peaches has worn her out even so hard work is what it takes to stock our shelves. Enjoy the process.