It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Yes, the date on this post is correct.  It is still June and I'm already worried about Christmas.  Okay, maybe not worried, but definitely taking it into account. 

Am I weird for already considering our Christmas feast?  We don't do the Christmas dinner at our house, but we have a huge brunch for just us, usually consisting of cheese omelets, strawberries, and some sort of delicious baked goods (blueberry muffins, coffee cake, or cinnamon rolls), so I'm trying to make sure we get enough strawberries put up to ensure we don't run out of berries before Christmas!  As I type this (actually last night.  I delayed when it would publish until morning, so people would actually see it), my 7 year old son is finishing up processing an entire flat of strawberries for freezing and we'll be picking up more berries from the market today.

Not only do we need berries for our own personal use for Christmas, but homemade jams seem to be much appreciated gifts, whether it be to un-homesteady family, friends, or just people in our lives we want to show our appreciation to, like coaches, dance instructors, or even the mail lady, so I'm trying to get far more made than we need so I have lots to spare.

I know I'm not super weird for having holiday concerns already, or maybe it just runs in my family, since my mom has been touting her Thanksgiving Challenge since January!  Anyone else thinking about the holidays in terms of what they need to do now?  What's on your to-do list for this summer to be ready for this holiday season?

My Shopping List for a Year's Supply of Food

We have 93 pints less of home-canned food than when this picture was taken about 2 months ago (not all of the 350+ pints of food show up n the picture).  Yikes! At this rate, we'll be about out by the time new food is available in the garden in the late spring!  I guess that works out, but still!  Guess we need to be eating more out of the freezer (or canning the stuff in the freezer), since, even though we won't go hungry either way, frozen food isn't being counted for food storage purposes.

A couple weeks ago, I posted a list of what it would take for my family to have a year's supply of food.  Today, I went through everything (shelf stable) I had on hand to see how I was sitting with regard to hitting that goal.  Boy, was I disappointed!  We could go maybe a month with what I have here if we couldn't use anything from the fridge or freezer!  Ugh!  On the plus side, I do have a lot of stuff frozen as well, so I probably could can up a bunch of that, either as single ingredients or as soups, rather than buying a lot of stuff.  I also probably could collect more nuts and things this summer rather than buying most of those, although I know I will want to buy some too, since a lot of the nuts I enjoy are not ones that can be randomly found in Michigan (pecans and Brazil nuts come to mind: my two favorites).  I also will be keeping this list in mind as I plan the garden for the year,  In other positives, I discovered that I have a good supply of a few things, like yeast, and have nearly as much as I need for a number of other items.  The remaining numbers are huge though!  Here is my current "shopping list" of what I still need to acquire, although, obviously, unless I won the lottery or something (but first I'd have to play!), I won't be getting this all at once!  Quantities listed are minimums, especially those things involving chocolate.

Wheat, grains, grains flour & beans = 1680 lbs            

            ? barley

22 lbs cornmeal

            60 lbs whole wheat flour

            113 lbs rice

            86 lbs pasta

            118 lbs granola & oatmeal

            60 lbs cold cereal

            193 lbs dried beans

Powdered milk, dairy products, & eggs=512 lbs

            257 lb milk, non-instant powdered

            51 lbs butter, dehydrated

            64 lbs minimum

            16 cans evaporated milk

            Yogurt starter

            Cheese cultures

Sweeteners: honey, sugar, and syrup=240 lbs

            180 lbs honey

            33 lbs maple syrup

            1 lb molasses

            21 lbs white sugar

Cooking catalysts: salt, oil, leavening

            11 lbs salt

            10 lbs baking soda

            26 gal vegetable oil

            13 gallons olive oil

Canned/dried fruits, Veggies, & Soups=6479 servings

            2744 servings canned fruits

500 lbs potatoes

-          65 lbs dried potatoes

-          Canned potatoes, white or sweet

-          247 lbs fresh white potatoes

-          60 lbs sweet potatoes

2505 servings canned veggies

-          Green beans

-          Kidney beans

-          Beets

-          Carrots

-          Corn, cut

-          Corn, creamed

-          Spinach

-          Peas

-          Tomato paste

641 servings soup

257 servings conveniences (Spaghetti-Os, box mac & cheese, etc)

Kitchen stables: condiments & seasonings

            Olives

            2-5 jars mayonnaise/salad dressing

            11 lb chocolate chips (minimum)

            3 lbs cocoa powder

            1 lb cornstarch

            10 lbs dry gelatin

            33 jars peanut butter

            50 lbs nuts & seeds

            16 boxes saltines

            2 bottles soy sauce

            1 bottle steak sauce

            1 bottle Worchestershire sauce

            3 gallons apple cider vinegar

            10 gallons white vinegar

            Herbs/spices (1 each):

-          Garlic powder, Dry mustard, Onion powder, Parsley, Black pepper, White pepper, Cayenne pepper, Rosemary, Cumin, Nutmeg, Chili powder, Thyme, Bay leaves, Oregano, Cinnamon, Cloves, Majoram, Ginger, Turmeric, Basil, Allspice, Sage,Paprika

Almond extract

Vanilla beans

Meat & seafood=1788 servings

            Canned venison

            Jerky

            Canned poultry

            Luncheon meats(?)

            Canned seafood

Pleasure foods, etc=5084 servings

            Tasty beverages=1877 servings

-          Juice

-          Herbal tea

-          Soft drinks

-          Hot chocolate

-          Coffee

Snackies=1923 servings

-          Candy

-          Tortilla chips

-          Potato chips

-          Pretzels

-          Snack crackers

-          Pudding, shelf stable

Preserving Blueberries

I picked up 20 pounds of blueberries at the farmers market (with the Double Up Food Bucks tokens I saved from last week plus this week's, they were almost free: $9!) yesterday.  I went easy on myself this time and just bagged them up and stuck them in the freezer.  I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up another 60 pounds or so before the season is over and maybe that will be enough to last us the year, but considering how much I like blueberry muffins and how much the kids like eating them frozen, I wouldn't count on it.  If I can get more while they are in season, I'll definitely go for it.

Last year, I didn't take is so easy on myself with preserving blueberries (of course, last year I had access to a large stock pot I could use for water bath canning, so that made a difference.  Last year, I made a ton of blueberry sauce for pancake/waffle topping, ice cream topping, and yogurt flavoring (okay, I hadn't started making my own yogurt yet when I made it, but we've been using it for that purpose more than any other the past few months!).  I made a couple batches:  the first I screwed up somehow, but it made a thicker sauce, so I thought that was nice.  I didn't actually realize that I'd made a mistake in the recipe until I followed it exactly (well, as exactly as I ever follow a recipe) and it ended up being a lot thinner.  I present here the recipe I used the second time, but I think it is safe to say that the water could be reduced (somehow.  Really, this recipe is so simple, how did I screw it up?!?!) if you want a thicker sauce.  It can be frozen or canned, with no noticeable difference in end result.

Blueberry Sauce

 2 quarts blueberries, rinsed and drained

2 cups water

3 cups white sugar

4 cups water

2 tbsp lemon juice

Mash blueberries in a large pot.  Add 2 cups water and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.  

In a large saucepan, mix sugar and 3 cups water.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until temperature reaches 260 degrees.  Add blueberries; boil for 1 minute.  Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.  Let cool.