The Barn and Fields > Preparing for Winter and Disasters

Prepping your pantry for winter

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lovin my dogs:
We ran out of deer meat this year.  This first time in a very long time.  I know it's not the pantry, but having that deer meat sure makes me feel secure. 

Jon just didn't do much hunting last year.  The boys went, but now that they are both married....what they harvest belongs to them.

Maybe this year we will have lots of luck and be able to stock up.

Love,
Cathy

gaggleofseven:
I've been trying to think of ways to shop "smarter" and keep well-stocked for about two weeks worth of groceries. I'm not doing so well on the "cold" items--milk, cheese, etc. I'm thinking of supplementing fresh milk with reconstituted powdered. I would like to reduce my number of trips to the store because I know that will also reduce my grocery expenses as well.

Alice:
Looks like we changed our mind a little bit about filling the pantry. In our case it is filling the freezer. We had every intention of eating it empty this summer but because our budget will be very tight this year we kept finding deals on meat at the grocery store and decided to buy when the prices were low. We ended up buying a lot of chicken breasts with the bone, a lot of ground pork, mild italian sausage and some ground beef. Along with all the veggies my parents gave us from their garden, we have a FULL freezer to choose from this winter.

I am happy with this since I don't love grocery shopping.  We don't, however, have the house pantry filled with too much. We have enough to choose from to supplement what is in the freezer.  We will be eating every meal at home made from scratch this next school year and have vowed to turn down every "eating out" opportunity as it is not budgeted for. I just don't have money for that this year. We had our first "turn down" last night as my parents asked us to join them for chicken dinner with my brother. We had to say "no" and they didn't press us on the issue.

My husband lost his job last week so paying tuition for three kids on very little led us to where we are right now. I'm certain we will get through this but it does force us the watch where every penny goes even closer than ever. 

I was going to begin to buy bread but the first time I did that (there's a day-old bread store nearby) my daughter opened a bag of bread and it was moldy. That was the last time I bought bread at that store and now I am back to baking all my bread.  I really have a wonderful sourdough cracked wheat whole wheat bread that is terrific! So we will continue to make our bread and a side benefit is that it is super healthy.

Alice

Cheryl:
Alice, I'm sorry to hear your husband lost his job.  Good thing you have a full freezer with lots of meats and vegetables. 

Do you use a bread machine for your bread?  I'd love to have your recipe if you don't mind sharing it. 

Alice:
I have a bread machine but for this recipe it is the KitchenAid that does the mixing.

Cracked wheat sourdough bread

3/4 cup cracked wheat
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup margarine
2 T molasses
2 T honey
3/4 cup nonfat milk (this was confusing but I use regular fat free milk--not powdered)
1 to 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 cups white flour

Pour hot water over cracked wheat in your mixing bowl. This doesn't have sit very long--maybe 5 minutes. Add the margarine in 4 pieces so it will melt. Add molasses and honey. Then add the nonfat milk, sourdough starter, yeast and salt.  Let this sit for just a minute to activate the yeast. Then add the gluten and the the 2 cups whole wheat flour. Begin mixing and gradually add the white flour. You might not need all the 3 1/2 cups and sometimes you might need more so add it gradually. I always make sure to add enough to only get a sticky dough but yet it comes together in a ball.  I like a slightly wetter dough as that makes a better loaf. Let the machine run for 6 to 8 minutes to really develop gluten and the dough will come together in a nice soft ball. Put this in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled. Then lightly push it down and let rise a second time. After this I divide it into three pieces and place in well-greased bread pans. Let rise again. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Sometimes I only make two loafs but I prefer three slightly smaller loaves.
Also, this recipe originally didn't use yeast nor salt but I felt I need to use both to make a good loaf.  We love this bread.

Alice

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