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Monday, August 05, 2013

Having FUN!!


Last week, I was busy with peaches...I froze some, canned some and dried some. I'm still hoping to get more, but the Amish store hasn't gotten any in yet, so "putting up" peaches is on hold for now.

We were getting low on potatoes late last week, so I told hubby to stop and get me some when he was in town. I totally forgot I don't like Hy-Vee's 10 pound bag of "smart" potaoes, cause I think I read on the bag that they clean them in a solution...of what I don't know....and I doubted that "solution" was something I wanted on my potatoes, especially since they have enough junk on them without THEM "cleaning" them to add more. The small 5 pound bags were expensive, so I told him we would do without...I won't pay 10 pound price for 5 pounds of spuds! LOL Yes, I'm a cheap skate, what can I say.

So anyway, I got to thinking...hey, it's potato season, why not check around and see if the Amish have any they are selling! We asked around, and found one place (it was actually the people who bought one of our last heifers) that may have some, so went to check them out. It turns out we were a day late for them having many...as they sent some to a produce auction, but they did have a few we could buy...not the big ones we would have liked for baking, but I'll take them! They were 20 cents a pound, plus we got several pounds for free of the ones that had been damaged (by the fork) when they picked them so I think we got a REALLY good deal!

I've never liked canned potatoes that you buy in the store, but figured homemade is ALWAYS better...so maybe that would be a good way to have some that will keep longer, as there is no way I could keep the small ones good enough for use in the winter without canning or dehydrating them. So...I managed to can up several canner fulls of potatoes with what we were able to get. We are keeping our eye's out for more from someone else too...but least we do have some!

I also made mashed potatoes with some of them and filled my big 8 tray dehydrator so in a day or so we should have our own homemade "instant" potatoes! Can't wait to try them, they HAVE to be better than those you buy in the store...cause there has only been ONE time that I've had instant potatoes and thought they were editable. LOL

I tell you, this morning I actually feel like I got a lot done, between dishes, making sourdough waffles for breakfast, getting the jars washed for a couple more loads of potatoes through the canner, filling the jars and getting them canned, making a ton of mashed potatoes and getting them spread out on the trays, and turning a gallon of cream into butter (still LOVING that electric churn, as I could churn the butter while doing the other things!)I think I really had a pretty full morning! LOVE it when I get a bunch done like that...it's just to bad I couldn't keep going and feel good about my afternoon's work, but I get tired and can't get myself a moving in the afternoon as well, unless I just HAVE to. LOL  It's just to bad I don't get this much done EVERY morning!  *sigh*

Oh well...I sure do have fun this time of year! Gotta love watching the jars of food start adding up to be used in the winter! It's such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, and I always laugh when I remember how I hated having to do it when I was growing up...yet now I love it! I'm so thankful that my wonderful Mother taught me some about all this, so I wasn't going into it blind, when I finally got around to being able to do it myself...even if I had forgotten a lot about it, it was still "Familiar" enough that it wasn't a problem relearning.

Canning potatoes is a new one for me though...I've not done it before, but it's super easy! Just hoping I can figure out how to use those canned potatoes now that I have some...and of course that I will LIKE them. LOL I read about using them for fried potatoes, or putting them in the oven in butter and herbs...or of course using them in stew or pot pies. I'll probably try several of those ideas, but if anyone has any other ones let me know! :-))

2 comments:

  1. You're wearing me out! Actually, Jen's coming next Saturday to help me put up some peaches. I'm not sure who's gonna need more prayin' for survivin'. So, if ya' could... maybe 2 prayers?!

    LOL

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  2. I didn't even know that you COULD can potatoes. *lol*

    We always buy Idaho spuds. They are not very expensive out here. :)

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