Resources for Food Preservation and Storage

Here is a list of books, websites, and YouTube channels that I have found helpful in food preservation and storage.

Books
Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving - basic all-around book for canning
Putting Food By - This book includes information on canning, freezing, drying, pickling and more. It also includes information on health and safety issues. It is a very interesting read. Highly recommend!
The Home Preserving Bible -  includes information on canning, freezing, drying, pickling and more.
The Meals in a Jar Handbook - recipes for making meals using dehydrated/freeze-dried foods

Websites
Emergency Essentials/Be Prepared - recipes using dehydrated/freeze-dried food

YouTube channels
Michigansnowpony
Linda's Pantry
imstillworkin
BexarPrepper
Obsessiveprepperaz
perbain
katzcradul

Tortoises

Yesterday was the first time this year that Tagalong and Torty were together. So here is a video of their first encounter. Poor Torty. He just wants to be friends but Tagalong will have none of it.

Pot Roast Dinner

I've been experimenting with canning different foods and making meals with these canned foods. Last week I canned potatoes and carrots. These were not grown in my garden; I just bought them from the store.

Today, I tried to make a meal with the canned potatoes and carrots and a previously canned roast. It was very tasty and super easy to throw together. The canned roast had broth so I was able to make gravy. Adding some green beans and a salad would have made this perfect.

I learned some valuable lessons from this experiment. The potatoes need to be parboiled a couple more minutes before canning, and I need to cut the carrots into much larger pieces. 

All in all, though, I can foresee using this on busy days when I don't have time to cook. 

Torty

Torty woke up yesterday. He hibernates in our bedroom closet and usually gets up in May. I didn't hear him walking around but saw him at the back door trying to get out. He went outside and searched the yard for something to eat. He especially likes dandelion flowers.

He remembered where his water dish is and got a nice long drink.

After a couple of hours he decided that it was indeed too early to wake up and came back inside. Here he is sleeping under Paul's shoes.

Classic Quote

Paul needed to get a new social security card, so he had to go in person to the Social Security office to handle this. For whatever reason, the Social Security office in Cochise County is in Douglas, over an hour away.

We discussed briefly whether or not it would be open Wednesday afternoon. I couldn't think of any national holiday or any reason it should be closed, so we went on ahead without calling. Of course, when we got there, the office was closed!!! Only on Wednesday afternoons. Why???

So Paul in typical fashion said, "I'm not surprised it's closed, but it doesn't diminish my disgust!" That sounds so much like him. I need to make a meme.

Astronomy Moment

Last night we had a family with 2 children come over to look through the telescope. The children were in kindergarten and 3rd grade. We were able to see Mars, Venus, Jupiter, the Pleiades, and the Orion nebula. We also were able to see the moon, which was about a quarter moon last night.

It is so neat to watch children's reactions to seeing things for the first time. When we had the moon in view, the 3rd-grade girl climbed up the ladder to have a look. She didn't say anything for about 5 or 10 seconds and then said, "WOW!" Then she looked for another several seconds and repeated, "WOW!" What a great response. It is exciting to view God's wondrous creation!

We were able to see something else that was interesting and new for me. It was an iridium flare. These are brief flashes of light caused by sunlight reflecting off the surface of a satellite. Here is a very good explanation of what happens and how to see an iridium flare. After seeing one of these, I'm looking forward to seeing more and trying to photograph one.

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

The Story of Lilly

You may be wondering why Lilly is so spoiled and why she gets special treatment. Here is her story.

Lilly actually belonged to our neighbors. In August 2012, their dog (before being trained) got into the chicken yard and killed or injured several chickens, Lilly included. She was barely hanging on, and they thought it best to separate her from the other chickens so she could be nursed back to health. So she came to live in our back yard and Arizona room.

As the pictures indicate, a very large patch of skin was torn from her back and a smaller patch torn from the front of her neck. After a couple weeks, she began to perk up and her skin began to heal. We spent a lot of time with her, and she became a pet to us. Eventually, we introduced her to our chickens, and as they became acquainted she found her place in the pecking order. When the time came for Lilly to return home, we wouldn't let her go haha. She had already become accustomed to our yard as her home, and she had also settled into our group of chickens, so we stole her.

Lilly still has bare patches on both her back and neck but otherwise is doing fine. Lilly spends her days with the other chickens; however, she still thinks that the back yard is her home and every night jumps over the fence and comes to the Arizona room and sleeps on the freezer. She also comes inside the house to lay her eggs and to get a little snack. She loves peanut butter! She is truly spoiled and we love her!

Tagalong and Torty

After a period of adjustment and acquainting the tortoises to each other through a barrier, we have been letting them both roam free in the yard. Here was an interesting exchange I caught on film. I think Tagalong gets more aggressive when I am standing there. Torty can outrun him, though, so he gives up when she leaves.

Tragedy

Yesterday, the hawks suffered the catastrophic loss of all their eggs. There were very strong winds all day. The weather report stated sustained winds of 20-25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. The tree was swaying and the branches were bouncing up and down all day. Some time in the late morning, the hawk eggs were tossed from the nest. As you can see, there is one egg at the edge of the nest stuck in the branches, but there was no way for her to retrieve it We are hoping it is early enough in the year to start the whole process again. Such a sad day!

Fifth egg

I can't believe it, but Mama has laid 5 eggs now. Previously, she has only had 2 or 3 babies, so I'm anxious to see how this turns out.

Here's Mama taking a rest and then sitting on the eggs.

Here's Daddy sitting on the eggs. He has a harder time covering them up.

Third and fourth eggs

Mama laid a 3rd egg

and then a 4th egg

She is down to serious brooding of the eggs now. She just came back from having her dinner in this video. You can see her pick off some remaining food from her feet before she sits down.

Even Daddy is getting in on the action but not so carefully. I hope all the eggs survive.

Second egg

Mama Hawk laid her 2nd egg. Daddy has been around quite a bit. He is about 2/3 the size of the mama and never sits on the eggs, but he does guard them when she's gone.

First egg

Mama Hawk finally laid her first egg today.

Mama Hawk preparing nest

Mama Hawk has been busy for the last few days preparing her nest. We've even seen Daddy Hawk around a few times.

This little finch or sparrow thought it was safe to check out the hawk's nest. I guess she knew she was nothing but a light snack, haha.

View from the camera

Here are just a few of the birds that have landed on top of the tower. Nice view from there I guess.

You just have to pause this one at the end to enjoy the view!

Baby hawks

Three baby hawks have hatched. Only one of them is visible in this picture as the white fuzzy blob in the nest.

Grades

Lilly making herself at home

Last night, we were working outside and left the door open. When we came in, we found Lilly perched on the hutch for the night. We put her out, of course.

This morning when I got up to let Findlay out, Lilly was right at the door and raced inside. She went right to the hutch again. Just to see what would happen, I put a towel underneath her and waited. Sure enough, a couple hours later, she left us this gift and was equally anxious to go back outside.

Hmmm... probably won't let this become a habit for her, but it was interesting.

Welding

Blizzard of 2013

The Blizzard of 2013. That's what the newspaper called it.

Here I am collecting the eggs. The chickens still laid their eggs despite the snow.

Every building had icicles, but I thought the chicken coop looked especially cool with them.

Here are the chickens having their breakfast and chicken scratch.

Don't think the solar panels are going to be collecting much sun like this.

Here is Lilly following her master out back to be with the other chickens.