The Frugal Food Column

Image by Downing Street via Flickr

If you want to take the time to check out the left sidebar on this blog, you will see a number of categories of articles and whatnot. Notice the category Shannon L. Buck on Experts123. That is me! My very own food column, called Frugal Food. I am very excited over this column, as it is helping me to market the Frugal Recipes blog, which is also mine

I already have an accumulation of column articles, as well as a question on Experts123.com answered. Feel free to check each of them out. The current column article series is about growing your own food organically and frugally, perfect reads for the homesteader.

I hope that you enjoy the articles.

Shannon

 

Related Articles

• Frugal Recipes Happenings for 11/13/ 2010 (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Frugal Recipes Happenings for 10/23/2010 (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Feature Article: Top Ten Tips for Eating Frugally (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Gardening Articles (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Frugal Recipes Happenings for 1/15/2011 (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Favorite Frugal Recipes Blog Articles from 2010 (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)

Mini Homestead Happenings for 11/17/2010

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a busy week Hope you are all doing well. Went grocery shopping the other day. I picked up the ingredients to make my first two batches of apple butter. Someday, I want to have my own orchard.

I have yard work that needs to be done before winter. The outdoor furniture needs to be put away, as well as other items. Some of the banking will have to be replaced around the bottom of the trailer. The yard needs some minimal cleanup, and the planters will have to be emptied into the compost bin.

I will be going around the trailer soon, closing up all of the windows for the winter. I don’t want to do it quite yet because there are still nice days where I want the windows open.

I am planning to take Zowie to see the Harry Potter movie, and I am expecting IW to visit one or two days over Thanksgiving break.

Shannon

Are You a Survivor? Tips for Setting up Survival Food Storage… and a Garden.

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There was a time when I had a good store of food in the pantry. Whenever Skye would come home for a quick visit from Fort Kent, I would send her home with bags of groceries. If anyone was in need, I could fill a box with food.

Unfortunately, with all of the being ill and the surgery, my stores have dwindled down to nothing. That is what happens when you are unable to replenish.

It is now time to begin this process again. I do not like the feeling that, in an emergency, I will not have plenty of food and other items available. While I am getting back on my feet, I will be purchasing items to restock the pantry with.

Here are the guidelines I plan to use:

• Store food that I like. Don’t base my purchases on what the girls like. Skye lives away from home, and Zowie is in college and rarely here.
• Purchase items on sale, with a coupon, whenever possible. Or by using whatever method gives me the best price.
• Rotate foods. New foods go to the back. Use the older foods first.
• Garden next year, to help to fill the pantry with minimal cost.
• Learn how to can and dry foods.
• Purchase a few of at least 1 food item each week for the pantry.
• Reevaluate how much food I will eat (by myself) for a year and purchase accordingly, plus 10% to 20% more for visits from the girls and others, and helping people when they are in need.

 

If you have any tips that will help others to create their survival pantries, please share them in the comments below.

Here are a couple of articles that may interest you:

Survival Gardening Foods

Food Storage Guidelines for Survival

I hope you enjoy the articles.

Shannon

 

Mini Homestead Happenings for 11/07/2010

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Yes, I have been away a long time. In all honesty, I really wasn’t following my homestead goals here in 2010. Thus far, anyway. I had been ill, for about 4 years. This year, it all caught up to me and I had a much needed surgery on August 4th. And I feel 100% better now. Yay!

There was then a recovery period, that I got through with the help of my daughter (Zowie), my neice (Carlee) and my mom. I cannot express my appreciation to them fully, because I just do not know how.

Now that I am fully recovered, and have had time to catch up on some things financially by working my butt off as a freelance writer. I am back here on this blog. I have missed it.

It is time to begin again with the homestead learning process, to be prepared for when I am able to acquire a piece of land. This is where I am right now:

• Hanging from hooks in my living room and kitchen, I have three types of herbs drying: Rosemary, parsley and sage. These smell divine, and will soon be placed into small canning jars to be used in cooking this winter.
• I have some garlic stored.
• I have cleaned out the candle jars of their wax, in order to make the recycled candles for people. These are gifts that I give at the holidays. The jars themselves need to be cleaned.
• I am now feeding the cats solely human food. No cat food for them. They are much healthier now. Tigerr, who was always so sick, is rarely ever sick any more. And Fae’s skin has cleared up most of the way.
• My nephew Isaiah, who is now 13, did some yard work for me a couple of weeks ago, and organized the shed pretty well. I have a few things to put away, and I have an area of banking to fix on the trailer, then I am set for winter.
• I have acquired a NuWave oven and a Juicer so that I am eating healthier. This, on top of surgery, has allowed me to lose a significant amount of weight. And I am still losing.
• I updated the side bars and pages to this site yesterday, to give my readers an idea of how my life has changed over the course of this year.

On a professional level, my career is going well.

• I am still writing for Demand Media Studios, which brings in the bulk of my income.
• I have updated the Frugal Recipes blog to better reflect how I am currently eating, and concentrates on a healthier diet. I now write the Frugal Food column on Experts123 as well. Currently, I have also authored 4 eCookBooks, the links to which can be found in the right side bar.
• My articles can be found on eHow.com, GardenGuides.com, Suite101.com and Assciated Content. I have posted some as links on the left sidebar.
• I also have 3 housekeeping books that I am selling. Again, look in the right sidebar for more information. And I have numerous eBooks, Mini eBooks, Special Reports and eCourses that I am offering to those desiring freelance careers of their own. These can be found on my storefront.

Wow! It has been a crazy two years building this freelance writing career. I enjoy every minute of it.

Anyway, be expecting new posts now that life is back to normal. It is time to start planning for next years’ garden, and to learn about ways to preserve the bounty that I will harvest.

Shannon

 

Related Articles

• Guide to Planting Rosemary (brighthub.com)
• Steps to Growing Wheat on a Small Homestead (brighthub.com)

Cats’ Stew # 2

This is the second stew that I made for my cats, and they loved it as they did the first recipe. I do not really measure ingredients. I just sort of throw everything into a pot. and boil for 45 minutes to an hour.

Ingredients:

water

liquid from a roasted chicken (we made the chicken for our dinner yesterday)

2 celery stalks, chopped

chopped tomatoes

1/2 bag frozen carrots

1 leftover potato, chopped

leftover chicken and chicken skin

• Just throw everything into a pot.
• Cook until celery is mushable.
• Take the potato masher to it some, but not completely.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Serve in a big bowl or two.
• Refrigerate the rest.
• If the cats won’t eat it in two days, freeze the rest.

Cats’ Stew #1

This is the first stew that I made for my cats, and they loved it. I do not really measure ingredients. I just sort of throw everything into a pot and boil for 45 minutes to an hour.

Ingredients:

water

vegetable stock

2 celery stalks, chopped

some mashed sweet potato

some mashed squash

1/2 bag frozen carrots

2 tbsp olive oil

leftover chicken and chicken skin

• Just throw everything into a pot.
• Cook until celery is mushable.
• Take the potato masher to it some, but not completely.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Serve in a big bowl or two.
• Refrigerate the rest.
• If the cats won’t eat it in two days, freeze the rest.

Mini Homestead Happenings for 5/21/2009

So, I have been cleaning out and washing the food shelves as part of my spring cleaning and organizing efforts. The food stores are almost gone, so I am going to need to be making a shopping trip soon. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite things to do.

I recently tried on some clothes that were previously to small for me. I now have a few articles of clothing that fit me, that were too small last year. Go me!

Spring is here, and I am eating more fresh(er) fruits and veggies throughout the day. I love apples, oranges and bananas especially. And here is a melon recipe that I also love:

cantaloupe chunks

watermelon chucks

honey dew melon chunks

Place in a bowl and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.

Yum!

Have a nice day.

Shannon

Mini Homestead Happenings for 5/19/2009

It has rained so much that the ground hardly has a chance to dry before it rains again. This makes it difficult to begin working in the garden beds. Soon, I will be starting seeds. I am excited! I am also able to begin adding to the compost bin again, but I first have to go out and turn the heap.

A friend has given me seeds and planters. I have also purchased other seeds.

I have clothes hanging outside, drying in the breeze. They will smell so good when I bring them in.

I also have blankets draped over the back of the sofa. I think the look has a homey feel.

Hope you are all doing well. We are eating up the last of the food stores from winter.

Shannon

Looking for Simple Canning and Water Bath Recipes and Other Information

I already have a canning book, but I am wondering some things:

1. What makes a good water bath unit?
2. What makes a good canner?
3. Are there certain brands that are better than others?
4. Where can I find the glass lids for the canning jars? I have a lot of them.
5. Are there any simple recipes that I can use to get started? I have never canned anything before.
6. Can you offer up any helpful tips for a beginner canner?

If you have any answers for me, please post them in the comments section.

Thanks!

Shannon

Mini Homestead Happenings for 11/28/2008

Thanksgiving went well. My sister and my nephews came for lunch. They brought the stuffing, stuffed celery, and the chocolate cream pie (my nephew, Zachary made this one.) The day before, I made breads and cheesecake, and Zowie made homemade pumpkin and apple pies.

We had a nice meal, then Zowie and I went for a walk after they left. I froze the leftover turkey, most of it anyway, and refrigerated the rest of the leftoversm which we ate last night and throughout the day today.

I got the tree decorated last night, and today I have been rearranging the living room, cleaning and doing some more decorating.

And I’m not done yet…I am working at it.

We also watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who yesterday. Not bad for a 37 and a 16 year old, LOL! What can we say?

Wednesday started my long weekend, so I am cleaning, decorating and blogging until late Sunday. I begin working again on Monday.

I hope you are all doing well.

Shannon

Frozen turkey added to the freezer:

• 2 meal size servings of turkey breast.
• 6 meal size servings of turkey for stews.