School is starting in a few days for our grandkids. We were homeschoolers for many years so the beginning of the school year meant praying about our focus and mapping the macro-schedule we would follow. For me, getting a big-picture view of our upcoming 9 months was crucial. After that, I would fill in the plan and finally the day-to-day details.
My planning map looked like a triangle that I filled from the top:
School Year Focus
Semester1 Semester2
Quarter1 Quarter2 Quarter3 Quarter4
Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March. April. May.
Weekly Plan (36)
Once I realized I was a Global Thinker, I was able to settle into my school year plans. Many homeschool moms plan each week or follow a set daily curriculum. I struggled with that because I needed to know where we were going and how we are getting there. Once that was settled, I could fill in details.
I use the analogy of a map. I need to look at a full map of an area before I can digest landmark-driven directions. It’s sort of a “where the heck am I?” thing.
Once I see a good overview of an area, I can navigate the grounds.
Otherwise, I am floundering all day.
This is how I write this blog, prepare for canning season, buy seeds for the garden, plan my work day……
If you struggle with your place in a group, your comprehension of a concept, or map of an event, try the Global Thinking method first. Orient yourself with an overview of the situation (the organizational chart, the summary of the concept, a map of the entire conference hall), then find yourself in the overview and build from there.
(I have ADD and all those little bits of information overwhelm me until I understand where they fit in the big scheme of things. My husband is a detail person and he gets caught up in the minutiae of things. We make a good team, but can frustrate each other.)
Local Food
This local shop is part of an orchard/market. The owner sells meat from area farms, eggs, baked goods, honey, maple syrup, jams and jellies, as well as his own fruit and vegetables.
He posts flyers from each producer describing the farm and products.
Access to local food is one of my passions. I get goosebumps when I see market stands along the roadside. These folks are contributing to our food security and they should be encouraged. If they successfully sell eggs this year, maybe next year they’ll add to their laying flock and offer a variety of eggs, or branch out and take orders for fresh, locally processed chicken.
I drove to a city about 45 miles away last weekend. The town is surrounded by farms and rural homes. Along the main state route into town, I saw honey, eggs, fresh bread, garden vegetables for sale at roadside stands. Most of the stands where 3ft x 4ft in size and home-built. The signs were home-made, too.
These people have decided to become Producers and not just Consumers.
I think there was a real shift in thinking during the Corona virus debacle. Those half-empty grocery shelves were a real eye opener. When you see those shelves and realize your family’s vulnerability, you are taking the Red Pill and you can’t go back to the way things were.
If this doesn't "Red Pill" you, I don't know what will.
These shelves were JUST STOCKED when I took the picture - notice the empty boxes on the floor.
Just like the change which happened to our grandparents and great-grandparents because they experienced the Great Depression, you are now changed. What are you going to do about it?
Right NOW, you can:
· Plant a Fall garden
· Get some chickens for fresh eggs and meat (See my last blog about getting started with chickens). The farm and fleet stores will have chicks available soon.
· Prep an area for next year’s garden. Plow up your spot. Put all your grass clippings, leaves, and compost in that spot and let them break down over Winter. Your garden area will be ready for Spring.
· Buy vegetables and fruits to preserve. A local grower is selling ‘canning bundles’ of tomatoes for a set price. What a great idea! Farmer’s markets are going strong around here. If you want a large volume, make arrangements to visit the producer’s home site. We do this with our sweet corn producer.
· Glean from a neighbor’s fields or gardens for food. We used to glean a corn field after the mechanized corn picker was done. We would pick up enough dried corn to supplement the livestock feed. Of course, we asked the owner of the field for permission. Other folks get tired of dealing with an abundance of tomatoes, green beans, whatever. They will let you pick what is left. Berries, apples, edible nuts….
· Forage – berries, nuts, other wild foods.
· Buy a bushel or two of mixed seconds apples at an area orchard. These apples aren’t perfect, they are graded as #2. A mixed variety of apples makes the best applesauce, apple butter, apple crisp, apple pie. Tell the orchard staff that you want good Applesauce Apples, they will know what varieties to give you.
· Of course, look for sales and build your own pantry. Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper, recommends you pick 7 meals your family enjoys and buy enough pantry items to make those meals twice. Put that on your pantry shelves or in the freezer – this isn’t for this week’s consumption. Next month, choose 7 different meals and buy enough to make THOSE meals twice. Put that on your shelves. Add some breakfast items and snacks. You now have a month’s worth of food stored. You can build from there.
· Ask around. You might be surprised by how many neighbors have gardens, chickens, or are bakers. Maybe start a small farmer’s market in your own town or neighborhood. Plan for next year.
· Use the internet. I never particularly liked cooked squash or pumpkin but knew they are easy to grow in our area (northeast Ohio) and I could store them in my cold room. I began looking for recipes that were appealing and tried a few of them. These vegetables will never be my favorite, but I added them to our diet. (OK, the recipes revolve around cheese. Basically, I’m eating melted cheese on a bit of squash. Whatever works.)
· Maybe you live in an area that has a continuous growing season. I would love that but I would still preserve and store food, just not as much. Bad weather happens, even in Paradise. We had one summer that was overcast and miserable the entire time. A few large volcanos had blown their tops and the ash was carried over Ohio by the prevailing winds, though the volcanos were thousands of miles away. Add a few Atlantic hurricanes into the mix with cold, wet weather, and we had a Summer That Wasn’t. Our garden was a near total failure.
· Many perennial food producing plants are planted in the Fall. Fruit bearing trees, garlic, rhubarb, elderberry, blueberries, and many more. Select plants which grow best in your climate zone or even one zone colder than your own. You will be ahead of the game next Spring. We avoid buying our plants from big-box stores. Go to a nursery or garden center for best results.
· Do something – anything - to make your family and food supply more secure.
Preserving the Harvest without Canning
I enjoy canning. Bob gardens, I can.
But.
There are other ways to preserve fresh vegetables without breaking out the canner.
There are other ways to preserve fresh garden produce!
This is one meal I especially love. Making it ahead of time, when garden produce is super fresh, means all I need to do is pull it out of the freezer, thaw, and bake. No mess. No hassle. No grabbing a take-out supper.
Stuffed Peppers
Bob grows both California Wonders (a large, thick skinned, sweet pepper) and Cubanelles (a long, cylindrical, mild pepper).
Ingredients
Fresh Peppers - 12 (more or less, I used 10 this time.)
Fresh Tomatoes – 1 ½ cups
Fresh Onion – one medium
Cooked Rice – 4-5 cups cooked white or brown. Slightly undercooked.
Ground beef or sausage – 1# cooked and crumbled. Drained
Pasta Sauce – one pint
Italian Seasoning – one tablespoon
Prepare rice. Undercook it, it will absorb liquid from the vegetables and sauce when cooking peppers to serve.
Brown meat and crumble. Drain.
Remove tops, seeds, and white fibers from peppers. You are making a cup to hold the rice/meat mix. Reserve the tops.
Slice tomatoes into 1” pieces.
Rough chop onion.
Remove and discard stem from pepper tops and rough chop tops
Browned sausage, tomatoes, peppers (from the tops of pepper cups), onion, rice, pasta sauce
Mix everything except Pepper ‘cups’ in a large bowl. I folded ingredients together to keep rice from turning to goo.
It looks messy but it is ready for to stuff the pepper cups. Notice the rice is still nice and firm.
Fill Pepper cups and place upright as possible in a baking pan. Cover well and freeze until peppers are solid.
(If you have left over pepper/rice mix, put it into a container and freeze for a stuffed pepper casserole that you can thaw, top with cheese and bake at 350° until bubbly. You can add more pasta sauce before baking if needed.)
Ready to cover and put into the freezer until the peppers are solid.
Then, I'll put them into gallon sized freezer bags.
Remove peppers from baking pan, placing them into gallon freezer bags for storage.
When ready to eat. Remove desired number of peppers from freezer bag, arrange them in a baking dish to thaw. I usually pour another pint of pasta sauce over the peppers and then add cheese.
Bake at 350° until peppers are soft and centers are hot.
Serve with sour cream
I make a batch of sweet muffins to have with the peppers. They bake at the same time.
Enjoy the dog-days of Summer.
Polly
Comments