Summer 2024 Food Preservation Projects

 

In preparation of the upcoming winter I did A LOT to get ready and I’m absolutely thrilled with all that I was able to accomplish and all while I’m doing an extreme grocery budget challenge this year too.  I’m really quite surprised in fact that I have been able to do all that I have and still stay within budget.  It has definitely tested my creativity and resourcefulness, but that was part of the fun of the challenge!

 

I divided a 5# bag of veggies into vacuum sealed packages

Vacuum sealed chicken breast packets

This summer I’ve done quite a bit of canning and freezing.  I already shared with you how I put together some chicken packets and squirreled them away in the deep freezer.  I purchased ground beef on sale and with a digital coupon, then divided it up and put it away in vacuum sealed packages.

 

Split pea soup & pork verde

Chicken stock

A couple pot roasts ended up canned in au jus and a large pork butt was turned into pork verde and canned as well.  I canned a lot of soups too – taco soup, split pea with ham, chicken fajita and Italian black bean.  Chicken carcasses and vegetable scraps became stock and the ham bone from the ham I got at Christmastime was made into broth and all the meat removed from the bone.  That meat and most of the broth ended up in the split pea soup. 

 

Taco soup

An assortment of various beans

I canned a variety of dry beans so I’d have easy and quick options to add to meals.  It makes it very nice to grab a jar of black beans and pinto beans and use those for a quick batch of refried beans.  I also made a huge batch of chili con carne and canned that as well.  A last minute decision added nine pints of black bean corn salsa to the shelves.

 

Tomato sauce

As the tomatoes come in from my garden I add them to a bag I keep in the freezer until I have enough to make into sauce.  This year I decided to can both pints and half pints so I can have smaller jars to make soup or pizza sauce whenever I want.  Having two different sizes makes it extra convenient.

 

Plenty to enjoy and share with friends & family

I’ve restocked pantry staples, vegetables and fruit in cans as well as frozen which I vacuumed sealed.  I added some condiments, mainly mayonnaise and mustard, as well as olives and pickles to replace what I have used this year.  I also made a big batch of sweet zucchini relish and added that to my shelves.

 

Additionally, any rendered fats were skimmed and saved in jars, frozen and will be used for cooking.  Vegetable scraps went into the gallon Ziploc bag I keep in the freezer for a future pot of broth.  Other scraps went to the kitties or the chickens and even the bunny got a few vegetable bits too.  Everyone was happy, especially me as nothing went to waste.

 

Bread & Butter Pickles

Feeding people is my love language

I absolutely LOVE home canning and preserving.  I eagerly look forward to this time of year every year, so much so that I typically continue to can and preserve year round although the bulk of what I do gets done during the summer and fall.  Looking at all those beautiful jars on the shelves as well as my fully stocked freezer is to me a thing of beauty.  Enjoying the things I’ve created and put up to eat this winter will bring me a lot of joy.