October - One Week has passed Already?

Hello Everyone!


It's been pretty crazy but last weekend I managed to can 15 pints of beef









We have had chicken at a very good price recently but truth be told this house loves beef - and if I ask anyone what do you want to eat - BEEF is almost always the answer. Also since we are trimming the budget until December we are probably using the preps 2-3 times a week.








I got potatoes and carrots at a steal last week so I canned those - and the Atlas jars from the classico pasta worked just fine...like almost everyone said - and I do like how BIG they are.









4 quarts potatoes
5 pints potatoes (some with carrots)
4 pints carrots

it's amazing what you can do when you are really determined to get it done huh?








Last week I got 3 pineapples for 3 dollars and canned them midweek to test it. Some folks said when they have canned pineapple it's been very bland but these ones were very good - not like bush ripe but for box ripened - I won't complain.

Cost is about 42 cents a pint when you can it yourself. I do add a touch of lemon juice - not only for safety but also for flavor.



At one point I overcooked this pineapple syrup a bit too hot so that's why it has that brownish color. I caught it right before it turned amber LOL scary thought to have to wash a burnt pan from carbonized pineapple simple syrup.








Yesterday there were a few sales and I always stop by the 99 cent only before I hit the regular stores. I just hit the stores randomly - and it kind of trips me out how there is always something good when i say "let's check..."

I found this sri lankan tea 100 bags 99 cents
organic greens and spinach 99 cents




I checked the freezer for some frozen peas and beef sausage - yes on the peas..and guess WHAT - butterball kielbasa 99 cents. exp 11/27/2011.
I think they had 9 in there and I took them all.

I also picked up sunflower seeds and persian cucumbers -also 99 cents.





3 dishtowels were 99 cents
At the next store the chicken breast was 1.49 a lb but there were only 2 little packets left. Better something than nothing at least I could use it for a couple meals.









The cilantro was 33 cents.
The vitamin E with coconut oil - 99 cents.












El Pato was 79 cents
tomatoes 3 lbs 99 cents
jalapenos 3 lbs 99 cents











Cabbage was 6lbs 99 cents limit 3 heads













Limes 2lbs 96 cents













Pears 3 lbs for 99 cents

The limit was 6lbs but there were 2 of us so I got 12 lbs.










10 lbs of pears made 13 pints
2.5 lbs of limes made 3 pints of 75% juice.

I'm going to wait awhile to make juice by hand again especially using a reamer.

I'm tough but tired. haha



Click here for Pear Canning Video



Yesterday before Lit class I stopped by Ace Hardware - I've decided that even though Ace Hardware charges 50 cents more a case I am going to buy my jars there because it is privately owned - at least the one by our house is.

a case of pint jars is 10 bucks
a 6 pack of HALF GAL jars was 10.50

Kind of pricey but it is what it is.



Pineapple $1 ea at Sprouts.
reg jar lids $1.29
wide mouth lids $1.59
pectin free with coupon

I got 3 of those- I think 2 of them fell out in the car - LOL I'm discombobulated lately.






Here are the pineapples broken down...I saved the leaves for the compost as well as the trim.

When Mr.Man got home he walked through the laundry room and said WOW our house smells like pineapples! haha. That's so great - Eat THAT febreeze!








4 fresh pineapples made 8 pints plus leftovers of about 2 cups. Not painful at all because it's water bath canning...

click here to watch canning pineapple video

That's pretty much my shopping week. School has been hectic and good. I'm actually ahead in Lit because I'm such a spazz I finished my paper last Wednesday night and it isn't due until this coming Tuesday - HAHA. Imagine that. I took a Math test and it wasn't anything I really studied for and I made 3 really silly mistakes from overcorrecting it and got an 86 which brought my class average to like 94 or something. I've got some really nice people in my classes this semester - much better than last semester.

I'm just hanging in there. I'm trying to get a part time job at a coffee place or something so I can at least get some free coffee and a few hours. It seems that Mr. Man is not down with this. I know I mentioned that he already changed jobs for an increase in pay, better hours and more vacation time - but tonight he called me to tell me that he will be doing some flooring work a few Saturdays a month for extra money because I could use the money for jars.

I was really touched when he said that because he already got an increase so there wouldn't be pressure for me to work. I seriously respect him - not only because he is bringing home the bacon but because he went out and did MORE than I expected and I didn't have to nag him or something to make it happen - he did it of his own Accord. I'm not really the nagging type I've never got on his ass about money or I want this, or you have to get me this or stuff that ham head girls might do - that's just not my thing.

We prep not only for what we have but what we will have.

He is a good man truly.

Canning While You've Got It!

Last Friday I started canning the ground beef and petite sirloin steaks I was able to get at a decent price. A decent price - not a great price. But beef prices are climbing at a level I don't like. Chicken prices should have risen after those floods a few months ago - but chicken only takes 3 months or so to get to kill level beef takes a lot longer.

But I'm doing what I can. har har.




We really love beef and salmon. I really got very lucky last week when I accidentally found 15.4 oz salmon at 99 cents with an expiration of 06/2016. That is just unheard of.

Between the cost of the Beef and the cost of the Canning Jars - I don't know which is worse. Goodwill, Craigslist and garage sales are all dry sources for jars now - and even the lid prices are going up.


15 pints of beef is better than none.

I tested the atlas mason jars that the tomato sauce came in - they worked our really well. I have to admit that I've been steadily using pint jars because I think a quart of anything is almost too much...lifting a loaded quart feels heavy.









4 quarts potatoes
5 pints potatoes
4 pints carrots

so a total of 32 pints of canned goods, a few loaves of bread, 2 pans lasagna, breakfast lunch and snacks - all in 30 hours. What a maniac I am - but I just wanted to get it out of the way.

So on Sunday I could just study and make caramel popcorn.



Last night I did can some fresh pineapple. I tested a recipe I made to see if it was good - I like the results. So the next time pineapple is on sale I will do it again. I basically took the insides of the pineapple that you usually toss and boiled it into the simple syrup to get a better flavor.

3 small pineapples will make you 7 pints. Actually they ate one already so that's under 40 cents a pint for a well stuffed jar.

If anyone hadn't noticed the pineapple is over 1.59 for the small can of generic - Dole is even more because they use a pineapple that is harvested closer to ripe for better scent and taste. So I am happy to make this.

I dunno about you guys but I like pineapple upside down cupcakes.