I think I’ve hit my personal record for buying a huge amount of food for a tiny amount of money and if you’ve been reading here a while, you know that’s saying something. I spent $45.63 at one store on Wednesday, which included but wasn’t limited to: 4 cases of tomatoes (28 lb each), 7 cases of yams (40 lb each), 19 heads of celery, 150 lb potatoes, and a case of bananas (40 lb). To be honest, I did have a store credit of $24 from the two cases of yams I bought last month that spoiled in a very short time, so the total would have been a little more had I not had the credit. But I was quite pleased with it.
Note: if you buy something and there’s a problem with it, don’t assume it’s your fault. I knew that something was wrong when the yams went off so fast (I’ve been buying in bulk and storing in bulk for a couple of years now and this was unprecedented in cold weather), but at first I assumed I’d have to swallow the loss – the store I bought the yams last month from was far away from my home, I no longer had the receipt, and I wasn’t able to return until five weeks after the original purchase. But I’ve learned it doesn’t hurt to ask, and when I called and explained to them the date I bought them, how I stored them, and what happened, they readily agreed to refund the entire price whenever I’d be back in their area, without having to show any proof of purchase. It took about five minutes to make the call and get the person in charge on the phone; $24 for five minutes ‘work’ is pretty decent, don’t you think?
Along with my wonderful windfalls came a lot of work! People often think I’m just lucky that I find so many things so inexpensively, but the truth is that most people walk right past these kind of deals and don’t recognize the opportunity in front of them. Or even if they realize the price is really low, they don’t know what to do with such huge quantities without it spoiling before they use it. I never let a concern about quantities stop me from buying (as you see from the fact I bought almost 300 lb of yams :)), I figure somehow I’ll find something to do with it! 😆
The tomatoes were super cheap because they were very, very ripe. So I had to process them right away. That meant that I (along with my kids) spent a solid chunk of time yesterday washing, chopping, cooking, and canning. Was it worth it? I think so. We made 15 quarts of tomato sauce, 12 quarts of salsa, and 5 quarts of tomato juice. Pretty good, since the ingredients for all of it didn’t cost more than $15! (My kids wanted to know why I didn’t buy all of the cases available at this price.) It’s a nice feeling of satisfaction at the end of a day to see the counter filled with beautiful jars of home canned foods. And I like knowing that my kids are developing an attitude of self sufficiency as well as learning real life skills like preserving foods.
I was considering canning the celery but to do that I’d have had to pressure can it. Though if you look at the actual processing time, pressure canning looks faster than water bath canning, it doesn’t take into account the time needed to bring the canner up to pressure, process the food, then wait for the canner to depressurize before moving on to the next batch. That can add up to an hour to each load. Since I wanted to get about 80+pounds of tomatoes dealt with in one day (saved some to use fresh), I decided to only can what I could water bath and the celery ended up being dehydrated instead. Dehydrating celery is so easy – just slice it thinly and put it on the trays. But it’s honestly almost disheartening to watch sixteen heads of celery becoming so compact that they fit into a quart sized jar – and there’s still room left in the jar!
I’m planning to can a bunch of the yams, since they’re in beautiful condition now but they won’t stay that way forever. But I won’t get to that until next week, since there’s no rush. Then I’ll have them in a ready to use form to add to soups, stews, or casseroles.
The bananas were very ripe (had lots brown flecks on them but weren’t turning black), but my kids attacked them so I doubt there will be enough left by Sunday to even consider turning into fruit leather. Bananas make great snacks since they’re so filling, especially when spread with lots of peanut butter.
An additional frugal perk of canning in the winter is that you really appreciate the added warmth from the hours of cooking and steamy smells wafting throughout the house.
(This post is part of Frugal Fridays.)
Avivah
do you have a special source for your free bones, carcasses, etc? here the butcher knows he can charge for them, so he does. the only other in-town place with kosher meat cand chicken gets it pre-packaged from out of town so there are no remains. can you help me think outside of the box for this one?
Julie, I made a private arrangement with one of the butchers; as far as I know I’m the only one doing it. If they had lots of people asking them I’m sure they would sell them instead of give them away. The reason I make a lot of turkey broth is because I can get the turkey carcasses for free. They sell the chicken bones; once they tried to sell the turkey bones and I got nervous I was going to lose my free supply, but no one was really interested so they stopped that idea. Since you have almost no kosher sources to work with, I unfortunately can’t think of any options. Sorry to be of so little help in brainstorming!
Aviva,
Since I have a glass top stove, I understand I can’t pressure can on it. Do you know if it’s possible to do a water bath? Also, thanks for the Golden West Cattle Co. tip; I’ve never tasted beef so good.
Michelle, I believe the concern with glass top stoves is the weight of the canner filled with water. If that’s the case, then neither choices would improve the situation (water bathing is actually heavier). If you’re interested in canning, do some googling about this because I do think it’s possible on a glass top stove.
We also are enjoying their beef – I didn’t expect it to be so obviously better tasting!
I used to use a pressure canner on my glass-top stove. The issue with mine was the size of the pot. You aren’t supposed to use a pot that entirely covers the burner for long periods of time, or it will shut off as a safety mechanism. I bought the stove with two burners that would “connect”. Then I would put the huge pot in the middle between them, with some of the burner showing on either side. I imagine you could do that even if the burners didn’t “connect”.
Will you water bath can the yams? If so, do you need to add anything for acidity?
No, only high acid foods like pickled vegetables and fruits can be water bathed. Everything else is pressure canned.
are these veggies from your local ethnic market or the mennonite store? (or maybe neither- these are the places i thought i remembered you mentioning in the past…) thanks!
Good job! I bet it is pleasant to can in the winter. Canning always heats the kitchen so much in the summer; I could use the extra heat now.:-)
I often will chop celery and freeze to use in soups, casseroles and such. It works great and I often do that if we have some celery that is getting almost past its prime.
also- a blast from the past question- where did you find elderberries for your elderberry syrup?
I got them from bulkherbstore.com, but Mountain Rose Herbs has a better price on this particular item, so next time I’ll get elderberries from MRH.
I think I just learned a few things in this post and in the comments :o)
So I can freeze celery?! I’ve considered it a few times but just assumed it would get mushy… Is there a technique, or do I just chop it and throw it in a ziplock bag?
Also, I just bought a pressure cooker (though it’s not a canning one) and just want to be sure: I can use it just fine with my glass top stove, right?
One more thing…then I’m done, I promise ;o) I have a lamb roast in my freezer. Any suggestions how I should prepare it? My hubby loves lamb!
You have a great blog here, Avivah. I’m really enjoying it!
Hi, Jaime! Yes, you can freeze celery, but I don’t think when you defrost it that it’s suitable for fresh salad – it’s great for cooking, though! Just slice it up and pop it into a ziploc bag. You can do the same thing with peppers.
I don’t have a glass top stove, but Janet gave a great suggestion up above.
Lamb roast, yum! Try sprinkling lemon juice on it, then minced fresh garlic (or garlic powder), then sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. You can slice onions and put them under the roast, where they catch the drippings.
Where do you do your bulk grain and produce shopping? I am looking to buy my produce and grains in bulk and the only place I know of near me is Costco for bulk. I’m sure there are better options since most of it is not organic. Just wondered if you have other suggestions. Thank you! I love your blog! I stumbled on it when I was looking for information on homeschooling. My kids are currently in day school but I am interested in learning more about homeschooling or possibly starting a charter school.
Hi, Sondra, welcome! I buy produce in several supermarkets, and bulk grains through the bulk section of a supermarket (I spoke to the manager and made a special arrangement with him). Most of what I buy isn’t organic but I’m moving in that direction as much as my budget allows. My suggestion is to keep looking for places where you’ll be able to find good prices and as time goes on, you’ll find them!
Hi, I am reading that you need a pressure canner to can your vegetables, meat and fish, but how did they do it before pressurecanners came on the market? I always can my salmon with a normal waterbath.By the way I love your blog.Diane
Hi, Diane,
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog – thanks for telling me!
They waterbathed everything and sometimes people died of botulism when they ate low acid foods that were processed that way. 🙁 There are spores that can’t be killed at boiling temperatures, only at the increased temperature of a pressure canner.