From My Home to Yours: 6/26/26

 From My Home to Yours

6/26/26

~ 46 ~

This week we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary acknowledging that our love for each other deepens with every year (as does our ability to laugh at what getting older is doing to our bodies).  Aging love is different than young love, but oh my, it's just as good if not better.  All pretense and trying to impress each other is gone and for us, a quiet acceptance of each other that allows us to thoroughly enjoy just being in each other's presence.  We have each other's backs, we look out for each other, we hold each other's hands, we laugh with and at each other ... we complete each other in every way that counts!  We pray for many more years together, but if that's not possible, we pray to enjoy each and every day we have together while we're both on this earth.

Where do I even begin with all the pantry building work that has gone on this week in our home!

~ produce from our garden ~

The cucumbers have been turned into a cucumber & onion vinegar salad.  (I saved the ones we didn't use with the original making to replenish the salad when needed.)

The carrots were fermented  (I have fallen in love with fermented carrots and am experimenting with various herbs and spices I can add for flavoring.)  The health benefits are an added bonus!

The squash was enjoyed as a side with a meal (I air-fried it in our air-fryer)

Those cherry tomatoes were washed and set on the kitchen counter.  We've been popping them in our mouths whenever we were anywhere near them!

The two larger tomatoes are sitting on the counter so they can finish ripening.  (Our weather is so hot and humid right now that when our tomatoes start ripening we are harvesting them and allowing them to finish ripening inside.)

~ grocery haul, part 1 ... mostly fresh produce ~

The corn on the cob was on sale for 3 ears for $1 ... we purchased enough to enjoy throughout the week.  We've already enjoyed one meal with them and the corn was delicious!  We microwave it still in the shuck and then remove it right before adding it to the table as a side.

Romaine hearts lettuce for more salads in a jar.

Fresh Ginger to make ginger cubes to go in water.

Lemons for juicing and freezing the juice for lemon cubes ... again to go in water or other beverages and to use in recipes calling for fresh lemon juice.

~ grocery haul, part 2 ~

We went grocery shopping for the main purpose of bargain shopping for meats and we were successful ... in our eyes.

Ground chuck was on sale for $4.49/lb, we purchased family packs and preserved them once we got home.

Bob Evans sausage on markdown for $3.59/lb

Tenderloin on markdown for $3.02

Chicken legs (4 pack) on markdown for $1.33 and the other package was similar in price but I don't remember what the exact markdown price was.  I air-fried both packages and added them to our menu for this week.  I absolutely love having portions of our meals prepared ahead of time and this chicken is a good example.  We will be able to have it in various forms and dishes!

Thick pork chops for the marked down price of $5.90.  (Hubby cooked the pork chops and tenderloin to have for his breakfast in the upcoming week.)

The hot dogs were on sale for $2.99/package.

4 packages of chicken gizzards that ranged in markdown prices below $2 for each package.

 

I took the chicken gizzards and canned 5 quarts for the pantry.  Since my canner wasn't full, I added two jars of navy beans.  They both processed at the same time and for the same poundage so it was a win, win.  Pressure canning gizzards and then giving them a quick 'frying' when ready to eat makes them so very tender.  It's also another meat meal on the pantry shelf!

We also restocked several of the vinegars that we use and cheeses as well.  It was a successful bargain shopping experience.  (Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that I would think that the above prices were 'good' ... but they are.)  

This week we'll be looking at and paying attention to July 4th sales and subsequent markdowns.  We always try to do additional shopping around the holidays and stock up on items that typically go on sale.  This is one our strategies for maintaining a well-stocked pantry while eating out of it daily.

We have one more 'bargain' to share.  It occurred on the same day as our grocery bargain shopping.  We had been told that a local chain store had baby chicks on sale for $1 each.  With our cold food in coolers, we always grocery shop with coolers, we stopped in at said chain store.

Nope, they didn't have any more, but they did have the ones pictured that were about 3 weeks old that they would be willing to let us have for $1 each!  We were looking for the buff orpington variety, but they didn't have any ... these are sexlinks and are good layers as well.    We said, 'we'll take them!' These sexlinks were normally $7.99 each, but because they were 'feathered out' they were letting them go for $1 each.   We feel blessed!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our 'bargain shopping' adventures.  Sometimes it helps to see what others purchase and what they do with it once they get home.

I continued reading book 7 in the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye. I finished listening to Almost a Bride by Jody Hedlund and started listening to Tomorrow's First Light by Naomi Rawlings.   (All the audio books I listen to come from Libby the library app.)

Next week, it's all about blueberries!  It's blueberry preserving time at our house!

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

 

From My Home to Yours: 6/19/26

 From My Home to Yours

6/19/26

~ A Time to Be Still ~

This past week was a busy one and one that stretched me emotionally as well.

~ our sweet potatoes are doing well ~

The church we attend had VBS four nights of the week, and it was so good and encouraging and uplifting.

~ first tomatoes of the season ~

I'm so glad that we had that sweet time of learning and fellowship because in and around VBS, we got a shock that left us reeling.

~ we're harvesting cucumbers about twice a week ~

Sometimes, when life finds you in a busy season and then hands you a shock or two to deal with as well, it's hard to take it all in.  It's during those times that I have a yearning to be still and get my feet back under me so to speak.  So, this morning, after the dust had settled from the week, I determined to do just that.  

I read the entry for today in the chronological Bible I am reading through this year ...

I poured my heart out to God again in my prayer journal ...

I made our bed ...

prepared breakfast and ate it ...

went for my daily walk ...

and then started working in my home  ...

I cleaned out both refrigerators ...

started a new batch of kefir ...

swept the floors ...

started the ice maker ...

emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it ...

and did just general house cleaning jobs.

Most of it was done in a completely quiet house which gave me opportunity to be quiet and let my mind process the weeks events.  I needed that.  Do you ever need to just be 'still and quiet' in your mind?  I do and while my hands and feet were busy, my mind was quietly processing the week's events.  (The week's events of which I have referred to in this post have nothing to do with my family, we are all fine.)  

I find solace in my home and garden and when life hands me something difficult to deal with, my home and garden are where I want to be.  Do you have a place of solace where you can 'be still and quiet' your mind?  

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

I did a garden walk through this morning and captured the pictures you see in this post.  We've had some good rain this week and everything is flourishing.  I have much to do in the garden and hope to be able to spend much of next week getting caught up ... but we shall see!

I continued reading book 7 in the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye. I ran out of time for listening to The Prince:  The Biblical Story of Jonathan by Francine Rivers before it had to be returned.  I tried, but with everything going on this week, I just couldn't finish it.  I was over sixty percent done, but alas it had to go back.  I went back on the 'waiting' list and will get to finish it when my turn comes around again.  The next day, when it was time for my daily walk, I started listening to Almost a Bride by Jody Hedlund.  I had been waiting for this 4th book in the Bride Ship series to become available and was glad when I saw the notification that it was available.  It took a bit of the sting out of not being able to finish The Prince! (All the audio books I listen to come from Libby the library app.)

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

 

From My Home to Yours: 6/12/26

 From My Home to Yours

6/12/26

~ Our Temps Hit 100 + Degrees! ~

plum tree

It's been a hot and humid week in our area with high temps reaching 101 degrees one day followed by 100 degrees the next!  We are so thankful to God for a home that keeps us comfortable temperature wise and a vehicle that does the same when we have to be out and about.  We are blessed!

Hurricane season has officially started and that means we are checking and rechecking our hurricane preps and plans one last time.  If  you've ever experienced a hurricane then you are aware of the devastation they can leave behind.  Hours and hours of strong gusting winds, torrential rains, dangerous flooding and sometimes tornadoes are a part of a hurricane and should not be taken lightly.  When Hurricane Florence hit our area several years ago, we had 3 full days of torrential rain, storms, strong winds that rattled the house, widespread dangerous flooding, trees and tree branches down, thunder storms, structural damage and loss of power.  The sun didn't shine for 3 full days, it was so overcast that it could be compared to 'dusk.'  One doesn't forget an experience like that and will always do their best to be better prepared for the next time.

Isn't that what we do in looking out for our households.  Doesn't the 'lean' times, the uncertain times, the weather related times make us more determined to be better prepared for the next time?  With every 'lean or uncertain' time, I try to determine what I can do to be better prepared for the next time.  We all have 'lean or uncertain' times, they come and go.  Sometimes it feels like those times will never end, but they eventually do and the choices we make as a result can help us better prepare for the next time, if we are wise.

Choices, that's what it really comes down to, isn't it?

Choices about how we spend our monies ...

Choices about our pantries ...

Choices about preparing for the future ...

Our choices can make or break us, help or hinder ... let that sink in while we take a look at the choices we made this week.

With the temps and humidity being so high, I spent more time inside than out.  Early mornings found us out harvesting garden produce and plums from our plum trees.  

I did not get more cucumber seeds planted ... with the temps this high, they would not germinate.

grape leaves freshly harvested (left) and dried (right)

I did harvest grape leaves and started a grape leaf tincture (pictured below).  For info on uses of grape leaf tincture, check out this video and or this article. Here's more info on uses for grape leaves other than tincturing.

I did not harvest dandelion

I did not harvest parsley

I did not plant wildflowers and cockscomb seeds in tractor tires 

I did start two herbal tinctures ...

Here's the method I use to make tinctures

I crush or powder the dried herb and use the ratio of 1 part dried herb to 5 parts alcohol such as vodka, etc (not rubbing alcohol).  I use a scale to measure in grams.  I put an airtight lid on the container and give it a good shake. I let it sit at least 2 weeks (since the herbs are either powdered or finely crushed the time needed is less.) in a cool location out of direct sunlight.  I make sure the location is where I will see it every day so that I can give it a good shake.  After the 2 plus weeks are up, I strain, bottle and label the tincture.

I did continue to harvest squash, got our first harvest of more than one cucumber and continued harvesting plums.  

(Each jar contains:  cucumbers from our garden, raw squash from our garden, bell peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes and feta cheese.)

For my 'prepared' ahead lunches this week, I prepared salad fixings.  These jars contained all the vegetables and cheese.  I measured out chicken and put it in separate containers and then put the lettuce, washed - cleaned - chopped, in a zip lock bag.  I also boiled eggs, peeled them and stored them in an air tight glass storage container.  It was easy and quick to put together a salad, whether it was a side salad or something more substantial such as a chef salad.

Our choices this week focused on ...

restocking our pantry ...

future financial needs ...

making meals quicker and easier ...

and on being good stewards of what God has blessed us with.

I continued reading book 7 in the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye. I finished listening to The Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund, listened to The Runaway Bride by the same author, one more by the same author ... A Bride of Convenience.  All three of these books are part of a series of 4 of the Bride Ship series.  I am enjoying the saga of each as I listen while getting my daily exercise.  There's one more in the series, but I have to wait my turn, until then I'm listening to The Prince:  The Biblical Story of Jonathan by Francine Rivers.   (All the audio books I listen to come from Libby the library app.)

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 6/5/26

    From My Home to Yours

6/5/26

~ Let's Talk Herbs! ~

(pictured:  rosemary)

Since my house looks like an herb store right now with herbs drying in more places than not, I thought we'd talk about preserving herbs this week before we get into our regular features.

Right now, I have 2 large trays of nettles air-drying and a large tray of yarrow air-drying.  I jarred up a full quart of air-dried elderberry flowers and another jar of air-dried apple mint.  I also harvested a tray of rosemary that is also air-drying as well as a tray of tarragon.  Notice my preferred method of drying herbs is to let them air-dry.  This method preserves all the good stuff in the herbs.  I do have a dehydrator, but try not to use it for herbs if possible.  When I do though, and yes, there are times when I do, I never dry the herbs at a temperature higher than 95 degrees.  Anything higher and you run the risk of destroying all the good medical and or culinary stuff in the herbs.

I also spent several hours this week researching and reading up on the herbs that I am currently growing.  I want to know all about each, their uses and contradictions, if any.  Next week, I plan to harvest dandelions (including the leaves), grape leaves (for making a tincture) and parsley.  Working on my winter apothecary is a priority in the summer time, just as preserving other foods are ... it all serves a purpose!

I also plan to make several tinctures next week using my home grown herbs and I'll be sure to share the method I use for the process and how I plan to use them.  I had planned to do it this week, but I ran out of time!  This is a very busy time of the year for us!

In the kitchen ...  I typically have some kind of chicken wrap for lunch everyday (unless we have leftovers available) and this last week I decided to prep the ingredients ahead so that putting the wraps together would be easier.  I laid out 7 small containers with their lids and then measured the ingredients for each wrap into each, put the lid back on and put them in the refrigerator.  Every day this week at lunch time, I would pull out a low-carb tortilla, open one of the containers and dump it's contents onto the middle of the tortilla, wrap the tortilla around the ingredients and then put the wrap in the microwave for one minute.  Once out of the microwave, I cut the wrap in half, added a piece of fruit and enjoyed the meal.  It was quick and easy and low-carb, which is the style of eating I do that works best for me.  What did I put in the containers for the wrap ingredients?  This week it was chicken and a slice of smoked cheddar cheese.  That was it!  It made lunch prep so much easier and you can believe that I'll be repeating the same process, maybe different ingredients, for the upcoming week.

In the garden ...

Our cucumbers (on the left) are loving this trellis!  Having the cucumbers growing in a raised bed and up a trellis sure does make harvesting a breeze!  The vines are loaded with baby cucumbers, in fact I harvested the first one this week.  Now that these are about to be producing cucumbers, it's time to plant some more seeds for a succession planting.  

Our tomatoes, on the right, are coming right along and with any luck, we'll have home-grown tomatoes fresh from the garden by July 4th.  In our area, that's what almost every gardener strives for, sometimes I achieve that goal and sometimes I don't.  This year is looking promising right now!

In the orchard ...

from the left ... peaches, pears, plums, apples

This week we've harvested plums twice.  I plan to de-seed and flash freeze some for smoothies, but other than that I'm at a loss as to what to do with them.  I could make plum jam and plum sauce, but honestly, I don't know how I would use the plum sauce.  The plum jelly is a given!  A hot biscuit and a smearing of plum jam and you're set!  Anyone have any ideas how to use plum sauce?  If you had a tree full of plums ripening, how would you use them?

Let's see how I did on my goals from last week ...

work on herbal garden area (it needs some freshening up)  I did some heavy harvesting, but it still needs help in the form of fertilizing and more heavy harvesting!  I'll continue to work on it a little each week until I get it where I want it to be!  Baby steps work in gardening too!

plant wildflowers and cockscomb seeds in tractor tires. Didn't get done!

preserve squash ... well, that didn't get done because we went on a squash eating binge and ate almost all of it!!!  We had pan fried squash, grilled squash, and deep-fried squash, all on different days.  Yes, we're still harvesting squash, but amounts are not large enough to do a canning.  It's okay, we still have some home-canned squash left from last year!  If we get enough of a surplus to can, I will, if not, we'll continue to enjoy eating fresh from the garden squash until it's no longer producing!

plant more garden ... Done!  This week I planted a third setting of tomatoes and sweet potato slips that we were given.  I plan to continue planting something in every week.  Here again, baby steps help me win the gardening game.  An hour a day is all I can give it, but it's working!

Here's what next week's goals look like ...

plant more cucumbers

harvest grape leaves

harvest dandelion along with leaves

harvest parsley

plant wildflowers and cockscomb seeds in tractor tires (I'm not giving up on this!)

make herbal tinctures

I continued reading book 7 in the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye. I finished listening to The Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund and started listening to The Runaway Bride by the same author.  Both of these books are part of a series of 4.  I am enjoying the saga of each as I listen while getting my daily exercise.  (All the audio books I listen to come from Libby the library app.)

I have two posts for those of you who sew or just like to keep up with what I'm creating over on Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine,  Here's week #21 and click HERE to read week #22.  

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!

From My Home to Yours: 5/29/26

   From My Home to Yours

5/29/26

~ Canning Jars! ~

This week I want to talk about the lowly canning jar ... that has many uses!

This week alone, I ...

used them in making iced tea ... Here's how I make iced tea:  (1) take 2 empty canning jars, two rubber band (these came from celery bunches purchased at the store) and 4 tea bags.  Place 2 tea bags in each jar secured by the rubber bands (2) bring a kettle of water to just before boiling, don't let water come to a boil.  Boiling water can make some teas bitter, I prefer a more milder tea taste.  (3) pour hot water into jars and place an air tight lid on each jar quickly to hold all those tea flavors inside the jars. (4) Once the tea is cooled and dark in color, 12 - 24 hours, I pour the 'tea concentrate' into a pitcher and add as much water as tea.  Sweeten as desire, stir, refrigerate and enjoy!

used one as a 'vase' for my homegrown roses

used some for storage purposes ... I needed to restock my tea bags and so used three to store newly purchased tea bags in, in my pantry.  This will protect the tea bags from anything that would diminish their flavor or cause them harm until they're used.

and we can't forget all the yummy foods, kefirs, home canned foods, herbal concoctions, dried, and or fermented foods that call canning jars home for a specified amount of time in my home.

You can always find empty canning jars in residence in my kitchen waiting to be used in any of the above ways!   Empty canning jars are a staple in my kitchen and are near the top of the list of most used items in my kitchen!

How do you use the lowly canning jar?

Now, let's talk about our garden and my to-do list for the week ...

I harvested ...

squash ... actually, I harvested at least twice this much and then a dear friend shared with us from her abundance, more squash.  If all goes well, I should be preserving squash in the upcoming week.  In the meantime, we are enjoying fresh from the garden squash with our main meal of the day ... and it's delicious!  Thus far we've enjoyed it grilled and pan fried ... both equally good in their own way!  As of this writing, we have enough pan fried left over to make a squash casserole.  Hmmm, I can't wait!

Can you see all those 'pods' in the above picture?  Look closely, they are hard to identify! Each of those pods houses several seeds ... collard seeds.  We left a couple of collard plants to over winter to produce seeds for this fall's planting.  I harvested the pods this week and placed them in a dry area so they will continue to dry and then be removed from the pods.  This will make hundreds of seeds.

I did the same with a couple of cabbage plants and harvested those pods this week as well.  The pods look a lot alike so I had to make sure I placed them in separate areas so as not to accidently mix the seeds!

I harvested more elderberry flowers and apple mint this week.  (On a side note, I worked on thinning out my elderberry bushes, they were turning into a thick mass that was doing it's best to outgrow it's designated area!  A place for everything and everything in it's place definitely applies to those herbs that like to challenge their boundaries, one of which are elderberries!)

Next up is my 'to-do' list ... how did I do?

clean out another raised bed ...  I got one more done!

continue harvesting elderberry flowers ...  Done!

work on herbal garden area (it needs some freshening up)  Didn't get done!

plant wildflowers and cockscomb seeds in tractor tires.  Didn't get done!

We had a lot of rain this week, almost daily in fact, so finding time to work on my to-do list was a challenge ... but ... I did make a little progress and a little progress is better than no progress.  We desperately needed the rain so I'm praising God and in no way complaining!

Let's set some goals ('to-do's') for next week ...

of course, I'm going to work on the unfinished items from last week's list

preserve squash

plant more garden (the weather in our area this year has made planting the garden a challenge)

I continued reading book 7 in the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye. I finished listening to Roses by Leila Meacham and started listening to The Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund.  (All the audio books I listen to come from Libby the library app.)

This past week was my birthday week and I had a somewhat unusual 'gift' request!  You can read about it HERE and see what I did with it!!!  My dear hubby never knows what to expect from me and this was not even on his radar for possibilities of things I would asked for, for my birthday!!!

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Other Places You Can Find Me ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting my work via one of the following ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked and me motivated to keep on keeping on with my attempts to inspire and encourage you (Titus 2:3-5) through my writings!