As I sit here this Wednesday morning enjoying the quiet of a beautiful fall day (quietness is healing for me), I thought I would do a quick post and let you know that I am feeling much better. Thank you to those who reached out to me offering words of comfort and encouragement as I navigate on in my grief journey.
On Monday I got up with the determination to get busy ...
patsi @ A Working Pantry
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building
My second blog: From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study. Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness. Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.
Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:
Food Saver Vacuum Sealer
You can view my privacy policy HERE.
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, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!
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.
Planning and preparing does so much to help with grief. A friend asked me, earlier this week, why I can and preserve, given that we have it all within just a short distance. In thinking how to respond, I realized it was the timetable of my grief, after loosing my husband. I canned in the early part of our marriage, but it went by the wayside when our daughter was born and life got busy. I picked it up again after he passed and I think, it was a way to ground myself in my grief, to prove to myself that I could be "sufficient" in my new life as a widow, that I could (really could) make it on my own. And, with fairly fixed retirement benefits and the climbing prices at the grocery store, I'm thankful for the skills I learned from my grams and mom. It's working for me, and I can probably go much of the winter without shopping for perishables. This week I added 6 pints of grape juice, and 6 1/2 pints of applesauce to the pantry. I still have about 1/3 of a half-bushel of apples left and will can up sliced apples later in the week, and I need to attend an appointment with my mom (in Michigan) on Friday, so will pick up additional butternut and acorn squash to have on hand in a cold(er) storage area (colder than my countertop, that is) for the winter. I've got the last of the thyme, oregano and basil in the dehydrator, and will do one final cutting of chives. And, then I think my 2023 gardening is done and things will get cut back, pulled, and planters readied for the spring. Oh wait ... just glanced out my deck window and remembered there's that freeloading rutabaga still in the planter, along with a couple of leeks that will need harvesting after the first frost. And then, I can put my planters to sleep for the winter.
ReplyDeleteLori, I can relate to your idea of planning and preparing helping with grief. For me, it's something I enjoy doing and is something I can control. Grief is not something that can be controlled, at least not for me. Keeping a well-stocked pantry is something that I have always done, but now it carries a new meaning. I hope that makes sense.
DeleteI love how you're wringing everything out of your garden and more ... you are inspiring me to do the same!
I'm freezing sweet potatoes at this time. They will be so tasty this winter.
ReplyDeleteDeloris, we will dig our sweet potatoes the end of this month and freezing is my preferred method of preservation too. Yes, they will be so tasty this winter!
DeleteI love seeing home canned jars of food, Patsi. What a blessing to have a full pantry- I know a lot of work went into it from start to finish. I am not comfortable with our level of supply at the moment (dietary shifts have meant a lot of changes), but I am working on it.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, you'll get there, one baby step at a time!
DeleteLike Kelsey, I like seeing jars of freshly canned food. It is your reward for a lot of hard work and time.
ReplyDeleteAnne, it sure is and it's an award that pays dividends!
Delete