From My Home to Yours: 8/8/25

 From My Home to Yours

8/8/25

~ Days 2 - 8 of this month's 'every bit counts' challenge ~

What did I add to my pantry this week!  

#everylittlebitcountschallenge

Let's find out ...

Day 2:  Cherries .... purchased, ready to pit, pitted and ready for the freezer and flash freezing.

Day 3:  For day three's challenge I switched from focusing on the food part of my pantry to the medicinal part. I've had a batch of cider fire doing its thing for about 6 weeks which means it was time to strain it up and get it ready to add to the medicinal part of my pantry ...

Picture 1: Ready to be strained

Picture 2: First straining

Picture 3: Second straining

Picture 4: In jars, labeled and ready for the refrigerator

Day 4: I had some herbs that I had hung to dry several days ago. Today, I took them down and added them to the jars already in the process of being filled ...

Holy Basil/Tulsi

Spearmint

Chocolate mint

calendula (not pictured)

arnica (not pictured)

Day 5: I had to look for something easy to do for today's challenge as hubby and I defrosted, cleaned out and reorganized our upright freezer. Although, cleaning out the freezer would have been enough for the challenge, I did want to do a little something else ...

So, I covered these three herbs in olive oil. In about 4 weeks, I'll strain out the herbs and use the oils to make salves, etc. (I like to make my salves, etc in the fall season.)

pictured are:

Spearmint

St. John's Wort

Lavender

Day 6:  Moringa (Another powerhouse herb that has lots of uses.) and a very small amount of elderberries.  Yes, it's a small amount, but every little bit counts, and these elderberries will be used in my medicinal pantry, but this entry is about Moringa, not the elderberries.  I had a busy morning away from home today but wanted to get my entry for the day done before I left ... just in case my plans didn't go as I planned!!!

So, out the door I went to the Moringa bush and started clipping. I brought the clippings inside ... (I decided what I wanted to do for the challenge today, yesterday. When I plan ahead, things go much smoother.)

washed them ...

laid them out on clean hand towels ...

rolled each towel ...

and left them rolled in each towel until I had run my errand and returned home. The purpose for this was to get all the water off of them so that they would dry better.

They are now tied in bundles and hanging on my hearth where they will stay until they are completely dried. (Sorry, no picture for this, it's a stormy afternoon and the area where they are hanging is too dark to photograph.)

Day 7:  I had some ginger that needed preserving so I chopped it or maybe a better description would be 'chunked it' meaning I cut it up into chunks and dried it in the dehydrator. I also had a small amount of turmeric and did the same thing to it. I dried both in the dehydrator at the same time, just on different shelves.

The results ...

2 pint jars of dehydrated ginger chunks

small jar of dehydrated turmeric

How will I use them? In making cider fire!! I like to keep all the ingredients for making cider fire on hand so that when I need to make more, I don't have to run around trying to find the ingredients.

Day 8: Since I don't have a garden to harvest from at the moment, I have been doing 'whatever was at hand' to restock my pantry. Today, I needed to get the celery in my refrigerator preserved before it went bad. So, that's what I did ... I cleaned, chopped and flash froze the celery. I had two trays full and when they are completely frozen, I will vacuum seal them into bags and add them to the freezer part of my pantry. (I like to flash freeze items for at least 24 hours.)

For a good part of the rest of this challenge, I will be expanding the ways I'll restock my pantry this month. I guess what I'm trying to say is, having a garden is not the only way to have a restocked pantry and this year, I'm pulling out all the stops and utilizing all the things I've learned over a lifetime of pantry building.

I'm enjoying this challenge, it's forcing me to dig deep, think outside the box and use my pantry building knowledge to reach my goal of having, maintaining and keeping a well-stocked pantry.

I can do this!

You can do this!

We can do this!

That's it for the first full week of the #everylittlebitcountschallenge.  

(I've completed 8 out of 31 days!)

In other news this week ...

I continued to work on organizing and cleaning out our pantry ...

Can you believe our high temperatures this week have been in the upper 70's and low 80's!!!  Just last week our highs were in the upper 90's and low 100's, it has been a welcome change however, it has rained most every day preventing us from being able to do much of anything outside.  In fact, we've been dealing with flooding in some areas.

Typically, August is a very busy month for us.  In fact, I usually take a good part of it off because the busyness gets really busy ... if you know what I mean!

But this year I really wanted to do the 'every bit counts' challenge ... which makes the month even more crazy.  I'm saying all of this to say that my posting schedule may be a bit off this month as a result ... just wanted you to know!

That's all for this week!  

I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Update: 8/9/25 ... this is me waving the white flag!  I wanted to, I really, really wanted to, but I just can't!  Feelings of overwhelm have chased me around all day and I just will not go there.  What am I talking about ... I'm going to hit the pause button on the rest of the month of August and pick back up in September ... I'm going to do what I usually do in August ... take a break!  (August is a really busy month for us!)

That means I'll also be hitting the pause button on the 'every bit counts' challenge as well.  I will pick back up with it and with posting in September.  I hope everyone understands ... I'm old enough and wise enough to know that when I start feeling overwhelmed, I need to listen to my body and take a step back.  That's what I'm doing.  I'll meet you back here in September!

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ using my pantry to take care of my family and bless others as well ~

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Mrs. Patsi on Instagram

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!

Preserving Apples at My Kitchen Table

It all happens in the kitchen doesn't it!   Whatever food we grow or raise or purchase, in the end, winds up in the kitchen, doesn't it?

Our kitchen area is the hub of much of our household activities. I just love the whole 'kitchen table' in the kitchen idea.  Growing up we had a kitchen table in the center of the kitchen, and it was always the center of activity.  

We ate off of it ... 

We processed food on it ...

We had family discussions around it and even one on one discussions around it at times ...

My dad would enjoy a cup of coffee sitting around it when a friend would drop by for a visit.  Of course, the friend enjoyed a cup of coffee too.  

Big family meals with extended family and friends happened around that kitchen table.

Fast forward some 40 plus years and in my home today, apple preservation is happening around my kitchen table ...

We brought back a box of sun crisp apples from our travels and today I started work on preserving them.

I filled up the dehydrator with slices ... 

I used the cores to make apple juice, but instead of making apple jelly with it, I opted to freeze it and use it in baking sweet breads later this fall ...

I set aside enough to make an apple cake which will be frozen for the holidays ...

I set aside a few for eating fresh ...

and I set aside one for adding to chicken salad I'll be making later this week.

This is my first time working with sun crisp apples, but it won't be the last.  These apples are delicious and hold up well just sitting in a pretty bowl on the kitchen table while waiting to be used!

Yesterday, we ran errands all day, so I didn't get around to doing the laundry from our traveling.  I tackled that today as well.  Since I was going to have a day of doing laundry, I decided to wash our bed linens as well.  Oh, my goodness, what was I thinking!  By the time I got it all done, I was exhausted and had myself a sit down.  (I did the apples in and around the laundry!)

At the end of the day though, I felt a great sense of satisfaction:  

The laundry was done ...

The apples were in the process of being preserved and I had a plan of how I was going to use the ones not preserved ... 

We would be able to sleep on clean, crisp sheets ... there's just something about sleeping on freshly laundered sheets that feels so right ...

And I paid bills and thought about our financial goals for the rest of September. (The next 'Hunkering Down' post is coming on Friday!)

All of this took place on and around our kitchen table!  Our kitchen table isn't Pinterest worthy, nor does it sit idle with pretty decorations showcased on it while being relegated for holiday or 'company's coming' meals.  Our kitchen table is a workhorse that bears the marks of having raised 3 active children; it has and continues to serve the family that lives here in many ways.

Our kitchen table and I go back a long way, lots of memories have been made at that table and I can't think of a single one that I would want to have happened anywhere else!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

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 free up more disposable income in budget which we use to help meet our financial goals for the year.   

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. 

Use It Up Food Challenge 2024: 1/21

What is a 'Use It Up Food' challenge?

It's about food waste or more specifically not wasting food ... 

It's about repurposing our leftovers into another dish, 

It's about using every part of fruits and vegetables,  

It's about using up the really small amounts of food ...

It's about using up food scraps, peels and stems ...

It's about being mindful of every bit of food that comes in and through our kitchens and finding a use for it ... all of it!

That's our purpose for this series, so, how did we do this week? 

I've had two partial bags of lemons sitting in my refrigerator for several days, make that a few weeks. Every time I would see them, I would think, 'I really need to do something with them before they start to go bad.   Just because some things keep well in the refrigerator doesn't mean they can take up long-term residency in there!  At some point they are going to go bad if we don't use them.  Such is/was the case with my two partial bags of lemons.

Here's what I did with them ...

I started off by soaking them in a baking soda and water solution to help remove any pesticides that might have been used on them.  (I used about 3 tablespoons of baking soda in this extra-large jumbo bowl of water.)  I let them soak in this solution for about an hour moving them around every time I walked by them.

Next, I took the lemons out of the solution, dried them off and removed the zest using this tool.  I dried the zest by sitting it in a covered bowl by the wood stove (which has been going strong all week).  Once it was completely dry, I stored it in an airtight jar and added it to the area where I store my spices.  I'll use it in recipes or as a seasoning in anything I want to have that lemon zing flavor!

Then I removed the juice from the lemons using a citrus juicer like this one and filled up this ice tray.  Each section holds 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  I then placed the try into the freezer to freeze.  Once they are completely frozen, I will pop them out of the ice tray and into a zip lock baggie.  I'll make a note on the baggie that each cube equals 2 tablespoons of lemon juice ... because I might forget or have a senior moment!

The rest of the lemons were cut into eighths and put into a half gallon jar, along with seeds and any pulp that was in the juicer.  I covered the lemons with white vinegar, put a screw on plastic cap on and set it aside to sit for about 4 weeks.  After that, I'll strain out the vinegar and use it for cleaning purposes and or in making cleaning products.

WAIT!  We're not finished yet; we've still got the remains of the lemons that are left in the jar ... here's what I'll do with them once the vinegar is strained out.  I'll add them to my compost bin, of course!

Not one bit of these lemons went to waste, every bit of them were turned into a product that we could use or that would help us grow our garden!

So, how did you do?  I can't wait to read your comments!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

Sharing 44 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.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

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.

Canning Chicken Broth

A reader asked me to share how I can chicken broth, so here goes!  It's more of a method than a recipe, consequently no two canings ever taste exactly the same.  The flavor is always a bit different.  Here's why ...

From start to finish ...

I save chicken bones, skin, cartilage, etc every time I do a canning of chicken.  It goes bagged up and into the freezer until I'm ready to make broth.

When I'm ready to make broth, I dump the frozen chicken parts into a pot and cover them with water.  I bring them to a boil and then let them simmer for several hours, at least 4, more if I can manage it.

After the simmering time is over, I let the pot cool enough that I can strain all the 'parts' out.  Once I've done this, I let the broth cool until it's safe to refrigerate, overnight at least.  Sometimes, I've left it in the fridge for two days.

After it's been in the fridge for the time allotted, I bring it out and skim off the fat that has risen to the top, put the broth back in a pot and bring it back to a boil.

At this point, I add rosemary, chives, sage (fresh if I have them) onion and garlic, then turn it down and simmer for about an hour.

While this is simmering, I get my jars and lids ready.

Once the broth is ready and cooled to where I can handle the pot, I strain the broth and fill the jars up to the shoulder/neck.

For pints I add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each jar, clean the top of each jar, add the lid and ring.

For pints I process them 20 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for my altitude.

There are several variations that can be used when canning broth, the only thing you don't want to change is the correct processing time and poundage for pressure canning.  Always factor in your altitude and check a reliable source for this information.

I hope this helps and is easy to understand!

One more thing .... for the ladies, lesson 5 in the Esther Bible study we're doing over on my other blog has been posted.  You can find it HERE!

Until next time,

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.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

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.

Stop Worrying About What You Can't Do!

One of the hurdles of participating in the online world is coming to terms with what you can't do!  At times I look at what others do and know that financially there is just no way that I/we could do the same regardless of how much I/we would like to ... regardless of how much it might make our life easier.  There are some things we just can't financially or physically do, and we need to be okay with that.

In the current online climate, the urgency to go big or go home in one's preparedness has left many with a hopeless feeling.  I really regret that, because the reality is that going BIG requires money and possibly abilities that one might not possess.  Please don't let what others can do keep you from doing what you can do. Read that again! Stop worrying about what you can't do and get busy doing what you can do!

There is always going to be someone who can do more than you, accept it and move on doing what you can with what's in your hands.

Here's what that looked like for me today ... 

I canned up 9 pints of chicken broth.

My fermenting onions were ready, so I took the weights out of the jars, cleaned up the outsides and put them in the refrigerator.  They are now ready to start using in my meal planning.

I prepared my husband a delicious meal of home-canned beef stew from our pantry and a pone of cornbread.

I filled the dehydrator with herbs I collected yesterday, it's currently running as I type.

I stitched up the Bible cover I cut out yesterday.  I'm sharing this view showing the lining as I thought it was so pretty.  The soft pink fabric I used made a beautiful outside cover ... but the lining is just as pretty.

Here's what the outside looks like.

I got some sunshine today; spent time working on the next Esther lesson I am writing and did my exercise routine ... it was a good day.

I hope you've had a good day and are embracing what you can do!

Until next time,

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.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

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.

A Rainy Day!

We have been dry so long that when I learned that it was supposed to rain most all day today, I was thrilled!

So, what does one do on a rainy, cool day ... yes, it was cool as well with the high reaching the lower sixties?

Here's what I did ...

I did my Bible study and prayer time ...

I planned our evening meal ...  (fried chicken, rice and gravy ... per my husband's request)

I canned chicken broth ... (I added rosemary, chives, onions, garlic and sage to the broth for the last hour of cooking and the smell is just 'delicious!'  I'll use some of what was left to cook the rice in for our evening meal and in making the gravy.)

I worked on sandwiching together the log cabin quilt I've been sewing ...  (This is my least favorite thing about quilting because I just don't have enough space to lay one out without maneuvering the quilt around quite a bit.)

I enjoyed a delicious kefir smoothie for a snack ... yum!  So glad I decided to start making kefir milk again.

I took a break and pulled together this post and now it's time to get my walk in for the day.

I hope you've had a good day, whatever the weather is in your area!

One more thing, for the ladies who are following along in our Esther Bible study, I posted Lesson 3 HERE.

Until next time,

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.  Ladies, 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:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

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.

Working On Those Winter Preps!

Gleaning sweet potatoes for our winter larder ...

Stocking the pantry shelves with dehydrated vegetables ... carrots and okra

I added these home-canned goods to the pantry shelves ...

.... along with the chicken I canned yesterday ...

I started two tinctures for my medicinal pantry ...  

(1) nettles

(2) elderberry

We are working very hard to prepare for the upcoming winter doing what we can with what we have to work with ... I hope you are too!

Remember, every little bit helps!

Until next time,

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:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

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.

A Journal of My Days: 10/4/23

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 ...

I canned purple hull peas and separately, potatoes.  On Tuesday, I finished up canning the last of the potatoes.  

My experiment of seeing if I could grow a second crop of potatoes this year is going well.  The plants look good and are about a foot tall, will they have time to make potatoes before the weather gets too cold?  It all depends on the weather ... as a great deal of gardening does!

Our winter larder is bulging, and I couldn't be happier.  I've worked hard for this full larder; it will enable me not to have to worry about how to feed my family as prices at the grocery store continue to climb.  It will also put me in a place of helping others as well.

This morning I put the finishing touches on lesson 2 of the study of the book of Esther, I'm teaching online over on my other blog, From This Heart of Mine.  I scheduled lesson 2 to post in the morning.  Ladies, if you're interested in studying with us pop on over and get caught up on the introduction and lesson 1.

It's time for me to get busy again, break time is over!  I hope you're having a great day!

Until next time,

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:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

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.