Life Without a Microwave...1 Year Later

Okay, so about a year ago, I decided that we no longer needed a microwave. Not really sure what my reasons were at the time, but I have to say that I haven't missed the thing. (we donated it to a local women's shelter). I think we (I) decided to get rid of it after reading about all those chemicals in plastics leaching into the food when you cook it in the microwave.
So, 1 year later...haven't missed it at all...but we have had to do some readjusting. The first issue that came up was popcorn, of all things. We were buying the ones you cook on the stove with the tin foil tops, but those are kinda expensive. So we eventually moved to buying it in the big containers and cooking it in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove. Still haven't gotten the 'movie popcorn' flavor, but I don't think that's a natural flavor anyway...I'm satisfied. We do our defrosting in the sink or in the fridge, and reheating on the stove or in the oven.
All in all, I say that microwaves are just a waste of money, a waste of counter space, and a burden on your health. Just some thoughts to consider. I will post some links on the dangers of cooking in the microwave a little later. Time for bed now, got church in the morning.
~cheers

My First Canning Experience

Okay, so in the past 4 years, I've had 3 children, whom I love dearly. However, this has prevented me from ever getting a decent garden going. My husband and I have tried for the last 2 years. The first year I think we went too big. This past year we had a baby right in the middle of the summer, so we had no time to take care of stuff (even though we did go a lot smaller this year). The only thing we've had success with 2 years running is mint (how hard is that! it will go everywhere), rosemary, and garlic. The garlic has been my favorite, but that's another post altogether.

Okay, so we did not get a good crop of anything this year. So off we went to the farmers market to get some stuff to put away, while we had the money to do it. We have gotten (total) 1 bushel of peaches, 1/4 bushel of okra, 3 quarts worth of green beans, and 1/4 bushel of squash.
The peaches were what I started with. Seemed simple enough. The book said, peel, slice/dice, cook in syrup, put into jars and boil for 20-25 minutes. Okay. Well the first 1/2 bushel took me 6 hours to can 6 quarts of peaches. The second took only about 3 hours, so it does get a little easier, but let me note that peaches are a pain in the rear to prep for canning.

In between the two peach canning (successful) attempts, I thought I would get to the okra before it went bad (or Ryan fried it all). So I pulled out my pressure canner (bought at a yard sale about a year ago and been in a box in the closet since then) and started reading. Again, seemed simple. Prep, fill the clean jars, put into canner, and cook the appropriate amount of time (I think it was 10 minutes). I chopped up 7 pints worth of okra, cooked according to directions, fill the jars, and into the canner they go. But when I locked the lid into place, steam was still coming around the sides. It finally slowed down and was coming out the top, so I let it heat up as instructed, then put the weight on. But no jiggling. Not a peep. Not sure what I did wrong, but I decided (though it was tough, until I thought about someone getting sick) to toss all that okra. I felt bad because I had already given a jar to a family member, but I made sure to call him and let him know to toss it because I wasn't sure if I did something wrong or not. If you have some tips on this, please let me know.
Until I get it figured out, all veggies (short of tomatoes, or pickled stuff) will be frozen or dried (we did get 1 pint jar full of dried okra, and 3 so far out of the squash).

By the way, squash chips are a great snack, and my kids love them (we're talking yellow crookneck squash) because they are sweet. Good as a snack mix with rasins, seeds, and cereal peices.

Next project: Making my own sourdough bread starter, and hopefully some good bread. Will keep you posted.

The book I keep referring to above is call KEEPING THE HARVEST. The link is to look at/purchase the book on Amazon.com. You can get a used copy pretty cheap. I want another book, haven't decided which one yet. This one is good for basics though.

The photo is 3 pints of spiced peaches, and 1 half-pint of peach/apple/strawberry jam.

**Useful tip, right after you pull your jars out of the canner, use a black crayon to write the contents and the date on the top. That way you know whats in it, and it will help you remember not to reuse the lids)**