Nectar of the gods. . . glorious coffee.  I can’t imagine my life without it.  No only for its amazing flavor and energy boost is offers, but as one who suffers with migraines, caffeine has been prescribed to me to help control them.  For me, it works really well.  As much as I love my morning cup (or 2, or 3) of java, hot coffee is not appetizing in the middle of the day during the hottest parts of summer.  Iced coffee is always a great option which I partook in by stopping at a local espresso stand drive thru, but at nearly $6 for a large double shot, it can get really expensive.  Besides that, I’m busy in the garden most summer days.  I don’t have time to get to the coffee shops.  My solution?  Making it myself for a fraction of the cost.  If you love your iced coffee, you really need to try this simple and delicious recipe.  It just might destroy the relationship between you and your favorite barista.  Honestly, no coffee-house has anything better than this blend.  And you will save a LOT of money!

I had a pound of whole coffee beans in my freezer that I used in this demonstration.  However, a rough ground bag is just as good.  Buy the least expensive brand you can get at your local supermarket works just as well as the expensive ones.  So save yourself some money and avoid the expensive brands.

Plus, you will be getting three separate recipes in this one post.  Obviously the iced coffee.  But I will show you how to make vanilla extract that you can use to make your own creamer!  Check out the links and video.

Now, gather a few things you will need:

1 pound course ground coffee – I keep my coffee beans whole and grind them as I need them.  For this large batch, I use my wonderful Ninja. But you can buy whole beans at the store and grind them on the course setting next to the whole beans (if you grocer offers them).

1 gallon plus 1 quart warm water – This will yield right at a full gallon of espresso-type coffee

PrepperPenny’s Vanilla Creamer using my homemade Vanilla Extract (check out my You Tube video at the end of this page)

Large air-tight container – Tall and thin or short and round, just make sure it is airtight and will allow your coffee to stay saturated

Colander(s) – As you will see, I use several sizes to make sure my grounds are completely removed and my espresso is dark and rich but not foggy

Pour luke warm water over coffee grounds

Simply empty your 1 pound of coffee into your container and pour warm water over it.

Place in airtight container and refrigerate for 24 hours

In a large, airtight container, pour 1 gallon plus 1 quart of warm water.  Give a quick stir to moisten all grounds and place the lid on.  Place in your refrigerator for 24 hours.

Straining equipment

You are almost done.  No stirring  or shaking.  After 24 hours, you have en amazingly strong cold espresso.  Now you need to strain it several times until you have removed any debris.  I start with a larger colander first, move to a finer mesh and finish with butter cloth.  You want to be sure to strain it enough to make a dark, rich coffee without any trace of the coffee grounds, otherwise your coffee will become cloudy.

Dark enough that you can’t see through it

Your coffee will be  dark and strong you will not be able to see through it!  That’s exactly what you want.

Now it’s time to assemble your iced coffee.   This is where you will use a combination to meet your specific taste.  I like my iced coffee creamy, so I mix coffee and creamer at a 50/50 ratio.  If you like stronger coffee, use less creamer and more coffee.  You can use your favorite plain or flavored creamer, the same kind you might buy in the grocers.  I make my own vanilla creamer which is what I use.  Click here for that simple recipe.

Add sugar or favorite sweetener, top with whipped cream and enjoy!  From experience, I can say that it will keep well in your refrigerator for at least two weeks.  Beyond that, it’s trial.  Mine has never made it past that two-week mark.

Rich iced coffee

Kick it into the stratosphere and make your own vanilla extract to use in your own creamer.  This is my video to make your own extract.  It’s great in this recipe and amazing for all recipes calling for it.

Slug can do a lot of damage!

I am growing the best garden of my life.  My raised beds have made a world of difference.  Adding to that the square foot method with companion planting, I’m seeing amazing results.  My plants are all healthy and strong.  I’ve been so proud of the flawless growth on all my plants!

Signs of a slime trail

But I was mortified when I went out to check my garden today.  All was well until I got to my greenhouse which is where I am housing my potato containers.  I saw the unmistakable signs of slugs getting to my potatoes!  Eeek!  So what do I do?  Make a beeline to the kiddo’s piggy banks to swipe some pennies.  I needed copper and I needed it now!  I’m committed to not using herbicides or other chemical repellants.  Why would copper work?  Because the copper reacts to the slime and will actually shock the slug.  You can use copper tape, tubing or any other copper that you have laying around.

Placing pennies around your plants deters slugs

I sprinkled the pennies strategically around each plant and around the containers.  In addition, slugs are deterred by pine needles because of their strong acidity.  Living in the Evergreen State, I have plenty of those around  and used them in and around the containers, too.  Those buggers will have to make certain sacrifices to eat my food!   I know there are other methods out there.  I just wanted to share this quick and inexpensive way in case you find slugs in your garden.

Copper deters slugs

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I will be talking about my road to prepping and the accomplishments I have made.  I hope to show how anyone, even if you are on a tight budget, how to start and build up emergency supplies and equipment.  But as importantly, I will be teaching alternative cooking methods, food preservation and other great DIY projects to help save you money.  I will share product reviews and a host of other things that should help you develop your own plan or hone in on the plan you have to move you ahead.

I’ve seen many things happen in the way of disasters.  Things like hurricanes, tornadoes, super storms, terror attacks and an economic system teetering in the brink of decline.  I see families displaced, left without a home to live in or even clothes on their backs.  I see these people at the mercy of charities and government agencies for their very survival.  I don’t want my family to be like those families we all see on television after such a big event. I hope you will follow me as I contribute to the great work Shane is doing at Modern Homesteaders.  If you don’t already subscribe to Modern Homesteaders, please click this link and visit them on Facebook by clicking here.

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Expedition Supreme Kit

Supreme 1 Year Food Supply

I’m sure many of you have seen this post going around Pinterest and FaceBook in using cinnamon as a growth hormone in starting new plants.  Well, I was excited and tried using it to propagate a new, beautiful lavender plant I got this year for Mother’s Day.  More than two weeks into it, I see nothing more than what I started with.  Clearly, the cinnamon will not work with lavender, at least not mine.  But this plant is so beautiful that I want to ensure to have plenty of it for years to come and having several copies of the same plant should help me meet that goal.

So, because the cinnamon is not working, I am trying honey.  Local and organic as it should offer the best local pollination in my opinion.  The uses for honey is vast.  I’ve seen many articles related to beauty, health and medicinal uses for it.  But I’ve not run across this purpose before I specifically started researching it.  From my research, I’ve decided to use the following recipe.

• 1 cup honey
  – Pure, or raw, honey is said to be better than regular store-bought honey (which has been processed) and yields the greatest results.
• 3 cups boiling water
  – Mix the honey with your boiling water and allow to cool. Place this mixture in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) until ready to use, storing it somewhere away from light.

It sounds simple enough.  If you are interested in trying this method, click this link to find a well written article all about it.  I will let you know if and how this method works in comparison to the cinnamon method.

I am always excited and look for ways to build my shelf-stable pantry with inexpensive food.  But inexpensive sure does not mean inferior.  Especially when it comes to the topic I address today.

If you are new or have never pressure canned anything, chicken is the single simplest food to start with.  It’s the first thing I canned and highly recommend it.

You may or may not have heard of a company called Zaycon Foods.  Rather than explaining it to you, here is a great video to explain it all.  In short, it’s cheap, fresh and healthy!

Having been introduced to Zaycon, I’m a devoted advocate and client.  To learn more, please click here. 

But having just purchased 40 pounds of their chicken breasts, I had to get them processed as quickly as possible.  I set out to pressure can most of it.

Start by gathering all your supplies.  You need your jars, rings, lids, jar lifter, sharp knife (for trimming your chicken), pressure canner, saucepan (large enough accommodate the lids and rings you will be sanitizing).

Before you start anything, inspect the rubber ring in your canner (if you are using a canner with this), inspect the vent to make sure there is no obstructions, making sure there is no blockage.  I hope you can see here the blue color in the center of this photo.  It is your view through the vent in the lid of your canner.

I begin by getting my jars ready by washing them in hot, soapy water.

Get into the habit of checking each jar for any imperfections.  While I wash my jars, I run my finger around the rim to feel for any cracks or other anomalies.

Also, do a visual inspection of each of your jars.  While new jars rarely have cracks or other imperfections, they sometimes do.  And if you are re-using jars, the risk is higher so be sure to use only those jars that are pristine!

You have several options for keeping your jars hot while you prepare your chicken.  You can keep them in a large stockpot covered with simmering water or you can do as I do, keep them in a warm oven.  I set mine at 200 degrees.

Now I put about 3 quarts of water and about 1/8^th of a cup of white vinegar in my pressure canner over a low flame (or heat if you are electric).  The vinegar is not necessary if you have soft water.  Mine is a little hard and this will prevent lime buildup in my canner and jars.  It is completely optional.

After washing your lids and rings, place them in your saucepan over a low simmer.  You do not want to boil them.  Just warm enough to soften the wax or rubber ring.

One-by-one, I pull out a hot jar and trim and cut my chicken and put them into my jars leaving a 1” headspace.  Whether I am handling raw meat or removing food from my dehydrator, I wear gloves.  In dehydrating, I don’t want to transfer my oils onto the food I just dry.  For raw meat, it is a level of safety.

I immediately place the filled jar into the canner.  I do not put the lids or rings on them yet.  This will keep the jars hot which is important so they don’t break when the canner comes to temperature.

Once my canner is full of jars, I will put a pinch of salt in each jar.  I use Pink Himalayan because it contains every bit of its’ minerals.  But you can use canning salt.

This step is critical in all canning projects.  Never, ever forget to wipe and clean your rims before adding your lids.  When I can meat or food that is particularly oily, I use white vinegar which cuts the greasy residue.

I use metal lids when I use new jars.  But they are good for only one use.  When I buy replacement lids, I purchase either Tattler or 4ever Recap lids.  If you are interested in these lids, here is a video to help you see their value.  I would post one for 4ever Recaps, but could not find one.  But they are essentially the same.  One thing I love about 4ever is that it is a woman owned company.  Hey, it’s personal.  I respect women entrepreneurs.

As you can see, the same metal rings are used with these lids and can be used several times.

With the jars all inside the canner and the lid securely in place, increase the heat under it to build pressure.  In this picture, you can be (behind) the vent where you will place the weight.  In the foreground is another vent on my specific Presto canner.  Not all canners have this.  But if yours does, as pressure builds this element will rattle and shake until stem builds up.  When enough steam builds, this vent will rise and shut allowing the pressure to continue to build.  When this happens, the vent that receives your weight (the one shown in the background) will begin to spew steam.  I allow this to build for 10 minutes before placing the weight on it.

This batch contains pint size jars.  I processed it with 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes as per the Ball Complete Book.  After 75 minutes, you will turn off your heat and allow the pressure to level out.  This takes about an hour in most cases.  Once the vent in the front drops back into its’ normal position, it will be safe to remove the weight as shown in this photo.  But you must still use caution because your metal canner is still very hot and can cause serious burns.   But you can now remove the canner lid.

After you remove the canner lid, you will begin taking your jars out of the canner and placing them onto your counter using your jar lifter.  Please, never try using anything but a canning jar lifter.  This can be quite dangerous if you try using tongs or anything else not specifically designed to safely handle boiling hot jars.  The foods in these jars are still boiling aggressively.

You will not allow your jars to set out on your counter overnight to allow them to completely cool down.   You do not want them to be moved or disturbed while they cool and the rings set on the rims.  When using metal lids, you will begin hearing a distinctive “ping” as they seal.  Music to your ears!

The following morning, I removed all the rings from my jars and tested their seal.  To do this, you simply lift the jar by the rings.  If it sealed as it should have, they will not release.  Now they are ready to be washed because the jars will be oily and a bit icky.  Just wash them in warm, soapy water, rinse and allow to dry.

Once the jars and lids are completely dry, label then with content and date.  In large batches, it’s easy to just print out labels.  If it’s just a few cans, just use a permanent marker to write it on the lids.

My yield for approximately 25 pounds of chicken was a dozen pints and six 1 ½ pint jars.  You can store them all in the boxes they came in.

But I have a canning pantry that beautifully shows off my healthy food and keeps it all readily available for my regular menu planning.  This antique cabinet has two glass-front doors so all my company can see and covet my invaluable prepping skills.

As you can see, following standard practices for sanitation and canning, chicken is quite easy to pressure can.   If you are just beginning to try your hand at pressure canning, this is one of the absolute easiest recipes you will find.  Buying in bulk is cost-effective.  Having your investment safely stored in canning jars requires no electricity and is shelf-stable for up to two years.

Finally, just to show you that having a jar or two that does not seal only allows you to eat it sooner!  I had one jar that did not seal properly.  But the food inside is still perfectly fine.  I simply added barbeque sauce and we had sandwiches for lunch.   I always plan on how to incorporate whatever I can into a meal within about a week.  And by having this happen to one of my jars allows me to show you how beautiful the canned chicken is.  As you can see, it’s much like canned tuna.  You can see how moist and flaky it is.  You can use this for chicken salad, on green salads, in soups and stews, enchiladas.  Just use your imagination.  It has so many delicious uses.

As a lot of people try to plan for natural or economic disasters, medical emergency planning is usually a top priority.  You stock up on medical supplies, OTC medications and you may even be frugal with your Rx meds by taking lower-than-instructed doses just to “stockpile”.  But what about your pets? What have you done or know to prep for them when they may not be feeling well.  Not just during a disaster, but  to have on hand for everyday life?

If you are anything like my family and most Americans, our pets are furry or feathered family members and are an important part of our lives. Like children, when in distress, they look to us for help.  If they only could talk and just tell us what the problem is!  This can be so unsettling as to what you should do as a pet owner/parent but with a little information and  inexpensive OTC choices, your pet could be feeling better quickly.  In my own home over the years, we have had various situations and there seems to be three choices: 1.) Do you call the vet and/or jump in the car and drive your pet to the vet immediately?   2.)  Research symptoms on the Internet.   3.) Do nothing and hope for the best?  We have done all three, but it is fast becoming a very different world and being self-sufficient is more important than ever.  With more and more people out of work,  lacking enough work or on a fixed income, one needs to be super savvy on how you spend your money.  Also, in a natural, economic or SHTF situation, you may not even have the first two options listed above to even consider, so as a prepper or a non-prepper  you may want to have information at hand to possibly remedy the problem.  Do you know whether you can use a human OTC diarrhea medication on your dog or cat?  Is it safe to give a cat an aspirin? What if your dog swallowed a sock…or even, two socks! What should you do?  All three of these scenarios have actually happened in our home. The  information, with this article, will give you an idea of what OTC choices you may have in your home for some very common ailments.

Below is a link to a PDF file.  Please feel free to print out this chart for  OTC medicines. This chart is just a small list of common OTC’s that you may already have in your home or it may give you an idea of what to purchase to keep on hand.  The chart is self-explanatory.  Also, there is a website with a link available that I would highly recommend that you read and print out to also include in your home pet medical library. This home remedy guide will cite various health scenarios and what OTC’s are recommended to help your pet.  This website is by a California veterinarian and  he offers this information to print out free of charge.  The doctors name is Dr. Greg Martinez and his website is http://dogdishdiet.com/.  Please visit his site and sign up for a free copy of Dr. Greg’s 11 Practical Home Remedies for Your Dog.  (I am not associated with Dr. Martinez or his website). All you will need to enter is a user name and an email address. His site will then email you the link to these home remedies. I have printed this information out myself and have it in our home pet binder with copies of  their up to date vaccines and any other pertinent health information for each of our pets which consists of three dogs, a cat and a very talkative conure (small parrot). This binder would go with me if we were to vacate our home in an emergency and also is taken when we travel in our RV.   Again, please remember to use any medication, prescription or OTC, with caution.  Consulting your vet prior to use is always the best method.  I have already discussed these medications beforehand with our vet and we are very fortunate that our vet encourages the use of email for questions.

Thank you for reading this information. It could help your beloved pet feel better and that will have you feeling relieved!  I look forward to sharing more self-sufficient ways in the future in the areas of care, feeding and prepping for your pet, sewing tips and projects, quilting, upcycling ideas and RV’ing. Until then….

Live life with heart!

Patriot Patsy

Prepping for Pets – OTC Home Remedies for Dogs & Cats

With the advancement of technologies that run our lives today, the damage and devastation of either a CME or EMP would likely be catastrophic for our way of life.  Certainly, everything will be different.

There was a major event which happened in 1859 with what became known as The Carrington Event.  Should a similar solar storm erupt in the coming years, it will release a massive amount of high energy charged particles streaming toward Earth.  It is reported that it WILL penetrate Earth’s magnetic shield.

Can a Carrington Event happen again?  Of course!  Will it?  Eventually.  You may be surprised to learn that you have lived through two relatively recent events.  First, in March 1989 a solar storm crashed the Hydro-Quebec power grid and resulted in loses estimated to be in hundreds of millions of dollars.  Again in 1994 a solar storm caused major disruption to communications satellites, network television and nationwide radio across Canada. Neither of these storms was particularly powerful in comparison to the Carrington storm.

So when I heard that there will be a new series, also called The Carrington Event, I got excited.  For anyone, especially committed preppers, knowing and seeing what life might be once such an event happens will serve to give us further knowledge which will take some of the surprise out of it when it happens. It will also allow us to evaluate what and how we prepare.  Set to premier this summer, I can’t find an exact date.  But follow me on Facebook and I will be posting all the information I find.

The Carrington Event Series

Today’s Space Weather

This recipe does not have to be canned.  It can be frozen or can be used immediately.  But if you want to can it to build up your home store, it needs to be water bath canned for 25 minutes for quart jars.

The recipe calls for Clear Jel.  Please don’t use any other product because the results may not be favorable.  Here is a little information about this product from the Washington State University.

Layer your ingredients

Photo’s via PickYourOwn

A delicious soup from food storage by THRIVE Life.

Click here for the full recipe

Holidays are great beyond just celebrating holy and other meaningful events in human history.  It’s a time to share meals, gather families and introduce traditions to our new generations.  Beyond that, holiday celebrations come with wonderful sales that allows families, especially those on tight budgets to fill their pantries with inexpensive but delicious food.  Easter is a perfect example of that.  Ham.  There are so many things to cook with ham and making leftovers into soups and stews provides for a variety of options that can feed a family for many months ahead.

First I will share a general recipe I follow.  I cook many things like this without actually measuring.  I did do my best to record what I did this time.  But keep in mind that this is a base recipe and you can add any other kinds of ingredients that you prefer.  You may want more carrots or you may want to add other vegetables.  Maybe you have a special spice that you want to add.  Do it!  The canning process will be the same.  Make it the way your family loves.

Canning Your Ham & Beans . . . Step-By-Step

Let’s begin with a friendly reminder.  These scraps are perfect to save in the freezer until you have enough to make your own vegetable stock or for making meat and seafood stock.  So never throw them out.  I keep a one gallon ziplock bag in my freezer and am always dropping in all my fresh vegetable scraps.  And yes, the skins from my onions, too!  How about that for free food!

After having cleaned, rinsed and soaked your beans overnight or for several hours, chop your veggies and ham and dump it all into a large stockpot.  Then cover it with water and put onto a low but sustained simmer.

Now is the time to get your jars, rings and lids ready and gather all your canning utensils.  There are a few ways folks clean their jars.  Some run them through the dishwasher.  Personally, I wash everything in hot, soapy water then put into my oven at 200 degrees which gives me confidence that they are as clean and sanitized as possible.  It’s also a habit of mine to run my bare finger across the rim to check for any flaws or chips.  I also give a visual inspection of every jar to be sure there are no cracks or flaws in the jar.  Any jar that shows signs of flaws should be set aside and should never be used for canning.

Canning jars absolutely must be kept warm to receive the hot ingredients.  When I first began canning, I made a terrible mistake by not having them hot enough and had two jars fail (break) in the canner.  Lesson learned.  Now you want to add 2″-3″ of water and begin to heat your pressure canner.

With all things ready, lets begin to can your soup.  Using a ladle and canning funnel, fill your hot jars with a 1″ head space.  Make sure there are no air bubbles lurking in your jar.  Using a plastic spatula, remove any bubbles.  Failing to do so could cause your jar to break in the canner.

I can’t stress enough how important ALL sanitary measures are at every stage in canning.  But making sure you wipe the rims after filling your jars is as crucial as any.  Any trace of food or oil can prevent your jars from sealing, and can (and likely will) cause your food to spoil and go rancid.  When canning anything oily, like meat, I use white vinegar which will satisfactorily remove the oils.

After having your lids and rings warmed in boiling water, carefully remove them and immediately place them on the jars.

Before the wax ring on you lid can cool, place your ring on the jar and tighten it enough to hold the lid in place.  Don’t over tighten the rings.  Simply finger tighten it.  Immediately place your jar into the canner at this point.

Once your canner is filled, place the lid on it and follow your specific canner guidelines and process your jars at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes in pint jars, 90 minutes in quart jars.

Allow the pressure in your canner to completely dissipate before trying to remove the pressure weight.  Once the pressure is zero, you may remove the lid.  However, everything is still very hot!  Please use proper caution and care.

Using a canning jar lifter, remove your jars from your canner and gently place them onto a towel and carefully tighten the rings.  Leave your jars to cool for at least 10 hours.  When you remove your jars, you will see they are still boiling.  This is normal.  You will begin to hear that heavenly confirmation that all canners love so much.  The ping.  That is the indication that your jars are sealing properly.  Don’t be discouraged if one or more does not seal.  It sometimes happens.

Once your cans have set and cooled (usually overnight), remove the rings and test the seals.  As indicated above, you can test by sound by tapping a spoon on the lid (I have never done that), give a physical inspection looking to see if the raised nipple has con caved.  It is quite easy to see if a lid hasn’t sealed because the nipple will protrude if it didn’t seal properly.  If you are not quite sure, press on the center of the lid.  It should not give and should be hard.  I always pick up my jars by the very top rim.  If the lid isn’t sealed, it will pull off the jar.  If this happens, you can put your contents into a container and either refrigerate it and eat it within a few days, or freeze it for later use.

Now you will want to wash each jar with hot, soapy water, add your label with the content and date you canned it.

This batch I just canned wound up yielding 14 jars.  To help protect them, I put my jars back into the box they came out of.  Notice here, when I opened this box, I cut off the top of the plastic wrap leaving the bottom of it intact over the box.  If one of your jars happens to break or leak without you noticing it, the plastic will save you from having an even bigger mess.