My first post of the New Year!
At midnight, I got a kiss from the fella, then set out scalded 2 liter bottles to dry so I can fill them with rice, beans or sugar tomorrow!
Talk about devotion to food storage, lol!
Tomorrow we will have Hopping John (rice + black-eyed peas + ham hock), cabbage cooked with sausage and apples and collard greens. Traditional January 1st meal in my family.
I hope all of my readers have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year!
The first week in January is when I take inventory of my food storage, make a shopping list of items needed and budget out when I can get them during the new year. I also make a list of household items needed for the next year. I generally stock up in January and February on items that are on sale after the holidays (nuts in the shell, baking items, etc) for the next year. Also an excellent time to find certain grocery items on sale...fresh cranberries (they freeze GREAT), frozen turkeys and sometimes ham.
At most stores, gift sets of bath items (shower gel, bubble bath, etc) are on sale at really good prices! Fancy little gift soap sets can be had for next to nothing! Buy your Christmas cards for 2011 now, too!
Now to get some sleep...the Darlin' Man has offered to take the morning feeding and let me sleep in!
Quick question about the 2 liter bottles. Are these the soda bottles? And how do you scald 'em? I can't find anymore large gallon jars for storage, so I'm interested. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow I scald out the 2 liter bottles (and yes, they are soda bottles):
ReplyDeleteI use the hottest water that comes out of my faucet, fill the bottle about 1/3rd full, shake it and then pour out the water. If the water from your water heater isn't set so the water is hot enough (Ours is set pretty high), just heat water until it is too hot to touch.
It takes about 2 to 3 days for the bottles to dry out completely. Your bottle MUST be completely dry before you start to fill it, otherwise your rice/beans/whatever may spoil/mold.
I put a couple of bay leaves in the bottom (dried bay leaves, please!), fill halfway, tuck in another bay leaf, fill to top and add one last bay leaf. The bay leaves keep out mites and other bugs.
Cap the bottles VERY tightly.
I have used beans and rice stored this way for 10+ years and they were just fine! Flour can also be stored (white, not whole wheat) as well as any grain, sugar (tuck in oxygen absorbers, 2 per bottle for sugar). Remember your bay leaves in the flour or other grains! In sugar, no bay leaf necessary, but you can make vanilla sugar by adding a couple of pieces of vanilla bean.
I also use 2 liter bottles to store water. I scald the bottles, then fill them with water and add a drop or two of bleach---although if you are on city water that is already chlorinated, the bleach is usually not necessary.