Jordan's Farm

You crack say 2 -3 eggs into a bowl, add 1/4 tsp. of sugar or salt ( use sugar or salt depending on what the eggs will be used for), just pop the yolk, and pour into a freezer bag. label your bag sugar or salt and how many eggs inside. Check your most used recipes to find the number of eggs you use the most. I use 6 eggs in ice cream with 1/2 tsp of sugar. Eggs to eat, I pack in 3's with 1/4 tsp salt. Eggs for cakes add sugar to eggs. The only thing you can't do with these eggs is have them fried. I have found they last 6 -12 months in the freezer. The older they get, its best to use them in recipes than to eat plain. A lot of people don't know you can freeze eggs. After the first year here of home grown eggs, the store bought eggs didn't taste so good any more. So I found a way to keep us in eggs when the hens slow down. This does work with store eggs, too. Date your bags and always use the oldest first.

These are 4 oz. cups I found at Wal-Mart, 4 for a $1. They hold 1 egg each. I'm still looking for the rest of my Tupperware hamburger holders, so these will do for now. I usually freeze butter in them.

Then freeze it. These to take up a little more room in the freezer, but for now it'll have to do. I can use them to fill in holes. Or when their froze I put them in a freezer bag.

Store bought goods: What I have and what else is needed for at least 1 year.

With the list below and our garden food, cow meat, our milk cow, chickens(meat and eggs) will give us over a years supply of food. I'll buy things here and there, but not much. I cook from scratch, so you may or may not use what's on my list. Over the years I have found lots of ways to make different things, with a little in store. Example: elbow noodles can be used in soups,mac and cheese, spag. I have other things stored, but this is our MUST HAVE list. And I have been stocking up now for over a year, so please don't let this overwhelm you and you feel it's to late, because it's never to late. Just start slow and easy, buy a few extra things here and there. Some stored food is better than none.

Flour: 35- 5lbs. bags ( we don't have a grain grinder yet, but it's on my wish list, so for now I buy flour. And I will most likely need to buy more before years out, due to not lasting for more than a year.)

Sugar: 42-5lbs. bags ( yes, this is a lot of sugar, but not really when you start making jellies and will most likely need more before the year is out.)

Salt: a full 5 gallon bucket ( we try and keep extra, in case we need to salt down meat to keep it good. I would like one more bucket, well it's on list.)

dry powered milk: 10 big boxes= 50 made gallons (there is so much you can do with this, and we LOVE the hot cocoa mix.)

instant oatmeal packets: a full 5 gallon bucket (you say instant? Well they were on a great sale and well mine like a little flavor now and then)

tomato sauce: 15 oz. cans- 30 ( used in homemade spag. sauce, chili, pizzas, soups)

lemon juice: 9- 1qt. bottles (use in making cheeses, putting fruit in, making jams)

mixed vegetable: 14 oz cans=30 and #10 cans=4 ( we love beef veg. soup, so in late fall I make big batches of soup and can it for the winter. I use our beef ribs as meat for soup, as we like the pork ribs better. And the beef ribs take up more room in the freezer. I use these veg's. to save a little time, and it still works out cheaper then buying soup in cans.)

tomato paste: 2-#10 cans and 6 little cans ( used in soups, spag. and sauces)

bisquick: 16 lbs.( I know a boxed a mix, but hubby makes breakfast and he like using this for only pancakes and a chicken coating. And if I can come in from milking to hot cakes, it's ok.)

corn starch: 12- #10 cans ( someone gave us, but stores just about forever, I will not use this much in a year, maybe not even 5 years.)

powder sugar: 8-#10 cans (someone gave us, and will not use this all in a year, but stores a long time.)

BBQ sauce: 15 bottles ( on sale at $ .50 each, this was all that was left. Used for BBQ - Ribs.)

can potato slices: 24 cans ( if you drain them, then fry in butter and onions, on very good. a good sale on them.)

spag. sauce: 15- 26 oz cans ( this is the smaller can and we always doctor it up and add more, it's used a a base.)

pizza sauce: 9 jars ( time saver. I make the Mozz. and crusts for homemade pizzas. The jar is only a dollar and makes 3-4 pizzas)

can peas: 10 ( the only way to get my family to eat peas is in soups and to make cheesy peas( using my canned cheese sauce).

onion powder: 8 bottles ( we use powders instead of those mixed with salt, you get more for your money. And we use them daily. I might have to buy more. To spice up a grilled cheese add the onion and garlic powder, it's a great change.)

dried potato slices, instant mashed potatoes: 14 boxes ( used on busy nights )

tubs of frosting: 6 ( I have not master this from scratch yet, and will need to buy more)

powdered Gatorade( big cans, makes 6 gallons each): 7 ( this is so great for everyone, for when their sick or out in the sun)

Between these two list, has help me to really see what we have and need. And it's been a while since I done it. For some reason if it's on paper it goes in brain better than just looking around. Please only stock what your family will eat, even if it's a great sale. And the more you can make from scratch the better and will save you more money. Try and learn to cook at least one new thing a week from scratch. Happy stocking.

What's stored, What's else is needed for at least 1 year?

Ok, I have check on what and how much I have stored this far. So I will know just what else I really need to store to go at least a year. This is only for canned foods I've canned, not store brought goods. This list and how many jars needed for a year is for 3 people and I figure for not being able to go to store at all , so my numbers are really a little high( so it might last more than a year). Some of this is from last year. But due to time and strength, I did not want to can more than we really used from the garden.

SHARP CHEEDAR CHEESE: have 6 pts. and 5 jelly jars ( want to can more, if they go on sale again)

CHEESE SAUCE: have 42 jelly jars ( want to can more, if they go on sale again) ( one jar makes mac and cheese for 4 people.)

TOMATOES: ( use about 1-2 qts. week) have 44 qts. ( will can more if tomatoes do good this year)

STRAWBERRY JAM: have 6 jelly jars and 2 pts. ( 7 gallon freezer bags in freezer to make more jam)

I am so thankful for all my stores. I know I have stated before that I was going to can every thing I could get my hands on, but well this was really stressing me out. I know how to garden and have seed for next year already, so why stress myself out? And all this will last us more than a year. And I'm slowly running out of shelf space in the food barn. I do not want 3 years of apples and no potatoes or green beans, ect.

Our beefalo (bull cow) is going in the freezer within the next 2-3 weeks. And 1 cow would last us a year with 5 people (2 adults, 2 teenagers, 1 child)eating. Now only 2 adults and one child, should last us much longer. We have about 26 young chicks that should be ready for the freezer by winter. If we need more, we'll kill as needed. I can get 2-3 meals out of one chicken for us. We still have about 1 pig in freezer from last year, so we are good on meat.

My next post I'll do store bought goods and how much I have and need for a year for 3 people. Hope this helps someone. If you need any help or have any questions, just let me know. If you can figure out about how much your family eats a month, that's the place to start, even a week is a good start.

stocking food, brownies recipe, home tip

I use a big black pen to write the date in big letters on front of package, then as I buy new, I put it where the dates go from oldest to newest. I just look around my stores at the dates facing me. Then once a month, I go though and pull every thing that needs to be eaten that month, and bring in to the house. Most can goods are good for years, but as the years go by they loose some nutritional value with age. If you are buying for your stockpile, look at the expiration dates as you buy, I have moved cases of food to get food that has more than a year from exp. date( I do put the other cases back like I found them). The oldest food is always on top or in the front. No store people have said any thing to me as long as I put things back. It your money, and with money being tight, why not buy the freshest you can. It takes a little more time, but if your like me you have more time than money.

Preheat oven to 350, grease 13 X 9 X 2 pan, melt butter in a pan then turn heat off and stir in sugar and vanilla, add eggs one at a time beating well with wooden spoon after each egg, add cocoa, beat until blended, add flour, baking powder, salt, beat well. stir in nuts. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 min. or until brownies pull away from the sides of pan. Enjoy!

I found flannel sheets at thrift store, full sets, king size set $2.00 and queen size set $2.00. I will cut these up to make: washable paper towels, washable tissues, washable napkins, and to make pads. That's a lot of material for $4.00.

I am buying less cleaners and making my own cleaners. I will list some in a few days.

Garden and Farm and Home

I have been going full speed last few days. Right now it's over 90, so I am taking a break in front of a fan. I am mulching everything I can, this so helps with less weeding, and holds water in longer. I canned more quarts of milk and quarts of green beans. Froze milk and eggs, and some cream(the only things you can not do with cream that has been frozen, is whip it. I make butter, ice cream and cheese with it as time allows). Thank you Lord, for a great garden and a milk cow who is giving more milk ( over 3 1/2 gallons a day, now)than I can keep what with, and 80+eggs to eat and eggs to put under hens( meat this winter). I hoed up another row of potatoes. One of our hens hatched 3 more chicks ( total so far this spring 11 chicks). I have got to find time (somewhere) to make strawberry jam, and I'm almost out of butter. The Lord has really blessed our farm and garden again. I am putting up everything I can get my hands on. Our daughter is bring in more blackberries than I can keep up with and finding them in places they were not in before. I know it's going to be a very long, hard winter. And the Lord is providing food now to put up. Usually, when our garden and farm do above average, the winter coming has been hard and long. It has happened three different years, here. So that is why I am preparing more than I normally do, not just because of our economy and our income dropping to a third. This blog, Becky's Farm Life , has gotten some many hits, from people looking to stock up on food and stretch their money, I know the Lord is trying to prepare them too. I am just trying to help all I can. It's becoming my mission for the Lord. People, I talk to face to face think I'm crazy for telling them to stock up and get ready. So the Lord showed me to start this blog, and they will come, and they have. Please if any of you have ideas to add, please do so. As we are to help one another. And again, I don't have all the answers, just telling what I know and what has worked here on our farm for years.

Tommy still has not gotten the gas line fixed under the house. So I am glad I have a gas stove top outside( this is where I can in the summer). In a way it's a blessing, I can cook simpler meals,and the kitchen does not get so hot. Last night, we had eggs and bacon and toast and milk. I just have to keep an eye out for the cats, they think it's their dinner. I am checking all my stored things as I go to the store next week. I have cut going to town to every two weeks, it would be once a month but I don't have room to store that much animal feed. As it is I get 700 lbs, every two weeks, this feeds 3- cows, 30 chicken, 4- dogs, 4- cats, 6- kittens. Do you need a kitten? And many food we need for the next 2 weeks, I am so blessed to have a truck big enough to carry it all. When I come home from a day in town, the truck is packed tight. And usually takes us about 3 hrs. to get everything put up.

The milk cow has been giving me a hard time. She was in her worse heat the other night. She want to play with the bull more than she wanted to eat and get milked. It took me 3 1/2 hours to milk her out, usually 20 min's. She a great milk cow for it being her first year milking. Tommy says, It's a female thing, men think they know it all. I have another chicken wanting to sit on eggs, I will let her in a few days. I have strawberry runners to cut off, and sucker the tomatoes, clothes to wash and hang out side. Hope every one has a blessed day. So I better get up from in front of this fan and get more things done today. Becky

Freezing eggs,milk and canning cheese and milk :answers(hopefulheart)

hopefulheart wrote a comment: Your blog is fasinating. Could you please tell me how to freeze eggs? I am buying fresh eggs from my friends now but as you now the chickens can be fickle

And how long do they last in the freezer? What is the best way to freeze milk? How do you can cheese and milk? Do you use a water bath or pressure canner? Thanks for the help.

Freezing eggs: You crack say 2- 3 eggs into a bowl, 1/4 tsp of sugar or salt(use sugar or salt-depending on what the eggs will be used for), just pop the yoke , and pour into a freezer bag. Label your bag sugar or salt. Check your most used recipes to find the number of eggs you use most. I use 6 eggs in ice cream- 6 eggs with 1/2 tsp sugar. Eggs to eat, I pack in 3 eggs with 1/4 tsp. salt. Eggs for cake mixes, add sugar to eggs. We have eaten the eggs I froze with sugar in them and they were good. The only thing you can’t do with these eggs, is have them fried. I have found they last 6-12 months. The older they get, its best to use them in recipes than to eat plain. A lot of people don’t know you can freeze eggs. After the first year here of home grown eggs, store bought didn’t look so good any more. So I found a way to keep us in eggs when the hens slowed down. This does work with store eggs ,too. Date your bags and use oldest first.

Freezing Milk: I have found that best way to freeze milk is to use juice bottles or 2 liter bottles, WHY? the jugs that milk comes in is very thin and weak. And more times than not, when the milk thaws the jug leaks. In a 2 liter bottle put a 1/2 gallon of milk, this will leave room for it to freeze. Always date your bottles. And it will thaw over night in ice box. I have found it will last 6- 12 months in freezer, I know that is not what is said, but that’s what works here. Just always use the oldest first. We have done this for over 6 years now, and same with eggs.

Canning hard cheeses: We love sharp cheddar cheese but don’t like it frozen. You can, can any hard cheese this way. So I found a way to can it. In jelly/ or pint jars, in a pan of water (put jars in water), put cheese in jars(slice into small pieces) , allow to melt down to 1 in. from top, then put lids on and hot water bath 40 min. for both pints and jelly jars.The longer it sit on shelf the sharp it gets. We just got plans to build a cheese press, so as I can make my own cheddar cheese. We have had to wait to make it because I had no way or place to allow cheese to ripen. So now I’ll make it and can it. The can cheese will last 2 plus years in a cool dark place.

I will also copy this post into the recipes tab, so as it will be easier to find. Hope you all have a great day. My other blog has the recipes tab at:

Corn scarch???? other uses

Someone gave us 10+ --#10 cans of corn starch. I know I can make gravy with it, but that's alot of gravy?

Food stock good but soaps, PT, ect not

Is any one else a little overwhelmed with our economy??? I know no one knows what doing to happen tomorrow. And try as I might, there is always something I'm forgetting.

I was looking around my home and food store this morning, and I am lacking in an area. My soaps, PT, tooth paste, ect. are not in good shape. I have been forcing on food. But there is more to life than food, it's a big part but not the only. So now I'm setting the food aside for a bit, unless a great sale comes.

I really hope I'm not to late. Sometimes this whole economy thing is so overwhelming. I know the Lord is in control. But I know ,I'm to do my part too, like the ants in the Bible. God has always supplied our needs.

Home canning Cheese sauce and buttter and fresh cows milk (for sweetmama and everyone else)

First off, sweetmama, I was not sure as how to find you here as I'm still new here.

( I used our fresh cows milk, our butter and cream. This cut the price of my sauce way down. I just had to buy the cheese. In case any of you have your own cows, I'm not sure if goats milk will work.)

The cheese sauce is great. I found that a jelly jar is enough cheese for a batch of mac & cheese for 4 people. And here, they like to spread the cheese on crackers too ( it's like a chees whiz). The best part for me is that it stores on the shelf. If keep in a cool dry place, it should last at least 2 years. ( I got it at http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=82726 It's called "home canned nacho chesse sauce", But I just wanted the cheese sauce above.)

I also found out you can, home can butter see here: http://frugalabundance.com/homecannedbutter.htm I have not tried this one yet as for time and it's been to hot to make big batches of buttter. I only make what we need, and all the extra cream I freeze for now. Then when it cools off, I'll thraw the cream and make butter, then can it.

With our milk cow giving us 3 plus gallons a day ( it's only her first calf). I have extra milk. So I freeze some (for when she is dry) and I can some( this canned milk makes the best white gravy you ever had. I use the canned milk for cooking only.We have been doing this for years. Can be used any where you would use milk or store can milk.)

Fill quarts and/ or pints with milk to with in 1/4 in. from rim. Then pressure can (cook) 10 mintues at 15 lbs pressure for both qts. and pts.

The milk will be a light tan color. I have canned the milk whole (without decreaming it, which will give you a thick cream like butter on top of the milk, which is good in cooking) and I have canned decreamed milk ( I take just the heavy cream off first, which gives you a little of the cream like butter on top). Both ways are good. And I have not used goats milk, but I think it would be the same but I'm not sure. If any one knows please let me know, Ok.

I would also like to thank you all for your tips on everything here. This site has been such a bleesing to me. You see where I live, there are only 2-3 familys in the area that live this way. Do other people think you are strange too, for the way you live?

Why, What, How: I am storing and stocking up food

Why? Well , my hubby told me a year ago, to start stocking up. He knew all this was coming, higher food and gas prices and job cuts. So when you see what I have, remember that I have been at it for over a year.
When I go to the store, I only buy food if it's on sale. Then I buy all I can, but I check the exp. date on everything I buy. When I'm stocking up I think to myself: how many things can I make with this, what do I really need as far as staples(how much do I use every month), will my family eat this,etc. Your ?'s to your self might be different. I am just showing you our way, but you might not eat what I do or cook the way I do.

( I still can't get photos here, I went and got flickr, and still can't. So all the spaces here are photos of my food and food barn. If you like to see the photos , they are on my other blog: http://jordansfarm.blogspot.com/ or is in the link at the left. I am sorry, but I tried again to load photos for 2 hours .)

We have what I call a food barn( kids call it the grocery store). We rent, so we could not dig a cellar. So hubby made a food barn for me. It has AC in summer when it's hot and a small heater in winter. As you can see it's not very big, about 7ft wide by about 16ft long. My 3 freezers are in here too, they help keep in warm in the winter. This is were I store 80% of our food. Here are some more photos of inside the food barn.

The above is canned milk from our cow, eggs from the chickens, canned potatoes,green beans,carrots.

These are green beans, apple sauce(we pick up apples and pears off the ground at a friends house and cut out bad spots the size of dimes, no one else wants to pick them up and we rent so we can't plant fruit trees, so God provides fruit this way. We usually get enough to last us until next year.), pears.

Coffee and tea are bought on sale at less than half price or a little more. I stock up and by the time they run low or out the sales back.

Someone gave us their Y2K #10 cans of flour, sugar, powdered sugar, ect. The flour will not work in breads, but will do for a coating on fried foods, gravies, and noodles.

Sharp cheddar cheese canned (just learned you could can hard cheeses, we don't like it in the freezer, so watch out sales), rice in a 2 liter bottle with a few bay leaves inside to keep bugs out and top taped on, bottle of elbow noodles, canned cheese sauce( just learned to can this too), ice cream bucket with baking soda and tape closed.

Noodles are left in there packages and sugar.( 5 gal. bucket holds 7 -5lbs. bags)

I have 4 buckets of sugar, 2 of dry milk, 2 of lard, 25 bags of flour, and more. The buckets are stored in one of our bedrooms, other things are stored under beds, in closets: anywhere I can stick things.

Hope this helps someone. Start off with buying a little extra each week, or just one or two things. Nothing is going to be dropping in price any time soon. Can or put every thing you can put your hands on. But only put up what you will eat! And don't forget to put up a few sweets up, in hard times they'll give you a little boost, a feel good food. Cheese is our boost.

Jordan's Farm

Freezing Eggs - farm and store bought- with photos

Store bought goods: What I have and what else is needed for at least 1 year.

What's stored, What's else is needed for at least 1 year?

stocking food, brownies recipe, home tip

Garden and Farm and Home

Freezing eggs,milk and canning cheese and milk :answers(hopefulheart)

Corn scarch???? other uses

Food stock good but soaps, PT, ect not

Home canning Cheese sauce and buttter and fresh cows milk (for sweetmama and everyone else)

Why, What, How: I am storing and stocking up food

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