Making Sauce

Normally I make spaghetti sauce in a big pot and then freeze it in ziplock bags.  This time I changed it up a bit!!

I have decided I love to make my sauce in the crock pot.  In the pot sometimes I would get a bit burned because I could not get the heat down far enough.  So now, I prep everything.  Sauté onions and peppers, then throw it in the crock pot and let it simmer all day!!

A friend shared a recipe too – can of crushed tomatoes (maybe stewed too) and an onion cut in half.  Let it simmer about 45 minutes, take the onion out and you have great marinara sauce.  I have made it many times, so this time I made it in the crock pot too. 

So, I filled 2 crock pots – one marinara (crushed toms and an onion) and another sautéed peppers onions, and tomatoes and cooked both all day.  I did add some garlic as well to both batches, because I love garlic – and a sprinkling of italian seasonings to the pepper and onion one.

Then I got my quart jars out and sanitized them, got a boiling water bath ready and I canned 6 quarts of spaghetti sauce!!  I love that I do not have to thaw it or anything!  Ready to open, heat and pour on my pasta!!  Great for pizza sauce too!

The best part?  All 6 quarts (and 2 more in the fridge that did not fit in my boiling water bath) cost about 6.50 for the tomatoes, and whatever 2-3 onions and 2 peppers will cost. (I get them in my veggie co-op so I am not sure what I would pay for them individually)  Either way about a dollar a quart and all natural, healthy and yummy!!

Sprouts anyone?

Oh the fun we have had!!  We went to a sustainable gardening club meeting recently and it was so much fun!!  At the meeting we met people who are thinking like us : garden, home raised meat, and even organic!  Not everyone thinking the same, but similar and encouraging!

As part of our meeting a friend taught us all how to sprout.  I have read tons of posts about this on the internet, but never ventured out to do it.  But this time, it was different!  Cheri sent us home with a baggie of seeds, a box to raise them, and the knowledge to do it!!

Start with a plastic shoe box (or you can use other stuff, but this time we used a plastic 89 cent shoe box from Walmart)

You need a fine strainer, we have a metal one.

Pour some seeds into strainer and rinse.

Then dump into shoe box. (yes they will be wet.

Cover the shoe box with lid and leave over night.

Did you know? It’s Garden time!!

Yes, I know it is January, and well, you may not live in East Texas.  But, if you do it is time to be thinking about your garden!!  I have been thinking tons about mine.  Tonight I started 72 tomato plants, well, maybe 5 of those were basil – and 5 cabbage – so I guess 62 tomato plants – but either way I am thrilled!!  I have a few heirloom seeds (which if you do not know yet, those are the ones you want!!). 

Also, onions need to go in now!

Also right now, in Zone 8 (my zone) it is time to throw seeds into the garden outside as well!! Not all of them, mind you, but many. And in case you are not sure what to do for your zone in January, you should check out Organic Gardening – when you get there search for “what to do in January” and so on. I cut and pasted and threw all that info into my gardening notebook. So now each month, I will get it, and check out my list.

Meanwhile, my other Amazing idea – not so much my own, I think I merged a couple ideas to figure this out – but I am storing all my seeds in baby food jars. My friend graciously gave me about 100 last fall when she was feeding her baby. I held on to them knowing I would figure out a perfect use. And Voila!!

I did! I had some seeds in a brown bag from the feed store and weevils got in and ate through EVERY one of my purple hulled peas!! UGH!! NO MORE!! And for peas, I will use smaller canning jars. Make sure your jars are clean and very dry, and your seeds are dry too!!

I also rescued an old soda crate at an antique store (my sister in law gave me one I use to hold tea, and knew I could find a use for another) and plan to paint the lids and then store the jars with lids exposed and their contents labeled.

 

Okay – 2 more great ideas I thought I would share.  I was hoping Hobby Farm magazine would have the info, but online you cannot see what I am looking at.  So, if you get the magazine, check it out – if not, check it out at the store.  There is a tiered seed drying rack.  Where you make these “drawers” with screen bottoms, to put your seeds on to dry when you, say scoop out a squash.  Then they dry out in your dryer.  It has a base/frame that the drawers slide into.  This is going to be my big boy’s project this spring for me.

Can you tell I need this?  Because right now I am drying some organic pepper seeds this way…

The next one, my next son is going to make a rack to dry herbs on.  This has dowels that go across and you would bundle some Basil, tie it together and then drape it on the dowel, kind of in the middle of the bundle.  And it would dry out too, to save to use in foods or whatever. 

I cannot wait to get my new projects – maybe for my birthday!  A great excuse for Robert to work with them, teach them some wood working and have fun!!  I love it!

That’s all for now.  Off to think more about my garden and other fun projects blooming around here!!

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{I’m sharing on The Prairie Homestead Barn Hop}