Strawberries! We finally canned 'em!

We went to pick strawberries on March 30 and while John hulled them for me, I just could not get it together to can them. I've not ever canned before so I think that's why. Just a little intimidated. But I finally did it. Or rather we did it. I had thought I would do it with Jani while the boys were napping one day. I'm so glad I didn't! Hot sugar is, well, hot. And John and I discovered that we really enjoyed doing this together.

We also learned that 13.5 lbs of strawberries will yield:
5 cups of freezer jam
4 cups of freezer jam without sugar
17 cups of jam
and almost 2 cups of crushed berries to put over french vanilla cake for Easter!

I can't believe how incredibly easy this was! And I know we'll never again spend $$ on store bought strawberry jam. Our berries were from a farm in a neighboring town, organic, and yummy. Not counting the jars in the cost since they are reuseable, I think our cost were:

$34 for strawberries (fyi, my friend in WI only pays $1.25/lb!)
15.5 cups of sugar (I know! we couldn't believe it either!) I'm guessing $3 for 2 bags???
freezer jam fruit pectin $1.54
freezer jam no sugar needed $1.56
1 cup of apple juice .12 (for the no sugar needed, on sale for $1 and it was organic!)

Total is $40 for almost 28 cups of strawberry yumminess which equals $1.42 per cup. That would be even better if we paid less for strawberries! I wonder if the ones at Sams are organic???

Just for the record I paid $8.82 for the small 1 cup jars (Kerr quilted crystal 12/8oz) and $6.82 for the pints (Mason regular mouth 12/16oz). So initially the cost are higher. The last thing I want (because we made do) is the water bath/pressure cooker so that it's easier finish them.

now for the pictures!

Picking Strawberries

We love this farm, we just wish it was closer. It's an almost 2 hour drive from our house. A nice scenic drive, but still, it's a long way. And for strawberries. My brother said "you know they sell those at the store by your house"...yeah, I know, but it's the experience. Kind of like driving to Brenham for Blue Bell ice cream!

We quickly realized a) it was nap time by the time we got there which meant Jovi was c.r.a.n.k.y; b) the boys could not pick them as they would grab them and squeeze the berry as they were trying to get it off; and c) we should have brought scissors, would have made it so much easier.

We did have a nice picnic, well, in theory it was nice. A little cool, a lot windy, and 2 boys that did not want to eat. Bad combination but we muddle through and tada...wound up with an overload of berries.

There were the cutest baby goats to watch while we were eating. The reward for finishing your food was getting to go pet them. I was amazed that none of the kids were afraid. The boys just walked right up and stuck their hand through the fence.

No Spending Challenge

MomAdvice has a great playdough recipe with several links at the bottom for other flavored recipes. I'd love to try this with the kids, as soon as I get their table cleared off.

She also just completed 28 days of a No Spend Challenge. And this gave me thought. I wondered how she could still make things with buying milk or eggs in the middle of that. I found her blog on the tail end of her journey, actually just yesterday. I saw that she did in fact give them a $250 budget for food/essentials (like diapers) and did shop. While I'm up for the challenge, I'm not quite up for doing without milk or eggs. So I decided that what John and I could take away from this is that we would need to set our own rules, but still working to be true to this challenge.

In the past I've seen families do pantry challenges, usually for a week at a time. A Pantry Challenge is just that, challenge yourself to feed your family out of pantry...no quick trips to the store for something forgotten, just relying on what you have in the pantry, fridge, or freezer.

We've not ever done this before, but given that we just got our first reduced paycheck, the rumor mill still buzzing about something happening April 1 at John's job, what better time than now, right? So here we go. I've decided that like Amy, I'm going to give us a budget of things we need, not want, for the month. The main things I'll be buying though are milk (because we drink it raw), eggs (because you need those for baking), and fruit (because it keeps the family fortified with vitamins and healthy.

We blew it for today, because while I thought about this yesterday and figured John would agree to it, we scored some kolaches from The Donut Shop and a tiny trip to Walgreens for more supplies for the boys recovery. We could have continued making due with our current "supplies" but I realized something yesterday that would work much better for Jace.

So that said, March 1 (11am) - March 31 will be "spend as little as we possibly can month". My goal is to post daily, though honestly, we all know I'll probably fall short, about what we ate, and what if any money we spend. I will not be counting monthly bills, gasoline (since we're careful with that anyway).

Discount Food Store

This morning I learned of a dent store, a place to buy things where cans are dented, or promotions are over, items are past expiration date, boxes were crushed...you get the idea. I didn't call first, I just figured they were open.
There hours are M-Th 9:30am - 5pm, and F 9:30am - 6pm.
They do not take coupons and are cash only.
Anyone going into the store must have shoes shirt and pants on. =)
And no smoking outside their door on their benches.

I think they have 6 baskets. We filled up 3.5 of them. The owners were very nice helping us store the filled baskets and move the little boys into empty carts. It isn't very big, about the size of a convenience store. There is also a little back room (really little, your cart will barely go in there)with non food items from cat litter to paper plates to dish detergent. Surprisingly we were in there an hour. We'll be going back for sure. The shipments seem a bit sporadic but she did say there is one coming in sometime next week she thought from Colorado that was from Safeway and she said it always had good stuff. Today we spent $71.57.

Examples of food we found: pop tarts, cereal, koolaid packets, jello, spaghetti sauce, canned peppers, canned veggies, soup, pie filling, cake/brownie mixes, icing, juice, yeast, condiments, dressings, crackers, fruit snacks, gum, dog treats, paper plates, cat litter, dish detergent, dry beans, big cans of veggies; there was a lot more but we can't remember it all.

Note: The lines are running together. I've listed the item, the size of the item, the expiration date

Brand Size Exp Date Price ea
GM Cheerios 3x 18oz 9-09 2.59
Stokelys whole kernel corn 2x 106oz 1.50
Stokelys diced potatoes (lady charged me 1.50) 106oz 3.00
SureFine Rice squares cereal 15.6oz 9-08 0.69
SureFine fruit rings cereal 15oz 9-09 1.00
GM Cheerios 14oz 10-09 1.59
Post Honeycomb 14.5oz 4-09 1.59
Ralston Foods froster shredded wheat 3x 19oz 2-09 1.00
GM Kix 12oz 8-09 1.59
Post Selects Cranberry almost crunch 13oz 7-09 1.69
GM Kix 18oz 8-09 2.00
SureFine Raisin bran 20oz 10-09 1.85
Kelloggs apple jacks 2x 12.2oz 7-09 1.59
GM honey nut cheerios 2x 12.25oz 7-09 1.00
Post select great grains 16oz 6-09 1.69
Ralston Foods frosted flakes 20oz 12-08 1.00
ShurFine parmesan cheese 8oz 11-08 1.00
Chef Boyardee pizza 3x 1 9-08 1.00
Stove Top turkey stuffing 2x 6oz 1-09 0.59
ShurFine stuffing pork 2x 6oz 9-08 0.59
Betty Crocker Wild blueberry muffin mix 10-09 1.29
Orville Redenbacher butter popcorn 2x 6pk 8-08 0.59
Smuckers organic strawberry preserves 12oz 5-08 0.69
Kraft lite mayonnaise 32oz 12-08 0.50
ShurFine marshmallow crème 2x 7oz 12-08 0.10
ShurFine pineapple juice 46oz 11-08 0.39
Shurfine organic applesauce 4x 25oz 11-08 0.89
Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk 14oz 6-10 0.79
SureFine whole cranberry sauce 16oz 9-10 0.25
Smuckers peach preserves 12oz 9-08 0.69
Smuckers organic red raspberry 12oz 10-08 0.69
Fleischmans yeast, jar 4oz 9-08 0.10
Fleischmans yeast bread machine, jar 4oz 10-08 0.10
Grey poupon 8oz 9-08 0.29
Taco Bell soft taco dinner kit 2x 12-08 1.00
Crayola lemon lime drinks (missed the exp date on these) 8x8oz 6-07 0.50
Miracle whip squeeze 10oz 1-09 0.75
SureFine dried blackeye peas 3x 16oz 1-09 0.49
SureFine oyster crackers 12oz 0.39
La Choy chow mein noodles 8-08 0.10
Hunts spaghetti sauce, various flavors 6x 26.5oz 7-10 0.55
ShurFine sloppy joe 7x 15oz 12-09 0.40
Manwich 16oz 4-10 0.40
Morrisons sopapilla mix 2x 11-08 0.25
Bakers German chocolate 2x 4oz 10-08 1.00
SureFine whole kernel corn 6x 25oz 2-10 0.35
Rosarita refried beans 3x 16oz 3-10 0.45
Lifesavers, bag 6.25oz 0.79

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today people across the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. Some do it just because it's the normal thing to do. Some celebrate it because they were invited somewhere to celebrate Thanksgiving. Some celebrate because they are thankful for their freedom, their family, their job, or a million other reasons.

Our family celebrates Thanksgiving because 1-it's an American tradition, 2-we're thankful for each other and our kids, 3-our health, because we learned on Monday that my pain is NOT cancer!!!, 4-we have freedom still, though we feel the ground rumbling beneath our feet, and 5-we have faith in Jesus Christ, that He alone will see us through whatever might come our way.

That all said, this was the boys first Thansgiving. I'm sure they could smell everything cooking from Wednesday and all morning long. And boy did they eat! I had the island almost all cleaned off and wound up putting the last small baskets of stuff on a shelf. We proceeded to lay out our spread buffet style:
turkey (which was probably the most moist turkey ever!)
Stove Top stuffing (cause I don't like it and therefore am not making it from scratch)
gravy (from a jar because it tastes great!)
green bean casserole (with parmesan cheese sprinkled in)
sweet potato casserole (find the recipe on my Frazzled Food blog)
cream corn (FF blog, but sadly as it was warming up, the bottom burned slightly)
cranberry sauce from 2 cans, jellied and whole berry (next time we're making from scratch)
deviled eggs
rolls and bread, made fresh but not from scratch
3 pumpkin pies (2 go to work with John)
1 apple pie
1 pecan pie
and we can't forget the sweet tea!

When the boys got their plates their little eyes just about glazed over! And off they went eating. Of course they could not finish it all so they ate the rest for dinner. Jovi was so tired (we didn't eat until about 1:45) and wound up going to bed about 15 minutes into the meal. We learned that even though they both love green beans, they do not like green bean casserole.

And when all was said and done, we were pleasantly full. It was a pretty relaxing day. John got to look at all the Black Friday ads while I cooked (he helped too), I looked at them after dinner. We both knew we weren't getting out into the crowds. Just don't think it's worth getting anywhere at 5am! And we played 3 games of Phase 10 with Adam. Yep, a good day for everyone.

Thanksgiving Eve

In Texas we have weird weather. Currently we are 69*, earlier today we were 75. Not exactly Thanksgiving weather in my opinion. I'd like it to be cool enough to at least wear a sweater. Instead, it's hot. My house is hot. The oven has been on since about 1pm. It's now 5:08pm. I've accomplished:
1 thawed ready to eat pecan pie
1 baked from the baked apple pie
3 pumpkin scratch pies are in the oven, though I did buy their crusts already made.
14 eggs are boiled for deviled eggs
2 bread loaves are rising to be baked in about 5 hours
1 gallon of fresh tea is chilling

I was thinking about frozen pizza for dinner, but the oven is a bit preoccupied. Because next the sweet potatoes are going in for a yummy casserole. mmmm I also need to get the creamed corn going. My goal is for tomorrow to only have to bake the roles, the turkey, heat the gravy, make the Stove Top (because I detest stuffing/dressing...ick!), and just heat everything and put it on the island. I want to easily be ready to go.

Last year we baked the turkey on Wednesday and made everything else on Thursday. The turkey wound up dry. Not going to let that happen this time! That was my first dry turkey.

I also learned something about evaporated milk. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I cannot google, I can't search the internet well at all. I mean really, who stinks at Google? I was to the point of adding the EM to my pumpkin pies when I realized the expiration date was April 2007. I checked to see if I needed it before going to the store on Sunday, but I never thought it had been on the shelf for probably 2 years! So I wondered if it was like some other things where you can still use it after the exp date. The answer is, if you live in Texas, most likely know. I finally succombed and went to the store to get more. Thought I would do a side by side comparison...the cans I had at home were the color of caramel but very watery looking. I couldn't find a picture that showed the color it should be. So I opened a new can and poured it into my mixture and discovered it is milk just a beige color. My cans went down the sink, and then the chunks appeared. Eeewww! However, I did find enough info on Google to see that people that have basements and store food there and its cold, they had some 3 years old and it was still good. So, I think where you live plays a big part in how long you can keep something.

Off to the kitchen. Need to get the deviled eggs finished and chilling. And the pumpkin pie timer just went off too.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

a great new blog!

From Kim at Life In A Shoe, she has posted about Ang at Eclectic Culture Farm. Ang is having a giveaway, but that's not why I'm excited to tell you about her blog. She cans! And picks apples, and uses a pressure canner, something I've never heard of. I think it will be a long time before our 4 apple trees produce fruit, but it's exciting to have found a place doing what I want to do. And apparently she makes her own laundry soap. I need to go read more on her site. I hope you enjoy it! And stop by Kim's site too. She's a fellow Texan in San Antonio who also homeschools. So many cool people out there in the great beyond!

across my desk

Politics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6fuFrdCJY
This gets really interesting to me around the 4:45 mark and 9:45 mark. Watch it.

Politics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sj91NH5fvw

Food:
I have the entire email, but went and found the links because it was sooooo long....j
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=150785

Here's some other info on it as well:
http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/splenda.aspx

and another link: http://www.splendaexposed.com/

and finally this from Mercola:
The Potential Dangers of Sucralose (Splenda)

Is Splenda Really As Safe As They Claim It to Be?
As of 2006, only six human trials have been published on Splenda (sucralose). Of these six trials, only two of the trials were completed and published before the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. The two published trials had a grand total of 36 total human subjects.
36 people sure doesn't sound like many, but wait, it gets worse, only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing and here is the real killer:
The longest trial at this time had lasted only four days and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance.

Why Do You Need to Know About Splenda?
Splenda, best known for its marketing logo, "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar,' has taken the sweetener industry by storm. Splenda has become the nations number one selling artificial sweetener in a very short period of time.
Between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of US households using Splenda products jumped from 3 to 20 percent. In a one year period, Splenda sales topped $177 million compared with $62 million spent on aspartame-based Equal and $52 million on saccharin-based Sweet 'N Low.
McNeil Nutritionals, in their marketing pitch for Splenda emphasizes that Splenda has endured some of the most rigorous testing to date for any food additive. Enough so to convince the average consumer that it is in fact safe. They claim that over 100 studies have been conducted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies are on animals.

Additional Concerns About Splenda Studies
There have been no long-term human toxicity studies published until after the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. Following FDA approval a human toxicity trial was conducted, but lasted only three months, hardly the length of time most Splenda users plan to consume sucralose. No studies have ever been done on children or pregnant women.
Much of the controversy surrounding Splenda does not focus just on its safety, but rather on its false advertising claims. The competition among sweeteners is anything but sweet. The sugar industry is currently suing McNeil Nutritionals for implying that Splenda is a natural form of sugar with no calories.

Is It REALLY Sugar?
There is no question that sucralose starts off as a sugar molecule, it is what goes on in the factory that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. In the five step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose or sugar molecule. A sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together; glucose and fructose.
The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes it's claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, making it have zero calories.
It is not that Splenda is naturally zero calories. If your body had the capacity to metabolize it then it would no longer has zero calories.

How Much Splenda is Left In Your Body After You Eat It?
If you look at the research (which is primarily extrapolated form animal studies) you will see that in fact 15% of sucralose is absorbed into your digestive system and ultimately is stored in your body. To reach a number such as 15% means some people absorb more and some people absorb less. In one human study, one of the eight participants did not excrete any sucralose even after 3 days. Clearly his body was absorbing and metabolizing this chemical. That is what our bodies are supposed to do.
The bottom line is that we all have our own unique biochemical make-up. Some of you will absorb and metabolize more than others. If you are healthy and your digestive system works well, you may be at higher risk for breaking down this product in your stomach and intestines. Please understand that it is impossible for the manufacturers of Splenda to make any guarantees based on their limited animal data.
If you feel that Splenda affects you adversely, it is valid. Don't let someone convince you that it is all in your head. You know your body better than anyone else.

How to Determine if Splenda is Harming You
The best way to determine if Splenda or sucralose is affecting you is to perform an elimination/challenge with it. First eliminate it and other artificial sweeteners from your diet completely for a period of one to two weeks. After this period reintroduce it in sufficient quantity.
For example, use it in your beverage in the morning, and eat at least two sucralose containing products the remainder of the day. On this day, avoid other artificial sweeteners so that you are able to differentiate which one may be causing a problem for you. Do this for a period of one to three days. Take notice of how your body is feeling, particularly if it feels different than when you were artificial sweetener free.

Splenda May Still Be Harming You
If you complete the elimination/challenge trial described above and do not notice any changes then it appears you are able to tolerate Splenda acutely. However, please understand that you are not out of the woods yet.
The entire issue of long-term safety has never been established. Let's look at the facts again:
· There have only been six human trials to date
· The longest trial lasted three months
At LEAST 15% of Splenda is not excreted from your body in a timely manner
Considering that Splenda bears more chemical similarity to DDT than it does to sugar, are you willing to bet your health on this data? Remember that fat soluble substances, such as DDT, can remain in your fat for decades and devastate your health.
If the above facts don't concern because you believe the FDA would not ever allow a toxic substance into the market then read on.

Do You Really Believe These People Are Going to Protect You?
Please consider that the only organizations between you and potentially toxic side effects are the FDA and the manufacturers of sucralose (Tate & Lyle) and of Splenda (McNeil Nutritionals).
The FDA has a long standing history of ineffective screening and rampant conflict of interests as demonstrated in their inability to identify Vioxx as too dangerous to be on the market. This mistake costs 55,000 people their lives.
Now the point I want you to understand here, because it is really important, is that Splenda is not a drug and is only a food additive. As such the number of studies required to receive FDA approval is substantially less than drug. Vioxx had an order of magnitude of more comprehensive clinical trials than Splenda ever did, and despite this rigorous approval process it still killed 55,000 people.
So, now you have the primary concerns I have about Splenda and the choices is yours.

Read Splenda Horror Stories
We have more people on our site that have reported adverse reaction to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval. It would seem this collection of data is in some ways superior to the data submitted to the FDA for Splenda approval.
You can help us continue our Splenda research by supplying us with your own experience. If you or anyone you know have had an adverse reaction to Splenda or sucralose containing products please tell us your story.
(there was a great picture here of a rash from Splenda, it looks like a sunburn, but I can't paste it without saving it to my computer and quite frankly, I'm too tired to do that...j)

New Tricks for Getting Rid of Toxins in Your System...
Find Out More

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Don't let these large companies fool you. There is no magic alternative to sugar when it comes to sweeteners. You simply can not have your cake and eat it too when it comes to this area. It is far too early to tell, as not enough people have consumed this product to observe large numbers of adverse effects.
However, I have had a number of patients in our Wellness Center who have had some severe migraines and even seizures possibly from consuming this product.

My advice? AVOID Sucralose.

I am fond of telling people that if something tastes sweet you probably should spit it out as it is not likely to be to good for you. This of course, is a humorous exaggeration, but for most people who struggle with chronic illness, it is likely to be a helpful guide.
PLEASE note this article is being written in 2000. This is one of the first comprehensive clear investigative reports and warnings on sucralose on the Internet.

Related Articles:
Sucralose (Splenda®) U.S. Product List
The Potential Dangers of Sucralose: Reader Testimonials
The Dangers of Chlorine and Issues With Sucralose
12 Questions You Need to Have Answered Before You Eat Splenda
Sources:
Food and Drug Administration "Final Rule " for Sucralose, 21 CFR Part 172, Docket No. 87F-0086.
Lord GH, Newberne PM. Renal mineralization -- a ubiquitous lesion in chronic rat studies. Food Chem Toxicol 1990 Jun;28:449-55.
Labare MP, Alexander M. Microbial cometabolism of sucralose, a chlorinated disaccharide, in environmental samples. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 1994 Oct;42:173-8.
Hunter BT. Sucralose. Consumers' Research Magazine, Oct90, Vol. 73 Issue 10, p8, 2p.
Maudlin RK. FDA approves sucralose for expanded use. Modern Medicine, Oct99, Vol. 67 Issue 10, p57, 1/9p
Sucralose -- a new artificial sweetener. Medical Letter on Drugs & Therapeutics, 07/03/98, Vol. 40, Issue 1030, p67, 2p.
Q&A: Is newly FDA approved sweetener sucralose good for you? Executive Health's Good Health Report, Nov98, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p6, 1p, 1c.
Gain B. FDA approves J&J Sweetener. Chemical Week, 04/15/98, Vol. 160 Issue 14, p27, 1/4p.
Sucralose Toxicity Information Center
Splenda Product Web Site
Official Tate & Lyle Sucralose Web Site
Endurance News, Issue 26.

where's the beef?

We went to pick up our beef today from Readfields. We had Karen from www.starhavenfarms.com deliver it to Bryan for slaughter. We decided to pack a picnic but couldn't find a place to sit and eat so we finally pulled over to what seemed to be a place to auction cattle. We heard all kinds of moo sounds during our 30 pitstop. It was funny watching the 2 Littles realize there were cows nearby, even though we couldn't see any. And then a train came by just on the other side of the highway, just for Jace.



what a faker...him, not me! come on babe, where the real smile you had from 2 pictures before this one?


nope, that isn't me up there :o)


If you ever get a chance to stop here, it smells really good. And they have a ton of spices for you to try.
If you find yourself in the market for some grassfed beef, give Karen a holler. You can buy it by the quarter of a cow, so you don't have to buy the whole cow. Nor do you have to figure out whose going to buy the other 3/4. She'll take care of finding the other buyers. And she's really great to work with.