Do thrifty things like canning, cooking from scratch, making your own yogurt etc. I never had anyone to show me this kind of thing, and I am wondering if most people just took it upon themselves to learn, or if they learned it from family or friends....
I have been baking bread from scratch which is delicious, and rewarding to do so....and so much cheaper than buying it.
There are so many things I want to learn, KWIM? Money is spoken for so I can't really invest in anything now, but this summer I would love to can applesauce, and peaches (we get the peaches for free from my friend's parents) last year I managed to freeze some of our garden veggies, but that was about it....
PLUS....I really would love to show DH that doing these things are beneficial and worth the cost of what supplies you need. I really want to get my hands on some large jars to store bulk quanities of dry goods (flour, oats, etc) and also try canning.......
Just curious!
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I just bought a book on canning and tried it. For jam, I use equal parts sugar and fruit, simmer until it's thick (sometimes up to a couple of hours). Not too tricky, really. You gain confidence when something works and are willing to try more stuff. Get a canning book from the library and read it to get familiar.
Cooking and stuff from scratch, I've just done the same thing. Easy and cheap recipes and then getting more creative. You can do it! You really can.
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I've been either self-taught, or I've asked someone who knows how to do it to show me. The internet is an awesome resource--there is usually instructions on how to do anything.
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I canned brandied peaches once with my mom's friend when I was a teenager. It was fun! But everything else, including most of the canning I've done since, I pretty much learned from books.
Growing up in Romania in the Communist regime, we had NOTHING! Everything was rationed, so we had to use any resources we had in order to make everything last. Also, we lived off of the land that my grandparents had in the village. Also, people were making a living by bringing veggies and fruits into the city. We canned in the fall to get ready for the winter. We made some of our clothes, so most of my generation has learned some skills to that end.
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I have learned, and still learn, by reading and then trying my ideas. My first intro to that school of thought (scratch cooking) was The Complete Tightwad Gazzette that I got and read cover to cover about 8 years ago. I need to dig it out and re - read it again! I also read tons of different cookbooks, older ones esp where people are doing that style of cooking! I love More with Less and also old church or jr. league cookbooks. And then, I learn more by experimenting and then googling about what I am doing!
Last week I took 4 c. of frozen berries that I thawed and pulsed in my blender, then boiled with about 1/2 c. sugar and few T. fruit pectin (powdered sure jell) then I discovered I could pour this warm into canning jars and if you turn them upside down for 15 min then right back up they will seal themselves. So, I have super yummy homemade jam, less sugar that we are going through much too fast to even have to can, but now I know!
It is easy to get overwhelmed, so I force myself to take baby steps and tackle something new.
Yogurt is very simple, heat your milk to 180, cool to 110, stir some of your warm milk into your starter bit and then stir all of that back into the rest of your warm milk, pour into your containers, add any sweetener or whatever, wrap up nice and cozy and keep it at around 110 for 6 hours or so. There are lots of variations on that, but the more I make it, the more I realize how easy it is to make! It WANTS to become yogurt, you just have to make it cozy!
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I have learned through reading books, the Internet - including here! - and just trial and error. I love crafty stuff and making herbal tinctures, that type of thing, so I just took to it, and I don't mind making mistakes.
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MMMMMMmmm brandied peaches!
I'm fairly new to canning and just did stuff that can be water bath canned in a tall stock pot I already had. You just need jars and rings and lids. Not a huge investment - you might have friends with extras! Applesauce and peaches can both be done that way.
I'm another who mostly learned from books, watching food shows on PBS and Food Network (and even Martha Stewart) and lots of stuff on the internet. Just pick a few things you want to try, read a few recipes, pick on and give it a shot! I've been interested in cooking since I was a teen which was a looooong time ago LOL But over the years I've just experimented with whatever intriqued me at the time and gave it a shot. Things don't always go perfectly the first time, but it gives you a chance to learn. The internet is especially great if you make mistakes - you can search for 'why is my bread a brick' or 'why didn't my muffins rise' (or whatever lol) and often find some great info to help you out the next time!
For yogurt, I just make it in a quart mason jar - so you don't even have to have multiple containers if you don't want!
I recently got a cook book you might check out - called The Art of Simple Food. There is a fair amount of technique stuff in there and I like the way she approaches it. The old Joy of Cooking had a lot of that too (not as much in the newer addition.) I've heard good things about those More with Less cookbooks but still haven't run across one.
Oh, check out used book stores! I have some fantastic old 70's books - many just thin little spiral bound ones - with great stuff. You never know what you might find! lol
Great ideas...I just think it would have been so nice to be able to learn this growing up, KWIM? Sewing, canning, thrifting etc. There are so many things I want to try, I am going to the library and looking up some of the books mentioned, I guess I just have to take the plunge!!!
My mother gave me a good start by setting an example of moderation and thrift, cooking from scratch, having simple celebrations, not keeping up with the Jones' sort of lifestyle. But beyond that such as whole foods, canning etc I have sought out resources myself and tried things. I think she gave me a "can do" attitude. So did my dad, he would rather try to fix something himself. They were both do-it-yourselfers and go-without type people. So I always had this sense that nothing is beyond my ability to try and do myself. I also had a steady diet of Little House on the Prairie and Grizzly Adams growing up.
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I either learned it myself, on here, or by reading books/recipes.
I screwed up canning some berries once. They smelled really bad when I opened them and it was obvious (smelled like alcohol or nail polish remover - I mean - immediately knew it wasn't something we should eat).
I am WAAAY better at freezing I either blanch and freeze or freeze whole or prepare things with the fruits/veggies and then freeze that. Oh - and we do lots of freezer jam and freezer apple butter.
I've been either self-taught, or I've asked someone who knows how to do it to show me. The internet is an awesome resource--there is usually instructions on how to do anything.
Ditto. I learnined everything, from goat keeping and milking, chickens, butchering, canning, keeping and milking cows, raising a calf to butcher, canning, gardening, sewing, from reading books or internet and by just doing it.
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What I wouldn't give to ship you out here this summer and help me do all this stuff. I would LOVE the help, and you would learn to can and freeze and dry and all that jazz. And just to hang with you would be great too.
Val
Oh, and you could teach ME to knit. I have never even tried.
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But there are other ways to make yogurt than with a yogurt maker.
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