Canned cole slaw

Made 5 pints of canned coleslaw.  Read so many blogs and comments about how great the canned coleslaw is that I just had to give it a try.

One medium cabbage shredded

Two large carrots shredded

One small onion minced

Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and let it sit for one hour before canning with the syrup

The syrup recipe and the amounts I used

2 cups white vinegar

1/2 cup water

3 cups sugar

2 tsp celery seed

2 tsp mustard seed

Heat to boiling then remove from heat and let syrup cool completely 

Sterilize jars and wash seals and rings

Rinse cabbage mixture and drain

Add 1/2 of syrup mixture to cabbage mixture

Pack in pint jars

Pack fairly tight in jars leaving 1 inch head space

Add syrup to cover

Put in water bath canner 

Be sure water covers jars by a couple of inches

Waterbath jars for 15 minutes

To make cole slaw drain syrup from cabbage mixture and add mayo.  

Easy 3 Minute Creamy Grits

 Why buy instant grits when you can make delicious creamy grits in just 3 minutes in your microwave.

Recipe is simple and simple to remember. It goes like this 1 - 3 - 3

For example 

1/3 cup of grits in glass bowl with a sprinkle of salt

Next add 3 times the amount of water that you had grits so that would equal 1 cup water.. I just use the same measuring cup and fill it 3 times.

Do not stir just place in the microwave for 3 minutes on high

After cooking in the microwave carefully remove bowl and add a teaspoon of butter then stir stir stir until the grits.become a super creamy delight. 

You can use their recipe for any amount of grits just remember to use the 1 to 3 ratio of grits and water. 

Freezing Green Tomatoes

Freezing green tomatoes is very easy. Just follow these simple steps

 Prepare your work area
I put a layer of parchment paper on each sheet pan.  Just to make sure the frozen tomatoes do not stick on pan. I only have four sheet pans so I have to work in small batches.

Make sure you have plenty of room to work

Washed tomatoes ready to be sliced

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 slices I slice off and discard the very tip of the tomatoes and the part where the stem is connected to the bush

Place evenly on sheet pans Close but not touching

Place in freezer until fully frozen -generally a couple of hours will do

Be sure to label your bag with contents and date frozen

Add as many to the bag as needed

 Now lets cook some fried green tomatoes.  Coat your tomatoes in cornmeal and fry until golden brown. 

I love my fried green tomatoes topped with feta cheese

Now that I have green tomatoes in my freezer I can enjoy these anytime of the year

Keto friendly bread

 J

The recipe was simple for this low carb bread.  

Here is where I found the recipe

https://www.facebook.com/BaconButterForKeto/videos/2038947029706366/

The texture was more consistent with corn bread more than a sandwich bread.  The flavor was ok but I found it was better toasted than plain.  Next time I would use a smaller loaf pan so that the bread is not so flat

My love for bread is what henders my weight loss on the keto diet.  I will continue my quest for a great alternative to my love of white bread.  Because without a great bread great sandwiches can not be made.

Taking Time Away From Our Farmhouse

We are taking some time off from our farm to explore America.  Hope you will come along and see where we have been and where we are going

Check out our travel blog at RVing Across America

An Article on Homesteading

7 Reasons to Join the Urban Homesteading Revolution
Infographic by CustomMade

Click to read the entire article

Make Your Own Granite Cleaner

My new thing to do now is make my own cleaning and laundry supplies.  My first thought was it can not be as cheap as couponing and the products can't really work as good as name brand products.  Then  I began to think about what is in the expensive brands and the ingredients that are in homemade products.  I decided for the health of my family it was worth a shot at mixing my own products.

Today I noticed my favorite spray bottle of granite cleaner was almost empty.  Method Daily Granite is or was my product of choice for cleaning my granite every day.  The counter tops always look clean and shiny and the bottle states it is surface safe, non toxic, and plant based.  My only objection to this cleaner is the odor sometimes makes me cough.  Since my bottle was getting low I knew it was a good time to test the effectiveness of my homemade cleaner verses my Method cleaner.

Counter top before cleaning

Countertop after cleaning

The counter top was sparkly clean with the homemade cleaner and the Method cleaner. 

There was two things different  about the two cleaners.   THE COST!!! and the homemade did not have a strong odor.

Break down of cost of homemade cleaner

Spray bottle $.96

8oz. Rubbing alcohol. $.75

1oz Dawn dish detergent $.20

32oz water from faucet free

Total cost for 41 ounces of cleaner 95 cents plus 96 cents for the spray bottle (which I will continue to refill)

Method cleaner $4.98 for 12 ounces 

Even with couponing I doubt I could find a granite cleaner that does the job as cheap as my homemade cleaner.  So far I am sold on homemade.

Have you tried making homemade cleaners for your home?  Do you think they work?   I would love to hear your opinions.