Equipping the Homestead - Homesteading Supplies for the Kitchen

If you're just getting started building a homestead, there are some homesteading supplies for the kitchen you may want to put on your list. Just like in any kitchen, plates, bowls, glasses, cutlery, a knife set et al are still going to be used. But there are some additional items that are used in the process of cooking and food storage that you will find valuable. Some of the items you may already have and use, and some you may not.

For cooking and baking, having non electric hand tools will be invaluable in the event of power outage. Some hand tools for your list are a can opener, hand beater (think egg beater), grain mill (useful for coffee as well as grains), manual meat grinder, juicer, rolling pin, grater, potato masher, strainer, wire whisk, non-electric yogurt maker, bread toaster, knife sharpener, potato peeler, nut chopper, garlic press, and a flour sifter. This is not an inclusive list, but will get you started.

Having the ability to prepare and cook your own food under any circumstances is invaluable. Containers for cooking that will last and be usable with or without electricity would include, but not be limited to, cast iron pots and pans, a dutch oven, a solar oven, a stock pot, crockery or enamel ware, stainless steel and ceramic bowls, a roasting pan, cooling racks, broiler pan, cast iron teapot, and a stove top coffee percolator.

Preserving the food you have, especially from your own garden, is a critical element to homesteading and one for which there are more homesteading supplies needed. One way to preserve food is to dehydrate it. A good electric dehydrator will help you preserve a lot of food fairly quickly, but it would also be wise to have a non electric dehydration method just in case. Canning is another excellent way to preserve the bounty of your garden. There are two basic method for canning, water bath and pressure. A pressure cooker/canner is an essential element to canning and is necessary for low acid foods and meats. If you had to only have one way to can, pressure canning would be it since you are able to can all kinds of food in a pressure canner.

A water bath canner is also good, it is inexpensive and useful, just cannot be used for all types of canning. Aside from a pressure canner and a water bath canner additional canning supplies include jars, lids, jar top funnels, cooling racks, jar tongs, and a pressure gauge.

As mentioned, it is entirely possible that you already have some of these items, but making yourself a shopping list would be a good step to fully equipping your homestead kitchen.

http://www.urbanhomesteadingtoday.com is a website that is focused on urban homesteading and the topics relevant to how to develop your own homestead. It is a place where you can join the journey, and learn to become more self reliant and less dependent on our currently over taxed support systems.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Canning Equipment - 7 Canning Supplies You Need For Home Canning

Many people may be wondering what canning supplies they will need to begin canning at home. Here are the most important canning supplies.

1. Canning jars - Make sure you get jars that are specially designed for canning. This will ensure the bands and lids fit properly to give you a proper seal and that they will not break under the heat and pressure of a pressure canner.

2. Boiling water canner - If you are canning acid foods such as jams, jellies, fruit and pickled foods you will want a boiling water canner. Make sure it has a canning rack inside along with a lid.

3. Pressure canner - All low acid foods like meats and most vegetables need to be canned in a pressure canner to ensure safe canning. If you plan on canning these types of foods a pressure canner is a must.

4. New lids and bands - Before you start canning always make sure you have enough brand new lids on hand. You do not want to reuse old lids because they will not seal properly. However, you can use bands from year to year. Just inspect the bands to make sure they screw on the jars properly and are not bent or corroded.

5. Jar lifter - A jar lifter is almost the most important piece of canning equipment. It is hard to replace a jar lifter for getting the canning jars out of the hot water.

6. Magnetic lid lifter - A magnetic lid lifter makes it easy to remove lids and bands from hot water when canning.

7. Wide mouth funnel - You may have a regular funnel already at home but a wide mouth funnel is irreplaceable. It sits down in the top of the jar and makes it easy to pour foods and hot liquids into the jar. It also helps keep food off the rim of the jar.

So, as you can see, these seven canning supplies are very important to have before you start your home canning. They will ensure safe and easy canning. 

And if you would like more information about canning and canning supplies please visit our website at [http://www.jrkfamilyoutdoors.com/canning] You can receive 18 free videos that answer many questions about home canning just by signing up for our newsletter.

By: Rhonda Percell - Wife, Mother of 3, and owner of JRK Family Outdoors

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Home Canning Supplies and Equipment - The Proper Equipment Needed For Successful Home Canning

I love canning food. I use pressure canning and also boiling-water bath methods for preserving our garden harvests, depending on what type of food is being processed. There are certain items that comprise your arsenal of home canning supplies and make the job much easier.

First of all, you need a canner. I personally use an All American Pressure Canner manufactured by the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. I love the wing nut locking system of this particular canner. I've owned some other pressure cookers and canners that had a plastic gasket seal. The seals eventually crack and wear out, requiring replacement.

With the wing nut system, there are no gaskets to replace. Just be sure to keep all of your canner parts together so you do not lose them, such as your pressure regulator, your pressure gauge, the wing nuts, etc. A pressure cooker or canner without a vent regulator is useless, but the part is very small and easy to lose. I keep the loose parts inside of the canner in storage so that the parts are always there.

You need home canning jars that are designed for this purpose. Some glass will crack under high heat, so purchase Mason, Kerr or Ball glass canning jars made specifically for pressure or boiling bath canning.

You will need metal lids and screw bands. The metal seal lids should be used only once and discarded when the contents are consumed. The screw bands can be used over and over again. The screw bands are removed after the contents cool and the vacuum seal is achieved, and the filled canning jars are stored with the metal lid only.

Equipment and utensils should be made of stainless steel or anodized aluminum. Avoid copper, brass, cast iron, and galvanized zinc as these materials react with salts and acids in the foods.

A typical equipment array might include:

o Colander

o Heavy duty pots and saucepans

o Knives, cutting board, potato or vegetable peeler

o Ladle and spoons (heat resistant)

o Measuring spoons and cups in various sizes

o Large sized mixing bowl capable of several quarts

o Funnel designed specifically for a jar

o Magnetic lid wand

o Kitchen tongs

o Dry kitchen towels

o Non-metal spatula (for removing air bubbles)

o Jar lifter (this is a very handle tool for safely removing jars from hot boiling water)

o Cheesecloth

o Strainer

o Thermometer (I use a candy thermometer)

o Labels (often included in boxes of canning jars)

o Permanent marker

o Spice bag (handy but I often make mine from muslin or cheesecloth)

o Accurate kitchen timer

o Kitchen scales

o Journal or notebook for recording recipes, making notes, etc.

There are other tools that make the job of home canning easier, depending on the types of food you plan to process. Food mills, grinders, jelly bags, slicers, blenders, corers, pitters, and other items can make your job much easier.

There are canning accessory sets available that are very affordable and contain most of the common items you need when you hot process foods. Home canning supplies are necessary to perform the job successfully and safely. These utensils and equipment usually last for years with proper care, so a wise small investment in the beginning is highly recommended.

REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Laura Brown is an experienced ghostwriter and professional freelance author. She also enjoys gardening and cooking. You can find some delicious recipes and gardening tips on her website, http://www.theranchersdaughter.com along with a lot of useful information on gardening, cooking, flowers, and living in the country. Learn more about home canning supplies at Laura's website.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.