Making Groceries?

 Good morning all!

Fall is close I can feel it!  Time to clean up the garden and rethink things for next year.  It's also the time I begin to start to look inward to the house and reclaiming it from a summer of neglect.  Little by little I've been retaking rooms, and then managing to keep those rooms claimed while I reclaim another.  

While my focus has turned to homemaking, I'm still growing items in the garden.  It's a "need to" situation.  Have you seen the prices at the store lately?  I basically walked into Aldi and walked out again the other day; with very little purchased.  I was stunned!  Stunned at how much things had gone up in a short two week time period.   In addition to stunned, I was disappointed.  I'd had some things on my list to buy instead of make to give me a break a little so I could focus on other things; i.e. Etsy, cleaning, and gardening.  When I walked out, it was with the realization that we were at the point where things I can make, I need to make.  

Many years ago I submitted a post called "shopping with my  sewing machine".  It's not a barn burner, but if you want to read it, you can find it here.  Although a short post, it's what I thought of this week as I went about " grocery shopping with my stove".  In other words I set about filling our pantry by making the items I needed, and filling in some things I've been meaning to can up ( which also fills the pantry).  I'm not done yet.  I'll do some more this weekend,  but here's what I've accomplished so far:

two loaves of bread and 8 hamburger buns.  This was one recipe of bread dough made into 2 different items,

Chocolate chip Zucchini cake.  This was for dessert for a couple of nights

Pancake syrup is labeled, and the other items are raspberry jam and blackberry jam made from berries we grew this summer, and the quart jar in the back is apple jelly made from apple cores that I've saved in the freezer for just this reason,  All of this was made up and just put in the fridge,  No need to can it as they will go thru it quickly.

Whole wheat bagels.  This recipe made 18 bagels, so equal to 3 store bought packages.  

And last but not least, 8 jars ( though only 4 shown here) of beet jelly. Tastes like a fruit jelly

Left to make are crackers. chocolate syrup and dog treats.  In addition it will more than likely be time to add more bread for sandwiches.

I post all of this not to brag ( well...maybe a little), but to give an example of using skill sets.  While all of these items require something from me to produce them, many take very little time ( the chocolate syrup, Pancake Syrup, Chocolate cake), and are minimally labor intensive.   The most labor intensive item I've made is the Bagels.  Totally worth it though.  They are sooooo good!( if I do say so myself).  None of these items require special equipment.  Even the jams and jellies are made with a simple stock pot.  Since the vast majority of those weren't canned, but stored in the fridge; I could have just opted to put them in a regular storage container to refrigerate.  

Yes, making bread products is an acquired skill, but it's a skill worth learning.  Tip for that, start with regular white flour, not wheat.  Wheat flour can come after you've gotten comfortable making the bread.  Always remember, even the mistakes make great toast, and grill cheese sandwiches. 

Give it a whirl!  Nothing to lose and a lot to gain.  Recipes for just about everything here are found in my  recipe section.  The apple core jelly was a youtube video and the jams were from all recipes.  The internet is your gateway to wonderful food skills.  Have a go!