See exactly what it looks like to preserve food to last for 12 months.

This year has been the busiest year ever for the family. Before diving into preserving, it is important to understand the context of what life was like for them as they approached the gardening and preserving season. After buying their land last year, they started building their dream home. Finally, in May, almost one year later, it was getting close to being finished. Their dream of having space to grow the garden they envisioned was coming to life as well. They prepped and planted in their ten thousand square foot garden. However, several months after their builder had estimated their home to be complete, it still wasn’t finished. They were forced to move out of their rental home and camped in the barn, dirt floor and all, for over a month as they waited for their house to reach a livable state.

During this time, they had no electricity, no kitchen, and no indoor plumbing. The barn roof was not as waterproof as they thought, and in the first rainstorm, they had soaked their tent, clothes, and all of their sleeping bags. Despite the challenges, they were grateful for their family and being together, focused on one goal with very little distractions. During that month, they learned to be creative by harvesting vegetables and making a makeshift kitchen area outdoors, then preparing them for preserving. They also did a lot of fermenting during this time since it required no electricity. Finally, in early July, they moved into their new home officially.

Key Takeaways

• Consistency is key to preserving a year’s supply of food.
• Hard work and commitment are necessary to achieve a goal like growing and preserving a year’s supply of vegetables and meat.
• The journey of growing and preserving food is not easy, but it is worthwhile and fulfilling.

Building the Dream Home

After purchasing their land, the family began building their dream home. The home was close to being finished by May, almost one year after they had started building it. The family prepped and planted their ten thousand square foot garden, but the home was still not finished by the end of May, several months after the builder had estimated its completion. The family was forced to move out of their rental home and camped in the barn for over a month as they waited for their house to be completed.

During this time, the family had no electricity, kitchen, or indoor plumbing. They learned to be creative and resourceful, with the speaker harvesting vegetables and making a makeshift kitchen area outdoors. The family also did a lot of fermenting during this time since it required no electricity.

Finally, in early July, the family moved into their new home, which was five months after their builder had estimated the completion date to be. The move-in happened during their busiest time of year, but luckily, the previous months of May and June were spent doing a lot more planting than preserving.

The family moved into their home just in time for the bulk of the preserving season to begin. They vowed not to let any of their garden bounty go to waste and preserved a little bit of their harvest every day. The family came up with different ways to make preserving fun, such as moving a TV to the kitchen and watching a movie together as they worked.

The speaker worked late into the night, often staying up until two, three, or four in the morning to finish a batch of food. Despite the difficulties, the speaker felt a deep sense of purpose in growing and preserving their own food. The family has been learning and growing in their journey to become better at putting up food, and they are excited to see where this journey leads them next.

Living in the Barn

After buying their land last year, the family began building their dream home in May. However, almost a year later, the house was still not finished, and they were forced to move out of their rental home. They camped in the barn, which had a dirt floor and no electricity, kitchen, or indoor plumbing, for over a month while waiting for their house to reach a livable state. The barn roof was not as waterproof as they thought, and they had to endure a soaking during the first rainstorm, which drenched their tent, clothes, and sleeping bags.

Despite the challenges, the family was grateful for being together and focused on their goal of growing and preserving a year’s supply of vegetables and meat for their family. They learned to be creative during that month, with the speaker harvesting vegetables and making a makeshift kitchen area outdoors to prepare them for preserving. The speaker also did a lot of fermenting during this time since it required no electricity.

In early July, the family moved into their new home officially, five months after the builder had estimated the completion date to be. Luckily, their move-in happened during their busiest time of year, and they were just in time for the bulk of the preserving season to begin. They vowed not to let any of their garden bounty go to waste and preserved a little of it every day, which is the secret to preserving a year’s supply of food.

The family came up with different ways to make preserving fun as a family, such as moving a TV to the kitchen and watching a movie together as they worked, talking, or making it a game. There were times when they could work together during the day, and other times when the busyness of life left only the evening to do canning and preserving. Those nights were the hardest, and the speaker would work alone until two, three, or four in the morning, finishing a batch of food.

Despite the difficulty, the speaker felt a deep sense of purpose in growing and preserving food. The promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods has erased the age-old art of preserving, but the family has learned how to grow and preserve food over the last 15 years. While it is not easy to grow and preserve food, many worthwhile things in life take patience and endless effort. Little by little, the family is getting better at putting up food, and they haven’t mastered growing everything they eat, but most of the fun and joy is in the journey.

Moving into the New Home

After months of waiting, the family finally moved into their new home in early July, five months after the builder had estimated the completion date. The move-in happened during their busiest time of year, but luckily, the previous months of May and June were spent doing a lot more planting than preserving. Once the vegetables started to come, it never slowed down, but this was actually a huge blessing. Their hard work preparing, planting, watering, and weeding the garden started to pay off.

With all the effort it takes to grow vegetables, the family vowed not to let any go to waste. They preserved a little of their garden bounty every day. This is the secret to preserving a year’s supply of food – consistency. They came up with different ways to make it fun as a family. They would move a TV to the kitchen and watch a movie together as they worked. Sometimes they would just talk, and other times they would make it a game.

There were times when they could work together during the day, and other times when the busyness of life left only the evening to do canning and preserving. Those nights were the hardest. One family member would work alone, their legs hurting, their feet tired, and they wanted to sleep so badly. Many times they would stay up until two, three, or four in the morning finishing a batch of food.

Frenzied preserving times were met with less busy times, and they would be able to catch up on sleep and get rejuvenated and motivated to do more. Even though there were moments of difficulty, the family felt a deep sense of purpose.

Over the last century, the promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods erased the age-old art of preserving. While cheap and fast food seemed like a good thing to so many, we now see all the health problems that have followed the industrialization of the food we eat. Like so many others, the family’s health declined from eating these heavily processed and chemical-laced foods. They were ignorant for a time but grateful that they got woken up to the unhealthy food they were eating. They didn’t want to let others control what they put in their bodies and learned how to grow and preserve food.

Over the last 15 years, every year as they learned more, grew more, and preserved more, they felt as though they were doing what they were intended to do. It’s not easy to grow and preserve food, but many worthwhile things in life take patience and endless effort. Little by little, they are getting better at putting up food. They aren’t perfect and haven’t mastered growing everything they eat, but most of the fun and joy is in the journey, and they can’t wait to see where that journey leads them next.

Gardening and Preserving

The family’s goal to grow and preserve a year’s supply of vegetables and meat for their family required a large amount of commitment and sacrifice. They lived on their land in a barn with no electricity, kitchen, or indoor plumbing for over a month while waiting for their home to reach a livable state. During this time, they learned to be creative and harvested vegetables to make a makeshift kitchen area outdoors where they prepared them for preserving. They also did a lot of fermenting since it required no electricity.

Once they moved into their new home, they began the bulk of the preserving season. They vowed not to let any of their garden bounty go to waste and preserved a little every day. The family came up with different ways to make it fun, such as moving a TV to the kitchen and watching a movie together as they worked. Sometimes they would just talk, and other times they would make it a game.

The family worked together during the day and preserved vegetables at night. Even though it was challenging, they felt a deep sense of purpose. The promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods has erased the age-old art of preserving. However, the family learned how to grow and preserve food over the last 15 years. They felt as though they were doing what they were intended to do.

Making Preserving Fun

Preserving food can be a daunting task, especially when trying to preserve enough food to last a year. However, it is important to be consistent in order to achieve this goal. To make the process more enjoyable, the speaker and their family found different ways to make preserving fun.

One way they did this was by moving a TV to the kitchen and watching a movie together as they worked. Other times, they would make it a game. For example, they would challenge each other to find the onions or other ingredients quickly.

There were times when the busyness of life left only the evening to do canning and preserving. These nights were the hardest, and the speaker would often work alone until the early hours of the morning. Despite the challenges, they felt a deep sense of purpose in preserving their own food.

Over the last century, the art of preserving food has been lost due to the promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods. However, the speaker recognized the health problems that came with these foods and decided to take control of what they put in their body.

Although growing and preserving food is not easy, it is a worthwhile endeavor that takes patience and endless effort. The speaker acknowledges that they are not perfect and have not mastered growing everything they eat, but they find joy in the journey and look forward to where it will lead them next.

The Dark Side of Homesteading

Homesteading can be a fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle, but it also has its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the amount of work and commitment required to grow and preserve enough food to last a year. This can be especially difficult during the busiest times of the year, when there is a lot of harvesting and preserving to be done.

For one family, the homesteading journey began with the purchase of a piece of land and the construction of their dream home. However, the completion of the home was delayed, and the family was forced to live in a barn with no electricity, kitchen, or indoor plumbing for over a month while they waited. Despite the challenges, the family remained committed to their goal of growing and preserving a year’s supply of vegetables and meat for their family.

During the busy preserving season, the family worked tirelessly to ensure that none of their garden bounty went to waste. They preserved a little bit every day, and came up with different ways to make it fun as a family. However, there were also times when the work was difficult and exhausting, and the family members had to work alone late into the night to finish a batch of food.

The dark side of homesteading is the amount of hard work and sacrifice required to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency. This can be especially challenging during the busiest times of the year, when there is little time for rest and relaxation. However, for many homesteaders, the sense of purpose and fulfillment that comes from growing and preserving their own food makes it all worthwhile.

Canning Process

The family’s hard work preparing, planting, watering, and weeding the garden started to pay off once the vegetables started to come in. To ensure that none of their garden bounty went to waste, they preserved a little bit of their harvest every day. This consistency was the secret to preserving a year’s supply of food. They came up with different ways to make it fun as a family, such as moving a TV to the kitchen and watching a movie together as they worked.

During the busier times, they would work together during the day. However, when the busyness of life left only the evening to do canning and preserving, those nights were the hardest. One member of the family would work alone, with tired legs and feet, and a strong desire to sleep. Many times, they would stay up until two, three, or four in the morning finishing a batch of food.

To can diced tomatoes, they first heated up jars and water to skin the tomatoes. After peeling and chopping the tomatoes, they put them in the canner. They used pressure canning, and always added some extra acid.

The family’s preserving efforts were met with less busy times, which allowed them to catch up on sleep and get rejuvenated and motivated to do more. Despite the moments of difficulty, they felt a deep sense of purpose in their preserving efforts.

Over the last century, the promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods has erased the age-old art of preserving. However, the family recognized the health problems that have followed the industrialization of food. They learned how to grow and preserve food over the last 15 years, and every year, as they learned more, grew more, and preserved more, they felt as though they were doing what they were intended to do.

While it’s not easy to grow and preserve food, the family recognizes that many worthwhile things in life take patience and endless effort. Little by little, they are getting better at putting up food. They aren’t perfect and haven’t mastered growing everything they eat, but most of the fun and joy is in the journey.

Health and Industrial Foods

Over the last century, industrialization has led to the widespread availability of cheap, fast, and heavily processed foods. While these foods may seem convenient, they have been linked to numerous health problems. Many individuals have experienced declining health due to the consumption of chemically-laced foods.

To combat this issue, some individuals have turned to growing and preserving their own food. While this process may be challenging, it allows individuals to have control over what they put into their bodies. Additionally, growing and preserving food can be a rewarding experience that brings joy and a sense of purpose.

It is important to note that preserving food is not a new concept. In fact, it is an age-old art that has been largely lost due to the rise of industrialization. By learning how to grow and preserve food, individuals can take a step towards a healthier lifestyle.

The Journey of Growing and Preserving

This year marked the busiest year for the family, with a goal to grow and preserve a year’s supply of vegetables and meat for their family. After buying their land last year, the family started to build their dream home. Finally, almost one year later in May, the dream of having space to grow the envisioned garden was coming to life as well. They prepped and planted in their ten thousand square foot garden. However, at the end of May, several months after the builder had estimated the home to be complete, it still wasn’t finished. The family was forced to move out of their rental home and camped in the barn, dirt floor, and all, for over a month as they waited for their house to reach a livable state.

During this time, the family had no electricity, no kitchen, and no indoor plumbing. The barn roof was not as waterproof as they thought, and in the first rainstorm, they soaked their tent, clothes, and all of their sleeping bags. Despite this, they were grateful for being together and focused on one goal with very few distractions. During that month, they learned to be creative. The speaker would harvest vegetables, make a makeshift kitchen area outdoors, and then prepare them for preserving. The family also did a lot of fermenting during this time since it required no electricity.

Finally, in early July, the family moved into their new home officially, five months after the builder had estimated the completion date to be. Instead of being in winter as they had originally planned, their move-in happened during their busiest time of year. Luckily, the previous months of May and June were spent doing a lot more planting than preserving. They moved into their home just in time for the bulk of the preserving season to begin.

Once the vegetables started to come, it never slowed down, but this was actually a huge blessing. Their hard work preparing, planting, watering, and weeding the garden started to pay off. With all the effort it takes to grow vegetables, they vowed not to let any go to waste. They preserved a little of their garden bounty every day. This is the secret to preserving a year’s supply of food; you need to be consistent. So, they came up with different ways to make it fun as a family. They would move a TV to the kitchen and watch a movie together as they worked. Sometimes they would just talk, and other times they would make it a game.

There were times when they could work together during the day, and other times when the busyness of life left only the evening to do canning and preserving. Those nights were the hardest. The speaker would work alone, and her legs hurt, her feet were tired, and she wanted to sleep so badly. Many times she would stay up until two, three, or four in the morning finishing a batch of food.

Frenzied preserving times were met with less busy times, and the speaker would be able to catch up on sleep and get rejuvenated and motivated to do more. Even though there are moments of difficulty, the speaker felt a deep sense of purpose. Over the last century, the promise of easy, fast, and cheap industrial foods erased the age-old art of preserving. While cheap and fast food seemed like a good thing to so many, we now see all the health problems that have followed the industrialization of the food we eat. Like so many others, the speaker’s health declined from eating these heavily processed and chemical-laced foods. She was ignorant for a time but grateful that she got woken up to the unhealthy food she was eating. She didn’t want to let others control what she put in her body and learned how to grow and preserve food.

Over the last 15 years, every year as she learned more, grew more, and preserved more, she felt as though she was doing what she was intended to do. It’s not easy to grow and preserve food, but many worthwhile things in life take patience and endless effort. Little by little, the family is getting better at putting up food. They aren’t perfect, and they haven’t mastered growing everything they eat, but most of the fun and joy is in the journey, and they can’t wait to see where that journey leads them next.