Made Mozzarella Cheese today

My Mozzarella Cheese turned very good. I could of eaten all of it at one time. I went online and looked up in several cheese books I have for a recipe.  There were so many recipes and most had the same ingredients, it was the process that was so different from recipe to recipe . So I finally just picked one  and made it. The whole process was about 1 1/2 hours. I should be able to get it down to 1 hour.
 I ended up with 3 balls  and 2 were easy to finish but the last one just would not get stretchy and shiny. So I just ate it. It was so good.

Milk is about 86% water so when you are through making cheese you have a by product. Whey can be fed to animals, put on your garden or make Ricotta Cheese. That is what I did made Ricotta Cheese. I cooked and cooked and nothing so I added some vinegar and cooked some more still nothing. By now I'm getting a little discussed so I strained the whey in the cheesecloth and I got maybe a handful of cheese. I asked my friend Nancy Coonridge from Coonridge Organic Dairy.  in Pie Town NM. She told me if I made the Mozzarella with citric acid then the whey would not make Ricotta Cheese. Which is exactly what I did. My next patch of Mozzarella Cheese I will try another recipe

My next cheese is going to be cheddar cheese.

More later.

Canning in season food

When I started this quest to be self sufficient I did not know much so I got busy and the first thing I taught myself was how to can food. I bought the best canner there is. American pressure canner. I read as much as I could on the internet and in books. My first food I tried was  a Salsa recipe I found in Mother Earth News. It has potatoes in it so you have to use a pressure canner . I was scared to open the first can. But I finally did and since I didn't get sick then everyone else eat and soon all the Salsa was gone. I have made another batch this past winter. Its all gone also. I wanted to make it so bad I used all ingredient out of season. I don't know how much the first two batches cost . But I know what went into the food, And it turned out really good.

So this year I will can food all from what is in season. And I'm trying to eat all organic. Which has proven to be harder then I thought.  I went to the farmers market last Saturday. The vegetables looked so much better then the ones in the grocery store. I bought some lettuce then I went and bought  lettuce at the grocery store and had a taste test. Wow there is a difference.

Most food  I have canned have been meals or soups. Spaghetti sauce with meat and without. I also had a hot Spaghetti sauce it was an experiment I through in a couple of hot peppers. It was so good. I have canned squash soup, chicken soup, split pea soup,  chili with meat and without meat. A sausage tomato dish we love.

When it comes time to fix a meal I just go down to my storage room and get a jar and the rest is easy.

So this year I will restock my shelves with organic in season food. It is worth it. I love looking at my stocked shelves in the winter and I did all of it. And if the power goes out I can still have food.
More later

new air conditioner and furnace

Tomorrow we get our new air conditioner and furnace. To get ready for them to be replaced we had to clear out 6 feet on all sides of the furnace in the basement. The other air conditioner and furnace is in the attic. After 8 years of putting everything in the basement that we didn't know what to do with and might be a chance we would need years from now. We had a lot to move. But now I know what I can sell, give away or throw a way. Our units are 30 years old . We should be able to see a difference in not only the efficiency but the monthly bill.

The side of the house were the units are I have been wanting to pit up a trellis garden but knew we were getting new AC and furnace so I now will be able to go forward with my plan.

More later.

July 26 2010 My first blog

So I finally decided to blog. I have been learning a lot about how to be more self sufficient in my daily life. Eating Organic, planting my own food, ways to persevere my bounty, making my 30 year old house energy efficient and more to come.

I have taught myself to can food. Which has come in handy at dinner time. And in the winter when when all you want is a bowl of home made soup but don't have time to make it. Its so nice to go to the cabinet and open up a jar of soup you made and you know what is it.

I will post more later.