No Sew Day

 Hi Friends!  Yesterday was a full day of kitchen work.  First on the list of things to do was to add more cucumbers to the refrigerator bread and butter pickle jar.  Mr. Podunk loves pickles, so every year as soon as our cucumbers ripen a new batch of these pickles are made.  As he eats them I just keep adding cukes and onions to the brine.  If you like bread and butte pickles but don't like to home can them, this is the recipe for you.  Click here to go to the video recipe,

After making the beds, eating some breakfast and a few other odd house chores it was time to pick wild blackberries.  Mr. Podunk picked half of these two days ago.  We get about half of that  bucket every other day.  

Of course with the first picking I always make a cobbler.  So half of the berries were made into a cobbler.  As it cooked in the oven it was time to freeze the rest of them on cookie sheets.  

It was early enough in the day that they would be frozen and ready to package up before bedtime.  While I waited for the cobbler to finish cooking I whipped a two small meatloaf for dad and Mr. Podunk.  They will go in the oven when the cobbler is done.

As cobbler is cooling on the stove and the meatloaf is in the oven  I emptied the dehydrator and reloaded it with more sliced hot dogs.  Yes I'm dehydrating hot dogs.  These are for the our German Shepherd, Khaleesi.  It's cheaper and healthier than store bought dog treats. 

A three pound package of these hot dogs costs $4.58.  I buy 4 of these at a time.  They will last four to six weeks.  Sometimes longer.  The total process to dehydrate 12 pounds of hot dogs takes three days.

It takes about 24 hours for them to dehydrate at 145 degrees.  And let me tell you, the entire house smells like hot dogs.  

Here's the first batch.  I'll need another jar on the third day/third batch.

They are nice and crunchy and safe for humans if you like dried out meat. I do not!   I've never like any type of dried meat.

The meatloaf came out of the oven and was cooling when I noticed my Instant Pot was getting close to the 24 hour mark.  Inside is homemade yogurt.  Mr. Podunk has had yogurt almost everyday for the last 6 or 7 years.  Why?  Gut health.  He had a bad gut infection a few years ago.  The doctor told him the best way to keep it from coming back was to eat yogurt everyday.  Since 2020 and inflation I've been making my own yogurt in the Instant Pot every two weeks.  The cost is the price of a gallon of milk.  If I were to buy the yogurt it would cost $18.

After folding laundry, playing with the dog and eating a quick supper it was time to strain the yogurt.  This too takes a little time.  I'll let them set on the counter for a bit then will go into the fridge overnight.

Next was to check on the veggie garden.

Not much to pick.  Just a few jalapenos, one small squash and a few tomatoes.

We have a bunch tortilla chips and yellow tomatoes leftover from the 4th of July gathering so I decided to make a fresh batch Salsa with my leftovers and fresh pickin's.

How do you like my fancy recycled jar?  Yep, I'm just as cheap in the kitchen as I am in the sewing room.  I save all store bought jars for home canning emergency water.  As long as the lid has a rubber ring and a button on top, they can be reused.  Yes, I know our government says you can't reuse this type of  jar but it's not the first thing they've lied about.  I've been doing it all my life because I learned it from my mom and granny.  These jars will reseal every time.  The lids are better than the Ball lids for canning jars.  I've even used them for pressure canning without issue.  "They" say these jars are not thick enough and will explode or crack.  The only jar I've ever had break in my canner is a Ball jar.  And it was brand new, first time use.  I'm not saying you should start canning in these jars.  I'm just telling you I'm a rebel and like to take chances.

By this time it's was getting late, about 8:30pm.  I checked the berries and they are ready to vacuum seal and store in the freezer.

The last thing to do before calling it a day is freeze some pumpkin for the Khaleesi.  Pumpkin is good for dog tummy troubles.  If you see your dog eating grass it means they have tummy trouble.  She does this occasionally.  I think it's because she eats animal poo from time to time.  I know, gross.   But a dogs gonna do what dogs do.  Just one little frozen scoop of frozen pumpkin settles her stomach.  This one can of pumpkin will last about six months to a year.  We give them to her even when doesn't feel bad. She love them.  By now you might have figured out we don't buy dog food.  I make all of her food.  She eats a raw dog food diet.  It's cheaper and healthier than the so called better dog kibble.  I make a months worth at a time and store it in the freezer.

I just made a batch last week.   This is one frozen dog meal.  It's thawed when she eats.  We love our girl and want her to live her best life.  She was not so loved before.  Mr. Podunk was against feeding her a raw diet until I showed him the math.  It's $10 cheaper a month.  Not much of a price difference but the health benefits are amazing.