Yes, still...but I promise... we're working on it.
Speaking of freezer, we've had quite the cold snap recently. Downwards of -30 ish or so over the past few nights--er, real temp and wind chill--enough so, schools in the nearby vicinity closed down on Thursday and Friday. Most people have been hunkering down and whining about the state of weather affairs in our neck of the woods. Belly-aching over the slow arrival of spring, and whatnot. I chose the high road, and went rabbit hunting.
Yes, you read that correctly... rabbit hunting.
It was -18F real temp when I warmed up the truck and put on multiple layers to brace against the cold elements. I've been cold before, but this was a whole new ballgame. It was crazy cold, and I loved every single minute of it. I spent roughly five hours snowshoeing through the nearby forest, spent five 20 gauge #6 shotgun shells, and came home with a limit of five cottontail bunnies for our freezer.
I guess you could say I went grocery shopping--sort of.
Those future dinners will have a story.
It's always more fun when your supper has a story. Whether we grow in the garden, or harvest from the stream or forest, or barter with friends, it's a wonderful thing to know where your food comes from. I highly recommend it. It may be easier to open a box, or tell a waiter what you want off of a menu, but in the end-- it's probably not as good for you, it won't mean as much, and your wallet will be lighter. Becoming more self-sufficient has taught us many lessons as of recent...
We received quite a few "food gifts" during bereavement. I suppose that's quite common. Lots of fixings for sub sandwiches, chips, cookies, soft drinks, etc., for the funeral home, some casseroles, a pie. One relative even brought over her version of a "meat and cheese" tray for Jay. Upon opening the bags, we saw various items that would amount to enough things to compile a few dozen BLT sandwiches. I smiled and laughed. Jay loved it.
No one had ever gifted him copious amounts of bacon before. :)
Those sandwiches will have a story.
Today, I made a large stockpot of chili. I used up the remaining ground beef from the quarter steer we purchased this summer (we are now out of ground beef, but we still have ground venison), along with the rest of our aluminum-canned beans (I have a lot more home-canned dry beans...lots), and home-canned tomatoes and tomato juice from our garden. During this cold snap, chili just sounded awesome. Indeed it was. Too bad Jay doesn't like dry beans. He won't touch it. Plenty to share, though. Two big containers will make for great lunches for me this week. Two more big containers each were shared with Jay's mom and my mom. The mom's will surely enjoy it.
Again, supper has a story.
--SH