CREATING A SIMPLER LIFE OFF-GRID
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A little bit of anything and everything that's part of
​creating, enjoying, and living a simpler life!
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Why I Freeze My Cherry Tomatoes

8/24/2017

11 Comments

 
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The only, and I mean only, tomato I grow is the cherry tomato. To be more specific, I only grow heirloom sweet 100's. They are the only kind of tomato I actually like, and to be more direct, I really only like them fresh direct from the vine when they are super red, and super sweet! However, the vines produce so many that I simply cannot eat them all fresh! 

These sweet 100 cherry tomatoes are called indeterminate tomatoes. This means they take a little longer to start providing the fruit, but once they do, well, they simply don't stop! In fact, I had heard of so many people complaining that they just don't know what to do with all of them that I wrote a post called "Save All Those Cherry Tomatoes" for a list of ways to make sure that no surplus goes to waste. Even my over ripe cherry tomatoes that have split are a delicious treat for my hens!

Though I dry some, eat some fresh, and save a few to add to my favorite Cucumber Salad Recipe, I actually choose freeze the majority of them! Why? Well, to make my favorite Super Simple Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce with (you can watch a video of how it's made if you check out that link)! And boy is it simple :-)
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Remove stems and give over-ripe tomatoes to your chickens (if you have them)!
How I Freeze Cherry Tomatoes:
  • Pick them as ripe as possible - this assures that they will be super sweet!
  • Be sure they have no stems attached and are clean (rinse only if necessary).
  • Immediately place them into a gallon size freezer bag.
  • Remove air, zip it up tight, and freeze!

I simply continue to add cherry tomatoes to the same bag as they ripen and until the bag full. I write the date on the bag when it is filled and then I move it from the kitchen freezer to the basement freezer. This just assures that I use them in date order during the winter. Simple!
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Simply put them right in a ziplock freezer bag! Only rinse if necessary.
Here's my super simple recipe:
NOTE: I use my frozen cherry tomatoes during the winter instead of the fresh. When blending the frozen tomatoes I simply and add some water so they blend better (Yes, I blend them frozen. No need to defrost so no planning is necessary!). This just means that the sauce has to be cooked a little longer, but believe me, it is just as delicious and it allows us to enjoy my fresh cooked cherry tomato sauce all winter long! YUM!
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Enjoy!
Check our our other ways to
preserve and save fresh fruits and vegetables
​
and our easy recipes too!
Sincerely,
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Sources:
http://www.grow-it-organically.com/tomato-varieties.html
11 Comments

Braiding Onions

10/20/2016

0 Comments

 
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Growing onions is so simple.  I kind of cheat by buying packages of 'seed' onions. These are tiny little onions you can just stick in the ground and they simply grow into bigger onions.  Really super simple!  I ended up with quite a few nice yellow onions this year despite the heat so I am quite happy, especially because last years crop completely died.  

Anyway, the onions were recently ready so I went out and carefully removed them so the greens remained in-tact.  Now they are ready for braiding!  I look forward to eating them all winter long!
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You can see the onions in the back part of this bed. We had them growing in the same bed as our garlic.
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The heat was really getting to them so we picked them a little earlier than normal. I was just too afraid of losing them all like we did last year. I set them on the table to dry in the sun for the day.
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Then I got to work braiding them together to hang until needed!
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When it comes to braiding them I just go for it. I know how to do a basic braid and I just keep braiding more in until it seems like it is enough. Nothing fancy.
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Braids are tied using 8" zip ties (I know, it's kind of cheating but they work so well!). I did have some onions where the greens were simply too week to braid. Those were put into a canvas bag and hung in a dry location for use as needed.
NOTE: we also harvested all our shallots and braided them for the winter too!  I just love all the fresh onions, shallots and garlic! Check out the garlic post here!
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Braided shallots.
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Braided hard neck garlic and yellow onions.
If you have never tried growing your own onions, or shallots definitely give them a try in the spring next year!
For garlic it's actually time to plant them right now!
Check out planting garlic here.

Thanks for visiting!
Sincerely,
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0 Comments

Save All Those Cherry Tomatoes!

8/24/2016

0 Comments

 
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I absolutely love cherry tomatoes. In fact, they are the ONLY tomato we grow!  We do not eat a lot of pasta here so tomato sauce is not rarely used, but we do eat ALOT of summer salads and cherry tomatoes go perfect in them! But seriously, we are just two people and we can't eat enough of the cherry tomatoes to keep up!  Even with sharing with neighbors and feeding them to the chickens, there are just so many more!  So I got to thinking - What else can I do with them?  I know I can freeze them, but that's just too boring to me since they can't be eaten in a salad after being frozen so I would rather just sun-dry them and then freeze them like I've already been doing.  No, I really want to try something completely different with my excess cherry tomatoes, so of course I RESEARCHED all the possibilities on Google - after all it is one of the things I am really good at - and here are a few of my favorite ideas:
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Homemade Tomato Ketchup by Common Sense Homesteading. Now ketchup is something I will use and she gives the option of using cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes to make it.  Can't wait to try it! Note that she also shares a fermented recipe but it was the canning one I plan on trying! This recipe is smooth and creamy just like the ketchup you buy in the store that most children love!
http://commonsensehome.com/2-homemade-ketchup-recipes/
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Tomato Jam (really an adult ketchup) - by Never Enough Thyme.  She actually says this is a grown-up ketchup because it has a little more kick to it.  I like it because it looks really rich and healthy and because she actually made it with cherry tomatoes!  I included this because it is different enough from the first ketchup recipe and seems like it would make a great gift as well.
​http://www.lanascooking.com/tomato-jam/
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Cherry Tomato Jam - by Matkonation.  Now this is really more of a jam - it literally calls for a pound of sugar and sounds absolutely scrumptious!  The recipe looks really simple too.
http://matkonation.com/en/cherry-tomato-jam-a-baby-shower-gift/
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Lazy Cherry Tomato Salsa - by grow it cook it can it (that's exactly how it is on the website). This is very similar to the two recipes above, but we love salsa so it was different enough to make a mention of here!  And, in my opinion, worth trying!
https://growitcookitcanit.com/2012/09/23/lazy-cherry-tomato-salsa/
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Sweet Cherry Tomato Pickles - by Diary of a Tomato. These look absolutely delicious. I might swap out a few ingredients but the overall idea is great.  I found the suggestion to puncture the tomatoes with a toothpick to prevent floating very interesting.
https://diaryofatomato.com/2013/10/10/putting-up-sweet-cherry-tomato-pickles/
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Pickled Cherry Tomatoes - by That Recipe.  Wow! These look and sound amazing and the best part is that they only take 20 minutes if you are refrigerating them!  If you choose to can them they take longer, but talk about simple!
http://www.thatrecipe.com/blog/2015/07/14/pickled-cherry-tomatoes-and-tasty-tuesdays-link-up/
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Real Sun Dried Cherry Tomatoes - These are mine so of course I had to share it.  If you go to the link I use grape tomatoes, but the picture above is of sun dried cherry tomatoes I made recently to show you that sun-drying works great for them too. Enjoy!
Cherry Tomato Sauce - from scratch! So simple and delicious I just had to make it to go with my eggplant parmesan.
Thanks for visiting!

Please consider following us on social media for more interesting ideas that help in creating and living a simpler life for you and your loved ones!


Sincerely,
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0 Comments

FREEZING FRESH LOCAL CORN

8/15/2016

1 Comment

 
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It's that time of summer when the Long Island corn is fresh and ready at the local farm stands! There is nothing better than fresh, locally grown sweet, delicious corn!  Yum! Do you wish you could eat it all year long? You can if you freeze it.  It may not be as good as it is when it was just picked, but it will still be way better than canned or imported corn!  And guess what the best part is: it's so simple!  So stock up right now while the corn is fresh! Eat all you can and freeze the rest so you can have the best, locally grown healthy sweet delicious corn any time you want all year long.  It's that simple!

Here's how:
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Stock up on local fresh corn when it is in season!
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Husk the corn, break off the stem, and compost the scraps!
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Fill a large pot with water. I use my canning pot to make it easy, but any large pot will do.
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Bring the water to a rolling boil.
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Add corn and blanch for 4 minutes.
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Remove corn and immediately cool with cold water.
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When corn is cooled, use a knife to cut the corn off the cob. Be careful not to cut into the cob.
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Corn ready for packing and freezing!
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Divide corn up into freezer bags.
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Make sure all air is removed and bags are labeled appropriately. Store in freezer until needed!
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What about the leftover cobs?
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Nothing goes to waste in our house :-) My chickens love them! See the video below...
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Some of the cobs are saved for treats on other days. We can even freeze them so they have fresh treats in the winter too!
See how easy it is to freeze corn?
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And nothing gets wasted!  
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So simple :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,
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1 Comment

DIY REAL Sun Dried Tomatoes

8/12/2016

0 Comments

 
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Do you grow your own tomatoes?  If you do, and if you are like me, then you have a lot of extras.   After sharing my extras with friends and family and even giving some to the chickens every day I still had so many more to go...and more growing every day.  I was trying to think of something different to do with them so I thought why not homemade sun-dried tomatoes?  

I started doing a little research and discovered that most 'sun-dried' tomatoes aren't really sun dried anymore, they are dehydrated or cooked in an oven.  Since my goal is always to do things in simple ways using as few resources as possible I was determined to really, truly, make real sun dried tomatoes. And I did!  It was so simple and so successful that I have made many more batches since then!

After drying them, which generally takes a minimum of 2 full-sun days (depending upon the humidity of course), I freeze them instead of just storing them dry because they last longer in the freezer and I don't need to check them regularly for any mold growth.  Mold growth can occur if any of the tomatoes are not 100% dry.  Any little bit of moisture left over can start growing mold, so since we live in a humid environment and I have a freezer I decided it was just easier and safer to keep them there.

When we are ready to use them for cooking all we do is boil some water, cover them with the hot boiled water and let them sit for 15 - 20 minutes. This rehydrates them so they can simply be added to any dish we choose!

The best part is they cost me practically nothing, they are organic (because they were grown in my own garden), they retain all the wonderful nutrients of fresh tomatoes, and they can be enjoyed all winter long when I have no fresh garden to pick from!

Check out my You Tube video below to see how I made them:
Thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,
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0 Comments

It's Time to Harvest the Garlic!

7/21/2016

0 Comments

 
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It's been about a month since we harvested the garlic scapes, and ate them, and that means it's now time to harvest the actual garlic and store it until we are ready to use it!  

And of course, after planting, maintaining, and harvesting garlic from start to finish, for the first time I might add, I can only wonder why more people don't do it too!

Here's how simple it was:
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We planted these hardneck garlic cloves in the fall of 2015...
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And covered them with straw we cleaned out of the chicken coop for the winter...
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This is what they looked like in early spring 2016 ....
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Then we added mulch and waited...
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When the garlic scapes were ready in June, we harvested and ate them. YUM!
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And waited about another month....
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Around mid July the tips of the leaves of started turning brown so it was time to harvest them!
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We very carefully used a shovel to dig them out of the ground. No pulling on the stems!
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They were laid out for a few hours to allow to the dirt on them to dry.
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Dried dirt was brushed off and roots were cut off with scissors.
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Leaves were removed from center stem so they could be more easily be braided.
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I braided them the best I could - it was my first time! I think I did a pretty good job though! My husband secured them with zip ties :-)
Just an end note:
I had basically been told that braiding hardneck garlic was not possible and so I initially planned on using pantyhose to try and store it (this is what I stated in my post about 
planting the garlic in the fall), but I decided to try braiding it anyway.  This was my first time braiding any garlic and I have to say I am very happy with the results! They are not so much braided but more like 'twisted' together so that they all stay in place when held together with a tie. However they look braided, and whatever and however I did it, well, it worked! Now I just need to hang them in a dry, cool location until needed! We are set for the winter :-)

Here are our other posts about planting and harvesting these garlic bulbs we just harvested:
  • IT'S TIME TO PLANT GARLIC!
  • HARVESTING GARLIC SCAPES
  • GARLIC SCAPES RECIPE (also a deviled egg recipe)
Thank you for visiting!

​If you like what you see please like and follow us! 

​Sincerely,
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0 Comments

FREEZING CARROTS

10/22/2015

0 Comments

 
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We started pulling our carrots this past weekend and I have to say that it is a really great feeling to know that you can grow your own food.  Carrots are probably my second favorite vegetable to grow because they are so easy.  Other than preparing the soil by making sure it is loose to about a foot or more down, we literally just plant seeds and forget about them until the fall.  How simple is that?

This past weekend we pulled about 3.5 pounds of carrots out.  After washing and chopping them up we were left with about 3 pounds to blanch and store in the freezer.  Next weekend we will pull more, and probably the weekend after that as well.  Boy do I love having my own garden, even if it is small :-)

Here's our very simple method to freezing them for the winter:
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Remove greens and hose down to remove large dirt particles.
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Use a vegetable brush to clean them thoroughly. Some roots and spots may need to be cut off with a knife.
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Chop the carrots up into bite sized pieces.
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All carrots are now ready for blanching.
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Put carrots into boiling water for exactly 3 minutes. NO LONGER. Note: the 3 lbs. was done in TWO batches because you do not want to process too much at a time.
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Have a cold water bath ready for them...
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After exactly 3 minutes carefully remove carrots from boiling water and immerse them in the cold water bath.
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Remove from cold water bath and pat dry to remove excess water.
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Fill baggies with carrots and remove as much air as possible. We use snack size baggies because it is about 1 baggie per person. We do this because we never know how much we will need and don't want to waste them!
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Place the baggies into a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Be sure to write the date on the bag before putting it in the freezer.
Freezing carrots is that simple!

FYI - To make blanching simpler, we use the Granite Ware Blancher (affiliate link) below.  It comes with the pot, the lid, and the basket which makes it so simple to quickly remove vegetables!  Of course this is not necessary, however it does make it so much easier! 
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Check out more posts about Fresh Food Preservation!
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    Hi there! I'm Kathie, the author behind Creating A Simpler Life blog. I'm excited to share our longterm projects (and planning) toward building our future retirement homestead in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In the meantime I will be sharing all the other little things we do that are part of creating our simpler life!
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  • Home/About
    • What does OFF-GRID mean?
    • MINIMIZING >
      • Home Size
      • Room by Room
      • Get Organized
      • Household Waste
    • MINIMIZE DEBT, MAXIMIZE SAVINGS >
      • Bills & Other Debt
      • Saving Money
      • Shopping Tips
      • Affordable Fun
    • BACKYARD CHICKENS >
      • The Coop
      • The Chickens
      • Feeding the Chickens
      • Fresh Eggs
    • HOME GARDENING >
      • Building the Garden
      • What We Grow
      • Seeds, Weeds, & More
      • Preservation & Storage
    • DO-IT-YOURSELF >
      • Health & Wellness
      • Simple Cleaning & Tips
      • Crafts & More!
      • Printables
    • CROCHET >
      • IDEAS & MORE
      • VIDEO TUTORIALS
  • HOMESTEAD
    • The 5 Year Plan PLUS! >
      • 2017
      • 2018
      • 2019
      • 2020
      • 2021
      • 2022
    • WHY AN EARTH SHELTERED HOUSE?
    • OFF GRID TINY TRAILER
    • BUILDING our HOMESTEAD from Scratch >
      • BUYING LAND & GETTING STARTED
      • BUILDING THE CONCRETE DOME
      • FROM DOME to HOME
      • SURVIVING OUR FIRST WINTER
    • HOMESTEAD MACHINERY >
      • GENERATORS
      • KUBOTA TRACTOR
      • ATV'S & UTV'S
      • WOOD CHIPPER
      • CHAINSAWS
      • LOG SPLITTER
      • POWER TOOLS
      • SNOWMOBILES
      • AUTOMOBILES
    • BUDGETING THE BUILD
    • SUSTAINABILITY >
      • WATER
      • FOOD
      • SHELTER
      • ENERGY >
        • SOLAR POWER
    • The Adirondacks >
      • Wildlife & Nature
      • Insects & Bugs
      • Things to Do
      • Water Fun
    • ADIRONDACK CRAFTS
  • VLOG
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021