Food Storage Ramblings

[@PokerHillFarm]

You can also dehydrate broccoli leaves and add into your mixed greens :)

[@soniamarshall9293]

We appreciate that you show the how teaching. We all need to do for ourself. Also best not get into selling food for safety and compliance issues.

[@sheilacollins3862]

i just love watching your videos and listening to you thank you for all you do

[@rowinggranny5216]

I find your videos so helpful & inspiring, thank you so much.

[@grsartofworship4352]

Totally get it about not selling you herbs. BUT I’m so glad you’re teaching us how to make our own and forage and Mother Earth!!! Yay. Thank you so much

[@rhondawelker6742]

Thank you, Heidi. I’ve been re watching old videos. So much good info, thought I would review them. 😃

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thanks Rhonda :D

[@AndreasCreations]

Great video. I love love love all of my dehydrated foods, especially mixed greens blend. You are so generous for sharing everything that do. Your pantry is FABULOUS and I can't wait to see the whole tour. God Bless!

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you!

[@yvonnejohnson2109]

Great video

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you Yvonne!

[@TeeFlory]

I love your ramblings Heidi. Your pantry is so neat and organized, it looks amazing. My cupboards need to be reorganized. I have only about a third of the space I used to, it"s been a challenge. Love and prayers.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I can imagine! haha! Thank you my Dear Friend! :D

[@TeeFlory]

@@RainCountryHomestead

[@jojow8416]

My mother canned and stored food for a family of 9. I never ate anything from a can until I was a teen. Her garden was amazing and her methods were brilliant. With your help I'm getting back to living the way I was raised and I'm loving it. Thank you dear lady and God Bless your beautiful spirit.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you! :)

[@kellyhale2778]

Love your pantry!

[@grateful_pastures3360]

LOVE the pantry!!! Would be so fun to see a tour, as you said eventually, of all your beautiful hard work for your family. Looks wonderful 🥰

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you!

[@Tinkerbell31326]

Hi Heidi, love your pantry. You are looking great too.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you Patty. Hope you are doing well!

[@grannyprepper7788]

Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I am learning so much. I'm going to go back to the beginning of your videos and start watching and learning more.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you Granny Preppers! :D

[@oldschoolwithamoderntwist6074]

,,,your food store is impressive ,,very impressive indeed,, thank so much for sharing,,,

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Thank you James!

[@isabelsebastiao-vieira2152]

Yummy!

[@MariaRodriguez-eo4ee]

Can you use your dehydrator with solar power???

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yes, and I do from spring through fall but when the days get short and dark in our very cloudy, rainy climate, and we start building fires, I then switch to the rack Patrick built for our wood stove

[@rhondabowdy]

Your pantry looks great. Started growing calendula this year. Right now in pots. When should I put in ground? When can I dehydrate the flowers? Thanks Heidi for all your videos.❤️

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Once the danger of frost is passed and the starts are at least 2-3 inches high

[@michellechannell1219]

I've just recently purchased a water bath canner. I'm reading to find out what I can use it for. LOL

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Anything acidic: tomatoes and salsas (though you will need to add at least a tsp of lemon juice or vinegar per jar), fruits, jams, and jellies. I recommend, if you do not already have it, get the Ball Book of Canning. The thing I like about Amazon is you can choose to look at the used ones through the link and find perfectly good books for much less: amzn.to/2USpTqd

[@michellechannell1219]

That's the book I'm reading. Does adding lemon juice or vinegar change the flavor?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

@@michellechannell1219 No because it is such a small amount and is already in acidic foods when adding. When I learned about the need for this and started adding it, I did not notice a change in flavor of the plain tomatoes. I do add both lemon and lime juice in much larger amounts to my salsa for flavor though

[@michellechannell1219]

Thank you ☺

[@avonleanne]

I turned my garage turned family room into my food storage room. Family think I am nuts because I have so much, but I am so sick of explaining myself. if they don't get it by now, perhaps they never will until its too late.... Anyway, I always get inspired by you. You are so loaded with knowledge, thank you so much....

[@keeperofthehomestead9193]

As soon as I saw the title and it had the word "ramblings" in it, I was SO EXCITED! I love when you do reviews of what's in your pantry. Things like the greens mixture? I actually made my own over the winter. I had purchased organic spinach, arugula and a few other salad like fixings and when we didn't eat them within the first few days and they started to wilt from excess moisture, I dehydrated them (wish I could add a picture to my comment to show you the 1/2 gallon jar of it) and I toss some in when I make soup, marinara sauce, chili and even my meatloaf.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Love your opening sentence, it literally made me laugh out loud, I am glad some people enjoy my ramblings! haha! I really do wish youtube would allow the photo in comments options, SO many times I have wanted to do that!

[@keeperofthehomestead9193]

@@RainCountryHomestead To me,when I see ramblings... it means a TON of useful information! I even have a notebook on my desk and as I listen to videos, I'll write down notes, hacks and ideas. These are usually some of the best and most useful videos!

[@thebodieshomestead15]

I would definitely put some sort of cordage across those to keep them in place in case of an earthquake. That is a beautiful pantry and it would be so sad to lose! Love these types of videos, you are amazing!!

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I agree and we did have some initially but with everything being moved, we need to rethink exactly how we want to do it and it is still a work in progress :)

[@thebodieshomestead15]

@@RainCountryHomestead Well it looks amazing so far! You are doing a fantastic job!! :D

[@lubavukadinovic5752]

Very good, thank you, l will follow you, it is my first time

[@alisonbock8527]

Love it! Don' you just love looking at rows of what you put up and store. A feeling like no other. Many blessings.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yes, it is a great feeling and those that choose not to live this way can never understand it until they are there themselves.

[@JaTon]

Another great video! I LOVE your pantry!

[@genal5808]

You are an inspiration.

[@Minnesota_Mama_Bear]

Nice to see the pantry again

[@primrozie]

I agree about learning self sufficiency!

[@christiezemmin9197]

This was packed with great info. You inspire me to do more and be much healthier, Thank You! God bless ❤️

[@MrRain-hk4zi]

Ramble ramble.

[@MrRain-hk4zi]

I "liked" my own comment ;D

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Where did you even come from?! *looks for skillet*

[@MrRain-hk4zi]

@@RainCountryHomestead :*(

[@RainCountryHomestead]

@@MrRain-hk4zi Poor baby...

[@tennesseegirl1215]

I love your pantry, it is so inspiring. I did the mixed greens last year, they were awesome going to do more this year, I always enjoy your videos, thank you for sharing, blessings

[@TheGenFem]

All the time God i good!

[@rosejacobs4745]

I love the idea of the mixed green blend! I could even do that when I forage. I am so doing this! Thank you for the fantastic idea!

[@michelleackerson4524]

Hello Heidi, can you tell me where I can purchase stinging nettle seeds or plants, and do you have some idea of when you'll be ready to see some calendula seeds? Thanks, Michelle

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I got my stinging nettle seeds from Baker Creek years ago and while I had already sold a bunch of Calendula seeds on my store, I left myself plenty. I did plant a bunch of them but am not sure if I am done planting yet so I will not be making anymore packs until I know for sure I am finished

[@Keiths1234]

those mixed greens that you talked about are so important nutrients for our body I had a friend and had an elderly parents that was going through a lot of health issues and I made up a batch for them . They use it and there health was getting better from drinking that tea from that greens I like to sprinkle some on my omelettes my wife does that for me those greens are very very important for us thank you for sharing

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I have noticed the more I get them in my diet daily, the better I feel in general. Been making teas now with them on a daily basis

[@MakkIsLooking]

Thank you for the items that you do sell. Much appreciated. Be well.

[@jodiestevens4390]

I totally understand. I started last year (with your inspiration) drying herbs and storing. It is a lot of work; we are just glad you are there to teach us how to do it. 🙂. As far as canning, I was just telling my mom last year I understand why our ancestors canned 100 quarts of green beans in one summer. If you are lucky enough to get that much produce, can it up! You may hve a bad green bean year the next summer. Not to mention, the year my husband broke his foot, we were not able to hve our normal size garden and I had to buy produce from the Amish to can. Thanks for what you do each day! 😊

[@kathleenschaefer8208]

jodie Stevens I tend to dread a hail storm.

[@christinewiet363]

Heidi you always inspire me! I am jotting down all these wonderful suggestions for greens to dry.

[@edieboudreau9637]

Love the wooden canning jar stacking boxes. Great idea.

[@denisescull4227]

I can't hardly sit to finish watching your videos before I am off figuring out this or that! I have felt so wasteful, not being able to use all of my greens, or seeing some beautiful dandelions just getting chopped down because I couldn't use them all. I'm so excited to make my own mixed greens blend. I have a dehydrator, but how do you feel about air drying greens? I live in the Dallas area, so there is moderate humidity, but I would dry them in the house in netting baskets. You teach us things without even knowing- the way you store your canning rings is brilliant. I always learn several more things than just the topic of the video. Thanks for another wonderful video!

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Air drying like that is great if you have the time and space. Nice thing about greens is they dry much quicker than many other things so it should not take too long. For me, I always have so much going, I would have to hang things all over the house and I would prefer not to do that! haha

[@ohioladybug7390]

Great pantry! We converted our formal living room to a pantry because, hey, who uses a formal living room on a homestead lol. I saved your mixed greens recipe to try it out, I never thought about doing that. I shred and freeze zucchini and sprinkle that in everything! God bless!

[@WendyK656]

Heidi, nice pantry! I agree Heidi, with keeping what we have. That is why we have Frontier. Mother earth to purchase from. Absolutely Heidi. we had flooding and we lost half our garden last year, so we lost a lot of food.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

That is sad about the flooding but yes, another reminder why we have to keep stocking up. One year we had this weird deal with our grapes where we hardly got any and a couple years where the zucchini, which normally grows very well here, really struggled. Who knows why but having a lot put up for such times is important!

[@lelafayeandrews8913]

Would love to see a full tour!

[@joybickerstaff194]

Hello Heidi! Wow, u have a nice store, I can only imagine how it makes u feel, I’m happy for y’all, With each jar I fill, that same feeling grows, Im sure by winter, my face will hurt a lot, due to whatever amount I’ve been able to store, I won’t be able to stop smiling! Do u keep this room heated/ cooled? I go without air conditioning, use very little heat for warmth, I noticed when I got my canning jars out to put the dehydrated wild edibles n, the rings r a bit rusty. I can definitely understand the time it takes to dehydrate, I’ve just begun with wild edibles, next will be garden goods. Thank u

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I had to smile at the part about how your face will hurt! haha! I get you! :D We try to keep this room cooler, we do not use any heat in it at all. We do not have air conditioning but the room is far away from the wood stove and mostly just try to keep the door shut and the curtains are always drawn except while shooting this video, I opened them up to allow more light to be able to see as the overhead light is not enough especially because much of it gets obscured by the center row of shelves as it goes nearly to the ceiling

[@joybickerstaff194]

Rain Country yes, I remembered u mentioning y’all had no AC from, (I think) one of the preparedness videos, y’all use more heat than I, that’s why I asked u about ur jar rings, of rust on them. Maybe then, it’s due to our high humidity. I’m just trying to figure out how to prevent the rusting. Thank u

[@paperwoman0968]

I( have been drying my herbs for a while and love it . I was wondering what kind of dehydrators you use.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

You can find the link to the dehydrators I use in the description box, along with other such items. Be sure to click on "show more" :D

[@edieboudreau9637]

Yes. It is a lot in even a tiny bit of dried veg/herbs/greens. Plus you'd have to charge for jars too. Already started my strawberry. Dandelion & dead nettles dehydrating.:)

[@nancygee4783]

Love your setup! What temp do you typically dehydrate your greens at?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

For things that dry mroe quickly and are more delicate, 95-115. Higher for less delicate items like sliced fruits and veggies.

[@nancygee4783]

Rain Country thank you☺

[@heidiw8406]

I love my dehydrated carrot tops in my mixed greens. I would have never thought about dehydrating greens if it wasn't for your videos. Thank you.

[@judyh1296]

Hi Heidi, there must be a good book out there about what to dry?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Possibly, but you can dehydrate pretty much everything. I don't bother to look it up, if I want to dry something, I just do it. While I have several dehydrating videos, I think I might show more of what I do in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHysqqx9qKd2mLM

[@pattihayden8100]

I’m curious....are citrus tree leaves eatable after dehydrating and adding to teas or whatever? My leaves on the lemon tree are so fragrant. Thanks for your thoughts 🤗

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yes, you can cook with them or make teas from them. As I had guessed, the leaves used in cooking is common in Thailand

[@kristikey8320]

I love your pantry! Being in California myself, I'm a bit concerned that you don't have any earthquake guards on your jars. Better safe than sorry!

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yep, still a work in progress, we had straps across the shelves before everything got moved but now need to come up with something different

[@dugchris2009]

Nice pantry. I like things neatly organized too. So much easier to find things and know what you have. Thanks for sharing.

[@kleineroteHex]

If at first you don't succeed watch again! I put mixed greens in our burgers tonight 😊 but your space is so biiiiig, no wonder you store all that!

[@judyh1296]

Hi Heidi, I was going to buy a few Weck jars. But I have heard from quite a few sources that they contain lead. I was wondering if you know if canning jars, Ball, Kerr, Weck etc contain any lead?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

from what I have read, Ball is the one most consistently lead free, and they happen to be my favorite anyway :D

[@joescott3393]

Again I love the video. I do have one suggestion though. Please put some fronts on those shelves full of jars. One earthquake and most of your food supply is history. Where you live and where I live earthquakes are the common thing. Never mind the R9.0 quake that could happen as quickly as tomorrow or take 50 years but it is coming. I live in Powell River BC and all of my jars are in home made wooden boxes similar to the ones you purchased your jars in. Just watch U Tube heading "earthquake pacific northwest" for info. Remember Mt St Helens. God Bless Joe

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yep, we have plans to do so and had some in place before moving everything around but it is still a work in progress. :)

[@joescott3393]

Excellent and wonderful@@RainCountryHomestead

[@sheilaorr7526]

Wow, that's a lot of work sitting there. For me my second pantry is a blessing. I live in a earthquake prone area so I have to brace my storage. Do you worry about stacking jars?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I do not worry about stacking jars and have a special way of doing it too. Here is the video I did on that topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6rbo5qlbqlkjdE

[@honestyfaithful]

Your pantry looks very nice..... have a blessed day 😊🌻🙏🏻🌻😊

[@TheSunRiseKid]

Algorithm comment. Great video! Might get one more in before bed!🙂

[@whitepinehomestead]

Can you over dehydrate your greens or herbs?

[@RainCountryHomestead]

I have a ton of videos on dehydrating herbs and greens. Here are just a couple: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4imk39neb-NoM0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKubdGqajNZnd8U kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKamhnaXnbuBhbM

[@nancydb1390]

Very interested in your mixed greens blends. I may have to try doing some. I could use the nutrition.

[@edieboudreau9637]

Yes. We all have our own ways of organizing that works for us. I put mine on top of my fried egg this morning too. Lol.

[@murielmarcotte-april3306]

A channel I watch is She is of the Woods. She us very knowledgeable on herbs, wildcrafting etc. She has one video on curing herbs that I am definitely going to do this year without using dehydrators. Give it a watch as it might be very useful for you. Love your channel.

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Yes, there is really no need for dehydrators but air drying takes up a lot of space and more time and I can get a lot more done at a time using the dryers.

[@farmingowl1]

Yay finally the first one to like a video!! 😁

[@RainCountryHomestead]

Haha! Thanks Alissa

[@farmingowl1]

@@RainCountryHomestead love your channel.

[@AngiesPantry58]

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