Storing homegrown foods

 First of all, my joints do feel better, none of the soreness that I had been having. So I do feel much better. Now if my body could get adjusted to this dreaded prednisone so I would not be eating everything in sight I would be good to go. But its only temporary. But at least I do feel more like getting things done for now. But I sure don't spend much time outside with temps in the 20's for highs in the day. My bones still don't like that. And probably wont like the snow we are posed to get all next week.
 Yeah I know, too much time on my hands. And yeah I been thinkin again. Don't ya love it when I have been thinkin. Well as ya know last weekend we got our corn meal ground and when Rodger got home we put it still in the bags into the freezers to kill any insect eggs that might be in there prior to storage. So was thinking it has been in there for a week so they should all be dead lil nasties and I decided to get busy sifting the meal. I normally do not sift our homegrown meal, but this year when the gentleman was grinding it he had ask Rodger if it was fine enough an he said yes. Well it wasn't fine enough an had far too many larger particles in it so it all had to be sifted. Talk about a slow go. I got 2 bags done today and brought it in the house where it is warm and dry to let the moisture equalize in it and come to room temp so I can vacuum seal it for LTS. I sifted out about a gallon an a half of milling's from 2 of the 3 bags. I still have 1 more bag to sift an get ready to bag up. Storing grains of any kind is easy and it keeps really well if you take a few precautions. Either freeze the grain for a couple weeks before grinding or freeze the flour or meal  after grinding to kill insect eggs that may have been laid in the grain while it was still in the fields. This method pretty much will guarantee no insects in your meal or flour. Unless it is left open and they get in later. After my corn meal comes to room temp and is vacuum sealed in bags it is then stored in a 35 gallon barrel with a air tight seal in the cellar. I use this method for all grains and products like this. I have 2 of those barrels in the cellar for storing goods that are sealed in bags. One barrel has sugar, salt, powdered milk and such in it, the other has grain an grain products. With the price of sugar on the rise I am thinkin I might see about getting another 50 to 100 lb to store., Sugar will keep for a long time and doesn't go rancid. The worse thing that can happen to sugar is to get moisture in it an get lumpy which is no biggie. May also be a good idea to get a bit more flour to store as well with all the wheat crop lose that is being talked about on the news. I don't think anyone can store enough to do them a life time at the price it is now, but when the price has went up drastically the flour an such that you buy now will be like buying it at a really good sale price later thus saving a good deal of money. We also buy macaroni in bulk at Sam's club if we need it, I don't use much but sure do like mac an tomatoes sometimes. The macaroni is also vacuum sealed in smaller bags an into the barrel it goes for LTS. That makes me think, growing up mom alas made macaroni an tomatoes or tomato juice and for the life of me I don't know how she arrived at the taste. It has take me years to fine tune this dish to taste like what I remember from childhood but I finely did. So I will share it with you if you remember macaroni an maters growing up.

First off there is really no measurements, its really just a method. Heat your water to boiling an add some salt and a good generous splash of oil or in my case a spoon full of bacon grease. Add the macaroni an let it cook till its still firm, not quite al dente. Drain off all but about a half inch of the water and pour in tomato juice or home canned tomatoes with juice to cover the macaroni and cook till tender. If you have about a quart of cooked macaroni add 1 to 1 /12 teaspoons of sugar, yeah sugar, to the macaroni and season to taste with salt. Stir well an serve. The sugar cuts the acid taste of the tomato and just makes em so good. Enjoy!
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella