Modern Homesteader Day in the Life - Winter Minestrone, Gardening, and more

My first video post here - trying to transition over from that other place :)
Scottish Recipe book: https://amzn.to/3LAqm89

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Winter Minestrone Recipe
NOTE: This recipe is for freeze drying but may also be frozen or pressure canned ... in the next video I show spreading it out onto the freeze dryer trays to pre-freeze, and then in another video I'll show taking it out of the freeze dryer and bagging it up.
My original Winter Minestrone recipe (this is a vegan / strict vegetarian recipe; alter it to your liking) ...
1. Dice 1/2 onion and saute in a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.
Add 2t rosemary, 2t thyme, 1t sage, 1 bay leaf, 1/4t crushed red pepper and saute some more. Finally, add crushed garlic - 1 to 4 cloves, depending on how large the cloves are and how 'garlicky' you want it.
2. Dice 2 medium sweet potatoes, a few cups of cut fresh green beans, chop 2 or 3 large handfuls of spinach or kale, and have ready either home-canned or store bought: 1qt kidney beans (rinsed and drained), 1 qt tomatoes or tomato sauce, stock as needed. Salt and pepper to taste. Start with about 1t salt and 1/4t pepper; adjust as needed.
SIMMER on low until done to your liking. This is really nice on low in the slow cooker for several hours ... smells delicious all day long!
3. Prior to serving: cook 8oz pasta in salted water until al dente. Stir pasta, 1T balsamic or red wine vinegar, and check salt & pepper.

MADE IN THIS VIDEO FOR THE FREEZE DRYER:
7 pounds of fresh tomatoes turned into sauce.
1c EACH fresh herb: finely chopped sage & rosemary, thyme.
3T salt
1/2T pepper
2t cayenne
1 gallon diced sweet potatoes
1 gallon cut fresh green beans
3 quarts kidney beans, rinsed and strained
1 quart chicken bone broth

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Other stuff ...
*My favorite canning book, Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving https://amzn.to/2P13xlc
*My favorite canning book, FREE ONLINE PDF: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html
*PRESSURE CANNER! https://amzn.to/3v20Grt While I do have a large All American (see the next link), if you are new to canning and not sure if you want to invest in nicer equipment, I also have this cheaper and easy to use Presto Canner ... it works just fine!!!
*PRESSURE CANNER - ALL AMERICAN! https://amzn.to/3gjCEUZ This larger, heavy-duty canner makes it easy to do large batches outside on a propane burner :)
*PRESSURE CANNER - ELECTRIC!! https://amzn.to/3dvNEgb Presto recently came out with an electric pressure canner. I have used a different brand of electric pressure canner for about 2 years ... I loved it, but it broke. I am considering replacing it with this one!! SUPER HANDY and EASY!
*FERMENTATION - Glass Fermentation Weights https://amzn.to/3anw7od
*FERMENTATION - Waterless Airlock Lids https://amzn.to/2Q86P6Y
*FERMENTATION - https://amzn.to/3x5IpeJ My most loved, most used book on basic fermentation of all sorts of things: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Food
*GARDENING HOW-TO!!! Here is a list of a few of my MUST HAVE gardening books. These are the books I've had for SEVERAL years and reference them over and over.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible https://amzn.to/3v2oLOV
The New Organic Grower https://amzn.to/32qaM9x
Seed to Seed https://amzn.to/3n1n2GL
The Market Gardener https://amzn.to/3ejSGeZ
*BUTCHER BOX!! Save $30 on your first order using this link! http://fbuy.me/rAtW3 I LOVE Butcher Box and have been a faithful customer for over 2 years.
*AZURE STANDARD - organic and non-GMO food shipped to a drop point near you! https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=... We've been ordering from Azure for almost 20 years now.
*PAMPERED CHEF! As of the posting of this video, I am an active Pampered Chef consultant. PC has very high quality products - my absolute favorite is their STONEWARE, which I have been using for about 20 years. Some things can be a bit pricey if you are low on money, so let me know [comment in this video for more info, or see my "about" section for an email link] if you'd like tips on how to purchase at a reduced price!

NOTE: Some of the links may be affiliate links ... which means I might get a small perk if you use the link, and there will be no cost to you :) Thank you for your support!

TAGS - #freezedriedfood #mealreadytoeat #campingfood #homesteadcooking #fromscratch #modernhomesteading #homesteading #organicgardening #aquietlife #everybitcounts
#asimplelife #simpleliving #heirloomgardening #familyfarm #smallfamilyfarm #marketgardening #marketgardener #pressurecanning #homecanning #foodpreservation #cleaneating #wholefoods #azurestandard #cookingfromscratch #traditionalfoods #fermentingfoods #lactofermentation #sourdough #prepperpantry #actuallyautistic #autismspectrumdisorder