Processing and preserving your own food has many advantages. Like any other form of food preservation, home canning is perfectly safe if practiced properly. Being careful to follow recommended guidelines and recipes will ensure that your family enjoys healthy, delicious home preserved foods. This method of food preservation is my personal favorite because there is so much you can do. 

Some people have the opinion that modern food preservation methods have largely reduced the need for home canning. They also question why it is even necessary. Furthermore, many people are concerned about the safety of home canning. With all of these concerns in mind, why would you do it when you can simply purchase canned food from the supermarket? 

Continue reading to find out the answer to that question.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) 15 REASONS TO HOME CAN YOUR FOOD

2) DISADVANTAGES TO HOME CANNING

3) HOW DOES CANNING PRESERVE FOOD

4) CANNING METHODS

5) PREPARATION FOR CANNING

6) BOILING WATER BATH...

As you likely know by now, being in control over your food supply is a vital part of self sufficiency.  In an effort to provide my readers with as much information as possible, this Guide to Dehydrating Food is part of a series of posts on various methods of food preservation. There is a lot of information here so I have provided a clickable table of contents.  Enjoy!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) INTRODUCTION TO DEHYDRATING FOODS

2) ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DEHYDRATING FOOD

3) PREPARING FOOD FOR DRYING

4) SEVEN METHODS FOR DEHYDRATING FOOD

5) BEST METHOD OF DEHYDRATING FOOD

6) COMPARISON OF COSTS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS

7) HOW TO CHOOSE A FOOD DEHYDRATOR

8) WHAT FOODS CAN BE DEHYDRATED

9) FOODS NOT SUITABLE FOR DEHYDRATION

10)KEYS FOR SUCCESSFUL FOOD DEHYDRATION

11) FAQS ABOUT FOOD DEHYDRATION

12) ADDITIONAL REFERENCES FOR DEHYDRATING FOOD

13) ADDITIONAL POSTS OF INTEREST

Introduction to Dehydrating Food

There is evidence that some cultures dried foods as early as...

Freezing food is one of the easiest methods of preservation for the homestead. Due to the small learning curve this is an easy way to preserve food. Additionally it does not require a huge investment in equipment. Furthermore, modern refrigerators are already equipped with small freezers.  However, if you really want to store a decent amount of frozen food, invest in a chest freezer.  

Many types of foods are amenable to freezing.  It is simply a matter of proper packaging and sometimes a little pre-freezing preparation.  Freezing foods is likely the least labor intensive method of food preservation. That is the advantage. However, there are also disadvantages. 

Most methods of food preservation have a limited shelf life and this includes freezing food. This is especially true of meat. If you have ever tried to eat a piece of meat that has been in the freezer for 2 years you know what freezer burned meat tastes like.  It is still edible but not...

Before jumping into this post on renewable energy systems,  first read a related post on 35 Ways to Save Electricity .  Most importantly this previous post will help you to first learn about saving energy. Because that concept is vital in your quest to produce your own electricity. That post emphasizes a very important concept.

It is far easier to save energy than it is to produce it. 

After you read that post, it is time to move on to the topic of renewable energy systems. Realize that this post is simply a very basic introduction. This is a very in depth topic.  However, I hope this will get your creative mind moving. There are several ways to produce your own electricity. Hence, if you decide to do so, you will take one more step toward being self reliance. But first, let’s discuss the topic of fossil fuels. 

Are Fossil Fuels a Sustainable Source of Energy?

Big business and governments are uneasy about the concept of transitioning away...

If you have the desire to live off the grid, one of the first considerations should be how you plan on powering your life. Even if you have no desire to live off the grid, you should still consider having an alternative source of power. When it comes to homesteaders and off grid folks, most settle on some sort of renewable energy system. As you probably already know, there are several potential options for powering your home.  The most common options are solar, wind, and micro hydro.  

At first the concept of renewable energy my seem very simple.  After all, how difficult can it be to put up a few solar panels and charge some batteries? Right? The truth of the matter is that it depends. If you want to power a few lights, then the whole process is very simple. However, if you want to power an entire home, that is a different story altogether. 

I use to think along these same lines until I took some advanced classes on renewable energy. As a result, I then returned...

Imagine a scenario where a major storm comes through your area and the utility grid is non-functional for days to weeks. Numerous trees are down and blocking the road. It is impossible to make it to a supermarket. In fact, you cannot even make it out of your driveway.  

How do you think you would manage?

Some people relish the idea of going off grid. Others would never even think about it.  However, when a major storm rolls through your area and cuts off all basic utilities, you are now off grid whether you like it or not. 

Learn From My Experience of Cooking Without My Stove

I have experienced such a scenario multiple times in my life. This is because I’ve lived in several areas that are prone to severe weather.  But, because I was prepared for such events, being off grid was only a minor inconvenience. Each time it was similar to having a camping trip except for the fact that I was still at home.  It was good practice for what I call “camp...

Being in control of your water supply is imperative. There are multiple ways that this can be accomplished. For some great examples, read some of my other posts.  In addition,  rain water collection is a fantastic way to accomplish this even if you live in the the city.  As you will learn from the information below, there is a lot more to this than simply putting out a rain barrel, that is if you are serious about collecting water.  There is a lot of information here to digest.  Enjoy!

Table of Contents

1) A SHORT HISTORY OF RAIN WATER COLLECTION

2) WHAT IS RAIN WATER COLLECTION?

3) BENEFITS OF RAIN WATER COLLECTION

4) DISADVANTAGES OF RAIN WATER COLLECTION

5) HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR RAIN WATER COLLECTION

6) LEGALITIES OF RAIN WATER COLLECTION

7) METHODS OF RAIN WATER COLLECTION

8) GENERAL TIPS FOR SETTING UP A RAIN WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM

9) COMPONENTS OF A RAIN WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM

10) FINAL WORDS ON RAIN WATER COLLECTION

A Short History of Rain Water...