Preservation ponderings

We have put a dent in our food storage for the winter, but there is still a long way to go.

The canned sausages had a great turnout, so I am doing 10 more pounds of them today. The ones I did earlier in the week kept jumping pressure and processed at 15 lbs rather than the 10 that they needed. As a result there was no liquid left in the jars. They all sealed well, and are perfectly fine to eat, but they will need to be used first.

The flavor is great, and these will come in handy to make sandwiches or a quick snack during the winter months. The sliced ones are great for adding to soups too......and now they require no freezer space.

We are not only trying to save freezer space, but pantry space as well. Our shelves only hold so much and then it is time to find alternative storage methods. This is why we dry a lot of foods. The canister on top holds the 3# of Baby Bella mushrooms I dried this week. Compare the space used by that container to the 4# of Button mushrooms in the jars.

Of course, I am not drying all the foods. We LOVE mushrooms, and with this great sale on them this week I can preserve enough of them to last the year at a fraction of the cost. Four pounds of mushrooms made 6 pints at a cost of $2 per jar.Yesterday I also found some green onions on sale, so I bought some to dry. I sliced them into 1/4" pieces and dried them for a few hours....I did this mainly because I am always coming across recipes that call for green onions, and rarely have them in my fridge. Now at least I'll have some when I need them.