Planning to Preserve in the Coming Year - Part 3 of 3

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By putting up more food I will reduce the miles our food travels, I’ll know exactly where the food came from and what’s in it. This will contribute to a lower food budget and a healthier diet. All good things right? And it's easy. I usually put up what I want as the season progresses. I wind up with four times as many pickles as we can eat and not enough tomato sauce. This year I'm making a plan. I have broken my plan to preserve into several parts:

1. Decide what we would actually eat by looking at my notes from what we put up last year and what we would have used if we had it
2. Calculate quantities that we would conceivably consume in a year’s time
3. Check and see that we have the capacity to can, freeze or store all this bounty
4. Make a chronological list of when these foods are ready to preserve
5. Put it all together and make a calendar of foods with their quantities and check it every couple weeks as the season progresses to make sure I’m on track

In the first part of Planning to Preserve I went into detail into for steps 1 and 2. I considered what I put up last year and what I want to put up this year. The second part is steps 3 and 4.  This is the final part step 5. 

Step 5:  Put it all together and make a calendar of foods with their quantities and check it every couple weeks as the season progresses to make sure I’m on track.
I decided to put all the information together in a spread sheet that I can keep on my refrigerator.  Then as the summer progress I will be able to make adjustments and save additional notes on my computer.  I've got lots of ideas brewing over on my "How does your garden (and pantry) grow" board on Pinterest too. 

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I'm feeling really good about this plan.  It is ambitious, I'll admit.  It's more of an "if I had my druthers" this is what I'd put up.  We'll see if it all happens. 

I'm also seriously considering buying a deep freeze.  Between the freezing more produce and saving breast milk, I think it could be a good investment.  I've also read several good articles on why to go the chest freezer route for energy consumption and managing a stable temperature. 

I can't wait to share my next post with you.  It's going to be on an organic family farm I visiting this week.  On just 1.5 acres of land one man with the help of his 80 year old parents, wife and children produce enough food for themselves, as well as food for the local elementary school, all the folks who drop by and two restaurants.  He's getting year round produce from three plastic hoop house style green houses and multiple cold frames.  All in the Midwest (zone 5).  There are some innovative ideas being used.  I'm secretly hoping they'll adopt me and teach me everything they know.  I'll share with you what I saw and learned when I visited.  Stay tuned! 

This post is on Simple Lives Tuesday.  You should check it out. It's a neat blog hop. And if you came the blog hop, you already know what I am talking about.