Preparing the Winter Food Pantry

      Each year when Barb and I travel south for the winter we take with us as much of the local/regional favorites that we enjoy either as treats or staples.  Our freezers are always full on departure.  This year for example we froze:

10 pounds of cudighi
10 pounds of whitefish and lake trout
7 pounds of local sausages, brats, boudin, and links
2 pounds of turtle meat for stew
3 lb. Dearborn Ham
10 packs of pasties and sheppard's pies
the last of the venison (about 4 pounds)
2 packs of homemade Pastrami
2 pounds of lamb for stew
About 5 pounds of razor clams
Several packs of 'on the road' meals including BBQ Beef, Shrimp Maque Choux, BBQ Chicken, Cholula Mac n Cheese, and Gumbo.
Various small packs of chicken, bacon, FF, breakfast sausage, etc.

NOTE:  On the road meals (OTR) consist of leftovers from previous meals that we froze to save.  These are great 2 portion meals that thaw easily and provide good food with little effort when pulled over for the night. 

One of our two RV freezers

      Additionally we bring along as much of our garden harvest as we can.  We used to can everything, and I mean nearly a hundred pints of beans, corn, carrots, and quarts of sauerkraut, tomatoes, etc.  However, any amount of canned vegees adds lots of extra weight to the RV.  We have since modified our process towards blanching, and then vacuum sealing meals to be frozen.  These are easily stacked in the freezer and weigh much less.  Each pack will feed us for one meal.  It doesn't last the winter, but it's a good start of our own healthy vegetables and helps to defray costs.
      Each vegetable requires blanching for several minutes in boiling water then immediately removed and placed in ice water to cool.  This will seal in the nutrients and cease further cooking preventing mushiness.  Many of these can be reheated or cooked to completion right in the bag in boiling water.

Blanching whole corn cobs 3 minutes, then place in COLD water

Trim the corn from cob

Vacuum seal 2 servings per bag

      Corn and tomatoes present different approaches.  Corn can either be blanched, vacuum sealed, and frozen as whole cobs or by trimming into kernels.  Tomatoes can be blanched and squeezed whole, removing the skin and excess water as possible before vacuum sealing.  They can also be quartered and cored, then blanched and vacuum sealed.  Lastly, they can be sliced and then sun dried or dehydrated before vacuum sealing.  The key to tomatoes is to only vacuum seal enough to last 2  meals max as they don't last a long time in the fridge.

Oven roasted and dehydrated and vacuum sealed (4 per pack)

 

Slicing, dehydrating, vacuum seal, and freeze (about 3 per pack)

      We really enjoy the bounty of our garden as much as possible each fall, but often end up giving away quite a bit to our neighbors.  Everyone wins.  The fact is that we own a Lite RV and as much we like to pack it in we have to always consider the GVWR.  Decisions always have to be made and load readjusted or eliminated.  Especially this year with all the initial supplies we're taking to Texas.  Of course, when we return in the spring our freezers are once again full with the riches of our southern travels.  It's all good.  Our cup runneth over.....

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"  

Amish Proverb

WiFi courtesy of AT & T Wireless