I got the last run of sauerkraut out of the crocks and canned, and the bunker is 95% complete.
Still have about 10 butternut squash to deal with, but I will just clean them and freeze them, a bunch of beets and green beans still growing, and some basil to pack in olive oil, but I am done. That was a lot of work and a lot of fun to do.
TaMara (HFG)
And here I was going to send you a Penelope pix. No duck for you!
Cathie Fonz (formerly Cathie from Canada)
Wow, that looks so great. I think you have Christmas wrapped up!
I wish I knew you so I could ask for a jar or two for Christmas.
dmsilev
@TaMara (HFG): It is a great linguistic curiosity that an emphatic ‘duck you!’ is distinguished by its lack of duck.
JenJen
This is astounding. What a shelf of beauty!!
germy
Unless it’s an earthquake. Then I imagine Cole sitting there among all the shattered glass like Burgess Meredith, muttering “It’s not fair, it’s not fair…”
Hilfy
@TaMara (HFG): The rest of us deserve a Penelope pix! Or at least pix of some of your other feathered/furry menagerie. After all, today is Sunday.
John Cole: Congratulations on your canning.
MagdaInBlack
Congratulations ?
Come January, you’re gonna feel so smug and happy opening those jars and tasting summer ?
Sister Golden Bear
Post-apocalyptic bunker? Since when did you start channelling Tengaphul?! //
CaseyL
Now I know where to go when Western Civilization collapses. Come for the canned food, stay for the cantankerous snark!
Seriously, that represents a LOT of work. Congrats, and here’s to a tasty winter!
@TaMara (HFG): Penelope pics? Did I hear Penelope pics?? Pleeeeaaase.
“Be kind to your web-footed friends!
That duck may be somebody’s mooooother.
She lives in a hole in the swamp,
Where the weather is very damp…”
MelissaM
Holy ball had shit! That’s a lot of work there! Good for you and I’ll come down for the first roast pork and kraut dinner. I’ll bring the bread dumplings.
Hilfy
@TaMara (HFG): Whoops! Should read all the front page before opening my mouth. Thank you, TaMara.
Mary G
Wow, that is a thing of beauty.
Duane
You did good Cole. I won’t even bitch about the willow, which seems to be rooting thru the basement window. //
LuciaMia
Easy way to preserve basil. Whoosh it up with a tiny bit of water in your processor/blender. Pack them into ice cube trays. Freeze then pop them out into plastic bags. Makes it easy to take out as much or little as you need.
mrmoshpotato
The sight of that shelf is quite jarring. No need for applause. I’ll see myself out.
Kelly
If I were a doomsday prepper I’d store a pallet of canning jar lids. To inexpensive to attract thieves before the collapse. Some to use and some for trade goods. Who’d want gold after the collapse?
debbie
@Duane:
I noticed recently that a vine has managed to squeeze into a crack in my apartment’s foundation and is now growing down the wall. Stupid thing, there’s no water or light down there. I’m watching to see if it realizes that, turns around, and grows back outside.
WaterGirl
That is amazing, Cole. What a sense of accomplishment you must feel when you look at that.
Ohio Mom
@debbie: Oh, the memories that brings back! We had a vine growing through a crack in our basement, years ago. It never turned around, just kept growing toward the florescent light. Maybe there was another stem that sensibly stayed out in the real sun that was fueling it.
It was removed during our first attempt to fix the basement. That weed removal might be the only permanent effect of that go-round.
Ken
@debbie: The vine might instead expand until there is water and light in the crack. In one of the Discworld novels, Terry Pratchett referred to “the hammer that can drive a marshmallow-soft mushroom through six inches of concrete.”
debbie
@Ken:
It’s in the darkest part of the basement, no lights and boxes piled high. If it does force in some light, it will definitely make a u-turn.
HRA
Absolutely stunning, John! Yes, for me it is a reminder of days gone by when I watch my parents doing the same work.
prostratedragon
Now that is impressive. I’m so … envious!
prostratedragon
@prostratedragon: (Stupid coding. Let’s try again:)
Now that is impressive. I’m so … envious!
dr. luba
Doesn’t fracking cause……..earthquakes?
John Revolta
Dayum
Patricia Kayden
Basil in olive oil sounds like a great idea.
sukabi
@germy: Steve could have the same effect if he was so inclined to do a bit of shelf surfing.
geg6
Just got a bunch of kolbasi on sale and put it in the freezer to have with your sauerkraut the first cool day we have, Cole. Had some of your pickles with the BLTs I made the other night. If the sauerkraut is as good as the pickles, I cannot wait for some cooler weather. Yummy! Thanks so much!
mrmoshpotato
@geg6: Kolbasi?
sukabi
@mrmoshpotato: a blend of Kielbasa and kohlrabi?
zhena gogolia
@mrmoshpotato:
Maybe they’re Russian. It’s kolbasa in Russian.
mrmoshpotato
@sukabi: Time to go harvest the sausagecabbages.
thalarctosMaritimus
I can’t help but observe the uneven distribution between food for the hooman after the Apocalypse versus food for the dogs and cat.
grammypat
John, Will you be getting local apples this fall? If they are unsprayed/organic you may want to consider making your own apple cider vinegar. How to do it looks really easy: … and you can use your kraut containers to do it!
grammypat
Fat fingers [sigh]
geg6
@mrmoshpotato:
Depends on where you are from. Should have been an “a” on the end. Other than that, yes, kolbasa. It’s all the same thing.
Duane
@thalarctosMaritimus: The uneven distribution of food doesn’t concern the dogs and cat.
They have Cole.
John Revolta
@Duane: Hungry little eyes that could not speak
Said “Even little doggies have got to eat”
He was a winner
But he became the doggies’ dinner……………….
-Nick Lowe, Marie Provost
Shana
I assume someone somewhere along the line has recommended Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Vegetable Miracle about her family’s year of eating only what they grew/preserved themselves and what could be purchased locally like flour oil meat. I think they set a limit of 20 miles away from their house. It’s a really interesting book and seems right up your alley.
Very impressive supply by the way. Very impressive.
OzarkHillbilly
You do know that you don’t have to do anything in particular with winter squash like butternut, right? It will keep for months all on it’s own.
ETA: I am mightily impressed with your larder. Job well done. I will be even more impressed if you eat it all within the next 6-8 months, which has always been my problem.
Sab
@Shana: Thanks. Sounds interesting.
Spanky
Saaaaaaay! It just dawned on me that that’s a really nice picture. Who took it?
Gretchen
@Shana: Yes, that is a really good book. They moved to, I think, Kentucky, because they realized that they wouldn’t be able to do it at their original home in the southwest.
John Revolta
@Spanky: Ouch
laura
Abundance, comforts of home, freedom from want, idle hands . . ., waste not, want not, pantry pride, simple gifts, color, that picture just taps a very deep feeling of hominess.
HinTN
@OzarkHillbilly: Yep! Pulled out something I called Cherry Sauce in 2013 and had it on pancakes yesterday. Damn good, it was.
Mary Ellen Sandahl
Gorgeous! Imposing! It would be awesum enough if it was just one gleaming row showing per shelf, but the angle lets you see the serried ranks receding like endless Iowa corn rows back into the distance! Wow.
So when do you start putting up the jar upon jar of homemade cat and dog treats, John?
wenchacha
My hat is off to you, Cole. Looks like my Mom’s cellar. It evidence of a tremendous effort!
Jake Gibson
Canned Tenderloin and Spareribs or GTFO.
My mother is the only person I know of that home canned those. Supposed to be to risky for home canners, but she never made us sick.
They would melt in your mouth.
rikyrah
You did a great job, Cole???
Mel
@MelissaM: I’m in, with apple cake in tow for the finale!
Mel
@Jake Gibson: Some meat-containing goodies are safe if carefully pressure canned. If a water canner is used – not so much!!
Ol'Froth
A suggestion: If your jars are properly sealed, remove the bands. They can rust on the jars, and will last longer if removed, cleaned and put away for next year.
Tams
So happy for you and your bunker. All your hard work, sweat, frustrations, trips, monies and injuries have definitely paid off! Your bounty is fierce and impressive. You should be beyond excited and proud! ??????
Tams
@Cathie Fonz (formerly Cathie from Canada):
Be careful what you wish for, he’s the most generous person I know, you might just receive something!