There are so many reasons to be prepared by stocking up on food.  For example, you could lose your income from job loss or even an accident.  What if you have an ice storm or Hurricane and you can’t get to the store or they are closed due to no electricity? Those are two obvious reasons to stock up on food.

I have always looked at the circulars and stocked up on items I use consistently.  Clipping coupons is not my cup of tea.

I have recently started pressure canning meats (and potatoes) and I have been able to stock up on great bargains and don’t have to worry about freezer space.

The meat is tender and it is like having fast food at your finger tips.  I can have a roast with potatoes on the table in 15 minutes.

Canning the meat means 75 minutes (pints) or 90 minutes (quarts) of my propane gas stove and it makes 7 meals. When I cooked a roast in my oven, it took 6 hours to get it tender enough and I usually got 3 meals out of the roast.  I would make the roast, then French dip sandwiches and then a beef stew.

But the canning means I have beef tonight and then another meat the next night.

So far I have canned roast, beef tips, ground beef, pork, chicken, sausage and bacon.  Oh yeah, butter, too.

I also can dry beans and what a savings that is!  Pintos, great northern, navy, lima and black beans fill my shelves.

My gas stove has been a blessing, too because when we lose electricity, I can still light my burners with a match and cook meals.  Losing electricity did not effect my canned meats either.  One of my relatives had a full freezer and lost almost everything.

If you are interested in learning to can, watch u-tube videos.   That is how I learned.  I found “Michigansnowpony” “Linda’s pantry” “starry hilder” and “guildbrook farm” are great for learning about canning and homesteading.