I mentioned in a previous post that I saved some money on my groceries in January and February of this year. Now it’s time to reveal how I spent that money. We used it in two ways:
First, I rounded out my supply of tools to use for food preservation. I got a larger pot to do water bath canning with, purchased a few metal funnels, and got some mason jar fermentation lids. I’ll use those lids to ferment small quantities of food in glass jars I already own. I have a large fermentation crock already but having the ability to ferment more than one type of food at a time will be helpful when local produce is abundant.
My husband and I also opted to expand our selection of fruit bearing trees. We made sure to get cold hardy trees that would survive and hopefully thrive on our property. We got 4 total trees: 2 sweet cherry trees, 1 nectarine tree, and 1 peach tree.
My husband is a bit nervous about the quantity of fruit these trees may produce in a few years, but I’m excited. I’m confident that the fruit will be snacked on throughout summertimes straight from the tree, and that the extra will be canned, frozen, and shared with friends and family. I will also likely contact my local gleaning nonprofit to help me harvest the fruit from my trees and donate the excess to food banks and animal sanctuaries.
My kids and I have volunteered with gleaning nonprofits in the past, and I’m excited to not only help by volunteering my time but also gifting my homegrown fruit. I know that every donation made makes a difference in combating local food insecurity as well as global climate change, and I’m happy any time I can do something to address both of these issues at once.