Prepped Living Blog

*Note: The content on this site is for informational purposes only and reflect our personal health experiences and choices. We do not claim to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease or illness. It is recommended that you seek advice from a professional if you have a health issue. Our weekend home care: teas for healing, electrolytes, and infused honey Over the last two weeks we have had a couple different maladies hit the family.  GI tract issues were followed by a cold - complete with a sore throat, sinus congestion, and cough. We have some standbys that we use during flu and cold season. This time around we had the opportunity to try a couple of new recipes as well. Here is a basic run-down of what we use for comfort and symptom management. GI Issue Management Perhaps the most dangerous part of GI issues is the potential for dehydration. Previous health issues have taught me that getting low on electrolytes, vitamins, or minerals can have disastrous health consequence...

While visiting a nearby town with our eldest son to get his driver's license renewed, I was able to visit my favorite second hand store. Owned by a friend of ours, the store looks small from the front, but is home to a multitude of vendor spaces that offer everything from books, to candles, to antiques, to repurposed furniture. I always enjoy our visits there and more often than not, I find something of interest. During this past week's visit I found a beautiful brass candlestick holder for our youngest daughter and a pack of 15 taper candles. We always find fair prices at this store, but the price for these items was fabulous - $3 for the brass holder and $2.89 for all 15 candles! A fabulous find at the local thrift store. While at the store, I overheard two ladies discussing the current heating situation for many families in the neighboring state. A natural gas pipe was ruptured, leaving tens of thousands without natural gas in their homes (see  article ). One of the ladies m...

 Last week I wrote about preserving pears. Since that post, we took out our frozen pears and thawed them to make dessert for a dinner we were hosting. Our youngest son chose to make pear cobbler using a recipe that has been a favorite in my husband's family for years.  The recipe works well with most fruits - blueberries, peaches, apples, and more. I often use home canned blueberry or apple pie filling for this recipe. It takes two quart jars of pie filling to make the following recipe in a 9 x 13 pan. The pears our son used had been frozen in a minimal amount of light syrup. He dumped the pears, syrup and all, directly into the pan without adding any thickener, sweetener, or other spices and then made the cobbler mix for the top. The only change he made was to add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to the top of the cobbler before putting it in the oven. It was delicious and the addition of the spices added depth to the flavor. This has been such a great recipe for potlucks an...

Canning Pears The past few weeks have been full, but we were able to process a box of pears we ordered from Azure. They came beautifully ripe and perfectly ready for canning/freezing. Due to work and other obligations, I had not been home much during the week. Fortunately, both boys were home the day after the pears arrived, so while I went grocery shopping, they brought the canner down from the attic and began preparations. By the time I arrived home, the canner was heating, the jars were sterilized, and the sink was being filled with sliced, peeled pears. Wow, what a difference it makes to have so much help! We canned 5 1/2 quarts and froze another 3 pints. That left us several ripe pears on which to snack. Our canned pears will be used this winter for pear pancakes,   one of my favorite breakfast foods,  and holiday desserts. The frozen pears will be kept for smoothies or desserts. Autumn Strolls  We have been enjoying autumn strolls by the water. Although the vivid co...