Tag Archives: frugality

Our favorite articles about frugality, saving money & budgeting posted on TexasHomesteader.com

Preserving The Bounty: Freezing Fresh Eggs

by Texas Homesteader~ 
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Most people know that chickens slow down their egg production in the winter months. So I’m trying to preserve the more-than-we-can-use quantity of eggs I’m blessed with now for those leaner times. 

I’ve written before about preserving the eggs from our pastured flock by making a large batch of breakfast burritos and freezing them. They make a quick grab-n-eat meal before church so your stomach isn’t rumbling so loudly the sermon can’t be heard!

But you can only eat so many breakfast burritos. So I began looking for other ways to preserve those precious eggs so that none would go to waste.

Although you can't freeze fresh eggs in the shell, there is an easy way to preserve eggs for future use by freezing. #TexasHomesteader
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Preserving The Harvest: Pressure-Canning Corn

by Texas Homesteader~ 
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I recently received quite a few ears of sweet corn but it was WAY more than we could eat fresh.   I wanted to preserve it so none would be wasted.

Our freezer is already pretty full so I was only able to toss in a couple of the whole ears for freezing, and then I went to researching pressure-canning options.

I was able to can the corn in little time. And since I was using my reusable canning lids I also created no waste. 

The cobs went to the hog traps, the shucks went to the goats and the sweet corn goodness goes to us!

Preserving that corn by pressure canning means we'll be enjoying the sweet taste of summer even during the cold months of winter! #TexasHomesteader
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French-Bread Pizza!

by Texas Homesteader

RancherMan loves bread in all forms and we always have plenty of bread in the house.  But sometimes it’s hard to plan the purchases where the bread will be completely consumed while it’s at its freshest.  Sometimes even with careful planning the bread will get hard & stale.

There are many things I like to do with the bread to make sure it’s all put to good use, but RancherMan’s absolute F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E thing for me to do with it is make French-Bread Pizza.  It’s quick, it’s delicious, and it utilizes bread that would have otherwise been wasted.  What’s not to love??

To keep food waste down I often use stale french bread to make some amazing french-bread pizzas. No need to mix up pizza dough. Pizza Nite is Quick & Easy! #TexasHomesteader
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Solar Cooking: Baked Potatoes

by Texas Homesteader~ 
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I came across a great deal on a huge back of potatoes recently. So I figured  I’d use my solar oven to cook up baked potatoes.

Well folks it’s still hot in Texas. And that’s not exactly the best time to throw on your heat-producing electric oven in your kitchen and bake potatoes.

Aaaaaanyway, here’s how I baked my potatoes.

I'm using my solar oven almost every day for the last few weeks - I LOVE IT! See how I cooked baked potatoes without adding any heat to my Texas kitchen. #TexasHomesteader
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RECIPE: Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread Baked In Cast Iron Skillet

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

This simple, moist and zesty jalapeno cornbread recipe is on tight rotation in my Homestead kitchen. It’s lightly sweet and bakes up fast in a cast-iron skillet. You can leave out the jalapenos if you don’t like spicy food and it’s still delicious. 

Homemade jalapeno cornbread that's tasty, lightly sweet and light textured. Add jalapenos for a nice kick! Baked in a cast iron skillet #TexasHomesteader

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Cooling Your Home Using A Whole-House Fan & No Air Conditioner

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Did you know you can cool the house quickly without using an air conditioner? A whole-house attic fan cools your home by pulling cooler air from outside throughout the house.

Likewise it can warm a house quickly by pulling warmer air throughout the house.

So each season can benefit with an eco-friendly whole-house fan instead of relying on an energy-heavy air conditioner.

Our whole-house fan in the attic cools the house quickly w/o using an expensive air conditioner by pulling cooler air from outside throughout the house #TexasHomesteader
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Solar Cooking: Homemade Marinara Sauce

by Texas Homesteader ~ 
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Is there much better than homemade fresh tomato marinara sauce?? It offers that taste that you just can’t get from the store shelves. But it’s true that you have to simmer it a bit to thicken it up and intensify all those delightful flavors.

It’s hot & humid here in NE Texas and simmering a pan on the stove for that length of time just didn’t appeal to me at all. Luckily I didn’t have to, the solar oven did a fantastic job and all the cooking heat was left outside where it belongs!

I love solar cooking, it keeps that cooking heat & humidity out of the kitchen. Today I'm making marinara sauce using NO EXTRA ENERGY! #TexasHomesteader
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Recipe: MYO Flavored Mayonnaise

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I’ve made our mayonnaise from scratch for years. An egg, some oil, lemon juice and salt is all it takes.

But RancherMan also sometimes asks me to flavor it with garlic for even more flavor. There’s so much flexibility when you’re making it yourself.

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