Monday, September 13, 2010
Book Review
The book is making the rounds in the cyber world! I didn't even know the Mormon Times existed, it's a product of the Deseret News, so it was a pleasant surprise when we discovered this review. Check it out here!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Deseret News
Did you see The Bag Lady in the Deseret News? If not check it out here. If you already saw the article, click the link anyways and relive the magic. :D
Friday, August 27, 2010
Q & A: Meats
First off, kudos for following the blog. We realize that we've been a bit slow in our posting, but we haven't forgotten about you! By now you've probably read through the book and come up with some questions. Today we bring you a special Q&A with our friend Wendy. Wendy comes from West Hills, CA (we're thrilled with the growing CA following!)
Wendy: Do you brown your meat or pack it raw?
Bag Lady: It depends on the meat I am canning. I always brown my hamburger, sausage links, and patties before canning.
Wendy: Do you add water?
Bag Lady: You only add water if the meat has been cooked prior to bottling. When I have done this I used broth and it is yummy! But I usually raw pack most things and sprinkle with seasons if I am not using it for multiple dishes. i.e. Sunday roast always gets seasoned before I place it in the jar.
Wendy:I canned hamburger, but the recipe said to add water to the top, then put the lid on. I've used it, but it's always a little scary when I look at it.
Bag Lady: I never add water to my hamburger. Make sure you do NOT cook it thoroughly. Only cook it until the outside turns that gray color then spoon into prepared jars. You are only cooking it a little so that it doesn't come out the texture of canned dog food. If you cook it completely it will be dry and have an odd taste after processing.
Wendy: Do you think stew meat would work in canning?
Bag Lady: Yes. I can steak, stew meat and roasts as well as other meats and fish.
Wendy: When you use [bottled meat] in a recipe, is it already cooked from the pressure canning?
Bag Lady: Yes! You can eat it cold from the jar and be fine. However, make sure your bottles are properly sealed. To insure this I never leave my rings on after the initial 24 hours. I do this so that any gasses can easily pop the lid off if it is improperly sealed. If the bottle IS properly sealed, it will make that vacuum sound when I take the lid off. If there is no vacuum sound, I know the bottle was not sealed and the contents are bad.
There you have it folks! Don't waste another minute, canning your own meat "can" be easy and fun! If you hit any snags, shoot us a message.
Wendy: Do you brown your meat or pack it raw?
Bag Lady: It depends on the meat I am canning. I always brown my hamburger, sausage links, and patties before canning.
Wendy: Do you add water?
Bag Lady: You only add water if the meat has been cooked prior to bottling. When I have done this I used broth and it is yummy! But I usually raw pack most things and sprinkle with seasons if I am not using it for multiple dishes. i.e. Sunday roast always gets seasoned before I place it in the jar.
Wendy:I canned hamburger, but the recipe said to add water to the top, then put the lid on. I've used it, but it's always a little scary when I look at it.
Bag Lady: I never add water to my hamburger. Make sure you do NOT cook it thoroughly. Only cook it until the outside turns that gray color then spoon into prepared jars. You are only cooking it a little so that it doesn't come out the texture of canned dog food. If you cook it completely it will be dry and have an odd taste after processing.
Wendy: Do you think stew meat would work in canning?
Bag Lady: Yes. I can steak, stew meat and roasts as well as other meats and fish.
Wendy: When you use [bottled meat] in a recipe, is it already cooked from the pressure canning?
Bag Lady: Yes! You can eat it cold from the jar and be fine. However, make sure your bottles are properly sealed. To insure this I never leave my rings on after the initial 24 hours. I do this so that any gasses can easily pop the lid off if it is improperly sealed. If the bottle IS properly sealed, it will make that vacuum sound when I take the lid off. If there is no vacuum sound, I know the bottle was not sealed and the contents are bad.
There you have it folks! Don't waste another minute, canning your own meat "can" be easy and fun! If you hit any snags, shoot us a message.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Kitchen Mill Winner!
We all waited with baited breath as brother dipped his hand into the bag. He swirled it around and finally emerged with our winner!
GRACE JANKO!!
Congratulations Grace, you are the proud owner of a brand new Blendtech Kitchen Mill. Give us a holler and we'll get you your prize.
GRACE JANKO!!
Congratulations Grace, you are the proud owner of a brand new Blendtech Kitchen Mill. Give us a holler and we'll get you your prize.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Fan Mail!
Hello! We've been hearing all sorts of good things from "baggers" around the country. Here's some of the blips!
"Finally! After pre-ordering your book and waiting, and then checking on the order only to have to reorder, I finally have it! It is wonderful!...My attempts at food storage in the past have been, well, sad to say the least. I tried to stock items that we use frequently, but then I just ended up with an over stuffed pantry full of food that won't go together to make a meal. With J. going away to college next year how easy will it be to send supplies back with her to make sure she eats right while she is on her own. I will just grab a few bags and she will be set! Awesome! Thank you for sharing your wisdom in a way that is so accessible. I can't wait to try all of the recipes."
-Nancy, Redding CA
"I just received my book in today's mail and I love it!!!"
-Susan, Rockwall TX
"I love the book! I bought it a week ago here in Sacramento and I have been gathering supplies for the last week and today will start assembling the bag meals. I'm very excited!"
-Sandie, Orangevale CA
"I went through and read about Michelle's new and very smart way of doing food storage. I was going to give this book to my good friend who is our Emergency Preparedness and Canning Specialist in my ward, but I believe I will keep it and have my two caregivers (who are both LDS) help me prepare a week or two of meals based on this simple and easy way...I thought this would be a great way to prepare meals ahead of time for me...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to cook or that has a very busy schedule. The family's input [will] make it fun and educational. It is more economical in the end."
-Forever Friends Rating 5 Stars by Teri Rodeman, Benton City WA
Read the full review here
Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you too!
"Finally! After pre-ordering your book and waiting, and then checking on the order only to have to reorder, I finally have it! It is wonderful!...My attempts at food storage in the past have been, well, sad to say the least. I tried to stock items that we use frequently, but then I just ended up with an over stuffed pantry full of food that won't go together to make a meal. With J. going away to college next year how easy will it be to send supplies back with her to make sure she eats right while she is on her own. I will just grab a few bags and she will be set! Awesome! Thank you for sharing your wisdom in a way that is so accessible. I can't wait to try all of the recipes."
-Nancy, Redding CA
"I just received my book in today's mail and I love it!!!"
-Susan, Rockwall TX
"I love the book! I bought it a week ago here in Sacramento and I have been gathering supplies for the last week and today will start assembling the bag meals. I'm very excited!"
-Sandie, Orangevale CA
"I went through and read about Michelle's new and very smart way of doing food storage. I was going to give this book to my good friend who is our Emergency Preparedness and Canning Specialist in my ward, but I believe I will keep it and have my two caregivers (who are both LDS) help me prepare a week or two of meals based on this simple and easy way...I thought this would be a great way to prepare meals ahead of time for me...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to cook or that has a very busy schedule. The family's input [will] make it fun and educational. It is more economical in the end."
-Forever Friends Rating 5 Stars by Teri Rodeman, Benton City WA
Read the full review here
Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you too!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Howdy Y'All
That's right folks! We're headed to the Utah State Fair! Here's the low down:
Michelle and Trent Snow authors of "It's in the Bag: a New, Easy, Affordable, and Doable Approach to Food Storage" will be sharing their skills and knowledge at the Utah State Fair on September 9th and 17th.
Septemeber 9th:
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Michelle will demonstrate the revolutionary method of food storage bag meals and home canning sausage, beef, and chicken.
2:30- 3:30 p.m. Trent will demonstrate how to build a sprouter, a hands free emergency washing station, and a how to make a homemade cheese press.
Please join Michelle and Trent next door at the country store for a book signing immediately following each demonstration.
September 17th:
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Michelle will demonstrate the revolutionary food storage method of bag meals and how to make delicious and inexpensive homemade yogurt and soft cheese.
2:30- 3:30 p.m. Trent will demonstrate how to build a sprouter, a hands free emergency washing station, and how to make a homemade cheese press.
Please join Michelle and Trent next door at the country store for a book signing immediately following each demonstration.
Grab yer boots and we'll see ya there!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Guest "Bagger!"
Hello readers! I realize that I took a bit of a blogging sabbatical, but I'm back in full force today with a guest reader. This is Sandie.
Sandie hails from Northern California and we're thrilled to have her on the blog today. (Think of this post as a cyber interview)
Sandie: Can you substitute dehydrated meat for bottled?
The Bag Lady: Yes, you can use dehydrated meats; however, you will need to increase the amount of bottled water in each bag meal. I don't use dehydrated foods because we actually eat our bag meals for most breakfasts and dinners.
Sandie: Where did you find canned ham and bags?
The Bag Lady: I could only find the ham at Walmart. And as far as the bags go, I purchased mine at Xpedex and got a deal because I bought 500 of them. I asked if I bought 500 bags would they discount the price and they did. I ended up paying 0.18 cents/bag which is good because the original price was 0.25/bag.
Sandie: Where do I find canned cheese and butter?
The Bag Lady: I tried different butters and cheeses and decided on Bega brand for the cheese. To me it tastes less salty. I would definitely taste test before you spend money on a case. It is manufactured in Austrailia. I like the Red Feather brand of butter. It is manufactured in New Zealand. You can buy these from emergency preparedness stores or on-line but would suggest comparing prices as it is spendy. Because of the long shelf life I take the canned butter and cheese out of the bag meal that I am preparing and recycle it back into a newly made bag meal rather than use it. After all, we aren't in a crisis so why not use the fresh and save money too!
And Finally, Sandie's Testimonial:
Today I put together nine bag meals. It was so fun. I need to run back to Winco to get more canned roast beef and Costco to get more canned chicken. Also, I went ahead and ordered bags online from Uline in Los Angeles. I had to get a case of 250 and they came out to 22 cents each.
This is the coolest idea, the bag meals. Without a basement I'm having to convert linen closet space, etc. but it wil be so great to have these meals ready to go and I'm very excited about the idea of rotating the storage. Here's one of our family favorite recipes that I converted into a bag meal by substituting real chicken breasts for canned chicken:
Sandie's South of the Border Chicken
2 cans chicken meat
1 can black beans
1 jar/can picante sauce
Seasoning Packet:
1 cup instant rice
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Pantry Item:
grated cheddar cheese
Drain black beans and corn. Mix all ingredients together in saucepan on stove until hot. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min. until bubbly.
We would love to feature more of our readers on the blog! If any of you have questions, comments, stories, or recipes (We LOVE recipes), please send them to m_snow61@hotmail.com We would also appreciate a picture!
Happy Bagging!
Sandie hails from Northern California and we're thrilled to have her on the blog today. (Think of this post as a cyber interview)
Sandie: Can you substitute dehydrated meat for bottled?
The Bag Lady: Yes, you can use dehydrated meats; however, you will need to increase the amount of bottled water in each bag meal. I don't use dehydrated foods because we actually eat our bag meals for most breakfasts and dinners.
Sandie: Where did you find canned ham and bags?
The Bag Lady: I could only find the ham at Walmart. And as far as the bags go, I purchased mine at Xpedex and got a deal because I bought 500 of them. I asked if I bought 500 bags would they discount the price and they did. I ended up paying 0.18 cents/bag which is good because the original price was 0.25/bag.
Sandie: Where do I find canned cheese and butter?
The Bag Lady: I tried different butters and cheeses and decided on Bega brand for the cheese. To me it tastes less salty. I would definitely taste test before you spend money on a case. It is manufactured in Austrailia. I like the Red Feather brand of butter. It is manufactured in New Zealand. You can buy these from emergency preparedness stores or on-line but would suggest comparing prices as it is spendy. Because of the long shelf life I take the canned butter and cheese out of the bag meal that I am preparing and recycle it back into a newly made bag meal rather than use it. After all, we aren't in a crisis so why not use the fresh and save money too!
And Finally, Sandie's Testimonial:
Today I put together nine bag meals. It was so fun. I need to run back to Winco to get more canned roast beef and Costco to get more canned chicken. Also, I went ahead and ordered bags online from Uline in Los Angeles. I had to get a case of 250 and they came out to 22 cents each.
This is the coolest idea, the bag meals. Without a basement I'm having to convert linen closet space, etc. but it wil be so great to have these meals ready to go and I'm very excited about the idea of rotating the storage. Here's one of our family favorite recipes that I converted into a bag meal by substituting real chicken breasts for canned chicken:
Sandie's South of the Border Chicken
2 cans chicken meat
1 can black beans
1 jar/can picante sauce
Seasoning Packet:
1 cup instant rice
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Pantry Item:
grated cheddar cheese
Drain black beans and corn. Mix all ingredients together in saucepan on stove until hot. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min. until bubbly.
We would love to feature more of our readers on the blog! If any of you have questions, comments, stories, or recipes (We LOVE recipes), please send them to m_snow61@hotmail.com We would also appreciate a picture!
Happy Bagging!
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