Blendtec

I've have been looking for a blender, bread dough mixer, wheat grinder, but did not what to buy all three items and had no where to store them all. I found this items and love it, found several great reviews on it. 

Mixer Blender Combo

The Mix n' Blend II is designed for blending, mixing, whipping, and kneading. Everything you need for healthy living!

The Mix n' Blend II has you covered: mixing, whipping, blending, and kneading is all just a button away. With 1000 watts of power there isn't any job it can't handle.

Make perfect dough
The Mix n' Blend II features a smart auto-knead button which kneads your bread to the perfect gluten level then automatically shuts off, (up to 12 lbs). No more long and tedious kneading.

Saves counter space
A 4-quart mixing bowl and 64-ounce blender jar makes even large jobs a breeze. Its compact size fits nicely on the counter.

Easy one button operation
Preparing food is fast, easy, and fresh with the Mix n' Blend II. With 5 automatic mixer cycles and 8 automatic blender cycles, the Mix n' Blend II is the complete kitchen machine. The touchpad controls and easy-to-read display make it simple to navigate the many available options and choose the right one for the job.

• 1000 Watt Motor
• Dimensions: 11" wide x 15.5" tall x 8" deep
• Actual weight: 11 lbs
• Shipping Weight: 15 lbs
• Package Includes:
• Mix 'n' Blend II Motor Base
• Basic Pitcher
• Vented Pitcher Lid
• 4-quart mixing bowl with domed lid
• French Whisk
• Medium Whisk
• Stainless Steel Dough Hook
• Kneading Arm
• Recipe Book
• Owner's Manual

Warranty: Motor base: 3 Years
Components: 2 Years
Jar : 1 year

 

Beans and Rice

Are you prepared?  Want to know how to use your food storage so you can rotate?  Want to feed your family cheap.   Really good book on the beans.  Ways to use beans that you won't know it is beans, a must read.

Canning

Canning
Last summer I wasted so much veggies from my garden because I could not eat them all and they went bad. So this year I'm going to try canning.  SSSSSOOOOO---------

Well today I'm researching canning. (why today? because there is a snow blizzard today and woohoo my work place closed for the day)   I want to make sure all my food is safe and sealed to last 2 years or more.   One important thing I did not know was that are two different canning methods BASED on the type of food. You must know if the food is acid or alkaline.  VERY important. Acid foods can use this type of canning because you don't have to get the food that hot to kill bacteria. 

Acid foods are foods that contain enough acid to have a pH of 4.6 or lower. Acidic foods can be processed safely in a boiling water canner, usually without added acid (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid). This is necessary to control botulinum bacteria. Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food. Low-acid canned foods are not acidic enough to prevent the
growth of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The term "pH" is a measure of acidity; the lower its value, the more acid the food. The acidity level in foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6 up to 6.9. (non-acidic, or alkaline foods have pH values of 7.0 or greater) .They include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have pH values above 4.6 unless their recipes include enough lemon juice, citric acid, or
vinegar to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or lower. They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters.

Although tomatoes usually are considered an acid food, some are now known to have pH values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have pH values slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods, these products must be acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid. To be safe, we simply recommend always adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart of tomatoes or tomato products. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner.

Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sanitized at temperatures of 240° to 250° F, attainable with pressure canners operated at 10 to 15 PSIG. PSIG means "pounds per square inch of pressure as measured by gauge". The more familiar "PSI" designation is used hereafter. At temperatures of 240° to 250° F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes.

The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. When it is even possible*, the time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85 minutes. Note: * in many cases, no amount of water bath canning will kill the type of bacteria present, because the temperatures never rise high enough.

Summarizing, low acid or non-acidic foods must be:

• pickled,
• frozen,
• dried or
• canned in a pressure canner (where there is a safe recipe determined for them - there is no safe recipe for canning pumpkins and squash)

• Foods can be acid because they are:

• naturally acid foods
• foods that have acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, added
• fermented foods, such as sauerkraut. During the fermentation process bacteria produce an acid.

Naturally acidic foods include most fruits, such as:

• apples
• berries
• blackberries
• blueberries
• cranberries
• peaches
• pears
• raspberries
• strawberries

Tomatoes are borderline - and must be considered a special case, with acid added!

• Low Acid or Non-acidic Foods

  These are considered to be LOW acid foods:
  Certain fruits:
• figs,
• Asian pears,
• melons,
• bananas,
• dates,
• papaya,
• ripe pineapple,
• persimmons

Almost ALL vegetables, such as:

• asparagus
• beans
• corn
• cucumbers
• garlic
• green beans
• greens (lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, etc.)
• onions
• peas
• pumpkins
• squash (summer or winter varieties)
•