Winter Supplies pt 2

Water and Food

Water

I’ve learned that every year here is entirely different from the last. The first winter was so warm that I couldn’t keep food frozen outside. Last winter was so cold that my stored water froze and couldn’t be thawed until spring. A new plan for this winter is in motion. It’ll have to be stored again. Differently than last year, which was a huge fail!

Very Technical Diagram

The plan is an addition to the front of the house. The deck that I built last year is being rebuilt - bigger and stronger. It will then be enclosed, roofed and insulated. Four 1000L water cubes will be stored in the addition. My wood stove is WAY too big, so keeping the extra space warm won’t be an issue. It’ll take an 8-inch beam framework to support so much weight, so it’s going to be awesome.

Food

Milk and Meat

I have a freezer full of my own farmed rabbit meat and more rabbits to harvest. One of the pigs will be processed soon, and I’ll experiment with making pork cuts and sausage. Because rabbit is very lean, having some fatty pork through the winter will be a good way to balance it out. Fresh meat won’t be an issue but ensuring that I have enough food for the rabbits, chickens, goats and pigs is high on the priority list.

Feta is still giving me fresh goat’s milk. However, this is her second year milking and it’s time to dry her up. In anticipation of that, we’ll set aside canned cow’s milk. About a can a week. Mainly to be used in coffee, oatmeal, and baking.

The tastiest plums EVER

Fruits and veggies

The rooftop greenhouse was a success and yielded tomatoes, peppers, green onions, basil and much more. Those have been canned, pickled, and dehydrated - ready for winter. I dried most of the wild berries that I picked and am looking forward to having them in oatmeal. Also, good friends gave us apples and neighbours let us pick their plums which I’ve preserved as a treat for the colder months!

We waited for a case sale at the grocery store and bought 10 cases of canned soup. Tomato, mushroom, chicken noodle, and more. Eventually, I will can all of my food myself, and I’m well on my way! But for now, campbells soup is nice.

(Left to right) 1) Dried Peppers from the greenhouse, 2) Tea blend consisting of rose pedals, fireweed flower, yarrow, oxeye daisy, and rosehips 3) Dried Thimbleberries, Huckleberries, and Raspberries 4)Hops and Juniper berries 5)Ponderosa Pine needle basket made by yours truly.

Carbs

I haven’t figured out why - but I can’t grow potatoes here. They don’t thrive. For now, my main carb is jasmine rice. Jasmine because it’s less starchy and doesn’t have to be rinsed. When living with limited water that’s important. Also, cheap ramen noodles are my kryptonite. They’re bad, I love them. I always have a couple of cases on hand. Dried potatoes store nicely and are surprisingly tasty with some extra cheese, and oatmeal really warms you up on cold days.

I have 10kg of oatmeal, 30kg of rice, 2 dozen servings of dried potatoes, and 5kg of lentils. All are stored in the shelf space under my bed.

I made this, that’s me! haha.

Candy and Beer

I’ve added candy as a whole section for Curt. He LOVES candy and omitting the 20 lbs of it that he’s set aside would just be untruthful. Candy and snacks are a must when the sun sets before 4 pm. He loves his candy SO MUCH - we bought him an industrial-size candy dispenser. For me, it’s all about coffee. My favourite is from the aptly named Cabin Fever Coffee Co, based on Vancouver Island. I have a bunch stashed away for the middle of winter.

I can hardly wait!

In the spirit of industrial-sized dispensers, we also have a beer tap. There’s nothing like a cold pint after a long day playing in the snow! (Any beer sponsors out there... hello?) Both cost-effective and producing less waste - I like finding reasons to justify the tap. Before the snow gets too deep we’ll get a 50L keg. Probably a lager.. who knows.

If we’re going to be using the mill, chainsaws, or generator - we’ll need to stock up on gas. I use propane for cooking, showering, and the freezer. The tractor takes diesel. Stick around for part 3. Fuel.