A friend recently said to me that they wouldn’t want to mess around making sausage because for the amount of product his family ate it didn’t seem worth it to bother with it. Time wise I mean.
I completely understand how he feels because I have felt the same way before. Not specifically about sausage but I could fill in a number of other things that I felt originally, for whatever reason, weren’t worth me doing –when put into my “wasn’t very good doing it” limited time to product perspective anyway.
Yet years down the road I know find myself doing things that I consider too “time consuming” and “not worth it” like canning potatoes, making applesauce from scratch (even after the canned jars have been used up), making hamburger rolls on the days we want burgers, making homemade stock with some extra to freeze or can, grinding grains, and many other “hard and time consuming” things.
I do all these without really taking much more time than it would for me to run to the store and pick them up. Of course we all know that the quality is far superior to the store bought and well worth the extra time. I also don’t completely do all of this because I feel that home made food taste better and is cheaper than store bought either—though those are two of my main reasons. Truthfully I make many of these items from scratch because I am now so comfortable doing them and it has become so ingrain that it really ISN”T that much more time —-and it DOES taste better and cost less.
A number of things have led me to this point in my life though. I didn’t get here because I am super woman, and I didn’t get here because I do in fact stay at home. I got here through small steps and small attempts.
Over the course of time I have added these things slowly. As I have became successful and comfortable with those I initially began with….I then added others to attempt. No matter how stressful it seemed at first…each attempt yielded better and better products until I no longer had to think about doing it. I have made bread so many times now that I do not even need a recipe for the two main types we eat. For less eaten breads like bagel or English muffins—I still need a recipe. But I am overall so comfortable with making bread now that even a recipe that is new or not memorized takes very little extra time out of my day.
Unfortunately I do find myself occasionally saying things similar to my friend above. I, like all people of my generation, seem to feel that going to a store and buying something pre package represents quicker food. I also, like every one else fall into the trap that something unfamiliar is by far harder and takes longer—especially when someone has already done it for you. How often though, living out in the country, has it taken me just as long to get to a good restaurant, or even to the closest open grocery store? Often it would have been quicker for me to make something in my kitchen. Maybe not a 4 hour pot roast but I can make a batch of marinara sauce and spaghetti in probably the same amount of time it takes to go across town to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Better than spaghetti….I can whip up tacos even quicker—even if I do home made tortillas. Mine may not be quite as perfectly round as the restaurant’s….but they taste just as good.
I notice that we don’t seem to count driving to and from the grocery store….and our time strolling around in it…in the “cost” of these so called quick foods. Yet…..we consider a trip to the store at 5 o’clock after work to be easier than going home and making something. Ick..I hate going to the store at that time because it is swamped with people.
So, what about harder things though like sausage? Or homemade pasta? Or even canned foods?
These are all things that once you do them more than twice….you start to build your own routine. Falling into a groove so to speak. A groovy groove. I think it takes at least two times to fumble through some of it and then after that it starts to move into the easier or just as easy category because you know, and are becoming comfortable with, what exactly needs to be done. And since many of these “time consuming” tasks can be scaled up to include many days or weeks worth of product ,we actually end up saving time. Saving time by pre preparing our meals (at least partially) and saving time by removing some of the time spent in stores. Maybe not right at first but over time. Canning is a great example of that. Yes, it takes time and it does mean you have to spend a number of days in the kitchen. Yet when accomplished days and days and even weeks worth of meals are done.
Another example I have for this time to savings is our dairy cow. When our cow first calved and we started milking we felt very out of sorts, rushed and limited in time. Never quite seeming to have a handle on all the paraphernalia, and routine, that went with the milking. However it didn’t take long to develop a routine with our cow and milking her. And to get all our paraphernalia together cosistently. We then added the routines of dealing with our extra milk like making butter, separating off cream, making cheeses (still working on getting tasty cheese though ;-D) always going back through the “are we doing it right” or “what storage containers will work best” and many other items that required us to learn how to deal with them.
Yet…all fell into place. And of all the things we have ever added to our home the care of our cow has actually worked out to be something that we get that time to value wise is immeasurable. It has also decreased our time going to and from the grocery by so much (very odd I know) that we found we then needed to plan and stock up on other groceries because we were no longer there many times a week. Kind of steam roll effect. Or rock down a hill. The momentim every time we added one of the “labor intensive” task was great. Moving us more and more into higher quality food, better health, time savings and just plain enjoyment of what we accomplished.
As I have added each task to my life…sausage making, animal butchering, making breads, milking cows…..they all seemed as if they would clutter my life to the extreme. Yet as I became comfortable with each task they actually allowed me how to save time in other places. And…I still vacation and I still go to visit my family. We still have time to hang with friends and to get projects done on the weekends.
As I come to the end I am not sure I really made a point but I think I will sum it up this way: Add some homesteading and self sufficiency skills to your life. You wouldn’t be reading this blog if you weren’t interested in them. Begin slowly…adding one at a time until you feel comfortable with it. Then…add another, whether it’s making sausage, caring for livestock or even canning up all the soup you eat every year.
Over time we build the skills and the tools to do these things second nature without rushing off helter skelter for something we forgot. Eventually you will become so good at whatever it is that you won’t forget—but it does takes practice and time at first. As I always tell my children: Don’t worry if it comes out badly at first, practice makes perfect. And sausage is still edible even if you leave it too chunky or rip the sausage casing.
Thank you for writing this, and it was perfectly clear and any rambling was very natural to the way I think, too. There’s so much that I want to do for my family and it’s frustrating, at times, when I see how much there is I *could* be doing and how much time my mind tells me it’ll take. I worry, too, about cost and whether it’s worth the cost (like making my own pasta – when the store pasta is so cheap is it worth it to make my own?).
Yet I’m still driven by the value of it all, and the knowledge that I *can* do it if I just try a bit.
Kelly…The original reason I thought of this article is because of canning potatoes. Originally when I started years ago it took a bit to “get into my groove” and it seemed long and tedious and time consuming.
However after a number of batches it became easier and now I can prep and fly through a batch in no time. It made me realize how many things I think are time consuming but really I am just procrastinating because I am not yet comfortable doing them.
As to the value part. If you buy full price at the store to make your pasta or whatever …yes…sometimes it can be more costly. However…if you shop in bulk, on sale, farmers markets etc…it is usually less. Sometimes if I fall behind in pre planning purchasing (bulk, on sale etc) and have to buy an item or two full price I still think making my own is worth it. Not feeding my family corn syrup in my bread (why does it need that I ask you) or all of the preservatives makes a difference to me. . Besides…my son is allergic to some additives so….it gives me a different perspective not having that in our food. Nobody liked cleaning red #40 out of the carpet when he was little and it made him sick ;-D
So true, and often I find that the time I spend doing these things is time that I wouldn’t have spent productively in the first place. If I watched 3-5 hours of TV a day as most Americans do I wouldn’t have time. But since I choose to spend my free time canning/cooking/gardening I’m spending my time productively.
I feel like I actually save time because I haven’t been to the grocery store in weeks (perhaps months).
I also love knowing where my food is coming from. To me it’s always worth the cost even if it’s more expensive. Not to mention homemade food is so much tastier!
Chiot’s Run…I LOVE knowing where my food comes from. And it taste SO much better!
And I agree about the t.v…though there are times I have to tell myself “no…you can’t read now you have to go out and weed” 😀
Yet…it is worth it, and responding to your other comment, I also love that we are getting more “full circle”. The chickens eat the leftover meat of all the other animals plus garden scraps and the pigs eat all the chicken leftovers plus garden scraps and most of our trash becomes compost—though we are still working on the trash issue. Even growing our own there is a lot of trash that moves through a residence! Shocking isn’t it!
Thank you. You’re very clear and it is a comforting message. Just start …and take the time to grow.
Everything is possible then.
Alke..Everything. Possible. Yes. Good summation 🙂
You know I was thinking about this a bit more while working this evening and I realized another reason that I like making my own. I feel that we waste less when we make our own because it’s more valuable to us. Since we invested time as well an ingredients into it, we realize what it’s actually worth. So making your own encourages thrift and decreases wastefulness!
I’ve just begun making my own bread – and even though I don’t think I’ll ever go as far as making my own sausage, your blog is encouraging me to take further steps! Making soups to portion and freeze for the hubby’s lunches might be first.
Thank you!
Cipollina… Though I have always aspired to being self sufficient I can’t say sausage was always a goal. However I think as you get better and better at some of it (canning, bread making, growing etc) some of the things you never thought about just kind of pop into your mind. And though we raise our own pigs I do know many people that buy half or whole hogs (pasture raised, conventional and organic) and then make sausage. They say even with a conventional raised hog it still taste better and they have more control over the end product. So…never say never cause you just never know! ;-D
Oh yes…do try the soups. Very easy to freeze or can. When we don’t can them we just freeze them in canning jars —leaving head room of course. Easy easy meals.
Yes. Yes, indeed. Especially your point about not being superwoman – that you start doing little bits here and there, and after not all that long, look! You’re doing all these things and they don’t seem to be an imposition at all. I think the key for people starting out is to just do one or two things, things they like, and add more as time passes.
Thanks for this…..We are just starting our quest to reordering our life in this area and sometimes it feels overwhelming. But there are so many things that I can now do no brainer that I could never do before….thanks for the reminder.
Dani…Your welcome 🙂
I came over here from recyclethis.co.uk. What a great post! I do agree that all it takes is getting into the groove of doing something that we initially believed would be onerous or time-consuming — like rinsing and sorting recyclables, keeping a home clean, having an extra pet or maintaining a compost pit. After a while, it just becomes second nature and replaces non-productive activities like watching TV or surfing the Net.
When I started bringing my own organic sandwich/pasta/casserole lunches to work, it did seem to take a lot of time to slice vegetables and prepare the meals, but over time and with a fair bit of planning, it has become enjoyable and easy enough to fit into the daily schedule of someone who works a fulltime job, volunteers for at least 3 organisations, and has 6 cats and 2 dogs. It’s going to take some persuasion before I have the confidence to try canning my own vegetables, though.
Thanks for your illuminating post.
CovertOperations78…
Completely…that is exactly what I was trying to say.
Oh yes….and since you take sandwiches and other goodies to work start your canning with side things like pickled veggies and fruits along with chutneys and sauces…that way you get an easy project plus a lot of quick bang for your buck.
I always like to encourage other to can ;-D
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I just stumbled here from inadvertent farmer. Thanks for the great reminder…I start milking our goat tomorrow, and am feeling a tad overwhelmed at the prospect. But, just like when we first got our goats (ha, ha), and then our chickens, and first they took a lot of time, but now it’s just part of our day. Baby steps, so to speak!
Wendy…exactly…baby steps. Within a month you will be a “pro” and by that time so will your goat which will make it all the easier. Good luck…but I know you will be fine!