Still Freezing?

No, as cold as it has been this winter,I am speaking of freezing our foods,not the weather.I am sorry to hear about Miss Lottie's water/freezer problem, but while thinking about her freezer problems, it got me to thinking about how dependant I am on my own freezers, and how I take them for granted.Here lately, my older sister has been talking about the fact that we all should start canning even more of the foods we preserve.With all the problems in the world,there is no longer any certainty when it comes to electricity. We are hearing that we can expect more brownouts and the like. THEY can do anything THEY want to us, and we are at their mercy, so we need to plan ahead for the possibility of no electric for short periods.I'm working on preserving more things in jars, but we have become so dependant on freezers, it is hard to do.We are so spoiled in this part of the world, and we have had so much for so long, it is really hard to think about going back and doing things the way we did when we were young. I know from my own experiences of the last 63 years, I can do it, but being spoiled as we all are to the modern way of life, it would take much time and some major adjustments.
(The two curtains in the picture are hiding my canned goods and extra jars.Doors I have planned for the 8 foot of shelving is in my plan, but for now, the curtains will have to suffice,to keep those types of things,out of sight.)


As for Miss Lottie's cheese making, I recall Mom making cheese now and then, out of necessity, when she was raising us 9 kids. It turned out pretty good, at times. We never had access to a lot of store bought cheeses, so of course, we thought it was wonderful. We had cottage cheese quite often, but other cheeses not so much.We had cows, so milk was plentiful, and products derived from milk were always close at hand.One of my favorites was the home made cottage cheese, and of course, butter and buttermilk. Yum! Mom did a lot of experimenting with various foods trying to find ways to keep us all fed. I guess I inherited that from her, because I love to experiment with foods,when I do get around to cooking anyway.Being retired,we just don't require big meals,so I only do major cooking when company is coming.
One of my favorites was the cottage cheese Mom use to make. I can't remember exactly what she would put in it, but I do remember she would incorporate things from the garden,like green onions and radishes, and then some mayonaise,salt and pepper.That was a double Yum!I remember her setting the large pan of milk out to clabber, then she'd put it on the stove to simmer for awhile, then she'd pour it slowly into a cheesecloth or something similar, to hang on the clothesline to drain all of the whey from it. Then it was ready to add the additional ingredients.How I wish I had a milk cow today!Pop won't give in,or I would have one.And as much as he loves milk,go figure.