Sept 15, 25 Mabon (Autumn Equinox) season and pantry restock!

As the days get shorter and the sun stares to light up my kitchen for most of the day; nights in the 50’s and days in the low 70’s are making the leaves start to change and my body left feeling the shift. 
Since the day after full moon passed, I have been truly exhausted to my bones.  What is normally a one day restock became a weekend!  Mowing the yard and tending the garden has been a strain. 
I would like to think it’s my body getting more in tune with the nature around it and recognizing that sleeping and fat storage are high priorities this time of year.
My cucumbers are finally done and dead, so I pulled them down and by the 22nd I’m hoping that my very full tomato plant will ripen all at once, giving me a day of making tomato paste.
The roses are loving the weather, and the second crop of beans is going gangbusters.  I even have peppers – finally!

This panty restock – Yard Bird !  One whole raw chicken as the base makes a TON of food for the freezer and easy canning stock to be used as a base in everything from spaghetti and chili to soups and stews.

$25 Dollars – 9 jars of chicken broth and 9 – 13 meals.

One whole raw Chicken - $8
From the farm stand - $12
     Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Rosemary, parsley,
Backyard – Free
     Bay leaves, oregano, Lemon balm, Basil, Rosemary, chives, celery, green beans.
Arrowroot flour (or thicken flour of your choice) - $2
½ stick a butter (I use vegan as I can’t have dairy) - $1
Milk / Milk substitute (Ripple is what I use) - $2
Salt / Pepper.

Broth First -
Little water in the bottom of the pot.  I add a little moon water from my fridge water collection. 
Peeling from the carrot, garlic cloves, an onion, chive tops, Celery tops and bottoms and most of the herbs on the top.
Rinse your chicken real well, neck and innards go into the pot.
Stuff rest of your herbs in the center of the chicken and place it in the pot.
Cover 2” over with water, bring to a simmer and simmer it, lid on for 90 minutes.

Pull the chicken out and set it aside to completely cool.  I put mine on a rack so that I can pour off the chicken fat back into my broth.

Stock – I hot bath my jars to ensure proper sealing.  I process for 10 min since there is nothing in the liquid.  Pour stock while still hot into sterilized Jars, hot bath for 10 min.
I got 6 16oz jars, 3 32oz jars and 4 cups for the fridge.

Left over veg and herbs went into two of my large dead plant pots outside with a huge scoop of worms from my worm bins.  Then I cover the mess with a little soil and torn up weeds.  The worms will eat all the dead roots, and the castings will make it fertile.  By next spring I’ll have two large planters with soil ready to go.

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Freezer Chicken Pot Pie filling, chicken salad, breast chicken dinner and Chicken soup.

Pull all the chicken meat off your bones.  It should fall off easily.  Give skin and icky bits to the hound at your right and the Blackmouth Cur on the left.

Carrots and celery get sliced into my food processor.  Chop another onion.

Chicken Salad – throw some dark and white meat into the processor with some onion slices, celery and carrots.  Salt and Pepper and some miracle whip.  I like a little oil and vinegar.  Pulse till chopped and mixed well
Great with Crackers.  Two Lunch’s.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling –
Find three or four small containers and line them with plastic wrap.  Layer in chicken on the bottom, celery, carrots and onion.
In a pan, melt ½ stick a butter, I like it a little toasty, add arrowroot till you have a paste.  Add milk or milk substitute (I use Ripple) till you have a consistency you like for your pot pie.  Make it thick.  Keep stirring for 5 minutes. 
Pour the filling into the containers.  It’ll seep slowly down around the veg, but if it’s good and thick most will stay on the surface.
Wrap and freeze.  After frozen pop out and switch to a large freezer bag.
When getting ready to eat it – defrost slowly in fridge.  Add stock to thin it out and allow simmering for 10 min. 
If you can do wheat, you can use a pie crust (prebake and skip the 10 min simmer as you will do that in the oven)
For non-wheat people, I put it over a twice baked potato, rice, mashed cauliflower, over wheat free toast, etc.
3 large dinners (or for me, 3 dinners and three next day lunches).
 
Take any left over Filling, add some chicken, carrots, celery and onion and throw it in, add chicken stock to thin it out and bring it to a simmer for 10 minutes.   I had mine over left over rice.
1 meal

Chicken breast’s and green beans with white gravy.  I save one whole chicken breast, Green beans out of my garden (you do you) and some of the pot pie filling with extra pepper thinned with a little chicken broth.
1 Meal

Chicken Soup – Split whatever is left with carrots, celery, onion and garlic into two small freezer bags.  Chop leftover chicken into easy to eat bites and divide it into each bag.  Get all the air out and freeze. 
To use, boil a jar of chicken broth and add the frozen packet.  Add what you are feeling you want at that time.  I generally add some potatoes, frozen peas or corn, maybe a little crab boil if I’m sick and want to clear my sinuses out.    Crackers or bread on the side.
2 Meals.

 I also had a full chicken breast and most of a leg I ate leaning over my sink for the weekend while I did all of this.   

The leftover chicken broth in the fridge will be making chili and spaghetti sauce with the soon to be ripening tomato crop I have coming next week.