Reply #47: I make my own bread as well

[Le Taz Hot]

and you're right, it saves a FORTUNE. I got a little cheap breadmaker for $35.00 on sale a couple of years ago and, because I buy in bulk, can make a loaf of bread for under 25 cents a loaf, or cheaper.

We have GREAT Farmers Markets around here and we also started a small garden this year. I used to freeze a lot of stuff but I started thinking about power outages and I'd hate to lose all that food. So this year, I started canning. I've actually made jams and jellies for years so the transition into food preservation wasn't that far of a leap. Once you've made the initial investment in canning equipment, its a cheap process and it doesn't require continued energy for storing as freezing does. Anyway, I've had a real blast in learning about it. I've even extended beyond canning fruits and veggies to canning marinara sauce, cooked black beans and salsa. I'm realizing that if you can buy it in a can, you can can it yourself MUCH cheaper AND you KNOW what's going into those jars.