July 15th Eastern Ottawa and Area Prepper Get together

I just got in (midnight). Of course I am still wired from the meet.

Thank you Farmgal for putting together the meet. It was great to meet everyone. All the ideas are just running around in my wee brain so it will most likely take me a day or two to sort out "my filing cabinet"(head). lol

BTW how the heck did you all know it was me when I first walked up

So glad that everyone had a great time and that we have heard from the folks that were driving long distances to get home yesterday 🙂

I am going to throw this out there, would anyone be interested in a get together in Mid -Sept and if so which appeals more..

a) Canning demo
b) A hike/wild forage event?
c) Seed saving Demo for some of the most basic items
d) Cellar demo on how to put up your fall veggies for long term storage
e) some very basic salt perserving?

or open to idea's? throw them out at me folks.. Want learn to track some sign? Want to learn how to make salves from plants, etc Fall is a perfect time in my mind to get outside and do some of those kinds of skills.

Thought I might put a twist on the coming meet for the show and tell table, I am going to throw out the challange that you bring 1 or 2 items only but it has to be able to used or reused in at least five different ways that the owner has figured out, and then we will let everyone come with idea's on how to use the items, in ways different from what they were sold for.. you get the idea..

Depending on date and location, count me in...
I like ideas C, D, and E.
These seem to fit into the season.
Canning demo is also a great idea, but takes a lot of time...I assume that the food would actually be canned so as not to waste it.
Perhaps a weekend long canning "party" could also be organized...
Bring your own food and jars, and those of us with canners could bring them for everyone to use.
Of course, the canning would have to be done on Saturday so that everything gets cooled and sealed by pack up time on Sunday.
If this would come about, I would LOVE for Anita (nudge) to come and show off those tattler lids!

I just got in the door! I had a wonderful time 🙂 oh my! For those of you who didn't hear the stor: my dad INSISTED that I couldn't go to the meet alone. He was so upset he couldn't listen to me explain so he voluntold my mom to come with me. He was worried I was meeting with internet psychos -hahahahaha!! I agreed simply to honor my dad but I was so glad my mom came. It opened the door to conversations we've never had before. She's a camper and very practical person so my parents are far more prepared than most but she asked a lot of good questions afterwards! The conversations continued at my aunt and uncles and since they lived through the ice storm and 8 days of no electricity they were quite keen as well! Side benefits I hadn't expected. My mom also told me several times that she had a great time - that's for not being psychos!

A cannng weekend = I'm IN! I'll bring everything I've got 🙂 That would be really fun. If I hadn't had so much on my mind with the sleepover weekend I would have brought an All American and the tattler lids for show and tell - I didn't even think about it!

I echo what many of you have said: it's so nice to have faces to put with names. It was a great experience and I am already looking forward to next time - even if I have to drive! Thanks so much farmgal and everyone else!

Ok, Let me do a little checking again, but if it has not changed, you can get the commercial grade kitchen at the alfried campus for the day for non-commerical use (they charge if you want to make things to then sell at the farmers market etc) but for a group that is doing it for home use only, it would be pretty close to perfect as it would allow us to have a good number of folks, canners and stations going all at the same time.

As long as we brought new cases of jars and or the full cardboard box's with the spacers, we can then back the box's back up and carefully move them home on the same day, the don't touch very much come's in on the fact that we want our jars to have a slow steady cool down, when I pressure can in winter or any time of year that I might have a cool house or colder drafts coming in, I either put a towel over the jars to make sure they all cool at the same rate or I use the box method and have had great success with it.

Give me a bit to dig out the info, my friend who used to do all the work on getting the day together and then invite us ladies has moved up north, so I will need to get the info from her for contact etc.

Sheez, Sorry about that jumble of words, clearly I was not as awake as I should be at 3am LOL but hopefully the basic's still come across fine

That should have read, "we can then pack the box's back up and move them home"...

Not sure what my life will be like come Sept. but it is a a bit too far to go for group canning.

I would defidently be interested in a canning/seeding meet. Food is an area I really want to work on. Depending on school scheduling I should be able to come out.

(By the way, my midterm went vvery well)

Hi Ganagrees

That's great that your midterm went well, and good to know you are interested, will keep you posted!.

Sounds like a popular and seasonal 'topic' for our next preppers meeting. I'd be interested in attending - group canning just like in the old days! Farmgal, maybe you should open another thread about 'Preppers Canning Meet' or something....... just a thought