UGH!  Christmas in July?  Christmas in July in the United States is a marketing plan that started in the 1950‘s by retailers, to get us, the consumers, to start buying early and to make room for more “stuff”.  This lead to us spending more money on “stuff”, which lead to higher profits…..and so on. This marketing ploy, really was a great plan; but for the longest time, this Wisconsin girl thought that it was STUPID.  Christmas is in the winter!  WHY are stores putting out Christmas things in July?  Its 95 degrees in the shade!  Who is thinking of Christmas in July when there is SUMMER to enjoy?  Then, my family started doing “Homemade Christmas”.  For those who don’t know what that is, EVERY CHRISTMAS GIFT given must be made.  One could not just go to the store and purchase something.  The idea was to come up with something inexpensive and meaningful for the receiver.  Great, but if you are a crafter of any kind, this takes some time.  And when you have a big family it takes A LOT of time.  So when Christmas things start to come out around the 4th of July, I am all over it.

Jump ahead to February.  With Christmas over, what now?  We have the Superbowl, Ground Hogs Day, and Valentines Day.  And yet again, the retailers are on the ball!  Yesterday, I was at a“big box” store and there it was.  My FAVORITE display in all its glory!!!!!   Seeds. Little tiny packages with promises of wonderful plants and warmth!  Tomatoes and Carrots, fresh from the garden!  Sunshine and warmth!  (Can you tell I am cold?)  Now one might say that it’s just to early.  But NOW IS THE TIME. It is a great time to get started.  Thinking, planning, preparing, buying.  So that you are ready for when this “Polar Vortex” leaves and these feet of snow melt. And the WARMTH comes!!!

To get you started, what canned goods are you looking for?  Take a look at your food storage.  If it is anything like mine, it is lacking in fresh vegetables.  What are you looking to add to your food storage?  This will determine what kind of garden you will need.    A few containers of veggies is a great place to start if you have never grown anything before.  As in, 5 pots that you can keep track of easily.  Water, weed, feed, keep an eye on.  If you are looking to go larger scale, how big, how much do you want to take care of, and where will you be growing things?

Then, one needs to start shopping.  Below you will find a list of things that you are going to need to get you from seed to can.  I have found most of these things at garage sales or Walmart.   And I do it with a set budget.  Once a month I will pick up a box of jars or a jug of vinegar.  What ever you can afford.  This way when you do need 100 jars in August or September you are not spending a fortune, and more importantly, not stuck looking all over for what you need.  I don’t know how many times I have gone to the store in August looking for vinegar and they are out.  ALL of the stores.  Not a single jug of vinegar because its canning season.

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Please give a warm welcome to our newest contributor, Jenn, to the Tin Hat Ranch