Saving Money on Groceries Over the Winter

[dollardaze]

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I can save more on the cost of groceries for my family.

My grandmother, and mother canned many of the vegetables we harvested from our large garden, but the time necessary for the canning process is time consuming. I don't have the amount of time necessary for doing nearly enough canning to feed my family over the winter.

Freezing vegetables and fruits is another option, but the fruits and vegetables can only be safely frozen for a few weeks. This could help feed us over the fall months, but also won't feed us over the winter.

Then I wondered about the food dehydrators that are on the market. I've never used one, and wonder if they would do the job in preserving my veggies and fruits. Of course the expense of buying one of these can be avoided by simply drying them in my oven, which is another possibility for me.

I think perhaps, using more than one method of preserving the vegetables from my garden, and those I buy from farmers markets in my area, will be the best possible way to go. I could can enough for just the winter months, using frozen fruits and vegetables for the fall months, and then having some of them dried also.

If you have some better ideas, please let me know. I don't relish the thought of having to pay the high grocery bills in the winter, and we can't possibly eat all of our garden vegetables before they spoil. Any input here will be welcome.