Once you get a Victorio to use in making applesauce and tomato sauce, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.

I got mine two years ago (after many of YOU recommended it to me!) and fell in love with it right away. It makes the process of “saucing” so much easier than anything else I’ve tried. I loaned my Victorio to my friend Jenny, who also fell in love with it right away. She ordered one of her own, and the rest is history. We are now both crazy for applesauce and tomato sauce making.

This fall, Jenny made it a goal to stock her pantry with 150 jars of applesauce. Yes, her family is serious about their applesauce consumption. Anytime either one of us heard of a good source for fruit, we were on it.

It was fun to hear her applesauce updates. I was super impressed when she hit 71 jars, and she just kept going. This week, she emailed me with this celebration picture, stating that they had done it! They had 150 jars of applesauce preserved for this winter!

I asked if she minded me sharing the picture with you. I think this is super inspiring, plus, those are some of my very favorite people in that picture. And that applesauce all over their countertop? Well, who doesn’t want to stare at that, ooing and aahing for several minutes? It is SO PRETTY!!!

Another word about the Victorio:  Jenny’s little guy, who is barely 3 years old, loves helping make applesauce with the Victorio and is very capable, even at his young age, to turn the crank. See this is how easy it is to use a Victorio.

Check out this next picture. Here’s what Jenny emailed about this one:

Did you catch the sibling with their hand in the shoot that spits out the skins and seeds? (bottom left corner)  They like to eat the skins–nothing goes to waste! And, I discovered that the Victorio was a little tougher for a lefty; he did fine switching to his right hand.

If you want to make your own applesauce or tomato sauce, I really encourage you to look into a Victorio. The investment is soooo worth it and will save you money in the long run when you have homemade applesauce to feed your family!

Have you done much preserving this fall? I’d love to hear what you’ve stashed away in your freezers and pantry shelves!

Heather, from My Overflowing Cup, shares how she was inspired by the Heavenly Homemakers site to make her own buttermilk.

Here’s a snippet of a post on her blog:

I use a lot of buttermilk! While I don’t drink it, it’s my favorite milk for all baked products. I use it for pancakes, waffles, muffins, scones, cakes, etc. I also use it in my Buttery, Caramel-ly Pancake Sauce.

If I were to buy buttermilk from the store and use it in my recipes, as is, it would not be a very frugal option for my family. However, I have found a buttermilk hack!

I was inspired by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers. She makes her own buttermilk using raw milk and a starter culture. You can read how she does it by clicking here. She will also show you how to make keifer and sour cream.

Read the rest of the post here…

I can’t decide what I love most:  The fact that Heather and her family are enjoying the health benefits of making homemade buttermilk – or that she is saving money doing this. Maybe I’ll just love both. :)

Keep in mind, since we’re all totally inspired to eat lots of salads now, homemade buttermilk makes a mean homemade ranch dressing. What a great way to hit the restart button!

Have a story to share? I know many of you do! Take a picture or two of Heavenly Homemakers recipes being used in YOUR kitchen. Email them to me, along with a story of how you used the recipe. I can’t wait to share your story here!