Zaycon Foods: How Smart Families Buy Big and Save Big

Shredded Chicken Tacos

Do you guys Zaycon? If you don't, oh how you must! I know I have had a couple of sponsored posts recently, but I promise this is a post you really want to read through. I have been a customer of Zaycon Foods for a long time and I believe in it as a mom, wife, cooker, and eater of good food. I highly encourage you to read the whole post (aka not just skim...we all do it) so that you can learn more about this AWESOME company, see first hand how I use some of the products I have ordered, and to get information for the most current food events.

Just trust me. If you like food, you will want to read the whole post.

For those of you who haven't heard of Zaycon Foods, or maybe have, but don't really know much about it, well let me fill you in.

First let me say that gushing about this company is second nature to me. I have talked about Zaycon with friends, family, and at church functions...yes I am that lady. I gush because I believe in the company and the product they provide. I have ordered a lot of their products and I have never been unhappy. They provide fresh and high quality meats and fruit. Fresh from the farm to your table.

Zaycon works directly with local farms who provide high quality product. This allows you to buy quality product in bulk for much less than buying that quality of merchandise at a store. AND let me just tell you, I personally don't feel that the quality I can get a grocery store even comes close to comparing with the product I get from Zaycon.

They have many "events", the fancy way of saying what they are currently selling. I kind of like participating in anything that is an "event", don't you? Not every product is available all the time. They cycle through events. That is the BIG reason why you need to sign up with Zaycon (click on that link right there). When you sign up, they send you information about when events are happening. This allows you to stay in the know about when each event is.

The chicken is their trademark event. The chicken that Zaycon sells is amazing. Amazing I tell you. This is the most popular purchase in our house. When the chicken event comes up, it is kind of like a holiday. Here at our house when the chicken event rolls around, we buy it up real quick. I have canned it. I store it easily in freezer bags. I cook with it all the time. I am gonna be honest with you guys, I can't handle other chicken now. This chicken is so good. On top of the quality, the price is the same if not better than the grocery store. The last chicken event was for $1.89 a pound. CRAZY!

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders

The chicken comes straight from the processor and is never frozen. The chicken breasts are huge and 100% naturally that way. No hormones or additives. Sometimes a chicken breast is large enough that I only store one per freezer bag. Each order is for a 40 pound box. We have been known to order two. Yes that is 80 pounds of chicken. I canned half and stored the other half. It was glorious.

I can't say enough good things about this chicken. I will say it again, it has ruined me for grocery store chicken. Best. Chicken. Ever. 

They did just end a chicken event in some areas. I suggest that you head on over to Zaycon and sign up. I have given you a link that has you sign up and just lets them know that you heard about it from me (hence the referral bit). 

Once you sign up you can see what events are currently running and then you are signed up so they can alert you when other events start.

We have ordered their chicken the most. However, like I said earlier, we have ordered many of their products.

We love their peaches and pears. LOVE. Last year we ordered pears and peaches and then we canned them. Well, we canned the ones we didn't scarf down. The peaches were juice dripping from your chin fantastic. The pears were just the perfect ripeness. Not under ripe like ordering in bulk can be sometimes and not over ripe like they had been sitting around.

How to Can Pears

We also ordered bacon from them. This bacon was amazing. I am pretty confidant in saying this bacon ruined me for grocery store bacon too. The order of bacon is rather larger and so we actually split it with some friends.  We froze what I didn't cook and eat right away. I kind of wanted to cry when we used our last package.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion

Another product we have ordered is the 93/7 ground hamburger. I love this hamburger because it is lean, but still full of flavor. I actually prefer lean hamburger to ground turkey, so when I can get a high quality 93/7 ground hamburger at a decent price I jump all over it. The order is 40 pounds. We divided it up and stored it in freezer bags. It was perfect.

The 93/7 ground hamburger event is actually going on now!  I know I am sounding like a broken record, but seriously go sign up  and order this awesome hamburger.

Mashed Potato Topped Mini Meatloaves

We have also ordered the hot Gold Medal Beef Franks, the Pork Sausage Links, the Breaded Chicken Tenderloins, and the Natural Non-Homogenized Whole Milk.

I think my next order might have to include the Carvemaster Ham, which is a current event right now! At $3.49 a pound I am not sure I can pass it up.

I haven't listed everything they sell, just what I have ordered. Go and check out all of their products. 

Zaycon Foods really is an amazing company. I really believe they have made it easier and more affordable for me to feed my family higher quality products. They provide a quality product that also tastes way better than anything you will find at a grocery store. I know they can do the same for you and your household.

Whew! I really hope you hung with me during this entire post. Two "raise-the-roof"'s if ya did. Thanks for taking the time to learn about a company I am pretty stoked about. 

Just a refresher-

Current food events are:

93/7 ground hamburger

Carvemaster Ham

I was compensated for this post, but all opinions are mine. 

I have used this company for years, and believe in

the quality product and service they provide. 

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How to Can: Pears

I have been canning for a little over two years.

I jumped into the waters a little cautiously, but it didn't take long until I was addicted.

Shelves and shelves of our very favorite fruits and vegetables all beautifully resting in glass jars. Perfectly lined up in rows. Row upon row. I mean what is not to love!

One of our favorite canned fruits is pears. Oh mercy me, they are so delightfully yummy.

Pears are a little time intensive to can, but once you get the hang of it, well it isn't that bad.

Plus, the end result is completely worth all the work and effort.

I am sharing how I can pears with you today.

I learned this way of canning pears from a girl who learned it from her mom, who has been doing it this way forever. So this really is a tried and true way to can those beautiful pears.

This method is raw pack canning.

So, what do you need--

lots of pears
your choice of pint or quart jars (I prefer quart wide mouth jars).
lids and rings
sugar

Before you can start prepping the fruit, you want to prep jars, lids, and rings.

I wash the jars and then keep them in an 180 degree oven to keep warm until I use them. I wash the rings and lids and then keep them in a pot of simmering water until ready to use.

In preparation, also fill a tea kettle.

If you are doing a lot of pears, this will all be done in batches.

First wash the pears.

Cut of the tops and bottoms.

Then peal the pear.

Cut the pear in half from top to bottom.

Then remove the core, with a v-cut.

 Heat the tea kettle. Remove several jars from the oven.

For light syrup, place 1/4 cup sugar in the bottom of a jar. Place the pear, cavity down into the bottom of the jar. Keep layering pears, cavity down until the jars is filled to the neck of the jar.

Pour the boiling water from the tea kettle into each jar leaving one half inch head space. Remove the air bubbles from the jar.

Wipe the rim of the jars clean with a clean, hot rag.

Remove a lid and ring from the boiling water, and place on the jar. Make sure to not screw the ring on too tight or the lid could buckle in the processing.

Place the jars in a water bath canner. Make sure the water covers the jars with an inch extra.  Place the lid on the canner and bring to a boil. Once the pot is boiling....aka...rocking and a rolling...let the jars process.

Pints take 30 minutes and quarts take 35 minutes, unless you need to add time due to your altitude. Processing time will depend on your altitude. For instance, I have to add 10 extra minutes due to living so blasted high up. Check HERE for your processing time.

Once the processing time is done. Allow the jars to set for a few minutes. Remove from the water bath canner and set out on the counter.

Wait for the lovely "pop" of your jars sealing.

Allow the jars to cool on the counter. Check in 24 hours to make sure all the lids have sealed. There might appear to be a layer of sugar still on the bottom of the jar. Don't fret. It will dissolve.

Once you know all the jars are sealed, they can be stored on your shelves and eaten when your little heart desires.

As I said, this is how I have canned pears for years.

I do recommend going to THIS site or looking into 

The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

for further canning how-to.

Trust me, canning is not scary!
If I can do it, you can do it!!