Hoping your little girl will be fine...it's such a scary time! My girlfriend had an appy that foundered, and it took a lot of TLC but he made it and is doing really well, so I hope for the same outcome for you. Sounds like you more than have your hands full...hope the wedding is some terrific...
Unfortunately, DH can't eat anything from a pig...it makes him deathly ill :( I like pork though, so I may get some and can it in 1/2 pint jars...just for me. When we get to a place where we can have more critters than just our 6 chickens, I hope to be able to raise a weanling...not that we...
That was a "trial by fire" initiation, luvin! You're right though...sometimes you just have to get in there and do it and once you do, you get just that much more comfy with the process. You'll find pressure canning is the same. I was fairly familiar with the principles of using a pressure...
I've had washed potatoes keep a long time. The trick seems to be letting them dry thoroughly...any little bit of moisture will start the rot all over again. I don't keep mine under the sink; it's too damp down there. I put them in the closet of the guest bedroom..it's on the north side of the...
We always kept ours in a lean to against our tool shed. It had a back, roof and 2 sides...one being the side of the shed, of course. The open part was facing east so we'd get less wind/snow in it. We didn't have a mouse problem with it because it was plenty cold out there in the winter. We...
Yeah, though chicken wire wouldn't keep anything out that was determined to get in. Something sturdier like hardware cloth should do the trick, though. You could plant some nice vining plants around it to cover it up if you wanted to make it prettier :)
I definitely recommend starting with something simple, in a water bath. First thing I ever canned was crabapple jelly...just because someone had given me a bunch and I didn't know what to do with them all. I got the Ball book about canning (this was back before the internet, LOL) and just...
Can you put some wire fencing around the deck from the bottom of it to the ground? We had a similar issue when we had the wooden lattice...part of it broke out and we had a skunk under there! Thank goodness it didn't spray and eventually wandered off. You might try actually putting a light...
Another "apple day" here. Found a post on Craig's list from a gal locally who has a Mac tree that was enormously generous this year and got nearly a full 5 gallon bucket of 'em from her. Very exciting as Macs are our fave apples. DH also found a couple of crabapple trees near his office and...
Sounds like it won't really take much in the way of handling to get them accustomed to it. If you've had lots of experience with horses I'll bet you could do it very quickly..prolly all that's needed is a little patience and, as you said, a nice bucket of grain :) Do let us know how it...
We've drifted so far from their original intent that the founding fathers would spin in their graves if they knew what was going on. Unfortunately, a bureaucracy tends to breed itself into what we have. Add to that an apathetic population of sheeple and... :(
I use mine on the glass top stove although I do have to move the stove out from the wall a good 6 inches to fit it under the hood/microwave, LOL. We got the stove about 2 years ago and have NOT been happy at all with it! The oven works great but at least one of the element rings burnt out at...
Personally, I'd go for it! When we finally get the space, we plan on a mini...probably a Dexter. We don't need tons of milk, and from the research I've done, the quality is excellent. We would also breed to freshen then raise the calf to decent size and butcher for meat. Best of all worlds, IMO.
One very much like that was featured recently on "You Live In A What?" I don't recall which cable channel it was on but it was quite interesting. They'd used 6 containers, so the place was pretty danged big.
Hi Diane
Yes, you can use a pressure canner either for canning or cooking. I never use mine to cook in simply because it's so darn big! Like Hinotori said, cleaning out those big pots is a pain, LOL...and I never make that much of anything anyway. You can use it as a water bath as well, but...
Ugh! That's the worst of pressure canning :( I only use mine if I have to...the water bath is so much quicker! We're about to invest in a 2 burner gas stove for outdoors so we can do the processing either on the deck or in the garage. Boy, it sure makes a difference to keep all that heat and...
Busy girl! I did meat for the first time this year as well. I plan to take more advantage of sales. Glad to hear the cheese turned out well. I know what ya mean on trying to find space! Nearly everything I've done this year is sitting in cases in the living room, LOL. Wish to heck we had a...
Same here...don't ya just love mountain weather systems? It took some getting used to after moving from the prairies where it's so much less changeable. We generally don't get a lot of really cold weather, but it can be 0 one day and 20 the next, which seems to wreak havoc with the plants...
Same here...don't ya just love mountain weather systems? It took some getting used to after moving from the prairies where it's so much less changeable. We generally don't get a lot of really cold weather, but it can be 0 one day and 20 the next, which seems to wreak havoc with the plants...
I dunno, Moolie...they're pretty hardy and I think there are cultivars that would work for you. I grew grapes in Winnipeg...not Concords, (don't remember the variety) and they did well with just a bit of winter protection. After the freeze, I'd pack dried leaves in around them and let the snow...