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I prefer a chunkier sort of sauce so I'd always done the "dip in hot water, cool, peel, cut into cubes and cook down" method. I still like the result but oh my...it was SO much work and took SO long! If I'd done the 5 boxes we got that way it would have taken the better part of a month and I'd...

I hear that! Our climate is too dry for a lot of "weeds" that are really beneficial. It must seem ridiculous to people who can't get rid of stuff that I'd actually buy and plant it! Where I grew up we had purslane all over the place...and I didn't know about what a wonderful thing it is...and...

I'm sure just changing positions will help! DH, bless his heart did all the grinding for me and by the end, even his arms were getting tired. Just prepped it all on Sunday afternoon; canned all afternoon yesterday. Not bad at all...ended up with 14 jars of juice and 19 jars of tomatoes...

We're moving that way as well. We took out ALL the grass from the front yard and about 20 to 25% of the back (along the fenceline) I've got a good substruction of perennial shrubs and flowers, so now we're going to move the edibles in. I actually did plant some clover and oats in the front...

I found 3 feeders and a big waterer for the chickens on Craig's List...for FREE! Well, prolly cost $1.00 worth of gas to go get 'em ;) Also pulled weeds and cut clover, oats and comfrey to feed the chickens...we're about to save about 20% or so on the feed bill for them by feeding them goodies...

Wow, sounds like a great season for you! Our season here has been...so-so. We have a few zucchinis that are still at it, but they weren't prolific this year at all. Except for our grape (which is going gangbusters) the tomatoes are pretty lacksadaisical...I had to buy romas for canning. I...

I hear ya, Rhoda. Not nearly as easy to study up as it was when we were kids, is it? Life just gets in the way. One thing I'm really trying to do is grow some of my own herbs...that way you KNOW they're fresh and how they were grown...not to mention that they're a lot cheaper. Of course, not...

Somewhat. When it's dry the stuff's like concrete, and when it's wet it's heavy and gooey...can hardly knock the stuff off the shovel. We put in a few trees a couple years ago and rented a power auger for the digging. Dave was out working on them and I was doing something in the kitchen. I...

Prepped 3 boxes of romas on Sunday afternoon, and canned yesterday afternoon/evening. After several days of beautiful cool weather, it was (of course) really hot again yesterday. So we fired up the BBQ and I did all the processing out on the deck. It's not ideal but it sure kept the heat and...

I'm excited. Dave (DH) says he'll give it a try and see if his system can tolerate it. Too bad there isn't a way to know other than trying it and seeing if his tummy gives him fits for it. I've actually never had raw milk before either, so I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Not too...

We have several accredited schools within 50 miles of us and I've looked into them. Don't have the money or the time right now to take classes, but I've acquired several really good books and have made quite a few things that work really well. The trickiest thing I've found so far is knowing...

Unfortunately our soil is about 90% clay so it's really hard digging, and when you pull you just barely break it off at the soil line. Those things are obnoxious...the spines will go right through a bike tire! Sure wish the chickens would eat 'em, LOL They will eat the leaves of bindweed...

That happens around here fairly often too...early warm weather...bring on the blossoms...then a hard freeze and kill 'em all :( Seems like the first time around you get the skins out and most of the pulp/juice, but I absolutely run them through more than once. After the food mill, I ran most...

LOL...some of those laws are so ridiculous...and yet some of the things that ARE okay are horrible! Gonna go get raw milk for "the animals" tomorrow morning...woohoo! I didn't realize what a deal I was getting...that'll make it even better :D

I generally set mine on a low to medium speed. I listen to it and if it seems to be working too hard, I "throttle it back" some. If it's going too slowly and doesn't seem to be straining, I crank it up a bit. Although, I confess I quit using mine for tomatoes...the holes are so darned small...

Finally posted as "wanted" on Craig's List and got a reply from a woman quite near. She did explain that for human consumption you have to buy "shares"...sheesh, by the time all that is said and done, the milk would end up costing about $10 a gallon! LOL. Plus, it would give us just too...

I wish I could find some! We can't have any "livestock" other than chickens here on our little urban plot, so getting a goat is out. Plus I've never tried goat's milk. DH says "it's got a different taste and takes some getting used to" but he likes it. AND he's lactose intolerant but had no...

Here it's bindweed and goat head. Ugh! The chickens will eat the leaves off the bindweed, but not the vine. They won't have a thing to do with goat head, though...which is a bummer. I'm in a quandary with it...I really don't like using chemicals but this stuff is tenacious! It's also...

Aw, that sux, Terri. We have about 4 of them within 20 miles, thank goodness. There's no way I could grow enough to make canning worth the effort. There's also a small farmer less than a mile down the road from us who has a little roadside stand, although his hours are a bit odd...we see...

I started out with wine...the idea of Dandelion Wine has always seemed so romantic or something, LOL So, off we went, picking...whew...lots of work! Made a couple more batches of different types of fruit wines and then...omgosh...mead! I've always been intriqued by the notion, but wasn't...