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Cricket

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Everything posted by Cricket

  1. QUOTE (Jingles @ Apr 4 2009, 08:19 PM) I have now found my happy place. That is so cute. I'm sure it's mentioned elsewhere on this board, but http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ has some great penny pinching recipes and menus.
  2. Vic, I am offering up prayers for the repose of your dear Dad's soul and for God's grace over you and your family during this difficult time.
  3. Originally Posted By: Josephine Originally Posted By: ScrubbieLady Okay, now I am really confused. ... This is the pressure regulator that comes with the Presto Canners (mine came with this one, at least): This is a Pressure Regulator that I bought thinking was a three piece (and looks like one!) but isn't. If it came apart when he dropped it, it broke. This is the three piece. 5-10-15 Pressure Regulator: That's right , Josephine! I have a Presto canner and I got my 3 piece regulator from here: http://mendingshed.com/50332reg.html I LOVE it. So much that I got a second one (and another gasket)for back up. The dial is still left on when canning, and the 3 piece is used in place of the regulator that came with the canner. Most of my canning is at 10 pounds pressure, so I leave one ring on the regulator, and place it on the stem after the obligatory 10 minutes of venting. When it gets to 10 pounds pressure, the regulator will start to jiggle and hiss. That's when I start timing. The dial will still show the pressure, but I go by the sound of the regulator. I used to have problems keeping my pressure even and thought it was my ceramic cooktop, but since I started using my 3 piece regulator, and adding more water to the canner (to be a good 3 inches deep before adding jars) I have no problem at all. Once it achieves the target pressure, I can turn my burner setting down to "4" and my regulator evenly and merrily jiggles and hisses for the duration of the processing time.
  4. Wind in The Willows Pinnochio All the Little House books Little Women The Five Little Peppers Black Beauty When I got to the "tween" years I read Gone with The Wind, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights all during the same summer. I still have a weakness for historical romances. Then I went through my Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut phase.
  5. Another "prep" is to keep the laundry caught up, and other cleaning projects. Just like before a winter storm, I like knowing that if the power goes out, I don't have to worry about clean underwear for a little while.
  6. Originally Posted By: lunamother I was kind of under the impression that chickens generally lay earlier in the day. Is that true? hahahahaha. no. mine are unashamedly slothful. they get up around 8ish, have some coffee, watch their stories, and lay somewhere between lunchtime and dinnertime. I almost wet my pants laughing at your answers to my questions, Lunamother! And I'm at work, for Pete's sake!
  7. 7 months would take me into December, so there is still hope. I don't think they are hiding the eggs, unless they are saving them up and laying under a bush by the house when they are let out to free-range late in the afternoon. I was kind of under the impression that chickens generally lay earlier in the day. Is that true? Also, there are lovely nesting boxes in thier coop, but I don't think they have even gone in. I even put a wooden egg in each nest to inspire them! Will they gravitate to the nesting boxes when the time comes?
  8. My 5 Buff Orpingtons will be 27 weeks old on Saturday. I fed them the Purina chick starter feed until about 20 weeks, they switched to Purina Layena. My husband designed and build a beautiful, insulated coop and covered yard that will stand for decades. They get out to free range every afternoon. They are sweet and happy chickens that run to me as soon as they see me (yeah, I know it's because they expect a treat). I have pictured of my chickens on my screensaver at work. Do you think I am getting lots of organic eggs? Nooooo. I have yet to see an egg. Not one, bitty egg. Come out ahead? HA!
  9. When dehydrating apples (or anything else for that matter) remember to take out a bit and let it cool before checking for doneness. It makes a difference in how crispy or leathery a product is if it is still warm from the dehydrator.
  10. I Grind My Own For the pink tee: Back Off! I'm Out of Estrogen and I Know How to Butcher!
  11. If you are on the way to work and have to brake to avoid hitting deer, then spend the rest of the drive figuring how you would have gotten the meat home if you had been unable to avoid the collision.
  12. If you do the chicken dance in the WalMart paint aisle in front of the 5 gallon buckets. If your DH asks for a can of mushrooms, you tell him it's in the pantry, and he has to ask "Which one?".
  13. If you are making your Christmas wish list from the Lehman's catalog. If your husband is covered in kisses for pouring cement footers around your clothesline poles. If you've measured all the windows in your house for blackout curtains.
  14. Originally Posted By: Vlynn I have to wonder... I know everyone says to pay off unsecured (credit card) debt first, but if the time comes when you can't make your payments, what would happen? A lower credit score? they can't take any of your possessions away. If you had the $$ to pay off debt, and used it to pay off secured debt, that would save you from losing your house or car. If it is truly a matter of your house payment or unsecured debt, by all means the house payment comes first. However, if you can make at least the minimum payment on both, do it. If the credit card company gets a judgement against you for the defaulted debt, they can, and will, go after your tangible assets. Wage garnishments, house liens, etc. DH and I have paid extra on our mortage from day one, and have already knocked it down quite a bit. However, the last couple months, instead of paying extra principle, we made extra payments. So, even though today is Oct. 1, the next payment due on my mortgage is Dec 1. We will be paying that one online later today, so the next payment due will be Jan. 1, 2009. We figured if something catastrophic happened, it would give us a few months breathing room. We currently have enough savings to live on for 4-6 months, including a mortgage payment. We only have one more debt, that we started slamming big bucks per month on to get rid of it. It will be gone by early November, then we will resume paying down the mortgage principle and increase our savings cushion. I am adding to my food preps as much as possible, but would never leave any bills unpaid to do it.
  15. Originally Posted By: Mother We can BE pioneers, modern ones, no matter where we live. You only have to go into the Urban Homesteading to see hundreds of ways to live pioneer in the city. Thank you Mother, for the encouragement and perspective. Maybe we need to start a "What I Did Today to Pioneer" thread! DH and I have never been anything close to the level of self-sufficency that you have experienced, Mother, but I am heartened by the examples you provide to get us thinking about pioneering in modern life. I'm not in a little house on the prairie, but hey, I am pioneering, too! I have a full time job outside the home. I do use store-bought bread and the occasional frozen entree. I don't have the time (or make the time as long as I can still use my conveniences) for everything I'd like to do the old fashioned way, however: As this moment, my laundry is hanging on the line. It was washed in cold water in an energy and water efficient front-loader. Grandma did hers in tubs. I know how to do that, too. I consolidate loads now. Instead of washing a load of underwear, and a seperate load of towels, if they are all light-colored or white cotten, they get washed together. My tomatoes are huge bushes loaded with green non-hybrid fruit. I started them from seed during the winter, with no special equipment, just a sunny window. When they are ripe I will preserve them in the canning jars I've accumulated a dozen or two at a time from the dollar stores. I'll save some seeds for next year. My grandma did that, too. Because she could save and grow seeds, and knew how to make something out of lard and flour that she is credited with keeping her family from starving during the depression. On the weekends that I spend canning, it's a good bet the furniture won't get dusted and the floors won't be vacumed. I'm calling tomorrow to have our propane tank filled. The price per gallon is high, but I'm sure it will be higher still come November-December. Thankfully, it is not our primary heat source, but our gas fireplace does work without electricity, and is our primary heat source if the power goes off. Except for the fireplace, our home is all electric. I have been re-thinking every task to conserve energy. For example, the other day we had baked potatoes and corn on the cob with dinner. Rather than use both the oven and the stove, I wrapped the corn in a foil pouch, inclding a half cup of water, so the corn steamed in the oven while the potatoes baked. We do not use our AC unless it's more than 80 AND very humid. When we do use the AC, the thermostat is set at 76. I close the blinds and drapes on the side of the house that gets the intense afternoon sun. We have seen a steady decrease in our electric bill for the last 6 months. As Mother mentioned, Pioneers are thrifty folks.
  16. Wow. I, too am an INFJ. I hadn't read any of the posts with other's results yet, and laughed out loud to find so many of us "rare birds" on this board. I have to say I was not a bit surprised at the who's who. It explains a lot! I suppose it's the empathy part that keeps us fairly civil, LOL! Of course the intuitive part let's us know when we are about to get I've taken very formalized personality tests over the years. I spent several years at a large corporation that rolled out a "development" program that required all levels of management to go through several months of training that began with such an analysis. The narrative explanation of my test results started out with" "You are a statistically unique individual..." After that, whenever my boss would get exasperated by one of my non-corporate approaches to problem solving, I would quote that part.
  17. That's a good one, Cookie. May I suggest copying the post to the newbie thread in the "Ready" forum? It is worth repeating!
  18. Originally Posted By: Violet If you want, keep it and just buy the three piece weight set and use it as a weighted gauge canner. Works fine. I do it, and I am one who tests gauges at the extension office even. The set number is here : 50332 http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/prestoregulators.htm Yes!!!!! I got this for my Presto canner, and it makes a world of difference! I like it so much I ordered an extra one (and an extra gasket and over pressure plug) just as preps. I should be set for the rest of my life with my canner. I ordered mine from here: http://www.mendingshed.com/50332reg.html Tracie, you leave the dial guage on the canner, and just replace the regulator. The three piece regulator works with all three pieces for 15 lbs pressure, take one ring off for 10 lbs pressure and take both rings off for 5 lbs pressure. Most of my recipes call for ten pound pressure, so I'll let the canner vent full steam with no regulator for 10 minutes. Then I put on the regulator with the one ring, wait until it starts jiggling/rocking and sputtering, then start timing for my recipe. Easy peezy! Hint: I learned from here to put more water in the canner than the fill line would indicate. I make sure I have a good three inches in the bottom, before jars. I just put in the rack, and add tap water until it is the depth of my index finger if I'm touching the bottom thru one of the holes in the rack. (A squirt of vinegar in the water keeps my jars from having mineral deposits on them.) Since I've been using more water and the weighted guage/regulator, I have no trouble keeping my pressure nice and even throughout the processing time, even with my ceramic cooktop. And since I'm listening to the jiggle instead of having to mind the dial, I can be doing other things as long as I'm within earshot.
  19. Westie, I like to use canned pinto beans. My MIL used regualr canned pork & beans. Yum!
  20. We make an inexpensive and hearty dish the family calls Corned Beef Hash but it's really more of a thick stew. MIL made it with canned pork & beans but I like to use canned pinto beans. 2-3 potatoes 1 can corned beef, diced 1-2 cans beans diced green pepper and onion to taste In a heavy saucepan, add water to diced potatoes to slightly more than cover. Throw in the onion and/or green pepper. Simmer until potaoes are about done. Do not drain! Stir in the beans and corned beef. Add a little more water if needed to thin enough to keep from sticking. Heat through. Served with a nice slice of home baked bread, this is very filling and comforting dish in the winter. It would be easy to use dehydrated peppers and onions, and frozed or reconstituted dried potato chunks. I haven't tried to dehydrate the frozen hash browns (chunky style) yet, but I'm thinking they would work fine in this recipe.
  21. Originally Posted By: Cricket I'm also worried about too much fat. I had a freezer meltdown last week and canned a bunch of chicken and broth. I normally would let the broth chill overnight and lift off the fat befor re-heating and canning, but this time I did not have room in the fridge, and no time to make it a two day process. So my chicken meat and broth has a little less than half an inch of fat floating at the top of each quart. What do you think, ladies? Violet? Darlene?
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