CrabGrassAcres

After the goats freshen again, I'm going to have to get a pig or 3. Local farmer has 'ruptures' for $10 each at weaning. They are the ones that something went a little wrong at castration and they can't go to the grow out farm so he sells them cheap. He goes to my church. I'll have to buy corn for them. I like to grind it and mix with extra milk. Also have 15 heritage turkeys coming this summer. Sure to be an extra tom or two for the freezer. Hope not too many though since I want to breed them. I'll be ordering ducks again. I like duck meat, tastes very much like beef to me. We are still working on the canned meat I brought from Texas. Take a while to eat it all. Then there are the bucklings that don't find a home right away. They go in the freezer too. I won't have much time or energy for gardening this yr, but one of the families at church sells produce off their farm and my shopping bus will stop there on the way home if I ask. The biggest ouch I had was seeing how much higher wheat is since i last stocked up. Can't EVEN afford to look at it right now. Going to have to eat more taters. I got a bushel of sweet taters for 16$ this fall and we are still eating on them.

I bought two blueberry plants, two grape vines and a lilac at wal mart wed. It is a start and I'm taking seeds from any non citrus fruits and sticking them in the ground hither and yon. Too cold here for citrus.

Cleavers is not a strong flavor. I make tea from it. The stems are very fibrous and the leaves are small. Seems it would be tedious to strip the leaves.

Cleavers (if that is what you mean by bedstraw) is excellent for kidney problems and can help with high blood pressure, it is a blood cleanser as well.

No, you don't need to replace the weights unless you knock one behind the stove and can't reach it. LOL

http://www.ncgenweb.us/ncwarren/wills/wills-idx.htm http://www.virginia-genealogy.org/Surry-County-Genealogy.htm I'll add more as I find them. Others feel free to add yours.

Have you priced wheat berries lately? I can get a large round bale, more than 5' tall x5 wide for 28$ That feeds 20 goats for over 2 weeks and the left over stems make good bedding. Sprouting is a lot of extra work to boot.

My newer AA canner has the weight and the gauge. If you only have one, get the weight since it regulates the pressure and the gauge only tells what the pressure is. Some weights are round with three holes and you use the hole marked for the weight you want, usually 5#, 10# or 15#. Some weights come in parts and you use one for 5#, add the 2nd part for 10# and add the 3rd part for 15#. The gauge may need to be tested and adjusted, but the weights do not need testing and cannot be adjusted.

Here is the other. My computer and Mrs S don't play well together. LOL http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-American-921-21-Quart-21-5-21-Heavy-Duty-Pressure-Cooker-Canner-/261815323946?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf568cd2a

I'm only familiar with the 3 brands I mentioned. I've had all of them and the AA is definitely my favorite. I gave the others away. I don't really know how things work with shipping and taxes to Europe, but I found these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-PRESTO-01755-PRESSURE-CANNER-COOKER-16-QUART-WITH-GUAGE-NEW-IN-BOX-SALE/110443186087?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140328180637%26meid%3D2ecd6ce0f43547f7982a0c237f6a8bb0%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D261815323946

A radiator shop can test a pressure gauge for you.

Oh, check ebay for used pressure cookers. Some say they ship worldwide. I think duties on used goods are less than on new, aren't they? Mirro and Presto are good brands, but will need a seal ring. All American doesn't need a ring, but is usually more expensive.

You need to check the BTUs on the stove to know if it will be hot enough. The cast iron ones usually are about 15000 BTUs per ring. They run about $50 or so here for the double ring stove. It doesn't look like you have Amazon in the Netherlands. There is one in the UK, but I don't know about shipping or anything. Alternatively, you might find an older propane stove that you can set up in an out building for a backup cooking source. Is there a store that carries reconditioned used appliances or perhaps someone wants to get rid of one that the oven doesn't work but the burners do and would like it hauled off?

I don't think the small electric plate would work with a really heavy item like a pressure canner. Could you find a gas burner? Something like this, perhaps? It can run off a bottle of propane. (I have no idea what they call propane in Europe, sorry.)

Can you just get a prepaid Visa and use that to make donations?

HEY!!! Pull up a rocker, and here's a feather pillow to make it comfy! Have a nice hot cuppa tea and a cookie and tell us what you've been up to. I moved from Texas to Missouri since I 'saw' you last. Big move and real rough but glad I did it.

So sorry for your loss, hon.

Thank you, Sarah!

Thanks, Sarah. I have LOTS of dry blueberry seed. Glad to know I can use it! I sun dried a lot of berries last yr before we moved.

Or should that be "p u the buck"? LOL Anyhow, does are starting to go into standing heat and hopefully August kids. AUGUST!!!??? Yikes!

A bicycle pump can be adapted to be a vacuum pump and is quite sturdy and cheap.

Amazon carries the ziplock pump. I absolutely would never vacuum seal any 'wet' foods, such as left overs, without putting them thru a pressure canner. You would just be begging for botulism otherwise. Save vacuum sealing for shelf stable foods such as dried fruits, dry beans, wheat berries, rice and such like.

I think the tabs are over priced. Do you have a bunch of the seal a meal bags? You can put the food in them, seal with a hot clothes iron (put a paper towel under the bag and another between the bag and the iron surface), then use the hand held pump. Sorry, I've never used the pump, but I have sealed stuff with the iron. Not sure how the bag adapter works. I've used a plastic straw in the corner left open, adapted a house vacuum to suck the air out and then used the hot iron to melt the plastic straw shut and seal the bag the rest of the way. Works, but a bit awkward.

Welcome! Pull up a rocking chair and have some coffee!

Haven't seen gooseberries around here, hate strawberries, don't even like pix of them, blech, LOL. I think the concord grape cuttings can be spread about. Can blueberries be started from dry seed? I'd like some persimmons and american plums too. Sarah, is there a copy of Madge Pettit's book on the families of genery's gap, alabama, in the librum?