Dee

I have no idea, sorry Wychwood, but I'd like to know the answer to that question too. I have a glass cooktop with instructions to NOT can on it.

Homey, I'd actually heard this before but had forgotten all about it. Thanks!!! That would keep the ground moist, and I wouldn't have to water daily. If the ones I've already planted don't make it, I'm going to give this a try! SusanAnn, you're welcome, about the storing of carrots. I had no idea what mange tout was, so I Googled it (love Google) and found it's what we call sugar peas. I love sugar peas and grow them yearly to eat raw, pods and all. I also didn't know what ericaceous compost was, but again, thanks to Google, I found it's an acidic compost. Ah, the things we learn. Your garden sounds like a lot of work but a lot of good food to follow.

MM, I don't know why I didn't see the first part of your post earlier. Sorry! My canner holds 20 pints or 7 quarts. Twenty pints is what is in the picture. Yes, in the picture the jars seem too tall but they're fine and don't touch the lid at all. Must just be the angle. I know what you mean about hardly being able to lift the canner. It weighs a ton! I have the canner on the stove and add each jar as I get it filled. Like you, I usually have to leave it sit on the burner to cool. Takes more time but saves dropping the whole batch on the floor. I have one canner and don't can enough any longer to have a 2nd but it sure would have been nice when I did a lot of it. I'm glad you have a dog to make kibble for. It would be awful to have to just toss it!

I used to put seeds in the ground, and they just grew. Now, I have to work at most anything I grow. My carrots won't grow unless I cover them with something and water them daily for about 3 weeks. This year I'm using an old sheet. I planted them last week and just don't seem to be as good at keeping them watered this year as other years. I hope they grow. Especially this year when everything is such a question. I know you know Mother but do you others know you can keep carrots all winter long? I dig them in the fall, wash the mud/dirt from them and let them dry good on a towel. I then put them in gallon bags in the bottom drawer of the fridge. When ready I take them out and voila' no buying carrots all the time. Below is a picture of the last bag I had from last fall. They get kind of hairy and rooty but they taste great. I have peeled some and have them ready for the roast I was cooking at the time The peelings will go into a bag in the freezer to use when I boil a chicken, roast, etc. Pioneer Woman, your pictures are beautiful.

That wouldn't be good. I wouldn't do it again either MM. Did you strain it?

I talked about canning chicken and here are some pictures of the process. I filled 2 stockpots with chicken and veggies. Most of these vegetables had been past their prime so I'd saved them in a plastic bag, in the freezer, just for times like this. I even freeze the peelings from carrots, the parts of the celery you toss when you clean it, etc. If I need more, I use fresh. I cooked the chicken, filled the jars and enjoyed the final product. It's not a lot of actual work but it does take HOURS from beginning to end but well worth it. If you've never canned, you can't imagine how pretty all the jars look in your pantry. The last picture is the chicken broth I cooked down from the first picture. I cook it down to about 1/2 of what I start with and can the broth. It's the best tasting broth you'll ever find. I love, on a cold winter evening, opening a jar of broth, warming it and drinking it plain. BE SURE YOU FOLLOW REPUTABLE INSTRUCTIONS. i RECOMMEND THE BALL BLUE BOOK! YOU KNOW IT IS SAFE. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE UNSAFE...IT COULD KILL YOU....LITERALLY!!!

Josh's Lynx.mp4

That's how I feel this year about canning green beans Darlene. I'm planting them, just in case, but I've also bought a bunch of cans in case the world doesn't come to an end. It's so much easier.

OK, they let me return my computer so that was a good thing! I paid more attention at Aldi's today and they were still out of the things I wrote about above BUT they were out of a lot of things. It did seem it mostly the snack/lunch items. I guess when I think about it school is out here so I would suppose people are getting snack for the at home kids. Jeepers, I had no idea crackers have been a hit and miss item for most of the year. I was still working on crackers I bought last fall. Hmmm, interesting!

I do love a bargain and figuring up how much I saved. I'm going to look today and see if we're having a cheese sale. Like you, I'll stock up if we are.

Her name is Laura Snider. She writes mysteries and she's good! Anyone read her?

A heads up on my trip to Aldi's yesterday. I was in Ft. Dodge to buy a computer, which I'm hoping to return today. Long story short, DH got my computer fixed while I was buying my new one. Big sigh....LOL Anyway, back to my Aldi's trip. I buy DH potato chips by the box. Maybe 12 bags in a box, I'm not really sure. A shelf 4 to 5 feet long was empty. NOT a potato chip to be found. There were nachos, etc. but NOT one bag of plain old potato chips. Next, I was off to buy a case of tomato soup. NOPE, nada, not a can of tomato soup in the store. Thirdly, saltine crackers. Other crackers yes, but NOT 1 box of saltines. Were they simply not unpacked and put on shelves yet? I don't know, but since I'm taking my computer back today I'm going in to check and see if anything is different. I wonder how many other things they were out of that I wasn't looking for so didn't notice. It might be time to take a closer look at your preps ladies.

This was from 2013 but it was a typical time of calving. Something always happening to keep it interesting.........................Cow needed help having her baby. When the calf arrived both Galen and the calf ended up in the water. The calf clear under and Galen on his knees. Both of them twice. I don't think Mama is really sure about herself yet, but Galen and the calf are fine. Galen's phone however is in a bowl of rice. Must be an Engstrom thing as last week it was Crystal's phone in the rice after being in the water. Who said there's no excitement on the farm?.

Oh yeah Homey, mine would too if I had any. LOL

Nice to hear from you Deb. Check in when you can!

Do you spray your dandelions? I hope not because today I made dandelion bread. It really doesn't change the taste of the bread but it's just a fun thing to do. It's especially fun when you tell someone there were dandelions in it after they eat it. Their faces! There is so much free food in the wild. What do you eat straight from your yard, trees, bushes, etc.?

I've shredded and frozen zucchini for years. It's very nutritional and doesn't flavor anything so it's good to put in many desserts and breads/muffins as Joyfilled mentioned. I also use it as filler in meatloaf, meatballs, etc. Another thing is to make bread to freeze for pulling out of the freezer for a treat during the winter. Last year I had more squash than you could shake a stick at. I baked it, put it through the food processor and froze it in 2 cups servings. I did 25 containers, and they are almost gone. To thaw I put a container in the fridge for a day or so and then warm it in the microwave. A little salt, brown sugar and butter and it's delicious. I'm sure you could also thaw in the microwave.

For probably 40 years I've made and frozen loaves of zucchini and pumpkin bread for winter. Last fall I sliced a fresh loaf when we had company. There was plenty left, so I pulled a good size piece of plastic wrap off the roll and began putting a piece in, wrapping it, adding another piece and so on. I put the whole shebang in a gallon plastic bag and into the freezer. Oh my gosh, it took 40 years to figure it out but it's the perfect way to freeze these breads. No slicing through a frozen loaf, not that it's that big a deal but when you're in a hurry it saves you time. Take out the number of pieces you want and throw the rest back in the big bag and into the freezer. It tastes just like fresh. I will do all my bread this way from now on. I don't make banana bread, I don't like it, but I would assume it would work the same. Give it a try. It will save you time and you'll have it more often because of the ease.

Darlene...exactly! We don't have the year-round sound of frogs and toads but in the spring, I listen for them. When I hear them, I know the joy of spring being near. The same for when the Canadian geese start flocking in with their loud honking, bickering and just all around being wonderful. The robins, our harbingers of spring, make my heart sing. I don't think there's anything wrong with you. I think you've grown up and can enjoy your own thoughts, space, silence. As young people we always wanted someone to do something with, to go places with, not be alone. Later there was the noise and chaos of raising children. We've found that's no longer necessary. Alone, when we're in the mood, is a good thing. A peaceful thing. A time to meditate and speak to HIM. Of the good, the bad and the joys. Be calm, old friend, and enjoy this special time of life. In time, it too shall pass! I was just out on my golfcart and went to the old house to check on rhubarb. I took this video and will show you and others my view of the world. It's a gorgeous time of year and today was the first day to really be out and be comfortably warm. It's a glorious day! Sorry for the noise but the wind affected the mic. Checking rhubarb on the golfcart..mp4

When I left California in 1968, it was unheard of. NO ONE left California back then, especially to, of all places, Iowa. I know the becoming of 2 different people Darlene. Even after all these years I'm a different person in California. I dress in something besides chore clothes, and I've done something with my hair...unlike the videos! LOL One strange thing I've found about my California family and friends. They spend so much of their time eating out and while eating lunch they begin talking about when and where they might go for dinner. It's such a different world. None of it is wrong, it's just different and when you're 2 different people you adjust to where you are. I love visiting friends and family in California. It's a busy, hustle and bustle world but rural Iowa is where there are no neighbors for 1/4 mile, and that's our son and his family. There's no hustle and bustle. The only noise is the honking of geese, the pigeons cooing, coyotes off in the distance, nature sounds, etc. There are deer and turkeys in the pasture or walking down the gravel road. Yesterday there were 3 otters running along the bank of the creek. Iowa is home, it's where I want to be! I also know of the being alone Darlene. I have many friends BUT I'm still withdrawn into myself most of the time. Two days a week I'm with friends but those other 5, other than church, I'm on the farm alone. It's the way I am. It's the way I like it. I don't work hard like I used to, but I do work hard at writing my books, taking care of my garden and flowers, watching all the wildlife, doing my videos, or just sitting in my recliner and looking out the window at the pasture and what it has to offer at that moment, day, week. Darlene, I think we're two of a kind and I wouldn't be surprised if there are many others just like us. Even those in the city. We're a different breed of cat here at Mrs. S. Mother, we've "talked" for years about so many things. I know you too love your lifestyle. Unlike Darlene and me you've lived it your whole life. We are "newer" to it. We weren't as lucky as you. Thank you both for your kind words! My word, I'm sorry, but I seem to have gone off on a tangent. I'll get off my here and maybe do something constructive today.....or maybe not!

Happy Mother's Day MM and thank you for the lovely video. Makes me wish I still had little ones to cuddle.

Things seldom went quite like Pat and I planned. baby chick, killed.mp4

Exactly! In the end I forgot to mention sourdough starter. Thanks Dar!

Happy Birthday ladies!!! Let's eat!

Mother, it was ok, but I've read better. It was slow starting and I wondered how much is her life. It's worth the read but not one of my favorites. I read Where the Crawdads Sing and yes, it was good! I haven't read the others you mentioned but I've put them on my list to check out. I'm in the middle of a book called The Circle by Dave Eggers. I'm about 1/2 through and nothing much has happened yet, but I think it's supposed to be a thriller when it gets going. Keep reading!