Midnightmom

I googled it. Here is the landing page for info and recipes (for anyone interested in making it) https://www.google.com/search?q=switchel&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS936US936&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I sure hope you've used the last year or so to put some of this essential supply into your preps! I don't think any of us are as agile as these kitties, but perhaps you've installed a bidet since then? I keep lots of washclothes at the ready since it is only me and I don't have to worry about "sharing" them.

You can have your packages shipped to a "locker" - usually a local store. You might want to check into that so you don't have to worry about being there or worry about "porch pirates" stealing your stuff. Try this link. You will have to sign into your Amazon account to get locations. https://www.amazon.com/ulp/view?ref=hub_us_gw_001

Another snow pic. This is how much snow has fallen in Donner Pass this year (to date). Can you imagine having been caught in this amount of snow in a covered wagon in the 1800's??? Yep the snowpack is deep (about 3 humans tall - aka 15 feet) at Donner Pass near Lake Tahoe @ucb_cssl The season total snowfall is 52 feet. The students weren't working like this, just giving a perspective of the snow depth

Someone quipped in the comments under the pic that the only thing keeping the roof from collapsing is the snow against the sides of the building holding them up!

I watched a video a few years ago that explained why it happened. Apparently whoever did the first "survey" of the hillside it is built on missed some impt information about the type of rock it was built on - something about not adequate strength or "air pockets" or something along that line. There may also have been a lack of supports/pillars under the spillway. Don't remember exactly, but it was all taken into consideration when the spillway was repaired. From the articles I read, the eventual cost - after they found out all of the reasons for the failure that had to be addressed - was over ONE BILLION dollars! Perhaps this pic of the repairs under construction will give you an idea as to just how massive this spillway is! BTW - here is a pic of the spillway - on the left - and the actual dam - which is on the right. I found that video I referenced above. If anyone is interested in the science of how the spillway failed, here is the link: What Really Happened at the Oroville Dam Spillway? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxNM4DGBRMU

Here's a recent pic of the shoreline(s) of Shasta Lake.

(BTW- Lake Oroville is also quite south of where I am. It is about half the distance from here to Sacramento.) Does anyone remember hearing about the spillway at Lake Oroville crumbling and disintigrating when it was opened for flood contol back in 2017? Here's a pic to pique your memory! Repairing the spillway was a massive undertaking that took close to 2 yrs to complete. Here it is this year, repaired and performing its task of releasing water from the current storms (50K cubic ft/min) for flood control of Lake Oroville.

My sister and my mom called yesterday because they had been watching all of the news reports about the flooding - caused by levee breaks BTW (same reaon New Orleans flooded oh so many years ago). Anyway, I got a map of CA and marked where the flooding is vs where I am. I think it helped them to know I am not in danger of flooding (due to levee breaks but if Shasta Dam breaks or gets overtopped we are talking about a different scenario!) We have had some snow here recently but nothing like the massive amount that is falling in the foothills south of here! I will try to find some of the pics I've seen and post them here to give you an idea of just how bad it is for the people living there. ETA: I found some pics of the snow that has fallen in the foothills so far. More is coming, and homeowners have been advised to clear their roof of snow to avoid buildings collapsing. Not an easy task as some of these pics will show. Tahoe, CA got 20 FEET of snow! Mammoth Mt Also Mammoth Mt Meanwhile, here in the Redding area we got a few inches. It only snowed for about an hour, then turned to rain and melted off what little snow we did get.

I knew I had read this somewhere!

USDA Guidelines for making jerky: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/jerky.html?fbclid @Littlesister Check out this page for a list of changes/recommendations that have been published: https://www.healthycanning.com/whats-new-home-canning/

Most of the people that I "know" dehydrate/jerky chicken to make dog treats, so I don't think they make a whole lot at one time. No need to freeze it as you can store it in the fridge. The only long-term shelf-stable way to safely store chicken is by pressure canning it. It sounds like what you want to do is best done by freeze-drying it (yourself or purchased already processed). From what I've gleaned, there are 2 reasons: you've mentioned the first - it's not been tested. The second reason probably has to do with potential salmonella on the surface of the chix being mixed into the inside of the crumbles - maybe? However, you do not have to pre-cook you chicken pieces in order to pressure can it. You can raw pack chicken both boneless/skinless, OR, bone-in/skin-on. because squash "disintigrates" into a "blob" during processing and there is no assurance that the interior of the mass is heated adequately. Same thing with pumpkin. It is my understanding though that you can add sliced/cubed squash to a soup as part of the 50% solids allowed for these recipes.

If you mean made into jerky, here is a website that I found that will answer all of your questions: 6 Steps To Making Safe Jerky https://www.jerkyholic.com/6-steps-to-making-safe-jerky/ He goes over the proper techniuqes for thawing, marinating, and processing your chicken. Here it is in a nutshell: Defrost in the fridge Marinate in the fridge Heat meat to 160 to kill bacteria before placing in dehydrator Slice 1/4" thick Use curing salt (… No jerky recipe NEEDS cure as long as beef is heated to 160°F and fowl to 165°F. But it is another line of defense to kill bacteria and allows your jerky to last longer.) Store jerky in a cool dry place for up to a week or vacuum seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Hope this helps.

I had no idea that you couldn't do this! I just figured (assumed, that is) that you would follow the same procedures as for ground beef: par-cook it before canning it. But you are right; there is no tested/approved method. BTW- I haven't done it so far, and now I won't. However, I wonder if you could can "chicken meatballs?" No, no you can't.

Sounds a bit like Epilepsy. My father developed it in 1963(?). Most of the time he would have Peti-Mal seizures. He would be having a converstion with someone and a seizure would hit him "out of the blue." He would make a funny semi-laughing sound for a few minutes, and when it was over he would resume the conversation exactly where he left off - not knowing that he had suffered an episode. His epilepsy was brought on by the shock and stress of his father showing back up in his life (with a new family) after decades of no contact. BTW - seizures can be brought on by flickering lights, changing shade patterns, etc. Imagine driving down a tree lined country road on a sunny day. If your car is traveling at the "correct" speed a seizure could be triggered by the constant changing of the light/shadow pattern.

@Annarchy I have that one too, but the link was to The University of Pennsylvania, College of Agriculture, Extension Services, so I thought it would be an okay recipe. I just wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand the options for using tomatoes in "my" recipe. Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe developed by Andy Hirneisen, Penn State Extension. Senior Extension Educator and Team Leader, Food Safety & Quality Expertise Food Safety Food Quality Environmental Monitoring Home Food Preservation

I was processing some of that chicken today that I got on sale (see Watcha Doing thread) and decided to watch a vid to refresh my memory because I wanted to jar it up bone in. To my surprise I found out that you don't have to process bone-in chix as long as you have to process boneless! Has something to do with the bones helping to conduct heat I think. I visited several university extension sites to confirm the info, and by golly it is so! It is also in the USDA guidelines under "Processing Chicken and Rabbits - Rev 2020," so I don't think the info is in the older printed book(s). I also found a sample recipe for veggie soup on the PennStateExtension site that indicates you don't need to follow a strict recipe when using tomatoes as the OP says. The caveat is, they used commercially canned tomatoes or tomato juice in this recipe, so I think it would be alright to make up "my own" recipe as that is what I use. The acceptable veggies include green beans, carrots, celery, peas, corn, lima beans, diced bell peppers, and fresh parsley. It also said "you could include onion for the peppers" or substitute "cooked or canned kidney beans" for the corn or lima beans. I will be making chicken soup with the remaining bad of chix drumsticks tomorrow following these guidelines. Perhaps someone could view the info and tell me if I've interpreted it correctly? Here is that link: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-soup

Decluttering! Something I need to do - actually more like organizing the clutter! My hip and back have been hurting/aching for a couple of months now - not sure if it was weather related, but it seems to be calming down now so I can more, but still have to be careful to not push myself so much. I still use my wheeled walker to bring things in from the car when I've been shopping, but I don't necessarily bring it all in in one trip. Non-perishables can live in the trunk for a day or two with no issues so out there they stay! I just have to make sure to bring that stuff in the day before I go shopping again so I have room for the new goodies. Speaking of goodies: I was in WMart the other day because I needed to get a M.O. for my rent, and pick up some dog food, and paper goods (wanted to get TP so I wouldn't have to dig into my stash), but I always "cruise" all of the aisles while I'm there. Thank you WM for the power carts! Anyway, I was checking out the chicken because I wanted to make up some soup, and Holy Moly- I found 10 lb bags of chicken drumsticks that had been marked down for clearance! They had been reduced to $4.28 each! That's 42¢ per pound!!! You bet I bought them - almost all of them - total purchase 40 pounds of chix!!! And I did it knowing that I had no room for it! (Have you ever done that???) Well, I moved a bunch of stuff around and found room for them in the fridge. Today my IHSS worker was here and we packed up 20 lbs of those drumsticks into FoodSaver bags - 4 per bag. They are now living in the same shelf space in the fridge that the bulk bags were in, and I STILL need to find room in my freezer for them. Maybe I bought a few more days of freshness before they actually have to go into the freezer. When she comes back tomorrow we will raw pack some of those drumsticks into the pint & 1/2 jars that I bought at the Grocery Outlet when they were on sale. And, I mustn't forget to use some of them to make that chicken soup!

Do you want to expand your preserved soup varieties beyond the limited number of recipes in the USDA canning book, or perhaps even those in the Ball books? The Cooperative Extension Office at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks has published a 12 page guideline titled "Canning Soups and Sauces" that gives broad principles of how to do so safely. The exception to making up your own recipes applies to those that contain tomatoes: For tomato-based soups and sauces, like chili and pasta sauce, only specific, scientifically researched and tested recipes should be used, like those included here. (Aside: here's a question for you more experienced canners. If a spaghetti sauce calls for mushrooms - which I don't like - would it change the approved recipe enough to make it unsafe to can?) If you are interested in having this free resource in your library, click this link and the PDF will automatically download: file:///C:/Users/pclay/Desktop/FNH-00065_Canning_Soups_and_Sauces_small.pdf ETA: Did you catch the "error" in the recommended canning process? An astute home canner did, and this is the reply to her post:

No Grocery Outlets where you live?

New ad came out for the week of March 1st. Ball canning jars on sale! While supplies last! Case of nine 1 1/2 pint jars is $9.99 Case of nine(?) 3/4 pint jars is also $9.99 (Never knew there was this size) Case of twelve 1/2 pint jars $7.99

I figured he never "wore" a bridle because it would be too difficult to make his mouth twitch like he was talking; just wanted to see how many others had the same thought. There is a playlist on this YT channel if you want to watch some Mr Ed episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@MovingPicturesAVideoMetropolis/playlists There are also episodes of McHale's Navy on the channel.

How come Mr Ed never wore a bridle when he was tacked up???