Midnightmom

Oh NO! You mean I have to "replant" my "garden?" 

Just went back to that thread: nothing after Dec13!

If cabbage is cheap enough around here I will have to buy some to ferment and make kraut. I just learned that it is possible to can fermented kraut w/o losing a lot of the benefits of the fermenting process. 

Good cardiovascular system. He didn't "tire" at all! I think he was having fun "racing" the 2-legged beasts down the mountain. 

14 minutes ago, Littlesister said:

I have never seen the Lipton Iced tea sweetened before. Think I might get some of that also.

 

I have several boxes. It is definitely cheaper to buy it pre-sweetened than to sweeten it by the glass or mug full. And, if it's too sweet for you, just brew some regular tea and combine them to get the sweetness that you want.

I use the sweetened tea plus some spices to brew a pot of Chai tea in my coffeemaker. The only "spice" that is missing is the "French Vanilla" flavor, but I have some creamer with that flavor if I really want it.

Two years ago (during the social distancing era) I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 for one of these bottles, and, I had some coupons to boot!

Now the sale price is almost double what I paid then, and the "regular" price is 3x the amount it used to be! I'm glad I stocked up then and I might take advantage of this "sale" too. This is one of the reasons that I buy pre-sweetened tea bags to make my ice tea with, and I will continue to do so unless they start charging outrageous prices for that too!

      Then         Now  

If they can be grown in the shade it is the ONLY crop I would be able to grow! Too bad I don't eat them anymore. 

9 hours ago, Ambergris said:

“They gave him a little chamomile tea, but he already spit blood into the bag that his wife held out to him,” said Martin Missfelder, Karin’s husband. 

I believe this means she knew he wasn't out of breathe, etc, from "rushing to catch the plane."

("Initial reports say the man’s wife claimed they had been in a rush to catch the flight, explaining why he wasn’t feeling well.")

I wonder if they will quarantine all passengers and crew from that flight until they know what killed him??? 

On 1/31/2022 at 1:30 AM, euphrasyne said:

That looks amazing.   I have to find some tomato bullion.   You have given me a new goal.  

If you have a dehydrator you can make your own. Would you like a link?

On 2/8/2024 at 8:58 AM, Littlesister said:

But at least she comes to me when called.

Just like my pooch. She won't come when I  call her, so I have to have a neighbor or somebody else she knows "catch" her. And, do not punish him/her when caught as it will only reinforce the idea of NOT coming to you. 

That idea for growing potatoes has been around for a long time! I remember seeing (and trying) that method back in the "days before Y2K." 

You put your potatoe slips onto a layer of dirt in the container of choice, and as the stems reach upward towards the sun, you fill in more dirt. You keep on doing this until the plant has reached the top of the container and then you "harvest" the potatoes when the time is right.

I believe we may have had some moderate success, I really can't remember.... it was so long ago! 

It's been a while................................

2 hours ago, Littlesister said:

Got 13 pints of Boston Butt pork, and since I used the other canner for 4 jars, I just added 4 quarts of water with it to can. It is one of the ways I store water for bad weather in case of losing our city water. I would have to put extra jars in there to keep those 4 from falling over and possibility of breaking, I just can water in with it. 

That is a good idea, but it's even better because a pressure canner needs a minimum number of jars to use up the "air space" in a canner to ensure it can come up to the correct pressure for canning safely. Check w/ the manufacturer of your canner to see what the minimum number of jars should be.

ETA: According to this info, you would have been fine with the number of jars you had in the canner. 

I might suggest though, if there is ever a time when you don't have empty jars to pun in the canner that you use a rack that is for water bath canning. That should also  keep the jars from knocking into each other.

2 hours ago, snapshotmiki said:

Is @Midnightmom around?  Flooded out?  I hope you are safe!

 

I'm fine here, thank you for asking.

I live in Northern Calif in the Sacramento Valley. Southern Cal is getting all of the rain, not here. The issues we have are mostly high winds and occassionally I-5 gets snow laden through the mountain passes going north into Oregon.

Happy Birthday Cat! Even if it is a day later and you are a day older, I hope your day was great!

And I hope you have many more!  

You should have free internet service at places like McDonald's, Burger King, Barnes & Noble, etc. 

Hope you have one of them nearby.

6 hours ago, euphrasyne said:

Do you want a very moist bread or a more firm one?

Firm. (but moist!)

When a store has an advertised sale item that is not in stock, don't forget to ask for a "Rain Check!"

Safeway's are good for 90 days past the sale date, CVS's are good forever.

If I am in a store on the first or second day of a sale and they either didn't get in the item, or it is already sold out, I will get a Rain Check and also go back to that store during the "Sale" period so I can get the item I want at the sale price and also hang on to that Rain Check for "future" use. If they still don't have the item, I will ask for another Rain Check!

Unfortunately, Winco does not issue them. Maybe that is just another way they keep costs down?

Do you have a family "tried and true" recipe for banana bread that you are willing to share?

Please post here if you do. Thanks.

5 hours ago, Mother said:

We used sill insulation to weave in and out of our glass jars when we were traveling in the Motorhome.  It is a thin foam that is fairly cheap )cheaper than bubble wrap) and comes in large rolls about four inches wide.  You will find it in building supply stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot.  It is used to insulate between the sill on a house and the walls set on those ‘sills’.  

When I visit the grocery store I always go to the produce dept whether I need stuff or not. I like to pull the packing that is used in the shipping cartons for tomatoes, apples, etc. Sometimes it is "molded/shaped cardboard" between layers of apples, sometimes it is a sheet of "foam" between layers of tomatoes, etc. These items are good for packing things in boxes at home, or for shipping items to others. However, I generally only take from boxes which have had at least on layer of already purchased goods, and redistribute the remaining items to other fuller boxes of the same items. The stores don't seem to mind - less trash for them to have to get rid of. 

2 hours ago, euphrasyne said:

Now Bell peppers are !.25 each

Is that $1.25 each???

That is the price around here for stores such as Safeway, Raley's, and Holiday Market.

Winco has them(green bell) for 68c each; however the price of red bells hovers between 98c & $1+ each. 

Winco is my "go to" store for most of my shopping because their prices are good and their shelves are always well stocked - even during the era of "social distancing" their shelves were never empty.

@Littlesister

Winco keeps their costs down in several ways:

• This one pertains to all stores in CA - Bring your own bag, or pay 10c/bag at the store when shopping. Cal-Fresh (food stamps) purchases get free bags.
• No baggers/bag your own groceries. Each lane has two sides and the cashier puts purchases down one conveyer belt or the other, so they can be ringing up another purchase while you are still in your lane bagging your items
• Winco does not accept credit cards - Cash, debit, or "food stamps" only. Not having to pay the "discount fee" for accepting CC helps to keep the costs down.
• They do not advertise. You can check their website for digital coupons, but they do not print a circular to be mailed or even to have available in-store.
• They have a "Wall of Values" which is the first aisle you go down once you enter the store. Most of their "sale" items are located here. (Sale = temporary price reduction), although you will still find marked down items throughout the store.
• They have a "bulk" section where you can purchase just what you need of an item instead of commercially pre-packaged varieties that come in sizes that you don't want or need. This is especially helpful if you want to try a "new" (to you) spice or other ingredient.
• You can purchase some of the bulk items they carry by the larger unit they come in (which are used to fill the bulk area dispensors).
• There are generally no limits on how much of a single item you can purchase; although sometime the first 2 items are the "sale" price but any additional items are sold at the normal price. This has been mostly true for the eggs. However, there are ways to get around that too. You can purchase 2 doz eggs for the sale price and also purchase two 18 count eggs also at the sale price!`
• You can shop for "reduced" priced meats as they get marked down due to close dating/expiration dates.

Also, the only taxes on food in CA are for soda, and liquor or prepared/ready to eat foods like "fast food," fountain drinks, and restaurant meals. Plus there is a "recycling" fee added to most beverages sold in plastic bottles or cans.

Garden seeds (food items only) are tax free and can be purchased with food stamps. But, if I remember correctly, if you purcase plant "starts" you pay a tax (perhaps because of them being potted (dirt + container). 

2 hours ago, Jeepers said:

It seems like a few things are making a comeback since C-19. Dollar Tree was well stocked and I noticed over in the baby shampoo and stuff aisle they had Purell and GermX back on the shelf. I haven't seen either one of those brands since the lockdown. It wasn't over in the baby section but by the soaps and shampoos. 

 Our 99c Store and CVS pharmacy were divesting themselves of these types of products last year for pennies on the dollar. I think I have enough for a small army. But I'm sure you would have stocked up too at 25c/bottle! Even if you don't wind up using it for its intended purpose, it makes a good fire starter!

I put up 12 quarts of "unstuffed pepper soup!"

Check out the size of these peppers - they were only 59c each!

On 12/20/2023 at 4:25 PM, Jeepers said:

Midnightmom, how did your stress test go?

Stress test was "normal" and echo showed my "ejection fraction ratio" to be unchanged from the last one. And, like LittleSister, I wasn't tired out from it at all.