out_of_the_ordinary

http://setp.uga.edu/ You print out an order form and mail that in with your payment (tab for form is on the right side of the page) I don't know if it's available anywhere else. I hope this helps!

Ask Violet. Even with some of the newer books, they're not all following the safety guidelines. Unless it's Violet-approved, I don't buy the book and I don't consider canning the recipe. Botulism isn't something I ever want to experience, suffer from, or DIE from. I *think* the Violet-approved books so far are: the Ball Canning book (I think the 2 newest editions are the safe ones) Ball Complete Guide to Home Preserving So Easy To Preserve The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving (mine is copyrighted 2007 and printed in 2009) hoping Violet confirms that and can possibly add to this... Wasn't there a year that all the canning techniques were updated for safeness? Something like 1994 or so? (Maybe I'm imagining this...) edited 'cause I can't seem to spell today...

That's a good point! Our state requires taking a hunter/trapper safety class before your legal to buy a hunting license.

I think she puts up with us because she genuinely cares! I appreciate Violet taking the time to answer our many questions and letting us know when something isn't safe!!

Is this an Amish themed book? Yes. I think the author mostly writes Amish fiction. I enjoyed reading the series. So much that I didn't get much done around the house 'til I had the books finished. There's a thread somewhere here about Beverly Lewis' books. At the same yard sale, I picked up another Amish themed book by a different author and just couldn't get into it. Not a big loss at 50 cents!

DH hunts. He's brought home deer, pheasant , grouse and squirrels. It's been a few years since he's been able to get out to go squirrel hunting. Of the above, that's the only thing I haven't eaten. After cleaning the birds and squirrels at home, we soak them in salt water overnight in the fridge. (That's why I haven't tried squirrel yet...when I see it soaking in the container, I imagine that's what a rat must look like ). Anyway, when we started butchering our own deer, we bought a video showing how to do it. The first few times the steaks weren't cut as nice as the butcher did, but DH got the hang of it. At that time, it was $40 or $50 to have a deer butchered around here. So the small meat grinder paid itself off after 2 deer. Also knowing how to properly gut a deer can affect the taste (and I'm assuming safeness of the meat). A relative didn't gut a deer properly--my dog wouldn't even touch that meat! I wonder how many people that say they don't like deer meat tried deer meat that wasn't properly field dressed and butchered. I took chili to a football party. I used ground deer meat in it. It was a hit. As everyone was eating their 2nd and 3rd bowls, the subject of hunting came up. A few people went on and on about how disgusting venison is and how they'll never eat it. Funny the looks on their faces when I told them what was in the chili! I guess venison wasn't so bad, after all. [i'd never intentionally hide an ingredient. Deer meat was the only red meat we had in the freezer that fall; I didn't even think about it when I made the chili.]

Thank you, Violet!

Happy Birthday, AMarthaByHeart!!

Happy Birthday, Windmorn! Happy Birthday, Mommymagic!

I guess the "unexpected" bumper crop this year was this spring's volunteer heirloom lettuce. Our cherry tomatoes (didn't even plant any others; these were going to be just for DH's salads) did VERY well. The pepper plants are producing alot (more than we've gotten any other year), but the peppers aren't very big (still a blessing, though!!). We got maybe 2 squash before the vine borers did them in. The chipmunk ate all of our beets (we recently planted a fall crop so we'll see how that goes). I had great hopes for the broccoli. We planted it father apart than we had in the past (I like square foot gardening, but broccoli need more space than a sq. foot here!). We got nice big heads, but almost no side-shoot production. Onions and carrots aren't looking great, either. No green beans yet (we planted VERY late). I hoping by the time we get beans at least it won't be so hot to can them. We were very late in getting most stuff in, and then the drought conditions and intense heat this summer didn't help.

You and your kids are in my prayers.

Thank you!

I'm reading The Preacher's Daughter In Beverly Lewis' "Annie's People" series. I got all 3 books in the series at a yard sale!

At a yard sale today, a treadle Singer sewing machine caught my eye! I didn't know what I should be looking for to see if it was in good, workable condition. Most of what I've seen online is about the "antique value for collectors". On the off-chance I'd ever see one again (or any other sewing machine, for that matter), what do you look for in buying one? I debated and debated about going back and buying it. I kept going over the pros and cons. I decided not to buy it. Part of that was because it was sitting on a tarp full of water and the wooden top part also still had water on it (from very heavy rains we had yesterday morning). It appears the sellers didn't even try to dry it off yesterday and left it sit in the yard overnight. If the wood was wet, I imagine there's water inside the machine, too. The budget for this month is awfully tight, so that was also part of not getting it.

I also found a mouse this week. It was dead. I'd rather they be dead than alive! I was dgetting something out of the deep freezer in the basement. As I was leaning over, I saw this grey "THING" on the floor.... I wasn't even sure what it was. I ran, yelled for DH. I also stayed a safe distance away while he checked it out... This is so gross....it was a mouse in a trap that was...partially decomposing (Dh used the word "molding") ! :yuk: :yuk: Last summer, at my insisting (read: nagging), DH had set a trap. We forgot about it. So last fall when we had the mice invasion (which I think was due to the neighbor's mountains of trash), this wasn't a trap we were checking. It was also several feet away from the original trap location and in between buckets. It must have sprung the trap last fall or winter. We never smelled anything. So when you set traps (declare war) remember to occasionally check them!

Hang in there, C4C! Finally standing up to my mom was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It took me a very long time to see the value in *me*; to finally come to the realization that I had to put a stop to her manipulation and games; how all of that negatively affected my health and my life. My parents are no longer part of my life. I wish things were different and it never would have gotten to that point. I do miss them. But the only way to get along with my mom is to give her complete and total control over every detail of my life. I refuse to live like that anymore.

I was looking around on the Seed Saving Exchange website and found a chart for the Planting Dates of Fall Crops. http://www.seedsaver...c=buyonline.htm

Ann, we see alot of that here, too! It really makes me angry! Sure looks like their plan to "collapse the system" is coming along nicely.

Sure, I finally come up with my list of 3 and you go and change the rules! 1. Knife sharpener. Years ago, I bought DH one of those Lansky knife sharpening kits so he could keep his hunting knives sharp. He keeps the kitchen knives sharp with it, too. I'll have to come back with 2 and 3 later on, since I can't use crockpot and dehydrator! I am realizing how much I use my crockpot since I broke the lid a few weeks ago. Glass was everywhere, but no one got hurt, so that's the important thing. I went to an outlet mall and bought a round glass pyrex casserole dish lid that I THOUGHT would fit, but it's a little too big. No where seems to sell casserole dish lids anymore.

Chocolate mint! After cutting it, my hands smell really good!

Check out this site: http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html there's a ton of safe canning info and recipes. There's a really good book available there, So Easy To Preserve. It's $18 with shipping. I have this one and we also like their section on dehydrating. The newest Ball canning book The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is widely available. I think the newest one out is the 100th Anniversary editon. It has peaches and a desert using peaches on the cover. Check the internet, walmart, lowes, kmart. It's 120-some pages and should be around $7. Ball also has a thicker book Ball Complete Guide To Home Preserving. I bought mine at Tractor Supply Store. I've seen it at bookstores and on the internet, too. I hope this helps! And welcome to Mrs. S!