Mother

Jeepers, you have a right to complain. Take good care of yourself. Big warm hugs.

Joyfilled, I don’t have a stove top rice cooker but I have started the rice in the stove top and then finished it in the oven. It takes a bit of a learning curve but once you figure out what the temps are for different fires it works great. I might suggest that you don’t let the rice boil over on your cook surface. I bet you can guess why!!! I use an electric rice cooker but have been considering trying to make it in my insulated cooker. Would take a lot longer, like using a crock pot, but would only need bringing to a boil and then allowing it to slow cook. My insulated cooker isn’t real big but it does have two pans that nest so I could be cooking rice in one and the topping for the rice in the other. I cook oatmeal and other grains in it but just never thought of trying rice.

Jeepers, you are correct about the meat not going in the compost or to worms but bones from broth are easier to dispose after being boiled and you have a nice broth besides. Another alternative for plate scraping left overs is to get an outside cat. (or inside for that matter). Yes, it means feeding them when you don’t have scraps but they can help keep the place free from rodents and snakes to earn their keep and have the advantage over the compost barrel in that they come to you where they are taught.

Scraps are gold, Jeepers. So many uses. You can save all the clean peels and ends in a bag in your freezer and when you have enough to fill a pot you cover them with water and make vegetable broth. Or you can save the peels and plant the root ends of dozens of vegetables to regrow for fresh greens, year round. The meat scraps and bones you do the same, put them in a bag in the freezer and when you have enough make bone broth. You can even add the frozen peels and etc to them if you like for extra flavor and nutrition. If you cook the bone broth 48 hours on low you can let the bones dry, crush them or powder them (they will get soft) and use them in the garden or lawn or mix with chicken feed as bone meal. OR. You start a compost area and put all but meat scraps there along with shredded newspapers, dryer lint, leaves, and grass clipping, and etc. Of course, when you get chickens they will LOVE them, bones and all. Or start a worm farm and feed them.

Jeeper, why not start a thread in the flu clinic or Nature’s Pharmacy. There might be others who would have suggestions, both OTC and natural!

Love that picture! MM

Miki, that is how I did my grapes when using sugar except I water bathed them. The sugar acts as a preservative which is why I pressure canned when using no sugar. I believe, because it is a fruit, that water bath would be adequate. I wonder how many fruits could be used that way to make/preserve juice? Probably cherries.

Those look beautiful, Miki. Do they contain sugar? I used to do something similar only with grapes. They called for sugar but I pressure canned mine with only water and allowed them to set for a few weeks to ‘infuse’ and the juice was GREAT. NOW WHY DID I STOP DOING THAT? I have no clue. They were soooo easy.

Just now heard from my friend’s daughter. They had some damage but nothing serious and are doing fine, TTL. Their internet was down for a while but back up now. 😁

Still trying to get hold of them. 😢

Adding mine as well, Jeepers. I have friends in Alabama and have not heard from them yet. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

And you will. Perhaps you will even learn together. My motto is: A day without learning is a wasted day! I am almost 76 and I still have many things to learn. Some of them are from younger people!

Best wishes EmeraldCat for good results.

I know that RSV can either be mild or very serious depending on the person/child but I believe the real concern is the fact that there are also strains of flu and Covid flying around too. One of those alone might be mild but a combination could be deadly. DH and I have only been in a store or any where else a couple times in the last couple years without masks. Is it a pain? Definitely! But considering we chose not to take the Covid or flu vaccines (Me because of my doctor’s veto due to allergies) we made the personal choice to wear masks, wash our hands often, and etc. We still see family, still go to stores but we follow the precautions we learned many years ago while prepping for any contagious illnesses. Our family members might have different views but they all respect and understand our choice and do their parts to keep us safe. So far we have been blessed. We have literally dozens of grand children and great grand children (17 of the first and 20 of the latter) and I, too, worry about them. I trust their parents to do their part to keep them safe but do my part as well. Joyfilled. Gather the info from around your area. The place your family would most be likely to contact these or any illness. Then follow your heart to do what you feel is best for your family.

You did and are doing really well, Kappy and CS. I am SO envious of your sweet potato crop. We are going to get the sets started earlier this spring and get more in. We went to a local Jewel Osco store to get their $.59 a pound sweet potatoes and they had none. They never got them in and were told not to expect a lot of them through the winter. I love that you can have winter crops there. Just a hint,,,,plant extra. Those chickens and goats will love the winter greens.

UKGuy. I miss you. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

We haven’t heated with wood or had the cook stove hooked up for a few years but with gas prices so high this year we will be using our fireplace or wood stove (we have both in different rooms) to save us some. Thankfully DGS has cut and stacked a lot of wood close to the house for us to use. Some of it, barring snow, I am able to get to with the wheelchair so will be able to help some. Another wood pile is under a deep overhang right outside a door so DH will be able to load an inside basket direct. It helps a lot to have a 20 year old farm worker Grandson who has been raised a prepper and doesn’t mind helping us old folks.

I always get the Turkey carcass after every family gathering. Or the ham bone, venison, or whatever meat is being served. I used to can it but the last few years the broth goes in the freezer. Often some of the broth goes to the kids or grands to host a soup supper gathering.

Meeee too. I shouldn’t be as I have wood cook stoves but I love the see through doors on the oven and fire box and the warming oven is going to be great for keeping food warm, proofing bread, drying wet winter gear like gloves, and all sorts of things.

Congratulations. You did an awesome job. 👍. I love that stove. I can see why you are enjoying your journey with her.

Little sister, I’m glad you got a chance to try out your stove and that it’s going to work for some cooking. Next time try some biscuits in a cast iron pan right in the stove top. You might have to flip them over to get them thoroughly done but I’ll bet that will work.

Euphrasyne, I didn’t follow your math too well but I’ve been involved in a lot of cookie exchanges and if each person brings 2.5 dozen cookies and six cookies go in the common snack to eat that still leaves 2 dozen mix and match they can go home with. Of course no one gets the same cookies as the next person, either to eat or take home, but that’s the fun of the exchange. You still get 2 dozen of a variety that you didn’t have to bake. Looks like you’ve been slaving over a hot oven. when set out for your own family. it is true that delicate cookies don’t travel well and it often ends up with a lot of leftover crumbs, which by the way, make good desert toppings. If you are hosting the exchange you and maybe one or two others, might want to consider contributing extra cookies for that possibility. As for containers to take cookies home they usually have the ones they brought their cookies into refill. Something our church has done for years with their cookie exchange is to have everyone bring 4-5 dozen cookies or perhaps a double batch. As normal they set some out to eat. Then each person chooses two dozen to take home. The rest of the cookies are plated and/or bagged/boxed in festive containers and later distributed to shut-ins, sometimes accompanied by Carolers, sometimes along with a nice visit. Such fun!

I’m sure you will find lots of recipes to make it but Labneh is just simply strained yogurt. I use a fine mesh cheese cloth/gauze that I buy by the yard at fabrics stores instead of the coarser kind often found at grocery stores as the yogurt can sometimes ooze through the latter. Pour the yogurt in the cloth, gather the four corners together and figure out a way to hang it to allow the whey to drip away from the yogurt as it will start to do. I like to put mine in the refrigerator to drip but it can sit in a cool place. I usually just tie my corners around the handle of a wooden spoon and support it across the rim of a container deep enough the yogurt won’t sit in the whey as it drains. That’s it. The longer it drips the thicker it becomes. You basically get greek yogurt first and then a rich thick cheese that forms a ball and peels off the cheesecloth readily. Labneh. The whey can be used like regular whey in baking of cooking or ?? You will find tons of ways to use the labneh (besides just eating it). I sometimes add herbs and spices and form it into small balls which I store in olive oil in the refrigerator. By the way, this can be made with store bought plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt but be sure it doesn’t have a bunch of fillers or gelatins and sugars. They are made so the whey DOESN’T drain from them.

There is a product called Junket that was for making puddings and deserts. It is rennet and can be used to make cheese. It’s a whole lot easier than using a calf or kid’s stomach lining for sure. Have you made labneh with your yogurt yet. My family loves it. It makes a great cream cheese substitute. Yum! And that’s something anyone can make from pasteurized milk or even easier from yogurt or Greek yogurt.

You have a beautiful fall crop MM.