Mother

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sassenach. I miss you!

Annarchy, a nice underground water storage container would be a great place to store all that extra water. 👍

Oh so true, Midnightmom!! 👍. There is SO much knowledge and wisdom housed here at Mrs S. And so much more within our members.

I have so many bugs eating the plants on my deck I’m at a loss. I used the same soil the greenhouse uses so shouldn’t be infested or they wouldn’t use it. .??? Here is a picture (taken from the deck ) of our new garden area. So far so good there. Same soil used as filler in those tubs.

MT3B, of course you can come in. The challenge usually requires preplanning and we want to hear about those too.

If I read all of Annarchy’s recipe they are sealing jam or jelly, right? I noticed the instructions call for bringing the product to a full rolling boil (one that cannot be stopped while stirring continually on high heat). And you are talking fruit and sugar. It specifically says NOT to reduce the amount of sugar OR use sugar substitutes. The sugar is the preservative in this recipe. The sealing is more to keep the product clean and more easily stored without spilling. “In the past”,,,,, (and I AM talking sugar and fruit, not veggies or artificial sweeteners) If this combination of fruit and sugar were to set on the counter without sealing it would eventually ferment and become old fashioned ‘tutti fruitti’ which would eventually become alcoholic. Both fermentation and alcohol are forms of preserving. Also in the past jellies and jams were sealed with melted wax poured on the top of the product and allowed to harden. The jar was then covered with a paper or a lid to keep it clean. If the top of the wax became moldy the wax and any mold on the top of the product was simply skimmed off and the jelly eaten. The wax would be washed, stored, and remelted to be used on subsequent jars of jam or jelly. An alternative to melting the wax was to thinly shave wax into the bottom of the jar before pouring in the boiling jam or jelly. The wax would melt, float to the top, and then harden as the jelly cooled to seal the jelly or jam in the jar. I am not saying these are USA government approved ways to seal jam or jelly. But I believe you will find that it is an approved method in many many other countries still today and it is an alternative that might be needed if the and another method cannot be found. MM, I have not made jelly from artificially sweetened juice. You might check your low sugar pectin recipes to see if that’s possible. I have seen recipes that use agar or gelatin to make jelly from unsweetened juice. Those I’ve seen were refrigerator stored though and not “canned”. I always make my own no sugar jello that way from unsweetened juice. I also know that home made apple juice, made with the peel intact (the peels are pectin rich) with NO sugar can be “boiled down” to make a thick jell that can be waterbath canned to preserve it. Apple peels were often used to produce pectin for ‘making’ jams and jellies in the past when store bought was not available. None of us wants to risk food poisoning but I believe it would be a good idea, an especially interesting one, to learn the different methods of preserving foods, not only in our grandparent’s day but also those used in other countries today. After all, canning, and especially home canning, is a relatively new method.

There was a book signing and I missed it???

Dogmom, I have tried both in my shady area on the deck. They come up and just sit there at a few inches. They are both growing beautifully (from the same packages of seed) in DH’s tub garden which is in the sun. When the leaves come off the tree that is shading the area perhaps they will take off and do something as they are both cold hearty. I have a small amount of different lettuces there now and will see how they do. The begonias and impatiens love it there though so not all is lost. So far the deck growing has definitely been a challenging and a learning experience but I am grateful to learn what does and doesn’t work now there instead of during a emergency. On a similar note I am working on our inside greenhouse area to get it set up for fall planting. I need to start now with some of the plants for indoors winter harvest. Gardening at our house is pretty much a year round practice in one form or another. 😁

Jeepers, Zinc deficiency can trigger a loss of taste and smell.

It seems to be working correctly for me. I can see the contents of all the quotes.

Wow WE2’s. Those are SUPER pictures. That looks like soooooo much fun. DH and I used to dance but neither of us has the ability now. We still love watching others and tapping our feet. Dear sweet Abby girl. It is hard when they age faster than we do but the love they give in their shorter time is great enough to last with us forever. It’s easy to see she’s been loved in return. I’m so glad you stopped in.

Mt_Rider you have definitely had your share of problems this year. Thank heavens there’s some protection from wild fires in your downpours. Perhaps the silver lining in the cloud. I agree, porch plants are much easier to care for.

MM….

Thanks, Pioneer Woman. Your garden seems to be going similar to others all over. We have, so far, not had the powdery mildew we usually get with all the cucurbit family and we have a few fruits coming on just now. 🤞 The zucchini all have yellowing leaves and we’ve only managed to get three 7” or so yellow zucchini so far. Where are all those dozens of zucchini that others get ??? Our cherry tomatoes produced prolifically but are almost done now. The other tomato plants in the new area are starting to flower though so maybe…. I have hopes for our ‘new’ garden area but it won’t be long and we’ll be thinking of frosts. Hopefully there will be time enough to get produce before then. I have replanted the deck farm though. Lettuce, radishes, and spinach. I have some shaded space I can plant yet. Any veggie suggestions anyone? Please, everyone. Don’t give up trying.

Hi, Catskinner. Nice to see you back. Miki, I can’t get the recipe from that picture. Do you have a link? It looks like something my family would love.

Yes, Jeepers. This IS our Nana of the lists. Seems she had difficulties getting in as Nana so came back as still Nana. She has been such an asset to Mrs. S over the years and I am so glad to have her back even if she is able to come in only sporadically because of her bust life. I sure missed her…….

Chocolate pears ??? Now I AM curious? Recipe please?

Pretty close to our forecast, Jeepers, except our nights will be a few degrees cooler. Our summer, on the other hand was HOT! Strange really strange. It feels like September weather here now.

That looks yummy. I can almost smell it. A quality loaf of bread here is close to $5. I used to make bread by hand every week. Now I use my old bread maker even for the gluten free bread I use. Gluten free is almost $7 a loaf now but it is getting more expensive to make too.

That’s one magnificent animal. Ours are no where near that big and I’m glad. Over the years I have dealt with all kinds of animals including a cougar (or mountain lion as you say) trapped in a school office but I’m not sure I would want one that size using my poultry as a drive through meal service.

Mt_Rider, that’s big for a bobcat. Could it possibly have been a lynx? We have bobcats here but most run to 20 or 30# but we have seen a cougar a few times but as far as I know no lynx. You, on the other hand could have them.

Hey! Nana, aka still Nana, has a BIRTHDAY today. I hope your day was filled with LOTS of joy and love!

That was great humor.

What she said! ^

Dogmom4. . It seems this weather or whatever it is, is wide spread. I feel there is more to this than just weather patterns but have no idea of the chain of events that might be bringing this all about……