Necie

9 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Odd about the potatoes varieties. Most canning books say to use Yukon Gold for canning.  

 

I’ve never canned anything except Pontiac reds, so can’t speak from experience on the others...

With the reds, I peel, cut into pieces and put into a big pan of water as I go. Once done, I drain them, fill back up and swish around, drain again. So, two rinses and into the jars and fill with water (raw/cold pack). I don’t get much sediment (starch).

I’ve only read on some of the canning groups about gals canning other varieties. Some rinse MULTIPLE (4-6) times and/or soak overnight, parboil and rinse, and still complain about the starch in their jars.

 I googled once and saw that red, white and waxy varieties have less starch and yellow, Yukon, and russet have more starch. If you google glycemic index for potatoes, there’s a lot of starch info. Also, if you can new (small) or fingerling potatoes whole, uncut, with the skin on, there’s almost no sediment. 😉 I always sort those out and can them together for soups/stews.

ETA: I also drain and rinse canned potatoes before using. Except the small ones... dump them right in the soup pot. 

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I commented about flat-sour in Ambergris’ post about the 3 day *canning*/sterilization method. I’ve never had a problem with a light kitchen dish towel. When I was young, my mom used linen tea towels. The reasoning to cover was that the house was always chilly and in the winter with everyone running in and out, there would be downright cold drafts/wind coming in. If that cold hits hot jars, then you can get thermal shock. BOOM! I saw the bottom blow off a jar once as my mom was lifting out of the canner and almost had it set on the table and was yelling at my sister to “SHUT THAT D@MN DOOR!!” as she came in the house. Kidney beans everywhere!! 

I can potatoes every year in the fall when we dig them up. Any that are damaged get canned. 
Variety makes a difference. I grow Pontiacs. Reds and whites have less starch. Yukons and Russets have more and leave the *sludge* at the bottom of the jars. 
 

I believe it was Lowie that asked about waterbath canning. IIRC, she’s in England. Many countries don’t have access to pressure canners. 
Waterbath times for potatoes is 3 hrs at a rolling boil. And always boil for 15 minutes after opening a jar before consuming.

Crocheted this morning. 
Made soap. 
Finished getting soap inventory on the porch set up. Printed and cut another 7 sheets of labels, but didn’t get any soap wrapped... maybe tomorrow.

Cleaned out 3rd flower bed and burned the pile of stuff from all 3 beds. 
 

@Jeepers... the video.. ?? Covering hot jars with a towel? I do that. Always have. Is there some new reason not to?

@Littlesister... I do some rebel canning, but still can’t bring myself to dry pack. Headspace... vacuum... just can’t wrap my brain around it. 

I think I mentioned somewhere that I want to get a cold frame going this year. So while we were at the farm yesterday I went upstairs to look at a stack of windows that are leaned against a wall. They are the old farmhouse ones that go almost floor to ceiling— probably 5 1/2-6’ tall. Well, I thought they were the old storm windows, but... they are the SCREEN windows!!! 

Now I have visions of sun dried tomatoes!! 🍅 

Got up and around this morning and headed to fill up the lp tanks. Flat rate is $12/20# and $18/30#. But if they’re not empty, then they go by weight. Ended up costing me $24!! 

And they have the COOLEST store (Amish)!! I spent way too much, but they have all the casings and seasonings and stuff for sausage/brats/snack sticks, gal/qt/pt bags for the food saver, AMAZING baking/spice isle (I got LEMON baking chips!! ). I also got a salt and pepper shaker set like the old Tupperware ones with the snap-tight lids for the cabin, and the cutest little rolling pins for the younger grandkids. 
Then headed to DS1s and picked him up to go to the farm. Mom followed in her truck. We took a walk down the lane to see what my uncle had moved from our sale barn to the back barn when he redid the floor last fall. Then we cleaned up a bit of the house. DSIS4 had taken a couple curios out to use at the flea market, so we need to figure out how to rearrange to fill in the empty wall space. 
Dropped DS1 off and unloaded lp tanks in the cabin. When I got home, made dinner, wrapped another 90 bars of soap (farmer’s market soap inventory done) and started filling totes for the inventory I keep at the house for buyers that drop in. Got to the L/M area, figured I’d missed a couple, had enough for the day and finally sat my butt in my chair!! 
 

Tomorrow, plan to make soap, work more on the inventory totes and mess around in the kitchen. Maybe clean out my van if the rain lets up early. 
 

and 

Necie

6 hours ago, Jeepers said:

All I know is to not plant any mint family in the ground.

Yup!! Most herbs I would plant in a pot and sit around in my *weed* garden. But mints will be in pots on the patio, well away from the yard. They could send roots out the bottom and even a small cut piece dropped on the ground will root if it can. I’ve heard that if you put a deep enough barrier down around it, the roots stay fairly shallow and can’t grow under it... but that sounds like a lot of work!!! 😂

7 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

I've done a bit of these things.  Not enough to do it efficiently enough for my energy to hold up.

Energy?? Who has energy?I’m a mess!! Organized chaos.  But I’m  soooo far behind. Staying at Mom’s for 2 months to help her take care of Dad really got me off my winter schedule. I’m way behind in my crocheting and still not working on it as much as usual cuz there’s so much else that needs done. Canning has almost been put on hold... DS2 still has 2 deer in his freezer that I need to get done. I do have a check on soap making... I can only do 8 batches every 3 weeks. That’s all the shelf space I have for curing. I usually make soap from January through March (sometimes April depending on the year) and make lotions in April. Markets and gardens start in May. I’ll never be ready in time and everything else is a disaster. 🥴

I agree with you about horses being barefoot. I never understood shoes for pasture or trails unless they’re extremely hard/rocky. Amish buggy horses need shoes. They really do a number on the roads! Can you imagine the damage to their hooves if they weren’t shoed?! Luckily, in this area, the main roads have buggy lanes. Safer all around and it keeps the road damage (called horse troughs) to that area and not where vehicles can get squirrely and out of control on them. 

I don’t generally think long term when storing seeds. They’re a living thing... get old and die. I try to save seeds from at least a few things every year, buy heirloom/open pollinated whenever possible, plant a couple rows of older seeds... just to use them up, and most of all— 

DON’T RUN OUT OF SEED. I generally buy enough for at least 2 years, buy multiple varieties, and try to remember that if I’m low on something to buy more right after I plant and save it for the next year. If TSHTF, then I have seed to plant and can save seed from that.  Out of the seeds I bought this year (beans, pumpkins, squash, sunflower), the only one I was out of was sunflower. If I couldn’t get them, I’d be sad, but I have other flower seeds. 
 

As far as storing... you see what goes in my bag. Paper envelopes, baggies, in totes, glass jar. Do NOT vacuum seal— living seeds need air. A baggie or jar has enough air. My bag stays on the front porch in the winter-cold- things even freeze out there sometimes, and in my van all summer- hot. I, personally, would be concerned about them attracting moisture in the fridge/freezer. But I couldn’t fit them in there, so don’t have to worry about it anyhow. 

I’m thinking about doing some herbs in pots this year... so will have questions.  I have a few in my flower bed... a little sage bush and chives. The chives spread too much.  
 

First one:

I’m thinking of doing a pot with rosemary and mint. I’ve never been able to keep rosemary. Is it something that I should bring in for the winter (northeast Indiana)? I’ve never planted mint in the ground cuz it would just take over everything... Will it *take over* the rosemary and kill it? Any other thoughts or tips? 

Crocheted for a couple hours this morning. 
Cut batch of soap (75 bars). 
Made a batch of lotion (30 bottles). 
Cleaned out other flower bed on west and south side of house. Just my bigger *weed* garden left to clean out. It has flowers and herbs in it. 
Printed and cut 22 sheets of lotion labels (10 labels on each) and 9 sheets of soap labels (15 labels on each). 
Took the last 2 batches of soap I made upstairs and stacked them to cure. Wrapped 90 bars of soap. 
I have all 6 totes of soap ready to go to flea market (just gotta fill in the 2 I’m waiting on to cure later). Now working on lotion for flea market and soap inventory for farmer’s market. 
DH made venison cheeseburgers for dinner. 🤤 

Called Mom at 8 (nightly routine). She went to Shipshewana today with DSIS4. Sis had to finish cleaning out her old building and get everything moved into her new building at the flea market. She just started there last year and and the manager gave her the absolute worst building in the place. Flooded 8” when we had a downpour one day and the drains were clogged. Another time a cat got in through a hole somewhere and couldn’t figure out how to get back out. The poor thing must’ve freaked out... broken stuff everywhere and sis found it dead. 😞

Finally found somewhere cheap enough to fill my small lp tanks for the cabin. So filling them in the morning and going to pick up DS1 and go to the farm for awhile and maybe clean the house up a bit. 
 

and 

Necie

@Mother, I’m wanting to do some things in pots/buckets and maybe try the regrow thing. I know you had a challenge post last year in Urban Gardens and was hoping you’d do a new one for this year? I love seeing everyone’s container gardens and raised beds. Gives me ideas for in a few years when I can’t do a big garden. I’m hoping to get a coldframe set up this year too. 

I also wanted to keep an *accounting* of how much I spent on garden *stuff* this year.  

The white envelope packets in my pics were bought this year. The 2 bean ones were 1/2# each and $5/each. The others were by teaspoon or half teaspoon, so no weight on them. 3 pumpkin varieties, 3 squash varieties, 3 sunflower varieties. Total: $57. The sunflower prices seemed high and I wanted more. When I was at RK the other day, they had seed packs BOGO, so I got 2 more of the Mammoth sunflower for $3. 
 

Total for year: $60

I was on the phone last night with DD til after 2am... so slept in a bit too. After 8 before I got up. Usually the sun in the window gets me right up. DD and her dad are doing a Europe vacation in a couple months and there was a glitch and she was all upset. We ended up talking about all sorts of other stuff and I think getting her mind off it for a little bit helped. 
 

Got up and crocheted for a couple hours. 
Made a batch of soap. (Black Raspberry Vanilla)

Loaded all the plant flats that I’ve collected for the last couple years into the van and took them to DS2’s and put them in his garage. He and DDIL and kids were in town getting lumber for a greenhouse and a chicken coop. They’ve also been looking for some feeder piglets and I finally found them some!! 🐖 Crazy story... I messaged a gal I know from goats that I noticed on FB also has pigs. Turns out she works for a huge hog farm... in the piglet department. 😂 She brings home and raises to weaning and sells the herniated ones that the buyers won’t take... FOR $25 EACH!!!  Instead of getting 5, DS2 is getting 7 or 8. She also raises a heritage breed herself and DS2 might get some of those to breed his own. The commercial hogs get to 800-1000#, but the herniated ones need to be processed before 500#. Which is more the size that they want and I think the breeder ones only get to about that weight. The cheapest they’ve found at auction is $75-100, so this is a heck of a good deal!! 
Then, since it’s so gorgeous out, I got 1 out of 3 of my flower beds cleaned out. It’s on half of the west side of the house and on the north side. 
Came in and wrapped 45 bars of soap (3 different kinds), got 3/6 totes ready for flea market, figured out 5 other soaps that need wrapped... so printed and cut labels, inventoried lotions and figured I need 203 bottles of 22 different kinds. Dang!-I need to get busy!!! 
Told DH that I wasn’t cooking dinner, so he made himself grilled cheese and I had more egg salad. 
 

Probably doing more of the same tomorrow. 
 

and 

Necie 

Mom came down this morning and we went to town. She needed to go to the Verizon store. We hit: Rural King, Aldis and WM. Stuck to my list pretty good and stayed under $200 even with oil/filter for my van and 4-1# lp cans for lanterns/cookstoves. I actually missed a bunch of stuff for the cabin cuz I had it on a separate list. She has to go back to the Verizon store next week, so I’ll get the stuff then. 
Got home and got Mom’s stuff in her truck and unloaded my groceries. DH helped unload 7 cases of water from RK and 6 gallons of distilled water from WM cuz they have to go in the basement... my knees HATE the basement. 😡 Then... I went to the basement and cut the batch of soap that I made yesterday. 

Played in the kitchen for a bit. Still working on getting my sourdough starter to wake up. I might need to put it on the heating pad— it’s at the far end of the kitchen. Made avocado/egg salad for dinner. DH doesn’t like it, so he had leftovers. 

Finally sat down and made a list of dinners in my date book so I don’t forget my plan from what groceries I got. 😂 And redid my *list* of need/want groceries/things.

Tomorrow, the plan is to make soap and maybe start cleaning out flower beds... everything is coming up. Tomorrow and Sunday are supposed to be really nice. Monday is supposed to be over 70* again and that’s about too warm and DS1 and I are going to the farm anyhow. 

and 

Necie

Another day of not feeling like I completed much. 

Crocheted this morning.

 I did get a batch of soap (Pet Shampoo Bar) made before noon.

Folded laundry.

Inventoried soap for what needs wrapped before market starts... printed out 5 sheets of labels and cut. 
Played with my sourdough starter. It had been in the fridge since October. (Bumped a few posts.  ) 

Tomorrow, I need to cut soap. And Mom and I are going to town for monthly shopping trip. 
 

and

Necie

10 minutes ago, euphrasyne said:

Aquafaba --chickpea water can even be turned into whipped cream with a close texture and flavor. 

I’d never heard of using it for whipped cream, but have heard of it used as a vegan alternative for mayonnaise. Any legume liquor will work, but have heard that the lighter ones have a much closer flavor.

4 qts black beans 

3 qts kidney beans 

I did the same in reverse a couple months ago. So now DS1 has 7 jars of each, which is enough for him to make 7 batches of chili. 

Who else is thinking about/planning their gardens for this year? Anybody already started preparing/planting? This crazy warm weather that we’ve had, and is predicted for the next week or more, has me going stir crazy with cabin fever. I always have it on my list for February to go through my garden seeds and see what I need for the year. I got that done and even got the seeds bought, which isn’t a normal thing since I’m usually in no hurry as our last frost date isn’t for another 2 1/2 months. Well, this year, I’ve got the bug bad. 

We’ve got multiple gardens. Our regular garden at home is small 20x60– rich, black, soft muck ground. DH has decided this year to use the old compost piles of goat manure way out back to make him a melon patch... to use for target practice. 

Then we have multiple gardens at the farm. They started as DS1’s garden when he was living in an apartment. The big garden is 75x125- clay, the small patch is 20x60- clay, and the barnyard garden is 25x25- rich, soft, compost. Other family members also come and help with these gardens in exchange for veggies. 😉

DS2 and DDIL have a garden that DS1 and I help with sometimes and we trade stuff with them. It was about 50x50 last year, but they said they are making it bigger this year. 
My mom has a decent herb garden at her house and has mentioned wanting to plant a few other things this year. Her ground is sand and I’m not sure if she wants to do a regular small garden, raised beds, or containers. 🤷‍♀️ Whatever she wants, we’ll get it figured out and done. 
 

I’m adding pics of my seeds/bag from the post about seed organizing that was lost in the glitch... if anyone has more ideas on organizing? And the other pic is a stock pic of a rotavator. My uncle uses a MUCH older one to till up the gardens at the farm. I’m absolutely fascinated by the thing!!! 😎

Added a pic of the farm just for fun. It’s my happy place. 

Garlic venison sausage and yellow rice.

Yesterday was 73* and beautiful. It’s currently 23* with a wc of 4*. 20mph wind with 30mph gusts. And it’s snowing.
Was gonna make soap today, but the lights keep flickering. And the basement is cold. So I’m canning kidney and black beans, baking muffins and boiling eggs. DH has the wood stove rolling. Toasty warm 84* inside. 

42 minutes ago, snapshotmiki said:

Wow!  That sounds very unsafe to me and I color outside the lines pretty often.  Won't be doing that @Necie!

I do a good bit of ‘rebel’ canning myself. But I have a pressure canner, so go by recommendations using it. I understand that a lot of other countries don’t have access to pressure canners and still do mostly waterbath canning. Times are much longer and it is still recommended to boil waterbathed low acid foods for ~15 minutes to kill off any botulism toxins that form because botulism spores aren’t destroyed at 212* no matter how long it’s boiled. 
With this method, I would also be concerned about flat-sour due to holding the jars at a *warm* temp in between boilings. Lots of ruined food. 😞