Search results

We stuck our concord on the southwest corner of our deck, hoping to get both some fruit and a little shade. I didn't know till just a week or so ago that you have to prune grapes pretty severely to get them to fruit! Our vine is huge now...clear up over the top of a 5' trellis and really...

I've never pay attention to those dates...if it ain't moldy or dried up it's good to go in my book! LOL I'll be interested to hear how it goes. I've never canned cheese before either.

In general, I find I prefer jam to jelly...of any kind...it's easier to spread. With the concords, I squirt the "guts" out of the skins, then cook them till soft and run them through a food mill to remove the seeds. Then I put the skins through the food processor till they're ground up pretty...

Awesome. We can never get concords here, so I had to resort to planting one, LOL. No fruit yet, but I'm hoping for next year. I make jam rather than jelly though...it's a fave of my hubby too :)

It's easier, too. I thought for years they were actually watermelon...didn't really know any different till I made a batch from watermelon rind...and they weren't quite the same...not as good in fact, LOL Now I just eat the melon and let the chickens have the rind!

Mmmmm...I love watermelon rind pickles! My aunt made really good ones, but she didn't actually use watermelon rind, LOL. She used the big, almost overgrown cukes...peeled and seeded, and then cut the flesh into strips

We had a big ole Saskatoon bush at the camp...very tasty, but I confess...I do prefer blueberries ;) They were great for grabbing a handful to munch on when walking by, though. Yesterday was apple day here. Did 9 pints of pink, cinnamon sauce and 6 of regular colored brown sugar/vanilla...

Probably in NeverNever Land, LOL. Even the ones in the thrift stores ain't "thrifty". Food grade plastic buckets are pretty easy to find, though...I have several I use as primary fermenters for mead, so I think I'll maybe use one of them. I'm thinking maybe some strawberry vinegar? Hmmm....

Here's a site I found with really clear instructions on how to make your own vinegar...seems pretty simple http://www.food-skills-for-self-sufficiency.com/making-vinegar.html

Now that sounds promising! If part of the work is already done, it might be well worth it! You could plant some shrubs or trees around it to keep it in the shade in the mornings, too.

LOL, I rarely fall down stairs...I'm supremely talented...I fall UP them! At some point I just don't get my foot up high enough, catch my toe on the next step and fall forward. I blame it on them building stairs that are just too darned high for those of us who are...um...vertically challenged ;)

It seems like a very clever idea, but you're back to digging :( I'm thinking you could do a sort of modification though...instead of digging down, you could mound up...build the earthen walls around the pallet walls. As long as the dirt on it was thick enough and not in the sun all the time...

My folks had a similar issue and pretty much solved it by building a "cave". Grandpa made a big ole mound of dirt about 6 feet high and compacted it really well. Then he was able to dig into it and about 2 feet into the actual ground. That kept it clear of water. Just in case though, he put...

Back from our "shopping" trip, LOL. Got some pretty wilty looking leaf lettuce, collards and chard for the chickens, lots of apples to can and a few fingerling potatoes...gonna try those and see how they go. Think I'll just scrub 'em and can 'em whole. Also got some nice sweet...

Having grown up on a lake, I reckon I had my fill of most of that kind of fish...I can take it or leave it now, LOL. Plus I've no idea how it would can...we always had it fresh or frozen. There's a lot of trout fishing goes on here but I'm not fond of trout. I do like halibut, swordfish...

Wow, that's a lot...yer a kitchen goddess! LOL. I got my pressure canner several years ago so I could can chili. This is the first year I've ever done just meat. I've put up 5 quarts of beef, 12 pints of ground beef and 6 qts of chicken. I've got green beans and carrots now, and will...

As the PP's have said, so much would depend on what you need. Personally, if I had the space and resources, I'd have a mini Jersey and breed her annually to a mini Dexter. That way we'd have both milk and meat. I'm not sure if I'd do goats...I've never had goat's milk or meat, so I'd need to...

Like BeeKissed, I innoculate "regular store brand apple cider vinegar". I originally bought a pint of the Bragg's and dumped it in with a gallon of the regular stuff. When that starts getting low, I toss a cup of it into the next gallon and off we go. Shipping liquids is problematic, or I'd...

I'm curious, Moolie. Does your family eat most of your canned goods, or do you sell them?

Those are gorgeous, Moolie! Makes me wish now I had the glass lids too :) Did carrots today...about 22 lbs of 'em. 11 pints cooling now, and about 8 more in the canner with half an hour to go. One of 'em in the first batch managed to tip over so all the water drained out :( LOL, guess we'll...