Introducing new chickens

I am thoroughly enjoying my chickens. I have a flock of 11, 10 hens and one rooster. I like them so much and their eggs even more that I would like to get more chicks next spring.

Will I need to keep the next set of chicks separate from my current flock permanently or just until full grown?

Erica Kardelis
Helper, Utah

Once your chicks are adult sized, they can be introduced into your current flock. Just make sure they have enough space, indoors and out,s so there’s no extreme pecking as they settle in. — Jackie

Canning yams

I am going to can yams. Am I able to can them with brown sugar? I can only find recipes with plain sugar water. Ideally, I would like to open the jar, heat up and add butter (if desired). But I would like them to be somewhat like the canned ones you buy. Thank you ahead of time for your answers. Love your column in Backwoods Home Magazine! I started ordering the magazine just because of your column and the rest was icing on the cake.

Sheryl Roberts
Houston, Alaska

I’m glad you like the column. It’s like all of you are my extended homestead family and I love helping you out to succeed in all you do. Yes, you can put your yams up with brown sugar instead of white. I sure would! — Jackie

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Dirty windows

Saw the post on dirty windows. I clean them for a living. Good advice. My brew is approximately 1 gallon water ½-1 cup ammonia and 3 Tbsp. liquid Joy. Make sure that the scrubber hasn’t see fabric softener (solvent) and if using a squeegee that the rubber is new, most people NEVER replace this! If a towel to wipe off, again no fabric softener. A clean little secret for a dirty little job.

Kathy Suhr
Sedro Woolley, Washington

Thanks Kathy! Good tips from someone in the know. — Jackie

Wallo’ Waters

I was wondering if you ever leave the Wallo’ Waters in place after the tomatoes grow up through them. The directions on the bag say to fill them and leave them around the plants all season. I have been pulling them off when the weather is stable. Just wondering if you have experimented with this.

Mia Sodaro
Frazier Park, California

You know, I tried that one year, as an experiment. No, I don’t leave them on. What happens is that the tomato vines grow so big and rank that you can’t remove the Wall, even in the fall. And the branches dry and can damage them before you take them off. Plus add photo-degradation and you have a mess. Nope, I pull them when the plant has grown above the edge and no more frost is possible. — Jackie

We purchased some of the Wallo’ Waters for earlier planting this year. This is our first time to use them. We will be putting them out in a couple of weeks to warm the ground prior to planting. The winds toward the end of February and into March here can be quite strong. My question is: How do you keep them standing erect in wind? Are there any pointers you can give us to ensure our success this first time? (The photo in your canning book of your Wallo’ Waters was indeed an inspiration to us.)

Gwen Cantrell
Dallas, Texas

Wallo’ Waters stand up to the wind pretty darned good. Their shape, which is a basic cone, wide at the base and narrow at the top, allows them to take even storm winds without toppling. If they should dump, simply put them back up and re-fill them. They are wonderful and you need no further tips; they are very easy to use and will give you great success. Keep us posted! — Jackie

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Canning pea soup and cleaning chicken eggs

I have 2 questions:
#1. I just canned some green pea soup. I followed the directions on-line for canning dried beans. My beans ended up in the bottom of the quarts in a solid glob. Are they safe to eat? I know you talk about noodles/rice and dense food. They all sealed and I have been able to shake some of the solid mass.

#2. I read online that if your fresh eggs have chicken feces on them you should discard them. That it has already contaminated the egg and no amount of washing will clean it. Jackie just about all my eggs are like that. Is it safe to keep eating them?

Ramona Berry
Newberry, South Carolina

I wouldn’t be afraid to eat your pea soup. The peas remain in solution with the liquid during processing, but when they cool, they settle into a glob; they have sufficiently heated during processing first.

You can read about anything online! Wash your eggs and don’t worry. The only way the poop could possibly contaminate the egg would be if it were cracked. What do you think commercial egg factories do with eggs with chicken poop on them? To keep your own eggs cleaner, use shavings in the nest boxes and also on your coop floor so the hens feet don’t pick up poop when they hop into the boxes to lay. Clean feet make for cleaner eggs! — Jackie

Hamburger rocks

Have you ever made hamburger rocks? (Dehydrated hamburger) If so, how safe is it to store and use? I’ve never dehydrated meat before but am thinking of trying it.

Glo Diliberto
Insinger, SK Canada

I haven’t made hamburger rocks. But I have dehydrated a lot of other meat. Choose hamburger that is very low fat so the fat doesn’t get rancid and you’ll be fine. Give it a try and see how you like the results. — Jackie

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I spoke three days on subjects such as backyard fruit growing, canning meat, meals in a jar, and herbs in small spaces. People were very interested and after each workshop, there were plenty of questions. In fact, I answered questions for nearly an hour after most classes! It was fun and we shared a lot of information. When I wasn’t speaking, I got to attend some other workshops and I learned a lot, too! Good food and good people made for a great time.

Now I’m all primed for our first on-homestead seminar here, in May! (There still are a few spots so e-mail if you’d like more information.)

Today I’m kind of whipped from all the hurrying at the airports, sitting and sitting…and sitting waiting for connections. But I’m sure I’ll have more energy tomorrow. It was sure good to get home to my family and my own beddie! — Jackie

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Brooding chicks off-grid

Years ago I raised lots of day-old chicks using a heat lamp to brood them. I want to get back to poultry now that I am retired but my homestead is off grid. Any Ideas other than running the generator many hours and charging batteries to provide heat during the night. Solar is in the future but not in time for a May start on chicks. Would a low btu propane heater work.

Howard Brewi
Valdez, Alaska

We used a propane heater to brood our chicks in the house (in our sunroom/greenhouse). At first, we needed it on all day and night, but as the temperatures warmed up, we found that the chicks were comfortable with the heater off, as long as the house was reasonably warm (wood heat and sunshine through our big windows). We did keep a small CFL burning over the stock tank we used to prevent picking and also to prevent piling up after the heater was not used at night. I’m posting a photo of our setup to help give you more ideas. It CAN be done! — Jackie

Pickled okra

Asking for my sister…She has pickled okra that the seals are turning loose on. They have been stored in her pantry with no extreme temp changes and nothing stacked on top. They were canned this past summer, however, in the last two weeks the lids have started pinging and turning loose. Any ideas as to the possible cause and would the vinegar keep it safe to eat or should the contents be thrown out?

Becky in Alabama

I don’t know why your sister’s pickled okra jars are having seals that are failing, as I don’t know how she processed it, etc. But if the jars are having pinging lids that are releasing, something is wrong! No, I wouldn’t eat the okra. It’s the old saying “when in doubt, throw it out.” It hurts when it’s your home canned food, but take it as a learning experience and try to figure out what went wrong and follow tried recipes to can it next time. Don’t let one failure throw you! It happens to all beginners at one point or another. — Jackie

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Garden seeds

I have a question about your garden seeds. I’m trying to have almost everything heirloom, but it’s almost impossible isn’t it if you don’t want your squash, cucumbers and other plants to cross pollinate? Do you plant some hybrids for this reason? Also do hybrids store better in a root cellar than heirloom? One last question- can I save my potatoes from last summer to plant this coming summer if there are some left-they are heirloom.

Jacqueline Wieser
Sidney, Nebraska

Growing nearly everything in the garden from open pollinated seeds IS possible with a little thought. For instance, only plant one variety of cucumber, bean, pepper, etc. Some crops, such as tomatoes and beans are pretty much self-pollinating, so you can just separate the varieties by several feet and still raise pure seeds. Pumpkins and squash have different varieties in each of the four common species. By choosing only one of each to save seeds from, you can still grow a big variety of them and still raise pure seed. I’d suggest you take a look at my article in BHM, Saving Seeds, which is in Issue 129 (May/June 2011) for more detailed information.

No, hybrids do not store better. My all-time totally best storing vegetable still remains my wonderful Hopi Pale Grey squash. I have one right now, sitting on the floor in our greenhouse, that was harvested in the fall of 2010 and it is still hard and plump! This is NOT unusual.

Yes, you can save your own seed potatoes as long as the potatoes showed no signs of disease when growing or upon harvesting. — Jackie

Acorn bread

I came across your wonderful article on acorn bread. I have a question. Do you have a recipe for making acorn bread without any other form of flour? If not, in your opinion do you think it would be possible to make bread with just acorn flour. I have about 3 cups ready to go and I’ve been looking around for this type of recipe.

Christy Adamucci
New Jersey

You really can’t make acorn bread without any flour. Native Americans would make acorn “cakes” with no flour by mixing a little fat and ash (tastes similar to salt) and patting them into fat tortilla-like cakes and baking them on hot stones. Without the flour, acorn bread will not rise and the “bread” will be VERY dense, indeed. I’d use a recipe that included flour and leavening, whether baking powder or yeast. Some Native Americans used a recipe that included both acorn flour and cornmeal, but again, that was patted into cakes and baked, making a very dense, yet tasty food. — Jackie

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Baking mixes

After looking at the Bisquick type recipes in your new book am wondering, other than shelf life, is there any difference in how these mixes work? Shortening compared to dehydrated shortening.

Betty Anderson
Berryville, Arkansas

No differences other than possibly having to add a bit more liquid in some recipes to create the most workable dough when you use the dehydrated shortening. I use both with equally good results. — Jackie

Storing dry pasta

What is the best way to store dry pasta? I really would like to store it in glass jars but I don’t know how. I guess the other way might be in the bags that I see in the survival write-up web sites.

Charles Hancock
Hazel Green, Alabama

Dry pasta stores very easily with no extra frills and supplies. You can simply pour it into glass jars and screw down the lid. I used to store mine in gallon glass jars for years. Now I store mine in used, clean popcorn tins, like you get around Christmas. I’ve never had any get rancid or in any way damaged. Works great! And it’s cheap. — Jackie

Root cellar

I have a question on root cellars. My wife and I have finally managed to buy a piece of land on which to build our retreat. It does not / will not have electricity but I would like to be able to store some foodstuffs and canned goods there but obviously they need to be kept from freezing. Unfortunately the home site is literally on the side of a mountain so digging a cellar is out of the question due to ledge rock. My thought was to build a small room from block and cover it with earth. Would this work and if so how deeply must it be covered?

Allen Foster
Northfield, New Hampshire

Yes, this will certainly work. If you would insulate the sides of your root cellar with dense insulation board (below grade quality), you can probably pile dirt over it about three feet deep in your location. You will have to play with this a little by keeping a thermometer in it for the first couple of years. You may have to add some more dirt later if your cellar gets down too close to freezing. Snow on the dirt will also help insulate your root cellar. Be sure to add a double door system with an air lock between to help protect your cellar when you enter and exit during the winter. And don’t forget to insulate your doors and add a vent through the roof that can be opened and closed as needed to keep the cellar cool, not freezing, and keep the condensation down. Pick up a copy of Bubel’s book, ROOT CELLARING. It is very good and a complete book on many different methods of construction. — Jackie

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Preserving juice

What would be the best way to preserve juice in wine/sparkling cider bottles? I’ve been a winemaker for several years, and would like to be able to make non-alcoholic juices to share with my non-drinking friends. I’m assuming it would have to be processed in a water bath. Would pop bottle crown caps hold up, or would I need to use metal screw caps?

In making wine, it is common to use sulfite as a preservative. Could this alone be enough to preserve juice, if kept in the refrigerator?

Larry Curfman
Oakville, Washington

A long time ago, I used to bottle both fruit juice and ketchup in used beer bottles I’d picked up along the road. After washing and sterilizing them, I filled them with boiling juice/ketchup, then capped them with a press-on bottle capper (hand machine). This worked fine, but I didn’t water bath them and don’t know how you’d do that with press-on lids. Any readers with more information for us? — Jackie

Growing tomatoes

I know I read this in BHM but can’t find it. What kind of tomatoes do you grow that ripen pretty much at once for canning. I have all your books and garden every year, but never get enough tomatoes at once to can.

Lorraine Dingman
Fulton, New York

Some of the varieties that we grow that tend to ripen heavily, more or less at one time are: Oregon Spring, Punta Banda (Native Seeds/SEARCH), and Silvery Fir Tree. You might consider using a hoop house for your tomatoes. We had your problem with peppers, so last year Will built a cheap, easy hoop house out of PVC pipes and plastic. We harvested bushels of huge peppers! No heat, no special treatment! Wonderful. I’d also suggest starting your tomatoes out in Wallo’ Water plant protectors. This not only lets you plant earlier, but it also develops a very strong, vigorous root system and the plants consistently bear heavily and ripen much sooner so you can get to canning. — Jackie

Preserving by confiting

Long time since I have written but I read your blogs like clockwork every week. I am writing to tell you that I recently discovered making my own bacon (smoked and non-smoked and other charcuterie like terrines/pates and confit) – I have a quick question – have you been confiting at all – (preserving in fat) and if so have you tried preserving in pork fat? (If you wrote about it before sorry as I guess I missed it). By the way hope weather has been treating you better this year as it has up here in Ontario Canada – we’ve had a glorious (non cold) December and picture perfect Christmas when it finally showed on Christmas Eve/Day

farmgirlwanabe from Ottawa Ontario

No I haven’t been confiting. My husband, Will, fights high cholesterol, and I’m getting pretty high, so I really watch the fat in my cooking and preserving. I do know about it, and have for years. My grandmother used to preserve pork chops (lightly cooked) in lard, and they kept that way all winter and into the spring months. They had no refrigeration.

We’ve also had a strange winter; January temps varying from -30 to 45 above! Up until yesterday, you could do chores in tennies! But today, we’re getting clobbered and it really looks like winter out there! — Jackie

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