Today was a real stormy day. You name it; we had lots of rain, 50 mph winds with higher gusts, thunder and lightening. Needless to say I didn’t get anything much accomplished outside, other than daily must-do chores. But sometimes we need a rainy day. Yep, we’ve had a spell of severe drought, so the rain was needed. Last week we got 5″ in two hours, with another 2″ today. It’s good to see our creek running happily bank-full again. This time last year it was dry. As in cracked mud dry! And our beaver ponds were 3′ low. The poor beavers.

But this fall they’re happy. No predators can access their underwater home entrances. And I’m happy because this rain should save our fruit trees and is already bringing out new green grass in the horse pasture. Last night there were 7 deer happily grazing out there with our horses.

However, after a tremendously stormy day, I decided to drive out to the mailbox and see if there were any trees down on the trail. Usually after such a storm we have a few small dead popple trees across it. David was supposed to have a football game (which was cancelled because of lightening) and was not home. I went to get the chainsaw out of the generator shed and discovered that half of the drywall ceiling had fallen to the floor! Oh neat! And it was also on my chainsaw, about 6 feet in from the door.

I’d felt sick all day and didn’t feel up to wrestling with that heavy sheetrock, so I just left it and drove out the drive. I got about half a mile and saw one huge fir tree that had blown down, fortunately falling away from the drive. Then a little farther on, there was another one. And it was laying right across the trail.

I went home and gave our friend Jim Bonnette a call to see if he could bring his saw and give me a hand. He cheerfully said he’d be right there. And he was. We made short work of the tree and he left with my profuse thanks.

It’s times like this when I’m glad to have great friends and neighbors. True, they live three miles away, but when I really need help, I have it. Like when I was weak and feeling sick after a chemo treatment two and a half years ago, and Paul and Marcia came over and helped David and a carpenter lay sheeting on the new house sub-floor in the rain so the logs could be set on it the next day.

I’ve heard so many people say they want to move way out in the backwoods and have nothing to do with anyone. Such a mistake. For in doing so you miss out on so much common, old-fashioned neighborliness. I’m too busy for ladies luncheons, church functions, clubs, etc. But I’m never too busy to give a friend a hand when they need it, visit on the phone for a few minutes or stop in the store and chat with a neighbor. You get what you give.

I’ve posted readers’ questions with my answers below:

Canning “cooked” meals

I am subscriber to BHM and regularly read your articles especially with regard to Home Canning. Earlier this year on a trip to Chicago I bought an American pressure canner (and accessories).So
far I have canned one jar of green beans (It’s a start I guess). As the beans were raw I understand the importance of the timings, etc. However I was wondering whether I could simply can any “Cooked” meal without having to worry about the recipes - for example can we simply make surplus casserole or pasta for dinner one night without worrying about using a canning recipe and then Can using the timings for the longest timed ingredient? if so will the food be overcooked as it will have already been fully cooked.

I guess I’m hoping the answer will be you can can any cooked meal by simply pressure canning for 10 mins - although I suspect this is wishful thinking!!! We live in Hong Kong and my wife and I and our two boys are experimenting with various backwoods Home Skills so that when we return to England in a few years we can downshift.

So far we have managed to grow a whole range of organic vegetables using square foot gardening techniques (yard is all concrete), make sausages plus build a still to produce ethanol and we are about to make our first batch of soap from beef fat (luckily we can get Lye out here).

Simon Paine
Hong Kong
Email - simon@paine.org

To answer your canning question; yes and no. Yes you can certainly home can any meal you’ve made in large quantity. But NO, you can’t shortchange the processing time because the food is already pre-cooked. And Yes, some foods will be overcooked, namely pasta dishes and potato casseroles. They’ll get mushy on you. Such things as stews, chili, soup and bean dishes are fine canned up after you are done with the meal. Other candidates are turkey, chicken, beef and other meats.

The key to canning up any recipe is to process it for the longest time required for any one ingredient. This cannot be shortchanged. — Jackie

How long does canned food last?

How long does canned food last? Does the place of storage matter? I live in Florida where the humidity is high. Does this shorten the shelf life of canned foods?

Roger Lee
Sarasota, Florida

Canned foods last nearly indefinitely; at least 20 years in most cases. Home canned foods will retain an attractive color and texture if they are stored out of the direct sunlight in a relatively dry and cool place. Dampness can affect the length of storage if it causes the lids to rust. Removing the rings after processing will help this as it keeps moisture from being trapped between the ring and lid.

The only time I’ve had problems with moisture/dampness was in a damp basement storage area and this was corrected by using a dehumidifier in the summer and a wood stove down there in the winter. — Jackie

Yes, it’s kind of sad, going down to our frozen garden that bit the dust last week after a night of 24 degrees. All the tomato vines are shrunken and black, hanging dejectedly over the edges of their cages. The corn stalks are all yellow brown and dry. The squash and watermelon vines are nearly gone, they’re so black and frozen. But here and there is still a sign of food. Two nights ago, I left the garden gate open and a deer wandered in; actually it was two deer, a doe and fawn. Then nibbled on the Swiss chard leaves, a few tomatoes, the dead beans, then went down and snacked on a few of the too-small-to-be-ripe watermelons and muskmelons.

But wait! There were some that were red and yellow inside the rind the deer left. So I reached down and grabbed another one about the same size and ripped it apart with my hands. It was glowing yellow (it was a Yellow Doll ice box melon). So I stood there sucking juice, biting into that crisp, cold, oh-so-sweet watermelon. Juice ran down my chin, smeared on my cheeks as I spit seeds and happily ate it all myself! Talk about ambrosia.

So I mentioned it to David and he had to make a stab at finding himself a watermelon. And the first one he picked was also very ripe. Although frosted and definitely non-keepers, his melon was drippy sweet too. He ate his treat, then we walked through the garden finding other treasures.

There are still some unfrozen green tomatoes left that were hiding when we picked the garden. Visions of green tomato mincemeat and green tomato pie came instantly to mind. I’ve got bushels of ripening tomatoes already in the house, but these are a bonus.

Today I made 8 pints and 8 half pints of chipotle salsa from the first batch of ripe tomatoes that ripened indoors. And boy was THAT good! Tomorrow I hope to get a batch of sweet watermelon rind pickles made up. Mmmmm. Those sweet, spicy pickles are oh so good.

We also found that our rutabagas are HUGE this year. I’m talking about the size of a soccer ball on down. And the parsnips are getting nearly big enough to pull. But I like to leave them in till the ground threatens to freeze. In milder climates you can leave them in the ground all winter, but here they freeze in and when you pull them in the spring, the roots are all hairy. The carrots are also getting some size on them. Carrots don’t like hot weather and that’s all we had this summer, along with no rain.

Our garden has been so good this year that I’m having to buy more pints and half pints! Not that I’m complaining. The pantry is looking oh so good and hunting season is right around the corner. I have a wall hanging in my kitchen that says LET US BE TRULY THANKFUL!

And we are.

I’ve posted readers’ questions and answers below:

Adding Salicylic Acid to peppers?

Can I add 25 grams of Salicylic Acid to one bushel of hot peppers, when I grind them? Someone told me that it preserved them better. I read the cautions on the bottle, and it says that it shouldn’t be swallowed.

Julie Francisco
East Providence, Rhode Island

Skip the salicylic acid. If you process the peppers right, you won’t have any worries about them keeping. I add nothing to my peppers other than vinegar, sometimes salt and spices. They always are fine. — Jackie

Homesteading dreams

I’m a city slicker (Chicago) who has had enough of the noise, congestion, and people of a big city and I’m planning to buy property (possibly Maine) and move ASAP. I’ve started volunteering on an small organic farm in Spring Green Wisconsin (to gain experience) - and I love it. I have also started buying books on small scale organic farming. Here is my question: I have had gardens in the past, so I know a bit about growing veggies. But the more I read, the more overwhelmed I get. What is your advice to someone who is going to make the leap with some but not much country living experience? My goal is to be as self reliant as possible and grow as much of my own food as possible. I plan to have some chickens for eggs (protein). I plan to get something with a field or two to grow some wheat (or whatever) animals eat…but most of the property will be wooded. Any basic steps you would take if you were in my shoes? Anything to avoid?

Ken James
Chicago, Illinois

Congratulations! I was born in Detroit and have never been back. In fact, I haven’t lived even close to a small town, let alone in one, since then, either.

First of all, try to pick the best place for your new homestead. This isn’t as easy as it sounds; but it isn’t all that hard, either. I’ve always tried to find a place that has some cleared land for pasture and gardens; it’s a daunting job to clear out big woods for these things, believe me! Find land that is not too low; it’s hard to put in a septic on low land, as it’s hard to garden or build as well. Any land can be homesteaded, but it’s a lot easier if you have decent soil to start with. We’ve homesteaded land that was red clay, rocks and high desert. But then it would have been easier and nicer if it was fluffy black dirt!

Get and read the BHM anthologies and a few gardening/homesteading books. Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living is a real good one, covering just about anything you’d have questiions about. Read my blog and send in questions as you have them. I’ll always try to help you.

But don’t worry too much. Thousands of people have been in your shoes and have made the switch successfully. Go slow at first and learn a little at a time. It’s not rocket science, although some “experts” make you think it is….so they seem smart, maybe? There are different ways of doing things; all of which work. So when you get conflicting ideas, weed ‘em out and decide what will work for you. For instance, some people swear only raised beds and intensive gardening is worth the effort. Others have used rows for years. Still others, me included, use a combination of wide rows, raised beds AND rows.

The “secret” of a good garden is to improve the soil any way you can, keep down the weeds, start cold sensitive plants inside and transplant out when the frost danger is over and to water deeply yet not leave the plants soggy.

Good luck and happy homestead dreams!!! — Jackie

Floating peaches and pears

I love to hot bath my peaches and pears but they seem to float to the top of the jar. I have tried packing them as tight as possible without bruising the fruit, but they still float to the top! This happens to my pickled beets also. What am I doing wrong, or what should I be doing?

Ara Anderson
Gillette, Wyoming

To prevent your fruit and pickled beets from floating to the top, heat them in the syrup/brine before you pack them. If you hot pack them, they won’t float when the jars cool. Floating fruit is not a problem, other than the looks. Tomatoes do this too. You’re doing nothing wrong. — Jackie