Yes, it’s fall; the temperatures are doing well to get into the high forties. After all, deer season opens this coming Saturday. There was ice on our small beaver pond this morning and half an inch on the goat and chicken water. But the sun, the glorious sun, was out in all it’s splendor this morning. It made me want to leap out of bed and get doing things. (Well almost. I kind of crawled out, really.)

David went with our friends, Jim and Jerry, yesterday to haul our first load of square bales home. We have been getting them from the same man for three years now and it’s nice hay at a very fair price. Especially when it’s been stored in the barn since early summer harvest. Jim and Jerry got a load on their truck and trailer and David loaded 40 bales on our truck. They told us that their very strong son, John, was coming up to help them haul another big load today and that David could go along with our truck, if he wanted to.

So he did. And three hours later (he also helped the Bonnettes load their truck and trailers), a very hungry young man arrived to gobble up two BLTs and ask what was for lunch. He had topped my record and brought home 60 bales on our truck! And he only lost one on the 20 mile drive; on our rough trail in from the county road. I’m impressed!

While he was loading hay, I kept on working on our new pheasant coop behind and attached to the goat barn; it’s opposite the chicken coop, so the barn looks balanced again. Without it, the barn looked kind of lopsided. Friends of ours are going out of the fancy pheasant business and asked if David might like some of their birds as they know he really likes poultry. He’s getting Silvers, Goldens and Red Goldens. Pretty nice of them. Yesterday David and I dug in two treated 4″x4″s, 8′ long which supported a 2″x6″ ledger beam. And nailed between the existing rafter tails and it were the rafters of the 6′ wide coop. Today I carried the new coop’s framework out another five feet so the third pen of birds will have a bad weather shelter inside.

There’ll be 4′x4′ inside pens for each breed with a 2′ walkway and outside, the pens will be about 18′x6′ each.

What’s cool about this coop is that, like the chicken coop, we’re using material salvaged at the dump or left over from various other building projects. It might not be glamorous, but it’s sturdy, square and level. I’m also hoping to make it kind of cute, too. In a backwoods sort of way.

Our huskie’s dog yard is 40′x40′, divided by four chain link kennel panels. But our dogs didn’t like to be separate. No, they weren’t friendly, the two young boys wanted to fight. Brothers, but still boys and the same size and age. Both thought they were the top dog. I finally got fed up with them snarling and barking back and forth along the fence and opened the gate. Of course they immediately tangled, snarling and a ball of flashing teeth. But because of their dense coat, it was mostly noise; not a drop of blood flowed. Throughout the day, there were periodic nasty noises as one male challenged the other.

The next day, they were playing. They’d figured out who was “boss”. Once in awhile, there is a brief encounter, but it’s bloodless and they’ve been together for two years now and are happy in the big yard. Their dad, a wolfy looking big guy, is with them and he’s definitely the Big Boss and only has to look at them attentively and they both immediately lay down.

So I’ve got these four 10′ chain link kennel panels doing nothing. Not for long. They’re going to be reused in the new pheasant pen to enclose the outside of the pen to protect the birds from predators. I’ll separate the breeds with 2″x4″ welded wire, 6′ high (with a wire top, too to protect them from owls). I’ve been told that the roosters of the different breeds will seriously fight and we don’t want that.

After David got home with the hay, he jumped right away on our new bulldozer and scraped out the donkey’s corral; it was getting pretty stinky from the 10″ of rain on 8″ of manure and old hay. While he worked, I held the stock panel wire back open for him and watched the donkeys peer under their barn door. I’ll swear they were going “PeeeeUUUUU!!!”

Now it’s nice and clean and dry. Amazing. Love that dozer!!!!

Then he ran it down by the horse pasture. After finding a nice sand ridge on the left side of the trail down, I asked David if he’d like to clear a spot 55′x100′ on the other side for a training ring. I’ve been a horse person all my life and have been without a training area for many years. While it is possible to train a horse without a ring, it’s definitely much, much easier if you have a flat, dry, enclosed place to work one with no distractions, obstacles or dangerous things in the area.

After only half an hour, the spot was definitely taking shape. There isn’t a rock in the whole spot! There were a whole lot of stumps, but the good old dozer dug ‘em up easily. While David was rooting around, I looked up and there were six deer calmly eating grass in the horse pasture, less than 100′ away! We thought it was pretty funny. Especially when deer hunters all over the state will be putting on scent mask, special clothing and silent boots next Saturday to sneak up on the timid deer. Ha ha ha! Get a dozer and crash around the woods. Works for us.

Readers’ questions:

Frozen deer meat

Jackie, about a year ago, a friend gave my husband and I a frozen side of deer leg, and possibly part of the hind quarter. It’s not been cut up in steaks or strips, it’s a frozen leg of deer. I’m not really sure how to proceed with defrosting and cooking it. I’ve had deer before, and I know it’svery lean animal meat. I’d probably like to defrost and can it up for chili or stew. Is it still safe after a year??? What would you suggest?

P.S. I will be recanning my pickled peppers that you said were not safe to eat because of added apple cider and lack of vinegar. Shame on me. I should know better, your my canning guru!

Andrea Del Gardo
Myrtle Beach, SC

Your leg of deer is safe to eat after a year. My only question is, is it freezer burned? Look it over well after your unwrap it. There shouldn’t be any whitish areas. I’m not talking about frost or ice but white ugly spots on the meat itself when it’s thawed. Kind of dried looking white. Then sniff the meat. It should smell like fresh meat. If it has a un-meaty smell that turns you off, it’s freezer burned. Some folks say that if you simmer the meat in milk and toss the milk it removes freezer burn smell/taste. I haven’t tried it yet. To defrost the leg, just put it in a paper bag and place it in a cold but not freezing area. An unheated porch or the refrigerator will work fine. Just keep it around 40 degrees until it thaws out.

And don’t let the dog get it! I speak from experience here.

If you’re still uncertain about the freezer burn, slice a small piece up in a pan and sautee it. Then taste it. If it tasted fine, it’s good to go. With all venison, bone the meat for the best taste and remove any fat or dried tissue. I dice a whole lot of my venison up for chunky chili, stew or barbecue, cutting pieces about 1″ square.

Good luck. And sorry about the peppers! — Jackie

Choosing a pressure canner

Thanks for all the great information over the years. My wife and I have been canning with a waterbath canner for years. We want to add pressure cooker canner items to our stocks. What brand or features should we look for in a pressure cooker canner?
Thanks
Jack Radion

There are really very few brands of pressure canners available today; maybe four that come to mind.  And really, all are very good.  DO NOT buy a smaller “pressure cooker/canner”.  They do not process enough food and are not really reliable to can in, to begin with.  Personally, I prefer a canner that has a beveled lid fitting tightly against a bevel in the body of the canner.  These require no gasket to remain air-tight.  Sooner or later the gasket will become old, brittle and begin to let steam seep out under pressure.  But this takes years and years to happen, and you then just buy a new gasket, so it isn’t a major problem.  Two of mine have gaskets, and two do not.

I prefer a canner that has a dial gauge instead of the jiggle weights so you can immediately tell what your heat is doing and adjust it to your needs.  But then, again, the dial gauge should be checked yearly for accuracy where the weight is good forever.  It’s just a matter of convenience.  All modern canners are safe and very easy to learn to use; all come with a safety plug or valve so there is no chance of your canner “blowing up” in the kitchen.

I think your decision is a very wise one and you’ll soon be very happy you made it.  There are just so many different foods you can put up with a pressure canner!  Good canning. — Jackie

We’ve been having nice weather here, with the sun out for a change and we’re really getting a lot done. So one day has melted into another. David had a super football season, playing defense for the Cook Gophers. He was also their kicker this year. I think everyone in the area was rooting for him, especially knowing he was coming back after his bout with flesh eating bacteria in his arm. Seeking him breaking through an opposing team’s tough line to go on and tackle their quarterback almost brought tears to my eyes. We are so grateful he made a quick and complete recovery.

Tom was over working on our new greenhouse/porch this week and I asked him if he’d rip off the crappy OSB “temporary” roofing on the east side of our goat barn. David and I had sheeted the west side with nice green metal roofing but the east side, we just slapped something on ahead of a early winter blizzard two years ago and it was pretty disgusting.

So he agreed, and in an hour, the old stuff was off and I started bringing out old greenhouse Filon roofing (that wavy clear fiberglass). The goat barn was kind of dark because goats will stand on their hind feet and knock out windows up six feet high. So the only windows were in the very peak of the gable ends and in the two doors in front. Now the sunshine beats into the goat pens and makes the whole barn light and cheerful. And the roof won’t leak any more! Horray!!!!

It’s always nice to recycle….even if it’s your own stuff, re-used in a different application. I didn’t want that Filon laying in a pile all winter to get ruined. Now it’s being used in a good way.

I got so into it that I’m going to order the last 3 pieces of sheet metal roofing for our horse lean-to in the pasture and we’ll finish off that, too. I got the rest of the roofing at the dump, but came up short the 3 pieces and we never “got round to it”.

We get nuts this time of the year, because we know winter’s just around the corner, so it’s this project, that project, finish this, pick up that. You never get it all, but every year we’re further ahead, and that’s encouraging.

David bought his own car today. He did the whole deal; found the car, talked to the salesman, went to the bank, filled out credit applications, went to the insurance company; the whole ball of wax. It’s a Lincoln Continental (1994), and only cost him $1,600. $500 came out of his savings, and he had to borrow $1,200, paying $56 a month.

He turns 17 next week, paid the $500 from his haying money and will pay the car off when he sells his old trusty Taurus (Grandpa’s car). But he now knows the ropes of doing business in the “real world”, and I think that’s a good thing. The Lincoln is a bit “fancy” for my tastes, but it’s a smaller car, gets 25 + mpg and has been well maintained. I’m crossing my fingers!

Readers’ questions:

“Gaugeless” pressure canners

Jackie,

Thanks for the advice on the use of tomatoes… sadly here in NW Washington it has been a cooler summer and very few of them have ripened… but the bushes still have not died, so even in October they will stay on as long as possible. My question today is about pressure canners. My mother bought 2 of those ingenious “gaugeless” canners with a 3-piece weight set that allows you to arbitrarily set the canning pressure at 5, 10, or 15#. I have an old Presto 21-B that has a gauge, and I have been told by 2 out of 3 people that presto’s 3-piece weight set will work on mine. It would be very helpful, especially when I am doing marathon 90 minute venison canning sessions. Your opinion would on this matter be greatly valued. Your column is so helpful; My wife and I really enjoy it. Keep up the good work.

Ben Skelton
Sedro Woolley, WA

Hang in there with those tomatoes. When it threatens to get too cold or the tomatoes just quit putting on size, pick them and put them in shallow boxes, buckets, bins or tubs and bring them into the warm house. No need for a “sunny window sill”, just plunk them down somewhere out of the way where you can watch and sort them. They will ripen a bunch at a time, beginning in about 3 days.

Boy, you’ve got me with your weight question. Personally, I’d stick with the gauge. I like them a whole lot better than the little weights. You see right away when your pressure is beginning to climb and can adjust the heat to keep it even. Usually, and I DO say “usually”, you’ll hit a sweet spot and the canner will hang pretty much in the right pressure without too much fooling around. But you still need to watch it closely. The little demons in the kitchen always bump the heat up or down when you’re not looking! We’ll soon be canning venison too. Luck with the hunt. — Jackie

Gift salsa

I make salsa using canned whole tomatoes and would like to bottle the salsa to give as Christmas gifts. Is this possible without having to cook (can)? My fear is someone becoming ill if not properly bottled. I make fresh daily and distribute the following day and let them know to keep refrigerated and should remain fresh for 2 weeks. Also do I need to add vinegar? I add chicken broth to my recipe.
Fena Cuadra
Phoenix, Arizona

This a little “iffy”. Especially with the added chicken broth. Chicken broth is very prone to going bad if not constantly refrigerated….and even sometimes when it is for your 2 week period. Without the chicken broth, you could probably get by, IF it was ALWAYS held in refrigerated conditions, i.e. no wrapped under the tree, set on a table for people to admire, carried home in a bag in the back seat, etc.

I’m a whole lot more confident when I give home canned salsas. It is so easy to can it, only taking 15 minutes in a water bath canner to make it safe to store at room temperatures. Yes, unless you can salsas with tomatoes that you KNOW are an acid variety, you should either add lemon, lime juice or vinegar to make the recipe safely acidic enough to water bath process. — Jackie

Yellow jacket elimination

I have eliminated a yellow jacket nest by leaving my shop-vac hose next to the entrance and turning it on for a couple hours. They attack the hose and away they go. My shop-vac is small enough to run off of my inverter so the electricity was free.

After turning it off I waited a day before opening it up to dump the dead pests.

The shop-vac also worked well to pick up a rat living in the kindling box. I “grabbed” it from the back, put it in an old wide-mouthed jar, grabbed my shovel, and took it outside.

Steve Ahrendt
Petaluma, CA

Talk about ingenious! Way to go, Steve! I’ve used my shop vac for a whole lot (don’t own a regular vacuum cleaner), but never for getting rid of a yellow jacket nest. Good thinking. — Jackie

Lemon juice

I need to know how to can lemon juice from fresh lemons.

Nancy Foster
Dallas City, Illinois

Cut the lemons in half, remove seeds, ream juice out with a cone-shaped citrus extractor to prevent bitter white peel from getting into juice. Strain if you wish or else pick out bits of floating seed, membrane, etc. Heat juice to simmering and pour into hot, sterilized jars. Water bath process for 20 minutes unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet. If so, consult a canning manual for directions on increasing your time to suit your altitude, if necessary. It’s neat you have enough lemons to can the juice. It is very good! — Jackie