Comments on: We’re battening down the hatches for a major spring snow storm http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2008/04/06/we%e2%80%99re-battening-down-the-hatches-for-a-major-spring-snow-storm/ Everything you ever wanted to know about homesteading. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:04:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Aaron Neal http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2008/04/06/we%e2%80%99re-battening-down-the-hatches-for-a-major-spring-snow-storm/comment-page-1/#comment-2332 Aaron Neal Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:31:45 +0000 http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/2008/04/06/we%e2%80%99re-battening-down-the-hatches-for-a-major-spring-snow-storm/#comment-2332 I feel for you Jackie - down here in Texas, it's hurry-up time again to get the warm-weather plants (tomatoes and peppers, etc) in, and the biggest weather worry is whether it will rain vs be hot (my wife got a bit too warm working in the flower garden today). Good luck with the yucky white stuff - I can't stand snow; one of the reasons I live in Texas :) I have a couple of questions - my (nearly) 10-month old son had his first taste of "beanie weenies" tonight. He loved them; it's "big-boy" food that needs a little chewing. I think I can probably reproduce what the store-bought cans have in quantity for cheap. White beans, chopped-up hot dogs, a very thin tomato paste-based sauce, and just enough sugar to give it a very slightly sweet taste. Does that sound right to you? Not sure yet if I'll freeze small portions or can them (still working on getting a pressure canner). I suppose if I can them I need to look up what's in the hot dogs, and can to the longest time for either those ingredients or the beans (whichever proves to require the longest time)? Also, last year I went to a "pick your own" strawberry farm and picked about 10 lbs of strawberries to make preserves with - turned out GREAT. Kind of expensive ($2.50/lb), but I got to pick the ones I wanted so they were perfect. Made excellent, and relatively inexpensive Christmas gifts, and my wife loved the preserves also :) It looks like this year (thanks to volunteer plants I'm taming) I'll probably wind up with several gallons of blackberries. Do you know a way to make a good preserve by combining strawberries and blackberries, or should I keep them separate? I feel for you Jackie – down here in Texas, it’s hurry-up time again to get the warm-weather plants (tomatoes and peppers, etc) in, and the biggest weather worry is whether it will rain vs be hot (my wife got a bit too warm working in the flower garden today).

Good luck with the yucky white stuff – I can’t stand snow; one of the reasons I live in Texas :)

I have a couple of questions – my (nearly) 10-month old son had his first taste of “beanie weenies” tonight. He loved them; it’s “big-boy” food that needs a little chewing. I think I can probably reproduce what the store-bought cans have in quantity for cheap. White beans, chopped-up hot dogs, a very thin tomato paste-based sauce, and just enough sugar to give it a very slightly sweet taste.

Does that sound right to you? Not sure yet if I’ll freeze small portions or can them (still working on getting a pressure canner). I suppose if I can them I need to look up what’s in the hot dogs, and can to the longest time for either those ingredients or the beans (whichever proves to require the longest time)?

Also, last year I went to a “pick your own” strawberry farm and picked about 10 lbs of strawberries to make preserves with – turned out GREAT. Kind of expensive ($2.50/lb), but I got to pick the ones I wanted so they were perfect. Made excellent, and relatively inexpensive Christmas gifts, and my wife loved the preserves also :)

It looks like this year (thanks to volunteer plants I’m taming) I’ll probably wind up with several gallons of blackberries. Do you know a way to make a good preserve by combining strawberries and blackberries, or should I keep them separate?

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