Because of the escalating price of wheat, we desperately wanted to get in even a small patch this spring.  But where???  Our garden was a whole lot bigger, but not ready to plant wheat, yet.  Will was here, and had cleared out our orchard so beautifully.  And when we were walking through it in the evening, we suddenly saw a wheat field among the fruit trees!  WOW!

So we picked rocks, threw roots and whacked off small brush.  Then Will found an ad for a small 6′ disc in the local shopper…cheap.  We called and bought the disc that afternoon.  Soon, we had a nicely worked-up orchard/wheat field-to-be.  I filled my little plastic hand seeder and walked back and forth over the ground, spinning out wheat to beat the band.

Then Will jumped on the four wheeler and dragged our old ratty bed spring over the wheat to cover it lightly.

Now it’s UP!  And it is beautiful, even and four inches tall already.  Double WOW!  Not only will the wheat be great for our bread and other baking, but it will help choke out weeds in the orchard and later the left-over straw will add organic material to the soil.

Already we’re talking about a spot to make a designated wheat patch next year.  Our orchard wheat is only a start.  But what a wonderful start it is!

Readers’ questions:

Grinding nuts/recipes

Grinding nuts — peanut, cashew, walnut, etc.  Can you suggest a hand grinder for this purpose?

Bob Taylor
Poulsbo, Washington

You can make nut butter in most flour mills.  Even the old Corona style mill makes great nut butter.  Or you can use your blender.  Just dump in 2 cups of any type of nuts you want and grind them till the puree is oily and as smooth as you want.  If it is not “spreadable” like you’d like, simply add 1 or 2 Tbsp of sunflower or peanut oil.  You may also add honey or sugar, and a bit of salt, if you wish.  It is true that roasted nuts do make a tastier butter; I’m not sure I’d worry about the nutrition thing unless you are eating a LOT of nut butter.  Chances are if you eat a relatively healthy diet, your nutrition is already fine. — Jackie

Canning potatoes with skins still on

I just subscribed to your magazine this morning when I came across your web site while searching for a recipe to can potatoes - every recipe I come across suggests peeling the potatoes - I have small fingerling s and just could not possibly peel them - is there a problem with canning un-peeled potatoes? I look forward to receiving my first magazine.

Treva Burbine
Ellijay, Georgia

Heck no!  I can a whole lot of new potatoes and fingerlings with the skins on.  No problem at all.  Just process as per peeled potatoes.  If you’d like, when you open a jar to eat them, you can simply squeeze the potato and the skin slides right off. — Jackie

Frozen trout with guts still in them

Hi Jackie, me AGAIN.  I just have lots of questions and you are the answer lady!!  Friends brought me enough trout they had caught for me to can.  However, they did not clean (gut) them before sticking them in the freezer. Are those fish still eatable if I thaw and clean them, then can?  or are they cat food? Also, can you can spinach/chard?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

Hi Gail!  Ask away.  Eeeeuuuu.  Frozen trout with the guts still left in them.  Sorry, but I’d have a real hard time eating them, let alone canning them.  Yeah, in an emergency….maybe.  Here kitty, kitty….

Yes, you can home can spinach and Swiss chard; I do it all the time.  Just simmer to wilt or steam.  Pack jars with hot wilted greens and cover with boiling water to within 1″ of the top.  Process in a pressure canner for 70 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.  I also can lamb’s quarters and red rooted pig weed. — Jackie

Adding ash to compost

I love your “Ask Jackie” column, and I’m so happy you’re online with a blog!  I’d like to ask you if it is okay to add the ash from my corn stove to the compost pile.  I hate to see it go to waste if there’s a good use for it.

Bob Bader
Rockwood, Maine

Yes, you can add a reasonable amount of your ash to your compost pile or sprinkle it right onto the garden, which is what I do with our wood ashes.  Just don’t over-do it. — Jackie

Canner recommendation

Can you recommend any companies that have canners that are not too expensive?  We are new to canning etc.  I don’t want anything too complicated.  Another note, you are an amazing woman.  You do just about everything I can think of. My hat goes off to you!!!!

Julie  Jaco
Senatobia, Mississippi

You can pick up a good quality new canner at many local hardwares and even WalMart and Kmart for a reasonable price.  Most are “down to business” pieces of kitchen equipment; nothing fancy.  Do yourself a great favor and get a reasonably large canner; don’t get a pressure cooker.  They just don’t do the job you need them to.  Welcome to the satisfying world of home canning!  Enjoy the trip, and let me know if you have questions along the way. — Jackie

Using smaller canning jars

Probably a silly question, but a few years ago I canned some pickled red cabbage and some corn relish in 1/2 pint jars.  Since I am the only one who likes these items, sometimes I would have to toss the remainder of the jar if I didn’t get it used up quickly enough.  I have some smaller than 1/2 pint jars.  Would there be any problem with using these smaller jars in the hot water bath?

Ruth Dixon
Gold Beach, Oregon

Absolutely not.  I do the same thing myself.  I also can up these small jars full of chicken, pork, venison and beef pieces to add to casseroles etc. for flavoring.  It sure makes a little canned meat go a long, long way!  And with the future meat prices, hold on to your hat! — Jackie

Raising chickens and turkeys

For some reason my husband has recently become allergic to beef, pork, venison,lamb, etc…(pretty much any mammal meat),he is also allergic to baking yeast and milk.  This has totally depleted my long-term storage.  I had to get rid of everything that had these ingredients and things that used fat or lard. My husband can eat fowl and fish.  We also have three gardens that we eat from, fresh and canned. Is it possible to can chicken and turkey?  I have some things frozen but if something bad happens these foods will have to be eaten quickly and with his condition we can’t hunt to supplement his diet.  How long would canned chicken and turkey last on the shelf?

Josie Killough
Rienzi, Mississippi

Sorry to hear your problem.  YES, you can certainly home can poultry of all types.  Yes, you can certainly raise turkeys.  I know the experts say not to raise turkeys with chickens, but I always have and have known a whole lot of other homesteaders who do, too.  You will want a lighter breed of turkey.  Most modern turkeys are Broad Breasted Whites or Bronzes.  The toms get so heavy that they tear great gashes in the hens’ backs when they mount to breed.  You will be better off with a lighter breed turkey.  Bourbon Reds, Slates, Royal Palms and Nargansetts all mature at lighter weights than do the “giant” breeds, and because they do, the toms are able to breed the hens. I would also advise you to get some good dual purpose meat chickens, such as White Rocks.  They don’t get as big as turkeys, but they do reproduce on a much larger scale, over a year, giving you more eggs to hatch.  Turkeys only lay for a short period in the spring. — Jackie

Is it mold or not?

My Mom died and I am cleaning out her cupboards.  She has some home canned salsa.  It looks fine on the bottom, but the top looks greyish.  Do I throw it out or is it OK.  Why did it do that?

Leona Martel
Stratford, South Dakota

Open a jar and take a good look.  If the “greyish” is mold, toss it.  If the top is just dried out from not being covered with liquid and the salsa smells fine (and the jar’s seal was still good; it was dented firmly down in the center, it is fine.  If it is mold, either the jar was not sealed or the salsa wasn’t processed long enough to heat it high enough to kill the mold spores. — Jackie

First pressure canner

Today I got my very first pressure canner.  I am very excited, and I can’t wait until my garden gives me something to put up… I am close to being ready for snap peas (which I’ll likely eat up too quick to can), turnips, and the dark leafy greens.  Are the leafies ok for canning?  Do you have any recipes for turnips?  Also, I am nervous about the canner.  My stove has cabinets right above it (that were poorly placed way back before we were existing).  Would I be better off outside with a propane burner?  Thanks

Maria Spillane
Easton, Pennsylvania

Congratulations Maria!  You have a right to be excited.  You’re starting on a real fun adventure that will provide years and years of great eating and food security.

Have fun! — Jackie

My friend, Jeri, brought be a big bag of fresh rhubarb yesterday, so I spent the entire afternoon cutting it up and canning it.  Most of it, I made into rhubarb conserve, which is a spicy rhubarb/walnut/raisin spicy preserve.  I use it on toast, cookies, in bars and cakes.  Pretty darned good!  But some I simply baked with sugar and canned in quart and pint jars.  I can make pies, bars, cakes and other treats from this.  My own rhubarb now numbers nine plants, with the oldest now two years old and ready for light pickings.  I love my “pie plant”!

It earned that name because it was the first domestic fruit on pioneer homesteads; years ahead of apples or cherries.  And those first pies were treasured, indeed.

Today, after I put away the jars of rhubarb into the pantry, I spread many wheelbarrow loads of rotted goat manure/oat hay along the two inch high sweet corn rows in the new patch on the north end of our garden.  (That’s the place David cleared with the dozer and found the frost boil.)  I love the new room, but the soil is VERY rocky and pretty infertile, being sand and gravel.  (Never think that my new gardens are always in nice black loam!  Ha ha ha!)  Corn is a heavy feeder and that manure will do much to jump start those small plants.  After the corn is up about six inches, we’ll clean out the goat barn and toss the manure inbetween the rows as mulch and additional fertilizer.  Love that poop!!!

I also pulled the Wall’o Waters off my tomatoes, which were growing six inches out of the tops.  Our last frost date should be past now, but we did have a light frost three days ago; my potato leaves have frost damage on them in places.  The plants look great, though, so they’ll be fine.  I’ve already hilled them twice now, they’re growing so quickly.  I think we’re in for a great gardening year.

My Hopi Pale Grey squash plants, which I had to direct seed this year, emerged and were five inches across the first leaves!  Now that’s HUGE.

When you come into our garden, you’ll immediately notice a very green, weedy area, right in the middle of the main part.  No, I haven’t forgotten something.  In fact, the area is “roped off” with my long garden hose so I don’t get too close by accident with the tiller.  You see a pair of killdeer decided to nest in the garden.  By the time I’d noticed her nest, there were already two speckeled eggs in it.  Oh well, I could spare the room and she’s been fun to watch.  When we’d get a little too close, she’d jump off the nest and fan her wing to look injured and “weakly” toll us off away from her nest.

Yesterday, she hatched three chicks and today there’s another one just out of the egg this evening.  They are so CUTE.  They look like bumblebees on toothpicks.  I’m really glad I let a weedpatch stay in the garden.  It was definitely worth it!

Readers’ questions:

Mom’s doing great!

Don’t mean to be nosey, but how is your mom?  I follow your blog religiously and have looked for an update on her condition.

Bonnie Heck
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Mom is doing great!  She’s home from the hospital and enjoying the spring flowers and vegetable garden immensely!  We are so grateful. — Jackie

Mosquito repellant

You forgot one of the best reasons to use Christmas tins for food storage — MOUSE PROOF.

Larry & LeeAnn Wicker
Manson, Iowa

I have had pretty good luck sprinkling brewers yeast on my breakfast granola; it seems to thin them down to tolerable.  When they’re a real pain, I try to get out to the garden real early, then avoid it when they’re horrible….and back again in the evening…before mosquito time again.  The body and head nets really work well, but I personally hate them because I am claustrophobic and can’t stand something over my face.  I don’t even like wearing a bee vail! — Jackie

Getting corn from a feed store

I have read before that corn purchased for animal consumption should not be used for human consumption. Due to the recent floods in the Midwest I really expect corn prices to go up drastically.  Several of the emergency preparedness places are out of corn that has been packed for long term storage.  What are your thoughts on buying corn from a feed store, cleaning it and storing it?  I feel that the cornmeal and grits that you buy from the local supermarkets probably has as many chemicals in them as any corn you buy.

Chris Walters
Ellisville, Mississippi

In an emergency, I’d use elevator corn, but not until then…mostly because of rodent/bird dropping contamination.  Consider using popcorn for your cornmeal.  I just bought a 50 pound bag at the Duluth Sam’s Club for a kind of reasonable price.  Not only do we love our popcorn, but I wanted enough to use to grind, if need be.  I grind our left-over sweet corn, when we have a long enough season for me to get the second ears dry on the stalk.  That makes great cornmeal.  Sweet, too! — Jackie

Growing onions in Minnesota

I am having difficulty growing any kind of onions in Northern MN. Do you have any suggestions?

Deb Brown
Littlefork, Minnesota

Wow, you’ve got me there.  I’ve always had great onions.  They love the cooler nights of summer.  Be sure your soil has adequate drainage; onions do not like wet feet.  If you have clay soil, try to get enough organic material worked in to loosen it up because they don’t like clay, either.

I’ve had good luck planting both sets and started onion plants.  They should be set in the ground early; before your last spring frosts, as they are not damaged by light freezing and they do like the cool weather to get started.  Also, don’t plant them too deeply.

I poke the sets into the tilled ground with my thumb and fingers; they only want to be about two inches down.  Deeper and they often get spindly.

Better luck this year.  Keep at it and you’ll soon figure out your problem. — Jackie

Homemade pet food

Hi Jackie,I wanted to know if it is ok to store flour, rice, pasta in their original packages in 5 gallon drywall buckets? And do you have any recipes for homemade cat and dog food in case i would not be able to buy it.

Kathy Jasperson
Belle, Missouri

Yes it is okay for you to store your dry foods in drywall (I assume you mean sheetrock compound) buckets, provided that they were cleaned out well with hot soapy water and let air dry.

Type in “homemade dog and cat food recipes” into your browser and you’ll find a ton of great recipes.  I’m afraid we would just make pet stew for our critters; they prefer to eat our food anyway.  A boss of mine at a riding school always had a pot of dog stew simmering on the stove; his home left-over, boneless meats, a few eggs, potatoes, leftover vegetables from home, plus a handful of oatmeal and cornmeal.  The dogs loved it and did very well on their varied and tasty diet.

Their food usually smelled better than my lunch did! — Jackie

Are they sweet peas or sugar peas?

PLEASE HELP!!! I goofed and planted sweet peas and sugar peas side by side, then I forgot to mark the rows. Now I have a row with pretty pinkish/purple and white flowers and a row with only white flowers. Do you have any clue which is which? Thank you soooo much. You are awesome.

Gracie Johnston
Tangier, Indiana

I assume by “sweet peas” you mean regular garden peas, not the flower (which the seeds are poisonous).  I think you’ll find that the white flowers are your garden peas and the pinkish ones are your sugar peas.  You’ll be able to tell better when they get peas on the vines. With all this goofy weather, be glad you HAVE peas!  Enjoy! — Jackie