Mid-winter but no cabin fever

Sure, I’d rather have less snow and cold. But if our weather up here in northern Minnesota was milder, the whole state would be built up, elbow to elbow! Actually I find plenty to do all winter, inside and out. Chores take longer in the winter because of snow drifts to work around, water to haul and wood to bring in. Then there’s our mile + long driveway to keep cleaned, round bales to haul and the birds to feed.

No, I don’t get bored in the winter. (Especially when every day brings more seed and nursery catalogs!)

Right now we’ve got about two feet of snow on the ground, on the flat, with some places deeper because of drifting. But our critters don’t mind a bit. As soon as I’m out the door, goats in two pens are at the fence, the donkeys down in the pasture are braying and the horses nickering. No, they’re not hungry; all have big round bales of great hay in front of them all the time. They LOVE attention. In fact, Moose, our donkey won’t eat his grain until he gets petting, hugs and has his feet picked up. Even our buck goats, Rocky and Zip stand on the fence for attention. But because they’re breeding right now, they smell and I don’t exactly give THEM hugs. But I do tell them how handsome they are and gingerly pet their noses. No mean bucks, here. They are real pets and they love people.

The deer are often eating with the horses, down in the pasture, munching on the round bales. As the snow’s getting deeper and deeper, they are getting more hungry. I don’t mind sharing. Just as long as they don’t share my garden!

Readers’ Questions:

Choosing fruit trees

I am ordering fruit trees through Fedco and was wondering if you could help me with varieties. I thought I would purchase six of them and want to use them for storage, fresh eating,etc.

Deborah Motylinski
Brecksville, Ohio

Wow! How can I choose? Will and I ordered 9 and stopped because we already have 11. We want every one that grows here! But lucky you, you are in zone 5 (I think), so you have even more to choose from. Whew. I’ll tell you some of the ones I love and you’ll have to narrow it down. Choosing fruit trees is sort of like picking clothes; it’s a highly personal decision. I really like: Mantet, Keepsake, Honeycrisp, GoldRush, Connell Red and Wolf River. But, being that you are in zone 5, you also have the opportunity to buy from nurseries in warmer zones, such as Stark and Miller Brothers, who have some more of my favorite apples that I can’t grow, such as Fuji, Pink Lady, Mutsu and Red Rome. (I also love Honeygold, and have one growing now.) Decisions, decisions…Makes winter fly by! Have fun! — Jackie

Recanned sauerkraut

I recently received as a gift a quart of homemade sauerkraut. My problem is we don’t eat a lot of it. Would I be able to recan it in pint jars? My friend told me that she water bathed them for three hours would I have to do the same to get them to seal? Last thingy…KEEP up the great work and Hoping you and your family have an even better NEW YEAR!

Ralph Lincoln
Berlin, Pennsylvania

Thank you Ralph. And your family, too! Yes, you can re-can the sauerkraut. But your friend didn’t need to water bath it for 3 hours the first time; 20 minutes will do the job. It might get pretty soft if you re-can it…if it isn’t already. If you choose to re-can it, bring it just to a simmer; don’t boil it. Pack it hot, in hot jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Ladle the hot liquid over the sauerkraut (you can use a little boiling water if you don’t have enough liquid), leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar, and screw down the ring firmly tight. Process your pints for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. — Jackie

Plum jelly

I’m making jelly from this summer’s plums. The kitchen smells so wonderful. I have run out of the cute, little jelly jars. Now I have to choose between the pint or quart jars. Is either one okay or will using a bigger jar affect the jelling? Thanks for showing us that our weak moments do not define us and that we can keep going, as you do.

Mary McEnulty
Priest River, Idaho

I would use the pints. Sometimes larger jars of jelly won’t get used up fast enough, before they start to mold. But if you have a large family, that probably won’t happen. I used to have 8 kids home and canned jam and jelly in quarts, and it always jelled. I wouldn’t do chokecherry in quarts, as it can have problems jelling, even in half pints, sometimes. But then we have great chokecherry syrup! It’s like the old saying “Out of every bad thing, some good must come.” But sometimes you have to look very hard for that good thing until it pops up and hits you in the face. Life isn’t easy, but oh so worth it! — Jackie

Dog wounds

My dog was attacked by another dog, a couple months back. My neighbor came over and put flour in the puncture wounds. Is this a good idea? What can I have on hand if something happens again? Alcohol, triple antibiotic or something else? Can I give the dog aspirin? I called the vet, but they wanted her to come in (can’t afford that) and wouldn’t give me info over the phone.

Tifani Lackey
Grants Pass, Oregon

I’m not very thrilled about the flour thing. Yes, it does stop blood. But it cakes around the wound and could cause an infection. Besides taking the dog to your vet, the best thing would be to clip the hair around the wounds with scissors, very short. Then wash the wounds out with soap and warm water. Rinse, then dry the area. Betadine works very well in wounds of all kinds. They also use it on humans. It doesn’t burn, allows the area to breathe and kills bacteria quite well. Using ointment often delays healing, as the area can’t dry out.

In any animal attack, I like to be SURE that the attacking animal had a current rabies vaccination or was quarantined, AND that my own dog was protected. Rabies is rare, but several cases occur in this country every year. And it’s nothing to fool around with. — Jackie

Containers for gardening

I’m interested in container gardening next year. Is there anything special I should look for in a container? The local Target has some storage bins on sale after Christmas (Sterilite brand and Rubbermaid) – can I use something like that? How many drainage holes should I make in whatever container I use?

Jeff Aylor
Westerville, Ohio

Yes, you can use just about ANY container that will hold soil. The problem with the storage bins is that they will spread out in the middle. You can stop this by making a wooden frame to fit around the top of the bin or running a couple of stout wires through the sides of the bin, anchored to dowels on either side to keep the wires from pulling through the plastic. I’d suggest a 1/2″ hole every eight inches. I haunt the dump for container ideas and have used old rusted out stock tanks, water tanks from hot water heaters, cut in half, buckets with cracks or holes in the bottom, and even an old bathtub.

Friends of ours, Bill and Carolyn, grow fantastic tomatoes and peppers in five gallon buckets. We’re talking about dozens and dozens of plants every year. And I’ve never seen nicer plants. Ever! Good luck! — Jackie