We’ve got the new addition coming along very nicely. Unfortunately, there’s a whole lot of dry walling that had to be done. (We’re going to use log accent pieces throughout, but used the Sheetrock to break up the darkness of all log.) Will and David are cutting and hanging most of the drywall, and I’m following along, mudding the screw heads and taping and mudding all the billions of corners and joints. Unfortunately, it’s not a single application. Every one has to be done at least three times, as the first shrinks, then you have to build out from the joint to a nice even surface. So over and over, I go, trying not to leave too much compound on the area, which will interfere with the next coat and have to be sanded down before another coat is put on. I look down the long room, from the laundry room and wonder if I’ll EVER get it all done. But I know I will, eventually, and will be so happy to paint those ugly blotched walls!
Readers’ Questions:
Canning equipment
I am looking to start canning and I have no idea what equipment to buy. I looked over some pressure canners but they seem way to pricey. What would you suggest that I should start out with and or need to do to enjoy the pleasures of canning.
Guy Treszi
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
You can begin canning with a water bath canner, which costs less than $25. With that you can home can fruits, jams, preserves, pickles and other high acid foods. But you can’t can low acid foods, such as vegetables, poultry or meat. You need a pressure canner for those. You might find a used one for sale online or at a second hand store for a price you could afford. Even a new one is “cheap” when you figure it’s a lifetime investment. — Jackie
Growing potatoes in tires
In the May/June 2008 issue, you wrote an article on getting serious about gardening. I thought the idea of growing potatoes in old tractor tires was cool, but have a concern about the possible dangers of any chemicals from the tires leaching into the soil. Is there another alternative to the tires that may be healthier? Also, does the container need to be filled entirely with composted material or is a mix of soil & compost acceptable?
Kathy Williams
Baltimore, Maryland
While it IS possible that somewhere, some tires could leach chemicals into the surrounding soil, people have been using them successfully for years. I know some very old people using them, so ???? You could use anything to hold the soil. Some people have used garbage cans, 55 gallon drums and even log cribbing. You just need to hold the soil in place and slowly fill the container as the plant grows. Yes, you can use a mixture of soil and compost. Straight compost might contain too much nitrogen and give you lots of potato vines and few potatoes or scabby potatoes. It depends on what is in your compost. — Jackie
Steam canners
I love using my water bath canner for tomatoes and fruits, but I’ve seen steam canners for sale in catalogs. The ads claim they save on water, which is especially interesting to me, a municipal water user who’s charged per usage. In your opinion, are these canners just as good as a water bath canner?
Kristin Radtke
Green Lake, Wisconsin
NO. These steam canners are not recommended for canning (no matter what the ads say), as it is not certain how much heat actually reaches the centers of the food in the center of the jars. You can save money/water when using a water bath canner by re-using the water for several batches of jars…unless one breaks, of course. Just add enough to bring the level up to two inches over the tops of the jars. You don’t need to dump the whole thing every time. I use my “used” canning water to water my indoor fruit trees and other large plants. They seem to like it and that way I’m not “wasting” that water. — Jackie
Using alum in pickles
I had a bumper crop of cucumbers from my first garden. So I pulled out great-grandma’s pickle recipe to make 11 quarts of pickles. As I was telling someone about it, they asked if I used “alum” in the picking. They said it would kill me to eat them.
My question is two fold: first is alum bad? Second, say you goofed and used a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon as called for in the recipe–not that I might have, well, it is hard to read the hand written Tbsp. vs tsp., well I was not paying as much attention as I should have.
William Kone
North Olmsted, Ohio
No, alum is not going to kill you. Too much, as in a Tbsp. instead of tsp. might pucker you a little, but you won’t die from it. The alum in old recipes is to keep the crunch in the pickles. Grape leaves or simply not “cooking” the pickles will do the same. Enjoy your pickles. — Jackie
Pam,
Sorry, but I’m sticking to my guns, here. The following are from extension food sites and all my canning books & manuals say the same thing. I’m not going to argue. I know many people do use them, however.
Steam Canners The steam canner was designed as a means to process foods using steam without the aid of pressure. The manufacturer claims this process uses less water, saves time and energy, and recommneds identical processing times as those required for boiling-water bath treatments.
Studies have concluded that:
Atmospheric steam canners result in significantly lower product temperatures at the beginning and end of the scheduled process when compared to water-bath canning.
Use of steam canners as instructed by the manufacturer would result in under processing and considerable economic spoilage.
Another: Due to the lack of definitive research regarding the safety of steam canning, USU Extension researchers agree with the present USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation recommendation against using steam canners. The USDA Complete Guide to Canning states, “Steam canners are not recommended because processing times for use with current models have not been adequately researched.”
Jackie
If you aren’t attatched to that smooth wall look, my parents just smeared mud all over the drywall. It made a stucco or adobe look. Then they painted over the dry mud. No sanding, no mess.
I am not sure if you have tried this in the past, but I have found that wet sanding what has been done saves some time. You don’t have the big mess to clean up off of the floors and by getting the mud wet again, it helps fill in the holes as you go along.
Jackie, I think you should reconsider your opinion on using a steam canner instead of a water bath. Here are two sites for your consideration:
Paul Noll lists his pros and cons of steam vs. water bathing
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Canning/canning-steam-bath.html
Look around on his site and you can see the steam canner in action.
More “official” USDA and university information from a seller of steam canners
http://www.canningpantry.com/steam-canners.html
After reading the Utah State information, I decided to give steam canning a try for foods that would normally be water bathed. It works GREAT. I have had zero instances of underprocessed food.
With a water bath, you wait for the water to return to a rolling boil before you start timing. With a steam canner, you wait for a good column of steam to appear, and then you start timing. I find it to be much more efficient. My family’s safety is important, and in no way do I believe this compromises their well-being.
Dear Jackie,
You are the best. I just finished reading all the archived/current pages of your blog. I admire your patience with the questions that people ask. If it hadn’t been for you, I would never have done any pressure canning, although I have done water bath canning for years. To anyone, I would say that any new skill might be scary or difficult at first, but persevere! It does become easier over time and the organizational part of it becomes easier too!
As for sheetrocking, I am about to learn all I ever wanted to know, my husband is going to teach me. I think it will be fun, but in any event it is just one more thing that I want to learn how to do!
Ceiling corners are the worst. There is nothing like standing on a ladder, head looking up and arms fully extended, all while trying to get all the bubbles out of the tape and keep the mud smooth. I hate ceiling corners! I always end up sanding just a little too much and have to add more mud, so a “3 day” job turns into a week long project. Love the quick dry mud for the last coat.
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