We’ve been pretty busy the last two days. We planned on having our two does, Velvet (the mother of the triplet does last year) and Luna bred to kid about the same time in April, while the other two does, Buffy and Fawn, will kid in June. This ensures milk all year long and will let us raise all the babies on the milk from one doe of each pair…even if I have to bottle feed. That gives us plenty of house milk, too. A win-win situation!

Well, Saturday morning Luna acted like she was going to kid so I watched her. Sure enough, her hermit-like behavior soon turned to birthing. And she gave easy birth to twin bucklings, one white with black and tan and another red roan in front and red behind. Both are happy and healthy.

And yesterday, Velvet decided to repeat the performance, producing a nice red and white doeling and a huge solid red buck. I’m excited over her udder this year; it’s huge and so perfect! It’s like a basketball with teats sticking off the front. Wow!

Now all I have to do is find new owners for the three bucklings. They sure have some milking mamas.

Readers’ Questions:

Sodium in water supply

Love all your advice to all us newbies and to people of experience too. Seems you’ve done just about everything in the realm of homesteading.

My question has to do with sodium in our water supply. We live in Texas and our only source of water is a well. We had our garden soil tested and it showed high amounts of sodium, so we tested the water to find the source and sure enough that is where it is coming from. What should we do about it? I’ve been told that that can lock up nutrients in the soil that our plants can use.

James Gilliland
Mansfield, Texas

You can help your garden withstand the sodium in your water by working in a lot of well-rotted compost. The addition of gypsum to your soil (available at your local feed mill) will help tie up the sodium in the soil, making your plants much happier. You might consider catching rainwater to help out watering in the garden. It’s amazing at how much water is “wasted” on house and outbuilding roofs during even a moderate rain, which could be harvested and used to water the gardens! It’s something we are working out for the future. — Jackie

Canning hot dogs

I know you must be sick of hearing from me, but if only your book were published, I might be less trouble. At any rate, could you give me instructions as how to can hot dogs? I have a surplus of venison hot dogs that were given to me. I would like to get them out of the freezer, as my husband and I are planning our homestead move this fall (yes, I’m aware it’s not the best time to move, but it’s when it happened). Thanks so much. Oh, one more thing, is there a way to preorder your book?

Mandi Kemp
Felton, Delaware

Hot dogs really don’t can up too awfully well, but they do come out edible! I’ve started to pre-brown mine; I put them up heated through in boiling water and during canning, they swelled so much they didn’t look nice. Now I pre-brown them by lightly frying in a bit of oil to just heat through. Then they are packed into wide mouth pint jars, leaving 1″ of headspace. I process them without added liquid for 75 minutes.

A bad time to make a move to a homestead? I suppose it’s not ideal, but hey, we moved here to a raw homestead in FEBRUARY, when it was -20 degrees with three feet of snow on the ground! And we lived to tell the tale.

Sorry, so far I don’t know of a way to pre-order the book, but have hope. It should be available pretty soon now! — Jackie

Pickled eggs

Years ago, mom used to have “pickled eggs” in a gallon jar in her small store for sale. When the jar was empty see made more. I have searched everywhere for a recipe for it. No luck. My grandmother made these and has been dead many years; mom was never into canning, so she doesn’t remember. I went on internet, found some but weren’t what we had. They didn’t keep at all. In fact in two days they had turned black, ugh. Any help would be appreciated.

Brenda Starling
Warm Springs, Arkansas

Here’s a recipe for you to try; it’s best to keep pickled eggs refrigerated as there is a possibility of picking up bacterial contamination if left at room temperature; sometimes a part of an egg can poke above the surface of the vinegar brine.

12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and rinsed.
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. mixed pickling spices

Pack hot hard boiled eggs into a wide mouth canning jar. Boil 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. salt with 1 tsp. mixed pickling spices. Pour over eggs, covering them entirely. Place lid on jar and refrigerate for a week or two to let flavor develop. Keep refrigerated for safety and enjoy! — Jackie

Canning book

I am waiting for you to write a book on canning and preserving food. I wait for every issue just for your article. You such good recipes on food, I have already purchased the cookbook and love it. keep up the great articles.

Delma Pearce
Oakland, Illinois

The good news is that I just finished a book for Backwoods Home on growing and canning your own food. The last touches are being done and it should go to the printer pretty soon. Keep watching the blog and magazine and you’ll see the announcement of its arrival. — Jackie

Storing food in metal containers

I read in a back to basics book that you shouldn’t store dried food in metal containers. I really like your idea about using the cookie tins for food storage and it has been working out just fine. Question is: The tin is just the right size for storage of my dried bananas, am I going to poison someone?

Edna Hawks
Boise, Idaho

I never heard that one before. I do and I’m still alive. I suppose that condensation could possibly cause dampness on a metal can. But on the other hand, the tin will sure keep dry foods dry. I keep some of my dry foods in the popcorn tins, others in gallon and half gallon jars. The main thing is to keep moisture away from the foods and keep them bug and rodent-safe. — Jackie

Asiago cheese recipe

You recently stated you make Asiago cheese from your goat milk. Would you be willing to share this recipe? Haven’t been able to find one.

Brad and Rhona Barrie
Strong, Maine

Asiago cheese is a little more fussy than many, but definitely do-able. Here’s the recipe I use:

1 gal milk
1/4 tsp Thermophilic DVI type C culture
1 Junket rennet tablet
cheese salt

1. Let fresh milk warm to room temperature
2. Slowly heat to 90-92 degrees, over 20 minutes
3. Add starter and let stand 30-45 minutes
4. Crush rennet tablet in small amount of milk and add to warmed milk
5. Wait about an hour till curds break clean over your finger
6. Cut curds into 1/2″ pieces
7. Slowly heat curds and whey about 20 minutes while stirring, until they reach 104 degrees
8. Hold at 104 degrees for 15-20 minutes until curds no longer stick together
9 Slowly heat to 116-118 degrees (during 20 minutes time)
10 Cook at 116-118 degrees until curd is firm and easy to rub apart
11 Let curds settle to bottom of pot for 20 minutes
12 Drain through a doubled cheesecloth a few minutes
13 Place in cheese press and press firmly for 1 hour, until wheels are formed
14 Take out of press, remove cloth. Replace with clean cloth that has been dipped in a mild salt brine. Press again.
15 Turn wheels of cheese 2 times and leave in press overnight at room temperature
16 The next morning, remove from press and brine at 50-55 degrees. After 24 hours, brine the wheels for 4-5 hours per pound of cheese, longer.
17 Turn cheeses in brine once per day. Sprinkle dry salt on tops. Remove from brine.

Age at 55-59 degrees and 85 relative humidity with moderate ventilation (I put mine in a screened box on a pantry shelf with the window outside the pantry slightly open in the warmer months.)
Rub salt on rind every 3-4 days, turning cheeses each time. I age my cheeses on a dowel rack so they can get air both under and around the wheels. The turning ensures that they don’t get too damp inside on the bottom half of the cheese. This can lead to spoilage.

Good luck with your cheesemaking! — Jackie

Donkeys on the homestead

Love seeing the photo of Moose and Beauty, can you relay the benefits of donkeys on the homestead?

Joanna Wilcox
Boone, North Carolina

Well, they’re cuddly, have personality plus…Okay, that’s not usefulness, is it? Well, yes and no. But seriously, they make good guardians for sheep or goats and will attack predators. They can be trained to drive and pack; we will be using ours to pull small logs out of our woods; they fit where larger horses won’t. Their manure is a huge bonus. We never get enough manure it seems! We are going to train ours to drive singly and double, to use on a small wagon and cart. If gas prices zoom back up, we just might be using them to drive to town for supplies. What a political statement! — Jackie

Starting Over

I just finished reading your book “Starting Over” and I thought it was fantastic. Is there going to be another one someday? I would really like to be as self-reliant as you are, but until we can get our own land, we’re doing the best we can with growing our veggies and some fruit trees and bushes. I’m going to have to re-read your book because I want to try a couple of the recipes. Anyway, you are a great inspiration.

Georgia Trathen
Glasgow, Montana

Thanks for the praise. I’m not sure if there will be another Starting Over; you’d have to talk to Dave about that. He’s the guy who makes those decisions. It’s great that you are being as self-reliant as you can; few people can make it ALL the way, but I figure that the more we CAN do for ourselves, the further down the road we are. Congratulations! — Jackie

Dairy goats

I am new at raising dairy goats and have a question about taming them for milking (I have your excellent book on dairy goats, but it doesn’t mention this aspect). My La Mancha doe kidded about four weeks ago and is producing sufficient milk for her kids–they’re healthy and happy. The previous owners said she was a 4H goat; she’s very tame and sweet, but she won’t let me touch her udder. She freaks out when I try to milk her or even get her used to me by my touching her udder. She has never been milked before, as she’s only 18 months old, and this is her first freshening. I am planning to build or buy a milking stand in the next couple of weeks, but I’m afraid she will be so upset by my trying to milk her that it’s going to be a very difficult task and she’ll jump around and hurt herself in the stanchion.

I’m very anxious to begin milking her for cheese and milk, but I’m not sure how to start with a first-time freshened doe. Can you advise on how to get her used to being milked?

Dallen Timothy
Gilbert, Arizona

A lot of first fresheners are antsy about being milked. Get your milking stanchion built as soon as possible and locate it next to a solid wall. At first, just feed her in it. Then brush her several times in it until she relaxes. Slowly switch brushing to stroking her sides, hips and belly; udder (not teats) if you can. If she still is kicky, shove your head into her flank with her firmly fastened in the stanchion and grab her teats gently but firmly and begin milking. By holding your head into her flank, and NOT letting go of her teats, she will slowly figure out that you ARE going to milk her and she will stop thrashing around.

By letting go when she jumps and kicks, she is training you to leave her alone! You won’t hurt her by being persistent, and you’ll soon have her standing well. Be sure to always have feed for her while she is being milked to distract her. When the feed is gone you’ll have more trouble. I know this behavior is frustrating, but with patience and persistence, you can overcome it.

If nothing seems to work, have an experienced goat breeder come over a couple times to milk for you. Often just a time or two will settle her down. And you can watch an expert to see just how it all works. Just think of all the milk, cheese, ice cream, etc. you’ll soon have! — Jackie

Just two days ago, we were putting our bulldozer back together. Will found a few other things that needed fixing, and was doing that before the radiator went back on. The hydraulic tank had two broken mounts and was dangling by the hoses and there were four bolts out of the belly pan, which was what made the fan go through the radiator in the first place; the body flexed too much on uneven ground. So he was welding away in sunny fortyish weather. But that weather was not to last.

Yesterday it started snowing. And snowing. And snowing. We had brought our two donkeys, Beauty (who is very pregnant) and her partner, Moose, up to the barn because we knew the storm was coming and didn’t want her foaling in the snow. Here, she has a big stall and no big horses to pester her and possibly hurt the baby.

This morning, we woke up to a foot of snow…and it snowed all day, too. Luckily, it was 35 degrees and the snow packed down so tonight, we only have about six inches. It won’t last, but wow what an April Fools joke on us!

Readers’ Questions:

Saving seeds

This will be my 3rd year planting a nice big garden (and looking for more odd spots to add to it). The 1st year I bought seedlings and cheap Wal-Mart 10 cent seed packs. The second year I grew my own seedlings with the majority of my seeds coming from Wal-Mart, again the 10 cent packs (now up to 20 cents this year). I have ordered the seed catalogs you recommended and have ordered the essentials, heirloom, of course, and look forward to ordering more as funds allow. My question is this: I would love to save my own seeds and want to keep them pure, can I plant my heirloom round tomatoes alongside hybrid paste and cherry and still have a pure round heirloom seed to save? And can this be applied to other veggies as well? I would like to plant a variety of seed and don’t have the acres or miles required to keep things pure. So I was wondering if I only planted one heirloom, of each variety, each season, alongside their hybrid versions will they remain pure? Hope I asked that right.

Dawn Norcross
Orion, Illinois

Some plants, like tomatoes and beans pretty much self-pollinate. That is, they don’t “visit their neighbors” too much, via wind or insects. I still don’t plant them right next to each other when I want to save seeds. You are pretty safe if you plant tomatoes several feet away from another variety. It doesn’t matter if they are hybrid or not, they can cross. Fussier crops are corn, peppers, squash, and melons. To save seeds from these, it’s best to only grow one variety each year. With squash it’s easier, as there are four main species of squash, Cucurbita maxima (like Hopi Pale Grey, hubbard, etc.), C. pepo (many pumpkins and summer squash), C. argyrosperma (cushaws) and moschata (sweet potato squash, some pumpkins). They won’t usually cross so I can grow five different squash, saving the seeds. Corn is more difficult; it’s one variety if you want to save seeds — or get into hand pollination and bagging the ears to prevent cross pollination. Same with peppers and melons (although watermelon won’t cross with muskmelon — different species). It sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Go to the library and pick up a book on seed saving. You’ll have fun! — Jackie

Canning crab

I don’t know if you are familiar with the Maryland blue crab, a heavenly sea creature if there was one, but I was curious if the meat could be canned. I’ve canned the broth from boiling the shells, but was unsure about the meat. Any suggestions?

Amanda Kemp
Felton, Delaware

Yes, you can home can crab. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. salt to a gallon of boiling water. Keep hot. Remove the shells and rinse the meat with several changes of fresh water. Boil 20 minutes in the hot brine. Drain, remove the meat from body and claws. Rinse in cool brine made of 2 Tbsp. salt, 2 cups lemon juice or distilled vinegar to 1 gallon of cool water. Gently squeeze the meat to remove excess liquid. Pack crab meat into hot half pint or pint jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Add 1/2 tsp. citric acid to each half pint or 1 tsp. to each pint. Cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim, place hot, previously simmered lid on jar and screw ring down firmly tight. Process half pints and pints for 80 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning manual for directions). — Jackie

Making cheese from goat milk

Do you make cheese with your extra goat’s milk? If so, what kind? We are in “retirement” and need something to do, so we are putting together a Grade A goat dairy and looking at starting with soft cheeses then building up to the aged ones. We love the chevre and I make cheesecakes with it – YUM. Just was wondering if you do anything with cheese.

Margie Buchwalter
Palmer, Alaska

Yes, I do make cheeses from my goat milk. I make many kinds; mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, asiago, chevre, feta, and others when I have time. Come to think of it, time is my biggest problem…I never have enough! — Jackie

Heating addition

Thank you for answering my insulation question. My next question regards the heating of the addition. It will be a master bedroom and a bedroom for our handicap daughter with a handicap accessible bathroom. I am not bringing the plumbing out into the addition for it is on pillars and I am concerned about frozen pipes so it will be made into a handicap accessible bathroom. I would like your thought about heating. I don’t want to bring the duct work out into the addition (30′ X 24′) because of the difficulty of tying into the existing heating duct work. What would you suggest? I love your tube insulation piece and your fire at the end but my husband said that it would be too dirty for the bedroom. Our coal and wood burner is in the basement and it is a mess down their with the ashes and all. I was thinking of venting gas logs (gas logs that are non vented are not recommended for bedrooms but are allowed in our state in your home) I was also considering the outdoor furnace but have yet to find one that doesn’t heat water also. Help, I am starting to consider my options early, I know, but it will be winter again before you know it. I also wish there was some way that I could make the addition solar. I was thinking it would be possible because there would be nothing with a large load at all except maybe a TV or lap top. What do you think?

Michelle Chapin
Fresno, Ohio

To keep our plumbing in my new laundry room from freezing, we ran them up the corner of our existing bathroom, behind trim, into the new addition, on the ceiling, where the pipe ran across the ceiling, into a closet, across inside the closet, hidden from view, into the laundry room. No plumbing under the floor or on an outside wall to prevent freezing on -40 nights! To hide the water line across the ceiling, Will cleverly hollowed out a faux log ceiling beam and it fit over the line; you’d never guess! You might consider something like that.

For heat, you can get outdoor wood boilers that do not heat your hot water…but it IS cheap hot water for the house! A bonus, so to speak. My son, Bill, has one that he has had for four years now, and he is just hooking it to the hot water for the house, as he didn’t have time, before. Or you can use your idea of vented gas logs in a “fireplace” for heat. Unvented in a bedroom is NOT a good idea. The gas fireplace is pretty and provides heat. We have a regular vented propane heater in Mom’s bedroom, which also heats the rest of the house, if needed. It isn’t pretty, but it does do the job.

As for the solar, as always, it’s a good idea, but solar does get costly. However, right now there are tax breaks for solar installation that might help. Check out some of Jeff Yago’s past articles for more decision making planning. — Jackie

List of canning times

I have read all the issues we’ve gotten and I haven’t seen this in any of them. I’ve seen some of them covered but not all of them. I need a complete list of pressure canning times and pounds of pressure for all vegetables, beans and meats, for quarts and pints/half pints. I want to start canning my own recipes–soups, stews, etc. and some of the vegetables and beans in your columns have not been covered. I really trust your knowledge, so I would like a list, so I know which vegetable needs the longest time, in my recipes.

Brenda McClure
Rockwood, Tennessee

You can find this information in my new book, to be released soon, or if you need it NOW, you can pick up a Ball Blue Book that has nearly all this information, at most local stores that carry canning supplies. This list would be so long and take so much time, I can’t do it on the blog; sorry. — Jackie

Storing food in paint buckets

Would the plastic 5-gallon paint buckets that you find at Home Depot (the orange ones) with lids be okay to store food in?

Lynne White
Lacombe, Louisiana

I would assume so, and wouldn’t be afraid to use them. However I get my buckets from Super One grocery stores, at the bakery, for $2 each for bucket and lid, and I know they are food safe for sure. — Jackie

Apple trees and acidifying soil

We’re putting in some fruit trees this year. I was wondering, if you could only grow one apple variety for both baking (pies, crisps) and sauce, which variety would you choose. I was considering Granny Smith but wondered if you liked another better.

Also, do you know of any natural ways to improve (acidify) the soil for blueberry plants?

Angela Billings
Stronghurst, Illinois

Granny Smith is a great choice. But I’m so jealous of you being in a zone where you can have any apple you want! I love Fuji, Pink Lady, Wolf River, and Fireside, too. Decisions, decisions!

You can acidify your soil for your blueberries by adding peat to the soil during planting and as a mulch later on, as the plants grow. — Jackie

Growing peach trees from pits

How can I start peach trees from pits. I have a tree that has the best free stone fruit and would love to have more.

Robert Hale
Germantown, Ohio

Yes, you can start peaches from pits, but as most modern peaches are grafted, you may or may not get a tree exactly like yours. To plant your pits, either plant them in the garden in the fall, then overwinter them in the garden or put them in a damp paper towel, enclosed in a zip-lock bag, in the fridge from December till spring, as they must receive cold treatment in order to germinate. Have fun! — Jackie

Canning French onion soup

Can French onion soup be canned? I have a 50 pound sack of onions, that was “A GOOD BUY.” I am drying some and then what else can you with them. Thank you for your Inspiration.

Linda Fisher
Klamath, California

Yes, you can home can French onion soup. Depending on your recipe, you’ll be processing the onion part for 25 minutes for pints or 30 minutes for quarts at 10 pounds pressure. Most French onion recipes have a beef broth base. Beef broth is processed for 5 minutes less, so you’re okay with the onion times. Don’t pack in too many onions to get rid of them; you don’t want a dense product for safety’s sake.

I’d try to dry a bunch of them. They are so very handy for just about everything. I use the blender and whiz some into flakes, some into chunks and some into powder. And I use the end product nearly every day. What a buy! — Jackie

Goats not eating

I have two nubians a week from kidding. I bought two new bags of wet cob (from the same place I always get it) brought them home and they both refuse to eat it. The little pigs were woofing down a pound and a half a day, two feedings. They don’t show any signs of poor health or discomfort. And they are eating their alfalfa grass hay (third cutting really nice stuff) eagerly. I thought maybe it had more molasses than they were used to, so will try dry cob. What do you think about these little buggers?

Dinah Jo Brosius
Battle Ground, Washington

My guess is that there was something about the feed they didn’t like. The extra molasses may have done it, or maybe there is another new ingredient they find unappetizing. My goats refused one bag of feed and later on I found a dog had peed on it! Can I blame them? Try the dry cob. If they still won’t eat grain, you might have your vet out as there are kidding time metabolic problems that could be occurring. — Jackie

Head start homesteading

We adore your writings and your fortitude! Here’s an unusual scenario about which I’d appreciate your sage advice.

Family members have purchased a 40+ acre homestead of fenced field, meadow, and forest. The catch is that they have another four years overseas committed to Uncle Sam. (Fortunately not in the Sandbox.)

Given the timeframe, what should be planted there now to prepare for their arrival in a few years? I want to give their homestead a good head start, but the only things I could think of are the orchards and asparagus.

The homestead is about your latitude and zone. Another twist is that given the 8 hour drive there, I’d like to check on things only once per year. Sounds like “Mission Impossible: Backwoods Edition!”

Brian Heyer
Greenville, Wisconsin

Only tending any garden/orchard once a year is a toughie. New plantings require not only good planting but weed reduction, watering and fertilizing. In most areas, you will also need to fence the plantings against deer, rabbits and other critters. If you are willing to plant, fence and mulch these plantings, maybe you could find a neighbor who would be willing to water for hire for the first summer.

Some of my first-on-the-homestead plantings include cherries, plums, apples, brambles, asparagus, and rhubarb. With good planting, a good soaking at planting, mulching with fertile, well rotted manure or other compost, and fencing from the varmints, all should do well…especially if a neighbor will help out and water periodically, as needed. — Jackie

Water boiling out of jars during canning

We love BHM and especially your articles. Rather than listen to the radio in the car, our first introduction to your articles was my wife reading from your articles as we traveled across the state. It was great! In no time at all we had driven for three hours.

Since then, we have started canning and preserving produce from our small raised bed garden. The raised beds have been very productive and eating our own produce is such a thrill. In the canning process, though, some of our jars have vegetables that are not immersed in the liquid after we remove the jars from the pressure canner. It seems that some of the water in the jars has boiled out in the process. Does this really matter that much? Also, could we be putting too much produce in a jar? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Keep up the good work.
We love the entire magazine and digest each article.

Bob Bundy
Lancaster, South Carolina

I’m tickled that you’re growing great raised beds and canning up extra food. It’s not a serious problem when water/liquid blows out of the jars; the food is still edible. The reasons can be: too much food, not enough headspace (read directions and don’t pack in a “bit” more — I’m sometimes guilty of this one!), varying the pressure up and down during processing, or not letting the gauge return to zero before opening the lid.

Any one or a combination can cause liquid to blow out of the jars. No sweat but your food will look better if you watch these concerns. — Jackie