We just had a snow storm mixed with freezing rain. Several deer came down the trail below the house, heading for the horse pasture and the round bales of hay we have out there. The horses sometimes share their hay with the deer. So far, our deer herd is fat and happy with the relatively open winter we’ve had so far. We’re several feet below normal snowfall for the year.

This fall the beaver were stockpiling tons of brush in the mud out in the beaver pond and I commented that I feared an open cold winter. And we’ve sure had an open winter so far. The cold usually comes right after Christmas. We have plenty of wood and food, so we’re not worrying.

Today I helped a friend can up a deer he’d shot with his bow and arrow. He wanted to learn to can meat, so I spent the day giving lessons. He went home with lots of meat and was real excited about the possibilities! And that’s exciting to me. — Jackie

6 COMMENTS

  1. Cindy and Michelle,

    An open winter is one with little or no snow cover. It’s nice because animals (and people!) don’t have to fight the deep snow. But it makes the frost go deep, often freezing out plants like blueberries, and freezing septic systems. So we really don’t like a totally “open” winter. Cold, I’m sure everyone understands!!! Brrr. But today it was 35 degrees ABOVE!!!

    Jackie

  2. Sue,

    Thanks for your response. Canning meat and any pressure canning is SO easy and totally safe with a modern canner, with safety features, provided that the person simply reads and follows the directions! A whole lot more people are injured in cars every day, than pressure canners, yet we drive every day with little concern.
    I’m so glad you and others took the step and found out how much fun canning is. You’ll absolutely LOVE your canned meat. I promise!!!

    Jackie

  3. Greetings.

    When I was a newly-wed my mother gave me an old pressure cooker that she had, but never used. It had no gauge or rubber gasket; I did not know how to use it. I used it to cook spaghetti sauce. Not understanding how a pressure cooker worked, I fussed with it until I got the top off and the red spaghetti sauce made patterns on our newly painted yellow walls and ceiling. I never touched anything with “pressure” in its name until last year when we purchased a pressure canner for Christmas.After years of reading Jackie and others’ articles about canning and preserving, I knew that I needed one. As Michelle said, you cannot live on just fruit and pickles.
    We were very concerned when I canned my first batch of soup. Then the baked beans, then more soup. I learned how to use the canner and felt great! My freezer is not as full, but my shelves are.
    Next, is the meat. It seems more scary because we have never “eaten canned meat” other than in tins from the store. But, if I can can chicken soup, and ham and bean soup, I can process meat.
    Our neighbor gave us venison, which I had never eaten before. In Goodhue County, MN the deer are “corn fed”; ours was literally fed from the field next door. It tasted great! Venison meatballs and venison Salisbury steak are next on the canning list.
    They say all great journeys begin with the first step. Our first step was Backwoods Home Magazine. Then Jackie’s articles. Now we are canning! It feels great!
    Thank you, Jackie, and all of the staff of Backwoods Home. Step by step we are getting there with your help.

  4. Hey Cindy, I was wondering that too. Never heard it before either.

    Nice pic of your deer Jackie. That’s nice that you taught your friend how to can the venison. I would like to learn to can meat. I only have been canning what I can just water bath as a pressure canner scares me. I knew a girl in school that had one explode and burnt her.

    My mom used to can meat and all kinds of things. I wish that I had paid more attention. I had no idea that we would lose her so young. I will have to bite the bullet one of these days and learn as I want for us to be self sufficient and you cannot live on pickles and fruit alone :-)lol

  5. That is awesome…glad you are set for winter! dh harvested a deer and he has butchered it up, ground and froze…have never put up meat…still not confident in canning meat and wouldnt want to waste it making mistakes…freezer works great for us! Beautiful pic…i never tire of watching the deer on our property in colorado

  6. So that is what the deer look like!! We don’t have many in our area right now. What is an open cold winter? Never heard that expression!

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