Q and A: extra whey and stink bugs

Extra whey

I recently made cheese from our extra goats’ milk. And I have lots of whey. Would there be a reason to can it and how would I go about it?

Gail Erman

I usually make ricotta from my whey, then give the leftovers to our pigs or chickens. That way every time I make a batch of cheese I usually end up with two different cheeses from one gallon of milk! I wouldn’t bother canning it, personally. — Jackie

Stink bugs

I have a stink bug problem. They are destroying my tomatoes. I haven’t ever seen you talk about this but am hoping you can help me.

Debbie
Cottonwood, Alabama

Stink bugs suck juices out of tomatoes and thereby make nasty blemishes in the fruit and even introduce disease (bacteria, virus, and fungus) as they move from one plant to another. Pick all you can see, wearing gloves to avoid the stink. Drop them into a can of soapy water. Check the undersides of leaves for eggs and squash them. Spraying with kaolin clay such as Surround helps repel them. But if you have a really bad problem, I’d spray or dust with pyrethrins, making sure it penetrates the interior of the tomato vines. Keep the area around your garden mowed and burn all garden debris in the fall as they’ll overwinter in the dead plants making next year even tougher. — Jackie