Stringless pole beans

Every time I have grown pole green beans they have a lot of strings in the pod. I sure would like to have suggestions on a kind that is stringless.

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

There are many stringless green pole beans. My favorite is Cherokee Trail of Tears (available through Baker Creek, among others). It starts out purple striped, but any purple goes away when you cook or can them. Other stringless varieties include Blue Lake Stringless, Fortex, and Kentucky Wonder. Be sure to give your pole beans plenty of water while they are filling out the pods and then pick them before the seeds get fat to have absolutely tender, stringless beans. — Jackie

Pressure cookers not made for canning

I have a 4-quart electric pressure cooker. I also have a large Mirro pressure canner to do large batch canning in. The electric pressure cooker has hi & low options. I wanted to use it for small batch canning. I did 4 pints kidney beans at low pressure for 75 mins & they sealed. Should I have used the hi pressure option instead? I just thought hi would turn the beans to mush.

Chris Stierwalt
Paragon, Indiana

Pressure cookers are really not made for canning. They are made for cooking meals. Better to use the canner for even small batches. If it’s too large to be handy, maybe you could pick up a smaller one, even a used one at a yard sale? — Jackie

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Meals in a jar

Is there a meals in a jar cookbook? New here and haven’t heard. Also, is there a “how to” book on planting heirloom veggies for planting in the South?

Cathy Thompson
Cherokee, Iowa

There are many meals-in-a-jar recipes to can in my book Growing and Canning Your Own Food. Most only require dumping out into a pan and heating for 15 minutes. This book covers planting and growing vegetables, fruits, and even raising meat animals! It also covers how to process and preserve all of these. I hope it will help you. A lot of folks say they can’t do without it. — Jackie

Storing homemade pasta

I am looking to make and dry my own pasta like spaghetti. I found lots of recipes for pasta but none of them store without going bad.

Alissa Holmes
Morganfield, Kentucky

Dry your homemade pasta VERY well and it should store as well as commercial pasta. Some homemade pasta is very thick and people don’t get it dry enough before trying to store it. Be sure it is dry, then store it in an airtight container. If you notice the slightest bit of condensation on the under side of the lid, immediately remove and dry several days longer. — Jackie

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I usually begin making out seed orders before this, but because I’ve been so busy, it just hasn’t happened. I have to start planting peppers the second week of February so they’ll be ready to go out into the hoop house in early May. I’ve made out orders for a few new peppers and tomatoes that we’re going to try this year. We do that every year and always discover new “favorites,” often among old heritage varieties. I’ve got a pile of seed catalogs around my chair that would bury an elephant! How much fun. But there’s so much difference in price, seed count, and shipping that it’s gotten to be a chore, too. I used to buy a lot from Johnny’s, but their shipping got so high that I could no longer afford it.

I forgot that I’d promised to show a photo of my favorite Vietnamese market basket. Sorry guys. So here it is. I totally love it! And it’s more than 30 years old too. I can carry it on my head (soft enough to conform), to keep the weight from hurting my back, I can rinse vegetables like carrots, right in the basket and they drain dry in minutes. It fits in my large sink so I can rinse green beans and lettuce right in the kitchen. If you can find one, buy it! — Jackie

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Dirty windows

Saw the post on dirty windows. I clean them for a living. Good advice. My brew is approximately 1 gallon water ½-1 cup ammonia and 3 Tbsp. liquid Joy. Make sure that the scrubber hasn’t see fabric softener (solvent) and if using a squeegee that the rubber is new, most people NEVER replace this! If a towel to wipe off, again no fabric softener. A clean little secret for a dirty little job.

Kathy Suhr
Sedro Woolley, Washington

Thanks Kathy! Good tips from someone in the know. — Jackie

Wallo’ Waters

I was wondering if you ever leave the Wallo’ Waters in place after the tomatoes grow up through them. The directions on the bag say to fill them and leave them around the plants all season. I have been pulling them off when the weather is stable. Just wondering if you have experimented with this.

Mia Sodaro
Frazier Park, California

You know, I tried that one year, as an experiment. No, I don’t leave them on. What happens is that the tomato vines grow so big and rank that you can’t remove the Wall, even in the fall. And the branches dry and can damage them before you take them off. Plus add photo-degradation and you have a mess. Nope, I pull them when the plant has grown above the edge and no more frost is possible. — Jackie

We purchased some of the Wallo’ Waters for earlier planting this year. This is our first time to use them. We will be putting them out in a couple of weeks to warm the ground prior to planting. The winds toward the end of February and into March here can be quite strong. My question is: How do you keep them standing erect in wind? Are there any pointers you can give us to ensure our success this first time? (The photo in your canning book of your Wallo’ Waters was indeed an inspiration to us.)

Gwen Cantrell
Dallas, Texas

Wallo’ Waters stand up to the wind pretty darned good. Their shape, which is a basic cone, wide at the base and narrow at the top, allows them to take even storm winds without toppling. If they should dump, simply put them back up and re-fill them. They are wonderful and you need no further tips; they are very easy to use and will give you great success. Keep us posted! — Jackie

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Garden seeds

I have a question about your garden seeds. I’m trying to have almost everything heirloom, but it’s almost impossible isn’t it if you don’t want your squash, cucumbers and other plants to cross pollinate? Do you plant some hybrids for this reason? Also do hybrids store better in a root cellar than heirloom? One last question- can I save my potatoes from last summer to plant this coming summer if there are some left-they are heirloom.

Jacqueline Wieser
Sidney, Nebraska

Growing nearly everything in the garden from open pollinated seeds IS possible with a little thought. For instance, only plant one variety of cucumber, bean, pepper, etc. Some crops, such as tomatoes and beans are pretty much self-pollinating, so you can just separate the varieties by several feet and still raise pure seeds. Pumpkins and squash have different varieties in each of the four common species. By choosing only one of each to save seeds from, you can still grow a big variety of them and still raise pure seed. I’d suggest you take a look at my article in BHM, Saving Seeds, which is in Issue 129 (May/June 2011) for more detailed information.

No, hybrids do not store better. My all-time totally best storing vegetable still remains my wonderful Hopi Pale Grey squash. I have one right now, sitting on the floor in our greenhouse, that was harvested in the fall of 2010 and it is still hard and plump! This is NOT unusual.

Yes, you can save your own seed potatoes as long as the potatoes showed no signs of disease when growing or upon harvesting. — Jackie

Acorn bread

I came across your wonderful article on acorn bread. I have a question. Do you have a recipe for making acorn bread without any other form of flour? If not, in your opinion do you think it would be possible to make bread with just acorn flour. I have about 3 cups ready to go and I’ve been looking around for this type of recipe.

Christy Adamucci
New Jersey

You really can’t make acorn bread without any flour. Native Americans would make acorn “cakes” with no flour by mixing a little fat and ash (tastes similar to salt) and patting them into fat tortilla-like cakes and baking them on hot stones. Without the flour, acorn bread will not rise and the “bread” will be VERY dense, indeed. I’d use a recipe that included flour and leavening, whether baking powder or yeast. Some Native Americans used a recipe that included both acorn flour and cornmeal, but again, that was patted into cakes and baked, making a very dense, yet tasty food. — Jackie

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Preserving juice

What would be the best way to preserve juice in wine/sparkling cider bottles? I’ve been a winemaker for several years, and would like to be able to make non-alcoholic juices to share with my non-drinking friends. I’m assuming it would have to be processed in a water bath. Would pop bottle crown caps hold up, or would I need to use metal screw caps?

In making wine, it is common to use sulfite as a preservative. Could this alone be enough to preserve juice, if kept in the refrigerator?

Larry Curfman
Oakville, Washington

A long time ago, I used to bottle both fruit juice and ketchup in used beer bottles I’d picked up along the road. After washing and sterilizing them, I filled them with boiling juice/ketchup, then capped them with a press-on bottle capper (hand machine). This worked fine, but I didn’t water bath them and don’t know how you’d do that with press-on lids. Any readers with more information for us? — Jackie

Growing tomatoes

I know I read this in BHM but can’t find it. What kind of tomatoes do you grow that ripen pretty much at once for canning. I have all your books and garden every year, but never get enough tomatoes at once to can.

Lorraine Dingman
Fulton, New York

Some of the varieties that we grow that tend to ripen heavily, more or less at one time are: Oregon Spring, Punta Banda (Native Seeds/SEARCH), and Silvery Fir Tree. You might consider using a hoop house for your tomatoes. We had your problem with peppers, so last year Will built a cheap, easy hoop house out of PVC pipes and plastic. We harvested bushels of huge peppers! No heat, no special treatment! Wonderful. I’d also suggest starting your tomatoes out in Wallo’ Water plant protectors. This not only lets you plant earlier, but it also develops a very strong, vigorous root system and the plants consistently bear heavily and ripen much sooner so you can get to canning. — Jackie

Preserving by confiting

Long time since I have written but I read your blogs like clockwork every week. I am writing to tell you that I recently discovered making my own bacon (smoked and non-smoked and other charcuterie like terrines/pates and confit) – I have a quick question – have you been confiting at all – (preserving in fat) and if so have you tried preserving in pork fat? (If you wrote about it before sorry as I guess I missed it). By the way hope weather has been treating you better this year as it has up here in Ontario Canada – we’ve had a glorious (non cold) December and picture perfect Christmas when it finally showed on Christmas Eve/Day

farmgirlwanabe from Ottawa Ontario

No I haven’t been confiting. My husband, Will, fights high cholesterol, and I’m getting pretty high, so I really watch the fat in my cooking and preserving. I do know about it, and have for years. My grandmother used to preserve pork chops (lightly cooked) in lard, and they kept that way all winter and into the spring months. They had no refrigeration.

We’ve also had a strange winter; January temps varying from -30 to 45 above! Up until yesterday, you could do chores in tennies! But today, we’re getting clobbered and it really looks like winter out there! — Jackie

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Compost freezing

We are in Colorado near the mountains. We have many bags of excess compost/steer manure from when we purchased and had trees planted this summer. If we leave the bags outside (where it freezes), will that affect the compost – killing off any live organisms? The next planting projects won’t start until late Spring again where we can get the compost in the ground to do its magic.

Cristine
Colorado

Freezing will not affect the compost. It will be just as good as it was in the fall, before freezing. — Jackie

Tattler lids

I have a question about the Tattler lids. I have an unusually high number of lid failures. I am following the directions on the box to slightly loosen the lid before canning and then to tighten it after processing. I bought hundreds of these lids and would like to use them more.

Dana Stine
Singer, Louisiana

I love my Tattlers. And I haven’t found I had any more failures with them than I do with single use lids. Two thoughts: maybe you’re either loosening the lids too much (or not enough) before processing or not tightening the rings soon enough after processing? I’d suggest calling the Tattler people; they’re very nice and helpful. You get instant one-on-one conversation to resolve your problem. They want you to succeed just as much as I do! — Jackie

Dirty windows

I heat with wood. Now the windows are covered with a dirty film. I tried the fancy store cleaners; vinegar, ammonia, and finally lye soap. Now they are worse than ever. Come spring I will try again. Do you have any suggestions for cleaning or any fail proof recipes for cleaner.

Shirley Adkins
McArthur, Ohio

I wash my windows first with dish soap/hot water, then use vinegar and crumpled up newspapers as a “finish.” They come out clean and streak-free. — Jackie

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Sweet and spicy pickles

What I would like is a recipe for sweet and spicy pickles. My husband and I were at a flea market in Abilene, Texas and bought a jar from a vendor. They were crisp and not too spicy. They have just a small amount of jalapeños in them. I have searched but can’t find a recipe that looks like it would work. So, I was hoping you might be able to help me out. My family really liked them and I hope to have enough cucumbers this year to make some.

Ken and Jackie Smith
Tuscola, Texas

What I do is make Bread and Butter pickles and add a few slices of jalapeño or other hot pepper. (Will likes Hungarian Wax.) This gives you a crispy sweet, yet spicy pepper. Try it and I think you’ll like them. (You can vary the amount of hotness with your likes. We like only a few slices where you may prefer more.) — Jackie

Planting potatoes

I would like to try potatoes in my garden for the first time next year. Do I have to buy special seed potatoes or can I plant some store bought if they develop eyes? We really like the small dutch yellow (Holland?) type. They roast really well with a little oil and seasoning.

Michael Lowery
Dekalb, Illinois

Yes, it’s a better idea to buy seed potatoes. Most store potatoes have been treated to prevent sprouting. Even when they do sprout, this spray sometimes interferes with those potatoes producing decent crops. Buy good seed potatoes, then save your own to use as seed potatoes the following years. You’ll be happier in the end. — Jackie

Planting fruit bushes

I want to add some more fruit bushes to my property without spending much. I’ve looked at some online nurseries for plants such as blueberries, raspberries, bush cherries, gooseberries, and grapes. I’ve seen on eBay people selling the seeds for those, and it’s much cheaper, and it would seem you’d get more plants out of it.

Have you ever grown these plants from seeds, and did you have good success? Or would it be better in the long run to just spend the extra money and get fewer plants from a nursery?

Donnie McIlwain
Lowman, New York

You’d be much better to buy a few of each one each year than to start them from seeds. In reality, it usually takes about 4 years before you get any fruit from your seedling berries. Ask around; maybe there’s a friend or neighbor who has raspberries or grapes you could get starts from. — Jackie

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