Besides all the great improvements going on around here, the big garden, our new house garden and keeping busy taking care of Mom, I have had a few minutes to work in the flowers….and work in the wood. I can’t be long at any one job because I can’t leave Mom alone for more than about 15 minutes. Her mind’s kind of fuzzy sometimes and she panics if I’m outside too long. So my work flits from this to that and back a few times a day. I try to keep mostly at one project until it gets whipped. But mostly I’ve got a few fish frying, so to speak.

It’s said that in Minnesota you have two seasons; winter and getting ready for winter. That’s true. And we’ve been splitting, hauling and piling wood under our porch where it’ll stay handy and dry for winter. So far we’ve got six truck loads under there, with a whole lot more left to cut and split. That’s the “grunt” work.

To reward myself, I take a few minutes most every day and work in my flower beds. My aim is mostly perennials that won’t need constant weeding and care. So far I’ve planted day lilies, oriental lilies, peonies, roses, columbines, iris, phlox, veronica, clematis, hostas, and more. Of course I stuff some annuals among them and my violas and pansies are not only perennial, but also reseed themselves prolifically. Love that!

Last year the flowers were kind of blah; we had an open, cold winter and a lot of them winter killed. But I kept pulling the weeds, which NEVER winter kill and planting more flowers. It paid off big dividends this spring, and it only gets better. WOW!

So I have my vegetables and fruits to feed us, the wood to keep us warm and the flowers to make it all worthwhile. Pretty darned nice out here in the backwoods!

Readers’ questions:

Food for a year

Great pictures of your garden! I too spend hours out there weeding! But that’s ok we need the food. Plus it’s so soothing and restful listening to all the birds.

We too are concerned about the economy and food supplies. We live on a limited income and don’t want to be caught off guard next winter when the prices go too high and we can’t afford food! I can only fathom a guess as to how high some prices will be during the winter based on how high they are now! Especially fruit and vegetables in the produce department!

Anyway, can you give a suggested list of things we should have on hand and the quantity desired for , lets say 3-4 people? I really need help in the meat area, flour, dried beans and whatever else you feel are the “basics” to eat with. This would be for a year until we can garden again and raise more chicken.

I have never stocked up like this before on food and have no idea if I need 1 bag of flour or several. What is the deal with dried beans? I am just starting to use them so don’t’ know much about them. Root crops that you speak of?

Last year I had 100 lbs potatoes, 50 lbs of onions, 1 bushel of carrots, 1/2 bushel of beets, not enough green beans since I only canned about 50 pints and have 1 left! I also put up peaches, pears, applesauce, pie filling, tomato juice, and whole tomatoes. Anything else I should be looking at?

I hope this wouldn’t’ be too much trouble but I am sure there are others who wonder too. I will have our own eggs and lots of home grown chicken too. What does your mom suggest too?

Thanks so much for sharing with us all that you know!! I appreciate it!

Cindy Hills
Wild Rose, Wisconsin

It’s real hard to pin down just how much a family “needs” to last a year, especially when everybody has different tastes, likes and dislikes. There is a whole lot of difference between “survival” and getting along well during hard times. When we were isolated on a mountain top in Montana, I went through 25 pounds of flour a month for the three of us. I also used about 10 pounds of whole wheat flours, 10 pounds of sugar (including canning time), 5 pounds of cornmeal and 5 pounds of masa harina de maize (corn flour).

To help you figure out your home canned food needs, remember that there are 52 weeks in a year. Therefore if you plan on eating meat twice a week, you’ll have to put up 104 pints/quarts of meat. I found that this was a little misleading, however, as I also had leftovers and extra meat that I saved for another recipe/meal…so the meat actually went farther. I’ve been canning up “meals in a jar,” which include chili, meatballs, etc. that not only include meat but other home raised foods. So I not only have meat and poultry in jars, but mixed meals, as well.

Remember to have about 25 pounds of dry beans, 50 pounds of rice, dry noodles (unless you plan on making your own), split peas, lentils, etc., depending again on your family’s likes. There’s no sense in storing up a bunch of stuff your family really doesn’t like. I’d recommend that you pick up a copy of the BHM SURVIVAL AND PREPAREDNESS GUIDE. It has a whole lot more tips on just how much and what you should consider storing. — Jackie

Fall garden

I was glad to hear that your mother is doing better. I also am glad you had Will with you while she was sick and to help out with all the work you do. My question: if you could have a fall garden what would you put in it? I didn’t do do very well with my summer one. I didn’t know that the boys had been feeding the deer and turkey in the corner by the woods. So you can guess what happened. Not much to eat and nothing to can. So I am hoping to get in a fall one and fence it in because there is no use in putting all the money in seeds for the deer. I read your blog and love to read Backwoods Home but I get through it the day I get it.

Brenda Jarrell
Varneville, South Carolina

I would get on that fencing job as soon as possible. I can’t tell you how much relief it is to go to the garden and not have to worry about what is missing today! And the sooner you get it fenced, the sooner you can get to planting. If you get it fenced fairly soon, you could still get in some bush beans and carrots. Besides those, you can put in your fall crops; turnips, collards, broccoli, greens of all sorts. To speed your broccoli up, start seeds inside now so you can plant nice starts out in the garden when the weather cools down some. I’m glad Mom’s doing well, too. I can hardly wait till September. Will is planning all sorts of projects for his next two week vacation here! — Jackie

Eliminating weeds

Due to the fact that I’m about to have a July baby, I wasn’t able to do a huge garden because of timing, heat and exhaustion. Just a few tomatoes and peppers for enjoyment. I’m already thinking of what to do with next year’s garden, and what’s really bugging me is weeds! We call them “Frankenweeds”. They are huge and stubborn.

We cannot eliminate them. We’ve done pine straw, weed tarp, newspaper, pulling by hand, and they just keep coming back. I don’t want to use chemical killers and I do compost my yard and kitchen waste. All I can come up with is that we live in a very semi-tropical climate for almost 6-8 months, and the sun, heat and moisture we experience are just ideal for weeds thrive.

Any suggestions? Could my yard waste in the compost bin be the culprit, or do I just have to put up with the weeds as a normal part of gardening? As always, thanks for your advice; I’m really jealous of the pictures of your garden…wow!

Andrea Del Gardo
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The only way your yard waste could be a problem would be if you put weeds/grasses in it that had already gone to seed. NO you don’t have to live with the weeds. You can get a handle on them. The first few years is tough, because you do have them. But if you keep after them, you will get them under control. If your garden is too big for you to do this, consider keeping half or a part anyway, fallow. Either keep tilling it up to kill all the weeds in it, throw down an old chunk of carpet after watering it well, or plant a thick cover crop, such as Will and I just did in our new strawberry bed (peas) to choke out the germinating weeds. My garden wasn’t anything to brag about the year I had radiation, chemo, Bob died and we were building our new log house. I was pretty ashamed of all the weeds, but oh well, I did the best I could at the time and I was able to can from it, anyway. As you can see, it looks a whole lot better now…and the weeds are very manageable. In a year or two more, I will have them pretty much whipped. My big help is mulch, mulch, mulch. Just don’t mulch with hay or anything else that has seeds in it; I did and ended up with a hay field in my garden from old hay seeds. Ooops! Straw, THICK pine straw, dry grass (without seeds or chemicals) or dry yard leaves all work well. Any weeds that do show up can be pulled easily because their roots are tender. — Jackie

Because of the escalating price of wheat, we desperately wanted to get in even a small patch this spring.  But where???  Our garden was a whole lot bigger, but not ready to plant wheat, yet.  Will was here, and had cleared out our orchard so beautifully.  And when we were walking through it in the evening, we suddenly saw a wheat field among the fruit trees!  WOW!

So we picked rocks, threw roots and whacked off small brush.  Then Will found an ad for a small 6′ disc in the local shopper…cheap.  We called and bought the disc that afternoon.  Soon, we had a nicely worked-up orchard/wheat field-to-be.  I filled my little plastic hand seeder and walked back and forth over the ground, spinning out wheat to beat the band.

Then Will jumped on the four wheeler and dragged our old ratty bed spring over the wheat to cover it lightly.

Now it’s UP!  And it is beautiful, even and four inches tall already.  Double WOW!  Not only will the wheat be great for our bread and other baking, but it will help choke out weeds in the orchard and later the left-over straw will add organic material to the soil.

Already we’re talking about a spot to make a designated wheat patch next year.  Our orchard wheat is only a start.  But what a wonderful start it is!

Readers’ questions:

Grinding nuts/recipes

Grinding nuts — peanut, cashew, walnut, etc.  Can you suggest a hand grinder for this purpose?

Bob Taylor
Poulsbo, Washington

You can make nut butter in most flour mills.  Even the old Corona style mill makes great nut butter.  Or you can use your blender.  Just dump in 2 cups of any type of nuts you want and grind them till the puree is oily and as smooth as you want.  If it is not “spreadable” like you’d like, simply add 1 or 2 Tbsp of sunflower or peanut oil.  You may also add honey or sugar, and a bit of salt, if you wish.  It is true that roasted nuts do make a tastier butter; I’m not sure I’d worry about the nutrition thing unless you are eating a LOT of nut butter.  Chances are if you eat a relatively healthy diet, your nutrition is already fine. — Jackie

Canning potatoes with skins still on

I just subscribed to your magazine this morning when I came across your web site while searching for a recipe to can potatoes - every recipe I come across suggests peeling the potatoes - I have small fingerling s and just could not possibly peel them - is there a problem with canning un-peeled potatoes? I look forward to receiving my first magazine.

Treva Burbine
Ellijay, Georgia

Heck no!  I can a whole lot of new potatoes and fingerlings with the skins on.  No problem at all.  Just process as per peeled potatoes.  If you’d like, when you open a jar to eat them, you can simply squeeze the potato and the skin slides right off. — Jackie

Frozen trout with guts still in them

Hi Jackie, me AGAIN.  I just have lots of questions and you are the answer lady!!  Friends brought me enough trout they had caught for me to can.  However, they did not clean (gut) them before sticking them in the freezer. Are those fish still eatable if I thaw and clean them, then can?  or are they cat food? Also, can you can spinach/chard?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

Hi Gail!  Ask away.  Eeeeuuuu.  Frozen trout with the guts still left in them.  Sorry, but I’d have a real hard time eating them, let alone canning them.  Yeah, in an emergency….maybe.  Here kitty, kitty….

Yes, you can home can spinach and Swiss chard; I do it all the time.  Just simmer to wilt or steam.  Pack jars with hot wilted greens and cover with boiling water to within 1″ of the top.  Process in a pressure canner for 70 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.  I also can lamb’s quarters and red rooted pig weed. — Jackie

Adding ash to compost

I love your “Ask Jackie” column, and I’m so happy you’re online with a blog!  I’d like to ask you if it is okay to add the ash from my corn stove to the compost pile.  I hate to see it go to waste if there’s a good use for it.

Bob Bader
Rockwood, Maine

Yes, you can add a reasonable amount of your ash to your compost pile or sprinkle it right onto the garden, which is what I do with our wood ashes.  Just don’t over-do it. — Jackie

Canner recommendation

Can you recommend any companies that have canners that are not too expensive?  We are new to canning etc.  I don’t want anything too complicated.  Another note, you are an amazing woman.  You do just about everything I can think of. My hat goes off to you!!!!

Julie  Jaco
Senatobia, Mississippi

You can pick up a good quality new canner at many local hardwares and even WalMart and Kmart for a reasonable price.  Most are “down to business” pieces of kitchen equipment; nothing fancy.  Do yourself a great favor and get a reasonably large canner; don’t get a pressure cooker.  They just don’t do the job you need them to.  Welcome to the satisfying world of home canning!  Enjoy the trip, and let me know if you have questions along the way. — Jackie

Using smaller canning jars

Probably a silly question, but a few years ago I canned some pickled red cabbage and some corn relish in 1/2 pint jars.  Since I am the only one who likes these items, sometimes I would have to toss the remainder of the jar if I didn’t get it used up quickly enough.  I have some smaller than 1/2 pint jars.  Would there be any problem with using these smaller jars in the hot water bath?

Ruth Dixon
Gold Beach, Oregon

Absolutely not.  I do the same thing myself.  I also can up these small jars full of chicken, pork, venison and beef pieces to add to casseroles etc. for flavoring.  It sure makes a little canned meat go a long, long way!  And with the future meat prices, hold on to your hat! — Jackie

Raising chickens and turkeys

For some reason my husband has recently become allergic to beef, pork, venison,lamb, etc…(pretty much any mammal meat),he is also allergic to baking yeast and milk.  This has totally depleted my long-term storage.  I had to get rid of everything that had these ingredients and things that used fat or lard. My husband can eat fowl and fish.  We also have three gardens that we eat from, fresh and canned. Is it possible to can chicken and turkey?  I have some things frozen but if something bad happens these foods will have to be eaten quickly and with his condition we can’t hunt to supplement his diet.  How long would canned chicken and turkey last on the shelf?

Josie Killough
Rienzi, Mississippi

Sorry to hear your problem.  YES, you can certainly home can poultry of all types.  Yes, you can certainly raise turkeys.  I know the experts say not to raise turkeys with chickens, but I always have and have known a whole lot of other homesteaders who do, too.  You will want a lighter breed of turkey.  Most modern turkeys are Broad Breasted Whites or Bronzes.  The toms get so heavy that they tear great gashes in the hens’ backs when they mount to breed.  You will be better off with a lighter breed turkey.  Bourbon Reds, Slates, Royal Palms and Nargansetts all mature at lighter weights than do the “giant” breeds, and because they do, the toms are able to breed the hens. I would also advise you to get some good dual purpose meat chickens, such as White Rocks.  They don’t get as big as turkeys, but they do reproduce on a much larger scale, over a year, giving you more eggs to hatch.  Turkeys only lay for a short period in the spring. — Jackie

Is it mold or not?

My Mom died and I am cleaning out her cupboards.  She has some home canned salsa.  It looks fine on the bottom, but the top looks greyish.  Do I throw it out or is it OK.  Why did it do that?

Leona Martel
Stratford, South Dakota

Open a jar and take a good look.  If the “greyish” is mold, toss it.  If the top is just dried out from not being covered with liquid and the salsa smells fine (and the jar’s seal was still good; it was dented firmly down in the center, it is fine.  If it is mold, either the jar was not sealed or the salsa wasn’t processed long enough to heat it high enough to kill the mold spores. — Jackie

First pressure canner

Today I got my very first pressure canner.  I am very excited, and I can’t wait until my garden gives me something to put up… I am close to being ready for snap peas (which I’ll likely eat up too quick to can), turnips, and the dark leafy greens.  Are the leafies ok for canning?  Do you have any recipes for turnips?  Also, I am nervous about the canner.  My stove has cabinets right above it (that were poorly placed way back before we were existing).  Would I be better off outside with a propane burner?  Thanks

Maria Spillane
Easton, Pennsylvania

Congratulations Maria!  You have a right to be excited.  You’re starting on a real fun adventure that will provide years and years of great eating and food security.

Have fun! — Jackie