So we started in on projects. David and Will began working on the furrower, cutting and welding bracing, drilling holes for bolts and grinding rough edges. I rolled oil sealer on the 2″x6″s for the back board of the hay rack. And, later, working all together, we assembled the back board and actually FINISHED the hay wagon! Wow, it looks great. And it didn’t cost one penny, either. The screws and bolts were salvaged from the dump. The 2″x6″s were salvaged from the nasty old mobile home that is now almost a bridge. The tires were also salvaged. What a neat makeover!

While I did chores and made supper, Will and David worked on repairing the back blade on our tractor, which had cracked and broken from hitting rocks in our driveway and stumps in the pasture. (Now where would they have been?) Unfortunately, when you use equipment, you also break it, so we spend time, here and there, fixing stuff to use again in the future. Only if you don’t work, you don’t break things; the mantra of the homesteader in the backwoods!

Readers’ Questions:

Elderberry extract

Question: Elderberry Extract — July/Aug 2009 Page 64… #1. Says to weigh out berries and put in jar. #2. Fill jar with 80 proof Vodka. Quote: “This means liquid will be 40% alcohol & 60% water.” O.K. If I FILL the jar with vodka, then, where does the 40/60 ratio come in? I’m confused…please help me out here. I don’t want to waste the berries by doing something wrong. Would it be different if I used Everclear instead?…

J.
Missouri

The simplest way to make elderberry extract is to put 1/4 lb of dried elderberries in a quart jar, then fill it up with vodka. Let it sit, capped, in a cool, dark place for about a month. Strain off the berries, and you have elderberry extract. Use 1 tsp four or five times daily for illnesses such as the flu. — Jackie

We are eating both our roasted squash and pumpkins, and feeding a few to the goats and chickens. But before feeding them, I cut them open and carefully harvest the fat, mature seeds from each one. I dry them on pie plates, after squishing them out of the strings. Some I save for seed (from the best tasting and nicest fruits), some I toast with salt for a crunchy snack, while I toast a few others for Mom’s two small parrots, who love the seeds. The strings and meat we don’t eat go to the chickens and goats for a mid-winter snack that they thoroughly enjoy. It also helps cut our feed bill and makes the chicken egg yolks bright orange.

And I love seeing those fat orange pumpkins and multi-colored piles of squash in the house! Tasty decor! Only in the backwoods…

Readers’ Questions:

Turmeric pickles

I have just started to can and LOVE IT! You have been a great inspiration. I can’t wait to get your new canning book. My questions, can you decrease the amount of sugar in recipes such as sweet relish, apple butter or tomato butter, without ruining the integrity of the product. Also, I have an old family recipe for Turmeric pickles. It calls for 2 quarts of sugar, 1 quart of vinegar, 1/2 quart of water. 2TB turmeric and 1 TB pickling spice. But it doesn’t give an exact amount of cucumbers and onions. It just states to add them. Is there a ratio of product to liquid that should be used for safe canning?

Bea Ward
St. Paris, Ohio

While the sugar in many canning recipes is simply for a sweeter taste, like in sweet relish, canning them without it or with less will affect the taste. Many butters can be made without as much sugar, but some people don’t find them to be as tasty. You’ll have to try them without sugar and see how they taste to you. Personally, I use the sugar recommended, then simply eat less of the end product to reduce my sugar intake. A dab of sweetened apple butter tastes better to me than a couple of tablespoons full of unsweetened apple butter. A lot also depends on the variety of apples that you use — some are very sweet naturally…where others are quite tart.

As for your pickles, you want as many cukes and onions as the brine will cover in the jars. Better a bit too much brine, rather than pickles that stick up out of the brine; they’ll get dark and soft during storage. — Jackie

Canning chicken and rice soup

Love your new book! So far we have canned the beef stew and the chicken soup with rice.

Question on the chicken soup: Upon filling the quart jar half full of hot soup, we added a handful of rice. Upon completion, the rice is in a big clump. Has that been your experience, and do you think the rice got heated to the proper temperature?

Ron & Amy Rogers
Centerview, Missouri

While the chicken soup is processing, the rice is boiling around like mad in the broth. When the pressure drops to zero, the rice slowly settles to the bottom of the jars. While it has processed, it did get heated properly. When you reheat it to use, simply fork the rice apart and heat as you would any other soup. — Jackie

Bread machine recipe

I don’t know how you manage to do all you do. You must never sleep. I have a recipe for the lady who wanted to use whole wheat flour and also eggs in her homemade bread. My bread machine has a recipe we like. Here it is; 2 3/4 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp salt, 2 TBSP dry milk, 2 TBSP butter, 2 TBSP sugar, 7/8 cups water with one egg in the cup before the water, and 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 1/2 tsp dry yeast. This is right out of our old Panasonic bread machine book. Hope this helps her.

Jim
Petersburg, Michigan

Thanks Jim! I’m sure many readers will enjoy this recipe. (Yes, I do sleep; but often not as long as I’d like!) — Jackie

I don’t have a question, just a recommendation to Holly A. about her bread machine’s bread top falling down. My suggestion is to reduce the amount of yeast she is using. I had the same problem and cut the yeast amount in half and it seemed to solve that problem.

Dave Leland
Whitmore Lake, Michigan

Thanks so much, Dave! I’m sure Holly will appreciate your help. — Jackie

Being self-reliant

I have been looking at so much info about how to start being self-reliant, but I am so overwhelmed. Can you please give me a simple starting point and maybe a few steps further? Whew! I didn’t realize being self-reliant was so complicated. Ok it’s more simple than I am making it out to be, but what’s necessary and what’s not? I am starting from scratch here in my city (town of 1200) home in the Ozarks. Thanks for all your time and advice.

Michael Hendricks
Bull Shoals, Arkansas

Hi Michael,

The first step is NOT to get overwhelmed! Really. That stalls your quest. Being self-reliant is a whole journey down a very interesting road. And no two people can exactly agree on what it IS! Start with little baby steps at first. Try to reduce your spending here and there. No budgets, lists, or “have-to’s.” You know what you must spend on and where you waste money. Yes, you waste money. So do I. I don’t really “need” more lily bulbs, more new peppers, that new horse halter.

By spending less, you are instantly earning more. Who doesn’t love a raise in pay? In this way, you’re on your way to becoming self reliant, by providing more for yourself! Trying to get out of debt is a great way to get a larger raise. Everyone likes a bigger home, a nicer home, a newer car, a bigger truck. Sometimes downsizing not only cuts down on your payments but empowers you down a saner way of life. My first homestead had a fixer upper house that stretched the “fixer” part of that! But it was rent free and let me begin to garden, can, raise chickens, have goats, and learn a whole lot.

My truck is a 1985 Chevy with patchy blue paint, but it runs and is paid for. The insurance is cheap and it gets more than 20 miles per gallon. My son, David, just “had” to have a “nice” truck and bought a 2001 Chevy extended cab truck with electronic everything and plenty of chrome. It’s lucky to get 15 miles per gallon, and he owed $155 a month for FIVE years, plus his insurance (mandatory because of the loan) is four times mine. Everyone has their own priorities.

If you have access to, or can find a bit of land, great. Maybe you can start a garden or raise a few chickens and thus begin learning how to provide some of your own food. Then you can begin learning to put it up for later use, canning and dehydrating some of it. Go slow and don’t get overwhelmed. I first did tomatoes and jam…then pickles, green beans, and mushrooms. So much of this is NOT hard to learn. Get a few good books and read a bit in your spare time instead of watching TV. If you don’t have a bit of land, how about growing a few tomatoes in containers on your porch or patio? I know people who line their driveway with potted tomatoes and peppers, grown in 5-gallon buckets. They have enough to eat, can, and sell, too!

Learn building skills. Again, a good book helps, but so does grabbing a few boards, a hammer, saw, and nails and building something — a gate, a sawhorse, a doghouse — something small to start with. If you’ve got a friend, relative, or neighbor who is handy with tools, volunteer to help so they can teach you at the same time. It’s great fun and it can come in oh so handy later on down your self-reliant journey; the more you can build and fix yourself, the more you’ll “earn” by saving. The same carpentry skills you use building a chicken house are used to build your own house!

Try to develop patience and focus on a goal. I pasted a picture of a log cabin in the woods, complete with chickens and a garden, above my bed, where I could see it every night. Now I’m sleeping in that cabin, with the chickens in their snug coop, and the garden waiting for me outside. It does happen, although sometimes not in the way we expect it to.

The more you can provide for yourself and do for yourself, the closer you are to being self-reliant. Start small and rejoice in your progress! — Jackie

Canning water

Comment on home canned water. I have been canning our well water in canning jars, for more than 10 years. I don’t always have a canner full of jars of veggies. I usually have plenty of hot water and hot jars for the beans or carrots, and the pressure is easier to control if the canner is full of jars. I also seal jars of water in the water bath canner. Our well water is tested regularly, so we know what we have (and don’t have). Our high calcium content makes white deposits in the jars. That settles and we don’t use it for drinking, but for washing dishes or the toilet. Thanks for all the information you share.

Mrs. Jim (Sally) Kohler
Boise City, Oklahoma

Thanks for your comments! We have such “doing” readers! I love it. — Jackie

Castrating buck kids

Great to see you well and “Out Catting Around”!

My question is what age is the best time to castrate buck kids with the plier type crimpers? Last year we must have waited too long. I have a not quite wether now. Is the only fix for poor old Bouncer a vet surgery now? He is 9 or 10 months old now.

Dinah Jo
Battle Ground, Washington

I love that bulldozer!

I assume you’re talking about a Burdizzo type emasculatome, where you crush each cord and blood vessel to each testicle. I do my buck kids as soon as each testicle can be plainly felt and the pinchers will fit. That can be anywhere from two to four months of age. But any age buckling…or buck…can be done successfully with them. Just be sure to get the cord above each testicle, between the body and testicle. DO NOT enclose the center dividing membrane in the “pinch”. Leave it pinched tight for about five seconds, then release. I’ve never had a “slip.” Also, do not get real close to the top of the testicle, as one kick and you’ll pinch the top of the testicle, which is not good. You could get an incomplete castration or major swelling. — Jackie

Products from Mexico and wrapping meat

I am wondering why you don’t use products from Mexico and some South American countries. Is it because of their use of pesticides or just on the principle of using USA products?

Also I had to take care of elk meat in a big hurry today so I cut it into roasts and froze it. I wrapped it in plastic, then in freezer paper but I am wondering if both are necessary or is just freezer paper or just plastic bags enough?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

I don’t use products from Mexico and other “less developed” countries for the simple reason that toxic chemicals banned in the U.S. are used there. I don’t buy food from Vietnam because of all the Agent Orange that was dumped on the soil during the Vietnam War. I’m sorry, but I don’t think it just disappeared. I also believe that good old Americans should be able to produce food that we eat…or I’ll grow it myself.

The tighter you wrap meat for the freezer, the less chance you’ll have of freezer burn. I’ve hung elk in a tree to freeze after gutting and skinning, wrapped in an old, clean sheet to keep the birds off. With a saw, I quartered the frozen meat and brought one quarter in at a time to thaw and can up. That worked fine for me. But of course I had no electricity and no freezer, save what Mother Nature provided. — Jackie

Permaculture

We will be moving to 20 acres in NE Washington state with plans to develop and manage the land in the most self-sustainable method possible (we are hardiness Zone 6 and have frost dates of June 6 and Sept. 7). We are intrigued by what we have read about “permaculture” and its techniques of farming land in a natural manner that maximizes land use and sustainability. What is your opinion of permaculture?

Marilyn and Crew at The Happy Horse Ranch
Oceanside, California

The term “permaculture” is ambiguous sometimes. What one person means is argued by another with equally good intentions. We practice permaculture, to a great extent, here on our homestead. We use only organic materials in our orchards and gardens. Our chickens have free run of the orchard all spring, summer, and fall, happily eating clover, bugs, and fallen fruit. Our prunings are fed to our goats. Our goats are pastured and produce milk and other dairy products for us. Their manure enriches the pasture, as well as the gardens and orchards, as does the chicken manure and horse manure.

We burn wood from our own woods, which is either standing dead or blow down trees. The ashes are spread on our gardens and compost piles, and thus fertilizes our garden and pastures.

We have cleared pastures of many trees, but have left a lot as well, to provide shelter for animals and a windbreak for the gardens, pasture, and our home.

We’ve planted and transplanted many edible trees, shrubs, and perennial vegetables and fruits along the woods borders and here and there, tucked into the landscape. Among these are: pin cherries, chokecherries, bush cherries, high bush blueberries, asparagus, rhubarb, currants, blackberries, edible acorn (burr oak and white oak), hazelnuts, horseradish, and comfrey. They are not fenced or tilled, but are mulched with leaves and straw when planted. We’ll also be introducing mushroom beds in our woods from boughten spores.

But we also grow our garden in traditional rows and wide beds as we grow what we eat and rows and beds are easier to work with. We do use heavy mulch where possible, along with drip irrigation to conserve water.

So do we advise permaculture? That’s a personal decision; one you’ll need to make for yourself on your own land. Enjoy the journey! — Jackie

Canning pasta sauce

I love onions and have a pasta sauce that I make up fresh and really like. I want to can it this summer when I’ve got plenty of tomatoes. Can I add as many onions and mushrooms that I want to the sauce without any detrimental effects? The spaghetti sauce recipe that my canning book has uses 30# of tomatoes and only 1 cup of onion. I’d like to add a lot more onion than that. It is to be pressure canned for 20 minutes for pints. Would that be adequate time to process it regardless of how many onions or mushrooms I put in my sauce?

Mrs. Sarah Paintiff
Bunker Hill, Illinois

No. Sorry, but when you add too many low acid vegetables, such as mushrooms and onions, you can compromise the safety of shorter processing time. I, also, love onions and mushrooms. What I do is to make spaghetti sauce with meat. Because you’ll be processing your sauce for 70 minutes, you can also add more mushrooms and onions safely. — Jackie

Good rear tine tiller

Could you please suggest a good rear tine tiller? Large garden area, heavy soil.

Dawn
Orion, Illinois

In my opinion, the Troybilt 8 horse tiller is absolutely the best. I’m on my second now, after 32 years of heavy, heavy use on red clay, rocks, and prairie hardpan. Of course, after composting and adding plenty of organic material, the soils rapidly got much better, and easier to till. I wouldn’t like to think of a large garden without one. — Jackie

We put the beautiful tall spruce up in the new living room yesterday to warm up and hopefully, tomorrow evening, we will decorate it. In the meantime, I’m writing Christmas cards like mad trying to catch up.

Readers’ Questions:

Root cellar in hot and humid area

I live in the prairie lands in one of the SW states, Texas. I plan to retire soon and will have plenty of time for gardening. I enjoy gardening and putting up the harvest. I was wondering if root cellaring in this part of the country is one practical method of storing my harvest. I am not sure if the right temperatures can be achieved in a hot and humid state most of the year. What do you think?

Kenneth Whitmire
Aledo, Texas

If you have the room, a root cellar is a good thing, no matter where you live, PROVIDED that your water table is not too high. We lived on the high prairie, in NE New Mexico. The old lady who had homesteaded on our place had a much-used root cellar. While a root cellar in the south won’t be as cool as one in the north, it will definitely help you keep your fruits and vegetables longer than if they were just kept in the warm house. By leaving the floor dirt or gravel, and maintaining humidity, this helps keep most produce even longer. A root cellar is also a good thing when you are in tornado or hurricane prone areas too, for family preservation. And you have plenty of food available right at your fingertips!

Keep your cellar well insulated, with closing vents, to keep out the very hot summer temperatures. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with your cellar. — Jackie

Hopi Pale Grey squash seeds

Jackie, not really a question but information, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds have Hopi Pale Grey squash seeds on their seed list…I can’t explain just how many hours of pleasure the magazine and your blog have given me. Wonderful treat to find the magazine in my mailbox during the rainy season.

Joan Orr
Lopez Island, Washington

Yes, I’ve seen that they have the Hopi Pale Grey seeds on their online catalog. I looked because it wasn’t listed again this year in their print catalog and I freaked out! JUST when someone was starting to carry it again. Thanks for the kind words. — Jackie

Tough chicken

My wife, Evelyn, and I love your blog! We have learned so much from “Ask Jackie” online and in the magazine. We are slowly working our way into raising our own food, and I have a question I hope you can answer.

We just butchered our first batch of chickens. We hatched a batch of mixed eggs in a brooder and then raised the birds. This was a great learning experience for our three homeschooled children! We are keeping the hens for eggs and just recently butchered the cockerels.

The cockerels were just starting to crow at 7 months of age. The birds were a mix of breeds including Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and a Buff Brahma. They had been raised in a runner 4′x16′, and fed a grain mixture raised and processed by a local farmer.

I placed them in a killing cone, bled them out, skinned them and aged them for 3 days in ice water. The white meat was delicious, but the dark meat turned out tough and stringy. I grew up hunting and have butchered a lot of game birds without having any turn out this tough. Can you give me an idea of why the dark meat is so stringy and tough?

Carl Umphlett
Columbus North Carolina

Next time, quick-cool the meat in ice water to remove body heat, then remove it, and place it in dry refrigeration (wrapped or covered, of course) for a day longer. Your young roosters should not be tough, but home raised chickens of mixed breeds are not as tender as the chicken from the store, which is very young Cornish rock hybrids, butchered from 6-7 weeks, on average. They’ve never scratched or run about; only stood in a pen and ate. If you want a guaranteed tender bird next time, buy some Cornish meat chicks to raise, then raise them as you would any farm chicken, butchering them between 7-10 weeks for very large fryers/smaller roasters. — Jackie

How to process venison

I was given a front and hind quarter of venison (I know, lucky me!) but… They thought they were doing me a favor by deboning it for me. What I received was hunks of meat that I’m not sure what is what and a LOT of the silver skin on it. Is there any way to salvage steaks from this or is it all destined to be put in the stew or stock pot or canned? I love a good medium rare grilled steak and my mouth is watering at the thought. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the meat but would really love to find some steaks out of this somewhere.

Michele Gerdes
Rhinelander, Wisconsin

You can cut steaks out of just about any large chunks of venison. By cutting them thicker, you can then cut them each nearly in two again, making a butterfly steak. The stuff with the silver skin is the smaller, long muscles on the lower part of the quarter, going down the legs. This can be either ground or cut apart, removing the silver skin, for stew meat. This is a bit tedious, but well worth the effort. I “skin” it as if I were filleting a fish; by sliding the knife along, just above the tough membrane and below the meat. With practice, you do get quite efficient. Enjoy your venison! — Jackie
Long-term food storage in a hot climate

We are newbies to the self-reliant lifestyle, but are trying hard to get moved up to our new homestead in North Florida as soon as possible. We won’t have the concerns related to “too cold” weather, but are concerned about it being too hot (particularly if we lose electricity) for successful long-term storage of canned goods and “root-cellaring,” etc. Do you (or any readers with knowledge of deep south homesteading) have any advice for us?

Jackie Keselowsky
Lutz, Florida

You’ll find that a good root cellar will definitely help you keep your food longer, regardless of where you live. In the deep south, you won’t have “ideal” cellar temps of between 35-40 degrees. Heck, I don’t have that in mine, come fall and summer. But you do have a lot longer storage of your foods, with even a slight reduction in temperature, over what is in your house. You really don’t need THAT cool a temperature for storage of your home canned and other canned/dry foods to keep them good for years. With lots of dirt and insulation bermed up over the top of an outside root cellar or good insulation over an in-the-corner of the basement cellar, you’ll be more than satisfied. Remember to consider your water table at all seasons before constructing your cellar; you do not want to build one that could become flooded, very damp and moldy. If the water table occasionally gets high, build an above ground cellar in a hillside or even BUILD a small hill, burying your cellar in it and double insulating your door. — Jackie

It’s hard to believe that those little seedlings are already big enough to transplant! But that’s the way they grow. Just like kids. I’m beginning to transplant from the flats they grew in to 4″ pots and deep, oversized six and nine packs. Today, besides doing Easter dinner, I transplanted tomatoes and peppers. But because I’ve planted over 14 different tomato varieties and 12 different peppers this year, this job has only just begun. We made our own potting soil this year. We haven’t been happy with Miracle Grow, so we made potting soil the old-fashioned way, mixing 1/3 rotted compost, 1/3 black soil, and 1/3 sand-clay mixture. To avoid weed seeds and bacterial contamination, we cooked a roasting pan full of each one in the oven, then turned them into a wash tub to mix. The result was a fine, loose mixture that should grow tremendous plants.

I’ll be doing this every day for about a week, as we not only have tomatoes and peppers, but celery, petunias, dahlias, blanket flowers, lupines, and other flowers, as well. Then it’ll be time to start the squash, pumpkins, and melons! What a garden we hope to have this year. I can hardly wait.

Readers’ Questions:

A day in the life of Jackie

What does a day in the life of Jackie Clay look like? When do you arise and lay your head down at night? How do you fit everything into 24 hours? Do you see your life changing as you age or have you been able to keep to the pace you set ten years ago?

Deborah Motylinski
Brecksville, Ohio

Wow, that’s a tough one, as every day is different. But I’ll try an honest answer here. I get up about 7 AM or so, get David up so he can get off to school. Start the wood cookstove, feed the house critters–goldfish, cat, and our dog, Spencer. Check the greenhouse plants, watering as needed. Visit with Will for a few minutes while his coffee perks. We plan our day’s must-dos, want-to-dos and future plans for awhile while watching the geese come flying down the creek and the eagles flying out of the big woods for their morning hunting.

I go out and feed the baby goats, turn the chickens out, feed the goats, donkeys, and horses, then it’s back to the house to get Mom up, get her breakfast, meds, etc.

Today I got David up and off to church, transplanted tomatoes and peppers into 4″ pots, fed the bottle baby goats lunch, swept the dried mud from our floors (you can’t help tracking in this time of year!), gathered eggs, cooked Easter dinner, washed a few loads of clothes, helped Will load our 8N tractor on the trailer, checked on the rhubarb, which is poking up through the mulch, planted some wildflower roots in our woods by the beaver pond, then it was chore time again and I fed, watered, and played with the donkeys, goats, and horses. Fed and watered our huskies (and played with them too). Transplanted a few more peppers, got Mom ready for bed, did her meds, and now, at 9:37 PM the blog. I’ll probably get to bed about 10:30 and oh how nice that’ll feel. But it was a good day!

No, my life’s not changing much, over 10 years ago. I’m taking a few more breaks during my work and maybe not doing it as fast as I did, but about the only thing that is different is that I appreciate everything more than I did back then. — Jackie

Cottage cheese from sour milk

After searching all over the BHM website anthologies and back issues, hard as I have tried I cannot find a recipe for making cottage cheese from sour milk. I’m pretty sure this is the way it was done before cultured cottage cheese came onto the scene. Do you have a recipe or can you direct me where to look for a recipe to make cottage cheese using sour milk?

Cheryl Ochenkowski
Eastpointe, Michigan

Yes, you can make cottage cheese from sour milk. The only trouble is that sometimes the results are not dependable; some is more acid than others because of the degree of souring of the milk and whether it is store milk or raw milk. The process is very easy. Just heat half a gallon (or so) of sour milk in a double boiler gently until a soft curd forms. Then pour it out into a colander lined with a doubled cheesecloth or clean piece of white sheet and drain it for an hour. Add salt, pepper, or herbs as you wish and refrigerate, covered. — Jackie

Spoiled pickles

Looking forward to the garden again, and to restarting my apple and cherry trees. We lost several to the rabbits; they totally stripped bark and cambium up to 3 feet from the ground. Looking forward to canning some rabbit.

Question: I bought 10 pounds of real nice Kirby cukes and tried pickling them. Have done this several times (brine method) and have had varying success with them. The last two times they just sat there and spoiled — no fermentation, as far as I can tell. No scum or bubbles to skim off, just flat-out spoiled. I use a clear plastic (food-grade) tub for this, not a stoneware crock. Everything is sterilized beforehand, and I keep it in an unheated room, with a cheesecloth cover over it. Any thoughts on what might be wrong?

Howard Tuckey
Lisle, New York

Just a few thoughts as I can’t oversee your pickling process to tell for sure what is going wrong; is the brine too weak (could you be putting the salt on top of the cukes where it doesn’t mix with the old brine when adding more?), could a part of one or more cukes be poking up out of the brine? Even one little piece sticking out of the brine will cause spoilage. Be sure to have a sterile weighted plate or food grade plastic bag full of the same brine on top of the cukes and brine to completely submerge them. Are you washing them well before pickling? Clinging field dirt can cause spoilage, and it doesn’t have to be much. Are you holding your brining pickles in a cool, dark place, such as a corner of your unheated basement or root cellar? Too much heat will sometimes cause fermentation of pickles to stop.

I hope this helps because I sure want you to have great success with your pickling! And darned those rabbits! They ate a few of my black raspberry canes, too. But fortunately I still have a whole bunch. — Jackie

The book was fun to write, but I’m honestly glad I’m done with my part. Sort of like being on deadline! Whew! Now I can get back to doing what I was writing about and helping Will on the addition.

Readers’ Questions:

Making soap

I made soap recently and used Backwoods Home Magazine issue #84 the article by Grace Brockway titled “The joys of making soap” and used her basic lard soap recipe. This was my first time making soap and it didn’t set up. I let it set about 3 days and it was really runny and felt a little oily to the touch. I then went to the first anthology (the first two years) and found an article about soap making. It said to pour the soap back into my bath canner with water and heated it up until it gets real creamy looking. Then to poured it out into the mold again. And that is what I did. That time it did set up. But it is really soft even after two weeks or so. I can still cut it with a knife and on the inside it is real sticky. After it has been exposed to air it will form a soft shell so it is not sticky, but it is still soft. Is there something that I did wrong or could do differently?

Jarad Brinkerhoff
Glendale, Utah

Often when we are learning a new skill, we don’t get it right the first time. It takes practice. Soap is no exception. The trick is knowing when to pour the soap out into the mold. If you pour too soon, it will stay soft, like yours did; too long and it gets hard and brittle. You might reclaim the soap by once again heating it with minimal water, even if you have to chop or grate it. Then whip the tar out of it with a wooden spoon, while it heats. Pour it our into fresh molds and put them in a warmish place to set. (Not in a cold basement; cold sometimes prevents soap from setting up.)

I’m sure your next attempt will be less frustrating. — Jackie

Good laying chickens

Could you please tell me what type of chicken is a really good layer and setter I have Dominique and Buff Orpingtons. But they are to fat, sassy and busy to set, they are pets to me I love and enjoy them so much, but would like to have some that are good setters. Any suggestions?

Penney Schmitzerle
Leitchfield, Kentucky

Your chickens should be good setters, as the breeds are known for that. I’ve had Buff Orpington hens that would hatch a golf ball. How old are your hens? Young hens often don’t get the hang of sitting on eggs; it takes a little age. You can also try any of the Cochins; they are really good mamas. Good hatching! — Jackie

Rinsing grain and woodstove baking

You said not to buy wheat (or corn) from the feed store for food purposes because it is not cleaned well. Well, would it work to wash the grain, dry it well, and then use it?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

I’m sure you could rinse your grain to rid it of bug parts, dust, etc. Just be sure it is very dry, inside and out (don’t soak it!) before storage, as it will mold if it is not.

Pick up a camping oven. They are basically a tin or aluminum box that you sit on top of your stove, with a rack in it to elevate your baking off the stove top’s heat. They work pretty well, but don’t bake a large loaf of bread. Usually you do rolls, biscuits, or small loaves in them. — Jackie

Floor insulation

We are in the process of adding an addition onto our house for our handicap daughter and our master bedroom. What do you consider to be the best way to insulate the floor for the addition will be on concrete pillars and have a crawl space of about 10 inches. The builder wants to use regular insulation (the pink stuff) but I am concerned about moisture and little critters looking for a place to
live.

Michelle Chapin
Fresno, Ohio

What we did when we built our addition with a crawl space was to tack strips of 1″x2″ along the bottom sides of the floor joists and laying OSB down on them, sealing off the access to the fiberglass insulation to the “critters” who love it for nests. Because your crawl space is so low, you might consider using treated plywood in place of OSB because of the possible moisture issue. The fiberglass is added above the panels. — Jackie

Storing honey

I’ve been given a plastic jar of honey — perhaps 3/4 of a gallon — that my father harvested 40 years ago. I know honey lasts forever, but I’ve also heard that botulism grows on honey. I hate to process it by boiling it, but would prefer that to creating a health risk. How can I make sure my family is safe in eating it?

Roman and Kelly Balaban
Wilmington, California

I have no information regarding ADULTS or older children getting botulism from eating honey. The risk is for infants under the age of 12 months of age. If you have no infants in your family, I, personally, wouldn’t worry. I have some of my own honey that is over 15 years old and I am still using it. It tastes fine and we are all alive. — Jackie

Canning lemon juice

I was hoping you might be able to help me. I just received three big bags of lemons and was hoping you might have some ideas on how to preserve them. I read in your archives how to dry them (which I will try), but would also like to make and can them as lemonade? Is this
possible?

Tami Wagner
Manning, Oregon

Glad to hear you scored on the lemons. You can juice them and can the lemon juice but I’m not so sure about the lemonade as you’re adding a lot of water which dilutes the acid in the lemonade. Why not juice the lemons, then can up the juice; it only takes a minute to make your fresh lemonade by adding the juice to water and then adding sugar to taste. To can the juice, heat the strained juice to 165 degrees; do not boil. Then ladle it into hot jars, leaving 1/4″ of headspace. Process the pints or quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. (If you live at an altitude over 1,000′, consult your canning manual for directions on changing your processing time to suit your altitude, if necessary.) Enjoy your bounty! — Jackie