Reader’s Questions:

Canning dried beans

I Need a few tips on canning beans. The dried kind, soaked, then placed in jars and pressure processed. I did some, but had to guess at the amount of beans and liquid per quart jar. Do you have specific amounts that you might share?

Bruce Clark
Interlaken, New York

There isn’t really a specific amount. You cover your dry beans with cold water by at least 2″ and let stand in a cool place overnight. Then add more water if necessary and bring to a boil; boil 30 minutes then pack in your jars, leaving 1″ of headspace. After the beans have soaked up the water from overnight soaking, they are about as big as they’ll get. You only need enough water in the jars to provide heat for processing, so the product isn’t too dense. Just make sure there is enough boiling water or cooking liquid to cover the beans completely, leaving 1″ of headspace. — Jackie

Using old lard for soap

On the subject of lard… I was given 40 lbs. of old lard last week. It really doesn’t smell bad and most of it is a pale yellow color not white. Can I use this “as is” for making lye soap? Or would I need to maybe temper it? I have only made lye soap once before and I used fresh lard for that batch.

Marcia Speltslambert
Clay City, Indiana

You can use the lard “as is” for your soap. It will be fine. — Jackie

Acidic tomatoes

How can I lessen the acid in my tomato sauce. I have tried different types of tomatoes, tried roasting tomatoes and then making sauce, added a little sugar, but always seems to be acidic.

Debra Purdy
Yuma, Arizona

Try adding brown sugar to your tomato sauce to YOUR taste. Some people are sensitive to the acid in tomatoes more than others. The brown sugar helps mellow out the acid for your taste buds. — Jackie

Gelding a horse

Here is a question regarding a horse that we adopted… He will be 2 in June and we just discovered that to geld him will be around $600 and a trip to the vet for he has not dropped either testicle. I was very upset to say the least for I know that this lady knew this for the vet told me that they usually are born dropped or shortly their after. What is your take on this? He will be two in June, how long should I wait to see if he will drop? I feel so stupid because now we are attached and money is an issue. How long can I wait to see if he will drop?

Michelle Chapin
Fresno, Ohio

I’ve seen a lot of colts that didn’t have their testicles drop until they were two or older. True it’s not as common to have a colt wait that long, but it’s not that rare, either. Usually the hot days of the summer seem to help this condition along. I’d give him a little more time and see if you’re not relieved of this worry. — Jackie

Growing roses from seed

I have a flower question. I pulled a ziplock back full of seed pods from my mothers antique Yellow rose bush. How do I start them to get my own? It is such a beautiful bush with awesome sunrise yellow roses that fade to creamy white as they age. Each of the pods seem to have smaller seeds inside.

Jennifer Joyner
St. Marys, Georgia

The easiest way to get another rose from your mother’s yellow rose bush is to cut off a sprout from the mother bush. If you look, you can usually spot a small vigorous stem coming up from the ground near the original rose. If you shove a spade between the big bush and the sprout, you will cut the root and be able to remove the sprout with it’s own roots intact. Then simply plant this mini-bush at home.

To start a rose from your seeds, remove them from the hip “pod,” place between sheets of damp paper towels and put them in a jar, in the fridge for 90 days. Then plant the seeds in pots or trays. Keep moist but not wet and you’ll soon see tiny roses coming up. Have fun! — Jackie

Broody hens

One of my Buff Orpington hens has gone broody. There was no other space, so she stayed in the coop with all the others. Another hen (or two) is not broody but wants to lie around in the nesting box, too. Every few days, there are ten, or so, eggs on the floor outside the box. I discard them because, frankly, I don’t know if any of them have been under the setting hen and might be spoiled. Is it likely that the setting hen would let the others roll some of her eggs out of the box?

Deborah McEnulty
Priest River, Idaho

Yes, another hen may be kicking the eggs out. Or the squabble over the nest box might roll eggs out. It’s common for other hens to try to lay eggs in the broody hen’s nest. To stop this, tack a piece of chicken wire over that nest box. You’ll have to offer the broody hen water and feed in the box, but with the wire over the opening, the other hens won’t compete for that box and ruin the eggs. Or you can simply move the setting hen into another nest box in another location. Do this at night, carefully first moving the eggs, then the hen. Lock her in the new box with the eggs for a couple of days until she is firmly setting. — Jackie

Keeping goats

Can you please tell me what you feed them and how much of the feed you grow yourself? I know the needs are different at different times. Have you had any difficult births and have you ever had to have a vet come to your place to assist in the delivery? If you have a breech birth do you assist in turning the kid and if so, how hard is it to do for a woman? At what age do you wean your kids?

Deborah Motylnski
Brecksville, Ohio

Right now we feed good quality hay and 14% sweet feed with a mineral salt lick. In the summer, we feed a whole lot of hand-cut forage, garden excess and canning waste, like corn cobs, husks, etc. As we improve our homestead, we will be raising more and more of all of our own feed. Each year we do better.

I have had a couple of difficult births during the many years I’ve had goats, but none that traumatic for me or the goat-mom. Kids often come back legs first, which calls for a little assist, just gently pulling the kid out so it doesn’t inhale birth fluid when the cord breaks. Most difficult births are due to two kids trying to enter the birth canal at the same time. You just have to go in and “sort” kids, guiding the right legs and head into the birth canal so it is in position for birth.

No this is not difficult for a woman; actually it’s easier because many women have smaller hands than men so they can give aid easier. It is not a “strength” thing at all.

I wean my kids when they are eating grain very well, growing nicely and weigh around 25 pounds. This is usually at about 2 1/2 months or so. Some grow slower, so I keep them on milk longer. If I have some kids I really want to be nice, I leave them on the mother until she weans them. I did this with Velvet’s triplet does last year and they are all rugged, strong and very nice. Being triplets, they were a little small at birth and grew slower, so I wanted them to have a good start in life. Sacrificing the milk was worth it! — Jackie

Canning on a flat-top stove

We are going to grow a garden this year and I would like to know if it will be ok to hot water can on a flat top stove?

Dave Williams
Edon, Ohio

It is not recommended that you use a glass top stove for canning, due to the concentration of both heat on the top and weight of the canner. However, I’ve had responses to this topic from readers who have successfully canned with one. (See the comments on recent blogs.) Personally, I’d use a small propane cooktop, just for canning. — Jackie

Planting potatoes

In cutting seed potatoes for planting, I have several with hollow heart. Is it okay to use them for seed potatoes? I did not find anything in your blogs or archives addressing this. They are
Yukon Golds and were purchased at the local farm and garden store.

Sherry Reynolds
Schoharie, New York

Yes, you can use the potatoes with hollow heart for seed. I usually cut out the hollow part, though. It is usually caused by irregular watering. Yukon Golds seem a little more susceptible to hollow heart than others, but I’ve had potatoes of several varieties with it…usually when watering has been difficult on a homestead. — Jackie

Planting vegetables in a shaded area

Our land is not very flat so we have had to improvise raised beds etc. for vegetables etc. My wonderful husband is just finishing a series of three retaining walls down the last slope to give us better access to the lower yard and for more planting area. The two smaller areas will be used for dwarf fruit trees (maybe three columnar apple trees) plus flowers etc. The lowest area which comes near evergreen trees is a lot bigger. I have three lilac bushes planted there already and would like to keep them there. The area does not get a lot of sun esp. in the afternoon. I would love to plant veggies in the area, but don’t know what to plant here because of low sun and possible deer munching. It would be perfect for zucchini because they could grow over the rock wall but I suspect there’s not enough sun. Any ideas for other plants or berries?

Donna Clements
Hoquiam, Washington

You’ll have to experiment. Many green vegetables, such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage will tolerate less sun than corn, tomatoes or squash. Zuchinni is a bush squash, so it won’t drape over your rock. A vining winter squash, such as delicata would, and remain less invasive than a lush grower like hubbard or Hopi Pale Grey. Deer are a problem everywhere. In Montana, though, our many deer really didn’t bother our garden. Why, I’ll never know. That too, you’ll have to just see. We had a doe that napped in our squash patch! — Jackie

Sagging house

…I have read that you have rented or lived in a few different homes, some of which were difficult to make livable. I am not physically able to do a lot of heavy work and am raising my 2 year old grandson and a teenage daughter, whew (at this age a toddler is very hard to contain). My husband works full time and has our only source of income. Our home was non professionally built by my great grandparents and we have almost 50 acres around it. The land is beautiful and something I had prayed for since I was young (God really does hear and answer prayers).

Sonja Neatherland
Dodson, Louisiana

I hear you about having a little one; I had my youngest son, David, when I was 44, so I know how much running it takes out of you! We potty trained him by sitting his little potty in front of the “big” one. When we went, he came with us and sat there having great discussions…and also sometimes going potty. Of course, being a little boy, he also went pee out in the yard, in the woods or wherever he was. It took awhile before he figured it was not socially correct to take a whiz in public. But we all lived through it. The BIG incentive to be totally potty trained was wearing big-boy underwear. That did it!

As for the house problem. It sounds like you have a big job ahead of you. It might be cheaper and easier to rebuild a small, easy-to-add onto house on a solid foundation. A lot of folks have started with a two car garage sized house, then added on as the cash allowed. I don’t know your situation, so you may need to fix the existing home, instead. Start with the basics, the foundation, the plumbing that drains under the house…which probably isn’t doing the structure any good. Yes, I’ve jacked up sagging buildings. I used 6″x6″ timbers, running under the floor joists and sills, then used a bottle jack under that to slowly and carefully raise the house/shed. Sometimes they’ll improve; sometimes the damage is too great. But it’s worth a try.

The building is sagging for a reason. Try and find it. Are sills rotted out? Floor joists? Is the footing crumbled? Often you can replace the rotten area or build block and concrete support footings for the floor, which in turn, holds the house straight once you’ve jacked it up.

Of course, a professional will do a better job, but many of us have never been able to afford one so we’ve made do. And it’s amazing at what a person can fix if need be.

Always be very careful when jacking up a building; never get under it without sturdy support. That house is heavy! — Jackie

Making lemonade

Do you have a recipe for lemonade made from dried lemon peel? I have searched the web but find nothing. I would think you could but nothing is out there.

Liz Welcher
Indianapolis, Indiana

You probably can’t make lemonade from dried lemon peel; you’d have to use dehydrated lemon without the peel as the peel contains oils that would make the lemonade taste bitter, not sour. You can remove the peel from lemons, slice them crosswise, remove any seeds, then dehydrate them. By rehydrating them, then adding to water with sweetener, you would have a nice lemonade. Without the bitterness of the peel. — Jackie

Pond not holding water

We recently purchased a home with a “pond,” however it does not hold water very well. Actually, it has held a small amount in the bottom (aprox.1 foot) pretty well, but we have had great rainfall this past winter and spring which filled the pond up twice, but within 1 week the pond was back to it’s 1 foot level again. We were advised to broadcast bentonite with the last filling, but it didn’t seem to help. Do you know any tricks? The previous owner said that the pond had been “properly raked.” I
would greatly appreciate any help you might have.

Margaret Galloway
Springville, Alabama

This type of seasonal pond usually will only stay filled higher than its natural level if you pump it out (or wait for a dry summer) and install a pond liner. This is a heavy poly or rubber sheet that does not let the water escape. Many people have had great luck improving a pond on their place this way. However it is expensive to buy and install. I wish I had a magic cure for your pond! I love my water too! — Jackie

Growing vegetables in the shade

I have a section of my main vegetable garden that doesn’t get much sun during the growing season. I think it must get a couple hours of direct sun a day. The only thing that’s ever grown well there is the strawberry patch. What are some other things I could grow there? We live in northern Connecticut.

Jeanne Allie
Strorrs, Connecticut

You may have good luck growing salad veggies such as lettuce, mesclun mixes, kale, broccoli and cauliflower. These often have a greater shade tolerance than other garden vegetables. Good growing. — Jackie

Canning problems

Hello, I have 2 minor canning problems. The butter I just canned turned out ok but it has a somewhat gritty texture and a slightly different taste from fresh. Is this normal? Also I canned some smoked sausage but it got very mushy and had a bad texture. Anyway to solve this?

Jeff Schanks
Barnesville, Ohio

Did you refrigerate your butter before trying it? Canned, room temperature butter can have a gritty texture, like some room temperature stick margarine does. Or did you “cook” it quite a while to evaporate the water in the butter? This also can sometimes result in a different texture/taste. Neither is harmful.

Was your smoked sausage in casing or patties? I’ve never had good luck canning smoked sausage, like summer sausage, because of the change in texture and taste. With the patties, I lightly fry them, then stack them in a wide mouth jar to process, without liquid. With liquid, they do get mushy. — Jackie

Homemade noodles

I believe in the last issue there was an article on making homemade noodles and drying them. I have always made them, dried them and then froze in freezer. My question is,” When dried can they be stored in cans on the shelf?” I know dried noodles at the grocery stores are stored on the shelf but I am worried about Salmonella poisoning.

Rose Cafin
Robinson, Illinois

To store dry noodles on the shelf, they must, of course be very dry; in effect, dehydrated. To be absolutely safe, continue to use your noodles fresh or frozen. There is a minute risk of picking up a bacterial infection from home dried noodles, but it IS a possibility. — Jackie

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Here is a short Video Blog of how I made room for 12 chickens.

(Oops! I posted this video once before. It was previously posted as part of a longer video clip here.)

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Here is my latest video:

David got busy the other day and dragged out all our outside Christmas lights. I always shop right after Christmas at the “big” stores and have picked up sets of icicle lights for $2 and others for as low as .50 a set. So we haven’t a lot of cash invested in boxes of great lights. Last year, with the deep, early snow, and everything else that was going on, we just didn’t get around to getting lights up. But this year, we do, and it’s oh so cheerful!

I’ve also been canning up the last of David’s deer. Last night, I marinated the last of the boneless meat and tenderloins and ground up the meat from the neck and shoulders. So today I roasted the pieces of meat to partially cook it and fried up the ground meat with onions from the garden. I added 3 quarts of water with some spices to the roasts, near the end, so when I packed the hot meat in pint jars, I had great seasoned broth to pour over it. The ground meat, I packed hot, without liquid, also in pint jars. Then I processed it all in one big batch in the canner. Boy does it look tasty! But I AM glad that’s finally done. It’s kind of tough when half the deer freezes solid outdoors and you have to chop it and saw it apart with a hatchet and hand saw…Not real “dainty,” for sure!

We have been having real cold and several inches of new snow every day or two. Real cold. As in below zero, cold. Brrrr. But the new snow is helping our plants survive the winter and helping keep the septic tank, which I covered with hay, and water line, from freezing. So that’s a good thing. Besides, the fluffy snow on our beautiful log cabin and those glowing Christmas lights really make it look a lot like a Christmas card.

Readers’ Questions:

Hopi Pale Grey seeds

Just a quick note to say thank you for the Pale Grey Hopi seed. You sent plenty of seeds to plant this spring and to hold some back for next year, just in case. Thank You.

Dan Jones
Chickamauga, Georgia

Glad you got your seeds okay, Dan. Remember not to plant any C. maxima squash or pumpkins in your garden this year, except for the Hopi Pale Greys. That way you’ll keep pure seed and can pass some along to other neighboring gardeners and friends. — Jackie

Cranberry juice for bladder infection

I just love your blog and of course the magazine. You stated that your Mom suffers from frequent bladder infections. My mom did to but she found that drinking cranberry juice was really helpful in preventing the infections. Maybe it would help your mom.

Nancy Hanson
Washburn, Wisconsin

Thanks for the thought. Mom drinks bottles of cranberry juice every week. The doctor thinks that she may have a pocket of infection that just doesn’t clear up completely. She has an appointment with a urologist January 19th. They had NO earlier appointments! Wow! Kids: consider urology as a career! — Jackie

Bread machines

Do you recommend bread makers? I once had one and wasn’t too impressed but did like it for the temperature. When making bread by hand I always messed up the water temp/yeast factor…I never liked the bricks that came out of the bread maker and would just take the dough out and then make it in the oven. That bread machine died 10 yrs. ago. Have they gotten any better at not making bricks? I saw one at Walmart and the container was so tiny, yet the machine huge. Or do you just say phooey on them and say don’t waste your money?

Deb
Bemidji, Minnesota

I’ve never had a bread machine, although Mom had one and really liked it because her hands had such bad arthritis that she could no longer mix and knead bread. Ilene Duffy uses one a lot and her breads turn out great. I’d say that newer bread machines ARE much better than they used to be, but with everything else, often you get what you pay for…the cheaper machines probably won’t work as well as the more pricey ones. I like the old fashioned mix and knead method, myself. It’s relaxing. — Jackie

Canning link sausage

I canned link (chicken) sausage in pint jars (dry, no liquid added) at 10 lbs for 75 min. without cooking the sausage first.They turned out well and every jar sealed.Would it be better to cook the sausage first and then pressure can it or is it sufficient enough to go ahead and can it like I did? I am looking for a basic reasonable long term storage on this item.Thank you for your time and consideration!

Pam Ayala
Arlington, Washington

I’ve canned sausages like you did, but now I’m gently browning them, then packing them hot, in hot jars. I never had any trouble raw packing them, but they seemed better after I browned them before packing. — Jackie

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Jackie, It is so good to see you on youtube. I have been a subscriber to BHM for a year or so, but have been buying them off of the shelf for several years. I love it so much I bought the Whole Sheebang. I just want you to know how much I enjoy reading your articles. I often sit in my deerstand and log onto the internet via my cell phone and read your articles on the BHM website. It truly amazes me how you guys have so much in common with me and my family. I also thought that you would like to know that I use some of your ideas on being prepared for an emergency. I am the Emergency Management Director for Greene County Mississippi, and I often implement some of your preparedness recommendations in my hurricane preparedness articles. My wife and I have discovered the world of canning meat, and we are loving it, thanks to you. I feel that my family as well as my friends and fellow county residents will be better prepared for the next disaster thanks to great people like you and the rest of the gang at BHM.God Bless.

Trent Robertson
Leakesville, Mississippi

It’s always great to hear from readers who read and use my tips. Disasters are not SO horrible when you are prepared and have “creature comforts” to sustain you during the duration. And when one person helps another and on down the line, we’ll all be better off. — Jackie

Readers’ Questions:

Light for brooding chickens

I have seen instructions for brooding chickens with a 250 watt red bulb for heat. Then they said to only have 15 watt light at night or reduce lighting period each week. How can I reduce light while maintaining heat with 250 watt bulb? When heating with a light, then heat equals light. What am I missing?

Douglas Basberg
Clarkston, Michigan

First of all, Doug, let me apologize for taking so long to answer your e-mail. When new e-mails come in, once in awhile, they pop up in previous spots that are long gone. I just happened to be deleting some old blog questions and found yours! Eeeek. Sorry. No, you didn’t miss something. Of course when you brood with a 250 watt light bulb, there will be light as long as the bulb is lit. The only time I used additional light was when I used my old homemade kerosene brooder. It provided no light so I had to keep another lamp or a candle lit on the nearby table to keep the chicks from piling and smothering each other at night.

Thanks for offering your e-mail address to the reader who was interested in aquaponics. I think it IS very interesting and I’m sure Dave would be interested in seeing an article on it for BHM. — Jackie

Canning pumpkin

I was given 20 big pumpkins and I wanted to make pumpkin butter and can it. Also wanted to can pumpkin after I cooked it in the oven and scooped it out. Now I’m reading its not safe to can. Can I pressure can it and how long at what pressure? Your a great inspiration and I admire you.

Sharon Beck
Sikeston, Missouri

The experts now tell us that it’s not safe to can pumpkin and squash puree because it’s a dense product and some folks were pureeing it, then letting it cool down before packing it. Because it was dense, it sometimes did not heat to an adequate temperature for long enough. I have canned pumpkin and squash puree for years, but I am very, very careful to have it simmering when I pack it into hot jars, then quickly get it into a hot canner so it never cools down. It is processed at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning manual for directions) for 90 minutes for quarts and 65 minutes for pints. Instead, you might consider cubing the pumpkin and canning it that way, mashing it when you want to make a pie, etc. Cube it in 1″ cubes, then heat till boiling in water to cover. Pack the cubes to within 1/2″ of the top of the jars, then pour the boiling liquid that they were heated in to within 1/2″ of the top of the jar and process as above. You might also try drying pumpkin slices. I do this a lot and the slices are easy to rehydrate and they can even be ground as flour to add to soups, stews and even multi-grain breads. — Jackie

Canning blueberries

I became the proud owner of 10 lbs. of blueberries, I want to can some of these for use as pie filling. The recipe I have for doing this calls for Clear-jel. I cannot find this in any of the stores in my area. Can I use corn starch instead of this? Also do I use the same amount?

Pete Ricupero
Shelocta, Pennsylvania

ClearJel is a cornstarch based product that has been formulated so that it doesn’t thicken so as to inhibit the heat from penetrating the thicker product you are canning. Therefore it is not recommended that you substitute regular cornstarch. I found several sources of ClearJel. If you can’t get it to you before your berries need to be canned up, you could either freeze them or can them in a medium syrup and then make your pies using cornstarch to thicken them, as you wish. — Jackie

Garlic juice

Do you have a recipe for making garlic juice? We use a lot of garlic, but would like to know about garlic juice. We understand that it’s the only way to make a really tasty garlic bread.

Paul Harris
Chalfant Valley, California

To tell the truth, I’ve never made garlic juice. I crush the cloves of garlic, which really brings out the flavor. Not chop, not slice, mash. This is then mixed with butter well, and spread over the bread. Everyone who tries it thinks it is the best. I hope you like it too. — Jackie

Canned bread

A whole lott’a years ago, I remember eating my grandmothers’ canned breads, biscuits and cakes. They were great treats. I think they were “hold-overs” from the Great Depression. Anyhow, “Grandmothers” are now gone, along with their recipes. Would you know of any recipes, OR better yet, anyone out there whom might know of or have some of these recipes?

Paul Harris
Chalfant Valley, California

I was one of those grandmothers and made canned cakes and sweet breads for years. Now the experts tell us that it is possible for botulism to develop in those jars of cake/bread. So I can’t recommend it anymore. Sorry. — Jackie

Persimmon trees

I found 3 persimmon trees on the property and just made my wife some cookies. Since I am sharing the persimmons with the wildlife, can I use the seeds to grow starters during the winter? What is the best way to expand my persimmon tree population?

Ron Rogers
Centerview, Missouri

Take the seeds out of your persimmon, then dry them. Place them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag and keep over winter. In the spring, plant them where you want them to grow or else in pots in a protected location. Once they have grown nicely, you can transplant them to their permanent place. Plant at least two in an area, as they will pollinate each other, making a larger yearly crop. — Jackie

Canning meat and beans

I was wondering about canning a recipe I have. It calls for 2 lbs cooked ground beef and 1/2 lb cooked bacon, then butter beans, light red kidney beans, and pork n beans, combined with ketchup and spices. I will be using beans from the grocery so they will be processed already. I was wondering about canning length. Should I go with the time for the hamburger or beans?

Jamie Mastey
Bonduel, Wisconsin

ALWAYS process a recipe for the food requiring the longest processing time, in this case, the meat. Pints are processed at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning manual for directions, if necessary) for 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes for quarts. Likewise, if you are canning a tomato based recipe, including meat, you would also pressure can it for the same length of time, even though that tomatoes alone can be water bath canned. — Jackie

Canning sausages

Thanks for you help in the past, I have another canning question for you. I have a local butcher shop that makes excellent pork sausages, in a bunch of different flavors, the sausages are quite large about one and one half inches in diameter and about 7 inches long. To cook them I poach them in water and then finish them off in a frying pan. I would like to be able to can them if possible, two to a jar to prevent leftovers. What do you think? Can I just poach them and then process them or are sausages more complicated than that? I read your piece in issue 90 about canning sausages patties but I am concerned about the size of these sausages. By the way I just finished up my second batches of canned butter and canned cheddar cheese, I know it is experimental but it worked like a charm. I would not have gotten into canning if it were not for your articles.

Kevin Dixon
Toronto, Canada

I really think I’d skip these, Kevin. They are kind of large; i.e. dense and you might have a problem getting them to heat thoroughly enough to the center of the meat. Spiced sausages and other meat can also be a problem, as some spices can intensify or change taste in the canning. One common case in point is sage. When canned, it sometimes gets bitter. I can up sausage patties that are pretty much basic-seasoned; salt and pepper, with a little red pepper. Then when I heat them to use, I lightly dust them with whatever other seasonings I want, including sage. This works very well.
No yucky sausages for me! — Jackie

Cranberry relish

I make a cranberry relish where I chop 2# whole cranberries, add 3-4 ground up oranges and sugar to taste. I canned my 1st batch last year using a hot water bath in jelly jars for 20 minutes. They have been stored correctly, the seals are beautiful but they look awful! (kind of a very faded dull reddish) Since it is such an acidic food to begin with, I can’t see a problem eating it. What are your thoughts? Is it normal for cranberry relish to change color? What did I do wrong? I want to try again this year, but hate to waste anything. I make it in small jars as there are only 2 of us.

Mary Byrne
Gassaway, West Virginia

I’ve never canned cranberry relish; I usually make it and serve it refrigerated. But from my experience with other types of fruit relishes/conserves, I’ve found that they often are a darker color, too. For instance, rhubarb conserve is that dark reddish brown you describe. If the seals are okay, the food smells fine and tastes good, don’t worry about it. — Jackie

Chicken sausage

I have a bunch of chicken and I’d like to make some sausage with it. I can find plenty of recipes calling for chicken sausage, but no luck finding any recipes on making the sausage itself. Then I thought, “Jackie will know!” Would you mind sharing your favorite recipe for making chicken sausage?

Bob Bader
Rockwood, Maine

Boy did you stump ME! I had to type “making chicken sausage” into my browser. And I was surprised at all the information. Why don’t you try it and choose one you’d like to try. If I get the time, I might just pick out a couple too. — Jackie

Saving root vegetable seeds

My mother and I just purchased a large variety of heirloom seeds. We already save seeds from the easy stuff, but we’d like to save seeds for everything we grow. How do you save seeds from root veggies like carrots?

Sara Maria
Freeburg, Illinois

A lot of root crops can be encouraged to set seed by leaving them in the ground over winter, depending on the climate. Here in northern Minnesota, I can toss a good layer of straw over my seed carrots and they’ll live over winter and go on to make seeds the next season. If that won’t work, you can pack your seed roots in a 5 gallon bucket of damp sand and keep that in the colder corner of your basement or root cellar if you have one. Then in the spring plant them as you would any other plant and wait till fall to harvest the seed. Be advised that carrots grow all gangly and huge their second year, looking like Queen Ann’s lace and the “carrot” also gets un-carrot like, getting hairy, sprawling and ugly. But it does make seed that is good to plant. Likewise for parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, etc. Good seed saving! — Jackie

Calculating liquid for canning

This weekend I canned 14 quarts of potatoes and 7 quarts of meatballs. How do you calculate how much liquid you will need if you are using something other than water? For the meatballs, I used 1 jar spaghetti sauce with 2 1/2 jars water which came out close enough. Used the rest for meatballs for dinner.

Julia Crow
Gardnerville, Nevada

I confess; I pretty much guess. But you’ll find that after years of canning, your guesses will come closer and closer to being right. I usually have a standby quart or two of, say, tomato sauce, ready, just in case I’m coming up short. I can heat it quickly and use that to finish up the last jars, if necessary. All the flavors of meatballs don’t have to be the same in one canner batch. I’ve canned “cream of mushroom” meatballs along with jars of tomato sauce meatballs. They are all processed for the same time. — Jackie

Salt brining eggs

My father used to tell me how gramma saved eggs during the depression. He said gram just kept them in a salt water brine. The brine had to be thick enough to ‘float’ the egg, where ever you placed it. He said that the eggs would keep for up to a year, only the yolks would break. I have searched every where and haven’t found anything regarding this method of egg storage. Have you heard or do you know of a way to store eggs without canning or refrigeration?

Brenda Lee Shelt
Kalispell, Montana

I think your father’s gram probably kept her eggs in a waterglass solution. My grandmother did; it was a popular way of preserving eggs then. Yes, it will keep eggs quite well. But I really hate it; reaching in that snotty, cold solution, in a crock in the basement is not conducive to visions of great meals! I’ve found that good, fresh unwashed eggs will keep quite well with no treatment, when placed in a cold (not freezing) place for the winter, when the hens may not be laying. I’ve kept eggs from December to March or April this way. The whites get a little watery and the yolks will break more easily, but if you break all eggs in a cup before you use them, you’ll be sure to spot any that have gone bad. Another way that some folks have preserved eggs for over winter is to carefully coat them with Vaseline and store in a dark, cool place. — Jackie

Starting over

We have been trying to find a property we can afford to buy with little or no financing. Currently we’re looking at a partly finished house on land that the builder is selling as is. We think we’d need to get it to the point where it is legal to live in it and then finish it “pay as you go.”

Mary Thompson
Charlotte, North Carolina

Regarding our move and building the homestead, really I would have done nothing different. Other than losing my husband, Bob, the bout with cancer, etc. I totally loved the adventure of building the way we did. Of course, there WERE down days! Hey, I’m human! Like the day it rained cats and dogs before we had shingles on our roof; only a worn tarp. We had 2″ of water on our kitchen floor! But you get bad days no matter where you’re living or what you’re doing. Now I can look back and see just how far we’ve come. And boy do I appreciate every single day! Go for it! — Jackie

Canning pumpkin and squash

My question Jackie, is on purees of pumpkin and butternut. I usually stem up my pumpkin and then puree it and freeze it to make my pumpkin pies and use in bread etc. Is it possible to can this instead of freeze? I make a butternut squash soup that uses cooked butternut,1 to 2 potatoes, chicken broth, butter, onions and cream (all is pureed smooth and served). I would like to can this soup as well if possible. I do know that I would have to leave out the cream, I guess I would add it before serving. I also would love a canning recipe for tomato soup if you have one.

Jennifer Joyner
St. Mary’s, Georgia

You would need to process your soup for 90 minutes (quarts) at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude, if necessary. Consult your canning manual.) You’re right, you probably should leave out the cream, as it kind of curdles on canning. I haven’t found a good tomato soup recipe for canning, for the same reason. I just can the tomato puree, then make a white sauce and stir in the tomato puree when I want cream of tomato soup. It works just fine and only takes a very few minutes. — Jackie

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We’re finishing up the harvest and getting the fields ready for winter. I also spotted a rainbow out by our apple orchard that I wanted to share with you. Here’s a video of it all.

Readers’ Questions:

Making baby formula

I would like to know how to make baby formula from evaporated milk?

Leona Martel
Wausau, Wisconsin

This is one “old time” recipe I wouldn’t advise you to use. While generations of babies, including ME, have been raised on it, which consisted of evaporated milk, Karo syrup and water, it is now not advised as it is not nutritionally complete and can damage the kidneys and cause dehydration, should the baby become ill and not be able to take adequate formula to keep the electrolytes balanced. Better yet, and older still, is good old Mom’s milk! — Jackie

Heating with kerosene

I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area where winters get COLD. I am from Memphis, originally. In one of the articles in the Survival issue you guys mentioned having kerosene stoves available and a 55-gallon drum of kerosene for about 2 months use. Are there any that are safe for indoor use, and can one hook up a vent to the outside? Do you have any suggestions as to brands or types. Besides worrying about the economy, I am really concerned about heating this winter up here.

John Harper
Peninsula, Ohio

I’ll trade you “cold”! Ha ha ha. We get -55 here! But I do understand you concern. Unfortunately, kerosene has taken a huge leap in price. Sound familiar? Now a better alternative for you would be a direct vent propane wall heater. We have one in Mom’s room for when nights get too cold for the wood stove to keep her toasty. She likes it 85 degrees. You can get them that do not run on electricity, nor require electricity to operate safely. They are great for emergencies and will keep you warm. So far, propane is the “cheapest” heating fuel, although not really “cheap” anymore, for sure! — Jackie

High altitude canning

I live at about 7,000 ft altitude and have canned successfully for many years – but never meat. I tried some sloppy joes yesterday – processed at 15 lbs pressure for 75 minutes/pints. The mixture has a definite burnt taste after processing. I wanted to try to can quite a few meat mixtures because I would like to not have so much meat in my freezers but am not happy with the burnt/overcooked taste. Is this something you just have to put up with at altitude or am I doing something wrong?

Cathy Edens
La Veta, Colorado

I had that trouble sometimes, too, when we lived at 7,400 feet in Montana. I found that when you use tomato products, especially those containing sugar, it could have that “scorched” taste. For this reason, I pretty much canned my meat with broth instead of tomato sauce containing sugar. It didn’t seem as the tomato sauce without it scorched during processing like the stuff with sugar. You may have to just can your meat and tomato sauce separately, then just dump the jars together into a pan at serving. — Jackie

Protecting grain from weevils

You advocate storing bulk grain for survival use throughout the year. How can the contents of a tight container be protected from grain weevils? Insecticides are out. Any type of gas such as chlorine or ammonia that would kill any bugs trapped within and leave the grain still fit for human consumption? I have wheat and corn to protect.

Generally if you will place your airtight storage buckets in the freezer for a few days, you will kill any grain weevil eggs or possible insects. If these are a problem in your kitchen or pantry, pick up a few pantry moth traps, available through many garden supply catalogs, such as GardensAlive!. They really work and the fewer moths, the fewer weevils in your food. — Jackie

Making potato flour and canning cheese

I would like to learn how to make potato flour from my own home grown potatoes. Do you know how to do this or where I could fine this information?

Connie Russell
Dixonville, Alberta
Canada

To make potato flour, simply dehydrate potato slices by slicing peeled potatoes, steam blanching them for 3 minutes, then dehydrate until brittle. Once this has been done, whiz them in your blender until the desired consistency has been reached. Then again dry the flour, using a fruit leather tray liner, to ensure complete dryness before storage. Any moisture will cause the flour to mold.

While home canning cheese is considered by some to be “experimental” canning, many books have been written with cheese canning recipes, and a whole lot of people have been canning this high acid (lactic acid) food with good results. I dice up hard cheese and pack it into wide mouth pint and half pint jars, placed in water half way up the open jar, in a roasting pan on the stove. The water gets hot, like a double boiler, and the cheese melts. As it melts, I add more until the jar is full, leaving half an inch headroom. The jars are then wiped clean, a hot, previously simmered lid is placed on them, the ring tightened firmly tight and the jars are then processed in a water bath canner for 40 minutes. I have pressure canned cheese, but the cheese gets a too-done flavor; not burned, but like the browned cheese on top of a pizza. — Jackie

Canning Pumpkin and sweet potatoes

I can’t find any information on pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes to can. I know I have to pressure can them but I’m not sure how long to process them.

Nicole Bramm
Narvon, Pennsylvania

The FDA does not recommend canning pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes any longer. It seems that some people did not heat the thicker puree enough before canning them and a bad product resulted. Instead, you can dice your pumpkin into 1″ peeled pieces, bring them to a boil in water, then pack into hot jars to within a 1/2″ of the top, pouring boiling cooking liquid to cover to within 1/2″ of the top of the jars. Process for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit you altitude; consult your canning manual for directions, if necessary). When you want to use the pumpkin, simply drain and puree before use and use as you wish. — Jackie

Canning Achiote seasoning paste

Is it possible to can Achiote seasoning paste? The recipe is a combination of ground spices, garlic, salt, vinegar and flour. It’s so thick I’m not sure if it is safe to can, which process to use and for how long to process. I would like to use 4 oz. jars.

You’re right; because it is thick and thickened with flour, it isn’t a good candidate for canning. — Jackie

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