Sure, I’d rather have less snow and cold. But if our weather up here in northern Minnesota was milder, the whole state would be built up, elbow to elbow! Actually I find plenty to do all winter, inside and out. Chores take longer in the winter because of snow drifts to work around, water to haul and wood to bring in. Then there’s our mile + long driveway to keep cleaned, round bales to haul and the birds to feed.

No, I don’t get bored in the winter. (Especially when every day brings more seed and nursery catalogs!)

Right now we’ve got about two feet of snow on the ground, on the flat, with some places deeper because of drifting. But our critters don’t mind a bit. As soon as I’m out the door, goats in two pens are at the fence, the donkeys down in the pasture are braying and the horses nickering. No, they’re not hungry; all have big round bales of great hay in front of them all the time. They LOVE attention. In fact, Moose, our donkey won’t eat his grain until he gets petting, hugs and has his feet picked up. Even our buck goats, Rocky and Zip stand on the fence for attention. But because they’re breeding right now, they smell and I don’t exactly give THEM hugs. But I do tell them how handsome they are and gingerly pet their noses. No mean bucks, here. They are real pets and they love people.

The deer are often eating with the horses, down in the pasture, munching on the round bales. As the snow’s getting deeper and deeper, they are getting more hungry. I don’t mind sharing. Just as long as they don’t share my garden!

Readers’ Questions:

Choosing fruit trees

I am ordering fruit trees through Fedco and was wondering if you could help me with varieties. I thought I would purchase six of them and want to use them for storage, fresh eating,etc.

Deborah Motylinski
Brecksville, Ohio

Wow! How can I choose? Will and I ordered 9 and stopped because we already have 11. We want every one that grows here! But lucky you, you are in zone 5 (I think), so you have even more to choose from. Whew. I’ll tell you some of the ones I love and you’ll have to narrow it down. Choosing fruit trees is sort of like picking clothes; it’s a highly personal decision. I really like: Mantet, Keepsake, Honeycrisp, GoldRush, Connell Red and Wolf River. But, being that you are in zone 5, you also have the opportunity to buy from nurseries in warmer zones, such as Stark and Miller Brothers, who have some more of my favorite apples that I can’t grow, such as Fuji, Pink Lady, Mutsu and Red Rome. (I also love Honeygold, and have one growing now.) Decisions, decisions…Makes winter fly by! Have fun! — Jackie

Recanned sauerkraut

I recently received as a gift a quart of homemade sauerkraut. My problem is we don’t eat a lot of it. Would I be able to recan it in pint jars? My friend told me that she water bathed them for three hours would I have to do the same to get them to seal? Last thingy…KEEP up the great work and Hoping you and your family have an even better NEW YEAR!

Ralph Lincoln
Berlin, Pennsylvania

Thank you Ralph. And your family, too! Yes, you can re-can the sauerkraut. But your friend didn’t need to water bath it for 3 hours the first time; 20 minutes will do the job. It might get pretty soft if you re-can it…if it isn’t already. If you choose to re-can it, bring it just to a simmer; don’t boil it. Pack it hot, in hot jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Ladle the hot liquid over the sauerkraut (you can use a little boiling water if you don’t have enough liquid), leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar, and screw down the ring firmly tight. Process your pints for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. — Jackie

Plum jelly

I’m making jelly from this summer’s plums. The kitchen smells so wonderful. I have run out of the cute, little jelly jars. Now I have to choose between the pint or quart jars. Is either one okay or will using a bigger jar affect the jelling? Thanks for showing us that our weak moments do not define us and that we can keep going, as you do.

Mary McEnulty
Priest River, Idaho

I would use the pints. Sometimes larger jars of jelly won’t get used up fast enough, before they start to mold. But if you have a large family, that probably won’t happen. I used to have 8 kids home and canned jam and jelly in quarts, and it always jelled. I wouldn’t do chokecherry in quarts, as it can have problems jelling, even in half pints, sometimes. But then we have great chokecherry syrup! It’s like the old saying “Out of every bad thing, some good must come.” But sometimes you have to look very hard for that good thing until it pops up and hits you in the face. Life isn’t easy, but oh so worth it! — Jackie

Dog wounds

My dog was attacked by another dog, a couple months back. My neighbor came over and put flour in the puncture wounds. Is this a good idea? What can I have on hand if something happens again? Alcohol, triple antibiotic or something else? Can I give the dog aspirin? I called the vet, but they wanted her to come in (can’t afford that) and wouldn’t give me info over the phone.

Tifani Lackey
Grants Pass, Oregon

I’m not very thrilled about the flour thing. Yes, it does stop blood. But it cakes around the wound and could cause an infection. Besides taking the dog to your vet, the best thing would be to clip the hair around the wounds with scissors, very short. Then wash the wounds out with soap and warm water. Rinse, then dry the area. Betadine works very well in wounds of all kinds. They also use it on humans. It doesn’t burn, allows the area to breathe and kills bacteria quite well. Using ointment often delays healing, as the area can’t dry out.

In any animal attack, I like to be SURE that the attacking animal had a current rabies vaccination or was quarantined, AND that my own dog was protected. Rabies is rare, but several cases occur in this country every year. And it’s nothing to fool around with. — Jackie

Containers for gardening

I’m interested in container gardening next year. Is there anything special I should look for in a container? The local Target has some storage bins on sale after Christmas (Sterilite brand and Rubbermaid) – can I use something like that? How many drainage holes should I make in whatever container I use?

Jeff Aylor
Westerville, Ohio

Yes, you can use just about ANY container that will hold soil. The problem with the storage bins is that they will spread out in the middle. You can stop this by making a wooden frame to fit around the top of the bin or running a couple of stout wires through the sides of the bin, anchored to dowels on either side to keep the wires from pulling through the plastic. I’d suggest a 1/2″ hole every eight inches. I haunt the dump for container ideas and have used old rusted out stock tanks, water tanks from hot water heaters, cut in half, buckets with cracks or holes in the bottom, and even an old bathtub.

Friends of ours, Bill and Carolyn, grow fantastic tomatoes and peppers in five gallon buckets. We’re talking about dozens and dozens of plants every year. And I’ve never seen nicer plants. Ever! Good luck! — Jackie

We had our regular Christmas dinner on Christmas, then on Sunday, my oldest son, Bill, his wife, Kelly Jo and my adorable year old grandson, Mason came up for a second Christmas, complete with a dinner, too. David’s snowmobile was down with carburetor problems. So one of Bill’s big presents to him was showing him how to take them off and clean and adjust them. After dinner, they did just that out in our new addition. Now David knows just how to do it himself. And to top it off, the snowmobile started with one, count ‘em, ONE pull! Way to go Bill!

And I got to play with Mason. We played ball and horsey rides. Kelly took him for a ride on his new birthday sled, then we went to visit the goats. David’s old pet, Oreo, just loved him and kept trying to get Mason to pet him. What a ham! I mean Oreo, not Mason! Well, maybe Mason, too. When we went inside, he was playing with the newly redone snowmobile seat (my big present). Kelly said “go night night” and he laid down, pretending to sleep. Then up he’d pop. What a game! What a ham! And oh so cute!

My last Christmas dinner is my BIG one, this year. My long-awaited sweetheart arrives for good, in Minnesota, on January 9th. So on Saturday, I’m throwing another big feed that I know he’ll enjoy. But not as much as I’ll enjoy making the meal. It’s all about incentive!

Readers’ Questions:

Flat cookies

I was wondering if you could give me any advice on flat cookies. Over the past year or so, my cookies have come out flat. I have baked for years and have made many different kinds of cookies. My molasses cookies are flat, my chocolate chip cookies are flat,and even the oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies I just made turned out flat. I have tried adding more flour and that doesn’t seem to help. Any thoughts you might have would be welcomed! Thanks for doing what you do! Bless you,

Lisa Seibel
Coburn, Pennsylvania

I’d check my baking soda. It usually doesn’t “age,” but it’s a possibility. Try a new box. More “fat” cookies often have baking powder instead of soda. They also have more flour and another egg. Thinner cookies usually have more butter/margarine, fewer eggs, and less flour. Also, don’t press your cookies down when you put them on the cookie sheet. Just put a walnut sized ball on there and bake. Pressing them down results in thinner cookies. Better luck next time! I’ll bet your skinny cookies taste okay, anyway! — Jackie

Leather patterns

I have been looking everywhere for patterns to sew tanned leather hides. Could you give me some resources to these patterns. This would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make slippers and purses.

Debbie W.
Hillsboro, Wisconsin

Just type leather patterns into your browser; there are dozens of places out there, offering just what you are looking for and probably even more. Wow, what fun! — Jackie

Canning peppers

Would it be ok to can peppers, sweet or hot in plain water? I don’t want them to taste like a pickle as I saute them with onions etc to add to my rice or scrambled eggs. Thank you for reading my letter.

Helen Cavaness
Mendota, Illinois

Yes, you can home can peppers, using water as a liquid. But if you do, you must pressure can them, not water bath process them. When using vinegar, it pickles them, making the naturally low acid peppers into a high acid food. Without the vinegar, they stay low acid and thus must be pressure canned. You will pack them hot into hot jars, add boiling water, leaving 1″ of headspace. Process half pints and pints for 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. — Jackie

Slicing homemade bread

My family loves homemade bread but slicing it is a chore in itself! I have searched for a manual bread slicer with a cutting guide but options are limited. How do you slice your homemade bread so that slices are the same size and not thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom?

Janetta Rothmeyer
Kirtland, New Mexico

I turn my loaves of bread on its side. In that way, bread slices much better and I don’t get those thick/thin slices. One of my kids made me a bread slicer in shop, in school. It is a piece of 1″x6″ on the bottom with 1″x6″ sides and a slot cut in both sides, opposite each other. You put the loaf in it, and just push it forward as far as you want your slices to be thick. A serrated knife fits in the slot, neatly cutting perfect slices of bread each time; you choose the thickness. Simple, cheap and it works. But usually I’m too lazy and just turn the loaf on its side. — Jackie

Making new garden beds

I have been reading your columns on line for about 2 years. I have been gardening for better than 15 years, always small gardens. I have been able to get some good crops and can the harvest. I just started some potatoes in a container a couple of years ago. With the state of the economy I am looking to expand my gardens. My question is in regard to a yard where my dog is kept during the day. He has been in there for years. What do I have to do to the soil to make this ready for gardening? After I clear the yard and prepare the soil I am planning on using some raised beds near the garage in addition to other beds in the yard. Please let me know what I need to do to the soil. I can send pictures if you would like to see the yard.

John Sweger
Chesterfield, Virginia

I would be really uncomfortable about using this area (dog potty) for a vegetable garden. This is because dogs can carry intestinal parasites, namely roundworm and hookworm, that can be passed on to humans by ingesting worm eggs from the soil. And it can take up to 10 years for the eggs to die in the soil.

What I think I would do is to spread agricultural lime lightly over the area, then till it in very well. If viable, I’d make long rows of raised beds OVER the tilled area, with a growing bed of at least 12″ deep. In this way, you will not be exposed to the possible contaminated soil while working the beds and harvesting crops.

If you think you must use this area, as is, till it very well, then only plant crops that are well above ground, such as sweet corn or pole beans. When you weed, wear gloves and wash your hands very well after gardening. No root crops! Remember: possible worm eggs. Yuck! — Jackie

Concentrating citrus juice

I just had to pick my all the tangerines from my tree due to an early hard freeze. Now I’m faced with a whole bunch of fruit. I know I can can the segments, but I would also like to concentrate some of the juice. In an earlier article you commented about freezing grape juice then thawing and pouring off the excess water, but I’ve heard that also pours off good vitamins. Do you have any ideas for concentrating citrus juice that doesn’t require a ton of specialized equipment? Thanks for your help. Your articles have helped me bunches in the past.

Linda Reuter
Tucson, Arizona

I’m sure that doing the freezing/thawing concentration does reduce the vitamin content a bit, but I really doubt it does, that much, as more of the solids, where the vitamins are concentrated, stay in the ice. No. I don’t know of another “home” method of concentrating citrus juices. Any readers have any good ideas? — Jackie