You’d think, living way back here in the woods of northern Minnesota, we’d be isolated from human contact, at least to some extent. Not so. Especially because I write for BHM. A couple of weeks ago, I got a nice e-mail through the magazine, from my now new friend, Pam, who lives near the Twin Cities. Then she and her friend, Joan, drove up and we got to spend a few hours visiting, sharing ideas and excitement. It’s always great to meet like minds. It helps renew my energy and forward thinking. I may live in the backwoods, but I still enjoy sharing enthusiasm with new friends!

Readers’ Questions:

Hunting pheasants

I recently moved back to my hometown in Alaska, where pheasants roam freely though our yard. My dog has caught one before and we’ve cooked it up and I want more! However, I currently live in city limits with neighbors very close by so shooting the birds is not possible. I would also like to not rely on my dog running around to catch them. Do you have any recommendations of a reliable, cheap bow? The pheasants are often just 20 or 30 feet away in groups of 7-8 so it wouldn’t have to be very accurate over longer distances. Every morning when I see these birds I go crazy watching my free food wander around, and as pheasants are an invasive species in Alaska I would also be doing some good for native birds by ridding the area of them.

Holly Aderhold
Homer, Alaska

Just what are your game regulations, regarding taking these “invasive” pheasants? Deer are “invasive” around here, but if I killed one without a license or out of season, or by an “alternative” method, I’d be in jail. If they truly are not regulated, I’d recommend using a wrist rocket, or modern slingshot. These are very deadly and accurate with some practice. They are safe in populated areas and don’t destroy any of your meat, either, as you aim for the head. — Jackie

Venison, potatoes, and tomatoes

I would like to know how you can your venison? I followed your instructions for canning chicken and it turned out very tasty. Thank you! Do I cook the venison ahead of canning, if so, how long do I precook it? Do you put beef broth on the venison in the jar? How much do you put in? I am adding in onions and celery too and pressure canning for 90 minutes for quarts at 10 lbs of pressure. Anything else?

This year we bought our potatoes at a family pick-your-own farm. Well, we have found out that the son (who is eventually taking over the business) sprayed the plants to kill them off earlier than usual. He said that this toughens the skins and makes them better storage potatoes. Well, husband and I are still upset about this. What does this spray do to us? We are seriously thinking of tilling up more garden space and raising our own potatoes. Approximately how many 15 foot rows would I need to harvest about 100 lbs of russets?

My sister-in-law and I had very bad “beefsteak” tomato luck this year. Can you recommend some tomatoes that we can start ourself that aren’t the ordinary tomato plants found at every greenhouse? We make lots of canned tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, sauce, and juice.

I want to thank you for all your help and advice. I know it takes time out of your busy day to blog. But I really appreciate it! I can’t wait to see your new cookbook too.

Cindy Hills
Wild Rose, Wisconsin

Yes, I precook my venison and can it with liquid of some sort (broth, very light fat free gravy, tomato sauce, etc.). I precook it until it shrinks down in size and lightly browns. If I am just canning chunks of venison for steaks/roasts/stews, I add 1 tsp. powdered beef soup stock per each pint jar and 1 Tbsp. for each quart. Then I add the pan drippings with boiling water added to make a bit of a broth. All my venison is processed for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts, at 10 pounds pressure. Actually I process at 11 pounds, as we live at 1,400 feet above sea level and I can with a pressure gauge, not a jiggling weight.

I would guess that you’d need about five 15-foot rows for your 100 pounds of russet potatoes. But this is a huge guess, as it depends on your soil, the variety you choose and the care they get. (I know I’d have gotten more potatoes if I had hilled them once more and watered them a little bit oftener!)

As for tomatoes for canning and sauce, I love Oregon Spring, Early Goliath and Polish Linguisa (paste tomato). They have always done well for me, even in short season climates. And pick up some Wallo’ Water plant protectors. They make a huge difference in your final harvest! It’s the one gardening aid I’d hate to be without!

I’m hard at work on the new book, tentatively titled “Grow It; Can It.” It gives plenty of tips on how to grow each food, then exactly how to can it, including fruits (with jams, jellies, etc.), nuts, pickles, vegetables, poultry, meat and fish. I’ll let everyone know how it’s doing as I go. — Jackie

Canned pinto beans

I have been given a large case of pinto bean in cans, then say best if used by Jan 08. How long would they still be safe to eat.

Michael Ball
Noblesville, Indiana

As long as the cans are sound, with no rust cracks or holes, the beans will remain good for years. Just like your home canned foods. The nutrition may decrease a bit, but the safety and taste will be unaffected. — Jackie

Canning celery

Is it possible to can celery? Sometimes stores have it on sale for 99 cents per bunch, and we love it in chili, etc. Can it be pressure canned in pint jars for this use?

Tammy Amland
Howard Lake, Minnesota

Yes, you can home can celery, and I do every year; it’s terrific! Simply wash, trim and cut celery into 1/2″ or 1″ pieces. Cover with water and boil for 3 minutes. Save liquid. Pack celery into half pint or pint jars, leaving 1″ of headspace. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, if desired, and ladle hot cooking liquid over celery, leaving 1″ of headspace. Process pints and half pints for 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner. (If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet consult your canning manual for instructions on adjusting your pressure to suit your altitude if necessary.) — Jackie

Making venison stock

My husband just shot a deer this weekend. I am making stock from the leg bones. Because I was unsure, I discarded the backbone. In case he shoots another one, could you tell me if it is okay to use the backbone for that? Thanks.

Amanda Kempi
Dover, Delaware

Because of the possibility of Chronic Wasting Disease, many states advise against contact with the spine/brain/spinal chord. Better stick to the leg bones if you like venison stock. — Jackie

Canning butter

I was wondering if you ever canned butter? I buy raw milk and then make my own butter. Right now I leave a half cup or so out, and freeze the rest, but I would like to have a way to store it longer term if we ever didn’t have access to electricity. Also, do you have, or know where I can find, any good recipes using Jerusalem artichokes? I just dug up nearly a bushel, and now I have to figure out what to do with them!

Amy Kelly
Jonestown, Pennsylvania

Yes, I can butter, along with milk and cheese. Be advised that although these recipes are in several good books and available on line, it is still “experimental” canning, as there are no recipes from experts. Most advise against it because no research has been done re; botulism.

In a saucepan, I slowly melt the butter, heat it, stirring so it doesn’t scorch, to lessen the moisture in the butter. Ladle this into jars sterilized in a boiling water bath canner and air dried, to within 1/2″ of the top. Wipe the rim clean, place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar and screw down the ring firmly tight. I process my jars for 60 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

Again, this is what I do, I’m not “advising” anyone to follow suit. — Jackie

Homemade Cheez Whiz

My neighbor gave me a recipe for homemade canned Cheez Whiz. I’m not sure if this is safe, the recipe has evaporated milk, 1/2 lb. butter, fresh milk, and Velveeta cheese. After you mix and melt it your supposed to cold pack it. I’m not sure how to do that. Do you have any Cheez Whiz recipes? I thought it would be a good thing to have in the house for instant meals. Like in the last couple issues of BHM. Your articles are great, I look forward to them.

Nicole Bramm
Narvon, Pennsylvania

This sounds like one of the Amish recipes from several of my good Amish cookbooks. Yes, I’ve made it and it does turn out good. One of the ones I have is this:

2 2lb boxes Velveeta
1/2 cup oleo or butter
2 cup milk
3 1/4 cup cream

Scald cream and milk. Melt cheese in double boiler, then add oleo, milk and cream. Stir well. Pack hot into hot half pint or pint jars to within 1/2″ of the top. Process for 60 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. — Jackie

Pressing olive oil at home

I wonder how to press olive oil at home without expensive equipment. We have some trees here and it is sad to see the fruit goes to waste.

Yuri Gorodetskiy
Sacramento, California

You can make olive oil at home, but it’s an expensive hobby to get into as a small grinder/press costs over $1,000. Without it, it can be a tedious process. One suggestion is to see if there is a small olive mill anywhere near you. Sometimes they do a backyard olive grower’s crop for a fee much smaller than the cost of your own equipment. — Jackie

I’ve been hugely busy lately. But it’s a good busy. A great new friend, Pam, from the Twin Cities area, recently gifted me with a whole bunch of slightly dented #10 cans from a local warehouse. They can’t sell them because they’re dented and they end up in the dumpster! What a sin. So she came up to visit with a friend, and they brought the cans. There were a lot of tomato products, sliced mushrooms and sliced ripe olives. So with the venison we harvested, I was soon busily canning the most terrific spaghetti sauce! It has tomato paste, ground tomatoes, tomato sauce, ripe black olives, mushrooms, garlic and, of course, ground venison. While that was cooking and canning up, I also canned the rest of the can of ripe olives I’d opened. Boy did I ever have to search for processing times! As olives are a LOW acid fruit, they can not be canned in a water bath canner. Finally, I found a site from the University of California on processing and home canning olives. They are processed at 11 pounds for 60 minutes. Whew! I was so glad. But because my spaghetti sauce had meat in it, that got processed for 90 minutes (quarts) and the olives held their shape/texture just fine.

Besides the spaghetti sauce, etc. I also was busy cutting up venison and canning that, too. Because I have to take care of Mom I don’t know if I’ll get to hunt yet or not. David’s been hunting, but not doing so well this year. We are allowed FIVE deer this year, as they are reproducing too rapidly and lots of folks have wrecked cars because of hitting them. Today he passed by on a spring fawn. It takes just as much work to process a small deer as a large one, and we’re hoping for another large one. Two will be real good; three would be great! There’s all those meatball recipes I’d like to can up, too…Ahhh, life in the big woods.

Readers’ Questions:

Storing vacuum sealed foods

I have one of those vacuum seal machines and wanted to know if I could use it for long term storage of food items like brown rice, beans, dog food, etc? If I can, how long can I store different food items in a vacuum sealed bag? Is there a reference that shows the length of time for the various food items?

Nancy Crowley
Los Lunas, New Mexico

There isn’t any reference that I know of. Your dry foods, such as rice, beans, popcorn, etc. will store nearly indefinitely in your vacuum bags. They also do, placed in any airtight, dry, insect proof container. Dog food is a processed food with fat added. The preservatives will protect it from going stale, but I’m not sure how long it will last in vacuum sealed bags; you’ll just have to experiment and see. — Jackie

Buying a canner

You answered my question about canning chili in the magazine. Now we want to buy a canner. many years ago you wrote an article on the pros and cons, etc., when picking one out. I looked and could not find it, do you know what issue it was? I have a Lehman’s catalog with one that sounds great. It has no gasket, sides one quarter inch thick, cast aluminum, over pressure plug as a backup. Also should we only buy jars instead of using spaghetti or honey jars that say Ball etc.? should I just look canners up on line or are there certain catalogs that sell them? Any new things we should look for?

Jane Lippincott
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania

Yes, the canners that Lehman’s have are very good; they’re like my old, old huge canner, and that’s lasted me for more than 30 years, with extremely heavy use. The only repair was a replaced dial gauge that was broken when we moved. Not bad! I prefer a dial gauge canner because you can see right now what’s going on as far as pressure goes, and correct the heat under the canner. And, as I’ve said, I like the gasket-less canners for the simple reason that it’s one less thing to wear out and you need to buy later on down the road. All modern canners that I’m familiar with are fine for home canning; I’d not be against any one of them. Be sure you pick up a good canning manual and read it every time you can a certain food. I still do, just to be certain. I’ve used any jar that a modern, two piece lid will screw down on tightly. I’ve used pasta sauce jars, mayonnaise jars, salsa jars and even Postum jars. I know that a lot of people, including experts say that you shouldn’t use them, but I’ve done it all my life and have not had any more jars break that were “alternative” jars than Ball or Kerr. Jars usually break because of a small crack you didn’t see before filling the jar, placing hot food in cold jars or vice versa, having jars rest on the bottom of the canner instead of on a rack or folded kitchen towel (boiling water bath canner) or having a cold breeze hit hot jars, right out of the canner. Lots of luck with your home canning! If I can help you along the way, just ask. — Jackie

Pumpkin butter

I have a question regarding the pumpkin butter. Due to our heat, I have cooked down four Halloween pumpkins before they went bad and want to make your pumpkin butter. On hand I only have some brown sugar ( not a lot) white sugar and a jar of sorghum syrup. Can I substitute? If so how much to what? Also I have bottled lemon juice not lemons. Is this possible to do now or should I just freeze it all till next month when I get my next check?

Diana Curry
Spring Hill, Florida

If you have some molasses, you can “make” your own brown sugar by adding a few drops to the needed substitute amount of white sugar. Otherwise, yes, you can freeze your puree ’till next month and it should be fine. — Jackie

Seeds for Hopi Pale Gray squash

I had no luck trying to grow the pale gray Hopi squash last year. I purchased the seeds from a vendor you suggested. While I had poor luck with all my crops, and the seeds may have been fine, I really was not happy with the seeds. You have promised at least one reader some seeds. Could you possibly sell me some known good seeds for next years garden. I will be glad to pay what ever you think is fair.

Dan Jones
Chickamauga, Georgia

Your seeds are in the mail tomorrow, Dan. I’m sorry you didn’t have good luck last year. Some years are just like that: I couldn’t get rutabagas to grow at all, after 3 plantings with 3 different packages of seed from three different sources! Aliens from outer space, I think! I hope you have great growing this year. Remember to isolate this squash by 1 mile from other C. maxima squash so you can keep and share pure seed with others. No charge. — Jackie

Canning pasta

I was able to buy many packages of pasta for pennies using double and triple coupons combined with sale at our grocery store. I have put these kinds of dry goods into my freezer for fresh keeping but my freezer is packed. I want to be able to put other things in the freezer so I would like to know if it is possible to can up the pasta, elbow mac and spaghetti using the same methods as you gave for nuts. Could I water bath or pressure can the pasta to preserve the shelf life and clear the freezer?

Can’t wait for the book you are going to print on canning. You could presell that thing and make a small fortune you know. EVERYONE would pre-order at least one copy if not more. We all await it with great anticipation.

Gwen Koskinen
Celina, Texas

You don’t need to can up your pasta. If you store it in an airtight container that is insect, rodent, and dampness proof, it will be fine for years and years, just the way it is. I’ve got some of mine in one of my retired popcorn tins and more in the original bags, in a new garbage can. (I’ve had some for 10 years and it tastes just like I bought it yesterday.)

I’m hoping everyone likes the book I’m working on. I’m trying so hard to make it very user-friendly so that it’s easy to find the food you want to can and exact instructions are with each food; no hopping here and there. After I get Mom to bed at night, I hit the computer for several hours. It’s coming. — Jackie

Thanks for inspiration

No questions this time! Just thanks for continuing to be so inspiring. We put in a cash offer on a 1/2 built home in South Carolina today, it’s on some land–not alot but still close enough to my husband’s job he can drive. I will have to quit my job but there will be PLENTY to do on the house should our offer be accepted! Very exciting!

Mary Thompson
Charlotte, North Carolina

You’re right. It IS exciting news. You’re on your way to a new adventure. We’re cheering for you! — Jackie

Hawaiian meatballs

I have canned for years and have really enjoyed it, since you came on the horizon, it has become fun and a new challenge everyday. Thank you. Can I can the following recipe for Hawaiian Meatballs?
1 4 ounce can pineapple tidbits
1 pound hamburger
1 egg
2 slices fresh bread-crumbled
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup brown sugar
Mix hamburger, egg, bread crumbs, onions, salt, cloves, and 2 Tbsp. pineapple juice. Make into meatballs formed around a pineapple tidbit. Bake meatballs in oven, until done. Make sauce out of pineapple juice, ketchup and brown sugar. Pour over meatballs and simmer.

This is a holiday favorite of ours and having it on the self would make it a lot easier, in rushed times.

Linda Fisher
Klamath, California

There’s no reason you couldn’t can your favorite meatball recipe. Why don’t you can up a batch and see how you like them? I’d do a smaller batch first to make sure you like the way they turn out. You will, of course, process pints of your meatball recipe for 75 minutes at 10 pounds pressure and quarts for 90 minutes, taking normal altitude adjustments necessary (see your canning manual for directions if you live over 1,000 feet). Let us know how they turned out! — Jackie