The good new is that I’m canning venison; the bad news is that David’s transmission broke

I’m once again canning up a deer that my son, Bill, donated. It’s lucky he did, too, as we didn’t have much luck this year hunting. I had a doe tag but won’t shoot fawns…or a doe with fawns. And guess what was all I saw every time I went out? Yep, lots of does with fawns, fawns, and more does with fawns. Oh well, we’ll have venison in the pantry once again this year anyway. David didn’t hunt as much as he usually does because he’s been working to make truck payments on his new-to-him ‘01 Chevy pickup…then last week, a part in his transmission broke. It’s a cheaper part, but the labor is more than $1,000!

No choice, but David painfully learned how to pull a transmission. Luckily he had Will to help him learn and to help him with the hardest parts. But Will wisely had other work to do and mostly let David figure out things for himself. (He stayed nearby to answer questions and bleats for help.) It took two days and skinned up knuckles, but the transmission is at the shop and David is NOT looking forward to putting it back in. They had to pull the starter, the tailpipes, the transfer case, and torque converter before they could pull the tranny. Plus all those wires, sensors, etc. And of course there were several bolts way up on top, that were terribly hard to get a socket on. But David learned a life lesson, and saved more than $1,000 which he didn’t have. I’ll bet he’s going to be relieved when he finally drives the truck down off the ramps!

Readers’ Questions:

Canning green peppers

I have canned green peppers without peeling the skin. Is it unsafe to can them this way? Can you can creamed soups like broccoli or potato?

Nancy Phillips
Britt, Minnesota

No, you can eat your green peppers without peeling them, but some varieties of pepper have tough skins that don’t chew well when canned. However most don’t and you’ll be okay. Sorry, but you really can’t can “creamed” soups at home because they are a thicker product and are not recommended to can. What I do is can or dehydrate the ingredients, then make a simple white sauce that is thin enough, add the vegetables, and there you have it. I dehydrate broccoli and onions for soup, while I can celery, mushrooms, chicken dices, etc. It only takes me about 10 minutes to make “cream of” soups from scratch this way. — Jackie

Re-canning dill pickle slices and recipe for Cheese Whiz

I have a gallon jar of hamburger dill pickle slices, and would like to know if I could can them in pint jars, if I drained the brine into a pot, bring the brine to a boil, add the pickles bring back to a boil, then pack them into the hot jars, and process for a few minutes in my water bath canner? Would the pickles become soft in storage? I really don’t want to keep them in the refrigerator and take up all that space for such a long time. It’s just my husband and I, and will take us a long time to eat that many pickles! Also, I have a recipe for a cheese sauce, and it’s called Home Canned Cheese Whiz. Don’t even remember where I got it, but it’s good! Saves buying a #10 can and recanning it when opened!

Carolyn
Green Forest, Arkansas

Your pickles will re-can okay, but might possibly lose crispness due to the extra processing…not storage. Thanks for the Cheese Whiz recipe. I also have that one, and have made it successfully. I’m sure others will be glad you brought this to their attention!

And I’m really glad you like the new book. The funny thing is that I am using it often because it’s easier to find things than in some of my other canning books! It gives me a strange feeling, reaching for it on the shelf. — Jackie

Homesteading is hard work

I was wondering if you would consider writing a bit about how the long days of honest, and often hard work keeps you so vibrant? It just seems to me that people who don’t have lots of days of hard work seem to have a whole lot more “age related” problems. Maybe a whole article in the magazine?

Adele
Marshall, North Carolina

I’m not as vibrant as you think! Some nights I’m so tired that I can’t even shower. But you’re right. I do think that people that work, work for a living, do have a better life than those who waste their lives with games, parties, and TV. The exercise you get is so varied: one day I’ll be wrestling goats or donkeys, cutting up meat to can, digging out fence post holes, and figuring out my next article. You use a lot of different muscles, including that big one between your ears! People were MEANT to work to survive and really live doing it. God told Adam and Eve that they would work for their bread. It seems to me that a whole lot of folks, especially lately, don’t do much in the way of physical work and are suffering for it, both in body and spirit. I DO enjoy every day and always look forward to the tomorrows. I have no complaints about my life. — Jackie

Salsa

The question that I have for you is about the salsa in Growing and Canning Your Own Food. Is that a mild or hot salsa?

Debby
Helena, Montana

The salsas in the book are relatively hot. If you prefer less hot salsa, simply omit jalapenos until the salsa is flavored to your taste. Start out with a quarter of the jalapenos (or even less if you like a very mild salsa), and work your way up, tasting as you go. Remember that the salsa will be a bit hotter than when you ladle it into the jars as the jalapenos and chiles “heat” up a recipe on storage. — Jackie

Shelf life of canned meat

I have just started canning meats – boneless, skinless chicken breasts and chunks of roast – I am wondering what the shelf life is for these foods – should I be eating them regularly and rotating with new cans or can they be stored long-term, say 7-10 years or even indefinitely?

Elizabeth/Lisa Montomery
Roswell, Georgia

Good news. Your canned meat will remain good nearly indefinitely! Keep your jars in a cool, dark, dry pantry and the jar lids will not rust and the food will stay perfect for years and years. That’s one big reason I can up about everything I am able to. — Jackie

Package seed deals

I have been looking at various companies that advertise a package deal of heirloom seeds, open pollinated and hybrid. These companies offer anywhere from 20-50 packets of seeds, usually with a special waterproof container to store seeds in for up to 20 years. They say they will help us grow an acre of food in crisis times so we can feed our families. Their costs vary from $69 to a couple of hundred bucks. What do you think about these package offers? Do you buy something similar? How do we know if the seeds will grow in our climate or zone?

Thomas Palumbo
Frankston, Texas

No, I don’t have the “canned” garden seeds. Like about everything else, I do it myself. Most garden seeds, with the exception of onions, will last for years if properly gathered and stored in a cool, dark place, in an airtight container. Many of my seeds are in gallon and smaller glass jars. This keeps them free from “bug” infestation and being eaten by rodents. It also keeps moisture away that will cause molding or very poor germination. In flood-prone areas, it also protects your seeds from being ruined by water.

You don’t know if the varieties of seed offered in the cans will grow in your zone. Or even WHAT varieties are contained. They usually say “carrots,” “corn,” “beans,” etc. I prefer to have more say about what varieties I grow than that…especially in an emergency situation such as a total economic meltdown or some such catastrophe. My life and the lives of my loved ones are at stake here. I want not only varieties that will grow here, but will be very productive and mature well here so I can collect more seed from them in the future to keep on eating.

Not only do I have garden seeds stored up, but also flint corn for cornmeal and wheat to grind for flour.

I really feel that a person can do better for themselves by collecting seeds and putting them up than investing in X brand canned seeds. Like your storage pantry, it’s wise to rotate your stored seeds every year, using the oldest ones and refreshing the seeds with new ones.

You can do a lot to help your seeds last longer, too. Keeping them in a cool, dark place or even in the freezer will let them remain viable for years longer than simply keeping them at room temperature. — Jackie