Canning raspberry sauce and homesteading burnout, Cold pack, and Winter wheat

Canning raspberry sauce and homesteading burnout

 I’m wondering if it is possible to modify a canning recipe to safely can a larger size jar than specified in the recipe? Specifically, I’ve been putting up raspberry sauce (no pectin jam that we use on pancakes). The recipe says to process pints for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Do I need to increase the time if I put up quarts?

 Also, I have to say that I really admire you and wonder where you get your energy. I know your kids are grown up now, but I wonder how you dealt with it when your kids were younger. My husband works full time outside the home, but I’m home with a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old and trying to homestead full time with poultry and a huge garden. How did you keep from getting burned out?

 Carmen Griggs

Bovey, Minnesota

 If your raspberry sauce is like mine — a mixture of mashed raspberries, juice, and sugar — you can use quarts, using the 15 minute time in a boiling water bath canner. That processing time is to ensure the jars sealing. The sauce is put into the hot jars already boiling hot and with the mixture of high acid fruit and sugar, it won’t “go bad” if the jar is sealed.

 I’ve always involved my kids with all of our homestead projects, from a very young age. When they’re little, they love to help and I’ve always let them, even though often the “help” makes my work harder. It isn’t very long before they truly are a help! Each child was assigned chores. I tried to balance the chores with what they liked best…but there were others that they had to do that they weren’t fond of. Some of my girls loved animals and horses; they cleaned barn, fed, and helped me train. My oldest son also loved animals and tractors too. So he helped with the animals and when he was old enough, he slowly graduated to helping hay, driving our rake tractor first and later, other, larger tractors for other farm work. Two of my adopted daughters (from Korea and India) were older when they came to America and had pre-conceived ideas about animals; they weren’t too fond of them. So they helped clean house and wash clothes. All of us worked in the garden and processed food to can. We also took time for fun things, too. We often went swimming at a local lake, participated in the fairs and 4-H. Yes, some days (even now, without young children at home) get frustrating. Know that it will pass. And those kids will grow up all too soon and move on to their own lives. Some will homestead; some will not. Some will grow gardens and chickens; some will live in the city. Every one of them is an individual. You are not only building a homestead, you are making memories with your children. Enjoy both! — Jackie

 Cold pack

 I have come across several canning recipes that say things like, “cold pack the soup for an hour” Could you explain please?

 Donna Shepherd

San Andreas, California

 The term “cold pack” usually means process in a boiling water bath canner. With any soup, DON’T do it! Pressure canning any meat, poultry, or vegetable-based soup is the only safe way to put it up. Some people confuse the term “cold pack” with “raw pack” You can raw pack many foods that are pressure canned. This just means you pack it raw with no pre-cooking. It’s perfectly safe. A lot of Amish recipes are “cold packed”, i.e. water-bath processed. It’s done, but it still isn’t recommended or safe. — Jackie

 Winter wheat

 Jackie you have helped me many times. In fact this spring you told me that the winter wheat I had planted last fall needed turned under this spring. Well, I didn’t get it all done. Now the wheat is “ripe.” Is it okay to use this for flour or should I give it to my chickens? I have cut it but will await your answer.

 Joline Fleming

Rossiter, Pennsylvania

 Yes, you can use it for flour! Wait until it is very dry, then place it on a clean tarp or in a clean child’s plastic wading pool and either walk on the wheat with clean shoes or beat it with a blunt stick to loosen the wheat from the husks. Clean it by forking off the straw, then pour the wheat from one container (I use a wide bread bowl) to another on a windy day. The wind will blow away any dust, chaff, and bits of straw. Pick over the wheat to remove insects (usually grasshoppers!), then store in an airtight container. Watch for condensation. If any forms, pour the wheat out onto a clean tarp and air- or sun-dry for a couple of days, then re-pack it. — Jackie