Drying towels

I read in the last issue (#130, July-Aug 2011) all about washing your clothes with a wringer machine and then hanging them out to dry in the fresh air. Great article but I have a serious problem which may make you laugh! How in the heck can you stand to use the towels that you have just dried..They are so tough and scratchy that sand paper feels better. No really — what the heck did I do wrong cause my towels actually stand up by themselves they’re so stiff. The whole house was laughing hysterically at my laundry! Seriously — is there some secret to this process I’ve missed-maybe the clothes need conditioner like my hair.

Debbie Kilpatrick
Phelan, California

Did you hang your towels outdoors or inside? Clothes hung on an outside line, in a breeze, will end up nice and soft. Those hung when there is no wind, like when you hang them indoors, are often stiff. A simple remedy is to toss them in the dryer for a few minutes with no heat. Otherwise, if my clothes are a little too stiff, I give them a good snap when I pull them off of the line. This usually does the trick. You’d be surprised at how much more absorbent those stiff towels are! But if you want ’em soft, hang your clothes on a nice sunny, breezy day. — Jackie

Canning ham hocks

I have some smoked ham hocks and want to know if they can be canned. I thought I would boil them some and then pressure can them to use in cooking vegetables later. Is this safe or will the curing solution (water, salt, Sodium, Erythorbate, sugar, and sodium nitrite) cause it to fail?

Shirley Pittman
Leslie, Georgia

What I would do is simmer your ham hocks, then remove the meat. Pack it into your jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace, then fill the jars to within 1 inch of the top with the cooking water. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. (If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions on increasing your pressure to suit your altitude, if necessary.) No, the curing solution will not cause the seal to fail or the food to go bad. — Jackie

3 COMMENTS

  1. Yup!!! I use my own detergent, because store detergents are SO strong (and expensive)! I only use 2 tbs of my detergent instead of up to a cup of store detergent.

  2. For the stiff towels. I agree with Karen about getting the dryer sheet chemicals out. You also have to make sure all the detergent rinses out. I use vinegar in my rinse water.

    To check, start your washer, put in towels and then let it start agitating. Watch for soap suds then. Many washers don’t rinse out all the detergent and that will also make your towels stiff.

  3. @Debbie…. If that was the first time your towels went on the line and you used to use the dryer it’ll take a few times before they get all soft and super absorbent. It takes a few times til all the chemicals from dryer sheets get worked out. Mine are now soooooo soft and absorbent I can hardly remember using a dryer. It’s been a little over 2 yrs. and I never miss that dryer; in fact…. I sold it.

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