Cleaning cow teats
I was wondering what kind of cow teat prep you use in the winter for milking? I have been using bleach, dish soap mix in warm water for the summer and it has worked great. I really don’t want to use the teat dip that is sold to dairies. My barn does not have warm water or is heated so for both of us it is a little chilly to continue to use water.
Stephanie Eckert
York, North Dakota
Honestly, all I use is warm water and a clean old washcloth and towel. We don’t have any water in the barn right now, so I just take a bucket of HOT water down to the barn with me with the washcloth inside it and the towel (an old hand towel) over my arm. By the time I feed and brush the cow (you avoid lots of poop specks if you keep the udder clipped and brush the underbelly before milking) the water is still warm. I wash the udder well, then dry it with the towel. If it’s real dirty, I wash it quite well, pour more water over the cloth in the gutter, squeeze out the dirty water, pour more clean water on, squeeze that pretty dry, and wash the rest of the teats. It works quite well. After milking, I use a bit of udder ointment to help keep the teats soft and protected against frost. (If your barn is quite a distance from the house and your water gets cold, try taking some out in an old thermos.) — Jackie
“Rotten” odor in reusable lids
After water bathing my green beans this year for the first time most of the batch spoiled. Although I was very disappointed and intend to pressure can them from now on, I’m even more aggravated at the lingering “rotten” odor I can’t seem to get out of my new Tattler lids. I have tried soaking them for days in vinegar, then baking soda, and lemon juice, (obviously not together) and have ran them several times through the dish washer. Do you have any other suggestions of how to get the rotten food smell out of my reusable lids?
Tred Schnoor
Anamosa, Iowa
EEK! You’re lucky they did obviously spoil or your family may have eaten them and had a trip to the ER. NEVER water bath any vegetables or meat or any recipe containing them (other than pickles). I’m glad you “learned your lesson” before it cost you hugely.
For the smell on your lids, I’d try mixing half bleach, half warm water, then putting one or two lids and rings in it overnight. In the morning, rinse well. Put outside, in the sunshine, for two days. Sniff and see if this worked. It usually gets rid of objectionable odors in my plastic. Only try a couple at first to make sure the bleach water doesn’t adversely affect the lids and rings. — Jackie
Canning pumpkin
I canned two separate batches of pumpkin chunks using the directions from your book. When I took them out of the pressure canners, they looked fine. (The liquid was bubbling inside the jars all the way up to the lid). But now that they are cooled, the jars are only 1/2 full of liquid! What happened? I’ve done lots of canning, and I didn’t do anything different or anything to affect the pressure canning or cooling process, so I’m confused what went wrong. Will the pumpkin be OK? How long will it last with only 1/2 the pumpkin covered in liquid? I’ve got 14 quarts and I’m worried about using them!
Gerri Conboy
Nashville, Indiana
First off, don’t worry. Your pumpkin will be fine. This happens to me sometimes too, usually when I’m busy and don’t hover over my canner quite enough. The pressure gets too high, I turn the heat down and the pressure varies and the liquid blows out. (When it’s boiling, it comes high in the jar, but when it cools, there really isn’t much left!) Again, not to worry; enjoy your pumpkin. — Jackie
That’s good to know, Rusty. Thanks!
Many years ago, a “Tupperware lady” told a group of us “party people” how to get odors out of plastic Tupperware products. Wash it well with soap and hot water, dry container and lid, stuff it with crumpled newsprint, apply the lid and set it aside for a couple of days. IT WORKED……odors gone! I have tried this method with many plastic products since then and it works every time! I have even stuffed newsprint in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator that got accidentally unplugged and had that “bad meat” smell in it…..YUCK! (Cleaned the fridge and stuffed the freezer with newsprint to de-stink it BEFORE cooling it back down for use.) Worked on that big problem, too! I guess newsprint is getting less and less available with internet news, etc, but I have bought a box of “clean” newsprint from U-Haul; and after use, I smooth it out, fold it and save it for another stinky container.
I opened up some jars of canned cabbage this year. I had canned them with Tattler lids, and the strong smell of the cabbage wouldn’t wash off. I thought I might have to throw them away. I filled a bowl with a strong baking soda solution and put my lids and rings in to soak. Then I promptly forgot about them. Weeks later, after the water had all evaporated, I was pleased to find that all the odor had left.
I hope you can salvage your lids. I just love mine. I’ve used them for three years now. I used to hate to have to spend the money on a lid to can up a jar of food, and now I never have to think twice whether I should can something or not. I can even use little half-pint jars and not feel a twinge of guilt. :)
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