So, I’m trying to tie up all the outside loose ends. I picked all the Striped Sugar Rush Peach and Sugar Rush Peach hot peppers in the south hoop house and am going back out to pick the Venice Bootleg peppers. This morning, Will turned off the propane heat in the hoop house, and it’s supposed to go down to 32 F tonight so it may freeze in there. Everything else is done. The only heat we have besides the wood stove in the living room is the heat in the greenhouse for the squash, cabbages, and onions, just to keep them from freezing until we can move them into the house.
Tomorrow, I have carrots to bring in and wash up in preparation to can up. If I have time, I’ll also can up some cabbage chunks, which we like (no matter what “they” say about it being too strong to can). I just dump out the water it was canned in and cook it up as I wish, whether frying it or simmering in butter and milk, making soup or adding to stews. Then there are a lot of cabbages to make Amish coleslaw, which is canned and remains crispy.
I feel so bad to hear that the SNAP benefits will be halted for so many people who truly need them. I personally know several people who use this benefit and are disabled, ex-military or simply elderly, on a small, fixed income. That’ll be a huge blow to them, and I don’t know how they’ll make it, as expensive as food and everything else is getting. AEOA has also been cut severely, so they also aren’t getting as much fuel assistance as they did in the past, which certainly did not completely cover their heating needs all rugged Minnesota winter. That’s all so sad and I don’t know how folks will make it. Help them all you can by donating food or cash to local food shelves, please.
We’ve benefited from our new friend and neighbor, Matt, who had his 20-acre new homestead logged so he can develop pasture. He gave us all the leftover slash wood (smaller diameter tree ends) we want for using as firewood next year when it dries. Thank you, Matt! It’s easy to access and only a mile away. He brought some in a trailer and Will has hauled some home too. Right now, though, Will is busily hauling in our big round bales, ahead of snow. — Jackie
PLEASE guys, let’s not fight about what we believe about the government, churches, etc. This isn’t the place. I’m afraid if it continues, someone will be banned. I don’t control what goes on or is banned. Just saying… I love you all and would hate to see that happen.
@Maria – it is not due to espousing (yes I figured that out before I saw you last post) different beliefs when it comes to SNAP funding – it is just very un-Christian from those who claim to be christians. Who in their right mind thinks it is okay for children, the elderly, and/or disabled people to go hungry?
And without interstates, rural areas would be up a creek without a paddle for items which they cannot supply for themselves.
I heard that cabbage does not can-up, BUT I wanted to try it, and you know I take it right out the jar and heat it up with butter, salt, & pepper, and though limp, it tastes fantastic. It smells great in the jar, so yummy. I have no problem with limp, ’cause if it’s cooked, it does get limp anyway. Being in zone 9, below the 42nd latitude?, in far north California, I’ve decided to try a winter garden: the brassicas, carrots, onion, already have garlic up. Maybe potatoes. Because our daughter and family live next to us here on our mountain and are on food stamps. I’m thinking I don’t know when things will let up; maybe should grow all I can to help them. And, I have Elizabeth’s Food Program right in my downstairs larder to help them, as well! 840 jars of help! Plus many things like coffee, paper products, etc that are prepped; 12 tubs in all, and still adding to it.
Remember:
Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail.
The wise man sees trouble and prepares, but the fool keeps on going and suffers.
The only thing worse than failing to prepare, is explaining why you didn’t.
A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Thank you for your post. I totally agree with the last! Having too much means you can share without hurting your family. Not having enough could mean very hard times.
We love our canned cabbage. I don’t understand why “experts” advise against canning it because it’s “too strong”. Ha ha! I guess they didn’t like cabbage. I use it in so many ways, sliced and fried with bacon and butter, layered to make cabbage roll casserole (without the rolling), mixed rice dinners, quick boiled dinner with ham, potatoes and carrots (all previously canned up, of course) and much, much more.
Would you be willing to share the Amish cold slaw recipe with us? It sounds wonderful and would be so handy ?🤔☺️
Sure! Here it is:
AMISH COLESLAW
1 small, firm head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 small onion
Syrup —
3 cups white vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seeds
Note, as I’ve been making this for years now, I double the syrup recipe, so you have enough to completely cover the coleslaw.
Shred a small head of firm cabbage, grate carrots medium, chop onions fairly small. Set aside.
Boil syrup ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Pour syrup over vegetables and mix well. Pack into pint jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Process in boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remember if you live over 1,000 feet above sea level to increase your time. Consult your canning book for directions.
Jackie
Thank you! I’d meant to ask too!
Hey guys, let’s stop the politics here, okay? This isn’t the place for that. We’re here to talk homestead stuff. No arguing will make folks of the other “side” change their ideas. We are all free to believe what we will.
Well.. I mean.. you’re within your prerogative to try and quash conversation if you think you must, but politics is the way life in a country is governed and so it will intersect with homesteading often enough. Like in what you initially said in your post.
I specifically tried to avoid making our very evident political disagreements the focus of the conversation.
Rather frustrating for adults to be chided for having a conversation on a public platform even if it’s not a conversation you’d prefer to partake in. Is there apme harm being done or are we being rude or mean to each other?
Oh, sorry, guess I assumed you’d meant me..Maybe I was wrong. Apologies if you meant something else and please disrehard, hadn’t read all the comments here yet.
I agree with all who will and can share their bounty. How much is enough? In our land of plenty there are so many in desperate need. We try to do what we can but I always think we could do more. I admit I make our family the first priority but after that do what we can to help others. We donate to the local food pantry. The times are challenging.
Yes, times are challenging. Especially to those who can’t work and are on a fixed income. We do all we can do to help but still feel kind of helpless. Yes, family is our first priority too, as it should be.
Could you please post your Amish coleslaw recipe ? Thank you .
Sure thing. Check out Sis’s comment above.
Thank you Jackie, and you also Selena, for your message about helping others in these troubled times. You remind me of the country song “In a Word Full of hate Be A Light”. Homesteaders and us ‘rurals’ are often stereotyped as isolationists, but we are definitely not! Our local news in Nebraska almost daily reports on the struggles of the military and their families at Offutt Air Base. First no pay, now no snap. I’ve donated to a pantry near them, and now in November our church does a food drive for our local county pantry. Whatever each person can do to help truly adds up to make a difference! Thanks for reading my thoughts, and sure wish my tummy could handle some of those Sugar Rush Peach peppers, they look beautiful! Peace to all.
The military is still drawing pay, to my knowledge. I had never had any shutdown (and there were maybe a half dozen) affect my pay when active duty. Of course there are plenty of affected people who AREN’T getting pay, but the military shouldn’t be one, unless I’m much mistaken.
I saw something in an e-mail news thing sawing Vance said at some event that the military is being paid. All I can saw on the whole EBT issue is that I hope community takes over and make sure people are fed. Churches used to serve this function in this regard. Maybe in some places it would be possible to have a soup kitchen like in the depression era. At least folks could get one meal. Also maybe some school systems could make sure all kids get a good lunch. Maybe cancel the money being spent on DEI and LGBTQ programs to pay for them. If we don’t stop the definite spending it will be 1938 all over. Sorry for the rant
,
Auto correct changed some words
No money is being spent to fund DEI and LGBTQ. Money should be spent fighting discrimination.
School systems in my state have and have stepped up to make sure the kids get fed during the week as well as the weekend.
Speaking of debt – $1 trillion, yes trillion has been added to the national debt in NINE months of 2025.
No one serving in the military should need SNAP benefits. No veterans should need SNAP benefits. No veterans should be homeless – I am proud of the large city that is close to me – they’ve made an effort to almost eliminate homeless veterans.
It should no be a cafeteria plan re: paying government workers – all or none. And if Mr. Mellon has a spare $130M to pay the military (besides his $150M+ in donations in the 2024 election year), perhaps he should pay more in taxes. But the ultra rich paying minimal taxes seems to be the priority these days.
Maria, thank you that’s good to know. Hopefully they keep getting paid, just sad so many active duty qualify for snap. And thank you Maria for your service!
Aww, those Sugar Rush Peach peppers aren’t hot at all once you take the seeds out, as we do. When I chop them up and make relish out of them with Cowboy Candy syrup, even those who can’t eat hot peppers are instantly hooked. : )
We’re doing all we can do to help, donating to food shelves, encouraging everyone out there to please garden and praying.
I have come to the conclusion that the divisiveness is just too big to fight. Trying to reason with either side just seems to end in name calling or finger pointing. The only answer I am more convinced that ever is in individual action as Selena pointed out. Giving without strings. Helping without agenda. Being willing to write a check while remaining anonymous. That, I think, is what will save us as a people. And Jackie, you are a shining example of that. Thank you for being you.
Maggie
And come to think of it, I’m sitting down to write a check to the food pantry. Action – not words!
I find it appalling that we, the supposed best country in the world, are so callous when it comes to helping those that need it. I don’t care if a small percentage “game” the system, I worry about the large percentage that don’t.
I donate money every paycheck to a couple of food pantries and homeless shelters. As well as other local organizations that help be it people, animals, and/or wildlife. Those that can help should, with NO strings attached. One homeless shelter is very faith based, which I am not. BUT for 60+ years, they’ve helped those that need it, no questions asked, no forcing religion down throats. At least the organization walks the walk, not just talks the talk. Sorry, off soapbox.
We’ve also anonymously helped folks, particularly during the pandemic. The elderly that need help tend to be women. I’ve done my best to sock money away for my retirement, I am from a different generation – and saw my grandparents struggle once they retired.
This is a reminder that I need to make some additional donations – my employer matches up to $1K to 501(c)(3) organizations (they doubled the match during the pandemic). I do my best to take advantage of their match every year.
I’m so glad you do help others and sure wish more people would do so! If everyone helped someone else, what a wonderful world this would be. I’d be a strange rich person, as I would put nearly all of my money into helping others who are struggling, regardless of religion, politics, race or nationality. As a nation, we’ve kind of forgotten this and become so hate filled and divisive. What a shame!
Well.. maybe this is not exactly a helpful comment. But I personally am opposed to the GOVERNMENT being the solution and consider it never will actually solve anything. I am not, however, callous, I don’t think, and we give away quite a bit of our money and farm produce (milk especially) specifically because we think that it is people that need to be taking care of other people. To that end, I think we all agree here. I would contend that concluding those who disagree with one’s personal favorite solution is going only to further the divides though. (Like, we will continue to help our way,.giving of our own stuff, and will continue to advocate for less blanket government approaches, but not call anyone names for disagreeing with us if they truly think the government approach is the best one.. would hope that this is the case in thw reverse as well)
I do think that the overall perception that, “Oh, the government will handle it.” leads to a huge abdication from personal responsibility to care for neighbors and friends and family.
Anyway, I join you in your hopes (& prayers) that everyone somehow makes it warm and full through all this!
@Maria – sad to say that if the government provided no help, those is some states would be up a creek without a paddle. Some churches can’t help those in need, some churches have private jets and other perks yet I rarely see them helping those in need. With anything in life – banking, insurance, assistance there will be those committing fraud. When the 90% of people who want to work a living wage job with insurance are doing so, then we deal with the 10% who don’t. It takes technical resources AND people resources to detect fraud. And every day, fraudsters and scammers come up with a new way to do.
Do you drive on any interstates – government funded. Family members insured by Medicare – government program. Cross any bridges, likely government funded. I will say all to many laws passed by government result in people needing assistance – I’m looking at you tax code that sent US manufacturing jobs out of the country. Read the Constitution – a number of programs that exist are because our Founding Fathers knew it was a good, long term investment. My 5Great grandfather fought in the US Revolutionary War. Like the (true) Patriots with whom he fought, it was for the better of citizens of the US – no matter their original country of origin.
Well all this (with which I mostly disagree and would contend we’d be better off without, for example the entire idea of wages is not built on a system that values the dignity of a unique person and I’d chuck it if I were in charge, which I am not, and I’d gladly give up the road system or overhaul it and consider it detrimental to our overall thriving that it exists as it does now) is not to my point, which was we can differ on how we help but we should help and not assume that people who spouse different approaches are callous. You and I totally disagree but both of us want to help. Neither is callous and the assumption someone who thinks differently is, is a fallacy that kills good discussion (ad hominem and all that). Point being we should all be helping and Jackie is right about that!
Oh jeez, cannot type today. ESPOUSE not spouse. And some missing punctuation and a couple words. Hopefully you follow, sorry about that.