Old Yeller rides again!!!

After more than two months of hard, sometimes frustrating work, Will finally got the last bolt fastened on Old Yeller, climbed up onto the seat, and started it up. After a head re-build, our trusty John Deere 1010 purred like new. And with a big smile, Will pulled back on the reverser and Old Yeller backed out of the storage building, onto the driveway, under its own power. Hooray!

Will did “test” doughnuts, and the steering clutches both worked perfectly. Now we have crop signs in the snow on the driveway! Wait till the next helicopter flies overhead. What a relief to have that huge, and I mean HUGE, project finished.

Oh, I thought you might like to see MY project. I’ve become a mule owner! Our neighbor, Jerry Yourczek, who David works for, had a gorgeous filly foal from his quarter horse/mustang mare and his mammoth spotted jack donkey. It had been an unplanned event. From the start, I WANTED that foal. She looked like a racehorse, only with stripes and appaloosa spots! I told Jerry I wanted to buy her, but I guess he didn’t take me serious and sold her to another woman. But a month ago, the buyer backed out and the mule was mine. He brought her over, along with a little jenny burro. Both had never been handled a bit and were as wild as deer. I’ve been working with both of them every day, and finally, the burro will let me pet her butt, sides, and neck. The mule is more high spirited and says “NO WAY,” but she will eat out of the pan at my feet and take feed from my hands. I’m working on it!

We hope to make a saddle/driving mule out of Shadow, as we’ve called her. She’s going to be tall and well built. Now if I can just get her tamed down… Moose and Beauty were as wild, but now they come running when they see me and won’t eat until they get petted. So I have great hopes. Did you EVER see such a color before?

Readers’ Questions:

Canning venison ribs

I noticed in your new book that you mention canning venison ribs. When I tried to cook ribs, I roasted them in the oven. Taking the first bite, they tasted delicious, but we quickly noticed that the fat started coating our mouths. It was like drinking a candle! At any rate, do you do something special to make them palatable? I saved the rest of the ribs, just in case, but I would like some room in my freezer.

In addition, can the fat be rendered and used for anything?

Amanda Kemp
Dover, Delaware

I, personally, don’t like venison fat; I bone all my meat. Some folks do like it however. I don’t can bone-in venison or chevon (goat meat). For those who DO like the taste, the recipe in the book works.

In the old days, pioneers used venison tallow in candles, small lamps, and as a waterproofing for their shoes/moccasins. If you wish to give it a try, heat the simmering meat/bones, then cool the pot. Gently spoon off the hardened fat for later use. — Jackie

Pickled corn

My husband and I love pickled corn but I can not find a canning recipe. I have looked in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and I also have your canning book. Do you can pickled corn? If so will you share your recipe? I have also canned several of your meals-in-a-jar, we love them.

Robin Putman
Coolville, Ohio

No, I haven’t canned pickled corn; the closest I’ve come was corn relish or corn salsa (pg. 97 of my new gardening/canning book). If you’re talking about pickled baby corn, you could use the same recipe for the seasoned brine for the corn relish and substitute the tiny ears of baby corn instead of using corn cut off the cobs. Should work just fine. — Jackie

Making butter

Do you need a dazey turner to make butter I have seen these online and they are pretty expensive, I am looking for a non electric kind. I have checked local flea markets and have not found any. But was just wondering if you could make butter from just mixing it with a paddle in a bowl.

Scott
Georgia

No, you can’t just mix it in a bowl with a paddle; you’d be there forever! Instead, I’ve whipped my cream stiff with a hand mixer, then spooned it into a 1/2-gallon large mouth canning jar. Then you just roll it around and shake it until your butter comes. Of course, it is easier to use a butter churn. Hoeggers Goat Supply carries a new hand crank churn for $129. It’s a bit pricey, but should last generations. — Jackie

Tin measuring cup

My mother has a tin 1 cup measuring cup that she has wore out and would like another one; but I can’t seem to find them anywhere. It looks like a cup with a handle on it, except it’s made of tin. Do you know of anywhere that I could find them now?

Bill Church
Normantown, West Virginia

Lehmans Hardware carries a tin cup that might be about what your Mom used. I have a couple of old ones and mine are a 1 cup measure; I’m not sure about the new ones, though. You could ask. They are not guaranteed to be watertight…but probably are tight enough to use as a measuring cup. — Jackie

Dehydrating food

My church is very involved in a mission in Nicaragua and makes several trips a year doing different services. We have done many medical trips, the last trip was to teach the women to sew and the men some building skills in order to give them a trade to earn money with. They built a chicken coop that is much nicer than the houses they live in. The village has a huge garden now and is using it to teach the young adults agricultural skills. In order for them to be able to participate, they have to go to school and it is a huge honor to be a part of this program. They want us to come and teach them how to can their produce. I don’t think it is possible to use a pressure canner safely and keep the pressure steady enough, or long enough over a stone oven. They have very little electricity and do all their cooking over fire in an open clay or stone oven. I can’t think of any vegetable other than tomato (with lemon juice) that could safely be water bathed, so I am thinking they will need to dehydrate most of the vegetables. They don’t know how to do this either and I will need to figure out how to teach them this w/o electricity. Do you have any suggestions at all? How do you feel about a trip to Nicaragua this spring? We could sure use your expertise and it is truly life changing for us and them.

Jo Riddle
Vienna, West Virginia

Dehydration probably makes more sense than canning, as getting jars would probably be a problem to villagers. If they were available at a reasonable (donated?) cost, perhaps your church or someone else would be willing to foot the bill for a large tank of propane and basic “canning” stove located in the school to use as a community canning project?

It should be warm enough to simply use “solar” dehydration, as is done in Mexico, Italy, and many other countries. By just slicing small tomatoes and peppers in half and putting them on basic screen or wooden racks, or cutting others into half inch thick slices, keeping them dry and in the sun, protected from insects, you quickly have nicely dehydrated vegetables. I’ve even used the car with the windows rolled up as a “solar dehydrator.”

I’d love to go with you to Nicaragua! But, right now, I’ve got a full time, plus, job taking care of my 93 year old Mom. Maybe another time? — Jackie

Keeping a goose with chickens

We had 3 geese and were dog sitting a lab who broke the kennel wire, got out and killed 2 of them. We have the one that was injured in the basement and it is finally eating and doing better. My question is could we put the goose in with the chickens? Would they get along and would our rooster accept it? Are there any diseases that might be spread to each other? We may have located a goose to put with our injured one so it is not alone. We understand they are social animals. I bought a book on geese, however it doesn’t answer thoughts like these in times of trouble.

Debra Brown
Littlefork, Minnesota

Usually you can get by, putting waterfowl, in limited numbers, with chickens. You’ll just have to see how they interact. One reason I don’t like to have waterfowl in my chicken coop is that geese and ducks LOVE water and quickly bathe in the drinking water. This is fine if you are a goose, but it sure makes the chicken coop wet. And a damp coop isn’t good for chickens. I wouldn’t worry about disease transmission, but DO try to keep the coop as dry as possible. Maybe you might have to water twice a day and not leave water available at all times for the goose to play in. Your single goose might like another goose for company, but if it was me, I’d wait till spring so you don’t have two geese to flap water around in your chicken coop. Your single goose won’t pine away from loneliness before spring and you’ll probably join your chickens in being much happier, waiting. — Jackie

Heart rot in potatoes

Every year I harvest potatoes that appear to have some sort of “heart rot.” Frequently it will just be a void in the middle surrounded by brown flesh; in others I have found a decayed or what appears to be a rotten spot. I have planted both Kennebec’s and Yukon Gold and the Yukon Gold appear to suffer more from the problem. Can you identify the cause and any possible solutions?

Jim Winski
Jane Lew, West Virginia

This is hollow heart and usually is seen after periods of wet weather or irregular watering. Some varieties, including Yukon Gold, seem more susceptible to this problem. Monitor your watering carefully, especially after potato bloom, when the potatoes are developing quickly, to make sure they are receiving adequate, regular watering, but not TOO much. Potatoes with hollow heart are edible; just cut away the brownish hollow center and eat the rest. — Jackie