Recent content by sparrowgrass

CraigC, boiling WILL destroy the botulism toxins, It won't destroy the spores, but the spores are harmless until they grow in an anaerobic, low acid environment. You eat botulism spores all the time--they are pretty ubiquitous, in the air and in the soil. Sherryarnold--I wouldn't worry about...

Next time, don't touch the lids or jars for 12 hours. Just put them on the counter on a dry towel as you take them out of the canner, and leave them alone to let the rubber on the lid cool.

3 or 4 days and then it goes to the chickens.

In most of the country, plant garlic in the fall and harvest in June or July. Garlic does not fight weeds well, so mulch is a good idea, and garlic needs rich soil for big heads. I have grown grocery store garlic for a long time.

To have safe results, use the Ball Blue Book. You are gambling with your life when you wing it. You can do it your way for years, because odds of botulism are slim, but if you 'hit the jackpot' with botulism, you are dead.

In the south, 'sweet' milk is regular milk, and the sweet part distinguishes it from buttermilk.

If you make chili with beans, it can only be canned in pints, not quarts. It is a density issue.

Eggs--haven't bought any eggs for 16 years. Tomatoes--I did buy some last year, because I had a total crop failure but those were the first since I moved here. I don't buy tomato sauce/salsa/pizza sauce, either, I can my own. Vanilla. I bought a pound of beans about 5 years ago and several...

Three dogs here. No food on the kitchen floor or any other floor, for that matter.

Uncle Frank gave me a dozen ears of corn from his garden, and that was supper. Little salt, lots of butter, many napkins.

Another thing you want to look at when buying a huge canner is whether your stove burners will support it. if you have a glass topped stove, check with the manufacturer--some won't support it, some shut off burners if they have been too hot for too long. Yes, you can stack jars, with a rack or...

Disaster Preparedness Plan | Make a Plan | Red Cross Red Cross has some great info on how to get your family ready for any kind of disaster. Prepper folks seem to concentrate on the apocalypse/nuclear war, but there are lots of smaller disasters all the time. Chemical spills on the...

My sis lives just south of Carbondale, Illinois. There is a major celebration happening in C'dale, but we will be floating in her pool! We are not much for crowds.

Skilletlicker, your shelf/shop light system is what I use to start my plants for the garden. Works great, and no need to buy the expensive grow light bulbs. I don't keep mine growing all year long, but the thought of having fresh lettuce all the time is tempting.

No need to label--they are white cheese curds or yellow cheese curds. :) A big platter with cheese and fruit would be nice. I don't really think you need to ice them. Maybe put half of the curds out in the beginning and keep the rest in the fridge/cooler until they are needed.