I sold two of my adult milking does, Luna and Velvet, so we haven’t had goat milk on the table. Fawn, a yearling, freshened just before Buffy. We sold Fawn’s twin does, as they were from a first freshener and we had no idea of how she’d milk. A quart a day? A gallon? And boy was she wild! I’ve NEVER had a goat so wild, and I’ve had lots and lots. It took two of us to corral her to catch her, then getting her on the milking stand was a rodeo. She kicked over my head and soundly kicked me in the chest! But finally I’ve got her tamed down.

Then our sweetheart, Buffy, gave us a buck and doe, so they’ve been hogging all her milk. But now they’re eating grain and have had a great start, so I’m locking them away from her over night so I can steal her milk in the morning. She gives me just a little less than a gallon every morning! What a goat! And she loves people, too. No rodeo. She is happy to be milked.

So now we have fresh milk. Mom even asks for goat milk now! She found out it tastes better than store milk. Maybe if I have time, I can make some easy, fast cheeses. I know some ice cream is just around the corner.

All that milk makes up for the disappointing gardening year. We have had such cool weather that a lot of crops are real sad. But who knows? Maybe things will pick up this month. If you quit, you’re done. So we keep tending the plants and praying for a good harvest.

Readers’ Questions:

Rabbit problems

I am having a big problems in the garden with rabbits. They are everywhere this year. They are eating up my garden like crazy. I have a green plastic fence up like the highway dept, but they are eating holes through it. Is there anything I can do to keep them out? I have a have-a-heart trap set but can’t catch them. They are bold and not afraid of people. I can get so close I can almost catch them. Are they afraid of pie plates hanging, an owl in the garden on a pole or anything else?
Please help. I am going to replace the fence with metal as soon as I can afford a section at a time.

Carol Womelsdorf
Oakville, Connecticut

Get some three foot high chicken wire and replace the plastic with that. It will keep the too tame bunnies out. Be sure to bury the bottom in the soil or they’ll dig under. We had to do that in New Mexico to even HAVE a garden! Also, having a dog helps, as it takes the “tame” out of the bunnies and they’ll often move on if they are chased a few times. No, the owl and pie pans are jokes to the rabbits. And they don’t repel well with sprays, either, although I did have some luck mixing eggs with water and spraying that on the plants; they didn’t seem to like the smell/taste. But the wire will do the trick. And chicken wire is pretty inexpensive, yet. — Jackie

Aggressive Nubian buck

I answered an ad for a free full blooded Nubian buck (probably my first mistake). He’s everything I wanted in a dairy buck anatomically, although we’ve made the discovery that he’s horribly tempered and was taught that people are targets. We are fairly experienced with goats and I should have known better. His health is great and there are no obvious triggers for his behavior. His previous owners kept him penned off but stated to me that he’s never butted anyone (I find that hard to believe). We were very surprised and had I allowed my 8 year old to visit him in the pasture alone, instead of my torn clothes and bruises he would have had broken bones. It’s a real shame that he hadn’t been disbudded.

Is there a way to “humanely” break him of this dangerous behavior (I’m voting for the cattle prod at this point, which I don’t even own yet because I’ve never needed one) or is he destined to become sausage? All of our previous bucks have been gentle or at least respectful.

Nicole Gibson
Seligman, Missouri

Once a buck becomes really aggressive like this one, there is little you can do to make him dependably gentle. You could have him dehorned (a big job for your vet, as mature bucks have very large horn bases), which would help a lot, but may not cure the problem. Because you have an eight year old, I’d recommend the sausage route, unfortunately. Selling him may just get someone else hurt. I’ve never, never had an aggressive buck. But mine have been disbudded and NEVER played with. Grabbing a buck by the horns and wrestling with them is, unfortunately, quite common and some people think it’s funny to see the buck rear back and fight. Until they get hurt. By then the buck has learned bad behavior and it’s usually to late to rehabilitate them. Sorry. — Jackie

Flat tasting canned food

I have opened up two jars of different food items I had pressure canned during the winter, one was chicken in broth and the other chili, each one has a flat taste to it, like the smell of the canner once its been depressurized and you take the top off, not sure how to describe it. What could this be? The food is definitely not gone bad, it just has a taste that is off.

Darnell Rogers
Arden, North Carolina

There are a lot pf possibilities on this problem and I don’t have much information to go on. Was all of the chicken in broth and chili like that or only those two jars? One possibility is flat/sour, resulting in a flat or “off” taste. This is caused by a heat-resistant bacteria and usually results in hurried up canning that doesn’t follow all the directions. The other is that possibly your pressure gauge is off and the foods are processing at a too-high pressure. I hope you find out the cause and have great canning this year! — Jackie

Worming for coccidia

I am wondering about worming for coccidia. I bought a buck kid from a dairy farm with papers that show an ancestry of good milk production and got his runt sister for free ( I know… there ain’t no free lunch or free goat). Any way the gal said I should treat them for it. I think they are growing fine and look good. I’m wondering if it is really necessary.

Dinah Jo Brosius
Battle Ground, Washington

I would suggest a fecal exam to check for coccidiosis. Evidently the breeder had a problem (possibly slight and she is concerned) and wants to make sure your goats are clear.

Liver fluke is “fairly common” in some swampy areas; the intermediate host is a small snail. But we’ve always lived in low areas and have never had it in a goat or cow. Signs are unthriftiness, diarrhea and death. I’d talk to your vet when you take in the fecal sample and follow his/her advice as they know how common this problem really is in YOUR area. — Jackie

Canning onions

I just received a “boatload” of onions. Big Spanish onions. I have turned into a canning nut since becoming familiar with your site. I love it. Is there a way to can onions that I can possibly quarter or dice to use in cooking later?

Kevin Sakuta
Jesup, Georgia

While I dehydrate most of my onions, which is very easy (simply slice them in 1/2″ slices and lay them on your trays), I do add chopped or quartered onions to my stew vegetable mixes. Onions themselves are not recommended for canning unless they are cut into chunks 1″ square (relatively) or less. Cover the pieces with boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. Pack into jars with cooking liquid, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom. If you do this, the processing time is 25 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning book for directions). In stew mixtures, such as carrots, onions, potatoes, and corn, for instance, process the mix for the time required for the vegetable requiring the longest processing time.

Enjoy your onions! I use my dehydrated onions nearly every day in soups, casseroles, stews and hamburgers. — Jackie

Canning strawberries, preserves in pint jars, and dilly beans

I used your recipe for canning strawberries, but my berries have white centers and are hollow. According to the Ball Preserving book (to the left of the Strawberries in Syrup recipe) I cannot can this variety, but they have no information on why. So I cut my berries (no hollow centers now) and then followed your recipe. Do you think this is OK? One last thing about these berries, they do float and so I can see them nearer the top of the jars with the syrup at the bottom.

Susan Bates
Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Don’t worry about the strawberries. Just slice ‘em and can them. Some varieties DO have a white center and it’s a cosmetic thing, not a safety or taste issue. Strawberries tend to float in the jar, as do many fruits, especially those raw packed. Also, no worries.

YES, you can put up your jams, jellies, and preserves in pint jars. When I had 8 kids home, I sure didn’t use half pints! No, you use the same processing time for half pints and pints.

As for the dilly beans, my recipe also has you pack raw, washed, trimmed beans in the jar and pour the pickling solution over the beans, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. They are then boiling water bath processed for 10 minutes. Happy canning! — Jackie

Personal garbage dump

I am planning for the coming economic collapse which I see as inevitable. I suspect that one of the first services to go will be rural garbage collection. Look as I might I cannot find any guidance about a personal garbage/waste dump. I am sure the old pioneers and farmers had a system. What would you recommend?

Nevin Smith
Alexandria, Minnesota

The reason early pioneers and farmers got along so well is that they didn’t have much waste. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Consider this; when you have home canned foods, use a jar, you don’t have a tin can to throw away, only a thin lid. If you don’t buy any prepackaged foods, you don’t have the container to dispose of. If you don’t buy sodas and other drinks, you also don’t have a container to get rid of. We burn all of our paper products (envelopes, newspapers, cardboard, etc.) in our wood stove to start fires that keep us warm.

In the old days, folks simply dug a deep hole to receive any “trash” such as broken glass, jar lids, etc. I’m certain that would still work if you had no other way to dispose of it. Remember, the less you buy, the less you have to get rid of, so more homegrown foods are a definite plus!

We feed all our kitchen scraps to the goats and chickens except meat bones and meat products. The bones, we burn and the meat goes to the dogs. If we didn’t have goats and chickens, we would add the kitchen scraps to the compost pile. I can’t think of more “garbage/trash” to get rid of. — Jackie

Saving tomato seeds

Can you tell me how to save tomato seeds? Do I just dry them and seal them in a jar? If I plant a second crop of tomatoes this year can I use these seeds? This is the first time I have grown heirloom seeds and the tomatoes are so good.

Kathleen Minkkinen
Cedar Bluff, Alabama

Tomato seeds are real easy to save. Just add the seeds to water in a small jar and let them ferment on the counter for about 3 days. The gel disappears and the seeds are left. Rinse them well in a sieve then put them on a wax paper to dry. As they dry, stir them to dry them evenly. When they are very dry, store them in an airtight jar. You can save seeds from any very ripe tomato. I’m glad you found out how good some of those heirloom tomatoes are. That’s why they’ve been around so long! Enjoy! — Jackie

Storing homemade bread

I was wondering about storing homemade bread. I have recently starting making most of the bread for our family by hand. We love it but it only keeps for a couple days. Is there anything I’m not doing that I should be to keep it a little longer?

Tracy Doldan
Kenmore, New York

Because homemade bread IS so good and has no chemicals added, like preservatives, it is harder to keep than store bought bread that lasts for a week or more. To keep it longer, you can either freeze a loaf in an airtight bag or refrigerate it. Both will make it last much longer. But around here, when I bake bread, we usually eat up the first loaf when it is still hot, making most of a meal from it and the second loaf quickly follows. Keep making the bread and your family’s eating habits will change; most families aren’t used to having GOOD bread (the staff of life!) on the table to enjoy and it takes awhile to get in the habit. Remember that homemade bread makes terrific toast and French toast for breakfast, too! — Jackie

Two days ago, David wasn’t working, so he, Will and I hauled the three longest poles down to the site with the ATV, chained them a little lower than half way down, to the bucket of our little Ford 8N tractor and carefully, a little at a time, set them down into the holes we had waiting for them. (And if you don’t think you’re a little nervous with a 30-foot, 500-pound pole towering over your head…)

But, one by one, they went into place and were securely braced all ways, without accident or incident. Now all we have to do is frame the roof. Way up there…

We did take a day off last Sunday and go down to my oldest son, Bill and his wife, Kelly’s house for a family get together. My adopted daughter (from India) and her family came out for a visit from their home in Rhode Island so the rest of the family who lived in the area came. I hadn’t seen my stepdaughter, Tricia and her family for quite awhile either, so it was real enjoyable to visit for even that short time. Mom, being 93, doesn’t like to go anywhere, so she wanted to leave for home much before any of the rest of us did, but it was still a great day.

Now it’s back to work, as usual. But with nice memories.

Readers’ Questions:

Disbudding goats

Do you have a “fail proof” system of disbudding or do you have to redo it on some of your stock? I’ve yet to get it really correct. I do have some that don’t come in, but that is the majority at the moment. Now we are faced with keeping them down if we don’t catch them soon enough.

Margie Buchwalter
Palmer, Alaska

No one gets 100% clean heads on the first disbudding. But you should get a very high percentage. First of all, try to disbud at 3-4 days; it’s amazing at how fast those horn buds grow. The larger they are, the harder they are to kill. Be sure your disbudding iron is VERY hot. Mine is electric and takes about 5 minutes to heat up thoroughly. Clip the hair around the horn bud; hair is insulating. When you apply the disbudding iron to your goat kids, be firm and press it down, moving it slowly in a circular motion so that none of the skin/horn bud area is left unburned. Leave it on long enough that a white or copper ring is burned all the way around the horn bud. Then with the iron, flip the cap off the horn bud. Replace the hot iron for a shorter time, searing the top of the horn bud. Repeat with the other side.

I put snow or a cold cloth on the kids’ heads immediately after disbudding, more for their comfort than for a good disbudding job.

Check each side of each kid in one week for emerging scurs; they’ll appear as small pea-sized black bumps. If you find one, clip it off and re-burn the area where it was growing. Usually that takes care of any incomplete disbudding.

With practice, you’ll get much better results. — Jackie

I know I am showing my green horns but how did you de-bud the goats? Could you explain the process and the tools used?

Gwen
Celina, Texas

Read the first question of this blog; it’s all about disbudding kid goats. I use an electric disbudding iron. You can buy one from Hoeggers Goat Supply. It’s not a fun job, but it is very necessary, so I suck it up and repeat “I’m saving your life…I’m saving your life…” all the while I’m disbudding the kids. Having a helper to hold the kid or using a snug disbudding box to restrain it is invaluable. Especially when you’re new to the job and a bit tentative. If possible get an experienced goat breeder to come show you how it’s done the first time. It really helps make it clearer and gives you confidence. — Jackie

Pasteurizing and conditioning dehydrated food

I have a question on drying fruits and vegetables. Do you condition and pasteurize after drying? What type and size of container do you use for conditioning? If you pasteurize, what method do you use and do you use the same container you conditioned the produce in?

I see that you use old gift tin cans for storage. Do you line the tin cans with plastic? Do you break the dried produce into smaller size lots after processing or do you bulk store all in one container? I read that small lot packages should be used to minimize how many times the seal is broken each time some of the dried produce is used.

I am getting ready to dry some fresh picked strawberries. Last year I dried apricots and apples and stored them in quart canning jars with plastic screw on lids. Some ended up with insect hatches. The extension office told me that probably happened because I did not pasteurize the produce after drying and conditioning.

David McDermott
Liberty Lake, Washington

I do not pasteurize my dehydrated foods. I simply dry them at about 125 degrees, which will also kill any insect eggs present. This is done, either on my electric dehydrator, used over a period of two days, because of us being off grid, or in my stove oven with the door open (wood range) or closed on a very low setting (gas range). Some of my dehydrated foods are stored in quart jars, such as many fruits that I don’t dry in a large amount. Others, such as squash and apples, are stored in my tins (which have very tight lids and are insect proof). I have never had trouble with insects, mold, or other problems. I just open a container and take out what I need and reclose it.

No, I don’t line my tins with plastic. I really don’t like plastic; it often causes condensation because it’s too airtight and condensation is the enemy of dehydrated foods. The food in my tins stays dry and useable until it’s gone. I do always make sure that all my dehydrated food is dry, dry…a bit drier than necessary. — Jackie

Freezing vegetables

Last year, we tried freezing our excess veggies (shaved the corn off the cob, and beans went straight in Ziploc bags and then in the freezer). But both veggies are pretty inedible eaten straight. The corn is mushy and mealy, and the beans are limp.

Is there a better way to freeze them? Does the container matter (we used Ziplocs for the most part)? Are there specific species of corn or beans that are better at freezing than others that you can recommend?

Considering canning this year as that seems at least to make them a good kind of mushy.

Marty Brown
Chicago, Illinois

Most vegetables, especially corn and beans, should be blanched before they are frozen. This inactivates the natural enzymes in the food which will often make it taste nasty or get soft during freezer storage.

Personally, I like canned sweet corn, green beans, and many other foods better than frozen. And, once canned, there is no worry about storage, unlike the freezer where you do worry about freezer burn after a longer period of storage. — Jackie

Chicken feed recipe

Could you share the recipe for feeding chickens grain instead of commercial chicken feed? When we read the labels we could not believe the stuff they are putting into their feed. Also, could you include the amounts of grit, oyster shell, vitamins, etc? I mailed you a letter but we will be needing the info before the next issue arrives. Could not find exact ratios in the chicken booklet.

Name withheld

A very easy way to go is to simply buy scratch feed. This contains (depending on the locale) wheat, oats, cracked corn, and soybean meal. Feed them this, along with table scraps, grass, and clover, garden extras like squash, over-sized cukes, tomato seeds/skins, etc., and let them go free ranging, if possible, and they’ll happily lay lots of eggs for you without commercial egg mash. (I don’t even KNOW what some of the ingredients in it are!)

This also provides adequate vitamins and minerals. Give them a free-choice hopper full of oyster shell to help build strong bones and egg shells, access to gravel or dirt (or a hopper of chicken grit) and they’ll do very well for a whole lot cheaper than if you fed them egg mash!

Remember that chickens are easy to feed; they eat about anything and seem to balance their own diet. — Jackie

Rural property

With all the places that you have lived, I was wondering how you decided on where to move? What do you use as a starting point, remoteness, your job, family, price of land? I currently live in Southern CA and would like to look for rural property. We have property in Kansas, but I like mountains and trees and don’t know where to start. What made you move from Montana to where you are now?

Michelle V.
Fallbrook, California

We love the mountains, and Montana, especially. BUT land, homestead-able land is very expensive per acre and there is not much in smaller, affordable acreages there; it’s either remote subdivisions of 20 acres or thereabouts or huge ranches. We lucked out on our first place there and got a mining claim with a small cabin on it very reasonably. But, then again, it was only 20 acres and it just wasn’t enough land to support our horses and gardens.

When we looked for land, our first priority was a remote area. Then it had to have water on it of some kind. Pasture, a possible large garden spot, trees, firewood access, away from any major city, relaxed building codes, and simply a place that spoke to us were all necessary. And, of course, we needed cheaper land; we aren’t exactly rich!

My advice would be to make a list of your “must haves,” then start looking around. You’ll find that you’ll have to trade a few “must haves” for reality, but try to stick close to what you really want and need. There’s a place out there waiting for you. Have fun finding it! — Jackie

Strawberries and potato bugs

First off I want to thank you for your recommendation for the Mantis tiller. It is a great thing to have once you are used to it!

Is there anything else to do with strawberries besides making jam and freezing them whole? Can you can them or aren’t they very good?

What is the purpose of potato bugs and their larva besides for you to spend hours picking them? Am I the only person who has them? Where do they come from? I think they appear out of thin air and the first one there calls the rest! But is there anything else to get rid of them besides picking and picking and picking? I don’t want to spray anything chemical on the plants either.

Cindy Hills
Wild Rose, Wisconsin

I dehydrate a lot of my strawberries to use in granola, on cereal, in desserts, and just for snacks. And yes, I do can them too. True, they aren’t as good as frozen ones, but they are sure good enough to bother with! I also make several mixed berry preserves and jams with them, as well as fresh use like strawberry cheesecake, shortcake, and just plain STRAWBERRIES!

I don’t have a clue what potato bugs are good for, except bugging you! Like mosquitoes, deer flies, and ticks. Yuck! I pick and squash eggs until they are really bad, then I dust my potatoes with rotenone dust, as it’s as natural and non-toxic to people as possible. That seems to break their numbers seriously. Some years are bad; others much better. We always hope for a “better” year. So far the potato bugs haven’t found our garden, way out in the middle of the wild woods! Yet. — Jackie

Pear mincemeat

Do you have a recipe for pear mincemeat? I have misplaced mine. It called for pears, oranges, lemons, raisins, and several spices. I have a lot of pears on my trees, and want to have my recipe ready for when they ripen.

Dianna Martin
Angleton, Texas

Here’s mine:

7 pounds ripe pears
1 lemon
2 oranges
2 pounds raisins
7 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cloves
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. ground allspice
1 cup vinegar

Core and quarter pears. Cut lemon and oranges into quarters, removing seeds. Put pears, lemon, oranges, and raisins through meat grinder with a coarse blade. Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Add chopped fruit. Bring to a boil slowly. Simmer for 40 minutes. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Process for 25 minutes in a boiling water bath. — Jackie

Chicken predator

Had something get into my poultry coop last night. I had been leaving the chicken door open so the birds could come and go. Guess that was a mistake. This is the first time in eight years we’ve had this happen. Lost 6 chickens, 2 turkeys, and 1 duck, and one of my Buff Orpingtons is completely missing.

I had all these dead birds, and my husband had to leave for work. Our arrangement is that I take care of their daily needs, and he takes care of the butchering. Then I discovered two more birds inside the coop that weren’t dead but were mortally wounded. Luckily, I have farm-minded neighbors and within 20 minutes I had a husband-wife butchering team here to give me a hand cutting on heads, gutting and skinning. We were able to save meat from 5 of the chickens and the one duck.

I have two questions for you: I tried doing a search for what killed my birds, but I can’t figure it out. Only one bird had been eaten on, one of the chickens. The head and one wing were ripped off, the entrails were mostly eaten and part of the breast was eaten. The other birds suffered slashes to the breast with very little blood or feather loss. I suspect that the predator entered the coop, but most of the birds were dead out in the fenced yard. It happened during the night (we didn’t hear a thing). I know we have some big coons around here. Would a coon kill like that? Fox?

Second, what can I do to repay these wonderful neighbors of mine? Of course they refused any sort of payment for gas money. I don’t want to embarrass them with a gift, but it was a huge favor that they did for me! But they, like me, already grow a big garden, raise their own birds, etc., so I don’t really have anything they don’t produce themselves.

Carmen Griggs
Bovey, Minnesota

My money is on the coon. I had raccoons kill 33 nearly-grown turkeys and several chickens in the past. They even broke the window and dug under the door! I caught one in the act and he didn’t even run away. He went to raccoon heaven via 20 gauge. It’s safest to lock the poultry in at night to avoid temptation. If you have more trouble, either set leg traps or a live trap to catch the culprit before he puts you out of the bird business.

As for your great neighbors, bake ‘em a pie, a pan of brownies, or give them some of your homemade jelly. And always BE that kind of neighbor to them and your other neighbors. It’s why we’ve always gotten along well no matter where we lived. — Jackie

Harvesting Hopi Pale Grey Squash

I have Hopi Pale Grey Squash from the seeds you sent! I want to know when to harvest. I have squash about 6″ in diameter now. They are beautiful, but I don’t know when to pick. And if you have the time, a simple recipe for the squash would be much appreciated.

Dan Jones
Chickamauga, Georgia

I’m so glad you are having squash from this great squash! You can harvest your squash this fall when the squash are blueish gray and the skin is hard (resists your fingernail pressing in). The squash are usually about soccer-ball sized but oblong shaped.

I usually just cut them in half, scoop out and SAVE the fat seeds, drying them on a pie pan or cookie sheet left on the bookshelf, scrape out the strings, then smear butter inside and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and bake at 350 degrees until tender. Or you can brown up some hamburger or sausage, add it to rice and mixed vegetables, stir in some cream of mushroom soup, and stuff the squash with it. That’s real good, too. — Jackie

Transplanting wild asparagus and black raspberries

I have found in our timber, beautiful stands of wild asparagus and big sweet black raspberries. Is there any way that I can transplant or save seeds to plant them in our garden near the house and not so far into the timber?

Lance Schaefer
Guernsey, Iowa

Lucky you! What I would do is to get some orange surveyor’s tape (plastic and cheap) and mark the plants you like. Then, in the spring, before they begin to grow, dig them up, being sure to get enough roots, and transplant them to a place that would be more convenient for you. Remember that asparagus has long, often kind of deep roots; a spading fork works great for digging them. Asparagus roots look like an octopus with many fatter roots hanging down from the crown. The asparagus shoots that we eat come from the crown. Plant the black raspberries fairly shallow, but as deep as they grew, and the asparagus a bit deeper. It’ll take a couple of years for them to get back to full production so just take care of them and they’ll reward you bountifully. — Jackie

But now the goats have a pretty barn to keep them dry and away from the biting flies. And now we’re on to other projects!

Readers’ Questions:

Hail damaged plants

We recently moved to Wisconsin from Phoenix to our own 40 acres of heaven and planted our vegetable garden, everything was going good until this morning when a hail storm blew through and now everything is damaged. The tomato plants are pretty well broken up and no longer bushy and beautiful. The chard and lettuce and other greens are shredded, the green peppers have a couple of leaves left but no buds now, the peas and green beans are devastated. What happens next, will they come out of it or should we at least replant the greens so we have at least something to freeze this fall? I’m figuring at least the cabbage, Brussels sprouts, corn and potatoes and onions will bounce back but what about the rest? The joys of mother nature, it could have been worse.

Charles Wiedmaier
Mondovi, Wisconsin

Hail is the gardener’s worst nightmare; I’ve had it totally wipe out a garden in ten minutes, leaving absolutely nothing to indicate we ever had a garden! I’d say your tomatoes and peppers will quickly bounce back. Prune off any damaged branches and give them a good feeding. You’ll never know they were hurt in two weeks’ time. I’d replant your beans and peas by making another row, just a few inches away from the ruined ones. That way if the hailed beans and peas recover, you’ll have two crops. If not, you’ll still have a crop. You still have time–just use early maturing varieties. Same with your corn, unless it looks fairly good. It’s tough and will take a lot.

Good luck and may Mother Nature smile on your persistence! — Jackie

Canning red potatoes

I just dug up a tractor bucket full of potatoes…which is a lot for two people to eat!! Anyway, they are red potatoes and all my canning books say you can only can whites or Irish…but a good friend of mine said that her mother always canned the red ones as long as they were really small, like bite sized. So who is right?

Joy Goepfert
Alba, Missouri

Of course you can home can red potatoes! You don’t need tiny bite sized ones, either. I’ve canned chunks, dices, and whole (small) red potatoes, just like the other varieties. I can up the little ones or ones that I damaged digging. That way I use up ones that might be wasted, otherwise. With little red potatoes, I just scrub them and can them with the ultra thin skins right on. They’re great! — Jackie

Breeding goats

We have a Nubia/Boar billy, who seems to be always in rut. Can he breed with our Nubia doe and our Nubia/boar goat after they have kidded? They both had kids in Jan/Feb. We had them in different pens but good old Bubba got out and was running with the does for a while.

Mary Ingold
Kalispell, Montana

Some bucks are more “interested” than others, even if does aren’t in heat. Goats usually can come into heat from the middle of July through January, but CAN breed at other times as well. If your does start to “plump up” along about July, you’ll have a pretty good hint that Bubba had his way. — Jackie

Canning with wire bail jars

We have glass wire bail canning jars. Can we water bath can stewed tomatoes and tomato juice in these jars and if so for how long?

Rhona and Brad Barrie
Strong, Maine

It’s better to save those pretty jars for storing dry foods or dehydrated foods. The trouble with them is that you can’t tell if they are sealed or not like you can with modern two piece lids, which indent in the center. So you don’t know for sure if the jars are truly sealed.

I’m glad you liked the lemon curd; I use it in a lot of baking recipes, like filling tart cups or putting a dollop on a square of shortbread. We love it! — Jackie

Making cherry cordial

I am going to attempt making cherry cordial with tart cherries we just picked. My question is: How do I preserve this? I want to put them in small, pretty bottles, not jars. Michaels has some with a cork top. If I use those, do I keep the cordial in the cabinet, refrigerator or freezer? And how long would it keep? I’m hoping until Christmas.

Becky McKim
Ankeny, Iowa

Sorry Becky, but I don’t use alcohol. Why don’t you type cherry cordial or tart cherry cordial recipe in your browser. I’m sure you’ll find one you’ll like. Enjoy! — Jackie

Keeping turkeys with chickens

I read in the latest issue of BHM that you keep turkeys in with your chickens. I also read in another magazine today that someone else is keeping turkeys in with the chickens. Now, a poultry book that I read this summer (I think it was a Storey’s book but not sure as it was a library book) that you can’t keep turkeys with chickens because of a disease that the turkeys get from the chickens, something to do with black spots on the heads of the turkeys that kill them. The book also said that raising turkeys in different pens on the same farm was a risk due to possible cross contamination. I would love to keep turkeys and chickens as well as other poultry for eggs meat and pest control. So what’s the deal, is it safe to keep turkeys and chickens together or not?

Joshua Schrader
Middleburg, Pennsylvania

Yes, it’s possible that turkeys can get blackhead and pass it on to your chickens. Probable? Not so you’d notice. I’ve kept turkeys with chickens all my life and have never had any type of disease passed from one to the other. Or any disease, period. I have a turkey tom in with my chickens right now and everyone is happy. I wouldn’t advise someone with a commercial, large flock, to mix them, as with a huge increase in numbers and stress, anything is possible. — Jackie

Squash bugs

Do you have suggestions for controlling/eliminating squash bugs? Companion planting nasturtium and marigolds does not seem to help me. I have too many to try to control by hand every day. Perhaps you have an idea or two?

M. Zipf
Amelia, Ohio

I’m totally in favor of hand picking, but sometimes you have to pull out the big guns to save a crop. I’d dust your squash with a rotenone or pyrethrins powder weekly (more often if it rains) until you get them under control. As these products are quite safe and are a natural alternative to chemicals, you can eat the squash the day after dusting. (But I always wash anyway.) Once you stop the huge infestation, keep an eye out for the eggs on the undersides of the leaves and squash them or you’ll hatch out a new crop! — Jackie

Pressure canning

I have an issue with pressure canning. All my life I’ve only water bathed but did a few jars of green beans and such last year on my old stove. Well, my husband just bought us a new stove this year. I tried to can some chicken stock today. I put it on the burner, and had the burner as low as it would go. The pressure went up to nearly 20 pounds. I tried canning with only a corner of the pot on the burner, and the pressure still stayed around 15 lbs. The only way I could get it down to 10 was by opening the petcock valve a little. Is that okay to do? Any suggestions on how I should do this, since none of my burners will turn down low enough? This stove doesn’t have a “simmer” burner.

Angela Billings
Stronghurst, Illinois

Is this an electric stove? I’ve never had a stove that wouldn’t turn down low, but I’ve not had an electric stove, either. No, you shouldn’t open the petcock valve, even a little. You could seriously affect the pressure and necessary steam buildup in your canner. A lot of folks who can’t use their “normal” kitchen range for canning, for one reason or another (glass top, top oven that won’t let you put a canner or other large pot on the burners) often buy a small two burner table top propane stove to can on. Don’t confuse these (available through Harbor Freight and Northern Tool, among other places) with Coleman camping stoves; they are much sturdier. They are inexpensive and last forever with no maintenance.

I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with pressure canning, as very few folks do. — Jackie

Cleaning cast iron

Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed (like always) your recent article about cast iron. I love my cast iron skillets too. Just to pass this tip on that when I clean my oven I put my cast iron skillets that need to be cleaned in the oven (self cleaning cycle) and let all that heat do double duty. The pans come out great. I learned this trick when some one years ago gave me some 100 year old cast iron that looked horrible. A friend told me to bring it over because she was cleaning her oven “self cleaning” and low and behold 3 hours later I had beautiful cast iron. I was also told after I wash out my cast iron to put it back on the stove top on high just long enough to dry it (about a minute) then remove it from the stove and wipe it out with an oily piece of paper towel. I just use vegetable oil and the residual heat must help it soak into the pan because I never have oily pans to put away and voila, no rust. Once again this is the self cleaning cycle, not the chemical stove cleaner.

Michelle Chapin
Fresno, Ohio

Sounds great if you have a self-cleaning oven. I never have had one; all mine were either plain Jane propane or wood. I’m sure readers will like your tip. Thanks!

The book is in the final, final stages, almost ready for the printer. I’ll keep you posted! — Jackie

Canning potatoes and getting rid of cabbage worms

You have inspired me to get a Pressure Canner as a way to become more self reliant and I used it the first time this morning. I canned some potatoes but they lost a lot of their water. I looked in the Ball Blue Book and they said that can happen with starchy foods but they did not say if it was still safe? I have a little guy that I would love to feed home canned foods but want to make sure I am doing everything right! Also do you know of a good organic way to get rid of cabbage worms? Thanks for all your help you are amazing!

John and Leslie Glenn
Lancaster, Ohio

Wow! Amazing. I’ve got to tell my family that; they mostly think I’m tired. I’m thrilled that you’re starting to can. You’ll love it; I promise! Yes, potatoes sometimes lose some water. As long as the jars are sealed, they are safe to eat. As always, before using any canned food (including store food!), look at it when opening, and smell the contents. If the food was sealed, looks and smells fine, it is good to eat.

Before you get cabbage worms, you can cover your cole crops with a floating row cover and encourage swallows and bluebirds; they LOVE cabbage butterflies. After you have a problem, you can use Bt which is a natural biological killer of ONLY caterpillars that eat your plants; it won’t harm pollinators, helpful insects, or you. You can buy it through most garden supply catalogs or stores. It’s worked great for me. For heavy infestations, I’d use a rotenone or pyrethrins spray or powder for fast knock down. Then follow in a week with Bt. None are glow in the dark treatments. — Jackie

Canning pre-cooked meatballs

Having a busy schedule, I use frozen pre-cooked meatballs that I purchase at the grocery. With limited freezer space I would like to can them. I just bought a pressure canner but have not used it yet. Can I just heat these in the microwave or oven and then can with some beef broth? I assume the processing time would be the same for ground meat.

Regina
Natchez, Mississippi

I’m so happy to hear you’re starting to stock up and begin canning! Yes, you can heat your meatballs and pack them in broth or a seasoned light sauce such as tomato sauce or your choice. Use 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts at 10 pounds pressure, just like ground meat. — Jackie

Rust on canning jar lids

We started storing our home-canned food in our damp basement about a year ago for want of space. Commercial cans rust quickly down there so we dipped our jars’ lids after canning into molten canning wax to stop corrosion. But we’re getting slight specks of tarnish on the lids’ edges anyway. Do you know of any safe way to halt rust in its tracks?

Ross Nelson
Casselton, North Dakota

I had a problem with rust in MY damp basement on our first Minnesota farm, years back. What changed things for me was installing a wood stove to burn in the winter and using a fan to suck the damp air out during the summer, when the humidity was high. The wood stove worked much better than a dehumidifier (which will also work, but costs a bit to run). I’d stay away from dipping the lids in hot wax, you may compromise your seals.

Juneberries sometimes take a couple of years to start booming. They do like a more acid soil, so adding some peat around the base of the plants might make them happier. They are definitely worth the effort! — Jackie

Chickens and Turkeys

We just bought 2 baby turkeys. We were told that they cannot be in with chickens as they may spread a disease. Can they be be put into the pen with our geese, once they get old enough to go outside? We really don’t want to have to build another pen!

Debra Brown,
Littlefork, Minnesota

This is another case of “it’s possible” but not real probable. I’ve kept turkeys with my chickens all my life and have never had a case of disease transfer between the two. In fact, I have a turkey with my chickens right now. I wouldn’t worry. — Jackie

Amending soil

This spring we cut trees and enlarged our garden space, tilling and adding much Black Kow compost, peat and lime and tilling and tilling. We have planted in the area and have noticed plants are not taking off like we had expected, could this be that the Nitrogen is “locked up”, we did not think we would have this problem with all the amending we had done. Do you have any recommendations? (We are going to begin using Fish emulsion foliar feeding IF the rain stops)

Darnell Rogers
Arden North Carolina

It sounds like your garden is suffering from too much rain, rather than too little nitrogen. A soggy garden never grows nicely. I’ll bet when it stops raining and you see some sunshine, your garden will take right off. Using the fish emulsion should give the set-back plants a jump. — Jackie

Rhubarb jam and planting cucumbers near potatoes

Would you share your rhubarb jam recipe?

Jeanne
Storrs, Connecticut

My favorite rhubarb jam recipe isn’t a jam, but a conserve. Conserves usually have raisins and/or nuts. Here’s the recipe I use:

10# rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 cups sugar
2 3/4 cup vinegar + 1/4 cup water
2 cups raisins
2 cups walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3 Tbsp. flour

Pour boiling water over rhubarb in large bowl and let stand 5 minutes; drain. Put rhubarb in large kettle and add vinegar, 1/4 cup water, raisins, flour, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add chopped walnuts and simmer a bit more. Ladle hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet consult your canning book for instructions for increasing your processing time to suit your altitude, if necessary. Hint: This is a real chunky conserve. To make a smoother product, I sometimes run the raisins and nuts through a meat grinder before adding to the mix.

No, I never heard about the cuke/potato thing. Why not try it and see how you come out and let us know. I’m sure other readers will like to know, just like me. — Jackie

BBQ sauce recipe

I used a BBQ sauce recipe years ago from the magazine that I think was yours. I loved it and want to make and can it again, but can’t find my recipe. Could you reprint it for me?

Kathy Harris
Fresno, California

Sorry Kathy, but I have used a lot of different BBQ sauce recipes through the years and every year try new ones, so I don’t have a clue which one you liked. You might try going back through the anthologies for the years the recipe may have been in and do a search. — Jackie

We’ve been busily weeding our new berry patch, and putting in even more garden crops. Wow, is our expanded garden ever BIG! But in the afternoon, Will fires up the hot tub heater that he made from two junked hot water heaters, welded together, and by sundown the hot tub is steaming and ready for our old achy backs, knees, and hands. Heaven! That’s the best $50 I ever spent.

Our baby donkey, Crystal, is getting as fat as a little piggy. Her mommy has lots of milk and she’s eating grain now, too. She’s staying very friendly and can’t wait for us to come pet her. When we go in the pen, she makes this little grunting bray and trots right up to us, no matter what she’s doing. That makes handling her much easier. I wish her mommy, Beauty, had been handled from birth; she’s still pretty spooky of routine handling like having her feet trimmed. But I know that with patience, she’ll eventually come around, too.

Readers’ Questions:

Covering a chicken pen

We have built a chicken house similar to John Silveira’s father’s in the chickens book (in the garden, left and right chicken doors depending on which side of the garden is fallow). My question is - do I need to provide a covered “pen” for them? They’ll be out in the day, in at night, and surrounded by garden fence that is 5 foot high. We have hawks, foxes, and occasionally coyotes. There’s supposedly raccoons somewhere, but I’ve never seen any. We are in a fairly wide open space, and our neighbors dotted around us keep mainly llamas. This is rural Colorado. I believe they’ll be safe from most animals, but I would rather not make an outside roof and walls for them, using chicken wire mesh, unless I absolutely have to. Sometimes they’ll be out after sunset, but always in at night.

Kevin Long
Elizabeth, Colorado

Your birds will probably be fine that way, provided that they are shut in at night. Raptors (hawks, primarily) are your worst possible problem. I had one that used to try for my chickens in New Mexico. In fact it would land in the yard and go INSIDE the chicken door and chase the chicks around. Until I put our labrador retriever, Wab, in the coop one day. The hawk landed, hopped boldly into the coop, then flew a lot less cocky out the door and off into the sunset…with Wab hot on his tail. He never came back, either!

I have no top on my run; in fact, they forage our acre orchard all day. It’s not foolproof, but so far, so good! — Jackie

Canning whole chickens

I’ve been a reader and fan for years. My Mother used to can whole chickens in quart jars. She’s gone now and I will always remember that chicken for jungle lunches. Please pass along any ideas.

Mike Root
Patrick, South Carolina

You’d have to have real small chickens to fit in a quart jar; probably they were half gallon jars; I’ve done that. However, they don’t recommend canning whole chickens today, as there is a possibility that some of the meat might be too dense and not heat well enough during processing. Instead, I bone my chicken (more fits in a smaller jar!), then can it with broth it was boiled in. This is very good, tender and good for you because you did it yourself! — Jackie

Buying dehydrated items

I regularly stock my pantry with home canned foods, dry milk, paper supplies, etc., but am wondering what type of items do you buy dehydrated. I am thinking items such as dehydrated eggs, cheese - powder or freeze dried blends? Have you tried the shortening powder? I am trying to think of staples I can’t really do myself, or would be better bought. What are your thoughts on these preparedness catalogs for staples, is there a less expensive option?

Jo Riddle
Vienna, West Virginia

I buy dehydrated eggs, margarine, and butter powder and shortening powder from Emergency Essentials. These all work well. But I buy my grains from a local mill and package them in buckets after freezing to prevent bug infestations. (I buy in the winter and simply leave the bags outdoors for a week!). I do my own dehydrated vegetables and fruits. It’s MUCH cheaper! My dehydrated milk, I buy at a local grocery; it isn’t cheap, but it is cheaper in a box than a can. Then I repackage that, as well, in gallon glass jars.

Like everything else, you have to shop the catalogs with intelligence. Some things are great and decently priced. Others… However, if you are in a flood-prone area, having your emergency supplies in tin cans and waterproof, sealed buckets is a very good idea. If we flood here on this gravel ridge, Noah will be gathering animals again.

Annie Tuttle is working hard on finishing up my new book. Then it’s off to the printers, so it shouldn’t be tooooo long now. — Jackie

Recanning syrup

Can you re-can pancake syrup? I have a chance to get a fair amount of syrup, but it’s in gallon jugs. I would like to re-can it in quart mason jars. Can it be done in a water bath canner, and if so for how long?

Bo Suddueth
Jacksonville, Florida

Most pancake syrup contains mostly corn syrup or sugar of one kind or another. To re-can this, heat it in a large pot to a boil, then ladle out into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Then process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. (See your canning manual if you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet for directions on increasing your processing time, if necessary.) Enjoy! — Jackie

Asparagus ends

Is there any thing you can do with asparagus ends? It seems such a waste to dispose of them.

Barbara Winn
Kittitas, Washington

You can steam them or boil them up, puree them, removing the hard strings, add a few chopped nice tips and make cream of asparagus soup. It’s pretty darned good, served with toasted homemade bread! — Jackie

Cold weather summer

We live in Zone 3 as you do. With this “summer” of no summer, how is your garden doing? Are you going to run out of time before the first frost? What are you doing about it?

Marilyn King
Mora, Minnesota

Well, our first sweet corn seed rotted in the ground because of the cold weather that set in two weeks ago. So today, we replanted a faster maturing variety with huge prayers for a productive summer. One never knows what the growing season will bring. We keep planting, weeding, and hoping for the best. Somehow it all seems to work in one way or another. That is one reason I try to have at least a year’s food stored ahead; you can’t count on having a garden to can out of each and every single year. I have to laugh at would-be survivalists who say “I’ll plant a garden when I need one; anyone can toss a few seeds in the ground.” Yeah. Right.

If my beans are great one year, I still plant beans the next. If my beans are really great the next, I still can a lot and share with my friends who had theirs eaten by goats. What you give will always repay you in one way or another.

Because our spring was so cool, I planted more greens, cabbages, broccoli, celery, rutabagas, carrots, and onions. And I keep planting every little spot I find. Who knows what the rest of the year will bring. Some of my best gardens started out pretty hopeless! Never give up. — Jackie

New garden space

The wife and I just bought our home in February. I have a little garden area. I have tried to till it up, but uncovered nothing but lots and lots of roots. What can I do to get this area better for gardening? I keep trying to work and pull the roots up by hand, but feel like it is a losing battle. So do you have any suggestions?

Hollis Jones
Wilmington, Delaware

If they are huge tree roots, you should either move your garden spot or use raised beds (if the site is sunny most of the day, despite the trees). However, you probably are dealing with smaller roots like we are in our new enlarged spots in our garden and berry patch. Wow, do we have roots! We till, pull, chop, and pull some more. From my past experience, I know that most of the non-runner-type roots can be chopped up and will rot in a year or two. So our aim is to get the worst pulled, the rest chopped, and the garden planted. Take it from me–you can have a great garden despite all those roots! — Jackie

Canning with no salt

I have been put on a no salt diet. This is for a person who was born with a salt shaker in her hand. I am struggling to find recipes for canning that have no salt in them. I know you can can tomatoes and beans without it but I’m worried about other things such as swiss chard, spinach and above all my pickles. Is there such a thing as dill or sweet pickles without salt? Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Joan Toothman
New Carlisle, Indiana

Any meats, poultry, or vegetables can be home canned without adding a grain of salt. The salt is for a flavor enhancer, not a preservative. As for pickles, most pickle recipes only use the salt for a brine/soak to draw the excess liquid out of the pickles. You can rinse them several times after soaking in the salt water, removing nearly all of the salt. Some say soak overnight; you can shorten that down to two or three hours without compromising your pickling. By doing this, you further reduce the amount of salt retained by the pickles. Again, strain and rinse them well. I think both you and your doctor will be happy with the results! — Jackie

Years like this make us stand back and sigh with amazement. Just look at these blueberries!

Readers’ Questions:

Canning Jalapenos

How do you can jalapenos?

Donna Guthrie
Phenix City, Alabama

You can can jalapenos just like you would any other pepper, pressure canning them. But most folks prefer them pickled to retain the crunch. I do for sure. To do them canned, you first remove the stem, core, and seeds, wearing rubber gloves to keep from getting your fingers burned. Remove the skins by dropping them in boiling water for a few minutes, then dipping them out and plunging them into cold. Or you can roast them on the grill until the skins are blackened in spots, then place in a bag to steam for a few minutes. Again, plunge them into cold water to loosen the skins. Peel. Then pack into hot jars. Add 1 tsp. salt to each pint or 1/2 tsp. to each half pint. Also add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to each pint. Ladle boiling water over peppers, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Process half pints and pints for 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning book for directions.)

As I’ve said, most folks pickle them instead, as it retains the crunch; pressure canned jalapenos get kind of soft. To pickle them, you will need a gallon of peppers, 1 1/2 cups pickling salt, 1 gallon water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 cup water, and 5 cups vinegar.

Wash and drain peppers. Cut 2 small slits in each pepper. Dissolve salt in 1 gallon cold water. Pour over peppers. Let stand overnight in cool place. Rinse and drain. Add sugar and 1 cup vinegar. Simmer 15 minutes. Pack peppers into hot, sterilized jars. Pour boiling pickling liquid over peppers, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. If you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions on increasing your processing time to suit your altitude, if necessary.

Enjoy your peppers! We do! — Jackie

Sloppy Joe recipe for canning

Do you have a recipe for manwich or sloppy joe sauce? We seem to use a lot of that stuff and thought we might could can it ourselves and save money if we had a recipe. We have learned so much from you already, and we appreciate all your advice. We would love to meet you someday.

Wayne Leamon
Old Fort, Tennessee

When I make sloppy joes, I use half a pint of regular home canned barbecue sauce and half a pint of seasoned regular tomato sauce. If you want it to “stick” more and be sweeter, like the store sauce, add corn syrup to taste. It’s the corn syrup that gives it the stick and smooth, shiny consistency.

The barbecue sauce recipe I use is:

4 qts. peeled, cored tomatoes
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped, seeded sweet peppers
1 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. chili paste
1 cup vinegar

Combine vegetables in large saucepan and simmer until soft. Puree. Simmer puree until reduced by half, being careful to stir and keep from scorching. Add spices and remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching until thickened. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Process pints for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. — Jackie

Canned deviled ham

Is there a recipe to make your own home canned devil ham, like the little tins ones in store that you pay an arm and a leg for? I just bought two large hams for next to nothing and am not sure what to do with them.

Lisa Avila
Gifford, Washington

I don’t have a recipe for deviled ham, but I have canned up a whole lot of ham and it is excellent. I can up the larger chunks in broth and then dice up the smaller pieces and can them in half pints and pints to use in recipes. You could easily drain a half pint of ham dices and mash it up with mayonnaise and spices to suit your taste for your own deviled ham spread. It will be a whole lot tastier than store canned ham spread, for sure! — Jackie

Canning bear meat stew

A neighbor gave us a small bear. Husband Bill is in the kitchen cutting as I write. He thinks he saw a recipe in one of the magazines for canned bear meat stew. Canning bear meat would be ok too. We are getting tired of losing alot of food to freezer outages.

Mary Clementz
Carmen, Idaho

You make bear stew just like beef stew, so use your own favorite recipe and can it up, processing the stew at 10 pounds pressure (if you live over 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions in increasing your pressure to suit your altitude, if necessary), doing pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes.

Likewise, you can process the bear meat just like you would beef, pork, or venison. It all makes excellent eating. Lucky you! — Jackie

Peeling fresh hard boiled eggs

I know I can get an answer from you. We are remodeling and can’t locate our back issues at this time. We have fresh eggs now and when I cook them for egg salad etc. they fall apart and are hard to peel. What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it.

Sheryl Welz
Monroe, Wisconsin

Fresh eggs ARE harder to peel; no doubt. I wish I had a quick, easy, sure fix for you. There are a lot of “cures”, but I’ve tried ‘em all and this is what I do: I put the eggs in cold water and bring them to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let stand 15 minutes. Drain off the water, then bounce them up and down in the pan, like they were popcorn. This cracks the shells. Then rinse well in a couple of rinses of cold water to cool the eggs and finally let them set in the cold water for about 3 hours in the fridge. This lets the water seep into the cracks and around under the shell. Then peel as usual, trying to slip your fingernail under the membrane between the shell and egg white. They may be harder to peel, but just think of how much better FRESH eggs taste and are good for you than old store eggs! — Jackie

Canning with old zinc rings and railroad ties for raised beds

We have been canning our own food for a few years now. To save some money we hit the auctions looking for canning jars and other goodies. On one of our trips we landed 5 big boxes of mixed jars, and 2 milk crates with the old glass and zinc rings. Have you ever used the zinc rings? Do you think it would be safe to use them? Do you know how to use them? (If you were wondering we paid $17.50 for all of it.)

Shawn and Karen Moore
Ada, Ohio

It’s best not to use the old zinc lids for canning. I use mine to store jars full of dehydrated foods, spices, and herbs. The reason for this is that you can’t tell when the jars are truly sealed or not. With the “modern” two piece lids and rings, the lid indents and stays that way when the jar seals. One look and touch and you know for sure that your jar is sealed. If you do use them for canning, you need to buy new rubber rings to use under them each canning season. I would recommend that you only use them to can fruits, jams, jellies, pickles, and other high acid foods. If unsealed, they might mold or ferment but won’t develop bacteria that will make you sick.

There is a lot of debate about this issue. I, personally, don’t feel that enough “toxins” leach out of used railroad ties to keep from using them in garden beds. A lot of folks have, for a lot of years, that I know and they remain very healthy in old age. But there are others who are horrified to see them used in garden beds. You’ll have to research this and make your own decision. To be absolutely safe, use untreated logs (which will rot after several years) or concrete blocks or large rocks. — Jackie