Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[vickiw]

My husband is very frustrated that he missed a big bull elk in Colorado today. He never misses so he said he about threw up. Said it took him 6 hrs of hiking and stalking the thing before he took a shot with his bow. And he missed! I told him to get his priorities straight and shoot a young, tasty one. I want meat not any more dead animals mounted on my wall. If he doesn't get one I'll have to spend the big bucks and get a buffalo from one of the farms around here. I will not eat beef anymore.

I agree about not eating beef!!! It never did ever agree with me anyway (I'm sensitive to the drugs they feed them) and now I simply can't eat it unless it's grass fed which we don't have access to up here in tater country so it's venison (which I love) and occasional buffalo (which is really expensive but not too bad if you buy from the Potawatomie or Oneida tribes). Fortunately my hubby is a meat hunter, HOWEVER, he's still a man and is genetically incapable of passing up something with a big rack!

(animal, that is~beat ya to it Bigfam~

)

No storms up here either. Came so close we could see the rain to our north but nothing here

and it's just cloudy and sticky this morning.

Nothing else new. Going to be doing sauce all day and I will be water-bath canning it. First, I plant a mix of toms, next, just to be sure I add a bit of citric acid and it's good to go. canning for 40 years, never had a problem. This, BTW, is also what all the UW-extension bulletins recommend. (They recommend 1/2 t. per quart, 1/4 t. per pint). Even took one of their classes for the heck of it a couple years ago and they didn't even add the citric acid to the canned toms. (even tho their handouts said to. ???) Also, citric acid doesn't change the taste like lemon juice, which also works to lower the ph.

 

[MustLoveHens]

Morning all!!!
Man, this weekend just got away from me!! Hope everyone had a nice 3 or 4 day depending on what you did! Nice and quiet here. The critters are all good. We got some serious wind last night with the storm that rolled through. I need to go outside and do clean up I'm sure.

Got the news yesterday about Buddy and his knee. Not good news. The orthopedic surgeon said he definately needs surgery. However, the other knee is not very good either so she said that given his age and size, and looking at the xrays, he will need to have surgery on both of them. There are three types of surgeries and the lest expensive one is still out of our price range. The other option is a boot. My vet was not thrilled with that since she felt they were not very effective in the over all picture. However, that runs ~$600. So DH and I talked and surgery is just not an option for various reasons. So DH wants to try the boot anyway. He called "Grandma" who is Buddy's benefactor and she will kick in a little bit to help cover the cost of the boot. So we will see.

Since I missed a few days, I may or may not go back to catch up....so here are the generics: Welcome to new people, nice to see the old ones who stopped by, congrats on the good things and sorry to hear about the bad ones.

Well, the dogs are hunting Cat and have the Bubbster cornered under the ottoman.....kinda funny since I'm sure the cat started it all....

I have to get going. Emmitt had a vet appointment for a case of major itchiness.

Later!

 

[kristip]

Vicki... where do you get your citric acid. The last place I found it was whole foods, which is a drive for me, so thought I would check.
Actually would like to hear from all of you experts- where do you get the best deals and finds on canning supplies like canning salt and pickling spices and lids etc. Gong to be doing pickles all day Friday.

Need to get a picture up but I finished my mini barn quilt and think it looks pretty good. Was going to add a chicken to the middle of it, but not 100% possitive on that. We wanted to get it up for the party so we will see if I add that later. Maybe.

Kids survived the first day of school, although ds had a bloody nose and had to go to the spare shirt already and dd tossed her ice pack from lunch box in garbage.... sigh. They are having fun though and like their teacher so that helps.

ok off to work again

 

[GhostRider65]

Hi all, I'm not MIA........ I'm here just don't feel much like posting.......good day everyone..........Kim

 

[Terri O]

Good morning all...feels good here cause it's only 60 instead of 90! We DID get the rain last night, and lots of it!

My garden was looking like it needed water so I'm glad that it came just in time! My laundry sure got a nice rainwater rinse! DH and I sat out on the porch swing to watch the lightening show. It was fun--been a long time since we've done that!
It was really dark at 7 this morning and then got bright by 7:20...kinda weird. I have to work today again to make up for Monday. Not too hard though.

You are right about being able to do tomatoes and sauce in the BWB canner Vicki. As long as there are only tomatoes in the mix and no other added vegetables. Is what the next sentence says in the manual. When other low acid veggies are added and the acid percentage goes down there is a risk of contamination/spoilage because the BWB does not get hot enough to destroy all the bacteria and the acid is too low to inhibit its growth. I know "a lot" of you have been canning with added ingredients for many years (yadda yadda yadda) but the people that did it and got unlucky arent here anymore to give their side of the story right? That is all I will say.....

Cind--what is up with your computer? Still the same as a few weeks ago? At least you can read and keep up!

Kim--I hope your trip to the vet went as easy as possible. Such a hard spot to be in for sure--been there, done that.

(one for you too!)
THere was something else...something I wanted to say to BBP...hmmm, cant think of it now. Just heard a Hillsboro guy was picked up last night on his ELEVENTH DWI offense! His last time was in March and he just got out of jail on bond! If you love near there--be careful!

Guess I am not going to remember what I wanted to say...have a great get away Amy! I rarely go any place overnight just because of writing all those lists! Sometimes I wonder if the other people around here really pay any attention to what goes on!
Have a fantastic day everyone! TerriOgoingtocrackthatreallyBIGeggnow

 

[Dr HaHa]

Great Morning All! Great because I picked the last of the cukes and pulled the vines.

Cukes are soakin and marinara is almost ready to can. A lot to comment on but not right now. Watched the storm come through neat stuff but little rain. Hope Bigz is quartering his bear up right now! Gotta go.

 

[Amyable]

I don't buy meat from the store and the last couple of farmers I bought a steer from did not produce good meat. Elk is so much better for you and I love that they're up in the mountains eating a natural diet, unlike our deer who are filling up on gmos and pesticides in our farm fields.

We just got some elk meat from DH aunt and uncle who live in WY, oh it is soooo good!

LOL! Yeah, their names would be T-Bone, Tenderloin, Cheeseburger, Rump Roast, Tri-tip, Sirloin, Ground Round, etc.....

I think I could eat a few cattle.... I want pigs too! I LOVE bacon!

Yes. My folks raise pigs every few years; one year we named them Ham & Bacon, another year Pork & Chop.

 

[Bigfamily4me]

ok.. I think it was Bigz asking who would care for my animals when we go to California. My hubby is not coming with. Being self employed does not allow one to take a vacation. Especially if you're busy. Not to mention my hubby does not like travel. So he will be getting the critter duty. I could ask my M.I.L. to help may be, but then hubby would be pissy because I asked her. So he'll do it himself.

There... problem solved!

I realized all sorts of things I let slip in the chaos of kids in August. Two credit cards way past due, forgot to renew health ins!!!, and pay car ins. I just blew through a whole bunch of money...

Now I have go do lots and lots of laundry. The house was spotless (the first floor at least) in Friday. Now its trashed. But i guess its more important boys have sock and undies for school. the house can wait until I've made a dent in the laundry!

What to have for supper tonight? I am so tired of trying to think of stuff.......

 

[Dr HaHa]

You better get the laundry done if the boys have to share one sock. Got 4 qts of marinara done and am soaking 5-7 qts for dills this aft. AND THAT WILL BE THE LAST OF THE CANNING FOR THIS YEAR!

Still some things to freeze but that's a breeze. The kids were throwing a fit and there was a hawk sitting 10 feet above them on a branch. I went out and was yelling at it. The lady at the VA that I was talking to thought I was in need of some counseling. Had to explain the situation.

 

[kristip]

BF4Me... it tough coming up with ideas for meals and my hubby does not ever offer suggestions... depending what I have on hand, these are my go to meals:

homeade pizza ( when I make pizza dough I make a double or triple batch and toss in freezer)
pork chops ( on grill with A1 sauce or the german way with breading and mashed potato and gravy)
make your own salad night
burgers or salisbury steak which is burgers with gravy
chicken pot pie
grilled bbq chix
stroganough


ok I have some chicken for tonight... what should I do with it?
Pickle making tips needed... doing it late and I was on vacation when others were pickling...