Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

Generally I just can the tomatoes whole and let DW do as she wishes with them. I don't seed them or have I added the lemon juice. I did can tomatoes years ago but don't remember if I added lemon then also. I'm not sure what recipe I used since there was no internet then.

I hate for food to go to waste. I see no reason anyone in this world should go hungry.

What we don't eat gets recycled into eggs or compost.

I have to watch for the frost warning so I can grab up the last of the tomatoes green or not. I have a recipe for those too.

I will plan to grow the things I can use in my recipes rather than buy them. Onions come to mind.

 

[rancher hicks]

For those of you who don't know, I'm big on reading and encourage my grandkids to be read to by their parents and of course gramma and grampa.

The new book came today, though an Old book to us that we'd not bought at the time we discovered it.

"The Old Ladies Who Liked Cats". by Carol Greene, Pictures by Loretta Krupinski. It's a great book for cat lovers to read to their kids old and young.

 

[Beekissed]

Speaking of cats...this is one of our homestead cats, Flash, caught at an opportune time up on the garden gate post. He loves that garden and spends most of his time climbing in and out of it, chasing bugs in it, etc. He spends way more time in the garden than I do! He's got a scratch on his nose in this pic due to tangling with a possum, I do believe, that was raiding his feed dish. This cat has a bucket load of personality and I hope he survives the woods long enough to become a fixture around here.

 

[lazy gardener]

How do you take the seeds out of your tomatoes for canning?

I did some "sauce" and I mushed it through a strainer but it's more like "Soup" than sauce. Too, I'm pretty sure there isn't 5 pints like the recipe says there should be.

One thing I did do, was use my hand blender thing rather than a potato masher. I don't have potato masher.

I find that recipes never make as much as the recipe says. When canning... always less. For some odd reason, cookie dough shrinks before it gets made into cookies. Any one else have that problem?

I leave the skins and the seeds... just cook slow and low for a couple of days , with sweet onion and carrots to add sweetness, and use a stick blender

I like that idea. Would be great way to make sauce for canning. Toss the veggies in the crock pot. Toddle off to work, can it when I get home. With added veggies, I'm sure the cook books would say to pressure can it... yes????

Here's the ? of the day. My new Ball book says to BWB can tomatoes for (I think) 40 minutes, even pints, even hot pack. I have an old book, called Putting Food By that talks about processing hot pack for 20 minutes. I've been adding lemon juice as recommended and processing for 20 minutes. (any thing from 16 - 24 - 32 oz.) What processing time are the rest of you doing? I'm also NOT adding water when I boil the tomatoes as the Ball book says to do. Seems silly to me to be adding water when you want to have a nice thick tomato product to work with. Then, the Ball book talks about INCREASING processing time if you can in tomato juice b/c packing liquid is more dense. I'm new to canning, so can use lots of advice and validation.

 

[rancher hicks]

I find that recipes never make as much as the recipe says. When canning... always less. For some odd reason, cookie dough shrinks before it gets made into cookies. Any one else have that problem?

I like that idea. Would be great way to make sauce for canning. Toss the veggies in the crock pot. Toddle off to work, can it when I get home. With added veggies, I'm sure the cook books would say to pressure can it... yes????

Here's the ? of the day. My new Ball book says to BWB can tomatoes for (I think) 40 minutes, even pints, even hot pack. I have an old book, called Putting Food By that talks about processing hot pack for 20 minutes. I've been adding lemon juice as recommended and processing for 20 minutes. (any thing from 16 - 24 - 32 oz.) What processing time are the rest of you doing? I'm also NOT adding water when I boil the tomatoes as the Ball book says to do. Seems silly to me to be adding water when you want to have a nice thick tomato product to work with. Then, the Ball book talks about INCREASING processing time if you can in tomato juice b/c packing liquid is more dense. I'm new to canning, so can use lots of advice and validation.

I've never added water cuz there is always plenty. DW says my tomatoes make her sauce to watery so she only used my tomatoes for Chli.

 

[lcertuche]

Regarding tomatoes, I always scald, peel, slice in half and then squeeze most of the seeds out. If you will let set overnight in the refrigerator more watery juice will come out to save cooking them down before processing. I froze over 40 quarts this year but would have rather canned them. I ended up losing all my canning equipment when I moved.

 

[Beekissed]

If you want to skip the scalding and leaving them in the fridge to remove peel and water, you can just put them in the freezer overnight and thaw them out the next day...the peels will slip right off and the water can be poured off the tomatoes before you slip the skins.

I just core, cut them open and remove the seeds that I can with my hands, give a shake to remove any clinging and place those pieces in the Ninga blender and pulse it...I don't even bother to remove skins any longer. I used to have a good strainer and pestle/canning sieve but got rid of it years ago when I was thinking I was leaving the country for awhile, so sold all my canning supplies. Now I'm wishing I had that old set back....it was an antique.

Looked like this....and worked wonders for tomatoes, apple sauce, and all manner of things that need the seeds strained out and clumps mashed.

 

[spurrer]

Thank everyone for their sweet comments. I am not offended by anyone mentioning religion, I am a believer also. Although sometime I have doubts but I guess a person questions the bible at one time or another. I had someone say they never ever had doubts but I don't believe that. I do not like going to church at times because it seems more like a club and their are little groups who like to run things. Since my husband and I are older we don't seem to matter very much to the younger people, not even the minister. There are a few older people who call a few times. I hate when someone says if you need anything just let me know. If I need something I will not ask for help. Except for my brother and brother in law and I hate to call on them. If you really mean that you will help don't wait to be asked call and offer and ask what can I do today to help. I think you all know what I am saying. We have had home health come out three different times for three months or more at a time. Right now he has used up his time for awhile. They were a lot of help, just coming and spending time and talking with us.
I have begun to go out each day around six o'clock and let my two chickens out and I read while they run around . Sometimes my husband goes out and does word search while we sit out. Along about 6:30 a little cool breeze starts blowing and the dry flies start droning. I have solar lights around the coop and they turn on and glow red, green yellow white and then back to green. Just as it begans to get a little dark my two hens start moving toward the coop. It is funny how they stay side by side. Then it seems like there is a secret signal and they go in the coop together. I hear them flutter to the roost as I shut the door. Actually it is just an flap of wire that I cut out. I stuff bird netting around the sides to keep out snakes. That is the best thing for keeping snakes from getting in.
I really look forward to that time spent outside with them. God knew what he was doing when he made chickens. I would love to see a mother hen with her babies beneath her again like when I was little but I don't have the space for anymore. Right now I have two dozen eggs that they have laid, I get two eggs a day. I will give a dozen away because we don't eat eggs everyday. My neice gets the dozen this week. I will add that her ex husband has PD and he is younger but a lot worse off than my husband. Can't stand, walk, use a wheel chair on his own. He fell and wound up in ICU because of his ribs, couldn't get enough air in his lungs. Now he is in assisted living now but he is lucky, He retired from Goodyear and they pay 1800 dollars a month for him to stay there. Is this turning into a tell all place instead of all about chickens? Sorry, I will say no more. Time to go let my chickens run loose for a while. Again Thanks for all the support that I feel from each of you.
Sincererly,
Jane Childers

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, God knew what He was doing when he made chickens. they are very calming to watch. Almost as calming as a cat. And, yes I know what you mean about the "let me know if you need anything" crowd. One thing I've learned from being on both sides of the helping is this: Don't ever ask THAT question. What you can do is put it this way: I have some barbecued chicken and potato salad. Can I bring some over? Or would you like me to pick up some groceries for you, or sit with hubby so you can go grocery shopping? Or: What is one thing this week that you would like help with?

 

[Beekissed]

Jane, that's one of the most integral parts of homesteading...knowing your neighbors. I love it that you came here to talk , we seldom do that here and not enough about our every day lives. Please feel free to come back any time and "tell all", as the job of a caregiver can get mighty lonely and sometimes you just need to talk about the changes in your husband or how you feel or just how nice it is to watch chickens. That's what neighbors are for and I wish we were actual neighbors...I know exactly what you mean by folks asking if you need help~of course you need help!!!! Who wouldn't in your situation???

When I lived clear across the state and Mom had no one to talk to as she tried to care for Dad, we talked on the phone every day...she just needed to talk about all these new changes and how frustrated she got with him, with someone who would understand and not make her feel guilty about complaining. My siblings didn't want to listen...I don't think they wanted to know he was getting worse and didn't want to feel obligated to help, even though they lived 15-30 min. away. I get the same feedback from them when I talk about Mom's decline...they just change the subject.

Please chat with us often? I think it will do us and maybe you too some good to hear about how you are handling things and how you find solace in a difficult situation. I know what you mean about church...we don't attend any longer either, though I do my own worship here at the house with plenty of good sermons to be accessed online and I fellowship with Mom and my family who are believers and my online family on my own forum.