How is your flock today?

[Parront]

Have you tried a Pekin /Runner mix yet? I think that might make a good sized plus egg laying duck?

The Runner I have here I hatched eggs from, her boy is the smallest. The Buff x Rouen mixes are the biggest. I'm keeping those girls, looking for more green eggs.

 

[Parront]

I bookmarked that link. Thanks', I want to try my hand at it later.

They have a very good site. You can get parts for any Presto pressure cooker from them. If you have never canned, and want a new canner, they have a very nice electric one that does everything for you. Set it and walk away. My old one needs constant supervision.

 

[BlueBaby]

They have a very good site. You can get parts for any Presto pressure cooker from them. If you have never canned, and want a new canner, they have a very nice electric one that does everything for you. Set it and walk away. My old one needs constant supervision.

Yes, I have not bought a canner yet.

 

[416bigbore]

Yes, I have not bought a canner yet.

I am very fortunate to have my grandmothers canning stuff as long as my mothers. I have all kinds of old Blue Ball jars numbered in cases etc. The stuff you cant find on the store shelves anymore.

 

[416bigbore]

Have you tried a Pekin /Runner mix yet? I think that might make a good sized plus egg laying duck?

No runners yet. Maybe once we have more acreage.

 

[BlueBaby]

I am very fortunate to have my grandmothers canning stuff as long as my mothers. I have all kinds of old Blue Ball jars numbered in cases etc. The stuff you cant find on the store shelves anymore.

Lucky you! I'll have to teach myself how to do the canning after I get everything that I need to start trying.

 

[Parront]

I am very fortunate to have my grandmothers canning stuff as long as my mothers. I have all kinds of old Blue Ball jars numbered in cases etc. The stuff you cant find on the store shelves anymore.

I got one of my canners at an estate sale, the small one I have had since the 70's. You can get new parts for any older Presto on that site, and the one I bought was $25.00.

 

[BlueBaby]

It look's like I'm about to get some rain here. The one yesterday only made the noise like it was going to hit me, but the one today might actually do something.

 

[Parront]

Lucky you! I'll have to teach myself how to do the canning after I get everything that I need to start trying.

It is not difficult to can. Time consuming, but worth it to me. It keeps the freezer from getting so many chickens or drakes that it will not hold anything else!

 

[416bigbore]

The problem with unsafe canning is that even cooking it after you open the jar will not de-activate the toxin produced by botulism. That is why I refer to the up-dated times charts, some old books I have list shorter times which have been declared to be not safe. Our germs are badder bugs than they were in a bygone era. I no longer eat rare hamburgers, either, which I loved growing up!

I agree with you about unsafe canning. Once meat goes bad, there is no cooking the harmfulness out of it. If I ever open a canned jar and it don't smell right, it gets dumped!

If I know I have a good farm fresh raised beef, I do like that rare juicy burger. I also like to sample a small corner of a piece of cure pork that comes right out of the smoke house. Safe maybe not...... But oh so Good!

I am referring to cold smoking over hot that is. IMO if a person is going to smoke meat to 160F, then why not finish cooking it. Cold smoking and Hot smoking are to very different things as is a salt cured piece of meat with no nitrates. A person can't safely cold smoke any salted meats below 160F safely without nitrates.