Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

A good, fresh cantaloupe is delicious! It gets the nod over watermelon, unless it's a really hot day. Then watermelon wins for its hydrating properties. Sweet, chewable water. What's not to love?

I love dried cantaloupe too. The only way I can justify making it is to grow my own, as otherwise it's too expensive.

I haven't grown any in a few years. The woodchucks love it too. This year, they'd get it all, there are so many of them!

 

[cavemanrich]

Since we are discussing watermelon... and we do consume quite a bit of it during summer. The green rinds, I offer to the chickens. I have this setup in the run next to the coop, with a meat grinder. It is manual, and easy to disassemble and wash afterwards. I will also chop up any other veggies in that machine that are kitchen veggie scraps.
Chickens munch up the shredded stuff.

 

[Sally PB]

Grind up the rinds. What a great idea!

I give the rinds as-is to the chickens now, and they peck them down to the dark green skin. I'll probably give them some more tomorrow, when it gets hot. I store the rind in the fridge so it's a nice cold treat.

 

[NanaK]

My chickens love cold melon rinds. Yesterday I had a few cucumbers I had missed while picking so they were seedy. I chill those and they go crazy over them.

I have never tried grinding veggies like that. I have a very old grinder much like cavie posted. I need to give this a try.

 

[Sally PB]

I have a meat grinder that I have used once. I got it about 33 years ago (!) and it's the heavy duty metal kind, so it'll last me forever.

 

[NanaK]

I have a meat grinder that I have used once. I got it about 33 years ago (!) and it's the heavy duty metal kind, so it'll last me forever.

The one I have belonged to my grandfather. It is a heavy duty one too. They made good stuff long ago.

 

[Sally PB]

They made good stuff long ago.

Back then, BIFL (buy it for life) actually meant something.

I have canning jars that belonged to my mom. They are at least 50 years old. I wish I'd asked her how old they were...

 

[saysfaa]

It is actually not too hard to figure out when a given canning jar was made. For a lot of them anyway. Ball is especially easy because they changed the style of font used in the glass molds. As long as the era is precise enough.

I've been working through the jars I inherited from parents, grandparents, and various other relatives - who all often got them at auction sales. I'd rather sell any that are "worth something" and replace them with some that are all the same height and width. So far, none are worth enough to cover the ebay commission and such.

It is a little interesting, though and sometimes helpful. The "golden harvest" are not actually pints and quarts - they are half liter and liter (I think - something metric, anyway).

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not an authority or expert on mason jars,,,,,,, But I do read a lot. The info about the older jars, VS the current production jars.
The older jars seem to be stronger, and less likely to crack, than the newer ones.
I am not sure if it is the quality of glass??? or the older ones were thicker, than the new ones

 

[saysfaa]

Any that were going to crack very easily already did.