Surviving Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

Thanks for the canning info. I am still learning and love to hear what others do. I made the mistake of not keeping a close hold on the recipes I used last year and thought oh well I can get them off the internet again. HA there is one I cannot find and I know what site it came from too. Bummer. live and learn. NOTE TO SELF: Keep recipes with the notes I make on them!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Thanks for the canning info. I am still learning and love to hear what others do. I made the mistake of not keeping a close hold on the recipes I used last year and thought oh well I can get them off the internet again. HA there is one I cannot find and I know what site it came from too. Bummer. live and learn. NOTE TO SELF: Keep recipes with the notes I make on them!!!

I do that all the time, but I seldom follow them anyways.

I just throw stuff together..


Oh and Ivie thanks for the Egg Plant Lasagna idea. I made some the other night. I could not even tell it had egg plant in it. It was really good.

 

[MNChickMom]

We make sourkraut in a similar fashion to Ralphie. We layer the cabbage and salt. (We use canning/pickling salt as it is more course.) But we put it into a food grade 5 gallon pail....all the crocks have since broke. Then to top it I triple bag a garbage bag and fill it until there is about 2 inches of water in the bag. I put the water bag on top of the cabbage. Store in cool dark basement for exactly 2 weeks. Then I bag it up into smaller bags and into freezer for good eats all year long.

 

[duluthralphie]

We make sourkraut in a similar fashion to Ralphie. We layer the cabbage and salt. (We use canning/pickling salt as it is more course.) But we put it into a food grade 5 gallon pail....all the crocks have since broke. Then to top it I triple bag a garbage bag and fill it until there is about 2 inches of water in the bag. I put the water bag on top of the cabbage. Store in cool dark basement for exactly 2 weeks. Then I bag it up into smaller bags and into freezer for good eats all year long.

You freeze it?

How?

Does it stay crisp? I canned mine and was wondering if I could freeze it..


Oh I use pickling and canning stop too.

 

[jerryse]

Morning . Rained overnight again . About 1.6 inches total for both days . Should clear off today . Still chasing loader valve problem . They do not offer repair kits . New valve is $400. I think I can match one at TSC for $240 . Got to get it off and take it with me . Online TSC I see one I think matches .Only a few makers . So it could be the OEM supplier . It takes a 1 inch slim wrench to take 2 of the lines off . I of course do not have one . Needs to be 1/8 thick to get in there . Maybe a old lawnmower blade and the abrasive chop saw can make one . Otherwise I got to order one .Saw a set on eBay . Doubt if anyone local has one .

 

[Rhetts]

I was going to ask about canning it. And so the idea with weighing it down is to keep the cabbage under the juices. Is that a big deal? Obviously with the recipe I read it wasn't weighed down just covered and then you toss the leaves away.

 

[duluthralphie]

I was going to ask about canning it. And so the idea with weighing it down is to keep the cabbage under the juices. Is that a big deal? Obviously with the recipe I read it wasn't weighed down just covered and then you toss the leaves away.

Yes, you need to keep it down and away from air. Air will spoil it.

Morning . Rained overnight again . About 1.6 inches total for both days . Should clear off today . Still chasing loader valve problem . They do not offer repair kits . New valve is $400. I think I can match one at TSC for $240 . Got to get it off and take it with me . Online TSC I see one I think matches .Only a few makers . So it could be the OEM supplier . It takes a 1 inch slim wrench to take 2 of the lines off . I of course do not have one . Needs to be 1/8 thick to get in there . Maybe a old lawnmower blade and the abrasive chop saw can make one . Otherwise I got to order one .Saw a set on eBay . Doubt if anyone local has one .

Do you have a wrench you can grind down? Otherwise, Harbor freight has everything for single use.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

Hello and welcome to this thread Momof3plus twins.

Well, Rhetts? I seem to remember a contributor named Rhetts. Its good to hear from you again.

Lets see, I am forgetting the returned chickener that lives up by Thief River Falls. I do not believe I knew you when . . . . however I am getting older and more forgetful all the time and I will say - welcome back to surviving Minnesota.

Well I think I am the chickener that lives up by Thief River Falls unless there is someone else also. So I think we are one in the same! Started to ferment some feed for the chickens to help reduce feed intake and increase the food value by making it easier to digest. Next week is butchering week for the Crosses. Not sure what day yet. It could get pushed back a week too but hoping for Labor day weekend to get it done. My freezer is ready to be filled. Luckily we are also friends with the owners of the Locker in our small town and they let us bring the birds in to be cooled for a day and then they put them in the deep freeze for a day also.

We had another 5 egg day yesterday and it appears two of the Bovan pullets have begun to lay. My children love poached eggs and are now self-sufficient enough that they do it themselves. The big kids help the twins but they all know how to get the job done.

Our 3 wk old chickens came from Cackle also. We ordered straight runs in small quantities hoping to get at least one rooster and one hen. My husband wanted all these different varieties. I wanted to start somewhat smaller! haha. But when I feather sexed them when they arrived it does look like we got at least one hen and one rooster of each. RIR I got 2 hens and 1 roo. Right now it is still kind of difficult to tell which are the barred rocks and Dominque. Our cuckoo marans are darker and more of spotted bar versus the nicer line pattern of the BR and Dominque. At least I hope I get them all sorted out when the time comes! Why did he choose 3 barred varieties?? haha

I would like to hatch our some eggs from the mixed breed that looks like the copper maran. I also have a pullet that looks the same but even closer in looks to the copper maran. I just don't know the best way to keep that look. I think they are pretty. Any ideas on how I might keep that look? Copper head blue body. I do not have any blue roosters that I know of. There is one blue one that has light barring but I think it is a hen also. Only 16 weeks. Has tufted ears/cheeks too.

Anyway I am off to the doctor for a Hida Scan to check the function of my gallbladder. Radioactive tracers go in through IV and they track it through my system. I might just glow tonight! haha

 

[Momof3plustwins]

Quote:

We found it much cheaper to call up our local feed mill that is associated with Cenex and have them mix us 1,000-1500 lbs at a time when we have our Crosses growing out. We are now going to have them grind us some layer feed for the winter but are first going to try sprouting whole grains instead because my husband's family grain farms all around our house so we are going to just get grain from them and sprout it. Will be much cheaper. We also feed a lot of kitchen scraps suitable for chickens. I found they LOVE beets. I cut up over grown Cukes for them also. We also have our hens out in large runs so they eat lots of grass and scratch in the tilled end of the garden that did not get planted this year. Not sure that there will be many worms left for next year there! But the bugs are not so bad in the garden area anymore either!

 

[lvie]

Quote:
I know! It is amazing how good that works. I made two loaf pans. One for the freezer and one that I cooked last night. Additionally, I am going to cut egg plant in slices; freeze it on a cookie sheet, once frozen I want to seal them up tight and then throw them in a baggie. I am hoping I can pull out a couple here and there this winter and fry them up for a side for dinner. Has anyone done this?