Thanks! I will check out those places and items~
We put our Jerky in an air tight canister. To preserve it like this you have to leave the canister open over night and then close it the next day. You do this every day, open at night closed during the day until there is no moisture left when you open it at night. If you dont air dry it then it will mold and spoil quicker. If you make your Jerky to sweet it will spoil quicker. We use Louisiana hot sauce, Soy sauce for sweetness, dried chile peppers, black pepper, and a little salt. Keep smelling your mixture until it smells like jerky. We use deer meat I have never used beef because of the fat content. You might be able to find a beef with a low fat content. You will want to lay your jerky right on the oven racks if you are doing it that way. Put tinfoil on the rack below your jerky to catch any fat. Half way thru you flip it. I recomend you put your jerky on during the morning so you can check it during the day. You dont want to get up during the night to check jerky, been there done that, If you have a drying machine it is easier but not necessary.
I am about ready this morning to quit this whole homesteading thing! My Tomatoes all have blossom end rot, I found another Quail dead and one ready to die, I woke up in hives and the Bantam hen I love so much plucked my toe and made it bleed. This is not my day. Mom is going in at 9 this morning for an MRI they think the cancer has moved to her eyes. Let's hope not. I am out of sugar for my coffee. I think this is going to be a long day.
SCG, I have been doing night checks ever since the skunk here took its first victim. I walk boldly in open spaces but tred very gingerly in the garden and around the deck, in case I encounter it and startle it..... Dooley has made night patrols before bedtime every night but I think the skunk works later in the night or very early in the mornings. I cringe when he barks, anticipating the day I have to deal with a skunked dog.
I am thinking of getting a gun. The pellet pistol needs a new Co2 cartridge but I want to kill the thing, not plunk at it. It's managed to kill four young birds and I can't expect it to stick to cockerels.
(Did I really type that out loud?!? Oops.)
Hope yours got better. Try adding some crushed egg shells to each tomato hole next year when you plant. Doing that has totally stopped BER here. And it wouldn't be summer without gardening fiasos.
Thanks SCG! It will get better. Never thought about egg shells in the holes. We have never had a problem with BER until this year. I will tell you what really didnt bother me as much this year: the horn worms. I actually looked forward to finding them everyday for my chickens to have a party with!All this rain has sure made it an easier week tho. No watering to have to do and my ducks are the happiest little things you have ever seen!
Once upon a time when an Australian farmer was permitted to have multi-shot rifles, we had a winchester 22 semi automatic that was accidently modified to fully auto. It would empty 10 rounds in 2 seconds. Lots of fun on a pile of rats in a corner.Hope yours got better. Try adding some crushed egg shells to each tomato hole next year when you plant. Doing that has totally stopped BER here. And it wouldn't be summer without gardening fiasos.
By the way, my parents PetSmart charges double their regular dog detailing fee for skunk smell. I'd suggest a taxi to get them there if needed as to not relive the Seinfeld episode about the stinky car.
We have a plethora of skunks here, and I've taken plenty of them out. My pellet gun didn't even kill a rat, even with multiple direct hits, so I wouldn't bet on it taking a skunk out. I bought a cheap rifle at Dick's that the barrel swaps out of, and you can do a single shot 22LR or a 410. Both effective for varmits, but unsure of the proximity of your location to the public and thus the safety of this on your property. If I were you I'd do a Have A Heart(less) trap, trap them and dispose of them the next morning whether by drowning or shooting. That way you don't have to be on patrol at night. I highly recommend you pick up Fels Naptha laundry soap and use it on your clothes and body if/when you have a close encounter of the skunk kind.
By the way, Uberti just put out a 22 revolver that's a 12 shot... I've been trying to convince myself that I don't need this as I have a bunch of 22 rifles and a 22 pistol, but it just looks like a fun weapon to dispatch rats with... if one has to dispatch rats they might as well do it in style, right?
