What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

I saw a guy using a chainsaw without hearing protection. I commented on it, and he said, "Nah, I don't need those," as if it were a manly thing. Nope. Not at all.

Lots of guys don't think about safety until it's too late. It's really important to teach the young kids the importance of personal safety. Then they grow up with a better attitude and understanding of personal safety.

Some did it for a while, during Covid, and now that times are more "normal" again, they're ditching the self-sufficiency. Some saw the last few years as a real wake up call.

Canning stuff doesn't last at Goodwill stores around here. My neighbor goes to a lot of estate sales, though, and she said she can find a fair amount of canning supplies. She doesn't need any of it, but she'll buy it for friends and neighbors who are looking for them.

Dear Wife got sick a number of years ago and that put an end to our canning. She was just not up to the task. We gave away all our jars and lids to a cousin who was still canning back then. Dear Wife is better now, but today we only freeze stuff. We have 2 freezers but only have one in use at present. With only 2 people in the house, our challenge is to eat the food before it goes bad. We need to do better at food management.

WW2 alot of recycling went on. Back then everything was water bathed and even open kettle canned. They changed lid sizes on mayo and mustard to stop recycling.

That's sad.

I will not use jars that are not meant for canning to can with. Like old salsa jars or something. The seals are not meant to be reused.

I reuse jars not meant for canning for pickling. I just made a couple of jars of Spicy Pickled Beans and those are great. They last for months in the fridge.

I'm a stickler when it comes to safely canning, I don't need anyone getting sick. I have a huge stash of real canning jars & I always use new lids, I do not ever reuse them. Could it work, probably - but is it worth it? Heck no.

Agreed.

As far as tposts - DH uses his small jackhammer with a modified cup he built to pound them in & I use the tractor to pull them out. Makes easy work of it all. Unless they are the smaller ones, I just kick & wiggle them till they come out.

I would love to have a tractor.

Are you thinking about anyone or anything in particular when you kick out those T-posts? Might be a healthy way to exercise some demons!

I'll use old jars, or jars not up to pressure canning, all day long for dry or vacuum storage though. I just mark them so they don't get back into canning circulation.

How do you vacuum storage old jars? I never heard of that process. Dear Wife wants me to look into getting a vacuum sealer for bags. But I don't know much about that either. Do you vacuum storage lots of food?

 

[saysfaa]

Yep. Pickling and storing dehydrated food.

I'm also interested in the vacuum storage in canning jars. Although simply putting lids on has worked very well so far.

My sister tried the kind of vacuum sealer that melts the ends of a plastic tube or bags shut after vacuuming the air out. She liked most things about it but the cost of the tube/bags made it not worth using even if the machine is given to her.

 

[gtaus]

My sister tried the kind of vacuum sealer that melts the ends of a plastic tube or bags shut after vacuuming the air out. She liked most things about it but the cost of the tube/bags made it not worth using even if the machine is given to her.

I am just looking into vacuum sealers, but I too have been thinking that the costs are high compared to other storage methods.

 

[saysfaa]

This morning, I pulled the dead pea vines and radish plants out, tilled a bit and planted carrots. There isn't quite enough days before a likely frost for full growth but I have a good chance at getting something if I can get them started.

I'm trying the board-over-the-row method - thank you whoever shared that.

I dug up a few potatoes plants. I'll try bush beans there. They are less likely than the carrots to have time to mature but we might have a late first frost. Or I might be able to cover them well enough to squeak by the first few frosts. The garden seems to be in a micro climate that is a bit less likely to freeze than the surrounding areas.

Still on the list for today is another planting of lettuce (this will be the sixth or so this year), and another planting of bok choi (the third planting), and peas.

 

[Sally PB]

I've currently got chicken carcasses on the stove to make some broth. Usually I just freeze it, but will try my hand at canning it today.

Everyone here probably knows... Broth must be pressure canned.

Just in case someone who doesn't know reads this... my conscience dictates I have to say it.

 

[Farmer13]

I am just looking into vacuum sealers, but I too have been thinking that the costs are high compared to other storage methods.

You could buy a food saver brand like we did twice.
Then come to realize a machine is as only as good as the spares you can get 4 it.

Weston has us covered on replacement parts, they use the same parts from model to model.

https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Pro-2...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583726553757731&psc=1

 

[Smokerbill]

So is it still acceptable to seal jars of jam and jelly with a layer of parrafin wax? Or is that too old school?

 

[Sequel]

I am just looking into vacuum sealers, but I too have been thinking that the costs are high compared to other storage methods.

I got one years ago and I decided that it might be worth the price of the bag rolls (which is horrendous) if I fished or something where I need to freeze high dollar food. It came with an attachment to vacuum seal Mason jars which is fun but more gimmicky than useful imo.
If you’re curious then borrow one to play with or look in thrift shops. There may be more affordable options around though. Mine is an early version of the Foodsaver.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I got the grapevines planted. I added organic planting soil and dry chicken compost to the holes. The dirt on the slope where I planted them is sandy and orange. I tested for pH and nitrogen and it’s fine. The roots on these plants were big and healthy looking. Watered lightly because we are expecting over an inch of rain tomorrow. I’m holding off on picking the cherry tomatoes for another day or two. Hope I don’t regret that. I confirmed 8 butternut squash developing. They’re on the small side but it is Wee Farm produce after all. Lol! I bought a food saver last year. I agree the bags are expensive but they are much better for long term storage. I only use this for produce or fruit that will be in the freezer for more than a few months. I also use it for freezing meat. No freezer burn either with vacuum sealed foods so there’s money saved in that.

 

[Sequel]

So is it still acceptable to seal jars of jam and jelly with a layer of parrafin wax? Or is that too old school?

My mom did that and mostly it was fine. I do remember picking off mold though. I water bath can mine and think it’s easier than melting that stuff!