tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46390418544995461412024-02-18T19:21:24.355-07:00Elk Ridge Self-Reliant SistersAll is Safely Gathered In...R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-32793849118334632542018-05-09T14:57:00.000-06:002018-05-09T14:57:39.959-06:00Best and Easiest Way to Remove a Gamma Seal Lid<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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I'm changing the way my food storage works. We have less people
home, now, so the gamma lids would be better on 4-gallon buckets
instead of the 6-7gallon buckets. Getting the seal ring off the
bucket, though? Having struggled to remove Gamma lid seals and failing, I thought it nigh to impossible to remove them.</div>
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I thought maybe Youtube would have something. It did.<br style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static;" /></div>
I found a video
<h1 class="m_-8080437672249615782gmail-title m_-8080437672249615782gmail-style-scope m_-8080437672249615782gmail-ytd-video-primary-info-renderer" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 25.6px; margin-bottom: 17.15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 17.15px; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static;">
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DlJdVQn1vB8w&source=gmail&ust=1525984651817000&usg=AFQjCNFK5pk3UwUBnrpigtkAa5vZQdIvBw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJdVQn1vB8w" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: x-small;">Easily and Safely Remove a Gamma Seal Lid from 5 gallon buckets</span></a></h1>
That got one Gamma ring off one bucket, horray! I'm grateful for his technique, but his method was still a struggle -- I guess he has strength in his fingers I don't have. The seal rings on other buckets would not even budge with this method. (Incidentally, notice how he puts the Gamma rings on the bucket with a board across the top. I think that is inspired, but I would put a towel between the bucket and the board.)</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; direction: ltr; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I include the video because I used his technique AFTER I did what I'm about to describe, and it worked like a charm. </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static;" />I asked Heavenly Father to help me figure out how to get the lid off, knowing He would know. (Ya'll y'all know, right, that God is willing to help us with everyday tasks if we just ask and do our part?) I saw in my mind's eye a blow dryer and knew immediately what He meant. So, I put the blow dryer on the hottest setting and pointed it, very closely, right at the side edge of the Gamma ring on the bucket. Then, I used the other hand to rotate the bucket round and round for several minutes so the entire side of the ring got warm -- it needs to be done long enough to heat up the whole ring. I quickly put on heavy gloves, put my foot in the bucket to hold it down, and using the technique in the above video, used a large spoon to pry the seal off gradually, working around the lid. Use your fingers in the hand not holding the spoon to pull up firmly where you just pried with the spoon --
THAT is why you need the gloves. :) If you have heated the ring long enough, it will likely only take a few prys and pulls up to get that ring moving. It is amazingly easy with the blow-dryer added in! A blow dryer is a great tool.<br style="direction: ltr; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; position: static;" /></div>
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If this doesn't work, try using the blow dryer longer or shifting to a different position.</div>
R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-23469156514576845402015-08-06T09:55:00.000-06:002015-08-06T09:57:19.354-06:00A Spoonful of Laughter Makes the Medicine Go DownThis is my third offering for a church food storage/preparedness activity. If you want a corny skit and some laughs to balance the serious topic of food storage for a ward dinner or party, gags modeled on Hee Haw might be it. (We get youth babysitters for little kids and invite ward members age 16 and up to the event.)<br />
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This skit uses adapted gags and adapted lyrics. You can find the songs on Youtube and elsewhere. We painted a freezer box to look like an old store front and also painted a "fence" on another box. <br />
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We always end our food storage dinner on a serious note, after we've had some fun. Laughter prepares people. (<i>Click on the pages to bring up an image you an enlarge.</i>) <br />
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<br />R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-6355450257540952592015-08-06T08:25:00.002-06:002015-08-06T08:26:18.696-06:00Taking Food Storage to the CosmosThis is my second offering you can use with a food storage/preparedness activity. We had a preparedness dinner every year for the adults (but we didn't call it a food storage dinner, if we could help it). It was always potluck in some way, and once was a Chili Cook-off. I always tried to balance the weightiness of the topic of preparedness with a light-hearted addition so people would come the next year. This skit we wrote is not really motivational, but fun and corny and it involves people. You want to involve a many people as possible to get a good turn-out.<br />
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<br />R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-58430509815199288112015-08-05T15:17:00.000-06:002015-08-06T07:22:38.847-06:00Rah Rah for Preparedness!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the years, I've wanted to have some fun activities for preparedness, and I've found only one activity online.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Motivation has to be fun! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be posting a few activities</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've done to try to motivate people to prepare over the years. This is the first. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be Your Family's Food Storage Quarterback</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Do you have trouble motivating the men of your family or the men in your ward to prepare? They have been asked to be involved, and truly, we need them on board:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"We
call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your
family can weather the vicissitudes of life.... Wives are instrumental
in this work, but they need husbands who lead out in family
preparedness. Children need parents who instill in them this righteous
tradition."<span style="font-size: x-small;">--</span></span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i>Bishop Keith B. McMullin, April General Conference, 2007. </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In this activity, we try to get everyone in the family involved in preparedness, and we hope to encourage the husband (if there is a husband in the home) to be the "quarterback" for preparedness. Sometimes, the quarterback will be moving the ball himself, but often, he passes the ball to other team members. Yet, always, always, he is aware of everything going on with his team and keeps playing that strategy role. Yard by yard, the quarterback works to accomplish the family goal of being prepared. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This
activity is meant to begin in late summer and end right before the Super
Bowl. Use this just for your family or make it a neighborhood or ward
activity where e</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ach family is given the sheet below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember: Football is just like food storage – you score one play at a time. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether your family has set a 1-month, 2-month, or 3-month supply goal, use this sheet to get moving: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Kicked Off”</span></b> – your family has a <a href="http://elkridgeselfreliantsisters.blogspot.com/search?q=month+supply" target="_blank">3-month supply plan</a> and a shopping list.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Moved 10 yards</span></b> – you have all of one category on your shopping list.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Moved 20 yards</span></b> – you have all of a second category on your shopping list. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b><span style="color: #e69138;">And so on...</span></b></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-thjx3gysNYxupMH7UUr304upgo1jQjG3EOteSqkjkZAKxRcg_uexeL-19U55IMa5JZT7n-ywtY_-V3RSLeEeuLkQ_KwLocBh5fn3hIInQhVWwEvv6V7SMMupKc1WmK-y3xDiZPIaWji/s1600/Family+Refrigerator+playing+field.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-thjx3gysNYxupMH7UUr304upgo1jQjG3EOteSqkjkZAKxRcg_uexeL-19U55IMa5JZT7n-ywtY_-V3RSLeEeuLkQ_KwLocBh5fn3hIInQhVWwEvv6V7SMMupKc1WmK-y3xDiZPIaWji/s400/Family+Refrigerator+playing+field.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The team (family) plans and then executes that plan. The team captains (parents) sometimes run with the ball themselves and, other times, toss the ball off to another member of the family – everyone should be involved, even if they are not the one "carrying the ball." Kids can label cans and help put them in the storage area, and they can help inventory, among other things. They can move the ball on the family score sheet. If you put this on the refrigerator and put a magnet behind your ball, it works very well. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the balls : Score with your food storage!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjiRQ8GUswooUVdtfoCxi_RK7k1nK401k2_DTAzSSnAXaF7rZjEcVSLtYiwASyMQd3JHrNK4HqOUT8PFsrrd6556B8ITVX-2UjrxpsYwSd4QaHVZXMqZbXFIxJ2HbXj9uAq6URD1R_dRL/s1600/many+balls.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjiRQ8GUswooUVdtfoCxi_RK7k1nK401k2_DTAzSSnAXaF7rZjEcVSLtYiwASyMQd3JHrNK4HqOUT8PFsrrd6556B8ITVX-2UjrxpsYwSd4QaHVZXMqZbXFIxJ2HbXj9uAq6URD1R_dRL/s400/many+balls.tif" width="308" /></a></div>
R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-31339774507191000202015-08-05T14:29:00.000-06:002015-08-05T14:31:35.179-06:00How to Help Your Neighborhood (or Ward) Get Food and Other “Stuff” They Need to Be Prepared<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Group Orders</span>:</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You do not have to be in a preparedness calling to help your neighbors with group buys, and aren’t we all in this together, anyway? If you need something for your own food storage or for preparedness, look into doing a group order. Ask if a business will give you a cost cut if you buy and what is the minimum. Most often, it’s less expensive to buy as a group and people are more apt to prepare if you make it ultra easy for them to do so. If it’s something online and you can get a large enough order, most of the time, you can avoid shipping. Even a store like Home Depot has price cuts for bulk buy of certain items (e.g. heavy duty plastic to cover windows if there is an earthquake.) <br /><br />The key to success with a group order is to stay organized and to give people two weeks to sign up and pay. Two weeks gives them time to decide, as well. Don’t go longer than that, as people tend to stop listening. Design a sign-up sheet with the info people need and make lines for them to sign if they want to buy it, including the quantity they want and the total they owe you – see example below. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg095ZILy9y7CNYGRz0vcRQ65jq0p7r2c4RrP7G9JSBH9V_TisJjIQRIdGCW0h86dI4XZkIDF7MAtY4S5AO_zlYDwzfjATwfC3NAT7UGaV9oQk_cjV_XK03WpbZrZLmO1Qkb5o51OiXhLub/s1600/Example_Group-Order-for-Hon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg095ZILy9y7CNYGRz0vcRQ65jq0p7r2c4RrP7G9JSBH9V_TisJjIQRIdGCW0h86dI4XZkIDF7MAtY4S5AO_zlYDwzfjATwfC3NAT7UGaV9oQk_cjV_XK03WpbZrZLmO1Qkb5o51OiXhLub/s400/Example_Group-Order-for-Hon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM26stkl2lvAPh8BR3YMsh03N2J2NfRSfCKIOBANKI5QRoxx_nzh8zI7X4BkhT0nOF7HDhMt8qG3tn2iLeOScwLfQkP8e3QFzy2gCCmKgeJwFDm8cp3V47TxWgmO66gXONQY8P8n1TVDjd/s1600/Honey%252C+page+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM26stkl2lvAPh8BR3YMsh03N2J2NfRSfCKIOBANKI5QRoxx_nzh8zI7X4BkhT0nOF7HDhMt8qG3tn2iLeOScwLfQkP8e3QFzy2gCCmKgeJwFDm8cp3V47TxWgmO66gXONQY8P8n1TVDjd/s400/Honey%252C+page+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You will have to take care of collecting all the money yourself, which means you will probably have to call a few people a couple of days in advance to give you their money – it always happens, as we’re human and forget. I usually have them make the checks out to me, since I have to pay for what they order with my own credit card or with cash. Therefore, do not buy anything that people have not already paid for, even if they say they’ll pay later. Also, if you’ve given them enough notice of when to pick up (two days before the product is coming so they get a chance to see their email notice from you), kindly insist they pick up their product within a certain window. Practice patience and remember the times you have not done what you said you’d do. :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Over the years, I've done group orders for:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Honey (several times)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Grain (steel-cut oats, included)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Olive Oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dehydrated veggies and fruit in #10 cans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Freeze-dried fruit and veggies in #10 cans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Real Salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nuts and Peanut Butter (every year for years)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bulk Spice and Herbs </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Canning Lids & Rings (several times)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cacao Nibs </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clear Heavy Plastic Sheeting (earthquake prep)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Extra-wide Gorilla Tape (to tape the sheeting to the windows)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Collapsible lanterns </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Battery adaptors that turn three AA batteries into a C or D battery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pump 'n Seal (a product from Wyoming that takes air out of bottles)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wheat Grinders</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Water Barrels</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Food Storage Buckets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lid lifters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First Aid Kit</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Preparedness Projects</span>:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We recently made fire starters. We plan to make Wonder Boxes. A zillion other DIY projects are possible. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Teach Gardening and Canning:</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">We've taught people how to can chicken in groups and personally. We've had heirloom tomato tasting. We've gone to the Home Storage Centers as a group. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Encourage, Cheer Them On, and Keep Smiling and Trying! </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: red;">Anything you need, included someone else and bless their life. </span></span></b></span></span></span> </span></b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-16364113810559706902014-10-30T12:17:00.002-06:002014-10-30T20:54:46.744-06:00How Will You Handle an Extended Power Outage?<br />
So much hype! So much conflicting info!<br />
<br />
What’s the truth about solar, fuel-run generators, and large batteries? Learn what you can expect from each of those options in powering your refrigerator, your freezer, or your entire home. On Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 9:00 a.m., preparedness expert, Grant Johnson, of Getpreparedstuff.com will be speaking in the Elk Ridge Stake Center Cultural Hall. His topic is “Alternate Power and Portable Solar; Setting Proper Expectations on Their Use", the same topic he presented at the GetPrepared Expo in Salt Lake City last month. He shows and he tells, with the batteries, generators, and solar panels. ER 1st Ward R.S. is sponsoring the event and inviting adult members of the stake to attend. Please invite your neighbors who won't see this announcement, so they, too, can be prepared. R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-34154593729817668842012-05-11T14:21:00.000-06:002012-05-11T14:29:18.884-06:00Cooking on a PC & Other Easy Emergency Fuel & GrillsHave you ever thought about fuel storage at home and were immediately
overwhelmed? Me!!! There are two very cheap options for cooking:
charcoal and newspaper. My chiropractor is extremely prepared, and part of his storage is a lot of
charcoal briquets. Quoting a web site I will link here, <a href="http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/2010/06/preparedness-project-bucket-of-charcoal.html" target="_blank">Be Prepared, Not Scared</a>: <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: red; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;">Did You Know . . .</b><br />
<b style="color: red; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;">That 1 Bag of Charcoal Briquettes will make it possible for</b><br />
<b style="color: red; font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;"> you to cook 1 Meal a Day for a Whole Month?!?</b></div>
<br />
Charcoal
is cheap, condensed, and easy to store --- it is something we could all
have on hand to cook during an extended emergency. You don't have to
own expensive volcano stoves to make this work for you. We still have (I
think) a little hibachi grill from when we first got married, and even a
large can (like the type popcorn comes in with a hole cut out of the
top and some air holes along the side or bottom (with a camping grill
cover) would work great (a la Diane Thomas and her Roughing it Easy
books) and you can buy grill baskets fairly inexpensively, too.<br />
<br />
The site linked above talked about getting a special little doo-dad
(technical word) that makes charcoal easy to light without stinky
lighter fluid, which would also mean less expensive and not having to store flammable liquid. Go to the site and learn more!<br />
<br />
I found a small grill that I think anyone could make, as most of us with
food storage have at least one of those #10 cans sitting around -- the
disposable and portable #10 can grill. One of the comments by the author
below the instructions says,<i> " If I had it to do over again, I might have sunk the grill a bit lower to have an edge."</i> <b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">More important, DO NOT use a can with lead or zinc, as the fumes would be toxic</span></b>. (How would you know?) So, keep that in mind.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gVH9G8xBUCzACvbfe9XJDC-xBWcq5PgcZ6jEYntVf3nawvqB5b5pEYrU20_zATYJBS7o1x5SH48fhJ5IH3kzAMsqtAf0dPzolr0YtBt3wNrKplmqZv4v8kvbwZeIkenN81JCUNYu7dFU/s1600/can+grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gVH9G8xBUCzACvbfe9XJDC-xBWcq5PgcZ6jEYntVf3nawvqB5b5pEYrU20_zATYJBS7o1x5SH48fhJ5IH3kzAMsqtAf0dPzolr0YtBt3wNrKplmqZv4v8kvbwZeIkenN81JCUNYu7dFU/s200/can+grill.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Yet-another-simple-portable-disposable-barbecue-/" target="_blank">Instructables</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeTAUjabgowtEL-KodH73-iY3AqxCt9x-dMxtmKlPvsmcAJ8YP3BYl4YVijLe38J7lcIeYS1bacQf1yCHweZpYkm2D8q2MRpPFd9NjBU3IhgoIzeAItcTm4OuU5YEVBwVzQ_qk__OhLlI/s1600/newspaper+grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeTAUjabgowtEL-KodH73-iY3AqxCt9x-dMxtmKlPvsmcAJ8YP3BYl4YVijLe38J7lcIeYS1bacQf1yCHweZpYkm2D8q2MRpPFd9NjBU3IhgoIzeAItcTm4OuU5YEVBwVzQ_qk__OhLlI/s200/newspaper+grill.jpg" width="164" /></a><br />
<br />
Now for
newspaper.... when I first got married, my grandmother gave me a little
collapsible grill called the "Quik Cook" that cooks with only crumpled
newspaper. Believe it or not, just crumple newspaper (something that is
usually plentiful if you or a neighbor has a subscription to the paper)
into loose balls and one batch will cook several steaks -- the fat from the meat drips down and makes the newspaper burn longer. The bottom two layers fit inside the top layer for storage. I don't know if you can buy these new any more, but Ebay has had a few of them if it interests you. You can also
use the crunched newspaper on the can grill I described above <br />
<br />
Last, I had to include this, as this has to be one of the most unique and effective recycling ideas of which I've ever heard.<br />
<a href="http://www.komar.org/bbq/mm/bbq-pc.jpg" target="_blank">Cooking with an old PC!</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstKf-B1qox1SzaiJsNThScV8Gz_WLXjp2W4XBDNBxTcr5xNPh70-_eVI00ZcAEbuXUUyDlcIi60h2faH1J8jac9u_7O0FphewXURoqkKt7HBtVC6nBrlQwrCdAeCyXiCSudSwbLtf8C9r/s1600/PC+grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstKf-B1qox1SzaiJsNThScV8Gz_WLXjp2W4XBDNBxTcr5xNPh70-_eVI00ZcAEbuXUUyDlcIi60h2faH1J8jac9u_7O0FphewXURoqkKt7HBtVC6nBrlQwrCdAeCyXiCSudSwbLtf8C9r/s320/PC+grill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.komar.org/bbq/mm/bbq-pc.jpg" target="_blank">Komar . org</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Most of us either have an older PC sitting at home or can pick one up
for just a few dollars at a thrift store (or even less at a yard sale). I have
linked to instructions (and modifications that allow toasting and heating cans) made by someone else "<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20090224111914/http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060521/hottest-pc-ever-the-bbq-pc/" target="_blank">Hottest PC Ever</a> . I
think you'd have to use charcoal or wood with this, because it's not
deep enough to use with newspaper -- you could try it, though. I like
that the case design allows for the kebabs they show to be suspended
over the flame. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOIHuyf7OYuwtWVHpMIQFzJvSPKAQUdkBngDdp0dYLnKokaeMJtySJAtvgcDbPbB3r0VYgpk4hNWKohgaUjzhJLOY07aw-9PiR__oxKnapcsXEMTht8zE_l8VgpRl9WNaTn-7pf19yK3O/s1600/bbq+PC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOIHuyf7OYuwtWVHpMIQFzJvSPKAQUdkBngDdp0dYLnKokaeMJtySJAtvgcDbPbB3r0VYgpk4hNWKohgaUjzhJLOY07aw-9PiR__oxKnapcsXEMTht8zE_l8VgpRl9WNaTn-7pf19yK3O/s320/bbq+PC.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20090224111914/http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060521/hottest-pc-ever-the-bbq-pc/" target="_blank">Coolest Gadgets</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Please realize that due to carbon monoxide, all of the above are <b><span style="color: red;">outdoor techniques.</span></b>R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-31365914095629004032011-12-27T12:33:00.001-07:002011-12-28T15:49:30.440-07:00Cut Your Food Budget & Convenience FoodsThere are small ways to save money that add up to quite a lot if you have several children, if you have a big credit card bill, or if you have trouble living within your budget. It's obvious that spending has to be cut back, but if you are already careful with your spending, sometimes the only thing left to cut back is your food budget. How?<br />
<br />
First, as I've continually encouraged, buy as much as you can on sale. That's why I talk about the great deals in local grocery stores and encourage you to buy by the case when possible, or at least to buy as many cans/boxes as you can afford of non-perishables or perishables that store well. If you can save about half the price of an item, as butter was last week in two grocery stores, then you can afford to eat well on a budget all year.<br />
<br />
Second, eating a lot of convenience foods is costly, both to our wallets and our health. Make as much as you can from scratch: there are ways, though, to make your "from Scratch" foods be convenient and fast, which I will explain. Perhaps the biggest and easiest saving for a big family would be to seldom buy cold cereal. Think how many boxes you use a week and how much it costs. What is the alternative if you are a busy family? Short-term planning. Here are some examples of inexpensive breakfasts:<br />
<ul><li>Make a double or triple batch of pancakes, waffles, or french toast, feed your family and freeze the rest in freezer bags. We often just reheat a pancake or a waffle in the toaster, which takes just a minute on a busy morning.</li>
<li>Cook oatmeal, cream of wheat, or another hot cereal. Oatmeal is great with chopped apples and cinnamon. Here, too, it can become a convenience food if you plan: one of the first issues of our blog has a<a href="http://elkridgeselfreliantsisters.blogspot.com/2008/10/recipe-instant-oatmeal.html"> recipe for instant oatmeal</a>. Cold cream of wheat is a solid mass, but if you put a little water in the pot and break up the cream of wheat as it heats (adding water when needed), you can use a wisk and end up with creamy cereal a second day.</li>
<li>If you really want to save, buy the hot cereal in bulk. If you live where you can buy bulk grains, you've seen the larger sizes of oatmeal or steel-cut oats. Cream of wheat is also known as "farina", and you can buy a big bag of farina in most places that sell bulk grains -- I think I bought my last bag from Leland Mills in Spanish Fork. One bag lasts years in our house. </li>
<li>Wheat and other whole grains can be cooked overnight in a crockpot and be ready to eat in the morning as a hot cereal. Cooked whole wheat is very chewy and filling. If you have a rice cooker that turns itself to warm when done, you can cook brown rice or basmati brown rice (which we prefer for flavor) and it will be warm when you get up in the morning (just add about a cup more water than the rice cooker shows to add for white rice). You can even toss in some dried raisins, craisins, or another dried fruit while cooking to sweeten the rice.</li>
<li>More time consuming, but definitely a savings, is to make your own bread, but did you know homemade bread freezes very well? You can't beat french toast made with homemade bread, as it soaks up more of the egg mixture -- yum! Because one of my children had a milk allergy as a child, we don't even use milk in french toast: just egg, water, a little vanilla, and cinnamon. You'd never miss the milk.</li>
</ul>The best way to save money, ever, is to simply take a few minutes a day or so ahead and plan. Planning takes the stress out and helps us be less apt to spend a lot eating out or ordering a pizza. :)<br />
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Back to convenience foods in general. Most of them are really expensive for the quantity you get. Most of the convenience foods you really enjoy can be made from scratch, and the dry ingredients can be put in jars to use as a homemade convenience food. Take "Hamburger Helper", as one example. Just look for recipes in a Google search. <br />
<ul><li>Here is a great blog that goes into detail about making your own Hamburger Helper. I'm posting the link, but I have not tried it.<a href="http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/"> How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helpe</a>r . </li>
<li><a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/cheeseburger-macaroni.html">Cheeseburger Macaroni </a>(with photos of every step)<br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/cheeseburger-macaroni-a-hamburger-helper-make-over">Cheeseburger Macaroni (a Hamburger Helper Make-over </a>. She also has a super easy recipe for<a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/high-five-recipe-creamy-mac-and-cheese"> Creamy Mac and Cheese</a> that she uses as a part of the first recipe.</li>
<li><a href="http://mealmakeovermoms.com/kitchen/2011/10/17/hamburger-helper-gets-a-recipe-rescue-give-our-healthier-hamburger-helper-a-try/">Lasagna Hamburger Helper Make-over</a> -- this site makes over unhealthy recipes into tasty & healthy recipes -- not an instant make-over, but it looks good</li>
</ul>Yes, I know that some of the things going into these online recipes are also convenience foods, but you get to decide if you want to make it all from scratch or not, as there will be recipes that do it both ways -- I, for one, don't use Hamburger Helper, but I will probably not be giving up canned cream of mushroom soup any time soon. There are whole websites and books devoted to making your own mixes, and you'll save a bundle that way over buying convenience foods.<br />
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Just keep in mind that convenience foods (as produced by manufacturers) are not necessarily good for our health. Here are two very similar quotes from LDS President Ezra Taft Benson, who was also the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under both terms of the Eisenhower administration:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"In general, the more food we eat in its natural state and the less it is refined without additives, the healthier it will be for us. Food can affect the mind, and deficiencies in certain elements in the body can promote mental depression." [Ezra Taft Benson, <a href="http://lds.org/ensign/1974/11/do-not-despair?lang=eng" target="_blank">Ensign Nov 1974, <i>Do Not Despair</i></a>]</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"To a great extent we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions, such as no tea, coffee, tobacco, or alcohol. What need additional emphasis are the positive aspects--the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state-- without overrefinement and processing--the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods."[Ezra Taft Benson,<a href="http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6718" target="_blank"> Fireside Address at BYU March 1979, In His Steps</a>]</blockquote>Back in 1990, when I mentioned these quotes in a meeting as a way to encourage whole grains, I got a lot of negative feedback, and that was in the days when families were not eating much convenience food. Why? People didn't catch Pres. Benson's vision then and they felt stressed to think of making changes. It is interesting that over the last 20 plus years, in addition to some of the public turning almost exclusively to convenience foods, we also have seen huge popular movements that head in exactly the opposite direction. People use other words to describe it than President Benson did, including "Real Foods", "Whole Foods", "Clean Foods", "Organic Foods", and so on. The goals, though, (and most of the food choices) are exactly the same -- a healthy mind and body and loads of energy.<br />
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If changing your cooking habits or dietary habits is your goal, then take a look at where you are and where you want to be and then take baby steps toward it -- that's the way to be successful in any such changes. I appreciate those sites, like some of the links above, that support us in making changes in ways that we can still eat what tastes good to us while making healthier choices.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-90842251527806001722011-02-16T20:27:00.000-07:002011-02-16T20:27:22.516-07:00Oh, Beans!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsb8xjVb_wLxxtTdyCqufwo0Jt5vxB3tmNv7qwAYfoZyckX0aVoQKYubjmkrgnJbNuvEIFKpBvCwEXxt42AZE4TheIO5rr0YiJ2Io7y6IMBLmqwIQkDYPihtF7O2pgBrGMjlMwO25FYzW/s1600/multicoloredbeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsb8xjVb_wLxxtTdyCqufwo0Jt5vxB3tmNv7qwAYfoZyckX0aVoQKYubjmkrgnJbNuvEIFKpBvCwEXxt42AZE4TheIO5rr0YiJ2Io7y6IMBLmqwIQkDYPihtF7O2pgBrGMjlMwO25FYzW/s200/multicoloredbeans.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Do creativity and beans go together? Of course! I'm talking food, too, not gluing beans on a turkey, a popular Thanksgiving craft in elementary school. Have you ever tried grinding dry beans in the wheat grinder? You can add this highly nutritious "bean flour" to your recipes — even deserts and breads— usually without changing the flavor of the food. <u>Beans tend to take on the flavor of the ingredients used with them.</u> Rita Bingham, a food storage expert, uses this bean flour to make delicious sauces and gravies and instant refried beans, among other things. (Natural Meals in Minutes, Book Four, Rita's Beans", Rita Bingham, Natural Meals in Minutes, Provo, UT.) If you’ve ever forgotten to add the onions and ham hock or other seasonings to your beans, you know how bland beans can be sans seasoning. <br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mostly, we need to change our attitude about where and how we use beans and get more creative</b></span><span style="font-size: small;">. </span> </span>We can put some white bean flour in our bread and get a complete protein--plus the extra calcium found in white beans. (See "Do You Know Beans about Beans?", Ensign, June 1991, p.66) We can even bottle beans in our own jars (following USDA guidelines and using a pressure canner, please!) to have them on hand for quick, economical meals. We can make our own tofu with soybeans. We can crack beans as we would wheat, and we can sprout beans, both which considerably lessen cooking time. Our imagination is our only limit.<br />
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Another reason many of us limit our legume consumption is that we have flatulence (gas) when we eat legumes. Our bodies have lost the necessary enzymes that aid in digesting legumes because we eat so many highly refined foods. Here are several options to help, if not conquer, this problem: <br />
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<ol><li>Sprouting beans ahead of time considerably reduces gas. "Dry Beans & Peas", Georgia Lauritzen, Cooperative Extension Service, Logan, UT. [This method requires several rinses of the beans each day so that they do not sour. Just put the beans in a colander and run water over them. I put a dishtowel over the top to keep them moist.)</li>
<li>Discarding the soak water, even with a quick soak, and then rinsing the beans thoroughly is helpful to reduce gas. </li>
<li>Start soaking your dry beans the night before you plan to eat them. Long soaks reduce gas. Then rinse well and use new water to cook the beans.</li>
<li>Best and simplest is to regularly include in your diet small amounts of beans (at least 2-3 times a week). Gradually increasing your intake from very small amounts allows your body to get used to the legumes and grow the friendly bacteria needed to digest them. </li>
</ol>Legumes do get harder as time passes and thus take longer to cook after several years' storage. However, I have found that even 20-year-old legumes, when stored properly in a cool and dark place, do well if sprouted or cooked in a pressure cooker. <br />
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We so often think of beans as a lowly alternative to meat, but then most of our experience in the west is with pinto or kidney beans in bean dip and burritos, plus navy beans in white bean soup. There truly is a whole world out there of beans to experience, with different flavors. Do a Google search to find out more about beans like Adzuki (from East Asia and the Himalayas), Flageolet (from France), Jacob’s Cattle (a spotted heirloom bean), Scarlet runner, Apaloosa, and Cannellini (from Italy). One of my favorite easy things with dry beans is to buy a bag with a variety of beans of different colors (a bean stew mix from the store) and follow the recipe on the bag. The stew is so pretty and tasty.<br />
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If you are a true beginner with dried beans, a great set of instructions is <a href="http://www.chef2chef.net/recipes/recipe-archive/43/230969.shtml">linked here</a>.<br />
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The biggest secret to having success with dry beans? Simply plan in advance and try a few recipes from trusted sources like the Idaho Bean Commission, which has recipes for dry beans as well as canned beans. In fact, my first forays into dry beans, when I was first married, were with a recipe in hand from the Idaho Bean Council. Now, all their recipes are online and <a href="http://www2.state.id.us/bean/recipes/recipes.cfm%20">linked here</a>. Enjoy!R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-69963163557970065082010-11-18T18:36:00.000-07:002010-11-18T18:36:22.221-07:00Gobble in a BowlSome years, I buy two or three turkeys while there are killer deals at the grocery store before Thanksgiving. Generally, the bigger the bird, the better deal you get. Why? The bones are close to the same size in the smaller birds as they are in the larger birds. That means there is more meat per pound of turkey on those larger birds. Therefore, if you have room in your freezer, don't hesitate to get a 21 lb. or larger turkey, even if there are only a few people in your family. <br />
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<b>What would you do with a huge turkey?</b><br />
<ul><li>Toss the left-over meat in the freezer in freezer bags -- breast meat, being drier, should be used before the darker meat. Our family has a lot of meals (turkey crepes, included), that we traditionally have after Thanksgiving, and the freezer extends the time between those meals. So, I buy some turkeys even if I am eating at the in-laws. A turkey is easy to cook, and it makes for a least a week's meals. Yes, turkey is ultra cheap, but ONLY if you buy it around this time of year or have an "in" with the Norbest people. </li>
<li>Freeze the legs separately and make soup.</li>
<li>Make soup with the turkey carcass<br />
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</ul>My family likes the bones as much as the dinner that creates the bones. From those bones, we make one of our most delicious soups -- any soup would taste good from the turkey carcass. We're talking old-time soups like our grandmothers made. With a large turkey carcass, we get a huge pot of soup that lasts us several days. Add that to all the meat, and you can see why a turkey is so economical. <br />
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<b>How to boil down a turkey carcass:</b><br />
After dinner and after you've taken most of the meat off the turkey carcass (hey don't pick it clean, but do get most of it), cover the carcass and put it in the refrigerator to handle the next day. (Yes, you could do it the day you cook the turkey, but won't you be tired?) When ready to cook:<br />
<ul><li>Put the carcass in the largest pot you own and fill the pot with water to a few inches over the top of most of the bones. (Unless you have a huge pot, some bones will stick up at first. It's O.K. to break apart the carcass if you can.)</li>
<li>Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low and simmer several hours. As the carcass cooks, you'll be able to break it apart a little so it will better fit your pot. You should turn the carcass over several times (check every half hour or so) until it does break down and fit the pan better. Add more water as necessary to keep the turkey covered but not so much it boils over the top of the pan.</li>
<li>The carcass is done when the remaining meat fragments easily slip off the bones and when most of the bones have separated from each other. At this point, if you take a large bone out of the pot, it dries a whitish color. </li>
</ul><b>Now, remove all the bones</b>. <br />
The easiest way to do remove the bones is to first remove the largest bones with tongs. To remove the small bones:<br />
<ul><li>Put a large colander in the top of a second large container. Carefully pour a little of the hot cooked liquid at a time into the colander, catching any solid pieces. <br />
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<li>Put the solid pieces on a plate, a cutting board, or in a large bowl to cool a bit, while you repeat the pouring process. </li>
<li>When the first solids have cooled enough, use clean fingers to separate meat from bones and gristle, feeling for very small bones and put the cleaned meat into a separate bowl. (No matter you carefully I look, there is always a small bone, but to date, I am the one who has always found that bone in my soup) </li>
</ul>Return the meat and the broth to the large cooking pot, toss out the bones and gristle, and add the ingredients you want for soup. Some ideas: turkey and dumplings with veggies, turkey taco soup, turkey gumbo, or whatever sounds good with a brothy soup. If you like, you can add some bouillon or soup base to enhance the flavor. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Utah Turkey Gumbo Soup </b>( not New Orleans, but delicious, nevertheless):<br />
The broth and meat from above<br />
2 sticks celery, chopped<br />
2 large onions, chopped<br />
1 16 oz. bag frozen okra<br />
1 or 2 (32 oz.) jars tomatoes (home-canned are the very best, of course)<br />
1/2 cup dry rice or throw in 1 cup cooked rice.<br />
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Cook until veggies are tender and okra is starting to fall apart (the okra thickens the soup). Add rice and cook until done. Add a little soup base or bouillion to taste.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-54909744418411405992010-08-14T09:47:00.000-06:002010-08-14T09:47:49.116-06:00Supremacy over Squash Bugs!I never thought I'd be able to say this, but I have conquered squash bugs in my garden. I have tried handpicking squash bugs and their egg clusters with little success before. This year, though, I stuck with it and found stick-to-it-ness works with squash bugs. For photos of squash bugs in every stage of development, the University of Maryland has a photo montage <a href="http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html">here</a>. They go into ways to manage the bugs, including insecticide, but I have an organic garden.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mxFumJjJb-_CeaibE5DGP5Y8oudIC_JtC__f1fr6L8yw-tgjmpBA9WJmT42vrDwj_09C5iGOnT4vPK0G_OzZFEb-Kn5gHgsD3gFdqW1ueYoYwJKAhKCSYFjZ6ymPE6okfk6ugMqRMWzc/s1600/squash+bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mxFumJjJb-_CeaibE5DGP5Y8oudIC_JtC__f1fr6L8yw-tgjmpBA9WJmT42vrDwj_09C5iGOnT4vPK0G_OzZFEb-Kn5gHgsD3gFdqW1ueYoYwJKAhKCSYFjZ6ymPE6okfk6ugMqRMWzc/s200/squash+bug.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tfKp-ck7AcPM0IldEd-TeA">Photos by Marvin <span id="goog_1376282403"></span><span id="goog_1376282404"></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>For two weeks, I went out to the garden nearly every day, looked under every squash leaf and on the ground near the main stem. I grabbed every bug I found and squished it. By the way, those bugs are harder to squish, being flat, so you have to kind of grind it into the ground and make sure it is dead. If you are squeamish, pop them in soapy water to kill. I used to be squeamish, but seeing all those dead plants over the years has changed things.<br />
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You won't generally see squash bugs unless you look under every leaf, or unless you have a bad infestation. As you look under the leaves, look for egg clusters like in the photo to the left. They say to scrape off the eggs or crush them and it seems to kill that part of the leaf anyway. So, I just rip out that tiny portion of the leaf, eggs and all, and take them to the garbage or crush them. <br />
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The first two days of going through that procedure, I found 15 squash bugs and six egg clusters, both days. Each day after that, I found nine, then 8, then 6 bugs and egg clusters. I didn't go out as often when it got so I only found one squash bug and one egg cluster. Now, I only check twice a week and find one bug and one egg cluster each time. My squash is thriving, and I think I'm in control. Yeah! You'll never get in control if you don't make sure you get those egg clusters, though, so carefully check under each leaf.<br />
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Squash bugs are easier to find during and after watering, as they crawl up on the stems.<br />
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I have to admit that this procedure would be time consuming if you have more than a couple of plants or a pumpkin or other large viney squash, but for my home garden, it worked. I give much credit to my rubber-coated garden gloves in keeping down the "gross" factor. I don't feel the bugs, so I don't get the shudders.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-2976142932160912992010-07-06T23:26:00.001-06:002010-07-12T16:39:46.712-06:00Three-month Emergency Food Supply: How Do I Begin?The hardest thing is to make yourself start. After that, it comes together quickly. Your kids and spouse can make this job easier for you. You might be surprised at the great menu ideas they'll have.<br />
<blockquote></blockquote><ul><li><b style="color: purple;">Put together a list of foods/meals that you eat regularly and figure out how much you need for three months.</b> One way to do this is to decide on a week or more of menus and then multiply these menus to get 90 days of menus. [See “Sample Family Plans” below for three complete family plans. Please note the URLs of two wonderful preparedness blogs from which I pulled menu and shopping plans for two of these plans: <a href="http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/">http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com</a> and <a href="http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/">http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/</a> and thanks to Lesa for contributing the other plan.]</li>
<li><b style="color: purple;">Use the Sample Family Plans to get ideas to make your own family plan.</b> Choose the recipes you want, and list the ingredients. (If you need more ideas, do a Google search.) Then, multiply that ingredient list by the number of times you plan to eat that meal during three months. How many different recipes you use is your choice – are you after subsistence food or do you want to eat close to how you eat now if you had to use that food in an emergency situation? I recommend that you go as close to how you eat as possible. Don’t rely entirely on frozen foods, as power can fail.</li>
<li style="color: purple;"><b>Create a shopping list with all of the food items totaled from above</b>.</li>
<li><b style="color: purple;">Make a Family Goal Statement.</b> Decide how much food you will purchase each month and how long it will take your family to buy all the items for the 3-months’ supply. </li>
<li><b style="color: purple;">Paying attention to grocery sales, purchase a few extra items to add to your storage each week. </b>Gradually build it to a one-week supply, then expand it to a one-month supply, then a three-month supply </li>
<li><b style="color: purple;">Rotate the food</b>. Make an extra copy of your shopping list to use as your tracking list and mark off items as you use them. As you use these items from your 3-months’ supply, replace them on a weekly basis.</li>
</ul><div style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sample: 3-Month Plan for a Family of Six </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(2 pages)</span></b></span></div><span id="goog_1415461224"></span><span id="goog_1415461225"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Sample: 3-Month Plan for a Family of Four</span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(2 pages)</span></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhlYU8zCIwnOkmc7ZBWYMQ21VpO4aOOOfM_29bWVM9n53HpAxDQTqmIZBZHNa0mgrkJIdh4gv-q1CtOra5nHim8d1cR7Vk6FHy0q65_XvNHbW6yWF_zZanu2Rgd2vYFzn4reQxDRl-uIc/s1600/3-Month-Plan_6_page-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhlYU8zCIwnOkmc7ZBWYMQ21VpO4aOOOfM_29bWVM9n53HpAxDQTqmIZBZHNa0mgrkJIdh4gv-q1CtOra5nHim8d1cR7Vk6FHy0q65_XvNHbW6yWF_zZanu2Rgd2vYFzn4reQxDRl-uIc/s200/3-Month-Plan_6_page-2.jpg" width="154" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODJmk2vc0vI6wpg0l7U1PAffdV9mxeHMz7NsI2iIyDbLlu9oRjiRrlJBH6CpU5BwjpXbBjJoO1NA4rWoE-6NMg8lu9ClRvSFxpbXaR1GAbd1ldAc0utwL7FJGyQ7oXZf8bhaGk3BjKvNi/s1600/3-Month-Plan_6_page1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODJmk2vc0vI6wpg0l7U1PAffdV9mxeHMz7NsI2iIyDbLlu9oRjiRrlJBH6CpU5BwjpXbBjJoO1NA4rWoE-6NMg8lu9ClRvSFxpbXaR1GAbd1ldAc0utwL7FJGyQ7oXZf8bhaGk3BjKvNi/s200/3-Month-Plan_6_page1.jpg" width="154" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Sample: Lesa's 3-Month Plan for a Family of Four</span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(2 pages)</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlCWGxdU71IeIjKRRf1xlWvWMQPudYqpa8ceBrRZ0fwsSqQCOCKVqNRsKq78mZYyxCtQPM4-_Lk3Z7soAphWNazd3HrUaoHfc79nRXKnPVPBISMJGkoCf5K0p9WduJR_BRQ_qcyQPP3r8/s1600/Lesa's-Plan_page1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlCWGxdU71IeIjKRRf1xlWvWMQPudYqpa8ceBrRZ0fwsSqQCOCKVqNRsKq78mZYyxCtQPM4-_Lk3Z7soAphWNazd3HrUaoHfc79nRXKnPVPBISMJGkoCf5K0p9WduJR_BRQ_qcyQPP3r8/s200/Lesa's-Plan_page1.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iW6ZOTdSvfWSZvjDLZeifsXsg1Qd-ORUTA5sZaxJdMcHwWj17lTTSGWP1_GAJsHg3Rap_l6S3X-_TnZXoMyBM8DVCYZltONyKjwrUnukMGE6UEH34MYnpSsZeGrIwqH_Ew73b9l-FvyO/s1600/Lesa's-Plan_page2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iW6ZOTdSvfWSZvjDLZeifsXsg1Qd-ORUTA5sZaxJdMcHwWj17lTTSGWP1_GAJsHg3Rap_l6S3X-_TnZXoMyBM8DVCYZltONyKjwrUnukMGE6UEH34MYnpSsZeGrIwqH_Ew73b9l-FvyO/s200/Lesa's-Plan_page2.jpg" width="154" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span>R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-79537240357022852352010-07-06T10:14:00.000-06:002010-07-06T10:14:49.059-06:00Plants Just Sitting There? Tree Leaves Look Yellow and Burnt? Sorry, Dorothy, You're not in KansasAlkaline soils and western desert soils need help in order for your garden to grow well. You can't pop your plants and seeds into the ground and expect them to do much if you don't render assistance. So, if your veggies and/or flowers have been up and going for a few weeks and are not showing much sign of growth, or worse still, they are becoming lighter green or even yellowish, they are likely crying for nitrogen. Sprinkle a little nitrogen fertilizer (or blood meal or cotton seed meal if you're into organic) around the base of each plant -- as Gordon Wells puts it, "Like you were salting a steak." Then scratch it gently into the soil and water it in. (I have both a hand tool that looks like a claw and a long tool with a claw for specifically that purpose. ) I use blood meal on my veggies, and it provides both iron and nitrogen.<br />
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You should see a tremendous difference in your plants within a few days. Most plants will need this periodic nitrogen treatment -- EXCEPT tomatoes -- at least once. (Only put nitrogen on tomatoes once, at the beginning of the growing season, otherwise you will get loads of lush green and few tomatoes.) I do this if the plants seem to need it, even if I have added all those Gordon Wells recommended fertilizer items at the beginning of the season. Make sure to go light on the nitrogen, though, as you could burn your plant, and rinse off the leaves of the plants afterward. Just keep an eye on the progress of the plant and look for lack of growth and light-colored leaves and you'll know it's time to fertilize. <br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: small;"><b>What else do the veggies need?</b></span><br />
In my garden, I use fish emulsion fertilizer about three times during the summer, especially when a plant begins to bloom. I buy it at garden centers (like Olson's or Carpenter Seed) in quart or gallon jugs and mix it with water in a 5-gallon bucket. The stuff stinks to high heaven, after all it is a by-product of fish processing plants, but my veggies love it! If veggies can look happy, they do, as their leaves look lush and perky. I put on long sleeves and rubber gloves and plan on a bath right afterwards. (It's a good time to also spray that stinky Liquid Fence stuff that keeps the deer away from your flowers and shrubs.) <br />
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My method of application is to, first, apply when the soil is dry so the plants will soak up the maximum fertilizer. Mix the fertilizer well with the water (a sprayer on the end of the hose does this well or, alternatively, a long stick.) Get a pitcher or cut off milk jug (cut off some of the top, but keep the handle) full of the fertilizer/ water mixture and go from plant to plant, pouring a little pool of solution at the base of each plant -- it won't burn plants if you get some on the leaves. By the time you've gone five or six plants, the first liquid will have soaked into the soil. So, go back and water all those plants again with the solution, starting with the first plant. I usually water each plant 3-4 times with the solution, systematically working my garden in rows. It's not a fun process, I admit it, but even complaining kids can help with this process and make it a lot quicker -- just ask my daughters how much they like helping with this. :) The key is really to cover yourself well, as the smell will soak into your skin a bit if you go out there with uncovered arms and hands. <br />
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I give much credit to the fish emultion fertilizer for my good yields each year, as I didn't get anything near the harvest I do now before I started using the fish fertilizer. It gives the plants a lot of trace minerals and other needed nutrition. After all, didn't the pilgrims get a good harvest when the Native Americans buried a fish with kernals of corn?<br />
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Yellowing can also be a lack of iron or even copper, but usually nitrogen is the culprit with vegetables in the semi-arid desert regions. <br />
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<b style="color: purple;">What about trees and shrubs?</b><br />
<b> </b>If you live with alkaline soils and the leaves of your trees and shrubs are yellow and show signs of burning (brown) on the edges, despite regular watering, it means your plants likely have iron chlorosis. This will not kill your trees and it can be fixed.<br />
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When faced with my tree leaves looking yellow and burnt, I followed the advice of Larry Sagers, of the KSL Greenhouse Show on KSL radio. In late winter, say February or March, but definitely before the leaves on the trees and shrubs bud out, fertilize them with an iron chelate, pouring it around the soil beneath the trees and shrubs. He mentioned several brands, and I use one, Millers FeriPlus Iron, which is a powder you mix with water. I mix it up in milk jugs and pour it on the soil while there is still snow on the ground -- this will stain, so wear old clothing. The remaining snows and rain will carry the iron into the soil. I do this every winter, and my tree and shrub leaves look great now. Unfortunately, you can do nothing about this problem right now if your leaves show the signs this summer. Mark your calendar for late next winter so you'll remember and do it every year. This year, I applied considerably less than the label asked for, and the leaves still turned out great.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-10759635688255756342010-04-11T11:52:00.007-06:002010-04-11T12:47:15.282-06:00Seeds on the Cheap & Organizing Your Garden Seeds.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnFaGZxuBJ6rcaDvDIw4SpoiGAnBz5N86MDR6VLWSibu87ReJMgeAdp9utgPISGnW3GFWfgOph1gxYwMMj74DggRvngGRAZqEPBKM_M5o29YAaDvQQ0yofRFp5gOmAB5HiSjsHlFwYxT3/s1600/Tete-a-Tete+Daffodils.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnFaGZxuBJ6rcaDvDIw4SpoiGAnBz5N86MDR6VLWSibu87ReJMgeAdp9utgPISGnW3GFWfgOph1gxYwMMj74DggRvngGRAZqEPBKM_M5o29YAaDvQQ0yofRFp5gOmAB5HiSjsHlFwYxT3/s320/Tete-a-Tete+Daffodils.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458949087137771362" border="0" /></a><br />With my miniature daffodils nodding their perky little heads, I think I'm finally mentally ready for spring gardening. I even bought some fun new seeds yesterday: artichoke seeds because a friend had such success with them, bright red Italian bell pepper seeds, because it's fun to try a foreign variety, and a crenshaw melon, because crenshaws are pure delicious. Yum! <br /><br />I bought those seeds despite all the dozens of packages of seed I already have, organized with dividers in clear plastic shoe boxes, and despite the fact the packets were about $2 each. My looking at seeds is kind of like kids going through the Christmas toy catalogs, where they want simply everything they see.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-e4A9AmAwF6qnT7pVOribTdPdDzXyDVaP5w9wxmXDpahUh2wVZgZ_tOGKYoXg7_fgttxxau_vAkC2wyXnksVgteZiJcuQOtv2wuo2qVE2FfUj_zOFKrCsubMe2xLU4RMR6ejmljefZ0I/s1600/Seed+organizer+.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-e4A9AmAwF6qnT7pVOribTdPdDzXyDVaP5w9wxmXDpahUh2wVZgZ_tOGKYoXg7_fgttxxau_vAkC2wyXnksVgteZiJcuQOtv2wuo2qVE2FfUj_zOFKrCsubMe2xLU4RMR6ejmljefZ0I/s320/Seed+organizer+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458949605720959730" border="0" /></a>By the way, organizing my seed packets has made both planning and planting so much easier! I used to throw all the seed packets in one huge plastic container and have to shuffle through the whole thing every time I planted. I got smart last year. Within a few seconds, I now have what I want. I have headings for the vegetables I plant a lot, and I throw everything that doesn’t fit under miscellaneous. I have two shoe boxes for vegetable seeds and one shoe box for flower seed.<br /><br />The seed packets I bought yesterday were a little more expensive than what I usually buy, being special, but you don't need to spend big money on expensive seed if you’re buying more common seed varieties and if you only need a few seeds. Last year, I bought some seeds from the local dollar store at 20 cents per packet, and the seeds grew and produced very well. The dollar store packets have only 8 grams of seed, probably 1/4 less than average packets bought elsewhere for between $1.49-$3.00.<br /><br />Generally, those smaller packets are not cost effective for larger and heavier seeds, such as beans, where you’d have to purchase several packets to get a good crop. Yet, those packets are a wonderful buy for small seeds like lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers, where one packet is still enough for several years. Moreover, the dollar store (where we live, it’s Dollar Tree) has tried and true varieties you’ll see everywhere else seed is sold. It’s also a great buy if you’re wanting to experiment and try just a little bit of a different variety. My experience has been that the seed quality is the same as the expensive brands.<br /><br />Be watching in the late summer and early fall for stores to clearance remaining seeds, and you can often pick up seeds for the next year at bargain prices. They don’t save seed packets to sell the next year.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-33272927040182377422010-04-01T18:57:00.007-06:002010-04-11T14:06:23.509-06:00Not This Garden, Bambi!Because so many of you are worried about planting a vegetable garden that becomes, instead of your family dinner, a deer salad bar, I went through my “Pest” file of old Organic Gardening articles. I remember that Organic Gardening did an extensive study of deer control methods more than a dozen years ago. They tried everything you’ve ever heard of and more: soap, human hair, pepper spray, and even lion dung and/or urine. The conclusion was that the only sure thing to stop a hungry deer is at least an 8 ft. fence. An online search of articles on deer control reveals the same results. It seems, you see, that what works with deer in one area doesn’t always work in a different area. Moreover, bucks, does, and fawns have different taste preferences. One of our friends here in town had a row of tulips, with red and yellow tulips alternating. The deer ate all the red tulips right off and left the yellow tulips for later munching. Red smells tastier, perhaps?<br />
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I know, though, that there are many of you beginning new gardens with no extra money to invest in a big fence. So, I went looking for other workable ideas for you. In my file of OG articles were two comments from readers that gave virtually the same advice -- laying something down on the ground instead of in the air. I think it's an idea worth trying. Here was a comment from Oregon:<br />
<blockquote>“The old orchardist down the road showed me how he protects his raspberry plants from deer without using a fence. He lays section of chicken wire and hardware cloth on the ground all around the perimeter of his bramble patch. The deer won’t walk on the wire, and they can’t reach the bushes without crossing the barrier. I tried the technique for shrubs, bushes, and trees on my 5-acre property and had the same good results. We see plenty of deer every week, but have had no damage.” <span style="font-size: 85%;">(Organic Gardening, February 1991, p. 85)</span></blockquote>A similar comment from Kentucky:<br />
<blockquote>“You don’t have to be a deer psychologist to keep deer out of your garden. All you need to know is that deer don’t like to get their feet tangled. So if you really want to stop them in their tracks, don’t erect a fence – lay it down instead.<br />
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“First, dig a 3 to 4 inch deep trench about 12 inches wide around the perimeter of your garden. Then cover the furrow with 4 foot wide wire fencing that has 3 by 5 inch mesh openings; lay the fence flat on the ground. (The fencing is cheap....) The deer won’t walk on or over such a barrier and will browse somewhere else instead....” <span style="font-size: 85%;">(Organic Gardening, ? 1994, p. 66)</span></blockquote>No guarantees with the methods above, but it just might work! With that method, you would want to keep the weeds cut down under the wire and lift it up in the spring so that it didn't get buried in the grass.<br />
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For those of you starting small gardens, there are some easy little PVC pipe and chicken wire cages designed to keep out rabbits that I think would work great to keep out deer, provided you secured the cages to the ground – some good stakes or pieces of rebar (bought at the hardware store) at the four corners and some string to tie the cage to the stakes would work. A lot of people in town successfully do something more simple, but similar, for their trees. The point is to keep the deer from the plants, and this does the job and is going to be pretty cheap -- a lot cheaper than surrounding the garden with a tall fence. To weed, you'd just untie the stakes and lift off the cage. I think this might also be a solution for those of you who told me last year that your chickens ate more tomatoes than the deer did -- two families told me that the tomatoes jumped slower than the grasshoppers you thought the chickens would eat. :) You do need to take into consideration the size of the plant when full-grown. <a href="http://community.learn2grow.com/four-stepfoodgarden/blog/">Click here for the link</a>.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br />
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For plants you do not intend to eat, you have more options. Several people in our area, including me, have had great success with “Liquid Fence” deer repellent. It stinks when you’re spraying it on, but it dries and doesn’t stink to humans. It still stinks to the deer, though. I had tulips for the first time in years last year, and it was worth having to take a bath every time I sprayed the stuff. I found a couple of homemade recipes for deer repellent online, though, that just might do the trick, since they have essentially the same stinky ingredients. <a href="http://askville.amazon.com/Deer-Repellent-recipe-homemade-deer-repellent-sprayed-plants-wash-rain/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=127380">Click here </a>and scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipes.<br />
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We're supposed to have a bad grasshopper problem again this year. Your best bet in bad hopper years is to get in a lot of vegetables that mature early, like lettuce, broccoli, and peas. The hot, dry, months are when the hoppers get large enough to do the most damage.<br />
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Last, I would add that, in my experience, a liberal sprinkling of prayer makes plants grow their very best and helps deter pests.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-19348023718017718452010-03-26T09:34:00.006-06:002010-04-03T11:30:43.393-06:00Maybe Spring is coming up Soup Instead?I broke open a bottle of the canned hamburger patties last night. I just warmed them and we ate them on buns. The flavor was not what we're used to with grilled burgers probably because they boiled for an hour and a half in liquid. With my ranching background, I'm pretty picky about quality of food, particularly meat. So, I'll be using that hamburger in the future for casseroles and soups, where hamburger usually cooks awhile and often in liquid anyway. For economic and health reasons, we often eat hamburger mixed with something else, like you would with shepherd's pie. I'm still looking forward to having the meat for things like that. Hamburger is great as a replacement to stew meat in some stews.<br /><br />All that said, the quality of canned chicken is phenomenal. So, don't even hesitate. My daughter likes it so much she actually drinks the broth when I open a jar.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-25951220445283875962010-03-22T15:37:00.004-06:002010-04-03T11:30:23.793-06:00Spring is Coming up Meatballs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2bM9bP7MGBX3b77wYX_Rpy3V_meA52LNHdN-VnFuIXuDlSlPJp-Jk2a0bKkgKP3YfKoAUfezUHAezg83kd6xBJaVzdXB-Xo2ED-v1mmbjJc7DkbtxWPuFKhG4u8Cyqol1X7QKAQuLYVi/s1600-h/Canned+hamburger.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2bM9bP7MGBX3b77wYX_Rpy3V_meA52LNHdN-VnFuIXuDlSlPJp-Jk2a0bKkgKP3YfKoAUfezUHAezg83kd6xBJaVzdXB-Xo2ED-v1mmbjJc7DkbtxWPuFKhG4u8Cyqol1X7QKAQuLYVi/s320/Canned+hamburger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451577407087551218" border="0" /></a>Sale prices on super-lean hamburger were great at Fresh Market this week, so I've been canning hamburger. The photo at left is of some hamburger patties and meatballs I canned last week. Here is a link to the current USDA guide 5, <a href="http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__9675018.pdf">Preparing and Canning Poultry,<br />Red Meats, and Seafoods</a> with detailed instructions (page 5-2 has the instructions for ground meat). Please make sure to adjust the pressure to what is needed for your altitude – where we live, it’s 13 pounds. If the canner goes below the required pressure for even a few seconds, start the processing time over. That’s why I keep my canner around 15 pounds pressure, just to make sure I don’t have to start over. Since meat takes 90 minutes to pressure can, believe me, you do not want to have to start processing time over.<br /><br />I always slit a big black garbage bag and lay it over my work area when I'm prepping the meat to can. I don't get meat juices and pieces spread all over my counters. It is sanitary and makes cleanup a snap.<br /><br />What is my honest assessment on the ease of canning both chicken and hamburger? Anything you can stuff in a jar raw, without pre-cooking and without adding extra liquid, is of course going to save you a whole lot of time. Therefore, boneless, skinless chicken is soooo easy to do. I haven’t done chunks or cubes of red meat yet, but since they can be put in the jar raw, I’m sure they are the same ease as chicken. Hamburger, though, is a different matter, entirely.<br /><br />Hamburger must be slightly browned before pressure canning and it has to have added liquid. Why? With ground meat, there is a lot more possibility for bacteria to lurk inside the meat than with chunks of meat. That’s why you should NEVER, but never, just stuff a bunch of raw hamburger into a canning jar and pressure can the way some bloggers tell you to do – that method is not USDA approved and it’s really playing roulette with your family’s health. With one big glob of hamburger like that, the boiling liquid that will kill the bacteria cannot circulate around all the meat. Play it safe and follow USDA guidelines, even if those guidelines seem paranoid. Pre-browning the meat also ensures that the hamburger keeps its shape while you are canning and that it looks nice when you pull it out of the jar.<br /><br />Season both the hamburger patties and meatballs as desired. I chose to add spices, salt, and finely minced garlic to the hamburger and mixed it up with my hands (wearing disposable gloves) before I formed it for browning. I felt if the seasoning were inside the meat, the flavors would hold better through the canning process. Meatballs had oregano, basil, onion powder, salt, and minced garlic. Hamburgers had onion powder, a little Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and minced garlic.<br /><br />I used a cookie scoop to scoop out the meatballs. A dozen browned meatballs of that size will fit in a pint jar. For the boiling liquid required for both meatballs and patties, I used soup base (like bouillon) to make a half-strength broth. My neighbor tells me that “Better than Bouillon” makes a low sodium soup base that does not have MSG, and I’d use that next time. You might be surprised that most bouillon and soup base contain both corn syrup solids (a health no-no) and MSG. The MSG is often under disguised names like “hydrolized vegetable protein” or “hydrolized yeast extract” or “natural flavorings”.<br /><br />I used a half-cup measuring cup to scoop out hamburger patties and squished them to ½ inch. I browned the patties on an indoor electric grill (George Foreman style) that browned both sides of the hamburger at once. The patties shrunk to the perfect size to fit in my wide-mouth quart jars – I do recommend wide-mouth jars for the patties. I did 50 patties in very little time that way. Each quart jar held five patties.<br /><br />Hamburger can also be browned and pressure canned without shaping, following the instructions in the guide I have linked above. One lady has commented that not shaping the meat results in meat with a finer consistency, like the hamburger you get in fast food tacos. She recommended, instead, canning patties and then breaking them up for other uses after you open the jar.<br /><br />Will I be canning hamburger again, even with the extra work? Absolutely! If I were cooking hamburger for a meal, I’d have to go to the work anyway. Pressure canning the hamburger just puts the work up front and the bottled meat will be a time saver for me on busy days. Ha! That’s every day, but let’s not get carried away. :) If the power goes out, I have a ready source of protein that is already cooked, not to mention I bought this hamburger about half the normal price. Gotta love sales! Besides, the hamburger tastes good!<br /><br />My family will be scooping out the meat next time I do hamburger – that’s the real time saver. Canning is so much more enjoyable when you’re not doing all the work yourself. The kids tend to think it's slave labor, but 'tis the nature of kids to complain at work, of any kind. They like the family together time once they get going and their dad's silly stories and jokes.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-61353257841693930782010-03-17T17:29:00.009-06:002010-04-11T15:51:30.733-06:00Buying and Maintaining a Pressure CannerI've had several questions about pressure canners....<br />
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<b>Question: I want to buy a brand-new pressure canner. Which brand and style?</b><br />
Answer 1: I'll answer this from my 25 plus years' experience in canning. If I were buying a new pressure canner, I would spend a little more money to buy one that is designed to do two levels of quart bottles at once. Food prep takes a lot less time than the canning time, especially if you are canning meat, which takes an hour and a half each load -- again, at 13 pounds pressure at our altitude. Look at the canner specifications as to how many pints and quarts fit and don't make the mistake of thinking that a 30-quart canner will fit 30 quarts. A 30 quart canner will generally do 14 quart jars -- there apparently has to be air space at the top of a pressure canner.<br />
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Answer 2: Several food storage experts recommend purchasing a canner that does not need a gasket, and hence no need to change the gasket/sealing ring. The Mending Shed sells several sizes of All American Pressure Cookers, which are metal-to-metal and need no gaskets. <a href="http://www.mendingshed.com/allamericancookers.html?gclid=CLbNg6HqwKACFSBCgwod3yRmUQ">Click here for that link</a>. Compare prices for the best deal. Online, you'll also pay over $20 shipping, but you could also go directly to the Mending Shed -- if you live near it. With this type of canner, you will still need to change the vent, which this company calls an "over pressure plug", every few years.<br />
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You will note that the price is a lot higher on the All American Pressure Canner than what you will likely spend locally on a lower-end canner locally. You have to decide if the convenience of being able to process more jars at once and not having to change the gasket is worth the price. For me, even with my frugal (O.K., cheap!!) tendencies, if I were purchasing a new canner, I would personally go with the higher-end canner (more quart jars in one canner load) just to cut down the processing time. How many nights did I stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. when I only had one pressure canner that fits six quarts at a time? Your time and sanity are worth the extra money, and you'll can more food if you make this easier. If you can't afford it, you can buy a couple of oldie goldies like I did and also cut your time in half.<br />
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<b>Question: Can I buy a used pressure canner?</b><br />
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Answer: Ab<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXy8alXLAHSNs3M_nSbVM6HmFEaNf58g90nUWs6tVwcbFXcZQSpvukrstyi4G0cBorHK90_akLOnwiiibjDCsClaxdaXZV1yTMJ_XjdOx6UJtw8XS5abn7o0nUkmoy-11GlET48_D87TV/s1600-h/Presto+canner.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449764712574329330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXy8alXLAHSNs3M_nSbVM6HmFEaNf58g90nUWs6tVwcbFXcZQSpvukrstyi4G0cBorHK90_akLOnwiiibjDCsClaxdaXZV1yTMJ_XjdOx6UJtw8XS5abn7o0nUkmoy-11GlET48_D87TV/s320/Presto+canner.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 140px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 187px;" /></a>solutely, if it is not damaged and if replacement parts are still available. I was amazed to find out there are canners older than mine for which you cannot get parts! I have two really old, but perfectly good, Presto 21B pressure canners that were old long before I bought them. I had the Extension Service test the gauge, and it was faulty. So, I bought a new gauge, new sealing ring and automatic air vent, and even a new handles at the <a href="http://www.mendingshed.com/index.html">Mending Shed</a>. Each of my canners will do six quart jars at a time. The time spent processing is why I picked up the extra canner at at thrift store. The photo below is the kind of canner I have, except I have plastic handles. (This photo shows the lid on sideways.)<br />
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<b>Question: If my pressure canner has rubber parts (a sealing ring or gasket and a rubber air vent/safety plug) how often s</b><b>hould I replace them for safety?</b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDf1Q6qXLrb6fRWqYMBlp1gQysWB6y6BKFJJ9lgJIw9j4W35QsFlXfKKRqMEyPnj3Tt_FUj7HZKhZS5yvvTwwRbrwAfj6yg6avD_M5oXKYEVA1qwjgXuJlq685UJrHYj9eoMImwSO9tAw/s1600-h/gasket.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449765553282864498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDf1Q6qXLrb6fRWqYMBlp1gQysWB6y6BKFJJ9lgJIw9j4W35QsFlXfKKRqMEyPnj3Tt_FUj7HZKhZS5yvvTwwRbrwAfj6yg6avD_M5oXKYEVA1qwjgXuJlq685UJrHYj9eoMImwSO9tAw/s320/gasket.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 157px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 136px;" /></a><br />
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Answer: If you use your canner, you will need to replace the rubber parts every few years. Here is an example of what you need to replace and how the gasket fits in the pressure canner lid.<br />
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You will know you need to replace the rubber parts when one of two things happen: 1) the gasket (a.k.a. sealing ring) or the rubber vent have gotten loose enough that one or the other is not keeping the steam in the canner (steam will come out between the canner and the lid or from under the rubber vent) ; or 2) The gasket feels hard and is not easily pliable -- if the gasket is hard, the air vent is hard, and the vent is a safety feature.<br />
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Make sure you buy the right parts. I keep the original box for the gasket and regulator right in my canner so I never have to guess. I just take the box with me when I buy new parts at the Mending Shed. The new gasket/sealing ring will be larger than the slot it has to fit in the canner lid. Instructions say to ease the gasket into the lid, and it might take you more than one try to do it. It's easy, though. Oh, and never put oil on the rubber parts.<br />
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Before you use your pressure canner, always tip the lid upside down and check to see if the vent hole is plugged. Mine never has been plugged, but the experts say to check.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Question: How often should I have my pressure canner's gauge checked?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIeDmAKIL4sgbZX7UNqvDADWtb3e5-K5Ibpwn2ZjKyu7dLOzF_D1DyqIRNlkvLGZjEmwj-dyk1mzvHxPxG5115Y7GVDHt0_OeA5dYqIGWmASbI6uMtsCRZmGDjHvhNeJ1S0g78Nd6X2Ap/s1600-h/gauge.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449768771524109106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIeDmAKIL4sgbZX7UNqvDADWtb3e5-K5Ibpwn2ZjKyu7dLOzF_D1DyqIRNlkvLGZjEmwj-dyk1mzvHxPxG5115Y7GVDHt0_OeA5dYqIGWmASbI6uMtsCRZmGDjHvhNeJ1S0g78Nd6X2Ap/s320/gauge.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 191px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 191px;" /></a>Answer: At the beginning of every canning season. Gauges change. Sometimes the gauge will be right on and other times a pound under or over what it should be. We can have our canner lids tested where we live at either the Extension Service or at the Mending Shed, both for free. When they test it, they give you a little tag that tells you what your pressure reads in relationship to the correct pressure. If your gauge reads 14 lbs. when theirs says 13 lbs, that means your gauge is a pound under what it should be and you need to start timing the canner full of food when the gauge shows one pound higher than the desired pressure. I confess to just keeping my canner at 15 lbs., because I never have to worry about getting under 13 lbs., which is what I need here. It's possible that some products might be more cooked that way, but I haven't noticed any difference. I keep the little tag the tester gave me handy and hang it over the vent when I'm not using the canner.<br />
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I'll be canning hamburger for my first time tomorrow, inspired by the wonders of home-canned chicken -- of course, I'm following U.S.D.A. guidelines in the Extension Service publications. <a href="http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/pub__9675018.pdf">Here's a link to their publication on meat</a> -- make sure you process for your altitude.<br />
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By the way, if you have never had home-canned chicken, you are truly missing out. It is oh so easy (I canned 40 lbs. of chicken breasts this week -- one 1 1/2 pint jar is just under 1 pound of chicken.), and so delicious. This is just raw chicken with a couple of tablespoons of minced carrots and a 1/2 tsp. of dried parsley and 1 tsp. salt per quart -- I asked the Home Economist at the Extension service if I could safely add the carrots and parsley, and it's O.K. because the hour and a half processing time for meat takes care of it. The carrots give the chicken a nice color. The chicken roasts itself and makes its own juice -- my teenager actually drinks the juice every time I open a jar. The store-bought stuff isn't all that great, but the home-canned product is just wonderful and a great convenience. I'm crossing my fingers that hamburger is just as good. I'll be following the U.S.D.A. guidelines and doing hamburger patties, meatballs, and loose hamburger. Fun!R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-12232170580029189402010-02-12T11:23:00.003-07:002010-02-12T11:32:21.649-07:00Last year, Tim Woolf, a leading preparedness expert, spoke locally. One of my neighbors went to his lecture, and I really wished I had gone when she told me what she had learned. The way I understand it, Tim Woolf was asked to see just how prepared he and his family were by living on just their food storage and preparedness items for several months, with no power, etc. They found out what they had that did not work, what did work, and what they wished they had. He is now a leading expert on preparedness.<br /><br />Good news! I just found some unofficial notes from Bro. Woolf's lectures that some kind person posted on the internet. This person went to several lectures to get more complete notes. To read the notes, click on this link <a href="http://www.weshallnotfear.com/Prep.html">http://www.weshallnotfear.com/Prep.html</a> and then click on the words "read what else Tim Woolf has to say". A Word document will open in your computer. I recommend saving it to your computer to have as a reference -- that's what I did.<br /><br />I've made some mistakes over the years with my food storage and have learned from them , but if a disaster hits, it's too late to learn emergency preparedness. As the website I've linked states, "As We Prepare, We Shall Not Fear." First I'll learn about heat, as I'd rather not have my family turn into popsicles in the winter with a power outage -- that's something that I've been worried about. No longer!R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-10030306452040411022009-11-20T18:11:00.005-07:002010-04-03T11:32:38.759-06:00The Plan: October through December<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In July 2008, I posted the first installment of a tried and true plan for building up food storage, shared by a mother with young children. You will find January through September on my post at this link: </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://elkridgeselfreliantsisters.blogspot.com/2008/07/plan-january-through-september.html"> The Plan: January through September</a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was brought to my attention that I never posted the rest of the plan, so here it is folks! Sorry about that!<br /><br />Thanks so much to the mom who gave all of this to us in the first place. Some of her comments are in quotes.</span><br /><blockquote style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">"It has been remarkably easy chipping away at this project a bit at a time. We use and restock from our stash all the time. I think we are to our goal of having 3 months worth for all of us when it comes to most items."</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Basics:</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><ol style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Add the weekly item to your shopping list. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Buy the largest amount of each week's item you can sensibly afford.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Replace items as you use them. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If you miss a week, skip to the next week.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Don't get behind. Share your hot buys with the rest of us. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">If your family loves something not listed, buy it and store it.</span></li></ol><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">October</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 1</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">--</span> One or more gallons of vinegar. Great for cooking, canning and cleaning.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 2 </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">--</span> Wraps and bags…aluminum foil, garbage bags, freezer bags, saran wrap, wax paper.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 3</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Do something with all those apples. Pie filling, applesauce, juice, apple butter…<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 4</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Hard candy, candy bars on sale after Halloween.</li></ul><blockquote style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">"We </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">definitely</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> need more water storage. But there are still a couple of months left in the year to get it all done."</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />November</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 1</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Vitamins: get extra C, D, E and calcium<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 2</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Treats for baking. Cocoa, coconut, nuts, butter (freeze it), chocolate chips..get it all.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 3</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Rolled oats, corn meal, cream of wheat, oatmeal. Stock up on boxed cereal.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 4</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Vegetable and/or Canola oil. Get a good quality.<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br />December</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 1</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Candles and matches. Put in a sturdy box that you can locate in the dark.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 2</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Popcorn. Go for the big 12 pound bag or buy the kernels. (I recommend kernels!)<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 3</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">MERRY CHRISTMAS!</span> You've given yourself a great gift—security! Keep it up.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Week 4</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">-- </span>Watch for after Christmas sales. Nuts go on sale. Dry roasted ones keep the best. Freeze bagged ones.<br /></li></ul>R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-17729128850210786942009-11-11T12:57:00.005-07:002009-11-11T14:15:18.080-07:00Get Fresh with Your Bleach!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUc08Y800O55_14ixkh-tAaTkVYuQJ12m8MWrMJWwcr7kRTug21ttaZXoLbxUtMaw0-DdwJPRro8Rr1ZRBgHYqIRf2A6_ejALmMTzLG5JOI45JQAzX7KWr_yac1OZY0siMs9Vp54brRvQ/s1600-h/water_barrel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCUc08Y800O55_14ixkh-tAaTkVYuQJ12m8MWrMJWwcr7kRTug21ttaZXoLbxUtMaw0-DdwJPRro8Rr1ZRBgHYqIRf2A6_ejALmMTzLG5JOI45JQAzX7KWr_yac1OZY0siMs9Vp54brRvQ/s320/water_barrel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402939108033642242" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" />We are cautioned to only use "fresh bleach" for our water storage. What is "fresh" bleach? For one thing, bleach has a shelf life of only 12 months. So, I'll fill you in on what the people at Clorox told me about deciphering the code stamped on their bleach bottles.<br /><br />My bleach bottle has two lines stamped, and we only need the top line. Mine says "A8810514". Translation:<br /><br /> * A8 is the plant number where product was manufactured<br /> * Third digit is the year produced. This will always be a single digit number. When we get to 2010, it will have a 0.<br /> * Next three digits are the number of the Julian date code, which tells the day of the year manufactured. This will be listed as the number of days into the year, such as 116 days (116) or 30 days (030). It's always three digits. There are Julian code converters on the web, but you can get a good general idea by dividing 365 by thirds without being perfect with it.<br /> * The rest of the numbers thereafter are not important<br /><br />For practical purposes, the lady told me that you only need to check four numbers of the code: the third number from the left, which tells you the year and then the next three numbers to see which day in the year the bleach was produced.<br /><br />If you want to get bleach that is as fresh as possible for water storage, find a store that sells a lot of bleach. Everything I've read is that you want to buy Clorox regular, without scents and such. The reason you use Clorox for water storage is that it has a set amount of chemical and some bleaches are more watered down. If you make sure you have the same amount of chemical in another brand, I imagine that's fine, but I don't know.<br /><br />Another option for water storage is to use the powdered chlorine that is used in spas. The powder has at least a 15-year shelf-life, but I have yet been unable to get in contact with the expert to tell me how much to use per gallon.<br /><br />The nitty-gritty of this is that if we use bleach to keep our water safe, we need to refill our water storage containers every year and put in fresh bleach -- I don't think it's a good idea to just add new bleach to water to which you're already added bleach a year ago, as you then have double the chemical, even if the old stuff is not as effective.<br /><br />If you're still trying to decide where to put your huge water containers, having to empty them and refill them every year might make you decide NOT to put them in your basement. Put them where you have easy access. My barrels are in my garage. Some people store them outside. If stored outside, you will want to leave some unfilled space at the top in case the water freezes completely.<br /><br />Most important is FILL THOSE BARRELS!!! Soon, the weather will be very cold and you're not going to want to be outside messing around with hoses and water.R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-53884530005244088072009-10-07T16:30:00.005-06:002010-04-11T15:48:07.526-06:00Tomato Overload? Put Your Oven to the Rescue!If you have been busy canning, freezing, and making salsa and sauces of your bountiful tomato harvest, you might be<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> sick</span> of tomatoes. (I was actually glad that my vines froze and I had the excuse to not process any more tomatoes.) Thanks to my neighbor, though, I'm now wishing I had every one of those green tomatoes to ripen in my basement.<br />
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D.P. shared something new she is doing -- roasting tomatoes in the oven. So, I tried a couple of pans. Oh, the taste! It's more than just delicious. It's heaven! I think the taste is far better than sun-dried tomatoes. Her recipe:<br />
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Mix together in a bowl:<br />
<ul><li>12 smaller tomatoes or equivalent (she used anything ripe in her garden), cut in half</li>
<li>3 garlic cloves, minced finely</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon olive oil</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or salt of choice)<br />
</li>
</ul>Lay tomatoes on parchment (sprayed with baking spray) in a baking pan or bun pan (or just spray the pan lightly with baking spray and put the tomatoes right on the pan). Bake at 250 degrees F or 3-4 hours, checking for doneness -- they won't all be done at once. You don't want the tomatoes completely dry, but will remove them before that (they will stick to the parchment if allowed to completely dry). Cool and put in freezer bags and freeze. Eat plain, with bread and olive oil, or on pizza or pasta.<br />
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I didn't have time to do my first batch right away, so I mixed everything and left the tomatoes to marinate overnight in a plastic zip bag, and I think the flavor that way was even better than when the tomatoes were roasted right away. My family loved them so much that with two trays of tomatoes, there were only a handful left to pop in the freezer.<br />
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If you're big on preserving enzymes, you can can get a similar flavor by mixing all the ingredients, draining, and dehydrating.<br />
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I can't fathom how I could have been missing something as delicious as roasted tomatoes, and from now on, this will be one of my first choices for ripe tomatoes. Thanks, DP for sharing your great recipe!R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-90951400623943323892009-09-22T10:13:00.005-06:002010-04-11T15:46:31.807-06:00Saving Tomato SeedsIf you are interested in saving the seeds from an heirloom tomato variety (non-hybrid), Jacque's method is easier than any I've tried before. Thanks Jacque! First, though, some rules about planting properly if you want to save the seeds. Jacque passes this on from the <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/">Seed Savers Exchange</a>, and this site will become your friend if you become hooked on heirloom varieties:<br />
<blockquote>"Cross-pollination between modern tomato varieties seldom occurs, except in potato leaf varieties which should be separated by the length of the garden. Do not save seeds from double fruits or from the first fruits of large-fruited varieties. Pick at least one ripe fruit from each of several plants."</blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJfZ7utNACAVQg6g7n-4ZOExv6L3r4dA8bTGvUspyARBDMGKQioUI2z1nyfWNGyXYgJTfR7HHjBcWzd6xg4SXk1MpPRIJ4gUCBs697AQJxWFYspgyRZdHaWJMnpw4sxeyJQ2t2-VJ3eKJ/s1600-h/potato+leaf+versus+regular+tomato+leaf.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384333010116445810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJfZ7utNACAVQg6g7n-4ZOExv6L3r4dA8bTGvUspyARBDMGKQioUI2z1nyfWNGyXYgJTfR7HHjBcWzd6xg4SXk1MpPRIJ4gUCBs697AQJxWFYspgyRZdHaWJMnpw4sxeyJQ2t2-VJ3eKJ/s320/potato+leaf+versus+regular+tomato+leaf.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 257px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>What is a potato-leaf variety? Why, the leaves look similar to a potato leaf. My Cherokee Purple tomato is one such, so I would have to keep it far away from other tomatoes. If the tomato is self-pollinated, that variety can be planted closer to other tomato varieties. Check out the photo at left that I got from <a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/organic-gardening/7341">The Daily Green</a> in their article about saving tomato seeds. The potato-leaf variety is on the left, with the standard kind of tomato leaf on the right.<br />
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Jacque's son passed on another hint on how far apart the tomatoes need to be planted in order to save seeds:<br />
<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>"You look at the flowers and if the flower is closed without the stamen sticking out the end then it will only be self-pollinated."</blockquote>Now for Jacque's method of getting those seeds out of the tomato and ready to store:<br />
<ul><li>Pick several fully ripe tomatoes (same variety) you want to grow again, choosing a fruit that has the characteristics you like. Get a small recloseable sandwich bag, and squeeze or scoop the seeds out of the tomato into the bag. You'll have juice and some pulp, but try not to get tons of pulp.<br />
</li>
<li>Close the bag and label it with the variety of tomato.</li>
<li>Let the bag sit on your counter for three or four days. After that time, you will see the seeds have separated from the pulp and you will smell a bit of of a rotten smell if you open the bag -- the pulp and juice have fermented, which is necessary to remove the gel that inhibits germination<br />
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<li>Pour a little water in the bag and mix it up with the seeds and remaining pulp. (Any seeds that float are no good.) Pour off the pieces of pulp and bad seeds, being careful to keep the other seeds in the bag.<br />
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<li>Repeat the last step once or twice until all you have left is seeds.</li>
</ul>I discovered the easiest way to get these seeds out of the bag and dry them at the same time is to grab a napkin and poke it at the seeds. The seeds stick and the water is absorbed. Then, you gently rub off the seeds on a small plate and let them dry several days. I put the plate on top of the empty bag to make sure I didn't forget which variety I had.<br />
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The blog linked next has some great photos and explanation for this process, just in case you're nervous like I was the first time. They do some steps slightly differently, but that just shows you this is not rocket science and this process is flexible. <a href="http://veggiegardenblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/saving-tomato-seeds.html">Urban Veggie Gardener</a><br />
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When the seeds are completely dry, put them in a clean labeled bag or envelope. You're ready for next spring!R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-18477146642993692702009-09-11T20:58:00.004-06:002009-09-11T22:02:43.938-06:00The Great Tomato Taste-Off!<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">All those gorgeous tomatos (see photo) and what a fun activity! The contestants: six hybrid and nineteen heirloom tomatoes from all over the world, most provided by our generous JL.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui0L2XlU8V2kEWQEyaFaGDOVnxQzRHbqgrSkYAdR8kZ9iI2G3NPMyYxH4nBK97kGE0-KGZhHXxVGoV_FmjVUtrE-0StjJVSNQWhZ9kjDiJZ3HHNQY6U7gzAhY8yx2dvSXb-ORGrR00oh2/s1600-h/Tomato+tasting+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui0L2XlU8V2kEWQEyaFaGDOVnxQzRHbqgrSkYAdR8kZ9iI2G3NPMyYxH4nBK97kGE0-KGZhHXxVGoV_FmjVUtrE-0StjJVSNQWhZ9kjDiJZ3HHNQY6U7gzAhY8yx2dvSXb-ORGrR00oh2/s320/Tomato+tasting+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380417729973205650" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Heirlooms:</span><br />Black Sea Man<br />Box Car Willie<br />Cherokee Purple<br />Cour di Bue<br />Debbie Beefsteak<br />Furry Yellow Hog<br />Great White<br />Heidi<br />Jaune Flammee<br />Kellogg's Breakfast<br />Koralik<br />Mormon World’s Earliest<br />Noir de Crimee<br />Principe Borghese<br />Santa Clara Canner<br />Soldacki<br />Stupice<br />Taxi<br />Yellow Pear<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br />Hybrids:</span><br />Beefmaster<br />Early Girl<br />Green Zebra<br />Juliet<br />Polfast<br />Roma<br /><br />We broadened our tomato horizons with all the many wonderful and exotic flavors. Who knew a tomato could remind you of a peach, have a citrusy flavor, or even have slightly smokey overtones? The judges (everyone who came to taste) considered every bite. A serious business indeed. What we discovered was that a tomato has a lot more potential than just a sauce puree or a slice on a hamburger. Think of a colored tomato sauce livening up a bland pasta dish, a gorgeous muli-colored salsa, smokey-toned tomatoes with fish, citrusy flavors with chicken... or any number of creative dishes. (Lucky me, I made a gallon and a half of that gorgeous salsa from the cut tomatoes after the event -- red base with white, yellow, red and green pieces of tomato.)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">And the results of the voting are in! The top ten winners are:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51); font-weight: bold;">Furry Yellow Hog</span> </span> (Novelty, yellow-striped, very slightly fuzzy, with a bright citrusy flavor)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Great White</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> </span>(Beefsteak. Large, yellowish-white and flavorful, with a creamy texture you could wrap your tongue around.) <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">[tied with #3]</span><br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51); font-weight: bold;">Yellow Pear</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);"> </span>(small yellow pear-shaped. Sweet and perfect for salads, this produces prolifically)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-weight: bold;">Green Zebra</span> (Light green and yellow stripes, bred from four heirlooms, with a burst of tangy flavor)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Cherokee Purple</span> (dusky rose to purple colored beefsteak, close to 1 lb. Rich, deeply complex, and sweet flavor)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">Jaune Flammee</span> (Orange-colored, apricot-shaped, with a sweet flavor that would be wonderful dried)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Polfast</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(Early, red, sets fruit in cool weather) <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">[tied with numbers 8, 9, & 10]</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Roma</span> (standard red Italian paste tomato, with flavor intensified by drying or cooking)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">Box Car Willie</span> (Smooth, bright-orange/red slicer)</li><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Cour di Blue </span>(Heart-shaped with meaty flesh & few seeds, excellent for sun-drying. Deep red.)<br /></li></ol>I'm already planning to grow six of the top ten tomatoes and excited to look at the internet to find some more heirlooms to try. Other tasters will do the same. So, we're already planning to have another Great Tomato Taste-off next year. I can't wait! [Shhh, can you keep a secret? Next year the men get to come, too!]R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4639041854499546141.post-58465332009496296602009-09-10T23:09:00.002-06:002009-09-10T23:13:21.796-06:00FYIHere is an FYI to the post below. A friend tells me the herbal course I took 15 years ago, when I first started tiptoeing (ever so cautiously) into using herbs, is temporarily being offered right now, online, for the same price I paid back then -- only $100 (regularly $495). It's called the Family Herbalist Course, and it's run by the School of Natural Healing in Springville, Utah.<br /><br />First, is a link describing the course. <a href="http://www.schoolofnaturalhealing.com/Family_Herbalist.html">Family Herbalist Course </a> <br />Second, is a link where you may (if you are interested) register at the cheaper price (scroll down to Level 100 -- Family Herbalist): <a href="http://online.snh.cc/Register.html" target="_blank">http://online.snh.cc/Register.<wbr>html</a>R.L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09446026319704451893noreply@blogger.com0