1232 replies to this topic

[Jeepers]

Kappy, I've never heard of canning soy beans. I guess I never thought about it.

I did find this recipe on line though. Nothing fancy, just beans:


Canning Soybeans
3 lb to 5 lb in pods makes 1 quar


You must really rush soybeans from the field to the jar, they start to lose
flavor almost as soon as they're picked. Soybeans have to be briefly
boiled
before processing. All the basic equipment is used.

1. Choose only young, tender beans.

2. Organize and prepare equipment and work area.

3. Wash, drain, and shell beans. Wash again.

4. Cook beans in just enough boiling water to cover for 3 minutes. Pack
beans into hot jars to within 1 inch of tops. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to
pints, 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Pour in boiling water to within 1
inch of tops of jars.

5. Run a slim, non metal tool down along the inside of each jar to release
air bubbles. Add more boiling liquid to fill to within 1 inch of tops.

6. Wipe tops and threads of jars with a damp clean cloth.

7. Put on lids and screw bands as manufacturer directs.

8. Process at 10 pounds pressure, 55 minutes for pints, 1 hour and 5
minutes for quarts. Follow manufacturer's directions for your canner.

9. Follow basic steps for steam pressure canning, 10 through 24.

Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995

Converted by MC_Buster.


http://www.recipes.e...cipe717536.html

[kappydell]

thank you, Jeepers. Im canning more, in case of power outages. In the new city house, I don't know if/when/how often than happens, so what the heck.
Canned soybeans are like the edemame you get on the salad at McD's, maybe a little softer like canned peas. Taste OK though.

[Jeepers]

I'm putting more and more of my food into canning and dehydrating in case of a power outage too. Plus, I don't have a lot of freezer space yet so I'm saving that for food I can't can.

I like having my food in different forms so if one fails me, like a power outage, I will still have a backup supply.

[MommyofSeven]

OK...this week I...came back here.

LOL

I attempted to buy a new pressure regulator for my canner (who knows where it is) and discovered a harsh lesson: Write down the model number somewhere, anywhere, and keep it forever. My canner has no model number on it directly, and the paperwork is long gone. Guess what info I need to order a new pressure regulator? DH won't be pleased when I tell him I need a new pressure canner. Well at least this way I'll have another water bath canner.

I talked to a few friends about the co-op I want to set up. Once a month we'll be ordering in bulk from somewhere online (and hopefully able to get a reduction for larger purchases) and going to Sam's club, with everyone who needs something pitching in for gas, with two of us going to handle the shopping. We do have a co-op in our county but they mostly order from Frontier which is ridiculously overpriced on many items. They aren't open on the only days I can go shopping, and they can't provide me with a catalog, even online-they also have a huge membership fee, which we can eliminate by only ordering what our members actually need. They also don't carry enough of any one item to make it worth it to me to pay someone to take me there-the one time I went the four pounds of organic pinto beans I bought cleared them out-and that was only four meals for us. They can, of course, special order in larger amounts for me, but I can get it cheaper by going in with friends from vendors other than Frontier.

I dehydrated several pounds of pears this week, which was the first sticky stuff I've done in there. Pulled them off and found tiny pieces of plastic on them from where the trays hadn't been fully cut from the molds. So I need a new one of those too. I'll be saving for a big one this spring. I need to build a dehydrating area too-we had some major bear issues in the new house and I know if I leave the dehydrator going outside in the summer overnight that the bears will get into it. Not quite sure how to make that bear proof but I will figure it out.

Also started doing a pretty detailed list of what we need for everything. That will help me focus our purchases better.

Mo7

[Mt_Rider]

Mo7, Be careful trying to do anything "bear proof". It's nearly impossible. Bears can tear even locked doors off of cars. They eat chainlink for breakfast... No, really. That's one of the annoying things...I can't possibly have bee hives. Pooh...and Tigger too, would raid them. Not neatly, either. For that matter, we had several Home Invasions up here ....bears. You might get by for a while if the bears migrate to upper elevations during part of the summer....


Only way I could think would be to hang a dehydrator and run it up and down with a pulley. Like back country campers do. Make sure you are not attracting bears by having it there tho.

Or have you heard of something I need to know about????


MtRider [...glad to have my CO buddy back at MrsS!! ]

Edited by Mt_Rider, 13 October 2011 - 07:01 PM.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Most canners use the same basic weight or one of two or three. I have swapped weights between canners without any problem. Can you tell us the brand name of your canner?

[Andrea]

Mo7 - next time, spray your drying trays with a light coating of pam - it works like a charm! And, it's "Violet" approved!

I've been cleaning out the pantry, using up soon to expire foods, and gearing up to empty out the freezers of summer berries and meats. I need more room for TURKEYS! So, even though I have almost no time, I'm going to schedule a marathon canning session. I've also been doing some inventoring - and making lists of things I need to replenish. If only there were more hours in the day!

Oh, I also stocked up on paper products. I hadn't bought any in almost a year. Talk about sticker shock!

[ScrubbieLady]

I dehydrated several pounds of pears this week, which was the first sticky stuff I've done in there. Pulled them off and found tiny pieces of plastic on them from where the trays hadn't been fully cut from the molds. So I need a new one of those too. I'll be saving for a big one this spring. I need to build a dehydrating area too-we had some major bear issues in the new house and I know if I leave the dehydrator going outside in the summer overnight that the bears will get into it. Not quite sure how to make that bear proof but I will figure it out.

Also started doing a pretty detailed list of what we need for everything. That will help me focus our purchases better.

Mo7

Friend of mine loves dried pears. They dust them with a lemonade mix powder before drying. No sticking. Flavor is pretty good also.

[Christy]

Canned 8 pints of grapejelly. They turned out rather thick so when we use them they´ll get diluted first. Cos now it´s like a bouncy ball or could fix a tractor tire
Am dehydrating pumpkin and seeds at the moment.
Caved in and ordered a
Cocaoplant
Cinnamonplant
Seeds for
coffeeplants, teaplants, camphor, and various others.
It means we´ll not eat meat for the next week (way more expensive overhere) but worth it. Will be setting up a small greenhouse at the windowsill. There´s only so much cinnamon I can buy and mylar up. Worth a try to grow it indoors. There is a forum on exotic plant growers here and I might join them for info.

Called the neighbours at the BOL and asked if they can take in all pumpkins and zucchini´s growing there. It started freezing here at night and it frooze a lot harder there apparently. Neighbour´s flowers died overnight in the sudden frost.
So their son is harvesting all things edible for me and putting them in the bathroom since it´s the warmest room while the house is unheated.
Hope to be able to go there quickly to take care of things.

[Ambergris]

Currently freezing two of the two-liter bottles of dried lentils, one of some kind of Mexican white bean, one of the tiny red field peas my husband so loves, one of red kidneys, and a separate gallon jar of red kidneys.

Someone moved my jug caps, or I'd have more done.

[MommyofSeven]

It's not the sticking of the pears or other sugary fruits I'm worried about, it's the plastic that is coming up-I'm worried that it could be on food and we not know it.

The canner is a Presto, 22 qt I think.

Thanks!

[CrabGrassAcres]

http://www.searspart.../00038847/00001

You want the regulator for $8.00. They haven't changed the weight or the size in years.

[arby]

Rcvd my honeyville order, been working some on the mitten knitting. Got the round lodge cast iron griddle and small cast iron pour spouted pot and worked to season them as soon as I got them out of the box
Reading Perry Stones 2d volumne of Unusual Prophecies being fullfilled which deal with terrorism ( 911 etc) ..... reminded to try and do more for nuclear, biological , chemical warfare attack on our soil and to get in better shape, work on self defense methods. Alot of that prep is actually mental, you think it out, and then set up gear to be available for it and water and food , but its a different scenario.
Obviously I am in no mood to put up with congenially done beheadings on my person or others around me either if it ever comes to that..... heck , thats already been tried. Yep. no thanks. so glad she had a white american husband who took away the knife..... yea, their rules are not my rules. sorry. Next time I wont just stand there thinking WTH? But the book is making me think .....

Heck the dweebs occupying wall st make me think things are 'progressing' ... sticker shock, coffee is going up 2 $ a month now at walmart...... I bought instant the other day... well it is easier to prepare and Im trying to only drink one cup in the morning to get used to not having two or a quart jar full lol. ( Im so tired of already rationing out stuff, life is getting expensive. , very for me and others.... and I know its going to get worse. )

am studying my edible plants cards and reading about survival stuff and picking apart survival shows whenever I watch them late in the week , evenings.
Worked alot in my kitchen today and the results were good, that just felt good.
going to sleep early as consistently as I can , trying to redevelop that habit and happy to say Im tired now at 10 pm. I really got out of a day time schedule. So working on that now.
So even if I note some pretty raunchy stuff , it takes courage and needs detailed thinking through so that one can avoid such things if possible or defend against it with what they have available if it comes down to it.

But this is right here in my little town. There is more to that too since then that I have observed right on main street here and it worries me. If I find out there were results I will know who to send the state police to. So things like that can be anywhere. Reading the book reminded me of all that. I don't need to be a target but I feel like I am a sitting duck as its very easy to find me.

This is also a good reason to have a hideaway in the woods if it is needed. So I continue to study, make stuff , prep things and slowly get things put together better and clearing out dross now before the snow begins to fly.

My strength is returning and Im beginning to go for walks too. It was raining alot today so I worked more on flexibility except to walk to the post office for my boxes and mail.
I looked at harnesses at walmart for small dogs. I have heavy muslin and hem tape, bias tape, I think I can fashion a harness to fit my cat if I can get her measurements and she will sit still long enough for me to make a paper pattern. ( LOL) that might be a real challenge! Miss Macy is a wiggle worm!

but the mind is working better and Im letting my concerns activate me rather than freeze me up and sleeping at night...... well it may take another few days til can really settle into sleep because I got really turned around on that sleep cycle.
Trying to do laundry too in small loads I can manage, and working on quieting my spirit I guess and Gods working on that and I have faith He is healing me bit by bit and give that time every night now. Its coming in increments and I did ok shopping yesterday . I felt His energy coming to my hands and shoulders which is what I asked for. He's got a plan for me . I need to get through all that is ahead to be able to be doing it, is how I see it, thats a bone deep understanding so working on all that. I need to let Him do His work in my life too and its changing things, because no matter how tough it might be, its so much easier with Him guiding me through each thing.

I guess this is all going on this week anyway... reestablishing some habits and remembering to exercise and stretch and do healing with Him doing it... yes I feel the energy but was familiar with it knowing reiki healing , still it was more impressive to me and I wasn't directing it like I would in reiki work, I just asked and let it come........wow! Taking it in small doses though, not expecting everything at once to be done although some could be that way. So thats a miracle for me.... and to process it all emotionally and mentally maybe takes me more time. Theres alot of systems and disorders so I decided it might be good to take it in steps but I know He is willing if He was working on my hands and shoulders. Oh and my feet, ankles and lower legs felt the incredible energy and heat too.... and I was steadier on my feet going to the store and on the stairs... I know this is a beginning of regaining my health I just have to remember to ask and let Him do it.
Big Wow. Its kind of a trip to feel that going on. ( should have had that faith a long time ago but I wasn't ready to ask for it and just simply believe, but its there for me. All I had to do was ask. I have to do my part of course but that just is amazing. But being so ill this year really scares me and its been really hard. I need to be better.





So..... yea what have I done this week....... for me ALOT more than usual and its starting to get me back in a rythm I know I need to be in and it feels so good to do this stuff.

I got sock yarn too. maybe enough for two pair of socks since I got four skeins , add that to my other sock yarn and can probably make four or five pair when Im ready. Mittens first, the principles are similar actually so mittens which will come in handy this winter and fall, because I realize some of my gloves are about shot anyway and it may be a while before I can replace them. So, glad that things are starting to begin to get back to more normal life for me even as I prepare possibly for some real rugged times this winter.

One pair of Dickies work pants, canvas like carhardts , they actually fit pretty good and will save what I cut off for patches when I hem them up. I hope to get a few more pair as time goes on but at least I got one pair now. I was desperate for some new jeans but had considered carhardts, but found the Dickies at a decent for me price so I got a pair. They felt quite durable and this is rugged weather and country. So I was really happy to have found them and got a color I like and will blend in well enough.

So that is all good stuff!

[Ambergris]

Arby, you'd do a lot better making a simple figure 8 harness for her. A cat is much more flexible than a dog. One loop goes around the neck, one loop goes around the body, and they cross at the withers, where the front leg shoulder blades come together right behind the nape of the neck.

[MommyofSeven]

Mo7, Be careful trying to do anything "bear proof". It's nearly impossible. Bears can tear even locked doors off of cars. They eat chainlink for breakfast... No, really. That's one of the annoying things...I can't possibly have bee hives. Pooh...and Tigger too, would raid them. Not neatly, either. For that matter, we had several Home Invasions up here ....bears. You might get by for a while if the bears migrate to upper elevations during part of the summer....


Only way I could think would be to hang a dehydrator and run it up and down with a pulley. Like back country campers do. Make sure you are not attracting bears by having it there tho.

Or have you heard of something I need to know about????


MtRider [...glad to have my CO buddy back at MrsS!! ]

Wanted to direct reply regarding the bears, but didn't have time yesterday (shopping day)...

I now live closer to the plains than the mountains, by about 3 miles. Our truly awesome neighbor says "The bears never make it up here" shortly after we moved in. Well, with a whole little town of people who don't secure their trash between the mountains and us, they have a buffet of goodies every summer.

However...

We had no less than eight bears in the vicinity this summer. Usually we have 2 or 3. What is happening is sows are having cubs and bringing them down here to forage and then the cubs grow up and come down on their own and then the sows have cubs and bring them down here to forage...we're several years into a drought and the mountain edibles are getting thinner and thinner for them.

During the nice warm summer months it was important to have the kids in by 10. Through the beginning of September the earliest we heard the dogs going off or saw a bear was about 10:30. No big deal for the little kids, as they are in earlier anyway to go to bed earlier, trained the big kids to come in when they heard the dogs barking.

Once school starting things changed. I'm sure that coincided with the bears change from "Oh, let's get some noms" to "I have to eat 20,000 calories today or I"ll die over the winter". We got sightings of bears during the day. One sow and her cubs would bed down in a shed that was pretty close to us, and as the calorie needs changed, you'd see them roaming about during the day. Walking to school with the kids I'm reviewing with them what to do and where to go in case they see a bear. DOW and town Marshal are around when school lets out to make sure no bears are roaming. Walked up with a neighbor one day and we get told at every corner "The bear is right over there, be careful." WE changed routes three times, still ended up walking right by them hanging out in a tree.

One day I'm getting ready to walk out the door to pick up baby girl from school (she's in Pre=K, so gets out earlier) and my neighbor calls: "There's a bear in your yard." I look out the window and it's a cub by itself. Of course, my first thought is "Where is Mama?" So the neighbor offers to pick up baby girl and she drives right up to the porch so we only have to be outside for about 10 feet of space between the car and the door. I call DOW as I've never seen a baby without mama. DOW calls me back a few hours later (they were at a training conference) to tell me that he's had several reports of a single cub in my area, so he doesn't think mama is sleeping in one of my outbuildings or anything, but he'll come out after conference if I need him to. I tell him I'll call him, but that DH will be home in a few hours to check. I find a ride to get big kids as I don't want them walking into the situation. Rush out to car, get big kids, rush into the house. Cub comes and goes all afternoon.

DH built a trash bin, but while it's slowing them down, it's not keeping them out. With that many bears, there aren't many "easy pickings" in town this year so they are willing to work harder than usual for the food. I also found evidence they were enjoying my compost pile. We will reinforce the trash bin over the spring, but yes, Mt, nothing will keep them out permanently. The goal is to make it enough of a PITA for them that they choose to go elsewhere for their food. That's the goal with any bear proofing around here.

DOW was finally able to trap out a good number of the bears. Most of the people in this vicinity hate to ask them to trap, because we know what happens when they trap. For those of you that don't, bears who are trapped out of an area where they have become a "nuisance" are tagged with an ear tag and moved to a different part of the state, in the mountains, near no towns, and let go. If they become a nuisance again, they are euthanized. Cubs are taken to a rehab center before they are released in the wild, so they can learn how bears are supposed to forage, and not tagged. But it was becoming a danger issue around the school. Also, these bears had no fear. With the cub in my yard, I went out and yelled and threw rocks at it, and it looked at me like "What?" and went about digging in my trash can.

And yes, I know I can't completely bear proof anything to dehydrate in. I will look for a really long pole to put in the yard to build a pully system where I can raise it, I hadn't thought of that. I could do it in the shed but I don't want the bears to be drawn by the scent, as my freezers are in there and I really don't want a bear in the freezers lol...and the shed is not secure. I'll need to build a pully structure anyway for butchering, so I could just put a higher cross bar on it and use it for dehydrating in the summer.

After typing this post I'm now thinking "Between deer and bears is a garden really doing to be worth the effort?" LOL

We haven't had any home invasions here, but I did get paranoid about that and got really diligent about making sure all the dinner trash was dealt with and outside before dark, because in the summer closing the windows at night simply was not an option. The only close call we had was hearing a cub near the window one night. Mama was calling it to move on through the back of our field, and the cub was far more interested in exploring. He didn't really get close to the window though.

We got a dog (our old one had a stroke and passed away in March) thinking he would help with at least letting us know when the bears were around. We got a seven year old Golden Retriever on a rescue, and he sleeps through the bears, although he is really good about letting us know when it's time to go in if we're outside. I took him outside last night (property is not fully fenced, I've trained him to go outside without the leash, but I still go with him or he tries to go visit the neighbors)and the neighbor dogs started barking (they bark at the wind) but last night he barked this really deep bark when they started and headed us straight towards the front door. We're getting a rottweiler-heeler cross at the end of the month which should be a much better guard dog. The puppy will be eight weeks old so we'll take it to the neighbors to socialize it to chickens, which will be our first livestock, and go from there. I learned after the fact that Goldens are crummy guard dogs, but that's OK, the kids needed a companion dog anyway. I wish we'd gotten her earlier for bear training but she'll still be less than a year old next summer so everything should go well then.

[Annarchy]

I read the verse in the Bible about 'strengthening your feeble hands' and have been trying to exercise and do more than usual. But... I did not think He meant it literally. The spin cycle went out on my washer, so I am wringing out the clothes between cycles. Definitely a workout.

Finished preparing another garden plot and planting. Got blisters on my blisters.

[MommyofSeven]

http://www.searspart.../00038847/00001

You want the regulator for $8.00. They haven't changed the weight or the size in years.

Oh, awesome, TY!

Off to order!

[Mt_Rider]

Wow, Mo7. We could do a whole thread on bear risks and methods, huh? I do want to mention, regarding putting things up the pole. My dad [folks live near me here] likes his bird feeders, despite the bear threat. So he makes a pole extention way up high when the bears 'come down' for their last feedings before hybernation. You know what they do? They S H A K E the pole so the bird feed comes out and get it from the ground. So.....a single pole would need to be unshakable by a huge bruin or your dehydrated goodies would come flying down to Yogi!


I got some great piles of sorting done in my room yesterday. One whole box of clothes [too small/too big] is going to the storage unit. I keep changing sizes so I pull things out and put things back ...over the years. But I'm at getting several shelves and some floor space organized!!!!

MtRider [running off to do Final Harvest of onions, carrots (all 32 of them ), turnips and beets! ]

[CrabGrassAcres]

I am almost finished with the canning jar shelves in the hall. One more coat of paint and I can clean up all the paper on the floor, wash the brush and as soon as it is dry, pix and then load up the jars.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I called the turkey farm and put in an order for a fresh Thanksgiving turkey.

We bought beef roasts and turned them into ground meat. (Something about the ground beef at the store has been "off" lately. DH and I think that they're adding something to it.)

Bought thermal, blackout curtains for our bedroom.

Started making ice to have for blanching. I need to get the carrots pulled soon.