Darlene

Oooooooops...part 7 got veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy long so I figured we'd start part 8...

I haven't been canning alot lately because I've been under construction, but I did manage to do a batch of wild blackberry jam. I'm also beginning to harvest my honey from my hives and while it is not traditionally canned, I do put it in canning jars lolol...

Here's a link to part 7 in case anyone wants to go back and reference that thread: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36587

Mt Rider got a new computer on Mother's day so hopefully she'll be back soon posting. She's changing from an apple to windows so it's a major learning curve.

I think I'll give her a call tomorrow and tell her to get her butt in here already.

lol

Okay I'm about to sound stupid here since I'm clueless, but I thought you said in the other forum that you aren' t supposed to can butter. How is apple butter different so that it can be canned?

When in question, you can look at the ingredients. Like Leah said, butter is an oil base and the apple butter is just apples, sugar and spices. It just spreads like a butter per se, which might be why someone long ago named it 'apple butter'.

Mt. Rider asked me to make a post to let everyone know that she's having major internet connection problems. She's barely able to download her email before her provider kicks her offline.

I know she's really frustrated because she has big plans for the wagons ho thread, but hopefully she'll get this straightened out soon.

Making this for my mom for Christmas so bumping up the recipe.

MtRider....[seeing some cases of W*Ho addiction here...... ]

And you, my dear, are first in line at the W*Ho treatment center...lol

I understand real life getting swamped for the next couple of weeks and I look forward to y'all beginning to illustrate through the written word, your dream homesteads.

Knowing MR, Mother and AH, there'll be monkey wrenches thrown in from time to time, but that's how we all learn.

As an outsider to this journey, I want to thank every participant because for your contributions. I know that not only I, but all your readers, have learned alot. Just yesterday, one of my puppies fell into the water outside and got stuck and was freezing and crying. Reading about hyperthermia in the W*Ho thread brought to mind things I could do to help get this puppy warmed up and safe again.

If I were y'all, I'd be making all the lists you'll need so that you can BOMBARD Mt Rider once she starts your new W*Ho homesteading thread in January.

Give her a taste of her own medicine, albeit a different flavor.

lol

Y'all are far more brave than me. I'm so swamped with real life that I just don't have time to 'play' with y'all.

But...I am having an absolute blast reading y'alls journey. It's absolutely amazing the attention to detail you're sharing, and I know that at times things y'all write, cause me to think of something I might not have otherwise.

It's a good learning process, for particpants and/or readers.

Keep up the good work and imaginative writing.

The 'edit' function is set at 24 hours. I did that because in the past we've had members get into a snit at the site and delete all their posts which then throws entire threads into a mass of confusion.

If you need, for this exercise, the edit function for a bit longer, I can change the permissions for you. Let me know.

Dang.

I've come a long way...lolol

Darlene's Marinara

3T olive oil

6 oz chopped onion

2 oz quartered fresh garlic

1/4 oz fresh parsley minced

1/4 oz fresh basil sliced

1t pepper

3 1/2t kosher salt

2 quarts home canned tomatoes

1 jumbo can tomato puree

1 whole peeled carrot

1t garlic powder

Sautee the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add puree, squash tomatoes and add to sauce. Add parsley, basil, pepper, kosher salt and garlic powder and whole carrot (this reduces the acidity of marinara with a natural sugar) and simmer on low heat for a few hours.

Pour into quart or pint jars and process 25 minutes for quarts, 20 minutes for pints at appropriate pressure for your elevation.

And that's it!

I have a 10 quart canner that only holds 4 quarts or I think 7 pints. Regardless, it's small but it does the job just the same as my big boys and girls.

Welcome! Does this mean Darlene has to quit saying "nobody knows the trouble I've been?"

Mama knows.

lol

My mom called me yesterday to tell me that she had read this thread, and all your kind and warm welcome's.

She asked me to let y'all know that she was very touched and appreciated that.

She's our newest member.

She's also my mom.

lol

Mama never wanted anything to do with computers until a few weeks ago. I'm not quite sure what happened, but she sent Daddy on a mission to buy her a laptop.

One of my brothers taught her to turn it on and off...she's perfected that after 2 weeks lol...

Today, I was talking to her on the phone and she asked, "How do I register at MrsSurvival?"

uh oh.

Mom is now a member here lol.

So, while on the telephone, I gave her a tour of our forums. OF COURSE when she got to "The Edge" and read the requirements for getting in there she said on the phone, "I'm not typing all those letters to send you a pm. Let me in now, I'm your mom!"

lolol

I don't know how much she'll share for a while...she's still learning how to navigate, but for now she can read, so it would mean alot if y'all take a moment to say "hi" and "welcome"...

lol

I agree with Violet. The 925 has no advantages to canning...it's just a bigger and heavier pot. I have the 921 and I can do everything in it, than I can do in the 925, so don't spend the extra money.

I rarely use my official water bath canner. I have huge stock pots that do the same job...I've even used my turkey roaster.

I don't feel it's necessary to buy a huge pot just because it says "official water bath canner" on it. You can accomplish the same goal if you have large enough pots that will do the same thing...hold water and jars.

Here at MrsS, we do not advocate home canning of any dairy product, regardless of what it is. There are too many risks involved, and since we take the position of teaching people how to can safely and responsibility, we tend to be fairly strict on what we advocate and don't.

Many people do alot of things...some are ok, some are not ok. Each person is responsibile for their decisions but there are valid and proven concerns with canning things like butter, and other things that have been addressed earlier in this thread.

This is my public service announcement for the day.

And she loves MrsSurvival...the Humor forum is one of her favorite forums.

The humor being posted here lately is pushing the boundries of the standards we have here, so I would appreciate it if people would keep the inappropriate humor off this site.

Thanks.

I wear them all the time.

lol

awwwwwww that was really sweet to read, Necie.

I put 2 laying boxes in my chicken coop and they continue to move those aside, and to make a well in the straw I have in there to lay their eggs. At the get together, westie had put a pile of straw in a corner and one of the hens had rushed over there and laid down, with several hens surrounding her, cheering her on and laid my first egg.

It took me 3 years to get my first egg so it really meant alot. I had gotten in so much trouble in Miami when I got my hens and had to give them all away right before they started laying...and when I first moved up here, one of my dogs had eaten all the chicks so I had to wait till spring to get more.

I bought a bunch, lost a lot, butchered some, gave a few away, fed them for months and months and months until finally I got my first egg. I have about 8-9 hens right now and I'm getting 2-3 eggs/day so i just went out and bought some laying pellets to see if that wouldn't help boost their laying. I know they're just at the beginning of laying eggs but I want more eggs now lol. I have a light with a timer on it in there so it comes on about 2am and goes of at 8am, so I'm doing all I can to promote these girls to laying properly. My cowboy friend built me a couple of roosts and a ladder in the coop and they love to climb on that.

I love these chickens and I love the breed westie had suggested I get...the Buff Orpingtons...they're just so sweet and calm and easy going. The RIR's I had in Miami were sweet too, but the Aracaunas were a real PITA...they're now all in the freezer.

Yeah, I know they're added at different times. I didn't add the liquid pectin until I had brought the other to a rolling boil. I just did it like I do other jams, but alas it didn't set.

I'll try this recipe next.

Well, so far they aren't setting...lolol

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

If you could post the recipe for the liquid pectin recipe, I'd appreciate it. I tend to get the liquid pectin because I have a better success rate with it.

Well, I just got done making 8 1/2 pints of the Apple Pie jam and it tastes awesome!

Of course, as usual, I kinda changed the recipe a little. I didn't add the alspice cause I don't like that flavor, and I used liquid pectin because I didn't have any powdered.

It's in the waterbath now, and it seems like it's going to set wonderfully!

bump

I'm still working on apples.