Canning Cost Efficiencies 04/07/2012
I have been blessed with a refund of an over payment on an account that is going to generously assist me in the purchase of a new pressure canner. I have been investigating canners for the past few months, and come to the conclusion that for my future plans, the All American 941 is the best fit. Here is my reasoning. After investigation canner capacity, I came up with the following information. Each canner will process the following pints / quarts in one canner load. 941 32 pints 19 quarts 930 19 pints 14 quarts 925 19 pints 7 quarts Using the quart capacity only, I found the best delivered price I could on eBay for a brand new canner, then divided the canner price by the quart jar capacity number to give myself a reference of the cost of producing the first full canner run of quarts. The price per quart jar was 941 $24 930 $22 925 $37 Looking at things this way, even though the 941 was $2 higher for that first run, I feel in the long run the 941 would pound the snot out of the 930 due to capacity. I am a very lazy person, therefore when I do something I want to do a bunch of it at one time and get it all behind me. So now, I am diligently in search of the All American 941 canner, hoping I can find a used one, but will settle for a new one if I have to. BTW as an aside, I have used the Presto canners for many years, I am tired of the rubber gasket, and this year I have actually boiled each of these canners dry for a short period of time and both of the warped. The All American does away with the gasket, it does have a pressure gauge that will have to be tested, but then my Sis-in-law has used her canner for over 55 years and never had her gauge tested... So in the long run, the All American 941 is going to be the most cost effective and productive canner for anyone to own, even though it seems rather pricey on the front end. Price per item Add Comment New Year Looking Forward to Spring 02/17/2012
We have had an unusual winter so far. Only one week of cold, and the rest of the time only sweatshirt weather. This will probably lead to a buggie summer. I can't believe it has been so long since I posted here. I have been very busy helping Judy with the Greeneville Farmer's Market, attending meetings, planning, advertising, plus we decided for the winter season to hold workshops about creating your own pantry and becoming more self sufficient. All of which has become a lost art over the past sixty years. We are teaching many things, starting with ways to store foods without refrigeration. It's funny, when we first moved back to my husbands boyhood home in 78, we raised the largest percentage of our food and put things by for winter time. Over time work got in the way, and less and less of our foodstuffs were produced on our own land. Now, I want to get back to that. Raising our own vegetables and fruits and putting them up like I used to and my mother and grandmother and way on back always did. We get away from the things we love, like baking our own bread. I love cooking, but you wouldn't know it by the amount of time we spend eating out. I must figure out how to get hold of my life once again and slow down. I am sure we will be healthier for it. So, this summer, we will be planting once again, and I will continue canning, dehydrating, salting and fermenting our foods. The joy of seeing my shelves stocked with home made goods will be the greatest payoff. Intern Ronan 06/07/2011
We have a special intern situation going on for possibly three months. I have accepted a young man from Ireland to come and learn dog training in exchange for working with us. Ronan is phenomenal, he is a delight to be around, always helpful, self motivated, and very intense about learning the science of dog training. Each time I give him a new author to read I wish I had taken time to again read the book, because he comes at me with questions about things I haven't given thought to for quite some time. The process is brining back my own enthusiasm for reviewing the technology. He has been assigned a young Golden Retriever "Rex" I acquired to train as an assistance dog to a child with autism. The steps through the process are a hoot, and they are getting on quite well. Ronan says he was named Rex because he is determined to wreck everything at top speed. I have also slammed him with Simeon, a year old Labradoodle who is here for two weeks to learn "Heel", Hank, a six month old Goldendoodle who is out of control, Spike, a six year old GSD mix who will become an assistance dog to a person who must use a skooter to get around, and Mo, a six year old Golden Retriever who hates and will launch attacks on any black female dog. We have had a slow start, because of the fundraiser at Hemlock Hollow Inn for the Camp Creek Tornado Victims. Got very involved in helping Hattie with that at the same time Ronan arrived. My plate is deliberately clean now, so it is on to creating training schedules, working dogs, and teaching Ronan the road to becoming a great professional dog trainer back home. When he leaves here, it is my aim that he has the skills and experience to qualify to sit for the CCPDT exam and of course pass it on the first go around. Fire in the House 06/07/2011
Monday an electric heater that had been constantly plugged up in my Brother-in-laws house burned up, disappeared, and burned a large hole through two layers of solid wood, carpet and pad. For some reason the fire went out on its own, possibly after the air conditioner circuit kicked and fresh air quit feeding it. The house is terribly smoked and will require professional cleaning. No one was home at the time. Replacing Water Line 06/07/2011
Argh! The water line from the meter into the house had to be replaced yesterday. I dread when the water bill arrives, because they left us a note. This was a new experience for our volunteer intern "Ronan". He got several blisters, but with his great attitude, he was wonderful about it all. The water was off for the entire day. More in the house plumbing will have to be done in the future, but I do know my hubby and it will be on an as needed calamity basis. Catching Up on Tornado 06/06/2011
Wow, I can't believe that it has been a month since I had an opportunity to blog. Since then, the tornado cleanup is progressing, I have a hen setting on eggs, Hemlock Hollow Inn put together and we pulled off a fundraiser, and my workaway volunteer Ronan has arrived. Now about the tornado aftermath: The tornado clean up will go on for months and months. 100 homes were totally distroyed, 88 barns and outbuildings, countless trees, vehciles, animals, (horses, cattel, dogs, sheep, goats), and the final count on loss of human life was seven from this county The situation is heartbreaking, devastating, and the horrendous changes to lives is unimaginable. Our EMA, Bill Brown, spoke at Hemlock Hollows "National Trail Days Camp Creek Tornado Fundraiser", and explained to the participants the level of devastation our county received, and the approximated time frame for putting these lives, homes and farms back to some sembalance of normalcy. Donations are needed in an ongoing basis, everyone jumped in and helped immediately, but these peoples lives have been affected for many months to come on trying to accumulate what they have lost. Clothing is not an issue, clothing is the one thing that everyone sends everywhere immediately. Now, the issue is things like cookware, real eating utensils, furniture, appliances, etc. All those things you have when you are not camping out. EMA Brown said that there will be crews coming in from Missouri shortly who will start on the rebuilding of homes, these people are volunteers, and anything we can do to help support them will be greatly appreciated. A dear friend of mine jumped in and offered the upstairs sleeping rooms of her house to five of them. Perhaps I can get our basement cleared out and set up to assist in that way as well. We lived in our basement for seven years while our house was under construction. Hubby and I can't do anything physical anymore, but there are about a zillion ways to assist these efforts, and putting up workers is something we can do. I need the practice of cooking again anyway. Several of our kennel clients were affected by the tornados that came through, luckly not with total devastion, though I am sure they don't feel any the less devastated by the experience. Pray for those affected, the volunteers, and the extended families. Please donate, if not your time, and if you have a little money, chain saw oil and gasoline are desperately needed by the volunteers who have come in here and are staying to help. If you have household items to donate and can't carry them to the collection center, please call us, and we will make arrangements for pickup and delivery for you. 423-639-2920 All Creatures Country Club. To volunteer, contact the Greene County Emergency Mananagement Agency 423-798-1729. Camp Creek Tornado 05/06/2011
On the night of April 27, we were struck by a tornado in our area. This was worse than a total surprise, because no tornado's had touched down in these mountains since 1967. Talk about everyone getting comfy. Devistation was in excess of three-quarters of a mile wide and at least eight miles long swath through our communities of Camp Creek, Horse Creek and beyond. We have so far lost seven lives in Greene County due to this horrendous storm that started in Louisana. Our neighboring Cocke County lost many residences, apparently no lives, but their senior high school is severely damaged and they are struggling to complete the school year on time. I am taking this opportunity to ask for prayers for the victims of this devastating storm. We fortunately were barely touched with minimal damage to our home, and approximately eight trees that we are going to have to take the rest of the way down and replant. Chicks Everywhere 04/12/2011
Hatched chicks are feathering. Hubby turned the light off yesterday and they went nuts, so we are going to have to wean them from the light going forward. Picked up the ordered chicks last week, now I am waiting for the Guinea chicks to arrive this week. Going to have to devise an additional chicken yard until these guys are grown. We have been having storms for the past few days. Seems like the weather isn't what it is supposed to be, we are like two weeks ahead of the normal year in temperatures we are dealing with. Chicks Are Hatched 04/01/2011
Well, out of the four dozen eggs, we got a hatch of ten. Pretty good considering the cold weather that the eggs were gathered in. Nine have survived, one barrred rock/buff, and eight little buffs. All cheeping around like they own their little kingdom. They are three days old now, and starting to notice when we peek in the box to check them out. Had to put their box on the dining room table, because our spoiled rotten little Doxie would NOT leave the box alone. He was so interested in the box that he wouldn't eat or lay in my husband lap at night. He was constantly up and down and circling the box and trying to figure out where that noise was coming from. Quite a pain in the butt with the dog going nuts, and the husband going nutser griping at the dog constantly. It has turned off cold once again from raining the past couple of nights. Check out the Area Attractions Page! 03/25/2011
I am compiling all the great things that go on in our area on the website. Living and farming in the mountains is like living in an outdoor entertainment mecca. We are close to the stuff that costs the earth to entertain yourself with, but the best thing in our area of the world, is we are attached to National Forest land, and being in the mountains, we have tons of outdoor things to do that cost you nothing but a little energy. I tie fly's for fly fishing, do it solely for the art, but my husband uses them and is amazed that they actually catch fish. Hmph, doesn't stop me, tying is a relaxing past time though I don't get to it often, too busy trying to stay above water anymore. Our farm has two ponds on it both stocked, and my bro-in-law also has a pond on his farm. We are only a few miles from stocked trout streams, hunting goes on in our mountains all winter, and it only takes someone paying attention to witness the wild life we are sharing our farm with. To name a few, we have coyotes, bear, deer, mink, raccoon, skunk, cougar, etc. Of course we aren't Alaska, and though I would love to experience Alaska for a year (nuts), we can sit in the yard and enjoy nature passing by. I have been asked to help a person learn the old ways this summer, so I will be teaching canning, fermenting, drying, salt-curing, and smoking as the summer and fall progresses. Our world is getting so expensive to live in we all need to consider how the old ways worked. I look forward to it, because in sharing knowledge with others, everyone learns something new and precious. |  Site Map
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