Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Hard to believe WestCoastGal just pinged me to this thread a week ago. I love it here! And like you, I feel like I've hit the motherlode. People who actually think about and talk about the things I like to do!!!
I am emailing that link for Tennessee Gardening From UT to my daughter in northern Alabama. I think she'll be able to get some good ideas from there too. She's only 20 miles south of TN.
I am really honored to get to chat with you and the other folks here. Yes, we can still find the good people around. :-)
I grew up in a pecan bottom. We shelled 'em and froze what we kept. Sold a lot to get by through the winter. Before Ziplock bags sometimes we'd get freezer burn but after Ziplocks I've kept them for years in the freezer and they're still good.
My Grama used to put them in quart jars dry and process them in a water bath without the water covering the lids so the jars would seal. I don't know how long she processed them to get them to do that but it might be worth an experiment if you have too many for the freezer. These days I worry about the electricity going out and having no freezer so I'm trying to do everything I can without freezing. We have a generator but in a catastrophe will not be using it for long term things like the freezer. I've agreed to use other methods of storage for the "catastrophe stash."
My mom and dad still live in the pecan bottom but I didn't get any nuts from them this year. If I get time I should get some pecans from them and experiment with that "canning" method. Will keep you informed of that. Please let me know if you happen to try it.
LOL!
LOL I love it.... Somebody else who cooks like I do....
I think on a prior message someone questioned the legality of winemaking at home... Far as I know, it is perfectly legal to make up to 200 gal. for home use per year - I wouldn’t even come close to that.
Instead of the usual wine making, I tried something that I saw somewhere online - no fancy air lock, no special equipment, or anything. It uses juice, sugar and yeast in a 2 liter bottle with a balloon on top. I tried it once with apple juice. Worked great! I have one going now with Cran-Apple juice and 3/4 cup sugar (using about 1/8 tsp. of bread yeast) and have one working with peach puree. I am not a connoisseur of fine wine and do not really care for the dry types - prefer a sweeter wine, so it might be OK. The apple was great just a bit drier than I liked so increased the sugar by a quarter cup.
Will let you know how these batches work out.
Heh - my mom and dad and a neighbor across the street had a wonderful remedy for the squirrel prolem. They paid any kid who shot a squirrel a dime. :-) Back then a dime bought us a snack! :-)
Oh man! You are right about that crappie!!! I love fried crappie and haven't had it in years!!!
I have trouble following recipes. LOL Not because I can't read 'em... but because I always think, "but this and that would just make it *so* much better."
Here in Texas we can make wine at home all we want as long as we don't re-sell it. My younger daughter has a friend who has been to "wine making school" and is now starting his own winery. They've been encouraging me to try some winemaking with all that I do and the only reason I haven't done it is time. My other half here loves wine. He likes the drier ones while *if* I have any I too like the sweeter ones. I'm just not much of a drinker of anythign but water. But I'm going to try making some for him and for my own use in making jellies.
I do make a lot of wine jellies and herb jellies with a wine base. For many years my jellies have been my personal "thing" for gifts. Some of my friends and family have made it a point to tell me not to try to give them any other thing for gifting occasions. LOL
That said, I'm leading up to a question for you here. You have talked about some commercial experience and I need to find out what kind of licenses or whatnot I need to sell my jellies. The young friend of my daughter's has said that he would sell my jellies and homemade bread at his winery store. I just don't know if I have to jump through legal hoops to put a label on my jellies to sell 'em. Do you know anything about that?
Good old Orange Peel!
Last month when I did the once monthly basics trip to the grocery store they had 4 pound bags of navel oranges for $1.29 so, I bought some and my favorite way of eating them is to peel and eat the sections. But before disposing of the peels, I got this urge and so I diced them and put them in a pan with 3 cups of sugar cooked to about 220 degrees and let them sit for a few hours - then heated again since there was still some juice left. Well, we have been enjoying some really good candied orange peel. The sugar crystallized and it turned out great. Stored in zip-lock and everytime someone goes by it we have been eating a handful of candy... Mmmmm Mmmmm good.
Regarding your question on making and selling jelly and jam...
Texas is probably much different than Delaware, but here you now have to have an inspected and approved ‘certified commercial kitchen’ with attached dedicated restroom and hand washing station (kitchen sink won’t do) and doors to separate it from the rest of the house - nary a pet or plant anywhere in order to make anything you will sell for human consumption!!!!! Requirements are asinine!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so bad that Delaware State College has set up a special kitchen that meets the requirements and they will rent it to you to produce your product - jam, jelly, bread - or even cookies if you want to send them to a church or school bake sale. Have you EVER heard of such #$%^&*(#$%^& government overbearing stu...... OK, you get the point...
Actually, I should spread a little rain on everyones parade - In most states it is illegal to sell, barter, exchange, or even GIVE any plant material (seeds have their own legislation and require germination testing too) without a special nursery license (free) but entails an inspection by the department of agriculture - Federal Gov’t is pushing hard for other states to follow their ‘Model’ legislation.
Since I have about 75 chickens, I have to register my flock location, number of birds, type of birds, breed of birds, what I intend to use them for, etc. too.
Grrrrrrrrr did you have to open that can of worms -
And I was having such a nice day too. (grin) But you did it sooo nicely, I will forgive you.
That rain is what I’ve been afraid of about marketing my jelly. That’s actually why I haven’t done anything about it in the 2 years since I got the offer. Just figured it’d be more trouble than it’s worth.
We do have a friend here locally who built a winery. The things he has to go through just to get the littlest thing - like a change on his label - are totally assinine. I wouldn’t have the patience for it.
Guess I’ll just stick to my old fashioned gifts. LOL
Yep, I know the feeling -
Hmmm We must all be worthless nothings...
Church says we are all sinners
Government says we are all criminals
Geesh lower than a snake...
Oh, careful on crafts - don’t dare sell them - don’t sew anything for any child 12 or under starting this Tuesday.
Of course they just granted an extension of 1 year for the ‘outside testing’ but they can still find you guilty if they decide to check you.
OK, pity party over - sinner/outlaw that I am - back to work at living. :-)
The greening disease spread by the pest could be a catastrophe for the $1.2-billion industry.
By Jerry Hirsch
January 26, 2009
State agriculture inspectors are stepping up their efforts to battle what they believe is an agricultural time bomb.
After discovering what's known as the Asian citrus psyllid in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego last week, the farthest north the bug has been found in the city, agriculture officials warned that the bug was rapidly moving north since crossing the Mexican border at Tijuana in July.
The pest is responsible for spreading citrus greening disease and causing catastrophic damage to orange farms in Florida and Brazil. Agricultural officials warn that the same disease could be a catastrophe for California's $1.2-billion citrus industry.LINK
Okay, howcome the don’t sew anything to a child under 12? I sew for my grandkids and 3 of ‘em are under 12.
signed,
outlaw wneighbor
I’m glad you found us :)
I actually found this when granny went missing. I’m glad we have her back and that this thread has become so useful. I along with everyone else have learned so much from the information posted here.
Thank you for finding my place. :D
We have a LOT of wind blowing today and a chance, a slim one, of rain.
I am so very thankful to you for linking me here from the NASCAR thread. With my limited time I don’t usually go browse for new topics. On my breaks I read some news, check out nascar.com and jayski and sometimes do some garden reading and recipe searching but that’s about my time limit. I love this thread and I’m sure you notice that I am loving Granny’s company also!
It’s so nice to be able to come here and “have a conversation” on my schedule. I don’t have to cut short my projects to talk on the phone or visit in person. Makes me feel like I do talk with someone through the day whether I’m working a job, gardening or cooking. Thanks!
The wind here has been horrible also for 3 days now. I ended up putting my seeds down Friday on the dining room table as I couldn’t even mix up my seed starter soil out in the wind. It has not died down since either.
I was hoping for some of that rain AND that when it came the wind would settle a bit. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen today though I did open my rain barrels in hopes of filling them.
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Beginning Feb. 10, all products to be sold in the U.S. for children below 12 must pass toxic tests for lead and phthalates under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. But because it covers all products, untested items are considered dangerous even if it has yet to be proven to contain lead.
The stringent regulations has caused a stir among retailers, especially used clothes stores, because it may result to thousands of children’s clothes being declared unsafe and have to be thrown away, warned Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops.
Store owners from children’s clothing to handmade toys warned that if the law will be strictly implemented they might have to close their business and file for bankruptcy.
No, my outlaw friend you are OK to make them for the grandkids but don’t you dare knit a baby bonnet to sell!
And Don’t you dare sell kids clothes at a yard sale!
Oh, in the magnificent intelligence of governmental bureaucrats - Uh, well we are going to postpone the requirement that you use outside testing lab for a year - Uh, but if we test your stuff and it is not up to our standards, you’re toast even before next year!
So, thrift stores either check all their merchandise or throw it out! Crafts people BEWARE!
Good grief. And I crocheted them to sell last year. criminy!!!
Great tag line BTW
This all was a fluke as someone on one of LucyT’s 0bama threads asked about the communist manifesto and the answer was that granny always had the best info on communists but she had been missing since 12-29 after being admonished by the Mod.
So I went looking and sure enough she was missing - Then I contacted everyone who used to hang out with us on the Threat Matrix thread where granny was a driving force of information as she is here. Finally we found her phone number and then Vel wrote the letter to Jim and the Mods and we all signed it...........the rest is history and here we are!! :) The only thing we can ever thank the communists for I guess. lol
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