That's funny Sjoerd! The Cayennes are for hubby. He LOVES them! Not selling anything this year, just stocking up. We just might have enough potatoes to not only eat this winter, but to plant next spring!!! I've been working on this project for years!!! Same with our garlic! No pics of the potatoes yet, but here are a couple of our canned peaches and plums.... Note the second pics of plums. I ran out of my regular lids and had bought a bunch of the Tattler reusable plastic lids (BPA free, etc...) a few years ago when they had the bundle sales. Figured I'd give them a try. There have been lots of negative reviews about them and I was very nervous, but, they worked great and I had 100% success! I think the key is to not tighten them too tight when placing in the boiling water, and to really really tighten them down hard immediately when you lift them out. Now onto the apples and pears! Forgot to mention that hubs and our friend have the root cellar almost finished! No more frozen apples and pears on the porch, and no more mice and birds getting into them!!! Pics soon!
Bunkie... absolutely wonderful on those lids. I do agree with you on tightening them too tight... it ruins them. Nice to see your preserves. I haven't done anythig yet this year. Hopefully I will get some done yet. I have lots of beans, beets, potatoes, a few cukes and tomatoes yet to work with.
Those Tattler reusable plastic lids---Tell me more about those. Is that a two-part system, or just one plastic lid to screw on. Your second piccy looks like the white lids are just flat "covers" that are just laying on the jar top, but then you had mentioned something about screwing them on hard. Jar lids are something that we have to replace too often.
Yes Sjoerd, we have to buy way too many of those use-one-time tin lids and that's why I tried the Tattler lids. Here's their site... http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/ It's a flat plastic top (no BPA) and a thin rubber ring. There is no 'pop' sound, (I really miss that), they just seal. You can tell if they sealed or not when you tighten the lids down after they come out of the canner. Like I said, I expected it to be difficult, but so far they're great! They have a new 'EZ lid' that I got a sample of the other day but haven't tried yet. Supposedly those can just be done like the metal lids, no special instructions. Will let you know how those work out. I also purchased their openner. This thing opens the lids without hurting them so you can reuse them....easier than a knife or spoon! I thought maybe it would be good for the stuff I dry and seal too. Carolyn, good to hear that you like them too!
I purchased some Tattler lids in the summer, but haven't had a chance to try them yet. I will be doing a lot of canning in the following weeks and so I must remember to try them! How are those ducklings doing?
Thanks for the link and info over those tops. I had a good read about this product. Looks like something I can use. Cheers.
Let me know how you like them Sjoerd! Hey Netty, ducks are laying again...even Mrs. Goose (lower right hand corner)... Well, the root cellar started leaking a bit when the thawing started this month. Half the floor is cement and the other half dirt. We may have to cement the whole floor...live and learn! The walls are holding up well and no leaks there. Here's the last of the turnips we had in there...
Hiya Bunkie--so good to see you on here. I was not able to find those Tattlers over here. Oh well, I don't can all that much anyway.It is a very handy thing though. Wow--a bit of cellar leakage eh! That must have been a big surprise for you. Will it be expensive to cement the other half of your cellar? Where are you in terms of germination/planting?
Hey Sjoerd, good to be around! Hubs was a bit under the weather, but very well now! Yeah, it was a shock on the root cellar leaking. It performed so well all winter. It's a small place/room so won't take much to fill the rest of the floor with cement. Amazing the amount of runnoff we're having this year. The geese and ducks are sooooo happy! Arg, germination starting slow this year. Gonna try and catch up today while the sun's out! The weather's still pretty cold, so we're not in an emergency mode yet! :O)
Phooey!--Sorry to hear your man was under the weather. BAH! That's never nice. I hope that you can begin with sowing soon. Good luck with that today. Are your ducks and gees populations oké?
The geese are great...man, her eggs are HUGE!!! Almost takes a hammer to get them open! What a meal! We are down to 12 ducks. Had an owl 'interfere' with them this winter. Now we pen them up at night in a fenced and roofed in area, nice and safe! That owl was bigger than the geese!!! Will be sowing Favas today for sure! Got some red /purple variety to try.
Holy-moly! That must have been some huge owl. Do you think that it was a Great Horned Owl? Well, it sounds like a real monster to take duckies. I know the fava's you are talking about. They will look visually nice if you plant the "Ruby Red" Swiss Chard near it. They both taste good annnnnnnd Swiss Chard freezes-in very well.
I am enjoying your thread Bunkie..i'm trying to catch up...love love love the working farm and the pics are priceless. I can do a lot of imagining through your thread. I can't wait until we find a house of our own with a lot of property. I too will be, once again, digging in the dirt and taking my morning and evening walks around the property and talking to the plants before and after my work day...I really miss that!!...you were wrong for the cooking pics...that bread looked and "smelled" wonderful...2 lbs gained right there!!
Hi all, somewhere along the line I've lost my bunkie doings 2 thread?! It's been a real buzy almost 11 months here on the funny farm...got a new big dog... and two ne kitties,Pat and Ralph...Ralph showed up in the driveway one day,
Miss you all terribly. Wanted you to catch up on my doings. Love you all! The beginning plans for the vineyard, 400 vines, , I know have two beehives, , we temora rily covered the greenhouse for summer, I got four piggies, , getting the cabin chinked and oiled, , got wood in for winter, , have grain growing in the back twenty,
