I went crazy this year and planted way more carrots than usual. I have a few different preservation methods I could do but I’m not sure which would be most useful. I could pickle them (hot water bath), pressure can them (plain) or blanch then freeze.
I’m concerned that maybe the pressure canned carrots might be mushy. How is the texture when you freeze? Which method would you do with a bushel of carrots?
I was the victim of a hack and am in the process of securing my digital life. I also need to get a new email address because I am changing internet providers and my old provider “owns” my email address (Spectrum). Spectrum has informed me that my email address will be deleted 60 days after I discontinue their service. So I’ve decided to see this as an opportunity to get the most secure email service that I can, but also have an email address that can’t be taken from me when I change internet companies. I definitely don’t want a gmail address because my experience there is that google has access to my emails and I get tons of ads.
Based on my research, I’m thinking of getting my email through Proton. What are your thoughts? Any better suggestions?
We’re looking for a wedding venue on the Seacoast. We want to use our own caterer. We’re open to out of the box ideas. Seacoast Science Center is not available. Water views is number one on our wishlist. Any ideas?
I have never grown watermelon before. This year I planted Heirloom “Icebox” Watermelons
Doll Babies Organic.
I have no clue how to decide when to pick. They are growing on a trellis, so there’s no yellow spot on the rind to look for. A couple of them are the size that the seed packet said they would be, but I know that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re sweet. Any idea what to look for?
I’ve been seeing posts looking for ideas to use up cherry tomatoes. Here’s mine. I make up these packages in quart size freezer bags. They include the following:
My sungold tomatoes
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
A generous pour of good olive oil (2-3 tablespoons?)
A very large pinch of coarse salt
Lots of pepper
Chopped basil
I freeze these and then thaw to make meals in the winter. My favorite thing to do with them is to just thaw in a bowl, boil some tortellini then toss together. The tomatoes burst from freezing/thawing to make a sauce and I usually add a dollop of ricotta.
I also add the thawed bag of tomatoes to casseroles, my favorite is a cornbread/cheddar casserole. Just add the thawed bag to a box of cornbread mix, shredded cheddar and two eggs then bake.
I’m looking for ideas for a homemade compost sifter that is super low effort, low tech and low cost. I have zero handyman skills. Any dollar store hacks or something like that?
WHY CAN’T PEOPLE READ!!!!! I sell spice blends. I offer samples via dusting little crackers with the spices. I also have about 6-10 signs throughout my booth that say “Gluten Free Samples Available Upon Request”. For reference, I have experimented with a half dozen different versions of this sign, it doesn’t matter what I say. I’ve tried “upon request” in a different typeface and all caps. Invariably, at every show, customers say things like “oh great, these are gluten free samples” and go to grab one. Or “hey look, Janet, these samples are gluten free for you!” And I have to intervene. I know extremely well how sick someone could get if they eat the crackers when they have celiac disease. I cannot universally offer gluten free samples for many reasons, including the fact that it’s much more expensive, messier and labor intensive. You would think that someone who has a serious illness would be careful enough to read the sign fully.
Ok vent over. I’ll just continue to be vigilant. I have truly tried many many ways to protect against this and it’s simply that, I don’t know, people are in a rush? I guess the “why” isn’t important, it’s just getting very irritating.
I bought two crates of bruised peaches from a local orchard, this is about half of what I canned. Reduced sugar roasted peach jam (Sure jell recipe), peach almond jam (peach jam with a little almond extract), peach corn salsa (Ball recipe) and peach ale mustard (Ball recipe).
I just picked up a crate of slightly bruised peaches at the farmers market. I used to peel peaches by cutting an x in the skin, a brief swim in boiling water then into an ice bath. But one of my safe ball recipes (for peach mustard) calls for roasting/cooling/peeling. This is so much easier! Can I do this method for all of my peach jam recipes? Roasting the peach halves then peeling when cool is a million times easier but you do wind up with less liquid.
I’m picking up a crate of bruised peaches this weekend. I’ve already made peach jam and peach mustard. I don’t want to do halves in syrup, what else should I make? Do you have a favorite peach salsa recipe?
This is a Ball recipe. Am I being obtuse or do they really not say when the peaches and the vinegar mixture should be combined? I see where you roast/peel/chop the peaches, and I see the instructions for the vinegar/mustard seed mixture. But at what point am I bringing the two together? Thanks for the help.
How long after canning do you remove the rings and put on the shelf? I’ve been doing 24 hours, but I was chatting with someone and she was horrified that I was so careless about the safety of my seals. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of what she said. Is 24 hours too soon to remove the rings? Thanks!
I have an apple tree that I bought as a sapling from a fundraiser for a local historical society. I was told that it came from a property that was 250 years old and I think they rooted cuttings or something?
Anyway, it’s been quite a few years and now I’m getting apples. They are the worst tasting apples I’ve ever had. To even make applesauce with them I would need an equal weight in sugar to make it edible. So I took my apples to a local orchard and learned about how the apples from that time were strictly used for cider because the water wasn’t safe.
Soooo, I either need to cut down this tree or make cider. Is it reasonable to think that I could make a usable amount of cider from the apples from one very large tree? If so, where do I start to learn? Is there a website for newbies like me with clear directions? I do like to ferment food such as sauerkraut and kimchi, so have a small understanding of fermentation.
I have two American Express cards, one with Marriott rewards and one with Hilton, because we like to travel. Both cards have increased our credit limit twice, without us asking. What effect does that have on my credit score?
I always thought that your score is partially based on how much of your available credit that you use, so shouldn’t this slightly improve my score since the percentage of my available credit that I use has changed? Thoughts?
The NCHFP website has a pickled carrot recipe that has a lot of sugar in it. Does anyone have a safe pickled carrot recipe that doesn’t have sugar or sugar substitutes in it? I don’t like sweet pickles. Thanks!