Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: March 29-April 4, 2026

[Meemur]

Summer, that's also why I blanch and freeze corn or just store whole potatoes or onions in the basement. I'm not always at my brightest and best at canning time, and I save myself potential problems by not doing it, correctly or otherwise.

I realize that's not a solution for everyone!

 

[kyrsyan]

Sorry I've been gone. I've missed you all but life has been coming at all angles.

I hope you all have been okay. I thought about you regularly.

My stress level is dropping now that we've reached the point of can't do anything else right now. Except for boss stress because she went off yesterday. I'm just not engaging with her any more than necessary at this point.

I have 4 things to do in order to have my business fully setup. And all 4 are actively being worked on.

Otherwise, we are still cleaning out the house and garage. I'm hunting for someone to help clear out the backyard and get it to a level where I can reasonably handle it. And I'm making the projects list.

 

[hd5574]

I use a two burner propane camp stove..run two All-American canners at once.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T try "outlaw canning"! I'm not talking about pressure canning pumpkin puree or other "previously recognized as safe" (using land grant university test kitchens) techniques. Some of those have been revised due to the *very large" margin of error USDA insists on...given the average intelligence of humans these days, I can't say they are wrong!

But water bath canning meat or low acid veggies simply isn't ever going to be safe. It can be "safer" if you are extremely OCD about cleanliness but all it takes is a small smear of garden soil (that just happens to contain a couple botulism spores), and you’ve got a jar full of one of the most dangerous toxins on Earth. Even better, it will look, smell and taste identical to the non-contaminated jars.

But even if you've done it for years, NEVER can potatoes or any root vegetables (carrots, beets, turnips, etc) unless you use a pressure canner. I'm surprised it doesn't make the National News, but every couple of years, the Amish will have a bunch of people in the ICU (usually one or two die) after they serve a cold potato salad made from home-canned potatoes, at a wedding or funeral dinner.

It requires a minimum of 30 minutes at 250° Fahrenheit to kill botulism spores. You simply can't reach that temperature in a boiling water bath. Canning any low acid food that *ever* touched, or was contaminated by, the soil, in a water bath is like playing Russian Roulette with several bullets...

And for those who "break the NEW rukes" and can pumpkin puree or other products, using "official" times from backing the 1970s...just be a stickler for detail. Make sure your canner has fully vented for the required 15 minutes before putting the weight on to start building pressure. (This makes sure that ALL the food in the jars is fully heated to 212° at the center of the jar, or the center of each chunk of meat)

Start timing when the gauge reaches 11# pressure (and if you are above 1000 feet above sea level, set it at 15#), and DON'T let the pressure drop below the minimum for the entire required time.

It's not difficult, but there are valid scientific reasons behind the rules. Be safe!

Summerthyme

I am talking about all the old approved things ..pressure canning things ..that they are removing..from the books..ie yellow summer squash..I never water bath low acid...but I grow the high acid heirloom tomatoes for example not the new low acid types..and still do those the same as always..I have the old..books with old instructions..water bath only high acid stuff..I fully understand the density problem..of some things..
But I guess there must be a difference between "outlaw" canning and rebel canning...my rebel books require pressure canning..on ALL things...low acid..
but include pressure things they are removing..and the correct way to do it safely.. including information about size to negate the density issue..of some things..
My water bath canner even has a gauge integrated into the lid..tells you when to start timing... most dont..have that..I replaced my old one when I found it...

The things you are talking about is one of the reasons I gave that All American to my Amish friend's mother along with instruction book...I do have the old water bath charts...but keep them as a joke.....I imagine it might be cheaper to buy at the store than to burn that much propane for a such a long time..plus the additional pots of boiling water needed to keep the water level up

I have pressure canned pumpkin...but the strings...never again..soooooo much work and time not worth it...some things are just too labor intensive to make it worth it..
When I open my pressure canner everything is plenty hot in fact most often I never even touch a jar for about 15 minutes..yes I vent and use proper pressure..if I was uncertain...I would process some things a few minutes long for denisity... as it takes longer to reach internal temperature with some things..also the way things are cut and the size of the pieces..make a huge difference also..in internal temperature..I always hot pack things..which makes another difference..if things are hot..internal temps are reached more quickly..and maintained for a long time...

 

[ginnie6]

I'm getting a lot of nothing done today...sigh. Cannot find the caulking dh bought for the tub. I know it's here somewhere, even called dh and he told me to look where I've already looked. So I'm going to have to go get more. I have small group tonight so I'm not going until on my way there. I already made one trip to Lowes today, and did you know they no longer have Kilz? They have something else by Sherwin Williams I think but I wanted Kilz! Looking online just now and Home Depot has it! A little further to drive but if they have what you want....
Anyway I'm so sleepy now after getting up at 4:30 that I can't stand it. Just made me a cup of coffee to hopefully keep going.
I have gotten my laundry done and winter/summer clothes sorted out just need to hang them up now. If I can get the kitchen done before I have to leave I'll be happy. Of not it will be there waiting on me tomorrow morning.

You know my first experience with canning was green beans and I canned them the way my Grannie told me....in a water bath for three hours. Never knew it wasn't safe cause we grew up eating them that way. Now I pressure can them because who has three hours to watch that pot? I have several old canning books and anything that is in them I'll try. Even if it's no longer safe in the new books. I do however can slightly above the 10lbs I need to, more like the 11 Summerthyme mentioned and I make sure everything is super clean. In 30+ years (knock on wood) we've never gotten sick on my canning.
I bought my first pressure canner the year after I first canned green beans and learned it wasn't safe. Then quite a few years ago I inherited dh's grandmother's canner. No one else in the family was interested but my mil knew I canned and she got it for me along with a bunch of half gallon mason jars. I use those for storage as we don't do juices. I've heard you can do tomatoes in them (rebel canning) but I'm not willing to try it.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

It was such a beautiful day to be out and about. Slight breeze blowing with 82 degrees right now.

We got everything on our lists, except my bedding flowers. They didn't have what I wanted in the little 6 pks, so I'll wait, until next time. Walmart didn't have all their plants out, yet.

I just bought items for the pantry, mostly. Things like mayo, salad dressings, mustard, beef broth, cream of cheddar soup, salsa, pickles, etc. My stock on all of those items were getting down to 3 or 4 jars/bottles of each. I had used up a whole flat of beef broth and cream of cheddar, so I replaced with another flat of each. I bought more cake and brownie mixes, since I was completely out. I even splurged a bit on myself and bought 2 tubes of tinted lip balm (Cover Girl). No meat, today, and no bills had to be paid at the county seat, so that saved us having to go to those towns.

When I bought my electric canner, I threw the old water bath canner away. I can use the electric one also for water bath canning (came with instructions). I've never used it for that, though.

 

[anna43]

I seldom use my water bath canner since everything is in pints and I can use a soup pot with the rack from my pressure cooker both of which are in the kitchen and the canner is in the basement. I keep the pressure canners in the kitchen but am seriously considering buying an electric canner.

I have recipes from my grandmothers that I love and several years ago I took them to the Extension office and asked if they were safe to use. I was told yes. I have always followed canning rules and instructions and if in doubt will go to their Website at National Center for Food Preservation USDA or use the Extension Service hot line to call and check. I also have printed booklets for most of their instructions updated where needed since the 1970 changes. I keep everything in a large 3-ring binder, and I have the Ball Blue Book and Jackie Clay's growing/canning book. I have a spaghetti sauce recipe from a magazine and called the hot line about it as I do not want to be responsible for killing anyone including myself! They said it must be pressure canned due to the ratio of peppers and onions.

 

[Wildwood]

I use a two burner propane camp stove..run two All-American canners at once.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T try "outlaw canning"! I'm not talking about pressure canning pumpkin puree or other "previously recognized as safe" (using land grant university test kitchens) techniques. Some of those have been revised due to the *very large" margin of error USDA insists on...given the average intelligence of humans these days, I can't say they are wrong!

But water bath canning meat or low acid veggies simply isn't ever going to be safe. It can be "safer" if you are extremely OCD about cleanliness but all it takes is a small smear of garden soil (that just happens to contain a couple botulism spores), and you’ve got a jar full of one of the most dangerous toxins on Earth. Even better, it will look, smell and taste identical to the non-contaminated jars.

But even if you've done it for years, NEVER can potatoes or any root vegetables (carrots, beets, turnips, etc) unless you use a pressure canner. I'm surprised it doesn't make the National News, but every couple of years, the Amish will have a bunch of people in the ICU (usually one or two die) after they serve a cold potato salad made from home-canned potatoes, at a wedding or funeral dinner.

It requires a minimum of 30 minutes at 250° Fahrenheit to kill botulism spores. You simply can't reach that temperature in a boiling water bath. Canning any low acid food that *ever* touched, or was contaminated by, the soil, in a water bath is like playing Russian Roulette with several bullets...

And for those who "break the NEW rukes" and can pumpkin puree or other products, using "official" times from backing the 1970s...just be a stickler for detail. Make sure your canner has fully vented for the required 15 minutes before putting the weight on to start building pressure. (This makes sure that ALL the food in the jars is fully heated to 212° at the center of the jar, or the center of each chunk of meat)

Start timing when the gauge reaches 11# pressure (and if you are above 1000 feet above sea level, set it at 15#), and DON'T let the pressure drop below the minimum for the entire required time.

It's not difficult, but there are valid scientific reasons behind the rules. Be safe!

Summerthyme

I don't think she meant for me to leave it unattended, just to use it as an alternative to my unlevel stove. I see a ton of YouTubers pressure canning with those single electric elements. My electric canner has spoiled me and I have considered a second one of those since they only hold four quarts.

Absolutely none of my pressure canning is anything but by the book. My rebel canning consists of a light brine for water bath canning green tomatoes, okra and squash for frying. Even though the green tomatoes have enough acid to eliminate a brine, I still do it...can't help myself. There is that question about today's tomatoes having enough acid.

 

[Meemur]

I don't think a lot of today's hybrid tomatoes have a lot of acid. The heirlooms are another story.
Heck, a lot of today's hybrids don't have much taste, even homegrown ones.

 

[Wildwood]

To add a little levity to the board, I'll tell this on myself. I've been mentioning coloring my hair for a while..I'm sure everyone was sick of hearing me whine. Well I decided to do it and I'd mentioned coloring my grandmother's hair that was the same color as mine all those years. I ordered what I thought was the very closest by color and brand I could find. It finally came and while I could catch a minute alone, I did the deed today and OMG...it is red, so red, Lucille Ball red. I kid you not lol. Since it's a semi permanent color, I got back in the shower and scrubbed and scrubbed and the scrubbed some more. I got out and peaked and sure enough it was the color of nehi orange at that point. I had some of the Roux Chocolate Rinse that washes right out and I poured about half a bottle of that on it...it helped make it look more like a real hair color...remember my hair is almost all white.

I immediately ordered a brown color with an ash tone to balance it out. I put that cosmetology license to good use lol. I don't hate it...it's fun and funny at the same time and my color will be here Friday. I did realize one thing, I like me with some color on my head, even if it's the wrong color. My white hair is a really good color but I'm pale and it washes me out. Y'all remind me of this if I mention going white again. I wish I'd snipped off a lock to remember my color because I don't see me going back to white any time soon.

Edited to add...I meant to do a vinegar shampoo on it before the color but forgot. Our irony well water probably left a deposit on my hair that kept the color from sticking to my hair. I'll fix that on Friday.

 

[Wildwood]

I don't think a lot of today's hybrid tomatoes have a lot of acid. The heirlooms are another story.
Heck, a lot of today's hybrids don't have much taste, even homegrown ones.

I grow 99% heirlooms...a lot of the cherries are hybrid but I'm still not taking a chance

 

[Wildwood]

Y'all I wasn't going to post about this but it makes me so sad. It looks like we are losing our old girl. She is fifteen and one of the best dogs to ever walk this earth. She's a mixed breed that our DIL drug home from one of those shelter sales without asking DS lol. Our DGS was a baby and so they've grown up together.

If ever there was a country dog, it is her. In her youth, she'd kill every snake that dared step foot in their yard...a real home protector and afraid of nothing. When they lived next to us several years ago, she somehow became our dog so we've had her the last five years or so. I believe she is half corgi...she's about that size and color, has that sweet face and sheds like crazy.

She's had a wonderful run and been loved by so many. She will be sorely missed and never replaced.

 

[Meemur]

I'm sorry about your dog!

I'm not sorry about your hair. I'm glad you made the change, and with luck, you'll get it to a color that you like!

Mine is mostly silver and highly resistant to dye. I spray a little of the blue wash-out hair color on it now and again
for kicks. I'll probably do that on my last day at work.

 

[WanderLore]

I'm sorry about your dog too, we have been through this more times than I want to think about. It's always rough.

Was up at 5:30 just dropped off the kitty in the city to get spayed. It is pouring pouring.
I always water bath beets and actually I just processed them in the pot till they are cooked, add them hot to the jars with lots of vinegar little sugar salt. I keep them in the fridge. Been doing them this way more years than I can remember. Never a problem.

 

[WanderLore]

Well I'm in the city today so I will see what shopping I can get done. It is going to storm all day long. Kitty won't be done till 4:00 then I will take her back to my grandsons.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

To add a little levity to the board, I'll tell this on myself. I've been mentioning coloring my hair for a while..I'm sure everyone was sick of hearing me whine. Well I decided to do it and I'd mentioned coloring my grandmother's hair that was the same color as mine all those years. I ordered what I thought was the very closest by color and brand I could find. It finally came and while I could catch a minute alone, I did the deed today and OMG...it is red, so red, Lucille Ball red. I kid you not lol. Since it's a semi permanent color, I got back in the shower and scrubbed and scrubbed and the scrubbed some more. I got out and peaked and sure enough it was the color of nehi orange at that point. I had some of the Roux Chocolate Rinse that washes right out and I poured about half a bottle of that on it...it helped make it look more like a real hair color...remember my hair is almost all white.

I immediately ordered a brown color with an ash tone to balance it out. I put that cosmetology license to good use lol. I don't hate it...it's fun and funny at the same time and my color will be here Friday. I did realize one thing, I like me with some color on my head, even if it's the wrong color. My white hair is a really good color but I'm pale and it washes me out. Y'all remind me of this if I mention going white again. I wish I'd snipped off a lock to remember my color because I don't see me going back to white any time soon.

Edited to add...I meant to do a vinegar shampoo on it before the color but forgot. Our irony well water probably left a deposit on my hair that kept the color from sticking to my hair. I'll fix that on Friday.

When I was younger, I kept color on my hair all the time. I did it myself, too. One day, it was time, so here I go. I had done it so many times that I wasn't afraid to do it. I was also using the same color I had always used. When it was finished, I had a whole head of "purple" hair!!!! I, immediately, called my beautician and told her what had happened. She got me in right away, cause she knew I was panicking, lol. I don't remember what she did to it, but it turned out ok.

My hair is still a dark chestnut brown, but I've got a small spot in the front that is turning a bit gray. I'm planning to let it go gray, naturally.

 

[Digger]

I finally went to look at our fruit trees. We had a freeze a couple of weeks ago. All the plums and pears are gone. No damage to the trees, just the baby fruit is dead. We lost probably 80% or more of the peaches. But the Indian peach has a decent crop on it. It's not my husband's favorite peach but I like it as well as any other. Our apples are just blooming so they should be fine.

I went to the highway to get the mail. I got one piece of mail that wasn't even another address on our route. It was to a completely different town. Things are really messed up at the post office.

We are supposed to get rain the next several days, up to about 3 inches, maybe. We need it bad. I think we are behind about 14 inches of rainfall.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

A retina specialist appointment after lunch. Cary has some stops to make while in town. Then, we plan to eat out, before coming home.

Slight chance of rain with 83 for our high again, today.

 

[Wildwood]

I'm sorry about your dog too, we have been through this more times than I want to think about. It's always rough.

Was up at 5:30 just dropped off the kitty in the city to get spayed. It is pouring pouring.
I always water bath beets and actually I just processed them in the pot till they are cooked, add them hot to the jars with lots of vinegar little sugar salt. I keep them in the fridge. Been doing them this way more years than I can remember. Never a problem.

The vinegar makes it safe to water bath them.

 

[Wildwood]

When I was younger, I kept color on my hair all the time. I did it myself, too. One day, it was time, so here I go. I had done it so many times that I wasn't afraid to do it. I was also using the same color I had always used. When it was finished, I had a whole head of "purple" hair!!!! I, immediately, called my beautician and told her what had happened. She got me in right away, cause she knew I was panicking, lol. I don't remember what she did to it, but it turned out ok.

My hair is still a dark chestnut brown, but I've got a small spot in the front that is turning a bit gray. I'm planning to let it go gray, naturally.

You are blessed to still have your natural color. I loved mine and never dyed it but I did frost it for a few years in my late teens/early twenties. Unfortunately, the gray started in my thirties. I don't hate my white/gray hair. It's a pretty color but makes me look washed out and old. For a few days, I will be rocking this carrot top I've got going on lol. Even though my natural color was dark brown, it did have auburn highlights.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

You are blessed to still have your natural color. I loved mine and never dyed it but I did frost it for a few years in my late teens/early twenties. Unfortunately, the gray started in my thirties. I don't hate my white/gray hair. It's a pretty color but makes me look washed out and old. For a few days, I will be rocking this carrot top I've got going on lol. Even though my natural color was dark brown, it did have auburn highlights.

Back in my much younger years, I laid out in the sun a lot during the Summer. We had a pool. My hair began to get sun bleached, naturally. To even up the color, I put color on it. I almost went blonde. A dark tan with sun bleached hair, yeah, I was "rockin it", LOL. THEN, I got deathly sick after another day in the sun. It took a while, but the doctor I was seeing at the time, ran some tests. Sent me to different specialists. Found out I had Lupus. From then on, getting too much sun was forbidden. I'm still very photosensitive. I stopped coloring my hair after that. I let it go back to my natural color and haven't colored it, since.

 

[Wildwood]

I seldom use my water bath canner since everything is in pints and I can use a soup pot with the rack from my pressure cooker both of which are in the kitchen and the canner is in the basement. I keep the pressure canners in the kitchen but am seriously considering buying an electric canner.

I have recipes from my grandmothers that I love and several years ago I took them to the Extension office and asked if they were safe to use. I was told yes. I have always followed canning rules and instructions and if in doubt will go to their Website at National Center for Food Preservation USDA or use the Extension Service hot line to call and check. I also have printed booklets for most of their instructions updated where needed since the 1970 changes. I keep everything in a large 3-ring binder, and I have the Ball Blue Book and Jackie Clay's growing/canning book. I have a spaghetti sauce recipe from a magazine and called the hot line about it as I do not want to be responsible for killing anyone including myself! They said it must be pressure canned due to the ratio of peppers and onions.

I bought the neatest pot at WM a couple years ago just to use to can a few quarts at a time. It's tall and narrower than usual and will hold a small round trivet from a long ago small waterbath canner. I picked the trivet up at a yard sale in hopes I could find a tall skinny pot. Anyway, it holds four quarts perfectly and is tall enough to cover them with a few inches of water and then some. I love it. No more dragging in a huge WB canner and taking forever to get the thing boiling. I don't know why but those things scare me even though I've used them plenty. It's gone up more than $10 since I bought mine just a few years ago...three at the most but I'm pretty sure it was just two years.

Robot or human?

 

[Wildwood]

Back in my much younger years, I laid out in the sun a lot during the Summer. We had a pool. My hair began to get sun bleached, naturally. To even up the color, I put color on it. I almost went blonde. A dark tan with sun bleached hair, yeah, I was "rockin it", LOL. THEN, I got deathly sick after another day in the sun. It took a while, but the doctor I was seeing at the time, ran some tests. Sent me to different specialists. Found out I had Lupus. From then on, getting too much sun was forbidden. I'm still very photosensitive. I stopped coloring my hair after that. I let it go back to my natural color and haven't colored it, since.

I use to lay out in the sun too, trying to add some color to my skin. I sincerely regret that now but you couldn't tell me a thing back then.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I use to lay out in the sun too, trying to add some color to my skin. I sincerely regret that now but you couldn't tell me a thing back then.

Yes. I regret it, too. I think it was a contributing factor in me developing Lupus. I knew I felt really bad after a day in the sun, but didn't think much of it, until I got really sick, fever, and swollen joints.

 

[Meemur]

It's 43 degrees and pouring rain, not snow, here. I'm happy about that because the burn ban has been lifted. I've been concerned about field fires.

The weather folks are warning about potential tornadoes tonight and maybe tomorrow night. Tis the season! Easter should be nice, though.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

It's 43 degrees and pouring rain, not snow, here. I'm happy about that because the burn ban has been lifted. I've been concerned about field fires.

The weather folks are warning about potential tornadoes tonight and maybe tomorrow night. Tis the season! Easter should be nice, though.

Our burn ban hasn't been lifted, yet. We have a good chance of rain on Saturday. Keeping my fingers crossed. A 1 out of 5 chance for severe weather. April is usually our peak month for tornadoes.

 

[Wildwood]

One more thing, I'm finally getting some germination on the seeds that would not sprout. I will be ordering fresh seeds for next year on the ones I don't save myself. I'd ordered some tomato seeds from Baker Creek a few weeks ago for an experiment I'm doing with long keeper tomatoes, got them in dirt as soon as they got here and the germination has been great on them.

I mentioned I replaced my pepper seeds with some I saved last year on a whim when I was processing my peppers. They are starting to sprout. Lesson learned. I'll never be starting this many varieties of tomatoes again. I'd bought the seed for the experiment last year but my garden was something of a disaster between the rabbits and the neighbor's dog so I gave up on it. I'm repeating the experiment this year but I wasn't about to rebuy all those seeds. Unfortunately, the seeds were proabably a year or two old when I got them but I have enough up to conduct my mad scientist stuff and if something happens this year, I won't be trying again.

I did try a hybrid tomato in DH's seperate little garden last year that I loved. Those seeds sprouted immediately this year and the plants are looking great. I've never been a huge fan of hybrids but these are the exception. As another experiment, I saved a few seeds from them and just for fun, I'm going to grow a few plants and compare them to the bought seeds. DH loved them so much, he wanted me to grow our main two tomato rows in them but I will never give up my heirlooms. I can't miss out on my Cherokee Purples although the Cherokee Carbons, a hybrid in the experimental group, are looking phenominal.

 

[Meemur]

I bought the neatest pot at WM a couple years ago just to use to can a few quarts at a time. It's tall and narrower than usual and will hold a small round trivet from a long ago small waterbath canner. I picked the trivet up at a yard sale in hopes I could find a tall skinny pot. Anyway, it holds four quarts perfectly and is tall enough to cover them with a few inches of water and then some. I love it. No more dragging in a huge WB canner and taking forever to get the thing boiling. I don't know why but those things scare me even though I've used them plenty. It's gone up more than $10 since I bought mine just a few years ago...three at the most but I'm pretty sure it was just two years.

Robot or human?

Thanks for posting that! I've added it to my consideration list. I have to watch my back, so I gave up doing bulk canning. However, I still make freezer jam and would like to also can small batches of strawberry (and mixed berry) jelly and jam for home use in the early summer. It's acidic enough to not worry me, as long as I'm following the procedures, and given the rising costs of jellies and jams, the pot would pay for itself quickly. I use jams in holiday cookies in the colder months.

I'm also looking into alternatives to can pints. I have the jars already.

 

[hd5574]

I don't think a lot of today's hybrid tomatoes have a lot of acid. The heirlooms are another story.
Heck, a lot of today's hybrids don't have much taste, even homegrown ones.

Even some of the older heirloom varieties of yellow tomatoes are low acid..we prefer the old high acid red heirlooms..and I still can them the same way I have since the early 1970s...

 

[Meemur]

Most of the heirlooms simply taste better! (or have some taste) . . . I don't know what's going on with the modern tomatoes. The ones in the store are horrible, which is what inspired me to start growing my own again in the first place.

A lot of the berries are a similar story. The ones I and my neighbors grow are fine, though.

 

[Wildwood]

Thanks for posting that! I've added it to my consideration list. I have to watch my back, so I gave up doing bulk canning. However, I still make freezer jam and would like to also can small batches of strawberry (and mixed berry) jelly and jam for home use in the early summer. It's acidic enough to not worry me, as long as I'm following the procedures, and given the rising costs of jellies and jams, the pot would pay for itself quickly. I use jams in holiday cookies in the colder months.

I'm also looking into alternatives to can pints. I have the jars already.

I waterbath pints in some of my regular pots. I use that same smaller trivet in the bottoms of the shorter pot or you can fold a small towel and put it in the bottom. As long as you have the lid of your jar covered in an inch or so of water, you are all good.

Here is a trivet like the one I put in the bottom of the pot I shared. I'm not positive it's that same dimension but it looks like it. If you get to the point you need me to measure the exact width, let me know. It's stored on a deep bottom shelf with a Dutch oven in front of it. I picked mine up at a yard sale for a dollar or two but there's a long history of lots of canning around here.

Vintage Used Aluminum 7 3/4" Canning Trivet Mirro Cooker Canner Rack | eBay

7 3/4" X 1/2" aluminum Rack for Canner or Cooker. others say it's Mirro but I can't find a logo anywhere.

www.ebay.com

 

[Meemur]

There's almost always odds and ends at estate sales, just not the large stock pots that often. Those get passed down in the family a lot.

I've got a little time before I have to decide what I'll be doing with the berries this year.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I got another great report from my eye specialist. I don't have to go back for another check for 10 weeks. That's the longest I have gone, since I started with her. No more injections so far, either.

Cary did some shopping for things he needed. We ate at our Mexican place, then came on home.

 

[Wildwood]

There's almost always odds and ends at estate sales, just not the large stock pots that often. Those get passed down in the family a lot.

I've got a little time before I have to decide what I'll be doing with the berries this year.

You are right about that...good cast iron too.

I got a few of my really nice pots at JC Penney back in the days when they would have those yearly sales where they would clear all their cookware out and they'd just keep raising the discount percentage until you could get something for literally pennies on the dollar if you had one of their cards.

One of my good Farberware pots just disappeared...how does that even happen? I still have the lid but by the time I missed it, it had probably been gone for a long time. I can picture the scenario...some young adult in the family came over to eat and I sent the whole pot of food home with them along with instructions to return the pot. I put foil on top to secure it a little better than just setting the lid on top. I forgot and possession is 9/10ths of the law lol. I'd like to get this lid out of my way but nobody has come forward yet.

 

[Wildwood]

When I bought my electric canner, I threw the old water bath canner away. I can use the electric one also for water bath canning (came with instructions). I've never used it for that, though.

Me either but when I decided to give it a try, I found out it was pints only. They aren't tall enough to do the quarts. That's when I bought the pot linked above. I enjoyed canning the smaller amounts in the electric canner so much that I wanted to do smaller batches of water bath.

 

[Meemur]

I forgot and possession is 9/10ths of the law lol. I'd like to get this lid out of my way but nobody has come forward yet.

You may not have reminded the correct person, yet. I lost four of my best cookie sheets. It took leaving a note on the church fridge to get them back. I still don't know where they were, but they were left in the church kitchen three days later.

SB -- Good going! I'm glad that you didn't need injections.

 

[ginnie6]

So sorry about your dog Wildwood. They definitely do steal our hearts. Today has turned out nothing like I planned. I woke up about midnight sick as a dog. Seems I caught the stomach virus the grands have. You’ve heard of explosive diarrhea? Well I had explosive puking for 9 hours. So I’ve been in bed all day just worn completely out. At one point I was shivering so bad Rufus jumped up on the bed and just laid as close as he could get. Bless his heart he knows momma is sick. I think I’m over the worst of it as long as it doesn’t swing back around like it did with the kids for round 2.
Needless to say my weekend plans of gardening and probably even church Sunday are gone. I even texted Dh and told him not to come home, he did so he’s sleeping on the couch tonight!

 

[summerthyme]

I'm sorry, Ginnie! We had that fun a few weeks ago...my stomach muscles were sore for days...

We're pretty sure we just got over another bout of Covid...basically, a really bad head cold, with muscle aches and extreme fatigue...bad headaches the first couple of nights. But it hung on forever! I almost never take OTC meds...I was taking Sudafed, NAC, dextromethorpan and Mucinex...and still would wake up feeling like I was drowning in mucous.

And it hung on...and came back. Finally got to feeling like I could breathe and move again, had one good day and woke up the next, gargling again!

I think we're finally over it!

Summerthyme

 

[Wildwood]

So sorry about your dog Wildwood. They definitely do steal our hearts. Today has turned out nothing like I planned. I woke up about midnight sick as a dog. Seems I caught the stomach virus the grands have. You’ve heard of explosive diarrhea? Well I had explosive puking for 9 hours. So I’ve been in bed all day just worn completely out. At one point I was shivering so bad Rufus jumped up on the bed and just laid as close as he could get. Bless his heart he knows momma is sick. I think I’m over the worst of it as long as it doesn’t swing back around like it did with the kids for round 2.
Needless to say my weekend plans of gardening and probably even church Sunday are gone. I even texted Dh and told him not to come home, he did so he’s sleeping on the couch tonight!

Thank you...she's still hanging on and not suffering so we are letting nature take it's course. My DS and DIL are in a little bit of denial. They came over twice today to check on her.

I'm so sorry you've had the bug...I usually get the puking and it's not lady like for me. I'd rather have explosive diarrhea lol.

I'm sorry, Ginnie! We had that fun a few weeks ago...my stomach muscles were sore for days...

We're pretty sure we just got over another bout of Covid...basically, a really bad head cold, with muscle aches and extreme fatigue...bad headaches the first couple of nights. But it hung on forever! I almost never take OTC meds...I was taking Sudafed, NAC, dextromethorpan and Mucinex...and still would wake up feeling like I was drowning in mucous.

And it hung on...and came back. Finally got to feeling like I could breathe and move again, had one good day and woke up the next, gargling again!

I think we're finally over it!

Summerthyme

I had that a few weeks ago and it went straight to my lungs...seems to be my new thing since I've gotten older. I would have never known it was COVID if my taste and smell hadn't disappeared about the time I started getting better. Ours came back for a second round too. I'm over this whole flu season...I hope lol.

 

[feralferret]

We had a not so fun morning. We got a little over four inches of rain in about 29 hours (Wednesday night, Thursday morning). Water was coming in through the basement wall in several places. Was in one severe thunderstorm warning from 10 pm to 11 pm Wednesday night, but I think the worst of it just missed us. I was totally exhausted so my son had to do the shop vac to take up the water (multiple times). It is still seeping in in my wife's room which is where all of the leaks were. There used to be a walkout in that room but one of the previous owners closed it in and filled the outside. Whoever did it obviously didn't do it right.

I overdid it the last few days changing out door locks on both outside doors. There was a lot of damage to the trim and door frame in front from before my daughter bought the house. Some people don't know what they are doing when installing locks and the holes were grossly oversized and misaligned. The metal plate for the deadbolt was missing. Unfortunately my daughter's daughter has mental health issues and character issues and had threatened her mother. The granddaughter had a house key so it was urgent to change the locks. The character issues are primarily caused by her father and his mother. A long story I won't get deeply into. The protected her from the consequences of her willful misconduct nearly all of her life. She is in her mid 20s and also has gender dysphoria issues.

I had diarrhea issues for several hours, then had an upset stomach after supper Wednesday. This contributed to being so tired. When I finally got to bed I slept for eight hours straight without changing positions. That almost never happens. Unfortunately Sleeping that late caused me to have to really rush in order to get things ready for the church service teleconference at 4 pm since I slept until 2 pm. I had to spend an extended time in the bathroom getting my system straightened out. I was downloading the sermon and setting up the playlist including the hymns while trying to fix something to eat. It was the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, an annual Holy Day. See Leviticus 23. Since no leavened bread is allowed, I couldn't fall back on a frozen breakfast sandwich or frozen waffles like I would normally do when in a bind for time.

Hopefully Friday will be much calmer. I'm too old for this. Going to bed in just a few minutes. Need to get up at 11 AM.

 

[WanderLore]

Good Friday morning to you all.
If I could just get rid of this sciatica I'd be okay. Had it since last August everyday. I start back to my chiropractor hopefully tomorrow. I will have the grandsons today.
I was just waiting till I was done with the coal and hay.
We have had so much rain it did leak a little in the basement but not too bad.