Any "home-canners" Out There?

[Judyin Philly]

E-mailing my mom to bring her camera down to this week so I can take pics of the quilt

So....Judy....did the eggs win?

I'm so glad your Mom's bringing her camera down....

Nope, sorry, Jen,,,eggs didn't win...it was the old brewed coffee. some just dumped the rest of her coffee cup if she didn't drink it all while touring hers gardens...The be me

Go figure...but the old brewed coffee won. I was so surprised. I did my walk way with veragated hostas on both side...did the grounds on one side and old coffee on the other side...and coffee won hands down. Amazing hugh??

judy

[Timber4est]

Earwigs are easily "tricked". And yeah, I was raised on a large cattle ranch so all the "old school" crafts are very much a part of my life.

Back to earwigs. There are many things you can try, but the easiest way to catch the buggers is to simply purchase a single, narrow garden stake (I use bamboo so when they are to old to use any more I just toss them into the compost bin), A small clay pot (standard orange one from Home Depot for under $1.00) and a bale of straw (toss into the compost bin anything you don't need), a ball of jute twine.

Make a small ball of straw with something the earwigs already got to in the center and tie with jute twine (just like a ball of yarn), stick this into the clay pot. Set the pot down on a solid surface and push the stake you purchased (sometimes I have to take a saw to the stake to make a sharp tip on it). With your clay pot now in the top position, upside down, stick it as near the plant you have the problems with. Use care not to damage the roots of the plant.

This works best if your earwig trap is half the height of your plant. The earwigs will crawl up into the ball and hang out. All you have to do is every few days remove your little trap, pot and all toss it into a bucket of water, put a lid over it and drown the buggers.

Then, you simply make a new ball. I tried this last year without the "bait" or plant they were munching on and had success, but it does work better with the bait. This year I purchased some craft paints and decorations that I hot glued to the clay pots to make them cute.

Deborah

[tiredofdoctors]

Yeah, I know . . . I told my husband (as we were loading bags of manure in our trunk) .. "I cannot believe that we are paying for cow $#*%!!!!" Was wondering if I should do anything to our privacy fences if I put the raised beds on the perimeter of the yard -- is there anyway to protect them from rotting? I don't want to destroy the fences for the sake of our garden -- although it might make good compost Speaking of which, I really had rotten luck this year growing my earthworms. I set the whole thing up the way I was supposed to, but the earthworms kept dying. I ended up just using the compost . . . Anybody know anything about earthworm farms????

[Guest Viola]

You can paint your fences just where your garden is going to go, with a wood perserver. That makes the wood last for years even under ground.

I don't know too much about earth worm farming, but we have big fat earth worms under any piece of wood laying on the ground. Perhaps you need something on top of their compost to keep the moisture in longer.

That's a great idea on the earwigs, I think I'll try that one on my clamatis. Darn ear wigs get them every year. Thanks for that!

[Judyin Philly]

Hi guys-

Just watched a great show on HGTV 'gardening by the yard'

I tried to do a cut and paste of the link to the show with the print out

think the title was "Homemade Critter Remidies"

Let's hope it works.

Open Original Shared Link

Good God in Heaven...it did

Let me know what you think of some of the ideas.

They were new to me esp the amonia.(sp?)

have a great day friends.

Judy in PHilly

[Guest Viola]

Hi guys-

Just watched a great show on HGTV 'gardening by the yard'

I tried to do a cut and paste of the link to the show with the print out

think the title was "Homemade Critter Remidies"

Let's hope it works.

Open Original Shared Link

Good God in Heaven...it did

Let me know what you think of some of the ideas.

They were new to me esp the amonia.(sp?)

have a great day friends.

Judy in PHilly

This is great Judy, I bookmarked it so I can check the amounts to use in the spring. I've tried the potato thing and caught some wire worms. It did help, radishes will catch wire worms too, likely more than potatoes. I do like the skim milk one. I'm really going to use that one this year.

[nikki-uk]

I can't believe I just found this thread!

I love my (small) garden-hee hee and I'm getting so excited that spring will be here soon and my bulbs are starting to come up(daffodils and tulips).Thanks to Shirley on a different thread for the tip of putting moth balls down to stop the peskey squirrels digging them up.

I also try to grow some veg in limited space.Last year we grew runner beans,tomatoes and blackberries/strawberries.

We have used what we call a 'slug pub' for many years,(though of course we only have gluten-free beer to put down now).Wonder what the slimey fellas prefer!

Here in London UK it's damp ALOT of the time so the slug/snail thing is an ongoing battle!

We also use soapy water on the green and black fly(aphids) on our rose bed.

Also,if you see any ladybirds ,put them on your roses,they will eat the aphids.I dunno if you have ladybirds on your side of the atlantic!.

I never thought I would enjoy gardening!

My husband always dealt with that side of things-but over the years he got weaker and weaker while waiting to discover he had coeliac(i know you guys understand that!).

When my hubbie ended up in hosp for a month(at the end of which the dx of celiac disease was made)he asked me to make sure I watered the garden etc.

I actually found myself looking forward to 'my' time in the garden.

Very therapeutic!

And so satisfying when you hard work pays off.

BTW my avatar is one of my garden flowers(morning glory).

[Judyin Philly]

I've tried the potato thing and caught some wire worms. It did help, radishes will catch wire worms too, likely more than potatoes. I do like the skim milk one.

Hi Viola,

good to hear about the radishes. now i'll buy the skim milk for the garden and not me

What kind of flour will you use anything but Wheat i guess

It sure was flying everywhere.

judy

[tiredofdoctors]

Hey! What do you know? My husband and I did the right thing without knowing it! In desperation, we sprinkled cayenne pepper all over the area where I had planted my bulbs. Then we went looking for the squirrels and chipmunks with swollen lips! (just kidding) -- but it kept them from eating them. (at least some of them -- I think they had already gotten a bunch!) Hey wait . . . Shirley or Jen -- did you guys give me that advice? I think maybe so . . . . Lynne

[Guest Viola]

Judy, I think in our case, because we don't have flour in the house, and I don't think that any of our flours would swell enough, I'm thinking that un-cooked corn meal might do. It sure swells when it gets wet. Also, if you live in a farming community, you could get beet pulp at a feed store. That really swells as well when it gets wet. We used to feed it to over weight horses (mixed with water and left to set) for bulk. Very little calories in it and they got full of beet pulp instead of high cal feed. Safer for us to handle too

[Judyin Philly]

un-cooked corn meal might do. It sure swells when it gets wet. Also, if you live in a farming community, you could get beet pulp at a feed store.

Viola

I swear, i wrote you a thanks notes yesterday but can't see it here.

good tips.

passing these all onto my garden club..we all love it as natural as it can be

Judy

Jen, did you get the picture of your quilt

[jenvan]

Judy-

Thnx for the critter remedy link. Am cking it out now.

I did take some pics of the crazy quilt. My mom should be e-mailing them to me today--I'll let ya'll know!

Nikki-

Welcome! I have been thinking about growing beans this summer...may have to ask your advice. Where did you put them? (I have limited space too). Slug pug--so funny! We have gotten some HUGE slugs in the summer. Only seen 2, but they were literally a foot long and several inches in diameter--freakish! (or atleast i thought!)

[nikki-uk]

Hi Jen,

When I grew the beans I made a frame from bamboo canes up against my fence,attaching them together with garden twine.

The gardens here are oblong and have 6 ft fence panelling either side(my own little box!)

Mind you the beans grew further than the 6 ft fence,and trailed down over into my neighbours garden.!(free beans for them!)

They did taste good though.

OMG ,I don't like the sound of your slugs(a foot long!) hideous things.

Another thing I do is send the kids out with a container and tell them whoever collects the most slugs wins a toy!Eugh, I can't touch them ,or worms come to that!(ever seen a grown women run screaming down the garden 'cos a worm touched her)

[jenvan]

ever seen a grown women run screaming down the garden 'cos a worm touched her

Sounds like me too! I have to wear gloves Don't mind the dirt, just the bugs, I get shivers from them all! I keep hoping I'll outgrow it...but doesn't seem like it ! If I'm picking and there is a big ol' bug on the veggie or fruit, I have to stop myself from dropping and run! My dh laughs at me...

[Guest Viola]

Nikki, that is so funny Good thing you have kids around to pick them up for you!

Judy, you are so welcome. This is really a sharing thing, I didn't know about the skim milk one. Can't wait to try that one

Jen ... you're either living in a rain forest to have slugs so big, or you've got a couple of baby snakes around Glad I don't have the big ones here, we used to have them on the north coast when we lived there, and that is a rain forest up there.

Now if someone could come up with a solution to having a dozen deer clean out your garden ... besides an 8 ft. fence, it would be good. So far they only leave two plants alone, Lupins and Fox Glove.

[jenvan]

Hey ladies! I got my crazy quilt pictures. PM your e-mail address if you want me to send them to you. My grandma's sister made it, some of the fabric is from her husband's clothes. She did the embroidery too which is throughout the quilt. It has family names on it. I plan on going back and adding in the last generation of family names I was sick when I took the pics, so I didn't have enough energy to pull the entire thing of the quilt rack, but took pictures of different sides. Enjoy--I think its beautiful!

[Guest Viola]

Hi Jen, sent my address I've got to get downstairs and take pictures of mine and we can compare styles. Today is going to be nuts though, so I'll try either this evening or tomorrow morning.

Can't wait to see yours!

[Smunkeemom]

okay, so I have been seeing the title of this thred for a while........trying to ignore the urge to post....but now I have a reason!

My girls and I have decided to grow a veggie garden this spring/summer, and I am thinking that I need to can some of our veggies for winter time, I know it's a while away but what are some basic things I will need so I can purchase a little at a time, anyone got any advice for someone new to it?

[chrissy]

the main thing you need to get is a pressure canner if you are going to do vegetables or meats. if you want to do fruits, you need a water bath canner. canning jars, of course. a jar lifter and a canning funnel and a magnetic lid lifter are all nice and are sometimes sold together in a set. you also need to get a good canning book. i think that most grocery stores will have a ball canning book when the canning season starts. if you plan on doing tomato sauce, a victorio strainer makes it really easy---it also makes doing applesauce a breeze. some sort of strainer for lifting out hot veggies and fruit from a pot is pretty helpful. if you get really in to canning, there are more fun gadgets out there----cherry pitters, bean frenchers, apple peelers and corers.

christine

[jenvan]

I have a water bath--my grandma's actually, just a huge-o pot with a jar rack. I do suggest getting a funnel--big help in keeping your lids clean. You definitely need a jar lifter too. And of course the jars, lids, rims. And some clean dishtowels etc for wiping off rims etc, we dips ours in the bowling water first. Go here to see a great canning site with recipes, info etc: Open Original Shared Link and go here to shop online for supplies, kits etc: Open Original Shared Link I usually find and buy my jars at Walmart or Meijer. Happy Canning!

[chrissy]

i've bought a lot of my jars at yard sales.

christine

[tiredofdoctors]

Jen, I've PM'd you about getting a copy of the crazyquilts, but I gotta know -- in what areas are you weak? Honestly, you're articulate, you know a TON of how to navigate the internet, you obviously know a lot about celiac and medical / sciences, AND, you're a domestic goddess. What is your secret? I seriously want to know, because you look REALLY young, and I'm 43 and couldn't do HALF of what you do. Holy mackerel! Please, for my self-esteem, reply and tell me just ONE thing at which you're marginal. It would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!! (Of course, you know that the message is sent in jest, but the sentiment is sincere.) Talk to you soon . . . Lynne

[Judyin Philly]

Jen, I've PM'd you about getting a copy of the crazyquilts, but I gotta know -- in what areas are you weak? Honestly, you're articulate, you know a TON of how to navigate the internet, you obviously know a lot about celiac and medical / sciences, AND, you're a domestic goddess. What is your secret? I seriously want to know, because you look REALLY young, and I'm 43 and couldn't do HALF of what you do. Holy mackerel! Please, for my self-esteem, reply and tell me just ONE thing at which you're marginal. It would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!! (Of course, you know that the message is sent in jest, but the sentiment is sincere.) Talk to you soon . . . Lynne

HI Jen and Lynne--

Lynne your too funny...I've had my doubts about Jen all along...she is just to good to be true..Heck she can even help me with my electrical fears-remember my 'fear' of our spa mat, jen?

Maybe I'm just 'punch drunk' --who the heck is still at their computer at 2:17 am

I was just on a gardening forum that I joined and hadn't gone into before.

OK I'VE GOT A GOOD ONE.

Jen,,remember that song about the woman who 'brings home the bacon and fries it up in the pan?" well now Jen's added to the song---not only does she bring home the bacon and cook it...she grows the corn to feed the pig that provides the bacon that she cooks glutten free

Jen, did you get the name of the book I pm'd you?

I have to go to bed.

Nite all

Judy in Philly

[jenvan]

ha ha!! you two are crackin' me up this morning, which is great b/c i am under the weather hmmmm lynne, i am marginal in a lot of things! and perhaps i am a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none? i do enjoy doing a variety of things, sewing, canning, cooking etc, but i'm definitely not the best in any of them! i just like learning new things, appreciating the 'old' arts and involving others. i'm sure my husband could fill you in on my weaknesses! probably the worst is that i try to do too much, and somehow want to be martha, even though i know she has a staff of thousands to actually do her work, and come up with all those fabulous ideas! and actually ya'll are amazing to me--orchards, horses, sewing, compost... and lynne--you are reupholstering--i have no idea how to do that, and earthworms...i'm not to that point yet ! so far i've only thought about compost--ha!

PS--I am henious, henious at math!!!!

[Judyin Philly]

PS--I am henious, henious at math!!!!

Well well well,,,,,so you are bad at math--poor child...

Heck i'm bad at math and can't spell worth a 'ding dong'.

Jen, I'm like you,,,like to try new things and for while when i wasn't teaching and was home for 5 years with Jason before he started kg, I'd take a adult educ class in anything from weaving, flower arranging, throwing pots, water colors etc, it was such fun and then had to go back to work

Hey, you ignored my 'pig' issue...didn't you get your pig yet????

hope your feeling better, honey

Judy