There is a lot to catch up with today.
First, the Tattler Lids. I tried them out on a load of chicken last week. They’re very easy to use and sealed without a hitch. I know there are some concern about the safety of the lids (see comments from last week) but, for my money, they are still the best choice. I’m planning to buy a supply. I’ll keep the metal lids for use with dried foods and things I plan to give away. I need to try the Tattlers with my food saver and see if they work.
Next, the conference. It was very well done and my workshop had terrific attendance. I took an afternoon workshop on seed saving, something I know little about. Like most things, there is more to it than meets the eye. I save some seeds now but I want to get more proficient and I would love to noodle around with plant genetics and maybe cross some heirloom tomatoes and see what I get. I learned more about both process and theory and now need to get another book on the subject. The one recommended is Seed To Seed. My neighbor, Heather, offered me her copy as she doesn’t plan to use any time soon. Bruce took workshops on Colony Collapse Disorder and on harvesting and using beeswax.
The one thing that bothered me just a bit was the price of some things. There was lard for sale for $20.00 a quart and eggs were $6.00 a dozen. I don’t know if that is the going rate around there but I couldn’t afford it. I’m mighty glad for my little flock of layers.
I only came home with one thing. I got a copy of Make Your Place: affordable,sustainable nesting skills by Raleigh Briggs. It’s a sweet little hand-written book that’s self-published and had some great recipes in it. It was only $7.00. I could have spent more on books but I restrained myself.
The best part of the conference was meeting other people doing what I’m doing for all the reasons I’m doing it. Farmers on the outside, cheerful preppers on the inside.
January 19, 2011 at 7:40 am
$6 a dozen??? that’s a real rip off! I see people selling theirs around here (fresh, free range, organic) for $3 a dozen and we could sell ours for $2.50 with no problem. $2.50 will pay for all costs related to raising and keeping my chickens plus still give me all the eggs I need, so why the $6 price tag I wonder.
January 19, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Actually, I’m expecting to pay $5 a dozen for eggs from my farmer; that means she’ll get paid minimum wage to raise the chickens, etc. She’s using a custom soy-free feed mix for them, which I also agree with. Essentially she’s raising them the way I would. So, cost to raise + min. wage for her. I’m willing to pay those prices to get them =) when I can’t have chickens where we live now.
Just another perspective…
January 19, 2011 at 8:01 pm
We charge $5.50/dozen and I don’t make very much on them. I am not even sure I make minimum wage. We make our own feed and are a certified organic farm. I hand wash our eggs and the work of keeping the layers on pasture and travelling to the city with our eggs is costly. If we can’t pay the farmer a sustainable wage, they are not going to be there and then where will our food come from?? We are willing to pay for many other items in our lives, but quality food is not one of them for most of North American society. Sorry for the rant, but I work very hard as a farmer and we still struggle to make ends meet and DH has to get some work off the farm and yet food, next to water, is the most important thing necessary to life.
January 19, 2011 at 8:26 pm
Mea Culpa. Of all people, the girl who rants about the low price of honey should have thought before speaking (writing?). I know. We pay so much less for our food in relation to our income, we forget just what goes into the production of the good stuff. Can you forgive me????
January 19, 2011 at 9:00 pm
No apology necessary. Just trying to present the other side and no offense was taken on my part.
Silvia
January 22, 2011 at 10:03 am
Kathy,
I attended your seminar on food preservation at the conference and loved it. I’ve got my first batch of sauerkraut fermenting and have been dreaming of plans for a solar food dryer (I know you love your excalibur) and a root cellar. A couple questions I have that I can’t figure out from my notes:
- how do you create the vacuum seal for the dried veggies in jars with the Food Saver and tattler lids?
-I’m lacto-fermenting my sauerkraut in a half gallon mason jar. The top portion keeps rising up rather than staying down below the water surface, so I’ve been packing it down daily. I’m worried I’m messing with it too much and introducing contaminants, but also worry that I will get a lot of spoilage on top. It has been 4 days as of today and I’m ready to move it to the basement. How long should I wait before eating?
January 22, 2011 at 10:26 am
I’m currently paying $5. for a flat of eggs (2.5 dozen) from a local farmer that I’ve known for years. They seem to be doing well enough with it (my own perspective there but they’ve been steadily adding improvements to the farm, so I have to assume they are doing well enough). Of course to buy them by the dozen there instead of by the flat I believe is $4. All matters of economy.
January 22, 2011 at 11:00 am
I haven’t used the Tattler lids with the Food Saver yet. I’ll let you knowu as soon as I you need to weigh down the kraut with a weight. You can use a clean, Zip Lock bag filled with brine and set right in the jar. You can just pull off any kraut that looks funky. You can use the kraut as soon as you like. The longer you wait, the tarter it becomes.