Someone has introduced a bill to make it illegal to grow your your own food, including purchasing/selling organics foodstuffs that we now can find in the stores. This bill has to be stopped. Please pass this one around… let’s get this one nipped in the bud and quickly!
Below I will give you some quick-cook Jelly and Jam ideas. I hope these will help you conserve money by making your own.
Orange Jelly
2 cups water
1 pkg. powdered fruit pectin
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
Mix water and pectin in saucepan; bring quickly to roiling boil; boil hard one minute; add sugar and concentrate; stir until dissolved (don’t boil).
Remove from heat; pour into hot sterilized jars to within 1/8 in from top; seal and allow to cool. Make sure canning lids pop before storing to insure they are sealed.
With the above recipe you can substitute tangerine juice or pineapple juice (if you can still find them in the stores).
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Marjoram Jelly (Great with Lamb and Chicken dishes)
2 tbs. marjoram leaves
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup liquid fruit pectin
Combine morjoram and water; let stand 15 minutes; strain through fine mesh cheese cloth. Measure liquid and add water to make 1 cup.
Strain lemon juice through cheese cloth. Combine lemon juice, sugar and herb liquid in a saucepan. Bring toa boil; stir in pectin. Stirring constantly, bring to a full boil. Boil 1/2 minute. Remove from heat. Skim. Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 3 half pints.
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Apricot Jam
3 cups diced apricots
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 cups sugar
1/2 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Mix apricots, lemon juice and sugar. Boil until apricots are soft. Remove from heat; stir in pectin. Stir and skim for 5 minutes.
Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 3 1/2 half pints.
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Blueberry/Rasberry Jam
1 pint blueberries
1 quart red raspberries
7 cups sugar
1 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Crush berries; measure 4 cups (if necessary add water to make full amount).
Add sugar; mix well. Heat to full rolling boil; boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pectin; skim.
Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 10 half pints.
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Blueberry/Rhubarb Jam
3 cups finely cut rhubarb
3 cups crushed blueberries
7 cups sugar
1 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Combine rhubarb and blueberries in large saucepan, add sugar; mix.
Place over high heat; bring to full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add pectin. Stir and skim for 5 minutes.
Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 9 half pints.
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Peach/Pear Jam
3 1/2 cups mashed peaches and pears
6 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp. ground cinmamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Mix all ingredients, except pectin.
Place over high heat; bring to full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add pectin. Stir and skim for 5 minutes.
Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 9 half pints.
This post has been generously given by David over at Sugarloaf Mountain. David is currently building a home in the trees. A real treehouse that is close to his mothers house. He will be able to live there and still be able to take care of his mother. He will have the best of both worlds… to feed his inner child with his treehouse and still have his own dream space to live in. Please feel free to show him some love over at his place when you are done here. He has posted the progress of his treehouse project over there. 
Here in the south west, water is the big deal; what we must learn to conserve and be careful how we use it and appreciate the quality and availability of our water (in our mountains, it is ALL well water. It does not come from the Colorado River of Northern Calif.)
When I start the dishes (haha) or run water for the shower I collect the cold water (while waiting for the hot) in gallon jugs and use it to water my container garden. My tomatoes and eggplants have gotten through a long dry summer almost entirely on water that would have gone down the drain and through the (expensive) sewer treatment plant process.
The small effort keeps me more aware of water and my role in doing my part.
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To save $ on the gas bill and to reduce the (miniscule) emissions from the water heater I turn it DOWN after I shower and only turn it back up when it is needed again (if I forget, I get a warm shower that is shorter than usual).
I am studying a solar water heater design that can help make my tree house more green, but must make it freeze proof since we get down to the single digits several times a year.
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Noise pollution is real, and what is worse than a WHINY or nasally girls voice on the local radio station. I told one of my advertiser friends that the ad they had done made me cringe. I WROTE some copy that they are now using with a different voice and I feel like I helped my friends and my fellow (radio) listeners. Next week I will volunteer my own voice.
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Later I will deal with outdoor light pollution, wasted light that obscures the beautiful night sky…. then who knows.
God bless you.
David, in the mountains
In this weeks post I shall address what works for us here in the semi deep south. Most of our earth here is clay, sand, silt and granite. I am sure that most of my tips would work almost everywhere as they are universal in design. It takes a lot of work to get a space ready to plant food and most of the tips here will hopefully help you produce a bumper crop for your winter enjoyment.
The first thing we do is save all of our leaves from the fall and place them on our plot from the year before. This helps replace rich nutrients that the garden has robbed from the ground. If you are just starting, it would not hurt for you to go ahead and till a spot in the fall and do the same thing. This way, when it is time to plant you will have had most of the hard work already done.
Most of our time is spent pulling up rocks that we missed from the year before. This can be time consuming and back breaking, but it is always worth the effort in the end. When spring arrives you will have an easier time tilling your space and most of the leaves will have already mulched… leaving lots of rich and dark nutrients to till in. We always find that the worms love the mulch and have been very busy during the winter doing their thing to make the earth even richer.
Just about 2 weeks before you are ready to plant, till it one more time and add in your fertilizer. Dry fertilizer is better here in the southern climates… as spring is a wet time of year for us and the rain helps to spread the fertilizer around. We use a 10-10-10* mix as clay is mostly devoid of the things food plants need to grow. Even though we are a very green state as far as plants and trees go, it is still a somewhat hostile environment for food plants.
Most the the natural plants and trees that grow here are very hardy. We are known for our peanuts, peaches, and Vidalia onions. We are also full of dogwoods, pines, weeping willows and hardy types of roses. Some of the other things that grow commonly here are figs, cotton and pecan trees. Go farther south and you will find orange orchards near the Florida border. Drive north into the mountainous areas and you will find apple and christmas tree orchards.
Here in Atlanta, if the garden is done right you can grow almost anything. In our space alone we grow about 10 different kinds of tomatos, string beans, peas, corn, yams (sweet potatoes), regular potatoes, any kind of pepper, eggplant, okra, any kind of squash, cucumbers, and just about anything you can think of. In other spots in our yard we grow blueberry bushes and at one time we had grapes (the ants got them). We are planning on locating some larger pomegranite trees to plant in the next year or so. When we finally get around to pulling out a few pines, we will also be growing some pears.
All of the foodstuff I have mentioned above is gathered and stored for winter. We make our own poppers (In a later post I will give you the recipe), cut and freeze sweet peppers and most of the other items. The only thing we have not been able to find a decent storing option for is eggplant. It just does not store well and if frozen turns rubberish. We only plant two seedlings of eggplant for that very reason. Why grow it if you can’t eat it right away and storing is out.
Sorrry, got off on a tangent there. Once the fertilizer has been in the ground for two weeks, the plot is tilled one more time and we lay down black plastic. The plastic has been the secret to our growing success. It keeps the ground warm and during drought-like conditions it helps keep the moisture in the ground, not to mention that it keeps the weeding to a minimum.
We plan out what will go where according to how the sun tracks. Stuff that needs more sun gets the best locations. Once plotted, we go through and cut X’s in the plastic and plant there. You can also reach in and mound the earth for those plants that require growing in that manner… like squashes. In between the plastic, we grow our beans and peas. It is easier to put up fencing for them to grow up if you are not struggling with moving large sheets of plastic.
No weeds after two weeks and thriving
The other half has always stuck to one rule that his grandmother taught him when he was younger and it has been a money saver for us on many occasions. Correction: Always have your plants in the ground by the full moon in May, not April. There have been countless times we would have lost the garden completely if he had not stuck to this one rule due to late frosts. When you are sinking a lot of time and at least $75.00 to a $100.00 in seeds and plants into a garden, the last thing you need is to lose all of them needlessly. Check your almanac for your areas last frost. It is usually correct but over time you will know when it is finally safe to put your plants in the ground.
One last thing that you may not know, as a lot of people here did not know last year during one of the worst droughts in Georgia history. A food garden is exempt from watering bans. This is a federal law. I did a lot of research on it and it was not widely advertised in, what seemed like, the hopes that the locals would not use the extra water. I saw just one article on it in the local paper last year and it was not front page news.
We made it through last year mostly due to the black plastic holding the moisture in for the plants to feed upon. We also watered late at night, after dark to allow the water to fully sink into the ground before the sun came up. Dew on your plants in the morning is one thing but watering at the wrong time of the day will burn your plants up, especially with the black plastic increasing the heat eminating from the ground. I also recommend that you pick early in the mornings, so you are not suffering from the heat the plastic creates. It is very easy to be overcome by heat exhaustion when you are standing in the middle of a very hot garden picking.
I will have more later on storing your foodstuffs. If you have any questions, please ask them. I will do what I can to answer them in an easy to understand format.
Copyright 2008, Phoenix
*In order for a plant to grow and thrive, it needs a number of different chemical elements. The most important are:
Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen – Available from air and water and therefore in plentiful supply
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (a.k.a. potash) – The three macronutrients and the three elements you find in most packaged fertilizers
Sulfur, calcium, and magnesium – Secondary nutrients
Boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc – Micronutrients
Courtesy of How Stuff Works
For my first ever article here I am going to address the one thing that is on everyones minds: Saving money at the gas pump. Most of what I am going to list here is common sense, but there are a few things that many don’t know or they are aware of them but have forgotten.
None of us want to be “assuming the position” (I actually have this sticker on my car) and it would be nice if we could get back to the days of lower prices, but until then practice these tips:
1. Fill up during the coolest part of the day.
Early morning is the best time to fill because gas is a liquid and it will expand as it gets warmer.
2. Fill your tank as slowly as you can.
The lowest setting on the handle is the best to get more for your dollar. The reason for this is because your tank, when low fills with fumes. As gas goes in, the fumes go out. If you pump the gas in too fast the ratio of gas in and fumes out becomes distorted and you will not be able to fill as much as you would like. The tank gadge will read full when there is actually more room in there being taken up by fumes. In the old days, when backsplash cups didn’t exist, this problem didn’t occur but I would love a dollar for everytime I left a gas station smelling of gasoline. Not a pretty picture.
3. Keep your tires checked for proper pressure.
Less tire on the road means optimum performance out of your car… less gas used.
4. Keep your car tuned, oil changed and your air filters clean.
Nothing uses gas more than a sludgy engine that can’t breathe. You can save up to 3% more gas by doing these simple and necessary things. If your filter is not that dirty, have the mechanic blow it out with an air hose… saving even more unnecessary bucks.
5. Turn off the air conditioner on nice days.
Get some fresh air and air out your car like you do at home. Even a car can get stale being shut up all day and we can always get a rush from the fresh air blowing your cares away!
6. Walk, bicycle, car pool or use mass transit.
If you have any of these available, using them just once a week would save America tons of gasoline and money. I personally have been checking out scooters, but at the moment they are still a bit too pricey for this old gal.
7. Stop jackrabbit starts, uneven gas pedaling and slow down.
Nothing drives me more crazy than someone that can’t hold an even gas pedal when they are driving. (Well that and over steering… lol) Jack rabbit starts use more gas than necessary. Let your car accelerate naturally. Coasting when going down hill can also save gas and don’t press your car to maintain speeds uphill. Keeping to the lower speed limits also saves gas. Gas mileage decreases quicker at higher speeds.
8. Use your cruise control on highways.
This was put into cars, not just for your convenience but also as a gas saver. It uses the optimum amount of gas needed to get you the most out of every gallon.
9. Combine your errands so you are not running more than needed.
Nothing uses more gas than running all day for different things. Get it all done at once and you will notice a marked savings in gas usage.
10. Extra weight in the trunk make an engine work harder to pull it.
I am as guilty of this as the next person. I think that I need this and need that or will need it eventually and my car truck ends up becoming a storage spot of useless items. Lighten your loads!
11. Gas saving gadgets are 99% ineffective.
Don’t waste your time and money on these things. They just don’t work.
12. Use the proper octanes recommended for your car.
Why waste money on higher octanes when it isn’t needed? All cars have an octane guide in either the door panel or in the users manual. If the car is sluggish and has injectors, then by all means have them cleaned every once in a while. Your engine will love you and perform better.
13. Don’t let your gas tank get completely empty.
Trash eventually collects in gas tanks. If you allow it to get completely empty that trash can get into your gas lines and clog your filters. You should never allow a tank to get below a 1/4 tank.
14. Turn off that car and stop idling it when it isn’t necessary.
Idling uses gas… and you are not going anywhere. It is not like the old days when you had to prime the carburator to get the engine started. Todays cars are already primed and ready for you to just turn the key. A lot of us are also guilty of getting in our cars, turning on the engine and then just sitting there. Or arriving at our destinations and letting the car idle while you get all your things ready to go before turning off the engine. These are all gas eating habits that we all need to break.
This is just a small list of common sense things that will save you money at the pump. I hope it is useful to you and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them.
Phoenix
I want to welcome you to my new blog, Going Green. I created this with the idea of helping out the average Janes and Joes save money by giving you helpful how-to tips on just about anything and everything we can think of!
There will be guest posting from time to time from knowledgeable every day folks. I will even be begging for articles from the experts now and then. I will also be taking questions from you on things that you would like to know. If I can’t find the answers, then I will find someone who does.
I will tell you right upfront that I am no expert on anything in particular, but, I do have age on my side and a few tricks up my sleeves that can come in handy when they are needed. I can write from my own experiences and trials of every day life. I will also be throwing in a smidgeon of common sense, just to keep things rolling when all else fails.
Todays world is is one where we need to start thinking of ways to conserve energy, money and our natural resources. I am hoping with a little luck and timely actions that we will have something worth handing down to our children. One way to start is at home. I hope that this will be a useful contribution to help save our way of life as we know it.
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