Barbara Manning

Hmmmm.. those flavored vinegars sound very good, but they all start with vinegar.  Do you have a recipe for making vinegar that you'd like to share?  I'd like to know how to make at least one of them.  Thanks!

Thanks so much for sharing all these ideas for storing sweet potatoes and making starch from them!  What a surprise!  I want to try it.  While I don't have to deal with 400 pounds of the veg, I do need to up my game on getting more food stored in an economical way.  Here's why:

Earlier this year, I lost the contents of all my freezers and refrigerator during a long-term electrical outage. It was a disaster of epic proportions. I probably lost $2,000 of food storage in the freezer.  But my takeaway from it was to learn to make more fermented veg. I'm also adding canning to my cookery acumen -- for me scary but necessary.  Here's an interesting link to fermenting sweet potatoes that you may like.  I like it because it's a shelf stable way to store the veg. So far I've made shelf stable mayonnaise and butter (how to make ghee, essentially).  Canning is more challenging, but I am determined to learn.

Fermented Sweet potatoes: https://ferment.works/blog/2013/3/1/fermenting-sweet-potatoes

Making shelf stable butter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MnR-1mRyc8 This is from the  RoseRed Homestead YT channel, which I love. The author is focussed on "three simple themes: Emergency Preparedness, Food Security, and Self Reliance. She is a retired food scientist so her record keeping is intricate and immaculate.  I trust what she tells me.

Fermented mayo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwEFN5abrmU  
Becoming a Farm Girl is one of my favorite channels because Casssandra is without a doubt the most informative women I have found. Strap on your chatter helmet because this woman talks a mile a minute and all of it is valuable. Avoid the bla, bla. bal and start at 7:33 for the instructions on fermented mayo. Pay special attention at 7:50 where she gives you an impressive list of YTers who also talk about fermentation.

I hope that some of this is helpful.  And, Happy New Year to all!  

Richi Boyamian wrote:I didn't see it mentioned but to double check, I inherited a large amount of -copper- cookware, no visible damage or anything - any dangers here?. . .I've read that there can be an issue with acid leeching, wondering if I can still make good use of them for other purposes?

Richie, I think that most modern copper pots are what they call laminates -- I think that's what they call them. They'll have a layer of some conductive material and then a layer of something that's good at retaining heat, and then perhaps somethkng else, and the final layer that you see on the outside, copper.

Acidic fruits and vegetables will react with a copper pot, IF you leave, say a pan full of stewed tomatoes overnight or even for 4 to 6 hours in the pot, and the food is touching the copper layer. The copper may or may not permanently discolor and it may or may not pit. Just remember that you want to cook in it, not store in it.

Generally speaking there will  be a mark on the bottom of the pot that will tell you the manufacturer. Even if you can't read the mark take a picture of it, convert the picture to something that you can put online and do a search on the photo if you cant read the mark. Finding the manufacturer online will give you heaps of information about what materials used in the pot the approximate age and also a lot of advice and care for the pot. Like the maximum temperature of the pot before it delaminates or whatever.

Look up copper cookware construction to find out the laminate layers that you might or might not have, and copper cookware care and cleaning so that you know what you're up against if you want to keep this cookware. Good luck!

Christopher Weeks wrote:I don't know how heavy they have to be, but this might interest people: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/2423/bun-sheet-pans.html?filter=type:sheet-pans&filter=material:carbon-steel:stainless-steel:steel&multi=true&filter=coating:uncoated

Yeah. You got the idea. Do a web search on restaurant supply stores to get an idea of what's available in your area.  Most restaurant supply stores will ship nationwide, but you should be able to find what you want at a store closer to your home, to save on shipping.  

An outfit called Local Liquidators has tons of restaurant equipment for sale at less than wholesale prices.  https://localliquidators.com/restaurant-liquidators they distinguish between stainless steel and aluminium pots and pans.

Also check local newspapers (and call local news outlets -- radio, TV, newsprint, and ah, other -- and ask them how you can get information on micro local restaurant equipment sales. There may be local business associations and maybe the local Chamber of Commerce that can help you identify sales for failed restaurants.  Be mindful that these sales usually represent the demise of a family's hopes and dreams for a better life. Many times the profits from these sales go towards paying off the debt incurred in the restaurant startup and leave the family worse off than what they were prior to opening. Moderate your glee at a super good price, please.

Most restaurant liquidators are interested in selling the major equipment -- fryers, ranges, flat-top grills, broilers, braisers, prep tables, refrigerators, freezers, 30 to 50 gallon sealed storage containers, etc; so stuff like sheet pans, other pans, whisks, spoons, knives, cutting boards, front of house dishes, flatware,  glassware, napkins etc, they'll want to sell in bulk.  Don't be afraid to buy a dozen full sheet pans. You'll be surprised how quickly you find uses for them. The knives are not the best (most chefs purchase and carry their own knives with them from job to job), but the kitchen knifes are still good and with a whetstone, (and learning how to use it properly) you can keep those knives sharp (like Japanese katana sharp) for a long, time.  

If the napkins are any kind of natural fabric -- quality cotton or (gasp!) linen you can buy them and stitch them together for a lot of things.  Who wouldn't want a cotton blanket filled with some comfy warm filling? I know a lot of you raise chickens. Here's what Springer Nature says about using poultry feathers as materials for bedding -- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-55645-6_10#:

And there are also cast steel and cast iron sheet pans, but you're best looking in 2nd hand stores, antique stores and garage sales for these items.  They're pretty expensive and coveted.

Good Luck!

if anyone has a link to stainless steel sheet pans which are high enough gauge to keep from warping in a rocket oven, maybe like the ones at Wheaton Labs, I'd be indebted if you
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Clay McGowan, look for stainless steel sheet pans at restaurant supply stores. They sell to individuals as well. Many of them sell products online.  

Buy them cheaper at restaurant bankruptcy sales. You'll need to do some research on how to find the sales in your area, but it's not impossible. Restaurants go out of business for a variety of reasons all the time. In New York City for example, about 8,000 restaurants open every year and at least 6,000 go under every year. Often times restaurant supplies are bought by resellers who will have the equipment of several restaurants up for sale at the same time. Good luck!

paul wheaton wrote: I suggested to my friend that he get a half dozen bales of organic hay, and lay that hay about six to eight inches thick around the tree in the front yard, in a sort of donut shape around the tree.  He thought it was a really dumb idea because he had never seen anybody do this, therefore it has to be a bad idea.  So this is my good friend, who knows next to nothing about horticulture, tell me, a certified master gardener, a certified advanced master gardener, and a person with massive experience ....   that i am wrong.  That I must be wrong because he has not seen others do this.  This position seems to be the utter core of what prevents all amazing things from getting implemented.   I offered to buy the hay and do all the work.  He said "whatever." Done./quote]

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This attitude has been my experience as well, but on an entirely different subject.  I'd lived in Tokyo for about 4 years when I was at a friend's party back in Chicago, where another partygoer asked me, "So, what's it like to live in Japan?" I responded that I could tell him what it was like to live in Tokyo, and started to make some mild, general comparisons, when he stopped me to say, "That's not true. Here's what I read." and to go on telling me what he'd read. Really?

My own sister did the same thing when she complained to me that "school children in Japan have to wear hardhats to school" (because there are so many earthquakes). When I tried to tell her that the caps were make of soft cloth and color coded to the school grade, she didn't believe me, insisting that what she saw on TV was the truth, over my actual observations over the course of a school year!

I've read a few articles on this phenomena more so that I could understand and stop arguing, and then to understand more and start addressing the root cause of people's reasons for clinging to their beliefs, no matter what.  This article on Pshchology Today explains it better than I can.

Just be careful that you are not planting an invasive variety of bamboo.  Please see this article from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/11/big-british-bamboo-crisis-invaded-my-beautiful-home
and the results of my Google search:
https://www.google.com/search?q=aticles+on+invasive+bamboo

I think the issue is whether the bamboo is a "runner" variety or a "clumping" variety.  The runner variety is very difficult to contain and depending on where its planted can invade your home or other out buildings. Please see the articles.  Unless, all y'all are probably well aware of the invasive varieties of bamboo and don't need to hear this

Alexandra Malecki wrote:I quit my full time job 5ish weeks ago and I can't seem to totally eliminate microwave use, especially for reheating tea and/or creamer. I wonder if anyone has any good recommendations for behavioral or other changes I could start embracing to get rid of the microwave?

Specific limitations that come to mind:
1) reheating tea
2) reheating pasta* or rice
3) heating up pasta sauce (I can't put acids in a cast iron skillet)

*Believe it or not, we rarely eat pasta but we happened to last night so I'm not sure how I'm going to negotiate the leftovers.

I'd love to hear what other people have done to eliminate the microwave from their home. Cheers!

Dear Alexandra,
First, thanks for liking my post in Tubular Tommy.  I appreciate it!  Now, on to eliminating a microwave. Personally, I've never liked the machine, but they are ubiquitous where I live -- some foods in the store can only be cooked or heated with a MW.  But, I think your on the right track to eliminate this beast from your life.  Here's what I'm doing:

I will replace my ancient IH stove with a propane gas stove, eventually, maybe within the next 18 months. The propane gas stove comes with an oven, so I'll have a a cooktop and a "real" oven. Right now I'm dealing with a combination MW/Oven/Grill/Steamer thingy. It's too complicated to use all the functions and because it tries to be 4 things it doesn't do any of them very well, and it's too small for some of my oven needs. It takes up valuable real estate too.

Take a tip from one of your commentators and try using a cast iron pan. I regularly use my cast iron cauldron to make tomato sauce. Just be sure to remove the finished sauce and clean the pot immediately.  I haven't found any lasting damage. If you don't want one, use your most trusted fry pan that has a lid. If you don't have a lid, watch this video for how to make a circle from a square of parchment paper or a portion of a paper bag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTBtGKuOgt4&t=10s. Cut it a bit larger than the diameter and tuck the edges under the rim. You can also use a piece of tin foil, which you can wash gently and reuse a few times. Having a lid helps to contain the heat and steam, which is what you need to reheat an food item. Heat the pan on high, reduce the heat after the pan has heated up, add a small amount of oil or water, then add the food you want to reheat and cover.

For tea, do you have a pan whose diameter is smaller than its height? Then that's all you need to reheat any liquid. You can use your fry pan, too.

Understandably, these solutions are not the Set It And Forget It type.  You will probably need to stand by the range and watch what's going on in the pot.  If your range has a timer that shuts off the heat after a a specific time limit, that's a good start, but it's not foolproof.  Here's where finding smaller kitchen tasks comes into play.  I'll wash a few dishes, organise a cupboard (or do a partial org), sweep the kitchen floor, look what needs to be trashed in the 'fridge, add to or start a grocery list, etc. I'm going for menial kitchen tasks that are always there to do. I also stash a trashy novel (something you enjoy reading but can put down and pick up at will) in the kitchen. I'll read a page then go check on the thing that's warming up. Since you're warming a cooked food, you won't be there for more than 10 minutes.

I hope this helps!

Excellent! I can see myself sitting in the waiting room at the emergency room with a smashed thumb if I tried to make this birdhouse. I'd need much more explicit instructions, probably a kit where all the pieces and parts were cut to measure. with and a tiny pack of nuts and bolts used to put the thing together.

You know, I'm like that bad joke about having all the equipment but only looking great in the bar. I think I"d saw my thumb off if I tried to use one. I'm adequate in the kitchen, but a project like this is probably well beyond my range at the moment.

Put me on your list of people who need the plan on how to actually make a birdhouse. But thanks! I love the pictures. I'd love to have these kind of bird houses in my yard.

Then again I think grouse would need quite a bit larger birdhouse. I have a photo of my neighborhood grouse, but can't attach it right now.

Rebecca!  What an incredible project!  I love what you're doing to renovate the home.  I hope you can install RMH technology into the home. I wish I could have done it with mine, but I was dealing with a  home that was only 50 years old.  Sigh.