Canning with Chef Jo: Stews!

 I went shopping this week and was perusing what Mel calls "the dead meat" section. This is the marked down for quick sale items. I found 3 packages of two lamb shoulder steaks. A quick look at the calendar on my phone said today was the sell by date. Did you know that meat is good for an additional 5 days? Oh yummy, right? They were roughly half price. Can we say, snatch them up like lightning? I wished there was a leg in the dead meat section, but no such luck. 

Next there were some chuck steaks and a roast green tinged from the florescent lights. A quick grab and they were in my cart also. Did you know that the green meat isn't bad meat? It's just not pleasing to sell so vendors mark it down. There was roughly six lbs of meat of each. Remember Sunday when I said my food storage building was bare of meat products? I was about to remedy that.

I took my wheelie cart over to the fresh vegetables. I grabbed two sleeves of celery. This one was crisp with lots of green leaves. Next, I turned and hefted a 9 lb bag of organic carrots into my cart followed by a 10 lb bag of russet potatoes on sale for about $4. I grabbed two 3-lb bags of onions and noticed the mushrooms were marked down. I dumped all 10-8oz packages of mushrooms into my cart. as I wheeled on of the section. 

In the freezer section, I grabbed 10 lbs each of green peas and mixed vegetables. They were also on sale for 5 for $5. My mind was going through the recipes as I caught my breath. I returned to the meat section to grabbed two 30 count boxes of sausage patties and 4 ends and pieces packages of bacon, they were BOGO!

As a last resort, I picked up 2 jars of vegetable Better Than Bouillon. I really could make my own after I cleaned and peeled all these vegetables, but I wanted to do this quick. I would be making vegetable broth later. I was just starting to can my soups for the winter after all.

With bargains galore in my cart, I wheeled towards the cash register. When you have everything you need already purchased for the month, This kind of 'heyday spending' is often frowned upon. As is my habit, I let the cashier ring everything up. The total was well over $200. Mel almost had a heart attack, but I wasn't worried. "Watch," I told her with a wink. I whipped out my store card and coupons and watched the total fall. I love this part...by the time the register took everything off, my total was less than $95. Mel began to breathe again. With totals like that, I'll never make it on the TV show "Extreme Couponers," but I like my savings. But, the real savings is yet to come. By making stew, soups, and canning them myself, the real cost savings and health benefits add up. I can buy $12 a lb lamb for $5 a lb and not blink. It's a way to get the best for my household within our budget. Oh and the splurge buy of Better Than Bouillon, I had a two coupons making them a little over half price. I go into more details in my "Are You a Survivalist or a Prepper?" book.

Now not everything I got will go into the stews I'm canning, but at the price they were I can dehydrate or can them by themselves for my food storage building. After all, frozen vegetables are picked and flash frozen at the peak of freshness. By canning frozen vegetables, there's no prep work too. Talk about a time saver. On to the recipes.

I put the meat in the freezer for and hour. Partially frozen meat is easier to trim the fat off of and cube while I prepped my vegetables. For my stews I rarely chop my vegetables bigger than 1/2" to 3/4" cubes. I can get more meat and vegetables into the jars too. Not really, it's an optical illusion. For every 2" cubed piece of meat and vegetable, you actually get 7 or 8 pieces my way. You only think you are getting more. I'm making these in pint jars because we always serve stews with grits, polenta, over cornbread or biscuits, or rice. We get two hefty, tummy filling servings out of a jar.

Lamb Stew

12 pint jars

What you'll need

5 lbs lamb, trimmed of excess fat and bone cut into 1/2" pieces

5 cups onions, diced 1/2"

5 cups celery, leaves and stalk diced 1/2"

5 cups carrots, diced 1/2"

5 cups frozen green peas, rinsed

5 TBS coarse ground rosemary, either fresh or dried

5 TBS garlic minced

5 TBS salt, noniodinized

5 TBS black pepper

a handful of bay leaves

6 qts vegetable stock

3 TBS butter or olive oil

1 cup all purpose flour

Putting it all together 

• Place flour in plastic bag.
• Season it with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.
• Shake to coat all meat pieces with flour shaking off any excess.
• In large skillet heat the butter/oil. Add meat pieces and cook until brown. The meat will not be fully cooked. Work in small batches until all the meat is brown. Drain and set aside.
• Form an assembly line with your vegetables and jars. Only put 4-8 jars to work on at a time.
• In the following order fill each jar: 
• 1/8 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 6-8 pieces of meat
• 1/4 cup onions
• 1/4 cup celery
• 1/4 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup potatoes
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup green peas
• Pour vegetable broth leaving 1" head space.
• Wipe rims, lid, ring finger tip tight, and place in a pressure canner.
• Process 75 minutes.

I also made beef stew using the same vegetables, beef, and the same method. I also added 1-12 oz can of tomato paste diluted with 1 can of water. I placed 1 TBS in each jar when I added the spices. 

Feel free to experiment and substitute vegetables in your stews. Don't like potatoes? Try rutabaga or daikon radishes. Don't like carrots? Try parsnips, or beets. Use any combination of vegetables, meats or legumes. Make your stew your own! Enjoy!

Now about all those carrots...you'll just have to tune in again to see. "What's Up, Doc?"

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: My NOT Pasta Roni Angel Hair Pasta Sauce for Stores

I made my copycat version of Pasta Roni Garlic and Herb Pasta Sauce with some angel hair pasta last night to go with the succulent lamb chops with roasted asparagus for dinner. We were celebrating the final completion of laying of the foundation of the new chicken coop and feed/straw storage building. It took Mel three weeks to level and complete it. The first week was clearing the weeds for the 6'x 16' foundation. The second week was spent nursing pulled muscles in her back from zigging instead of zagging emptying the dish washer. The third week was laying all the sand and cap bricks into place level. Yes, Mel actually used a 6' level.

Anyhow I digress. As I was making the pasta sauce, I thought how easy it would be to make it in bulk in a powdered variety so I can make with other forms of pasta in short order. It would be a handy thing to have around. All the fresh stuff you'd need is water, butter, Parmesan cheese, (but I could dehydrate this too) and olive oil. It would be as easy to make as the boxed stuff without the preservatives except what was in the dehydrated milk.

I calculated how much I'd need for ten four-servings pouches like you'd get in a boxed package. When I calculated the costs, it was less than $0.50 a box. I haven't seen boxed that low in the grocery stores in about 20 years so the cost savings was fabulous also.  I'll give you the recipe for one four- serving box amount and you can multiply it by how many you'll think you'll need. I put mine in a quart canning jar and vacuum sealed it. I'll just scoop out 1/2 cup of mix for each four serving.

Jo's NOT Pasta Roni Garlic and Herb Pasta Sauce

What you'll need
3 TBS dehydrated whole milk powder*
1 1/2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed or equivalent powder
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 TBS dried parsley
2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
1 dash of white pepper
                                                             1 tsp onion powder
                                                             2 TBS dehydrated Parmesan cheese

Notes-* For my dry milk, 3 TBS of powder reconstitutes to 1 cup. My calculation reconstitutes to 1/2 cup of milk equivalent so the consistency is thicker like half and half or cream.

Putting it together

• In a lidded saucepan, place 1 3/4 cup water, 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS Olive oil
• Bring to a boil.
• Stir in 1/2 cup sauce mix.
• When dissolved, stir in 1 1/4 c of pasta of your choice.
• Boil for two minutes.
• Reduce heat to a low simmer and put the lid on the pot.
• Simmer for 10 minutes adding some more water if needed for bigger and thicker pasta. I usually use angel hair or medium egg noodles. 
• After time is up and the pasta is cooked, there will be some liquid in the pan. It will thicken as it cools.
• Let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

For service- For angel hair, linguini, or spaghetti, twirl the pasta servings into a bee hive formation.
The Parmesan cheese will continue to thicken as it cools to hold it together. You can sprinkle fresh grated Romano or Parmesan cheese on top with a pinch of fresh chopped parsley for a festive presentation. For egg noodles or rotini, scoop two scoops per serving with an ice cream scoop. Again, it will hold together as it cools or use a biscuit cutter and make rounds. Remove the forms used before service. Enjoy!

Y'all Have a blessed day!

Chef Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: My Personal Position on Preserving Food

I make no secret that I don't follow every recommendation or guideline that is currently enforce while preserving my food stuff. Even Ball and the FDA has changed their own rules over the years on what is safe or unsafe to home can. I suggest you do your own research and make an informed decision based on what you learned. Don't take just a dozen 'notable' canner's word for it, myself included.

I am not paid or endorsed by anyone but me. Unlike to afore mentioned entities. Yes, what I do at home is different than what I did as a professional chef. There are standards for everything even for chefs. For chefs there's a test every five years called ServSafe. It's a huge test! Since my strokes and not being allowed in professional kitchens as a chief cook, bottle washer, macro and micro manager for taste, overseer of preparation and
service...otherwise known as an executive chef, I've let my license lapse. That's not to say that I've forgotten what I practiced for almost fifteen years full time and over 30 years part-time.

Now that this disclaimer is out of the way, let me tell you how I preserve food for my household. It's a multitiered approach. Part is from a grandmother-mother's knee approach. Part of my knowledge was garnered from others. I used to love hearing old timers' stories and how they did things in their time. Now, I'm getting to be the old timer. Some things I've watched videos and then researched it. Lastly, the Federal site and the Ball Canning book among other authorities.

For water bath canning my grandmother held firm to a 10% rule. Ninety percent or more of the food prepared has to be high acid. No more than 10% of low acid food added to the high acid is safe to water bath can. This is different than any guideline I've read. But, the food in question must not contain meat or meat byproducts. The exception is using already processed meat byproducts like shelf stable broths. They've already been processed at the higher temperatures to make them safe. But the 10% rule still stands. Did I confuse you?

For example, onions, peppers, herbs, and garlic added to a tomato based pasta sauce is okay to water bath can based on my experience (my mother's, grandmother's, and their descendants). The low acid foods are right at or below the 10% mark and fully cooked before canning. This is calculated by weight. In my case, there's more than 200 years of processing history behind this decision. Of course, each jar when opened is tested, if the product was still sealed and the contents haven't spoiled before being consumed.

Opening Jars Sealed Since 1999
The same goes for the age of home canned food. When I moved here five years ago, A case of various pickles and jams dated 1999 came with me. I cautiously checked the seals even though it survived being transported in a moving truck almost 600 miles. If you've every had a jar or seal explode on you, you'll understand my care. It doesn't happen very often but it can happen especially with old jars and some of my jars have been in use since the 1970s. The seals were still good. I popped open each jar expecting a foul odor. There was none. I carefully scooped out the contents onto a small plate and examined it. The texture was off so I trashed the lot. Technically, I could have tasted it. The aroma was true on all items. But texture, flavor, and presentation is a big thing with me. Push come to shove, I would have eaten it if I had to and been safe...probably.

Whether to use a home canned product boils down to common sense. I love myself too much to poison myself, or anyone else for that matter. If the seal is broken, it's bad even if it smells okay and there's no evidence of decay (mold or bad smell). It goes into the trash. If in doubt, throw it out is a good motto to have. That's common sense, isn't it? It applies to commercially canned food stuff too. I can't count how many times I've gotten food poisoning from a commercially canned product or restaurant in my over half century on Earth. Even once is too many times. My nephew and brother in law ended up hospitalized for over a week because of contaminated canned, name brand tuna. My sister is a stickler like I am said the tuna smelled alright in the can too. Even being careful doesn't always mean you are safe.

Cleanliness is next to godliness as far as home preservation of food stuff is concerned. It's my rule and I stick to it. How many folks wash their sink before preparing food? Even if they don't plan on using it? How many folks add a teaspoon of bleach to their washing and rinsing water pan when hand washing dishes? How many folks spray their clean plates and silverware with hot water or place the plates in the oven to warm before service for each meal? I'm guilty on all counts.

True confession time, I'm a slob except for when food prep and preservation is concerned. I really don't care if my hands are soft with manicured nails. If I have stains or rips in my clothes, at least they are clean. I rarely sweep, dust, or vacuum unless I can no longer stand it.  I don't care if my clothes are folded, properly, wrinkled, or put away. I will make my bed once a week because I've got to change the sheets. But my kitchen, that's another story. I need it organized just so, the floors are swept and mopped, the counters are wiped down with soapy bleach water before anything is made. As for the aftermath of cooking, I tend to clean as I go along, but the rest is up to Mel. I cook and she cleans up. The only exception was last week. She threw her back out by zigging when she should have zagged.

I'm a firm believer if it ain't broke, it doesn't need fixin'. I look at food preservation the same way. If its been canned, dehydrated, and put food by for a half century or more a particular way and it ain't broke (make me or anyone ill, or puts us in danger) why change because regulations change over the years? And, there have been many changes. Ball's Canning Book used to have recipes with milk and cheese, and how to can them. The same thing goes for vegetables like squash.  I even have a canning book on how to can a lot of no nos today. Yes, I understand that knowledge of food preservation grows with the time. There are also a lot of lobbyists paying out tons of money influences changes also. Sure cheese has a density issue, as most dairy products, but there are ways around it like heating products before they are pressure canned to name one technique. But then again, I have books and knowledge that stretches back to the 1700s too. I use my brain and research something on everything if I'm in doubt. I never take things at face value.

I will follow guidelines set aside for certification for cottage industries when making thing for sale because it's the law. DOH! But when it comes to home use, that's my position on food preservation. As always, do your own research and follow what you believe is best for you and your loved ones.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: YouTube- Canning Desserts

You should know by now that YouTube is one of my favorite hangouts online. Under the recommended section I ran across canning cakes and quick breads for long term storage. Now there's only two of us on this homestead. So the idea of making something with a large amount of portions means cooking once and eating many times. So the idea of cooking or baking once and preserving the rest for a later date is an attractive proposition. But, to can quick breads and desserts never occurred to me before.

I watched several videos and all but two used little Jiffy or prepackaged mixes, not cooking from scratch like I do. These two content provider were who I focused on. I mean anybody can go out and buy Jiffy or packaged mixes, right? What I wanted to do was take my own banana, zucchini, blueberry, etc bread dough and can it. Cake recipes like carrot, angel food, and chocolate that would ordinarily feed 8-16 portions pared down to one or two servings. With just two here eating it, normal sized portioned desserts and breads goes stale or moldy before we can finish it, and that's just wasteful. Just something sweet for a couple of mouthfuls is enough for us. Any more than that is a huge temptation for me to overeat. I do it for meals like spaghetti, chili, meatloaf, etc. Why not desserts too?

Now, I have various options of wide mouth jars to pick from since I canned so little this year. To keep it simple, I chose 1/2 pint jars. It's just enough for 1 large serving or two small servings. I tried  my Quadruple Chocolate Cake and cream cheese raspberry swirled brownies because almost everyone can use some chocolate in their lives, right? Why do normal stuff when you're a chef who likes to play with her food (like me)?

I mixed up my quadruple chocolate cake recipe. Now, normally my recipe would make 4- 8" layers of cake so I cut the recipe into quarters. After all, I was just trying it out to see how it turned out and stored. If we liked it, I could always make more. This is one of my most expensive cake recipes, but ooh so rich and chocolaty! It's so-o-o good, it'll make you wanna slap yo mama. I can say this now because my mama isn't on this Earth anymore. Otherwise, I'd be picking myself up from the far wall if I ever tried.

Jo's Quadruple Chocolate Cake
Makes 6-7 1/2 pint jars

Just because it's tiny doesn't mean it can't be  pretty

What you'll need
1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
1/8 cup Hershey's mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1/2- 3.5 oz  Ghiradelli Twilight Delight Intense Dark Chocolate, grated 
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp espresso powder
                                                                                   3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
                                                                                   1 large egg
                                                                                   1/4 cup buttermilk
                                                                                   1/2 vanilla bean (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
                                                                                   1/3 cup hot boiling water
                                                                                   2 TBS sour cream 

Putting it all together

• Sterilized your jars. Wash your lids and rings.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. 
• Grease inside of the jars with butter and dust with some extra cocoa powder.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder together in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips and grated chocolate bar into the flour mixture. Set aside. 
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, eggs, and vanilla together on medium-high speed until combined. 
• Mix the buttermilk and sour cream, and mix until combined.
• Add the buttermilk mixture to the wet mixture and mix until combined.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot water/coffee, and whisk or beat on low speed until the batter is completely combined. 
• Batter is will be lumpy because of the grated chocolate and chocolate chips.
• Fill each jar halfway.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
• Turn your oven off and leave the door open.
• Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• As you immediately remove your jars, one at a time, from the oven wipe/clean each rim with a paper towel dipped the 1/2 vinegar and water solution. If the cake has risen above the rim of the jar trim the cake down with a knife a little ways below the rim of the jar before you clean the rim.
• Place the lid and ring tightly on each jar. The jars will be very hot so protect your hands.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and set on several layers of toweling to protect your jars and surface. 
• Allow to cool completely and check your seals.
• Place sealed jars in your pantry after labeling.

For serve- You don't have to do the elaborate decorations with tempered chocolate and whipped cream like I did. I'm showing off and showing the possibilities. Simply frost with your best cream cheese chocolate frosting or favorite frosting. With the effort and ingredients you've put into making this cake, please don't ruin it with those tubs of frostings from the grocery store.

To serve just slice the cake down the middle. It's too rich, moist, and calorie potent to eat as a single serving, but if you really wanted to you could. 😲 This recipe is sure to satisfy the robust chocolate craving and with one small piece. I have to say, for the first timer the results were fabulous. Enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo

Demolishing the Store Building ...Sort Of

Rats had totally infested our stores building this summer. They were having a grand old time nesting, eating, and just squatting in there. Nothing we tried worked. We even resorted to poisons and it made a small dent in the population, but the destruction continued. The smell was so gross that even Mel had trouble breathing in there. Every week, we'd sweep out two or three dustpans full of droppings every week. They would knock canning jars off the shelves to pop the seals, and eat the contents. Every week jars of jams, jellies and other things I'd painstakingly put up were gobbled down equaling 3 jars a week. Added to the high humidity causing white mold to form over everything. Something had to give. Thanks for all the suggestions via newsletter subscribers.

We took everything out of the stores building. Think several hundred jars and shelves. It ain't a tiny building at 10'x 12'. All the jars and buckets were washed down with bleach water. The shelves included, were we ever glad that I bought metal and plastic shelves to go in there instead of building them in. They were so much easier to clean.We trashed 25 lbs of flour and sugar because the rats had chewed through the buckets.

Next came the demolition weeks two and three. We pulled each of the hand painted panels and fiberglass insulation. The insulation was the worst. Yes, we wore gloves, masks and took frequent breaks for this part. The whole process took the better part of two weeks just to do this. The indoor/outdoor carpets that we use in the back porch during winter protected the jars from the light while we worked and deterred the chickens from pecking at the jars. I'd forgotten how much insulation was actually in that building, but it was all shredded and messed up. Eight big, black trash bags full. Instead of one trip to the dump every three to six months became two trips in one month.

I read that rock wool insulation will deter rats and they won't set up house in it. At $700 worth for the building, it will be a while before we can insulate it again. Then there is the paneling. We may be using pallet wood boards for that or cheap, thin plywood. It'll mean a small space heater in the building to keep it from freezing this winter. Maybe, even turning on the air conditioner in spring and summer depending on how long it takes to buy the materials needed for this job. There will also be no place for the rats to hide with bare outside walls and framing inside. I wonder what the R value is of steel wool? I know they don't like that. It hurts their little mouths when they try to chew through it. Awww!

Anyhow, we'll be resealing all gaps after we wash the inside walls with bleach, water, and essential oils (rosemary, peppermint, cinnamon, and cedar wood) to erase the urine trails. The oils will only work in the short term. About every three months I'll be spraying the room with a water and essential oils mixture because mice, rats, and most insects hate the smell.  Every couple of months should do. I'm determined to not have this problem again.

Mel was thinking of trashing the contents of all the jars. I told her no! White mold is only on the outside of the jars. The rust on the lids is on the edges and some on top. While washing the jars, she checked the seals and scrubbed them with a ScotchBrite pad, bleach, and Dawn. It remove all the rust and mold. She only trashed the jars that had the seal pop (none did) or had signs of spoilage. The inside contents were still good with no signs of spoilage (3 jars).

Now when I go to use the jars, I'll wash them the same way. Instead of using the lid to strain the liquid off the vegetable, I'll pour it into a colander to be sure we don't get any residual rust in my food. I'll check the interior of the lid. If rust is present beyond the edges, it goes into the trash. I'll do the seal pop, smell, and boil for 5 minutes for cooking. Just to be safe. I don't want to poison myself or others. In fact, I do this with all home canned food.

So that's the plan. This was a three-week job with all the breaks.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo

Homestead Progress Update

I brought back ten pounds of large wild Georgia shrimp. This is one of the advantages of still having family on the coast. Mel and I do love our seafood. I boiled two pounds for us for dinner. Along with some potato salad and some cocktail sauce, it was some great eating. I carry two 1 1/2" thick styrofoam coolers with me when I go home just for this purpose. I'll travel down to the docks when the shrimp boats come in and fill them up. $3 a pound sure beats the price of frozen shrimp here at almost $9-$12 a pound. The savings almost cover the gas for the trip. Next trip is for crab in the fall. This one trip allows for us to have shrimp twice a month for a year. With the addition of crabs, we will be set for seafood for a year except for fish. We can always fresh the fresh water lakes here for that.

The rabbitry is coming along. We've got the two long sides complete. Not bad considering we are
both using one hand a piece. Imagine what we could accomplish if both of us had two good hands.  It would be done by now. We've had a cool break in the heat this week. The lows have been in the 60s. Daytime temps have been in the high 70s to low 80s. It makes me want to grab a sweater in the mornings. Very unseasonable for almost July, but a welcome break doing construction and canning. Four more pallets and supports and we can raise the cattle panel roof and hang the cages. Then, it's onto the chicken structure.

I've got to butcher some roosters this week even though they are gorgeous looking. We've ended up with five roosters out of the twelve straight run that we bought in the spring. They are running the hens ragged. Especially Broody, our one functioning leg hen, she's an easy target for them to mount. It turns into a gang bang with three or four roosters pinning her to the ground. Not a good thing because they can injure her more. Most days, she'll stay on the front porch because she knows we're right on the other side of the screen. She'll squawk and protest rather loudly when they gang up on her.  We'll rescue her and beat the males away so she can eat and rest.

The chicks are full grown except for in weight. They are as big as the older hens and they have assimilated into one big flock of chickens.  We've got to get them contained. The roosters are fighting. The hens run for cover. The roosters are even picking on the cats. They are still wary of the dogs, which is a good thing. The dogs will kill them. But then again, the dogs also protect them. Nothing can come anywhere near the flock while the dogs are around. Not even old Sheba, the white German Shepherd, from up the hill. She'll be warned off and even chased up the driveway away from the chickens. Not that she's ever attacked the chickens in the past. Sheba is more dangerous to our dogs if last summer was any example.

I've got one more trip to make. This time to North Carolina to pick up about 40 cases of canning jars. Why go all that way for them? One of our YouTube subscribers picked up the jars from the Amish community for free for me. That's worth the travel expense. Canning jars ain't cheap. It's a necessity for any homestead. Thank you, Ellen, for getting them. I'll also be picking up about two hundred pounds each of wheat, barley, and oats. It will provide us with baked goods and feed for the rabbits and chickens for a year from the community. All GMO free. If I've got to drive that way anyhow, it only makes sense to load the truck up.

I wish I could get soybeans that way. The nearest non-GMO soybean producer I can find is in Washington state. I order enough to make my tofu and soy milk with. I can't afford the shipping for a couple hundred pounds worth for the animals. But I do the best I can. Yes, I've read all the info against soybean consumption. But I'm part Japanese, I've eaten it all my life.  What's more, I love it. I guess I could grow it myself. I haven't seen any of the local farmers around me grow it.

I had thought to plant some of the cotton seeds that I picked up on my last trip home. But the agriculture department has some pretty steep fine against growing it without a permit. It would take using pesticides against weevils, which I'm against. Of course how much damage could a bush or two really do? I'd rather not take the chance right now. Maybe one day, I will. Seeds, when stored properly, don't go bad. There's no immediacy to plant it right now.

So that's our week. If you haven't checked us out on YouTube, I invite you to stop by. Now that we've got all our camera, computer, and audio difficulties fixed (crossing my fingers) we are back up.

Y'all have a blessed day.