New Blog Layout?

Google just changed almost everything on blogger and I am having a hard time putting up anything on the blog. If you need anything from heart to heart you can e-mail me and I will get it to you. Until then I will try to figure out how to edit the blogs :/

Caitlin Walker
aka_caity(@)hotmail(.)com

April Cleaning Discussion Tips and Tricks!

-Keep garage clean to help keep house clean.
-Use old toothbrush(or husbands) to clean hard to get places.
-Work chart for children to help out.
-Clean dishwasher- CLR(1/2cup) in empty and run through a cycle. Also use for shower heads and screens.
-Lemons down garbage disposal
-Have company over :)
-Newspaper in between you and the sheets reduces shivers.
-For burnt pans you can put a cheep oil in it and let sit and Boil soapy water in pan and it usually come off.
-Comet spray and a magic eraser wo;; take anything off.
-Q&A- Don Asletts- best shower cleaner.
-Never Dull takes off anything gummy.
-Easy Off is worth the extra penny when it comes to oven cleaner.
-Folex is the the best carpet spot cleaner.
- Swiffer Sweeper is great on hardwood and linoleum floors but horrible on tile.
-Don Asletts degreaser is really good on greasy film.
-TSP(powder) from Home depot is really good to clean counters off. (Sherri Peterson talked about it)

March Garden Discussion Tips and Tricks

-Don't plant beside Mosquito fogger truck access!
-Do not plant flower bulbs upside down.
-Always cover plants (with blankets or sheets), when anticipating frost or freeze.
-Plant carrots and radishes in same row and harvest radishes before carrots-thereby thinning carrots.
-Use old milk jugs as hot caps over tomatoes.
-Play radio to deter raccoons
-Beer= repellent for potato bugs
-Plant peas and beans in square foot to support each other and retard weeds.
-Plant sunflowers in horseshoe.

Book Review-March

In our March Book Review Class the following books were shared and recommended:

THE BLUE BOTTLE CLUB by Penelope J. Stokes
AT HOME IN MILFORD by Jan Karon (this is a series)
LADIES #1 DETECTIVE AGENCY by Alexander McCall Smith (this is a series that takes place in Africa)
HEARTS IN HIDING by Betsy Brannon Green (a murder mystery series and this is #1 and needs to be read first)
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Crazy Veggies!

We had such a great night on Thursday night. Lots of yummy food, a great presentation, and a wonderful conversation group. I have all the recipes up that I have so far. So if you have one for me, PLEASE e-mail me. aka_caity@hotmail.com
Hope to hear from you all soon sisters.

Tips from all of You!

Bottling and Freezing Tips
¨ Wash bottles in dishwasher after using them. Then put lids and ridges on jars and they are clean and ready to use next time.

¨ Put 2 tablets of vitamin C in each fruit jar before processing in hot water bath.

¨ Make large portions then divide and freeze in portions.

¨ Make big pot of beans, add dried garlic and dried onions. When cooked and cooled put 2 cups in each freezer bags and freeze.

¨ Precook large portions of meat and freeze in small bags.

¨ Take fresh cut meat, sear & season, then put in freezer bags and grill after completely thawing.

¨ Left over pizza is delicious when reheated in a frying pan.

¨ Put vinegar in pressure cooker water to get rid of hard water on outside of bottles.

¨ Use white grape juice instead of making own syrup for peaches

All Sorts of Canning

Thank you to everyone that came to our heart to heart last Thursday night. We enjoyed everyone recipes so much. We hope that everyone that came learned something that will help them in the coming canning season. Here are some links that will be able to help with canning questions.

http://healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/food-proc/food-pres.htm

http://missvickie.com/canning/waterbath.html

http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/canning.htm (Great one for Beginners)

http://www.freshpreserving.com/

We're BEANS for BEAN DISHES!!!

Who knew you could use beans in so many diverse and delicious dishes!!! Thank you to all you brought food and recipes to share with us. I am still waiting on a few recipes on the bean site but make sure you check it out.

Great Websites

Here are two really helpful websites:

University of Nebraska "Cooking with Dry Beans"
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq_dry_beans.htm#dry

The Idaho Bean Commission
http://www2.state.id.us/bean/

BEANS

Health Facts
• Low in fat (most contain no saturated fat or cholesterol)
• Provide fiber, protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, potassium, and other vitamins and minerals
• Help against heart disease and cancer
• Helps manage diabetes and cut risk of high blood pressure or stroke
• Beans in your diet helps you cut calories because they make you feel fuller longer

Dried
• All beans (canned or dried) are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein, but dried beans are usually lower in added sodium.
• A 1-pound bag of beans is equal to 3-15oz cans but costs less than half the price!
Soak
• Overnight soaking: rise and clear beans of debris, cover beans with double amount of water, cover and let beans sit at least 8 hours.
• For a quick-soak: clean the beans, put in double amount of water to beans and boil them for 3 minutes. Cover and let soak for 1 hour.
Cook
• Dried beans double in volume when cooked: 1 cup dried beans yields 2 cups cooked.

Storage
• Dried beans keep up to 1 year in a cool, dry pantry. Store in airtight container.
• Cooked beans keep for up to 1 year in the freezer, so make a big batch and store it!

Fun Facts
• Lima and pinto beans were cultivated for the first time in Mexico and Peru more than 5,000 years ago by both the Aztec and Inca cultures.
• The United States is by far the world leader in dry bean production. Each year, U.S. farmers plant from 1.5 to 1.7 million acres of edible dry beans.
• Beans provide a complete protein when you eat them with grains. Try beans and rice or tortillas and refried beans.

“Every Day Food” Magazine April 2009
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods
www.foodprocessing.com
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/antioxidant-superstars-vegetables-and-beans
www.corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org