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Solar Dyeing

I started by placing an ounce of dye materials into a clean quart jar (old spagetti sauce jars)

Filled the jars with vodka or everclear until the dye materials are covered, placed lid on jar and allowed to sit overnight.

Placed alum mordanted silk fat quarters into each jar, filled with distilled water, placed lid back onto jar and placed the jars in a sunny location. Here you can see the dye liquid wick up the fabric.

Leave in sun for up to three weeks, check to make sure that mold isn't growing on your fabrics. 2004

Olive Oil

John repacked the olive oil, which came in a rather large bottle, into smaller glass pint jars this afternoon. This increases the shelf life by about three months as we will now move the OO to the basement pantry where it stays a balmy 55-60F year round.

Pepsi Canning Jar

We found a Pepsi canning jar, of all things, in our canning jar supply it's a pint jar that is currently filled with Garden Medley.

Canning Jars

I scored a three quarter pint jar for 25 cents today at a yard sale, no kidding! I didn't even know they existed but in reality I could really go with a couple dozen of these babies in the photo above the three quarter pint is the second from the left.

Left to right: Pint jar, three quarter pint, half pint, quarter pint! To make the set really interesting I'd need a quilted glass wide mouth pint jar.

Atlas Jars

I have a slug of these Atlas Strong Shouldered Jars and most of them have a mark like this on the bottom, I'm not sure if it's a hairline crack or a watermark. I'd really like to use these but am not sure about the integrity of these jars.

Pint and a Half Canning Jars

Seriously I"m not kidding pints and a half! I have eleven of them in the pressure canner right now! My mother had hundreds of them and if I make it back to Illinois, if the price of gas goes down enough so I can make the trip, then I'll be brining them back with me.

Here's the probelm though, every canning books gives times for pints and quarts, but not pints and a half (which lie in between a pint and a quart). I have a headache!

Potato Leek Soup

Going camping this summer, looking for a food gift that doesn't require much in the way of cooking or can be used later or do you simply want to put some food up for a rainy day (or a blizzard) - that actually tastes good then try this recipe on for size:

I found this recipe online and changed it to make it "taste" better.

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 1/2 cups dry milk powder (I used dry whole milk as it's richer)
4 T. chicken bouillon granules (originally called for 2 T. we like ours richer)
2 T. dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (originally called for white pepper)
1/4 teaspoon dried chives (make sure you use onion chives and NOT garlic chives!!!)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (originally called for seasoned salt)
1/8 cup dehydrated leeks
2T. dehydrated carrot chunks (adds color)
1/4 cup dehydrated potato chunks (these can be whirled in a food processor but I didn't bother)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Combine potato flakes, dry milk, bouillon granules, onion,parsley, pepper and salt in a plastic bag and shake to mix (original recipe said to use a bowl to mix but I have lots of recycled sandwich bags and chose to use one of them instead). Pour into a 1 quart jar.

2. Attach the following instructions to jar (use waterproof ink on label glued to jar or card attached with a ribbon): To serve, place 1/2 cup soup mix in bowl. Stir in 1 cup boiling water until smooth.

If you want to use this in long term food storage or for camping, then put into mylar or food saver bags and vacuum seal shut. Assuming you used fresh ingredients this will keep for quite some time in a cool dark place.