Category Archives: The Cabin

This is a pet peave of mine.

Have you ever noticed how people on the internet repeat information they hear as if it were absolute fact when it may not be true or may be only partially true.

I am planning on doing some canning. I thought I’d look up on the internet to get some ideas. When I looked up canning meat I found the same comment over and over again. Whether it was a homesteading, a survivalist or just a cooking site they all said the same thing. Often exactly the same words. “When canning meat it is very, very, very important that you absolutely must use a pressure canner.” They then go on to tell you how you will die and the world will end if you don’t run out and buy a pressure canner. (the source of many of the statements, using the same words, appears to originally come from the Presto website trying to sell pressure canners). Also, all our ancestors died of botulism because they didn’t use a pressure canner/cooker.

Now we all know the dangers of botulism and I am not saying to take it lightly. But it just isn’t true that the only way to safely can meat is with a pressure canner.

A little background on botulism. Botulism is caused by a bacteria. The bacteria can form spores which can survive some extremes. The bacteria also produces a toxin. The toxin is what is harmful to us. (it also provides Botox, BOtulism TOXin, which makes aging politicians look permanently surprised and who are also harmful to us) We can actually eat the bacteria or the spores without getting sick. They can’t survive our gut. But if the bacteria is left on food for a period of time the toxin they produce makes the food poisonous.

Canning in a regular water bath canner heats the food to 212 degrees. This is hot enough to kill the bacteria and to neutralize (denature) the toxin (actually 180 degrees is hot enough, see pasteurization and double-pasteurization for germinated spores). It is not hot enough to kill the spores. A pressure canner takes the temperature to over 240 degrees which is hot enough to kill the spores. If the spores aren’t killed they CAN become bacteria over a period of time. So people mistakenly say that you MUST use a pressure canner. Look back on this paragraph. Temperatures over 180 degrees for 5 minutes neutralizes the toxin (according to the CDC it is easily destroyed). This means it is then safe to eat. (as far as botulism is concerned) SO JUST COOK THE CANNED MEAT BEFORE YOU EAT IT! It’s not rocket surgery. Just cook the meat like you would any raw meat. Of course if it smells bad or the cap has popped don’t eat it just like you would with any canned goods.

So some of you are out there thinking why not just use a pressure canner to begin with. No problem with that. Just don’t mislead people into thinking it’s the only way. And even if you use a pressure canner it’s a good idea to still cook the meat, or even many low acid vegetables. (by the way, pickled beef heart is delicious and makes meat high acid). But imagine a survivalist is all prepped when a catastrophe strikes. All the stores are closed or destroyed. The guy finds out the seal or the relief valve on his pressure canner is broke with no way to fix it. He just might starve or be frightened to death because he’s been told …

After nearly three years I finally put wheels on my generator. Now I can be mobile while working with power tools. Things like grinding old pipes in the woods for construction. When it quits raining (or even snowing) I’ll weld on a handle.

And these 10 inch wheels with bearings were only $5.99 each at Harbor Freight.

I used some old fence boards to side part of the workshop.  I like the weathered look.

I even used a vinegar, tea and rusted steep wool mixture to make the new boards look old.

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I was working on the shed when I turned around and saw this.

I just finished cleaning out the flower box to get ready to plant vegetables.…

Today I got some more set up for my workshop.

First I put down some old outdoor carpet/AstroTurf.

Then I had two shelves which were to high and took up too much floor space.  So I cut them to put the shelves closer together.  Then I stacked them.

Much better.  Lots of shelf space without taking up floor space for large tools and a workbench.  I used some of the cut tubing for the legs to add the top shelving.

The rest I’ll save for future use.

Except for one that Lily go a hold of and chewed up.

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Every time I order something from Amazon I cringe when I am notified it’s shipping FedEx.  Their tracking is horrendous, and never makes sense or even go in order.  The packages seem to get misplaced for a few days.  To top it off, they use the USPS for final delivery which means the tracking ends when they turn it over to the Post Office.  But even then it’s not guaranteed it won’t suddenly be back at FedEx.  For example, here is an order.   Notice the last update has it in Clinton PA, which is about 100 miles away in the Pittsburgh area, on the 29th.  But it was already in Clinton on the 23rd, then in Zelionople, then Franklin (which is my normal local distribution location if FedEx was delivering), then Pleasantville (it actually says in transit to meaning the USPS never touched it yet) at my Post Office on the 26th.  But, back to Clinton on the 29th.  What?  Why did it go back to the beginning?  Now it’s another 4 days predicted to get back to Pleasantville.  Also, I never know for sure where it is.  It could arrive today even if tracking says it’s in Clinton.  And this type of thing happens all the time with FedEx.  I wish I could tell Amazon to use UPS.  Or even the Post Office.  They don’t do too bad when they aren’t working with FedEx.

• Monday , 4/29/2019

  8:43 pm

  FEDEX SMARTPOST CLINTON, PA

  Arrived at FedEx location

• Friday , 4/26/2019

  2:12 pm

  PLEASANTVILLE, PA

  In transit

  In transit to U.S. Postal Service

• 5:56 am

  FRANKLIN, PA

  Departed FedEx location

• 5:50 am

  FRANKLIN, PA

  Arrived at FedEx location

• Thursday , 4/25/2019

  11:27 pm

  ZELIENOPLE, PA

  Departed FedEx location

• 3:10 pm

  ZELIENOPLE, PA

  Arrived at FedEx location

• 12:29 am

  Shipment information sent to U.S. Postal Service

• 12:18 am

  FEDEX SMARTPOST CLINTON, PA

  Departed FedEx location

• Tuesday , 4/23/2019

  5:08 pm

  FEDEX SMARTPOST CLINTON, PA

  Arrived at FedEx location

• 2:07 am

  FEDEX SMARTPOST BREINIGSVILLE, PA

  Departed FedEx location

• Monday , 4/22/2019

  12:43 pm

  FEDEX SMARTPOST BREINIGSVILLE, PA

  Arrived at FedEx location

• Saturday , 4/13/2019

  2:23 am

  Shipment information sent to FedEx

Update May 1st:

I ordered two items on April 12th.  The one above, and one shipped from Thailand.  Guess what?   The one from Thailand got here before the one above.  Both were listed as shipped on April 13th.  The Thailand package arrived today.  The one originating 200 miles away in Breinigsville, PA still hasn’t arrived.…

For a few weeks every spring I can tell the borders of my property from any point.

The previous property owner planted daffodils just inside the property line grouped about every 30 feet.…

I was raking the leaves out of the beginnings of my pond so I could see better where to dig.  I noticed these clusters of round things in the water.  Then I saw the tadpoles.  Hundreds of them and lots more eggs.

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I got some roof board for the workshop.  Instead of trying to tie them all on the Jeep roof I had them cut in half.  The 4′ by 4′ fit in the back.  Easier to wrestle up on the roof, too.  With the steep roof and low eaves I’m going for to he look of a gingerbread house in Southwest Germany.  Or since it’s a workshop, maybe Santa’s workshop.…

I know.  I’m supposed to be living cheap.  But my homemade chainsaw sawmill wasn’t sturdy enough.  And although I could weld steel the sawmill is aluminum.

And I found a new one on sale for a great price.  Nothing fancy, but neither is my little chainsaw.

Just as I finished putting it together a thunderstorm rolled through.  I’ll make a video when I try it out

Update:

I made a jig for holding the logs as I cut them.

The old sawmill will not be wasted.  I will use the parts to make a wood lathe.

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