Water bath canners just like pressure canners can end up being quite expensive. However, a water bath canner is far more forgiving than pressure canners. Because of this there are numerous options that you can substitute in their place when canning. The key characteristics for a water bath canner are that the pot must be…
Hot pack canning involves boiling the food to reduce its size and remove excess air before packing it into heated jars. Cold pack canning on the other hand is placing uncooked food directly into the heated jars. In both methods the jars are preheated and it is necessary to boil any syrups or liquids added…
Preserving Food through Canning Is Easier Than You Think When many people think of canning they either get an image of their grandmother canning in years past, or they freak out about all the information saying you’re going to get food poisoning. In the cases of their grandmother canning these images often bring back warm…
Now that we are in the full swing of winter you may be thinking that it is too cold for that weekend hike and camping trip. However, with the proper gear cold weather does not have to bring your outdoor fun to a grinding halt. After testing out dozens of sleeping bags over the years…
A Waterbob is a 100 gallon collapsible tank intended to store water for emergency situations. Unlike some other devices it is meant to be a temporary solution put in place just before a disaster event. They are relatively cheap and easy to store until needed. Lets discuss the reasons why you may or may not…
Yes with care an alcohol stove is relatively safe to use inside. When choosing your fuel try to stick with denatured alcohol, it burns cleaner and produces less soot than rubbing or isopropyl alcohol. Why You Would Use an Alcohol Stove Inside There are quite a few reasons why you might consider using an alcohol…
Most folding saws tend to be relatively cheap, often coming in at under $20. Because of the price it is often simpler to just replace a worn saw with a new one. That point aside, it is possible to sharpen most saw blades and it never hurts to learn how to do so, or even…
Mason Jars have been around for over 150 years. While they are great for canning, storing food and about a million other uses. One thing that still plagues some people is rusted lids. This may lead you to wonder why did the lids rust? Are they still safe? How can I clean the rust off?…
Fatwood is often sought out as kindling for quickly starting fires. Due to the natural chemicals in pine sap fatwood tends to be very flammable. It ignites quickly even if wet and will burn hot enough to quickly light surrounding materials. This leads to the question of what is fatwood? Fatwood or fat lighter is…