The new gardening and canning book by Jackie Clay is absolutely top-notch!

It’s practical, understandable even by newbies, and very comprehensive.

Thanks SO MUCH!!!

J Millhorn
Plano, Texas

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I am also a user and collector of cast iron cookware and thought I would pass along an old western tip for deep frying.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven on medium-high heat and drop a kitchen match in the oil. When the match flares up, the oil is the right temperature for deep-frying (about 375 degrees). Raise the temp just a notch, because you’re adding lower temp food, and go.

Keep up the good work

Terry Bolling
Phoenix, AZ

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Dave,

I think your magazine is very nearly perfect.

We will store our print copies forever!  An online version would make poor toilet paper in a disaster situation!  So, don’t waste your time and effort on an online version!

And this comment is from a “buy nearly everything off of the Internet” high tech geek guy with a degree in electronics!

Oh, as an aside, some of us are vegetarians and are NOT left wing whacko’s!   So an occasional vegetarian recipe is always welcome at our house .

Thanks for such a great magazine!  This will be the last subscription to go as we go softly (or not) into the Greatest Depression….

Another Libertarian abandoned by the R[epublican] party!

Joe Olson

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Just a suggestion – eggs can be frozen in their shells. You just place them in a ziploc bag and freeze.

When you are ready to use, take out what you want and let thaw for about an hour on the counter in a bowl. You can run the egg under warm water, crack it and slip the shell off easily. Place in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap to thaw.

These are best for baking. The yolk will be a little tough but when beaten will return to normal.

Sheila Darden

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Thank you for making the “How to Butcher a Chicken in 20 minutes or Less” article available to the general public.

I am raising layer chickens for the first time and I have 4 roosters that need to come to the dinner table.

Skinning is a much better option for me than plucking.

Thank you!

Rev. Jeff Zell, Pastor
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
South Bend, IN

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Dear Backwoods Home Editor,

This is the first time that I read your magazine, and I loved it!

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and we used cast iron pans to cook every meal.  When I was married 13 years ago, my Dad gave me the complete pan set as a wedding gift. I have 6 pans from the original set that were my Great Grandmother’s and I have added a 12 inch dutch oven with legs and a lid (for camping) and a 12 inch deep sided skillet that I found dirt cheep at a yard sale (it was rusty and the lady did not know how to cure it). The lid from the dutch oven fits my 12 inch skillet and the deep sided skillet, it can also be turned upside down and used as a small griddle when camping.  I will not cook with anything else!

Thank you for the great articles and your publication. I will be subscribing soon!

April Letourneau
Wasilla, Alaska

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In response to a letter of a Reader looking for Canned Bacon. I Found this item while doing a related search (on MRE’s).

Try here (http://www.mrestore.com/products-all.php?page=2&cid=2) for a distributor that has Bacon.

Love the Magazine keep it up.

Yours,

Scott Paul
St. Charles, Missouri

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I enjoyed Jackie’s article on cast iron.  We have collected a number of pots/pans/ovens over the years.

The section of the article addressing whether or not to “wash” one’s cast iron struck me.  My dad was from upstate New York in a very rural setting.  He had some beautiful cast iron skillets (which we now have!) that were perfectly seasoned and he used nearly every day.  I learned from him to use very hot water and SALT to “wash” the cast iron.

The article mentioned the pioneers using a handful of sand.  I think the salt likely provides the same result.  Just toss a little in the very hot water, shove it around with a rag or sponge or whatever is handy, rinse, dry, then we use a paper towel to rub just a VERY small amount of oil on the inside of the utensil, and dry it out in a 200 degree oven.  Once it cools, it’s ready for the next use.

Thank everyone at BHM for all of the hard work, the information, and the willingness to share it all with us.

Best regards,

Mary Nell Condren
DeRidder, LA

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Thanks! Despite loving to cook on well-seasoned cast iron, I’ve never been able to properly season it. After reading your article, I figured I’d give it one more try.

I found a cast-iron griddle at a garage sale last weekend. Although it looked seasoned, it was little used, much like my own, since I was never able to do it correctly.

To make a long story short, I hand sanded that thing for two hours on my deck yesterday. After I got it down to 220 grit sandpaper, I decided I didn’t like it well enough yet, so I started over again at 60 grit. It was as close to glass as I could get it before even attempting to oil it.

After sanding, and cleaning it with paper towels and a LOT of oil (no water) until all the loose iron was gone, I oiled it, tossed it in the oven, and waited …. perfect eggs this morning, and it didn’t stick at all! I now have a couple more things in my basement that need sandpaper….. dutch oven and bigger griddle being the two biggest things.

Paula Werme
Boscawen, NH

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Thanks for the “Whole Wheat for the Whole Week” article. [Issue #117 - May/June, 2009] I changed the recipe to add Whole Grains to it. I found a recipe that tells you how to prepare the grains. I was just putting them in dry before, good but hard on the teeth.

This is what I used.

2 Tablespoons Wheat Berries
2 Tablespoons Oat Groats
2 Tablespoons Spelt Kernels
2 Tablespoons Millet Seed
2 Tablespoons Barley.
(Cracked Wheat, Oats & Spelt).

Cook grains together in 2 parts Water to 1 part Grain (I used 1 1/2 Cups Water): Cook until water is absorbed. Cool to room temperature. I added this just before mixing in the flour.

I had to divide the recipe into 4 parts instead of 3 parts because we like smaller loaves of bread.

Another GREAT BIG thanks for all of Jackie Clay’s articles. Her Canning Article gave me enough confidence to can our meats. I canned as a kid with my Mom but all she really canned was Green Beans.

Angi Weyhrich
Springdale, WA

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