So The Garden Did Great This Year, Now what?

Gardens are starting to produce those lovely, fresh vegetables. A pressure canner is needed to ensure safe low-acid canned foods. There are no safe boiling water canning options for vegetables, meats and seafood, soups and some other mixtures of foods.
It is tempting to want to preserve your canned specialties in fancy jars and bottles. But the two-piece lid system and canning jars that take them are what we recommend for the home. When applied correctly, they are a good system for venting trapped air out of your jars during the canning process and can visually show that you have a vacuum seal when the jar cools. Read more about jars and lids.
If you have spent precious time and effort preparing your garden’s harvest for freezer storage, you do not want to lose it with power outages during summer storms. Read about preparing for power outages and also see our recommendations for what to do if the freezer stops.

Read More;
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html

Wood pellet stoves are Hot Sellers

Wood pellet stoves have become very popular this year, due to the fact that heating oil costs have risen 31% and natural gas is up 46%. Pellet stoves are small electric stoves that burn small pieces of recycled sawdust, that have been compressed into pellets. There are a number of advantages to using wood pellet stoves: they are extremely efficient, produce very little waste, and use inexpensive fuel. A 40-pound bag of pellets sells for less than five dollars, with discounts available for those who buy in bulk.......................................

Read More;
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/wood_pellet_sto.php

First Aid Help

First aid is the assistance given to an injured or sick person in need of urgent medical assistance. First aid applies to a broad range of medical situations and consists both of specific knowledge and skills (e.g., what to do for each type of injury or illness) and the ability to assess a situation and make appropriate decisions (such as when to call for emergency medical assistance).
Preparedness is a key element of first aid. While every home, auto, and boat should be equipped with a basic emergency kit that includes first aid supplies and a first aid manual,,,,,,

Read More;

http://www.medicinenet.com/first_aid/article.htm

Relish summer's harvest with pickling recipes

Where have all the pickles gone?
It wasn't so long ago that every well-dressed American dinner table was bejeweled with an assortment of them -- emerald green tomatoes, ruby red beets and opalescent pearl onions, as well as less glamorous (though certainly no less delicious) okra, mushrooms and watermelon rind. The pickle tray was a standard part of a Sunday supper.
Nowadays, almost the only pickle you'll find is cucumber. And while there's nothing wrong with your basic bread-and-butter, half-sour or dill, there are so many other possibilities to explore.

Rest Of Article Here;
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/fooddrink/s_581684.html/

93 Year Old Goes High Tech Amazing

A Pictou senior will soon be able to generate most of her own power needs through wind energy.The first steps in installing Hazel Wilkie’s home-based wind turbine began Thursday at her Lakeshore Drive home. The 93-year-old should be able to operate one of the first residential turbines in the area by next month.

Read More;

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=160359&sc=49

When Food Prices Go Up, What Can We Do?

This is a great informative and timely article. Follow the link to read more.

We have not had many people preserving home-grown produce and meats over the past decade, but with recent increases, many people think that they can beat rising food prices by growing and preserving food at home. Food preservation may save money for some, but not necessarily everyone.There can be many reasons for preserving food at home. Some have to do with finding ways to save money, while others may have to do with satisfaction, creativity or family tradition.

http://www.holmencourier.com/articles/2008/08/07/features/couleeconsumer.txt

URGENT AWARENESS NEEDED

SNIP;
WASHINGTON – Three years after Muslim terrorists attacked a school in Beslan in North Ossetia-Alania within the Russian Federation resulting in 396 deaths and 437 injuries, terrorism and law enforcement experts say most U.S. schools have not prepared at all to deal with the possibility of such an assault.
More disturbingly, they say, such attacks are most definitely being prepared and rehearsed in Islamic terrorist camps around the world.
In videotapes captured in Afghanistan, al-Qaida terrorists practiced the takeover of a school – issuing commands in English, separating children into manageable groups and killing anyone who offered resistance. Some hostages were take to rooftops, dangled over the edge, then shot for the sake of cameras and onlookers.
In Iraq, the floor plans of several schools in Virginia, Texas and New Jersey were found in the possession of captured terrorists.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. law enforcement authorities have uncovered what appear to be probing missions by terrorists attempting to get jobs as school bus drivers and making inquiries about armed security personnel in schools.

WE NEED TO CONTACT OUR SCHOOLS NOW