this morning I discovered 5 boxes of Certo Light powder and one box
Certo Liquid at the back of the pantry cupboard. One box of powder
was expired and the remaining 4 are due this month. And I KNOW there
are various types of frozen fruits, berries and juices in my
freezer....

Perhaps my canning season should start soon, rather than waiting to
get the garden in (at least 2 weeks away), and for seasonal produce to
be ready

....got lots of jars...just need lids - and the time

Kathi

On 5/14/2011 9:00 AM, Kathi wrote:
> this morning I discovered 5 boxes of Certo Light powder and one box
> Certo Liquid at the back of the pantry cupboard. One box of powder
> was expired and the remaining 4 are due this month. And I KNOW there
> are various types of frozen fruits, berries and juices in my
> freezer....
>
> Perhaps my canning season should start soon, rather than waiting to
> get the garden in (at least 2 weeks away), and for seasonal produce to
> be ready
>
> ...got lots of jars...just need lids - and the time
>
> Kathi

I've used pectin that was two years past expiration. Most expiration
dates are actually "use by" dates for best results. Have not had any not
work that was outdated. I would try them all. Waste not, want not.

Weather Note: Yesterday we had 93F heat with 90% humidity by mid
afternoon. We woke up this morning to 55F, is this spring weather screwy
or what? We have the windows and doors open, letting the house air out
and saving on the air conditioning cost. Will close it up when the temps
get to 70F.

George, awaiting the arrival of our son and his family to visit for the day.

George Shirley wrote:
> On 5/14/2011 9:00 AM, Kathi wrote:
>> this morning I discovered 5 boxes of Certo Light powder and one box
>> Certo Liquid at the back of the pantry cupboard. One box of powder
>> was expired and the remaining 4 are due this month. And I KNOW there
>> are various types of frozen fruits, berries and juices in my
>> freezer....
>>
>> Perhaps my canning season should start soon, rather than waiting to
>> get the garden in (at least 2 weeks away), and for seasonal produce to
>> be ready
>>
>> ...got lots of jars...just need lids - and the time
>>
>> Kathi
>
> I've used pectin that was two years past expiration. Most expiration
> dates are actually "use by" dates for best results. Have not had any not
> work that was outdated. I would try them all. Waste not, want not.
>
> Weather Note: Yesterday we had 93F heat with 90% humidity by mid
> afternoon. We woke up this morning to 55F, is this spring weather screwy
> or what? We have the windows and doors open, letting the house air out
> and saving on the air conditioning cost. Will close it up when the temps
> get to 70F.
>
> George, awaiting the arrival of our son and his family to visit for the
> day.


I pretty much ignore dates on packages, other than to remind myself to
rotate my stock better next time. <g>

Monday was kind of chilly up here, then Tuesday it got almost to 90F
with high humidity with it. Quite a change overnight! Wednesday was
warm but not hot, and the temperature has been dropping all week. It's
in low 40's right now. Wednesday I set out my first 4 tomato plants
just to see what happens. (normally I don't plant them until after
Memorial Day) They've already started growing, so the ground must be
warm. Don't know that it'll stay warm...

-Bob

On 5/14/2011 10:34 AM, zxcvbob wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> On 5/14/2011 9:00 AM, Kathi wrote:
>>> this morning I discovered 5 boxes of Certo Light powder and one box
>>> Certo Liquid at the back of the pantry cupboard. One box of powder
>>> was expired and the remaining 4 are due this month. And I KNOW there
>>> are various types of frozen fruits, berries and juices in my
>>> freezer....
>>>
>>> Perhaps my canning season should start soon, rather than waiting to
>>> get the garden in (at least 2 weeks away), and for seasonal produce to
>>> be ready
>>>
>>> ...got lots of jars...just need lids - and the time
>>>
>>> Kathi
>>
>> I've used pectin that was two years past expiration. Most expiration
>> dates are actually "use by" dates for best results. Have not had any
>> not work that was outdated. I would try them all. Waste not, want not.
>>
>> Weather Note: Yesterday we had 93F heat with 90% humidity by mid
>> afternoon. We woke up this morning to 55F, is this spring weather
>> screwy or what? We have the windows and doors open, letting the house
>> air out and saving on the air conditioning cost. Will close it up when
>> the temps get to 70F.
>>
>> George, awaiting the arrival of our son and his family to visit for
>> the day.
>
>
> I pretty much ignore dates on packages, other than to remind myself to
> rotate my stock better next time. <g>
>
> Monday was kind of chilly up here, then Tuesday it got almost to 90F
> with high humidity with it. Quite a change overnight! Wednesday was warm
> but not hot, and the temperature has been dropping all week. It's in low
> 40's right now. Wednesday I set out my first 4 tomato plants just to see
> what happens. (normally I don't plant them until after Memorial Day)
> They've already started growing, so the ground must be warm. Don't know
> that it'll stay warm...
>
> -Bob

Aha! It's your fault it was so cold here this morning. Please go outside
and close the gate between where you are and where I am. This is truly
unseasonably chilly for us this late in the spring.

Friend of mine told me this morning that if I wanted some green beans to
can come on over. He picked and he and his wife canned a five-gallon
bucket full of green beans yesterday. He took a chance and planted in
late February and they did okay. Normally our last frost date is around
02/18, this year it was in March.

George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. You've got nothing to
lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.

I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
daughter in February 2011. I just could not resist. Didn't find an
expiration date on any of them. Turns out, it will last
indefinitely. Haven't had a batch failure so far. Although, Hun Bun
doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
it. He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.

Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
this time of year. Although, I am *not* going to complain. Hun Bun
and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
instead of hot & sticky. And yes George, if you move to the Lake
Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
patch.

: - ]

On May 14, 11:24*pm, Mimi > wrote:
> George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. *You've got nothing to
> lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
> ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.
>
> I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
> Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
> charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
> daughter in February 2011. *I just could not *resist. *Didn't find an
> expiration date on any of them. *Turns out, it will last
> indefinitely. *Haven't had a batch failure so far. *Although, Hun Bun
> doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
> it. *He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
> with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.
>
> Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
> this time of year. *Although, I am *not* going to complain. *Hun Bun
> and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
> instead of hot & sticky. *And yes George, if you move to the Lake
> Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
> patch.
>
> : - ]

thanks for the tips guys - I did throw out one box already, but I wont
panic if I don't use the last 4 by the end of May Although I do
have strawberries and mango thawed, and some rhubarb juice, ready to
go for SOMETHING today.

Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!

Kathi

"Kathi" > wrote in message
...
>> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!

Sounds fairly routine here in Scotland
--
--

https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On 5/14/2011 10:24 PM, Mimi wrote:
> George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. You've got nothing to
> lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
> ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.
>
> I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
> Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
> charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
> daughter in February 2011. I just could not resist. Didn't find an
> expiration date on any of them. Turns out, it will last
> indefinitely. Haven't had a batch failure so far. Although, Hun Bun
> doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
> it. He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
> with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.
>
> Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
> this time of year. Although, I am *not* going to complain. Hun Bun
> and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
> instead of hot& sticky. And yes George, if you move to the Lake
> Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
> patch.
>
> : - ]
Evidently not going to happen now, kids threw a fit and insist we move
closer to them. Looks like we will be moving to Kingwood instead. I
would still prefer to move to Livingston area myself, a little more East
Texas versus big city, good fishing, etc. Some areas of Livingston
proper are evidently not safe for the elderly anymore, at least
according to my granddaughter-in-law, whose parents live there and where
she was raised.

It's still all up in the air due to Miz Anne breaking her hip in early
March. She's walking without a cane more and more and is doing right
well. We will celebrate her 71st birthday on May 20 but I don't think we
will be doing any bop dancing this year.

Son and his family were here yesterday to give us advice on cleaning up
this old house to get it ready to sell. His wife is a realtor in
Kingwood and does a really good job of "staging" and getting houses
ready to sell. When they left they took a box of dilly carrots, dilly
beans, jams and jellies, and assorted pickles. Turns out their kids love
my pickled cauliflower so they got a few jars of that. A good bunch,
maybe we would get to see them more often if we did move to Kingwood.

On 5/15/2011 6:36 AM, Kathi wrote:
> On May 14, 11:24 pm, > wrote:
>> George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. You've got nothing to
>> lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
>> ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.
>>
>> I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
>> Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
>> charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
>> daughter in February 2011. I just could not resist. Didn't find an
>> expiration date on any of them. Turns out, it will last
>> indefinitely. Haven't had a batch failure so far. Although, Hun Bun
>> doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
>> it. He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
>> with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.
>>
>> Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
>> this time of year. Although, I am *not* going to complain. Hun Bun
>> and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
>> instead of hot& sticky. And yes George, if you move to the Lake
>> Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
>> patch.
>>
>> : - ]
>
> thanks for the tips guys - I did throw out one box already, but I wont
> panic if I don't use the last 4 by the end of May Although I do
> have strawberries and mango thawed, and some rhubarb juice, ready to
> go for SOMETHING today.
>
> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!
>
> Kathi
Woke up to cool weather again this morning Kathi, 59F this time. At
least it is getting warmer. Did I ever tell y'all how much I despise
cold weather? My ideal temperature is somewhere between 75 and 80F. I
think I may be part lizard or snake.

On 5/15/2011 7:05 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Kathi" > wrote in message
> ...
>>> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
>> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
>> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!
>
> Sounds fairly routine here in Scotland

Ha! A beautiful day in Scotland is like looking up a chimney, a bad day
is like looking down a chimney. Just kidding O, Scotland is really
pretty most of the time.

"George Shirley" > wrote in message
.com...
> On 5/15/2011 7:05 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Kathi" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
>>> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
>>> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!
>>
>> Sounds fairly routine here in Scotland
>
> Ha! A beautiful day in Scotland is like looking up a chimney, a bad day is
> like looking down a chimney. Just kidding O, Scotland is really pretty
> most of the time.

LOL, you know Well, unless of course you get the warm rain and the
midgies! Some rich bloke was intent on buying an estate up here because he
thought it was beautiful! That was until he happend to be here in the midgie
season... haha he got eaten alive and has withdrawn his offer...

--
--

https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

Hi, It is 43 Degrees outside at 8:24 Sunday morning. The prediction for the
day:
Windy. Occasional light rain ending this morning. Gradual clearing later
today. Highs in the lower 50s. North winds 20 to 35 mph. Gusts to 45 mph.
Good thing I have plants growing in the house. Looks like we won't be able
to
plant till Memorial Day (I hope). Last year I planted 1 week early. We had
a very
warm Spring and a great growing year.
John in Southern Wisconsin

On 5/15/2011 8:29 AM, wrote:
> Hi, It is 43 Degrees outside at 8:24 Sunday morning. The prediction for the
> day:
> Windy. Occasional light rain ending this morning. Gradual clearing later
> today. Highs in the lower 50s. North winds 20 to 35 mph. Gusts to 45 mph.
> Good thing I have plants growing in the house. Looks like we won't be able
> to
> plant till Memorial Day (I hope). Last year I planted 1 week early. We had
> a very
> warm Spring and a great growing year.
> John in Southern Wisconsin
We're in our second year of drought John. Last year we were 21 inches
shy of our normal rainfall and it appears this year will be more of the
same. Was supposed to rain last Thursday and Friday but it went north of
us and drowned some other area.

Seems no matter how much I water with the soaker hoses it is not the
same as natural rain. My plums are ripening at about the size of a ping
pong ball. As luck would have it the tree was loaded this year. The
quince are doing well and the persimmon is loaded with baby simmons. The
figs aren't getting big at all, need to put more water to that tree as
they require about thirty-five gallons of water a week during fruiting
season. The peaches are dropping off the limbs due to lack of rain and
are a pain to rake up. Plus the peach borers have gotten into them this
year.

On Sun, 15 May 2011 08:01:54 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>On 5/15/2011 6:36 AM, Kathi wrote:
>> On May 14, 11:24 pm, > wrote:
>>> George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. You've got nothing to
>>> lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
>>> ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.
>>>
>>> I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
>>> Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
>>> charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
>>> daughter in February 2011. I just could not resist. Didn't find an
>>> expiration date on any of them. Turns out, it will last
>>> indefinitely. Haven't had a batch failure so far. Although, Hun Bun
>>> doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
>>> it. He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
>>> with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.
>>>
>>> Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
>>> this time of year. Although, I am *not* going to complain. Hun Bun
>>> and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
>>> instead of hot& sticky. And yes George, if you move to the Lake
>>> Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
>>> patch.
>>>
>>> : - ]
>>
>> thanks for the tips guys - I did throw out one box already, but I wont
>> panic if I don't use the last 4 by the end of May Although I do
>> have strawberries and mango thawed, and some rhubarb juice, ready to
>> go for SOMETHING today.
>>
>> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
>> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
>> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!
>>
>> Kathi
>Woke up to cool weather again this morning Kathi, 59F this time. At
>least it is getting warmer. Did I ever tell y'all how much I despise
>cold weather? My ideal temperature is somewhere between 75 and 80F. I
>think I may be part lizard or snake.

We're about 350 miles SW of Kathi but we've got the same lousy
weather. We'll be lucky to get enough garden planted to have anything
to preserve later in the year. Gerry managed to get four 50 ft. rows
of onions planted the other day in one of the breaks between rain
showers although she did get Scotch-misted on a bit.
Friday 13th was hot & humid, according to my weather station the high
temperature that day was 81.3ºF with 97% humidity.
Right now it's 46.7ºF with 95% humidity. Weatherman has rain predicted
for the next 78 days.
At least we're thankful we don't have to worry about the government
deciding to breach dikes and devastate everything we've worked so long
and hard for, like what's been done in parts of Canada and the US.

Ross.

On 5/15/2011 3:52 PM, Ross@home wrote:
> On Sun, 15 May 2011 08:01:54 -0500, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
>> On 5/15/2011 6:36 AM, Kathi wrote:
>>> On May 14, 11:24 pm, > wrote:
>>>> George is right, go ahead and use the pectin. You've got nothing to
>>>> lose--jelly or jam that doesn't set is...syrup for pancakes, waffles,
>>>> ice cream or in my case, frozen yogurt.
>>>>
>>>> I've been experimenting/using Pomona's Universal Pectin here lately.
>>>> Being the frugal girl that I am, I found 16 boxes ($1 a box) at a
>>>> charity shop in Austin, Texas while visiting my unofficially adopted
>>>> daughter in February 2011. I just could not resist. Didn't find an
>>>> expiration date on any of them. Turns out, it will last
>>>> indefinitely. Haven't had a batch failure so far. Although, Hun Bun
>>>> doesn't like how the (almost) seedless dewberry jam turned out using
>>>> it. He said the texture is different so, I will make future batches
>>>> with my old reliable Ball No Sugar Needed pectin.
>>>>
>>>> Yup, this has been a strange spring for us too, cooler than normal for
>>>> this time of year. Although, I am *not* going to complain. Hun Bun
>>>> and me picked 6 gallons of dewberries and the weather was quite nice
>>>> instead of hot& sticky. And yes George, if you move to the Lake
>>>> Livingston area, I will show you where we pick--it's a good-sized
>>>> patch.
>>>>
>>>> : - ]
>>>
>>> thanks for the tips guys - I did throw out one box already, but I wont
>>> panic if I don't use the last 4 by the end of May Although I do
>>> have strawberries and mango thawed, and some rhubarb juice, ready to
>>> go for SOMETHING today.
>>>
>>> Spring weather here has sucked! Rain, rain, rain, and oh!, Rain!
>>> We've had one or 2 days of sun, when the temp hit 15 or 18 C, so
>>> things are really green and lush, but otherwise very miserable!
>>>
>>> Kathi
>> Woke up to cool weather again this morning Kathi, 59F this time. At
>> least it is getting warmer. Did I ever tell y'all how much I despise
>> cold weather? My ideal temperature is somewhere between 75 and 80F. I
>> think I may be part lizard or snake.
>
> We're about 350 miles SW of Kathi but we've got the same lousy
> weather. We'll be lucky to get enough garden planted to have anything
> to preserve later in the year. Gerry managed to get four 50 ft. rows
> of onions planted the other day in one of the breaks between rain
> showers although she did get Scotch-misted on a bit.
> Friday 13th was hot& humid, according to my weather station the high
> temperature that day was 81.3ºF with 97% humidity.
> Right now it's 46.7ºF with 95% humidity. Weatherman has rain predicted
> for the next 78 days.
> At least we're thankful we don't have to worry about the government
> deciding to breach dikes and devastate everything we've worked so long
> and hard for, like what's been done in parts of Canada and the US.
>
> Ross.

It has been unusually cool here Ross, this morning the weather was much
warmer than the past week. We could use some of the rain you and Kathi
have been getting. This is our watering day so we have the soaker hoses
going on the gardens. We run them for an hour and then shut it down
again. Without rain and only getting city water our gardens aren't doing
much. The plums are gone, none got bigger than a ping pong ball due to
lack of rain. We ate the ones we got before the squirrels did and they
were tasty but very small. I think the peaches are going the same route.
The quince tree is holding its fruit at the moment but for how much
longer. Persimmons are fruited but very small too. Even the fig tree
needs water, takes a minimum of 35 gallons a week to make a good crop of
figs.

Folks in my part of Louisiana have difficulty understanding why the feds
and the state are flooding very valuable grain crops outside the levees
on the Big Muddy. So what if New Orleans floods, again! Most of us would
rather New Orleans floods and the tourists quit coming there but would
like to see the port saved as it is important to our economy. Would like
to have about two inches of the Mississippi water spread over our parish
very lightly, might make up for the drought that has been with us for
two years

If any of you reading this think it's sour grapes, go to New Orleans,
stand at the foot of the levee and watch the ships going by way up over
your head. The whole town is mostly below sea level.