How to Make Crunchy Pickles Instead of Mushy Ones
You open a jar in November expecting a snap and get something closer to a cooked cucumber. The flavor is …
Citric Acid for Canning: How Much and When to Use It
Tomatoes are the reason most home canners buy citric acid. Modern varieties sit close enough to the acidity line that …
Canning Tongs and Jar Lifters: Grip That Will Not Slip
A full quart jar straight out of a boiling canner weighs a couple of pounds, is slick with water, and …
Canning Rack: Fixing Rust, Rattle and Broken Jars
The rack that came with the canner is the part owners complain about most, and the complaint is almost always …
Rehydrating Freeze Dried Food: Ratios and Timing
The first time you open a jar of home freeze dried chicken and try to turn it back into dinner, …
Food Dehydrator for Herbs: Low Heat Without the Blowout
You open the dehydrator after an hour of drying basil and half the leaves are not where you put them. …
Canning Labels That Stay On, and the Ones That Peel
Two things happen to canning labels. Either they float off in the canner and you find a soggy paper ring …
Freeze Dryer for Fruit: What Sticks and What Works
Fruit is the reason most people want a freeze dryer. Strawberry slices that snap, whole raspberries that dissolve on the …
How to Dehydrate Flowers: Trays, Heat and Storage
A bouquet is on the counter, the edges are just starting to go, and throwing it out feels wasteful. Or …
Canning Funnel: The Cheap Fix for a Messy Jar Rim
The complaint that sends people looking for a canning funnel is always the same one. Food goes down the outside …
Sauerkraut Brine Ratio: Getting the Salt Right
Salt is the only part of sauerkraut that you cannot improvise. Everything else in the process forgives you: the shred …
Kahm Yeast vs Mold: How to Tell Them Apart
You open the jar on day eight and there is something white on top of the brine. The immediate question …