Monday, September 7, 2020

Plan B

I parked next to this 1947 pick-up at the store today. I hope I look this good when I am 73

I was supposed to mow the grass today.

But the other day I was throwing the Frisbee for Herc and there was one part of the yard he did not want to chase the Frisbee. I took a closer look and saw a yellow-jacket nest.

Smart dog.

This morning I went to town and was unable to find any wasp spray. Either it is the time of the year, or Covid-19 interrupted supplies or the social unrest has people buying wasp-spray as a make-do substitute for pepper spray.

Most likely, it is some combination of all of the above.

Being the resourceful fellow that I am, I mixed up some garden spray and soused the nest. Then I took a nap. After my nap I still saw a few yellow-jackets entering the nest.

No mowing today.

Plan B was to pressure-can some more chicken

Fat is a GOOD thing if you are using meat for flavoring. Can you imagine bacon with no fat? Neither can I.

Meijer's, a Michigan based chain-store had chicken thighs for a decent price


Some people object to chicken thighs on the basis of "waste". They claim you might as well by skinless, boneless chicken breasts at twice the price by the time you calculate the loss due to tossing the skin and the waste of the bone.

Perhaps that is true if you think of meat as a "basic food group". But I am not throwing away the skin (where most of the fat resides). Fat is energy. Fat is flavor.

And I boiled the bones for soup stock and will nibble off the shreds of meat my knife missed.

The bones will go in a live-trap as bait for raccoons. After that, they will go under the trees in the orchard.

Canning versus freezing

Canning is much more work on the front-end.

Canning is far less sensitive to power disruptions than a freezer full of meat. 

The jars can freeze if we have an extended period without electricity but it would have to be mighty cold and a very long period without power.

An advantage of pressure canning is that cheaper cuts of meat can be used. Much of that connective tissue becomes flavor and gelatin. 

Rumor has it that pressure canned woodchuck is indistinguishable from good, roast beef and pressure canned raccoon is a dead-ringer for pork. Those sound like testable statements, don't they?

8 comments:

  1. Testable? Si, amigo.
    Desirable? Let's discuss bat soup....

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  2. Having been married for a few years back in the '60s and early 70s to a girl from Arkansas I can assure you that those rumors are not true. Oh yea, and possum and armadillo are even worse. ----ken

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  3. I have been informed by two people that woodchuck is delicious, I intend to try it and will let you know. Marinating is required, and removal of scent glands ( some in the joints). FYI I was given a quart of pickled pike that was made from the filleted ‘Y’ bones, the pickling process dissolves the bones it is delicious.
    Grumpy Old Macdonald

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    Replies
    1. You might be on to something there, Grumpy. My ex-brother-in-law probably didn't remove the scent glands after he shot it...or ran over it. And maybe you're not supposed to marinate it in Strohs Beer.---ken

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  4. I hate those ground-dwelling yellow jackets with a passion. You usually discover the nest location the hard way, and they're so damned aggressive that you take multiple stings. I've found it takes multiple applications of wasp killer over the course of several days to eradicate the nest.

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    Replies
    1. That's why skunks aren't all bad to have around. They love to dig up and eat yellow jackets.

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    2. In the midwest, giant ants nest are killed with boiling water, 5 to 10 gallons at a time. No nasty pesticide.
      Or...
      Cover the hole you see with screen and rock during the night. Look for more entrances and repeat screening. Gas and a leaf blower will be effective and entertaining.

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  5. TWO TOPICS : Shortage and Proper eradication...
    A) Ya know, I was bit surprised, to find zero wasp spray at Walmart, in E IA last week.
    I went to HomeDepot, couldnt see it... Then found a single white label can with older type formula. Permethrin type~ OK MINE! then eyes adjusted to gloom, noted a case deep back in cubby of the empty shelves section where spray should be... It was laying on side- I was looking at the solid tops of black caps,(hidden black in there!punny) of the cans, (which cans, visual cue typically, sport the multicolor BLAZING logos typical for drawing attention to products!)
    HA! I bought a can of that too, and pulled case to front edge+ left a can standing adjacent...
    And I wondered... what up with the deficit! it IS wasp season.
    Chems from China cut back?
    \Alt use sans Pepper/mace stock run? ??
    B) Proper Eradication of HIVE critters? DO AT NIGHT! Everybody is HOME! Daytime... they out flying...missed
    I note, Hanging hives, stand to side, and watch for walkers from the droppers.
    Helped do a big house side attached hornet hive.(thus no fire) I held two spots, one on hive, one on ground. my buddy with cans spraying up. me watching ground.
    also--Hornets will chew a second exit when attacked at entrance. be ready to hit dif side with second
    stream...Teamwork!

    Rock On ERJ!
    Really enjoy your reading!
    ~JO:)

    ReplyDelete

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