Political Atheist

This is a quick video showing you how to use your pressure canner for a water bath. It’s so easy. The advantage of not having the gauge showing your pressure is you can turn the top upside down and use the steam created from the water to clean your spout.  Remember: If you have the gauge, DON’T turn the lid upside down as I did. You will ruin your gauge.  Water: The water must be 2 or 3 inches above the tops of the jars. Other than that have a ball. Don’t feel like you have to buy two different pieces of equipment. If I had taken more time in 2018 when I started canning, I would have known that I don’t need two different pots for this procedure.  Investment: Pressure canners are a better investment. Why? Because there are some foods that are low in acid like meat and beans which you can’t can in a water bath procedure. Meat and beans along with other low acid foods must be pressure canned. So dollar for dollar the pressure canner is a better investment because you can use...

Once again we are seeing shortages. This time its soda. Why? There is a shortage of aluminum for cans. Then there are the individual components for making the soda. Sugar! Last year the sugar beet harvest sucked majorly. Why is there a shortage of aluminum cans? More people are consuming pop at home than ever. We were locked down for two and a half months. In Michigan, bottle rooms where people could return their cans and get a voucher to either cash in or spend in the store. Michigan has a $.10 deposit for cans. That adds up for people. It’s only on pop cans though.     (Yes, I use pop and soda interchangeably.) Think about all the items we buy in aluminum cans: pop, soup, veggies, fruit, and beans. Also, pan spray is in aluminum cans. This is going to have a huge impact on us as a society. I am suspicious about the coin shortage. However, we have to address it because coins are made with metals. If we can’t get metals for food packing than what is the point of coins if ...

This was one of those finds you come across in a thrift store and know you have something special. Yeah! Like $55 brand new.  This book has everything in it. Very well written. So before you buy anything brand new, check thrift stores. You never know what you’ll find. Homesteading Tessie (now Mobile Home Living) does Thrifty Thursday which she shows what she picked up at a thrift store in her area. I will leave you link to her recent video. Tessie's Thrifty Thursday She Shed Edition (Thrifty Vintage Haul) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5VDCCh2W3s

This is a cute little radio. It fits in your hand and is super lightweight. I am not sure about using the web function, but hey a grid down we aren’t going to have the web. So I don’t understand even putting that as an option.  The flashlight is awesome. No batteries needed or electricity.  https://youtu.be/Ca00-5AYEPA Link [Upgraded Version] RunningSnail Emergency Hand Crank Self Powered AM/FM NOAA Solar Weather Radio with LED Flashlight, 1000mAh Power Bank for iPhone/Smart Phone https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Version-RunningSnail-Emergency-Flashlight/dp/B01MFCFKG5/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&aaxitk=MWxylyYM7UM3FUwfB7Ed4Q&hsa_cr_id=6585808880301&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_td_asin_1

For this project, I show how to use a regular pot as a water bath canner. Simply fill the pot so that the water is 2 inches above the jars. Place something in the bottom so the jars aren’t touching the bottom of the pot. Direct exposure to the heating element can cause the jars to break. I used a kitchen towel, you can use anything you have handy. Don’t overcrowd your pot. Know what it is capable of handling and don’t go beyond that. Fill your jars to the ¼ inch headspace. You won’t have any siphoning if you do this. I filled them to the 1-inch headspace and I had siphoning. That is just when you have liquid from the jar leak out into the pot. Don’t forget to clean the rim of the jars with vinegar on a cloth or paper towel. We don’t use paper towels. Cover the pot and bring it to a vigorous boil. Keep the boil going for about 20 to 30 minutes. After the jars have cooled they will be sealed. If for whatever reason one doesn’t seal, stick it the fridge and enjoy on hotdogs, soft pretzels...

What could possibly go wrong? Besides a billion and one things. From a business point, I can understand the appeal of robots. They only need maintenance. No need to have a payroll constantly going. No worries about being sued if there is an accident.  The problem comes when the programing goes wrong and you have a billion chicken thighs and no breast or legs. Then what? You have to get a human to reprogram the robots which mean you have to pay someone to do this work. So why not just have humans do the work, to begin with.   References: Tyson Foods is ramping up development of robots that can cut meat in response to coronavirus outbreaks in meatpacking plants https://www.insider.com/tyson-foods-is-developing-robots-cut-meat-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-7 https://youtu.be/IeUdgdiS7qM

Making a simple burger couldn’t be easier. If you have a toaster oven you can use the broiler setting. During the winter you can use your oven. There is a top heating element for the broiler setting. You don’t need any special equipment. Just a wire rack and a cookie sheet.  For my seasoning, I used a Canadian Chicken seasoning. It smelt delicious. I used a teaspoon total with the ¼ teaspoon for salt and pepper. Just use whatever seasoning you have and like.  Meat is an important decision. You want to use good quality of meat. That will depend on if you are a beef burger person or a turkey burger. If you are in the position to get access to meat that has been hunted for subsistence even better.  You can feel free to season your burger as you shape them.  Cheese. I used a Gouda I got a Wal-Mart for $1.99 to $2.00. You can use whatever cheese you like. Just make sure it will melt the way you like. Usually, your semi-soft cheese are the best choice here.  Rolls. I ...

This has been a hot topic over the last few months. Should a President be able to order plants to function in a crisis situation or not? We have seen Trump order plants who have had employees diagnosed with COVID-19 refuse to work in unsafe conditions back to work. I don’t blame them. No one should have to risk their personal safety for a job. According to the Patriot Act and the successor to it, yes a president can nationalize industry and order it into production.  Remember, it took Hitler and the Nazi’s five years to get everything in Germany nationalized. But, once it was done that was it. There was no turning back. The newest law called RAMP UP act gives grants to larger meat processors to upgrade their facilities. This is for ‘small processors’. What were we told about the Payroll Protection Program? It would help small businesses keep employees on the payroll as if the doors were open. Who got these loans? I’ll leave an article with that information. Grab a barf bag because ...