Some stuff I found in an urban area

[Rick]

YCC - It's not the jars but the sealant on the lid. I don't even recycle ball lids. I keep the rings of course but I use new lids every time. If you know a jar doesn't seal it's not a big deal because you can put it in the fridge and use it. The problem comes when the seal appears to seal but leaks over time. Then you wind up with bad food and the risk is just not worth it to me.

If you want to cold can something and keep it in the fridge for use liked salted oranges or limes you'd probably be okay with that.

[crashdive123]

+1 on what Rick said. For canning - new lids every time. For dry storage I re-use the lids, but I'm not concerned (like with canning) on getting that perfect seal.

[your_comforting_company]

rice, grits, and the like would probably be okay in them then. Would heat sealing them improve storage time on dry goods?
Thanks guys. Good info.

[grrlscout]

Since the olives are fermented, I did not can them. I just closed the lids.

The old method is to keep the good bacteria in place, and under control - using salt, acid, oil, sugar. The new method (canning) is to kill all of the bacteria, and then seal the environment so that it cannot grow again.

If you are canning, I am with everyone else. Don't re-use lids.

I do reuse them when I store dry goods, or make things like refrigerator pickles, where a permanent, long-term seal is not needed.

[grrlscout]

i think your " mesquite beans " picture may be one of my unknowns
i'll have to check it out

Good luck! Here it is high season. They are turning brown and starting to drop off the trees.

I was excited to find that our new house has mesquite trees.

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Then I was bummed when I found that they are non-native South American mesquites. Edible, but not near as tasty as they honeys or velvets.

Too bad, because they are making a helluva mess.

[your_comforting_company]

Would it be possible to get a close up of the trees details? I was given a tree that looks very similar to those, but the lady swears it isn't a mesquite. I brought it home for the thorns on it. I have a whole new appreciation for thorny things with all my "primitive tools" stuff.

[crashdive123]

Ohhhhhhhh. You said thorny.

[grrlscout]

Sorry I missed your post earlier, YCC. Here are some pics I found on the web.

This is a velvet mesquite, with unripe pods:

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When they're in bloom, they look like this:

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There are also screwbean mesquites, honey mesquites, and the south american varieties.

Some have thorns, some don't. If it's really thorny, an has shorter, more rounded leaves, you might have a cat's claw acacia. Their catkins look more like puffballs.

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[Adventure Wolf]

This is actually a really good thread. I learned a couple things. I should make one for North Carolina when the proper season comes.

[grrlscout]

I've been meaning to update this, as I finally managed to grab some of those palm berries.

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They are from a fan palm - Washingtonia Robusta or Filifera, not sure which. The berries are about 90% seed -- one big pit -- with a sticky, sweet coating. So not much good for eating. Instead, I simmered them in just enough water to cover, and strained out the seeds. From this bunch, plus another of equal size, I got 6 cups of juice.

I simmered that down to about 5, with lime juice, peppercorns, cardamom, rosewater, and cinnamon (I was going for a Middle Eastern type flavor, since the flavor was a bit like a date), added a packet of liquid pectin, and made this freaky black jelly.

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[grrlscout]

As luck would have it, the date tree trimmers were just here, and the rats and pigeons have not arrived yet.

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I should have brought a venti.

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