I've read that you are not to clean the fiilter media...ever. I built my own biofilter...not a skippy but I am about to add one due to all the good things I have heard about them. My pond is in the stage of green pea soup also. I have heard it is a stage that ponds go through this time of year. I am trying the quilt batting. I have it in the top layer of my biofilter and it is catching quite a bit of the algae. I purchased mine from Michaels. I also am using it around my pump. I am letting it run two hours around the pump because it gets pretty dirty quickly. This works great to catch all the small algae. You have to be careful to not catch the batting in the pump. I guess we will see how good it works. I'm thinking about building something that would add some type of barrier between the batting and pump to avoid this problem. Probably a project for tomorrow. Good luck! If anyone has good ideas to get the pond clear I am open to the hints as well!

The Daffs my neighbor and I planted in the raised bed in Fall are only up about 3-4 inches. The bed was covered in snow a couple of weeks ago and our nighttime temps are still in the 30's. We're hoping we will still get some blooms. Similar situation as Duluth's...our perennials are just starting to poke through.

I think that because your starting out with commercal BBQ sauces, and the addition of apricot or pineapple and adding an acid like cider vinegar will help prevent spoilage, it should be quite safe. Liquid smoke is also sold as a hickory smoke powder, or even a Mesquite smoke powder. Adding the amount of honey will be OK too as it isn't diluting the acidity. I do recommend adding a half cup of cider vinegar however. Then, after the crockpot simmering, start filling pint canning jars and process in a BWB for about 20 minutes. There is also a brand of BBQ sauce I love, its a bit watery as to consistncy, but has a nice acidic tang when mixed with other BBQ sauces. I use it to make my BBQ blend too, I add dried chopped onions, dried sweet green and red peppers, and dried minced garlic. These all soak up the liquids and give a thicker sauce with a little less cooking down. If you find that te acidity is a bit too much, reduce the apricot or pineapple, or add a bit more sweetener like honey or even corn syrup. In any case, you need acidity to protect this mixture from spoilage even if canned. Some moight think this is dangerous, but so many commercial items like ketchup and most store bought BBQ sauces are just fine even if left out at room temps. Another goo store bought type sauce is the ever popular Open Pit. I add that with some ground black pepper. My sauces are blended and are refrigerated in a big half gallon plasic jug that is used year after year. Great on chicken and sausages! Here is a link that might be useful: Sauer BBQ sauces

Ball has directions for canning rhubarb and so does So Easy to Preserve from the University of Georgia. It should not have water added to it. Then, there is also a syrup recipe for canning : I use this all the time with great results. Syrups made from blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, boysenberries, loganberries, sour cherries, and Island Belle grapes as well as mixtures of berries are of good flavor, color, and consistency (thin like maple syrup, medium thick like corn syrup, or slightly jelled). Syrups can be made with or without pectin and lemon juice. Lemon juice may improve color. Use of pectin will vary consistency. To Prepare Fruit Puree: Sort, stem, and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly; measure crushed fruit. Add 1 cup boiling water to each 4 cups crushed fruit and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to soften--about 5 for soft fruits...about 10 minutes for firm fruits like cherries and grapes. Press through sieve. SYRUPS MADE WITH PUREE 4 cups puree 4 cups sugar 1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired) 3 or 4 Tbsp lemon juice (if desired) 1. Mix puree, sugar, pectin and lemon juice. 2. Bring to boil and stir for 2 minutes (boil till jelly thermometer reaches 218F). 3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top. 4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. 5. Remove from canner and cool. 6. Check lids, label, and store in cool, dry place. To Prepare Fruit Juice: Sort, stem and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen, unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly. Place crushed fruit in dampened jelly bag and drain. For clearest juice, do not press bag to extract juice. For firm fruits, heat is needed to start flow of juice. Add about 1/2 cup water to each 3 cups crushed fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Place hot fruit in dampened jelly bag; drain. SYRUPS MADE WITH JUICE 4 cups juice 4 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice (if desired) 1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired) 1. Mix juice, sugar, lemon juice and pectin. 2. Bring to boil and boil 2 minutes. 3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint canning jars to within 1/2 inch of top. 4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let sit another 5 min. in the canner. 5. Remove from canner and let cool. 6. Check lids, labels, and store in cool, dry place.