There are not too many repellents that will deter woodchucks. And for vegetables, nothing. I feel your pain, every year I battle woodchucks, finally we put a 6 ft chain link fence around our veggie garden. For my flower beds, I use a repellent that I think is called Woochuck Stop, its in a red bottle, HD sells it and other places I'm sure. Thats the only one that worked for me, but I wouldn't use it on food items. Despite my 6 ft fence, I was finding my kale and cucumber plants eaten, couldn't figure it out. Then, I went out there early in the morning and found a tiny baby bunny in the garden, once he spotted me, he was able to squeeze right through the fencing and ran off. So, tonights project is to install chicken wire along the perimeter of the chain link fencing. Hopefully that will keep the little critter out, cute though he may be, the veggies are off limits. I'd recommend a fence or a dog.

Floating is usually not a safety issue. It simply means that air was still trapped in the vegetable pieces. Over time, assuming it was processed correctly, they will sink. But slimy can be a serious problem as it is often indicative of too low acid brine (too little vinegar) and the food should not be consumed. The problem okra is often slimy naturally, especially if overly mature when harvested. So there is no way to know if the slimy results was from the okra or the too-low-acidity. To be safe I would recommend tossing them. " Are these ingredients good enough to can 1 quart of okra I'm using canning salt, garlic, ( ball) kosher dill pickle mix , and some (ball) mixed pickling spice, and the okra. These are the ingredients I have as of now. I know nothing at all." There are many tested and approved recipes for making pickled okra and when one is new to canning only those tested and approved recipes should be used. In all cases the amounts that can be added are limited to the specific amounts in the recipe - no additions. In other words the Ball Kosher Dill Pickle Mix is safe to use IF you follow the instructions on the label. I don't have a packet of it to check butyou would use only the packet mix, and the vinegar and water it calls for and the okra. No additional pickling spices or salt can be added unless the instructions call for them. I doubt they do as the salt and all the spices should already be in the mix in the packet. As for quarts - only if the instructions call for quarts. Normally such instructions are for pints only and you can never go to a larger jar than what is in the instructions as it creates safety issues in the pH and the processing time required. If you want to use an approved recipe for Pickled Okra instead use this one. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/pickled_dill_okra.html Dave

The Ball Blue Book has a couple. Hot Pickle Mix on pg. 50 - it calls for mixing in other veggies but can be safely done with just cukes. And Brined Dill Pickles pg. 47 has the option of 2 T prepared horseradish (among other options) after fermenting. Call Complete Book has several pickle recipes that include horseradish of 1-2 T added to the brine while bringing to a boil and then poured over the cukes. Horseradish, as a flavoring and if used within reason, causes no problems in a recipe IF proper amounts of vinegar are used in any quick-pack recipe of if added after fermentation is complete with any fermentation recipe. It is the proper amount of vinegar that is your safety source. Dave

You have your choices here: It may turn green or blue when pickled. PICKLED GARLIC Makes 3 half pints 3 cups peeled garlic cloves 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 5% acidity 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp.canning and pickling salt Add the garlic cloves to a pan of boiling water. When it returns to a boil, boil 1 minute. Drain and pack the cloves into hot half pint jars. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt to a boiling. Pour the hot liquid over the garlic in the jars. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe top of jars and threads clean. Seal with hot lids. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to sit in sealed jars for a few days before opening to allow flavors to develop. PICKLED GARLIC 2 2 lb.large garlic heads 1/3 fresh ginger,peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup coarse salt 7 dried red chiles 2 cups white wine vinegar 1 cup dry white wine 2 1/2 T. mustard seed Place garlic in large saucepan with enough water to cover with water. Bring to boil over med high heat. Boil 2 minutes.Drain well. Peel each clove without crushing. Transfer to non-metallic bowl. Add ginger and salt with enough water to cover. Refrigerate 2 days. Drain garlic mixture, rinse in cold water. Drain agin. Pack ginger and garlic evenly into 7 clean hot half pint jars. Add 1 chili to each jar. Combine vinegar, wine, and mustard seed in a saucepan, bring to rapid boil over high heat. Ladle hot brine over garlic. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Seal with hot lids.Process in water bath for 10 minutes. This is from the Ball canning company. Pickled Garlic Pickling mellows garlics pungent taste, creating a unique bite-sized burst of flavour to accent a variety of dishes. Toss pickled garlic into Italian spaghetti sauce, serve it in sandwiches, use as an antipasto or a garnish for salads. Ingredients 12 large heads garlic, about 1 3/4 lb (838 g) 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) white vinegar 1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine 1 tbsp (15ml) pickling salt 1 tbsp (15ml) granulated sugar 1 tbsp (15ml) dried oregano 5 dried whole chili peppers Place 5 clean 250 or 236 ml mason jars in a boiling water canner; fill with water, bring to a rolling boil. Boil SNAP Lids 5 minutesÂnot longerÂto soften sealing compound. Separate garlic bulbs into cloves. To soften and loosen skins, blanch garlic cloves in rapidly boiling water 30 seconds; immediately immerse in cold water, drain and peel cloves. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, wine, pickling salt, sugar, and oregano. Bring to a boil; boil gently 1 minute; remove from heat. Add peeled garlic cloves to hot vinegar mixture. Stir constantly 1 minute. Pack garlic and 1 dried whole chili pepper into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover garlic to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Center SNAP Lid on jar; apply screw band securely until fingertip tight. Do not overtighten. Place jar in canner. Repeat for remaining garlic and liquid. Cover canner; return water to a boil. Process Âboil filled jars  10 minutes.* Remove jars. Cool undisturbed 24 hours. Check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downward. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store in a cool, dark place. Makes about 5 - 250 or 236 ml jars. Note: This recipe was specially formulated to allow home canners to preserve a low acid food  garlic  in commonly available boiling water canners. Do not deviate from the recipe ingredients, quantities, jar size and processing method and time. Any change could affect the safety of the end product. Note, 250ml. jars are half pints.