Hi All! Not sure if anyone is still out there connected to this thread, but thought I would try. =) My family loves the good old Strawberry Rhubarb freezer jam that uses jello, I love it, too. My problem is, I try to make enough of it to last us all year (they love it that much!), but I dont' want to use that much freezer space. I have tried a couple of recipes this year, water bath recipes, that have not set up. One I was afraid may not have had the right ingredients to be a jar jam, since it didn't set up, so after a few hours, I threw it in the fridge to use as syrup. Low and behold it set. =) So, I found another and tried it. It didn't set either. (What is the longest it should take to set up?) 12 c rhubarb 3 Tbs pectin (powdered) 3 c sugar lime juice cubes (2 or 3?) dash red food color Put sugar on diced rhubarb and let it sit overnight to suck water out. Cooked and reduced it for about 15 miutes with lime juice, and added pectin near end. My recipe is homemade so your mileage may vary. Rhubarb is high acid, though, so it should be safe enough. >>> I like the look of the above recipe very much (it is from further up in this thread), it has very little sugar, doesn't require much in the way of other fruit (I'm trying to be as frugal as possible) and is said to set up. My question is this. Can I use one of my recipes that has not set up, just add commercial pectin to it? (I do like the flavor, just want it to set.) If so, how do I figure out how much pectin to add? I'm new to the jam canning process, and don't have much for local resouces, so I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks! Gabi

Hey Pattie Ann and Cynthia!! Good thing I get the notices when someone posts! One of our son inlaws has moved the majority of my hosta barrels (still planted--can you believe that!!) and many, many of the others in pots and bags to our new place--in a HUGE truck from where he works with an electric lift--thankfully! I already love the effect at the new place though I've done little more than plant 7 trees (in addition to the many 'maples' surrounding the place' and now I've purchased 7 Althea Lucy Rose of Sharon bushes and 3 Nikko Blue Hydrangea bushes (big ones). The bushes are yet to be planted, though!! We're still waiting to find a concrete guy to help us get started on transforming the 2 car garage into our bedroom and then build another garage on the end of the original! The prices we are getting are HORRENDOUS!! Praying for someone to be discovered who will do it for a more reasonable amount! We've built my 'grocery store' in the basement for food storage and several large shelving units to hold the many crates of things I'm bringing over! Meanwhile, there are still lots of hosta to be dug and divided to leave some here and take the larger portions with us! Hubby keeps telling me to take it all--and if I did there is still so much going on that the yard is very woodsy and you can hardly tell anything is taken. I will post pix someday, I'm sure! I just wish I had taken some 'before' pix of the new place sans the hosta barrels and pots!!! We come home late everyday and we collapse very soon after we get home. I get on the computer long enough to check the mail and do a little researching and maybe a short 'game' to relax and then off to bed! Thanks for asking Cynthia and thinking of me! Pataan--definitely remember that evening we were together at that place and Steve and I speak of it often! Talk about a potentially much worse situation after backing into that guys' bike----!!! Whew!!! I was anticipating a HUGE BIKER DUDE coming out and slamming Steve up against the van! LOL Not funny--really if it had turned out that way but I can laugh now that it didn't!!! hahahaha Oh, and Phil and his wife, Diane, stopped over in Dayton Tuesday evening (coming from N.C. to Michigan.) and we met them for dinner! we really enjoyed being with them again. They left the following day to be at Ken's by noon! I do hope they made it in time to spend enough time rummaging through his gazillion hosta and still get to Diane's sister's in time for dinner!! Hope to see pix when Phil gets back!! janice

Here's 10 recipes. It's pretty forgiving as to formulations by the looks of the recipes. Some like to add water softener, OxyClean, dishwashing detergent or other additives to help with their needs. 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes Recipe #1 1 quart Water (boiling) 2 cups Bar soap (grated) 2 cups Borax 2 cups Washing Soda Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted. Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel). Recipe #2 Hot water 1 cup Washing Soda 1/2 cup Borax 1 Soap bar Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 10 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water. Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel). Recipe #3 Hot water 1/2 cup Washing Soda 1/2 cup Borax 1/3 bar Soap (grated) In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat. In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well. Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel). Powdered Laundry Detergent - Recipe #4 2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated - you could also try the other bar soaps listed at the top) 1 cup Washing Soda 1 cup Borax Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container. Use 2 tablespoons per full load. Recipe #5 Hot water 1 bar (4.5 oz) Ivory Soap - grated 1 cup Washing Soda In a large saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted. Fill a large pail with 2.5 gallons of hot water, add hot soap mixture. Stir until well mixed. Then add the washing soda, again stirring until well mixed. Set aside to cool. Use 1/2 cup per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel) Recipe #6 2.5 gallons Water (hot) 1 Bar soap (grated) 3/4 cup Washing Soda 3/4 cup Borax 2 TBS Glycerin Melt bar soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted. In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap mixture, washing soda, borax and glycerin. Mix well. Use 1/2 cup per full load. Recipe #7 2 cups Bar soap (grated) 2 cups Washing Soda 2 - 2.5 gallons hot water Melt grated soap in saucepan with water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is dissolved. Pour hot water in large pail, add hot soap and washing soda. Stir very well. Use 1 cup per full load. Recipe #8 2 gallons Water (hot) 1 bar Soap (grated) 2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this timenot washing soda) Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted. In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well. Then add the baking soda, stir well again. Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load. Powdered Laundry Detergent - Recipe #9 12 cups Borax 8 cups Baking Soda 8 cups Washing Soda 8 cups Bar soap (grated) Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub. Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load. Recipe #10 - (Powdered) 1 cup Vinegar (white) 1 cup Baking Soda 1 cup Washing Soda 1/4 cup liquid castile soap Mix well and store in sealed container. I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isnt clumpy when first adding). Liquid Detergents Note: Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use. You could also pour the homemade soap in old (and cleaned) laundry detergent bottles and shake well before each use. *If you cant find Fels-Naptha locally, you can buy it online (check Amazon). Optional: You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade soap.

NOOOOO, I still can't do it! UGH, so frustrating! However, I think I know the problem now, but don't know how to fix this. A lot of my photos are word docs (docx). I know crazy! But, when I see a picture on some website that I like for my house...which is most of my pictures...I just copy & paste on a word doc! It's easy & works for me. Until I want to upload it here! So, I'm dragging the picture on my desktop to iphoto, like a few of you have said to do. But, I get a message saying my picture is an unrecognized format. Which is probably why I can't upload from "Photo" below here, as well. I vaguely remember at one time a few yrs ago, I did convert my word doc pictures into a jpeg format. But, for the life of me, I cannot remember how I did that. Rococogurl, you mention jpeg....would you happen to know how I can convert the word docs to jpeg? Or, am I just out of luck? leela, how fun to go visit Alberene Soapstone. It is gorgeous stone! That picture of that building is beautiful! I'm glad you figured out how to post pictures! I'm keeping my fingers crossed someone will have pity on me & keep helping me!! :)