Mother's Down-Home Country Lore

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

[2] Harold Freeman—from Eureka Springs, Arkansas—has found a cure for another common chain saw malady: "post-cutting drip". The oil reservoir on Harold's tree biter had the habit of leaking lubricant hours after he'd neatly stored the machine . . . until a friendly neighbor pointed out the solution. Most chain saws use air pressure to pump the oil onto the chain, and that built-up force keeps pushing long after the saw's been switched off. But—as Harold learned—if you open the oil filler cap enough to let the pressure escape (and then screw the lid back on) before you put your wood cutter away: Presto! No more leaks!

[3] Kurt Gross—who lives out around College, Tennessee—has volunteered to share an oId-timey woods-worker's tip: Fell your timber during the waxing cycle of the moon. Kurt says trees cut during the "light moon" have less sap in 'em than do leaf-holders felled during the "dark" fading cycle of our lunar satellite . . . and the less-juicy trees'll make quickdrying firewood as well as nonwarping lumber.

Kurt adds that you'll notice the greatest sap differences in such "high flow" woods as pine .. . but that the moon lore has proved itself so true-in all his woodcutting experience—that he sticks fast to it for any kind of tree.

"Elderberries have a unique and delightful flavor, yet most people let the tangy fruits go to waste," says George E. Luther of Venice, Florida. "Why? Because-although the clusters are a cinch to pick-pulling the tiny berries off all those stems is a downright wearisome chore.

"Wall, you don't have to pass up the prolific fruit again. Just put a small piece of 1/2-inch-mesh hardware cloth over a bucket or large bowl, and rub your bunches across this screen as fast as you wish. The berries will come off cleaner (and with less bruising) than if you'd picked them all by hand.

"Best of all, you'll be able to clean an entire bushel of the delicious harvest in only 15 to 30 minutes! Try this berrypicking shortcut once, and—believe me—you'll never miss a chance to gather elderberries again!"

Ever since we ran a tip on using soda-can flip. tops as picture hangers (MOTHER NO. 57, page 44), we've received numerous suggestions for other ways to find some good in soft-drink tabs. Jean Obrist from Fairbanks, Alaska has come up with one of the most practical applications we've seen yet: "When you use paraffin on jelly jars," Jean says, "stick one of those little rascals in with the curly tongue embedded in the wax and the ring end sticking out. Then, when the paraffin dries, you can simply pull the fliptop and the wax comes out in one nice piece . . . with no prying, chipping, or finding wax filings in the sweets."

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print