FALL PRESERVING TECHNIQUES

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You still can preserve eggs in waterglass, which seals them away from air, bugs and bacteria. If eggs are clean, the vat of waterglass sterile and everything kept cellar-cool, they will keep for six months or more. Older eggs will stiffen and develop an off-balance flavor (a little sulphur dioxideish), but they can still be used for baking.

Some books say not to wash waterglassed eggs so as to preserve the natural antibacterial coating on the shell. Though valid for refrigerated fresh eggs, this makes no sense in waterglass because the protective silica medium serves that function. Also, chicken droppings can remain on unwashed eggshells and could introduce bacteria into eggs within the silica bath.

You'll want to keep the vat covered loosely to keep out dust and cellar creatures. Fishing the eggs out of the waterglass by hand is beyond icky, so you might want to invest in some long rubber gloves or tongs. You can get both, as well as the waterglass, from the homesteading catalogs (see " Sources ")

On general hygiene principles, replace waterglass after a year. Air out and sun a wooden vat thoroughly, and scour plastic or metal vats before refilling.

Dear MOTHER,

As a longtime animal lover, 1 have always held to the firm belief in not killing or harming animals. However, our garage is overrun with mice, and while we have no problem with their choice of shelter, we do object to the little critters chewing on the wiring in our truck. Twice we have had to have the wiring replaced, and we have to get rid of the mice. We have two cats and two dogs, and we need a natural way to rid ourselves of this problem? Any ideas?

Les

Put your cats to work to earn their keep. Teach them that the garage and the vehicles are part of their home turf, and are to be defended against vermin. To do this, shut them in the garage for the night with fresh water, an ample evening feeding (well-fed cats make the best mousers), comfy cat beds and a clean litter box. Leave the truck's doors open; they might sleep on the seat or in the foot well or, if the weather is cold on the hood or on the still-warm engine. From these spots they'll be sure to hear any mice gnawing on the wiring harness. Heap praise on them for any mouse cadavers they drop at your feet in the morning.

(For more tips on encouraging mousers, see " Large Pest Control " by John Vivian in this issue)

Alternatively, as mice prefer the dark, leave a bright light on at night where the mice have been active. In addition, you can purchase a high-frequency, pest-deterring siren (pitched above human hearing range) available from most home and garden stores and catalogs. Get the most powerful one you can find and put it beside the lamp.

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