Recycling Jars and Lids

David Cavagnaaro shares a way to recycle jars and lids; Joanna Uhler still enjoys strenuous outdoor work at age 69; Maureen Unger does her recycling at a hazardous waste facility; Annell Durham preserves sweet red peppers and fresh basil; Paulette Brunnet removes road tar from her car with a baking soda and water paste and stops mosquito bites from itching by applying Secret deodorant; Gary Voshell believes beagles are the best dog for a homestead; Catherine Dybiec Holm shares several tips from making a country living.

193-012-01-jars
DAVID CAVAGNARO Decorah, Iowa
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To save money on canning jars and lids, you can reuse supermarket juice jars to can tomato or other juices. These juice jar lids have a silicone liner that will reseal many times. just be sure to check the juice before you use it to be certain the recycled lid has stayed sealed. The center of the lid should be slightly depressed and make a high, tight sound when tapped.

Use lids that have metal tabs for screwing on. Some jars have threads in the silicone layer lining the lid: These quickly wear out and should not be reused.

This technique is probably not U.S. Department of Agriculture approved, but I have been using these jars for years, replacing worn lids as needed, with no problem whatsoever.

Still Splitting Wood at 69

I have enjoyed MOTHER EARTH NEWS for years and years. At age 69 I do not get into very large projects anymore, but I still split my own firewood. I bought the mechanical wood splitter advertised in your magazine (November 2001) and find it easy to operate and a great, cheap way to split wood rounds. I could not afford a gas wood splitter, nor do I have the strength to split wood using a maul. But this one allows me to split even knotty rounds.

The splitter is the Mean Green Splitting Machine, available from www.avalanchesnow.com (877) 251-9900. It costs $100 plus shipping. If you buy the oak base, it comes with a spring and nylon washer that make it work better. The base, however, is hard to put together just right.

JOANNA UHLER
Elk, Washington

Recycling Rejects

My recycling tip is to check out your local hazardous waste facility.
Sounds awful, doesn't it? But our facility, actually located in the next county, has an exchange room that everyone is welcome to browse (no exchange needed). People are encouraged to send unwanted paint and other chemicals to the facility rather than improperly disposing them by pouring them down the drain or behind the garage. And our facility managers wisely put anything in good condition into the exchange room.

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