# Stockpiling Meat



## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Fast question. What do y'all do to stockpile meats?

I've been picking up the small cans of chicken and ham a few cans at a time, along with the larger cans of roast beef (which makes great hot roast beef sandwiches, btw) but my freezer is only so big and canning is not practical for me right now due to my work schedule. I do have a dehydrator though and use it regularly for drying potatoes and apples.

Anybody use the Mountain House freeze dried stuff and what do you think of it if you have? Cheaper Than Dirt has some of it for under 50 $ a 10 serving can and I was wondering if it was worth the expense.


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## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

i can quite a bit of beef and chicken when it comes on sale. but guess that is not what you want to do. i dry hamberger, you can research that. it is easy to do, and it is good in a lot of stuff, but it does not go back to a patty though, mostly for other dishes.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I'd love to be able to can but between working on the homestead and working period, I'd have to give up sleep in order to take on canning right now. Plus, I have an electric range, which I've heard is pretty tough to use for canning. A turkey frier burner is probably an option. I'll look about drying hamburger in the interim.


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## Ambereyes (Sep 6, 2004)

For us we dehydrate lots of meat and than vacuum seal it.. Have some freeze dried meat but mainly it is what I put back either canned or jerky.. We also keep a lot of meat on the hoof, there is also the availability of deer and wild hogs here..


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## carolb5 (Nov 14, 2007)

We are butchering a beef this fall. Some will be canned, some packages will be marked for future jerky making and the rest frozen. Please share your jerky recipes. 

Carol


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## Halfway (Nov 22, 2010)

Jerkey as carolb5 said is a great place to start. 

Salting and curing is another option, but I am no where near that stage of preparedness.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Yes! Please do post Jerky recipes.

I also looked up dehydrating ground beef and it looks like a snap! I also found a great tip about dehydrating the sliced tub meats like you find for deli type sandwiches. 

Time to let my imagination go. :teehee:


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Commercially canned and dehydrated meats, frozen, home dried (hamburger rocks and jerky so far), and live meat on the hoof (paw and claw?).


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Yes... we do 



















And also in pork futures  ....


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

badlander said:


> I'd love to be able to can but between working on the homestead and working period, I'd have to give up sleep in order to take on canning right now. Plus, I have an electric range, which I've heard is pretty tough to use for canning. A turkey frier burner is probably an option. I'll look about drying hamburger in the interim.


Just an FYI for sometime in the future if/when you do can; I've got an electric (coil-top) stove and there's absolutely no problem using it for canning (both water bath and pressure canning). The only concerns I've ever heard about are the smooth topped electric stoves because of the weight of the canner, water and jars. But I have no personal experience with those. 

I hope someday you do have the time to can because home canned meats are really the best, even if you can't raise your own. Even store bought, home-canned is still superior to canned store bought. If for no other reason you know what's in there. **


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

It may be wise to give up 2 hours of sleep. Just for now. Do you get a day" off". Use a couple hours out of that day to put up quarts or pints of meat. Shoot if you have a small family do half pints. I am super busy but set aside 1 day to can atleat one canner of Foods. Today as it is raining I will be canning bacon.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Stef said:


> Just an FYI for sometime in the future if/when you do can; I've got an electric (coil-top) stove and there's absolutely no problem using it for canning (both water bath and pressure canning). The only concerns I've ever heard about are the smooth topped electric stoves because of the weight of the canner, water and jars. But I have no personal experience with those.
> 
> I hope someday you do have the time to can because home canned meats are really the best, even if you can't raise your own. Even store bought, home-canned is still superior to canned store bought. If for no other reason you know what's in there. **


Unfortunately, mine is the smooth top and there in lies the problem with using my canner. No problem with hot packing thinks like tomatoes or jams but I would worry about my big pressure canner damaging it.

I have heard that a turkey frier burner hooked to a 20 pound lp tank will work perfectly with a canner though so I'm probably going to be looking for one in the future. I would really like to try canning my own meat.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

I have a camp chef camp stove and it works amazing for canning! Much faster and more efficient for the task then any electric stove. I'm very happy with mine.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

myheaven said:


> It may be wise to give up 2 hours of sleep. Just for now. Do you get a day" off". Use a couple hours out of that day to put up quarts or pints of meat. Shoot if you have a small family do half pints. I am super busy but set aside 1 day to can atleat one canner of Foods. Today as it is raining I will be canning bacon.


Just DH and I. We are self employed, just he and I in the office so it's hard for me to take time off other than when either of us are sick. And it usually works out that when one of us is sick (people love to cough in our faces) both of us are so we just shut down for a day or two and share our misery and the sofa. I've been stocking up on pint fruit jars with the future in mind, however. Some Saturday it will happen.

Usually by the end of the day I'm wiped. 

Still you are right about it being worth a little loss of sleep. At 59 I LOVE my 7 hour visit with Morpheus every night, however :happy:

Any tips on canning meat out there?


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Super simple. Cut it up to desired sizes. Stuff in jars add smidge of salt wipe rim add simmered lid. Tighten finger tight. Processe 75 min for pints and half pint. 90 min for quart. My pressure canner holds 20 pint and 32+ half pint. 
For steaks and burger or meatballs or sausage patties. I slightly brown then pack in jars.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Michigansnowpony and beaxr (sp)prepper on YouTube have great videos on it.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

myheaven said:


> Super simple. Cut it up to desired sizes. Stuff in jars add smidge of salt wipe rim add simmered lid. Tighten finger tight. Processe 75 min for pints and half pint. 90 min for quart. My pressure canner holds 20 pint and 32+ half pint.
> For steaks and burger or meatballs or sausage patties. I slightly brown then pack in jars.


I can handle that! Thanks!


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

myheaven said:


> Michigansnowpony and beaxr (sp)prepper on YouTube have great videos on it.


They are _very_ good at explaining the process in an easy to understand step by step manner. Another one is Sage225 Linda's Pantry - YouTube, also known as Linda's pantry. She has dozens of videos on canning. 


One little tip that I use (read it somewhere): when I wipe the jar rims I use a paper towel or clean dish cloth dipped in vinegar. That slight acidity helps insure against grease/fat on the rim and gives the lid a better 'grip'.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

You could night before cut up meat and season. Let sit in fridge. Process next day. For me tr prep work is the hardest.


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## BTO (Feb 7, 2007)

You eat dog?:shocked:






Tracy Rimmer said:


> Yes... we do
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Stef said:


> They are _very_ good at explaining the process in an easy to understand step by step manner. Another one is Sage225 Linda's Pantry - YouTube, also known as Linda's pantry. She has dozens of videos on canning.
> 
> 
> One little tip that I use (read it somewhere): when I wipe the jar rims I use a paper towel or clean dish cloth dipped in vinegar. That slight acidity helps insure against grease/fat on the rim and gives the lid a better 'grip'.


Oh my goodness, I'm going nuts here! Thank you so much for the link to Linda's pantry. That's maybe the best food prep site I've seen! How have I missed seeing this?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> You eat dog?


Millions of Asians can't be wrong


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I just had a chance to check it out also. Okay, so officially I'm filing insurance claims...sorta....LOL

All I can say is WOW!

BTW my husband threatens to roast our three dogs regularly when they wake him up barking at some varmint at 3 AM.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I have bought Freeze dried meat. It's okay. I'm not sure if I have mountain house or not. I also have the meals with the meat in it. It isn't gourmet food, but it will keep us alive. I bought it to cover my bases. Home canned meat is in glass jars - they might break. Other meat we have stored is in the freezer- it might fail. So, the FD kind of hedges our bets. I also buy the store canned meats when they are on sale.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Why not make a stew for dinner in some distant future? Put it in a jar and can it for about 45 minuets for pint and 90 for quart. Use the leanest beef so that their will not be a lot of talon or grease in it. Make the stew in a large pot then put it in jars so that everything will be in it.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

BTO said:


> You eat dog?:shocked:


No. The dog is a working dog (too valuable to eat  )... those are edible goats in the background of the photo, though.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Old Vet said:


> Why not make a stew for dinner in some distant future? Put it in a jar and can it for about 45 minuets for pint and 90 for quart. Use the leanest beef so that their will not be a lot of talon or grease in it. Make the stew in a large pot then put it in jars so that everything will be in it.



Most recommendations are 60minutes on pints, and 90 on quarts.


And I agree....make the dinner ahead.....doesn't take much longer than simply canning meat.

We make chicken soup, beef stew, chili, spaghetti sauce w/meat and taco seasoned meat so the meal is already somewhat prepared.....just heat, throw in a side or bread, and eat.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

My 4 year old keeps bringing me our black cat and asking me if she can eat him yet. Lol. Most people would be mortified to hear that. More would be exasperated with my response of not
Yet honey we still have spot and bunny to eat. Their our two steer in back lol.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

myheaven said:


> You could night before cut up meat and season. Let sit in fridge. Process next day. For me tr prep work is the hardest.


That's what I do; prep one day, process the next. :thumb:


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

badlander said:


> Unfortunately, mine is the smooth top and there in lies the problem with using my canner.


I had a glass topped electric stove when we moved to this house. I used it for water bath and pressure canning for several years and it didn't damage the stovetop as long as I was careful not to scoot the canner and scratch the glass.

The pressure canner didn't sit flat on the stove top, but as long as I had the pressure up to the right weight the food was safe to eat.

I replaced that stove with a gas one two years ago and haven't missed the old one even once.


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## Limon (Aug 25, 2010)

Old Vet said:


> Why not make a stew for dinner in some distant future? Put it in a jar and can it for about 45 minuets for pint and 90 for quart. Use the leanest beef so that their will not be a lot of *talon *or grease in it. Make the stew in a large pot then put it in jars so that everything will be in it.


Uh, do I want to ask what you're making stew out of that you have to worry about talons? :teehee:

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has information on just about any way to preserve food.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Limon said:


> Uh, do I want to ask what you're making stew out of that you have to worry about talons? :teehee:
> 
> The National Center for Home Food Preservation has information on just about any way to preserve food.


That was a typo what I meant was the grease from the beef.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I have a niece that has Celiac Disease, so I developed this recipe to take to a family Reunion camp out.

This is the recipe for the seasoning. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the amount of meat......but it was a lot.

Just mix up the sauce and use what's needed for the amount of meat that you have. I usually let it marinate about 1/2 hour before putting it in the dehydrator. Enjoy! 

1 bottle San-J Tamari Sauce (or soy sauce if not worried about being GF)
2/3 cup Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 TBSP. Honey
4 TBSP. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke
Couple Dashes Chipotle Hot Sauce (optional)


Badlander; I use a turkey fryer setup with the 20# propane tank and it works perfectly for both water-bath and pressure canning. Plus, it keeps all the extra heat & humidity outside.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I had a glass topped electric stove when we moved to this house. I used it for water bath and pressure canning for several years and it didn't damage the stovetop as long as I was careful not to scoot the canner and scratch the glass.
> 
> The pressure canner didn't sit flat on the stove top, but as long as I had the pressure up to the right weight the food was safe to eat.
> 
> I replaced that stove with a gas one two years ago and haven't missed the old one even once.


Glad to hear that. We just bought a new smooth top range about two months ago, I kept my older one though so it would be the one I would experiment on.

Still I spent some time on fleabay yesterday looking at LP burners for turkey fryers and there are some great buys out there.


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## scooter (Mar 31, 2008)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> Yes... we do
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Love your Bernese Mountain Dog, they are such wonderful animals.


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

i have canned meat in my all american on a flat top stove. granted it is older, and we got it for just $25, so it wouldn't be a huge loss if something were to happen. i waterbath on a turkey cooker gas thing.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

scooter said:


> Love your Bernese Mountain Dog, they are such wonderful animals.


She's actually an Australian Shepherd cross. We think the "cross" might be with a horse, as she's twice as big as she's supposed to be, if the breeder's story is accurate.

The story is, she came from a breeder of purebred Aussies from a working line. Mama was in heat, and bred, and shortly thereafter, a stray lab managed to get at her. The pups from that litter couldn't be sold as "purebred" because of the "situation" with the lab, so we got her cheap. As she outgrew both Aussie and Lab standards, we wondered what else might have gotten in at the mama, because she's huge -- she weighs nearly 100 lbs -- not fat, just BIG and solidly built. 

So, she might be part Bernese -- but mama was an Aussie.


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## ChickadeeL (Dec 10, 2008)

badlander said:


> Glad to hear that. We just bought a new smooth top range about two months ago, I kept my older one though so it would be the one I would experiment on.
> 
> Still I spent some time on fleabay yesterday looking at LP burners for turkey fryers and there are some great buys out there.



Just a heads up for you: we recently added another pressure canner to the household. In the booklet, it stated very firmly NOT to use the turkey fryer/lp setup with the canner. Apparently the turkey fryer burners heat much hotter than a regular burner, and can warp the bottom of the pressure canner. It is a Presto, by the way.

And I have been water bath and pressure canning on glass top stoves for around 15years with no problems. Ever. I am very careful to not put heavy loads on the cooktop suddenly, and to not overload the cooktop with too much weight, to avoid cracking it. So far, so good. It is a risk I am willing to take.

I cannot use the All American brand, however, due to the conformation of the bottom of that brand of canner.

We also use a camp stove out on the porch, quite frequently, for canning as well. But only for water bath canning.

Hope this helps....I'd just hate to see you lose you canner due to warping from the metal getting overheated on a turkey fryer. Those canners are expensive.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> She's actually an Australian Shepherd cross. We think the "cross" might be with a horse, as she's twice as big as she's supposed to be, if the breeder's story is accurate.
> 
> The story is, she came from a breeder of purebred Aussies from a working line. Mama was in heat, and bred, and shortly thereafter, a stray lab managed to get at her. The pups from that litter couldn't be sold as "purebred" because of the "situation" with the lab, so we got her cheap. As she outgrew both Aussie and Lab standards, we wondered what else might have gotten in at the mama, because she's huge -- she weighs nearly 100 lbs -- not fat, just BIG and solidly built.
> 
> So, she might be part Bernese -- but mama was an Aussie.


I would bet real money on the Bermese theory.

We have a Border Collie that has just a 'touch' of some sort of retriever in her. I'm betting Golden due to the texture and length of her coat. She was a badly abused stray that found me 8 years ago when she was 5 months old. It took years to get the fear out of her and teach her to trust and love again but it was well worth the effort. She is a GREAT dog.

Quick question, how many pounds of pressure are you all using on your canners to do meat?


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

Thanks ChickadeeL for the tip. 

I was looking at something like this:

Camp Stove Single Burner Low Pressure Propane Out Door Use | eBay

Which is different I think from a turkey fryer. I have an enclosed alcove on my back porch that the original owner built for his wife with the plan to turn it into a summer kitchen for her cook stove. She had her wringer washer there but it would make a perfect canning alcove in the summer.

I was going to look at my canner last night and see what type it was and get the weight but ran out of steam.  No pun intended. I'll do it tonight for sure.


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

Get lots of ground meat on special. Something with some flavour, like beef, mutton or turkey is best; but you can use chicken or pork.

Prepare a LARGE saucepan. Mix some ground meat, some crushed garlic, some water to a creamy consistency - a potato masher is good to use for this.
Add some more water, place on stove, bring to boil, then simmer for about five minutes. 
Sieve through a colander, SAVING THE LIQUID. This removes fat from the meat, so it won't go rancid. Set the cooked meat aside.
*NOTE THAT* you will be losing some flavour to the cooking water. That is why we add garlic. It is also why we save and re-use the cooking liquid, so that less will go from meat to water in repeated steps. We also save the meat from the first loop through these steps, when it was cooked in plain water and would have lost most, and mix it with subsequent batches.​*REPEAT *steps 1,2 & 3 as many times as necessary, RE-USING the cooking liquid, adding more garlic.
If the cooking liquid becomes too fatty and greasy, pour some into another container and chill until the fat floats, sets, and can be broken up and removed. 
Any time, ADD ONLY enough water to make up volume.​
When finished, mix the batches of cooked meat, spread thinly on a cookie tray, and dry in a slow oven to the consistency of fine gravel.
Stir occasionally, so the grains dry separately.
If necessary, chill or even freeze excess, and dry on other days.
Store dried meat in airtight and preferably light-proof containers in a cool, dry, dark place. It will last for years this way, but vacuum pack would extend that.
This meat is useful anywhere you could use ground meat. Soup, stew, spaghetti sauce, meat pies. 
If not cooked in liquid, you will need to simmer in water or sauce and leave to soak first.
It can be eaten dry, in small quantities. After all, it is already cooked. 
This is not a secret you want to let children know, though - I speak from experience - your dried meat stash can disappear quickly.​
FINAL STEP. Chill all the leftover cooking liquid (containing meat flavour and gelatine - a rich stock), remove fat, add a handful of the ground meat, some chopped vegetables, a handful of macaroni or rice, and make yourself a very tasy soup. This is your reward for your work.


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## Hairsheep (Aug 13, 2012)

Canned meat is good...Jerky is good also, however I think one is better off storing their food on the hoof.
I got Katahdin Hair Sheep for just that purpose.
Many say they will hunt...and for awhile game will be available, but over time game will quickly disappear.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

badlander said:


> Quick question, how many pounds of pressure are you all using on your canners to do meat?


I go to 15lbs, just because of our elevation. My mom (we lived in Ontario between the Great Lakes) canned everything at 10lbs.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I have been using one of my camp stoves with an adapter for a BBQ grill tank in my sun room to can. Keeps my house much cooler.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

We are at 941 feet elevation so probably the 10 pounds would do it. I hope.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

badlander said:


> We are at 941 feet elevation so probably the 10 pounds would do it. I hope.


My ball book says 10lb weight or 11psi on gage up to 1,000 feet. Anything above that is 15lb weight, gage depends on elev.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

I inherited an old Kerr Home Canning book from my mom that was published back during WW II. Really interesting as it is promoting home gardening and canning to promote the war effort. I'm going to see if I can dig it out of my recipe book drawer tonight and see what it says.

Thanks for the info on the altitude psi. 

I'm really getting fired up about doing this! Probably will try some dehydrating first and plan on starting to can meats next spring when I can set up a canning alcove for myself.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

You can get a current ball book at a lot of Walmarts/Kmarts for about $6. Some of the guidelines have changed since WWII. I've never seen a book by Kerr.


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## badlander (Jun 7, 2009)

terri9630 said:


> You can get a current ball book at a lot of Walmarts/Kmarts for about $6. Some of the guidelines have changed since WWII. I've never seen a book by Kerr.


Undoubtedly.

Like I said, it's an oldie. Published somewhere between 39 and 1945. Lordie, I was born in 53....what am I saying?!:Bawling::doh::sob:


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

badlander said:


> We are at 941 feet elevation so probably the 10 pounds would do it. I hope.


Anything under 1000ft is supposed to be good at 10lbs. We're over 1300ft, so I go higher


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