Weekly Prepper's Thread

[Ellendra]

I don’t have any money to invest in powdered cheeses, but I might have to dig through the freezer and see if there’s any that got pushed to the back that I could dehydrate.

Thanks for the tip!!

[Sarajevo]

I’ll soon be adding a Ruger 10/22 Carbine Rifle to my “inventory” and I want clean ammo for that plus I need to know the company that makes the cleanest ammo for other weapons.

Clean ammo? Are you referring to lead vs steel bullet, or the propellant?

[Ellendra]

The loaves keep collapsing, though; one friend suggesting adding an egg to the recipe.

When I first got a breadmaker, I noticed that too. It turned out the recipe needed about 3/4 cup more flour. If it has a little window you can watch it during the kneading stage, does the dough seem "gloppy" or does it pull away from the sides and try to form a ball? If it's gloppy, try adding more flour, a spoonfull at a time, while it's kneading.

[Ellendra]

I’m curious if you’ve ever tried a sugar cure like in this recipe: http://povertyprepping.blogspot.com/2012/12/daves-kitchen-sugar-cured-beef.html

I’ve been wondering if it would work for pork as well as beef?

[JRandomFreeper]

I just read his recipe. He's using sugar and salt, so it's not 100% sugar cure.

My brine (I pre-brine before dry curing) is sugar and salt and Instacure #1. After a few days, of that, I'll dry cure it and hang it for later smoking.

I do pepper my meat heavily (think steak au poivre) when I dry cure it.

I wouldn't use his method on pork because ham is supposed to be salty. ;)

Beef is more forgiving on preserving, in my experience, than pork is. I'll stick with my instacure #1, salt and sugar.

/johnny

[Little Bill]

Got a recipe, for beef?

[piroque]

sent you a P M on a source.

[TEXOKIE]

I’m a newby gardener, and had not heard of vertical gardening before. I looked it up and found this:

http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/how-to-plant-a-vertical-garden#slide-1

and this:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vertical-gardening-zm0z10zhun.aspx

and this one on hydroponic systems:
http://vertigro.com/

Thanks for bringing up the concept. This sounds neat! Keep us apprised of your progress with it, if you would!

[Marcella]

I’m using Vertigrow hydroponic - no soil.

[Marcella]

The propellant.

[TEXOKIE]

Would you be willing to amplify what the advantages are to raw pack chicken canning?

[JRandomFreeper]

I've never canned cooked chicken that didn't turn out tough as shoe leather.

I gave up. Last time a friend culled a bunch of young roosters, I deboned them, and raw packed them, and they came out just fine.

Just my experience.

/johnny

[TEXOKIE]

How do you dehydrate cheese? Grate it? Then vacuum pack? What kind of shelf life do you get from it?

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks I will take a closer look at the web site, then.

[TEXOKIE]

“I’ve never canned cooked chicken that didn’t turn out tough as shoe leather....”

Thanks. I’ve seen references on these threads and other places where people will take leftovers and can them. Would the chicken also toughen up in a situation like that?

[JRandomFreeper]

I don't can leftovers. Canning is separate from regular cooking in this house. I'm big on food safety. I used to teach courses on it in the military.

Screw up canning, and you can hurt a lot of people.

/johnny

[SatinDoll]

How to dehydrate cheese.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4885626_dehydrate-cheese-food-storage.html

You need a dehydrating machine.

I suggest shedding the chees into fine threads, then when dry powdering in a blender.

Keep everything dry. Moisture will cause mold to grow on cheese.

[SatinDoll]

OOPS! “I suggest shedding the chess..” should read, “I suggest shredding the cheese..”

So sorry.

[listenhillary]

10/22’s are getting scarce.

[listenhillary]

Make a fully functional cold storage pit/mound and enjoy your garden’s production all winter

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/deblois47.html