Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
How to Make Bath Oil for Sore Muscles
By Sheila Wilkinson
Rate: (0 Ratings)
When you’re achy, it’s wonderful to draw a nice hot bath. With the
right
bath oil, you can soak the aches away much better. You’ll also smooth
and soften
your skin at the same time! Try this bath oil when you’re tired and
sore and
you’ll see the difference.
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You’ll Need:
* 1 cup honey
* 2 cups plain milk (use any but whole milk will seem richer)
* 1 cup salt (you can use sea salt)
* 1/4 cup baking soda (the cheapest brand is fine)
* 1/2 cup Baby oil (go cheap here, too)
* 1 tablespoon oil of peppermint (find this at all health food
stores
and some drug stores)
Step 1
Mix all ingredients except the peppermint oil in a large bowl. Stir
until
well blended.
Step 2
Turn on the tub and begin to fill it. Make sure the water is as hot as
is
comfortable. Pour the mixture into the tub under the running water.
Get fancy
with a glass of wine, some candles and some great music if you like.
Step 33
When the bath is almost done pour in the peppermint oil. Now get in
and
soak. Relax. Stay in the tub until the water gets too cool to be
comfortable.
Step 44
Notice how good your muscles feel when you get out. You can expect to
sleep
really well afterwards, too.
Granny note:
Almond, Walnut or Olive oil could replace the baby oil.
Posted by: “Eleanor
Date: Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:50 am ((PDT))
This is a super hint, we had a fire too, and the smell was terrible.
Also good if you should move into a house or apartment where the people
used to smoke. The “pros” came in and did us too, but it cost a small
fortune. By the way, I think a “knock off” Coke would work just as well.
From Seattle :
Several years back we had a fire in our home and the pros came in to
help us with the clean up. Everything smelled like smoke, even our
clothes. One of their cleaning secrets was to put one can of Coca-Cola in the
washing machine, per load with your regular laundry soap. They said:
“Do NOT use sugarless and do not use Pepsi, just REGULAR name-brand
Coca-Cola.” It worked wonderfully! It was amazing how well just adding one
can of Coke per wash load would take out every trace of smoke smell
from our clothes and other washables!
I’ve since used this trick to get rid of that campfire smell from my
jackets and other clothes after camping and it also seems to get rid of
nasty nicotine smells from my clothes when I’ve been around smokers. I
don’t know if a knockoff brand of Coke would work, I used the real thing
but you could always give a cheaper brand a try!
Source: Professional smoke damage cleaners gave me this tip.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2004567/posts
Effects of Nuclear Explosions
Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions ^ | May 15, 1997 | Carey Sublette
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 8:05:40 PM by primeval patriot
Physics of Nuclear Weapon Effects
[A complete report on what happens.]
Survivalists get ready for meltdown
By Paul Willis for CNN
LONDON , England (CNN) — Derek is compiling a survival guide on how to
cope
after the total collapse of society. It is, as you can imagine, a big
job.
Already he has 58.8 gigabytes of material stored on his computer, he
tells
me impressively.
Derek (this is not his real name — he says he doesn’t want me to use
his
real name “for obvious reasons” that he never gets round to explaining)
considers himself a survivalist.
The survivalist movement grew up in America in the 1960s. Encouraged by
Cold
War era government’s calls to build nuclear fallout shelters, and
concerns
over currency devaluation, individuals and groups began to take steps
to
prepare themselves against the worst.
Many survivalists in the U.S. relocate to the northwestern state of
Idaho,
stockpiling food, and quite often guns and ammunition, and learning how
to
be self-sufficient in order to survive or “disappear.”
To those who have heard of it at all, survivalism is sometimes
associated
with extremist views. In the U.S., the movement has occasionally been
hijacked by far-right groups attracted by its rejection of much of
government and its fierce defense of the right to bear arms.
For example, Oklahoma bomber
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/17/court.archive.mcveigh2/index.html
Timothy McVeigh was obsessed with survivalism as a teenager, setting up
a
generator and a store of canned food and potable water in his basement.
For defenders of the movement, like Jim Rawles who runs a
http://www.survivalblog.com/
survivalist blog and lives “in a very
lightly
populated region west of the Rockies” this perversion by a “lunatic
fringe”
distorts the true message of survivalism, which is, in many ways, just
about
personal freedom.
Derek, 60, who moved from London to the countryside in the southeast of
England four years ago, puts it another way.
“There’s going to be absolute pandemonium when it does happen, so I
just
want to be prepared so that I’m not a burden on anyone,” he says.
What this disaster might be is anyone’s guess, says Derek, but he’s got
his
hunches.
Climate change is high up on the list. Also up there is the fallout
from a
global economic collapse, possibly resulting from a state of peak oil
— the
point where oil production reaches its peak and thereafter goes into
freefall.
Even so, Derek suspects he may not live to see the meltdown he predicts
is
on its way.
This is perhaps why his own preparations are rather Spartan. Aside from
the
survival manual, he has a backpack filled with a few essentials - what
survivalists term a “bug-out.” He keeps the rucksack in the trunk of
his
car; it contains a stove, dried food, blankets, boots, clothes and “a
spare
set of me and the wife’s pills.”
Jim Rawles is taking no such chances. A former U.S. army intelligence
officer, he lives on a ranch in an undisclosed location with his wife
(who
he refers to in his blog affectionately as “the Memsahib”) and their
children.
Their life is almost entirely self-sufficient: They keep livestock,
hunt elk
and the children are schooled at home. Stored away in the ranch
somewhere is
a three-year supply of food.
[continued]
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/20/survival.feat/index.html
Pork and Beans
1 lb white beans (Great northern or navy beans)
1 tablespoon corn oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
1 lb. pork bacon sliced ½” thick
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1-1/2 to 2 cups water
1/2 cup tomato catsup
1/4 cup corn oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Soak the beans in enough water overnight. Drain and rinse. In a
saucepan, heat oil then sauté garlic and onions. Add sliced pork and
cook until brown. Add soy sauce and water. Add the beans and cook
covered until tender. You can also do this in a pressure cooker. Add
catsup, oil, salt, and sugar. Stir carefully to prevent beans from
getting mashed. Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixture. Cook 1 minute
more.
You’ll never buy canned pork and beans after trying this simple
recipe. Believe me, it tastes good.
Sharon
April 21, 2008 Edition > Section: National >
Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World
BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
April 21, 2008
URL: http://www2.nysun.com/article/74994
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.
“Where’s the rice?” an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. “You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous.”
The bustling store in the heart of Silicon Valley usually sells four or five varieties of rice to a clientele largely of Asian immigrants, but only about half a pallet of Indian-grown Basmati rice was left in stock. A 20-pound bag was selling for $15.99.
“You can’t eat this every day. It’s too heavy,” a health care executive from Palo Alto, Sharad Patel, grumbled as his son loaded two sacks of the Basmati into a shopping cart. “We only need one bag but I’m getting two in case a neighbor or a friend needs it,” the elder man said.
The Patels seemed headed for disappointment, as most Costco members were being allowed to buy only one bag. Moments earlier, a clerk dropped two sacks back on the stack after taking them from another customer who tried to exceed the one-bag cap.
“Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history,” a sign above the dwindling supply said.
Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday.
An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.
The curbs and shortages are being tracked with concern by survivalists who view the phenomenon as a harbinger of more serious trouble to come.
“It’s sporadic. It’s not every store, but it’s becoming more commonplace,” the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, James Rawles, said. “The number of reports I’ve been getting from readers who have seen signs posted with limits has increased almost exponentially, I’d say in the last three to five weeks.”
Spiking food prices have led to riots in recent weeks in Haiti, Indonesia, and several African nations. India recently banned export of all but the highest quality rice, and Vietnam blocked the signing of a new contract for foreign rice sales.
“I’m surprised the Bush administration hasn’t slapped export controls on wheat,” Mr. Rawles said. “The Asian countries are here buying every kind of wheat.” Mr. Rawles said it is hard to know how much of the shortages are due to lagging supply and how much is caused by consumers hedging against future price hikes or a total lack of product.
“There have been so many stories about worldwide shortages that it encourages people to stock up. What most people don’t realize is that supply chains have changed, so inventories are very short,” Mr. Rawles, a former Army intelligence officer, said. “Even if people increased their purchasing by 20%, all the store shelves would be wiped out.”
At the moment, large chain retailers seem more prone to shortages and limits than do smaller chains and mom-and-pop stores, perhaps because store managers at the larger companies have less discretion to increase prices locally. Mr. Rawles said the spot shortages seemed to be most frequent in the Northeast and all the way along the West Coast. He said he had heard reports of buying limits at Sam’s Club warehouses, which are owned by Wal-Mart Stores, but a spokesman for the company, Kory Lundberg, said he was not aware of any shortages or limits.
An anonymous high-tech professional writing on an investment Web site, Seeking Alpha, said he recently bought 10 50-pound bags of rice at Costco. “I am concerned that when the news of rice shortage spreads, there will be panic buying and the shelves will be empty in no time. I do not intend to cause a panic, and I am not speculating on rice to make profit. I am just hoarding some for my own consumption,” he wrote.
For now, rice is available at Asian markets in California, though consumers have fewer choices when buying the largest bags. “At our neighborhood store, it’s very expensive, more than $30” for a 25-pound bag, a housewife from Mountain View, Theresa Esquerra, said. “I’m not going to pay $30. Maybe we’ll just eat bread.”
April 21, 2008 Edition > Section: National >
BUMP!
That article is going to light the fire under a whole bunch of folks Granny!
Glad we’re ahead of the curb...
Just might be time to commit to another big buy down at the commissary... even though we are covered for many months.
Here’s two very different approaches....
Title: Stuffed Frogs
Categories: Filipino, Fish, Ceideburg, Pork, Frogs
Yield: 6 servings
6 lg Edible frogs, skinned, whole
1 c Finely chopped pork
1/2 Head garlic, chopped fine
1/4 Vinegar
1 ts (Heaping) brown sugar
Salt and pepper
And just when you all thought it was safe to go back into the
water... The infamous clothesline-dried frog recipe!
Mix pork with garlic, vinegar and seasonings. Stuff body cavities of
well cleaned frogs. Rub with seasoning and hang in the sun to dry.
Fry in deep, hot fat until frogs are a golden brown.
From “Recipes of the Philippines” compiled and edited by Enriqueta
David- Perez, 1962. Capitol Publishing House, Quezon City.
Posted by Stephen ; July 9 1992.
Title: Gaeng Pah (Jungle Curry) [Frog]
Categories: Thai, Frogs, Curry, Pork, Chicken
Yield: 4 Servings
1 lb Frog
3 tb Oil
5 c Chicken or pork broth
3 tb Fish Sauce
1 tb Date palm sugar
1/4 c Pea eggplants (or
6 Thai round eggplants sliced
In half)
1/2 c Thinly sliced bamboo shoots
3 lg Kaffir Lime leaves, torn
Into small pieces
2 tb Krachai (rhizome)
6 Thai chiles finely slivered
1 md Firm green tomato, cut into
sm Wedges or 1” cubes
1/2 c Baby corn
1/2 c Thai Basil Leaves
8 Dried red peppers (Thai,
Japanese, hot ones)
1 ts White peppercorns ground
1 ts Coriander seeds, roasted and
Ground
8 Fresh Thai chilies, chopped
1 ts Finely chopped Thai Galanga
1 Stalk Lemon Grass, thinly
Sliced then chopped
1 ts Finely chopped Kaffir Lime
Peel
1 tb finely chopped Krachai root
1 sm Head of garlic chopped (HEAD
Not clove)
1 ts Kapi (Fish paste), roasted
1/2 ts Salt
We love making Jungle Curry and it is really good w/frog instead
of pork. Thought I’d throw out my version as well. It is such fun
to experiment.....
Frog (legs are preferred by some but you can use the whole edible
part). Now if you really don’t want to use frog I guess you could
use alligator, or firm fish fillets.
To roast Kapi (Fish paste), I put in tin foil packet and put into
toaster oven.
Place prepared paste ingredients into mortar using pestle pound
like crazy and make paste. This will take some time and muscle.
Heat oil in medium pot and fry the paste until flavors and aromas
are released. Add broth and bring to a boil. Season with fish
sauce and sugar, and add the pea or Thai eggplants, Kaffir lime
leaves, cut Krachai, bamboo shoots, and frog (or other meat you
are using). Cook a minute or two and add the green tomatoes, baby
corn, slivered peppers and basil. Cook a few more minutes or until
frog has been cooked through.
Serve with steamed Jasmine Rice
Mary-Anne, back from Thailand
[common bullfrogs, you must be sure of what you are eating, as some have poison in their skins.....granny]
http://www.whenshtf.com/forumdisplay.php?s=5ce97cfd690b1a51a8bb4d5bb945ca4b&f=33
http://www.freewebs.com/teotwawkisurvivalist/
I didn’t dig into the last one, but found much that interested me on the first two, LOL, I think that is where I I found the article.
A couple articles like this and 2123 & 2124 and we will have a run on the food stores.
Have you ever been in a store that has no food to sell.....???
I saw it here at Safeway, about 1978, when the truckers were going on strike.
First the Safeway truckers went on strike and in no time, the shelves were bare, and it was a huge store.
The store manager was hauling bread and milk and cereal from the warehouse in Las Vegas, over one hundred miles away and they would sell you “ONE” of each, no games played.
No coming back for seconds.
I have to say thank you to the Manager, he did his best to keep food on the tables of Kingman.
At that time, there were a couple mom and pop shops and no other big markets, here.
If you are going to shop, the sooner the better.
I think that I missed pinging you to the food shortage news in posts 2123-24-26-29.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=2126#2126
Frozen food should be defrosted before cooking in the slow cooker.
This link is from the University of Minnesota.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ768.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ768.htm
This one is from USDA:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Slow_Cooker_Safety/index
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Slow_Cooker_Safety/index.
asp
http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ768.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ768.htm
Found on a cooking list for crockpots.
Blueberry Cobbler
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups blueberries
1/2 cup water
In bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt,
cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and
oil. Stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Grease 5
quart crockpot. Spread evenly into greased 5-quart crockpot.
In saucepan, combine blueberries, water and 1/4 cup sugar.
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour into crockpot. Cook
on high for 2 hours. Turn off crockpot, uncover and let set
for 30 minutes.
Barbecued Beef
Serves: 12
Source: www.allrecipes.com
“This dish is zesty and yummy! It is very easy to make, as well as
very deserving of 3 exclamation points!!! Spoon meat onto toasted
sandwich buns, and top with additional barbecue sauce.”
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (4 pound) boneless chuck roast
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar,
Dijon-style mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Stir in
salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Place chuck roast in a slow cooker. Pour ketchup mixture over chuck
roast. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.
3. Remove chuck roast from slow cooker, shred with a fork, and return
to the slow cooker. Stir meat to evenly coat with sauce. Continue
cooking approximately 1 hour.
***NOTE: If the sauce is too greasy, I put the sauce in a container in
the freezer while I’m shredding the beef. The grease hardens on top,
and you can skim it off. Then you can return it to the slow cooker
with the shredded beef.
While I can’t grow rice, I’m glad I’m growing so much other stuff of my own. Fortunately, NY had a tremendous agriculture business and we live out in the country. We can get basics pretty easily.
I’d hate to be living in a big city these days.
Great article, Granny! I don’t know about y’all, but a 50# bag of RICE?! Not in this lifetime! I might—MIGHT—buy 10# a year! LOL
Still working my you know what off—give me about a month and tehn I’ll play catch-up!
Crockpot Fiesta Tamale Pie
Makes about 6 servings
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup beef broth
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 (14 to 16 oz.) jar thick and chunky salsa
1 (16 oz.) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
2 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
In a large bowl, mix cornmeal and broth; let stand 5 min. Stir in
beef,
chili powder, cumin, salsa, corn and olives. Pour into a 3 1/2 to 5
qt
crockpot.
Cover and cook on LOW 5 to 7 hrs. or until set.
Sprinkle cheese over top; cover and cook another 5 min. or until
cheese
melts.
Jean
You are lucky to live in an area that you can garden in.
A doctor sent us to Arizona and now a doctor keeps me here, so I will never know what i had in California again.
Grow and then grow some more, someone will eat it, the church members, the food kitchens, so many are now hungry and it will get worse.
I pray that all of you have a super crop this year.
When you buy the large bags of rice, you pay little more than the 10# you bought in the store, it has uses in crafts and there is always someone who is glad to get 5# of it, during lay offs etc.
Or follow some of the rice in a jar recipes and season it and give it for Christmas Presents.
Sorry, forgot this is 2008 and the price went up.
We miss you and are aware that you are working hard, so will be here waiting for your return.
Rice keeps forever, but not the brown rice as it has oil that goes rancid.
Crockpot Chicken and Rice Gumbo
3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 pound fully cooked smoked sausage chopped
2 medium stalks celery with leaves sliced
1 large carrot chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 14 1/2 ounce can stewed tomatoes undrained
5 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 10 ounce package frozen cut okra thawed and drained
3 cups hot cooked rice for serving
hot red pepper sauce
Mix all ingredients except okra, rice and pepper sauce in
3 1/2 to 6 quart crockpot Cover and cook on low heat
setting 7-8 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in
center. Stir in okra. Cover and cook on low heat setting
for 20 minutes. Spoon rice into individual soup bowls; top
with gumbo. Serve with pepper sauce
Crockpot Smothered Steak
1 1/2 lb. round steak, cut in strips
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 green pepper, sliced
1 (1 lb.) can tomatoes
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 lg. onion, sliced
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen green beans (French style)
1. Put steak strips, flour, salt and pepper in crock pot. Stir well
to coat steak.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 hours (high for
4 hours). Serve with rice.
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