Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Dallas News.com ^ | March 14th, 2008 | DEAN FOSDICK

[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."

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/203

Saleetah Whole Wheat Cereal

---

1 cup water
2 cups precooked wheat kernels
1 stick cinnamon or 1 /4 teaspoon ground
2 tablespoons whole anise seed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins (white or dark)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine water, wheat and spices in a pan. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes;
remove from heat. Add sugar, raisins and pecans. Chill or serve warm.
Serves 6.

Nutrient Analysis. One serving provides:
195 calories, 2.4 g protein, 34.5 g carbohy-drates, 3.5 g dietary
fiber, 7 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 28 mg magnesium, 66.6 mg
phos-phorus, 163 mg potassium, 2 mg sodium.

From “Grains of truth about Wheat Kernels” 2-page brochure from the
Wheat Foods Council, Canada.
Brochure available in .pdf format from the files section of FSRecipes:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/files/
File info:
WheatKernels.pdf
Grains of truth about Wheat Kernels (Wheat Foods Council) 2 pages 11
KB

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ume vinegar is umeboshi vinegar, not really a vinegar at all. You can
substitute soy sauce for Ume vinegar in most recipes.

Ume vinegar:
umeboshi vinegar = umeboshi plum vinegar = ume vinegar = ume plum
vinegar = pickled plum vinegar = plum vinegar
Notes: This is more salty than acidic. Substitutes: soy sauce
(darker)
From Cook’s Thesaurus: Vinegars
http://www.foodsubs.com/Vinegars.html

Umeboshi Vinegar:
Made from the umeboshi plum, a Japanese pickled plum, ume plums have an
alkalizing effect on the body, allowing emotions to settle down and let
you become a bit more even-tempered. Used primarily as a vinegar, it is
great in salad dressings, sauces and pickle making. While used in the
same manner as vinegar, this liquid has a more alkalizing affect on the
body (most vinegars create a more acidic blood quality) which aids the
body in its assimilation of food.
Umeboshi plums are made by pressing unripened apricots with salt and
shiso (a Japanese herb) leaves for a period of at least one year, but
three to five years is best.
Traditionally used as a condiment or in cooking, ume plums are
reputed to aid in the relief of many ailments — from stomachaches to
migraine headaches — because they alkalize the blood. These little red
plums (made red by the shiso, which add vitamin C and iron) are great
preservatives and are used frequently to preserve grains, vegetables and
in pickles.
From Christina’s Glossary
http://www.christinacooks.com/glossary/umeboshivinegar.html

Ume Vinegar:
Not a real vinegar, ume su (vinegar) is the liquid which is expressed
during the processing of umeboshi plums. It is sour and salty. Unlike
vinegars, it is alkaline rather than acidic.
From Macrobiotic Glossary
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/3464/glossary/glossary.html

Ume vinegar, is a lush pink brine with a deep, cherry aroma and a fruity
sour flavor. It is a byproduct of umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) and
is technically not a vinegar because it contains salt. Substitute ume
vinegar for salt and vinegar or lemon in any dressing.
From Flax and Ume Salad Dressing
http://www.rwood.com/Recipes/rec_Apr_17_2000.htm

—
Many blessings,
Mary Catherine (”Cathy”) Miller
Cat =^;^=

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Hi Granny, I hope you are well! I had a bunch of medical stuff going on the last 24 hours... but I've popped my head in here and there. I hope you are well. Is it cold in AZ? It was foggy here this morning, a bunch of the schools were delayed and a few were closed for the day. Debating on what I should post today... maybe I'll search with BananaSlug and see what pops up. Talk to you soon!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.christianboard.com/cboard/viewtopic.php?p=115679&sid=5c4c21999c8b8e82856fbb99cdfbcd5a

Survival Techniques

Hi everyone. I have posted up some links so that everyone can prepare adequately in case of an economic collapse and other disasters.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2130484_survive-total-economic-collapse.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2264997_long-term-food-storage.html

http://www.natural-health-information.com/natural-food-pantry.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2244676_grow-depression-garden.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2268249_survive-rice-shortage.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2220971_store-food-long-term-survival.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2145007_emergency-hour-kit.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/food.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/water.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_602_,00.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_601_,00.html

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_605_,00.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/186

Here is one of my whole-wheat bread recipes. This is the one I make most
often:

Whole-Wheat Batter Bread

3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 TBL yeast ( or 2 pkgs)
2 1/2 cups sour milk (add 1 tsp vinegar to regular milk)
1/2 cup honey ( or use 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 cup molasses)
1 TBL salt
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup regular oats
2 eggs
3-3 1/2 cup white flour

1. Combine whole-wheat flour and yeast.
2. Heat butter, sour milk, honey (and molasses, if used), and salt until
warm. Pour into a 3-QT bowl.
3. Add oats, whole-wheat flour-yeast mixture and eggs. Blend at low speed
with electric mixer until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Put in
dough hook here.
4. Stir in enough white flour to make a stiff dough.
5. Spray top with oil spray, cover with foil and let rise until doubled in a
warm place-about 1 hour. I do it in the oven with the temp turned on to
lowest temp and then turned off-lower than the 170 the new ovens have as
their lowest temp) I check it with my hand.
6. Punch down and shape into 3 loaves. Place in 3 9x5 loaf pans that have
been greased.
7. Cover loaves and let rise in warm place until doubled-about 45 minutes.
8. Heat oven to 375 the last 10-15 minutes of rising time.
9. Bake for 25-25 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when thumped.
10. Turn out on racks to cool. Can cover with foli when cool, place in large
polastic freezer bag and store in freezer.

I don’t know where I got this recipe-it has been worked over and changed
slightly anyway-I never make a recipe exactly.

Many blessings,
alisonb

[nw_arizona_granny]

Nice list of links for survival.

I was thinking of you, hoping you are ok.

It is so cold here that it is freezing since dark.

Almost raining.

You should be proud of me, last night I finally cooked the roast, in the crockpot and did it with herbs and NO other liquids, it is amazing the amount of juice there was in the meat, would have made good gravy, but I was cold and started adding things, think I may have a good pot of soup from it, or that is how it tastes, so far.

Has 3 dried hot peppers in it, does that tell you how cold it is here....?

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/190

Green Tomato Pie
2 cup chopped green tomatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
dash cloves
3 TBSP melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped raisins

Boil tomatoes covered for a few minutes. Drain then add remaining
ingredients. Put in crust. Cover with top crust. Flute edges and put a few
slits in top..Bake at 375 for about 35-40 min.

Lynnda/tnlds

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/189

HAMBURGER FRY PAN SUPPER

1 POUND GROUND BEEF
1 MEDIUM ONION CHOPPED
2 MEDIUM UNPEELED RED POTATOES, JULIENNE
2 CUPS SHREDDED CABBAGE
2 CUPS THINLY SLICED CELERY
1/2 CUP WATER
1/4 TEASPOON POWDER GARLIC
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

in A LARGE SKILLET, BROWN BEEF AND ONION; DRAIN
ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS. COVER AND SIMMER
FOR 20 MINUTES OR UNTIL VEGETABLES ARE TENDER,
STIRRING OCCASIONALLY. YIELD: 6 SERVINGS.

THIS FAST-TO-FIX MAIN DISH IS EASY TO PREPARE SINCE THERE ARE SO FEW
INGREDIENTS, PERFECT FOR WORKING MOMS.
MAKE AHEAD PUT IN CONTAINERS AND FREEZE
WHEN YOU WANT TO SERVE THIS DISH, JUST DEFROST IN MICROWAVE
AND HEAT. (A SALAD WOULD COMPLETE THE MEAL)

OBTAIN FROM QUICK COOKING MAGAZINE.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/254

Pilgrim’s Sandwich Spread

---

Back in the ‘50s :-), “Prem”, a Spam look-alike, published a recipe for
a sandwich spread. It was good then, and better now that I make it with
leftover ham, roast pork, roast beef, pot roasts, turkey or chicken. We
pile it on lettuce leaves for a lo-carb lunch. Not bad for breakfast,
either. Hope you like it.

Put through a food grinder (or a food processor) a pound of leftover
meat, 2 carrots, a stalk of celery, 2 hard boiled eggs, a 2 ounce chunk
of cheddar cheese (or jack or swiss, etc.), 2 dill pickles, a small
onion.

Blend in enough mayonnaise to bind (add mustard if you like).
Sounds awful, but this stuff is good! And depending on what meat and
cheese you use, it is always a little different.

From “Low-Carbohydrate Cooking” Volume 2 cookbook in .doc format from
alt.support.diet.low-carb newsgroup.
Complete cookbook in .doc format available from files section of
FSRecipes Email Group:

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/255

Healthy Crock Pot Chili - from Mmooky

---

1 lb. beef stew meat; trimmed
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup chopped onions; 2 medium
2 bell peppers; diced
2 garlic cloves; minced
1 tbp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano; crushed
Trim the beef of all visible fat. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place meat in
crockpot and stir in tomato paste to completely coat meat. Add the
remaining ingredients and stir to blend. DO NOT add any additional
liquid. Cover and cook for 12 hours on LOW heat. When done, you can skim
the fat from surface and discard. YIELD: 4 Servings

From “Low-Carbohydrate Cooking” cookbook in .doc format from
alt.support.diet.low-carb newsgroup.
Complete cookbook in .doc format available from files section of
FSRecipes Email Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/files/

File Info:
Filename: LowCarbCooking.doc
Low-Carbohydrate Cooking (alt.support.diet.low-carb)
322 pages
File Size: 1,377 KB

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/243

I just made this hot cocoa mix this morning and it’s the best! It’s better than
store bought and it’s better than anything I’ve ever made with instant milk
granules in the past. The powdered milk must make the difference. The rest of
the ingredients are cheap store brand. This is so good, I plan on making
several batches and put in decorative containers and giving out as gifts for
Christmas for those sisters on my visiting teaching route. I found this on a
website called RecipeSource.

HOT CHOCOLATE MASTER MIX

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup coffee creamer
1 tsp salt
5 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk (not instant milk granules)

Put all above ingredients in large bowl and mix with miniature marshmallows if
desired.

1/3 cup mixture in 8 oz. cold milk and shake quickly
1/3 cup mixture in coffee mug, and hot water and stir

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/239

Darlene: This recipe came from Ball Blue Book: Guide to home canning,
Freezing & Dehydration; 1999; pg 31.

20 Medium pears 1 tsp. grated orange peel
4 cups sugar 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup orange juice

To prepare pulp: Wash and quarter pears. Cook until soft, adding only
enough water to prevent sticking(about 1/2 cup).

Press through sieve or
food mill. I used my food processor. Measure 2 quarts pear pulp.

To prepare butter: Combine pear pulp and sugar in a large saucepot,
stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining ingredients.

Cook until thick
enough to round up on a spoon. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to
prevent sticking.

Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch
headspace. Adjust two-piece caps.

Process 10 minutes in a
boiling-water(water bath) canner. Yield about 4 pints. Hope this is what
you are looking for.
Linda

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/226

4 cups thinly sliced cantelope 31/2 cups sugar let soak overnight then cook
with 1 t. lemon juice til clear then pour into hot pint jatrs seal and water
boil 10 min. it tastes like candy Darlene

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/221

To Good to Be a Box Cookie

1 Package yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter melted
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 package powdered sugar [1 pound]
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 325
Combine cake mix, butter, and 1 egg: press into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan
Beat remaining 3 eggs, sugar, and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric
mixer until smooth
Spread over bottom layer
Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Remove from oven, cool completely
Cut into squares
21/2 dozen

Source: Back to the Table cookbook

This makes a great christmas gift. I do it annually.
Susan

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/262

Homestyle Hash

Mix and let stand for 10 minutes:
1 cup TVP granuals or flakes
1 tbsp ketchup
7/8 cup boiling water
Have ready:
1 (20oz) pkg shredded potatoes
Heat a large skillet and add:
1 tbsp oil
Saute the reconstituted TVP with:
1/2 cup onion, chopped (or reconstituted dried onion)

Mix the TVP with the potatoes. Add a little more oil to the hot skillet. Pat
mixture into an even layer, reduce heat and cook 10-15 minutes. Turn over
carefully and cook the other side.

Sprinkle with:
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Cut into wedges and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Taken from “The TVP Cookbook” by Dorothy R. Bates ISBN 0-913990-79-5

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/261

Baked Chicken

Here is a recipe I use for chicken it is very easy and you can 2 meals out
of it or just have a cup of really good easy to make soup with it.
whole chicken
1 cup chopped celerey w/the leaves to please (not to fine)
1 cup brown rice or wild rice you can use white also
1 small onion (chopped) fine
1 teaspoon of parsely
1 teaspoon of Marj. (or to taste but this is not to much)
1 to 2 cups white wine any kind that taste good will work I like Rhine wine
in it but
any kind will work great
salt and pepper to taste

mix all ing. togeather and stuff in chicken if any falls in pan it is ok if
the wine does not come about 1/2 way up add a little water you can put a
little lemon pepper on top of chicken if you want but not much it makes the
soup to stong if not carful. I do not put anything on it I also like to use
a oven bag as it helps cook the rice be sure if you use a pan to have a
tight lid to help steam the rice. when you serve it do not take the rice out
of the pan use the liquid to make soup. just add enough water with a good
chicken soup base not the cubes but the good stuff to taste. have enough to
serve how many people you have then add a package of the stir fry veggies
from the frozen food dept of your grocery store I like the kind with snow
peas do not over cook it leave the veggies tender crisp I bring the liquid
to boiling then add frozen veggies then when it gets hot take it up and
serve it. This soup is great it is better than any from the store. Thanks
Silas J. Ward PS Bonnie I am a boy not a lady. LOL

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/259

Seasoned Salt Mix

2 cups salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup deydrated cheese
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1 Tb + 1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tb + 1 tsp thyme
1 Tb + 1 tsp paprika
1 tsp tumeric

Mix ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk. I store the excess in a zip lock
bag because it makes LOTS and it’s better than the store brand. This recipe
comes from Magic Mixes — Meals in Minutes. If you have clumps from spices that
have been in storage for a while, then put the finished recipe through a sifter.

How I use it:

This is my daughters’ favorite recipe:

Seasoned Baked Chicken and Rice

1 frying chicken (or baking)
homemade seasoned salt
seasoned pepper (optional — I don’t have a recipe for this yet).
butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups water
rice from your food storage

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and dry chicken. Spray a baking pan with Pam (or use
a spray bottle filled with oil — cheaper!). Melt butter or margarine (about
2-3 Tb) in the microwave and brush on both sides of chicken (or use your hands
and rub chicken with unmelted butter, but be sure to wash your hands afterwards
and don’t put your hands back into the butter tub after handling raw meat). Put
some butter inside the cavity. Sprinkle generously both sides of chicken with
seasoned salt. Put in pan breast side up and sprinkle lightly with seasoned
pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups water to pan (don’t pour on top of the chicken). Bake
at 350 for 1 hr 15 minutes. Serve over rice. This made lots of juices to pour
over rice. It’s also good to served with soy sauce. If you use a baking hen,
it will need to bake longer. We like regular rice better than instant. I may
cook my Thanksgiving turkey this way this year.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/220

Vegetable Plenty

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed,drained
1 (8 oz.) can cream style corn
2 cup (8 oz.) shredded deluxe choice American or Old English process cheese
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup cheese and tomatoes, mix lightly. Layer
half of vegetable mixture and tomatoes in a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Cover with
remaining vegetables mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Top with remaining
tomatoes. Continue baking 15 minutes. Top with reserved process cheese.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/217

Cooked Dried Corn

---

1 cup dried corn
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup cream
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Soak dried corn over night. Drain and add sugar. Cover with water
and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Add
water as needed. Add cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Heat and
served.

Picnicking & Tailgating: Heat before leaving (on stove or in
microwave) and pour into a thermal container to keep warm. When ready
to serve at the picnic or tailgate site, serve from the container and
enjoy.

Makes 6 servings.

From: http://www.alanskitchen.com/VEGETABLES/Corn/Dried_Corn.htm

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FSRecipes/message/216

Lye Hominy

---

Prepare lye hominy in a well-ventilated room.

For each quart dry shelled, white or yellow field corn: dissolve 2
Tablespoons lye slowly in 1 gallon warm water then bring to boil. (Use
enameled ware or iron kettle. Do NOT use aluminum, copper, tin or
zinc.) Add corn. Boil about 30 minutes or until hulls loosen. Rinse
corn through several changes of hot water to remove lye then cover
with cold water. Stir the kernels briskly in cold water to remove
hulls and black tips. Let stand in fresh water 2 to 3 hours. Change
water 3 or 4 times. Drain. Cover with boiling salted water (1/2
teaspoon slat to each pint or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart water).
Boil until almost tender. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head
space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process pints 1 hour, quarts 1
hour and 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

From: Ball Blue Book (Edition 32) copyright 1990 Ball Corporation

NOTE: I have never had the desire to make hominy because of the
dangers of the lye and because it strips nutrients from the corn. But
I did find some interesting information searching for hominy.

More information:

Encyclopedia: hominy
“One of the first food gifts the American Indians gave to the
colonists, hominy is dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the
hull and germ have been removed. This process is done either
mechanically or chemically by soaking the corn in slaked lime or lye.
Hominy is sold canned, ready-to-eat or dried (which must be
reconstituted before using). It’s commonly served as a side dish or as
part of a casserole. When dried hominy is broken or very coarsely
ground it’s called samp. When ground, it’s called hominy grits-or
simply grits-and usually comes in three grinds-fine, medium and
coarse. Hominy grits are generally simmered with water or milk until
very thick. The mixture can be served in this mushlike form or
chilled, cut into squares and fried. In the South, grits are served as
a side dish for breakfast or dinner.
From: http://www.allrecipes.com/encyc/terms/H/6925.asp

Making Hominy
http://waltonfeed.com/grain/y-rec/hominy.html

Making Old Fashioned Hominy
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/9684/hominy.html

Hominy 01
http://recipes.alastra.com/preserving/hominy01.html

Native Foods - Recipes - Hominy Corn
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/r_corn.html

—
Many blessings,
Mary Catherine (”Cathy”) Miller