Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
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Why a free course on phytates?
I’ve done extensive reading on phytates for my book and yet the book contains only a few pages of information on the topic. As I have added information to my website, I get many questions about phytates.
I realize why I am getting these questions: there are really no internet sources available that give extensive information on phytates and the academic journal articles are not readily available to the public. And people want to improve the quality of their food to ensure long-term health. That’s a great cause I can contribute to.
So this e-course is where I can direct people for more information. We can all benefit. I add entries as I find new information. In the future this may turn into an e-book or print book. But today it’s free. Enjoy.
Amanda
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http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/03/nourishing-frugal-recipe-carnival-2.html
Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home 03.06.09 at 4:39 am
http://www.heaveninthehome.com/2009/03/06/nourishing-frugal-recipes-carnival-sprouted-mexican-rice-and-raw-hummus/
Dawn 03.06.09 at 11:39 am
I have so enjoyed your blog, so I’m happy to share this tasty main dish that costs less than 50 cents per serving, is kid-friendly and freezes well. It is good with or without meat. I’m still experimenting with soaking the lentils, which reduces the cooking time, so use your judgment. Unsoaked cooking times are given in parentheses:
Lentil Chili (inspired by Mollie Katzen)
serves 8+ as main dish
4 c. (~1.5 lbs.) pardina lentils (I use Goya)
10 c. water, divided
28 oz. can diced tomatoes or 3-4 fresh, chopped (skin OK)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic (I used jarred)
2 c. chopped yellow onion
2 tsp. sea salt
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or cider vinegar)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste (not spicy at this level)
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar or parmesan, fresh parsely, cilantro or basil
Optional meat: leftover brats or homemade ground sausage
Important: Simmer this slowly, or it will cook too quickly and turn to mush. Leftovers get softer and thicker as the excess liquid is absorbed.
Clean lentils, cover generously with water and soak for about seven hours with a splash of kefir, whey or lemon juice. Rinse lentils and place in 8 qt. soup pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer for about 20 min. (unsoaked 30 min.) Chop onions. Add tomatoes, cumin, paprika, thyme, garlic, onions and optional meat. Stir, mostly cover and simmer for about 15 min. (unsoaked 30 min.) Add water as needed to prevent dryness. Add sea salt and tomato paste. Stir and continue to simmer slowly, partially covered, until tomato paste is blended in, about 10 min. (unsoaked 10 min.) Stir in the vinegar, black pepper and cayenne pepper, adjusting to taste. Serve hot and garnish with toppings if desired.
Ranee @ Arabian Knits 03.06.09 at 12:38 pm
This isn’t related to the carnival, but a question about your rss feed. I have had you on my bloglines, and haven’t been able to see your posts on bloglines for almost two months, since January 8th. Do you know if it is a bloglines thing or a feed thing? Thank you!
Rosy 03.06.09 at 2:37 pm
Warm Spinach salad 2-4 people
1-2 bunch spinach leaves, or other greens.
2-4 slices of bacon
1 tsp Dijon mustard, organic is better
1 boiled egg per person
1 small onion or 1/2 large
1/8 to 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, organic unfiltered
1/8 cup water
1 tbsp honey
salt to taste
Fry bacon unit crisp. Crumble and set aside. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, and save rest for your morning eggs. Boil your eggs, I like bring the pot to a rolling boil, and then cover and turn off heat. I let it sit for 15 min. This keeps the yolks from getting tough. Saute onions in bacon grease until desired done-ness. Add water, vinegar, and honey to pan and mix together. Add cleaned greens and wilt. Make sure you cover the greens with the vinegar mixture. Add bacon and salt to taste. Slice eggs and serve on top of greens. Yummy! Cheap! and Easy! We have buttered bread with this.
Kristen 03.06.09 at 7:10 pm
Split pea and Barley Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup split peas
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
Saute carrots, onions and celery in butter until softened. Add chicken stock, split peas, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 2 hours. After two hours add one cup of water and pearled barley. Return to a boil, cover and then reduce to a simmer again for two or more hours until barley is cooked and split peas are fully softened. If soup is too thick, add more water or stock.
Heidi M. 03.07.09 at 5:50 pm
Kimi,
You don’t need to publish this comment; I would have written you an email but I couldn’t find a place where you have made the address available.
About a month ago I commented asking if you knew about nixtamalization with corn, and you graciously responded with the intent to give a full answer in your next Q&A post. Could you give me a rough idea of when that might be? I know you have lots to do, so I don’t want to pressure you or anything–I for one am grateful for your example of clearly making your family a high priority–but I thought I mention my request just in case it fell through the cracks. :)
Thank you for working diligently to serve the Lord.
Heidi
Carolyn 03.07.09 at 7:34 pm
I love what you’re doing with your blog! I have to participate in the next Carnival.
I wanted to let you know that I selected you for a Kreativ Blogger award. I recently won the award, and the deal is to pass it forward to 10 bloggers. I wanted to include a few new people, and I found you from Hip Organic Mama’s site.
Congratulations!
Rosy 03.08.09 at 9:51 am
nixtamalization is when you cook corn with wood ash. It acts much the same way as soaking for grains. If you have ever had real Homminy that is what this is. It is still traditionaly done in Mexico. Although this isn’t the only place this process was used. It was well known all over north and south America by the people who grew and ate corn.
There is a section about it in Wild Fermentation by Sandour Katz ( I think I spelled that right.) It also has instructions on how to do this at home.
The basic idea is to cook the corn in water and wood ash unitl the skin will come off the kernels. This is much more easy to digest, and won’t cause B3 difficency.
Loree 03.08.09 at 11:36 am
Believe it or not, but potatos and cheese make a complete protien - maybe that is why there are so many different potato and cheese dishes in Europe (where we live). These meals are quite frugal as well! Our favorite in Luxembourg is Potatos Gratin. Or, even more simply: when in a rush I just boil peeled / washed cubes of potatos in leftover hommade chicken broth and then eat topped with a nice soft raw french cheese - or any nice cheese will do, hard or soft, parmesean is good as well. We are always experimenting with different cheeses and then top off with a sprinkle of parsely. Or just use yogurt instead of cheese (like sour cream) or creme fraiche……
Store was out of lemon juice yesterday when I went. Said due to a worldwide shortage of lemons. I didn't know we had a worldwide shortage of lemons.
That's probably what I get for not being on the thread every day isn't it? I bet if I'd been reading here I would have known about the lemon shortage.
I've got another great ice pack to keep around. I have accident related injuries that require me to keep ice packs available in the freezer for occasional swelling. But, I also like to make better use of my freezer space than just having one of those gel packs in there. The thing about the gel as opposed to ice is that it conforms to the curves of you body... so what I do is fill a gallon ziplock bag with RICE and keep it in the freezer. I actually keep 2 gallon ziplocks of rice in the freezer in case I need to rotate. These stay cold for a good while and conform to the curve of my leg. And the bonus is, I have 2 gallons of rice in my freezer, just in case.
I do rotate the rice, exchanging the old rice into my rice canister and putting fresh bought ride into ziplock ice packs. We all need to practice rotating stock and it's a hard habit to remember.
Okay, I’ve read through the thread from where Dela’s note was posted about his daughter to see if there’s any more news. I’m still praying. When you hear something more please ping me to it because I’ll see the ping and I may not read the whole thread. Thanks.
Wicked, absolutely wicked! ... I’m going to the grocery today, and you know what will be in my cart, don’t you, rascal!
Okay, I talked through how I figured to make cantaloupe preserves and I pretty much got the recipe perfect so I’m going to share it.
But, this week I also used the same recipe and made honeydew preserves and I gotta tell ya, I jarred them up this morning and they are sublime!!! So, maybe Delawhere will want to try that also when all is well with daughter and life resumes what passes for normality.
Use 1 cantaloupe or honeydew. I’m guessing any kind of mushmelon would do.
Cut the melon, slice it up, skin it and then slice each slice into slivers about 1/8” thick. Put that all in a dish with a lid, (I use the pan I actually cook the preserves in cause it also has a lid), Cover the melon with 2 to 3 cups of sugar. Probably most people would want 3 cups of sugar, I like to use less sugar and more fruit so I use about 2 cups. (Truthfully I don’t measure but I know what I’m scooping about 2 cups.)
Leave all that in the refrigerator for 24 hours - or if you’re time crunched just leave overnight but I like to do the full 24 hours.
After 24 hours, remove from fridge, put on stove over high heat and cook hard until the fruit is translucent and pretty much mush. Turn down the heat a bit, use a slotted spoon and dip the fruit out into a sheet cake pan that has a cover. Get out all the fruit you reasonably can, spread it over the sheet pan to cool.
Meanwhile, turn the heat back up on the syrup left in the pan. Heat to NEARLY jell stage. Jell stage is when the mixture slips off the spoon in a sheet, nearly jell stage is when it comes off the metal spoon in thick double drops.
For those of you with thermometers and maybe aren’t comfortable with jelly preparation I am sure that Delawhere will provide the proper temps when he gets back.
When syrup is NEARLY to jell stage add juice of 1 lemon or a tablespoon of reconstituted lemon juice. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture is dropping in 2 thick drops again.
Pour thick syrupy stuff over the fruit in the sheet pan. Allow to cool for 2 or 3 hours and then put the cover on and leave for 24 total hours.
After 24 hours, sterilize half pint, 3/4 pint or pint jars, rings and lids for preserves. My amounts have varied between 1 pint and 2 pints. Get water bath ready. Spoon preserves from cake pan into sterilized jars. Add sterilized ring and lid. Water bath for 30 THIRTY minutes. I know that is long to water bath a jelly but you are putting room temperature preserves in the jar so do the FULL 30 MINUTES!!
This recipe makes awesome tasting melon preserves for when you just have too many melons in the summer.
Your Melon preserves do sound good and I am glad you shared your methods with us.
The unusual foods are often the most interesting and tasty.
It is good to know the Persian melon works too.
I bet both will be good on ice cream.
LOL, now you know, wicked recipes make me think of you.
While you are at the store, pick up some peppermint candy ice cream, or crush good peppermint candy and add to softened vanilla ice cream, serve topped with HOT FUDGE topping, whipped cream and your choice of nuts.
50 years ago, that was the special invention of an Ice Cream Shoppe in Laguna Beach, California.
I found $20.00 and no one claimed it, so a friend and I decided it was time for a treat, she did not drive and I did, so we drove the 100 miles to Laguna Beach, walked and looked at the interesting things in a coastal tourist town, had peppermint hot fudge sundaes and home again, for $20.00.
Okay, I’ve read through the thread from where Dela’s note was posted<<<
I have not heard any news either.
Waiting and praying and yes, I will ping you, if I do hear.
We all need to practice rotating stock and it’s a hard habit to remember.<<<
Yes, that is the most important part of food storage.
Rice would work well for a frozen pak on injuries, so do Peas and Corn packages.
LOL, getting double usage, that is the reward for all the hard work and what makes it all worth while.
I am sorry that you have been hurt and need to use a pak.
I bet if I’d been reading here I would have known about the lemon shortage.<<<
I had not heard of a lemon shortage.
Promedmail said in a bulletin this morning that Arkansas is having trouble getting enough rice seeds for planting, and that they cannot use the same seed as California does, as the Calif. seed will not grow in Arkansas and the Calif. seed has a disease so cannot go outside the state, something fungus as I recall.....
So far for today, that is a shortage of lemons and rice again, add in that Rush said to stock up on canned foods, and we may have a shortage yet.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2205903/posts?page=48
Madness, from D.C. to Denver (NOW, we can take over Agriculture - or at least TAX IT TO DEATH)
summit daily ^ | March 10 | Liddick
Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 9:15:06 AM by jessduntno
Have we all suddenly gone mad? Have our wits suddenly deserted us? Has common sense been completely routed from our lives? The indications are not good.
In a little-noticed verdict last week, a U.S. District Court of Appeals has decided that the Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to act against farmers who endanger public health by kicking up dust in the course of their business. Expect anti-dust regulations and fines to follow.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Risk Assessment
March 9, 2009
by Christopher Bellavita
‘The legitimate object of government,’ Abraham Lincoln wrote, ‘is to do for a community of people what they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves — in their separate and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere.’
The Lincoln quote comes at the end of an article by Robert Charatte called ‘On The Lookout.’ The tease for the article in the March issue of Government Executive reads ‘If government’s job is to protect the people, it must begin to manage risk — before disaster strikes.’
Historically, managing risk replaced relying on luck as a decision making tool. Charatte’s article does not define what risk is. Perhaps because there are dozens of definitions. Perhaps because managing risk is built into the evolutionary template of people who swim the human gene pool. Being alive means you understand something fundamental about risk management.
Risk is ‘generally understood’ (that phrase has no empirical referent) to mean the probability of something happening (usually something negative) and the consequences if it does. In homeland security, risk often shows up on a powerpoint slide as a function of threat, vulnerability and consequence. www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/dhs_risk_lexicon.pdf
The DHS risk lexicon — an effort to standardize language — has one definition of risk: ‘potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident, event, or occurrence, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences.’ The lexicon also offers what it calls an extended definition: ‘potential for an adverse outcome assessed as a function of threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences associated with an incident, event, or occurrence.’
How is homeland security, writ large, doing on the risk management front? Is anyone in the enterprise explicitly managing risk in a way intended by the various risk management theories? Are there any exemplars in the homeland security environment that can be used to educate others about how to do — not just advocate — this activity that is supposed to be a foundation of national domestic strategy?
Obama’s homeland security agenda calls for allocating ‘our precious homeland security dollars according to risk….’ The Bush Administration wanted to do the same thing. Really smart people have worked for years on this goal. How are we doing? What’s getting in the way of turning risk management into a routine activity? Maybe — like target capabilities and universal tasks — risk management in homeland security is in the too hard to do honestly category. We know in general what the strategic threats are to the homeland. But we do not know what they are with enough specificity to allow cities and states to allocate resources with anything approaching precision. As a GAO analysis discovered, vulnerability contributes little to risk management. Everything is vulnerable. And we still do not know the full consequences of September 11, 2001, let alone the potential results of future attacks.
Perhaps paying unquestioned homage to risk management in homeland security is the 21st century analog to interpreting chicken bones. It may allow us to continue to worship the rationality gods. It is unlikely to prepare us for the next Black Swan. Lincoln might have suggested we try something else.
Source: http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/03/09/risk-management-and-c hicken-bones/
http://tryingtraditional.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/frugal-meal-ideas/
The Nourishing Gourmet is having a carnival and I’m playing along. Who couldn’t use more wholesome meal ideas. Today the focus is on main dishes and here’s what I’ve got. Some simple, some not so simple, but all of them will not break your bank, a couple focus on using up leftovers in the fridge, many use the crockpot, and all of them are tasty and repeats in our house. A word on the crockpot. It gets used weekly in our house. There is always a day that seems to be so busy that I know I won’t be able to prepare proper meals and the crockpot seems to be the way I cope with that. I’ll start off with my crock pot recipes as I don’t have to go find the recipe. They are my tried and true, in my head favorites!
Beef Roast in a Crockpot
Place one to two onions, wedged, in the bottom of pot. Add an inch of broth. Lay roast on top of onions and put some pepper and garlic on the meat. Add a sprig or two of herbs if you have them and then a layer of carrotson top. High for 4-6 hours, low for 6-8 and you have a tender, juicy roast. I try to make as large a roast as my pot will offer and use the leftovers in soup, tostadas, rice dishes, sandwiches, or whatever seems to float your boat will work.
Chicken in a Crockpot
Many of you may already do this recipe, but honestly it is my favorite way to cook a chicken, I’m not sure where I figured out how to do it, and it needs to be shared!
Place one or two onions, wedged, into the bottom of a crockpot. Place whole chicken on top and rub bird with garlic (2-3 cloves), pepper (4 cranks on my mill), and a pat of butter. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne and cover. Cook until well done and tender (low for 6-8 hours depending on your pot.) The smell of this cooking will make you hungry so plan accordingly!
Salsa Chicken-remember that jar of salsa that’s fermented to a tang you just aren’t fond of
in a glass dish combine chicken pieces (2-3 pounds) with a jar of salsa. Let marinate overnight and then put into crockpot in the morning. Cook on low until meat is fork tender (about 6-8 hours.) Eat as is and shred the leftover’s for tacos or rice dishes.
Fried Rice-this is a great way to use up leftover meats and veggies
Chop one onion and place in wok or large skillet with a bit of oil and some garlic, sautee until soft. Scramble four eggs in same skillet/wok with onions pushed off to side. Add in your vegetables and meat (up to 2 cups each), stir until warmed through. Add 4-5 cups cooked rice, stir well. Pour 3 tablespoons of good soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce over the mix and your done.
Crustless Quiche
one onion, chopped
tablespoon of oil
leftover meat if you have it, 1 cup (turkey is a favorite around here as is sausage)
10 ounces or so of spinach, thawed and squeezed
5 eggs, beaten
seasoning (I use salt, pepper, dry mustard, and cayenne)
2 cups of cheese (monterey jack is good, so is co-jack, so is muenster)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or quiche dish.
Sautee onion in oil, add in meat and then spinach. Cook until excess moisture evaporates, allow to cool some.
Mix seasonings, cheese, and eggs in a large bowl, stir in spinach mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Cabbage Roll Casserole
brown 1 lb of ground beef in a skillet, add a chopped onion at end and let them soften in hot meat while you finely chop one head of cabbage and add into the mix. Stir together 2 cups of beef broth, 2 small cans of tomato sauce, a cup of rice, and seasoningsto taste (we did salt and some herbs such as basil, thyme, and chives.) Mix all of this together, put in a 9×13 pan and bake for 50 min covered and then 20-30 min uncovered at 350. I topped ours off with a sprinkle of raw milk havarti cheese. Even the wee ones ate it!
My Favorite Fish-mild and good
Pieces of a mild fish (we like tilapia)
lemon juice
water
pepper
Heat up a griddle on your stove-top, med-hi. You’ll need a lid that can withstand heat (I use the lid to my big skillet)
Place as many pieces of fish that will fit under the lid, but still have some space between them, onto your griddle. Pepper them, drizzle with lemon juice, and cover with lid (the lemon juice will sizzle and steam) Occasionally lift the lid and put some water on the griddle and re-cover quickly to encourage fish to steam. Flip and repeat with pepper and lemon juice and then water until fish is cooked. If you like things lemony use less water and more lemon. This doesnt’ take long, so have other parts of the meal ready first.
Well, that is seven and my fingers are tired of typing. Follow link to find more recipes by other bloggers!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/nourishing-frugal-food-carnival-2.html
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/09/frugal-and-nourishing-grain-buying-tips.html
Kimi Harris 09.05.08 at 2:08 pm
My Year Without,
My preferred method of grinding grains without a grinder is Sue Gregg’s method of using your blender with some of the wet ingredients. This only works for certain recipes, like muffins, quick breads, pancakes, waffles. But it works well! We used to use that method even though we owned a grinder. Her cookbooks were written in the low fat era of health food, and she didn’t soak her grains. But she has recently revised her recipes to include a soaking method. I would check out her website and try some of her free recipes out, and see how it works for you! http://www.suegregg.com/teaching/WholeFoodsCookingLessons.htm
Just click on the pictures to go to the recipe. If you like it, you could certainly adapt your own recipes to that method.
You can also use a small coffee blender for small amounts, but it would take along time for large amounts. My friend has a larger coffee grinder, and she told me that she has had really good results grinding flour in it from whole grain. :-)
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Frugal and Nourishing: Grain Buying Tips
by KimiHarris on September 4, 2008
Hard Red Wheat
I am working right now in lowering my food budget. Not always an easy thing when you have high standards for your food quality and food prices rising. So I try to keep an eye out for good deals on organic grains. One of the biggest ways I save on grain is by buying in bulk. I am able to buy wheat berries in 25-50 pound bags for half the price it costs in the bulk section at my health food store. That adds up to big savings!
But recently, I have been able to buy some organic grains in bulk for much cheaper than hard wheat berries, which saved me a considerable amount of money. I thought I would share what I have found and hopefully pass long some of the savings to you as well!
(Note: I do grind my own grains, but that doesn’t mean those without a grinder can’t benefit from these prices as well. Some of the grains can be used whole in many dishes. But you can also use Sue Gregg’s method of grinding your grains in a blender for muffins, pancakes, etc).
Soft Wheat Berries
I order many of my grains through Azurestandared.com. I am close enough to one of their drop points that I don’t have to pay shipping, but they now do offer UPS shipping. If you can’t find something local, you can try to figure out how much shipping would cost, because with these prices, it still may save you a pretty penny.
As I was getting my order together this last time, I noticed that their organic soft wheat berries were significantly cheaper than their organic hard wheat berries. The hard wheat berries were a little over thirty eight dollars for 50 pounds, while the soft wheat berries only cost a little over 24 dollars! That’s a significantly savings for me! I did buy 25 pounds of organic hard wheat from a local mill, but I bought 50 pounds of the soft wheat from Azure. The hard wheat will be used to make homemade bread (you need the protein and higher gluten content for bread making), while the soft wheat will make much better, softer, sourdough pancakes, quick breads, Irish Soda Bread, and muffins. I love that I get to save money using a better flour for these projects!
Hulled Barley
I also noticed that their organic hulled barley is a great deal right now! It’s only $11.40 for 25 pounds. My husband has always told me that he liked barley, so he has been greatly enjoying having it recently. I have been experimenting with grinding some to add to my whole wheat bread ( it adds a nice sweetness), putting it in soups ( a favorite), and making a barley and white bean salad (very good!). I have also found that it tastes wonderful just cooked up whole and served with some maple syrup for a snack or breakfast. By the way, don’t get the pearled variety of barley, because it has had some of the nutritional outer layer taken off of the grain.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat, while not as popular in my family as the barley, is also a nice, highly nutritious grain for a good price from Azure. It is also gluten free for those who need gluten free options. It’s only $3.35 for 5 pounds, $16 for 25 pounds, and $25.60 for 50 pounds of organic buckwheat. Although I haven’t experimented as much with Buckwheat, we have found several recipes that we really enjoy. We have greatly enjoyed simple Russian Kasha made from Buckwheat and We also like buckwheat crepes.
(Buckwheat, by the way, is not related to wheat)
Other Tips
Another great grain to look out for is millet. It is often at a great price (although not super cheap right now fromAzure). It is fairly easy to find non-organic sources for millet for around 60 cents a pound, or less. It can be used for part of the flour in quick breads and muffins, etc and adds a nice light texture. We have also enjoyed it in whole form in many dishes.
Most of all, I would just keep a watch on prices. You may be surprised at some great deals you find. Don’t get stuck in thinking prices stay the same, because they do change. Try to buy grains that are cheaper at the time you are buying. It’s also fun because you get to experiment with different grains. I wouldn’t have bought the barley, except that it was so inexpensive. But we enjoy it so much, I think it’s going to become a mainstay!
This Post is part of Frugal Friday!
Sounds like I need to put more rice ice packs in the freezer. LOL
You know it's getting mainstream on the conservative side if Rush is telling everyone to stock up.
I've always thought of myself as a gardener with pretty average knowledge. I am now finding myself deluged with questions from people who think I'm the local expert. All I've done was grow stuff to eat every year, continuously, without taking years off. And now, those who were ignorring yards or making nice flowerbeds full of annuals think I'm some kind of guru or something. ROFL... I'm not. I just have been doing it. Am finding it humorous.
Reading about all those grains makes me want that grain mill. Hmmm..... I think Lloyd said he was getting me one 2 weeks ago. Wonder where it is? I want to get on with grain grinding!
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/02/sprouting-brown-lentils.html
Sprouting Brown Lentils
by KimiHarris on February 2, 2009
ng_lentilsprouts2
It sounds like I have some fellow sprout enthusiasts from my last post, Why Sprout. Great! I am so glad since I do plan on sharing my sprouting adventures and the recipes I create along the way. I also will be sharing some other easy (and frugal) methods for sprouting and some resource options as well.
Meanwhile, I wanted to share a few pictures and explain the basics of how I sprouted my brown lentils (with a recipe using them soon to follow). Lentils are extremely easy to sprout, so they are a great choice for first timers.
Directions for Sprouting Brown Lentils (Using a Mason Jar and Screen Insert)
Basic Directions: Soak lentils 8-12 hours in ample water. Rinse and drain thoroughly after the initial soaking period. Every 8-12 hours after wards, rinse and drain until lentils sprout. Most people enjoy lentils sprouted small.
Detailed Directions:
(You can also start soaking in the morning, and then start the rinse and drain process that evening. You can buy a screen insert at Mountain Rose Herbs for a very good price).
In the evening, put two cups of brown lentils in a half gallon mason jar. Fill completely with water, and screw on the screen insert. Leave out on the counter overnight.
In the morning, you will find that the lentils will have swollen considerably.
ng_sproutinglentils1
Drain through the screen into your sink.
Rinse very well with water (I use purified water) once again through the screen. You want the water to drain clear. Drain well over the sink, and then put screen side down in a bowl, or other container which allows the glass jar to remain at an angle. This allows the lentils to continue to drain with good air circulation.
That evening rinse and drain again.
The next morning, you may start to see sprouts, like I did.
ng_lentilsprouts2 You can stop at this point (many people like legumes sprouted just a little bit, as they taste sweetest then, but it’s a personal preference call). If you don’t see any sprouts yet, rinse and drain again and check again in the evening.
I decided to go ahead and sprout a bit longer, and on the third morning, my sprouts looked like this.
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I did not rinse again, as that will make them too wet to store well. Instead, I simply made sure they were dry to the touch and took out the screen and replaced it with the normal jar lid. This was then placed in the fridge. Feel free to experiment, if you like, by sprouting even longer. You can even eventually get your lentils to grow tiny leaves (this takes about a week). Though you will probably be happiest with a very small sprout, about 1/4 inch long.
These can now be steamed and enjoyed on salads, cooked in soups or casseroles etc. Stay tuned for a recipe idea using sprouted lentils!
This post is part of Kitchen Tip Tuesday!
My Year Without,
My preferred method of grinding grains without a grinder is Sue Gregg’s method of using your blender with some of the wet ingredients. This only works for certain recipes, like muffins, quick breads, pancakes, waffles.<<<
I don’t know why the above wouldn’t work in almost everything, if it has liquid to begin with in the recipe.
I am still mad at me for loosing so many un- bookmarked searches when the computer went down the other day, that I have taken a few days to see what i have been missing in the news letters that keep coming and I never have time to read.
For you they are making a special grinder and that takes longer.
Happy Birthday.
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