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
>>>I think canning scares me - it sounds complicated, hot, and I can end up poisoning the family. <<<
Hmmmmm, complicated?
Cut it up, put it in jar, put lid on, heat for a set amount of time, let cool, take out..... Make a card, put steps on it and even little check boxes if necessary... Simple!
It is NOT complicated.
Might poison the family?
If you follow the guidelines, they are less at risk than eating a salad, eating chicken, drinking milk, or any of the other foods you eat. Hey, if you read all the warnings that are out there for anything you use, you would never use them. Caution! Coffee is hot! May cause severe burns! Keep our of reach of children! etc., etc. - You may never enjoy the aroma, experience the taste, feel the reviving natural ‘lift’ it gives you, all because of the cautions posted...
After you do it once, you will say - ‘Hey, that’s easy!’
Note the section on Smoking to Dehydrate meat..
- - - - - -
Drying Meat
Drying, smoking, and salting were the only methods of preserving meat for thousands of years. Early American settlers dried much of their meat because they could not carry a fresh supply when traveling across the country. Today, dried meat, more commonly known as jerky, is usually prepared in an oven instead of being dried in the sun as it was years ago.
Jerky is a popular snack. It is sold almost anywhere that carries snack foods - from grocery stores to gas stations. It is a favorite with campers, hikers, and hunters because it is compact, lightweight, and keeps a long time.
Drying meat is considered “playing with food” by some people because, thanks to today’s modern food industry, fresh meat is almost always available. But jerky has value as a convenient backpacking food and as a nutritious snack food. Besides, jerky is fun to make at home, and it costs only about half as much as an equal weight of commercially made jerky.
PREPARING THE MEAT
Any lean meat can be dried. Beef and venison are especially good; fish and poultry dry well, too. Be sure to use fresh, lean meat and cut off all fat and connective tissue. Fat becomes rancid easily and will spoil the dried meat.
Partly freezing the meat before cutting makes it easy to slice. Slice with the grain into long, thin, even strips. Slice with the grain instead of crosswise makes the jerky chewy and less brittle. The strips should be about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, 1 to 1-l/2 inches wide, and 4 to 12 inches long. Thin slices of meat will dry faster than thick ones. Any wild game meat should be frozen for at least 30 days to lower the chances of trichinosis infection by killing parasite larvae.
Meat may be dried as is, or it may be seasoned to suit your own taste. Salt and pepper are the basic ingredients. In the drying method, however, salt is used only as a seasoning, not as a preservative. It is crucial, therefore, that the oven temperature be maintained above 140 degrees F. to prevent spoilage during the drying process. Keep in mind that too much seasoning will overpower the meat flavor.
Place seasoned meat in a crockery, plastic, glass, or stainless steel bowl or pan, and cover. Marinate the meat overnight or for about 12 hours in the refrigerator at 40 F. (4 C.).
The marinade recipe on the following page makes delicious jerky.
Marinade Recipe
5 lbs. lean meat
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. each pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger
2 tsp. hickory smoke-flavored salt (optional)
Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add strips of meat and stir to coat all surfaces. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove strips, blot off excess moisture.
The flavor of jerky can be varied by marinating the strips in mixtures such as teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, hot chili sauce, or your own favorite marinade. Or you may simply coat the meat with the marinade. The marinade should not contain oil because oil will become rancid and spoil the meat. For full flavor allow enough time for the seasoning to be absorbed into the meat (about 12 hours).
DRYING METHODS
Oven Drying
Arrange the seasoned strips of meat on cake racks or directly on oven racks. The edges of the strips may touch, but they should not overlap. Leave space at the edges of the racks so that air can circulate around the meat as it dries. Set the oven on the lowest possible temperature and maintain at about 140 degrees to 150 F. (60 to 65 C.). Use an oven thermometer to check the temperature. To prevent the meat from sticking to the racks, turn the strips over every hour or so.
Keep the oven door slightly ajar to allow the moist air to escape and to control the oven temperature. An electric fan placed in front of the oven door will help the air circulate and shorten the drying time. When drying marinated meat, you may need to line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch the drippings. Oven drying takes from 10 to 12 hours.
Drying in a Food Dryer
You can also use a food dryer for making jerky. Place the slices of meat on the racks. Put a piece of aluminum foil below the bottom rack if necessary to catch the drippings. Leave l inches of space around the foil to allow hot air to rise from the heating unit. Turn the strips of meat over occasionally to keep them from sticking to the rack.
Do not dry seasoned meat at the same time you are drying other foods in the dryer because the meat will give a strong odor to the other foods. This is also true if you are drying meat in the oven. Making jerky in the food dryer will take a little longer than in the oven because the temperature is usually slightly lower.
Smokehouse Drying
If you have a smokehouse, you can use it for making jerky. Lay seasoned strips of meat on racks or hang them from the ceiling of the smokehouse. Starting temperature should be 80 degrees F. (27 C.), then it should be increased gradually to 120 F. (49 C.). Smoke the jerky until it is the desired texture (24 to 48 hours).
Use any hardwood such as hickory or oak for smoking. Do not use pine, fir, or conifers because the resin (sap) bums and creates an undesirable smoke. Put aluminum foil or a metal tray under the meat to catch the drippings. If you don’t do this the drippings will bum and produce smoke that gives the meat an unpleasant flavor.
Air Drying
Meat strips can be air dried, but this requires very hot, dry weather. Place strips on the grill of an outdoor barbecue. Or string them on heavy string or fishing line and hang outside in a sunny, airy place for several days. Bring the meat indoors at night so that it doesn’t absorb moisture.
Air drying is not as satisfactory as oven drying or smoking because the temperature cannot be controlled. Also, the meat may be exposed to insanitary conditions from dirt in the air. Outdoor drying may invite unwanted guests such as dogs, cats, wild animals, and insects. If practical, cover the meat loosely with cheesecloth to prevent contamination.
TESTING FOR DRYNESS
Don’t let the meat get too hard and dry for your taste. If the jerky is not dry enough, though, it will spoil. The finished product is dark brown or almost black and feels hard and dry. Test a piece by bending it. It should break like a green twig -not snap clean like a dry stick. Be sure to let the jerky cool before testing, because when it is warm, it will still be pliable no matter how dry it is. The final product will be about a fourth of the original weight.
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/html_pubs/DRYING/dryfood.html#meats
Firkin
a small, wooden tub for butter, lard, etc.
Hiya granny.
From your yahoo group, will post the homemade cottage cheese link, as a reference:
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?p=98
That sounds incredibly easy. And I love cottage cheese and do end up with extra milk from time to time. thx.
the rain has virtually killed my connection with ground noise, constant reconnects, sometimes at 21kbs lucky now at 40kbs..
hope all are ok
here is a gardening link I was going to post several days ago National Garden Bureau
http://www.ngb.org/gardening/index.cfm
some good info for gardening..
Here is an “Open Letter “
Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America’s true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world’s highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as “partnering.” Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don’t understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and ‘class’, always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the ‘blame America’ crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector. You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer ‘wind mills’ to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use ‘extortion’ tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O’Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
Lou Pritchett
And the Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2248803/posts
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/05/20090511c.html
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 11, 2009
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS Makes Funding Available to Strengthen Non-Profits, Faith Based Groups
Strengthening Communities Fund is Supported by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the availability of grants worth $50 million from the Strengthening Communities Fund, a new fund created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The fund will strengthen nonprofit and faith-based organizations that aid families and communities who are struggling in the economic downturn.
The Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF) is divided into two parts. The Nonprofit Capacity Building program will make one-time, two-year awards of up to $1 million to lead organizations that will use the funds to support other faith-based or secular nonprofit organizations.
The State, Local and Tribal Government Capacity Building program will make one-time, two-year awards of up to $250,000 to state, city, county and Indian/Native American tribal governments. Governments will use these grants to strengthen nonprofit organizations and increase the nonprofits’ involvement in projects that help turn our economy around.
Grantees for both programs must provide at least 20 percent of the total approved cost of the project from non-federal funds. This match may be met by cash or in-kind contributions.
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Community Services will administer the SCF programs. Applicants interested in applying for funds should visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/recovery.html.
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: May 11, 2009
[I did not check, but have heard on the radio, that we will not be able to track the funds for another year or so... granny]
The women’s liberation and power over men, I think plays the most in ruining the family and that is straight out of the communist manifesto.
Is that part of the state being more important than parents?<<<
Yes, it is important for the state to be the ‘parent/care giver’ and there must be no heroes in our world.
If you listen to the liberal radio programs, they have a fit when we declare some one a hero.
I was amazed at how many excuses they found to counter the world calling the pilot that sat the plane down in the river with no loss of life a hero........and several others that we were proud of.
No respect for parents, no heroes, no God, nothing but the state and i call that prime brainwashing.
DW answered yout query about firkin. Mine is fairly large (5-6 gal?). It has a place of honor in my living room along with Grammy’s butter churn (how I loved helping her churn butter with the slap, slap of the paddles).
Delawhere, you’re not going to want to read this, but I have many unhappy memories concerning canning. Money was scarce, so like it or not, I canned. Four tykes under five vying for attention, all day canning and then the cleanup. Hubby working two jobs so no help, unlike today when he does nearly all the kitchen work. Toting those four tykes out in the woods to pick wild blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to can for pies or to make jams and jellies. Picking peaches, pears and canning fruit cocktail (another messy job). Picking apples, storing the good ones in the basement and canning applesauce with the soft ones.
Along with this, heating water in a wash boiler to do laundry for the six of us with a wringer washer and lucky to have it. Many of my friends washed in a tub with a scrub board.
Is it any wonder that when I purchased a freezer, automatic washer and dryer, I thought I was in heaven. Then we purchased a second freezer-how much easier it became to just prepare extra every meal and freeze the extra, either after cooking or before. Not complaining, we were well fed, warm and had decent clothes. We built our own nine room home with no mortgage all through hard work and frugality.
I digress, but it was like a light bulb went off in my head when I thought of smoking and drying foods. DelaWhere, all your information is much appreciated and I am printing it out as if we have no electricity, I will need hard copies. Anything on smoking and drying, I will be sure to save.
If you form the cheese into a ball and put a weight on it for a few hours, you can make a hard cheese.
It is close to the goat cheese recipe that I made many pounds of.
While it is still crumbles, add chopped picked Jalapeno peppers, and it is very good.
Save that whey, for gravy, bread or at the least, give it to the animals to drink or soak their grains in it, be it pigs or chickens, or for the animals, add flour and sour dough or yeast and make them a healthy treat.
I have not tried whey in my sourdough starter, but did use it in cooking and baking, look up the ingredients, it is good for you, they even sell whey pills in the health food store.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O’Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.<<<
Yes, he scares me, in many ways.
In 8 years, I will be locked away for talking bad about him and his cronies.
I just had to share this with you granny as you spoke of talking to your dear friend often after she passed away. I kept my sister’s car as it was newer and nicer than mine but still use my old one mostly as it is easier on gas. Well, my daughter borrowed Dotty’s car today while hers was being worked on and as she drove into the yard tonight, I delightedly said, “here comes Aunt Dotty” What an awful feeling came over me as soon as I said it.
[Excellent link, this page is full of good ideas that are usable...]
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?cat=10
Five Ways to Reuse Tea Bags
Filed under: Recycling — Savvy Housekeeper at 9:48 am on Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Inspired by Jessie’s comment on my Use It Up Challenge post, I started of thinking of ways you can reuse old tea bags instead of throwing them out. Turns out there are quite a few things you can do with used tea bags. Here are five of ways to reuse them:
1. Feed Plants–There are several ways people use tea to feed plants. Some people break open the bags and sprinkle the tea around the soil of the plant. Others brew the tea a second time and water the plants with weak tea. Still others bury the bag in the ground or add it to their compost bin. Either way, the key is to give the minerals to the plants. This works best with acid-loving plants, like roses.
2. Deodorize–Instead of a box of perfectly good baking soda in your fridge, why not used tea? Stick the bags in a porous container like a cotton bag and let the tea absorb the odors of the fridge for you. (Another site I read said to dry the tea and mix it in with your cat litter to absorb the odor. I’m a little skeptical this would work, but it couldn’t hurt.)
3. Soothe Your Skin—When I was a kid, I tried a lot of home remedies like egg-white masks and cucumber on the eyes. Used tea bags on the eyes came up a lot. Apparently the tea can soothe the skin as well as it soothes the soul– the tannic acid is anti-inflammatory. Just put a cool tea bag on your eyes for 10-15 minutes. Used tea bags also work for mosquito bites and other small inflammations. Some people even save tea bags to make a tea bath to soak in.
4. Dye Fabric–Tea has long been used to dye fabric. It gives the fabric an antique or sepia tinge that can be quite cool. So used tea bags can be a way to reinvigorate graying whites or spice up a craft project. Here’s instructions of how to do it.
5. Make More Tea–You know, tea is expensive. According to my price book, it costs $3-$4 an ounce. So one way to make the bag go further is this: brew a cup of tea, save the bag. Brew a second cup of tea, save the bag. Then take those two bags together and brew a third cup of tea. Voila! Free tea. I have no idea if this tastes good. I tried something like that with coffee and it was gross. But I’m a bit of a coffee snob–if you like weak tea, I could see this working just fine.
Personally, I think I might use the tea to deodorize my fridge. I plan to save a few bags, dry them out, and stick them in the back of the fridge in some sort of container. It seems like a better thing to use than baking soda, which can certainly be put to better uses.
How have you reused your old tea bags?
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/?cat=8
Must see garden page, interesting compost bin, anyone could make it from scrap lumber or pallets.
Several good ideas.
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