“The numbers we’re receiving can be very deceiving,” Rattay said. “ ... Because we stopped testing ... we are not going to have an accurate count of how many have it.”<<<
I listened to the Las Vegas police scanner for much of the past 3 days.
There were too many to count, reports of people passed out all over town, on the streets, in cars driving down the street, it was amazing, all types of people, not drunks and dopers.
Heard a few that the medical dispatcher called “flu like symptoms” and there were Police Officers calling in sick.
It was in the news, at first, all of you will die and now it appears that they want us to think there is no danger.
It would be interesting to know who is behind the slowing down of the reports/numbers counted.
I had heard that we would not know how bad the attack was, until after the 10th, to give it time to spread and break out.
Max, all day you have been on my mind.
Did you plant a large garden this year and are you stocking up on the dehydrated food, for storage foods.
LOL, now you know where my mind was today.
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/More-Pot-Pourri-From-A-Surrey-Garden/Fried-German-Pudding.html
Fried (German) Pudding
Description
This section is from the book “More Pot-Pourri From A Surrey Garden”, by C. W. Earle. Also available from Amazon: More pot-pourri from a Surrey garden.
Fried (German) Pudding
To make the batter put two pints of milk to boil with a tiny pinch of salt and two ounces of butter.
When boiling, stir in very smoothly eight ounces of finest Hungarian flour. (Use no other flour than Hungarian or Austrian for all sweets and sauces.)
Stir till the batter recedes from the sides of the stewpan, then pour it into a dish to get cold.
Add six eggs and two spoonfuls of rum, mix gently.
Put a deep iron pan full of frying-fat on the fire, but let it get only moderately hot.
Fry the batter in round balls in the following way. To make this very German pudding properly, one should have a large tin syringe made specially for the purpose, but in its absence the batter must be taken up by small teaspoonfuls and dropped into the frying-fat. It will form round balls, which should be constantly moved about with a spoon to get them golden-coloured all over. When they show little cracks they are sufficiently done.
For this method the batter should be made a little stiffer than for the syringe by adding a little more flour.
Serve with dissolved fruit syrup or custard.
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/More-Pot-Pourri-From-A-Surrey-Garden/Bread-Sauce.html
Description
This section is from the book “More Pot-Pourri From A Surrey Garden”, by C. W. Earle. Also available from Amazon: More pot-pourri from a Surrey garden.
Bread Sauce
It is very important that the bread should be grated from a tin loaf, and allowed to dry in a paper bag for some time before using it. It is absolutely impossible to make good bread sauce with new bread.
Cut up an onion in rather large pieces, boil it in milk, pass it through a sieve, or remove the onion. Pour the milk boiling over the crumbs, and add a few peppercorns. Boil the whole in a china saucepan for about twenty minutes. As the milk is absorbed, add a little more until it is an even mass, neither too moist nor too dry. Remove the peppercorns before serving, and stir in a large piece of fresh butter. Many people add cream, which spoils it. Cream makes the sauce tasteless and fade.
The following is a much simpler receipt, and suggests a poultice rather more than I quite like; but it is excellent to eat, and useful to know, as it can be carried out in a sick-room or a lodging-house kitchen. Take a breakfast-cupful of fresh breadcrumbs, rubbed, not grated; a breakfastcupful of milk. Cut up into it an onion, and add two or three peppercorns. Boil the milk up and pour it on the crumbs, which have been put into a small basin. Cover over, and let it stand for two hours. Remove any pieces of onion that show. Warm up before it is wanted with a small piece of fresh butter the size of a walnut.
It is also, under the same circumstances, useful to know that chickens or game of any kind can be perfectly well roasted in a baking-tin on a little kettle-stand in front of any ordinary fire in the following way: Put a little bacon fat in the pan, lay the bird in it on its side with the back towards the fire. Baste well. When sufficiently done, turn it on to the other leg, with the back still towards the fire. For ten minutes at the end, with a large fowl or pheasant, turn the breast to the fire, basting it well. The time a bird will take to roast must depend on its size. Woodcocks, snipe, and larks will take a very short time.
This section is from the book “More Pot-Pourri From A Surrey Garden”, by C. W. Earle. Also available from Amazon: More pot-pourri from a Surrey garden.
To Cook Spaghetti (Small Italian Macaroni)
Put some bacon-fat, or any pieces of fat, in a saucepan with onions, carrots, herbs, etc., all chopped up, and a little sugar. Fry them slightly. Pour off the fat. Cut up some tomatoes, add a little stock, and simmer it all together till the tomatoes are cooked. Pass the whole through a sieve, so that the sauce may be quite smooth.
Boil the spaghetti separately till quite tender, then drain off the water, and mix with the tomato sauce.
If cheese is liked, mix in some grated Parmesan the last thing before serving; also a little fresh butter, which can be added without the cheese if preferred.
Description
This section is from the book “More Pot-Pourri From A Surrey Garden”, by C. W. Earle. Also available from Amazon: More pot-pourri from a Surrey garden.
Italian Way Of Dressing A Cabbage With A Hard Heart
Plunge the cabbage into boiling water.
Take out the heart, cut it into ribbons. Mix with it bacon, chopped meat or game, onion, garlic, parsley, herbs, and above all some Grayère and Parmesan cheese - in fact, almost anything. Bind this mixture with egg.
Replace it in the cabbage, and tie it up well to prevent the stuffing from escaping.
Boil fast till done.
Serve with a brown or white sauce, or butter only.
This section is from the book “More Pot-Pourri From A Surrey Garden”, by C. W. Earle. Also available from Amazon: More pot-pourri from a Surrey garden.
Another Risotto à La Milanaise
Italian rice is the best of all, though rather difficult to get. It is different from either Carolina or Patna. Failing it, boil half a pound of best Carolina rice. When it is about half cooked, drain it off and replace it in stewpan.
Add a good quarter of a pound of butter, stand it on the side of the stove, allow it to fry gently till the rice is quite done, stirring very frequently to prevent burning, which it will do unless constant attention is given. Then mix about half a pint of good demie glaze de volaille, or, if that should not be convenient, a little ordinary half-glaze. Add about a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, some tongue cut to size of a shilling, and about four or five truffles cut in slices, also bits of chicken the size of a shilling.
Season to taste, and serve very hot in a silver souffle-dish, with a very little Parmesan grated over the top. It is an improvement as a change with risotto to press it into a round basin and turn it out before serving.
A very good way of cooking young potatoes is to put them into a black frying-pan, whole, in hot butter. Cover them up, and let them cook for an hour. This does very well for small old potatoes also.
A very creamy purée of potatoes (see ‘Dainty Dishes’) put into scallop-shells and browned in the oven, handed round with roast mutton, is rather a pretty change.
Fresh summer spinach, plain boiled and chopped (not too fine), and rolled in the middle of a large pancake is excellent.
A good purée of sorrel (see ‘Dainty Dishes’) with small Asparagus cut up into little pieces is an excellent May or June dish.
Index for cookbook:
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/The-Pattern-Cook-Book/index.html
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/The-Pattern-Cook-Book/Cookery-For-The-Sick.html
This section is from the book “The Pattern Cook-Book”, by The Butterick Publishing Co.. Also available from Amazon: The Pattern Cook-Book.
Cookery For The Sick
“Of herbs and other country messes, Which the neat-handed Phillis dresses.”
Milton.
A good nurse is now considered of as much importance in the sick-room as a skillful physician. Not the least among the nurse’s duties is to provide food for the sufferer - food that shall be palatable and inviting and at the same time nourishing and wholesome. Every mother of a family ought to know how to cater to the fitful appetite and weak digestion of an invalid. The three great events of the day to the poor bedridden patient are the three meals, and these should be most delicately and carefully prepared.
The sick person should not be asked what he would like to have served, for he will surely sicken of food with the effort of selection and will very likely end by saying, “Nothing at all! “He should be watched carefully and the slightest intimation of a desire for any particular delicacy should be immediately considered ; and if the desired food will’not prove injurious, it should be prepared at once, and without the patient’s knowledge, if possible, so it may prove a complete surprise. By all means make every dish, no matter what its nature, as dainty and attractive looking as may be, and be sure it is well cooked. The eye, as well as the palate, of the patient is to be considered ; therefore, serve the invalid’s meals on the choicest ware you possess, accompanied by the snowiest of napkins and the brightest of silver. Only a little food should be served at a time, for fear of frightening away the wavering appetite by the sight of much food. A bit of green on a chop or steak will add much to the daintiness of the dish.
All through the present work are given recipes for dishes that an invalid may eat with pleasure and safety. Among these are nearly all the soups, carefully cooked meats and fish, all kinds of bread (if not fresh), cooked fruits, simple puddings, in the making of which no fat is used, jellies, creams and other light desserts. Re-cooked meats, fish or vegetables should never be offered to an invalid. Milk is now given in all kinds of illness ; and when it does not agree with the patient, a table-spoonful of lime-water added to each glassful will generally prevent any disagreeable consequences. Hot milk is considered a good stimulant after much fatigue. It should not be allowed to boil, but should just reach that point and be served as hot as possible, the cup being heated before being used, and the milk being covered with the inverted saucer while on its way to the sick-room. The patient should sip the milk as hot as can be borne, and will often find it as strengthening in its results as wine or liquor.
In preparing any of the grain foods for a sick person, extra care should be taken that they are sufficiently well cooked, else the result may be hurtful. Of the laxative articles of diet, oatmeal is one of the most important.
It stands before all other grains in point of nutrition. Rice is also a very valuable article of food in cases of digestive derangement. It nourishes and soothes at the same time, and supports the strength most desirably. For acute affections of the alimentary canal, rice-water for drink and rice jelly for food form a particularly appropriate diet. These preparations are also advised during convalescence from acute fever, and other maladies where there is intestinal trouble, especially in the summer complaints of young children. The value of corn-meal for invalids who are thin and low of temperature is but little appreciated. Corn-meal contains a large percentage of oil, which is heat-producing and nourishing.
Of meats, none is so juicy and appetizing as a beefsteak from a proper cut and properly cooked. Pork and veal should never be given in any form to a sick person. Some physicians claim that venison is the most easily digested and assimilated of meats, and class mutton next and beef third; but beef can often be eaten when no other variety of meat can even be tasted.
Continue to:
* prev: How to Cook Fruit
* Table of Contents
* next: Cookery For The Sick. Beef Tea. Beef Essense
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/The-National-Cook-Book/Nasturtium-Sandwiches.html
This section is from the “The National Cook Book” book, by Marion Harland And Christine Terhune Herrick. Also available from Amazon: National Cook Book
Nasturtium Sandwiches
Butter and cut into thin slices a light white loaf, and spread between them fresh petals of nasturtium flowers, each petal overlapping the next half-way in its length to give substance to the sandwich “filling.” These need no other seasoning than their own native piquancy. Garnish the dish with whole flowers, or, if served singly on plates, lay a flower upon each square or triangular sandwich.
Continue to:
* prev: Cresslets
* Table of Contents
* next: Olive And Caper Bars
http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/The-National-Cook-Book/index.html
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/0/1/1/10118/10118.htm
The Folk-lore of Plants / Dyer, T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton), 1848-
Childrens stories:
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/5/3/6/15367/15367.htm
The Magic Speech Flower or Little Luke and His Animal Friends
1912
Author: Hix, Melvin
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/8/1/9/18190/18190.htm
Raggedy Ann Stories / Gruelle, John B. (John Barton), 1880-1938
FDA and CDC Information on Potential “Spot Shortages” of Supplies for Treating and Preventing Novel Influenza A (H1N1)
Introduction
During this outbreak of a novel H1N1 flu virus (formerly referred to as “swine flu”), there will be increased demand in the U.S. for a variety of medical products that may help treat or prevent influenza, including antiviral drugs and personal protection equipment, such as masks.
Consumers may seek to purchase such products, including, with a prescription, antiviral drugs. Depending on how this virus spreads and the current situation evolves, consumers and patients may encounter some shortages of these products, as the demand may occasionally exceed the supply available directly to consumers in some locations, creating what are often called, “spot shortages.”
What is the government and the private sector doing to address “spot shortages”?
The Strategic National Stockpile, established ahead of time to help prepare for public health emergencies such as the novel H1N1 flu virus outbreak, has large supplies of antiviral drug and other medical products. With emergency authorization from the FDA, these products are being quickly and efficiently released to state and local public health officials for use in meeting urgent public health needs at the local level.
The federal government is purchasing additional supplies of these products to refresh the Strategic National Stockpile so that it can continue to meet our public health needs.
The FDA is working with manufacturers of these medical products to increase production.
What can individuals do to help?
While it is important to be prepared, the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ask that individuals avoid purchasing excessive quantities of medical products that treat or fight influenza so that these products continue to be available to those most in need.
Read full article>>
For more information on H1N1 situation, please visit www.PandemicFlu.gov
WHO Updates International H1N1 Situation Including Global Number of Laboratory Confirmed Cases
4 May 2009 — As of 06:00 GMT, 4 May 2009, 20 countries have officially reported 985 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Mexico has reported 590 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 25 deaths. The higher number of cases from Mexico reflects ongoing testing of previously collected specimens. The United States has reported 226 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (85), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Costa Rica (1), Colombia (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (2), Germany (8), Ireland (1), Israel (3), Italy (1), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (4), Republic of Korea (1), Spain (40), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (15).
Read full article>>
For more information on H1N1 situation, please visit www.PandemicFlu.gov
You can find more information about FDA Patient Safety News , and watch or download the video program on our web site (http://www.fda.gov/psn). Stories in the May 2009 edition include:
FDA Approves First Human Drug from Genetically Engineered Animals
ATryn, an anticoagulant is used to prevent blood clots in patients with a rare disease known as hereditary antithrombin deficiency…
Safety Problems with Baxter Colleague Volumetric Infusion Pumps
Certain failure codes may cause the pump to alarm and stop the infusion, which may lead to serious injury or death…
Warning on Metoclopramide
Boxed warning highlights the risk of tardive dyskinesia if the metoclopramide (sold as Reglan and generics) is used for long periods of time or at high doses…
Burns from Medicated Patches during MRI Exams
Because the metallic component in a number of OTC and prescription transdermal patches can conduct heat, patients should remove the patch before the MRI...
Recall of Pediatric Tracheostomy Tubes
Certain lots of the Shiley 3.0 PED cuffless pediatric tracheostomy tubes should be returned to the company…
Alert on Metabolic Acidosis from Zonisamide
Measure serum bicarbonate before starting zonisamide treatment and periodically thereafter, even in the absence of metabolic acidosis symptoms…
Welch Allyn Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Recalled
Some of these defibrillators may fail to deliver defibrillation shocks during treatment of sudden cardiac arrest...
Removing Insulin from Cartons
Once opened, insulin vials stored in cardboard cartons may lead to potentially serious insulin mix-ups…
Don’t Share Insulin Pens Between Patients
Sharing insulin pens and cartridges can transmit hepatitis viruses, HIV, or other blood-borne pathogens...
For more FDA Patient Safety News , visit http://www.fda.gov/psn . Please send any comments, questions or suggestions about the program to PSNews@fda.gov
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/8/7/6/18767/18767.htm
Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match / Woodworth, Francis C. (Francis Channing), 1812-1859
[No photos in this edition]
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/8/4/3/18432/18432.htm
Over 300 Useful and Valuable Helps About the Home, Carefully Compiled and Arranged in Convenient Form for Frequent Use / Fowler, Arthur L., 1881-
Author: Fowler, Arthur L., 1881-
Title: Over 300 Useful and Valuable Helps About the Home, Carefully Compiled and Arranged in Convenient Form for Frequent Use
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/2/5/1/12519/12519.htm
THE VIRGINIA HOUSEWIFE
Or, Methodical Cook
By
MRS. MARY RANDOLPH
1860
WHO Updates International H1N1 Situation Including Global Number of Laboratory Confirmed Cases
4 May 2009 — As of 18:00 GMT, 4 May 2009, 21 countries have officially reported 1085 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Mexico has reported 590 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 25 deaths. The United States has reported 286 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (101), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Costa Rica (1), Colombia (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (4), Germany (8), Ireland (1), Israel (4), Italy (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (6), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (1), Spain (54), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (18).
Read full article>>
For more information on H1N1 situation, please visit www.PandemicFlu.gov
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/122608.htm
You are in:
Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security > Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) > Releases > Fact Sheets > 2009
2009 Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
Fact Sheet
May 4, 2009
Background: The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was opened for signature in 1968, and currently has 190 Parties. The Treaty comprises legally binding non-proliferation commitments and is the basis for international cooperation on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. The President in Prague on April 5 said that the basic bargain at the core of the Treaty is sound: “countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament; countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them; and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy.” The President also called on NPT parties to take immediate steps to strengthen this vital nonproliferation instrument.
The NPT Review Process: The Treaty provides for the Parties to gather every five years to review whether the purposes of the Preamble and the provisions of the Treaty are being realized. At the 1995 Review and Extension Conference, the Parties extended the Treaty indefinitely and formalized the practice of convening a Review Conference (RevCon) every five years and annual Preparatory Committees (PrepCom) in the three years before a RevCon. The third PrepCom completes the procedural preparations for the Review Conference. The next RevCon will take place in 2010.
Objectives: The objectives of the United States for this PrepCom are to finalize procedural issues, including the agenda, and elect a president of the RevCon. In addition, the United States will promote U.S. policy objectives by presenting working papers and statements addressing various aspects of the Treaty. The substantive NPT goals of the United States include:
* Securing full compliance with Treaty provisions by all Parties;
* Dissuading Parties from violating, and then withdrawing from, the Treaty;
* Achieving universal adherence to safeguards required by the NPT and to the Additional Protocol;
* Implementing effective export controls;
* Combating nuclear terrorism;
* Encouraging the peaceful use of nuclear energy;
* Achieving universal membership of all States; and
* Working, both individually and with other Parties, towards global nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
The United States looks forward to working with other NPT Parties at the 2009 PrepCom and at the 2010 RevCon. These meetings are important milestones towards the realization of the President’s vision of a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons.
Hike Naked; Splash Through Puddles; Put Hot Sauce on All Your Food.
LOL, made me think of your nakkid oats.
There is every kind of hot sauce that you ever heard of on this page. [For Sale]
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3659.cfm
* Cultivating Our Garden
Biointensive farming uses less water, land, machinery, and fertilizer
By John Jeavons
Context Institute—Reposted by GlobalCircle.net, 12.24.06
Straight to the Source
“They’re making people every day,
but they ain’t makin’ any more dirt.”
- Will Rogers
A sustainable community involves a dynamic inter-dependent relationship
between each of us and the resources that sustain our lives. Rather than
shirking human labor, trying to reduce the amount of it used or to increase
its productivity in unsustainable ways, we need to exalt in its proper use
and the maintenance of the very muscles involved in an effective human life.
Properly performed, labor is not tedious or enervating, but strengthening
and rewarding.
Using resources more efficiently - doing more with less - allows us to use
our personal energy more effectively. The field of electronics was recently
miniaturized on this basis. In fact, the world is on the verge of a major
new discovery - that there are major economies of small scale, such as the
miniaturization of agriculture. The sophisticated low-technology techniques
and the approaches involved in this kind of food-raising will make possible
truly sustainable agricultural practices globally.
Biointensive Mini-Farming
This miniaturization of agriculture is not new. Small-scale sustainable
agriculture has supported such widely dispersed civilizations as the Chinese
4,000 years ago, and the Mayans, South Americans, and Greeks 2,000 years
ago.
Ecology Action has dedicated almost a quarter-century to rediscovering the
scientific principles that underlie these traditional systems. The people in
Biosphere II in Arizona have been using techniques based on those outlined
by Ecology Action: they raised 80 percent of their food for two years within
a “closed system.” Their experience demonstrates that a complete year’s diet
for one person can be raised on the equivalent of 3,403 square feet!
This is an improvement over traditional Chinese practices, which required
5,000 to 7,200 square feet. In contrast, it takes commercial agriculture
22,000 to 42,000 square feet to grow all the food for one person for one
year, while bringing in large inputs from other areas. At the same time,
commercial agricultural practices are causing the loss of approximately six
pounds of soil for each pound of food produced.
Biointensive mini-farming techniques make it possible to grow food using 99
percent less energy in all forms - human and mechanical, 66 percent to 88
percent less water, and 50 percent to 100 percent less fertilizer, compared
to commercial agriculture. They also produce two to six times more food and
build the soil.
The Biointensive Method
The basics of this whole-system approach can be summarized as follows:
Most life in nature occurs at the interface of soil, water, air and sun.
Biointensive soil preparation practices create growing beds with more
surface area to maximize the effect of nature’s life processes. Double-dug
beds, with soil loosened to a depth of 24 inches, aerate the soil,
facilitate root growth, and improve water retention. The health and vigor of
the soil are maintained through the use of compost. Close seeding spacing is
used to protect the soil microorganisms, reduce water loss, and maximize
yields. Companion planting facilitates the optimal use of nutrients, light
and water, encourages beneficial insects and creates a vibrant
mini-ecosystem within the garden. The use of open-pollinated seeds helps to
preserve genetic diversity and enables gardeners to develop their own
acclimatized cultivars.
A focus on the production of calories for the gardener and carbon for the
soil ensures that both the gardener and the soil will be adequately fed and
that the farm will be sustainable.
How can the soil’s nutrient fertility be preserved with agriculture
continuously removing nutrients as one crop is harvested after another? One
answer is surprising. Each person’s urine and manure contain approximately
enough nutrients to produce enough food to feed that person. However, those
nutrients are not enough when they are spread thinly over the one-half to
one acre that it takes mechanized commercial agriculture to produce that
person’s food.
Biointensive mini-farms require much less area to produce the same yield of
crops, so the nutrients contained in one person’s wastes can be applied in a
more concentrated way. This enables the nutrients to be fully effective, and
high yields can result.
Because of this higher productivity, Biointensive practices could allow
one-half to three-quarters of the world to be left in wild for the
preservation of plant and animal diversity.
It has been said that Biointensive practices might make it possible to grow
food for all the people in the US in just the area now used for lawns. This
possibility could mean thriving agriculturally self-reliant cities with
‘green belts’ to produce all their food.
Scarcity vs. Abundance
Scarcity can be changed into abundance when sustainable, resource-conserving
agricultural practices are used.
* The world continues to deplete its soils approximately 7 to 80 times
faster with conventional forms of agriculture - even with organic
practices - than they are built up in nature. Probably only 50 to 100 years’
worth of world soil productivity remains for us to use. We are rapidly
depleting the soil base upon which civilization depends. In contrast,
sustainable Biointensive farming, if used properly, can build the soil up to
60 times faster than in nature while producing more food and conserving
resources.
* Economically, conventional agriculture in the US produces on the
average up to $100 per sixteenth of an acre; the net return on a $500,000
investment on the average 500-acre farm is about $12,000, or a little over 2
percent. We are depleting our agricultural economic base and indirectly our
farming community base. Biointensive economic mini-farming, in contrast, can
produce up to $20,000 on a sixteenth of an acre through increased yields,
decreased resource use, and direct marketing. It also offers a foundation
for community-based agriculture.
* The average age of the US farmer is 55, with few young people entering
farming. In fact, 0.2 percent of the population of the US is producing most
of the nation’s food. We are depleting the nation’s skill base. With
mini-farming approaches, everyone can be part of the rebuilding of farming
skills wherever they are.
* 75 percent of all the seeds ever used in agriculture are estimated to
have become extinct by 1990. Ninety five percent are expected to be extinct
by the year 2000. We are depleting our genetic base by overdependence on too
few highly specialized varieties. It is interesting to note that many, if
not most, normal open-pollinated crop varieties will produce equally high
Green Revolution-type yields with a fraction of the resources and few insect
and disease problems when Biointensive techniques are used because of the
healthy soil they produce.
* Conventional agriculture uses 100 times the energy in mechanical and
human forms per pound of food produced, compared to Biointensive farming.
This is because of current agriculture’s heavy dependence on machines and
energy-intensive chemical fertilizers. We are depleting our energy base.
Sustainable Biointensive practices, in contrast, recycle nutrients and are
productive enough to be done manually without high energy consumption.
* Agriculture accounts for 80 percent of all the water used by people on
this planet, and dozens of countries already have insufficient water for
growing all the food needed for their populations. Further, the agricultural
practices being used do not generally conserve water in our soil. The result
is that we are in the process of depleting our available water base.
Biointensive practices use a third to an eighth the water per pound of food
produced as conventional farming practices. Thus, the amount of water
available for farming, which is currently insufficient, can be more than
enough.
It Is Simple to Begin
The thought of beginning to learn to grow all one’s own food seems
overwhelming, but Ecology Action has designed a small one-bed growing unit
from which to begin growing personalized solutions. This unit is a
100-square-foot bed that includes equal areas of compost, diet, and income
crops. As we improve each 100-square-foot area of soil in our backyards or
on our farms, we begin to understand our climate and the varieties of plants
that thrive in our own micro-climates and mini-ecosystems. Each small
portion that we grow of our own food enables us to better appreciate the
farmers whose food we buy.
Voltaire in Candide suggests that if we each tend our own “garden,” the
entire world will be transformed. In the process, all of our work will be
filled with meaning. In this way, we will “grow people” who possess a whole
new understanding: that we must grow soil rather than crops - create rather
than consume. When we do so, the harvest for our nourishment will be
abundant beyond our greatest expectations!
John Jeavons is known internationally for his work developing small-scale
sustainable food production techniques. His food-raising techniques are
being used in 108 countries, rich and poor.
Ecology Action, founded 24 years ago, has taught the Biointensive method to
organizations and individuals in over 100 countries through tours and
workshops, and more than 30 publications - some in other languages. For more
information, write to Ecology Action, 5798 Ridgewood Road, Willits, CA
95490-9730.
Learn more at the Ecology Action website
For more information on this topic or related issues you can search the thousands of archived articles on the OCA website using keywords:
http://www.geocities.com/aliciainelpaso/stories/bread1.htm
Bread: the staff of life
By Jackie Clay
In today’s hurry-up, prosperous world, bread has come to mean that white, pasty stuff you buy in the store and slap together into boring, equally tasteless sandwiches. Or it’s what contains that fast-food, mystery meat burger. But, there was a time when it used to be much more.
Not so long ago, breads were eaten at nearly every meal, and still are in many third world countries. No, I’m not talking about mushy store bread, but the real thing. Full of nutrients, satisfying and comforting, good bread truly is the staff of life, being the basis for many great meals—if not the meal itself during hard times.
Nearly all breads are easy and quick to make. And they are even better if you make them yourself, especially from your own grains, ground in your kitchen. No chemicals, no additives, no fillers. (Believe it or not, I saw a loaf of bread in a store lately that had cellulose as an ingredient—processed sawdust.)
“And who will help me eat the bread?” Son, David, reaps the reward for his flour grinding.
To make breads even more valuable, they not only can be included in main courses, but also as desserts. Let’s look at a partial list of bread possibilities: muffins, rolls, white bread, whole wheat bread, rye bread, multi-grain bread, cornbread, popovers, corn tortillas, flour tortillas, pitas, biscuits, sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, banana bread, zucchini bread, pineapple bread, hush puppies, apple fritters, hamburger and hotdog buns, pancakes, waffles, and a whole lot more.
I buy local wheat from a rancher, rye and other whole grains from an organic market. I usually grow enough corn to have cornmeal. All of these and more are ground in my kitchen, as I need them, and made into fresh breads for the table.
Now, I’m a more-than-busy person, but my baking only takes a couple of hours a week, all totaled. My “big” baking day is usually on Monday, when I bake white and whole wheat bread for the week. On other days, I’ll mix up tortillas, biscuits, corn bread, or rolls, in less time than it takes to tell. Like anything else, the more you do it, the quicker and easier it is. I can mix up a batch of biscuits from scratch in about the same time it takes to remove a roll of frozen biscuits from the freezer and place them on a cookie sheet. (Someone once gave our youngest son, David, a roll of those frozen biscuits. He brought them home, unsure of what to do with them. After leaving them on the counter until I got out of the garden, he asked how to make them, fascinated that biscuits could actually be in those little paper rolls. Well, it was hot that day, and that roll was plenty fat. David gave it a little tap and the cardboard roll exploded. KAPOW! Biscuit dough flew through the air. Some even stuck on the cupboard door. With big eyes, David declared he didn’t know storebought biscuits could explode. Maybe he’d mix up a batch of homemade biscuits, instead.)
In addition to being more nutritious and tasty than store breads (and less explosive), homemade breads are very economical. Today, the average “better” breads are around $2.69 a loaf. I can make two loaves of a far superior bread for less than a dollar, total. And that’s if I buy my flour, instead of growing my own grain or buying it from a local rancher.
Someone contemplating a self-reliant lifestyle would do well to give bread baking a serious study. Not only does it make homestead life much more satisfying, but it allows a family to save a lot of money, too.
Grains for bread making
Wheat is a commonly raised grain nationwide. The best wheat for bread making is hard wheat. Even hard wheat comes in “winter wheat”—planted in the fall, over-wintering to grow and mature in the summer of the following year, “spring wheat”—which is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall of the same year, red wheat, and white (or golden) wheat which is a lighter color. You’ll have to experiment to find your family’s favorite, although, all make very good bread.
Bread day at the Clay house: wheat, honey, yeast, shortening, and warm water, ready to go.
You can easily raise wheat at home. I’ve done it a lot. And a small plot, about 10 by 100 feet will give you a bushel or more of excellent grain to grind for your table. It’s easy and fun to grow. Plant your winter wheat about six weeks before cold winter weather sets in and spring wheat when the weather is just warming up in the spring, after worries about freezing are over.
Till up your wheat plot and simply scatter wheat seed on top of the rough soil. Then rake or shallowly till the seed in so it is covered by about an inch of soil. Water well and keep evenly moist but not wet until germination takes place in about a week. Simply water as needed and wait for maturity. Birds sometimes eat maturing wheat. We’ve had good luck by putting a couple of child’s pinwheels on either end of the garden in the ground and stationing a plastic owl on a stake here and there in the maturing wheat.
The maturing wheat will get golden, with no green showing. Before it is so mature that it begins to fall from the stalk, cut your plot. The easiest and best way is to use a scythe with a grain cradle. This “grim reaper” style tool has a light frame attached to it which catches the grain stalks as they are cut off. Then you can bundle the wheat into a sheaf, tying it around the “waist” with a few straws of wheat. If you don’t have, or can’t borrow a scythe, you can cut your wheat with just about anything. I’ve seen people use hedge trimmers, string trimmers and even kitchen scissors. One tip: if you must use a power trimmer of some type, cut your wheat just a bit green so the shock will not shatter the wheat out onto the ground. Then dry it a little longer than you would otherwise.
The sheaves are then stood up in little tipis, or shocks, with one sheaf spread out on top, to shelter the grain from dew and any rain. You will know when your wheat is ready when you can take a head of wheat and roll it lightly between your fingers, and the grains easily fall out into your hand.
We create a threshing floor by laying a cheap plastic tarp out on the driveway, on a sunny, quiet day. Then we lay an old sheet out on top of that. Gently gather up your shocks of wheat and bring them to your threshing floor. A few at a time, lay them out on the clean sheet, then flail the grain from the straw with a baseball bat. Or you use a homemade flail made with two sections of old shovel handle, one a foot long, the other three feet long, with a piece of cord four inches long tied through holes drilled in the ends of each. The long section is your “handle”, the short section, your flail. Gently beat the straw, loosening all of the grain. Then, with a clean pitch fork, shake and lift off the empty straw and stack it.
Repeat until all your wheat has been threshed. Gather up your grain, which also has bits of chaff, straw, and other debris. Now wait for a windy but dry day and winnow your grain. Spread out a large container. I use one of my wash tubs. Then pour the wheat slowly from a bowl, down to your tub, letting the wind clean your grain. Usually only a couple pours will remove all dust, chaff, and debris. Your wheat is now ready to store. I use a new garbage can to protect it from insects and rodents. It is a good idea to stir your wheat every couple of days, to ensure it is completely dry; any moisture will cause your precious grain to mold. I simply stir the grain with my clean hand and arm. (It’s a wonderful feeling, too.)
“And who will help me grind the wheat?” David takes his turn at the hand grain mill.
If you have had problems with insects (weevils) in your grain, you may want to freeze your wheat, a batch at a time, before long-term storage. Usually freezing at 0° F for three days will prevent any insect problems later during storage.
Dry wheat, properly stored in a dark, airtight container, will keep perfectly for years; a perfect addition to a long-term storage pantry.
Rye is a second sister to wheat. As it is darker and stronger flavored, and with less gluten than wheat, it is used less often. But it is one of the hardiest of all grains and a good addition to your grain pantry. A small plot off the end of your wheat plot, say 10 feet by 25 feet, will provide all the rye you need for an average year. The growing and harvesting of rye is just like spring wheat.
Oats are very hardy and easily grown at home, however, there really isn’t an easy way to dehull them at home. But there is a relatively new variety of oats out which makes this a thing of the past. Naked hulled oats have no tight hull, so simply threshing them as you would other grain leaves them clean and ready to roll or grind.
I roll some of my oats for a coarser bread and for non-bread uses, such as cookies and granola. But I also grind some oats with my wheat, to use in multi-grain breads, making oat flour, instead of rolled oats.
Oats are super easy to grow at home. They are planted in the early spring, just after the cold weather moderates.
They will take a frost, but a hard freeze can damage the stand. Plant and grow as you would wheat or rye. Oats are a very good nurse crop for a new hay field. They protect the fragile, small alfalfa, clover and grass, shading it from extreme sun and heat. Then, when you harvest your oats, the hay field really takes off and grows.
Corn is a staple of my kitchen, in all forms. It is especially versatile as a bread ingredient. One first thinks of corn bread. And he often stops right there. But my corn is used for corn tortillas, in multi-grain bread, many white breads, as a crunchy crust dust for pizza dough, bread sticks, hush puppies, cornmeal mush for breakfast, tamale dough, and Indian pudding for dessert.
Corn used for meal and corn flour is mature, hard, dry corn. Cornmeal is the gritty textured ground flint corn, where corn flour is silky smooth flour, ground from dried, uncooked hominy corn, with the “skin” removed by boiling in lime water until the skin will separate from the kernel.
It doesn’t take much room to grow a patch of corn for your own cornmeal and corn flour. A dozen 20-foot rows will provide all you can use in a year. (Remember, in a survival situation, you will use much more cornmeal than you may today.) I’ve made excellent cornmeal with “leftover” second ears of sweet corn that were not used at market or for my canning needs.
Wait to harvest your corn, until the plants are totally dry and rattle in a wind. The corn itself should not give under pressure from your thumbnail. I prefer to leave it on the stalk until a dry period in late fall to make extra sure the corn is dry and avoid chances of mold.
At first the dough will be crummy and hard to work with.
Pick your ears and shuck them, removing all of the husk and silk. If you have the room, somewhere insect and rodent-proof, store your corn on the ear, as it will keep very well that way. If not, shell the corn. A hand-turned corn sheller is one old-time tool that is very handy. Unfortunately, few of us have one. I usually just twist two ears of corn together over a clean barrel or garbage can. With practice, you can shell a lot of corn this way in a few hours.
As with your other grains, be sure to stir the barrel of corn every day or two, until you are positive it is completely dry. With low-moisture corn, this is accomplished in a week’s time. Be sure. Mold spoils the whole lot.
Miscellaneous grains
There are a whole lot of grains, used by folks world-wide, other than wheat. They are tasty and very nutritious, but, unfortunately, they do not contain gluten, which makes bread rise nicely. I use many of these grains, in addition to my wheat, making a multi-grain bread. And I often make ethnic breads from these traditional grains, for variety and unique tastes. You might want to give them a try.
Millet, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, quiona, wild rice, brown rice and even “weed” seeds, such as pigweed, dock, and crab grass make excellent grains, especially in addition to wheat flour. These grains can be found at local food co-ops and wild-harvested around your homestead, in the case of “weed” seeds. As with any wild foraging, be sure of your plant to avoid problems.
Nongrain bread additions
There are many things that I often use in my daily bread making that are not “grain,” but help make tasty loaves, nonetheless. Among them are: hulled sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, finely ground, dried squash and pumpkin, grated or dry powdered cheeses, powdered dried chilies, onion powder, tomato powder, ground dry beans, nuts of all kinds, acorn meal, and potatoes. I am a very causal cook, and I often experiment while baking breads. No one complains about the results either.
And of course, I use many fruits in sweet and dessert breads. These include candied mixed fruit, dehydrated cherries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, peaches, apricots, currents, and raisins.
Grinding your own grain
Home grinding your own flours is akin to canning—so satisfying, easy and, yes, even fun. I’ve always had to fight my way to the grinder. The kids always want to turn the handle and watch the flour trickle nicely out into a bowl.
When kneading, push down hard with the heels of both hands and bring the top down to the center, rotate the dough slightly, and repeat.
There are many good flour mills. Obviously, the more expensive mills grind more flour per minute—and usually finer flour on one pass through—than do the economy models. Unfortunately, we’re not able to afford a $200-plus mill. So I bought a nice little hand-powered mill for $59, and have been very satisfied with it. It grinds all the flour for one baking of bread in 20 minutes. This includes two grindings, as one pass through the mill is not quite fine enough for my likes. I often use half-coarse flour and half the second grind, which makes a “wheat-nut” bread that we all like.
You can even use a blender, but because you can only process a cup or so at a time it will take you forever.
You will have to play around with a new mill, adjusting the grind to your likes and needs, as most are widely adjustable. Most mills will grind nearly all grains, from wheat to corn and even nuts. If you want to roll your own—oats, that is—you will need a mill that will perform this task or buy an additional rolling mill.
Why, you may say, should you bother grinding your own grain? Well, it’s like gardening: everything tastes much better fresh. (Which is better, a store-bought tomato or one fresh from the garden?) You also know for certain what’s in your flour. No chemicals, pesticides, additives, bleach, or other dubious ingredients. And fresh, home-ground flour is so much better for you than store-bought flour (even store-bought whole wheat). Processed commercial flour removes over 24 nutrients from the wheat. Home processing removes very little indeed.
Bread baking basics
Most breads include wheat flour (for its gluten content and natural sweetness which make the bread rise and have a nice texture), a small amount of sugar or honey to feed the yeast, yeast to make the bread rise, a smaller amount of salt to keep the yeast in check and develop the flavors, shortening or oil, milk or water as a liquid, and sometimes eggs to provide color and richness.
I buy my yeast in one pound sacks. It keeps perfectly good on the shelf for a year or more. Mine is gone by then. This yeast is granulated dry yeast, and is much cheaper than the little packets. In fact three packets of three, which is how they come, cost the same as my one-pound bag. Check around. You might want to share with a friend if you are new to baking.
Both the milk and eggs can be fresh or dehydrated, so you see bread truly can be the staff of life in a survival situation, where you must cook out of a long term storage pantry. All of the ingredients are very happy in a survival pantry.
After ten minutes or so of kneeding, the dough will be shiny, smooth, and alive.
Make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature. Bread does not like cold. Mix your dry yeast in the amount of lukewarm liquid the recipe calls for, plus a pinch of sugar or honey. This lets it get to growing and makes adding it to your dough batter much easier. Then mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl, less one cup of flour.
This little trick I learned by experience. There is no foolproof recipe for bread. In different climates, with different humidities, with different flours, you may have to add considerably less or more flour to get the right consistency to your dough. It’s always easy to add more flour to your dough as you work it. It’s impossible to take flour out of a too-stiff dough. You can, of course, add more liquid, but that’s a mess and more work than I like. It’s better to hold back that cup of flour.
Usually, your sugar, salt, and shortening are added to the hot water or milk, then the mixture is brought down to lukewarm before mixing in the flour and yeast. Again, a little trick is to add half of your flour, especially whole wheat flour, to very hot liquids and beating it well with a whisk or wooden spoon. This helps it to rise better. Let this batter cool to lukewarm, then add your yeast and, finally, the rest of your flour, a cup or so at a time.
When your dough is so stiff that you can’t use your wooden spoon, turn it out onto a clean, floured surface; a counter top, table, or bread board. Flour your hands well and begin to knead the dough. This is done by first forming a ball, then, with the heels of your hands, shove down in the center of the ball hard. With your left hand, turn the dough ball slightly, and repeat, drawing the top to the center, and shoving down hard. It’s like dancing; invigorating and rhythmic and it’s good exercise.
At first the dough will stick to your fingers. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the board and on your hands and continue kneading. Don’t be timid about adding flour. You’ll add that cup you held back, and usually more. But don’t add so much flour that your dough is stiff and unyielding or your bread will be of low quality—but still better than store bread.
When you start, your dough will be crummy, sticky, and nearly unmanageable. After 10 minutes or so your dough will suddenly change before your eyes. And your hands. All at once, it will be shining, bouncing back from your touch. Firm, yet seeming to have a life of its own. It is now ready for setting to rise.
Grease a large bowl and place your prize dough lightly in the bowl, greasing the ball. Then lift it out and reverse the dough, so that the greased part is now the top.
I rinse a clean kitchen towel in hot water, then wring it out, placing it on top of the bowl. This seals out cool drafts and keeps the dough from drying out.
Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free spot to rise. This usually takes about an hour, but can take two or more, depending on your yeast, the weather, the mood of the loaf, or whatever. Wait for it to double in size. Many beginners can not wait and continue with their baking too early. This results in a loaf that is heavy and too dense.
After rising, punch down well and divide into two or more loaves or free-form breads or rolls.
Test the dough with two fingers, pressing lightly into the top of your dough ball. If the indentations remain for a minute, your dough is ready for the next rising.
Now’s the fun part, especially if you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Turn the dough out onto your lightly floured kneading surface and pound it. Knead it a minute, then pound it again. This distributes the gluten and releases your stress. Baker’s Zen.
A few bread recipes require a second rising in the bowl, but most now have you divide your dough into two or more pieces and shape it to fit your bread pans (or fancy). Roll each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball, then gently pat it into the shape you desire, from bread pan to free-form shepherd’s bread or braids. It all tastes great.
Lightly grease your bread pans. If you are doing free-form breads, simply place them on a greased cookie sheet to rise and bake.
Again, cover the dough with your damp kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise. Do not let the bread rise too far. It should rise almost double. It’s better not to let it rise all the way, than to rise too far. Don’t poke it this time, or your beautiful bread will have dimples when baked.
Preheat your oven. This is especially important for those of us who bake on a wood kitchen range. It often takes half an hour for the oven to reach 350° F, so be sure you preheat. Even a gas stove takes several minutes to reach baking temperature, and your bread will rise nicer if it is popped into a hot oven, rather than one that is in the process of heating.
So let’s give a simple bread recipe a go and see just how easy it is.
Fail-proof white bread
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. honey
4 cups hot water
3 Tbsp. shortening
1 Tbsp. salt
3 Tbsp. honey
8 cups unbleached flour
butter
Stir the yeast into 1/2 cup warm water and add the half-teaspoon of honey. Let sit until you are ready for it.
In a large bowl, add the hot water, shortening, salt, and the rest of the honey. Stir until honey is dissolved and the shortening has melted.
Sift five cups of flour into the liquid in the large bowl and beat well with a whisk or wooden spoon. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm and add the yeast mixture. Again beat well. Add the remaining flour, one cup at a time. You want a dough that you can barely mix with a wooden spoon, held just above the spoon part.
Flour your kneading surface and dump the dough out onto the board. Flour your hands and begin kneading the dough. Add flour, as needed (no more than a half cup at a time). If it is sticky, add more flour, a bit at a time, under the dough, and on your hands. When it seems more “workable,” let it rest on the floured board while you wash out the mixing bowl with hot water. Dry it and return to your kneading.
Knead the dough ball until it feels alive and springy. Grease the bowl and rub the top of the ball in this grease, then turn it over so the top is nicely greased. Cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
When the dough is ready (two finger indentations on top remain for a minute), punch it down well. Grease two bread pans and form the dough into two loaves, leaving the tops smooth and the ends neatly tucked under. Again, cover them with your kitchen towel and let rise until nearly double. Preheat your oven to 400° F. Bake at 400° F for 45 minutes until the top is nicely browned and sounds hollow when you tap it with your finger.
Remove the bread from the oven and butter the tops to soften them and give them a beautiful sheen. Remove them from the pans and let them cool (if you don’t have drooling family members hovering around begging and whining pitifully). We usually eat up a good chunk of hot bread as soon as it exits the oven.
Honey whole wheat bread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 tsp. honey
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. shortening
1/4 cup chopped sunflower seeds
6 cups whole wheat flour
butter
Stir 1/2 cup warm water, the yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon honey into a cup to proof. In large bowl, add two cups of warm water, salt, 2 tablespoons of honey, and the shortening. Beat until the shortening has melted. Add the chopped sunflower seeds, then add one cup of flour at a time until you have a medium batter. Add the yeast mixture. Add flour, while beating well. Stir the thickened dough with a wooden spoon until it is ready to knead, adding more or less flour, as needed. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for ten minutes. Grease the top and place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a warm, damp towel until it rises to double in size. You may now punch down the dough and divide it into two loaves, or punch down the dough, and let it rise a second time for a finer loaf.
Place the loaves in greased bread pans and let rise until nearly doubled. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Bake the bread about 45 minutes until tops are golden and sound hollow when tapped with a finger. When done, butter the tops and sprinkle with chopped sunflower seeds or sesame seeds, if desired.
Okay, we’ve made some traditional easy or everyday breads. Pretty darned good, huh? These are some of my everyday recipes. Remember, you can easily perk them up by making one “loaf” into a pan of rolls by making golf ball sized balls and placing them side by side in a greased 8-inch by 8-inch pan. Or you can divide one loaf of dough into thirds and make three dough snakes and braid them beautifully, pinching and tucking the ends under. The braids are baked on a greased cookie sheet. I often make a glaze, using one teaspoon of egg white and one tablespoon of water mixed well and brushed on the risen loaves, then sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds on top. Bake as usual. They come out shining and crisp-crusted.
Besides these basic breads, I usually make several other everyday breads. The most common three in the Clay kitchen are spoon rolls, tortillas (flour and corn), and biscuits. All are super easy and fast to make. And they taste great too. Here are my recipes for you to try.
Half-time spoon rolls
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
pinch of sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
3-1/2 cups unbleached flour
butter
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add a pinch of the sugar and stir well. In mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup of very warm water, shortening, sugar and salt. Mix well until the shortening melts. Cool with 1/2 cup cold water and one egg. Mix well. When lukewarm, add the yeast mixture, then stir in the flour, a little at a time. The dough will be very sticky. You do not knead this dough.
Cover and let rise in a bowl till doubled. Grease muffin tins and using a greased ice cream scoop, knock down the risen dough and spoon one scoopful into each cup of the muffin tin. Let it rise, again, until they double in size and bake about 10 minutes in a 375° F oven. Butter the tops and serve hot. Truly great. I also use this recipe for my hamburger and hot dog buns, shaping them on a greased cookie tin. Hint: make ‘em a little smaller than you think you should, as they get big during the rising and baking.
Basic baking powder biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached or whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
milk
Sift the dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. Add the shortening and mix it in with a fork, until pieces of the mixture are the size of small peas. Add milk until you have a moist, but not sticky dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead lightly. Pat down to about half-an-inch thick. Cut the biscuits out of this. (I use a greased canning jar ring for this.) Place the biscuits on a greased cookie sheet touching each other in a rectangular pattern. Bake at 400° F for about 10 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
You may add 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese for cheese biscuits, topping the biscuits with more grated cheese after they have risen in the oven for a crispy cheezie treat.
Served hot with butter and homemade jam, you can’t beat these easy biscuits.
Flour tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached or whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening
3/4 cup warm water
In mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Mix in the shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add 1/2-cup water and mix. Add the rest of the water as needed. You want a dough that is moist, yet not sticky. Let the dough rest for fifteen minutes, covered with a moist kitchen towel. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Shape into balls and on a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a thin round. You may trim them, using a saucer for a pattern. I don’t bother. My uneven tortillas look nice and homey, and taste just fine. Bake them on an ungreased cast iron griddle on the stovetop over medium heat until lightly browned for about 11/2 minutes. Turn and bake on the other side. Serve warm. Like everything else, homemade tortillas sure beat “store” tortillas. They are actually tender and tasty. If you want to use tortillas for burritos, wrap the filling with warm tortillas or they will break, reheating them if necessary before filling.
Corn tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups masa harina de maize (corn flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder (made from chilies only, not mixed spices)
1 cup water
Combine masa, salt, spices, and water in a mixing bowl and mix with fork until dough is moist, but not sticky. Let stand for ten minutes. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Using a tortilla press or a pie pan, press each ball flat, between sheets of waxed paper or plastic. I further roll each tortilla out with a rolling pin, keeping it in the waxed paper, as we like thin tortillas. Carefully pull off the top sheet, then turn the tortilla out into your hand and pull off the other sheet of waxed paper. Bake on a hot griddle (I like cast iron best) on the stovetop until slightly brown, then gently turn and bake the other side.
Corn tortillas are great, served warm with stews, soups, or even with jam for breakfast. Or you can make your own enchiladas, tacos, or nacho chips. One of our favorites is deep fried “raw” corn tortillas, served with homemade salsa, mixed with grated, melted cheese as a dip. There are seldom any leftovers. When you want to make nacho chips, simply stack your tortillas and cut them with a sharp knife, as you would a pizza—right through the entire stack at once. Then deep fry several at a time in hot oil. Salt, if desired, as soon as you remove from the grease to drain on paper towels.
Enchiladas are easy to make with homemade corn tortillas. Bake them. Then, while warm, dip them in enchilada sauce, fill, and roll up while warm. If they are cold, they’ll break up. No problem. Just reheat and dip or even make a layered enchilada casserole instead.
Breakfast and dessert breads
Besides the normal breakfast breads, pancakes, biscuits, waffles or corn bread, other breakfast breads are easy and fun to make and serve. One of my favorites is to use either biscuit dough or half-time spoon roll dough (with a little extra flour added so you can knead it) and make cinnamon sweet rolls or sticky buns. Instead of making biscuits or rolls, roll the dough out in a rectangle, about half an inch thick. Then, with your fingers, rub butter over the entire surface. For cinnamon rolls, mix 1/2 cup of sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle liberally on the surface. For sticky buns, mix a cup of brown sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Spread this out on your dough. Then add a handful of chopped nuts.
Roll up the dough carefully, jelly roll-style. Pinch off the ends and seam. With a sharp knife, slice into one-inch (biscuit dough) or two inch (half-time spoon roll dough) slices and place in a greased 8-inch by 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350° F until the tops are nicely browned. All the preparation takes about 20 minutes. I told you it was easy.
One of our family favorites is Mom’s version of the old-time breakfast bread, Sally Lunn. Now there are about a dozen or more recipes titled Sally Lunn, all quite different. But I like Mom’s best. And it is very quick to put together.
Sally Lunn
Ingredients for bread:
2 cups unbleached flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
Ingredients for topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream the shortening and sugar together. Add the beaten egg. Next add the milk and mix into dry ingredients. Stir just to moisten. Turn into greased 8-inch by 8-inch cake pan. Make the topping by mixing those ingredients together then sprinkle it over the batter. Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes or until done. Serve with homemade butter and a glass of icy cold milk from that cow or goat in your pasture, and you are there!
We also like this as a dessert, with a bowl of sliced fresh strawberries, with sugar or a sugar substitute on them (Bob’s diabetic, so we do a lot of sugar substituting), and we pour this over the Sally Lunn, top it all with fresh whipped cream. Not bad at all.
Another old-time bread dessert is bread pudding. I know this sounds pretty disgusting to the uninitiated. But it is really good, especially served hot on a cold day. And it’s a good way to get rid of those chunks of old bread.
Bread pudding
Heat 3 cups of milk, add 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 4 cups of bread cubes (torn bits of bread, bite-sized). Beat 3 eggs, and add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Stir all together. Add a handful of raisins or other dehydrated fruit. Pour into buttered dish and bake at 350° for about 55 minutes until set. Serve with sweetened milk or whipped cream. Mom makes a sauce of two cups of powdered sugar, a stick of butter, one teaspoon of vanilla, and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, which she creams together. She puts a spoonful of this on each serving of pudding while it’s hot. The sauce melts enticingly down the sides to blend with the whipped cream. Did I say we’re all in need of a diet? I’ll just go out and pull weeds for another hour.
I could go on about breads for another 500 pages, but you get the picture. They are so easy to bake, super tasty, and very versatile. I hope you’ll all join me today and mix up a batch of one of these favorites or maybe one of your own.
http://www.geocities.com/aliciainelpaso/stories/liveonnothing1.htm
http://www.geocities.com/aliciainelpaso/stories/liveonnothing2.htm
There are several good ideas in these 2 articles about living on nothing, also a couple of illegal ones and a dangerous one, I do not use gas to start a wood stove.