Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/emotionalspice.html

Spice Mixture for Emotional Balance

* 1 part ground black pepper*
* 1 part ground dried ginger*
* 2 parts ground coriander*
* 3 parts ground cumin*
* 2 parts ground turmeric*
* 1 part crushed black cumin (for women only)

Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container. Sauté small amounts in ghee to spice vegetables and grains.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/heartspice.html

Healthy Heart Spice Mixture

* 1 part ground turmeric
* 2 parts ground cumin
* 3 parts ground coriander
* 4 parts ground fennel

Mix the spices and store in an airtight jar. When it is time to cook the meal, steam the vegetables. Melt a small amount of ghee in the pan, and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture per serving. Saute the spices until the flavor is released. Add the vegetables, saute lightly, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. If you have constipation, be sure to cleanse the bowels by eating fruits, vegetables and grains with fiber, eating a stewed apple or pear with prunes or figs each morning for breakfast. By cleansing the bowel you maintain the digestive fire and enhance digestion and assimilation. This is an excellent breakfast for people with Sadhaka Pitta imbalance, and Prana and Vyana Vata imbalance. Sweet lassi (a drink made by blending 1/4 c. yogurt and 3/4 c. water along with honey) is also good for people with weak digestion.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/allergyspice.html

Allergy-Season Spice Mixture

* 3 parts turmeric*
* 6 parts fennel*
* 6 parts coriander*
* 1 part black pepper*
* 1 part ginger

Blend these spices together in bulk and store in a jar. When you are preparing a meal, place a small amount of ghee in a frying pan and heat it on medium. Add the detoxifying spice mixture, measuring out one teaspoon of spice mixture per serving of vegetables. Sauté the spices until the aroma is released, but be careful not to burn them. Add steamed vegetables, mix lightly and sauté together for one minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Or you can sauté the spice mixture in ghee and drizzle on cooked vegetables and grains.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/detoxifyingtea.html

Detoxifying Tea

Boil two quarts of water in the morning.

Add 1/4 t. whole cumin, 1/2 t. whole coriander,
1/2 t. whole fennel and let steep for ten minutes with the lid on.

Strain out the spices and pour water into a thermos and sip throughout the day. Start fresh by making a new batch of tea in the morning.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/detoxifyingspice.html

Detoxifying Spice Mixture

* 1 part turmeric
* 2 parts ground cumin
* 3 parts ground coriander
* 4 parts ground fennel

Mix these spices together in bulk and store in a jar. When you are cooking a meal, place a small amount of ghee in a frying pan and heat on medium. Add detoxifying spice mixture, measuring out one teaspoon of spice mixture per serving of vegetables. Sauté spices until the aroma is released (but be careful not to burn). Add steamed vegetables, mix lightly and sauté together for one minute. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Or you can sauté the spice mixture in ghee and drizzle on vegetables or grains.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/recipes/immunityspices.html

Immunity Boosting Spices
Here is a spice mixture for enhancing immunity.

* 2 parts turmeric
* 3 parts ground cumin
* 3 parts ground coriander
* 6 parts ground fennel
* 1 part powdered dry ginger
* 1 part ground black pepper
* 1/4 part ground cinnamon

Mix all the powdered spices well and store in an airtight container in a cool place away from direct sunlight. For daily use sauté one teaspoon of ghee. Heat until you smell the aroma. Immediately remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the spices. Drizzle the spicy ghee on to cooked rice or other dishes before serving. Or add steamed vegetables to the spice mixture while still in the pan and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. This spice mixture should be used regularly to flavor one dish for the main meal of the day to boost immunity and enhance digestion.

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Simple Ways to Minimize Acid Indigestion with Maharishi Ayurveda

Individuals with a pitta imbalance are susceptible to hyperacidity, peptic ulcers, and some types of inflammatory disorders. Stress, anger, impatience, extra-hot spicy foods, and environmental factors such as extreme heat can aggravate pitta. A few simple changes in lifestyle and diet can help bring pitta into balance for smoother, more effective digestion and greater calm and contentment.

Pitta is the heat energy within every cell but it is mainly located in the stomach area. Excess intake of heat producing foods can mean that the digestive tract overreacts with an increase in acid production. Pitta aggravating foods such as vinegar, tomatoes, sour citrus fruits, orange juice, salsa, yogurt (except lassi) onions, garlic, chili peppers, salty fried foods, and alcohol all aggravate the digestion when too much acid is present. These foods should be completely avoided until the acid level is brought into complete balance. And if there is a sensitivity to these foods they should be avoided in general.

It is important to not skip meals if you suffer from acid indigestion. Eating breakfast is especially crucial. Even if you are not especially hungry in the morning, it is important to at least take something light like stewed fruit, warm milk, or a date shake. Skipping breakfast has the effect of aggravating a subdosha of pitta called sadhaka pitta which governs the emotional heart. It is responsible for contentment and bliss. As lunch time approaches, with agni (the digestive fire) increasing and so also stomach acid, an empty stomach is not ideal from the ayurvedic viewpoint. It may result in irritability, anger, impatience and a feeling of being over hungry so that when lunch time comes you tend to overeat.

Try to avoid high-stress situations and practice stress management techniques. Enjoy natural beauty. The appreciation of natural beauty helps to balance sadhaka pitta and reduces stress. Favor cooling foods and drinks such as fresh coconut juice. Use an electric drill to make a hole in the coconut and use a straw to sip on the coconut juice. Use the fresh coconut meat in your vegetables, rice dishes, or chutneys. If you feel discomfort during the day, take a few sips of cool milk on an empty stomach.

Pomegranate juice and pomegranate chutney also help balance the acid in the stomach. It tastes sour but it is actually both astringent and bitter, which help balance pitta.

Fresh aloe vera gel straight from the leaf is balancing. Avoid the store bought juice as citric acid is used as a preservative and it is too acidic if you suffer from acid indigestion.

Baked fennel seeds are also recommended to help settle the stomach and balance digestion. Eat 1/4 teaspoon of baked fennel seeds 3 times a day between meals.

Rose water or mint lassi is good to drink with a meal as they are cooling and sweet to taste. Favor astringent, bitter, and sweet tastes in your diet. Split mung dahl, green leafy vegetables, grains, watermelon, honeydew melon, lettuce, mangos, and spices such as fenugreek seeds, coriander, cardamom, and mint should be included in your daily diet.

The Herbal Aci-Balance formula from Maharishi Ayurveda helps balance stomach acid and digestion. It contains turpeth root, a special herb that both cleanses and balances the digestion. The Mind Plus formula helps balance the mind, especially in stressful situations.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/ayurveda_yogurt.html

Ayurveda Health Benefits of Freshly Made Yogurt

Freshly made yogurt is filled with countless numbers of beneficial bacteria that help digestion and kill harmful viruses. The key here is fresh yogurt as compared to commercial store bought yogurt. According toThe Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians yogurt that has been sitting on the shelves at the grocery store does not have the fresh active bacteria that homemade yogurt does.

Store bought yogurt is cold, heavy, difficult to digest and can cause the finer channels or shrotas of the physiology to become clogged. Also, once the yogurt has been refrigerated then the quantity of friendly bacteria decreases and thus the health producing benefits are less. Also, from the ayurvedic perspective, it may contribute to weight gain due to the cold and heavy qualities it has.

To gain the benefits of yogurt bacteria choose products that contain live active cultures. If the yogurt has been pasteurized or heated at home, the bacteria are dead and will not provide benefits. Fresh yogurt is especially beneficial for individuals following a vegetarian diet since yogurt adds about 13 grams of protein (1 cup yogurt) as well as B complex, calcium (450 milligrams), potassium, phosphorus, and folic acid. People taking antibiotics (which can destroy lactic flora) are often advised to eat yogurt to replace the healthy bacteria. Fresh yogurt is digested in about one hour as compared to the three hours it can take to digest milk. Individuals who have trouble digesting milk may find that fresh yogurt is much easier to digest and actually aids in their digestion as well.

Other health benefits from fresh yogurt include decreased bloating, relief of both constipation and diarrhea and other stomach disorders. Ayurveda recommends taking yogurt in the form of a drink known as lassi. This makes the yogurt even more light and digestible and helps in intestinal comfort after eating a meal. Ayurveda recommends making a batch of fresh yogurt to be consumed each day. According to ayurveda, yogurt should not be combined with milk or cream. Yogurt is the only “fermented” food recognized as saatvic by ayurveda. Yogurt, as a sour taste, is good for balancing Vata, but should be reduced by people on a Pitta or Kapha balancing diet.

How to Make Yogurt
There are many methods to make yogurt. You can buy an automatic electric yogurt maker, but you can easily make yogurt without one. To make one quart of yogurt, you’ll need one quart of organic whole milk and 2 tablespoons of yogurt. Heat milk until it foams up. Turn off heat and allow it to cool to about body temperature. Just test the temperature with your finger, or if you use a kitchen thermometer, the milk should cool down to about 100 degrees. Pour the milk into a sterilized glass jar or ceramic bowl. Mix in the yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature before you use it. Cover jar with lid and put in a warm place where there is no draft. For example, put the jar in an oven without the oven on but keep the oven light on. The light is just enough warmth that is needed to activate the yogurt. Do this in the evening and in the morning you will have fresh yogurt.

* If you do not have an oven light then you can place the jar on top of a warm toaster oven that is set on the lowest temperature for about 6 hours or more. (Not in the oven but on top.)
* Another method is to take a thermos and pour hot water into it for several minutes. Empty the water out and add the milk yogurt mix into the thermos. Cover and let stand overnight. In the morning you will have fresh yogurt. Save some of the yogurt from the new batch for your next batch.
* The Salton Yogurt Maker is also a good way to make yogurt however one should leave the yogurt in less time than the instructions specify in order to keep the yogurt from turning sour. 3 hours makes great yogurt for lassi.

Yogurt Recipes

Beet Soup

* 4 beets grated
* 1 cup fresh yogurt
* salt and pepper to taste

In a quart of water, boil beets for about 45 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the salt and pepper. Bring to room temperature and add yogurt. Stir well or add soup and yogurt to a blender. Serve at room temperature.

Spinach with Yogurt

* 1 lb spinach
* 1/3 cup water
* 2 tablespoons Ghee
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup plain yogurt

Wash spinach, tear off stems and chop fine. Set aside. In a frying pan, heat Ghee and sauté spices gently for about one minute. Add spinach and stir for one minute. Add water and cook for about 5 minutes until spinach is well cooked. Fold in yogurt and serve warm as a side dish.

Cucumber Salad
serves 4

* 2 cups plain yogurt
* 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
* 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced

Mix all ingredients well in a salad bowl. Allow the salad to sit for 30 minutes before serving.

These articles provide a great resource from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians on the knowledge, practices, products, and applications of Maharishi Ayurveda.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/allergy_cilantro_coriander_recipes.html

Allergy-fighters: Cilantro and Coriander

Plants and pollen are sources of allergies for many people. But some plants contain valuable chemicals and compounds that actually fight allergies, such as flavonoids and phenols. One such plant is cilantro or coriander. The leaves and tender stems of the plant are used as a fresh herb, and the seeds, whole or ground, as a dry spice.

Cilantro and coriander are powerful aids to digestion. According to ayurveda, allergies result from improper digestion and an accumulation of ama in the physiology, which weaken the immune system and distort the body’s response mechanisms. Cilantro and coriander, by enhancing digestion, work to alleviate the root cause of allergies.

Use fresh cilantro, finely chopped, as a garnish for bean soups, vegetable and bean stews, lentils, cooked vegetables and rice dishes. Add finely chopped tender stems to soups and stews as they are cooking for even more potent flavor. Use freshly ground coriander seed in combination with other spices to flavor vegetables and grain dishes.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

Digestive Lassi with Fresh Cilantro
Ayurveda recommends lassi as the ideal lunchtime beverage to enhance digestion. Make it twice as effective with digestion-boosting spices and fresh cilantro leaves.

Ingredients:

* 3 parts pure room temperature or cool (not cold) water
* 1 part fresh homemade yogurt
* pinch of rock salt
* pinch of cumin (dry roast cumin seeds and fresh grind for the best aroma and flavor)
* pinch of black pepper if balancing Kapha
* 1/2 tsp finely chopped cilantro leaves

Blend all ingredients well in a blender.

Basmati Rice with Corn and Coconut Milk Sauce
Cream of coconut is a delicious alternative to dairy milk or cream in sauces.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup coconut milk (combine cream of coconut with a little water to obtain thick coconut milk)
* 1/2 tsp crushed fresh ginger
* 1/2 mild green chili, seeded and sliced (if trying to balance Kapha)
* 1/2 cup fresh organic corn
* 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
* 1 pinch asafetida
* 1 tbls Maharishi Ayurveda Ghee
* 1 tbls Cilantro leaves, finely chopped
* Salt and black pepper to taste
* Lemon wedges for garnish

Heat Ghee in a pot. Add asafetida and brown mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start popping, add the green chili, ginger and corn and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until corn is tender. Add the chopped cilantro, season and stir. Serve over cooked Basmati rice with lemon wedges for garnish.

Spiced Garbanzo Beans
Great as a snack with crusty bread or as a side dish.

* 1 cup garbanzo beans, soaked overnight and cooked in plenty of water until tender-soft but not a mush
* 2 tbls Maharishi Ayurveda Ghee
* 1/2 cup fresh yogurt
* 1/4 tsp cumin powder
* 1/2 tsp coriander powder
* 1/2 tsp fennel powder
* 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
* 1/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
* 1 tsp fresh ginger, crushed
* 1/2 mild green chili, seeded and sliced (if trying to balance Kapha)
* 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
* Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat Ghee in a pot. Add whole cumin seeds. As they brown and release their aroma, add ginger and green chili. Sauté briefly, then add all the powdered spices and sauté for a further 2 minutes until aromas are released. Do not allow spices to burn. Add yogurt and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes till it loses its raw look and is blended with the spices. Fold in the garbanzo beans, season and mix well. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve hot.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/boost_immunity__food_ayurveda.html

Seven Ways to Boost Your Immunity with Food

As fall approaches it’s a good time to think about strengthening your immunity. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, cold weather doesn’t have to bring on the cold and flu. The key is to start now with immunity-enhancing meals.

What are immunity-enhancing foods? Any food that transforms quickly into ojas is good for immunity. If food creates ama, it’s bad for immunity.

Ojas is the end product of complete digestion that creates radiant good health, stable emotions, and immunity. Ama, the digestive impurities caused by eating hard-to-digest foods or by unhealthy eating habits, creates the opposite effect—it compromises immunity and health.

Maharishi Ayurveda uses the seed-land theory to explain how immunity works. In this analogy, the human body is like the land, and infection is the seed. Ama and other impurities make the body fertile for infection. If you want to keep the seeds of infection from sprouting, you must take care to create ojas in your body, not ama.

Here are seven ways to boost the immune factor of your meals from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians.

Eating fresh vegetables for health1. Choose intelligent, easy-to-digest foods. Intelligent foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and light dairy products. If you choose fresh, whole foods that are not altered by processing, then your meal is going to wake up the intelligence of nature and convert quickly to ojas.

Foods that are processed, canned, frozen or packaged are harder to digest, and thus create ama. Also, because they are old, denatured by processing, or include harmful ingredients such as chemical preservatives, you could even call them dumb foods, because they no longer contain nature’s intelligence. Rather, they create ama and block nature’s intelligence from reaching the cells.

Organically grown foods are best because not only are they free of harsh chemicals, but they also contain more minerals. Vegetarian proteins such as panir (homemade cheese), milk, and pulses (split-mung dhal, lentils and other small, split beans) enhance ojas and immunity. Meat is not a recommended protein because it is difficult to digest and creates ama.

2. Cook with immune-boosting spices. Cook your food in a way that doesn’t disturb the food’s natural intelligence. For instance, if you add mild spices to cooked vegetables, grains and legumes, the food will convert more quickly to ojas. Spices add good flavor and have a yogavahi property, which means that they support digestion and make the nutrients easily available to the body.

Different spices also have specific immune-boosting properties. Turmeric has an immune-modulating effect because it is detoxifying and enhances the intelligence of the immune cells. Cumin burns ama. Black pepper clears the channels so ojas can reach the deeper tissues.

Immunity Spice Mix
(From The Answer to Cancer by Hari Sharma, M.D. and James Meade, Ph.D.

* 6 parts turmeric
* 3 parts ground cumin
* 3 parts ground coriander
* 6 parts ground fennel
* 1 part powdered, dry ginger
* 1 part ground black pepper
* 1/4 part ground cinnamon

Directions:

* Mix the spices together well.
* Heat one teaspoon of the spice mixture in one tablespoon of ghee, using medium-high heat, until the mixture releases an aroma. Remove from the heat immediately so it won’t burn.
* •Add this spiced ghee to cooked rice, vegetables, or other foods.

3. Eat immune-boosting foods. Apples support the immune system because they contain antioxidants and both insoluble and soluble fiber, which cleanse the bowel. All sweet, juicy fruits (such as pears, peaches, plums, sweet pineapple and mangos) enhance immunity because they transform quickly into ojas. If they are tree-ripened, they convert almost instantly. Pomegranate seed juice and pomegranate seed chutney are also excellent boosters of immunity, because they enhance digestion and elimination without increasing Pitta dosha. A papaya after lunch enhances digestion and increases immunity.

Leafy greens such as Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens and spinach, when cooked and spiced with the immunity spice mix, are great immunity-boosters because they provide iron, calcium and other nutrients while simultaneously cleansing the bowel. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower contain antioxidants, flavonoids and other immune-enhancing nutrients.

Whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth and barley also have immunity-fighting effects, because they provide cleansing fiber and contain many essential nutrients.

Last but certainly not least, ghee and milk are cherished in the ayurvedic tradition for their ojas-enhancing effects. Ghee is the most easily digested fat, contains essential fatty acids, and is a great immunity booster. Both milk and ghee should be organic and free of additives, and milk should be boiled with a pinch of cardamom before it is drunk in order to make it easier to digest. Drink it alone, away from meals, to avoid indigestion.

4. Cook your food but not too much. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, food becomes more digestible when you cook it. But you don’t want to cook it too much, as that reduces its immune-boosting effect. The food should be soft and easy to chew, but not mushy.

5. Eat at the proper time. Eat your main meal in the middle of the day, when the sun is highest and digestion strong. Eat lighter at breakfast and at night, when digestion is weaker. This will enhance immunity.

It’s also important to eat your meals at the same time every day. Your digestion gets used to a routine, and becomes more efficient.

6. Eat the proper quantity. Eating the right amount for your body type—not too much or too little—enhances ojas and supports the immune system. Maharishi Ayurveda recommends that you sip a cup of room-temperature water with your meals, so the meal is part liquid. Eat to only 3/4 of your capacity, in order to leave some space for the digestive process to take place. If you eat until you are really full, it creates discomfort and ama.

7. Choose foods for your body type and for the season. It’s not correct that you can eat anything you want, as long as it’s good food. If you want to stay healthy, you need to choose foods that will bring balance to your body type and for the particular season. Whatever influences from the weather and climate is causing an imbalance, you need to counteract them with the food you eat.

Eating cold salads in winter (Vata season), for instance, is not a good idea, because raw salads only increase the cold, dry, light qualities of Vata, when what is needed is a warming, grounding, nourishing diet.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/ayurvedic_digestion.html

Eating Right, the Ayurvedic Way: 5 Tips for Good Digestion

Over 90% of Americans suffer from everyday digestion problems such as gas, bloating, stomach pain, constipation, heartburn, and fatigue after eating. Maharishi Ayurveda provides simple solutions to these common complaints by considering not only what we eat but how we consume our meals.

For example, how many times have you seen someone munching on a sandwich while driving through traffic? How many times have we caught a bite to eat at our workstation because we could not take the time to have a proper lunch? Our bodies need an uplifting and settled environment in order to process and absorb the nutrients from our meals. If that is not available then we should at least be sitting down to eat — not standing, walking, or driving our way through a meal.

The act of eating is life-giving. The process of eating, according to ayurveda, is something reverent and important for the development of consciousness as well as our physical health. When we sit down to eat our stomach is in a relaxed posture and our awareness is on the taste, texture, and smell of the food. This will greatly improve the digestion.Another way to improve the digestion is to stimulate the agni or digestive fire before we begin eating. Weak digestive agni may result in fatigue after eating so Ayurveda recommends eating a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger with a few drops of lemon juice and a few pinches of salt on it before a full meal. This starts to activate the salivary glands, producing the necessary enzymes so that the nutrients in the food are easily absorbed by the body.

Balancing your digestive agni is a key principle in Ayurvedic medicine. That’s why ayurveda recommends a number of general practices for better digestion. Digestive agni can be compared to a burning fire. If the flame is very low than it will take a long time to cook the food. In the same way if the fire is too big it can burn the food. If we put a huge log on a low fire it will extinguish it. Our digestive fires should be balanced so that we can digest our meals efficiently and smoothly.

The ginger and lemon juice recommendation helps to increase the digestive power. If, however you suffer from an over-active agni, because of which there is too much internal heat and acid, then pomegranate chutney may be more suitable for you.

The next ayurvedic recommendation also addresses agni. Ayurveda recommends avoiding cold drinks at meals and ice cold foods in general. This is like putting cold water on the burning logs. Iced water, normally served at restaurants, extinguishes the digestive fire. Even juice or milk right out of the refrigerator is too cold for the digestion. Juice should be taken at room temperature and water without ice.

Once you get into this habit of drinking beverages at room temperature you will notice a dramatic improvement in your digestion and the way your body feels while eating and after the meal. Cold drinks and foods mixed with warm cooked foods can cause stomach cramps, bloating and general discomfort in the stomach area. If you have a pitta imbalance you can take cool drinks in-between meals. Cold or frozen foods are not recommended for pitta either because even though they may temporarily cool down the heat, the agni is still being over stimulated and the imbalance will continue. Try slightly cool drinks made with rose water, or milk blended with dates or fresh mangos.

The next recommendation has to with the time of the day that you eat your meals. Have you ever gone out for a late dinner and found that it was a strain to wake up the next morning or that it was difficult to be efficient during the following day? These are often the side effects of improperly digested food. The best way to avoid these problems is to follow nature’s prescription of suitable times to eat. When the sun is strongest between 12 and 2 p.m. is when the digestive fire is also strongest. Agni is associated with the Sun. This is one of the ways ayurveda seeks to connect our mind and body with the environment.

Ayurveda recommends that lunch be the largest meal of the day since that is the time the digestive agni is working at its maximum potency. As the sun goes down so does our agni. Dinner should be lighter than lunch and should ideally be eaten before 8:00 p.m. Late night meals interfere with sleep and after 10:00 p.m. the body is working to burn off toxins and continue to digest food from the day. If you eat after 10:00 p.m., the food may cause toxins to accumulate in the system, and as a result the next day you wake up tired.

If you are not able to wake up fresh and clear, then it is important to analyze the quantity of food and the time of night you are eating dinner.

Another ayurvedic tip for digestion is to drink a fresh yogurt drink called Lassi either during or after the meal. This drink consists of 1/4 cup fresh homemade yogurt, 1 cup room temperature water and sugar to taste. Blend it for one minute in the blender. Lassi is light and contains lactobacilli, necessary bacteria that lubricate the intestines to help digestion go smoothly. Lassi drinks help to reduce gas and bloating. They also taste delicious and can make a meal more satisfying and nutritious.

There are many recipes for Lassi. The following one is good for warding off gas and bloating:

* 1 cup room temperature water
* 1/4 fresh homemade yogurt
* 1 pinch ground ginger
* 1 pinch ground cumin
* 1 pinch ground coriander
* 1 pinch salt

Blend for one minute. Drink after lunch.

Quick Review of Recommendations for Good Digestion:

1. Eat sitting down, in a settled environment, without the TV on.
2. Eat a fresh piece of ginger and lemon before a full meal or (pomegranate chutney to balance Pitta).
3. Drink lassi with or after lunch.
4. Avoid ice cold drinks and food.
5. Lunch should be the biggest meal of the day. Dinner should be lighter and eaten before 8:00 p.m.

Shop for Ayurveda Health SolutionsRecipe for a Natural Energy Boost

* 2 parts hulled sesame seeds
* 1 part white poppy seeds
* 1 part dessicated coconut, fresh if possible to obtain

Soak together for an hour or so, until soft. Blend into a smooth paste. Add to your vegetables or other foods as you cook the dish. Eat at dinner. Allow a tablespoon of paste per serving.

Guaranteed to help you get a good night’s sleep and awake fatigue free.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/ghee_clarified_butter.html

Ghee: The Ayurvedic Liquid Gold

Ghee (clarified butter) has been used in India for thousands of years. Maharishi Ayurveda considers it a Rasayana, a rejuvenatingand longevity-promoting food. Ghee is traditionally made by heating butter until it becomes a golden liquid. The coagulated lactose and other milk solids are removed in the process, making it suitable for lactose intolerant people.

Maharishi Ayurveda Ghee is now certified organic for the best taste and highest quality.

All fats are not created equal

To feed the public’s fat paranoia, food manufacturers are churning out more and more low fat and fat free products. In our attempt to stay healthy, we might deprive ourselves of some beneficial fats as well. Good quality fats are necessary for the skin, nerves and cells.

Fats can be sorted into two major categories: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats can further be divided into long-chain fatty acids and short-chain fatty acids. Long-chain fatty acids (most animal fats) cannot be completely metabolized by the body and can lead to cancer and blood clots. Short-chain fatty acids, on the other hand, are assimilated and metabolized so that they release energy.

Unsaturated fats can be further categorized into two kinds: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, are healthy, while polyunsaturated fats are not. The latter become oxidized and create free radicals, which damage the cells of the body. Most vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, corn and soy belong to this category.

To these four naturally occurring fats, modern technology added hydrogenated fats e.g. margarine, which contains trans-fatty acids that also increase free radical production and LDL cholesterol.

So where does ghee stand in the battle of good versus bad fats? Most of ghee’s saturated fats are short-chain fatty acids, which makes it easily digestible. It also contains up to 27% monounsaturated fatty acids and only 4-5% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Since our body needs both saturated and unsaturated fats this combination is close to ideal. Ghee’s rate of absorption is 96%, the highest of all oils and fats.

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One of the main uses of ghee is for cooking. It enhances the flavor of foods, increases absorption of nutrients and pacifies all the three doshas. Maharishi Ayurveda recommends sautéing your spices in ghee, because it can help carry the lipid soluble portions of the spices to the lipid-based cell walls of the body. For the same reason, Maharishi Ayurveda uses ghee in many herbal formulas as a carrier for herbs. Ghee also acts as a natural preservative in these products.

Ghee can also help balance the pungent, heating qualities of certain spices. It cools and pacifies Pitta dosha so the spices will not have an aggravating effect.

One of the reasons why ghee is considered a rasayana is its Medhya quality, which means it supports the functioning of the brain. Excessive mental work can aggravate Prana Vata, which is responsible for creative thinking and reasoning. Prana Vata, when out of balance, will dry out Tarpaka Kapha, the dosha that lubricates the brain. Cooking with ghee regularly supports the moisturizing effect of Tarpaka Kapha.

Ghee also enhances the quality and quantity of Ojas, the master coordinator of mind and body. Ojas is necessary for the development of our full human potential or enlightenment.

How much is enough?

The proper amount of ghee also enhances agni,(digestive fire). But too much ghee has the opposite effect. Think of a ghee lamp: in order to burn it you need to keep adding ghee. But if you dump too much ghee in it you will extinguish the flame. Even though ghee is a healthy fat, you need to consume it in moderation. In general, you can eat one teaspoon of melted ghee twice a day. Since ghee is more flavorful than other cooking oils, a little goes a long way. Of course, it is always advisable to consult an ayurvedic physician for individualized dietary recommendations.

If your digestive fire is low, see and ayurvedic expert who can determine how much ghee you can consume and what spices can balance your agni. People with high cholesterol should also get an expert’s advice. Ghee can be good but you also have to take into account the amount of Ama (toxins) you have in the fat tissue, and the condition of your agni. Exercise, diet, body type and age are also determining factors.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/newsfood-grains.html

Grains - Vegetarian Powerhouses

According to modern methods of nutrition analysis, grains provide carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, potassium, and important B vitamins necessary for a balanced diet. According to the traditional wisdom of ayurveda, grains help to build bone tissue and muscle and give bodily strength and endurance. Adequate quantities of grains are particularly important for growing children on a vegetarian diet.

Grains are useful to vegetarians because they help in creating whole proteins when combined with legumes, beans or milk products. Ayurveda recommends having grains at each meal if you are a vegetarian to provide adequate energy for the body. There are a variety of different grains and each grain has a specific influence on each ayurvedic dosha. Therefore, depending on whether the diet you are following is geared towards balancing vata, pitta, or kapha, you should choose the right grains that will help balance and nourish your physiology. Vata and pitta types can consume high quantities of grains while kapha types should have smaller amounts to avoid weight gain.

The following is a list of grains and their effect on the doshas:

Wheat products such as bulghur, farina, cous cous, semolina, pasta, and bread are the best grains for balancing vata. They help with lubrication, boost energy, and enhance physical strength and endurance. Wheat should be eaten often by people trying to balance vata. People with a kapha imbalance should reduce but not totally avoid wheat. Too much wheat can cause weight gain and increase the amount of mucous in the body if you have a cold or allergies.

Barley products are the best grain for balancing kapha and are good for pitta as well. Barley is relatively lighter to digest and it does not produce excess mocous in the body. The better kind of barley to use is the organic raw barley instead of the white pearl barley. Organic barley can be found at most health food stores. Barley is also made into flour and can be used in baking and making flat breads. Barley water is highly beneficial for balancing weight and for kidney balance. Take 14 parts water and 1 part barley and boil for 1 1/2 hours. Mix and strain barley. Keep in a thermos and drink throughout the day.

Basmati Rice balances all three doshas. It is the best grain for balancing pitta. It is cooling and a little heavy so it is not recommended to eat everyday. Three to four servings per week are ideal. Basmati rice is also made into flour, which can be used for baking.

Puffed rice is light and dry and people with a kapha imbalance may enjoy puffed rice as a snack with some spices sautéed in Ghee drizzled over it.

Brown Rice is more heating and dry and is better for kapha and less optimal for pitta and vata.

Quinoa is a seed that provides an excellent source of protein. Quinoa is good for all the doshas. People trying to balance vata can eat it with a little olive oil or ghee.

Buckwheat groats are best for kapha and less balancing for vata.

Oats are aggravating for kapha, however dry baked oats in granola are fine.

Millet is dry and aggravates vata and balances kapha. Rye is dry and aggravates vata and balances kapha.

Corn is both dry and heating and should be avoided if you are trying to balance vata or pitta. It is good for kapha.

Grains for a kapha balancing breakfast may include one of the following:

1. A chapati made with wheat flour and barley flour. You can top the chapati with honey and cinnamon to further balance kapha.
2. 1/2 cup of granola served with warm milk or rice cakes with honey and cinnamon.

Grains for lunch may include barley, quinoa, corn, millet, or brown rice. For dinner vegetable barley soup is ideal.

Grains for a pitta and vata balancing breakfast may include cream of wheat, cous cous with warm milk and a sweetener, rice pudding, tapioca or oatmeal. Grains for lunch may include pasta, cous cous, quinoa, rice with ghee, or chapati bread. Grains for dinner may include the same as lunch with smaller portions.

Bulghur Wheat Salad
1 cup bulghur wheat
2 cups water
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon shredded carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil (1 teaspoon olive oil for kapha)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
one pinch ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and add bulghur. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until bulger is done. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Allow it to cool until room temperature or slightly warm. Add the fresh herbs and carrot. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice and dry spices. Serve with chick peas or other legumes.

Barley Sauté
1 cup barley
2 cups water
1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley minced
2 teaspoons fresh basil minced
2 tablespoons red bell pepper in small slices
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring water to a boil. Add barley and reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 40 minutes or until water is cooked out. In a separate frying pan, heat olive oil. Add mustard seeds, when they begin to pop add cumin and fenugreek and cook for about one minute. Then add fresh ginger, turmeric and red pepper. After 3 minutes add the cooked barley. Cook for several minutes and garnish with parsley and basil. Add salt to taste.

http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/newsfood-herbs.html

At Home With Herbs

They are green and tender. They are intensely alive with the shining sun. They seduce the senses with their unique flavors and intoxicating aromas. And they have impressive healing powers.

Healers around the world have studied herbs up close for thousands of years. The ayurvedic healers of India have been among the most passionate of herb-lovers. Pounding and stewing, mixing and matching whole flowers, roots, stems and leaves, those ancient vaidyas discovered the very essence of healing plants. And modern medicine is slowly recognizing today what those vaidyas of old realized and recorded millennia ago-herbs heal because they are filled with nature’s intelligence.

Happily, many of these healing herbs can be grown on your kitchen-window or picked off the shelves of the produce section at your local health-food store. They are just waiting to pop on to your plate and liven up your palate.

Look what you get when you pick up a handful of herbs:

* Flavor, without the fat: Away with those creamy, buttery sauces! All your taste-buds need is a squeeze of lemon, a sprig of mint or a sprinkling of parsley to bring out the flavors of your favorite foods.
* Satisfaction: Those aromas fill up your senses, making you feel like you are indulging, even when you are not. Ginger and cilantro, thyme and oregano-they add pep and body to marinades and soups.

What you don’t get from herbs is equally important!

* Sodium: Sodium makes you retain water, tipping the bathroom scales and undermining your efforts to lose weight.
* Calories: Rosemary and thyme, parsley and marjoram...high on flavor, and zero calories!

So fall in love with the flavorful world of herbs-you’ve got nothing to lose, except pounds!

Here are ten appetizing ideas to start you off:

1. When cooking rice, throw in a few sprigs of mint or cilantro just before the rice is done. Squirt half a lemon too at this time-it lends tang and fluffs out the grains.
2. Melt some Ghee in a pan. Throw in a teaspoon of ajwain (carum copticum) seeds. Wait for the aroma to rise, then pitch in some mashed potatoes and fry on high heat for three minutes. Make the proceedings more interesting with fresh-chopped fenugreek leaves—and lemon juice to balance out the slightly bitter flavor.
3. Say “no” to those carrot-nubbins in plastic bags. Buy your carrots fresh and tops-on. Then braise them in water and a little ghee. Add freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle on three herbs of your choice when the carrots are done. Munch.
4. Make a power-packed bread: knead together two cups of gram flour (chickpea flour), half a cup of wheat bran and one-fourth cup of unbleached wheat flour. Use one part each whipped yogurt and water to knead the dough. Add dried fenugreek leaves, half a teaspoon of ajwain, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of ghee. Roll the soft, pliable dough into flat, thin circles or squares. Cook on a cast-iron griddle, turning over until golden brown on both sides.
5. Cook lentils and chopped vegetables with your favorite herbs-cilantro, thyme, dill, tarragon or parsley-to add flavor. Makes a hearty one-dish meal with a bread of your choice.
6. Sauté crushed red chillies and minced ginger in olive oil. Add to soup pot for instant pep. Ayurveda recommends chillies and ginger for balancing kapha.
7. Roast a tablespoon each of whole coriander and cumin, and pound together. Mix this spice with boiled and cooled garbanzo beans, and moisten with lemon juice. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. No salt required for this healthy snack.
8. Start your morning with warm ginger-lemon water, sweetened with honey (make sure you don’t heat the honey). Lie down for five minutes after you drink it. Helps the kidneys flush better.
9. Parboil potatoes and scoop out the centers. Fill the hollows with a paste of ground mint, rock salt and olive oil. Bake on high for fifteen minutes and you have hot, mint-flavored potatoes, bursting with flavor.
10. Try this sense-gratifying marinade for your veggies: blend ginger with yogurt, mustard and chopped green chillies. Dunk the vegetables in this for an hour or so, then grill. Luscious.

More flavorful ways to use herbs!

1. Dish up some colorful, subtly flavored rice tonight. Bring home the Indian Basmati variety. Stir three strands of saffron into a tablespoon of warm melted Ghee, and add to the water in which you cook the rice. Add one cracked green cardamom pod as well, which you can discard when serving.
2. Sauté diced tofu with just-cooked red kidney beans in a little olive oil. Add flavorful paprika, turmeric and julienned ginger. Toss in a tablespoon or two of fresh yogurt. Season and sauté on high heat for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
3. Plain white steamed rice is great on its own, but one bay leaf helps release the aroma. Max the impact with two cloves. A pinch of turmeric will make it look rich and exotic.
4. Bake acorn or butternut squash with a cracked cinnamon stick. Season with black pepper, a little lemon juice, salt and chopped cilantro when done.
5. Dry-roast cumin seeds till they release their unique aroma-be careful not to burn them. Then rough-crush in a chopper with a few cilantro leaves, a little lemon juice, some olive oil and roasted peanuts for a quick dressing for seasoned diced cucumber or boiled and diced potatoes.
6. Pick up the freshest green beans you can find. Chop and steam for five to ten minutes, then mix with cooked yellow split lentils. Season. Add a tablespoon of finely chopped lemon mint leaves. Melt Ghee in a pan. Add some crushed ginger and a teaspoon of Vata Churna. Pour over the beans and lentils. Mix well.
7. Grill a medley of vegetables-potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, fennel bulbs and corn-on-the-cob, for example. When just about done, drizzle some hot Ghee on the veggies and top with dried basil or rosemary.
8. Peel and grate cucumber. Add some fresh yogurt. Season. Add aroma with roasted and ground cumin seeds, and color with a pinch of paprika. Top with finely chopped mint leaves and a bit of crushed ginger.
9. Top diced fruit with this piquant dressing: 1 part lemon juice, 1 part orange juice, fresh mint leaves and crushed ginger all blended together.
10. Fines herbes is a pleasant, delicate combination of finely chopped French chervil, parsley, French thyme and French tarragon. Available dried, but tastes excellent with fresh herbs too. Add to soups, stews and vegetable stock for subtle aroma and flavor

http://www.justpeace.org/tastycooking.htm

Better Ideas for Better Times

Easy, Very Tasty Recipes made with typical emergency food pantry groceries.

Doing what you can, with what you have, where you are.

When you get a bag of groceries from a food pantry, it’s not always easy to figure out how to make a meal out of what you are given. Food pantries depend on donations, and often odd stuff gets thrown into the sack. Plus, emergency groceries are usually long on beans, rice, flour, canned corn, and other basic foods. This flyer is to give you some ideas and recipes for low-cost cooking, using ingredients typically distributed by emergency food pantries.

Invent your own casserole

A casserole consists of six basic ingredients: meat, vegetables, filler, sauce, seasonings, and topping. Example: meat could be hamburger, chopped ham, fried and crumbled bacon, or sliced wieners. Vegetables could be one or two cans of whatever you have in the pantry. The “filler” helps you stretch the value of the more expensive meat and vegetables. This could be rice, noodles, potatoes, macaroni. Seasonings are whatever you like — if you have no special favorites, try parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. A sauce can be melted cheese, or a can of soup (lots of people use cream of mushroom), or a homemade white sauce. For a topping, crumble some crackers and saute them in melted butter or oil, sprinkle on top. Generally, you cook the meat and the filler before making the casserole.

Shepherd’s Pie

Fry 1/2 pound hamburger and drain grease. Add 1 chopped onion, garlic, and 1-2 cans of vegetables, drained. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in two tablespoons of flour, add 1 cup water with some beef bouillon dissolved in it, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup. If you have some cheese, add it (or a packet of cheese powder from boxed macaroni and cheese. Creamed corn works well in this recipe. Put in a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. If you don’t have any hamburger, you can use chopped spam, or sliced wieners, or a can of chicken.

Cornbread Meatloaf

Fry some bacon and remove from pan, cut it in pieces. Add 1 chopped onion and 1/2 pound hamburger to bacon grease, fry until done (drain grease if you’re worried about calories). Add bacon pieces, 1 can cream of tomato soup, 1/2 soup can water, 1-2 cans beans (or more, depending on how many you’re feeding), chili and garlic powder, crushed red pepper if you like it hot. Simmer this mixture over a low fire for about 20 minutes, stirring often. If it gets thick, add more water. At the end of the 20 minutes, add grated cheese if you have it, stir well. Put in a casserole dish if you aren’t using a cast iron skillet. Pour your favorite cornbread batter over the top. Bake in a 400 degree oven until cornbread is done, about 20-30 minutes. If you don’t have any hamburger, this recipe tastes great with beans only.

Easy Very Tasty Grits Casserole

Put 1 cup uncooked grits in 3 cups boiling water, add some garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic, reduce heat and cook until thick. Remove from heat and add 2 tbspn margarine (you can add cheese, or a packet of cheese powder from boxed mac & cheese). Fry some breakfast sausage, ham, or smoked sausage, add 1 chopped onion and 1-2 cans of beans, with their liquid. Place this meat/bean mixture in a casserole pan or cast iron skillet. Add hot sauce or jalapenos if desired. Beat 3 eggs and 1 cup milk together, add to grits and mix well. Pour on top of sausage/bean mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. If you don’t have sausage, make this one with beans only, or use hamburger.

Pork Steak Delight

Cut pork steaks in half and brown well in skillet. Remove from pan, add 2 cups uncooked rice and 1 chopped onion and fry for 2-3 minutes. Put rice and onion into large baking dish, add four cups of water and a can of cream of mushroom soup, mix well. Place pork steaks on top of rice, bake at 325 degrees for one hour. You can add parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme to this recipe.

Gravy

A good gravy adds a lot to an otherwise plain meal. The basic rule of thumb is: 2 tablespoons of oil or fat plus 2 tablespoons of flour plus 1 cup of beef or chicken stock or milk makes a cup of medium-thick gravy. You can use margarine, butter, bacon grease, shortening, hamburger grease, sausage, whatever you have. Melt it in the pan, and add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir and cook until the flour starts to brown, then add the milk or water all at once. Keep cooking, stirring continuously, until it thickens, which won’t be long (a few minutes). Tip: Powdered milk makes great sauces, you can’t tell the difference between gravy made with fresh milk and gravy made with powdered milk.

Sausage Gravy for 8 Hungry Adults

When I make sausage gravy for 8 people, I fry 1/4 pound of sausage with about 1/2 cup of shortening in a skillet. Add 1 cup flour to the sausage and grease, brown it lightly, and then add 2 quarts liquid (usually 1 quart of milk and 1 quart water, I use mayonnaise jars to measure the liquid) . Add salt and pepper to taste. Gravy may take a bit of practice, but it is worth the effort.

Easy Very Tasty Biscuit Mix

Mix 6 cups flour, 9 tsp baking powder, 1-1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup powdered milk. Add 3/4 cup oil (or margarine, butter, or shortening). Mix well. Store in an air tight container, in a cool place. This makes enough for 3 bakings of biscuits. Biscuits for Three: Combine 2 cups biscuit mix with 3/4 cup water. Knead for a couple of minutes and form into biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Buttermilk biscuits, add 1/2 tsp soda to the dry mix, and then add buttermilk instead of plain water. Baking buttermilk can be made by adding 1 tsp vinegar to the milk, let it sit for 30 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients.

Pancakes from Biscuit Mix

Add 1-1/4 cups water to 1-1/4 cups biscuit mix, plus 1 beaten egg. Mix thoroughly, cook on hot griddle until done, turning once. For buttermilk pancakes, add buttermilk instead of water, or use the vinegar in regular milk trick mentioned above.

Scalloped Veggies

Use 2 cans vegetables, drained, put in a greased casserole dish. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 soup can milk. Top with 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs or crumbled crackers mixed with melted margarine or butter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until crumbs are browned. You can also add some shredded cheese to the top.

Medium White Sauce

If you don’t have cream of mushroom soup, this will substitute in any recipe that calls for a creamed soup. To make 2 cups medium white sauce: put 4 tablespoons oil or butter/margarine in a skillet, melt, add four tablespoons flour, brown the flour, add 2 cups milk, stir over a medium flame until it thickens. To make a cheese sauce, add 2 or 3 slices of cheese, or some grated cheese (about 1/2 cup per cup of sauce), and 1/4 tsp dry mustard if you have it (dry mustard, not prepared like people put on sandwiches).

Corn Chowder

Drain 2 cans whole kernel corn, put in a crockpot. Add 2 to 3 medium potatoes (chopped in small pieces), 1 chopped onion, 2 cups chicken broth (water with chicken bouillon will work fine), salt and pepper to taste (crushed red pepper can be added if you like it hot). Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or so. Puree in a blender or use a mixer (if you have neither, stir it vigorously to combine the ingredients and flavors). Return to the crockpot, add 1/4 cup butter or margarine and 2 cups milk, cook on high for 1 more hour.

Corn-Tomato Casserole

Combine in a baking dish: 2 cans of corn (drained), 2 cans any kind of stewed tomatoes (if whole, chop them a bit), some chopped onion and green pepper (if you have it), 1/2 cup cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine, 1 tbsp sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with some grated cheese (or add a packet of cheese powder from boxed macaroni and cheese to the mix). Sprinkle the top with another 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs, dot with margarine or butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Rice & Corn Casserole

Melt some butter or margarine in a skillet, add 2 chopped onions, 1 can of corn (drained), 2 tsp chili powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup uncooked rice. Saute until onions are slightly cooked. If you have some chopped black olives, you can add them too. Add 2 cups water with chicken or beef bouillon dissolved in it. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until water is absorbed by the rice. If you already have cooked rice, reduce liquid to 1/2 cup and simmer for only five to ten minutes. If you have a can of cream of mushroom or chicken soup, that can also be added.

Scalloped potatoes and frankfurters

Cook 1-1/2 cup onions and 4-1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes in a small amount of boiling water for five minutes, drain. Mix 2 tbsp flour and 2 cups milk (put in a jar, put the lid on, shake vigorously). Put 1/3 of the potatoes and onions in a casserole dish, top with wieners or frankfurters cut in half lengthwise, sprinkle with some dried parsley. Pour 1/3 of the sauce over this. Add another 1/3 of the potatoes, the rest of the wieners, sprinkle with dried parsley and add another 1/3 of the sauce. Put the rest of the potatoes on top, pour on the remaining sauce, bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. You can add a cheese packet from boxed macaroni and cheese to the milk and flour, or you can top it with grated cheese.

Basic Beans

Wash beans and pick out any rocks or debris. Soak in water overnight. Drain any water that is left, and add plenty of water and some bacon or a ham bone, bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for about 1-1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. You can also add chili powder, cayenne pepper, onions, garlic, shredded carrots or some maple syrup at the beginning. If you need to add water after the beans are cooking, add only hot water. Add salt at the end of the cooking. For refried beans, drain the liquid from the cooked beans (save it), and put the beans in a skillet with some fried bacon grease or oil, and mash thoroughly, add about 1/2 cup of bean liquid for each cup of beans mashed. For bean dip, add some salsa, cheese, onion and garlic powder.

Ramen Tuna Noodles

Cook 2 packages ramen noodles (without the seasoning packets) until tender, drain and return to the hot pan. Add the seasoning packets, some cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 can drained tuna, and stir gently until mixed and hot throughout. If you have some parmesan cheese, sprinkle it with that. Add crushed red pepper if you like it hot.

Corn Bread

Combine in a mixing bowl: 1-1/2 cups corn meal, 1/2 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, a dash of salt, 1 tablespoon sugar (optional). After the dry ingredients are mixed, add 1/4 cup oil or margarine, mix thoroughly. Beat 1 egg in 1 cup of milk, mix quickly with dry ingredients, pour into a greased baking dish (a cast iron skillet works great), bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean).

Abbreviations: thspn is tablespoon, tsp is teaspoon, lb is pound.

Prepared by Bob Waldrop, Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House, http://www.justpeace.org . The world will be saved by Beauty.

Instead of biscuit / pancake mix, buy a bag of self rising flour, it is the same product, minus the oil and just as easy to use, but so much cheaper.

My biscuits improved 100% when I started using the self rising flour.

Use a can of beer to make your pancakes and they will be so light that no one will ever believe they started out so cheap.

I add oil, eggs, vanilla and a little almond flavoring, the beer and make a lot of dough, for it will be used in time.
granny

http://www.bobwaldrop.net/?page_id=17

PIE ARE ROUND, CORNBREAD ARE SQUARE, COBBLER ARE TASTYA good pie starts with a good pie crust. I once complained to my grandmother Dovie Waldrop, who was certainly one of the best pie-makers in Tillman County’s history, that I couldn’t make a decent pie crust. She said, “Bobby Max, that’s because you haven’t made enough pies. When you have made 100 pies, you will be able to make a great pie crust.”

My favorite pie crust recipe is “Dorothy’s Never Fail Pie Crust.” I don’t know who the “Dorothy” is in the title, but bless her heart because it is a great pie crust recipe. The professional chefs I know are puzzled about the inclusion of an egg, but oh well, it works and tastes great and that’s what matters. I found the recipe in a church cookbook I bought for a quarter in a used book store.

Dorothy’s Never Fail Pie Crust

Mix the flour and salt, add the butter, mix thoroughly. You can mix this in a blender or you could use a mixer. You can use a pastry cutter or a fork or a blender. The point is to thoroughly mix the flour and the butter. Mix the water and the vinegar, add that and the egg, mix together with a fork. Knead a few times. Roll out on a floured board. Manipulate it only as much as necessary, the more you roll it, the tougher it will get. Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper when rolling it out. To put it in pie pan, fold it in half, and then again in quarters, place in baking dish. Then unfold and arrange in pan. If the dough tears, dip your fingers in water and press it back into place, or “patch” with extra pieces of dough. There are as many different recipes for pie crust, this recipe is among the less complicated.

PS. The real secret to a truly delectable flaky pie crust is to use LARD instead of oil or butter or (shudder) hydrogenated shortening. Don’t use the hydrogenated lard found in stores. Find a farmer, get him or her to raise a pig for you, take the pig to a custom butcher, and get your lard that way. That’s what we do.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potatoes | 2 eggs | 1/2 stick butter | 1/2 cup brown sugar pie crust

Boil sweet potatoes whole until done, peel the skins off (after boiling). Mash with beaten eggs, butter, and brown sugar. Add pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), pour in unbaked pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until a knife in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes).

Bob’s Favorite Easy Tasty Cobbler

Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk and melted butter, mix well. Pour batter into baking pan (use a casserole dish). Pour a can of pie filing on top of the batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or until golden brown on top). The batter rises up and covers the fruit as it bakes.

Mulberry Cobbler

Mulberries are widely grown in Oklahoma and they are the earliest spring fruit. They don’t keep very well, so as soon as you pick them, make mulberry cobbler or jam. Put the mulberries in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer about 10 minutes. The water will turn dark purple. Mix 1 tablespoonof corn starch with a small amount of water, and add to mulberries and cook until it thickens. (Adjust amount of corn starch based on the amount of water and berries.) Taste, add sugar or honey if necessary.

To make the cobbler, use “Bob’s Favorite Easy Very Tasty Cobbler” recipe.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put some oil in the bottom of the cake pan, smear it around to cover all the surfaces, sprinkle flour on it and shake it around so it coats the pan. Combine in a large bowl:

2 cups sugar | 2 cups flour | 1 tsp baking soda | 1 tsp baking powder |2 tsp cinnamon

In a pan on the stove, heat together:

1/2 C (1 stick) butter | 1/2 C olive oil | 1/4 C powdered unsweetened cocoa | 1 C water

Bring this mixture to a boil, and boil it briefly. Pour it over the dry ingredients, and mix. Add:

1/2 C buttermilk or plain yogurt | 2 eggs | 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together, pour in greased pan, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes or so. To make frosting, melt:

1/2 C (1 stick) butter | 1/4 C powdered unsweetened cocoa | 6 Tbsp milk

Boil briefly, and add:

1 box or 2 1/2 C powdered sugar | 1 tsp vanilla | 1/2 C chopped nuts

Cool for 10 minutes and frost cake.

WHOLE WHEAT BISCUITS

2 cups certified organic whole wheat flour | 4 teaspoons baking powder | 1 teaspoon salt| 3 tablespoons oil | 1 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or 3/4 cup yogurt cheese mixed with 1/4 cup buttermilk

Combine the dry ingredients, then add the oil and combine until it is thoroughly mixed with the flour. Add the liquid ingredients, mix, and knead a few times. Roll out, cut into biscuits, place in pan with sides touching. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes (your time may vary depending on the oven, also, the amount of liquid required may vary depending on factors like the amount of moisture in the flour, the humidity, etc. If the dough is too sticky to roll, add more flour.

Whole Wheat Rolls

Place 1 cup of warm (about baby bottle warm) water in pan, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top of water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast starts to bubble. Add the salt, oil, eggs, the rest of the sugar or honey, and the mashed potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup certified organic whole wheat flour bought from a local farmer. Use a mixer if you have one, or mix it by hand. Add another cup of flour and mix again. Add a third cup of flour and use the mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, until you have a nice dough. Turn the dough out on a board and knead for at least 5 minutes. Place a small amount of oil in the bottom of a bowl. Put the dough in it, swirl it around and then flip it over. Cover it with a cloth and set it in a warm place to rise – for about an hour. Pat it down and let it rise for another 30 minutes or an hour. Roll into rolls (about golf-ball size) or form into loaves. Let rise again for about 30 minutes. (You can adjust rising times if you are in a hurry or have to delay the baking.) Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes until done. Eat with home-made peach jam.

http://sharonastyk.com/food-storage-and-preservation-link-vault/

Food Storage and Preservation Link Vault

Sharon March 11th, 2009

Resources:

My book is necessarily only an introduction to a host of engaging topics that deserve much more exploration – fortunately most of them have been explored in depth by various writers, bloggers and on websites. Your library and the internet are likely to bring you connections to a host of new resources. Here are some of those I recommend. If you have links or references for inclusion, please email them to me using the contact pages above or at jewishfarmer@gmail.com.

General Food Storage and Preservation Books and Internet Resources:

Emery, Carla The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book As if there were another book I could start with! Carla put together the most comprehensive book about food ever – including many, many ways of preserving and storing food. Well worth the money – now in the 10th edition.

If you don’t know the incomparable Jackie Clay, take a romp through her advice columns and essays in Backwoods Home on food storage and related topics – she answers a monthly column on food preservation, and has many essays. If Jackie wrote a book, you can bet I’d buy it! She’s the best there is on practical food storage:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/advice/advice.html

Green, Janet, Hertzberg, Ruth, and Vaughan, Beatrice Putting Food By Penguin, 1991.

Hupping, Carol. Stocking Up:The Third Edition of America’s Classic Preserving Guide. Fireside, 1990.

Chadwick, Janet The Busy Person’s Guide To Preserving Food Storey Publishing, 1995.

The most current and complete source on the internet is The National Center for Home Food Preservation, which has wonderful links and information:

http://uga.edu/nchfp

Food Storage Information:

The resource on this subject is Alan Hagan’s exhaustively researched and detailed Prudent Food Storage FAQ. It is a bit of a dry read, but it will answer questions you didn’t know you had about storage life, how to pack things, etc… http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/

If you are trying to figure out how much food to store, a good starting place is this Mormon food calculator – there are some items that we wouldn’t eat, and that don’t go with the local and sustainable model, but they offer a starting point, some nice basics on how much food actually is required for a family for a year: http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

This is a very user-friendly basic food storage site, which includes handouts and plans for getting started: http://everydayfoodstorage.net/

Food Storage and Emergency Equipment:

Emergency Essentials sells almost anything you could need from camp stoves to food to 5 gallon plastic buckets for storing grains www.beprepared.com

www.usaemergencysupply.com sells a wide array of food storage equipment, including buckets.

www.usplastic.com sells wholesale quantity plastic food grade buckets

Tools for Food Preservation and Sustainable Living:

www.lehmans.com – Lehmans sells all sorts of non-electric and manual tools for food preservation, from cherry pitters to dehydrators. Not cheap, but superb quality.

The Local Exchange www.thelocalexchange.org – A great source for a lot of useful stuff.

Sustainable Choice: www.sustainablechoice.net – sun ovens and grain grinders

Recipes for Eating from Storage:

The multitalented Pat Meadows wrote a great series a while back about meals in which you can combine grains and legumes – here are some ideas: http://entire-of-itself.blogspot.com/2007/06/variations-on-theme-i-food-patterns.html and http://entire-of-itself.blogspot.com/2007/06/variations-on-theme-ii-meal-patterns.html

Here’s a source of some terrific food storage recipes: http://www.mormonchic.com/recipe/recipebox/pages/foodstorage.asp

There are a gazillion bean recipes on this site: http://americanbean.org/ , and tons of ethnic bean and grain recipes here: http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/food_intros/Beans_Grains.html

Robins, Laura Pantry Cooking Gibbs Smith, 2006.

Girsberger, Tami The Essential Food Storage Cookbook Brigham Distributing, 2007.

Dehydration:

An amazing online resource for both dehydrators and dehydration recipes: http://www.dryit.com/ It is the creation of Gen McManiman

McManiman, Gen Dry It, You’ll Like It! McManiman Publishing, 1997.

We modeled our solar dehydrator on this one at Sue Robishaw’s wonderful website. You might also check out her solar oven plans: http://www.manytracks.com/Homesteading/SolarFoodDryer.htm

Canning:

Ball Company The Ball Blue Book of Preserving. Altrista Consumer Products, 2004.

I do strongly encourage everyone to either print canning information from the web out, or to purchase a canning guide, ideally _The Ball Blue Book_ – canning from memory is potentially dangerous, so have the recipe and all information in front of you while you are doing it. If you keep the info on the computer, you may not refer to it when you most need it.

Fermentation

Katz, Sander Wild Fermentation This is the definitive book on lactofermentation, and has wonderful reciples. Katz has a website full of information and recipes, www.wildfermentation.com

Ziedrich, Linda, The Joy of Pickling Harvard Common Press, 1998. Covers fermented as well as vinegar pickles – wonderful stuff!

Root Cellaring and Season Extension:

Coleman, Eliot, The Four Season Harvest:Organic Vegetables From Your Garden All Year Long Chelsea Green, 1999.

Bubel, Mike and Nancy, Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables Storey Publishing, 1991.

Dairying:

Carroll, Ricki Home Cheesemaking : Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses Storey Publishing, 2002. A wonderful, comprehensive book!

Fascinating site filled with information about cheesemaking: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese.html

www.cheesemaking.com is a source for all dairying supplies

More cheesemaking info: http://www.leeners.com/cheeserecipes.html

http://www.kountrylife.com/content/how98.htm

Cultures, rennet, info: http://thecheesemaker.com/

The source for kefir information: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefir-faq.html

How to make great butter: http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/2008/01/holy-cow-i-made-my-own-butter.html

Sources for Bulk Foods – Farmer Direct:

www.localharvest.com offers a nationwide listing of small farmers in your area. You can search by the product you are looking for or location. A great resource!

http://www.farmerdirect.coop/ is another source that sells direct from farmers.

For anyone living in the northeast, this resource is invaluable for locating sources: http://www.farmandfood.org/

Some sources for grains: http://www.greenpeople.org/WholeGrains.html

If you want to go beyond navy beans, consider ordering bulk heirloom beans from Seed Savers: http://www.seedsavers.org/products.asp?dept=14

These folks have dried fruit that is farmer direct as well as many other products: http://www.alfalfahouse.org/html/products.htm

These folks grow a uniquely aromatic rice in Louisiana and ship anywhere: http://www.stanselrice.com

Organic farmers in Iowa who sell direct: http://www.paulsgrains.com/

These list bean wholesalers by state, as well as having a large number of recipes: http://www.usdrybeans.com/home/

An organic small grain mill that sources all grains in the pacific northwest: http://www.fairhavenflour.com/

Also in the pacific northwest, a sustainable, family run farm that raises many grains and sells in bulk: http://www.bluebirdgrainfarms.com/

Twin Valley Mills grows and sells their own sorghum and sorghum flour – useful for creative bakers or those who can’t tolerate gluten. www.twinvalleymills.com

Fairview farms sells bulk, non-gmo soybeans (excellent for making tofu and soymilk as well as general cooking: www.fairviewfarms.com

Sources for Bulk Foods, Other:

The grand old-man of bulk storage foods: http://www.waltonfeed.com/

www.bulkfoods.com has reasonable prices and shipping rates for a variety of items.

Some of the best prices for pre-packed beans and grains come from www.survivalacres.com

If you can get together with a group of other folks, you can order at wholesale prices. For those who live in the Western US, here is a link to a good source of natural and bulk foods: http://www.azurestandard.com/

Grain supplier for the west that sells at wholesale prices: www.wheatmontana.com

Emergency Essentials sells grain already packaged in pails, as well as 5 gallon buckets, dehydrated foods, flashlights, crank radios and a host of useful items. www.beprepared.com

Bulk Foods: Gluten Free, Special Diet

For those looking for some interesting older grains, including Emmer wheat that can be tolerated by many people who can’t tolerate wheat in general: http://www.bluebirdgrainfarms.com/index.html

Bobs Red Mill sells not only good grains, but may gluten-free choices: http://www.bobsredmill.com/

This nutritional supplement is odorless and tasteless and can be used for children who have medical issues and will not eat appropriately. NanoVM from Solace nutrition has formulations for children 1-3 and 4-8, and the older version can be used by older children as well www.solacenutrition/products/nanovm/nanovm.html

Information about starting Food Coops and Buying Clubs:

Here’s is a source, free, of the best publication available on starting a food co-op:
http://www.cgin.coop/public/food-coop-info/start-a-food-coop

Bob Waldrop, the founder of the Oklahoma City Food Ccop, which is an inspiring model for community food systems everywhere offers this advice on starting your own:

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/organizing.php
Starting a business is not simply or easy; this resource covers the bases from meetings to money. There also is an organization dedicated to helping startup co-ops: http://www.foodcoop500.coop (note that the suffix is .coop NOT .com).

If you want to start a buying club (to share wholesale sized orders) you can find out more at www.unitedbuyingclubs.com

Sources of bulk herbs and spices:

For medicinal herbs, spices and teas, I like this place: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ and this one: http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/ Both places emphasize fair trade herbs, sustainably harvested.

For spices (not organic or fair trade, but of very high quality) www.penzeys.com

Best sources of reasonably priced, open pollinated seeds:

Fedco: www.fedcoseeds.com - the best for northern gardeners, great prices, bulk quantities.

Baker Creek Heirlooms www.rareseeds.com - great for southern gardeners, good prices, wonderful people to support.

Pinetree Seeds www.superseeds.com – Small packages at great low prices

Bountiful Gardens www.bountifulgardens.org – these seeds are designed for intensive gardening, and growing the most possible calories in small spaces

* Comments(14)

http://www.casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-eat-cheap.html

Friday, November 09, 2007
How To Eat Cheap
Well, we’re effectively at 100 dollars a barrel (give or take) - I win my bet with my economist friend Steve with an easy 2 years, 1 month to spare (I was betting by 2010). This would be great news, except like everyone else I have to buy gas, so the $50 bet won’t exactly offset a large investment.

And, like everyone else, I buy food too, something that is increasingly tough on the pocketbook. Food prices are up 30% overall, but some staples, like flour and milk have doubled or more in price. Now we store food in fairly large quantities, so we’re still eating on older prices, but I’m in no way convinced that the crisis has occurred, so it isn’t like we don’t end up buying more.

Still, this does, at least to me, point out the importance of finding space for some food storage. I know those of you who live in apartments may not have a lot of additional room, I suspect the long term security and savings might be worth it - even if you have to take out your couch, put down 5 gallon buckets, cover them with couch pillows and a sheet, and make a food storage couch - I’ve sat on one, and it wasn’t half bad. Because the truth is, there’s only so much cutting back anyone can do on the budget - and emergencies happen to urban dwellers just like rural ones.

But the big issue is how do you cut back your food budget when things get tight? This may be obvious to a lot of people, but the truth is, there are millions of Americans who can’t make the money meet the end of the month, and who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Of those millions, a majority are children and the elderly, two of the groups most vulnerable to even short periods of malnutrition. So making sure we can provide a healthy, balanced diet even when we’re poor is an essential project. Not only that, but the diet need not be monotonous or flavorless, if you can afford even a few basic herbs and spices.

So what do you eat when you are poor? Well, your friends are going to be beans, lentils and grains. They are nutritious, tasty, simple, accessible and store well. If there’s any way you can come up with the money, buy them in big bags in bulk - a minimum of 10lbs, 50 is better. Whole grains and dried beans store nearly forever (brown rice is an exception here - white stores better, but is less nutritious). You say you can’t use 50lbs of beans? I bet you can - over 5 years. They will still be good, just need a bit longer to cook. You have to think ahead a bit here - remember, you’ll need to soak the beans or throw them in the slow cooker or on the back of the stove the night before.

The obvious thing is beans and rice. Sweat an onion on the stove in a little oil, throw in a carrot if you’ve got one, some garlic. Add spices - cumin, coriander, bay and dried chilies are good, but is almost any combination. Add the beans and a little liquid - water, broth, flat beer if you’ve got it lying around. Cook any kind of beans for a short while, until you like the way they taste, add a little salt and eat them over rice.

But what about beans and pasta? Noodles are cheap, and while beans, red beans, kidney beans - all are terrific in vinagrette with noodles, and perhaps some vegetables or sprouts, garlic and thyme. Or what about a loaf of whole wheat bread with a bean salad - cabbage, various beans (multiple kinds are prettier), sprouts, sliced carrots in a dressing of oil and vinegar.

How about curried lentils? Cook the lentils till tender, and in another pan, sautee onions, ginger and garlic. Add curry powder and a splash of soy sauce. Serve with rice, or over chapatis, which are simple enough - mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of yogurt (if you have it - if not, just omit), some water, salt and a tablespoon of yeast together until they form a slightly wet dough. Knead briefly, set aside for 45 minutes, and then break off pieces, flatten them between your hands and cook them in a lightly oiled skillet until brown on each side. Or you can add a tablespoon of sugar to these, and serve them with jam or dip them in maple syrup.

Your other friends in fresh food department are root vegetables and cabbage. If you are shopping at the grocery store, these will be among the cheapest items available. If you can get to a farmer’s market or farmstand, they will be even cheaper. Again, bulk is better - my local farmstand is selling cabbage 10 heads for 10 dollars - and these are large, heavy heads that will keep you fed for a while. Even a single apartment dweller might eat cabbage twice a day, raw in a salad, then sauteed with garlic and pepper. 3 heads will last two weeks sitting on the counter in a place with reasonably low heat. If you can afford your fridge, two more heads can be crammed in. The other five can be turned into sauerkraut or kimchi and will last even longer. 10 heads of cabbage could easily provide a large portion of your vegetable needs for 8 weeks or more for one person.

Potatoes, beets, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onions and carrots are generally fairly cheap at this time of year. Roasted vegetables make a superb cheap staple meal. Throw a collection of whatever roots chopped into bite sized pieces in a large roasting pan, add a bit of oil, herbs, any seasonings you like, and roast until the vegetables are carmelized and sweet. They make a great main course, a terrific side dish, a good salad mixed with sprouts, a nice sandwich between slices of bread or wrapped in a tortilla with a slice of cheese melted on them.

Squash are also often available reasonably priced, and have the advantage of requiring minimal preparation. Most can be baked in the oven until soft, with oil or butter, a few spices, and then spread upon bread. Or puree them and turn them into soup. Sautee a little onion and garlic in a touch of oil, add some curry powder or lemon pepper, as you like, add water or broth, to your taste, and the insides of a baked squash you’ve mashed up with a fork. Whisk until smooth.

Bean soup may be the platonic food for poor people - delicious, rich, hearty. Chop up onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots and parsnips, and sautee until just tender. Add beans - lima, white, fava, black, adzuki - you name it, and liquid. Cook until the beans are tender and the starch in the potatoes has partly dissolved. Season with tons of herbs, a little wine, maybe soy sauce. If you’d like a one dish meal, throw in some pearl barley, or rice towards the end. Or bake bread, make chapatis, make cornbread or tortillas.

What about meat? Frankly, I don’t recommend buying any kind of meat that is cheap - it is almost certainly industrial meat and not good for you or your body. But if you are accustomed to meat, one option is to learn to hunt. Venison, rabbit and wild turkey are great, healthy meats.

You might buy very small quantities of healthy meats and stretch them - for those whose growing season is still going, my favorite ground meat stretcher is grated zucchini - you can use it 50-50 with ground beef or turkey. Or simply use the meat as a flavoring, they many cultures do. A small bit of chicken in a stir-fry can transform it to a heartier seeming meal. A delicious chili can be made with a half pound of beef for a large pot, a wonderful sausage soup made with cabbage, carrots, onions and a half pound of intensely flavored sausage.

Or consider talking to your local pastured poultry producer about buying the parts they often can’t sell. Chicken feet make terrific soup stock, and are a delicacy in some cultures. Livers are rich in vitamin C and Iron, and absolutely wonderful tasting. Bones are often discarded by butchers of livestock, and can make wonderful, meaty tasting broth. But remember, meat is not necessary to good health, and if you are poor, you probably won’t be eating a lot of it. That’s ok - it isn’t necessary to make food taste good, either.

Vegans can do fine as long as they can afford supplemental multivitamins, but these are expensive. Small quantities of animal products - an occasional bit of cheese or meat broth - are probably cheaper in the end if you are in a truly dire situation.

Use up every scrap of your food. Leftover garlic bread? Tomorrow’s salad croutons. Stale bread? Bread pudding - mix milk or soy milk with an egg and a tablespoon of soy flour (a cheap way to replace eggs) or two eggs, add honey, sugar or maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and pour it over stale bread, and bake. Or better yet, add some bananas gone black - either the ones you shoved in the freezer or some on the day-old table at the grocers for 10 cents lb.

Did you peel the broccoli stems and cook them? There’s another meal there. Don’t forget sprouts - sprouting seeds bought in bulk are cheap and can cover much of your nutritional needs. What about vitamin C? Rose hips bought in bulk are cheap, but your cabbage will take care of that too.

Eggshells can be baked in the oven, ground up and added to flour for additional calcium. Forage for greens from your lawn or the area around you. Eat them fresh, but hang some up to dry and then add them to your flour as well. Try using half as much tea and coffee as usual, if you are still drinking them. Cut back on sugar, salt and fat as well - after a short while, you’ll get used to it.

What’s for breakfast? Oatmeal. Or if you don’t like oatmeal, apples are cheap now in many places, and you can make applesauce easily enough. Then warm it up on the stove, and mix in raw oats - add a little more cinnamon - yum! Or how about rice pudding, if you have milk or soy milk. Or what about cornmeal mush/polenta - add cornmeal gradually to a couple of cups of boiling water, until it makes a thick porridge, and eat it with sweetner.

Consider accepting dinner invitations or attending events with free food. You might dumpster dive (google “freegans”) or consider just asking politely of your co-workers as they toss half their meal “can I have the other half of that sandwich?” It takes courage - our society looks down on the poor so much that advertising your need seems shameful, but it isn’t - the truth is that much of the growing poverty has little to do with the choices of ordinary people.

If things get really desperate, there are further options. First of all, consider applying for any poverty support programs you are eligible for - I know a lot of people resist accepting charity, and that’s wise - but don’t be foolish, and risk your health or your kids. If you are eligible for food stamps, WIC or or some other program, apply. Or consider visiting your food pantry when you need to. Healthy adults may be able to go to bed hungry once in a while - children should not as long as there are better options. And there still are. Talk to people at your synagogue, mosque, church or temple, or at your community center if you are hungry - they may know about resources or be able to offer help. The simple truth is that the times we are coming into may bring many people to desperation through no fault of their own - don’t let shame prevent you from eating.

Sharon

http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/

January 6, 2010
Plumbing My Pantry: Food Preservation Pays Off

Category: pantry eating

For four days this week, 10 women are coming to my house to play apprentice. We’re going to milk goats, make sauerkraut, knit socks, talk about depletion and climate change, make teas and syrups, cook on a woodstove and figure out where to go from here and basically have a four day slumber party ;-). This is going to be exciting and fun, I think. It is also pushing the limits of my pantry.

You see, I knew that there would be 11 of us eating at my place for four days, but what I didn’t know was that we had a brake fluid leak. Our car went into the shop for snow tires (yeah, I know, we should have done it a month ago) and stayed there for four days, waiting for a part. A neighbor kindly loaned us her car for a quick emergency run to do the most pressing errands, mostly involving animal bedding, and I had gone to the farmer’s market on Sunday, but otherwise, I’ve got 14 vegetarian meals for varying populations, including 11 for 11, and it had to come entirely out of the pantry.

This is one of the great virtues of a well-stocked pantry. Other than that we’ll be eating a lot of cabbage and brussels sprouts over the next few days (the greens that keep), and I’ve got a little bok choy that is looking ok, but the whole thing isn’t really that bad - this is the virtue of home preserved, root cellared and stocked up food - it is there when you need it.

A few things had to come off my planned menu list - no cranberry bread, I’m afraid, since we’re out of frozen cranberries and the four that my bushes produced are gone too ;-). It’ll be either pumpkin bread or cinnamon buns instead. Frozen pesto is my friend, as are jarred roasted peppers and sprouts which make sandwiches taste sandwichey. I’ve got tons of root vegetables and we’ll be having roasted vegetable enchiladas and vegetable massaman curry. Black bean soup is easy to do, and with homemade, home-ground cornmeal in the cornbread. I’ve got mein noodles that will make a great stir fry with that bok choy. And I can give you thirty ways to cook cabbage that will knock your socks off.

So we’re good. I am the descendent of my great-grandmother, whose mission in life was that no one ever went away from a meal hungry. I have her genes to call upon - dinner will be waiting.

In the meantime, here are some recipes for things to do with cabbage. The beauty of cabbage is that it keeps. And if you think you don’t like it, try it after a freeze - the sweetness is delightful.

1. Stir fried cabbage with black bean sauce

1/2 head cabbage, chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp black bean paste diluted in 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

Heat oil in pan, and toss in cabbage and garlic. Stir fry until softened and starting to brown. Add remaining ingredients and stir until coated. Serve hot.

2. Cabbage and carrot salad

1/2 head cabbage
3 scallions
2 large or 4 small carrots,
3 tbsp roasted sesame oil
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
salt, to taste

Chop cabbage, scallions and carrots together. Stir together sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Add salt to taste, toss with vegetables to coat. Allow to sit 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sharon

http://www.depletion-abundance.blogspot.com/2008/01/low-energy-seed-starting.html

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Low Energy Seed Starting
Seed Starting, Low Energy Style

The first thing you need to remember is to think ahead, and bring in the compost before three feet of snow and ice lands on top of it. That was my big discovery two years ago, and like so many big discoveries was a. unpleasant and b. completely obvious - in retrospect. Living in a linear society, it can be difficult to get cyclical.

You see, I knew you could start seeds in lightly sifted compost – in fact, I’d seen Rodale Institute tests that showed that seeds did best in finished compost. So, the year before, I’d gone out in February, dug up some compost, let it defrost, and then sifted it through an old screen and used it, with lovely results. All those living organic bacteria made a very happy arrangement, and the seeds I started that way did far better than those I did in potting mix.

Because that winter was an extremely mild one, it didn’t occur to me that normally, getting compost out of the pile in February in upstate NY was going to be trouble. If I’d thought about it for 2 seconds, I would have realized I had to do it in October, but I didn’t, and thus, the trouble. This year I took 20 minutes to shovel and haven’t regretted it.

Which is all just a reminder of how seed starting, as most of us do it, is a heavily energy intensive process. It can involve lights, heating mats, lots of purchased seed starting mixes and various liquid substances that make your house smell vaguely of rotting fish for a week after you use them. All of these substances have to be transported to you. How do you get along without all those things, either if you have to or if you want to?

Well, the first thing you’d do is rethink how much you need to start inside. I do a lot of transplanting, from preference – I enjoy it, and I think it saves me time on weeding later and works better with my mulching techniques. But there’s no reason why I have to do so much. There are a few crops that need an advance start, but even a few cherry tomatoes will self seed and make a late crop. Now I want tomatoes earlier than that, and different varieties, but I could make do, and start fewer inside. Some crops I get a head start on, like broccoli, could easily be entirely direct seeded.

The next strategy I’d probably use is starting things a little later – my house is quite cool in February, and since space by the stove is always limited, I’d probably need to cut down on the things that simply don’t germinate well without some bottom heat in cold temps – peppers, eggplant and basil being some of the biggies. But a smaller number of these could be germinated by the stove, and waiting until late March would mean later harvests (late August, September), but would require less supplemental heating. In March, the windowsills are warmer, because there’s more sun and the outdoor temps are higher – not high, mind you, but higher.
Another alternative would be a hotbed. This is a coldframe with a thick layer ( a foot or so) of uncomposted horse or pig manure, covered with a layer of soil, and a cover on top and insulators on the side. The manure, decomposing, heats the soil and creates a great environmental for little seedlings.

What about those little flats? Well, they really aren’t hard even for a klutz like me to knock together with scrap wood, and we aren’t going to run out of old food cans for a long, long time. With some holes in the bottom, they make find pots for seed starting. Same with old plastic containers. I don’t think we’ll see a shortage for some time.

What about seed starting material? Well, you can plant things in straight, *finished* (that is, no longer heating up) compost, but that does use your compost apace, and you do have to plan ahead in cold places. Now the next part is controversial. If you use soil, the conventional wisdom is that you are supposed to sterilize it by baking the soil at 250 degrees. That’s supposed to spare you damping off disease. My own feeling is that this is stinky, unpleasant, a waste of energy and kinda nuts. That is, I think killing all the good soil bacteria so that you can get rid of a single bacteria is a bad idea.

If you use light dirt (you can mix some sand or compost in to lighten it up – I find 1-1 compost and dirt to be nice, I don’t bake it, I dig it in the fall (remember, cold weather people have to plan ahead), and bring it in. I mix in the compost, and let it sit. And then I give everything a nice bath of chamomile tea periodically to prevent damping off. In 5 years of doing this, I’ve had damping off two or three times, mostly when I’ve overwatered – but I’ve had it at least 5 times with plants started in a seed starting mix.

What about light? Well, windowsills are still a good idea, particularly if you make a reflector from tinfoil and cardboard and put it behind the plants to maximize light access. But if you haven’t sunny windows, you’ll have to use hotbeds and cold frames – that is, plants will have to go straight from germination outside, in a protected way. An easy cold frame is an old window and some hay bales, but you can get more complicated and build some structures. I’ve also seen (but not tried) pop up greenhouses, that can be set over a row in the garden. The big problem with starting out in the cold isn’t the cold, but the heat, I find – a bright sunny day can fry your seedlings even when it is quite cold. So either keep a close eye on the temps and open them up a little, or acquire an automatic opener – these are powered by temperature changes and don’t need any energy, but they are pricey.

How about fertilizing? Compost and manure teas will do it – they do get a little ripe smelling in the house, but no worse than fish emulsion or most kelp-fish mixes. And if you use compost as a large portion of your seed medium, you won’t need much fertilizer, another plus.

If you want to know where to buy your seeds, I wrote this last year:http://casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2007/01/where-to-buy-your-seeds-and-where-not.html

Note my correction of my error re: Burpee here: http://casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-screwed-up.html

Thomas Jefferson reportedly planted juniper seeds in a bed by feeding the seeds to his chickens and confining them where he wanted the seeds to grow. Despite the cold, they did rather well, encased in chicken manure. So there’s always that, too.

Happy growing,

Sharon

8 comments:

. COLD & FLU HOME REMEDIES
Posted by: “muttleyhunt”

I’m posting the ones *I* know. If you would like to contribute, please do!

Cough and Cold Remedies
Try some of these recipes for homemade cough and cold remedies:
Ginger Tea
1 inch or so fresh ginger root, sliced thin or grated
1/2 a fresh lemon, sliced (peel & all)
1 clove garlic, mashed
~2 c water
Very generous spoonful honey
Place water, ginger, lemon, & garlic in saucepan; bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 min. Strain into mugs and add lots of honey. The tea *will* get stronger if you let it sit! Most invigorating!

The garlic adds a bit of bitterness, but the honey masks that. This tea is very soothing to the throat and warms and opens the chest and nasal passages. Plus there are all those vitamins and other good things! I now make this tea at the first sign of a cold, which helps me fight it off. I find it more effective than the commercial hot lemon remedies, and of course cheaper!
Contributed by Kim Goddard,

Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster
Helps relieve chest congestion due to colds.
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup flour
Lukewarm water
Sift together mustard and flour in a bowl. Slowly add just enough water to make a paste. Spread the plaster on a piece of muslin big enough to cover chest. Cover with another piece of muslin.

Make sure the skin is dry. Place the mustard plaster on the chest. Check frequently and discontinue if there is any kind of allergic reaction. Remove when skin begins to turn red, usually after 10-20 minutes, and don’t leave on any longer than 30 minutes at a time. Then rub the chest w/ petroleum jelly to keep the heat in. Treat twice daily until congestion clears up.

NOTE: For children, reduce amount of flour to 6 tbsp.

Simple Cough Syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup honey
1/4 cup warm water
Combine lemon juice and honey in a bowl. Slowly stir in the water. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator - take 1-2 tbsp as needed for cough.

To soothe a sore throat, add 1 tbsp of mixture to a cup of comfrey root, chamomile or rosemary tea.

Cranberry Soup
1 cup cranberries
2 cups water
Honey to taste
1 tbsp potato starch
Heat cranberries and water together until cranberry skins open. Strain and add honey to taste. Bring mixture close to a boil, then remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix starch with 2 tbsp cold water. Slowly add this mixture to the cranberry juice - stir vigorously.

Return mixture to heat and bring to full boil, stirring until it thickens and becomes slightly transparent. Store in refrigerator in a covered container. Serve w/ warm cream. Soothes colds, and is a good source of vitamins C and B.

Hyssop Cough Syrup
Licorice flavored, soothes sore throats.

2 tbsp dried hyssop (f tops) or 1/3 cup fresh hyssop (chopped fs)
1/4 cup water
1 cup honey
1 tsp aniseed
In a saucepan combine honey and water. Stir until the mixture is consistency of pancake syrup. Bring slowly to a boil (over a medium heat). Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.

Use 1-2 tbsp water to moisten the dried hyssop. Crush the aniseed. Stir both into the honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool. While the mixture is still a little warm, strain into a jar. When completely cooled, screw on the lid. Should keep for 1 week.

Glycerine Lemon Cough Syrup
1 lemon
2 tbsp glycerine
2 tbsp honey
Heat the lemon by boiling it in water for 10 minutes. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Add the glycerine and honey. Take 1 tsp as needed.

Marshmallow Cough Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root
In a small saucepan, bring the marshmallow root and water to a boil. Recuce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain liquid into another saucepan (should result in about 1 cup). Over a low heat, slowly stir in the sugar until it becomes thick and granules completely dissolve. (Stir in more water if the mixture becomes too thick.) Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice. Transfer to a container and allow to cool before covering tightly.

Wild Cherry Cough Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (scant)
1 tsp wild cherry bark
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root
Make a decoction of the cherry bark and marshmallow root. (Boil in water for about 4 minutes. Steep the mixture with the cover on the pot for a few minutes.) Slowly stir in the sugar and cream of tartar, simmer until the mixture becomes thick and sugar granules completely dissolve. Transfer to a container and allow to cool before covering tightly.

Lemon Cayenne Throat Soother
Mix 1 tsp honey with 1 tsp lemon juice and dash of cayenne pepper. Take like cough syrup. This does not prevent cough, but does relieve throat pain in two ways. First, the honey and lemon coat the throat. Second, the cayenne pepper brings blood cells needed to fight off infection to the throat area.

Chickweed Pesto
Posted by: “H.M.”

After spending so many years living in Montana, becoming a semi-exile in California has been painful in many ways. But one of the things that I have become quite fond of is the weather here. While many in my family are struggling with ice, snow and cold, I’m out picking wild green things.

Today I found a beautiful chickweed bed (stellaria media), soft and bright green, inviting me to sit for awhile. It’s not blooming quite yet, but the growth was luxurient and perfect for greens.

It also makes a lovely spring tonic, a fabulous treatment for conjunctivitis (although I still prefer chamomile)and has anti-inflammatory properties. Some folks say it makes a good bug repellent, but I’ve not had much success with that.

I think every one makes their own version of chickweed pesto, but here’s mine.

CHICKWEED PESTO
In a blender or food processer, blend to a smooth paste: 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of pine nuts, almonds or sunflower seeds, 2 packed cups fresh chickweed, 1 cup basil (optional) 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. Serve over hot pasta or your favorite startchy ‘stuff’.

Easy-peasey.

Heather

________________________________________________________________________
3b. Re: Chickweed Pesto
Posted by: “wyldrose”

Love the recipe, I use pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts They are really cheap at our local co-op
Kay

Posted by: “H.M.”

I’m on another list and the moderator kindly reminded us that we should be starting our peeper seed indoors in a few weeks.

When your picking out those peppers, make sure to get a few cayennes. They make a wonderful oil for sore muscles and arthritis and a great base for balms. I don’t find that it irritates my skin like many of the capsaicin creams. But do make sure you don’t get it in your eyes!

Cayenne Infused oil
Blend 5 tablesppons powdered Cayenne with 2 cups of olive oil. Since the pepper ‘hotness’ will vary between plants, you may adjust to your own preferences.
Place in a warm sunny window for 30 days. Strain mixture and rebottle. I mix it with comfry and goldenseal for a sore muscle balm.

Heather

To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hillbillyherbalism/

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