Posted on 02/26/2018 12:12:20 PM PST by CottonBall
I’ve been missing the vast amount of information on prepping, survival, camping, simple cooking, the old ways of doing just about everything – all the things nw_arizona_granny knew so much about and shared with us, along with numerous other posters with a vast array of skills and knowledge.
We have our various related-threads here, a recipe thread, a gardening thread, and even a prepper thread. They are all great and I don’t mean to take anything away from those and the hard work their owners put in.
But I was missing a place to talk about ALL those things, to get the camaraderie that we used to have on granny’s thread.
I learned how to can on those threads! The pressure canner was not my friend, I thought, but I bought one and stared at it for a month, intimidated. Then I read the directions for another month. But with the help and encouragement of posters on granny’s threads, I jumped in and now have my very own food storage room in the basement with lovely jars of shelf-stable meats, vegetables, and fruit. When we moved, I fashioned my food storage room – and insisted upon having a basement – from what I learned on her threads. Getting started gardening was from her threads. Making my own cleaning products….the list is endless.
So I thought I would take the chance and start another comprehensive prepper thread and see how it goes. I used to have granny’s ping list since I made one of the threads for her, but alas, with numerous computer changes, I cannot find it. So please pass this onto any posters you think might be interested.
We’ll just keep it running until..whenever. Granny created a new thread at 10,000 posts or so. I do like the idea of having ONE thread to go to – because often I cannot find or keep track of the weekly threads. I won’t be posting lots of recipes or tidbits myself – to any mods concerned about the size of this thread. I’d just like a place to chat, post questions, post ideas, make new prepping friends.
Here are granny’s threads, if anyone wants to peruse them:
nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #1
Cast iron here has a nice smooth, shiny surface on the inside bottom, and the sides of the inside will never be as smooth or shiny. Using paper towel to wipe inside out, the lint catching on the nubs is an annoyance. Terry tea towels, just as bad with the thread lint. THEN one day at Wally World found white flour sack tea towels. LOL something like a 1/2 dozen or so for a few bucks. Very thin fabric, but ideal for the needed use. They are used effectively in the final wipe of the inside. A tool for every necessity.
Cast Iron Cleaning Trick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npWOnXZAFLY
Permaculture and Homesteading forums Information, questions, much to be found on this site.
PERMIES
https://permies.com/
DW - haven’t used ours in months. Hubby slammed the door, broke the latch and has yet to replace it. Thus, dishpan hands. For years was unaware that something had been taken from DW detergent. *EPA* Cascade was purchased in a a box lighter shade of green - the only one seen on the shelves. Then, found that the darker shade, the one with which we once used are found hidden discretely or not found at all. Those darn phosphates.
*
Spring is busting out down here. It is gorgeous!
Hope to check back later.
Let us know how you like it and if you notice any difference. Sounds like it certainly wouldn’t be any worse than the original version and could be an improvement. I didn’t notice, did it cost more?
I was thinking as I was painting the downstairs kitchen this morning - it is SAD that companies like Lodge are having to come up with labor-free alternatives just for our lazy millenials! Like VK said, if/when the SHTF, they won’t have a clue how to survive. During the depression, I’m sure the younger folks were needed to do the labor-intensive chores, but our younger folks will be whining and waiting for the government trucks!
This is really scary.
My Lodge items are pretty rough - I thought about taking some sandpaper to them before seasoning, but didn’t do it. The ci from my grandma is smooth as glass. I wonder if Lodge is making theirs rough on purpose or is it just cheaper? It does seem like it would be less-non-stick that way. I’ve read as you keep using it, it smooths out. It’s been a few years and I haven’t seen a change yet! Thanks for the flour sack idea.
DW changes: we bought a new one after remodeling and I knew from the one in our CA house that DRYING was an issue. The environmental nazis that took the phosphates out of your detergent also limited the energy a DW can use - so it either cleans or dries. Not both! In CA, I had to dry every glass by hand, it really was that bad. I LOVE my 70’s DW that came with the house - everything is HOT and dry when it is done, some plastic melts but that’s a tradeoff I’d take. We got a kitchenaid that does pretty well - it’s claim to fame was it actually has a heating element and actually dries the dishes. Some DW’s didn’t even have a heating element, just a fan - and some didn’t even have a fan.
Don’t get me started on the HE washers!!!!!
The ‘HE’ washers! LOL
You have one? You, fortunate child, you!
You realize they now have on the market a substance which you add with the soap dispenser that helps to dry spotless. Seen it on the market and read pros/cons of using. Why buy when you can add a few teaspoons of vinegar to the rinsing device in the door and it does the job just as well with a good deal less cash flow?
Hubby does wash dishes on occasion, and I let him. :-)
Normally, I wash, and if here, he’ll dry and put away otherwise I place the dishes on a thick terry cloth tea towel to air dry and when he or I pass by later we’ll put away. Really prefer to put things away myself as he has been known to find a ‘new’ location and when looking, help is needed to find certain items. Drainers and drip pans. Did use these years ago, but so bulky: how do you store them, where do you place them when not in use. Terry towels, if thick work just as well. Why dish drainers? Do they really save glassware? In this house NOTHING saves glassware. CorningWare pots. Two saucepans with lids. BOTH lids broken. Now use a silicon cover (purchased at Wally World) when these are used in microwave. The range cook top (glass) recommends you DON’T use on their surface. ALSO they say do NOT use cast iron on their surface. The pans have been exiled to: corning = microwave; cast iron = oven
Did you know using cast iron you can actually cook a steak or thick pork chops as well as you can on the grill outside? Alton Brown’s method is highly recommended in this household.
Our Microwave died this year and we purchased a new one. EE GADS! The fireworks were amazing. Like crock pots, they have become more powerful and tend to heat up faster than two teenagers in a parked car. A small splatter, if left on the inside surface will be found to give a show HRC would find admirable if she had won. The small “plastic” square on the inside wall was scarred and burned. How to repair. We were able to call a local shop, order a small sheet of whatever this was, cut it to the size needed and replace the blemished piece. All for just a few bucks.
OH, While searching for a micro compatible lid for corning, also found a cozy plate cover microwave safe. This is great for placing over a plate of food which needs to be reheated; rather than using paper towel or whatever to eliminate the splatters. LOVE this piece of non electric equipment.
No heater in DW? Ours did have a heater which worked well. Plastic was lost and tossed, a few choice words uttered Only a fan? LOL know better than to ask if it osculates. :-)
P.S. STILL searching for a plastic butter dish to replace the glass which was broken. Have they ceased to make plastic butter dishes? Prefer glass, but trouble finding one, or more - need extras when the first crashes.
I found a somewhat pretty stainless steel dish rack some years ago at Costco. I just keep it to the left of the sink and use it all the time. It actually holds quite a bit, maybe 15 plates in the top part, there’s a little caddy for silverware. I ended up buying a portable one to use at the cabin, and I put a dish towel underneath it. It’s portable as in it folded up so it didn’t take up much room under the sink. But I pretty much left it out all the time anyway. lol, I forgot, it’s in the downstairs kitchen now. These things are such a fixture, like a sink, that I just don’t think about them.
I hate it when my hubby helps in the kitchen. We have a deal, I don’t go through his toolbox and rearrange things, and he stays out of the kitchen drawers except to get things. Not to put them away.
I had an HE washer here when we first moved to three years ago. It came with the house. It actually worked out pretty well because my husband stayed back in Bakersfield with the washer and dryer we had there. I didn’t move out until the house had sold. Anyway this washer was horrible. As you know. But I really hate is not being able to drawl the temperature. I know their hot is not hot because I supposedly used hot water once, interrupted the cycle and stuck my hand in there and it was warm at best. So not only are you not allowed to use much water, it can’t even be hot!
I never had a glass cooktop. When we were remodeling the kitchen I looked at them. They are very pretty. But I love my cast-iron so that took priority :-) I ended up getting a Viking want to be, about half the price. Absolutely no bells and whistles, I don’t even get a timer! But I love it and it hasn’t broken yet. You can tell my expectations are fairly low :-)
Hey, I need that plate covering! Where did you get it? I’m always having to clean splatters out of the microwave. I try using paper plates but they don’t necessarily fit over everything and they also get dislodged.
Oh, I can’t remember having seen a plastic butter dish in a while. I just take mine straight from the fridge, guests have to deal with the wrapping and everything :-)
control the temp - Now why would my phone change that to drawl?
Plate covering, micro safe, purchased in housewares at local WalMart...as was the silicon piece for the two corning ware pots. Cheap cheap, but it does work well and saves a lot of clean up effort. But WAIT! it’s not been broken ..yet. (knock on wood).
These have not been seen again. Just lucky the one was found on the day I was searching. Held up very well, clean with a little soap and water, dry and ready for use again.
Class cooktop - if I had only known. One question never asked and knew no better. Very disappointed in this one. Oven element had to be replaced, first the lower, then the upper. Being black, not as easy to clean as anticipated. Believe, me - never again. But, we learn and we become wiser, hopefully.
I hated my smooth ceramic cooktop. Replaced it as soon as possible with regular electric stove - cheaper too.
I just saw an interview on Fox News regarding Prepping, and did a web search - found an interesting article - prepping is not just for bitter clingers anymore-
What Do They Know? High-Level Govt Officials Reportedly Flocking to ‘Doomsday’ Camps
Tim Brown / March 22, 2018 / 19
We rented a house for a while that had black appliances. They were beautiful, and I mistakenly thought they would be much easier to clean then the white ones. But they showed every speck of dust, along with everything else I dropped. Now I have stainless, and I think that’s a good compromise between white and black. I guess it is sort of gray :-)
“what do they know that we don’t?”
No kidding. And I would call it treason not to share the information with the public. They’re protecting their own arses and couldn’t care less about ours.
Interesting article, thanks for sharing green eyes.
Seems like the Middle Managers/bureaucrats are the ones that just woke up. A bit slow they are, especially since CDC had posted some info on surviving nuclear war (I think someone made them take it down and put up something about the flu/pandemic). Can't recall for sure.
Borage is easy to grow, but extracting oil from it might get tricky. Would flax seeds work as well, I wonder? They contain a lot of oil that has many of the same properties as fish oil. Same with chia seeds. Or maybe keep a pan of water on the stove to humidify the air so it’s less drying? A quick search showed that there’s a correlation between dry eyes and Vit D deficiency. Another herbal remedy is to soak cotton balls in chamomile tea and place them on the eyelids for a while.
I hope that helps.
Lodge used to grind the insides smooth before seasoning them. Several years ago they stopped doing that. If you get a pan from before and after the change, you can really see the difference. It’s not the usage that made them that smooth.
Some people take their new cast iron stuff to a machine shop and have them grind it smooth. It can probably be done at home if you have the right tools, but be aware that it’s a very messy job! Wear a dust mask and goggles.
The rough surface is normal with the casting process. The only thing I’ve ever cast was a ring in one of my art classes, but the surface came out with that same texture. Took me days to smooth it out enough to polish.
Well, I’m confused now. The 7 quart dutch oven I was looking at on Amazon is $57.33 with free shipping. At the lodge website, they want $102 for the same thing (???) It’s kind of confusing because the ‘Foundry’ seasoning, and the ‘heat treated’ seasoning seem to be different lines; but on the site, the ‘heat treated’ seem to be all smaller and tabletop pieces..
I just noticed that they make a 14” flat-bottom wok; and a 9” mini one. That little one would be very useful:
http://shop.lodgemfg.com/product/mini-wok.asp
I love Amazons prices :-) and their customer service. I’m dealing with their customer service now on a third-party order order that was misrepresented. Amazon is forcing the seller to do the right thing. Pretty neat, I just wish they weren’t a bunch of liberals.
it probably makes sense that the new rust resistant cast-iron a smaller, if they are intended for millennial‘s. And to go in the dishwasher!
I love the little wok! How cute is that. I originally bought a bunch of big cast-iron when I was first buying it. I didn’t realize the size would make it prohibitively heavy! And now that it’s just me and hubby, smaller pieces make more sense. So the last couple I bought have been a little dutch oven and a little combo unit. I love those combo units, where a lid can serve as a skillet. I found a really neat YouTube video on making baguettes in a combo unit. You put them on the lid and then cover them with the pot so they can have a oven spring in a more humid atmosphere. And then you take the pot off so they brown. It actually turned out really well.
Well, then I guess my lodges won’t get as smooth as Granny’s skillet then. Hers is still my favorite. Although I just bought a lidvd that has those lines in it, so you can grill stuff and have it look like you did it on a barbecue.
I suppose they quit grinding to save one step, to make them cheaper.
I’ve read that Flax seed doesn’t have quite as much of the EPA or DHA, whatever it is, as borage oil, but it’s close. Is it easy to grow and process? I suppose I don’t have to get oil from them - I can just eat them
Thanks for the other dry eye ideas. I do have a humidifier that I keep in the bedroom, and one of those cast-iron water holding things for the woodstove. I never thought about keeping a pan simmering on the stove top though!
I just checked my multivitamin and calcium, supposedly I get plenty of vitamin D.
I had eye surgery a couple years ago and that’s when the dry eyes started. I hear that’s a pretty common side effect. I guess the eyes are traumatized and decide to shut down the glands. i’m hoping they’ll start up back again eventually. In the meantime xiidra works pretty well. It ought to, for what it costs! I’ve only met my deductible once before, and that was when I had the eye surgery. Oh and maybe 27 years ago when I had my son. But now with this eye medication I meet my deductible in just a couple months.
jeremiah, You were the one talking about slimy barley right?
I cooked some yesterday, cooked it in chicken stock. I hated it! It’s sort of lost its barleyness and became more chickeny. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised :-( I think I’ll stick to cooking it in plain water.
Anyway, I like the creamy consistency that it gets when you cook it a little too long in a little too much water. Maybe that’s what you mean about sliminess? I consider it to have more of a consistently of a good risotto.
Anyway, adding just the amount of water recommended and cooking it until it was still pretty firm, I didn’t see it as slimy or creamy. Maybe that’s the trick!
my husband got quite a few telephone polls from his now defunct job...he cut them, split them, soaked them in used motor oil and sold them as fence posts..
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