All Things Prepping, Simple Living, Back to the Basics [Survival Today, an on going thread]

vanity | 2/26/18 | CottonBall

[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

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #2

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #3

[CottonBall]

ps. I agree about the whole wheat versus white bread. I do gravitate towards the white . No wonder in the old days the elite got the white bread while the peasants got the whole grain bread. Who knew the peasants were actually better off!

I have found one 100% whole wheat recipe that I really like. You let it rise for three days in the frig and that really mellows the whole wheat flavor. And then somehow It is fairly light when you bake it. And it helps a lot that it has molasses and honey in it and brown sugar :-) it probably ends up not being that healthy after all those additions, but it is tasty!

[V K Lee]

Ten years ago remember reading of a lab experiment- a heart was kept beating in a solution of cayenne. Where this was read - no earthly idea, but people were amazed. Having lost everything on that computer, and all these years passed, where this was seen, not a clue. Have searched for it recently but to no avail.

[Mears]

I use wax paper for sandwiches(instant place mat when opened),muffins,any baked goods that requires wrapping.

I refuse plastic when I get a loaf of Italian bread at my local bakery-——I only will take it in paper bag.

I am NOT a green person,a recycling nut,I just hate plastic.

FYI-—I have tried other brands but Cut Rite is the absolute best.

.

[Bob Ireland]

***that holler in Tennessee could be the one I live on***

Ha! Old Luther has gone to that great copper moonshine still in the sky... ;^D He once told me, 'That oldest boy of mine is really smart.' 'How is that, Luther?' 'He will be driving along and he sees one of them road signs - he knows exactly where he is going.' I asked him, 'Can you read, Luther?' 'Naw; I did a little bit in the third grade.' He had never been very far out of the county because he did not know the roads... except for his sabbatical in fed prison for moonshining! :^)

[V K Lee]

Herman - Amish Friendship bread

These are recipes in which the starter sourdough is used. If want to see posted, let me know.

Amish Cinnamon Bread
Amish Friendship Bread made with instant pudding
Friendship Cake
Herman Muffins
Herman Coffeecake
Herman Pancakes
Herman Chocolate Cream Cake
Herman Waffles
Herman Biscuits
Amish Friendship Bread
Herman Cookies
Herman French Bread
Herman Cinnamon Rolls
Herman Cornbread
Herman Carmel Nut Rolls
Sourdough Gingerbread Belgian Waffles
Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Bread
Pizza Dough (His Kid-for you :-))
Sourdough Donuts
Sourdough Chocolate Cake
Sourdough Apple Sauce Cake
Sourdough Sugar Cookies
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
Gingerbread
Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings
Sourdough Carrot Cake
Sourdough Crumpets
Sourdough Pizza Crust
Sweet Potato Fritters
Herman Doughnuts
Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins
Sourdough Drop Biscuits
Herman Applesauce Donuts

[Aliska]

They still sell it. I was thinking it would be good slightly toasted and cut in appropriate shapes and dipped in that spinach artichoke dip.

The cheese was a coarser shred, maybe not so coarse, liberally applied. The bread could have been a little soft and moist (which I liked) being sold in plastic but it wasn't browned, just "cooked in".

I would put a pan of hot water (maybe not, you decide because you've had more experience) in and maybe add the cheese part way through if you try it.

Yes, that cheddar looked yummy, too. Would like to try it toasted!

Most of them have the same basic ingredients. Thanks for mentioning the extended rise time for better results of whole wheat bread. Sounds logical. Sometimes I like whole wheat. Especially at my gf's house one day when we just happened to be there at lunchtime. Her mom made sandwiches of whole wheat bread, a slice of a tasty tomato (or however much you need) and crispy bacon. That's it.

No lettuce. No mayo. I was used to the conventional ones which I still like, but I got so I would crave those simple 3-ingredient ones and make them. Very tasty and satisfying once you get used to the idea.

I don't know if a photo of the demi-loaf will embed because it's from aisles online which you need to be registered. I'll try:

Works for me and I'm using Safari which it always rejected when I initially registered. Am currently logged in with Firefox. Beautiful, isn't it (assuming you can see it).

I like to use the online grocery shopping even if my daughter ends up getting it for me. I can see (except for a few omissions of what they really have but doesn't get shown online) to know where to go for what and make shopping lists.

A note about toasting. Somebody on ytube made a chicken salad sandwich. He turned the oven way up to 450, and toasted the bread just until it got very lightly browned on the edges. So I do that now. When I made the spinach dip, I used twin french loaves, toasted as above, then torn in half crosswise for dippers. Loved it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA1FvDICQRY - Chicken Salad Byron Talbott

Not the way I would make chicken salad but love the way he cooked the chicken quarters. And he used sourdough and a little olive oil on the bread about 4:45 on. It is 450. And the first frames show the toasted bread.

I cut my bread thicker, put on a rack, omit the olive oil and watch very closely, flip when top is toasted to suit. For a sandwich no need to flip.

/end my usual blah blah lol

[upcountry miss]

I guess my school days predate yours by about ten years. I attended a two room school with four grades in each room. No electricity, running water or bathrooms-just an outhouse. There were five or six students in each class.

I also saved my paper lunch bag, but the wax paper was supposed to be folded neatly and brought home in the bag. Mother used this wax paper to keep the top of our black cooking stove squeaky clean as we toasted bread on the top of the stove-no electric toaster.

Our “playground” was an old field behind the school. No swings, slides- just grubby old field. Everyone was crazy over baseball and if anyone was lucky enough to bring a ball to school, they were top-dog that day-called all the shots, made the rules and assigned bases-all extra players went into the outfield. No bats-just sticks. Just once, somehow I was fortunate enough to bring a ball to school and proudly started a game. Alas within a few minutes, someone hit that ball all the way out into the tall bushes, never to be seen again. We had to go back to the silly games of tag, king of the mountain or ring around the rosy.

We were supposed to be tough from an early age. I remember walking home alone in the dark at a very young age. I was scared to death but wouldn’t let on to anyone.
Thinking about it now, maybe that was the cause of my complete refusal to go to school when I was in the second grade. Now, I proudly display my rank card which states “absent until April” and below that all A’s and at the very bottom “Promoted to grade three”. To this day, I am fearful of being out after dark alone and have only recently admitted this to the complete amazement of my children. Guess I kept my fears well hidden for eighty years.

Drinking water was kept in an earthern ware container with a small faucet near the bottom. I don’t ever remember seeing anyone clean this container. Some student would go to a neighbors with a five gallon pail and get a pail of water and dump it into the crock. Tasted good on a hot day. We all drank out of the tin cup hanging beside the water jug.

Good old days!!!

[Iron Munro]

Thank You!

What a great reminiscence!

There were still schools like yours in the 1950s.
I know because my wife attended one.
She was the only girl in her class with about 4 boys!
The entire elementary school only had about 2 dozen students on a big year.

Sand lot baseball was still the craze when I was school age.
Kids of all ages and sizes on the same teams.

Seems like someone could usually come up with a falling-apart baseball wrapped in that sticky black tar tape!

Summer time it was out the door as soon as we could wolf down some breakfast, do the chores, and stay outside playing, finding some fruit or vegetables for a snack, climbing trees, hiking through the fields and woods or just hanging around until dark.

If a kid wasn’t outside he was either sick or in the dog house.
There was so much to do and summers went by so fast!

I’m glad we didn’t have computers and video games because absolutely nothing comes close to the enjoyment we had back then.

[CottonBall]

The loaf picture displayed perfectly.

mmm that bacon tomato sandwich sounds good. i usually love lettuce and mayo with it but i can imagine that a ripe, juicy tomato wouldn’t need anything more, it might be overkill to add too much.

now i cannot wait for my garden to get going! i am feeling overwhelmed-again- by all the work required but i somehow don’t see it as work when i am in the midst of it. i just wonder why i’m so tired, where all the hours go, and why my back/knees/eyes hurt...

do you still order online for groceries?

[CottonBall]

those are great reminiscences! Thank you both for sharing them.

I feel sorry for kids today, first they are stuck inside most of the time, and are constantly supervised. And then any games or entertainment they have are completely planned for them. As in, they just pop in the video game or turn on the TV and just set there. They aren’t required or even allowed to use their imagination, to expand their horizons and learn what they are capable of. Nor do they get physically fit!

When things fall apart, I believe the worst part will be that the younger generation will be like deer in the headlights. They will just be stunned, have no clue what happened, and even less clue how to deal with it. They will just sit and wait for the FEMA trucks that never show up.

I’m planting my garden now, and I’m pretty overwhelmed thinking of all the work I have set out for myself - yet again! Give me another five years and this will become even harder. Physically I mean. If I had to depend on this garden just to survive, it will be scary going. My husband and I will definitely need some young people, healthy and energetic, to help out. The problem is, where would we find them?

[CottonBall]

“Chicken and Sourdough Dumplings”

That one sounds great, I’d like to try that one first! Since I am now a southerner, I have tried various recipes of chicken and dumplings. I don’t think I have one down right yet. Nor have I found one in a restaurant that I would want to emulate. This is a lot harder than I thought…

[CottonBall]

I’d also like to try the herman applesauce donuts.

But I’m confused, a lot of these recipes are more for quick breads, like the kind made with baking soda or baking powder. I thought the Amish starter was like a sourdough starter? I guess I don’t know what Amish friendship bread is actually.

[CottonBall]

I was just wondering where you get the glycerin from? I have super dry skin.

And where is that 4 hour French bread recipe! :-) It’s about 3 o’clock here and I would love to make some French bread for tonight. I didn’t plan well enough to have that overnight rise, so your recipe would be perfect.

[little jeremiah]

Here is the youtube channel that I learned from. It is SO easy. After making it a couple of times I tweaked just a bit, I like to use about 2/3 ww. flour and 1/3 white, I use organic, and if the ww flour is coarse, I put through a strainer. DH does not like horse feed like bread. :-) I also generally make the recipe X3 as DH is a huge bread eater. The youtube is so easy and it works. I also don’t worry about using a thermometer etc.

THere are many variations, I just do simple.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdfub88-4D0Jc_V4T_yNrA

I get my vegetable glycerine at Starwest Botanicals as I buy 100s of $ of herbs a year (am an herbalist with clients and have wholesale account) but they sell retail as well. You won’t need a gallon! I buy natural rosewater at Middle Eastern/Asian/Indian grocery stores.

https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwwuvWBRBZEiwALXqjw3tlNQFNDi6DaxxOEHUyZOXtO6N-3tTfmZqT_eIZL1CQ8Mr8LBgITBoCD54QAvD_BwE

Vegetable glycerine:

https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=glycerine

[Iron Munro]

I’m planting my garden now, and I’m pretty overwhelmed thinking of all the work I have set out for myself - yet again! Give me another five years and this will become even harder. Physically I mean. If I had to depend on this garden just to survive, it will be scary going. My husband and I will definitely need some young people, healthy and energetic, to help out. The problem is, where would we find them?

Good post and you make a very good point that got me thinking.

Back in the day the kids in my family and most of the other kids we knew had some direct connection with some of the food we ate.
Most kids (and adults) today have no connection with their food, other than picking it off a store shelf.
Of course, that's a basic difference between city life versus rural and small town life and more people live in cities today.

It seems that in past generations more people hunted and fished and almost everyone had family gardens where the kids helped.
And families went picking strawberries, blackberries, mulberries, cherries, apples, pears and other fruits.
Or they were purchased in bulk from the farm.

As kids we loved to go berry picking and stuffed ourselves while picking.
We knew that the fruits and berries we helped pick would end up on the table as good stuff to eat all through the winter.

Moms put us to work, boys and girls alike, prepping the produce - husking corn and shelling peas and beans to can.
And many of us learned to can produce by helping our moms as kids.

I'm not saying we were always eager to do the work or that we always did a good job.
But we were motivated to some extent by knowing our work would be paid back by having good things to eat through the year.

I remember as a kid helping mom stack the canned produce on the shelves in the basement and how the sight of those shelves full of canned vegetables
and preserved jams and jellies that we had helped with was comforting and rewarding.

[CottonBall]

Thank you, LJ. I’m off to go watch the video now :)

Do you mix equal parts glycerin and rosewater?

[CottonBall]

ps. Do you do mail order orders?

[CottonBall]

Oh, it is Steve! Love him. I watched probably half a dozen of his bread videos.

[V K Lee]

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD -(HERMAN) STARTER DOUGH:
https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/amish-friendship-bread-starter/

CHICKEN AND HERMAN SOURDOUGH DUMPLINGS:
This recipe is exactly a duplicate of the one tried and kept. (lucky me, little typing!)
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/chicken-sourdough-dumplings-50804#activity-feed

Lucky today!
APPLESAUCE DONUTS is also the same used. These were delicious :-)
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18066/herman-applesauce-doughnuts/

[V K Lee]

If there is no garden or orchard on your home site, have any tried their local ‘Pick Your Own’? This is a great opportunity to pack the family in the car and travel to a garden, getting to know the food on your table.
http://www.pickyourown.org/

Young people - how to find them to help you in the garden.
A flyer on the BB perhaps:
- Church
- YMCA
- School

Payment: filling their heart with goodness and generosity, money, or a basket, sack of the fruits of your land.