Marti’s Corner – 61

Hi Everyone,

NOTES: *  Gardening is underway.  Here is a great link to Utah State University Extension classes and information.  Gardening Courses Online | USU

*  While you’re at the garden center picking up tomato plants, get some marigolds at the same time.  How To Plant Marigolds With Tomatoes – And Why Tomato Plants Love It!

*  Watch your vegetable leaves for this:

Those white squiggles in the leaf are caused by a leaf miner.  They get in between the layers of the leaf.  As a result, sprays don’t really work on them.  You have to pinch off the leaf, then take it far away from your garden.  I usually bring it in the house and throw it in the kitchen trash because I know it will be bagged up and taken out in a day or two.  If you leave them in your garden, the leaf miner will lay eggs, which will hatch and cause more damage.  They really like my tomatoes, but I watch for them on all the vegetables.

*  Food Crisis Coming?  Here is a pdf- Food Crisis Looming -of something I saw on the internet.  Craig would be the first to tell me NOT to believe everything on the internet.  Still, I thought I would pass this along.

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASES: Choose a combination of:  flour, 10 pounds, yeast, Bisquick, pancake mix, and muffin mix.  I’ve been noticing online that some stores are running out of flour and other mixes.  I have wheat stored, it’s true, but I like to make 1/2 and 1/2 bread.  It’s lighter and not as heavy.  Plus I like to make an occasional cookie or two.  So, I store flour.  I vacuum seal it and stack it in the closet.  I also have pancake mix, but remember that anything with leavening will not last for years and years – 12 to 18 months.  When the pancake mix gets to be a year old or so, you can add extra baking powder.  But eventually, it will go bad, so rotate, rotate!!  If you never use pancake mix, muffin mix, or Bisquick, DON’T buy them.  Store what you eat.  

If you have freezer space, you can put your flour in the freezer for 3-4 days and it will kill any eggs or bugs that may get into your flour through the packaging.  Then you can seal it in a plastic tub (available at Winco or Lowes or Home Depot).  I’ve seen that a lot of people use bay leaves.  Frankly, that DIDN’T work for me.  And, on a lighter note, I just read a book that takes place during the depression, and she talked about sifting out the weevils before using the cornmeal.  So, there you go.

If you don’t want to give up eating bread (Mmmmm, hot bread right out of the oven), and you have never made bread, ask someone to help you.  I’m sure there are people in your church congregation or neighborhood (look around for the OLD people) who will be more than happy to help.  I just had dinner with my brother and sister-in-law and she confessed that she has NO IDEA what to do with their wheat.  I offered to go over and help grind some, and show her how to make bread.  She was delighted!

MISC PURCHASE: candles & matches Think about losing power and wanting some light.  I’m pretty sure most of us have cell phones with lights.  But that’s a temporary fix.  Here is a good idea.  Hurricane High Oil Lantern (Red, 12-Inch)

They have them at Walmart and they are under $8.  You’ll need kerosene and matches.  We got one and got an extra wick roll: Light of Mine 1/2″ Inch 100% Cotton Flat Wick 6 Foot Roll

You can also make homemade candles from Parafin wax (available at most grocery stores in the canning section) or even from a can of shortening.  The 300-hour Crisco Candle

Since it’s spring, lots of garden stores have outdoor solar lights.  This is a great idea because if you lose power, you can bring them inside.  AND they recharge!  Win-win.  Every year, Craig takes ours apart and replaces the small batteries in them.  (Yeah, that’s how they work.  The sun charges the batteries and then when it’s dark, the batteries operate the light.)

Get matches – lots of them.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

DIY Bisquick I am not a Bisquick user.  But if you are, here is a way to duplicate it.  It works for all your Bisquick recipes:

9 c. flour (can use 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat) 1/4 c. sugar 1 1/2 TB salt 1/4 c. baking powder 1 1/2 c. shortening or coconut oil

Mix everything together, using your hands or an electric mixer.  Store in an airtight can.  It doesn’t need to be refrigerated.  Makes about 10 cups of mix.

Biscuits Don’t want to knead bread?  Don’t have time to let the bread rise?  But you want bread?  Try this easy biscuit recipe.

1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled for a few minutes.  Set aside 1 TB of butter, then mix the rest with 1 c. cold buttermilk or sour milk.  Stir until the butter forms clumps.

Mix all the dry ingredients together:

2 c. flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar

Pour in the buttermilk mixture.  Stir until just mixed in, and the dough pulls from the side of the bowl.  Drop onto a greased cookie sheet.  A greased 1/4 c. measuring cup makes a perfect scoop.  Brush with reserved butter.  Bake 450˚ until tops are golden, about 12-14 min.  

You can use powdered milk in this recipe.  Mix 3 TB dry milk with the dry ingredients.  Use ice water and 1-2 TB vinegar to make 1 c.  Stir the water/vinegar mix in with the melted butter.  Then add to dry ingredients.

Variations:

Drop biscuit dough on top of fruit filling and bake until golden to make a fruit cobbler.

Drop biscuit dough in soup, cover, and simmer until done to make dumplings.

Pancakes 1 c. flour, white or whole wheat 1 c. buttermilk 1-2 TB sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 large beaten egg 1 TB melted butter or oil

Whish everything together until just a little lumpy.  Cook on a hot griddle.  Makes 10.  Add blueberries, bananas, nuts, or anything else that sounds good

Marti