Author: cityprepping-author

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

1. ***Evidently you can make your OWN Berkey water filters:  HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BERKEY STYLE WATER PURIFIER – YouTube   A bonus is he explains that tin snips have different colored handles for cutting clockwise or counterclockwise.  Who knew???
3. ***  My good friend, Kathy, asked me about sprouting.  I told her my favorite sprouts are crunchy lentil mix.  When I went to send her the order link, I found out they were out of stock (we may see more and more of this).  BUT, good news, they now have lentils in stock.  Organic Lentil Salad | Crunchy Lentil Fest Sprouting Lentils  If you don’t have a lettuce garden, and want to make sure you will have fresh, nutritious greens, you should SERIOUSLY consider getting these.  Even if you don’t use them immediately.  Keep them in the refrigerator, then make it a goal to learn how to sprout this summer.  It’s SOOOOO easy.  If you soaked the seeds tonight, you’d have sprouts in 2 days.  ***  And just for fun, here’s one of my new favorite songs:  The Browns – Place In The Choir

GARDEN HAPPENINGS: 

I feel like my garden didn’t grow much these last two weeks.  I think it was the extreme heat.  Now that we are only in the high 80s and not in the 100s, the plants seem to be putting forth new growth again.  Of course, I fertilized everything a week ago, so maybe THAT’s it.  Who knows.  

I did my “look-under-the-leaves” inspection yesterday and found lots of eggs of some kind of insect.  At first, I took scissors and carefully cut them out of the leaves.  Then I just resorted to smashing the tiny eggs with my thumb.  If there were too many of them, I cut off the leaf.

If I see powdery mildew, I spray with the fungicide right away.
If I see little webs, I’m never sure if it’s from the regular garden spiders, or spider mites, so I spray them too.

The beans are not dark green like they are supposed to be, but instead, they look sick.  I just keep spraying and cutting away bad leaves.  Sigh.  I’m holding out for a second harvest of beans.  (I sprayed the beans this morning with Neem Oil.  Let’s see if it makes a difference.)

I have blossoms on my potato plants and googled them.  When they get flowers, you can harvest the potatoes.  But if you just let them continue to grow, the potato plants will appear to die out, and then you can harvest the potatoes and they will be larger.  In one of my potato containers, the pretty green potato stems just seemed to die away.  So I decided to dump out the dirt and plant something else.  I found potatoes!!! 

Not many, but more than I thought would be there.  They are “curing” for a few days, in a cool, dark place.  I am not going to store them long-term.  I want to save a few for seed potatoes for the fall.  But garden potatoes are SO SWEET!!!  Can’t wait to have some for dinner.

Oh, and I found a praying mantis by chance in the garden (this is a good sign).  AND I found a small baby frog.  Not sure if it’s a good sign, but I don’t think they eat plants, so I’m going with good!

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: wheat (or grain)

You can purchase wheat in #10 cans from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints  Hard White Wheat.  They have both hard white wheat and hard red wheat.  6 cans for $39 and change.  It’s about $6.50 per can or $1.18 per pound.  Here is another alternative:  Wheatland™ Hard White Wheat Berries • 25 lbs Bucket, Mylar Liner & Oxy Pack

These are 25-pound buckets for $79.  This works out to $3.16 per pound, almost twice as much.  Look at it this way

Church:  33 pounds for $39
Good Wheat brand 25 pounds for $79

You can probably get wheat at Winco (check Costco and Sam’s club as well), but it will most likely come in a large paper container that will need to be repacked – either in buckets or metal cans.  Compare prices.

We had a family near us move and they didn’t want to take their wheat.  She said (and you know who you are):  I don’t know how to make bread, I don’t WANT to know how to make bread, and I’m NEVER going to make bread.  I still laugh about that.  Don’t want wheat?  Can’t eat wheat?  Fine.  Get rice.  But get something.  Maybe try einkorn wheat (supposed to be easier on your system and better for you but it is more expensive) or try spelt.  All I know is, I lived in China for a month and they do NOT have a lot of bread there.  I MISSED IT!!!  A LOT!!

A suggested one-year minimum per person is 400 pounds of grain, including rice, corn, wheat, oats, barley, and pasta.  If you think about that, it works out to a little over 1 pound per day – and that is NOT much!!!  Start small.  Work on getting 1-3 months.  Then just keep going.  Personally (and no one asked me) I think we are running out of time.

MISC PURCHASE: clothesline & clothespins

There are lots of videos about washing clothes in a bad situation. DIY Off Grid Laundry – Budget Preparedness/5 Gallon Bucket/Prepper Hygiene.  But whether you use this bucket system or not, you’ll want to be able to hang your clothes to dry.  Some of us “really old” people have actually done this.  I found this list of rules just in case this is new to you.

Be especially careful NOT to hang shirts by their shoulders.  If you do, you get little “wings” that will not lay flat when you put the shirt on.  LOL, When my daughter lived in Tucson, she had her husband rig up a clothesline in the upstairs loft.  She hung her clothes to dry in the house, and it only took an hour or so.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

I read a blog the other day entitled, “What else can you do with wheat?”  I copied it to a word document, and have included it.  The recipes include pancakes, tortillas, and biscuits.

I went to a church ladies’ activity in the ’80s (Can you believe that was over 40 years ago???) and certain people were asked to experiment with different wheat recipes, then bring what they liked best.  I tested different pancake recipes and cooked hot pancakes there for everyone to taste.  (Do you think I “saved” that recipe???  Of course not.  Duh…)  If the time comes when we have to live off our food, there is going to be a very steep learning curve.  LOL

Prize-Winning Brownies

1 c. sugar
2 TB butter
1 tsp vanilla

     Cream together

1 egg – Add and beat well until light and fluffy
1/2 c. canned milk
2 squares melted chocolate – Add and mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
Stir in 1 c. chopped nuts

Pour into greased 9 X 9 pan.  Bake 350˚ for 30-35 minutes.

Substituting wheat flour for white flour

1 c. minus 2 TB wheat flour = 1 c. white flour

If using baking powder or baking soda, increase by 1/3.  If using yeast, double the yeast.

If possible, grind wheat just before you use it to retain its full nutrition.  It is rich in vitamin E and wheat germ, both of which are soon lost after grinding.

Uses for wheat

1. flour
2. cereal for breakfast
3. chili
4. substitute for potatoes in stew
5. substitute for rice in fruit salad
6. Add cooked wheat to tossed salad. 

Whole Wheat Pancakes – Amy B.
Amy’s been making whole wheat pancakes for years.  I called her specifically to get her “special” recipe.

2 eggs separated.  Beat the egg whites
2 yolks
3 TB brown sugar – mix yolks and sugar together

In a separate bowl, combine
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 TB baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. milk – Add to yolks, alternating with dry ingredients
3 TB oil – mix in
Fold in the whites

—

This week’s goal, make Amy’s pancakes and try them out!

Marti

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

**  Have you ever heard about canning butter?  It’s somewhat controversial and many will advocate against it.  But I read about it and thought I’d try it.  So I canned some back in 2018.  And these small containers of butter have been sitting in my closet since then. I decided it was time to open one of the jars and “try” the butter.  I toasted a bagel and spread on the butter.  It was smooth and creamy and melted deliciously.  Yep!  It worked!!!!  And I didn’t use a “canner”, I did it in the oven.  With canning, it’s all about raising the temperature high enough not just to kill botulism, but any botulism spores.  Of course, you probably know that when butter is melted, it separates.  The trick is, after the butter is heated for a sufficient amount of time, the lids are put on and the jars seal, then as the butter continues to cool, there is a “sweet spot” of time where it will re-congeal as you shake it.  

*** I was cleaning out a closet and found an Emergency Prep binder that I had totally forgotten about.  Among other things in there, I found a recipe for a “Natural Antibiotic” containing turmeric and honey.  I looked up turmeric and found that it is NOT considered an antibiotic, but it does have some good health benefits.  It helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.  It has anti-aging properties and helps fight against inflammation.  It helps improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.  So… there you go.  My recipe says to mix 1 TB turmeric and 100 grams of organic honey in a small jar.  On the FIRST day of flu symptoms, take 1/2 spoonful every hour.  On day 2, take 1/2 spoonful every 2 hours.  Day 3, 1/2 spoonful three times a day.  NOTE:  Let it melt in your mouth before swallowing.

REMEMBER THE POWER OF 3

1. 3-Minute Kits which include sturdy shoes, flashlight, leather gloves, whistle, and lightweight clothes.  Keep in a drawstring bag immediately under each bed for easy access.

FIRST THREE HOURS

1. AM/FM Radio with batteries.  I have had several wind-up radios and they have never worked right.  Just sayin’
2. First-Aid Kit with adequate supplies, medications, and personal needs for each member of the family
3. Gas, water, and electricity shut-off tools in place
4. Search & Rescue equipment: tools, rope, masks, duct tape, fire extinguisher, etc.

     e  GO Binder:  Contains names, addresses, phone numbers, and maps for local and out-of-state contacts.  Also include important documents for each family member; general family information (SS cards, passports, birth certificates, insurance cards, insurance policies, bank account numbers, vehicle ID numbers), spare keys

FIRST THREE DAYS

1. 72-hour kits for each family member packed and ready to leave home.  Includes water, food, clothing, shoes, first aid supplies, medications, hygiene supplies, water filters or purification tablets, shelter, survival supplies, and cash in small bills for each family member
2. Car kit adapted for each household need:  food, water, walking shoes

FIRST THREE WEEKS

1. In addition to the First 3 Days, food and personal items for 3 weeks
2. Alternate cooking methods and/or fuel
3. Batteries
4. Laundry detergent and bleach
5. Hygiene supplies (include babies, elderly, and feminine needs)

GARDEN HAPPENINGS: 

Saving seeds is not that hard.  Here’s an easy chart I found to help explain the process.

***  New pest damage:

Found this guy in the lettuce and 3 or 4 much smaller green grubs.  Here is the damage they do:

Unfortunately, they often eat the “heart” of the lettuce, which then kills the plant.  How rude!  It’s that time of year.  I’ll have to add lettuce to my twice-weekly spraying of Captain Jack (that will kill these larvae-stage moths) AND twice-weekly spraying of safer soap for the aphids. 

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: sauces, 10 jars

This could include spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, Picante sauce, BBQ sauce, or any other type of sauce you usually use.  Imagine planning meals for a month.  What would you need?  Maybe 3-4 of each?  Start with that.  Just set aside some money (and that amount is increasing weekly) and get extra sauces for pasta, or canned meat.  Even though I always make my own spaghetti sauce, I STILL have some on hand in the cupboard.  Just last week I used some alfredo sauce that was several years old, and it tasted just fine.  

I still get nervous when I open something that is WAY past its date.  But NOT opening it, and just pushing it to the back of the cupboard, is worse.  Use it up, rotate it, or toss it. 

MISC PURCHASE: bandaids & antibiotic ointment

You may think that in a Zombie Apocalypse situation, bandaids would be the last of your worries.  Water and food first, right?  But infection can kill faster than hunger. 

I put the ointment right into the bandaid box, so I don’t have to hunt through drawers to find it.  You should have a

mini first aid kit in your 72-hour grab bag.  AND it would probably be a good idea to have one in your car.  I HAVE been places where someone has gotten hurt and I’ve remembered I had bandaids and ointment.  Yay me!!!!  EVEN if you already have bandaids, they lose their stickiness after a while.  Just get more. 

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Pasta Primavera  

In Italian, Primavera means spring.  As you can imagine, there are a LOT of spring vegetables and this dish can include everything from

sliced red onion, yellow squash, zucchini squash, cherry tomatoes, peas, asparagus, carrot, bell pepper, broccoli, artichoke hearts, and chicken.  

Start cooking your pasta.  Penne, bow tie, linguine, whatever you have.  While it is cooking, sauté the veggies in some olive oil just until they start to get tender.  Don’t forget to add some garlic.

Drain your pasta, and pour it in with veggies.  Add some more olive oil, 3 TB lemon juice, 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese.  

This works well with my small garden where I may only get 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, and 1 bell pepper.  I can add any leftovers and no one will know.

Andrew A-La-Toni

When my youngest child, Andrew, was little, he really liked this dish I made up.  

It’s a lot like the Pasta Primavera, but I used spaghetti sauce.  Typically I would put in mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and chicken.  (Just use a can or pint jar of chicken).  Then I would serve it over pasta.  

As long as we’re using veggies, you can always make…

Minestrone

I like this recipe because it doesn’t call for any fresh food (although fresh is better, of course), but everything is shelf-stable.

My recipe calls for:

1 c. macaroni
1 can corn undrained
1 can green beans undrained
1 can diced tomatoes undrained
2 TB dry onions
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
2 TB parsley
1 c. water
1 pint cooked ground beef.

Simmer together to let the flavors blend.

—

Things are getting bad in the world.  Don’t be caught unprepared.

Marti

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

*  So one of my summer goals was to learn to cook with my Sun Oven.  I’ve had it for years and never taken it out of the box.  Well………. I cooked my Sunday dinner in it last week.  Roast, potatoes, and carrots.  It turned out really well – delicious.  Craig even ate the leftovers last night.  

Think of it as a giant crock pot.  I had my dinner there for about 6-7 hours.  Still, the power was free.  Of course, if you factor in the cost of the oven, it will be a few years before I break even.  

On Monday, we had nachos for dinner.  I mixed some canned ground beef and tomato sauce and set it in the sun oven to warm.  It worked perfectly.  

Next project:  Pinto beans and kielbasa sausage, with cornbread — see recipe below.

** Have you ever made your own laundry detergent?  Sometimes I wonder if it really IS cheaper?  Other times I just go for the easy and get it already made for me in a box.  LOL  Anyway, this recipe looks like it might be a good thing to try.  How To Make Homemade Laundry Soap For Just Pennies A Load – GB’s Kitchen  AND, if you’ve never used Fels-Naptha soap— It works GREAT on getting grass stains out of those white T-Ball pants!  Just rub the bar on the stain before you toss them in the washing machine.  She says you only need 2 TB per load.  Hmmm.  Still not sure I want to do this.  If you can’t get regular detergent, you’re certainly NOT going to be able to get all the ingredients.  But, if you are just doing it for cost-effectiveness, then is it really cost-effective?

GARDEN HAPPENINGS: good and bad

First the bad…These are the aphids that love broccoli.  I’m having to spray with Safer Soap for aphids twice a week now.  I’m also spraying Captain Jack to kill any worms twice a week as well.

These holes are in the winter squash leaves.  No clue what’s causing them.  Flea beetles maybe? Spider mites?   Whatever it is, I’m hoping the twice-a-week spraying will help.

This poor potato plant is very unhappy.  The leaves continue to get worse and worse.  When they are totally dead, I cut them off.  Poor thing. 

Now the good:  

Right next door (literally touching the dying potato) is this———

THIS potato plant is green and healthy.  AND, it is getting flowers!  Last year, none of my potatoes got flowers.  I did NOT get a good harvest.  I think this is a good sign.  

Look what I found!  

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: dry beans

Yes, I know, we did beans last week.  But, I think this one is important.  Beans and rice make a complete protein.  If you feel like you just don’t need to buy any more beans, then make it a point this week to cook some beans.  From scratch!  Also, you should get some diversity in your beans.  Again, if you bought beans last week, get more –  only get different types.

And I found this cool chart:

MISC PURCHASE: milk

When was the last time you bought powdered milk?  How long does powdered milk last?  Today’s powdered milk is NOT like your mother’s powdered milk.  It actually tastes much better.  They had #10 cans of milk at Winco last week for $15.  One can give you 39 servings at $.38 per serving (1 cup).  I looked up on the Church website to see if they had milk available and it looks like they are out of stock.  IF, IF, IF they restock, you can get 12 pouches for $64.80.  Each pouch makes 2 gallons which total 384 servings for a box of milk at about $.16 per serving.  Less than 1/2 the price at the store.  BUT, since you they are out of stock, you might be better off grabbing some at your local grocery store.  Often you can find milk in the baby food section.  It’s the same thing, just marketed for children.  Emergency Essentials has milk in #10 cans for $25, so $15 is a good deal compared to that.

BTW, the Church website says that milk is good for 20 years.  Just be sure to keep it in a cool, dark, place.  If you can’t do cool, do dark.  LOL.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Pinto Beans and Kielbasa
This comes from Solar Oven Cooking: Recipes and Answers To Life’s Solar Cooking Questions by Merry Bevill

My goal this summer is to get better at using my solar oven, which shouldn’t be hard because it’s never been out of the box!  This recipe looked easy, so I’m going to give it a try.

The directions are for a solar cooker, but I’m sure cooking it on the stove top will work just fine.

Preheat the solar oven.

3 c. pinto beans, cooked and drained.  (Not sure if that means 3 cups dry, then cooked – which will make about 9 cups of beans – which seems like a lot!  OR 1 c. dry beans, cooked to make about 3 cups beans – which is plenty for two of us but doesn’t seem like enough for a family.  Ugh, I hate it when directions are not specific!!)( On second thought, at the end it says it feeds 3-4 people, so I’m guessing it is NOT the 9 cups of beans we’re talking about)

So…….. to rephrase:

1 c. dry beans, cooked and drained to equal about 3 c. (How’s that?)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes
1 10-oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt to taste
1 – 1 1/2 pounds kielbasa, cut into 1 inch rounds

    Combine everything into a solar safe pot (black pots and lids work best because they absorb the heat).  Stir well.  Simmer in the solar oven for 1 1/2 – 2 hours to let the flavors blend.  Serves 3-4  (I’ll bet you could add more beans depending on the size of your family)  (I’m also thinking this is a good recipe to vary:  add onions, substitute canned beef, etc.)

Serve with cornbread????

AND, it looks like you can cook corn on the cob in your sun oven as well.  No husking or peeling of silk.  Just toss the corn in the oven.  Bake for 2 hours.  You can do this while the beans and sausage are cooking.  Without peeling off the husks, you can cut off the bottom 2 inches or so of corn.  Then when the corn is done, grab the top and the silk with a dish towel or oven mitt.  Give it a shake, and the corn will slip right out.  We cook our corn in the microwave this way.  Two ears, on high for about 5 minutes.  No muss, no fuss.

Play Dough
I love homemade play-dough.  The store-bought stuff dries out so fast.  I used to make this recipe, put different colored balls of dough in several different sandwich baggies, then put the whole thing in an empty #10 can and give it for gifts.  It is soft and pliable.  If you have young kiddos, show them how to make snakes with the dough, and then make letters or numbers.  

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt – mix these together
1 3/4 c. boiling water
1 TB alum
2 TB cooking oil

   Mix together.  It will firm up quickly, and become hard to stir.  Divide the dough, poke a finger in the dough to make a hole, and put just a drop or two of food coloring in it.  Then knead the color in.  

Two Zucchini Recipes

I’m starting to get an abundance of zucchini in the garden.  I wanted to learn how to make zucchini noodles and did NOT have a good first experience.  Try, try, try.  

But, I saw two recipes that looked promising.

Roasted Zucchini
This one suggests cookie racks or baking racks placed on a cookie sheet.  This way, the heat can cook the zucchini all around.

4 zucchini, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Coat with a mix of spices:
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Roast 400˚ for 12-15 min until tender.  Then pop the zucchini under the broiler so that the Parmesan becomes nice and crisp.  

Recipe #2 for Roasted Zucchini
Trim ends and cut small zucchini in 1/4th, lengthwise.

Pat dry.  Dip in beaten egg or beaten egg white mix.

Crumb topping:
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Dip zucchini in egg mix, then crumb mix.  Spread on an oiled cookie sheet.  Do not let them touch.  Do not use parchment.  Bake 15 at 425˚.  Rotate cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 min longer until golden and crisp.

Marti

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

** Someone asked me about canning salsa.  I knew that you could water bath tomatoes, but salsa has other ingredients and I wasn’t sure if it was safe.  So…I looked it up.  The short answer is YES if your additional ingredients do NOT lower the Ph level to less than 4.6  Here is the link and some suggested recipes that WILL work for water bath canning:  National Center for Home Food Preservation | NCHFP Publications

** Fire Season is already here.  Do you have one of these Grab & Go lists???  You don’t need to use this one, but you NEED one!!!  

** Does baking soda expire?  Yes.  After opening, it is only good 6 months – 1 year.  How can you test it?  Put a little spoonful in a bowl, and add something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar.  If it starts to bubble vigorously, the baking soda will work well in the recipes.  If not, DON’T throw it away.  You can use it as a cleaning agent.  Check it out here:  How to Tell If Baking Soda Is Still Good | Martha Stewart

** Sprouting.  I looked up the video on growing alfalfa sprouts.  This is the one I did with a paper towel and a colander.  How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts – Cheap Easy Method  You do NOT need a sprouting kit.  Here is a link to alfalfa seeds at a good price.  Organic Alfalfa Sprouts Seeds.

My favorite sprouting seeds are the crunchy lentil mix.  But they are sold out.  Luckily I bought a large bag on my last purchase, and I’ve got my name on the list to be notified when they are in stock again. Organic Lentil Salad | Crunchy Lentil Fest Sprouting Lentils

GARDEN HAPPENINGS:

**  If you are wondering about what you can plant in grow bags, I found this chart:

**  I always enjoy reading these to see how I’m doing.  Find your zone and click to see what you should be doing in June:  How to Start a Garden in June: A Checklist | Kellogg Garden Organics™

**  I finally covered everything in the garden with the shade cloth.  My plants were very grateful.

The 7-gallon size is not listed here.  I have a few tomato plants in the 7 gal. size.  I also found that broccoli grows well in larger sizes.  I have cucumbers and also butternut squash in the 7 gal. size.

**  This week’s issue:  

This is what powdery mildew looks like.  This was NOT the worst of the leaves, but typical of this plant.  Nearly every leaf looked like this.  Powdery mildew is a fungus.  There are lots of natural remedies you can try – everything from hydrogen peroxide to baking soda.  I happened to have some fungicide mixed up already and used that.  Neem oil is what I used last year.  I think this plant is getting too much shade and I need to move it so it gets more sun.  Ugh.  This is a constant battle for me all summer long.

If you don’t take care of it, it will kill your plants:

AND….. of course, it is super contagious.

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: dry beans

You can get dried beans at any grocery store in one-pound bags.  Winco, Costco, and other large stores also have 25-pound bags of beans.  For long-term storage, your beans should be repackaged in buckets with oxygen absorbers, OR the small bags can be vacuum sealed.  If you are just beginning your food storage adventure, get one or two 25-pound bags.  The recommended amount is 60 pounds PER PERSON.  When cooked, beans triple in volume.  One pound of dry beans will make 6-7 cups of cooked beans. 60 pounds of beans will give you 1 cup of cooked beans a day.  Pinto beans, white beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans will give you a good variety.

MISC PURCHASE: jam

When I went to buy jam last week, I was surprised at how small the selection was.  There were NO large jars of jam.  There were only pint-sized jars, and not many of those.  If you think peanut butter and jam sandwiches would be filling and easy to prepare, get a couple of jars and stick them away.  Note:  I was at Stater Brothers and they did have the large jars of jam.  Go figure.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

There are three ways to cook beans.  

1. Soak beans overnight.  This way is the best way to reduce the gassy effect of the beans.  In the morning, pour off the soaking water, rinse, and boil in clean water until the beans are soft.
2. Put beans in a pot and cover with water.  Boil for 1-2 minutes.  Then turn off the heat and let the beans soak for several hours.  (This is what you do when you forget to soak the night before).  Pour off water, rinse and boil till tender.
3. Boil the beans until tender.  

There are a lot of ideas for getting old beans to soften.  Some say to add baking soda.  Some say to use a pressure cooker.  Frankly, I don’t know because I have not tried to cook my old beans.  If you have a sure-fire way that works, let me know about it.

Homemade Refried Beans
This is from Tastes Better From Scratch

Homemade Refried Beans Recipe – Tastes Better From Scratch

Cook 1 pound (2 cups) of pinto beans as above, except add 1-2 tsp salt and 1 onion quartered.  Drain the beans, remove the onion, and reserve the bean broth water.

In a skillet, add
2 TB oil and heat
Add 3 cloves garlic and soften.
Add back in the cooked beans and
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c. of the bean broth
(chopped up onion from the beans if desired)

Gently smash the beans as they cook with a fork.
Continue smashing and adding broth until you get the consistency you want.

I like this recipe because she tells you how to adapt by adding other ingredients (bell peppers?) or how to cook the beans in a crock pot, or in an Instapot.  

You can use refried beans to make tostadas or burritos, or just as a side dish for some tacos.  Personally, I tried the dehydrated refried beans and couldn’t get them to get the right consistency.  We didn’t eat them.  But I HAVE made homemade refried beans (many, many, many years ago) and liked them!  Cooking the beans is a pain, but if that’s what you have to eat, then that’s what you do!

Chili
This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.  It makes a lot.

2 pounds ground beef.  Brown and add
2 cloves garlic.  Cook till beef is done and garlic is fragrant, then drain.
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 5sp oregano
1 TB cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 TB chili powder
1 tsp salt

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring in 1/2 c. water at a time if the mix becomes dry.  Add
1 can of pinto beans drained
1 can of kidney beans drained

Continue to cook for another 30 min.

In a separate dish put
1/4 c. masa (corn flour found in the Mexican food section)
1/2 c. water.  Stir together with a fork.

Dump the masa mix into the chili.  Stir together well.  Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency.

1 jalapeño seeded and finely diced if desired
1 can diced tomatoes and chilies if desired

Simmer 10 additional minutes.

From this recipe, you can see that if you are relying on your dried beans, you may want to cook up a batch of beans and save some out 2 c. for this and other similar recipes.  You can freeze cooked beans.  Otherwise,  you’d need to soak and cook 3/4 dry beans of each pinto and red beans for this recipe.

Boston Baked Beans from Cook’s Comfort Food Favorites

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.  Cook 

4 ounces of salt pork cut into 1/2 inch pieces and
2 slices of bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered about 7 minutes.  If you can’t find salt pork (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it in the store), you can use only bacon, 6 oz.
1 onion, chopped fine – Add and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened, 5-7 min longer.
9 c. water
1 pound dried small white beans, picked over and rinsed
1/2 c. molasses – DO NOT use blackstrap molasses.
1 1/2 TB brown mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
    Add and increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.  Cover pot and transfer to oven.  Bake until beans are tender, about 4 hours, stirring halfway through baking.

Carefully remove the lid and continue to bake until liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency, another 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer.  Remove pot from oven.
1 tsp apple cider vinegar – Add in
1 TB molasses – Add in

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.  Beans can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Author’s Note:  These beans have a pleasantly firm texture and intense flavor.  They are well worth every minute they take to cook.

Marti

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

**  You should be familiar with the website:  Alert RivCo | Emergency Management Department | Riverside County Most communities now have a similar alert system to Riverside’s.  It’s always an advantage to get a heads-up.  From this page, you can sign up to have alerts sent to your phone in case of emergencies.  Scroll down until you see “registration portal” and click on that.

** You can also go to Find Your Home’s Climate Risks | Risk Factor.  You type in your address and they tell you what dangers you should be aware of.  My house is “unlikely” to flood in the next 30 years.  Whew.  And I have an 11.8% chance of being in a fire.  So……. now I can sleep at night.

You can get risk information about your community and lists of providers that offer insurance.

GARDEN HAPPENINGS:

**Pest of the week.  

So, I was in the garden and decided it was time to start inspecting the “underside” of the plant leaves.  I’m not always good about it because there are just SOOOOO many leaves and it’s tiresome to look under them all.  But at the bottom of the cucumbers, I found this on the backside of a leaf:

It was totally invisible from the top.

Not EXACTLY sure what they are, but they don’t belong there and I think they are aphids.  I sprayed them with safer soap.  It seemed to do the trick.  

I also found them on this new baby cuke:

I sprayed those too.  I found a few leaves with leaf miner damage and pulled those off.  As the weather gets warmer, the life cycle of the bugs speeds up.  You have to be a good detective!  Spray, spray, spray.  Do NOT let it go.

*** Do you ever see those little white butterflies in your garden.  They are evil!  LOL  Here is the low down on eliminating cabbage worms that eat everything including cabbage leaves, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, etc.  Eliminate the Cabbage Worm – The Living Farm

**  This is the third year I’ve planted beans.  In the last two years, I never had enough beans for a meal, much less to can or dehydrate.  But THIS year…

This is ONE DAY’s pickings!!!  What did I do differently?  1) I sprayed more.  2) planted both pole beans and bush beans to compare them 3)  I get in there every day and take out yellow leaves and look for bugs 4)  I am better about picking the beans and not leaving them on to get old.  5)  I gave them more room to grow.  I put the poles in so they splayed out instead of coming together at the top like a teepee.  I think this is helping with bugs and disease.  6)  I pray for my garden at night.  It may seem silly, but it says in the scriptures to pray over our flocks and fields.  Well… THIS is my field.  

NOW what to do?  Do NOT wash the beans.  They will mold faster.  Put them fresh-picked in a gallon bag with a folded paper towel to soak up any moisture.  I have a gallon bag in the fridge with just this many beans.  I’m not going to “can” them.  I have done that in the past, and it’s just like buying a can of beans – kind of mushy.  I’m going to blanche and dehydrate some, blanche and freeze some, and blanche and freeze dry some.  I’ll try them all and then settle on what I like best.  But I love fresh beans.  A little olive oil in the frying pan, beans, some garlic, and a little chicken broth, and simmer.  YUM.

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: canned vegetables

At Winco, you can get cans of veggies for about $.58  This is just under $7 for a case of 12.  Get 2 cases – or whatever.  I like to store beans, corn, and diced tomatoes.  That’s about it for me.  I stored some diced potatoes once, and after 7 years, I opened them to find they were black.  Ewwww.  Now I only store dehydrated potatoes for long-term.  Wait… I DO have some jars of potatoes, but I rotate them pretty quickly because I like to fry them up for breakfast.

MISC PURCHASE: Bouillon

I usually get the Knorr Chicken Bouillon.  You can get a really big jar for under $5.  Of course, I like the “Better Than Bouillon” brand, but it’s more of a short-term product and wouldn’t store for many years without going bad.  I also store beef bouillon.  Just get a jar this week and stick it aside.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Daryl Hoole’s 1/2 and 1/2 Bread

I’ve had this recipe since the 70’s.  Yeah, I’m THAT old!  I used to make 8 loaves a week for my family.  

Thanks to K.O. who just made some last week or so, and said the recipe did NOT disappoint and turned out great!

6 c. warm water
2 TB yeast
2 TB salt
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
6 c. whole wheat flour
     Mix.  It will be runny, like pancake batter.  Cover and let rise.  It will be spongy.
Stir down and add 6 c. white flour.  Knead 10 minutes.  Divide into 4 loaves.  Let rise.  Bake 450˚ for 15 min, then reduce heat to 350˚ for 20 min.  

For rolls, bake 450˚ for 15-20 min.

Mike’s Bread

My brother, Mike, served in a position in our Church that allowed him to visit various congregations on different Sundays.  He was always appreciative when the bread that was used for the Sacrament was soft and delicious.  Now that he is retired, he has made it his mission to make homemade bread every week for this specific purpose.  

Here is HIS recipe:

1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey
    Add to a bowl
1 1/2 TB sugar
3/4 TB salt
2 1/2 c. warm water
2 TB yeast
   Add all and let rest 5 minutes to give the yeast a start.
2 TB vital wheat gluten
5 c. flour, then add more, little by little until you get the right consistency.  Should be 1-2 c. more.  NEVER add more than 7 1/4 c. flour

Knead, rise, punch down, divide into loaves, etc.  Bake 350˚ 30-40 minutes.  I think he makes 2 loaves from this (I forgot to write that down.  Ugh.)

Winner Bread

Best Whole Wheat Bread

Someplace online had a contest for whole wheat bread.  They made and tested several different recipes and this was the winner:

Makes 5 loaves

6 c. warm water
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
2 TB yeast
     Mix and let sit for 5 minutes or until yeast is totally dissolved.
2 TB dough enhancer (I bought some online just for this recipe)
1/3 vital wheat gluten (They used to have this at Winco in the bulk section, and now I’m not sure)
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 TB salt
    Mix.
9 c. flour – Add flour as needed.  If you let it rest during this process, the water will absorb more of the flour and you won’t need to add as much.  This makes the loaves lighter and not so heavy.  In fact, I usually add about 1/2 the flour (4 1/2 cups) and let THIS part rise.  It will be really soupy, but the flour will have time to soak into the water.  Then when you add the rest of the flour, you won’t need as much.

If you have never made bread, you need two risings.  Once before you shape the loaves, and once after.  Watch some youTube videos to see how.

Put into five well-oiled pans and rise again.  Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Making bread is just something you get better at as you do it.  But hot bread makes your house smell SOOOO good, and tastes delicious!

*** I looked up online how long you could store vital wheat gluten.  Turns out it will store nicely for 7-10 years if it is in an airtight container.  I bought some in the bulk section at Winco and vacuum sealed it in 1 c. portions and stuck it in the closet.

***  I also looked up dough enhancer.  I thought this was a good article about both:  Frieda Loves Bread: Vital Wheat Gluten vs. Dough Enhancer

(Spoiler alert:  She likes using the vital wheat gluten and was not impressed with the dough enhancer)

If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, then you know that the youth program is all about setting goals and working to fulfill them.  Why don’t you choose something to work on this summer.  Maybe it’s continuing to build your food supply.  Maybe it’s working on a better rotation system.  Maybe it’s a skill.  I’m just putting this out there:  My goal is to learn how to use my sun oven.  Yep.  That’s it.  I’d also like to learn to use my cast iron pot.  Okay, now I’d better go get both things out of storage so I can feel guilty every week when I see them sitting around unused.  LOL  Really, I can do this.

Marti

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

**  I saw a headline that said something to the effect that India was putting a cap on sugar exports and there was sure to be a shortage.  So, like all good readers, I decided to investigate.  Yes, India did cap their sugar exports.  They put a 10 million ton limit on exports, but last year, they exported a record crop of 7 million tons.  So…. it looks like we are safe on that front.  

** I decided to google food storage recipes and discovered a treasure trove of free stuff on Pinterest.  Specifically:  Pinterest  In addition to charts and graphs, there are recipes for canning, dehydrating, food gifts, meals in jars, and just cooking.

** Here’s another site from Food Storage Made Easy:  Food Storage Recipes

GARDEN HAPPENINGS:

**  I am beginning to reap the blessings of planting early.  I already have tomatoes ripening!  I’ve picked zucchini, basil, beans, and of course, lettuce.  I want you to know that I pray over this garden every night!  Maybe a better explanation is to say that I pray FOR my garden, it sounds less weird.

**  I’ve been trying to plant lettuce specifically for harvesting seeds.  In this case, you do NOT pick the leaves each week, but let the plant grow.  

Well, on one of my plants, the leaves started turning black around the outside.  I decided to just remove THESE leaves.  Ugh.  I found earwigs nesting inside the lettuce and all kinds of crawly things.  I pulled off most of the leaves and killed the earwigs.  (I hate those creepy things.)  

I have time, so I think I’ll plant that variety again, and see if I can do better this time.  My other lettuces are doing great.  I’m just waiting for them to bolt and get flowers.  

**  Do you ever get these on your zucchini plants???

Squash has two kinds of flowers.  The male flower is on a long, straight stalk.  The female flower has the beginning of a squash plant right under the flower.  THIS is what happens when the flowers don’t get pollinated.  If you don’t see bees in your garden (mine is swarming with them in the mornings) then you may have to take matters into your own hands.  Get a cheap paintbrush (just rob your child’s watercolor paint set).  Brush the male flowers, and then brush the female flowers.  It’s that easy.  If your plant has so many leaves that the bees can’t find the flowers, just cut some leaves off.  It will be fine.  

** When the temperatures get crazy hot, the plants will go into “survival mode” and will not set fruit.  This means they will not produce flowers.  You can mitigate the heat with a shade cloth.  Something like this:40% Sunblock Shade Cloth Net Black Resistant – 8×20 Ft Garden Shade

The last shade cloth I bought was 30%, but I couldn’t find it for this photo.  Also, watch the size.  This is 8 X 20, which is good for a big garden.  It can also be easily cut.  You need some way to drape it above your garden and anchor it so it doesn’t blow away.  It’s weird because even though the cloth is black, it’s nice and cool under the shade cloth.  Your plants will thank you.  I probably have 4-5 of them and use them everywhere in the yard.

THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Tomato Sauce/Diced Tomatoes – 20 cans

If you get the 8 oz size of tomato sauce, it is about 3/$1.  You can buy the whole 24 can flat for $8, give or take.  Diced tomatoes at Winco are $.58??  They used to have canned veggies at $.58 and I noticed that they are now $.58.  Doesn’t seem like much of a price rise, but it’s a 16% increase.

MISC PURCHASE: toothbrushes for everyone and some dental floss

Actually, if you have 72-hour kits, this is a good place to keep this.  Otherwise, you should have some type of bucket for sanitation supplies.  Extra toothbrushes should be in there.  And get 2-3 tubes of toothpaste while you’re at it–AND some dental floss.  I would imagine that if your living situation gets intense, going to the dentist may not be an option.  You’ll want to invest in some good dental hygiene.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Making Basic Mashed Potatoes from I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey
The last time I was at Winco, I noticed they had potato flakes in the bulk section.  But, there was no recipe card or instructions on how to cook them.  So, here you go:

3 c. boiling water
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. milk
     Combine together and melt butter.
3 c. potatoes.  Stir by hand until potatoes are dissolved.
Makes 9 servings. 

You can use the same amount of butter, salt, and milk when making real mashed potatoes.

Shepherd’s Pie

We grew up on this staple.  Basically, it’s meat below and potatoes on top with all kinds of variations.  My mom just added tomato sauce to the browned and drained ground beef, then a layer of green beans, then potatoes on top.  You can stretch this by adding diced potatoes to the meat.  You could stretch it more by adding 1-2 cups of cooked wheat.  Bake in the oven for 30 min.  

Garden Chicken Stew

1/2 c. dehydrated carrots
1/2 c. dehydrated white onions
1/2 c. dehydrated green bell peppers
1/2 c. dehydrated celery
1/2 c. potato dices
1/2 c. orzo or any small pasta
2 TB Italian seasoning
9-10 c. water
3 TB chicken bouillon
1-pint jar of chicken or 1 12-oz can

Add everything BUT the chicken and pasta and boil for 10-15 min.  Add chicken and pasta (and all juice from the canned/bottled chicken)  Boil an additional 5-10 min.  

Variations:  Add a crust on top like chicken pot pie, add dumplings, and thicken with flour mix.

Marti