Hi Everyone,
NOTES:
**Have you seen the empty shelves ahead of Hurricane Ian? Right BEFORE the disaster is NOT the time to prepare!!! Get prepared before so you will be ready. Here in So. Cal, we should be prepared for evacuation from a fire, or from effects of an earthquake. You can find ideas and help from dozens of websites. Here is one from Edison: Prepared for Emergency | Your Family’s Safety | Safety | Home – SCE
**In Riverside County, the office of Emergency Management has a new and spiffy website Riverside County VOAD | Emergency Management Department | Riverside County where you can find information about disaster preparedness, any active events happening, and about volunteering through VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters). In fact, if you scroll down, you’ll see MY NAME!!! (I’m part of the Board of Directors). WooHoo!!!!
All you who live out of state, get on your county website and see if you have anything comparable.
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
* How long will seeds last? Do they “expire?” How Long Do Seeds Last and Are They Still Good?
* Speaking of seeds, I bought a butternut squash the other day to make soup and I saved the seeds. They are on a paper towel, drying on the counter. After a few days, I’ll put them in an envelope and try planting them next year. Every time I make butternut squash soup, people who have never had it are hesitant to try it. But my family who was here last weekend pronounced it GOOD! “I’m pleasantly surprised,” my granddaughter said. Craig’s daughter, who is a vegetarian, wanted the recipe so she could take it to work for lunch. Look for the recipe below. The squash was under $2, and the cream cheese was about $1.50, so I fed the whole family for about $3.50. Okay, I did serve it with toast…. but still.
* Pretty sure there is a mouse/rat in the garden. Here is how I’m trying to protect my tomatoes:
* We are still in the 90’s here in the IE (Inland Empire). Hoping it will cool off soon.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Potatoes
I’m surprised at how often I cook potatoes. I love to fry them up for breakfast. I also include them when I make soup, or chicken pot pie. I like potatoes as a side dish when I’m making a main dish with a sauce (especially a cream sauce!)
You have so many options for potatoes.
* Instant potatoes. Aren’t these great??? I have some “just add water” potato pearls that I really like. The disadvantage is that they don’t store for a long time because the oils in the potatoes will go rancid. You can get instant potatoes that are JUST potatoes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has them for $48.65 a case. Each can is about 22 servings, so a case would be about 132 servings or $.37 per serving. If kept cool (or as cool as possible) they have a 30-year shelf life.
* Canned potatoes – This is what I like to fry up for breakfast. I “can” my own potatoes, but you can buy them of course. They will NOT store for more than 1-2 years, and the cans I had that were 5+ years old were black inside. It was disgusting!!!! Lesson learned. I also like to add these to soups and casseroles.
* Dehydrated potatoes – You can get dehydrated shredded potatoes in the bulk section at Winco. Augason
Farms has both potato shreds and sliced potatoes. Amazon.com: Augason Farms Dehydrated Potato Shreds 1 lb 7 oz This #10 can is $13.37. It is 21 servings or about $.64 per serving. You CAN dehydrate your own potatoes, but it involves some work. You have to peel, slice or cube, and blanch (boil for 5-10 min) the potatoes before spreading them out to dry. Just prop up your phone in front of the sink and watch a good movie while you work. A 10-pound bag of potatoes is about $2.50, so it’s definitely worth it to do your own. Costco has these really cool little milk cartons of dehydrated potatoes. You fill them with boiling water, let sit, then dump them in the frying pan. I took some camping with us and they worked like a charm! I found these on Amazon, but this is exactly what they have at Costco. Idaho Spuds Real Potato, Gluten Free, Hashbrowns 4.2oz (24 Pack)
MISC PURCHASE: Drink Mix/Kool-Aid
If you have to drink water from your 55-gallon drums, you may want something to flavor that water!!! You SHOULD have a filter of some kind because it is difficult to rotate that water every 6-12 months. With the cost of water, I’m only rotating my water about every 5 years. I keep the water on the north side of my house (more shade), and I keep tarps over it as well. Still, I’m not looking forward to having to drink that water. I have 6-8 cases of bottled water, and we rotate that. BUT, I keep 6-8 of those large containers of fruit punch or lemonade. Pretty sure they will last for years!!! Is this a necessity? Well, not really. But something sweet will taste so good and be comforting in a bad situation. At Winco, you can get one for about $8, so get 2, and then pick up 1 each time you shop for the next few weeks.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash
The hardest part of this whole recipe is peeling the squash. Ugh, it takes me about 45 min to do this. I probably just need new, sharper, potato peelers. Anyway, peel, scrape away the seeds (I saved them for planting), and cut into cubes. Put in a pot. Cover with water about 1 inch over the height of the squash.
You need 1/2 onion diced. If using fresh onion, then dice and sauté in some butter before adding it to the squash and water. I always use dehydrated onion, and I don’t sauté, I just put in 2-3 TB.
To the water add:
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
We are NOT spicy at this house, so I probably use 1/2 that amount – just a smidge
Boil the squash until tender. This probably takes 20-30 min.
Then get out the blender. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the squash and put it in the blender. Add 8 oz. of cream cheese a little at a time. Use the water from the squash to thin out the soup to the consistency you want. You can return the soup to the pot if you need to heat it up a little. Do NOT boil.
** You can use an immersion blender, but I’d drain off most of the water first. Otherwise, it will be real watery and you want it thick and creamy.
Chicken Barley Chili
1 can Italian diced tomatoes (you can use regular diced tomatoes and add 1 tsp Italian seasoning)
1 jar Salsa, or 16 oz can tomato sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. barley
3 c. water
1 TB chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Combine and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 20 min.
1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and boiled. If you are using this option, go ahead and boil in the water with the Salsa. You can use canned chicken. This is what I would do in an emergency. Add it AFTER the barley is tender at 20 min.
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
chicken
Add to the soup and simmer for another 5-10 min.
Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
Serve with cornbread.
Cook’s note: If you want a thicker “chili”, don’t add all the water. Wait and see how thick the chili is after everything is added. You can always add water to thin it out.
Honey Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (or polenta)
1/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional, but it yields a fluffier cornbread)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and position a rack in the middle. Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9- inch square baking dish with butter and place skillet/dish into the oven to heat up. (Alternatively for cast iron skillets: heat 1/2 cup of unmelted butter in your cast iron over stove top on medium heat until melted, turn heat off then allow the butter to cool slightly before adding to the batter.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder(If using), baking soda and salt.
- Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, honey and eggs. Mix together well to combine, then add in the slightly cooled melted butter. Mix Again until ‘just’ combined (don’t overmix).
- Carefully remove your ‘hot’ pan or dish from the oven with oven mitts, and pour the batter into the hot skillet or dish. Listen to that sizzle! That’s what you want.
- Bake until the cornbread begins to brown on top and atoothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20-23 min). Allow to cool for 10 min before slicing and serving.
NOTES: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own! Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or fresh squeezed lemon juice) to1 cup of room temperature milk (full cream,2% or skim can be used). Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes. Done! Prepare your buttermilk as step one of this recipe to ensure it has soured enough before adding to your mixture.
—
Marti
Hi Everyone,
a water filter (both a straw and water bottle with filter included). 
We are nearing fall and the end of the growing season, so fruit is “in season”. While I was in Utah, my daughter bought a box of peaches. Oh my goodness, they were sooooo good. BUT, the boxes were only about 10 pounds and it was $26 per box. I thought that $2.60 a pound was kind of pricey for peaches. It’s a lot of money to pay if you want to can them. But they were REALLY good for eating. I haven’t been blown away by fruit prices here where I live. But you can still try to pick up some cans of fruit. Even applesauce is good. Fruit has to be rotated pretty often, so plan on eating it within the year. You can always get fruit roll-ups for about $.39 each that will last longer. Freeze-dried fruit can be expensive. 
an extra tube of Desitin, or whatever. If you have a child in diapers, you should invest in some cloth diapers. If you never have to use them, count yourself lucky. Otherwise, you will be SO thankful you have them. Just get 2 dozen diapers and put them in the back of a closet. 
* Here is 
compressed wipes (for hands, face, or other needs) instead. There are 550 wipes in this purchase. You could toss 9-10 in your kit, and it would take up much less space! 
and a GIANT grub comes along and eats everything down to the quick. Argh.
Soup left (that’s the one I use the most). At Winco, I bought a four-pack for about $4.50! Individually, it can be almost $2 a can. Yikes! You can make a homemade-type cream soup (like a copycat recipe), but frankly, it doesn’t taste the same and I like the ease of canned soup.
Probably once a week, I make pancakes, or french toast, or french pancakes. All these require maple syrup – at least at my house. I DO have a recipe for syrup, but I find that I don’t mind just storing an extra bottle or two.
decrease with time. That may be true. So, to combat that, and any other problems we may have with food supply, I store vitamins. That food I have may not be as nutritious, but it will still be filling, and the vitamins will supply the nutrients. (That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!)
I did some research on Lysander soups. 
Once you start talking about generators, you will need to know a little about watts. The average refrigerator can take up to 780 watts. So a 2000-watt generator will be enough.
tuna casserole that will feed a lot of people for under $5. It’s not the most nutritious, but it’s filling and a good shelf-stable recipe. I grew up on this. I think I’ve made it twice in the 13 years we’ve been married. LOL
AA and/or AAA batteries. Your flashlights probably use D batteries. Unless you want to start getting rechargeable batteries, you just need to bite the bullet and buy them at least twice a year.
also use nutmeg, celery salt, parsley, onion powder, garlic salt and powder, and several others. At Winco, you can buy these in bulk. You really only need about 1/4 c. each. Keep them in zip lock bags, small Tupperware, or vacuum seal in small jars. Spices can make all the difference in a pot of beans. Every year I make an effort at growing basil, but it bolts pretty quickly in the heat. The rosemary, on the other hand, thrives in the heat. Thyme has also been easy for me to grow in Zone 9B. AND, don’t forget to store some cinnamon. LOTS of cinnamon.
Then, there is typhoid fever – also a result of poor sanitation.
Debone the chicken. Today you might want to use 2 cans of chicken, or 1-pint chicken. You can always buy a rotisserie chicken and pull off the meat. 
This is a crash course in beer making. The tradition of fermentable beverages goes back thousands and thousands of years to the most ancient of historical records. The information written about the process of fermentation, the science, and the ways it can go wrong or be tweaked here and there to render differing results are too numerous to capture in a single video, book, volumes of books, or even a library. If you are looking for fine details about brewing with lots of calculations, charts, and diagrams, this is not for you. If you want to understand the basic concepts of beer brewing and fermentation with yeast, accepting that results can wildly vary, this is the video for you. Even condensing this into the most concise details as possible, this is still going to be a long video, but I will cover what you need to know, from the equipment, mash, hops, yeast, how to know it’s done, how to clear it, bottle it, and even a little about the history of beer. It’s much to cover, but it should provide anyone with a strong basis for further research. Let’s get started making this City Prepping Strong Brown Ale.
so you may determine if you need to substitute or find alternatives to these basics. You will need a container capable of holding 5 gallons for this batch. I will use a water carboy. You will need a bubbler for the top to keep air out but allow the escape of C02. You could also attach a rubber glove with a pinprick hole in one of the fingertips for the same effect. You will need at least one large pot capable of holding 5 gallons or 20 quarts. I will use two pots to reach an appropriate volume of just under 5 gallons and demonstrate the use of all grain brewing versus liquid extract brewing. Typically, you are doing one or the other and not both.
Additional equipment includes a stirrer, funnel, wire mesh strainer or nylon bag, measuring cup, a thermometer of some kind, and plastic cling wrap. Optionally, you might also want a hydrometer, which I will explain later, and here I will try a nylon grain bag, which I haven’t used before.
sorghum, wheat, millet, maize, or even cassava root, but your grain bill, as it is called, is alive with starches, saccharified sugars, and enzymes ready to break down those starches to simple sugars that yeast will thrive upon. If you are using the grain you harvested, you will need to sprout it slightly first. This starts the breakdown of the starches and releases the nutrients. If you are buying malted grain, this step has been done for you. An all-grain recipe will require 8-15 pounds of grain.
For these grains, I will follow a simple mash schedule. I have to break the hull of the grain first by gently pulsing it in my food processor. This will provide access to the nutrients locked inside. I will first raise the water temperature on the soaking grains to 104 to 113 degrees for 20 minutes. This allows the phytase enzyme present in the grain to break down an organic phosphate to yield a mild acid. The 20 minutes ensures that enzymes are well distributed within the mash and that the grain is wetted, providing access to the enzyme to the starch. In addition, this is a suitable temperature for breaking down beta-glucans, which can gum up the mash, leading to a stuck run-off or hazing up your beer. In this batch, I am using a pound of rice hulls. You could use chaff from the grain you grow for the same result, but this prevents the mash from sticking together like a big ball of oatmeal or something. This allows for the water to circulate around the grain. I am also using some homegrown oats, chaff and all, for the same reason of circulation. With grain, you are basically making a long and slow tea.
for at least 60 minutes to thermally decompose it further. If you don’t, you will have high levels of S-methyl methionine. Without getting too technical here, suffice it to say that failing to boil for at least 60 minutes will result in a bitter beer that may taste bad and have a strong sulfur smell. I know because I have made that beer. Don’t skip the boil. Don’t shorten the boil. It’s an essential part of brewing. If you are using all liquid malt, you can skip the mashing schedule and simply bring water to a boil, turn the flame off and add your liquid or powdered malt extract. Then, boil for at least 60 minutes.
Bavarian abbey outside Munich, Germany. Before hops, beer was flavored and preserved with gruit, a combination of heather, mugwort, and other locally grown herbs and spices. Over hopping like many IPAs on the market today, started with good intentions– trying to make beer that would transport over long distances, but it has become a little too crazy, in my opinion. There are many beers on the market today that are undrinkably hoppy. In my opinion, the over-hopping trend is a method used by beginning brewers to try and make bad-tasting batches of beer drinkable. Still, hops are essential to modern beer. I will assume that you like a slight hoppiness in your beer. For my batch, I will be using just 3 ounces of hops.
yeast is working by proofing it. To do this, I pull off a couple of cups of wort from the boil about 30 minutes into the boil. I cover that with cling wrap and let that come all the way down to room temperature before adding the yeast packet or liquid yeast. You will be able to see, after an hour or more, the anaerobic activity of the yeast, maybe even some movement.
with what is referred to as priming sugar. Priming sugar is typically corn sugar or dextrose. The remaining few yeasts in the beer eat it and produce CO2, which has nowhere to go in the bottle, so it dissolves into the beer. Typically, you will use no more than 3/4 of a cup for 5 gallons. You can use other sugars, which is where science comes into play. Yeast will consume the sugars differently. If you used 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar, you would have bottle bombs. That’s probably true for white sugar too. If you were to use white sugar, it’s just 2/3 of a cup you need. A few grams of too much sugar could result in too much carbonation, so always err on the side of less. There are several online calculators to help you get this right.
first began. Our ancestors settled, farmed, and drank beer. Possibly grain storage was allowed to get too wet, perhaps by soaking the grains to make them more edible in sprout form. That excess water likely spontaneously started to ferment from any one of the more than 500 species of yeasts floating around in the air. The result was alcohol. Consuming the grains or the liquids would have had a spirited effect, perhaps strong enough to lead to intoxication.
