Marti’s Corner – 30

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

**What do you do when it all goes wrong in your garden??  Email the helpline with questions and a photo. 

Riverside West County:  anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu;  Riverside East County and Low Desert: anrmgindio@ucanr.edu

Check your local region for your local university help.

**  Speaking of things going wrong, I’ve had this white powdery stuff on my beans.  I THOUGHT it was powdery mildew.  I know that’s what I have on my squash because there are little white circles.  But the bean leaves were turning white.  I sprayed with a fungicide like crazy, and with Captain Jacks.  Now that the infestation is affecting everything, I can see that it’s spider mites.The leaves were turning white.

Little webs were visible.  I sprayed with Neem Oil yesterday.  The last time I used Neem Oil, it burned the plant completely.  But I think back then I sprayed in the heat of the day.  This time, I waited until it cooled off at night.  So, we’ll see how this turns out.  THIS year, in particular, is one of those years that makes me question why I’m even bothering to garden!!!

**Here is some info I found useful for removing permanent marker:

*  I have never saved seeds.  Every year I spend a lot of money on seeds.  I thought this video was really instructive, and THIS year, I’m going to give it a try.  How to Save Seeds of All Sorts | A Complete Guide to Garden Seed Saving | Frugal Gardening – YouTube

** When I was at Winco last week, I saw they had big bunches of spinach for about $1 each.  I bought three bunches.  I rinsed them well, then dehydrated them.  I got 3-pint jars packed full of dehydrated spinach leaves.  Now I can add those to soups and casseroles for extra nutrition.  I feel like this was a pretty good $3 investment.

LONG TERM FOCUS: CARROTS

A #10 can of dehydrated carrots contains about 45 servings.  The estimated shelf life is 25 years if freeze-dried.  Dehydrated Carrots will store for 10 to 15 years in a sealed #10 can (oxygen absorber included) under ideal storage conditions (cool, dry place). Once opened, they an average shelf life of 6 to 12 months.  To rehydrate carrots, add one part dried carrots to four parts water.  Let soak for 20 minutes, and then drain excess water.  The cost used to be $9.00 per can, but this item is temporarily not available from the Church Store.

Carrots are available from Augason Farms  Amazon.com: Augason Farms Dehydrated Diced Carrots 2 lbs 6 oz No. 10 Can: Sports & Outdoors for $17.89.  

Another option is to make your own.  You can buy bulk carrots (those HUGE bags at the grocery store) for about $7??  Then dehydrate them yourself.  This is what I did.  MUCH cheaper.  I put the dehydrated carrots in quart jars and vacuum sealed them.  

The advantage of doing it yourself, aside from the huge saving in cost, is that the commercial brands usually have diced carrots or carrot shavings.  When I dehydrated my own, I cut the carrots into coins so they look more like fresh carrots when they are cooked.

SHORT-TERM FOCUS: Vegetables

You have three options for veggies.  Canned is easiest.  Canned vegetables can actually be stored for 5-6 years.  BUT, this is something you definitely want to rotate.  Personally, I have corn, beans, and diced tomatoes.  I canned a bunch of diced potatoes about 3 years ago and they are almost gone.  I also canned carrots, but I find that I use my dehydrated carrots more often.  

Your next option is dehydrated veggies.  I use onions, green peppers, and celery the most.  I also have zucchini (but confess I have never used it.)

The third option is freeze-dried.  I have a few cans of freeze-dried vegetables.  But here’s the thing.  Freeze-dried food maintains its shape.  As a result, the amount of food in the #10 can is limited.  Freeze-dried broccoli only contains 20 servings, compared to the 45 servings of dehydrated carrots.  I tried to dehydrate broccoli once and it just wasn’t pretty.  Suppose you have a family of 4, and broccoli gets used twice in your 19 recipe collection, then you would need 152 servings for one year = 8 cans.  

Keep in mind that if you exclusively have dehydrated and freeze-dried food, you will need more water to prepare them.  Canned vegetables, although they take more space and are heavier, have water.  In a real emergency, this water could be drained and consumed.

72-HOUR KIT FOCUS: Family Photo

You should take a picture of all your children at least once a month.  Get in the habit of taking a family photo every month or so.  Choose a good family photo, and make a copy for everyone’s 72-hour kit.  Doesn’t have to be fancy.  Put names and dates of birth on the back.

MISC FOCUS: Duct Tape

You know what they say, If you can’t fix it with Duct Tape, you haven’t used enough tape.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Farmhouse Chicken Pot Pie
from Cookin’ With Home Storage by Peggy Layton

2 c. canned chicken
1 TB chicken bouillon
2/3 c. flour
8 c. water
1/2 c. dehydrated carrots
1/2 c. dehydrated peas
1/4 c. dehydrated onions
1/2 tsp pepper
pie crust pastry

Line a casserole dish with pie pastry.  Cut chicken into small pieces.  Combine chicken, bouillon, flour, carrots, peas, onions and pepper in a large saucepan.  Add water.  Cook over medium heat until it forms a smooth thick gravy.  Pour into pie crust-lined casserole dish.  Cover with another pie pastry sheet.  Bake 400˚ for 35-45 minutes until browned.  *Variation:  Instead of using pie crust, pour the chicken combination into a casserole dish and top with biscuits.

Danish Meatball Soup – Pioneer Recipe
from Cookin’ With Home Storage by Peggy Layton

6 carrots
4 potatoes
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1/2 tsp salt
water
Wash, peel, and cut up vegetables.  Cube the potatoes.  Cook with 1/2 tsp salt and enough water to cover until vegetables are tender.

Meatballs:

1/2 lb hamburger
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 slice bread
1 TB cream or evaporated milk
1/2 TB flour
1 egg

Combine all ingredients for meatballs.  Form balls and fry until cooked.

2 c. beef bouillon
2 TB chopped parsley

Combine beef bouillon, parsley, meatballs, and vegetables together into a soup.  Heat and serve.

Split Pea Soup
True Confession:  my FAVORITE split pea soup is this:  Lysander’s Split Pea Soup Mix, 13 Oz – Mariano’s. Something about the flavor packet that’s included that I don’t know how to duplicate. Unfortunately, Lysander soups are really hard to find.  Soooo, I’ve experimented with my own recipes and settled on this one.

1 lb split peas – soak in water overnight
Brown 1/2 lb bacon
Add 1 diced onion
2 celery stalks diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
1/2 lb pork sausage – optional
Brown all these together until onion is tender
Drain peas and add the vegetables to the soup pot.
2 quarts chicken stock – Add and simmer
I also like to add diced potatoes to this soup mix.
At first, I thought it was a little weird to have carrots and potatoes in the split pea soup.  But, I really like the taste and variety.  

Remember to do ONE thing this week toward being more prepared.  What do you need?  Batteries?  Food?  Extra vitamins?  More bandaids?  

Maybe while you are buying school supplies, you can get a small composition book and a pencil for everyone’s 72-hour kit.  Let your kids put your most important phone numbers and addresses in the book.  Whatever you do, something is better than nothing.

Be consistent.  Be committed.  Be prepared.

Marti