Marti’s Corner – 54

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* Freeze Dried corn is on sale for 51% off, only $14.58 a can.  Augason Farms Freeze Dried Sweet Corn 1 lb No. 10 Can

I have both freeze-dried corn and dehydrated corn.  I cannot see a difference in how they rehydrate and taste after they are cooked.  The freeze-dried can be eaten right out of the can.  Super yummy.  The dehydrated corn is hard as a rock, so not going there.  BUT, dehydrated corn was so easy to do with my dehydrator.  Anyway, just a thought and option for you.

*  In an effort to be better at rotating food, I decided to open a can of diced potatoes bought in 2014.  It was DISGUSTING!!!  The potatoes were black, the water inside was black, it smelled terrible.  Needless to say, I threw away every can of old potatoes.  I have some potatoes in jars that I canned myself in 2016.  I’ve been rotating through them.  The potatoes right at the top, which are not covered by water, are gray and I throw them away.  But the potatoes underneath are white and just fine.  We had some for breakfast this morning. 

This sparked some thinking about the potatoes.  If you are having trouble rotating your food, you should seriously consider freeze-dried or dehydrated potatoes.  The shelf life is considerably longer. In fact, I’m going to use some dehydrated potatoes to make potato au gratin for dinner.  Just to experiment.  Wish me luck.

*  According to the American Egg Board, fresh eggs can be stored in their carton in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks beyond the pack date.  Unpeeled hard-cooked eggs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Once shelled, the eggs should be used right away.

*  Sprouting-I wanted to share my sprouting this week:

I started with lentil seeds and alfalfa seeds:
	Then I soaked them overnight.
The next morning, I rinsed them and set them to drain in a dish.
I covered the jar on the left with a coffee filter (these are the alfalfa seeds and they are really tiny)	The jar on the right has the lentil seeds and I just used a scrap of netting.
	I rinsed again that night and the next morning.  By that afternoon, I had sprouts!

I like the lentil sprouts best.  I put them on a sandwich, in my burrito, and even on my scrambled eggs.

Notice that the alfalfa sprouts do NOT look like the ones you buy in the store.  If you want long, green alfalfa sprouts, you can grow them on a paper towel: GROW MICROGREENS on a paper towel, in water, seed to harvest, FULL GUIDE  Kris did a great video on this with quite a few different seeds and methods.  Why do you want to do this?  Because fresh sprouts give you about 1,000 times the nutrients of “dead” seeds like beans or wheat.  This is what will transform your food storage into truly healthy food.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Beans

Beans and rice are among the oldest foods known to man.  Both are easy to grow, plentiful, and filling.  The combination of beans and rice creates a complete protein.  Beans alone and rice alone, both lack certain essential amino acids.  If eaten together, however, each contributes what the other is missing.

BEANS

Each type of bean provides different nutrients.

• Black beans (also called turtle beans) contain magnesium, iron, and calcium.
• Pinto beans contain manganese, copper, and phosphorus
• Great northern beans are a good source of iron
• Edamame gives you vitamin K and folate.
• Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) provide folate which is a vitamin B.  Folate is in prenatal vitamins.
• Red Kidney Beans are a good source of potassium, iron, magnesium, B6, calcium.

RICE

• Whole grain rice has fiber.  It can reduce your blood cholesterol and may lower your risk of heart disease.
• Brown rice contains bran, which gives it a brown color and a more chewy texture.
• Wild rice is a whole grain.
• Basmati Rice is a long-grain rice that is fragrant when cooked.  It has a nutty flavor and is often served with curry.
• Jasmine rice is slightly shorter, thicker, and cheaper.  It is often used in Asian cuisine.

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Catsup

There are recipes for making your own catsup.  I imagine that people who have acres of tomatoes will find this useful.  But when you have to buy tomatoes at the grocery store, it is not very practical.  Just buy a few extra bottles of catsup and put them in a closet.  You can usually get catsup for about $.99 – especially as it gets closer to summer.  However, it does NOT store for a long time.  In fact, I find that if it is more than a year old, it darkens and looks unappealing.

72-HOUR KIT FOCUS: Family Photo

With the prevalence of cell phones, we have become picture-taking people.  This is good!!!  This week, choose a picture of everyone at home – or of family members one at a time – and print them off.  Tuck them in an envelope in your emergency backpack.  If YOU are the one lost, having the pictures on your phone probably won’t do anyone any good.

MISC FOCUS

How are you coming along with finding recipes?  After all, if you are going to eat your food storage, you’ll need to cook something.  Right?  Do you have a recipe box with Grandma’s handwritten recipes?  Or are they all online?  If your recipes are online, there is no losing them, spilling food on them, or dealing with messy boxes or folders.  BUT, if your recipes are online and the grid goes down, you will lose them.  

For food storage recipes, look for recipes that only use shelf-stable foods (foods that do NOT need refrigeration).  Write them down.  As soon as you get 7-10 of them, start collecting the ingredients.  When you go to the store, choose ONE of the meals you are planning, and get double.

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Chicken Tortilla Soup

From I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey.

Note:  “I” have never made chicken tortilla soup.  I feel it’s kinda like chili and everyone who DOES make it has their own special recipe.  What I like about THIS recipe is it is all shelf-stable (everything is from a can).  Is fresh better?  Of course, but this recipe will let you rotate some of the cans you have hanging around.  PLUS, it would be so easy to modify to fit in with your family’s tastes.

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chiles
2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth
    Combine in a medium saucepan.  Add:
1 can (14.5 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
2 c. (1 can) refried beans
     Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2 c. shredded, cooked chicken (can use canned or rotisserie)
     Add chicken and heat through.  Top with corn chips and cheese.

White Bean and Sausage Rigatoni

From I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey.
Note:  You can use freeze dried sausage crumbles But they are REALLY expensive.  I would probably substitute some of my canned hamburger.

8 oz. dried macaroni
2 c. cooked white beans (about 1 can)
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained (diced??)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
6 oz. cooked Italian sausage halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/3 c. fresh basil, snipped (or 1 TB dried)
1 oz. Asiago or Parmesan cheese (optional)  

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Return pasta to hot saucepan; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine beans, undrained tomatoes, and sausage; heat through.  Add pasta and basil; toss gently to combine.  If desired, sprinkle with cheese.

Enchilada Hash Brown Casserole
from Best of Taste of Home, submitted by Geraldine Saucier

1 1/2 c. enchilada sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cumin
    In a large bowl, combine these ingredients and add:
3 c. frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed (could use canned potatoes, drained)
1 c. Mexican cheese blend
1 c. fully cooked ham
1 c. black beans rinsed and drained
1 can chopped green chilies
      Mix and transfer to a greased 8 in square baking dish; sprinkle with an additional 1/4 c. Mexican cheese
Cover and bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, fry 6 eggs in 2 TB butter as desired.  Serve with the casserole.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated Comfort Food Favorites. It uses dried beans (what most of us have in storage) It calls for bacon or salt pork.  In an emergency situation, you could substitute cooking oil

1 1/2 TB salt, dissolved in 2 quarts of cold water in a large bowl.
1 c. dried black beans, picked over and rinsed.
      Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.  Drain and rinse well.
Add beans to a dutch oven, and add
2 c. chicken broth
1 bell pepper half (seeds removed not diced)
1 onion half with the root end
garlic head (remove and mince 5 cloves, and cut the rest of the head in half crosswise with the skin left intact)  Add the intact 1/2 head to the pot with the beans.
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
      Bring the beans and vegetables to a simmer and cook over med-high heat until just soft 30-35 min.  Using tongs or a slotted spoon, discard bell pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves.

Drain beans in a colander over a bowl so you can retain 2 1/2 c. cooking liquid.  If you don’t have enough liquid, add water to equal 2 1/2 c.

      Heat oven to 350˚.  

1 1/2 c. long-grain white rice – rinse well and strain off excess water.  Set aside
Dice remaining 1/2 bell pepper, and onion into small pieces (or use a food processor and pulse 7-8 times)
    In the now-empty pot, heat
1 TB extra virgin olive oil  and
6 oz. lean salt pork or bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
Stir until pork is lightly browned 18-20 min.  Add remaining
1 TB oil
4 tsp cumin
1 TB fresh oregano or 1/2 TB dried

Diced pepper and onion

     Cook and stir frequently until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown 10-15 min.

Add 5 cloves of minced garlic and stir about 1 min more.
Add rice and stir to coat, about 30 sec.
2 TB red wine vinegar – add
1/2 tsp salt
beans
reserved 2 1/2 c. cooking liquid

Bring to simmer.  Cover and transfer to oven.  Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender– about 30 min.  Fluff rice with fork, and let sit, uncovered, for 5 min.  Serve, with scallions and lime wedges served separately.

Marti