Continued from here
Green Mom ¨C at 10:51
Another prep this week-I visited a GREAT used book store and picked up 5 veggie cookbooks from 1970¡äs lots of info about combining grains/legumes, complimentary proteins, cooking with tofu/tvp, etc. I¡¯m going to spend next few days reading them and then comparing with current nutrician info-I know the current thinking about proteins for example is a little different.
Also picked up a couple of copies of Barry¡¯s ¡°Great Influenza¡± pretty cheap. I¡¯m putting some website info-fluwiki, pandemic.gov etc inside, then will ¡°release¡± the books a¡¯la Bookcrossings. I very much want to get the word about panflu out, but I also very much want to remain anonymous. I¡¯m thinking this will be a good compromise.
tjclaw1 ¨C at 11:11 I read a review of a cookbook in our local newspaper this week. The book is Stories & Recipes of the Great Depression by Rita Van Amber. The reviewer tried several of the recipes and said they were really good. One I found interesting was that they used to make a large pot of oatmeal (the slow-cooked kind), put the leftovers in a bread pan, refrigerate it, and then for dinner, they¡¯d slice it, fry the slices in lard, and serve with maple syrup. Some of the recipes utilize plants we would consider weeds. Think I¡¯m going to order it.
This is a great time of year (northern hemisphere) to get a great deal on a home reservior system. Its amazing how many people have these. If you buy them new they cost thousands. I bought a used one several years ago and only paid $250 for the whole thing, pump, filter, and above ground open tank. It even came with a ladder to get into it, (for cleaning?). And the previous owner was GLAD to see it go! Just check you local newspaper classified ads under, I think they are usually called, em, oh yeah, swimming pools.
And Wallyworld has chemicals on clearance.
A 15ft diameter pool filled 3.5 ft deep holds 4600 gallons. That is a lot of water.
Well, I did it…..on the What to wear for a Pandemic thread, someone mentioned sweats being easier to clean than jeans (certainly easier to wring out) so I just bought 6 lightweight pr of sweats/loungers & matching tee’s on clearance for my husband for his birthday next week!
Later on I’ll add some heavyweight ones for a Christmas present.
I also put up 1 case of quart jars of instant milk, with oxy absorbs in each jar.
I have been concentrating on putting up all the food I can and buying deoderant and soap and paper plates. I figured yesterday that I needed to think of something that would be nice and fun if I have to SIP and I so far am alone although that could change with my brother and two sisters and their families. So I went shopping and brought a really nice portable Movie CD player. has rechargable batteries, plugs into a regular outlet , and also plugs into a vehicle cigarrette lighter. so think I’m good to go , I have a solar battery charger so, now gotta get more movies. LOLOL….and lots more books, yup gotta have my books.and I already have two windup radio’s. and coloring books and crayons. yup entertainment is covered. including the great outdoors cause I live in the country. is there anything I might have missed????
I have three pans of green beans dehydrating.
I asked about swimming pool chemicals at a couple stores that carry them in the summer. Oh, I was told, those are seasonal items and they’ve been pulled. Hello? I said, This is Texas, the land where one can swim year round? And those pools need chemicals year round? Didn’t anyone think of that? One of the salesclerks gave me a long suffering look and said I know that and YOU know that but the suits in the home office apparently haven’t figured it out yet.
Here’s a thought for those who plan on building an outdoor fire to cook on. If you line your fire-pit with rocks, try as hard as you possibly can NOT to use wet, fresh-from-the-water river rocks! The water inside of them boils off, and can cause them to ‘splode!! Been there, done that, found out the hard way.
And yes, water CAN get inside of rocks that have been submerged for any length of time…
lady biker – at 14:31, how about some games like Monopoly (there is a junior version for younger kids) a Cribbage board, several decks of cards and a card playing rule book (just in case you cheat at Solitaire!). Puzzles are great to work either alone or with other people too. Backgammon is another game my husband and I used to play a lot (before we started having kids). Some of my fondest memories are of playing Cribbage all afternoon with my Grandfather (who taught me to play).
lady biker – at 14:31 is there anything I might have missed????
I’m thinking a deck of Uno cards & regular playing cards & maybe poker chips—I personally don’t play poker yet….may have time to learn!
tjclaw1 and I’m-workin’-on-it, thanks I did completely forget about cards, I love playin solitaire, and yea I cheat but it’s still fun. I’ll have to check out the other card games and see what’s all out there. um poker might get me in trouble. LOL…….I love puzzles and I need to find one of those puzzle pads that you can rolll the puzzle up on and move it if it’s not finished. yup ……. great ideas there folks…. I love productive feed back , helps a lot……..thanks
Here’s a place for a puzzle stow n go. http://tinyurl.com/nbrvb Also, Ravensburger produces high-quality thick cardboard German made puzzles. Can also buy at Amazon.com. Don’t forget to have a good card table and chairs (don’t want to have to clear the game/puzzle off the dinner table constantly!) A great trick a teacher gave me is to use a pen or a marker to identify each puzzle piece so it makes it back in the right box (or if you find one later, you know where it goes), and keep the pieces in a baggie when storing in the box (picture a child pulling puzzle boxes from top shelf of closet and pieces spilling all over your preps). Or, what happened to me last weekend - my 5yo worked several 300 piece puzzles and maybe 15 smaller puzzles and had them beautifully displayed on her bedroom floor. Two year old sister was so impressed she wanted to help - result, thousands of pieces in one pile in the middle of the floor. Took the 5yo hours to re-work all the puzzles and put them away.
OMG……..tjclaw1 ,LOL…a puzzle nightmare……I can see it all in my mind. and I gotta say lady, your a better person than I am, I’m afraid I would have screamed and thrown the whole mess away……LOLOLO
Handy helpful hint: When using a handheld blender to turn dehydrated tomato paste into tomato powder, use a cover on the container to prevent flying tomato bits all over the counter top and you.
Thank you. You may now return to your regularly scheduled prepping.
IWOI at 14:16 - Introduced my DH to sweats a few years ago. He won’t wear anything else for lounging around the house when the weather gets cooler. Won’t wear them in public but he loves them for R&R time.
Bought myself some new ones a few days ago. I just can’t think of anything more comfy or cozy. Today I’m ordering silk long johns.
Texas Rose-thanks so much for that tip! (snicker…) And heres one for you- When pouring a BIG 10 pound bag of rice into smaller bags, make sure that none of the smaller bags have a hole in them!
Sounds like everyone is prepping to beat the band. Frankly I’ve had to take a break … my nerves and my pocketbook were getting a bit strained and I wasn’t even buying anything unusual.
I think its OK to just only live in the here-and-now once in a while as long as you don’t make it a permanent change. I’ve needed the break.
My mom is sending me 2 or 3 five gallon buckets of canning pears by way of my brother sometime this weekend. By this time next week I hope to fill back out my supply of canned sliced pears, pear sauce, and pear butter … depending on how much the pears make.
I’ve got a load of meat in the freezer looking at me accusingly every time I open the door. <sigh> I just can’t seem to block out enough time to get it all taken care of. The kids activities have really started eating into my time again and have a lot going on in the business as well.
I have gotten some more decluttering done but lots more to do. Seems stuff in this house seems to multiply … or maybe everyone else’s junk is migrating to my house for the winter. <shrug> Either way, next week I want to do some work in the toy and stuff department.
May not seem like much prepping is going on around our house, but I look at it like it is just another type of prepping. Mind prepping … not stuff prepping.
I just posted this on the News thread also:
NEWS For those whose preps include infant formula!
Hundreds of thousands of bottles of infant formula recalled
On the web here
BB, the link at the closure of PrepXX goes to a page that says “password required.” ?
This site has information on ancient grains and the genetic differences that modern grain has (now wheat has more chromosomes!), and how modern factory baking methods have made bread into a product that instead of being healthful may do harm, because of the speed with which it is made as well as its additives. The intriguing thing is the suggestion that letting grains ferment, as earlier people did, makes them more digestible. (Not just beer, though :) )
http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/gluten-intolerance.html
Jane – at 20:59 --- It do?!? Oops…it do!! I’ll check with the Mods to get that fixed forthwith and immediately!! Sorry….and thanks.
Kathy in FL - Good for you! We all need to catch our breath now and then:)
Preps for the Day
Went to “Princess Auto” store in our local town and purchased some “Mini Digital Multimeters” with a temperature probe for the princely sum of 9$ each. Will use the teperature probes to monitor the temperature of the freezer and fridge as the probe is 36 inches long and thin enough that it will fit between the door gasket. This will eliminate the need to open the door to see if evey thing is still frozen and should minimize the number of times required to start the generator.
Kathy- yes everybody definatly needs a break. I geared way down, prep-wise, in July and Aug. I uasually go into winter-prep nesting mode this time of year pan-flu or not Probably something Ive gotten from my Mom, grandmother, etc.
MAJOR decluttering effort under way here.
Cleaning carpets, washing walls.
Some interior painting before winter sets in.
Bird G., I’ll send you my address by email and a bus ticket….I hope to see you first of the week — I have a small house; you should be through within a couple of days at the rate you’re going! :-)
What size is your dumpster ???
:-)
Lined up the 300 gallon water tank today. I just have to go pick it up..for FREE!!! Check with local businesses in your area. I got mine from an egg processing plant. It originally contained acid to wash and sterilize the eggs. I’ve got to get the acid cleaned out ‘cause it’s strong enough to eat through your skin. With about $7 at the hardware store for PVC pipe, we will be set for water storage if it rains. Still working on the solar pump for the well….
Here is an oven that I ordered from Lehman’s that can either sit over one burner or on top of a wood burning stove.
Blue Ridge Mountain Mom – at 14:44 Lined up the 300 gallon water tank today. I just have to go pick it up..for FREE!!! Check with local businesses in your area. I got mine from an egg processing plant. It originally contained acid to wash and sterilize the eggs. I’ve got to get the acid cleaned out ‘cause it’s strong enough to eat through your skin.
Free is great, but do you really think this is safe to store water in? I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess that this stuff may have permeated the tank if its plastic. Are you using this for potable water storage? You might want to call the mfg. of the acid to find out what they recommend re: whether it’s OK for non-potable and/or potable uses.
Last spring we went online with Carey Container and ordered 48 1 gallon plastic jars with screw on lids and 48 5 gallon plastic pails with lids and handles. The lids of the 5 gallon pails have rubber “0″ rings and collapsible pour spouts. The 5 gallon pails can each hold 30 pounds of grains or legumes. They are airtight, waterproof, and they can stack. The 1 gallon plastic jars have wide mouths, so they are very useful for smaller quantities, and they make bug-proof containers for odd quantities of cereal, snacks, spices, flour, corn meal, sugar, etc.
A lot of sites sell plastic jars and pails. A good cost reference is $1 per gallon, including shipping, regardless of the size.
Went shopping today stopped at a garage sale and scored 2 jerry cans (ok I don’t know how to spell it, military gas cans) for 1$ a peice. WHOOOO HOOOO
Topped off my food preps at Sams, and on a whim asked at the bakery if they had any empty 5gal buckets. She said how many do you want? Walked out with 6 FREE 5 gallon buckets with lids. WHOOO HOOO again.
What a great shopping day!
Today’s prep purchases at Sam’s Club:
An extra case of paper towels, 30 rolls.
An extra 2-liter pump dispenser bottle of alcohol gel hand sanitizer. We bought two and will use one in the kitchen and put the other in the prep pantry. I may go back and get another one for my desk at work. A half-gallon jug of hand sanitizer definitely says “I’m serious about this.”
A #10 can (7 pounds) of cooked pinto beans. Listed as 24 half-cup servings.
A 3½ pound box of Minute Rice. Listed as 37 half-cup servigs.
A 18-can case of Vienna sausages.
>><<
Dennis, how are you going to eat that can of pinto beans before it spoils? I’ve been buying lots of small cans of any food that won’t keep without refrigeration. I’m on the prowl for little jelly packets next.
InKy I believe at food service direct/bulk they sell pc packets of all conditments. (by the case)
InKy – at 18:16 how are you going to eat that can of pinto beans before it spoils?
We’ll put it in the refrigerator.
I don’t expect to be without utilities from the first day of our SIP and, even if we are, I think I can hold the fridge at a safe temperature with the generator running 4 hours per day. If TSHTF during the late fall, winter, or early spring, then it is even easier. Our second refrigerator is in the panty, and that room can be left unheated. Nighttime temps here during the winter go down to single-digit range, with occasional excursions below 0°F. Keeping the whole pantry at 40°F will not be difficult.
I agree with your strategy of using small cans; we also have 16-ounce cans of garbanzo beans, blackeye peas, pinto beans, pinto beans with onion, and pinto beans with jalapeño peppers.
Once we use up the canned beans, we’ll fall back to the dry beans that we also have.
Our Sam’s Club has “JELLY CUPS ASSORTED 200 CT., .5 OZ” for $6.47.
Just checked there, they have 200pc grape or apple jelly for $12–13 each. Another thought, check with your local fast food place, like KFC. They might be willing to sell you a case of whatever condiments you want-ask the manager.
Dennis C - your plan makes sense. I don’t have a generator, so I’ll have to kiss refrigeration goodbye when the power’s out, though I can keep things cold, as you suggest, if it’s winter out. My garage is unheated, and for that matter most of the house will be, too, alas. Thanks for the tip about the jelly cups at Sam’s. I’ll look for them on my next run.
So far I have managed to peel, slice, and process four gallons of canning pears. <grin> I’ve got another large box of pears to go that should give me about 3 or 4 more gallons.
Next week I want to process as much of the meat out of my freezer as possible. Don’t know if I will actually get it done, but that’s the plan. I’ve browned a lot of the ground beef already … its just a matter of reheating and then canning it in quart jars. I also have some stew meat and roast to do.
Finally got an authentic lesson on preparing Ropa Vieja … a dish from my husband’s side of the family that I never learned from my inlaws before they passed away. Seems fairly easy … I’ll save some of it and can it in a pint jar to see if it is “can-able” or not. If it is, boy will it be a treat for my husband over rice. I’d also love to love to find a “can-able” Picadillo … that would be another treat for hubby. I think I’ve found a way to can pork loin so that it has the flavor of our traditional Christmas pork … but that is yet another experiment in the making.
Overstock.com has a five inch 3-way power 5 in tv, plus 2 battery operated radio-alarms for $37.99. The adapter cords on the TV are included. The smallest radio also has a temperature readout (F and C) and light. The price sounds so good I’m a little leery but have ordered two sets anyway. We’ve been pleased so far with everything we have ordered from them. The link is:
They also have a 5 LED lantern with a crank for $19.95. I’ll let you know what we think after we receive the order. We just placed it tonight.
That should read, “Overstock.com has a five inch, 3-way (AC/DC battery powered) tv, plus 2 battery operated radio-alarms for $37.99… Things never look the same when I’m typing them in the comment box for some reason. Maybe its the old style type.
One more time… LOL… the lantern has also has an FM scan radio whatever that is.
bgw in MT – at 21:52 the lantern has also has an FM scan radio whatever that is.
Probably means it doesn’t have a knob tuner or a keypad via which you could enter the frequency of the station you want. Just an “up” and “down” (or maybe only “up”) button that will take you to the next station and lock there until you hit the “scan” button again.
Kathy in FL, we took a break at the same time. I went a little overboard and decided that the mortgage might need to get paid this month so I’ve cut way back. I’ve been so busy with school, and I think a little delayed adjustment reaction that I haven’t come here often. I’ve really missed you guys.
Now that money is flowing again I need to see the great ideas. I’m sending in my money for a group buy on canned cheese and canned butter. I did order the dehydrated fruit special from Honeyville Grain, and we just got the second raised garden bed filled with dirt today. I go and sit in my prep room, former guest room, and think to myself that “we just might be okay”…and I am quietly very proud.
Have a surprise surgery coming up. It’s one of those little “just when you thought you had it all plannef for” kind of things. An old shunt has disintegrated in my abdominal cavity and parts are floating around…resting on my lung. In a weird way I’m really glad it happened now and not during a pandemic as that would have been a real problem. I didn’t see this coming as NOBODY ever told me they could come apart! At least my Neurosurgeon isn’t blowing me off this time. I can’t imagine what I would have done if this happened during a SIP! I think God is looking out for me. If something weird will happen, healthwise, it will happen to me. I’ve really learned to just roll with it. I think I’ll be checking in more often, my little mental vacation has ended.
Orlandopreppie---good luck on your surgery—I have had a few surprises this year myself and I feel the same way thank God they found this now and not sip. Thinking about you!
I now have a complete inventory of my preps and now I am working on a list of things I don’t have. This list is much longer than I thought it would be. I thnk that means more money. It also means more research on the items I do not have. I get so much information here, I could not do it without this community. I guess I am going to have to read that generator thread!!
I now have a complete inventory of my preps Love Texas, you are my hero…LOL, I seriously need to take an inventory.
Love Texas – at 17:40
WOW, good for you!! Inventory is so hard, do you have any suggestions or lessons learned. I finished an excel spredsheet for one area, then I locked it shut. But I would like to do one for each storage area so I know where everything is, then merge them together. Do we have any excel experts available for questions? :-)
If anyone is interested in buying a battery operated (therefore portable) LED night light with built-in motion sensor and photocell, I’ve found a bargain. These normally sell for $14.99 each, plus $7–10 shipping, so I really thought this was a good deal. I ordered two of them today, one for my bathroom and the other for my kitchen (neither has convenient plugs for a nightlight, and since these are portable (attach with velcro), I figure that these are perfect… I have read accounts of people who got them for elderly relatives who have to get up frequently in the middle of the night). On this site they are $11.99 each with free shipping. They also have a 3-in-1 LED emergencylight/night light/LED flashlight on sale for $17.99 with free shipping. I know the sale is good today, but don’t know how long it continues. I have no relationship with this company other than placing an order with them, but I’ve researched these motion-sensor LED nightlights pretty thoroughly and believe this is a great price.
Got a couple more oil lamps, additional wicks and low odor mineral spirits (so much cheaper than those small lamp oil bottles). I now have 1 dual large, 2 medium, 2 small medium and one small. I need to try them out. I find I am still nervous about starting appliances needing flammable fuel; I guess its just a healthy respect.I have many other light sources as well.
Tried out our two Kerosene heaters (Kero-World KC2400 and KC1100) & I must say they were a cinch to set-up and ignite and I was really impressed by the heat and lack of smoke or smell. I feel better knowing I have these and Kerosene for about 10 days (24 hours) or 20 days for 12 hour days. Will stock up on Kerosene until I have about 3 months worth to help over the worst winter weather. My husband helped me with this test so I now feel okay about lighting them.
I’ve been taking a prep break for the last couple of months and am just about ready to start up again.
I’m in a cold climate with plenty of snow cover in winter. A nice little project for me this last few days has been to prune my backyard shrubs and then cut up the thin branches into very small pieces. I’ve got a nice big pile of twigs and leaves now drying up in the back yard. I plan to bag it up and place in my garage - free fuel for my Kelly Kettle.
Made crabcakes with all prep ingredients today and they were fantastic. And that, sadly, is the only activity that relates to prepping done the whole weekend…unless the dismal checkbook balancing counts (grey hairs sprouting rapidly and can’t call the wrinkles laugh-lines any more!!!).
Love Texas – at 17:40
Now that you have your inventory, use it to draw up menus for the number of mouths you need to feed. This will tell you what you really have an how long it will last.
Example I have 180 vacume sealed bags of rice with 6 cups in each bag. That will provide the basis for 1 meal for 7–8 people. I then compare that to the amount of canned meat, beans chile etc and draw up a menu for 6 months. Next I take my pasta, canned soups and dried soups, make the menus for lunch for 6 months. Then I took the amount of cerels, pancake mix and other breakfast type items (included powdered milk) to determine the breakfast for the kids (none of the adults eat breakfast, just coffee at one can a week needed 30 cans or 5 cases) You now have an idea of how long you can go with no out side food. Do the same with water, 1 gallon a day for drinking and cooking per person, PLUS 3–5 gallons a day for cleaning and hygene. The second number could come from rain barrels, swimming pools etc. But the first one MUST be clean drinking water.
You get the idea.
i now have a serious commitment to checking the dollar store on a once or twice a week basis.
this week i scored many large bottles of alcohol hand sanitizer for children (strawberry/watermelon) and will be placing one in my daughter’s cubby at school. “use as much as you want honey!”
: D
also scored board games and word search books there this week…for a dollar!
every time i walk in this store seems to have exactly what i need that week, from rolls of plastic, to duct tape, lighters, wet wipes, latex gloves, superglue, swim goggles, condiments, gross msg-laden freeze dried meals…
i couldn’t prep well without the place.
We are eating bread today made from freshly ground wheat. I had been on the lookout for a grain mill but couldn’t decide between motorized or manual. I finally found one that attaches to my mixmaster and and also has a separate base that allows it to be used manually. I picked up 10 25lb bags of wheat ($4.75 each) from the local LDS cannery (they welcome non-mormons), ran some through the grinder and baked up a fresh loaf of bread. It’s everything I hoped it would be and more - the flavor is just wonderful. It’s great to be set up for whole-grain baking as a prep but it’s also something I’ve wanted to try for ages.
Lisa in Southern Maine – at 20:16 - Yummmm Crabcakes :)
Nimbus, I’ve had a Wonder Mill for about a year (and will surely miss it if the electricity goes.) Thanks for the reminder, I have a few extra bags of wheat, but not nearly enough.
Whole wheat pancakes in the morning are my favorite. And if you lean towards Sugarbusters eating habits, applesauce in lieu of syrup is a pretty good substitute… especially if its followed with lots of coffee.
Michelle in OK – at 21:51
Whole wheat pancakes in the morning are my favorite. And if you lean towards Sugarbusters eating habits, applesauce in lieu of syrup is a pretty good substitute… especially if its followed with lots of coffee.
YUMMY: If we promise to bring all our preps (may need an Simi for it all) Can we come stay with you?????? <Grim>:
Saw a guy raking up pears from his yard today (I had actually been eyeing the tree for awhile now) so I figured I would stop in and ask if I could have them.Scored 2 bushels of nice pears,2 buckets of apples,5 zucks for breads,and an invitation to come back for tomatoes,grapes and more apples.They had already canned all they wanted.I traded the wife 2 pairs of Amber earrings that I had made.I love the country life.
Ive been hitting some pretty good sales lately. I missed the propane on clearence sale at CVS last week, but did get some big pacs of tp half price. This week RiteAid Pharmacy has cupo’noodles five for a buck, bottles of apple juice 64 oz for a buck, plus BOGO vitamins and suppliments.
Local grocery had jars of pb for a dollar each, plus 8oz cheese blocks for a dollar.
I’m begining to feel like Posie-I think of some preps I need, and there it is on sale! At the risk of sounding trite…..little and often soon fills those prep bins.
Now if the pandemic will just hold off til I get some more tubs/buckets filled……
Silversage My inventory was a lot of work because I waited until I had lots of stuff and it took a lot of time. It is in an excel spread sheet and I have a column for location, exp: MBC is master bedroom closet. GR is guest room. That has been a big help. I also have a column for food type exp: fats and oils, Veg. or fruit. Med supplies. I find the more you break down the food types the easier it is to find things on the list. Veg. Beans, green Vegs or yellow veges. The best part is taking this list to the store, it helps keep me focused on what I need. I also use it to mark off what I use and up-date it about once a week. I can sort by food type or location, you would be amazed at how much this helps. I am still working on it. Anon451---yes the menu is a good idea, I have some of that in my head but I need to get that down on paper. Nimbus and Michelle in Ok.--I have a Nutra- mill and then I have a small hand crank mill. I have LDS friends and they have been real nice to me and they ordered some really good wheat from Montana and I bought 720 pounds. I have soft white and gold wheat and a real dark wheat. I bought a Bosh mixer and I am having fun baking bread.
After reading on the storing food thread, where somebody mentioned freezing anything that wasn’t canned, I decided to check through my storage of pasta. (I knew I hadn’t froze that first.) Sure enough… there were bugs. Thank goodness I had put them all in ziplock baggies. Not all were infested, but nearly half were. What a mess. I stuck the uninfested in the freezer. It was a job going through all that, but I certainly was glad I did. Now… I have tor re-prep that. But… better to discover it now, than later!
I can’t remember, do bay leaves help with pasta, too?
Yes!
Prep today- I have been out of the house a lot latly, plus a couple of prepping trips and now my house is a MESS! I’m home until evening today with a good slow steady rain- Cleaning is on the agenda this am, then curl up with veggie cookbooks this afternoon and cook some fabulous veggie/prep kind o’meal
Sounds great! What time’s supper?? :-)
I made no-bake choc oatmeal cookies last night — honestly it’s one of the cheapest best-tasting preps you can make — especially if you’ve purchased or canned your own canned butter…..cocoa, evaporated milk, sugar, peanut butter, oats, a pot over heat, a spoon and wax paper!
I’ve also been drinking WalMart’s GV (great value) instant non-fat milk and honestly that stuff’s GOOD! That is if you’re used to drinking non-fat milk already, as I am. I’d put up a case of it in jars with oxy abs, but will do more!!
Today’s prep is, like you to clean up the house from the mess we made over the weekend — we moved some stuff from the attic, emptied it down here, then moved the crates back up to the attic. I need to finish incorporating them into the ‘regular’ stuff. Sometimes organizing is the best prep step you can make!
We had a quart of home canned soup beans for lunch on Saturday and it was delicious! For those that have the equipment and the time, I highly recommend converting your dry beans into canned ready-to-eat beans while you have plenty of water and cooking fuel. I get salt pork in a 4″ x 4″ slab about an inch thick. I put approximately a 1″ cube in each jar and added the beans after they had cooked 30 minutes, really just enough to get the whole pot full nice and hot. Don’t forget cornbread mixes or cornmeal.
Tried out the Ropa Vieja for dinner last night. Ouch! Definitely will need to try that again with adjustments … husband’s comments was it was eatable, but nothing like he remembered his dad making. LOL! I know which seasoning I left out so will give it another go and think that it will be “can-able” but will seriously have to make a double and triple batch if I expect to actually have enough TO can.
Hubby has eaten most of the trail mix that I had stashed and nearly all the tins of cookies are gone as well. Hope they have a holiday sale on them or those two items will be missing in action for the preps for the foreseeable future.
Here’s another prep that I thought some of you might be interested in.
The HistoryChannel on cable has a pretty good allowance in their copyright. And I quote:
“Programs airing on the HistoryChannel Classroom (weekday morning 6–7 am ET & PT) are copyright cleared for educational purposes for up to 2 year from the airdate.”
They’ve got some great programming that is very useful for school as well as just plain interesting. I use the History Channel programs in our educational program at home all of the time. I believe A&E has the same copyright clearance. TLC may as well. I’m not sure about Animal Planet and Discovery Channel though.
Hmmmmm, I LOVE those no-bake cookies-thanks for that, I think I’ll make some today!
My kids-especially my daughter are drinking the powdered milk-it works best if you can mix it in a blender. Ive been cooking with it for quite a while-I’m definatly storing AMAP.
I’ve never canned beans, but it sounds like an awfully good idea to do it now. I think I’ll give it a try.
I’m-workin-on-it - do you think that butter flavored Crisco could be used in that recipe? I have some butter in my freezer and I have butter flavored powder for use in instant potatoes, but I was planning on using butter flavored Crisco for some recipes.
Kathy in FL - what is the name of the recipe for homemade margarine? I think you posted that recipe, but I am having trouble finding it, so I thought maybe what I am calling it is not really the name of the recipe.
Watching in Texas – at 11:26
Hasn’t got a name that I know of unless you call it a butter or margarine substitute or alternative. I’ll post it again here anyway. <grin>
Margarine Substitute using powdered milk
Mix water and food coloring with powdered milk until completely dissolved. Drizzle the cooking oil into the milk/water mixture and whisk as you drizzle. You need a nice, even incorporation of the oil. If your mixture is still too soft for your preference, you can mix in a little additional powdered milk. You can also add just a little bit of salt if you desire.
Other additions: a little bit of butter flavored extract; herbs; flavored salts, etc.
Thanks so much Kathy!! You’re the best:-)
>>Now if the pandemic will just hold off til I get some more tubs/buckets filled…… >>
me too, Green Mom! which reminds me…
all preppers should be aware of the phenomenonon of freecycle.
go here and search for your area of the world/country: http://freecycle.org/
everything available on a freecycle list is free. people post things they’re looking for (WANTED:) or perhaps something they’d like to get rid of (OFFER:).
exchange is typically as simple as leaving something on one’s porch for pick-up, or grabbing something off someone else’s. one person’s trash is another’s treasure you know.
i have scored many prep items this way, including plastic buckets (cat owners go through so many of these litter tubs…), lanterns, jars etc. and it just feels really good to be scoring cool items for free, and/or for getting rid of things one might otherwise have thrown-away.
it’s a preppers dream.
Green Mom, you might have a knack for this!
i’ve scored lots of non-prep items to boot, including a VCR, a bike, houseplants, an easel, a two-person tent, a nice HEPA air purifier, lots of kitchen items, a small keyboard for my daughter, etc.
cheers, all.
Watching in Texas – at 11:26 You know it probably would work….maybe Kathy would know for sure. I’m sitting here trying to figure out just what role the butter actually played in the recipe since the boiling of the sugar & milk is what created a sort of soft ball liquid to mix over the oats to hold it together. I’m not sure just what the butter actually does now that I think about it!
Kathy? Any ideas?
that’s me above!
I’ve used the butter flavored shortening instead of butter or margarine in baked cookie recipes before and no one could tell the difference. Sometimes there was a slight difference in the texture, but the cookies still tasted good. Shortening has a fairly good shelf life, which is why I wondered.
Any bakers out there with ideas/suggestions?
Gee, you know, I guess sometime this week I could try making them with shortening and report on the product. Darn, fresh homemade cookies - well, I suppose everyone must make sacrifices for the greater good;-)
WIT, I’m laughing!! I’m thinking maybe I need to make some more and try to leave the butter OUT altogether!! We may end up with messes on our hands, but then again, we may not!
Watching in Texas – at 13:29
In the interests of scientific testing and reliability, I also volunteer to make a batch. One must do what ever is needed for the cause.
I just want ya’ll to know how proud I am to be serving on the Fluwiki front lines with such brave and selfless souls;-)
I’m-workin’-on-i: do you mind posting the exact proportions of cocoa, evap. milk, peanut butter, oatmeal, butter (or I don’t believe it is butter <grin> ) etc. so that our testing kitchens may report on the same recipe. I have a couple of recipes for this type of cookie, but if we are going to be subbing ingredients, it might be better for us to be using the same recipe.
Bill - if you have any of that margarine subsitute from Kathy’s recipe, you could try that in the cookies…??
You can substitute applesauce for part of the fat in many cookie recipes. The cookie turns out softer, but tastes wonderful. I usually bake cookies on parchment paper to avoid sticking. For example, when making oatmeal raising cookies, I substitute applesauce for half the fat. I also substitute whole wheat flour for 1/3 of the regular flour to make them more nutritious. Can also substitute applesauce for 1/3 of the veg oil in quick bread recipes, but it will take longer to cook (i.e. banana bread, zucchini bread, date bread).
Used to wear silk longjohns, have to sort through all old clothes and find them. Expensive so don’t want to get more. Since I’m pretty much a jeans and polo shirt type day to day, will add a few sweats. Polo shirts under sweaters for winter, and polo shirts are great for summer.Same white shirt. About 9 at Walmarts. Not as fancy as the better ones from Brooks Brothers but good enough to wear a fresh one every day while times are good, and they stay clean under sweaters for a week or more if you don’t spill anything like spaghetti sauce or tea on them. They really had a great sale at Walmarts. Nice stretchy nitegowns reduced to 3$ I buy them sizes too large initially because only really large sizes were on sale, but they look fine and are soooo comfortable when you move around when you sleep. They also had bathing suit separates at 1$ each and all kinds of tops reduced to a $. I went to 2 different Walmarts, and bought bras for 5. and so on. Really got a good pile of comfortable clothes for very little. I think I’m going to get down and really sift through their sales as I didn’t want to buy too much until I tried them on at home.
I should probably post this on the recipe thread, but since y’all are talking cookies, these are my favorites:
Odds & Ends Cookies = from Lee Settersten
1 cup shortening 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 cup oatmeal (quick) 2 cups any dry cereal 1 cup chopped nuts 1 tbsp. water
Cream shortening & sugars. Add eggs, vanilla & mix well. Then add flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder. Last, add oatmeal, dry cereal & nuts. Make into balls the size of walnuts. Lightly spray pans with PAM or similar stuff. Bake 10 min. — leave on pan for 1 more minute, then remove to rack. Makes about 5 1/2 to 6 dozen.
I use 1 cup rice krispies & 1 cup cornflakes, and pecans for the nuts.
oops, meant to bullet the ingredients.
We will note that said cookies use shortening;-) I bet you can use powdered eggs instead of fresh too. Hmmmmm….WIT feels a baking marathon coming on…oh dear….hide the scales.
Hey, keep going, you baking mavens! Especially with recipes that involve dry cereals. But could you post over at the canned/dry recipes thread also? That way it will be easy to include your recipes on my next update. Thanks.
Oremus, those sound good!! We’ll have to try them too!
Here’s the No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies recipe I used:
I DID add peanut butter as given, but will leave it out this next time, it really doesn’t make any difference. With it, they’re perfect, without it they’re perfect! :-)
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of milk (regular or evaporated)
1/4 lb margarine (1 stick) (melt in the microwave if you want to)
4 Tblsp. cocoa
2–1/2 cups oatmeal (honestly any kind will do)
1/4 to 1 full cup chopped nuts (as much or as little as you want)
2 teasp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
Cook sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa until it boils, stirring constantly. Let boil 1–1/2 minutes.
Take off stove and immediately add remaining ingredients and stir completely.
Drop cookie mixture by teaspoon onto wax paper & let cool & set.
EAT!
I’ve been using the powdered eggs in recipes and they work well. I haven’t tried the powdered egg whites yet, but since chefs use them, I assume they’ll work very well.
Oremus – at 15:37 do you REALLY mean any kind of cereal….like Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs, or even Kashi (looks like tiny pieces of firewood) good-for-you cereals for grown-ups that want lots of fiber????
Fellow chefs - will try to bake those, or I guess I should say not bake those;-) tonight after dinner, homework, yada yada. I did say try, didn’t I?? I will report back after not baking!
Thread is getting long, so it’s time for Flu Preps XXII