Posts
Sprouts
Sprouts remain more tender if they are grown in the dark. Cover the container with a towel. On the day you choose to eat them, remove the towel and let the light bring the chlorophyll up in the sprouts for 3-4 hours, then use them.
Containers: There are many different types of sprouters. Commercial sprouters (bought at health food stores), pyrex dish with cheese cloth cover, and quart jars. The easiest and most inexpensive is the jar. Put up to ¼ cup seeds in the jar and cover well with warm water. Let the seeds soak overnight and fasten a piece of nylon (stocking nylon works well) with an elastic band over the top. Pour off water. Use this water on your plants since there is nutrition in the water. Rinse the seeds thoroughly and lay the bottle on its side. Wrap it in a towel. Rinse the seeds three times daily. Pour excess water off seeds. A good time to do this is when you eat so that you will remember! Sprout them about 3 days or the length you like.
Sprouts are filling so they are great for those who are on a diet. The great nutrition in sprouts helps satisfy cravings. Sprouts that you will not be using immediately should be put in an air-tight container in the fridge.
When adding sprouts to casseroles, add them last or when they can just be heated so you don’t destroy the nutrition.
Put alfalfa, cress, or mustard sprouts on a sandwich instead of the lettuce. Mustard sprouts are excellent on roast beef sandwiches. Wheat sprouts (1/4” to ½”) are good in sandwich spreads ( tuna, etc.) and good in salads too.
Several seeds that are good for sprouting are alfalfa, chia, cress, mustard, radish, mung, rye, lentil, kidney beans and wheat. Don’t use treated seeds or they won’t sprout!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wheat Taco Meat
Wheat Taco Meat
Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup wheat to a boil. Turn down heat and let it simmer until all the water has been absorbed. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Don’t let it burn! Then put the wheat into a blender with some oil and taco seasoning. Put in enough oil to make it not dry. It’s ready to eat! You can also put it through a meat grinder instead of a blender if you choose.
Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup wheat to a boil. Turn down heat and let it simmer until all the water has been absorbed. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Don’t let it burn! Then put the wheat into a blender with some oil and taco seasoning. Put in enough oil to make it not dry. It’s ready to eat! You can also put it through a meat grinder instead of a blender if you choose.
Apple Brown Betty
Apple Brown Betty
Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 cups dried apples. Let stand 5 minutes.
Topping: Mix the following ingredients well.
1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
Then cut in 1/4 cup butter. Place the apples and liquid remaining in a greased 9X9 inch pan. Sprinkle topping over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 cups dried apples. Let stand 5 minutes.
Topping: Mix the following ingredients well.
1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
Then cut in 1/4 cup butter. Place the apples and liquid remaining in a greased 9X9 inch pan. Sprinkle topping over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
Toasted Oat Crumbles (Granola)
Toasted Oat Crumbles (Granola)
2 Cups Oats
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Dry Milk
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1/4 cup Water
Mix dry ingredients. Stir water and oil together. Drizzle over the dry ingredients. Toss to mix. Spread on greased cookie sheet in small crumbles. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until oats are lightly browned.
2 Cups Oats
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Dry Milk
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1/4 cup Water
Mix dry ingredients. Stir water and oil together. Drizzle over the dry ingredients. Toss to mix. Spread on greased cookie sheet in small crumbles. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until oats are lightly browned.
Peach Granola Cobbler
Peach Granola Cobbler
4 Cup FD Peach Slices*‡
1/3 Cup White Flour‡
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar‡
1/2 Cup Margarine (Melted)
2 Cup Cinnamon Almond Granola‡
*Reconstitute before using.
FD: Freeze Dried
Deh: Dehydrated
1. Place peaches in a square baking dish.
2. Combine other ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle mixture over fruit and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
3. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or Provident Pantry Dehydrated Fat-Free Milk
4 Cup FD Peach Slices*‡
1/3 Cup White Flour‡
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar‡
1/2 Cup Margarine (Melted)
2 Cup Cinnamon Almond Granola‡
*Reconstitute before using.
FD: Freeze Dried
Deh: Dehydrated
1. Place peaches in a square baking dish.
2. Combine other ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle mixture over fruit and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
3. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or Provident Pantry Dehydrated Fat-Free Milk
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to store your food
There are several ways to store your food. First, however, you need to decide where to store it. The cooler the place, the longer your food will stay fresh. The ideal place will stay between 32 and 70 degrees and will stay dry. Also, keep it off the floor! The area should have less than 15% humidity, and should be well ventilated to prevent condensation of moisture. A 9' X 12' room should provide enough space for a family of six to store an 18 month supply of food. Remember to check your area regularly to watch for insect or rodent infestation and water damage. Dispose of any food that has gone bad.
Okay, now for what to store your food in. There are several different options. For dry food here is what you can do:
4 1/4 gallon bucket will hold approx. 30 lbs
5 gallon bucket will hold approx. 40 lbs
6 gallon bucket will hold approx. 50 lbs
Dry Pack #10 cans
1 gallon Mylar bags (need a sealer)
The approximate weight depends on the food density!
There are several ways to control infestation and keep your food fresh.
Dry Ice - Place a few inches of grain in the bottom of your bucket. Then place 3-4 oz of dry ice on top of the grain. Fill the remainder of your bucket with grain leaving approximately 1/2 inch for head space. Place the lid on top of the bucket (without sealing) for approximately 20-30 minutes. (This process can take up to 1 hour. Feel the bottom of your container. If it is still cold, the ice is not yet evaporated.) When the dry ice has completely evaporated, seal your lid on tightly. If container bulges after sealing, slightly loosen the lid to release the pressure. Then re-seal. Items that can be used with the dry ice: Grains, flours, beans, lentils, split peas, oats, oatmeal, pasta, dry milk, dry soup, mixes, cornmeal, and popcorn.
Oxygen Absorption Packet- Place inside container and seal.
Freeze - Keep food at 0 degrees F for four days. Then place in container and seal.
Okay, now for what to store your food in. There are several different options. For dry food here is what you can do:
4 1/4 gallon bucket will hold approx. 30 lbs
5 gallon bucket will hold approx. 40 lbs
6 gallon bucket will hold approx. 50 lbs
Dry Pack #10 cans
1 gallon Mylar bags (need a sealer)
The approximate weight depends on the food density!
There are several ways to control infestation and keep your food fresh.
Dry Ice - Place a few inches of grain in the bottom of your bucket. Then place 3-4 oz of dry ice on top of the grain. Fill the remainder of your bucket with grain leaving approximately 1/2 inch for head space. Place the lid on top of the bucket (without sealing) for approximately 20-30 minutes. (This process can take up to 1 hour. Feel the bottom of your container. If it is still cold, the ice is not yet evaporated.) When the dry ice has completely evaporated, seal your lid on tightly. If container bulges after sealing, slightly loosen the lid to release the pressure. Then re-seal. Items that can be used with the dry ice: Grains, flours, beans, lentils, split peas, oats, oatmeal, pasta, dry milk, dry soup, mixes, cornmeal, and popcorn.
Oxygen Absorption Packet- Place inside container and seal.
Freeze - Keep food at 0 degrees F for four days. Then place in container and seal.
Clean Water!
I got this information on having clean water during an emergency from The Ready Store website. They have lots of great information! I have a link to this article in the title of this post. Enjoy!
Clean water is something that I have addressed in different ways on this blog. The reason I keep going back to it, is because having access to clean water in an emergency is so critical and almost always overlooked until it is too late. Here are a few obvious points to understand about water, but that I want to make very clear:
Without water you die very quickly – Depending on your health and age, you will live for 5-7 days without clean water. You can live much longer without food.
Water is heavy and takes up a lot of space – A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. Water is not easy to transport because it is so heavy. That means your emergency water plan should account for that.
Keep these items in mind when you are doing your planning. For example, you may want to put a gallon of water per day in your 72 hour kit. But, that will weigh about 25 lbs. Are you strong enough to carry that water around? Are your children strong enough? Will it even fit? So make sure you plan.
The recommended amount of water from a variety of sources like the American Red Cross is 1 gallon of water per person per day. That is water for drinking, cleaning, cooking and sanitation. It is not for just drinking. You and I don’t drink a gallon of water on a normal day. But to be safe and to take of other needs, 1 gallon of water is the recommendation. If you start doing the math on how much storage space that would require for you and your family for 1 year, you will start to understand my recommendations below.
Here is my approach to water and what I recommend. In an emergency, you need to have a 3 ways of getting to clean water:
1. Store water – Every Shelter in Place supply should have water storage. A small word of caution: don’t try to go cheap on your water storage. Buy a food grade water storage container like a 55, 30 or 5 gallon container and use that. Don’t fill up your old juice bottles or worse your old milk jugs. The barrels and water containers are not to terribly expensive and when the time comes that you need the water, you will be glad you stored water you can actually use. Also, have a variety of sizes of storage containers. Don’t just have a 55 gallon barrel that you never move and never clean out or worse fill up. Use smaller, easier to transport containers like a 5 gallon stackable. Remember, water is heavy!
Also, you won’t rotate your water as much as you think you will, so make sure you use some sort of water stabilizer that allows the water to be stored safely for 5 years without rotating. We have a Water Preserver that works well. But, if you do have the water stored but you are not sure if it is safe or you come across water in an emergency and you don’t know if it is safe, that leads me to my 2nd point.
2. Have a portable water filter – These portable water filters are extremely handy and will allow you to clean suspect water that you come into contact with and make it drinkable. These portable micro filters are will remove bacteria and protozoa from the water, but won’t kill viruses. If you have a stream, lake, pond, river or well by your house, you will be able to clean the water from those sources uses these filters. Each filter will clean up to 500 gallons of water. That is nearly ten 55 gallon drums worth of water. An impossible amount of water for most people to store. I really like or MSR MiniWorks water filter and the Katadyn Combi. They are also great for backpacking and camping can have that dual purpose.
3. Have water purification tablets – These are very handy to have around and a small bottle will chemically treat up to 25 quarts of water. They work fairly quickly (typically in less than a half an hour) and will kill bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
Remember that if you don’t have any of these three things, you can still clean water by boiling it. As a matter of fact, boiling is most effective way to clean water except it won’t take out the floaties like a filter will. The problem with boiling water to drink is it uses a lot of fuel that you may not want to use for that purpose. Also, don’t forget to have portable water pouches in your emergency supplies. They have a 5 year shelf life and are very handy to have around.
Clean water is something that I have addressed in different ways on this blog. The reason I keep going back to it, is because having access to clean water in an emergency is so critical and almost always overlooked until it is too late. Here are a few obvious points to understand about water, but that I want to make very clear:
Without water you die very quickly – Depending on your health and age, you will live for 5-7 days without clean water. You can live much longer without food.
Water is heavy and takes up a lot of space – A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. Water is not easy to transport because it is so heavy. That means your emergency water plan should account for that.
Keep these items in mind when you are doing your planning. For example, you may want to put a gallon of water per day in your 72 hour kit. But, that will weigh about 25 lbs. Are you strong enough to carry that water around? Are your children strong enough? Will it even fit? So make sure you plan.
The recommended amount of water from a variety of sources like the American Red Cross is 1 gallon of water per person per day. That is water for drinking, cleaning, cooking and sanitation. It is not for just drinking. You and I don’t drink a gallon of water on a normal day. But to be safe and to take of other needs, 1 gallon of water is the recommendation. If you start doing the math on how much storage space that would require for you and your family for 1 year, you will start to understand my recommendations below.
Here is my approach to water and what I recommend. In an emergency, you need to have a 3 ways of getting to clean water:
1. Store water – Every Shelter in Place supply should have water storage. A small word of caution: don’t try to go cheap on your water storage. Buy a food grade water storage container like a 55, 30 or 5 gallon container and use that. Don’t fill up your old juice bottles or worse your old milk jugs. The barrels and water containers are not to terribly expensive and when the time comes that you need the water, you will be glad you stored water you can actually use. Also, have a variety of sizes of storage containers. Don’t just have a 55 gallon barrel that you never move and never clean out or worse fill up. Use smaller, easier to transport containers like a 5 gallon stackable. Remember, water is heavy!
Also, you won’t rotate your water as much as you think you will, so make sure you use some sort of water stabilizer that allows the water to be stored safely for 5 years without rotating. We have a Water Preserver that works well. But, if you do have the water stored but you are not sure if it is safe or you come across water in an emergency and you don’t know if it is safe, that leads me to my 2nd point.
2. Have a portable water filter – These portable water filters are extremely handy and will allow you to clean suspect water that you come into contact with and make it drinkable. These portable micro filters are will remove bacteria and protozoa from the water, but won’t kill viruses. If you have a stream, lake, pond, river or well by your house, you will be able to clean the water from those sources uses these filters. Each filter will clean up to 500 gallons of water. That is nearly ten 55 gallon drums worth of water. An impossible amount of water for most people to store. I really like or MSR MiniWorks water filter and the Katadyn Combi. They are also great for backpacking and camping can have that dual purpose.
3. Have water purification tablets – These are very handy to have around and a small bottle will chemically treat up to 25 quarts of water. They work fairly quickly (typically in less than a half an hour) and will kill bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
Remember that if you don’t have any of these three things, you can still clean water by boiling it. As a matter of fact, boiling is most effective way to clean water except it won’t take out the floaties like a filter will. The problem with boiling water to drink is it uses a lot of fuel that you may not want to use for that purpose. Also, don’t forget to have portable water pouches in your emergency supplies. They have a 5 year shelf life and are very handy to have around.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
