This is the chart that Shel passed on. Click on the picture to see it larger and print it out. I carry mine in my purse with me so I always have it handy when I am at the store.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
square foot gardening
check out this site. tandy turned me on to it and it is fabulous!! i am going to do this in my backyard. it is perfect for those with not a lot of room but the desire to grow. tell me what you think!!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Food Storage Recipe - Magic Milk Shakes
Stolen from MMW
If you follow these directions, I kid you not, you will end up with a chocolate milkshake so much like a Wendy’s frosty you will be amazed. I believe the original credit for the recipe goes to the Prairie Homemaker website, but I’m not 100% on that one.
1 1/2 - 2 cups ICE water- really, really cold.
1 1/2 cups non-fat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (yes, really- it’s an emulsifier)
Place ALL the ingredients in the blender, including the oil. Use less water for a thicker milkshake or more for a shake that’s easier on your blender motor. With lid on, process for two minutes. Makes about 4 shakes.
If you follow these directions, I kid you not, you will end up with a chocolate milkshake so much like a Wendy’s frosty you will be amazed. I believe the original credit for the recipe goes to the Prairie Homemaker website, but I’m not 100% on that one.
1 1/2 - 2 cups ICE water- really, really cold.
1 1/2 cups non-fat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (yes, really- it’s an emulsifier)
Place ALL the ingredients in the blender, including the oil. Use less water for a thicker milkshake or more for a shake that’s easier on your blender motor. With lid on, process for two minutes. Makes about 4 shakes.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Bread Essentials
From a recent emergency prep/food storage class in my ward:
Essentials you must store to make bread:
GRINDER
An electric one is best, but it's good to have a hand grinder as well, in case the power goes out. However, a hand grinder is a LOT of work for a little flour, so for everyday use, get an electric one if you can.
WHEAT
Hard Red and Hard White wheat store best. It can be stored for 30+ years if kept below 74 degrees. Use wheat with at least 12% protein and less than 12% moisture. The higher protein content forms enough gluten to make the bread rise well and the low moisture content helps to prevent growth of fungi and bacteria during storage. Red wheat is acidic and white wheat is alkaline, so white wheat is, for some people, easier on the digestive system. Wheat stored at high temperatures -- in a garage or shed during summer heat -- will not make bread that rises well, but in an emergency you can eat bread that is not "beautiful".
Protein content varies depending on the grower. If you have lower-protein wheat you can experiment with adding gluten flour or dough enhancer (like lemon juice, Vitamin C powder, vinegar or a commercial dough enhancer) to your bread dough.
You can also make bread from white flour, although it doesn't have the fiber of whole wheat. Storage life of white flour is 10+ years if kept under 74 degrees. Freshly ground whole wheat flour will go rancid quickly, so store it in the fridge until you use it, or in the freezer if you need to store it longer than about a week.
YEAST
Yeast will store up to 7 years if frozen in the freezer. A good quality yeast should be in a foil packet with all the oxygen removed. This makes a "brick-like" package. A year's supply for one person is about 1-2 lbs.
Active Dry Yeast is usually dissolved in warm water with sweetener.
Instant Yeast can be added directly to the bread without first dissolving it in water. It raises in half the time of regular yeast. It is a much more aggressive yeast. Note: Some people are finding that instant yeast is linked to candida health issues and allergies. This may not be a problem for everyone, but you can experiment and see what works for your family.
OIL
Any oil will work. You can experiment to see what your family likes. Oil doesn't have a very long storage life, but baking bread is a great way to rotate oil. Oil stores approximately 1 year.
SWEETENER
Sweetener is needed to activate the yeast. A lot of bread recipes call for honey. This has a nice flavor. Sugar can also be used. Both will store indefinitely.
SALT
8 lbs of salt is recommended per person for a year. Approximately 1-2 tablespoons of salt are used in a bread recipe, depending on the size of the batch.
Optional Items:
GLUTEN FLOUR
This can help wheat bread rise higher. If unopened, gluten flour lasts approximately five years. Once it is opened it lasts two years.
DOUGH ENHANCER
This gives bread a fine, light texture and preserves moistness. Commercial dough enhancer has a shelf life of about 3 years.
BREAD MIXER
Bread can be made entirely by hand, but a mixer will make it easier. A large mixer with a dough hook will work, and most can make 4-6 loaves at a time. A breadmaker is a fast, convenient way to make one loaf at a time.
Essentials you must store to make bread:
GRINDER
An electric one is best, but it's good to have a hand grinder as well, in case the power goes out. However, a hand grinder is a LOT of work for a little flour, so for everyday use, get an electric one if you can.
WHEAT
Hard Red and Hard White wheat store best. It can be stored for 30+ years if kept below 74 degrees. Use wheat with at least 12% protein and less than 12% moisture. The higher protein content forms enough gluten to make the bread rise well and the low moisture content helps to prevent growth of fungi and bacteria during storage. Red wheat is acidic and white wheat is alkaline, so white wheat is, for some people, easier on the digestive system. Wheat stored at high temperatures -- in a garage or shed during summer heat -- will not make bread that rises well, but in an emergency you can eat bread that is not "beautiful".
Protein content varies depending on the grower. If you have lower-protein wheat you can experiment with adding gluten flour or dough enhancer (like lemon juice, Vitamin C powder, vinegar or a commercial dough enhancer) to your bread dough.
You can also make bread from white flour, although it doesn't have the fiber of whole wheat. Storage life of white flour is 10+ years if kept under 74 degrees. Freshly ground whole wheat flour will go rancid quickly, so store it in the fridge until you use it, or in the freezer if you need to store it longer than about a week.
YEAST
Yeast will store up to 7 years if frozen in the freezer. A good quality yeast should be in a foil packet with all the oxygen removed. This makes a "brick-like" package. A year's supply for one person is about 1-2 lbs.
Active Dry Yeast is usually dissolved in warm water with sweetener.
Instant Yeast can be added directly to the bread without first dissolving it in water. It raises in half the time of regular yeast. It is a much more aggressive yeast. Note: Some people are finding that instant yeast is linked to candida health issues and allergies. This may not be a problem for everyone, but you can experiment and see what works for your family.
OIL
Any oil will work. You can experiment to see what your family likes. Oil doesn't have a very long storage life, but baking bread is a great way to rotate oil. Oil stores approximately 1 year.
SWEETENER
Sweetener is needed to activate the yeast. A lot of bread recipes call for honey. This has a nice flavor. Sugar can also be used. Both will store indefinitely.
SALT
8 lbs of salt is recommended per person for a year. Approximately 1-2 tablespoons of salt are used in a bread recipe, depending on the size of the batch.
Optional Items:
GLUTEN FLOUR
This can help wheat bread rise higher. If unopened, gluten flour lasts approximately five years. Once it is opened it lasts two years.
DOUGH ENHANCER
This gives bread a fine, light texture and preserves moistness. Commercial dough enhancer has a shelf life of about 3 years.
BREAD MIXER
Bread can be made entirely by hand, but a mixer will make it easier. A large mixer with a dough hook will work, and most can make 4-6 loaves at a time. A breadmaker is a fast, convenient way to make one loaf at a time.
Seeds
The following are a Master Gardener's suggestions for varieties of seeds that are open-pollinated, so that the seeds from the produce can be used the next year.
Beans: Provider Bush
Carrots: Nantes fancy
Cucumber: Marketmore 76
Lettuce: Mesclun mix
Peas: Green arrow
Peppers: King of the North Bell
Peppers: Early Jalepeno
Spinach: Longstanding Bloomsdale
Tomatoes: Pruden's Purple
Tomatoes: Speckled Roman
Zucchini: Black Zucchini
Additional seeds (some are hybrids):
Broccoli: Waltham 29
Cabbage: Early Jersey Wakefield
Corn: Bodacious (sugary enhanced hybrid)
Squash: Saffron
Pumpkin: New England Pie
Tomato: Sungold Cherry Hybrid
Watermelon: Sugar Baby
Store seeds in sealed jar in freezer or refrigerator.
Beans: Provider Bush
Carrots: Nantes fancy
Cucumber: Marketmore 76
Lettuce: Mesclun mix
Peas: Green arrow
Peppers: King of the North Bell
Peppers: Early Jalepeno
Spinach: Longstanding Bloomsdale
Tomatoes: Pruden's Purple
Tomatoes: Speckled Roman
Zucchini: Black Zucchini
Additional seeds (some are hybrids):
Broccoli: Waltham 29
Cabbage: Early Jersey Wakefield
Corn: Bodacious (sugary enhanced hybrid)
Squash: Saffron
Pumpkin: New England Pie
Tomato: Sungold Cherry Hybrid
Watermelon: Sugar Baby
Store seeds in sealed jar in freezer or refrigerator.
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