Preparing Your Pantry Out of Love

I recently shared a video about the current food shortages brought about by economic collapse in Venezuela.  A friend of mine for many years asked me what I thought were my top 10 items to have on hand with regard to food storage.  This is what I shared with her.  While I went over ten items, I still think these are important things to consider.  I also advise that people do not begin a food storage out of fear.  Only out of love for yourself and your family.  Being prepared is a virtue.  Hard times fall upon all of us at different places in our life.  So it is best to have a little more than we need to make sure that in a time of want we are ready to face what is important.

Here is the video that I posted:

There are many ways one should be prepared. Since I live in a hurricane area, we have taken that mindset. We have been through one major hurricane and learned a lot. But for now, let's just focus on food.

When I started my food storage (taking a lesson from the nice LDS people I know) I took from them and then I took from other sources that said I should live by this manta: "Store what you eat and eat what you store". This means, if your family does not like oatmeal than it is pointless to purchase 300 pounds of oats for your food storage! Yes that may sound a bit exaggerated, but many people have done just that. Storing food just for the sake of having food in the event of a crisis/emergency or economic collapse is not the smartest thing to do. You must love what you are storing otherwise you are going to open yourself and your family up to what is commonly called "appetite fatigue". Even if you think you will eat anything if you are starving, thing again! You won't!

Here are some things that I think everyone should have on hand. You can figure out how much you want to store based on the number of people you plan on feeding. I like to tell people to start off small. It can be as simple as adding only a few things to your cart when you go shopping. It does not have to bust your budget and don't feel like you have to go and bulk up on emergency supplies for long term food storage from the LDS cannery or online purveyors. While I do have those things, they came later. 


#1 WATER: You should have at least 72 hours worth of clean drinking water. The recommended amount is 1 gallon per person per day, however this is only for consumption and cooking. Not for bathing and washing up dishes etc. So with that in mind, I have a 3 month supply of water that is stored in our shed. We have re-purposed juice bottles, washed them, filled them up and put a teaspoon of bleach in them. The bleach will dissipate and the water will be fine for drinking. We rotate these out once a year. 


#2 WATER FILTER. We live near a creek so in the event that our water supply is exhausted, we can use the creek or we also have rain barrels. We would need to filter that water before drinking. We have a Berkey water filter that will actually filter river water and make it drinkable and safe.


#3 FOOD: This list is enough food for a family of four for three months. It could last longer if rationed.


20 pounds of Rice. Rice is one of the backbones of every food storage plan. It is filling, nutritious and with the use of varied seasonings and condiments, highly adaptable in a variety of tasty meals. The choice of white, brown or a combination of the two is up to you. White rice has a longer shelf life but brown rice has more nutritional benefits.


20 pounds of Pinto Beans. Like rice, beans are the backbone to every food storage plan. You may substitute white, kidney or other types of dried beans but honestly, pintos are one of the least expensive dried beans.

20 cans of Vegetables. Green beans, peas, corn and canned tomatoes are good choices. Let your taste and budget guide you. Buy what you currently eat and enjoy.

20 cans of Fruit. Peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail – again, this is your choice. Fruits add a nice sweetness to life and these days we all could use more of that.

20 cans of Meat. Chicken, tuna, shrimp, salmon, Vienna sausages, beef stew and yes, even the ubiquitous Spam will satisfy this requirement. Did you know that you can even purchase canned roast beef? Again, let your taste and budget guide you – there is lots to choose from.


4 pounds Oats. A bowl of oatmeal topped with canned fruit can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.


2 large jars of Peanut Butter. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, with plenty of calories for energy and sustenance


5 pounds of Powdered Milk. Milk is a great source of protein and other nutrients. In addition it is filling and can be used to top your oatmeal cereal or stirred into your coffee as a flavor enhancer.


8 pounds of Salt per person per year. Our bodies need salt to survive and maintain electrolytes.


10 pounds of Pancake Mix. An all in one pancake mix (such as Krusteaz) only requires the addition of water to make up a batch of batter. As with oatmeal, a big plate of pancakes, perhaps with some honey or jam, will make a satisfying meal that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.


20 pounds all purpose flour for baking. Wheat contains all 9 amino acids necessary to sustain human life. If you plan on baking bread you will also need to store leavener.

10 pounds corn meal. This can be used to make corn bread and even corn meal mush as well as added to thicken soups and stews. 

20 pounds sugar. Sugar is necessary in cooking and will boost your calorie intake. If we are in an emergent situation and are unable to get things from the grocery store, sugar may well be used like $$.


2 pounds of Honey and 2 large jars of Jam. This can be included as part of your sugar in your food storage.


10 pounds of Pasta. Pasta is familiar and easy to fix. Pasta is a dense form of wheat but so much easier to deal with when you are first starting out. Besides, it is a fabulous comfort food.


10 cans or jars of Spaghetti Sauce. Quick and easy meal that is filling and satisfying. Box of cooked pasta, heated with a jar of sauce, bam, dinner is served. 


20 cans of Soup or Broth. Soup is an easy one pot meal that you just heat and eat. In a pinch it can even be eaten cold right out of the can.

One large jug of Oil. Choose olive oil, coconut oil or some other cooking oil, but definitely get some. Oil is essential for good health, fueling our energy stores and providing support for fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients as they work their way through our system. Remember to rotate the oil in your storage on a regular basis to avoid rancidity.

Spices and Condiments. Adding some spices and condiments to your food storage pantry will allow you to vary the taste of your storage foods, thus mitigating some of the boredom that is likely to occur over time. The exact mix of spices and condiments is up to you but some suggestions include garlic, chili, Tabasco (hot sauce), salsa, oregano, thyme and black pepper.

5 pounds of Coffee or 100 Tea Bags. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant. In an emergent situation this can be a plus. Store whole bean coffee or coffee that is vacuum sealed in blocks or bags for best freshness. Herbal teas can also be used as medicine. Get yourself a book on what does what. 
2 large bags of Hard Candies. Hard candy can go a long way toward making an unpleasant situation bearable. Butterscotch drops, peppermints and even lemon drops are good. My husband also likes to keep TicTacs. When eaten and while drinking water they cool your mouth and give you the sensation that the water is cooler than it is.

You will also need a way to cook the food if you don't have power or gas. A camp stove, Gas BBQ or Charcoal BBQ are good options. Make sure to have enough extra fuel. A campfire will also work.

Lastly, you will need a way to protect yourself. This means a weapon.  If you are not comfortable handling a weapon, I suggest you get trained in how to use one.  The simple truth is, that is this economy collapses there will be roving maurauders who will not think twice about killing you to take what you may have.  I am not trying to instill fear, just common sense.  This country was built on people who were not afraid to protect what was theirs and we will not keep our freedom if we allow others to take it from us!

There it is in a nutshell.  Food storage 101.  Do it for any reason.  Do you live in an area prone to hurricanes or tornadoes, how about flash flooding or snow storms?  How lovely would it be the next time you are faced with a situation like that to know you had what you needed and did not have to brave the grocery store to fight for the last loaf of bread or flat of water.  Having what you need on hand is also a great hedge against inflation.  Buy on sale at today's price and eat it several months or even years later when it may be even more expensive.  If you are injured or lose your job, you have a cushion.  If a friend falls on hard times, you have the ability to share and be generous.  Those are just a few reasons everyone should put something extra back.

Say Cheese! Make Cheese!

Homemade cottage cheese is cheap and easy!  Give it a try!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been playing with cheese.  No, not literally playing with cheese, by playing, I kind of mean, learning about how to make simple cheese.    I have had success with two different types of simple cheese that are very nice to have on hand or in my case watch disappear!

I like to know how to make things for myself because sometimes you just can't be sure what is being put into some of the commercially produced items that we tend to reach for on a regular basis.  Do  want to make cheese all the time?  But I do want to know how to make it myself.  I tend to get a great deal of satisfaction from researching, applying myself and making something as ubiquitous as cheese in my own kitchen.

I will tell you that making cheese takes patience, time and attention to detail.  When you look at a recipe, you need to follow it.  When you see an ingredient such as rennet, you must have it, there is no real substitution.  You always want to start off with the necessary ingredients in order to have a good end result.

I have been playing with homemade mozzarella cheese for about two years. I have been successful exactly twice and I think it was by mistake both times.  The other dozen times  tried, it was nothing but a gloppy mess that did not set and was unable to be properly pulled.  I have dumped countless gallons of perfectly good milk down the drain in the form of failed cheese.  More than I would like to admit, but because we all make mistakes and it is a learning experience and all part of the journey, I will divest myself of my own pride in order to inspire others.

Cheese making is an art!  It is not, however, reserved for farmers and cheese masters.  It is accessible to everyone.  You can find great books on how to make your own small batch cheeses at home.  You can also find great supplies for making everything from cheese to yogurt at many websites.  Have a look around and a whole new world will open up to you.  I suggest you start small and easy like I did, by making a type of Farmer's cheese or homemade cream cheese.  Simple, and delicious and very, very easy. 

Just like the old saying goes, a job worth doing is worth doing well.  In a world full of instant this and quick that.  Cheese is still one of those things that takes time.  I was recently inspired by a friend who made some quick spreadable goat cheese that she seasoned with fresh chives and other herbs from her garden.  Watching her I knew that I could do that.  Although I am sans a goat, I did not let that stop me.  Off I went to the Amish market for some fresh whole milk.

Cheese is really nothing more than milk solids that have been separated from their water or whey.  In layman's terms we are removing the water from the milk.  What results is the thick, milk solid that all cheese is made from.  The cheese I made, similar to my friends, was soft, spreadable and delicious.  It did not contain rennet and did not require time to rest or incubate and become a curd.  This cheese was super simple and everyone can do it!

Farmer's cheese requires nothing more than a little time, some milk, an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar and whatever seasonings you wish to flavor your cheese.  I made two different types of cheese from one half gallon of milk.  Flavored cheese spread with salt and Herbs du Provence and the other half I turned into the most decadent whipped cream cheese you have ever tasted.  Simply divine and does not compare to what is sold as cream cheese in the market today.

I think making cheese can be very rewarding, but be warned, if your family is anything but mine it will disappear quickly.  Between bagels, toast, crackers and simple snacking this cheese might not last the afternoon.  Make sure you try and put some aside for your breakfast, that way at least you can bask in your hard work if only for a moment.

Now go do something cheesy!  Make some cheese!

You can see how I made this wonderful cheese here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpbb_JWQTgU

You can get a printable recipe and instruction here:
https://www.noreenskitchen.com/Farmer_s_Cheese.html

Preserving Our Heritage

PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE

First let’s get some business out of the way. I AM SORRY. Regretfully I hadn’t realized that the year had gone by so quickly and that I had not posted a blog entry here since January. I will do my best to not let this happen again. I will commit to at least once a month, but my preference is to post at least once a week, however, life likes to get in the way and let me know that I am not the one in control here. So, that being said, I have been very busy making videos, working on a website called Noreenskitchen and working in my garden and working on a cookbook, so perhaps you might be able to forgive me for my tardiness. I really appreciate all of you who come on over and join me here to see what is going on in my life, in my kitchen and so on and so forth. So let’s get on with it shall we?

Every year, I plant a garden. I love growing things, fruits, veggies, flowers, you name it. I love to see a plant develop and produce beauty. Whether it be a ripe and delicious tomato or an amazing fragile and fragrant bloom. I love nurturing a garden. I get great satisfaction from turning the soil and tending the seeds, feeding, watering and protecting what I have worked hard to raise. The garden is where I find solace. It is where I find joy and peace away from a wicked and hurried world. There is no wickedness nor hurrying in a garden. It all happens in it’s own time and not a moment sooner. The garden is where I find God.

The beauty of the garden is not the only thing to bring me satisfaction though. The inevitable harvest is the end result and the desired outcome for me as well as many other gardeners. We plant with the anticipation of harvesting baskets full of red tomatoes, zucchini, string beans, cucmbers, berries, herbs and a myriad of peppers. I cannot refuse a pepper. I currently have 4 raised beds dedicated to peppers alone, sweet lady bells, liberty bells, giant chili, cayenne, sweet cherry peppers, jalapenos, giant Marconi, sweet and hot Hungarian banana peppers and one dangerous Habenero. The latter I plant simply for the beauty. I love the way the peppers brighten to a beautiful orange and the fruit hangs off of the plant like little Chinese lanterns. I do pick them and dry them. I have never dared to eat one, for fear of frying my tongue out of my head. Perhaps someday I will be brave and add one to the chili pot. But I doubt that will be anytime soon.

Preserving all of the garden’s bounty can be quite the quandary for the gardener. Many people, including myself become generous givers, gifting baskets full of our home grown produce to the neighbors, and while that is a lovely thing to do, you can only do it so many times before they start to pretend they are not home when you come a-knockin’ for fear that you will give them even more vegetables to deal with. However there is a myriad of ways to preserve your harvest for later use. Some produce is more conducive to certain ways of preservation than others. For instance, you can’t freeze cucumbers. You can freeze zucchini, squash, tomatoes, beans, even peppers. You can dehydrate almost anything, I even know one lady who dehydrates lettuce! I love dehydrating and freezing but I most love canning! Pickling, preserving, water bath or pressure canning, I love it all.

Canning is something that used to be a matter of course. something that everyone did in the summer or whenever the harvest was done. Canning tomatoes, peppers, pickles, jams, jellies, etc. was simply a way of life. People have been canning for years. But with the need for mom’s to leave the home, go back to work and the advent of the microwave and the frozen dinner and a plethora of other convenience foods that are merely add water and stir, we have become a nation that thinks all of it’s food comes from the store, and not from the garden, field or orchard. But I digress down from my soap box. Canning is an important skill to possess. Canning can actually give you freedom from processed foods and big agricultural corporate farming as well as peace of mind knowing that you have your own supply in the event of a personal disaster, natural disaster or emergency.

On the surface, to the untrained eye, canning can look daunting, scary and just plain hard, but in reality canning is approachable, enjoyable and simple. As long as you take all the necessary steps and precautions to assure you get a good end product. I did not grow up in a home where canning was done. I never watched either one of my grandmothers do their canning. I only remember consuming the results of the work. My love affair with canning and preserving started when I was 23 years old living in the small mountain community of Williams, Arizona. I had recently moved there to be closer to my parents who had moved two years before. When you live in a small town, you get used to attending lots of gatherings, especially during holiday time. At one such gathering for my mother’s philanthropic sorority, which I later became a member of, I was enamored with a jar of pickles the likes of which I had never tasted before in my life. They were bread and butter pickles. Sweet and tangy, the cucumbers had been pickled along with, onions, carrots and the most delightful addition of cauliflower. I believe, had I not been in the presence of other ladies, many years my senior, I would have dove right in and eaten that whole jar, and perhaps even drank the juice like a sweet cocktail. Really, they were that good!

So, me being my sassy, 23 year old self, asks the lady who made the pickles, one Jeanne Weise, owner of the local “Country Grocery” if she would be willing to share the recipe. Now for anyone of you who has never had the privilege of living in a small town, asking for a recipe can be a frightening proposition. Either you will be embraced for asking or you will be shot down on the spot and humiliated in a very certain way that will cause you to reel with emotion at what may have just happened to you. There is another way though, the way when they will actually be very happy to share the recipe and leave out an important ingredient so that when you make the recipe it won’t be quite right. However, none of the above happened when I asked for the recipe. Mrs. Weise asked me If I had ever canned anything before, I had to reply no, but figured how hard could it be? Right? I was young and stupid. I didn’t even have a pot big enough to cook the pickles in! So Mrs. Weise told me that she would like me to come to her house on a Friday afternoon and she would have all the supplies necessary and she would teach me how to make the pickles. I felt honored. Once I spent the afternoon with her, making the pickles and learning all about what to do from the salting, to the brining, to the sterilizing to the water bathing. I was hooked. It was the beginning of a life long love affair with putting up my own home canned goodness.

At the time I first was introduced to the ways of making bread and butter pickles, I was unstoppable. On my own, I acquired the necessary equipment, albeit second hand, and went to town, in my tiny one bedroom apartment, making strawberry jam, orange marmalade, apple butter and yes, even more pickles. I made peach conserve and apricot syrup because it didn’t jell right. I learned many lessons along the way through my own mistakes. Canning is a constant lesson on how not to do something, but when it comes out right it is simply divine! Today I can everything that comes out of my garden as well as things that are locally grown that I do not grow either at all or enough of to produce the quantity I need to make canning worthwhile. In the last month I have canned 50lbs of peaches, strawberry rhubarb jam, plum jam, dill pickle spears, chicken breast, ground beef, spaghetti sauce and what I am about to share with you, bread and butter pickles.

Canning is a part of our heritage as Americans. Ever since John Mason designed the Mason jar and we were able to put up our own foods for later use, Americans have been putting everything in a can or jar. Preserving this Art and skill is as important to me as preserving our way of life. We must never forget where we came from. Making sure that we can do things for ourselves is something that we must all do. We have to be able to attain the skills necessary should we really need to use them. The best way of doing this is making those skills a basic part of our every day life.

The seasons will come and go and with them the bounty that each one brings, but when you can open up a jar of strawberry jam in the dead of winter you will understand what canning does. It affords you the opportunity to have something that grows in April in December. Yes, yes, I know, you can buy frozen fruits and you can most likely buy fresh berries in the dead of winter at your local mega mart, but do you know how far they traveled to be there? Where they came from? The answer is no. When you can, you know where the foods are from, when they were ripe and exactly what you put into the jar. Fresh, ripe fruit, wholesome goodness and love are ingredients that cannot be beat. There is not a simple quick substitute for that. There is no substitute for preserving our heritage. The American heritage and way of life that we sometimes forget about is something that must be passed on and preserved for future generations.

So, with all of that in mind, I will now share with you how to make bread and butter pickles, just the way I learned. Once you watch, you can go out and get the ingredients and make some for yourself. Once you try canning, I promise, you will love it. Yes, it is hard work, yes it is hot work and yes it is a lengthy process, but it is all worth it in the end, when you can reach in your pantry with pride and retrieve a jar of something you put up yourself and serve it to your family any time of year. Keep the tradition alive, learn to can and in turn preserve our heritage.

BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES

What you will need:

20 cups of sliced cucumbers either pickling or slicing

6 large sweet onions sliced

1 pound baby carrots

2 bags frozen cauliflower or 2 large heads of fresh, cut in florets

1 cup of pickling salt (not table salt, sea salt or kosher salt)

Place the above in a large steel or glass container and toss evenly with the salt and allow them to sit covered, in a cool spot for at least 2 hours.

If using frozen cauliflower, do not add in until later. If using fresh cauliflower, please add the cut cauliflower to the vegetables for the salting process.

After 2 hours, place vegetables in a colander in the sink and rinse well to remove a good portion of the salt. The vegetables should be slumped and no longer crispy.

Brine:

6 cups vinegar

4 cups granulated sugar

¼ cup Pickling spice

2 Tablespoons Whole mustard seed

2 Tablespoons Celery Seed

2 Tablespoons Turmeric

6 Dried Bay Leaves

6 Cayenne peppers, to add to each jar, if desired (I added 1 to each of 6 jars it really makes them spicy)

Add all ingredients to large stock pot and bring to a simmer. Add in veggies and if you are using frozen cauliflower, add at this time as well. Stir well to mix and bring back to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.

Ladle pickles into sterilized jars (I use pints) leaving ½ inch of head space, and making sure that all the vegetables are covered with brine.

Wipe the rims of each jar with a damp paper towel to assure that it is free from any dirt or pickle matter that would make your seal fail.

Place a hot lid on each jar and tighten down with a ring. Place in a water bath canner for 10 minutes after the water reaches a boil is when to start the timer.

Process jars for 10 minutes per batch. Remove from canner and set in a non drafty area on a bath towel and leave untouched for 12 hours. You should be able to hear each jar ping as it pulls a vacuum and seals.

Once the jars are cooled you can remove the rings, wash the jars, check for a good seal, label with the month and year they were canned as well as a description of what is in the jar and place in a dark cool place.

While the pickles are delicious right away, they get better with age. For optimum flavor, allow to sit on the shelf for at least 3 weeks prior to opening.

Your pickles should remain good for at least 2 years. I have never had them last that long, because we eat them so quickly. As long as your jar is well sealed, you should not worry. If your jar is bowed at the top, leaking or has an unpleasant or “off” odor, you should discard its contents and wash out the jar for later use.

With regard to the lids, the rings can be used over and over again. If you see that some have rusted, put them to a different use or discard them. The lid portion is only good for one use. Once the product in the jar is consumed, do not re use the lid for canning. You can however used the lid should you wish to use it to store some dehydrated food in some jars that you can vacuum seal, but that is another story altogether.

I hope that you try this and I hope that after watching you are less intimidated to try canning. Pickles are a great way to start, as is jam or jelly. Give this a try and as always:

HAPPY EATING AND HAPPY CANNING!