Solar Stuff

Today's handouts and books are all about solar cooking. From Florida Solar Energy Center there is a 3 pg handout called Recipes for Solar Cooking, publication number FSEC-FS-33.

Next is Solar Cooking Pack which describes its objectives as:
• To learn about the problems which come with cooking in the developing world and how solar power
can help.
• To learn about the basic principles of solar cooking.
• To build a solar cooker.

The Solar Cooking Project, best practices is a book (40p) about the solar movement in Darfur. The introduction states: "Information in this manual is based on the field experience of organizations and individuals supported by the Solar Cooker Project (SCP) of Jewish World Watch (JWW) in Darfur refugee camps in Eastern Chad. The goals of this
manual are to help NGOs initiate solar cooker projects in partnership with the SCP in Chad and inspire others to increase the use of solar cooking technology in sun-rich, fuel-starved regions around the world."

Solar cooking comes in may different flavors, from parabolic cookers pictured at the left, to solar ovens made from anything you can imagine. Mostly foil, cardboard and reflective glass. There are as many ideas as there are designs.

simple cardboard box cooker

elaborate wooden box cooker

drawing solar into the house

This last book is from Solar Cookers International and is called Solar Cookers, How to make, use and enjoy. Their introduction states: "What exactly is a solar cooker? It is a device that allows you to cook food using the sun’s energy as fuel. Is it really possible to cook with the sun? Yes, and this booklet will show you how. It will walk you through the process of building a simple solar cooker, using the cooker, and teaching simple solar cooking concepts to others."

Back-yard Camping

This first book is 21 pages called Cooking (no author) but has to do with cooking out with girls. It covers everything from planning to shopping to meal ideas to measurements at first and then lists the recipes

The Girl Scout Gourmet (54 pg) includes non-cooked meals, stick dinners, frying pan dinners, one-pot meals, foil dinners, dutch ovens, box ovens (with instructions), and Pudgie Pie. For those of us who didn’t know, a Pudgie Pie is a sandwich grill. You put bread on one half, then your ingredients, then the other bread and close. I think this would be the perfect solution for cooking in my wood stove. I am definitely on the look-out for a Pudgie Pie iron.

The Girl Scout Gourmet uses the iron for cornbread, fried potatoes, French toast, and quesadillas. I am anxious for winter so I can fire up my stove and give these a try. That reminds me that I also need a fire pit in my back yard so I can BBQ. So much to do, so little time.


[Update 11/17/17: I would love to have someone share some vegan pudgie pie ideas. A cornmeal or wheat bread base with some bean spread in the middle sound intriguing.]

So as a follow-up here, I am going to put some information about permanent fire pits.

Here’s a picture from a site called How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit for $28. Even with inflation it shouldn’t be much more than that. Especially if you forgo the bottom layer and just put 12 bricks in a circle.

If you wait until the last minute you might be reduced to this type of fire - but it is just as serviceable if you ask me.

Pictured below are some other ideas and plans.

Don't Forget the Vegetarian Barbeque

Just because you are not Vegetarian doesn't mean you don't like a good grilled vegetable every now and then. It brings out a special flavor in the veggies. Here is a link for 50 of the Greatest Vegetarian Barbeque recipes. This one is a website, not a pdf, but has quite a few recipes to choose from.

Grilled Veggies

You can use this Veggie Tip Sheet to liven up your meals with vegetables and fruits. This Vegetables Made Easy sheet also has some tips for grilled and roasted vegetables. Here's another one pager called Grilled Vegetables. Between the three of them you should get some great ideas.

I am looking at the picture at the right and wondering what those yellow veggies are. Probably a type of squash, but they look like they're coated or battered.

72-hour /Bug Out Kits

Hurricane Meal Plan Recipes (4pg) give 3 days of creative, delicious meals for your family. You should consider putting these items into your 72-hour pack so that they will be ready when you have to bug-out because of a hurricane.

Consider the aftermath of a hurricane or tornado (pictured). In a tornado situation you need wet weather gear, in a hurricane situation you might need a place to set up a tent on your own property that will be safe until help arrives, or until you can start building.

The Survival Mom (dot.com) has a guest post by Varian Wrynn called 36 Lessons Learned from Testing a 72-hour kit. 

Another 72-hour kit idea comes from The Great Northern Prepper (dot com).  Check out this site to see this and other good ideas.

My kit looks a lot like the one on the right. I have it in a rolling suitcase in my trunk. It's about time to rotate food again (every 6 months or less), and as Vivian Wrynn suggests above - test it. That's not going to be easy for an older person.

About dot com has an article that details How to Make a 72 Hour Kit for Emergency Preparedness  and gives the following suggestions.

Food and Water

(A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available)

• Protein/Granola Bars
• Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
• Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
• Canned Tuna, Beans, Turkey, Beef, Vienna Sausages, etc ("pop-top" cans that open without a can-opener might not be a good idea because you don't need to hunt for a can opener.)
• Canned Juice
• Candy/Gum (warning: Jolly Ranchers can melt and using mint gum might make everything taste like mint.)
• Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters Per Person)
• Make sure you take what you will eat. If you are vegetarian/vegan/ or intolerant to any foods you won't be able to eat them. Make sure you take things your children will eat as well. All the "prep" food in the world won't make a difference if they won't touch it. Just remember that a lot of candy will not be nutritious and will end up just making you sick while you wait to be rescued.

Bedding and Clothing

• Change of Clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, etc.)
• Undergarments
• Rain Coat/Poncho
• Blankets and Emergency Heat Blanks (that keep in warmth)
• Cloth Sheet
• Plastic Sheet
• Make sure your "stored" clothing is in the proper size range. Store clothes at least a size bigger than your child if they are growing fast. Put a reminder in your phone or on the calendar to switch out clothes or at least check for sizes ever 6 months. This goes for adult too if they are loosing or gaining weight.

Fuel and Light

• Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don't forget batteries!
• Extra Batteries (put a reminder on the calendar to check every 6 months for usability)
• Flares
• Candles (make your own candles in a tuna can or something small like a baby food jar)
• Lighter (check to make sure the fuel hasn't evaporated)
• Water-Proof Matches

Equipment

• Can Opener
• Dishes/Utensils (metal are nice, but heavy. A good melamine would be handy but remember that you need something to clean them. You might prefer paper so that you can burn it or throw it away)
• Shovel
• Radio (with batteries! check often)
• Pen and Paper
• Axe
• Pocket Knife
• Rope
• Duct Tape

Personal Supplies and Medication

• First Aid Kit and Supplies
• Toiletries (roll of toilet paper- remove the center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc.)
• Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning: Scented soap might "flavor" food items.)
• Immunizations Up-to Date
• Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children's medication etc.)
• Prescription Medication (for 3 days or more. If you have to bug out you would do well to take all your prescriptions with you as you might not be able to return. Even better - improve your health so you do not have to take prescriptions)
• Personal Documents and Money
• (Place these items in a water-proof container!)

Scriptures and other

• Genealogy Records (make sure you have them backed up on a flash drive - you won't be able to carry large binders with you)
• Patriarchal Blessing
• Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts, etc)
• Vaccination Papers
• Insurance Policies
• Cash
• Credit Card
• Pre-Paid Phone Cards
• Passport if you have one

Miscellaneous

• Bag(s) to put 72 Hour Kit items in (such as duffel bags or back packs, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it! I have a suitcase on wheels that works well
• Infant Needs (if applicable)

Notes:

• Update your 72 Hour Kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to make sure that: all food, water, and medication is fresh and has not expired; clothing fits; personal documents and credit cards are up to date; and batteries are charged.
• Small toys/games are important too as they will provide some comfort and entertainment during a stressful time.
• Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too.
• You can include any other items in your 72 Hour Kit that you feel are necessary for your family's survival.
• Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, "flavor" other items, or break open. Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this. 

Outdoors Cooking - Campground style

What I wouldn't give to be able to enjoy camping. My favorite thing about camping is the fresh air, the noises of the forest and the gently moving water to stick my feet into. And the food. What I don't like about camping is not being able to sleep and the insect bites. So today's information will have a bit about cooking and maybe I can find some sleeping solutions and insect bite solutions that will fit my lifestyle. Either that or I will have to stay home.

This Patrol Campout Cookbook from Boy Scout Troup 261 in Parkville Missouri is a good place to start if you have never cooked outside before. 48p of meal ideas and recipes. Just remember that your food storage must reflect the items you want to cook. Do you have enough of what your family will eat. Do you have any special diets or needs that need to be addressed. As a want-to-be vegan I am rethinking what I have in my home. Will I have enough fresh vegetables? No, probably not, but they can be grown if I have the seeds available. I do believe I have enough grains, but I am working on getting other grains besides wheat and white rice. Quinoa, Kamut, oats, barley etc.



Most of the cookbooks I have on this site were here before I turned vegan. I am sure they will benefit someone, but I have looked and there are not a lot of recipes that I can use. I hope to include vegan recipes as I progress.


Here's Backwoods Cookbook. 11 pages of ideas for cooking outside.
Three Easy Steps to Outdoor Grilling from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Then don't forget to check out this Home Canning Meat pamphlet (8p) and other home canning books that I have posted previously. Also check out the pages link that lists all of the booklets/cookbooks/downloads available.


11/17/17 - Notice that much of that food on the grill is vegetables! We can have delicious food right along side the meat eaters. Of course that BBQ sauce would taste just as good in a vegan format. Hugs, Glenda

Going Dutch?

Today's recipes for Dutch Ovens will get you going for your camp outs or ZA future. This first one is 500 recipes for dutch ovens called 500+ Camping Recipes !! There is a very stern warning about selling this work or adding to it. If you want to have it printed I would suggest you find the author (none that I could find) and contact them for the printed version.

In any case you might want to start with this beginning guide Scouts Guide To Beginning Dutch Oven Cooking, if you haven't cooked in a dutch oven before. It has recipes for pancakes and peach cobbler. Nice!

So, if you are wondering where the name Dutch Oven came from, look at the link HERE and it will explain everything. It turns out these heavy-duty pans were introduced to the US by the Pennsylvania Dutch - hence the name we US'ers use. Thanks dutchoven.org.uk for explaining.

That site is also helpful it you want to purchase a new dutch oven. Also included on the site is care and suggestions for cooking. Like I said before, Nice!

This looks intense. Make sure you have the right equipment before you stick your hands in there!

Here's another one with 850 recipes. 850 Dutch Oven, Camping, Cast Iron recipes. That ought to be of SOME help, eh!

Chicken? Turkey?

11/17/17 - With my new focus I hope you can find some whole food recipes that you can take camping with you. I will post recipes as I find them.

Hugs - Glenda

The Great Barbeque

For a few days between here and Father's Day I am going to post some of the recipe books I have found for outdoor cooking. In between days I will give you the random weird things I have found while looking for barbeque recipes.

I'll start with Cooking Over Campfire Coals from 4-H Youth Development and Illinois State University. 7 pages of tips for equipment, how to start a fire, safety tips and more.

This list is various 1-10 page booklets and recipes for tin-foil dinners.

Tinfoil apples with cinnamon and tinfoil potatoes are good options for plant based meals while you're camping.

Taco Tin Foil Dinner

Camp-out Tin Foil Dinners

Troop 29 tin foil dinners

Tin Foil Cooking

Foil Dinner Recipes

Foil Cooking

Cooking Over Campfire Coals

Here is one if you want to have a competition

FoilDinner Score Card

 happy reading - Glenda

Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink

Last night as I was learning about irrigation and opening up that option on my land I realized that I probably don't have enough water storage, or even water options for the future. Sure, I could probably harness some of that irrigation water and drink it, but then again, I don't know where it's been. It is not purified or even clean looking. So, I think some options about water storage are due here.

This option is available for someone who has a large garage or other storage shed to put things into. I don't. I have a carport and a little shed out back. (I only have a tiny corner lot in a small farming community.) What to do? What to do?

So I have to think of other options.

Actually buying water in a can, might be an option, but I don't like the thought of having all that un-recyclable metal around in a Zombie Apocalypse. We won't have an way to recycle if the resources are limited.

So water in a can is probably not a good idea.

I do have a few plastic containers full of water. Not so much in the little individual sized containers, but more in the gallon size. These have been okay for the most part, except for a few water disasters. When I first got this little house I put some water under the counter in the kitchen and hit a nail that went right through that thin plastic.

Not so good.

I still have the bulk of my water in plastic.

I guess I could do THIS!

 

Then I could just store empty containers??

But

Instead

What I have decided to do is this.

Just like Mrs Tips at mrstips.com I am putting my water in glass.  I have a friend who doesn't do much canning in jars because she is wary of earthquakes. This is probably a valid concern, I guess, but I tend to think that if I store things properly they won't fall off the shelves and break. So my water storage is on the bottom. If it breaks it might get the floor wet, but that would be the least of my concerns anyway (in an earthquake that big.) I do make sure I diversify. A little of this and a little of that.

This should give you a few ideas about water, eh?

happy posting - Glenda

Back to the Basics

Today we're going to go back to the basics of food storage and upload a couple more things that will benefit our Zombie Apocalypse survival.

To start off I found this little WWI war pamphlet called Wheat for Liberty. It's just 3 pages of recipes using alternative flours. I have another one called The Heart of Wheat by Linda Dunlap, but I can't seem to get it to load. Check back later to see if I succeeded.

These little booklets and recipe books were produced during the war periods to save the wheat for the troops. What will we be asked to give up in the next "conflict". It might be wheat or some other foodstuff, but it could be that we give up cars or gasoline or electricity. Are you ready?

This next book Making the Best of Basics, Family Preparedness Handbook has a tremendous amount of good helps and suggestions. It goes through Basics, Secondary and Tertiary supplies and what they are needed for. One page reminds us that things like aluminum foil, can openers and toilet paper are also important to our supply for the future.

Well, the fact that I am putting things like these on the net (and compiling and searching) should be commentary enough about what I think is coming.

Hope you have a great day - happy posting - Glenda

Diatomaceous Earth and it's Uses

Today's post on Diatomaceous Earth is for Mom. These are just a few of the articles about DE that I found in a rush this morning. I will still have to check them out to make sure they are factual.

I hope they are helpful

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth and It's Many Uses
Diatomaceous Earth #1
Diatomaceous Earth #2

Here is couple of web links
How to use diatomaceous earth
Soothe Yourself

DE can be purchased at your local feed store. I just got a 50 pound bag for 25 dollars. You must make sure it says "food grade" on it in order for it to be consumable by your family. Using this at a rate of 1-3 tablespoons per day means this will last a long time.

Here's another full length article about toxicity in our world.
Mad as a Hatter by Galen Weston Price
The information about DE starts on page 9

Drying Foods

Dried fruits have always been a favorite of mine, for snack time and for any time when I need a little sweet pick-me-up. I haven't done much drying myself, but have enjoyed the product of other's labors. The fruit from the fruit of their labors - so to speak.

There are multiple booklets out there on drying food. This one is a 4 pages pamphlet from The Ohio State University  Extension. Booklet # HYG-5347-09, it's called Drying Fruits and Vegetables.

And here are a whole bunch of links to food dehydrators. These are plans of various complexity, but I think at least one of these would be easy for you to make.
Sun Dry Your Fruits and Vegetables
Solar Tunnel Food Dryer
Solar Food Dryer
Solar Drying 
Solar Agricultural Dryers
Preserving Food by Drying
Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables
Preservation of Foods
How to Build a Solar Food Dryer
Dry It You'll Like It


11/17/17: Pardon me if I have included anything that might be offensive to my strict vegan friends. It will be a process to clean up my blog to strictly vegan/animal friendly. I probably won't take any recipe books off just because they have meat in them because recipes can be adjusted, but I probably won't but things on this blog that are just for meat. Hugs Glenda

Beans! The Magical Fruit…

This first handout is called Bean Cuisine and is from allaboutfoodstorage.com has 4 pages of recipes and tips for using beans. The recipes include Pumpkin Bread and Apple Oat Cookies using 1 cup of white beans each.

The second handout is from the Utah State University Cooperative Extension and is called Cooking with Food Storage Ingredients: Dry Beans. There are a few recipes here too, but the first few pages cover things like the different variety of beans, canning beans, softening old beans, gas, and bean nutrition. It should be very helpful in your food storage endeavors.

Mom has been canning beans for years. She swears by it for a quick and easy meal. Just add seasoning and you are ready to go. 

 There's always a silver lining behind the darkest cloud: If you don't like to eat beans you can still use them to make one of those nifty bean collages!

I happen to love beans in most varieties. I do not like Lima beans, and I am not a great fan of kidney beans, but the rest are good to go.

happy posting - Glenda

Food Storage Cookbook #2

I am a firm believer that if you want to know what your food storage will taste like during the Zombie Apocalypse START EATING IT NOW!

You need to have practice with your storage so you know how to use it when hard times are upon us. So break out this Food Storage Recipes and More (118 p, no author) and start experimenting with the recipes.

Then again. Look at this hominy and chorizo casserole. I am making myself hungry for sure. 
Update: 11/17/17, I still have a craving for chorizo, but I think it is just the chili that I am missing- so I will get my daughter to help me find a good chili recipe and figure out a way to make hominy and chili casserole to match this one.
Update 11/21/17: I think this Mexican Cauliflower recipe could be substituted with hominy. The only other changes I would make is to sauté the onion with water instead of coconut oil. I have not tried any dairy-free cheese, so I don't know what that is like.

Mexican Cauliflower

Mexican Cauliflower Casserole has many spices and accent vegetables that blend just right. Easy to make and healthy too.

Course Side Dish

Recipe Type Mexican Style

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 106 kcal

Author Ginny McMeans

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower head, separated into bite size florets
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or water to saute
• 1 onion yellow, diced
• 1 green bell pepper small, diced
• 15 ounces tomatoes can, diced with juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs fresh
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese dairy-free

Instructions

1. Lightly oil a 9" x 10" casserole dish or use a non-stick dish or parchment paper to keep from sticking
2. Steam the cauliflower florets for 15 minutes. They will be done when easily pierced with a fork.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet, or a 1/4 cup of water.
4. Saute the onion and bell pepper for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion looks translucent.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
6. Add the spices and cook 3 more minutes.
7. Put the cauliflower in the prepared casserole.
8. Pour all of the mixture from the skillet on top of the cauliflower.
9. Combine the breadcrumbs and nondairy cheese and sprinkle over the casserole.
10. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
11. Put under broiler for 1 minutes to brown up the top. Watch very closely.

Recipe Notes

IF FREEZING:
Let cool to room temperature. Package in rigid sided containers.
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours before baking. To bake - cover with foil and put in a 350°oven for 35 minutes. Take off the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Ready to serve.

I also saw a recipe for fried leftover oatmeal. I would try it in a heartbeat if I ever had any leftover oatmeal. When I make oatmeal I eat it ALL. [Update 11/17/17, How to fry oatmeal without oil?]

Anyway, the recipe calls for freezing first to make it easy to work with and then frying.


 Update 11/17/17, Add your favorite topping like applesauce or other fruit sauce. I am thinking that "Yummy Sauce" recipe I saw this morning would work too, but then I do love mustard. I guess its up to me to decide if I will like it on my oatmeal.


Update 11/21/17: I am hoping I can get one of these air fryers soon. Its not a good picture, but there are two options under $100.00. Maybe on my visit to Albuquerque this weekend I will find one in my price range.

Hugs Glenda

Food Storage Cookbook #1

Here's a cookbook that concentrates on just the food in the One-Month Basic Food Storage Kit. It is published by the LDS Home Storage Center in Lindon, Utah, 2005. The kit includes:

·      Wheat

·      White Flour

·      White Rice

·      Quick Oats

·      Macaroni

·      Pinto Beans

·      White Sugar

·      Powdered Milk

·      Cooking Oil or Shortening

·      Salt
     Update 11/17/17: not really a healthy kit, but go to the storage center and create your own.
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Page 13 has a short section on Wheat Grass.  I have been told that my cats will eat the grass and leave my plants alone. So I am going to try it. 

As you can see this picture is from www.healthbanquet .com - check out the site for the trays and other goodies.


Food Storage Friday: Black Bean Tacos by heather from http://secretsofmom.com/?p=3089

This recipe is another delicious accident. Last weekend we went to a party for the 4th of July. Our good friend’s partner was thoughtful enough to make bean burger patties for us. They had a little bit of a taco flavor to them, so when I attempted to make patties and they fell apart I stirred them into crumbles, added some more spices and cooked them until they were crisp, and they make an AMAZING taco filling.
Black Bean Tacos
Food Storage Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp taco seasoning (watch out for added sugar and msg)
1 tsp salt
4 Tablespoons olive oil ( use water instead to sauté the vegetables)
Fresh Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 chopped green chili
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup bread crumbs (make your own to be really healthy)
Taco fixings: salsa, tortillas, guac, lettuce, etc.
1.Saute peppers and onion in one Tablespoon of oil for 4-5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mash black beans. Mix in

vegetables, cilantro, salt, spices, flour, and bread crumbs.
3. Sauté mixture over medium heat in oil for twenty minutes until bean mixture is crisp.
4. Construct your tacos as you please. Enjoy!