Grain Basics

Grains are a basic staple for your preparedness pantry - but many people who aren't used to grinding their own grains get confused by the different types and how they are supposed to be used.

Grains when properly stored will last much, much longer than flour that is already ground. But how do you know which type of wheat you want?

The three most common types of wheat that we use in our home are:

Soft White Wheat, Hard White Wheat, and Hard Red Wheat

It's really not that hard to know how to use the different types.

A basic rule of thumb to remember is this:

If your recipe calls for flour and BAKING POWDER - use SOFT WHITE WHEAT. This would be items like cakes, cookies, muffins - most sweets or dessert type items you want to bake that are supposed to be light and fluffy.

If your recipe calls for flour and YEAST - use HARD WHITE WHEAT. This produces a wheat bread (or pizza dough or the like) that is lighter in texture and closer to what most people are used to from the grocery store when they think of wheat bread.

If you want a artisan-type bread that is heavier - you'll use HARD RED WHEAT. Most times that I've made bread using freshly ground hard red wheat, I mix the flour with a hard white wheat flour so the dough will rise properly and will be a little lighter.

If you have recipes for artisan-type breads that are hard and crusty - hard red wheat will usually work really well for you.

In addition to these wheat grains, I sometimes also mix in a little ground spelt or kamut when making bread just to give it a multi-grain texture.

You can experiment to see what you and your family like best and that is part of the fun of working with different grains - finding what you like!

------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the Tennessee Forum at www.TennesseePreppersNetwork.net

Dehydrating Foods

Quick post this weekend to let you all know about a good video on YouTube about dehydrating foods.

You don't need a really expensive food dehydrator to start making your own delicious dehydrated foods. You can pick up basic food dehydrators many places; we've found that the ones with the clear trays don't seem to work as well as all the others, but you can experiment on your own.

A family favorite at our house is dehydrated banana chips - we slice ours and let them soak briefly in lemon juice to keep the bananas from turning brown, then lightly pat them with a paper towel before placing them on the dehydrator trays that have been lightly sprayed with no-stick spray.

We dehydrate ours until they are crunchy - the lemon juice seems to bring out the sweetness in the bananas and homemade ones taste delicious compared to the bland ones you buy in the bags in stores.

Of course, the king of dehydrators is the Excalibur and everyone I've talked to who owns one absolutely loves it. We have one on our list of future purchases.

You can dehydrate lots of fruits and veggies - just remember that the more water content in the item the longer it will take to dehydrate. We've done blueberries, bananas, onions, apples and made lots of our own fruit leather.

If you haven't investigate dehydrating foods as part of your preparedness activities - learn more about it through this video and then give it a try!

Video Link:




------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the Tennessee Forum at www.TennesseePreppersNetwork.net

Solar Oven Cooking

One of the latest acquisitions for our long-term cooking needs is a Solar Oven. Should the need arise to cook without electricity or propane, if you want to cook without smoke or strong smells - solar oven cooking is a fantastic choice.

We chose this particular solar oven - Global Sun Oven Solar Cooker.

It retails at the time of this writing for $201.95 plus shipping. At the time we were shopping, it was the one we thought was the best deal for the money. We wanted one that was big enough to cook a couple loaves of bread, or a casserole or something like that, but still have it portable.

The oven was shipped to us very quickly - we received it within a week of ordering. It was well-packaged and had no shipping damage. We also ordered one Water Pasteurization Indicator.

This oven folds up to about the size of a suitcase. It has a nice leveling tray inside that can be used or removed. It has a leveling leg in the back and is very lightweight for ease of movement - weighing about 21 pounds. The reflector panels fold up neatly and snap onto the oven box when not in use and there is a carrying handle, which makes it easily portable.

My oldest daughter tried it out yesterday - she mixed up a package brownie mix and put it in a dark pan - a 9" round cake pan. The directions say that dark pans work best for absorbing the heat for cooking.

We placed the oven in the backyard and lined it up so that thepanels were directly facing the sun. We put the brownies in on the leveling tray, shut and latched the glass front door and it was quickly about 210 degrees in the oven. We checked after about 20 minutes and the oven temperature was 280 degrees.

The brownie mix called for cooking in a traditional oven for about 26 minutes. We had to move our Sun Oven twice to keep up with the sun - we were cooking around 2:30 in the afternoon. The air temperature was about 94 degrees. Our oven did hit 300 degrees and the brownies cooked in about 50 minutes.

There was no burning on the edges, the brownies were crisp on the outside and very chewy on the inside - no different than what I would expect and look for if cooking them in my traditional oven.

Overall we were very pleased with the outcome. Positives include: No heating up my traditional oven or house for cooking on a hot day; no smoke or smells that would give away my location, ease of use, portability, no using fuel that might be needed for other things - just a great purchase in my opinion.

There are many styles of solar ovens out there - you can do a search and decide for yourself which one might be best for you. There are also plans available for making your own solar oven.

And there are tons of recipes on the web that people have adapted for solar cooking - although pretty much anything you'd cook in your regular oven can be cooked in a solar oven - you just have to adapt your cooking times slightly and the solar oven doesn't seem to cook out the moisture of things as much as a regular oven does, so you might have to slightly adjust your liquid measurements for things like stew, casseroles, rice, etc.

You can even cook in the solar oven in the middle of the winter on a snow bank - all you need is sunshine!

------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the Tennessee Forum at www.TennesseePreppersNetwork.net

Homestead How-To Series

This is a GREAT series that might be of interest to those of you who home school or who want to learn more about any of these particular topics - and through this week only the 10 CD set is only $99.

I just received an email about this through my home school group - this list of CDs was on my wishlist for my anniversary and I just ordered them!

Thought I'd share the sale info for anyone else who might be interested.

Link:

http://franklinsprings.com/allfilms/...st-ladies.html

Series includes:

The Art of Bread Making
The Art of Candle Making
The Art of Soap Making
The Art of Canning
The Art of Gardening
The Art of Herbs
The Art of Cooking
The Art of Dairy
The Art of Sewing
The Art of Quilting

You can also buy the series in individual CDs or in smaller sets.

For more info about the series, you can see a YouTube video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPMl2jyMM5E


------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the Tennessee Forum at www.TennesseePreppersNetwork.net

Chia Seeds - Excellent EFAs

Image courtesy of Natural Remedeez

We've recently discovered this fabulous little seed - Chia Seeds. Yes, these are the very same seeds used for those horrendous Chia Pets that make their way through the stores during this time of year for Christmas presents.

But don't let that discourage you. Keep on reading - you'll be amazed.

Research on these little seeds reveals what a truly wonder seed they are. We've long tried to figure out good ways to have long term storage for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Most things that are high in these oils go rancid quickly or it would be cost prohibitive to store.

Enter Chia Seeds. Here is some info for you:

From Wiki:

It is still widely used in Mexico and South America, with the seeds ground for nutritious drinks and as a food source.

Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food that is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, since the seeds yield 25-30% extractable oil, mostly α-linolenic acid (ALA). It also is a source of antioxidants and a variety of amino acids.

Historically, chia seeds served as a staple food of the Nahuatl (Aztec) cultures of Central Mexico. Jesuit chroniclers referred to chia as the third most important crop to the Aztecs behind only corn and beans, and ahead of amaranth. Tribute and taxes to the Aztec priesthood and nobility were often paid in chia seed.

Chia seed may be eaten raw as a dietary fiber and omega-3 supplement. Ground chia seed is sometimes added to pinole, a coarse flour made from toasted maize kernels. Chia seeds soaked in water or fruit juice is also often consumed and is known in Mexico as chia fresca. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in gruels, porridges and puddings. Ground chia seed is used in baked goods including breads, cakes and biscuits. Chia sprouts are used in a similar manner as alfalfa sprouts in salads, sandwiches and other dishes.

Another source for excellent info: BuyChiaSeed.com

Chia seed is high in calcium, 5 times the calcium of milk. 631 mg per 100 grams of seed.

Chia seed is also high in protein, with 18 grams per 100 grams of seed.

The optimum ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 should be 3:1

Chia seed provides that ratio.

Chia seed is hydrophilic. Absorbing up to 14 times (Mix @ 9-10 times) its weight in water. This helps extend energy and endurance.

Chia seed is rich in antioxidant oils.

Chia seed contains chlorogenic acid, and

caffeic acid as well as myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol flavonols. These compounds are both primary and synergistic antioxidants that contribute to the strong antioxidant activity of chia seed.

Chia seed is also low in sodium, only 19 mg per 100 grams.

We buy ours here: Natural Remedeez

from their website:

Chia turns out to be the highest known whole food source of omega-3s. 3 1/2 tablespoons contains as much omega-3 fatty acid as a 32-ounce Atlantic salmon steak. Chia is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper. It has as much magnesium as 10 stalks of broccoli, as much calcium as 2 1/2 cups of milk and as much iron as half a cup of kidney beans.... The Chia seed contain high levels of fiber, and more antioxidants than many berries. it can also help regulate blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Chia stabilizes blood sugar levels by reducing blood sugar swings through its ability to slow down the release of carbohydrates and their conversion into sugar. Chia seed is considered to be nature's perfect food.

We've eaten ours by the spoonful, have ground them into smoothies, and I've ground them into a flour and put them in pancakes. We've sprinkled them on top of salads and waffles.

I encourage you to give Chia Seeds a try and add them to your long-term storage preps!

Favorite Bread Recipe

Nothing like a little nip of fall in the air to make homemade bread even better! Here's my favorite recipe. If you've never tried your hand at making bread you really should - you'll get hooked!

Long ago I used to make mine a loaf at a time, when I had the time, in a bread machine. Once I tried making bread by hand though, I was hooked! I now make bread 2-3 times a week and make about 3 loaves at a time. It really doesn't take that long once you get the hang of it. Here's our favorite recipe for Wheat Bread.

I mix my recipe around a bit, depending on what I have on hand. If I'm running low on grains, sometimes I'll make this as a white bread recipe. I usually make it with white and wheat flour at least and sometimes I'll also add spelt or kamut to the recipe to make a multigrain bread. Here's my basic recipe:

Handmade Wheat Bread

6 cups unbleached flour*
2 Tablespoons wheat gluten
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 cups water at approximately 105-110 degrees**
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons yeast
1/4 cup oil

* For the flour, I usually break it down to 3.5 cups of King Arthur Special with malted grains. It is an unbleached flour that makes wonderful bread. To this I add 2.5 cups of whatever grain I want to grind myself that day - usually wheat, but sometimes spelt or kamut. Sometimes I use a combination of any two or even all three different grains. The dough will rise best with at least 3.5 cups of the flour being the King Arthur or whatever your favorite unbleached flour is to use. You'll notice I add wheat gluten to help the dough rise when I use the wheat or spelt or kamut.

**For the water, I sometimes use 1 cup of water at the desired temperature and 1 cup of kefir whey.

In a 4 cup mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar and mix well. Allow to set approximately 10-15 minutes to activate the yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour(s), salt, and wheat gluten. To the activated yeast mixture, add 1/4 cup of oil (I use organic canola oil or a light olive oil or sometimes a vegetable oil) and mix well. Stir into the flour mixture until well combined and then turn out the dough onto a well floured surface.

Knead the dough well by adding additional flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough becomes a soft, silky ball. This usually takes about 10 minutes or so.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a smooth cotton towel. Place in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. I put mine in my oven with the light on for about 2-3 hours.
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, punch down and divide into half or thirds. If my dough has really risen well, I'll divide it into thirds and make 3 loaves. If it is not rising as well as I'd like, I divide it into half and make 2 loaves. Every day is different when you make bread - humidity, temperature, your flour, all play a part in how your bread turns out. Some days it will rise better than others.



Okay, here I don't knead the dough again, I just turn the corners and shape it into a nice little loaf. Put the loaves into lightly greased loaf pans and cover. Allow to rise until the dough is about 1/2 inch above the top of the pan.Heat your oven to 350 degrees and put the loaves in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. They will be nicely browned. Turn out immediately onto a wire rack to cool so the bread doesn't get soggy. Wait until they are completely cooled before wrapping. I keep mine wrapped in foil so they don't dry out too quickly. Usually, we can go through at least 1 loaf a day, so they don't last too long anyway!
Enjoy your bread!

Lady Preppers on Family Preparedness Guide Radio Show!

Last Saturday American Prepper, WVSanta, Matt and Bob were interviewed on James Stevens' Family Preparedness Guide radio show on Blog Talk Radio. They did a great job explaining the ins and outs of prepping and why we do it. It was a great show guys!!! If you missed the show, you can still download it here.

This Saturday (08 August 2009) James is having the ladies on his show to discuss the Prepper Networks and prepping from a female point of view! It is going to make for a very interesting discussion!

Please tune in at 2:00pm/EST and listen to Phelan (Kansas Preppers Network), Ernie (Indiana Preppers Network), Kymber (Canadian Preppers Network) and me! You can listen to the show live and call in with your questions (347-326-9604), or you can download the show later using this link.

Please be there to support us! And remember - we love questions so bring them along!!!

Hope to hear you on the radio!

Making Jam with Less Sugar

Thought I'd share this info about a pectin product that is available that will allow you to make your jams and jellies with far less sugar than usual; you can even use sugar substitutes or no sugar at all.

It's called Pomona's Universal Pectin and you can get it at Canning Pantry. A 1 ounce package will allow you to make 2-4 recipes using 4-6 cups of fruit per recipe.

It uses the peel and pulp of lemons, limes and grapefruits as the pectin source in combination with monocalcium phosphate to help your jams/jellies set. You can read more at the links above.

I'll be making some strawberry jam using some the first of next week - the strawberry jam a friend of mine made using this pectin was absolutely delicious - you could taste the strawberries without being overwhelmed by sugar!

Thought this might be helpful since the prices of sugar are supposed to increase; also because it will help you perhaps not have to store quite as much sugar. The Pomona's Pectin is supposed to have an indefinite shelf life.

Great Cooking Implement

Found this little gem over on SurvivalBoards this evening and it was so good I had to share.

It is called a Discada - basically a large (22 inch) wok made out of a plow disk - would be fabulous for campfire cooking - we're definitely ordering one of these!


You can read all about it here: Discada.com

Hay Box Cooking

If that solar oven of your dreams isn't in your budget, here is a how to about Hay Box Cooking you might want to check out:

Instructables: Hay Box Cooker

Here's another option: The Green Pail Retained Heat Cooker on a YouTube video

I'd be interested in hearing any comments from those of you out there who might have tried either of these methods before!