Food Self-Sufficiency

Dehydrating Apples

2009-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Whether you grow the apples yourself, harvest them from your (sharing) neighbor, or you buy at the local farmer's market, apples are so easy to dry.

Choose the apples that look the best. Cut out any bad parts.
Wash, core and peel. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, placing each in lemon juice mixed with water to prevent browning. Soak for 5 minutes.
Note: Sometimes we add ground cinnamon to the lemon water. The cinnamon sticks when you arrange the slices on the drying tray. The smell and resulting taste is heavenly.
When all the apple are sliced, soaked and ready, arrange in single layers on trays. They can touch because they will shrink some.
Dry 6-12 hours until piable - Temp: 135 degrees F.
Freeze in freezer baggie for 2 days to kill any bug eggs that may have been laid while dehydrating. If you're 100% sure there aren't any, you can skip this step.
Store in moisture-proof jar with a moisture absorber. Seal. Cover with dark paper to keep light out. Label with contents and date. Store in cool, dry, dark area.

You can rehydrate the apples to use in a recipe, or eat dried as a snack. Either way, this is a great way to store apples.

Shop at Salvage Grocery Stores

2009-01-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

We recently discovered this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_2276932_shop-salvage-grocery-store.html - it discusses how people on a budget can find good deals for food. It may be a little dented, or the label might be a little crooked or off-color, but if the government had a problem, the food wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

So, we used the following link: http://save-a-lot.com/ to find a Sav-A-Lot nearby us. We checked it out. They have some great deals, and some are perfect for storing.... like canned hams, and so forth. They also had toiletries, paper products, pet food, etc. Just about anything you'd get at a grocery store. We found a few decent deals, but not a lot that our particular weird family likes to eat. The Vienna Sausages and corn meal are actually cheaper at Sam's Club.

Here's the link for "grocery outlet" stores: http://www.groceryoutlets.com/ but they don't have stores but in a few states. Check it out - you might be luckier than we are.

Dehydrating/Drying Basics

2009-01-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone's heard of dried food. Have you ever opened a package of onion soup mix to make onion dip with sour cream? Ever eaten a raisin? A prune? Beef jerkey?

Dehydrating is the oldest way to preserve food. A long time ago, people would use salt to dry food, or place the food on rooftops any other way to be in the sun. They took the chance with insect bugs, or scavening critters, or a sudden rain that would prompt starting the drying process all over again.

These days, we have machines built specifically for dehydrating food. Food dehydrators are safe because they were created to gently pull out the water from the food. Once water is removed, it won't spoil because bacteria and mold won't grow where there isn't water. There is, however, a slight loss of some vitamins, like A and C, and it takes time to dry (anywhere from 6 to 48 hours). Besides drying fruit and vegetables, your can also dry meat, stews, cassaroles, jerky, fruit leathers, herbs and more.

Keeping the temperture below 200 degrees F is essential to drying versus cooking your food. Most electric dehydrators have regulators on them.

There are several ways to dehydrate your food.

SUN: To use this method, you need 3-4 sunny days of about 100 degrees each day, with no moisture. Plus you need a screen or netting to keep bugs away from your food. This process is inconsistent because you can't really assume the sun will stay hot, and you have to bring them in every evening.
CAR: As we all know, cars left in the hot sun can get quite hot. We have a friend who placed trays of netting-covered food in her non-working car. She left the windows down a crack to let out the moisture. This worked very well.
OVEN: Some people have succces with gas ovens, placing trays of food inside with only the pilot light on. You could also use an electric oven turned the lowest it can go, but you'd still need to keep the door open to circulate air and to not over-cook the food. However, the food doesn't end up tasting the best, and it's not energy efficient.
HOMEMADE: Some people make their own. Another friend built his house to have a "drying room" - on the South side of his greenhouse. It was enclosed, with fans that circulated filtered out from outside. There were many spaces for trays (like baking racks). This is a good thing for people with the need to dehydrate huge harvests.
ELECTRIC DEHYDRATORS: There are so many of these on the market, ranging in price from $40 to well over $800 each. Some are circular, some rectagular. Some can add additional layers, some have fruit leather trays, and some have temperature control. Some even rotate the trays so you won't have to. They are all energy efficient and operate at the low temperatures needed to keep nutrition in the food. Make sure the one you choose has a fan to circulate the air which will aid the drying process.

How To Dry:

Keep the temperatures steady. Under 110 degrees will not dry it properly and will cause the food to spoil sooner. Temps around 110 to 115 degrees F will dehydrate it enough to prevent bacteria growing on the food as it dries, while keeping it RAW. Most electric dehydrators have a set temp of around 120-140 degrees F, which is fine. Going a little higher, up to 200 degrees, will dry the food between RAW and COOK. Over 200 degrees F and the food is not only cooked, but also will cause the food to lose its nutrition and flavor.
Most instructions recommend turning the food about halfway or 3/4-the-way through the drying process to help get both sides.
Slice your vegetables, fruit, etc to be even in size. If you have a very thin slice of zucchini, and a thick chunk, they will dry at different rates. It will be easier to gauge drying times if the sizes are consistent.
Your food is dry when it's crisp or leathery to the touch, with no moisture. Tear it in half - if there are moisture beads at the tear, or if it just bent, it's not dry enough. Meat is a little different; it should NOT snap apart but should be leathery.

Storing Dehydrated Food:

When your food is appropriately dried, we place it in a baggy and place that baggy in the freezer to kill any bugs that might be on the food. After 2-3 days, we take it from the freezer, let defrost, check it for moisture, dehydrate it additionally if needed, and store the baggy in a container.
You need your final storage to be containers that will not allow any moisture in. Mason jar, empty-clean-dry mayonnaise or mustard jar, plastic freezer "tupperware", etc. You could also use a sealing machine or plastic freezer baggies.
Store fruit leather by laying the leather on plastic wrap and rolling it up. Cut to fit your storage container.
We place oxygen and moisture absorbers in our containers before we seal them. Never allow moisture to get into the container.
Store your containers in a cool, dark, dry place. Under 60 degrees F is best. If your storage container is glass or see-through, wrap it with dark construction paper. That is also a good place to put your label.
Label each with contents and date dehydrated/stored. Very important. Use the oldest first.

Coming soon: we'll post dehydrating information for fruits, veggies, stews, meats, fruit leathers, and more - each with it's separate post.

Come back soon!

Canned Food Labels and Dates

2009-01-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

We found the following information at: http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcannedfoodshelflife.html
In a well-run supermarket, foods on the shelf will be rotated on a regular basis, so there is continuous turnover. Each canned food manufacturer has a unique coding system. Some manufacturers list day, month and year of production, while other companies reference only the year. These codes are usually imprinted on the top or bottom of the can. Other numbers may appear and reference the specific plant manufacturing or product information and are not useful to consumers. Below is a sampling of how some manufacturers code their products so consumers know when the product was packaged. If you have specific questions about a company's product, contact a customer service representative at the phone number listed.

Note: For month coding, if a number is used, numbers 1 through 9 represent January through September, and letters O for October, N for November and D for
December. If letters are used, A=Jan. and L=Dec., unless otherwise noted.

Note: For year coding, 8=1998; 9=1999; 0=2000; 1=2001; 2=2002, etc.

Bush Brothers & Company (voice: 865/509-2361)
Four digits
Position 1: Month
Position 2 and 3: Day
Position 4: Year
Example: 2061 (February 6, 2001)

Chiquita Processed Foods (voice: 800/872-1110)
Ten digits (only 6-8 are pertinent to consumers)
Position 6: Year (A=1999, B=2000, C=2001, etc.)
Position 7 and 8: Julian Date
Example: A195 (July 14, 1999-July 14 is the 195th day of the year)

Del Monte Foods (voice: 800/543-3090)
First line, four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
Example: 9045 (February 14, 1999)

Faribault Foods
Consumers can send inquiries and product coding numbers via an online contact form, and a company representative will help them understand the coding. www.faribaultfoods.com

Furman Foods (voice: 877/877-6032)
Second line, first four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
Example: 9045 (February 14, 1999)

Hirzel Canning (voice: 800/837-1631)
First line, four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3 and 4: Julian Date
Example: 0195 (July 14, 2000- July 14th is the 195th day of the year)

Hormel Foods Corporation (voice: 800/523-4635)
Five digits on the top line
Position 1-4: Information about plant and manufacturing
Position 5: Year
Example: XXXX0 (2000)

Lakeside Foods (voice: 920/684-3356)
Second line, second through fifth digits
Position 2: Month (Jan=1, Sept.=9, Oct.=A, Nov.=B, Dec.=C)
Position 3 and 4: Date
Position 5: Year
Example: 4A198 (October 19, 1998)

Maple Leaf Consumer Foods (voice: 800/268-3708)
Top of can, grouping of last four digits
Position 1: Year
Position 2, 3, and 4: Julian Date
Example: 9130 (May 9, 1999)

Mid-Atlantic Foods (voice: 410/957-4100)
Second through fourth digits
Position 2: Month (letter)
Position 3: Date (A=1, Z=26)
Position 4: Year
Example: MDE0 (April 5, 2000)

Pillsbury/Green Giant and Progresso (voice: 800/998-9996)
Five digits
Position 1: Month (letter)
Position 2: Year
Position 3: Plant information
Position 4 and 5: Date
Example: G8A08 (July 8, 1998)

Seneca Foods (voice: 315/926-6710)
Two digits on the first line
Position 1: Month (letter)
Position 2: Year
Example: L1 (December 2001)

Stagg Chili (voice: 800/611-9778)
Second through sixth digits
Position 2 and 3: Month
Position 4 and 5: Day
Position 6: Year
Example: S02050 (February 5, 2000)

"Information provided by the Canned Food Alliance."

A huge thanks to the people at http://www.foodreference.com/ for doing all of this research. Very helpful!

Info: China's Honey is Tainted

2009-01-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

A good friend sent the following link: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/4453. That article has the title "China Honey Latest Food Safety Worry". It discusses how, in an effort to rid a disease in Chinese bee hives, they used a highly toxic chemical. In turn, it poisoned the honey, and that same honey has been exported from China.

I immediately checked our supply of honey: all was harvested here in Colorado.

Please, read the article, then check your honey. Thank you.

Why Store Food, Part 7

2009-01-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

Store Seeds to Sprout. Why? Check out: http://www.sprouting.com/homesprouting.htm

Sprouted seeds provide lots of LIVE nutrients, vitamins, and minerals as well as enzymes, etc.
Sprouts are easily digested.
Sprouts provide good fiber.
Sprouts provide a fresh crunch to liven up your meal.
Sprouts are inexpensive.
Sprouts are fresh.
Sprouting seeds to eat is easy, taking only minutes a day.
Special equipment doesn't need to be expensive, and you can use and reuse and reuse.
BEST: The sprouting seeds store for around a year. You could grow your own, allowing your broccoli or radish (etc) to bolt/go to seed. Gather the seeds, and store in a cool/dry place. If you were locked in a room with your stored supplies, water, sprouting equipment and seeds, you'll get some fresh "vegetables" with your meal. Good idea, huh?

Basic info:

Buy seeds marked for Only Sprouting. Seeds for growing are often treated with a chemical to speed growing in the garden.
Seeds to sprout include: beans, broccoli, cabbage, mustard, quinoa, alfalfa, radishes, fenugreek, lentils, peas, and red clover. There are probably more... check out the sites listed below.
Don't allow the seeds to get too hot or too dry. Store in an area WITH oxygen - if you include an oxygen absorber pack, the seeds will die and won't germinate. Store seeds in a "breathable container".

Equipment needed:

A wide-mouth jar - quart to gallon size.
Bowl big enough to fit jar kinda-on its side.
Netting or screening or tulle from the fabric store (to cover top of jar)
Rubber band for top of jar to keep netting on.
Fresh water
Seeds marked good for sprouting.
There are also actual sprouting machines, like the Sproutmaster. http://www.sproutmaster.com/

Getting started:

Measure 1-4 tablespoons of sprouting seeds. Place in jar. Cover with netting. Secure with rubber band. Add some water. Swirl it around and drain. Add 1 cup of cool water. Don't drain this - soak for 4-8 hours.
Rinse 2 times a day. How? Drain initial soak water, refill jar with more cool water. Swirl and drain. Place jar at an upside-down angle in the bowl. Second and subsequent times: refill jar with more cool water, swirl, drain, and prop upside down at an angle in bowl.
When the sprouts are a couple of inches long, they are ready to eat. Enjoy right away, or store in refrigerator in a covered bowl. Wash out the sprouting jar and start a new batch, perhaps with a different kind of seed.

Here are just a few Sources of Seeds:

This is the last section of "Why Store Food". I'm sure, as we think of more tips, we'll add them. Meanwhile, what are YOUR tips to storing food and providing nutritious meals with variety.

Blessings!

Why Store Foods, Part 6

2009-01-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

As we mentioned yesterday, it's very important that you rotate your food stock often. Why?

To make sure your stored food stays as fresh as possible (nutrition value and protein decreases over time)
To get your family used to eating stored food as part of their regular diet.
Stored/canned food is convenient to use.

How?

We don't buy products (cans) any more that don't show an expiration date. When in doubt, assume you need to use within 6 months, and write that date as the expire date.
Before storing, write on the can, etc. in magic marker or attach a label giving the date purchased, and the date to expire.
There are many products available, or you can build your own, to help you use the oldest can (of green beans or whatever) first. The plastic shelves for cans of soda in the fridge will hold cans of corn or whatever in the pantry. Check out: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babysteps/step-1-shelves/, http://www.organize.com/soupcanrack.html, and http://www.foodstorageshelves.com/store/642059/product/Pantry72RotationRack.
We eat almost the same thing every month, just in different combinations. We pack canned goods according to month bought. We have a large storage tub, and add the 30 cans of fruit, several cans of chicken, ham and tuna, etc. Then put that tub at the end of the line. This helps us use the oldest first.

Other tips that bear repeating:

Keep track of expiration dates. Some shelf-stable cans and jars are ok 6 months, and some last 2-3 years. Products with tomatoes (acidic) may go less than 2 years so rotate often.
Store cool and dry. Never near water or heating pipes. And never cold (may freeze).
Do NOT use or keep any can that has rust, discoloration or bulges. Don't gamble your health over the "chance" that it might be ok.

Note: iodized salt should be kept as cool as possible because otherwise, it will chemically change. Regularly rotate. We buy the "table salt" in 25-pound bags at Sam's, which is not iodized.

Last Section tomorrow - sprouting seeds ...

Why Store Food, Part 5

2009-01-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Keep the Critters Away:

I hate opening a package of rice and finding those tiny black bugs and wormy-like things in there. And then, there's the mice problem we've had recently. Trust me, we pack everything pretty tightly. You can too, following these simple thoughts:

Keep your storage area clean. Not just there, but anywhere you have food. Did you get icing buckets from a bakery to store your food? Make sure you cleaned the inside AND the outside.
Seal your food tightly. Did you use a vacuum-sealing machine? Make sure you used plastic that won't allow critters in. And if it's a strong plastic, mice and rats (and dogs and cats) won't smell the food inside and probably won't bother it.
Store in a cool, dry place. Ideal temperature would be between 45-55 degrees F.
If you buy pre-packaged items, make sure they are appropriately sealed. See if they are CO2 or nitrogen-packed, or have dessicant packs. Tin cans sealed at the packing plant are great.
Rotate regularly. First in, first out. Not only will this ensure a current food stock, but you'll get practice using those storage containers while creating recipes using what you have. What would happen if you didn't regularly "check" your stores, and an emergency arrived. You open that big storage bucket you filled with bags and bags of rice to find it crawling with bugs. Ew. Don't let that happen. (More on rotation tomorrow.)
Packing your own? In addition to dessicant packs, oxygen absorbers, and bay leaves, consider using dry ice.

More tomorrow ...

Why Store Food, Part 4

2009-01-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

Variety:
We've heard of people just storing wheat flour, beans, salt, sugar and oil. Yes, you'll be able to stay alive living off of those, but (1) where your veggie and fruit food groups, and (2) BORRRRiNG!

We don't even like eating the same things two days in a row. Our family wouldn't last long on the above at all!

So... here are a few thoughts to exchange your recipe repertoire:

Wheat isn't the only grain/starch you can store. Think about rice, cornmeal, potato flakes, oats, millet, amaranth, etc. Yes, wheat and rice are the cheapest to store but see if you can fit a few of the others into your budget and storage plans.
Add color: red from tomatoes, green from spinach, orange from carrots, etc. Try to have more than just one color on the plate.
Add spice: next time you're in the spice aisle at the grocery, take a look at the variety! Ever cooked with cumin? Coriander? Turmeric? What about almond or lemon extract? And remember the colors - if you can tolerate coloring foods, go for pink mashed potatoes, or purple rice. Now... browse this section, then every time you go, check out the prices so you can catch them on sale. Don't let them sit in your spice cupboard; start using right away! Oh, and in case you didn't know, storing your spices near your oven will SHORTEN their shelf life, so store away from heat. And rotate annually - they don't last much longer than that, and you have no idea how long they were sitting on the shelf before you bought them.
Plan your meals. Yes, it can be a lot of work, but try it. If you have baked beans on Monday, don't have beans again on Tuesday - how about canned ham or canned chicken? Then Wednesday, have lentils. And so on.
Try cooking your rice in apple juice instead of water. Or broth. Or grape juice! Yummm...
Don't count out just-add-water desserts, like pudding or gelatin. And sometimes, adding that candy bar or hard candy to the end of a meal is very satisfying.

More tomorrow ...

Canning Chicken

2009-01-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

We recently came across a blog about preparedness. She found some chicken on sale today, and canned it (for the first time!). We're trying to get the recipe from her.... we'll post an update when we can.

Meanwhile, she had a good point. When you find a great deal on food (canned or fresh), get out your dehydrator, sealing machine or canning equipment.

Why Store Food, Part 3

2009-01-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

Storing...

Store your foods carefully. Look around your house. Where is it safe from bugs? Cleaners? Poisonous chemicals leaching? Avoiding moisture.

Get food-grade containers with tops. Tightly seal to keep bugs and other critters out, and moisture out.
As we've noted before, we get icing buckets from bakeries, thoroughly clean and dry, pack, include dessicant packs (to suck up any moisture) and bay leaves (bugs don't really like these), put on top, seal with wax, and label with contents and expire dates.
Some foods are purposely canned to be moisture and critter proof, like those #10 cans. They are also easy to store, and when you need to open one, most have a plastic lid to go on top. If not, get some extras.
Remember, opening a package of stored foods will start the clock on reducing the storage life.
Keep as cold as possible to get the maximum storage shelf life as possible. Do you have a root cellar or basement? Great, use that. If not, store under your bed or stack in a bedroom closet.
Do NOT store near chemicals that could possibly leak. That includes cleaning products, paint, gasoline, etc. Even if the chemicals don't leak, the fumes might taint or even poison your stored food.

More tomorrow!

Why Store Food, Part 2

2009-01-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here's part two of our "Why Store Food" info series:

Recap:
The reason people store food is to susfain life when you can't go out and buy food. Could be because of money problems, high gas prices, major disasters like hurricanes, etc. We are humans and have to eat, so plan your storage according to (1) nutrition (2) ease of storing (3) cost and (4) variety. Obviously, even thouse nutrition content is very important, the calories involved are also important.

Calories are energy, and we need them for good health and living. Almost everything has calories, but not everyone has nutrition.

So... don't load up on high calorie foods like chips and candy bars. Remember, we need the nutrition too. Stock up on all of the food groups: vegetables, fruits, grains, fats, protein and dairy. There really isn't one perfect food that provides all of the food groups, so you'll need to stock up on all the groups. Your food storage must contain items to sustain your life, not give you health problems from nutrition deficits.

More Tomorrow ...

Taking Advantage of Sales

2008-12-31T02:00:00.000-08:00

Around the holidays -- well, any holiday -- there are some great sales at grocery stores. If you get the sale circular in the mail or newspaper, examine it. Take advantage of it! Remember your coupons too.

Sale:
Recently, Wal-Mart had a sale on sweet potatoes at 38 cents a pound! That's a great deal, so bought quite a few, and stored in our basement. We also check out the meat section in King Soopers (Krogers/City Market) and when we find stew meat for .50 cents a pound, we snatch it up, cook it, and either freeze it or can it. They also recently sold gallons of milk for .75 cents each so, if we'd had room, we would have frozen them (letting a little out first to prevent splitting).

Neighbor:
A neighbor didn't feel like harvesting his apples this year so when we asked, he gladly exchanged all we could carry for a bag of our homegrown tomatoes. We processed the apples into applesauce and dried cinnamon-apple rings.

Farmer's Market/Flea Market:
When you can find a farmer's market, take advantage of it! We live near a huge weekend year-round flea market that has fresh fruit and vegetable stands throughout. We love to buy local produce to slice and dehydrate.

Absolutely take advantage of sales, and when you can, harvests and farmer's markets. See what you can do. Do you have any other suggestions?

How to Store Your Foods

2008-12-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

In planning what foods to store, you also need to consider how to store them. When you harvest or buy fresh produce from a farmer's market, you need to consider how to keep them:

Canning: There are several different methods of canning: pressure, water-bath, etc. This takes special equipment, and know-how. It's definitely worth it, to have the mason jars lined up on your pantry shelves, brilliantly showing contents like jewels: peaches, strawberry jam, pickled cucumbers and beets, string beans, beef stew, and much more.

Dehydrating: This is such an easy method, but it is easier with an actual dehydrator. There are ways of building your own, or using the car in the hot summer, and more. Dehydrating fruit and vegetables takes out the water, which reduces bacteria development. Dried food takes up much less space, and, when stored correctly, can last quite a while. Just remember that you need to drink plenty of liquids when eating dried foods - can cause constipation. Either rehydrate before eating, or drink water while.

Sealing Machines: A sealing machine is a good idea, for freezing foods, storing dehydrated foods, and to keep bugs and moisture out in general. There are several brands (like Seal-a-Meal), and some work better than others. It's a must for your storage preparations, if you can afford it. We requested and received one and extra bags for our wedding.

Storage Buckets/Icing Buckets: Some foods come already stored in sealed buckets, but there are alternatives. We searched for icing buckets! We checked several bakeries, and finally found a local grocery store that has at least one empty bucket a day. We take it home, clean it out (lots of elbow grease), and fill it with small bags of rice and beans, pasta, spices, and almost anything that can fit. We add a couple of bay leaves (bugs don't like them) and dessicant packs (takes out any moisture). Then placed the top back on, sealed with sealing wax, labeled with contents and expiration dates. They stack nicely.

Purchased/as is: Stored in #10 cans: We buy supplies like Meals Ready To Eat (MREs) and storage pails and #10 tin cans. These provide things from beans to salt to sour cream powder to wheat berries (to grind for wheat flour) to dried fruit & veggies, and much more. When storing these, be sure to store several can openers and bucket openers!

We'll go into more depth about these methods within this blog. Meanwhile, how do YOU store your foods?

How to Calculate Stored Food (some)

2008-12-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

We were recently researching for this blog on storing and processing food for emergencies, we found several websites that might interest you:

http://standeyo.com/News_Files/menu.food.store.html
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm
This link discusses the "Mormon Table of 4" - the four most important items to store:http://standeyo.com/News_Files/LTAH_Food_Store6.html

While our family's tastes are a bit different (it doesn't address any fruits or vegetables), it could certainly help as a jumping-off point. We have to purchase gluten-free grains to grind into flour, lactose-free butter, and lots of dried fruits and vegetables. There are only three of us in this little family, but our tastes and health needs are varied.

Use the information with a grain of salt. Everyone's needs are different. Look at your family's inventory and need list, and calculate your own storage list.

Be sure to also check out our blog: www.survival-cooking.blogspot.com - deals with cooking with the items we'll discuss in this blog.

Why Store Food, Part 1

2008-12-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to our "food storing and processing" blog. With 6 blogs to keep going, we had to take a little time to concentrate on 3 specific blogs, and today, we're adding this back to our rotation.

Why do we need to write and read about storing food?

Life is very different from 100 years ago, even 50 years ago. We've gotten away from providing for ourselves, and depending on grocery stores, fast food junkets, convenience stores. How many people remember their grandparents "putting up" tomatoes, corn and beans that they grew themselves? How many of our children know that hamburger actually comes from a cow that was killed, or that a tomato is actually a fruit that has the most amazing taste when homegrown?

If something was to happen right now (gas cost over $5.00 a gallon, drought, fire, ice storms, tornadoes, floods, strikes, layoffs, civil unrest, unemployment, major injury, death of family's "bread winner", etc.), would you be able to feed your family?

Here's something most people (especially family) don't know: I've been homeless twice in my life. Once I was in my young 20's, so I adapted easily and changed things around quickly. The second was when my son was just 6 years old. I became disabled, wasn't able to qualify for assistance for months, and didn't have any food stored. We lived in a Friend-1's front yard, in a pop-up tent that a kind soul gave us. The heat of the Summer blistered, with an indoor-the-tent temp of over 110 degrees F. Another friend gave us enough money for a cooler/refrigerator, and our Friend-1 let us hook up an extension cord to the electricity in her house. We existed on peanut butter and crackers, and whatever we could get at a local food bank (bread, a fresh veggie or fruit, sometimes milk). It was horrible. Even if I had a way to cook, it was too hot AND it wouldn't have been safe since most of our stuff was stacked tightly in that tent. We were there for 6 very long weeks. I vowed never again to be without food. To do whatever I could do.

And still, sometimes I get lazy. Well, most of us are lax. We think "I'm craving a cheeseburger and fries; let's go to McDonald's." Or "Not pot roast again!" (think kid whining). Now... let's start preparing your pantry of stored foods for emergencies... read on...

Take a look in your pantry. Don't have one? Tsk tsk tsk. Make one. Have no room? MAKE ROOM! Under your beds. In a closet. In the trunk of your car. In boxes stacked in a corner, hidden by a "curtain".
Keep a diary of what you and your family eat. Every meal, every snack, every drink, even vitamins and supplements. Write in it for a month. Keep your receipts from grocery store trips, fast food & other restaurants, convenience store trips, and every thing you buy for that month that enters your mouth.
Compare your receipts to your diary. Make a list of what you eat and drink the most.
Consider special diets. In our three-person family, one is lactose-intolerance, one is gluten-intolerant, one has high blood pressure and is pre-diabetic, and two are very picky eaters.
What of those items can be bought and stored? Remember, you need to think NO-ELECTRICITY, NO-REFRIGERATION, and MINIMAL COOKING.
Take an inventory of what you have on hand. Compare it to your list. If you were stuck inside your home for a week, would you have enough canned goods, etc. to fix 7 days of 3-meals-a-day for your entire family? Without getting bored? Serving healthy, well-balanced meals?

Keep tuned to this website. We'll dicuss making your list, planning your food storage, how to store and how to process/can/dehydrate fresh produce you might grow or buy at the farmer's market.

Part 2 of this "Why Store Food" series is coming soon.

Can we grow Quinoa in our backyard?

2008-11-20T05:00:00.001-08:00

We'd like to grow quinoa next Summer, and are looking for information:

Where can we get non-genetically-modified seeds?
Some sources say quinoa is gluten-free and some say it does have gluten. Huh?
Is there more than one kind, like there are different kinds of corn?
We understand the quinoa does well in less fertile soil, drought, low temperatures, and short growing seasons. So at the foothills of Colorado's Rocky Mountains - it should do well, right?
Can it be grown in containers?
If a family of 4 eats quinoa twice a week, how many seeds would we need to plant to supply them for an entire year, and still have enough left over to plant for the next year?
The leaves are supposed to be highly nutritious and full of protein, cooked. Same as raw?
How is it planted, grown, harvested and stored?
We've used quinoa as those little pellets/seeds. Is there a reference for the step-by-step process of hulling it?

Year 2008 was our first time as gardeners. We did ok with corn, but would like to add quinoa to our "garden" in 2009 as it is a complete protein. As our goal is to be self-reliant, this seems like a perfect addition to our "grain" stores. The leaves can be eaten as vegetables. The hulled grain can be used in cakes and breads, to make porridge, or to make beer.

An overall MUST ingredient for our food stores, so ... ... ... thanks for any info you have on this.

Cornmeal vs Grits ... or both

2008-11-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

Corn is an important part of our diet. If need be (and it IS coming), we can make our own tortillas and chips. Cornbread isn't that difficult to make, but our little family of 3 love to eat grits with eggs - about once a week.

So, when money is tight, which do we choose? Should we stock up on cornmeal, which is more versatile, or grits, which we use more often? Or one month cornmeal, and the next, grits.

And when we grow corn, should we get seeds to make cornmeal, or figure out how to make grits from special corn?

How does YOUR family prefer to eat corn?

Doug (and Vikki) - www.newviewgroupllc.com

Taste Test Delay

2008-11-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Vikki had planned to come up with more new recipes this week, but she came down with a viral-something. We took her to the doctor yesterday afternoon, and had tests done. We should know something in a few days. We will try to post blog entries when we can.

Meanwhile, please send her your thoughts and good wishes.

Doug and Weslee

Recipe Taste Test: Bacon Chickpea Soup

2008-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have a huge list of stored food items, and now am working on preparing the 365 days of menus and recipes to go with them.

Yesterday was Day 1 of creating and testing. I found a chickpea (garbanzo beans) soup recipe online and modified it to work with what we store. I soaked the beans the night before (did you know that they almost double in size and soak up almost all of the water?). At around 10:30 a.m., once I remembered to do the soup, I got busy. I drained and rinsed the soaked beans and added them to our huge crockpot with 10 cups of water, dried garlic/onion/soup veggies/carrots, bouillon, and olive oil. That cooked for several hours. I started a loaf of bread in the bread machine, and when it had an hour left, I added bacon to the soup. When the bread had 30 minutes left, I added some gluten-free rice pasta to the soup.

Dinner was delicious. Weslee didn't care for the veggies but actually ate the beans and pasta, and upon threat of no bread, finished off the broth and veggies. Doug had a taste-test-small-bowl then a big bowl with two pieces of bread. I had a big bowl with a piece bread and got full (if you knew me....)

There is still about 4 servings left - and it cost be only about $5.00 for the whole crockpot. We got a good dose of grain (pasta), protein (beans & bacon) and veggies, plus a bit of fat (oil and bacon). We'll post pictures of the meal when we get a chance.

We'll post the entire detailed recipe when we get to that day in 2009. We are also thinking about making a cookbook of how to use our stored foods - maybe calling it "Stored Foods Menus for 365 Days". Comments?

Weslee's requested homemade chicken noodle soup next. He wants to help figure out how to do it healthily, so this should be interesting, especially since he has always eaten canned soup. (I know, bad mommy).

We are also working on soups with black eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans and split peas. We'd love to have suggestions! Then after we've come up with about 20 soups using our stored ingredients, we'll work on things like breads and muffins. After that, who knows?!?

Vikki (and Doug) - www.newviewgroupllc.com

Seed Ordering

2008-11-11T10:58:00.001-08:00

I went online yesterday to our favorite seed provider (Baker Heirloom Seeds, www.rareseeds.com) look at the seeds for next year, and noticed they were out of many we wanted. I didn't want to deviate from my plan (even though we don't know where we'll be living next Spring) so I called them. Very nice lady answered and said that the new catalog is being printed up, and will be sent out in December. I asked if January would be a good time to order seeds, and she confirmed yes.

Guess my itchy fingers will have to wait.

Stored Food List

2008-11-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

We are a family of three unique individuals. Doug will eat almost anything but needs protein and variety. I'm a picky eater, not liking cooked veggies at all, and I love variety, and crave mayo to make most things palatable. Weslee is a pickier eater than I, but loves fresh fruits and raw veggies, and doesn't need as much variety as we do.

I've written up a list of what we, as a 3-person family, need to store to make nutritious and tasty meals. Using the current food pyramid (see the graphic), I created the chart found at www.newviewgroupllc.com/Stored_Food3.html.

This list is not only to do my monthly shopping, but also to plan meals, and experiment with recipes.

Who could use this list and this blog?

people concerned about the economy and stretching their food budget
people who store food in case of emergency, layoffs, blizzards (us!), bird flu, etc.
people who plant gardens and need help deciding what seeds to buy
people who need a few fresh ideas about menu planning for their family

Starting January 1 2009 and continuing throughout the year, I'll blog here a complete day's menu using my chart. I'll include recipes as needed. Any suggestions you have for meals would be greatly appreciated.

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Icing Buckets: An Encounter

2008-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

I dashed over to the grocery this morning to pick up a newspaper and donuts for Weslee's continuing b-day celebration, and happened to ask the bakery if they had any more empty icing buckets. They did, and I piled them into my cart.

As I waited in the checkout line, the man in front of me (with two boxes of canning jars in his cart, and pickling salt) stared at the buckets. He strolled over.

"Where did you get those?"

"The bakery."

"Food grade?"

I studied him for a split-second and knew he was a like-minded fellow. I flashed a knowing grin. "Ab-so-lute-ly."

"What do you use them for?"

"Food storage. We, uh, have a mouse problem."

We exchanged a nod, and went on our separate ways. Interesting encounter.

Vikki
www.newviewgroupllc.com

A Day Off

2008-11-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

We took today off from working, writing, dehydrating, and such.... it's my baby's birthday! And since hubby took off from work not only today but also tomorrow and Friday, we'll hope to get back to things by Monday.

Remember, we can't prepare and prepare and hope for a good life if we don't enjoy our lives.

Vikki

Growing Lettuce with Hydroponics

2008-11-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

uh oh ... another cross posting!

We found a wonderful hydroponics kit. Check out the blog entry at: http://new-view-retreat.blogspot.com/2008/11/hydroponics-growing-lettuce.html

Lettuce is our first choice for such a small hydroponics kit. Maybe after that, we'll try spinach. Weslee loves fresh raw baby spinach, and would eat a couple leaves a day if he could. I guess we could grow herbs in it too, but I don't cook fancy things so fresh veggies really is our preference for this little hydro greenhouse.

Thanks for reading!

Vikki

http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Dried Vegetables and Fruits: Bought

2008-11-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

It's late in the year to begin gardening, at least in the northern Hemisphere. Sometimes, a shortcut is necessary while biding your time. So while you pore over your gardening catalogs, choosing which berry bushes or fruit trees to plant, you might consider adding the following to your stores:

I found http://www.justtomatoes.com/ when my then baby was beginning to eat solid foods. He tried all kinds, and he expressed a preference to jarred food. Vehemently. A friend mentioned the dried mixed vegetables she'd found at a local health food store, so I picked up a small tub. Liked what I saw: no added ingredients other than the fruit or veggie. Not even sulfur! After Weslee saw me eating the mixture of dried corn, carrots, peas and tomatoes, he dug right in.

Since then, we pretty much place a regular order for Weslee of soynuts (out of stock at the moment), peas, blackberries, blueberries and mango. I usually add a few other things for Doug and I, like pomegranate, bananas, strawberries, peaches and carrots. We don't rehydrate any of these so we're sure to drink lots of water.

Weslee, now 12 years old, doesn't like fresh blackberries or mango, and we don't have enough blueberry bushes to satisfy our cravings so for now, he eats these three dried fruits plus peas and soybeans almost daily. About 2 tablespoons of each makes a decent serving (quite a bit less than recommended on their package). Makes me feel good about his health.

If you don't have enough bushes, trees and other plants to satisfy your fruit needs, you should check out their site. It's not as good as growing it yourself, but will do in a pinch.

Vikki

http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Long Term Food Storage

2008-11-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Success!!

I finally found a source to long-term store our food supplies. I'd been looking for quite a while for icing buckets, but most bakeries couldn't give them away or wanted to charge a ridiculous amount of money for them.

Yet, I had success today in an off-chance thought and related comment.

Read about it at: http://new-view-retreat.blogspot.com/2008/11/long-term-food-storage-containers-icing.html

Vikki

http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Sunflowers

2008-11-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture taken in August 3rd of this year. Weslee's standing in front of our corn patch (actually, our "Three Sisters" patch: corn, squashes, beans and some sunflowers) in his gardening outfit, shortly before everything had a huge growth spurt.

Some of the corn stalks (closest to the fence and shed) reached over 9 foot tall, and the sunflowers grew mostly to 8 foot. We sowed mammoth sunflower seeds, so when they grew to their fullest heights and start forming the faces, we were amazed and stunned.

This second picture shows what we see from our side driveway. Ivy and honeysuckle in front, corn and sunflowers in the back. Imagine coming home from a hard day of work and seeing the tall sunflowers peeking over the fence. What a wonderful greeting.

Remember, this was our experimental year, so yes, we learned a lot. We learned to plant only one sunflower per square foot or more so that they will have room to spread out their leaves. We learned that the roots are so strong that they will help break up clay soil and aerate deep down. We learned to not harvest them too early: the faces will droop down under the weight of mature seeds, the backs of the faces will begin to turn from green to yellow then brown, and that the window of harvest is small: as soon as the backs begin to turn, the birds will find them. We tied paper bags around the heads (with a few holes for ventilation) until we harvested them the day before our first frost.

We harvested 9 heads from the backyard. We kept them in their bags and put them in the basement to continue curing. Be sure to keep them up to prevent mice and other critters from getting to them.

Some time in mid-Summer, we decided to plant some sunflowers in the front yard, to hide an aspen tree that died and needed to cut down. So, even though they got a late start, several seeds took hold and grew up. One only made it to about 3 feet tall (I planted the seeds too close together) but the other 4 grew tall.

They survived our first frost. When I went out to check on them, look who I saw! These last two pictures show the deep blue Colorado sky, our biggest front-yard sunflower and our friend, the butterfly. This butterfly let me watch almost 10 minutes, as it sunned its wings and enjoyed the bounty of the flower.

Sunflowers brighten up anyone's day, and provide great nutrition. Once you get the hang of it, it's obvious when to harvest. Back of faces turn color. Paper bag them (we poked holes in the grocery bags, then tied them with twine). Before the first frost, cut them down, taking plenty of the stalk so you can hang them from the ceiling. Before hanging, if there are any yellow petals still covering the seeds, carefully brush them away. Re-bag, tie, and hang. Keep them in a cool dry place, in the paper bag, until the seeds fall out when gently shaken. Roast or freeze to keep from going rancid.

Great source of nutrition, and a fun snack.

We plan on planting a LOT of sunflowers next year on our new property. Great to break up the soil, and certain string beans do well using them to grow up.

Here's a nutritional chart on sunflower seeds I found at: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=57

Check out the nutrients, vitamins and minerals. One ounce of sunflowers seeds provides 5 grams of protein, 241 grams of potassium, 170 calories (of which 130 are from fat - the good kind), fiber, sugar, Vitamin E, folate and more.

These are SO easy to grow and look at the benefits. Hoping to next year figure out how to make oil from the seeds. Meanwhile, remember to save some seeds to plant next year (don't roast, freeze, or dehydrate the seeds you plan to plant).

Vikki

www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Menu Planning: Fruit

2008-11-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

To the right: Weslee fixed his favorite "snack meal" today (top, clockwise): dried peas, cashews, dried blackberries, rice crackers, dried blueberries, and dried soybeans.

Cross-Posting: I'm going to try to focus the next several months on my thoughts about self-sufficiency menu planning - on these two blogs: http://www.food-self-sufficiency.blogspot.com/ and http://www.new-view-retreat.blogspot.com/ . Additional info on this Food Self-Sufficiency Blog in this color and Italicized.

Food Self-Sufficiency
This is something that has interested me for years. Is it possible to grow everything we need to eat a healthy and varied meals?

Here's the problem: We are products of modern days. A time when we could get in the car and drive 5 minutes to a fast food joint or convenience store. When we have freezers stocked with pre-made dinners, toaster waffles, and logs of ground beef. When our pantry is stocked with tin cans purchased, and not home-canned. When a quick meal means grabbing carbs and meat with little thought to fresh veggies and fruit. When dessert is cake or something sweet, instead of fresh fruit and homemade cheese.

What would happen if the economy got so bad that we couldn't afford to go to McDonald's or order delivery from Pizza Hut? Or Peak Oil happened so drastically that we ran out of gas?

So how do make the transition to homegrown anything and everything?

I've discovered cold turkey doesn't work for me. When I have a migraine, I just don't feel like thinking about what's in the pantry or refrigerator. I'm sure I'm not alone.

As you may know, this was our first year in a house and our first year as gardeners. We grew soy beans, corn, pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, tomatoes and tomatoes and tomatoes, and a few other things. We planted fruit trees and berry bushes. We learned so much and put away a lot but honestly, I don't think we could survive on what we successfully grew this year. But next year.....

Fruit:
Fresh fruit has essential vitamins and minerals needed for strong bones and blood cells, antioxidants, and fiber. Absolutely required for good health, yet we don't eat much as a USA nation.I read somewhere that fruit should be eaten at times when you don't eat vegetables, so that they don't compete for digestion. Whether that's true or not, because of the sugar content of most fruits, I usually serve fruit during lunch, and veggies during dinner. Fruit is also a good snack in between meals, especially when served with a protein like cheese or nuts/seeds.

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Here's a list of fruits with Nutritional Values, from: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49478.asp - not complete by any means. I mean, where's the avocado and our new favorite, Wonderberries? (Concerns are in parenthesis, but if you grow them yourselves and/or limit usage, you should be ok.) (Additional preservation info for www.food-self-sufficiency.blogspot.com in this color and italicized.)

Apples - flavonoids, fiber, C (pesticides, wax coating) Dried, canned chunks/applesauce, canned apple butter, frozen, juice, cider, vinegar
Apricots - carotenoids, A, C, fiber (preservatives) Dried, canned jam
Bananas - B6, C, potassium (glycemic) Dried, frozen
Blackberries - flavonoids, fiber, C, K, manganese Dried, frozen, canned jam
Blueberries - flavonoids, C, manganese, fiber Dried, frozen, canned jam
Cantaloupe - carotenoids, C, A, potassium Frozen
Cherries - flavonoids (pesticides) Dried, frozen, jam, pie-filling
Cranberries - flavonoids, fiber, C, manganese Dried, frozen
Dates- (glycemic) ??
Dried fruit - (glycemic, preservatives)
Figs - (preservatives) ??
Fruit juices - (glycemic)
Grapefruit - carotenoids in pink, flavonoids, C Frozen, Juice
Grapes - flavonoids, manganese (pesticides) Dried into raisins, Frozen, Juice, Wine
Guava - carotenoids, fiber, C ??
Kiwifruit - C, fiber (glycemic) ??
Lemons - flavonoids, C (wax coating) Zest Dried, Frozen
Limes - flavonoids, C (wax coating) Zest Dried, Frozen
Mangoes - carotenoids, A, C (glycemic) Dried, ??
Nectarines - carotenoids, C (glycemic, pesticides) Frozen
Oranges - carotenoids, flavonoids, C, fiber (glycemic) Canned jam?, Zest dried, juice, frozen
Papayas - carotenoids, C, folate, potassium Dried, ??
Peaches - carotenoids, C (pesticides) Dried, frozen, jam
Pears - flavonoids (pesticides) Dried, Canned as Pear-sauce, Frozen
Persimmons - C (glycemic) Dried
Pineapple - C, manganese (glycemic) Dried
Plums - carotenoids, C Dry into prunes, frozen
Raspberries - flavonoids, fiber, manganese, C Dried, canned jam, frozen
Raisins - (glycemic, pesticides, preservatives) Kept dried
Strawberries - carotenoids, flavonoids, C, fiber (pesticides) Dried, canned jam, frozen
Tangerines - carotenoids, A, C (glycemic) Canned jam?, juice, frozen
Watermelon - carotenoids, C, A, B6 (glycemic) Dried, frozen

Many of these fruits can be combined and dried into roll-ups. A delicious way to get your fruit.

Recipe: It's easiest when you use at least 50% applesauce, then perhaps a little pureed banana and mango and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a tropical treat. Mix well, spread an even layer on your drying-pan/sheet, and dehydrate. Note: roll-ups should be dried until almost not-tacky to the touch, cut, wrapped in plastic wrap, and kept in a mason jar in cool conditions, or frozen.

When you eat a dehydrated/dried food, remember that you need to drink a liquid, preferably water, to prevent constipation.
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Here are some suggestions for quick fruit-meals that we can do 100% ourselves:
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Chunks of cheddar cheese
Bunches of grapes
Applesauce
Cornbread
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Scrambled eggs
Freshly baked bread
Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries (jam or fresh)
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Apple, Raisin & Tomato salad
Walnut muffins
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Cranberry-orange muffins
Baked Chicken
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Soybean flour crackers spread with peanut butter
Fresh Fruit salad
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On-the-go "snack meal":
Sunflower Seeds, Pecans
Dried peaches and dried mango or other favorite dried fruit
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Wow ... that's just what I came up with in a few moments, by looking at my list of plants and animals (cows, chickens). Some, like the orange tree, will need to be a solarium, while the strawberries could be grown indoors on a windowsill or in a corner with a grow-light for year-round consumption.

Your fruit-meal suggestions? (fruit + protein + maybe a carb)

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Home Grown Fruits and Veggies

2008-10-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

The above is a picture taken on Oct 9 2008 - the inside of our fridge after a very busy day. We heard that our first frost was on its way, so we quickly harvested the rest of our radishes (in the small tub towards the top), and our melons. We had a sugar baby watermelon, a few crenshaw muskmelons (cantaloupes), and a few golden watermelons. The 3 tam-dew honeydews are in a drawer, so not pictured.

Above is a picture taken on Oct 19 2008 - just a quick harvest before a freeze. Notice the yellow pear tomatoes, orange slicer, and small eggplant. PLUS - our pride and joy, besides the several small orange carrots, we managed to grow 2 atomic red carrots (top of plate) and some cremey-white carrots (just under the red carrots). We also pulled up 2 sweet potatoes, the results of an experiment with sweet potato vines. Laying across the yellow tomatoes are two small red-bunching onions - very potent!

Above: here's a potted tomato plant that's been relocated from outside to our family room. Just one of about 7, in addition to the banana tree, a wonderberry bush, and two blueberry bushes. We have a very powerful grow light above, and a kiddie pool below to catch over-watering by a hyper almost-12-year-old.

Above is the big collander of green tomatoes we picked last week, after the first frost. They survived (barely) under two blankets and a big piece of plastic. It was too much work to try to save the plants. So we've picked these, and I'm dehydrating them. We're assuming that the green (unripe) tomatoes are just as nutritious (or close enough) as the ripe tomatoes.

Green tomato powder will be added to the all-vegg powder, and also kept separately to add depth to soups and stews. It's not very tasty by itself, and I haven't yet experimented with making green tomato preserves.

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Tomatoes: Red, Orange, Yellow, Black, Green

2008-10-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Above: Black Cherry Tomatoes and a red slicer. We accidentally planted 2 different varieties in one pot. Both did well.

Above: Kellog's Breakfast Orange (we think)

Above: red cherry tomatoes

Above: this is a pic of our harvest on August 28 2008 - see the Big Rainbow Striped Tomatoes in the top left, and the many tomatoes in the pasta bowl on the right. Yum!

Above: a dehydrator tray filled with sliced yellow mamas, yellow pears and small red roma tomatoes. Dried about 6-8 hours until mostly dried and barely pliable. Bagged, froze for 2 days in case there are bugs on them, then pulled out, a dessicant package added, then placed the baggies in a tightly sealed mason jar.

For beginning gardeners, we were so blessed with a terrific crop of tomatoes this year. We had 20 plants, of which 19 of them bore beginning sometime in July (if I remember correctly), and each 5-gallon pot got one (or 2) tomato plants, a basil and a marigold. There were very little bug attacks.

We had several varieties (we got most of our seeds from Baker Heirloom at http://www.rareseeds.com/):

Big Rainbow Striped Tomatoes - a slicer that is mostly orange with green and red faint stripes, very sweet, somewhat thick-fleshed, and the most delicious tomato we've ever tasted. We'll definitely grow this again.

Thai Pink Tomatoes - they start off a little white and as they ripen, they turn a light pink, and deepen to a vivid pink. Very juicy. Some people don't like the taste, but Doug and I are ok with it. Not something we'd grow if we had limited space.

Black Cherry Tomatoes - these were a little larger than a cherry tomato, and are actually purple. Thick flesh and somewhat sweet. We had only 2 plants of these so we mostly eat these freshly picked. We did dehydrate and freeze some.

Red Cherry Tomatoes - had only one of these plants and it gave us about 15-20 red cherry tomatoes every 3 days or so. Sweet.

Roma Tomatoes - although just about everyone knows about these, have to mention. Ours didn't get very big but when they ripened, they were thick and crimson red. Perfect for making some of our favorite dishes. Great dehydrated and frozen.

Yellow Pear Tomatoes - I tasted my first yellow pear last year and had to grow them this year. We had about 6 of these growing, and every one of them bore prolifically. We brought several in the house a couple of weeks ago, and are now enjoying them even with freezing night temperatures. Great for salads, but we also dehydrate and freeze them.

Kellog's Orange Breakfast (paste) and Orange Mama and Yellow Mama - ok, here's the problem. I had started several plants (squash, gourds, tomatoes, etc.) and planted them in mid-Spring, and unfortunately a fox uprooted them all (digging a hole to take a nap in). I saved what I could, but the labels either scattered or faded. So, we had lots of other kinds of tomatoes, including these 3, but we have no idea what was what. We'll keep better track next year, plus make our tomato area more protected.

Next year we'll try canning. Didn't want to take on too much this year, seeing as we've never gardened before (except as children or inside of our apartments).

With our freeze warning last week, we tried to extend our outdoor harvest by covering the front-yard plants with blankets. The plants (Early Girl slicer, Yellow Pear, Roma, Red Grape and Yellow Mama) were full of green (upripe) tomatoes, and some did survive. However, it's just too much - covering at night and uncovering during the day. So this afternoon I picked most of the green tomatoes (a huge colander full).

I needed to run the dehydrator anyway with tomatoes we harvested 2 days ago from our indoors tomato plants, so I sliced up a couple of green (unripe) tomatoes to dry. We'll see what happens!

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Shortcut: Onions, Garlic, and Veggies

2008-10-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here in Colorado, it's Fall bordering on Winter. Our best growing season is over. So, if you didn't garden this year and are worried about providing decent food for your family, it's not hopeless. This posting will give you a shortcut on providing a few essentials.

Check out your local health food store. Near where I live are several locations of Vitamin Cottage; one just opened up around the corner last week! If you don't have a V.C. in your area, get out your phone book and call up health food stores to find out if they have the following:

Onion flakes: These are diced onions that have been dehydrated. I usually buy every bag they have out. If the section labeled "onion flakes" is empty, I find a clerk and ask! Sometimes they have more in the back and sometimes they are waiting to dry more. Sometimes I rehydrate them and use as regular just-diced onions. Most often, I leave them as is and use these while making taco meat, spaghetti sauce, stew, crock pot meals, roasts, etc.

Garlic flakes or granules: I prefer the flakes even though they look almost as small as a granule. Again, this is garlic dehydrated. These are still pretty potent and really add a great garlic taste, whether rehydrated before adding to a dish, or during cooking.

Spinach flakes: These are spinach leaves chopped and dried. Sprinkled on salads, add to spaghetti sauce, or rice. Remember that spinach has iron and calcium so we try to add them to our meals several times a week.

Parsley flakes: Same as spinach. Doesn't have as much flavor as fresh parsley but still provides great nutrition.

Soup Vegetables: This is a combination of dehydrated veggies like potatoes, celery, parsley, carrots and more. This can be powdered (see below), or added to sauce, stews, chicken bakes, and more. Or, here's a novel idea, make soup with them! One bag of soup veggies makes one decent pot of soup.

The above aren't very expensive. A $3.00 bag of garlic flakes should last you a couple of months.

Each comes in a plastic twist-tied bag, marked with contents and price. They aren't marked if organic, but I think they are. And they don't have any additives - just what's on the ingredients section.

Most of the above can be found in V.C.'s bulk item section, along with herbs, nuts, seeds, TVP (textured vegetable protein), granola, beans, and much more. Check out the entire section.

When you bring these home, mark on the bag the date you purchased them. Then store them in the original bag but placed inside something airtight like a mason jar. Include a dessicant package (moisture-eater) if you have some (we save them from new shoes or vitamin bottles). No need to process by canning; just seal tightly. Store in cool place, away from light. I have my son color brown paper bags, cut to fit, as labels.

If you need to get more of the above into your children, use a spice or other grinder to turn them into a powder. This will hide the color and individual tastes. We call this our "all-vegg powder". Add to mashed potatoes (covered with cheese), rice, into mac-n-cheese, pizza sauce, etc.

TSHTF and General Note: We are a small family in our first house: Doug, Vikki and almost 12-yr-old Weslee. This year (2008) was our first year to garden (we call it our experimental year) so not everything turned out ok. Actually, not even one spinach seed germinated! So, every time I go to the Vitamin Cottage, I grab as many bags as I can of each of the above plus others, leaving one of each for the next shopper (how nice of me!). I spend about $15 a month of dried garlic, onion, spinach, parsley and soup veggies. I have quite the stash of each, and since I'm still adding, we will definitely enough to get through this Fall, Winter, Spring and probably next Summer. Should something happen where veggie prices go up, are tainted with e-coli again, or anything else (like when TSHTF), at least we'll have herbs and some veggies to get us through the worst. (However, we have other things too.)

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

** Food Self-Sufficiency **

Dehydrating Apples

Shop at Salvage Grocery Stores

Dehydrating/Drying Basics

Canned Food Labels and Dates

Info: China's Honey is Tainted

Why Store Food, Part 7

Why Store Foods, Part 6

Why Store Food, Part 5

Why Store Food, Part 4

Canning Chicken

Why Store Food, Part 3

Why Store Food, Part 2

Taking Advantage of Sales

How to Store Your Foods

How to Calculate Stored Food (some)

Why Store Food, Part 1

Can we grow Quinoa in our backyard?

Cornmeal vs Grits ... or both

Taste Test Delay

Recipe Taste Test: Bacon Chickpea Soup

Seed Ordering

Stored Food List

Icing Buckets: An Encounter

A Day Off

Growing Lettuce with Hydroponics

Dried Vegetables and Fruits: Bought

Long Term Food Storage

Sunflowers

Menu Planning: Fruit

Home Grown Fruits and Veggies

Tomatoes: Red, Orange, Yellow, Black, Green

Shortcut: Onions, Garlic, and Veggies

Food Self-Sufficiency