Food and Food Storage Forum
Date:
July 29, 1997 12:09 PM
Author: Stanly U. Moore
(j6773sc@hotmail.com)
Subject: Survival cooking?
Hello:
I have some stored food on board (not from Walton's...sorry Al) and I need to start using it so that I can practice the skills necessary for survival, develop a taste for the end product while I don't have the "survival stress" to deal with, and rotate my stock.
I'm going to operate under the premise that there's going to be no electricity or any othe rmodern convenience that we've become accustomed to in the 20th century, at last for a little while.
Some thoughts that come off the top of my head are:
1. A good solar stove/oven capable of baking bread as well.
2. A good guide as to how to use the stuff I have on hand and make it palatable.
3. A good solar dehydrator.
Other readers may add their 2 cents worth to my less-than-complete list.
My daughter and I are vegetarians, who have recently been introduced to the 7th Day Adventist dietary code, so I don't need to concern myself with oils, meats, sugars, dairy, etc...., but I realize that others may choose to use those items in their diet, so more power to them.
Feedback anyone?
Stanly thinking of getting a so
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=802)
Date:
July 29, 1997 02:51 PM
Author: Al Durtschi
(rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Emergency cooking methods
May I suggest looking into the past as to how they used to cook in pioneer times? One of the most versatile tools was a Dutch oven, and I suggest you get two or three sizes of these things. They are rather expensive, but will last for many lifetimes and are hard to damage if treated even with a little bit of care. And the really nice thing is you can cook so many things in them. Stew comes to mind for most folks, but you can also cook bread, cakes... just about anything you can cook on a stove. There are some really good cookbooks out there for Dutch ovens. I have one called "Let's Cook Dutch" put out by Horizon. (We don't sell it) You can get it from them for about $10. Or better yet, take a look at all the Dutch oven cookbooks for sale at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/Subject=Dutch%20oven%20cookery/4040-4156220-818859
As far as using stuff you have stored, there are a lot of really great cook books out there that will teach you how to do this. It is much simpler than you may at first think. To see several ads for these books see http://waltonfeed.com/prep.html and look down until you find the books section. My favorites are Cookin' With Food Storage and Feed A Family of Four For As Low As $10 Per Week.
Al
See http://waltonfeed.com/grain/faqs/vi-c.html
for a listing of food storage companies.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=806)
Date:
August 04, 1997 11:50 PM
Author: Jordan Dohms
(prcedm@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca)
Subject: Wood-Burning Stove
Stanley,
>Other readers may add their 2
>cents worth to my less-than-complete list.
Another possibility is a wood-burning stove (like you see in museums). I hear that they aren't too hard to come by and also give off heat to heat your house. I live in Canada and when Y2K hits it is going to be in the dead of winter. Temperatures will probably be in around -20 degrees Celsius. ( I think that's about -4 degrees Farenheit). Heating will be a major concern.
Jordan
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1026)
Date:
August 21, 1997 02:18 PM
Author: fdeen
(fdeen@stc.net)
Subject: wood burning stove
Jordan, We have a wood burning stove in our kitchen. We've never used it, and I have been looking for some sort of book on how to cook using a wood burning stove. This is a replica of the common kitchen stove of 100 years ago. It has all the bells and whistles, but using it, especially the oven, would seem to require some idea of how hot to heat it. If you know of any such books, or sources of information on this topic, I would appreciate a heads up.
Frank
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1697)
Date:
August 21, 1997 02:35 PM
Author: gbug
(gbug2k@hotmail.com)
Subject: stove instructions
lehmans 330-857-5757 and prob 800 number too (amish supply) sells stoves instructions,supplies and cookbooks. their web page not finished but their catalog a wonder. on the other hand take a good look at the chimney for integrity of joints and then build a small fire to start. work your way from boiling water to thanksgiving dinner but you should have little problem
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1698)
Date:
August 06, 1997 01:31 PM
Author: Jim Smith
(jdsmith1@hotmail.com)
Subject: Solar Cooking
If you are interested in a solar oven, you can't get much more info than this site. Plans, books, cooking, etc.
http://www.accessone.com/~sbcn/index.htm
To buy one, you might check out:
Jade Mountain: http://www.jademountain.com/cooking.html
Real Goods: http://www.realgoods.com/ (they sell them, but I couldn't find any on their online catalog).
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1097)
Date:
September 14, 1997 08:31 PM
Author: Dr. Gene
(carvgene@eci.com)
Subject: Baking
What will be used to make bread with if yeast is finally exhausted. Sour dough works but much slower. How about baking powder? Are there any natural substitutes? Both of these items I buy in bulk, but they won't be available. Any ideas? Dr. Gene
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2581)
Date:
September 15, 1997 02:24 PM
Author: Joe Jeffries
(joejeffries@hotmail.com)
Subject: making your own sourdough
You buy wheat, learn to bake bread, and you are right, you then ask the question, "What if I can't go down to the local Safeway and buy yeast?"
Well, I've been through this exercise and you simply can't dismiss the sourdough - it works, you don't need anything else.
Yep, to get a starter going did take me 10 days. Yep, to use starter to make bread meant letting it proof for a whole day. But using just water and wheat I found I didn't need yeast at all.
My first loaf never rose. Then I let the starter proof for a day, not several hours. But once you know what you are doing you use your starter to bake all the bread you want. You just keep replenishing the starter.
But, as they say with all our self-sufficiency plans, you've gotta try it now so you'll know how to do it then.
Link to
http://countrylife.net/bread/proof.html
It gave me all the info I needed, WITH A LITLLE BIT OF EXPERIMENTING ON MY OWN, to learn how to make the sourdough starter and how to get bread to rise from it.
Good luck,
-Joe
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2606)
Date:
September 18, 1997 09:43 AM
Author: Lilly
(lillyroberts@usa.net)
Joe, you are so right! I've had access to what is termed "Friendship Bread" starter. Its almost the same as sourdough. With a little practice and dedication, this is a wonderful way to save on yeast. A good idea is once you've become accustomed to using it, try using the type of flour that you may have on hand if an emergency breaks out. Heavier flour will take longer to rise, too many give up beforehand and think that the starter is bad. With heavy flour, I make the loaf before going to bed at night and in the morning it is ready.
God Bless, Lilly
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2724)
Date:
August 28, 1997 02:37 PM
Author: Will Harr
(willharr8@hotmail.com)
Subject: Is Baking Bread Impossible In Year 2000?
How are we going to bake bread when the electricity and natural gas to our ovens has shut down in a Y2K crisis? You've bought several cans of wheat seeds and a hand grinder, and you've ground some nice flour. Now how will you bake your bread dough into nice loaves? Where can one purchase wood, or coal, or oil, ovens that do a satisfactory job of baking? Anyone have any actual experience here? Please advise on the best ovens, where to purchase them, and how to use them. I've not had any luck re. this subject so far. Thanks for the help.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1954)
Date:
August 28, 1997 03:45 PM
Author: Will Richards
(will_richards@hotmail.com)
Dutch ovens for on the move and indian type out door ovens for the more permanent location. I used them in Central America and they work great. Will post more info on the outdoor ovens here when I get a chance. Mud brick ovens http://www.webnexus.com/users/vlp/mssump02.htm dutch ovens http://www.ida.net/users/aa7pu/MIDEAS.HTM
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1960)
Date:
August 28, 1997 07:11 PM
Author: Matthew Adamson
(m_adamson@hotmail.com)
Subject: Baking bread
This is when cooking tortillas will be to your advantage. They are flat breads which can be cooked in a frying pan over a small heat source. They can be from either wheat flour or corn meal. An added bonus is that the bread can also serve as your plate. (Less water used for clean up.)
Also, cooking Mexican foods allows you to use spicy sauces which will cover the "unusual" taste of stored foods. This will help greatly in keeping your family happy during the early days of social disruption. Anything high on the convience scale and with reasonable amounts of enjoyment should be included in your y2k preparations.
Hint: Get used to cooking and eating these items now. It will mean less disruption later.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=1967)
Date:
September 01, 1997 11:25 AM
Author: George
(gfoster32@hotmail.com)
Subject: Bread
Baking bread like you're used to eating from the local bakery is very difficult. When you grind your whole wheat into nice fluffy flour, you're getting whole wheat bread, of course. Real whole wheat bread is about as thick and heavy and 'non-bread' tasting as cardboard, unless you're used to eating it that way. The bread industry has spent the last 40 years trying to get the wheat out of your bread and put 'white' into it. Everyone, I say EVERYONE needs to do this experiment before the end of the century: Bake a loaf of bread or make biscuits or pastry or tortilla or some wheat product with your own flour from your own wheat to see what you're going to get. I do know this: you will not get bread you think you're going to get. I tried it, I'm still trying it. I've used everything from a solar oven to wood fired cook stoves to my bread machine. Baking bread is tough. Baking bread the first time with whole wheat is impossible. Buicuits will be better suited. It all depends on the type of wheat you're using. Try it before you're hungry. It's an art, not a science.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2094)
Date:
September 03, 1997 01:44 AM
Author: JDohms
(prcedm@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca)
Subject: Bread Machine bread making
> I've used everything from a
> solar oven to wood fired cook stoves to my bread
> machine. Baking bread is tough. Baking bread
> the first time with whole wheat is
> impossible.
I my household we always use freshly ground wheat for making bread. We have a bread machine and an electric grain mill (neither will help much in 2000). We had a few problems a first but now it is better than any bread you could buy from the store.
George, try adding a bit of gluten to your recipe in the bread machine. With freshly ground wheat you need to mix it for a while to get the gluten out of the wheat and our bread machine doesn't have a long enough mixing cycle. Also make sure to use recipes design for your size of bread machine.
This info may be all good and well for now but will be fairly useless after our power goes out.
Hope your bread turns out better! Once it does you will never want to go back to store bought bread.
JD
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2150)
Date:
October 31, 1997 01:42 PM
Author: Gefrey
(g.w.brooks@usanet.com)
Subject: Whole Wheet Bread
Cheat! At first, use one cup of (Gasp!) White Flour to three cups of whole wheat. Gluten works too. I stop my bread machine after the first whole wheat mixing cycle and restart it and it makes a better loaf.
I prefer to use a double sized recipe and bake in the oven on a pizza stone. Nice large round loaf.
Geoffrey
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=4912)
>Baking bread like you're used to eating from the local
>bakery is very difficult.
Although I agree there is a bit of an art to bread making, I don't think it is nearly as hard as George makes it sound. We have been making bread for years and of course it is easy now. Some months ago, to help folks that had never made it before, we spent some time writing up some very detailed instructions on making bread and put them on the web. You can see them at our All Natural Whole Wheat Bread page. You can see a link or two to other recipes on our EFA Recipes Page. Bread just isn't that hard to make.
>Real whole wheat bread is about as thick and heavy and
>'non-bread' tasting as cardboard, unless you're used to
>eating it that way.
Again, I beg to differ. One case in point: At a company party... (back when I had a real job. What I do now is have fun) ...for 30 people, we brought about 8 loaves of our 100% whole wheat bread made with the above recipe. Even though there was lots of food at this pot luck, our hot bread with butter and honey was the clear winner. It went fast and people came back with hoots of praise, asking for the recipe. And these were folks that had never eaten home made, whole wheat bread before in their lives. It was full formed, light, but even more important, completely delicious.
>The bread industry has spent the last 40 years trying to
>get the wheat out of your bread and put 'white' into it.
Yes, and see what they have done to the nutrition in it.
>Everyone, I say EVERYONE needs to do this experiment before
>the end of the century: Bake a loaf of bread...
I agree 100% with George on this one, not only to prepare for hard times in the future, but for healthy eating now.
>Baking bread the first time with whole wheat is impossible.
For those of you just getting started with 100% whole wheat bread, if you cheat and substitute about 2 cups of white flour for whole wheat flour (in a four loaf batch) it will do great things towards insuring you have a success. I would also recommend you grind your own wheat just before making the bread. This way you will get the optimum flavor and nutrition that is in the wheat, and you will never, ever end up with stale whole wheat flour, like what you pay good money for in the grocery store.
Al
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2190)
Date:
September 05, 1997 11:39 AM
Author: ken Seger
(kenseger@primary.net)
Subject: Whole wheat bread quality
Just guessing here, but I'ld wager you aren't grinding your wheat fine enough. If you have a stone grinder please note that the stones might not be worn-in yet or you need to order a finer set of stones. Perhaps using some fine lapidary polish on the stones would give you a finer grind??? If you have a small metal grinder you might try grinding the flour 2 or 3 times. If you want really fine flour get a The Kitchen Mill by Kitchenetics. You'll need electricty and ear-protectors, but on it's highest setting you get almost cake flour.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2232)
Date:
September 01, 1997 11:30 AM
Author: Al Durtschi
(rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Cooking without electricity
My brother in law and sister have implemented a perfect solution to this. They have a propane cooking stove and heating system in their house with a 5000 gallon propane tank out back. Their water tank is heated with propane and they have a well. They are thinking of getting a propane electric generator for when the power goes out and a second tank. Even now, if the power goes off for long periods of time, they will hardly notice the inconvenience if you don't include the lights.
Al
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2096)
Date:
September 18, 1997 09:29 AM
Author: Lilly
(lillyroberts@usa.net)
Subject: wood stove pointers
Hello everyone, Just a tip for those of you that have never used a wood stove before. PLEASE cleans the chimney before using! Too many people have burned down their house by not doing this and there might be birds nests or a build up that could easily ignite. Another tip is that if you have a wood stove that has not been in use for a while, check it out really good. Sometimes the bottom can become rusty and may break . Wood stove boards are another need if your stove is placed on flooring or carpet. Harware stores can usually get these for you at about $60 each. I'd have to say that my wood burning stove gives me great comfort. It is a relief to know that I have a non-electrical appliance that can warm my home and cook food, we use it every winter because of the price of propane. The smell of bean soup simmering on the stove in the dead of winter makes it worth the hassle of cleaning it out each week. I have noticed that frying eggs doesn't work like on a regular stove. It takes longer because the top of the stove doesn't get as hot. This winter I'm going to try baking bread by placing a large metal pan over my loaf pan on the top of the stove. Practice is the key! Think of a wood stove as a saftey measure. Even if you don't use on now, for around $100, you can go to your local farm supply store and purchase a small one to keep on hand. Don't forget the stove pipe!
God Bless, Lilly
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2723)
Date:
October 05, 1997 08:34 PM
Author: Major Disaster
(dashing@fn.com)
Subject: "Bake" bread without heat
WWII refugees tell me that if they had yeast to mix with sugar water and dough in a small covered pot and took the concoction to bed with them at night, that body heat alone would cause the mix to rise somewhat by morning--into some sort of doughy goo (probably about like cookie dough). 'Kept 'em alive!
Within a week or so I'll be offering a book on the ramifications of Y2K, along with survival and post-crash recovery info. Email me if you want to receive an ad when it's ready.
(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=3596)