Two food stories
QUICK BREADS TO EXTEND YOUR MEALS.
(cheap, filling and surprisingly good)
1. Our family's version of Indian fry bread or what we commonly call "POOR MAN'S SUPPER": To two cups of flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to make a soft dough.
Dust with flour, knead a few times, roll out, cut into strips and fry in deep oil (365 degrees F) until puffed and golden. Drain well; serve hot with syrup or honey. These are also very good with stir-fry
dishes.
2. We like these corn pones or "CORN DODGERS" with beans and that combination will give you a complete protein. Heat about 1/2" oil (I prefer peanut oil for its high heat tolerance) in a large iron skillet. Take a cup or two of yellow corn meal, salt to season and add enough water to make a mush consistency. This batter dries out quickly, so add water as needed. Using a large spoon, dip into the batter and drop into the hot oil, spreading to flatten to the thickness of a thin pan cake. Brown well on both sides and drain. Eat while hot and crispy.
1. Our family's version of Indian fry bread or what we commonly call "POOR MAN'S SUPPER": To two cups of flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to make a soft dough.
Dust with flour, knead a few times, roll out, cut into strips and fry in deep oil (365 degrees F) until puffed and golden. Drain well; serve hot with syrup or honey. These are also very good with stir-fry
dishes.
2. We like these corn pones or "CORN DODGERS" with beans and that combination will give you a complete protein. Heat about 1/2" oil (I prefer peanut oil for its high heat tolerance) in a large iron skillet. Take a cup or two of yellow corn meal, salt to season and add enough water to make a mush consistency. This batter dries out quickly, so add water as needed. Using a large spoon, dip into the batter and drop into the hot oil, spreading to flatten to the thickness of a thin pan cake. Brown well on both sides and drain. Eat while hot and crispy.
FOOD STORAGE. This will be a
challenge for us if the power goes down and we are experiencing one of our
intensely hot, humid summers. I have researched alternative cooling methods to
save our food preps and it looks as though our best bet will be a root cellar.
The pot-within-a-pot or zeer refrigeration technique is supposed to work well
in arid climates but our humidity runs way too high for that to be successful
here. If you live in a hot and dry part of the country that is worth looking
into. Besides using a vacuum sealer and food dehydrator I have canned
vegetables, fruits and meats using water bath and pressure canners. I recently
did some oven-canning of dry goods such as flour, corn meal and bread crumbs.
That venture was successful and freed up space in our freezers. My best source
for canning/drying basics has been the "Ball Blue Book". ALWAYS
follow the safety guidelines when using any food preservation methods.
Generally, a cool, dark and dry environment is recommended for optimum
storage life of foods and seeds. My attempts at drying veggies in the sun or a car have failed. Due to high humidity, the food turned moldy before it dehydrated. Because they don't require refrigeration, we have sugar, baking soda and salt stored in a broken freezer in our shop. It is air-tight and mouse-proof. Our grocery store deli gives away those handy food-grade buckets with lids which have been a God-send. If space is an issue, conceal items behind books on bookshelves, under a cloth-covered table or add extra shelving above doors or in closets. Part of our this spring's potato crop, layered with shredded paper and stored in burlap-lined wire baskets, awaits planting in the fall garden. For less than $10 we bought a set of bed risers to raise our bed several inches for underneath storage. I recently lucked upon a yard sale at closing time and picked up a free wooden bookcase. After a bit of touch-up it now hangs on a kitchen wall filled with colorful jars of canned goods. Free, decorative and useful!
storage life of foods and seeds. My attempts at drying veggies in the sun or a car have failed. Due to high humidity, the food turned moldy before it dehydrated. Because they don't require refrigeration, we have sugar, baking soda and salt stored in a broken freezer in our shop. It is air-tight and mouse-proof. Our grocery store deli gives away those handy food-grade buckets with lids which have been a God-send. If space is an issue, conceal items behind books on bookshelves, under a cloth-covered table or add extra shelving above doors or in closets. Part of our this spring's potato crop, layered with shredded paper and stored in burlap-lined wire baskets, awaits planting in the fall garden. For less than $10 we bought a set of bed risers to raise our bed several inches for underneath storage. I recently lucked upon a yard sale at closing time and picked up a free wooden bookcase. After a bit of touch-up it now hangs on a kitchen wall filled with colorful jars of canned goods. Free, decorative and useful!
These stories are from the Survival Blog
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