chapter 1

emergency food

introduction

During wartime or a natural disaster, food shortages and lack of natural gas or electricity for cooking requires a great deal of improvisation and reliance upon back-to-basics cooking techniques used by our forefathers in order to survive. In an emergency it helps to know what to do with all the wheat, rice, cornmeal, sugar, molasses, vegetable oil and dried beans, milk, fruits and vegetables which you've wisely cached along with firewood or cooking fuel. Colonial, pioneer and nineteenth century military cooking methods and recipes are useful when preparing meals from simple cached staples. Many of the recipes included in this information paper don't need perishables like meat, eggs or yeast which you might not have. Recipes for the modern kitchen with a temperature controlled oven will naturally have to be adjusted by trial and error if you are baking in a clay oven in the field or cooking over a campfire. Improvisation is called for to substitute what is available. For example if a recipe calls for bacon drippings, you can use any cooking fat like lard, margarine, butter, vegetable oil or shortening. Butter Flavor Crisco can be used in most recipes, doesn't require refrigeration and is available in easy to measure sticks. The interaction between a sweetener, baking soda and buttermilk or sour milk (which you can make by adding a little vinegar to reconstituted dry milk; 1 tablespoon per cup of milk and let stand 5 minutes) can substitute for yeast if none is available. White hardwood ashes can replace baking powder as a leavening agent. Honey, molasses or syrups and be substituted for sugar in most recipes by using less water (1 cup honey = 1-1/4 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid). Use whatever dried fruit is available regardless of what the recipe calls for. Experimentation is the order of the day. If you remember to add spices in stages (they can't be removed if you use too much) and if all of the ingredients you use are food, then the chances are the end result will be edible (especially if you are hungry enough). sources of recipes Living history redactors of the American Revolution and the War of Northern Aggression take great delight in recreating authentic army meals around their campfires and hardcore redactors actually eat the mess. Patricia B. Mitchell has published a series of cookbooks (available from Sims-Mitchell House Bed & Breakfast, 242 Whittle Street SW, P.O. Box 429, Chatham, VA 24531) to make this task easier and many excerpts from her books "Revolutionary Recipes," "Union Army Camp Cooking," "Confederate Camp Cooking," "Confederate Home Cooking" and "Cooking for the Cause" are included in this paper. Some recipes have been included from "Colonial Treasure Cookbook" (Hutcraft, High Point, NC 27262) and from "Colonial Fireplace Cooking & Early American Recipes" (Shoestring Press, 430 N. Harrison, East Lansing, MI 48823). Regional cookbooks, especially from the South, are a source of recipes for nutritional meals from simple foods. Recipes have been included from various southern cookbooks including "Cookin' Yankees Ain't Et" (The Merry Mountaineers, Highlands, NC 28741), "Southern Recipes" and "Piggin' Out in Dixie" (Southern Cookbooks, P.O. Box 100905, Nashville, TN 37224). Recipes and field cooking techniques have also been excerpted from "The Green Beret Gourmet" (The Guttenberg Press Publications, P.O. Box 973, Rockledge, FL 32955). Some quick bread recipes which don't require yeast come from "Sunset Breads" (Sunset Publishing Corp., Menlo Park, CA 94025), a cookbook with recipes from all over the world. If you have active

dry yeast or sourdough starter, this book is an excellent reference for other bread recipes not included in this paper. Vegetarian cookbooks should also be a good source of survival recipes, but being a confirmed carnivore, the writer of this paper has no personal knowledge of any such books. Backpacking books are also an excellent source of field cooking techniques and recipes. There is a chapter on field nutrition and camp cooking as well as an extensive appendix of recipes in "The National Outdoor Leadership School's Wilderness Guide" (Simon & Schuster, Inc., Simon & Schuster Building, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020). "Roughing It Easy" by Dian Thomas (The Dian Thomas Company, P.O. Box 171107, Holladay, UT 84117; 1-800-846-6355) is a comprehensive collection of outdoor cooking recipes and techniques, including many variations on improvised tin can stoves and ovens, pit and open fire cooking, Dutch oven cooking, building a solar reflector cooker or solar oven and a section on drying fruits, vegetables and jerky. the improvised kitchen You should have a camping stove for emergency cooking purposes. Two-burner stoves are useful in a fixed location or if you are vehicle mobile. Propane stoves are easy to use but fuel is expensive, the high pressure steel canisters are heavy and not likely to be widely available during a long-term emergency. A multifuel stove capable of using either white gas (lantern fuel or Coleman fuel) or ordinary gasoline is easier to resupply in an emergency. However, gasoline burns hotter than propane and is not as useful for low heat simmering of foods, so it might be wise to have both types of stove. If you are in a fixed location like a survival retreat or base camp, nothing beats a cast iron skillet, covered kettle and especially a Dutch oven for open fire or hot coal cooking. An excellent configuration for a cooking fire is the keyhole type. Build a fire ring of rocks with a rectangular extension, build a fire in the circular part and coals can be raked or shovelled into the rectangular cooking area as needed. A grill or griddle can be supported over the rectangular cooking area (bricks can be used instead of rocks here for more stability) or the area can be used with a Dutch oven. A metal tripod (or one fashioned from green branches) to hang a kettle can be used for boiling water or directly cooking over the flames in the circular part of the fire ring. The book "Roughing It Easy" shows how useful heavy duty aluminium foil is for outdoor cooking; stock up. Also, if you store food in large #10 cans (1 gallon) or in five gallon square cans, get this book and a pair of tin snips to convert the empty cans into many useful stove and oven variations. A cookie cooling rack can be used over a small pit of coals or an improvised #10 can barbecue. A grill and Dutch oven can be arranged to allow simultaneous use as a baking oven and for frying. Dig a shallow hole 9 to 12 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 inches deep; place coals or charcoal briquettes in the hole and place the grill across the hole; put the pan containing the item to be baked on the grill and cover with an inverted Dutch oven; place coals on the base of the Dutch oven which is now the top; place the inverted Dutch oven lid on the base tripod legs and it becomes a griddle for frying foods. Another useful accessory for either base camp cooking or for use in the field is a folding pack grill. Such a grill can be used for directly broiling meats, as a stand over the coals for a skillet, griddle or a stock pot (used for soups and stews, as a steamer or as an oven for baking or roasting), as a reflector oven (using disposable aluminium cooking pans for reflectors), as a stand for an inverted Dutch oven lid

allowing it to be used for frying, as a dirt free stand for placing a Dutch oven lid when adding ingredients to or checking the progress of food in the oven and as a stand away from the fire for serving or for safely adding ingredients without burning yourself or spilling the food. The Coghlan's brand pack grill is cheap enough (about $3 to $4 in discount stores) that several can be purchased for use in a base camp. A single pack grill and a lightweight nesting cooking set or GI mess kit can be carried in your rucksack to simplify field cooking. You can also add a folding pocket stove or GI canteen cup stand and solid fuel tablets to your rucksack for reheating prepared foods or preparing hot beverages like instant soup, coffee, tea or cocoa. To ease the cleanup chore when reheating cooked food, immerse the food container (can, MRE pouch, vacuum seal bag or freezer bag) in boiling water in your cooking pot; pierce the food container above the water line so it doesn't explode. In the field this method of heating food reduces cooking odors and lessens the chance of giving away your unit's position to enemy scouts. A single-burner butane or multifuel backpacking stove can be shared between two or three people. Most butane cartridges nowadays are filled with iso-butane which can be used down to about 20 degrees but, like with two-burner camp stoves, a multifuel stove is easier to resupply. Get an extra GI canteen cover and you can carry your stove attached to the side of your GI rucksack. If you are on the move without a vehicle or pack animals to carry heavy cooking vessels like cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens (or in case you get separated from your well stocked rucksack), here are some of the many other ways of cooking food using natural materials described in "The Green Beret Gourmet": clay ovens: Construct an arched structure of green sticks (similar in shape to a beehive), insert a thick stick vertically through the top to form a flue opening and daub with wet clay until it is completely covered except for a front opening. Pile on successive layers of clay until a thick wall is made. Allow the layers to dry between applications by either placing hot coals inside or, if time is not a problem, by the sun. If each layer is not thoroughly dry, the oven will crack when you try to use it. A clay oven can also be made by hammering a thick sharpened stick down through a bank or slope about three feet back from the edge. Scoop out the size of the oven you want about a foot or so down the bank. Leave a thick ceiling. Leave a narrow front opening and dig back and hollow the bank as far as the stick which you hammered down. Pull the stick out to form the chimney opening. Wet your hands and smooth the interior surfaces, then harden the walls by building a small fire inside. After your oven is prepared, to use it build a fire inside. When the fire has burned down, scrape out the coals and ashes. Lay food inside on stones, leaves or hardwood slabs. Close off the front opening and flue. Leave food inside to cook. Cooking time depends upon the type of food being cooked. cooking in natural containers: A stone with a hollow in it makes an excellent container. If it is small enough you can build a fire around the stone. Bark can be used to fashion pots to boil water, cook soups, stews or any foods with liquids over a fire. Peel a square of bark and fold the corners inward and hold them in place with wooden pegs. Keep the flames from touching your bark pot above the liquid level and your meal will cook in this simple container. Large leaves make an instant "aluminium foil" when baking or steaming food, but be sure to use edible non-poisonous leaves.

baking in clay This method is excellent for small game or fish. Remove the entrails from the animal being prepared. This is easiest to do if the animal is already dead. Do not skin, pluck or scale. Cover with a layer of clay about an inch thick. Place it in hot ashes and build a fire above it. Cooking time varies with animal size and taste preference. A one pound animal will be cooked in approximately 30 to 40 minutes. The meat will be stripped clean of fur, feathers or scales when you break off the clay. baking on a stick Heat a peeled green stick by the fire while you prepare a bread dough. Mix a GI canteen cup of flour with a mound of baking powder the size of a quarter and a dash of salt. Add water gradually to make a soft dough. Work quickly so the bread will rise as it bakes. Wrap dough around heated stick and place upright next to the fire to let it bake. cooking in ashes Foodstuff is placed in warm ashes and then covered with embers. Self-contained foods such as vegetables do not need to be wrapped in anything; simply place them in the ashes and dust them off after cooking. Cooking time depends upon the type of food and personal preferences. You can test vegetables by feeling for softness and putting them back if they still feel firm. cooking on wood slabs. Select a green hardwood slab (evergreens season the food with a pine or turpentine taste) large enough to lash or peg the animal. Fish and very small game can be successfully cooked this way. Clean the animal and flatten down on the slab. Either pin the animal down with wooden pegs or lash to the slab with whatever is available. Lean the slab up in front of glowing coals. Turn a few times so the food will cook evenly. This recipe comes from Richmond, Virginia in the Confederate States of America when Yankee invaders were marauding and food was in short supply: roasted rat The rat must be skinned, cleaned, his head cut off and his body laid upon a square board, the legs stretched to their full extent and secured upon it with small tacks, then baste with bacon fat and roast before a good fire quickly like canvasback ducks. broiling on a stick. This is a good method for cooking a small amount of food. Fish, birds and small animals (large animals must be cut into smaller chunks) can be cleaned and then skewered on a peeled green wood stick. If the food tends to slide, a bark twine can be used to tie it down by splitting the wood down to the game on both ends and twisting bark through the splits. Sear

the meat in the flame to seal in the juices. The skewer can be laid over forked green sticks at both ends of an ember bed. As long as the fire does not flame up, the meat needs only occasional turning so it cooks evenly. steaming in a hole. This method can be used to cook small or enormous amounts of food with great results. Build a fire and place some stones in it to heat. Don't select rocks from a stream bed, limestone or sandstone since they can contain trapped moisture and may explode when heated. While the stones are heating, dig a hole. Put the stones in the pit and place a thick layer of wet vegetation like grass or seaweed over them. Lay the food on top of the wet vegetation and place a stick near the edge of the pit. Fill with dirt. Pull the stick out and pour water down this opening onto the rocks to steam the food. Tamp down the top and leave the food to steam for at least two or three hours. If you are cooking something larger than fish or small game, the cooking time will need to be extended. grilling Meat can be grilled over the coals if it is fat. Lean game will end up very dry. Build a bed of hardwood embers and place a grill matting of green sticks on it. Place the meat on the grill and turn immediately after the sides are seared to seal in the juices. Try not to pierce the meat with whatever you are turning it with so you don't lose any juices. Keep a small container of water nearby to douse any flames that surface from the fat drippings. fire cake and hoe cakes One of the easiest ways of making flour edible, even if not very appetizing, is to make a simple dough and fry or bake it over a fire. During the Revolutionary War it was common for soldiers to make a thick paste of flour and water (salt was added when available) and then bake it on hot rocks around a campfire. The result was an unpalatable, chewy, soggy glob which only the starving soldiers at Valley Forge probably appreciated. Hoe cakes were made from a corn meal dough carried to the fields by slaves and other farm workers. At lunch they cleaned their hoes, put the dough on them and cooked it over a fire. entrenching tool cake 4 GI canteen cups white cornmeal boiling water 1 GI mess kit spoon (1 tablespoon) bacon drippings 1 GI mess kit spoon salt Scald cornmeal with enough boiling water to make a stiff batter, then add bacon drippings and salt. Shape into pones, leaving the imprint of four fingers across top. Place batter on the cleaned, greased blade of an entrenching tool and set up next to fire to bake.

corn pone 2 cups cornmeal 3/4 tsp. salt (or less) boiling water 2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted; or vegetable oil Combine all ingredients to make a semi-stiff mush. Spread 1/4-inch thick in a well-greased heavy pan and bake at 375 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. (Corn pones used to be baked on a greased shovel over glowing coals.) hardtack During the War for Southern Independence, hardtack was a staple food (when fresh bread was unavailable) for both the brutal soldiers of the oppressive Federal government and the brave Confederate patriots defending their homeland. Hardtack was a virtually indestructible 1/2-inch thick cracker about three inches by three inches, pierced with sixteen holes and made from flour and water. Tack was a contemptuous term for food and the soldiers "affectionately" referred to hardtack as worm castles, sheet iron crackers and tooth dullers. Some of the hardtack issued to soldiers in the 1860's was supposedly left over from the 1846-48 Mexican War. The daily ration was nine or ten crackers, but there was usually enough for those who wanted more since some men would not draw a full ration. They were eaten plain, soaked in coffee or crumbled and added to the stew pot. A dish known as Skillygalee was made by soaking hardtack in cold water and then browning it in pork fat and seasoning to taste. A favorite seasoning of the times was cayenne pepper. Confederate Cush provided a dinner entree that consisted of bits of cooked beef, seasoned with garlic, fried in bacon grease and then stewed with crumbled hardtack or cornmeal mush. The crackers included in military C-rations and the current MREs are similar to hardtack, being much more dense, containing more flour and less air than commercial saltine crackers. When fresh, hardtack was not unappetizing, but when boxes of hardtack sat on railroad platforms or warehouses for months before being issued it hardened and often became insect infested. Because hardtack was packed in boxes marked "B.C." (probably for "Brigade Commissary"), soldiers said they were so hard because they were baked "Before Christ". The following account from a Yankee invader indicates how much hardtack was appreciated: "While before Petersburg, doing siege work in the summer of 1864, our men had wormy hardtack, or ship's biscuit, served out to them for a time. It was a severe trial, and it tested the temper of the men. Breaking open the biscuit and finding live worms in them, they would throw the pieces in the trenches where they were doing duty day by day, although the orders were to keep the trenches clean for sanitary reasons. A brigade officer of the day, seeing some of the scraps along our front, called out sharply to our men 'Throw that hardtack out of the trenches.' Then, as the men men promptly gathered it up as directed, he added, 'Don't you know that you've no business to throw hardtack in the trenches? Haven't you been told that often enough?' Out from the injured soldier heart there came the reasonable explanation 'We've thrown it out two or three times, sir, but it crawls back.'"

hardtack (original 1860's recipe) Use one part water to six parts flour. Roll dough flat and score into cracker shapes. Bake 20-25 minutes and cool off until completely dry before storing in canisters. The crackers should be hard as bricks and indestructibly unappetizing. If not consumed by hungry soldiers, the crackers might last at least until the Lord returns! The following recipes don't duplicate the indestructible nature of 19th century hardtack, but they are more appetizing since they are made from more than just flour and water: corntack 1-1/4 cups cornmeal 1 cup water (about) 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. vegetable oil Combine the above ingredients, using enough water to moisten. Bake in a greased 7x11-inch pan at 375 degrees for around 15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. While still warm, cut into squares. A modern day cross between hardtack and cornbread, these thick crackers are actually pleasantly tasty served warm or reheated. swedish hardtack 1 cup water 3 tbsp. vegetable oil 3 tbsp. honey 3 cups rye flour (or 1-1/2 cups rye & 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour) 1-1/2 tbsp. brewer's yeast (optional) 1/4 tsp. salt Mix liquids together. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Combine the mixtures, stirring to moisten throughout. Form a ball. On a floured surface, flatten the dough, and roll out thinly. Cut into squares and prick each cracker with the tines of a fork a couple of times. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 425 degrees around 8 minutes, checking to be sure not to over-brown. Best served warm. southern soda crackers 2 cups flour (preferably whole wheat) 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 tbsp. oil 2/3 cup sour milk (or buttermilk) Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and sour milk. With a fork, stir to thoroughly moisten. Form a ball. Flatten and roll out on a floured surface. Cut into squares and transfer to lightly greased baked sheets. Prick crackers with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, watching vigilantly so as not to burn. Best served warm.

cornbread Red meats are complete proteins containing all of the essential amino acids needed by the body to build and maintain muscle and other tissues. Most vegetables don't contain all of the necessary amino acids (although soybeans contain most) and are referred to as incomplete proteins. The Confederate army marched and fought on a staple diet of cornbread and beans, combining incomplete proteins to provide good nutrition. southern cornbread 2 cups cornmeal 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder 1-1/4 cups buttermilk (or sour milk) 1 egg, well beaten 1/4 cup melted grease (your choice) Preheat oven at 425 degrees. Mix cornmeal, salt, soda, baking powder and sugar. Add buttermilk and egg. Blend well. Heat grease (until it almost smokes) in an 8 or 9 inch iron skillet, then pour most of the grease into the batter and stir, mixing well. Pour batter into the very hot skillet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until nicely browned. molasses cornbread or muffins 1-1/2 cups bran 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 1/3 cup molasses Combine dry ingredients. Add liquid and blend well. Pour into a greased 9x9x2-inch baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; or pour into 18 greased muffin tins and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. grandma sarah's cornbread 1-1/2 cups sour milk or buttermilk 2 eggs 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1-1/2 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup melted butter

Combine first five ingredients. Stir in cornmeal and flour. Add melted butter. Pour batter into greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. a lady's touch cornbread 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup whole wheat, unbleached or all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. sugar (optional) 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten (optional) 3 tbsp. vegetable oil 1-1/4 cup milk Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in the liquids and spoon into a greased 8-inch square pyrex dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch pyrex dish. country sunshine cornmeal loaves 4 cups yellow cornmeal 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup sugar 6 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted 4 cups buttermilk or sour milk Mix dry ingredients. Stir in butter and buttermilk. Blend well. Pour batter into two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. (Note: no eggs required for this recipe) johnny cake or journey cake 1 cup cornmeal 1 tbsp. salt 1 cup water 1/2 cup milk Stir cornmeal and salt into boiling water. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and add milk. Mix well. Drop from large spoon on greased hot griddle or skillet. Turn to brown both sides. johnny cakes 1 cup cornmeal 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1-1/2 cups boiling water 1/2 cup milk In a bowl combine the cornmeal, salt and sugar. Stir in water, beating out lumps. Slowly add milk. Drop by tablespoons full into greased skillet. Cook slowly for 5 minutes. Turn over and cook 5 minutes more.

Makes 10 cakes. dixie corn dodgers 2 cups cornmeal 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, melted butter, or bacon drippings 2/3 cup milk (approximately) Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in liquids. Form eight "bullet-shaped" dodgers. Drop in a greased and heated heavy skillet. Brown on one side, turn to brown bottom. campfire cornbread 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt 1 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil Mix dry ingredients. Stir in liquids. Spoon into a well-greased, heated 10 or 12 inch skillet. Cover tightly. Cover over a low flame for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm in the center. When pan baking over hot coals place the pan on a low grill, on a three rock stand in the coals or directly on coals. Place coals on top of the lid (like a dutch oven) to distribute heat more evenly. Baked foods are more likely to burn on the bottom than the top. To prevent burning, check the temperature of your coals before placing a pan on them. Hold your hand about six inches above the coals; it should be hot, but you should be able to keep your hand in place for eight seconds. no-flour camp cornbread 1-1/2 cups cornmeal 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tbsp. sugar, molasses, sorghum, or honey 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk (To sour milk, put 2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar in a pint measuring cup. Add milk to make 2 cups. Stir and let sit a few minutes until clabbered.) 2 eggs, beaten 1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted (or other fat) Mix dry ingredients. Stir in liquids. Spoon into a well-greased hot 10 or 12 inch iron skillet. Cover and cook over a low flame for about 30 minutes or until firm in the center (or bake in the oven at 425 degrees for approximately 30 minutes). hush puppies 2 cups yellow cornmeal 1 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1-1/4 cups buttermilk 1 egg, well beaten lard or cooking oil for deep frying, heated to 375 degrees Mix dry ingredients together and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl mix buttermilk and beaten egg. Pour in the well all at one time and mix until well blended. Using a heaping tablespoon for each, form into small cakes. Deep fry only as many as will float uncrowded one layer deep. Turn several times as they rise to the surface during cooking (do not pierce). Fry 3 to 4 minutes or until well browned. Drain a few seconds before transferring to paper towels. Serve hot. (Note: At fish frys the dogs would start howling from the aroma of the cooking fish and hush puppies were thrown to shut them up.) cornmeal pancakes 2 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. baking powder 1-1/4 cups sifted flour 3/4 cup cornmeal 2 eggs, well beaten 1-1/4 cups milk 3 tbsp. melted shortening Sift together sugar, salt, baking powder and flour. Stir in cornmeal. Combine eggs and milk and add to flour mixture. Add shortening and mix until smooth. Drop by tablespoons full on a greased hot griddle. Cook until edges are brown and bubbles are in the middle. Turn and cook on other side. Serve with butter and sorghum, molasses or other syrup. beans There is an old saying, "Beans, beans, good for the heart, the more you eat beans the more your health will improve." All varieties of dried beans except split peas and lentils need to be soaked before cooking. Beans tend to retain their shape better with a long soak. cooking dried beans To prepare dried beans (1 pound of dried beans = about 2 cups raw or 5 to 6 cups cooked), place washed beans in a pot with 2 to 3 times their volume of water (1 pound of beans needs 4 to 6 cups). Let stand 8 to 12 hours. To quick soak, bring water and beans to a boil and allow to boil 2 minutes. Cover pot and let stand 1 hour. The time required for cooking beans is generally 1-1/2 to 2 hours, but this depends upon the variety of bean and the length of time they have been stored. Check beans often as they begin to get tender so they don't get mushy. Cook at a gentle simmer with the lid tilted to retain shape. If beans foam up during cooking, add a tablespoon of oil or fat to the water or cook with a small amount of fat pork or bacon. If a recipe calls for tomatoes, lemon juice or vinegar, add when beans are almost tender or acid will slow the softening process. Beans can also be prepared for quick-cooking in camp like minute rice. Cook them normally until tender, drain and dry them in a food dryer or spread them on a flat pan and dry in a warm oven or in the sun. Store in airtight canisters. They can then be reconstituted in water by boiling about 20 minutes.

trench beans 1 lb. dry pinto beans, cooked 1 tbsp. seasoned salt 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. A-1 Steak Sauce 1/8 tsp. Tabasco 1 tsp. lemon pepper 1 tsp. onion powder Soak and cook beans. When tender, add seasonings and simmer an additional 30 minutes. battalion baked beans 1 large can pork and beans 1/2 cup tomato catsup 6 small onions (or 1 jar small onions) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. vinegar 2 tbsp. molasses 1 tsp. dry prepared mustard bacon strips Combine all ingredients except bacon and spoon into a casserole dish. Cover with strips of bacon. Bake at 300 degrees to 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the bacon is done and the beans are bubbly. secession baked beans 2 cans pork and beans (or 3 cups cooked dry beans) 1/4 cup molasses 1/2 cup tomato sauce (3/4 cup if more liquid is needed) 1 medium onion, sliced into rings 1/2 tsp. dry prepared mustard 1/4 tsp. salt (or more to taste) dash of pepper 3 strips of bacon, cut in half (optional) Combine everything except bacon. Pour into 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. If you use bacon, arrange on top of the bean mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours or 375 degrees for 1 hour. baked beans 6 cups cooked dry beans (2 cups raw) 1 small chopped onion 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp. molasses 1 tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. dry prepared mustard 2 slices fat pork or bacon

Place half the cooked beans in a bean pot place chopped onion on top. Add remaining beans. Mix brown sugar, molasses, salt and mustard and pour on top of beans. Lay fat pork or bacon on top and cover beans with hot water. Cover bean pot and bake in a slow oven (250 degrees) for 6 hours. Uncover last hour to brown. rice and beans Like the cornbread and beans diet of the Confederacy or the fish and rice staple diet of the Orient, rice and beans combine incomplete proteins from two different foods to form complete proteins. The combination of rice and beans is a staple diet for much of the world's population. You can top the Carolina Red Rice recipe with cooked dried beans (seasoned to taste). Use the recipes for Hopping John (a colonial dish served on New Year's Day to insure good luck) as guidelines and substitute whatever type of beans you have available. Try adding canned chili and tomato sauce or salsa to cooked rice (or make your own chili with meat, tomato sauce and chili seasonings) and add it to any rice and bean mix (seasoned to taste with hot sauce). cooking rice Instant or minute rice, while good for cooking in the field, won't store for long periods (without vacuum or nitrogen packing) since it has already been cooked and then dried. To prepare regular long grain white rice (1 cup uncooked rice = about 3 cups cooked rice), rinse lightly and drain the water. Add one cup of water and 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt (or meat stock or bouillon) for each cup of rice. Optionally, add one teaspoon of butter or oil for each cup of uncooked rice. Bring to a boil over high heat and allow to boil one minute. Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes more. Don't open lid while cooking. bean-rice casserole 3 cups water 1 cup uncooked rice 1/2 cup quick-cooking black beans (see previous section for instructions on preparing quick-cooking beans or substitute cooked dried beans or a can of cooked beans) 1 tbsp. instant beef bouillon 3 tbsp. margarine 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple Put all ingredients in a frying pan and mix. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Don't stir while it's cooking because that will make the rice gummy. When the water has been absorbed, test rice for doneness. If it's still a little chewy, add a little more water and cook a few minutes more. carolina red rice 1/4 lb. bacon 3/4 cup chopped onions 2 cups cooked rice 2 cups canned tomatoes (or reconstituted dried tomatoes) 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce Cook bacon, remove from pan and crumble. Cook onions in bacon fat until tender. Add rice, tomatoes, seasonings and crumbled bacon. Cook on low heat about 35 minutes, stirring well. Stir with fork several times while cooking. Check after 15 minutes and add water if needed. hopping john 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas 2 cups cooked rice 1 chopped onion (optional) 2 tbsp. butter dash salt, pepper and hot sauce Blend and heat slowly about 30 minutes. hopping john soup 1 cup dry black-eyed peas ("southern caviar") 8 cups water 6 slices bacon 3/4 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup regular rice 2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper Rinse black-eyed peas. In a large saucepan add the peas and water, bring to a boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain, setting aside 6 cups of the cooking liquid. In heavy saucepan, cook the bacon, onion and garlic until the bacon is crisp and the onion is tender but not brown. Remove the bacon, drain on paper towels: crumble and set aside. Stir the black-eyed peas, raw rice, salt, pepper and reserved cooking liquid into mixture in saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in crumbled bacon and it's ready to serve eight regular folks or two good ol' boys. bread and biscuits. In case of a power outage, bread bakes just as well in a dutch oven with hot coals or charcoal briquets (cooking time should be roughly the same as in your home oven). If you don't do a lot of baking, you might want to invest in a set of no-stick air-bake insulated baking pans and cookie sheets, which will lessen the chance of burning your baked goods. Bread can be prepared from stockpiled staples and can be served with any meal. However, note that due to their oil content, items like wheat germ and whole wheat flour or other unprocessed flours will turn rancid without refrigeration (or freezing). It's best to store whole grains, get a hand cranked mill and grind your own flour. In the face of an expected long-term power outage, you will want to preserve or use up the perishables in your refrigerator. Baking bread is a good way to use your milk, eggs and butter (substitute melted butter in recipes that call for vegetable oil) before they spoil and will give you something to put your peanut butter and jelly on or sop up some gravy. To ease this task, you may want to keep a stock of Jiffy Muffin Mix on hand (rotate periodically by using and replacing). These mixes are easy

to use and are very versatile. For example, the corn muffin mix package has instructions for preparing as muffins, cornbread, corn sticks and corn pancakes or waffles. Any Jiffy Muffin Mix can be extended using the following recipe: jiffy muffin mix mini-loaves 1 package Jiffy Muffin Mix (corn muffin, blueberry, apple-cinnamon, etc.) In addition to the ingredients listed in package recipe (e.g. corn muffins call for 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk), also use: 1/3 cup wheat germ, bran or uncooked multigrain cereal 1 tbsp. brown sugar or molasses 1/4 tsp. salt 1/3 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit (or 1/4 cup each dried fruit & chopped nuts) 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil 1 tbsp. milk For corn muffin mix, preheat oven to 400 degrees (or temperature called for by other type muffin mix). Mix dry ingredients together. Beat remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl, then blend with dry mix. For maximum rise, let batter rest 3 or 4 minutes and then pour into two greased 3x5-1/2 inch mini-loaf pans (which will fit in a 10-inch dutch oven, by the way; set the pans on top of home-canning jar rings or pebbles placed in the bottom of the oven to let hot air circulate under the pans). Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until brown. The following quick breads (no active dry yeast required) can also be prepared to use up your milk, eggs and butter before they spoil: logan bread 6 eggs 3 cups flour (any mixture of whole wheat and rye) 3/4 cup wheat germ 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup powdered milk 1 cup oil 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup sorghum syrup or maple syrup (any combination of these four sweeteners totaling one cup works fine) 1/2 cup shelled walnuts or pecans 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots, peaches, etc.) Beat all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pat down into two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 275 degrees for two hours, or until a tester comes out clean. The bread will be very heavy, dense and chewy; each loaf weighs 24 ounces. Logan bread tastes good on the trail, is high in calories and is almost impervious to spoilage.

pioneer bread 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup honey 3 eggs 1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk: 1 tbsp. vinegar, 1/3 cup powdered milk, water to make 1 cup, let set 5 minutes) 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups unbleached white flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup raisins 2 tbsp. caraway seeds Combine butter, honey, and eggs in a bowl and add buttermilk. Separately, combine flours and baking soda and add salt, raisins, and caraway seeds. Combine both bowls. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. molasses graham bread 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1-3/4 cups graham flour (or whole wheat flour) 1/3 cup butter 2 eggs, beaten 1-3/4 cups sour milk or buttermilk 3/4 cup molasses Mix together dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Work with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Blend eggs, milk and molasses. Pour into dry mixture and stir just enough to blend. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. irish soda bread 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1-1/2 cups dried currants or raisins 1-3/4 cups buttermilk 2 large eggs 3 tbsp. melted butter or margarine 1/2 tsp. vanilla Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and currants in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat buttermilk, eggs, 2 tablespoons of the butter and vanilla until blended. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until evenly moistened. Spread batter in a greased 10-inch oven-

proof frying pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake at 350 degrees until bread is browned and pulls away from sides of pan (about 45 minutes). Let cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. nut bread 3 tbsp. butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2-1/2 cups flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup milk 1 cup chopped nuts 1 tsp. vanilla Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat real good. Sift together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Mix in nuts and vanilla. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. date nut bread 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup sugar 2 tbsp. shortening 1 cup boiling water 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup chopped nuts 1 egg Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put dates, sugar and shortening into a bowl. Pour boiling water over mixture and cool. Sift flour with soda, salt and baking powder. Mix with dates. Add nuts and mix real good. Add egg last, mix thoroughly and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour. whole wheat beer biscuits 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tbsp. sugar 4-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar 3/4 cup (1/4 lb. plus 1/4 cup) cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup beer Mix all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse

crumbs. Add egg and beer. Stir with a fork just until dough holds together. Turn dough out onto a well floured board and knead briefly until smooth (2 or 3 turns). Pat dough 1-inch thick. Using a floured 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 inch round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. Gently pat scraps together and cut out remaining biscuits. Arrange biscuits slightly apart on a large greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees until browned (18 to 20 minutes). Transfer biscuits to a rack. Makes 8 or 9 biscuits. carolina choice rice (or grits) loaf (or muffins) 2 cups cooked brown rice (or 2 cups cooked hominy grits) 1-1/4 cup sour milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in 1 tbsp. of water 2 cups whole wheat, unbleached or all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 to 2 tbsp. sugar Combine the rice or grits, sour milk, oil, egg and soda in water. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 3 ingredients. Stir together the two mixtures. Spoon into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan or into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees. For the loaf bread, bake 50-60 minutes. For muffins, bake 15 to 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick or broom straw. Insert near the center; if it comes out unsticky, the bread is baked. charleston rice muffins 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 cup cold cooked rice 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 1/4 cup butter, melted Combine dry ingredients. Add rice and liquid ingredients. Mix. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. In case of a long-term survival situation, the following bread and biscuit recipes don't require eggs or yeast and can be prepared with foodstuffs which will keep on a pantry shelf without refrigeration (except whole wheat flour which you should grind as needed): south boston brown bread 1 cup rye flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tbsp. plain white flour 2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup raisins 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk (to sour milk, put 2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar in a pint container, add milk to make 2 cups, stir and let sit a few minutes until clabbered) 3/4 cup molasses Sift dry ingredients together. Add raisins. Stir. Mix buttermilk with molasses and pour into dry mixture. Blend well and pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan (do not use 8x4-inch pan unless you enjoy cleaning your oven). Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. (Note: This bread is named after South Boston in Halifax County, Virginia, CSA.) old-fashioned brown bread 2 cups graham or whole wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup dark molasses 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup low-fat milk Mix graham flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. In a large bowl, combine molasses, buttermilk and low-fat milk; stir until blended. Add flour mixture to milk mixture; stir until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees until bread begins to pull away from sides of pan and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean (1 to 1-1/4 hours). Let cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack and let cool completely. master biscuit mix 4 cups whole wheat flour 4 cups unbleached or all-purpose flour 1/3 cup baking powder 1 tbsp. salt Mix all ingredients (store in refrigerator or freezer for later use, if desired). To prepare, take 1-1/2 cups of master biscuit mix and add 3/4 cup milk and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix. With a large spoon, drop mounds of batter on baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the tops are brown. cabin buttermilk biscuits 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk (about) 2 tbsp. lard or shortening Sift dry ingredients together and blend with lard or shortening. Add buttermilk, about one cup to make soft dough. Roll on a floured board until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and cut with drinking glass or biscuit cutter. Place on baking sheet and bake in 350 degrees oven about 10 minutes or until brown.

mammy's baking powder biscuits 2 cups flour 4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. shortening 1/2 cup milk Sift dry ingredients together. Work in shortening with fingertips. Add milk slowly, stirring the batter until smooth. Roll on a floured board until 1/2-inch thick and cut. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a hot (450 degrees) oven for 15 minutes. rebel yell whole wheat biscuits 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups unbleached or plain white flour 1-1/2 tsp. salt 8 tsp. baking powder 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1-1/2 cups milk (or more) Mix dry ingredients. Combine oil and milk. Stir the liquid into the dry mixture quickly. On greased baking sheets, make mounds of dough using a large spoon, leaving enough space to allow for expansion. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. casseroles, soups, stews and dumplings Much colonial cooking consisted of meals that simmered for hours in cast iron kettles over the fireplace. One-pot meals in a dutch oven or iron kettle over a fire are still a practical method for preparing a lot of food with minimum effort. For casseroles the ingredients are mixed together in the cooking vessel and then baked. For soups and stews on the stove top or over the fire, the meat goes in first and vegetables are added towards the end of the cooking time. If unexpected guests show up, an extra potato can be quartered and dropped in the stew pot. If meat is in short supply for your stew, you can substitute bouillon cubes and a little butter or vegetable oil and add potatoes or dumplings. Dumplings can be quickly prepared to stretch a meal by adding biscuit dough in small lumps or strips and steaming in the covered pot for 10 to 15 minutes (either use a biscuit recipe from the previous section or try one of the dumpling recipes below). whole wheat biscuit mix for dumplings 1 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. shortening or oil 1/4 cup powdered milk Combine at home and store in a zip-lock bag or Nalgene bottle. In camp, add 3 tablespoons water per 1/2 cup biscuit mix and mix well. Spoon into boiling stew or soup. Simmer 10 minutes uncovered and 10 minutes covered.

cornmeal dumplings 1 cup cornmeal 1/4 tsp. black pepper ham stock Mix cornmeal and pepper. While ham stock is boiling, pour some over meal mixture and stir into dough. Make stiff enough to form balls the size of an egg and drop in briskly boiling stock. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. dumplings 4 cups flour 1/3 cup lard or other shortening 1-1/2 to 2 cups water Mix together flour and lard. Add water and mix thoroughly. Toss dough on a floured surface until coated with flour. Divide into 4 balls and roll dough out 1 ball at a time to about 1/4-inch or thinner. Cut in strips and cut strips into 2-inch pieces. Add a few pieces at a time to boiling broth. Cook uncovered, making sure that each dumpling is under the liquid part of the time. cook about 5 to 10 minutes. Makes 4 to 5 large servings. (Note: If using self rising flour, make sure to use hot water so dough will rise before cooking.) beef stew with dumplings 1-1/2 pounds rump roast 1/4 cup flour 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 small onion 1/3 cup cubed carrots 1/3 cup cubed turnips 4 cups potatoes, quartered Wipe meat off, remove from the bone, cut in 1-1/2 inch cubes. Mix flour with salt and pepper and cover meat with mixture. Heat some fat from meat in a frying pan. Add meat and brown. Put meat with browned fat in stew kettle, add boiling water to cover. Simmer until tender, about 3 hours. Add carrots and turnips for last hour of cooking. Add potatoes 20 minutes and dumplings 15 minutes before serving. Use one of the dumpling recipes above. chicken and dumplings 1 stewing hen 3 cups flour 1 egg 1 heaping tablespoon shortening 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup cold water Cut chicken for stewing. Barely cover with water and cook until tender for about 2 to 3 hours. Remove chicken from stock and remove bones. Put flour in mixing bowl. In center of flour put egg, shortening and salt. Gradually add cold water. Work plenty of flour into dough. Roll thin and cut in 2x3-inch strips. When dumplings are added to broth, lower heat and simmer

about 12 to 15 minutes. Place the chicken back in the stew. A little butter may be added if chicken is lacking in fat. chicken pot pie 3 to 4 cups cooked chopped chicken 1 16-ounce can mixed vegetables, drained 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup self-rising flour (if using ordinary flour, add 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt) 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup milk 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) margarine, melted Place chicken in a large casserole dish and add vegetables, soup and broth. Mix together, in a separate bowl, the next 4 ingredients for the topping. Pour the topping mixture over the chicken. Bake at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. meat loaf with cornbread topping meat loaf ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds ground chuck 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage 1-1/2 cups cooked rice 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper topping ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. sage 1 tsp. shortening 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup cornmeal 2 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. thyme 3 eggs, beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix meat loaf ingredients together and lightly press into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. The top of the meat loaf should be flat to make an even surface for the topping. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry topping ingredients and cut in shortening. Add eggs and milk and blend well. Spread topping evenly on top of meat loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. beef stew and lima beans 3/4 cup dried lima beans 1 pound boneless chuck stew beef, cut in pieces 1 bunch carrots salt, pepper and celery salt

Soak beans overnight, drain. Add meat and cook 1-1/2 hours in boiling water. Add carrots and cook until tender. Season with salt, pepper and celery salt. Serve with tomato sauce. beef stew 1-1/2 pounds boneless stew beef 3 tbsp. bacon fat or shortening 1-3/4 tsp. salt a few dashes of pepper 1 onion the size of a large egg, peeled 1/3 cup water, and more as needed 5 carrots (6 inch long) 5 potatoes (medium size) Wipe meat with a damp cloth and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Heat fat until sizzling in a heavy 3 quart saucepan or dutch oven. Add meat, turning it often until a fine rich brown. Add thickly sliced onion to meat the last five minutes of browning. When brown, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add water, cover, heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer until meat is almost done, from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. After simmering 1 hour, if more water is needed, stir in 1/4 cup at a time. A half-hour before serving time, add scraped and washed carrots cut into 2-inch lengths and pared halved potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until vegetables are just done. There should be enough liquid in pot to almost cover meat and vegetables. To make gravy, mix 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon flour. Blend until smooth. Push meat and vegetables to one side and pour flour mixture, while stirring, in a stream into broth. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes longer until thickened and smooth. carolina beef stew 1 pound boneless beef cubes 2 tbsp. fat 1 onion, chopped 2 tbsp. catsup 3 cups beef bouillon 1 cup diced tomatoes 1 tsp. salt and pepper 2 cups diced raw potatoes 2 cups sliced carrots 6 small onions (whole) Brown beef in fat. Add chopped onion, catsup, bouillon, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer about 1-1/2 hours until meat is tender. Add potatoes, carrots and whole onions, barely cover with water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are cooked (about a half hour). brunswick stew 1 large chicken 1 rabbit 2 bay leaves, crumbled 5 peppercorns 3 sprigs parsley 1 stalk celery, cut up

3 potatoes, cut up 2 large onions, sliced piece of salt pork 2 cups fresh corn, cut from cob 2 cups large lima beans 6 tomatoes, quartered salt and pepper 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. thyme 1/2 tsp. savory Cut salt pork in small pieces and brown slowly in large skillet. Remove salt pork and save. Cut rabbit into serving pieces, dredge in seasoned flour and brown in salt pork fat. Place chicken in large pot, place rabbit on top of chicken. Add salt pork, beans, onions and celery. Cover with boiling water, cover tightly and simmer 2 hours. Add other ingredients except tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are just tender. Mix a little flour and water and add to stew. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Correct seasoning and serve. brunswick stew 2 pounds beef or veal cubes 1 large chicken 2 cups diced raw potatoes 4 cups cut corn 1 cup chopped onions 3 cups fresh lima beans (or cooked dry lima beans) 4 cups canned tomatoes 1 tbsp. salt (to taste) 2 tbsp. hot sauce 2 tsp. red pepper Place beef or veal and chicken in large pot, cover with water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until tender. Remove meat from bones. Skim fat from liquid. Return meat to broth. Add other ingredients. Simmer slowly for several hours to blend flavors and thicken. Serve hot. company brunswick stew 2 fat hens, cut up 6 28-ounce cans of tomatoes 5 pounds of onions, chopped 10 pounds of potatoes, cubed 4 10-ounce packages frozen lima beans 4 17-ounce cans cream style corn 3 10-ounce packages frozen cut okra 4 red pepper pods 2 20-ounce cans tomato puree 1 5-ounce bottle worcestershire sauce 1 pound butter (no substitute)

Cook hens in plenty of water over medium-low heat until they are tender enough to fall from bones. Remove chicken and let cool. Add tomatoes and onions to broth and cook 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Meanwhile, remove meat from bones and return to broth. Add potatoes, lima beans, corn, okra and pepper pods. Reduce heat and cook 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally. Add tomato puree, worcestershire sauce and butter. Simmer about another half hour. Serves 35 to 40. pea soup 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 2 tbsp. butter celery salt parsley 3 cups chicken stock 2 cups cooked green peas 1 cup cold water 1/2 onion 1 cup milk Set aside one third of peas. Add remainder to water, chicken stock and seasoning and let simmer for 30 minutes. Press through sieve. Add butter. Let boil for a few minutes then add milk and remaining peas which have been heated. split pea soup 1-1/2 cups dried split peas 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1/8 tsp. pepper 5 cups water Simmer peas, onion, salt and pepper in water 20 to 30 minutes until peas are tender. corn chowder 2 slices diced salt pork (or 2 tbsp. butter) 1/2 cup diced onion 3 cups diced raw potatoes 2 cups water 2 cups fresh (or canned) corn 4 cups hot milk 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper Saute onion in butter (or pork grease) and mix all ingredients (except milk) in large pot. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add milk last and serve hot. confederate corn chowder 3 cups water 1 medium onion, diced 1 cup potato flakes 1 cup whole kernel corn

1/2 cup dry milk powder salt and pepper Combine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until onion is tender. Season to taste. Makes 6 servings. forager's potato soup 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced 2 cups water 3/4 tsp. salt 1 cup onion, chopped 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or butter 2 tbsp. flour 2 cups milk 1 tsp. dried parsley 1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. pepper Bring potatoes, water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Without draining the potatoes, mash them up. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil and add onion. Cook until onion is soft. Sprinkle in flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring frequently for 5 or 10 minutes until thickened. Add cooked potato mixture and seasonings blended together. old timey potato soup 1 medium onion, minced 1/4 cup butter 4 cups diced raw potatoes 2 cups water 1 tsp. salt 4 cups milk a few dashes celery seed salt and pepper to taste 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled Saute onion in butter until translucent. Add potatoes, water and salt and cook until tender. Add milk and season to taste. Simmer a few minutes before serving. bacon and bean soup 2 cups dried beans (or 2 cans cooked beans) 4 slices bacon 4 cups water 1 cup diced onions 1 cup diced celery 1 tsp. dried parsley 1 tsp. savory 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp. bacon fat 1 tsp. red pepper 1 tsp. salt

Soak dried beans overnight and cook until tender (or use canned beans). Fry bacon until crisp and drain. In a large pot, mix cooked beans with remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour. Add water as desired during cooking process. Crumble crisp bacon on top and serve. desserts The complex carbohydrates in bread and pasta can take four hours for the body to break down and make use of. This is fine to provide energy for a long hike or to allow you to sleep warmly. The carbohydrates in simple sugars are more easily assimilated by the body (about fifteen minutes). Cookies or breads containing fruit and a high sugar content make good snacks for a quick pick-me-up on the trail. For example, most of recipes in the cornbread section can be prepared using a little extra brown sugar, molasses and some raisins. Cooking the sugar rich cornbread batter in a cast iron corn stick pan makes an excellent trail snack or something to munch on in a sniper hide. To satisfy your sweet tooth and to provide quick energy, here are some recipes that use sugar (brown sugar is easier to carry and use in the field), molasses and dried or fresh fruits (there is a possibility that you might just happen to run across a couple of apples in Washington State): yankee cake 2 cups brown sugar 2 tbsp. shortening 2 cups hot water 1 package seedless raisins 3 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves Combine and boil the sugar, water, shortening, raisins, salt and spices for 5 minutes. Dissolve soda in a teaspoon of hot water. When all ingredients cool, mix in the flour and dissolved soda. Pour batter into two loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. (Note from recipe book: "Notice this here recipe ain't got no eggs, milk or butter. Now I guess you know where it got it's name. Cause of them Yankees there wuz no eggs, milk or butter after THE WAR.") hard times spice cake 1-1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup molasses 1-1/4 cup whole wheat, unbleached or all-purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cloves 3/4 to 1 cup raisins

Mix together the milk, oil and molasses. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except raisins. Mix together the two mixtures and stir in raisins. Pour batter into a greased 9x9-inch pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. old fashioned stack cake 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 egg 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup molasses flour 1 quart cooked dried apples sugar allspice or nutmeg (Schilling Pumpkin Pie Spice combines cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg and is good with stewed fruit) Mix sour milk, soda, egg, shortening and molasses real good. Then add flour to make a stiff dough. Roll thin and cut layers round, the size of cake desired, and bake. To stack, drain juice from cooked dried apples, mash, sweeten and spice to taste and use between layers. stack cake 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 cup sorghum molasses 3 eggs 1 cup milk 4 cups wheat flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 3 cups sweetened, spiced applesauce Sift well the flour, salt, soda and baking powder. Cream in shortening. Then add sugar a little at a time, blending well. Add molasses and mix thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating well until smooth. Pour 1/3-inch deep in greased 9-inch pans and bake. This will make 6 or 7 layers. When cool, stack using applesauce between layers. Commercial applesauce can be used or you can try the next recipe. windfall applesauce Cut apples, peels and all. Place in pot and add small piece of cinnamon and a small amount of water. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Cool slightly and add 1 tablespoon butter per quart of apples and add grated nutmeg, ginger, grated lemon peel and ground cloves to taste. Cool and serve.

dried apple cake 2 cups dried apples 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk 1 cup molasses 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2/3 cup baking powder 1 cup raisins cinnamon and nutmeg Soak apples long enough to soften. Chop apples up small and boil them for 15 minutes in the molasses. Dissolve the soda in hot water, put into molasses when cold. Mix in all ingredients, beat well and pour into cake pan. Bake in moderate (350 degrees) oven until done. confederate puddin' 3 cups hot milk 3 cups cold boiled rice 1 tsp. salt 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tbsp. butter Mix hot milk and rice, add molasses, butter, raisins, nutmeg and salt. Bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for an hour. Stir after 30 minutes. (Note from recipe book: "Southern folks always had a sweet tooth. After the war white flour wuz hard to come by so they came up with this here recipe. It wuz so good they kept right on eatin' it even when they could git flour.") baked cornmeal pudding 2 cups cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 well beaten eggs 1/4 cup shortening 1 cup sorghum molasses 1/4 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk Sift meal twice. Mix all dry ingredients real good. Add eggs, milk, molasses and shortening. Mix all together good, adding more milk if too stiff. Bake at 350 degrees in well greased pudding pan until golden brown. Test with toothpick, if it comes out clean, pudding is done. Serve hot with any kind of fruit.

southern bread pudding 2 cups milk 4 eggs beaten 1 tbsp. vanilla 1 cup raisins 4 cups biscuit crumbs 2 tbsp. butter nutmeg to taste Mix milk, eggs and nutmeg together in a saucepan. Place over heat until hot but not boiling. Line baking dish with biscuit crumbs mixed with melted butter. Pour milk mixture over biscuit crumbs (you can use store-bought light bread, but biscuits are better). Sprinkle with nutmeg. Place the baking dish in a pan of hot water in a 350 degrees oven and bake for 45 minutes. apple brown betty 2 cups soft bread crumbs 1/4 cup margarine 3 cups apples, sliced (they need not be peeled) 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 3/4 cup water In an oven-proof skillet, sauté bread crumbs in margarine. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon and water. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until apples are translucent and tender. If mixture becomes too dry during baking, add 1/4 cup water (apples vary as to moisture content). apple custard pie filling ingredients: 3 apples, sliced and peeled 1-1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 egg 1 cup evaporated milk (or 1 cup double-strength powdered milk) crust ingredients: 1-1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 stick butter For crust, mix flour, salt and butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly on the bottom and sides of a buttered pie plate. Place sliced apples on crust. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Beat together egg, remaining sugar and evaporated milk. Pour over apples and return to oven to bake 30 minutes longer.

timeless gingerbread 2/3 cup molasses 1-1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. ginger Mix the liquids. In another container, mix the dry ingredients. Beat together the two groups of ingredients and pour into a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out un-sticky. scotch shortbread 2 sticks butter 1 cup sugar 2-1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) Cream butter with sugar until soft. Add flour and mix well with hands. Add nuts if desired. Chill dough 1 hour, then roll thin. Cut into shapes or short strips. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen pieces. grandma's molasses cookies 1 cup molasses 1 stick butter 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. ginger Heat molasses and butter. Remove from heat. Mix remaining ingredients together and add to molasses mixture. Mix well and chill 3 hours. Roll thin and cut with cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes. Cool. molasses crisps 1-1/4 cups flour 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ginger 1/2 cup molasses 1/4 cup shortening Sift the dry ingredients. In a saucepan, bring the molasses and shortening to a boil. Cool slightly. Add flour mixture. Mix real good. Chill thoroughly. Cut into desired shapes and arrange on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until done, about 8 or 10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

domestic animals and vermin apple brown betty 2 cups soft bread crumbs 1/4 cup margarine 3 cups apples, sliced (they need not be peeled) 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 3/4 cup water In an oven-proof skillet, saute bread crumbs in margarine. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon and water. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until apples are translucent and tender. If mixture becomes too dry during baking, add 1/4 cup water (apples vary as to moisture content). apple custard pie filling ingredients: 3 apples, sliced and peeled 1-1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 egg 1 cup evaporated milk (or 1 cup double-strength powdered milk) crust ingredients: 1-1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 stick butter For crust, mix flour, salt and butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly on the bottom and sides of a buttered pie plate. Place sliced apples on crust. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Beat together egg, remaining sugar and evaporated milk. Pour over apples and return to oven to bake 30 minutes longer. timeless gingerbread 2/3 cup molasses 1-1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. ginger Mix the liquids. In another container, mix the dry ingredients. Beat together the two groups of ingredients and pour into a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out un-sticky.

scotch shortbread 2 sticks butter 1 cup sugar 2-1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) Cream butter with sugar until soft. Add flour and mix well with hands. Add nuts if desired. Chill dough 1 hour, then roll thin. Cut into shapes or short strips. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen pieces. grandma's molasses cookies 1 cup molasses 1 stick butter 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. ginger Heat molasses and butter. Remove from heat. Mix remaining ingredients together and add to molasses mixture. Mix well and chill 3 hours. Roll thin and cut with cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes. Cool. molasses crisps 1-1/4 cups flour 3/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ginger 1/2 cup molasses 1/4 cup shortening Sift the dry ingredients. In a saucepan, bring the molasses and shortening to a boil. Cool slightly. Add flour mixture. Mix real good. Chill thoroughly. Cut into desired shapes and arrange on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until done, about 8 or 10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen. domestic animals and vermin Most Americans have an aversion to eating dogs, cats or horse meat while they don't give a second thought to eating a piece of chicken, beef or pork. It's also a culinary taboo to eat vermin like rats and groundhogs, but many people eat other rodents like rabbits and squirrels. Cultural culinary taboos have nothing to do with nutrition and if you can "unlearn" them a wide variety of new potential protein sources is available to you. If you have trapped a nice juicy rat or if Fido and Tabby aren't performing a vital task like protecting your food larder, garden or hen house you may find the recipes in this section of interest.

fried cat 1 cat, 2 to 3 pounds 1/2 GI canteen cup flour 2 GI mess kit spoons paprika 1-1/2 GI mess kit spoons salt 1/4 GI mess kit spoon pepper 1 GI canteen cup shortening Cut cat in serving pieces. Blend flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a clean container. Shake 2 or 3 pieces of the cat at a time until well coated with flour. Save any left over flour for gravy. Heat shortening in a heavy pan. Place cat pieces in pan and brown slowly on all sides. Cover and cook slowly until cat is tender. Uncover about 15 minutes to crisp cat. clay cat 1 small cat salt & pepper aromatic spices such as bay leaves, juniper berries or lemon grass (use what is available) 5 garlic cloves 2 oranges, peeled and halved Dress and clean the cat, leaving the fur on. In the stomach cavity (which should be patted with salt and pepper) place the peeled oranges, peeled garlic cloves and aromatics. Tie the cavity closed or pin closed with little wooden skewers, threaded in and out of the soft belly skin. Coat the whole animal with clay. Do several coats so you have a good shell formed. Put in a hole with hot coals at the bottom and pile hot coals on top of the clay cat. Throw a blanket of banana leaves (or other green vegetation) over the hole. Let bake for 2 or 3 hours while you are tending to other things. The fur will come off when you strip the clay away. baked dog dirocco 1 small dog 10 bay leaves or any aromatic spice 1 onion 1 pod hot red pepper 1 GI mess kit spoon salt black pepper 3 slices bacon Mike DiRocco, who served three tours in Vietnam, offers a good tip on selecting the best dog for cooking. He says the Vietnamese judge how tender the dog will be by color; a white dog is best, brown second best and lastly a black dog. Skin and clean dog. Remove the glands from under the legs (they have a strong taste, though they are not harmful if eaten). Cut into sections. Put pieces in a pot. Add bay leaves or aromatics, then onion, red pepper and salt. Cover with cold water. Cover pot and boil gently for 30 minutes. Drain meat and discard water and seasonings. Cover again with cold water and boil for 1 hour. Again pour out the water and drain. Cover dog with cold water for a third time and cover pot. Boil gently until tender, about 1 hour. Drain. Put dog in pan. Season with plenty of black pepper and salt if needed. Cover with slices of bacon or fat pork. Put in a clay oven or a covered pan placed in hot coals and covered with coals. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Make gravy with pan juices.

barbecued dog Dress dog, removing any glands from under the legs. Take off all fat, if any. Cut into serving pieces and parboil in salt water for several hours until tender. Place on spit or grill and pour your favorite sauce recipe over the pieces. Grill, turning as needed to brown evenly. Baste with sauce throughout cooking. (improvised sauce: mix a GI canteen cup of tomato sauce or juice with a GI mess kit spoon of garlic powder, two GI mess kit spoons of worcestershire sauce and a dash of pepper) bunker beef curry 2 cups boned bunker beef (any meat on the hoof that you find down in your bunker; usually rats) 1/4 cup flour 3 large onions, sliced 4 tbsp. butter or oil 1 cup boiling water 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 cup tomato juice Sprinkle the "beef" with seasoned flour. Cook "beef" and onions in butter or oil until brown. Add water and spices and bring to a boil. Cover pan. Simmer for a couple of hours until "beef" is tender. Stir in tomato juice. Serve with rice. Any condiments such as coconut, raisins, nuts or chutney which are available can be sprinkled on top of Bunker Beef Curry on rice. barbecued bunker beef 4 cups cooked bunker beef, boned 1/4 cup vinegar or wine 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter or oil 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 onions, peeled and sliced 1-1/2 cups water 4 tbsp. mustard 1 tsp. salt 2 slices lemon 1 cup catsup 3 tsp. worcestershire sauce Steam enough "beef" to make four cups, pulled from the bone. Set aside to cool. Combine vinegar or wine with sugar, butter or oil, peppers, onions, water, mustard, salt and lemon slices in a pan. Bring to a rolling boil. Add catsup, worcestershire sauce and "beef". Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over bread or rice.

rat roulade 2 medium rats, dressed (cut off heads, paws and tails) 4 slices bacon, diced 1 onion, chopped 1-1/2 cups toasted bread cubes 2 tbsp. minced parsley 1/2 tsp. celery seeds 1/4 tsp. sage 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 cup bouillon (1 cup water, 1 bouillon cube) 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce Saute bacon with onion until onion is tender. Mix in bread cubes, parsley, celery seeds and sage. Season rats with salt and pepper. Stuff each rat with stuffing. Tie rats closed with strings by wrapping around bodies. Place in pan and pour bouillon over roulades. Cover pan and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until rats are tender. Add tomato sauce and cover pan again. Cook for 30 minutes more. jane fondue or meat with red sauce 3 pounds meat (beef, pork, horse, monkey, water buffalo, dog, cat ... any red meat) 3 cups cooking oil (any kind) Red Sauce (see next recipe) Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and set at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Fill a pot 1/2 full with cooking oil and heat to 375 degrees (meat will brown quickly when oil is heated properly). Place cubes of meat on sticks and cook in oil for 10 to 30 seconds until browned. Dip into Red Sauce. (Note: If fowl is substituted for red meat in Jane Fondue recipe, be sure to use only the left wings of the chicks). red sauce 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1/2 cup steak sauce (or your favorite bottled steak condiment) 2 tbsp. cooking oil Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat thoroughly. Hopefully the recipes in this "Militia Cookbook" will give you some ideas on how to prepare meals from your stockpiled staple foods during an emergency so you won't have to choke down plain uncooked flour and break your teeth on dry beans.

chapter 2

home made food and natural remedies

Be your own provider

Nobody expects you to be self-sufficient all at once. It’s a progressive process, even for the most determined people. But you know what? Start today! Don’t postpone it any longer.

The decisions we make every day-even down to which grain was used to make the flour in your morning toast-are part of a chain of thousands of other decisions that, taken together, have a profound effect on the resources of our planet and the health and prosperity of our families. The urge to take back some control of our own lives and futures has never been stronger.

There are so many things that we would like to do, but time and/or money tends to be the main stumbling block. So work is partly the problem and partly the solution. Should we live to work or work to live? A few of us are able to say that our work is fun, fulfilling, and we would choose to do it even if we weren’t being paid.

However, the vast majority of us have yet to find a way of living our dream. The dream of being self sufficient. There’s nothing quite like fresh, quality food, enjoyed just after it’s been picked and prepared. It may be old-fashioned, but it’s safe and it’s fun. And it gives you the priceless feeling of independence.

In this guide I will show you how to make your one food like cheese and butter, but also how to stay away from dangerous diseases with natural remedies made from herbs. Shortly, I’ll teach you how to be your own provider and start a self-sufficient life in the kitchen.

Your kitchen, your rules

You may not be aware of this, but everyone can be a natural cheesemaker or artisan baker with little effort. You just need the “know how” instructions and a little enthusiasm. I can give you the first part and I’ll let you take care of the second.

The kitchen is the heart of many homes. It’s where you start the day by having your cup of coffee and where you enjoy family meals. But it’s also where you use your energy to prepare fresh and high quality food for your loved ones. In order to do that, you need to get organized and always keep the place clean.

The first step to creating an eco friendly kitchen is to avoid any food waste and prevent any from reaching a landfill site. This means eating products before their expiration dates and buying in bulk, which reduces packaging and travel costs to and from stores.

Sort the contents of your pantry by food type and arrange products like the aisle of a supermarket so that you can easily see what you have and what needs replacing. In our pantry we have one clearly labeled shelf for open condiments and another marked “Closed for storage,” which prevents us from opening too many jars at the same time. You may also find that pull-out baskets are useful for fresh produce.

Remember, too, that “best before” dates on products simply refer to the time when food is at its best, so it will usually be okay to eat for a while after that date. The only foods you should avoid after their expiration date are eggs. If more perishable food is close to its expiration date and you are going away for a few days, or you have other meal plans, then freeze it.

Another great way to reduce food waste is to be creative and make meals with leftovers. Try established leftover recipes or experiment with your own. You could try throwing old apples into a pan with sausages or using some stale cookies as a crumble topping. The possibilities are endless.

homemade bread

Nothing makes a home feel more cozy than the smell of freshly baking bread. And it’s SO darn easy to make homemade bread (and I don’t mean with a bread machine).

There’s really no reason not to. It’s cheap, it takes very little work, and it ensures that you aren’t buying bread that’s loaded with preservatives and other ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Bread is a great source of energy, because it is rich in carbohydrates. The human body slowly turns these carbohydrates into sugar, which the body utilizes for energy.

yeast

Yeast-leavened breads are the most commonly found breads; they rise when the yeast converts the sugars in the flour into alcohol and carbonic gases. After the alcohol has evaporated, the carbon dioxide makes bubbles in the dough, giving it that unmistakable fluffy texture. Yeast is a temperamental ingredient that needs warmth to flourish, but don’t expose it to temperatures over 95°F (35°C) or you’ll kill it. Fresh yeast looks like soft putty with a strong yeasty smell. Refrigerate it or freeze it in 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes. I prefer it to dried yeast, but if you are using dried, use half the weight stated for fresh in the recipe.

kneading

Pummeling your dough is not only a very important part of the bread making process, but it is also a superb stress-buster. While you’re dissolving your pent-up tension, you’re also distributing the yeast evenly through the dough to make it rise properly. It can be treated harshly and will love you for it.

Push and pull the dough until it becomes silky and elastic. After a while, do the window pane test: stretch a portion of dough between your hands until it forms a thin sheet that you can see light through. (If it tears, it’s not ready.)

Now put the dough aside until it has doubled in size. You’ll know the bread is fully risen if it springs back to its original size when you stick your finger in it.

You are free to experiment with flours. Try traditional breads from your local bakery and a variety of flours in your baking instead of buying tasteless, fluffy loaves from the supermarket. Here are some of my favorite flours:

Wheat flour, which is a rich source of fiber as well as protein and vitamins B and E. It is also rich in gluten, rises very well, and produces a workable, stretchy dough.

Rye flour, a traditionally dark, heavy flour with a slightly sour taste and an excellent chewy texture, is a favorite in much of eastern Europe. It is low in gluten and a popular choice for people with wheat intolerance.

Barley flour is extra-delicious if you toast the barley flour first. It makes a lovely, sweet-tasting bread. We mix one-third barley flour with two-thirds wheat flour for a good loaf. Barley is also low in gluten.

Spelt flour is made from the earliest known grain and is especially high in protein, vitamins, and minerals as well as being naturally low in gluten. The loaf can be fairly dry, so add some wheat flour if you want it to rise well.

homemade cream and yogurt

If you milk a cow or goat and then leave a bowl of the milk to stand at room temperature, the cream will separate naturally and rise to the surface. You can then skim it off with a skimmer—a flat, saucer shaped utensil about 8 in (20 cm) across, traditionally made out of wood or tin, and perforated with small holes to allow the excess milk to drain away.

The alternative way to separate cream from milk is to use a specially designed shallow trough, often made of slate, with a drain in the base. Pour the milk in and wait for the cream to rise. Once the cream is almost solid, pull the plug and the milk runs away into a vessel below, leaving you with a trough of cream.

If you are buying milk to make cream, you need non-homogenized (cream-top) whole milk. Some farm stores, supermarkets, and home delivery dairies sell it. You can’t use homogenized milk because the homogenization process stops the fat, or cream, from separating out.

souring milk for yogurt

Yogurt is milk that has been soured with lactic-acid bacteria. It’s easy to make your own: simply stir about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of store bought live yogurt into about a quart (liter) of full-fat or educed-fat milk. Cover the container and leave in a warm environment to work overnight.

The yogurt is ready to eat when it has a thick consistency, at which point it’s probably best to move it to the refrigerator. However, if you want to keep your yogurt culture alive and use it to make more than one batch, keep it in a hay box, and every time you take out some yogurt to eat, replace it with the same quantity of fresh milk.

souring cream for butter

Cream can easily be turned into butter. First, you need to sour the cream by encouraging bacteria to turn some of the lactose into lactic acid. This will happen naturally in warm weather; for a quicker result and on cooler days, add a few teaspoons of already soured cream or yogurt to the cream and stir to mix.

clotted cream

Clotted cream is made by heating milk so that the cream becomes very thick and forms a yellow crust. Leave fresh milk for 12 hours at room temperature, then heat it to 197°F (92°C). Cool it immediately by pouring it into a bowl. Once cool, leave it in the refrigerator for a further 24 hours, then skim off the delicious homemade clotted cream.

homemade butter

Shaking sour cream (see opposite) turns it into butter. You can simply use an electric mixer to do this—you don’t need a butter churn. If the cream is at a temperature of about 68°F (20°C) then the butter will “come” (change from cream to butter) in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

1 quart (1 liter) heavy cream 3 tsp live natural yogurt Salt

Tools

Electric mixer Wooden cutting board Butter pats and stamp Mold or wax paper

1. Pour the cream into a clean sterilized bowl.

2. Add the live yogurt and mix for a few minutes.

3. The consistency starts to change to make soft peaks.

4. Continue mixing until the cream looks like scrambled eggs and turns pale yellow. After 2–3 minutes more, small globules of butter form. Add a little cold, clean water when the mixture looks like a firm mass of butter globules and keep mixing for 1 minute on low speed. Pour off the milky by-product (buttermilk) and keep it for making pancakes (see box).

5. Use butter pats or wooden spatulas to transfer the butter to a wooden cutting board for washing. (Butter pats are grooved paddles.)

6. Mix and squeeze the butter with the pats. Keep adding more water to wash the butter—this stops it from turning rancid later on.

7. Collect the buttermilk as it washes off. Continue rinsing the butter with water and collecting buttermilk until the liquid runs clear.

8. Layer the butter in a mold, salting it with at least 2 percent of its weight in salt.

9. Push the layers down to drive out air bubbles.

10. Stamp the butter to decorate. If you don’t have a mold, roll up the butter in wax paper instead.

homemade cheese

The alternative to buying your cheese is making it yourself. It can be a wonderful pastime for you and your family. There is nothing quite like the feel of creating something. There are only a few simple steps necessary to make cheese and most decently equipped kitchens have the necessary equipment. But, to make cheese that will knock your friends and family off their feet you’ll need some special tips.

Some of the basic things required are as follows:

- A heavy stainless steel pot with lid. A non-reactive pot is important because the acidifying milk can dissolve aluminum. Enamel pots would work as well. A heavy bottom is important to evenly disperse the heat and prevent scorching. Scorching affects the flavor and is a cleanup hassle. The size of the pot should be large enough so that you have at least an inch of head space above the milk. A cover is needed for the steps when the milk must sit for periods of time. I bought a high quality five gallon pot like this years ago (expensive). I have never been sorry.

- Measuring cups. You may need measuring cups ranging from 1/4 cup to a quart. Obviously you can improvise, but accurate measurements improve your success rate. Measuring spoons are occasionally needed.

- Thermometer- An accurate thermometer which reads in the range of 32-225 F (0-100 C) is very important. A candy or meat thermometer can work. There are several reasons that accurate temperature is important. The texture of the cheese depends a great deal on achieving a temperature to within one degree. Also, after milk for yogurt is scalded, it must be cooled to 130 F for optimum bacteria action.

- Whisk. Thorough mixing of starter and rennet is important. A whisk is the obvious choice for this step.

- Cheese cloth. The purpose of “cheese cloth” is to catch the curd and allow the whey to drain out. For this you can use cheese cloth bought at any local store. Some other options that have

been said to work well are large plain white cotton handkerchiefs, or white non-terry cotton dish towels.

The Process

To pasteurize raw milk, use a stainless steel pot, or double boiler, heat to 145* and maintain for 30 minutes (if you are planning to age your cheese for longer than 60 days, you do not need to pasteurize).

Ingredients

2 gallons of milk 1 packet Direct set culture 1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water 1 Tablespoon salt

Heat milk to 85* to 90* add starter culture, stir in well, maintain temperature for 45 minutes (turn heat off). Add rennet into the milk stir gently for one minute. Make sure it is stirred all the way from bottom to top. Cover your container and let it set undisturbed for 45 minutes. (curds should have formed nicely).

Leave it in the pot and cut the curd into 1/2 inch blocks length and depth of the pot then cut diagonally, let the pot cool slowly, for about 45 minutes, the curds will shrink and the whey will seem to grow, as your curds shrink, stir gently.

Cover your pot for about 10 minutes, pour your curds into a cheesecloth lined colander, knot your four corners together or tie it, hang the bag to drain for 1 1/2 hours, pour your drained curds into a bowl and break them up with your fingers, mix in the salt. Pack the curds firmly into a lined mold to the shape you wish, place your cheese cloth over the mold and place 10 pounds of pressure on it.

1. Place a large, smooth bottomed dinner plate inverted in the bottom of a canner (to keep assembly up out of the expressed whey).

2. Place pressing frame can on top of plate. Here I am using a 9 inch length of 6 inch PVC pipe cut from a discard from a construction site. In the past I have used large a tin can with both ends cut out. I prefer the PVC pipe because it does not corrode, and the cheese is removed much easier.

3. Lay a very clean cloth over the can.

4. Push cloth down into the can to form a “bag.” A rubber band stretched around the top is helpful to hold the cloth in place for the next step.

5. Add salted curd into the cloth “bag.” Note that the curds should still be warm to allow molding and cohesion into a wheel. The final wheel may crumble if the curds are too cool.

6. “Sweep” all of the curd into the press.

7. Pull up on the corners of the cloth to remove wrinkles between curds and can. Shake to settle the curds and reduce folds in the cloth.

8. Place wooden block follower on top of cheese. I am using a follower I cut from cypress.

9. Press wooden block (“follower”) down on top of curds. Pull up evenly on the cloth all around the circumference to remove wrinkles.

10. Attach inner tube rubber band through canner handles with chopsticks.

11. Pull up on attached rubber band, insert a Mason jar underneath so that the band will press the jar onto the wooden block. A half gallon jar exerts more force than a one quart jar.

12. Press down on the jar to exert added initial pressure on curd. Align the tension of the rubber band so that the jar is vertical (and the follower board is horizontal).

13. Apply pressure for 12 hours.

After 12 hours, remove the pressingframe from the canner. The cloth is peeled down from the cheese and the follower is removed. The edge will be cut smooth, the cheese rubbed with salt, wrapped in a handkerchief, and cured in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

And there you have it the very basics of how to make some awesome cheese.

homemade liver pate

Chicken

Ingredients 450 grams of fresh chicken livers 1 table spoon of fresh thyme leaves 1 and 1/2 glasses of red wine 1 onion finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic chopped 225 ml of double cream 100 grams of butter

1 and 1/2 tea spoons of salt 1/2 tea spoon of black ground pepper 1 table spoon of olive oil

Process

In a large frying pan add the oil and fry the onions until soft ( do not allow them to color)now add the chicken livers, garlic, thyme, red wine, salt, and pepper, cook this until the wine has almost gone now add the cream and reduce this down to a thick consistency ( when you push the sauce to the center of the pan it hardly runs back) now add the butter and keep on heat until it’s all melted, blitz this mixture in a food processor until completely smooth put into a container and once cool enough put it in the fridge to set, best over night.

Beef

Ingredients

500g beef liver cut into pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 cup red wine 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup butter salt 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

Process

Saute the liver and onions in a couple of tablespoons of the butter until the livers are browned and the onions are tender. Add wine, garlic, mustard, herbs and lemon juice and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has gone. Cool and blend to a smooth paste in the food processor along with the rest of the butter. (This is easier if the butter is not fridge cold!) Add salt to taste. Check the consistency of the pate. If it seems dry and crumbly rather than smooth and creamy, add more butter. Put pate in a shallow dish and press the cracked pepper onto the top of it.

homemade chutney

The key to making chutney is to cook the fruit and vegetables for a long time so that most of the moisture evaporates and it has a thick, jam-like consistency. The colors will change and the flavors intensify in the process. Good chutney also benefits from bold and contrasting flavors, so be experimental and don’t be afraid to mix together fruits and vegetables.

Ingredients

2 large pumpkins 6 large cooking apples 31⁄2 lb (1.5 kg) tomatoes 5 onions 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp red peppercorns 1 tsp paprika 1 small bowl of raisins 21⁄4 lb (1 kg) turbinado sugar 4 quarts (liters) red wine vinegar

Process

1. Peel and roughly chop the pumpkins, apples, tomatoes, and onions.

2. Crush the spices with a mortar and pestle.

3. Place all the ingredients in a large pan, mix, and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 3 hours or until the contents take on a jam-like consistency and a wooden spoon drawn across the base of the pan leaves a trail.

4. Spoon into sterilized jars, seal, and label. To sterilize jars, wash in hot water and put in a low oven (275°F/140°C) for 15 minutes, or use a dishwasher on the hottest setting, or microwave for 2 minutes with 4 tbsp of water in each jar.

homemade spiced pickling vinegar

There is a wide variety of vinegars suitable for pickling, such as malt, wine, or cider vinegar. You can also add your own spices and herbs to clear distilled vinegar. For the contents to remain recognizable and look attractive, use whole spices, as ground spices make the vinegar turn cloudy.

Ingredients

Dried chili peppers Juniper and sumac berries Cinnamon sticks Star anise Muslin squares Bottle of distilled Vinegar

Process

1. Lay two squares of muslin on top of each other on a work surface. Crush the chili peppers and berries, and then put the spices in the center of the fabric. Gather up the corners and tie with string to form a spice bag. Make sure the string is long enough to loop over and hang from the handle of the saucepan.

2. Put the bag and vinegar in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and leave the vinegar and spices to cool for a couple of hours. Take out the spice bag. The flavored vinegar is now ready to use.

3. Use the vinegar to pickle garlic, onions, cabbage, or eggs, for example.

homemade chocolate

Ingredients

Milk Cocoa beans Sugar Cocoa butter

Process

• Roast the cocoa beans in the oven or in a coffee roaster. The beans should be roasted between 5 and 35 minutes, at a temperature between 250 and 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin roasting the beans at the hottest temperature, gradually reducing the heat until the beans begin to crack. The cracking sound indicates the roasting is complete. • Shell the cocoa beans by removing the husk (outer shell) from the nib (actual bean). This process can be time consuming, since the most effective way is by hand, and is easier if the beans are roasted properly. • Grind the shelled beans until they become a fine chocolate liqueur. Some juicers work well for this process; otherwise it must be done by hand and can be rather messy. • Add cocoa butter, sugar and milk, if you’d like. Every chocolate maker uses a different recipe, so this step allows for some experimenting. Start by adding very little milk and cocoa butter. • Fold the chocolate continually upon itself. This is called conching, and the longer it is done, the oilier the chocolate finish will be. (The less it is done, the grittier the chocolate will turn out.) This may need to be done for hours for a smoother finish. • Cool the chocolate to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit and pour it into the desired mold. Use a mold to make bars or other shapes.

homemade plum and cinnamon jam

Plums contain particularly high pectin levels (see box opposite), especially when they are not quite ripe, so there is no need to add a setting agent to this recipe.

Ingredients

5 lb (2.5 kg) dark plums or damsons, halved and pitted 2 cinnamon sticks 6 lb (3 kg) granulated sugar Preserving pan

Process

1. Put the plums, cinnamon sticks, and 1 quart (1 liter) of water into a preserving pan and heat gently for about 20 minutes until the fruit is really soft and the syrup is reduced. 2. Remove the pan from the heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring back to a rapid boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the setting point is reached. Test as described (see box, right). 3. Spoon the jam into sterilized jars. Seal and label.

homemade natural remedies

There are many herbs growing all over the world. Whether you call them weeds or herbs, the plants are everywhere. These versatile wonders are used for everything from beautifying the landscape to accenting a meal. You will find herbs on drugstore shelves, listed as herbal remedies. There is no end to their use. As amazing as it may sound, some of the herbs you find growing in the ditches and even in your own back yard can be useful for treating common problems like coughs, bee stings, and sore muscles.

There is always the possibility of an allergic reaction to any form of medication, whether prescribed, over the counter, or even natural herbs.

This is why it is always important to speak with a medical professional before you decide to try any type of self medication with natural herbs. Just as some people are allergic to things like milk and strawberries, someone could be just as allergic to valerian or burdock.

In defense of the natural herb remedies, some of them seem to work better than the prescribed medications. Clove oil can relieve a toothache as well as any gel you can buy. Chamomile tea works wonders as a sleep aid. Peppermint can help with heart burn better than some anti-acids. When you start researching herbal remedies you may be surprised what these little weeds can do for your health.

The great news is that you can make most of these natural remedies at the comfort of your home and have the certainty that you have put real herbs in there and no weird ingredients. Here are some of the home remedies that I’ve gathered for you:

homemade easy tincture

1. Chop herbs finely Either fresh or dried finely chopped herbs can be used. Use of one pint of menstruum to two ounces of dried herbs, or about two handfuls of fresh.

The important thing is to completely cover the herbs, leaving a couple of extra inches of liquid about the herbs to allow for swelling as the herbs absorb the liquid. Leave some headroom in the jar. If using vinegar, warm first before pouring it over the herbs.

2. Place in a glass jar, labeled with the current date and name of the herb

3. Add sufficient liquid menstruum to completely cover the herb

The important thing is to completely cover the herbs, leaving a couple of extra inches of liquid about the herbs to allow for swelling as the herbs absorb the liquid. Leave some headroom in the jar. If using vinegar, warm first before pouring it over the herbs.

2. Place in a glass jar, labeled with the current date and name of the herb

3. Add sufficient liquid menstruum to completely cover the herb There are three basic menstruums, or solvents used to extract the chemical compounds of herbs in tinctures, alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar. Alcohol is the most used because it can extract fats, resins, waxes,most alkaloids, and some of the volatile oils, as well as many other plant compounds.

Water is also necessary to extract the water soluble plant chemicals. Using an 80 to 100 proof alcohol such as vodka, brandy and gin provides the alcohol-water ratio you need without having to add anything. If pure grain alcohol (190 proof) is used, water will have to be added. Don’t use city tap water that contains chlorine, use either distilled or pure spring water

4. Cap with a tight fitting lid, put the jar in a dark place at room temperature, and shake at least once daily.

5. After 2 to 3 weeks, strain the contents through several layers of cheesecloth.

6. Allow to settle overnight in a clean jar

7. Restrain through a filter paper

8. Store in a labeled, amber glass bottle away from light and heat.

The Chinese macerate herbs for months, sometimes even years. For stronger tinctures a suggested time can be 4 to 6 weeks. The duration depends on the mixture and on your patience, in time you will develop your own style. I use a kitchen cupboard that I open on a regular basis, so I don’t forget the shake the bottle. Tinctures will keep for 6 months. The standard dose is one tablespoon in a wineglass of water once or twice a day.

Liniments are made exactly the same as herbal tinctures, except they are meant for external use. Make sure and label your liniments “FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY”, when using a solvent that is inedible such as rubbing alcohol.

Using vinegar to tincture herbs

Alcohol has mostly displaced vinegar as a menstruum for making liquid herbal extracts, as it is far more efficient in extracting and preserving the medicinal properties of herbs. Vinegar is however passable solvent and useful in cases where you wish to avoid alcohol. When used in conjunction with alcohol, vinegar can sometimes assist in the extraction of alkaloid (base) substances from herbs. Such an extract containing both vinegar and alcohol is known as an acetous tincture.

homemade digestive tincture

This tincture is ideal for those who suffer from burping, bloating, or indigestion. If you have wolfed down a meal too quickly and regretted it, the time spent making this remedy will be more than worthwhile. Take it before or after eating to stimulate your digestive enzymes. Do not use it during pregnancy.

Ingredients

31⁄2 oz (100 g) rosemary 3 oz (85 g) bay leaves 1⁄4 oz (10 g) wormwood 13⁄4 cups (400 ml) vodka Canning jar Press Muslin Dark-colored bottle

Process

1. Pick your herbs and remove any insects. Chop the herbs into 3⁄4-in (2-cm) pieces and place in a large jar. Pour the vodka over them, close the lid tightly, and shake the jar well. Continue to shake the jar daily for at least 2 weeks.

2. Strain the contents into a cup using muslin or cheesecloth and squeeze as much of the liquid out of the herbs as possible with your hands or with a small press, if you have one.

3. Transfer the tincture into a dark glass bottle, label it with the contents and date, and store in a cool, dark place. Take 1 tsp in a small cup of water up to three times a day.

homemade echinacea tincture

Echinacea is excellent for supporting the immune system during a cold. It is probably more beneficial to make tincture with fresh Echinacea, but it is often easier (and still highly effective) to make it with dried material since not everyone grows or has access to fresh flowers and roots. When using dried Echinacea, try to find some that has been dried recently and as always, organic is preferred.

Ingredients

1 1-pint glass jar (make sure it is clean) ¼ cup dried Echinacea 1 pint vodka

Process

Place dried Echinacea in the pint jar. Pour vodka over the top. You may use a little less than 1 pint of vodka. Fill to the shoulder of the jar so there is a little room at the top. Seal tightly with lid.

Label jar with the date and the expected date your tincture will be ready. Also include the ingredients on your label. You probably think you will remember, but trust me, that doesn’t always happen!

You have now created a menstruum. Leave menstruum at room temperature for four to six weeks. Shake every few days.

After the four to six weeks has passed, strain the herbs out of the vodka. To do this place a layer of cheesecloth over a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl and secure with a rubber band. Pour menstruum slowly into the cheesecloth and allow to drain for a few minutes. Then use your hands to wrap the cheesecloth around the herbs and squeeze out the excess liquid.

You can also lay cheesecloth in the over a colander and set colander over a large bowl or pot. Strain herbs as described above. Discard the herbs.

You now have Echinacea tincture!

As longs as your tincture is made with 25 percent alcohol content, it will last indefinitely.

To use:

At the first sign of a cold or throughout a cold take take ½ to ¾ of a teaspoon 3 to 4 times a day. per day. Echinacea has shown to be most beneficial at the beginning and for the duration of a cold. It is not intended as a long term preventative.

homemade spiced propolis infusion

Ingredients

4 oz (100 g) propolis 2 cups (400 ml) 120-proof alcohol Fresh ginger root 1 lemon Cloves 1–2 tsp honey Glass jar Coffee filter

Process

1. Harvest the propolis or buy.

2. For the tincture, put the propolis and alcohol in a jar and shake every day for 6–8 days until the propolis has dissolved. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove bits of bee that may be mixed in with it.

3. To make the drink, squeeze the juice from half the lemon and slice the rest, studding each slice with cloves. Cut some slices of ginger root.

4. Squirt a few drops of propolis into a mug and add boiling water with the honey, lemon juice, and slices of ginger root and lemon. Homemade Elderberry syrup Elderberry syrup is an excellent remedy for boosting your immune system because it has high levels of vitamin C and antiviral properties, making it effective against colds, sore throats, and even flu. Always use plenty of sugar in syrups, but not so much that the mixture crystallizes when it cools. Elderberry syrup has a high sugar content, so it can be easily stored over the winter months and is pleasant and convenient to take.

Ingredients

1½ cups (200 g) elderberries 2 cups (400 g) sugar 12 cloves 1 in (2.5 cm) sliced ginger root Funnel Glass bottles

Process

1. Gather ripe stalks of European elderberries and strip the berries from the stems with a fork. Put them in a pan and add 1 cup (250 ml) water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for

about 30 minutes, until the berries yield their juice. Remove from the heat and mash the berries. Then strain the contents of the pan through a sieve and return the juice to the pan.

2. Add the sugar, cloves, and ginger. Return the pan to the heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil for a further 5 minutes. 3. Pour the liquid into a bottle, seal, and refrigerate. Take 1 tbsp in a mug of boiling water every 2 hours when cold symptoms start and then three times a day until you feel better.

homemade insomnia tincture formula

Valerian and hops are two of the most potent herbs for sleep, but the bitter and pungent taste puts a lot of folks off. Using them in tincture form is more pleasant, and the alcohol is a better solvent for some of Valerian’s chemical constituents.

Ingredients:

Chamomile, Hops, Valerian, Passion Flower

Process

Use the general instructions for tinctures (Homemade easy tincture describes before). 1/2 teaspoon (6 drops) each tinctures of valerian, hops, passion flower and chamomile. Use 2 teaspoons total of this combination of tinctures. Mix with a little water, juice, a tablespoon of honey, or add to a cup of hot herbal tea.

homemade asthma tincture

Indian tobacco (lobelia inflata) is an herbal treatment for asthma. Take twenty drops of the mixture in water at the start of an asthmatic attack. Repeat every thirty minutes for a total of three or four doses.

Ingredients

Cayenne Pepper, Lobelia

Process

Use the general instructions for tinctures (Homemade easy tincture describes before). Mix three parts tincture of lobelia with one part tincture of capsicum (red pepper, cayenne pepper).

chapter 3

alternate cooking methods

2

If you have no utilities and no way to prepare hot meals without the aid of your kitchen appliances, you may have to survive on cold, ready-to-eat foods. Initially, that may not prove to be much of a problem, but unless you have invested heavily in ready-to-eat foods, you will eventually run out of things you can serve without cooking. For economic reasons, emergency food supplies are often built around large quantities of low-cost grain products that can tolerate long-term storage. These are items such as beans, oatmeal, pasta, lentils, split peas, wheat, and rice–all of which must be cooked. You may even discover that half of your emergency food calories are locked up in dry grain products. This should not present much of problem, however, because with a good camp stove and a decent supply of cooking fuel, you can avail yourself of all those grains and prepare hot food for every meal. Fortunately, cooking with camp stoves is cheap and easy, so there is really no excuse for serving cold food, even in a prolonged emergency situation. Here are some tips for cooking without modern appliances:

► Acquire at least one camp stove that burns Coleman liquid fuel and a second stove that burns propane. Propane camp stoves are very safe for indoor cooking, but they cost a lot more to operate than liquid fuel stoves. Save the propane stove for use when the weather is bad or when it is simply not safe to cook outdoors.

► Some camp stoves are dual-fuel capable, which means they can burn both Coleman liquid fuel and regular unleaded gasoline. These stoves are inexpensive, so you might think about buying two or three and saving one for use as a back up. If you cannot find Coleman liquid fuel, you can still store enough cooking fuel for a dual-fuel stove for months: fill up a couple of 5-gallon gas cans. A 10,000 BTU burner, operating for an hour each day, will only use about two gallons per month. Although Coleman liquid fuel is highly refined and has chemical stabilizers for long-term storage, you still need to rotate your stock to keep it fresh. Measure the rate at which your stoves consume fuel, then acquire a 6-month supply for each one. Plan for an average of 20 minutes of cooking time for each meal. This rate of consumption will allow you to boil large kettles of pasta or beans.

► If you become sick, your family members will have to cook for you, so while conditions are still normal, be sure to have everyone become familiar with the stoves. Show them how to setup, light, cook, clean, re-fuel, and store each stove.

► For emergency cooking indoors, you can use a fireplace. You can keep cooked food hot by using candle warmers, chafing dishes, and fondue pots. Use only approved devices for warming food.

► A charcoal grill, camp stove or fire pit can be used outdoors. ► Canned food can be eaten right out of the can. If you heat it in the can, be sure to open the can

and remove the label before heating. Always make sure to extinguish open flames before leaving the room. Have at least two manual can openers for all those canned goods.

► Utilize various solar ovens and cookers when sunlight is available. In the following section, there are several simple cookers, which can be expediently constructed.

► Utilize simple fire cookers that also can be easily constructed, also listed in the following section.

► If prepared in advance, freezer bag meals can be used; techniques and recipes are listed in the following section as well.

MRE’s (Meals, Ready to Eat) are pre-packaged single meals issued to US military personnel during exercises or combat. These meals come in cases of 12 in two variants, the A and B case, with different meals in each case. In the new MRE meals, there is a flameless chemical heater that is activated by adding a small amount of water to the heater bag. Once activated, these heaters get extremely hot and can produce a scalding steam. Caution is required! Read the directions carefully before using chemical heater bags. MREs are quite expensive and heavy but can be very useful where cooking time, resources or mobility are at a premium.

solar cookers

solar box cooker

What You Will Need

► Two cardboard boxes. We would suggest that you use an inner box that is at least 15 inch x 15 inch (38 cm x 38 cm), but bigger is better. The outer box should be larger all around, but it doesn't matter how much bigger, as long as there is a half inch (1.5cm) or more of an airspace between the two boxes. The distance between the two boxes does not have to be equal all the way around. Also, keep in mind that it is very easy to adjust the size of a cardboard box by cutting and gluing it.

► One sheet of cardboard to make the lid. This piece must be approximately 2 to 3 inch (4 to 8 cm) larger all the way around than the top of the finished cooker (the outer box).

► One small roll of aluminum foil. ► One can of flat-black spray paint (look for the words "non-toxic when dry") or one small jar of

black tempera paint. Some people have reported making their own paint out of soot mixed with wheat paste.

► At least 8 ounces (250 g) of white glue or wheat paste. ► One Reynolds Oven Cooking Bag®. These are available in almost all supermarkets in the U.S.

They are rated for 400 °F (204 °C) so they are perfect for solar cooking. They are not UV-resistant; thus they will become more brittle and opaque over time and may need to be replaced periodically. A sheet of glass can also be used, but this is more expensive and fragile, and doesn't offer that much better cooking except on windy days.

Fold the top flaps closed on the outer box and set the inner box on top and trace a line around it onto the top of the outer box, Remove the inner box and cut along this line to form a hole in the top of the outer box (Figure 1). Decide how deep you want your oven to be. It should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deeper than your largest pot and about 1" shorter than the outer box so that there will be a space between the bottoms of the boxes once the cooker is assembled. Using a knife slit the corners of the inner box down to that height. Fold each side down forming extended flaps (Figure 2). Folding is smoother if you first draw a firm line from the end of one cut to the other where the folds are to go.

Glue aluminum foil to the inside of both boxes and also to the inside of the remaining top flaps of the outer box. Don't bother being neat on the outer box, since it will never be seen, nor will it experience any wear. The inner box will be visible even after assembly, so if it matters to you, you might want to take more time here. Glue the top flaps closed on the outer box. Place some wads of crumpled newspaper into the outer box so that when you set the inner box down inside the hole in the outer box, the flaps on the inner box just touch the top of the outer box (Figure 3). Glue these flaps onto the top of the outer box. Trim the excess flap length to be even with the perimeter of the outer box. Finally, to make the drip pan, cut a piece of cardboard, the same size as the bottom of the interior of the oven and apply foil to one side. Paint this foiled side black and allow it to dry. Put this in the oven so that it rests on the bottom of the inner box (black side up), and place your pots on it when cooking. The base is now finished. Take the large sheet of cardboard and lay it on top of the base. Trace its outline and then cut and fold down the edges to form a lip of about 3" (7.5cm). Fold the corner flaps around and glue to the side lid flaps. (Figure 4). Orient the corrugations so that they go from left to right as you face the oven so that later the prop may be inserted into the corrugations (Figure 6). One trick you can use to make the lid fit well is to lay the pencil or pen against the side of the box when marking (Figure 5). Don't glue this lid to the box; you'll need to remove it to move pots in and out of the oven.

To make the reflector flap, draw a line on the lid, forming a rectangle the same size as the oven opening. Cut around three sides and fold the resulting flap up forming the reflector (Figure 6). Foil this flap on the inside. To make a prop bend a 12" (30cm) piece of hanger wire as indicated in Figure 6. This can then be inserted into the corrugations as shown. Next, turn the lid upside-down and glue the oven bag (or other glazing material) in place. We have had great success using the turkey size oven bag (19" x 23 1/2", 47.5cm x 58.5cm) applied as is, i.e., without opening it up. This makes a double layer of plastic. The two layers tend to separate from each other to form an airspace as the oven cooks. When using this method, it is important to also glue the bag closed on its open end. This stops water vapor from entering the bag and condensing. Alternately you can cut any size oven bag open to form a flat sheet large enough to cover the oven opening. solar tire cooker What You Will Need

► An old car tube. If the tube is punctured get it patched and inflate. ► A wood board ► An aluminum cooking pot with lid, painted flat black ► A piece of glass large enough to cover the tire tube

Take an aluminum cooking vessel with a lid. Paint it black from the outside. Put all the ingredients for cooking in the cooking pot. Place the cooking vessel inside the tube. Cover the tube with a piece of plain glass and place in direct sunlight. Within a few hours the food will be cooked.

The place in the well of the tube is a closed cavity so air neither goes out nor come in. The rays of the sun enter the glass and get trapped. Slowly, the temperature of the cooking vessel rises and the food cooks. solar umbrella cooker What You Will Need

► An umbrella (if can be, with a minimum of 120 cm of diameter when is open) ► Conventional aluminum paper ► White standard glue ► A manual saw for metals ► A manual drill. ► A tripod (any support for flowerpots of 3 legs will serve) ► Tools: tape measure, brush, permanent labeler, scissors.

First we must open the umbrella and stick, with white glue, one strip of aluminum paper on each one of the “sides” that form the umbrella. We will try to adapt with the maximum accuracy, using the scissors, the shape of aluminum strips to the form of the umbrella. Next, with the aid of the scissors, we will cut and stick more aluminum pieces in order to fill the places of the umbrella that still haven’t got reflector. Now we should have already the umbrella all covered with aluminum paper. Next, we will look for the focal point. (PAY ATTENTION: use sunglasses at this point!) Facing the umbrella the sun, we will look at the handle and we will indicate, with the permanent labeler, the most shining zone. Before cutting the main handle, we must make a hole that penetrates the plastic piece that moves above and under the handle, and also the handle. Through this hole we will pass any elongated piece that blocks the movement of folding (a pencil, a brush, etc.) Once blocked the umbrella, we will cut the handle with the manual saw. Remember to keep the handle, since therefore the cooker will be able to be folded. In order that the two parts could fit together again when we fold the cooker, we will double, with the aid of pliers, the sides of the handle.

We almost have the cooker ready. It only lacks making the holes for the tripod. In order to do them, first we should mark with the labeler the points where the tripod will stand, and later we can make the holes with the scissors. If we were mistaken there is no problem, because we can extend the holes without damaging the structure of the cooker. With this cooker we can cook without problems during the months of spring, summer and autumn in Valencia (Spain). In winter, we will need to cover the pot with a bag of high density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) plastics. In this last case, we should follow the same guidelines of baking that we normally use in the classic panel cookers, like Cookit type. solar windshield shade funnel cooker What You Will Need

► Reflective accordion-folding car sunshade ► Cake rack (or wire frame or grill) ► 12 cm. (4 ½ in.) of Velcro ► Black pot ► Bucket or plastic wastebasket ► Plastic baking bag

You can turn a windshield shade into a version of the solar funnel simply by attaching little Velcro tabs along the long notched side. Here’s how:

Lay the sunshade out with the notched side toward you, as above. Cut the Velcro into three pieces, each about 4 cm. or 1 ½ inches long. Stick or sew one half of each piece, evenly spaced, onto the edge to the left of the notch. Attach the matching half of each piece onto the underneath size to the right of the notch, so that they fit together when the two sides are brought together to form a funnel. (I first tried sewing these on a sewing machine, but found it cut through the reflective material.). If using stick-on Velcro, you can align the two pieces easily like this: Stick down one side of the Velcro, then press the two pieces of Velcro together, fold the shade into the funnel shape and stick down the second side. Press the Velcro pieces together, and set the funnel on top of a bucket or a round or rectangular plastic wastebasket. Place a black pot on top of a square cake rack, placed inside a plastic baking bag. A standard size rack in the U.S. is 25 cm. (10 in.). This is placed inside the funnel, so that the rack rests on the top edges of the bucket or wastebasket. Since the sunshade material is soft and flexible, the rack is necessary to support the pot. It also allows the suns rays to shine down under the pot and reflect on all sides. If such a rack is not available, a wire frame could be made to work as well. Note: The flexible material will squash down around the sides of the rack. The funnel can be tilted in the direction of the sun. A stick placed across from one side of the funnel to the other helps to stabilize it in windy weather (see photo). After cooking, simply fold up your “oven” and slip the elastic bands in place for easy travel or storage. I have found this totally simple solar oven extremely practical, as it is so lightweight and easy to carry along anywhere. But in addition, it has reached a higher temperature in a shorter time than all the other models I have experimented with so far (I haven’t used a parabolic) - a little above 350 degrees F.. The Velcro was available in fabric stores. Cost of the sunshade was about $3.00 USD; the Velcro about $.25.

fire cooking To build a fire, you want to start with very fine, dry pieces of flammable materials, called “tinder”. This could include moss, shredded paper, birch or cedar bark, or wood shavings. This material is the easiest to light. On top of that you loosely stack larger materials, “kindling”, such as pencil-diameter sticks and twigs or rolled-up newspaper. Then on top of that you put the largest pieces of wood, the “fuel”. You can also make a “fuzzstick” with your knife by making wood shavings from a stick, and leaving them attached. In very wet weather, you can split open a log that is dry inside, and make “fuzz” from the interior. There are two easy ways to stack the materials when starting a fire, “log cabin” or “tipi” style. A log cabin pile has the tinder at the bottom inside, and the kindling stacking crisscrossed, as shown. A tipi style has the sticks leaning into each other, or some with their ends stuck into the ground for stability. One advantage is that the sticks will fall into the fire as it burns. For both types you need to leave spaces for airflow. Fire making is a skill that takes practice, and you’ll get better and better at it as you do it more. three stone fire If you have long logs for fuel, don’t waste time and energy sawing or chopping them. Just put three large stones around the fire to reflect and retain heat, and then stick the ends of the logs in. As they burn, push them in further and further, until they are gone. There are a lot of ways to cook on an open fire. You can place a grill on top, and cook meat or some vegetables. You can place pots or pans on the grill. You can hang pots from a “crane” or “spit”. Just drive two forked sticks into the ground, and place another stick between them. If you are more of an expert at building up a coal bed, you can rake the coals out of the fire, and cook meat or vegetables right on top of them. In very improvised circumstances, you can make a hole in the ground and line it with some waterproof membrane. Put in water (and food). Then heat rocks in the fire and drop them into the water or “stew” so that it boils. You can also wrap food (such as potatoes) in aluminum foil, and place them near the fire, in the coals, or even bury them in the coals of the fire and cook them overnight. If you don’t have foil, you can cut the ends off of two aluminum cans, place the food in one, and then jam the other over as a cover. Another improvised way of cooking is to make a fire in a pit, and burn it down to a coal bed. You may want to place rocks inside as well. Cover the coals with a thick layer of non-poisonous leaves. Then put on a layer of the food you want to cook, then another layer of leaves, and then dirt or sands as a cover. The heat and steam will be trapped inside, cooking your food. Remember, never use rocks from a riverbed or other wet place to put in or near your fire. They may have water trapped inside, which could boil and cause the rocks to explode.

hearths The efficiency of the open fire drops a lot when it is windy. There are a number of ways to deal with this. You can lay two logs down on either side of the fire, or make a “U” shaped hearth with rocks. Wind blowing into the hearth will feed the fire with air. You can also dig a shallow trench a few feet long, about a foot deep, and wide enough for your pots to straddle the opening. fire hole A bit more elaborate, and probably the best style of fire for high winds, is this fire hole. Dig a U-shaped hole, as shown, and start a fire in one end. You can feed in fuel through the other. Place your pot, elevated on sticks to allow airflow, over the side with the fire.

rocket stove ► Insulation around the fire keeps the fire burning hot (above 600°C or 1100°F), which is more

efficient. ► Insulation around the chimney increases the draft, which provides a constant supply of air. ► Wood burns at the tip, and wood is shoved into the fire, controlling the burn rate and reducing

smoke. ► The air/fuel mixture is controlled, since too much air will only cool the fire. ► A skirt around the pot maximizes heat contact and transfer into the food. ► Cooking occurs directly on top of the chimney for efficient heat transfer. This is possible

because the stove burns at high temperatures and is nearly smokeless. The Rocket stove design is a very versatile design that can be improvised with a variety of different materials. The heart of the stove is an elbow-shaped, insulated combustion chamber. The fuel, in the form of sticks or narrow pieces of wood (or even tightly rolled-up paper, if that’s all you have), is fed into the fire on the shelf, as shown. The air enters into the fire underneath the shelf. Because the combustion chamber is insulated, the fire can get very hot, and burn very efficiently. To build a rocket stove, you will need a larger housing container, such as a coffee can. Make a hole to put the fuel in through. For the elbow-shaped chamber you can use stovepipe, scrap metal, or a pair of cans put one into the other. An improvised can chamber will last for about 3 months. Plastering the inside with castable firebrick will improve the lifespan. A taller chimney will be more smokeless. However, a shorter chimney will let the flame touch the bottom of the pot, and transfer heat more efficiently to the food. Place the elbow joint inside of the larger container. You may need to place a brick or other material underneath to help keep the placement. Then fill the space between the elbow and the housing with fireproof insulation. This insulation could include wood ash, vermiculite, perlite, pumice rock, dead coral or air-trapping layers of aluminum foil. You will need to make a shelf for the fuel wood to put in the elbow joint. You can pound a can fl at, and cut it to fit. You may want to make a wire grill to place on top of the housing, to rest the pot on. Adding a metal skirt will also help the heat transfer tremendously, because it will force the hot gases to rub against more of the pot, as shown. The skirt should be about 1 cm from the pot. Starting a Rocket stove is a little bit different from starting an open fire. Try putting your tinder on the shelf, igniting it, and then pushing the fuel in.

This elbow is then placed inside of a container that is filled with insulation. The container can be made from almost any material. We have used 5-gallon drums, brick, clay, cement. For insulation we suggest using wood ash or pearlite, or pumice,. Do not use massive things such as earth, sand or cement. These will rob heat from the stove and reduce your combustion efficiency. For optimal use we recommend a 9" chimney and a 4" fuel feed magazine. The Rocket stove is an improvement over the three stone fire but it is only one part of the equation. In order to really save fuel wood we must maximize the heat transfer to the pot. This picture shows a thin piece of metal (a skirt) wrapped around the pot. This skirt forces the hot flue gases to rub against the bottom and the sides of the pots. The gap between the pot and the skirt should be about 1cm (assuming you are using an average-sized pot). In our tests, this simple heat exchanger (an old coffee can works well!) almost doubles the efficiency of the rocket stove.

chapter 4 freezer bag meals

Spend any amount of time in the outdoors and you have probably found that mealtime is full of trade-offs. Do you choose foods that fuel your body or foods that satisfy your taste buds? Do you spend the extra time to prepare a real meal or grab a protein bar on the go? Freezer Bag Cooking minimizes these trade-offs by changing the concepts of traditional outdoor food. It offers simplicity, convenience and variety. The cooking gear needed is minimal, lightweight and can be bought, found or even made. Meals are prepared at home and put into zip top freezer bags. When ready to eat, the meal is prepared in and eaten out of the freezer bag. Mealtime becomes fast, effortless and cleanup is as easy as licking your utensil and sealing the zip top bag. Also, with meals portioned into individual freezer bags, making meals for multi-day trips, families or a group is painless. supplies needed

► A backpacking teakettle or lightweight pan with lid to boil around 2 ½ to 3 cups water. Any metal is fine, and it doesn't need to be coated.

► A simple canister or alcohol stove. A windscreen for your stove made of a turkey pan, stove liner pan or heavy-duty foil folded 3 times. This will increase fuel efficiency.

► A spoon to eat with. Forks can be used very carefully if eating pasta dishes. ► A mug/cup with measuring markers on it (Lexan is clear so you can use it as a measuring cup/drinking cup). Or

a lightweight Titanium mug. Both work well for measuring water, and are light, yet hold up to abuse. ► A box of good quality freezer bags. Glad bags that are a greenish blue color or Ziploc bags. ► A ‘cozy’ consisting of a piece of cloth to insulate the freezer bag (wool scarf, knit cap or other suitable material).

When getting ready to “cook” your meal, bring your water to a boil. Pour the water into your cup, measure, then add it to your freezer bag. This way you avoid painful burns, adding too much water, or touching your freezer bag with a burning hot piece of metal-and having the small potential of melting the bag. Stir with a Lexan or plastic spoon. After you have mixed it well, zip up the bag tightly and wrap in a fleece hat, jacket or cozy made for the purpose. Then let sit for 5-15 minutes, make yourself a drink, stir real well, and eat. Put the freezer bag into a cozy before adding the water, this works well as you don't have to hold the bag upright while adding the water. If you squeeze or knead your bags to mix up the food, be very careful- be sure you have pushed out all the air before you do this. The steam from the hot liquid can cause a build up and your kneading could cause the bag to pop open. After your food is ready, roll the top 1/3 of the bag down (imagine you are cuffing socks). This will make your bag into it's own bowl. If you are planning on making soups in a cozy...it never hurts to carry some instant mashed potatoes to thicken if it is too watery. If you are making a lot of rice dishes it doesn't hurt to carry a little extra instant rice, in case it is too thin. Or add about 2-3 packets Parmesan cheese to help thicken.

Keep on hand in bulk or boxes: Single Serving Condiment Packets

► Instant Rice Organize packets in sandwich bags by type of condiment.

► Couscous Rotate your stock, and for items like mayo and dressings,

► Instant refried beans use them up in couple months or toss them.

► Cheese sauce powder

► Dried minced onions ► Honey: Starbucks, KFC.

► Dried veggie mix ► Butter and its imitators: KFC, Popeye’s, McDonalds

► Dried Bell Peppers ► Ketchup & mustard: fast food places

► Dried Tomatoes, flaked ► Salsa/picante sauce: McDonalds and convenience

► Dried Mushrooms stores

► Soup mixes, such as cup of soup, and Knorr soup ► Ranch tubs: McDonalds, KFC, Hidden Valley

mixes Dressing in 4 packs at the grocery store

► Gravy packets ► Parmesan Cheese& Red Chilies: Costco and Sams

► Stuffing mix Club food courts, any pizza joint

► Pouches of tuna, salmon, cans of chicken, turkey, ► Jam packets or tubs: Burger King, McDonalds,

hamburger pouches continental breakfasts at motels

► Crystal Light To Go packets ► Soy Sauce & sesame seeds: your favorite Chinese

► Ramen noodle pouches place

► A vast assortment of packets of condiments. I ► BBQ Sauce: KFC, Popeye’s, McDonalds

keep them in sandwich bags by type. ► Salt and pepper packets: almost any place

Carry with you in a small Ziploc bag: ► Mayonnaise and relish packets: stores that sell

fried foods or deli's in grocery stores

► Arby's is great for horseradish sauce and BBQ

► A couple salt and pepper packets from a fast food sauce

place. ► Most McDonalds's and KFC have moist towelettes

► A couple packets of Parmesan cheese. in packets

► Herbs/spices such as Thyme, Garlic, dried parsley, ► Papa John's is great as they will sell you tubs of

etc. cheese sauce, garlic sauce, marinara sauce

Basic Cooking Rice Serving sizes: 1 person: 1 cup rice/1 cup water

2 persons: 2 cups rice/ 2 cups water You can find white rice, premium white rice and brown rice in instant versions. I prefer the premium white rice, and I prefer Minute Rice brand. Rice can handle sweet or savory flavors well. Rice should be put in a cozy for 5-10 minutes after you add boiling water.

Couscous You can use either couscous in boxes or for a better buy, find it in bulk. Couscous is made from seminola, the same as pasta. It is pasta, it just doesn't need anything but boiling water to cook. You can find it in regular, whole wheat or in flavored varieties. Basic cooking method: 1 person: 1/3 cup couscous to 1/2 cup water 2 persons: 3/4 cup couscous to 1 cup water To this you can add whatever flavorings, herbs or spices you might desire. A pinch of salt is usually mandatory with couscous. I always take salt packets with me to be sure. Couscous works well with either savory or sweet recipes- and handles items like nuts and dried fruit well. It does not do well though, with heavy thick sauces. Add your boiling water, stir well, and let sit for 5-10 minutes in a cozy.

All Purpose Seasoning Mix 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp basil

1 tsp dillweed 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp powdered lemon rind Blend well

Salt Free Creole Seasoning 2 1⁄2 Tbl paprika 2 Tbl garlic powder 1 Tbl black pepper 1 Tbl onion powder 1 Tbl cayenne pepper 1 Tbl dried oregano 1 Tbl dried thyme Blend well. Perfect for pasta, mashed potato and rice dishes.

Herb Mix 1 tsp ground red pepper cayenne 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp basil 1 tsp mace 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp savory 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp sage Blend well.

For Potatoes & Veggies 1 tsp dry mustard 1/2 tsp sage 1/2 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp marjoram Blend well.

For Fish 3/4 tsp dried parsley 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp dill seed 1/4 tsp marjoram 1/4 tsp paprika Blend well.

beef dishes

Veggies, Beef & Rice Veggie Hamburger Rice Herbed Beef with Mushroom Gravy

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 2 cups instant rice 2 cups instant rice 1 tsp granulated garlic 1/4 cup freeze dried vegetables (mixed 1 package Knorr Spring Vegetable ½ tsp thyme works well) Soup Mix Dash rosemary, black pepper 1/2 cup dried hamburger 1/2 cup dehydrated cooked hamburger ¼ cup dried mushrooms (or freeze 2 Tsp low sodium beef bullion To prepare, add 2 1/4 cups boiling dried mushrooms) 1/2 tsp granulated garlic water, stir well. Let sit in a cozy for at 1 chicken bullion cube, crushed 1 tsp dried parsley least 10 minutes. Stir again. Cheese ½ tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp dried thyme on top makes it even better. Serves 2. 1 tsp olive oil (1 packet) Also take 1 ounce Swiss cheese. 1/2 cup dried hamburger To prepare, add 2 2/3 cups boiling To prepare,: add boiling water to cover water, stir well and put in a cozy for 10 and put in a cozy for 10 minutes. minutes. Top with Swiss cheese. Optional: add ¼ cup white wine Serve Serves 2 over instant rice (1 cup worth), or

mashed potatoes. Serves 1.

Beef Stroganoff New Beef Stroganoff BBQ Bowl

In a quart freezer bag put: At home: Put sour cream powder and In a quart freezer bag put: 2 Teaspoons powdered milk nutmeg in a small zip bag. Remaining ½ cup dried ground beef/turkey 1 Teaspoons butter buds (or use fresh ingredients go in a separate quart 2 Teaspoons dried green pepper butter/margarine, 1 Tablespoon.) freezer bag. ¼ cup freeze dried corn 1 Teaspoons tomato powder (or soup 3 Tablespoon powdered sour cream. If 2 tubs/packets BBQ sauce mix) you don't have sour cream powder on ½ tsp chili powder 1 Teaspoons flour hand, a packet of cream cheese is a ¼ cup French fried onions Dash of pepper good substitute. 1 cup Instant hash browns 2 Teaspoons dried onion 1 Pinch nutmeg Combine beef, peppers, corn and chili 1 cube beef bullion, crushed 1/3 cup dehydrated ground beef powder. Mix well in bottom of bag. Top 1/4 Cup dried chopped mushroom 1/3 cup thinly sliced dried mushrooms with hash browns. (Don’t mix). Put slices (or freeze dried mushrooms) 1 Tablespoon dried onion French fried onions in a sandwich bag 1 Cup cooked & dehydrated noodles 1 1/3 Cups Chinese instant noodles with unopened BBQ tubs. (egg noodles work well) (you can use ramen noodles also) To prepare, add BBQ sauce, then 1/2 cup dried hamburger To prepare, pour 2 cups boiling water boiling water to the quart freezer bag To prepare, top with boiling water and into main bag. Stir and put in a cozy (not quite covering), knead gently and cozy for 10 minutes. Serves 2. for 10 minutes. Drain off the broth-this cozy 15 minutes. Divide and top with

makes a nice starter soup if you like. onions. Serves 2. Add nutmeg and sour cream powder to the bag and any extra broth as needed and mix well. Serves1-2.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

These recipes can be dehydrated and taken with you for simple style meals, or one could simmer to prepare. To cut down on cooking time, one could use dried sliced potatoes (found in bulk sections), freeze-dried vegetables (sub 1/2 cup freeze-dried vegetables for 1 cup frozen) and precooked and dried pasts. Precooked pasta will cut back on cooking time by about half. Canned tomatoes can be pureed and dried at home. Servings would be in the 2-4 person range, per recipe made. This is a mix you can make in advance and use in a number of ways. Store tightly sealed. Use mix as a base for the following dinners: At home mix together: 2 cups nonfat dry milk 1 cup corn starch 1/4 cup beef bouillon powder 2 tablespoons onion flakes 1

teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 tablespoon garlic powder Potato Beef Casserole Chili Mac Beef Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef, browned and 1 pound ground beef, browned and 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained drained drained 3/4 cup water 1 cup water 2 cups water 6 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 cup macaroni noodles (uncooked) 1/2 cup dry mix 1 cup frozen mixed veggies 2 cans no salt added diced or stewed 2 cups uncooked egg noodles 1/2 cup dry mix tomatoes 1/2 cup sour cream To prepare, combine all and simmer, 1 tablespoon chili powder To prepare, combine all except sour covered, until potatoes are tender, 1/2 cup dry mix cream. Simmer 20 minutes or until about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. To prepare, combine all and simmer noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream Remove cover and cook until excess 20 minutes or until macaroni is cooked and serve. water is evaporated. Chili

In quart freezer bag put: 1/8 cup dried onion 2 Teaspoons dried green pepper 1 tsp granulated garlic ½ tsp dried jalapeno peppers (or Serrano if you like the heat) 2 tsp brown sugar 1 Teaspoons tomato powder (or soup mix) ½ tsp ground chili pepper Dash of: oregano, red pepper, cumin, ground cinnamon, salt 1/8 cup diced tomatoes, dried and crumbled ¼ cup dark red kidney beans, cooked and dried (canned and dehydrated) ¼ cup hot chili beans, cooked and dried (canned and dehydrated) To prepare, add 1 package chipped beef (or use a packet of ground beef), top with boiling water and put in a cozy for 10 minutes. You can use a ¼ Cup of red wine also, and top with a couple of tablespoons of fresh pico de gallo if you want to pack it.

chicken dishes

Curry Chicken Pita Chicken Wraps Trail Chicken Salad

In a quart freezer bag put: 1 foil pouch of chicken 1 7 oz pouch chicken 1 7 ounce pouch chicken 1-3 packets of mayo or ranch dip tubs 2-4 packets mayonnaise 4 packets mayo 1 packet of relish, salsa or whatever 1-2 tsp curry in a snack size Ziploc In a sandwich bag put: flavor you like. bag. 2 Tablespoon dried onion 4 taco sized tortillas or flatbreads. To prepare: This can be mixed up in 1/4 cup dried apples, chopped To prepare: Mix in pouch, spread on the chicken pouch. Squeeze the mayo In a small bag put: tortillas. Serves 2. Also great with first then shake the curry on top, mix it 1 tsp curry powder cheddar or Swiss cheese added. in a bit, then mix that into the chicken. 1/4 tsp ground ginger Serves 2. Also take: 2 large pita pockets or large tortillas To prepare: Add enough water to cover the onions and apples. Let soak for 10-20 minutes.

If any water is left, drain off carefully. Open the chicken packet, add in the mayo to taste, then the seasonings.

Toss in the onion and apple. Spoon into the pitas, halved. Serves 2.

Harvest Chicken Salad Wraps Razzie Chicken Cranberry Chicken Rice

1 7 ounce pouch of chicken 1 7 ounce pouch of chicken In a quart freezer bag put:

In a sandwich bag: In a quart freezer bag put: 1 cup instant rice

1 Tablespoon dried chopped celery 1-2 tablespoon of dried cranberries 1 Tsp. Chicken bullion

1/4 cup dried apples, chopped 1-2 tablespoon dried apples 1/4 Tsp. salt, if desired

Also take: 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped in 1/2 Tsp. granulated garlic

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans quarters 1 Tsp. Parsley

1 Tablespoon raisins basamalic raspberry dressing to taste, 1 Tsp. Dried Onion

1 packet each salt and pepper in a single serve pouch 2 Tablespoon. Dried veggie flakes or

1 Tablespoon olive oil To prepare: mix together in chicken freeze dried mixed vegetables

large pitas or tortillas pouch. Works as a filling for 2 tortillas. 2 Tablespoon.+2 Tsp. Raisins

To prepare: Cover the celery and Serves 1-2. Take a 3-5 oz. can of chicken with

apples with water and let sit for 10-20 you.

minutes. Drain any remaining water To prepare: put the chicken and it's

carefully. Open the chicken pouch and liquid into the freezer bag, and 1 1/4

add the vegetables, nuts and raisins cups boiling water.

and toss. Stir well and put into a cozy for 10

Add in olive oil to texture you like, salt minutes. This is great with 2 cups

and pepper to taste. Serve in pita water as a soup. Serves 1.

halves or as wraps. Serves 2.

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Creamy Chicken With Rice Creamy Chicken With Rice #2

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

2 cups instant rice 1 cup instant rice 1 1/2 cups instant rice

1/4 cup freeze dried corn 1 packet Lipton Cup A Soup Cream Of 1/3 cup dry milk

3 Tablespoon cheese sauce powder Chicken soup mix (the 1 cup of water 1 package Erin Traditional Cream Of

1/4 tsp granulated garlic type) Chicken soup mix (Found at Cost Plus

2 tsp dried chives 1 tablespoon dried onions World Market)

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled up pinch of granulated garlic Also take:

black pepper to taste pinch of dried parsley A 3-5 oz can of chicken.

salt to taste Also take: To prepare: add chicken (liquid and

Also take: A 3-5 oz can of chicken or a 7 oz foil all) and 1 1/2 cups boiling water, and

1 7 ounce pouch chicken packet of chicken. stir well. Let sit for 5-10 minutes in a

1 packet or 1 Tablespoon olive oil To prepare: add 1 cup boiling water & cozy.

To prepare: add chicken, oil and 2 1/4 chicken (liquid and all), stir well, put in Would also be great with parmesan

cups boiling water. cozy for 5 minutes.

cheese on top, and some freeze dried

Stir well, and put in a cozy for 10 mushrooms. Serves 2.

minutes. Stir before eating. Serves 2.

Creamy Leek Chicken Rice Cheesy Chicken Veggie Rice Chicken Diablo Rice

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

1 cup instant rice 1 cup instant rice 1 cup instant rice

3 Tablespoon Knorr Leek Soup Mix 1/4 cup freeze dried vegetable mix 1 package tomato cup-a-soup

(half a package) 2 Tablespoon cheese sauce powder (Lipton's)

1 Tablespoon dry milk 2 Tablespoon instant milk 2 tsp chili powder

1 Tablespoon dried veggie mix or pinch of salt if desired 1/4 cup freeze dried corn

mixed freeze dried veggies Also take: Also take:

Also take: A can of chicken (3-5 ounce size) A 3-5 oz can of chicken

A 3-5 oz can of chicken. To prepare: put the chicken w/ liquid To prepare: add chicken with liquid

To prepare: add the chicken (liquid into the bag. and 1 cup boiling water. Stir well and

and all) and 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoon Add 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Mix well, set in cozy for 10 minutes. Serves 1.

boiling water. Mix well, pop in a cozy and put in cozy for 5 minutes.

for 10 minutes. Serves 1. Stir, and let set for another minute, to

thicken. Very good with any type of

cheese on top. Serves 1.

Chicken & Peas With Rice Chicken & Mushroom Rice Sesame Orange Chicken

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

2 cups instant rice 1 1/2 cups instant rice 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

2 tsp chicken bouillon (low sodium) 2 tsp chicken broth ½ tsp butter buds

1 tsp Butter Buds or Molly McButter, if 1/4 cup freeze dried mushrooms, 1 tsp dry whole milk

desired. crumbled 1 cube chicken bullion, crushed

1/4 cup freeze-dried peas 1 tsp dry thyme leaves Dash of red pepper

Also take: A pinch of salt, if desired, and couple ½ tsp crystal light orange powder (or

A 5 oz can of chicken and 4-8 packets grinds of black pepper tang)

Parmesan cheese. Also take: ½ tsp cornstarch

To prepare: add the chicken (w/ liquid) A 3-5 oz can of chicken or a 7 oz Also take:

and 2 1/4 cups boiling water. Stir well, pouch of chicken. A 7oz pouch of chicken

and cozy for 10 minutes. Stir again To prepare: put the chicken in and add 1-2 cups instant rice in a separate

and top with Parmesan cheese. 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Stir well and freezer bag.

Serves 2. put in cozy for 5-10 minutes. Good To prepare: combine all but meat with

with Parmesan cheese on top. Serves ¼ cup boiling water and shake to mix

2. well. Add meat and put in a cozy for 10

minutes. Serve over instant rice.

Serves 1-2. (1 cup instant rice per

person.)

Roast Chicken with Cranberry Chicken Adobo Mexican Chicken

Sauce

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

In a quart freezer bag put: Dash black pepper 1/3 cup couscous

Dash of sage, thyme, black pepper 1 chicken bullion cube, crushed 1 ½ tablespoon dried mixed vegetable

1 cube chicken bullion, crushed 1 Teaspoons granulated garlic flakes/freeze dried vegetables

¼ cup dried cranberries ¼ bay leaf 1 tsp each dried adobe & chipotle

¼ cup dried cranberries (powdered) Also take: powder

Also take: 1 cup instant rice in sandwich bag 1 packet low sodium chicken bouillon

A 7oz pouch chicken 1 package soy sauce (1 tsp)

1 package grape jelly (1 use size) 1 package vinegar ½ tsp Mexican spice

To prepare: combine all but chicken 1 7 ounce pouch chicken 1 tsp granulated garlic

with ¼ cup boiling water and shake to To prepare: add ¼ cup boiling water to 1 tsp granulated onion powder

mix well. Add chicken and put in a all and cozy 5 minutes. Add instant Also take:

cozy for 10 minutes. Serve over rice and remaining water (3/4 cup). Put A can chicken (4.5 to 5 ounce size)

instant rice (1 cup), or mashed in cozy until done, 10-15 minutes. To prepare, add ½ cup boiling water

potatoes. Serves 1. and the canned chicken, including

liquid into the bag. Stir well and let is

sit in a cozy for 10 minutes. Stir and

top off with some fresh ground pepper

if desired. Serves 1.

Chicken Italian Ramen Pot Pie Chicken & Cranberry Gravy with

Mashed Potatoes

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

1/3 cup couscous 1 package chicken flavored ramen w/

1/4 cup freeze dried mixed vegetables seasoning packet. Break up the 1 cup instant mashed potatoes

2-3 Tablespoon Knorr Tomato With ramen. 1 tsp salt

Basil soup mix 1 pouch or can of chicken (3-7 ounces Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tablespoon dry onion depending on your taste) 1 tsp dried chives

1/4 tsp granulated garlic A Ziploc with instant mashed potatoes. In a second freezer bag put:

Also take: (I would recommend the Idahoan ones 1 pouch chicken gravy mix (the add 1

A can chicken (4-5 ounce size) that have everything in them, or use cup water type)

To prepare, add chicken and liquid to the cup version that has everything in 1/2 cup raisins

the bag with 1 cup boiling water. Stir it.) 7 oz foil pouch of chicken.

very well. Let sit in a cozy for 10 To prepare, add 2 cups boiling water To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water to

minutes. You may prefer up to 1/4 cup to the ramen. Add in the chicken. Pop the potatoes, stir well. Add 1 cup

more water, as the recipe is very thick. in a cozy for 10 minutes or so, then boiling water to the gravy mix, stir well,

Serves 1. start adding the potatoes till it add chicken. Let sit in a cozy for 5

becomes nice and thick. Serves 2. minutes. Stir again, pour over potatoes

and eat!. Serves 2.

Cheesy Chicken Rice Soup

In a quart freezer bag put: 1/2 cup instant rice 3 Tablespoon cheese sauce powder 1 Tablespoon dried powdered milk 1 Tablespoon dried veggie mix or freeze-dried vegetables salt to taste, if desired A 3-5 oz can of chicken. To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water and chicken with liquid. Stir, put in cozy, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Serves 1.

meatless dishes

Ramen Salad Trail Nachos Beans & Rice

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1 Package. ramen noodles (discard 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoon cheese sauce 1 Tablespoon dried onion flavor packet.) powder (This is a product you can find 1 tsp cumin 2 Tablespoon. dried veggie flakes or in bulk sections) 1 tsp chicken or vegetable bullion freeze dried veggies 1/4 tsp of garlic 1 tsp Italian seasoning Also take: 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt, if desired. 1/4 cup black bean soup mix or dried 1 packet salad dressing of choice Add bell pepper flakes, hot pepper beans (shelf stable, find at fast food places, flakes, etc-whatever you like! 3/4 cup instant brown rice delis or use 2 tubs of Ranch Also take: Also take: dip/dressing) Separately packed chips to dip 1 Tablespoon or 1 packet olive oil To prepare, put ramen and veggies in To prepare, add 1/2 cup boiling water, To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water a quart freezer bag, add 1 1/2 cups mix very well, seal and pop in cozy for and oil to bag. Stir well and let sit in a water (room temp), and seal. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Serves 1. cozy for 10-15 minutes. Serves 1 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well. Add Vegetable Crunchies dressing and toss well. Great with For the vegetables, use freeze dried. cubed cheese and or pepperoni slices. Combine and mix: Serves 1. 1/2 cup freeze dried onions

1/2 cup freeze dried carrots 1/2 cup freeze dried bell peppers 1/2 cup dried crumbled tomatoes

1/2 cup bacon bits (real or soy) Store in a tightly sealed bag or container. This is really good for just munching on, or for tossing 1/4 cup or so into almost any hot meal!

Creamy Mushroom Rice Curry Lentils With Rice Split Peas With Rice

In a quart freezer bag put: In 2 quart freezer bags In 2 quart freezer bags 1 cup instant rice In one put: In one put: 2 Tablespoon freeze-dried white 1 cup instant rice 1 cup instant rice mushrooms (crumbled up) pinch of salt, if desired. pinch of salt, if desired. 1 Tablespoon dry milk In the other put: In the other put: 1/2 package Knorr Wild Mushroom & 1/2 cup Curry Lentil soup mix 1/2 cup Split Pea soup mix Chive Soup mix. To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water to In camp add 1 cup boiling water to the To prepare, add 1 1/2 cups boiling the rice, and 2/3 cup boiling water to rice, and 2/3 cup boiling water to the water, mix well. Pop in cozy for 5 the lentils. Pop into a cozy for about 5 Split Peas. Pop into a cozy for about 5 minutes. Stir well. Serves 1. minutes. Dump the lentils on top of the minutes. Dump the peas on top of the

rice. Serves 1. rice. (Roll the bag down a bit, and make a bowl). Serves 1.

Mexi Rice Cheesy & Crunchy Veggie Rice Cheesy Rice

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer put: 1 cup instant rice 1 cup instant rice 1 cup instant rice 1 tsp xhicken bullion powder 2 Tablespoon dried veggie flakes or pinch of salt 1 Tablespoon dry onions freeze dried vegetables 2 Tablespoon dry milk 1 Tablespoon dry bell pepper flakes 1 tsp low sodium chicken bullion 2 Tablespoon cheese sauce powder Also take: powder To prepare, add 1 1/8 cups boiling 4-6 packets salsa, or 1 small tub. 1/4 tsp salt if desired water to the bag and stir very well. Let To prepare, add the salsa packets to Separately pack 2 Tablespoons worth sit in a cozy for 5 minutes, then stir the freezer bag, and add 1 cup boiling of Fried Onions in a sandwich bag. well again. Serves 1. This is great with water. Stir well, and pop in cozy for 5- Also take: some Italian bread crumbs on top. 10 minutes. This recipe works great 1-2 oz's cheese of choice. with cheddar cheese added on top, or To prepare, add 1 1/8 cups boiling used as a burrito filling, with cheddar water to bag, stir well, toss in cheese, cheese, and more salsa packets. and pop in cozy for 5-10 minutes. Stir Serves 1. well, try to mix cheese in. Toss in fried

onions and eat. Serves 1.

Spinach Couscous Cheesy Couscous Nutty Couscous

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1/4 cup dried tofu cubes 1/2 cup couscous 2 tsp chicken bouillon 1/2 cup dried spinach 3 Tablespoon. cheese sauce powder 1 cup couscous 1/8 cup dehydrated or freeze-dried 1/4 tsp. salt, if desired. 1/3 cup Toasted unsalted walnuts, veggie flakes 1 Tablespoon. dry milk chopped 2 tsp onion soup mix To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water. 2 Tablespoon diced dried bell pepper 1/3 cup couscous Mix well, seal and pop in a cozy for 10 1 Tablespoon dried parsley 1/2 tsp pepper minutes, stir again. Serves 1. Pepper, to taste Also take: To prepare, add 1 ¾ cups boiling 1 Tablespoon or 1 packet olive oil water, stir well and put in a cozy for 5- To prepare, add olive oil and 1/2 to 2/3 10 minutes. Serves 1-2 cup boiling water. Serves 1.

Mac & Cheese Cheesy Ramen Different Ramen

Take 4 boxes of Organic Kraft White In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put:

Cheddar Shells (6 ounce box), boil the 1 block ramen noodles. 1 block ramen (toss flavor packet) pasta for 9 minutes (about 1 1/2 Also take: 1/4 cup freeze dried vegetables of minutes less than called for on the 1-2 tubs cheese sauce. (This can be your choice box). When done, drain the pasta, found at Papa John's pizza joints, thru Also take: then spread on parchment lined trays Enertia foods, or in cases at some 1 tsp dried spices of your choice (chili on a dehydrator. Dry the pasta at 135* Sams Clubs. If you can't find the tubs powder, garlic, oregano, etc..) till dry (the time will depend on type of or tubes, Velveeta can be used.) 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. pasta and humidity.) When dry, weigh To prepare, pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups To prepare, add 1 1/2 cups boiling out the pasta, and split it among 4 boiling water into the bag of noodles. water to the ramen. Let sit for 5-10 quart freezer bags. Weight was Seal and squish around. Let sit in a minutes. Drain off almost all the water roughly 4 1/2 ounces in each bag. cozy for about 10 minutes. Drain out except for a bit, add spices and toss. Then packed with each bag: water and add cheese sauce. Serves Toss in cheese and eat up. Serves 1. 1 cheese sauce packet 1. 2 Tablespoon dry milk 1 packet olive oil To prepare, pour boiling water over the pasta (to just cover). Seal well, and put in a cozy for 10 minutes. Drain off most of the water, leaving in about 1/4 cup. Add in the milk powder, cheese sauce powder and oil. Stir well and enjoy.

Mountain Spaghetti Herby Pasta Sasquatch's Taters

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: Mix these ingredients in a bowl. At 1 block ramen noodles 8 ounces spaghetti, precooked and home: combine all ingredients, put 1/2 In a small zip bag put: dried (break in thirds). You can use cup mix in a freezer bag. 1 Tablespoon dried parsley ramen or choka soba noodles instead. 1-3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes 1/2 tsp granulated garlic In a small sandwich bag put: 1-1/2 cups dry milk 1 Tablespoon Italian herb seasoning 1 Tablespoon dried parsley 2 tsp chicken bullion ¼ cup Parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon freeze dried chives 2 tsp dried onion Also take: 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp dried parsley 2 packets or 2 Tablespoon olive oil 1 tsp granulated garlic 1/4 tsp ground pepper To prepare, pour 1 1/2 cups boiling 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp dried thyme water over the ramen, seal bag, rotate Also take: 1/8 tsp turmeric (or an Indian curry bag till ramen softens. Put in a cozy 1 packet or 1 Tablespoon olive oil. powder) for 10 minutes. Drain. Add olive oil and To prepare, cover the noodles with 1-1/2 tsp seasoning salt, if desired-salt toss. Add in spices and cheese and boiling water, seal the bag, and put in to taste toss again. Serves 1 a cozy for 5 minutes. Drain. Toss with To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water.

oil and herbs. Serves 1-2. Stir until smooth. Serve. Serves 1 as a side dish.

Evening Potatoes Bean & Rice Burritos Cheese Potato Soup

In a quart freezer bag put: In 2 quart freezer bags Put the following dry ingredients in a 1/2 cup instant potatoes In one put: quart sized jar: 1 Tablespoon instant milk 1/2 cup instant rice 2 c. powdered coffee creamer salt and pepper packets pinch of salt, if desired. 1/2 c. imitation bacon bits 2 Tablespoon cheese sauce powder 1/4 tsp granulated garlic 2 (1.5 oz) pkgs of cheese sauce mix 1/2 bag of precooked crumbled bacon 1 tsp dried onions 2 T. dried parsley flakes bag. (Shelf stable) In the second put: 1 t. salt-free seasoning mix To prepare, add 1/2 cup boiling water 1/3 cup instant refried beans 1 t. dried minced onion (sometimes a bit more) and mix well. Also take: 1/2 t. pepper Serves 1. 4 tortillas, 2 parmesan cheese 2 c. instant potato flakes

packets, or cheddar cheese, and a 2 (5 oz.) cans ham, optional

salsa or picante packet per burrito. To prepare, place dry ingredients in a To prepare, add 1/2 cup boiling water large soup pot. Add 8 cups of boiling to the rice, and 1/2 cup to the beans. water. Mix well and let stand 5 Let sit for 5 minutes. The beans may minutes. Add ham if desired. be thick-add water to thin to liking. Spread the beans on tortillas. Put rice and toppings on top. Serves 2.

Cheese Soup Potato Soup Minestrone Soup

Put the following dry ingredients in a Put the following dry ingredients in a In a quart freezer bag put: quart sized jar: quart sized jar: 2 tsps chicken bullion 1 (1.5 oz) pkg of Knorr Cheese Sauce 3 c. instant potato flakes 1/2 cup instant refried bean flakes (or similar brand) 1 c. powdered coffee creamer (brown or black) 3 t. chicken bouillon 1 pkg chicken gravy mix 1/4 cup dried veggie flakes or crushed 1/2 t. pepper 2 T. dried parsley flakes freeze-dried vegetables 1 (1.4 oz) pkg Knorr Vegetable Soup 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup couscous Mix (or similar brand) 2 T. seasoning blend of your choice 1/4 tsp granulated garlic 1/4 c. dried parsley flakes 1 t. dried minced onion 1/2 tsp dried parsley 3 c. powdered coffee creamer 1/2 t. pepper Tape onto bag 1 salt packet and 1 1/4 c. cornstarch To prepare, place ingredients in a pepper packet. To prepare, place all ingredients in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of boiling To prepare, add 2 cups boiling water, large soup pot. Add 5 cups boiling water. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes stir well, seal and pop in cozy for 10- water. Mix well and bring back to a to thicken. Serve immediately. 15 minutes. This is an almost chowder boil. Boil 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often thickness soup. Serves 2. and scraping bottom of pan. Add more water if you want to then it out some.

Red Bean Stew with Pasta Basic Oatmeal Super Oatmeal

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1/4 cup dried mushrooms (or freeze 2 pkts instant oatmeal, your choice of 2 packages instant oatmeal dried mushrooms) flavor 1 Tbl dry milk 1/4 cup dried carrots 2 tbls dry milk 2 Tbl brown sugar 1/2 tsp granulated garlic 1-2 tbl dried fruit 1 Tbl each: dried cranberries, chopped Dash of black pepper To prepare, add 1 cup boiling water. dates and sliced or chopped almonds. 1/4 cup kidney beans, cook and dried Stir well, let cool a bit, and eat. Serves To prepare, Put in a quart freezer bag, (canned & dehydrated) 1. add 1 cup boiling water, stir and let sit 1/4 cup dried tomatoes, crumbled till cool enough to eat. Serves 1. 1 beef bullion cube, crushed 1 cup cooked, dried pasta, cooked & dried 2 Teaspoons Parmesan cheese (4 packets) To prepare, add boiling water to cover and cozy 15 minutes. Serves 2. Couscous and Fruit Dried-Fruit Couscous Super Charged Oatmeal

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1 1/2 cups couscous 1 1/3 cups couscous 1/2 cup oats ground in a coffee grinder 1/2 cup ground dried berries of choice 2 tsp low sodium bullion of choice or food chopper. A couple pulses will 1/4 cup ground dried bananas 1/3 cup pitted dates, diced do (use quick cooking oats) 1/2 cup dried pineapple bits 1/3 cup dried figs or prunes, diced 1/4 cup instant dried milk 1/4 cup raw sugar To prepare, add 2 cups boiling water, 2 Tbl. TVP (textured vegetable protein, 1/2 tsp cinnamon stir well and put in a cozy for 5-10 find in bulk/natural food stores) 1 Tbl or 1 packet olive oil minutes. Fluff and eat. Serves 2-3. 1 Tbl. milled Flax seed To prepare, Put in a quart freezer bag. 1 Tbl. wheat germ

Pour 3 cups boiling water into the 2 Tsp. brown sugar freezer bag. Stir well and put in a cozy A handful of raisins for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous and To prepare, Put in a quart freezer bag, eat. Serves 2-3. add 1 cup boiling water. Mix well, and

put in a cozy for 5 minutes. Homemade Granola Cran-Orange Cereal Breakfast Omlettes

Preheat oven to 225-F. In a large In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: bowl, mix: 3/4 Cup bulgur (I like Hodgson Mill Crack 2 eggs into the freezer bag. Add 2 cups rolled oats Bulgur Wheat w/ Soy Hot Cereal) in whatever you would like with them 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 5-grain cereal 4 Tbl dried cranberries into the bag. (rolled mixed grains) 2 Tbl dried blueberries Ham, chicken, sausage 1/3 cup toasted wheat germ 3 Tbl orange powder (Tang can be Dried bell peppers you have soaked in 1 T cinnamon used, but it doesn’t quite taste the a snack bag. 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans same!) Onion flakes done the same way. In a separate bowl, whisk together: To prepare, Put in a quart freezer bag, Shredded or cubed cheese. 1/4 cup honey or real maple syrup (not add 1 1/2 c water before bed. In the To prepare, Add the ingredients and 'pancake' syrup) morning, add 4 T toasted chopped any salt/pepper/herbs you want, seal 1/4 vegetable oil walnuts (or your favorite nuts/seeds). well, getting the air out. Squish around 1/4 cup water Serves 2. carefully to mix up. Bring a pot of 2 t vanilla water to boil. You want the pot about Add liquid mixture to grains mixture half full of water. When it boils turn it and toss to coat evenly. Spray 2 jelly down to a simmer. Pop the sealed bag roll pans with cooking spray, and in and let it simmer in the water, spread mixture evenly in a thin layer flipping over carefully every once in on the pans. Bake for 75-90 minutes, awhile. You will want to take the bag or until starting to brown lightly. Cool in out of the water periodically and pans, then store in heavy plastic bags carefully squish the contents so that in cool, dry place. Granola will get uncooked egg inside gets to the outer. crisp when it cools. After a couple minutes you eggs are

done-and are nonstick also. Morning Potatoes

In a quart freezer bag put: 1/2 cup instant potatoes 1 Tbl dry milk salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbl cheese sauce powder 1/2 bag of precooked crumbled bacon bag. To prepare, Put in a quart freezer bag, add 1/2 cup boiling water and mix well. Serves 1.

seafood dishes

Spinach Couscous Tuna Bruschetta Tuna Salad Wraps

In each of two quart freezer bag put Measure dry ingredients and mark on 1 foil pouch tuna (regular or Albacore) half of the ingredients. Each bag gets bag. In a sandwich bag put: (use the small 3 oz size package) a pouch of tuna with it. 1/4 cup Just Tomatoes sun-dried 1 packet mayo At home in a bowl mix: tomatoes, crumbled 1 packet relish 1 cup couscous 2 Tablespoon dried onions 2 tortillas (soft taco size) 1 package Knorr Cream Of Spinach 1/4 tsp dried garlic Rip open tuna pouch, add mayo and Soup (find in the soup aisle) tsp dried parsley relish, beat around with spoon, and put

3 Tablespoons dry milk or soy milk 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves on tortillas. Serves 1. powder black pepper to taste Also take: Also take: One 3 oz. pouch of tuna with you per 1 3 ounce pouch Albacore tuna freezer bag. 1 packet olive oil (1 Tablespoon) To prepare, add approx 1 cup water, 2 tortillas and stir well. Let sit for 30 minutes or 1 ounce cheese of choice, diced so, add tuna and eat. Can also be Add a 1:1 ratio of water to the done hot, with boiling water-add tuna vegetable bag. Let sit for 10-30 before you add the boiling water. minutes. Add in oil and stir. Toss in Serves 1 per bag. tuna to coat, then add in cheese.

Serve on tortillas. Serves 1-2.

Creole Albacore

In each of two quart freezer bag put the ingredients 1 pouch albacore fillets 1/4 tsp mesquite seasoning 1 dash ea garlic powder and black pepper 1 tsp dried onion 2 Teaspoons dried bell pepper 1 pouch spaghetti sauce powder (found in the packet aisle) 1 packet soy sauce 1 packet lemon juice 1 packet hot sauce (Franks) 2 cups instant white rice, uncooked

At Home: Combine dry ingredients in one quart freezer bag. Put rice in another quart freezer bag w/unopened sauce packets

To prepare, combine sauce packets, dry spices and 1/2 cup hot water and mix well, add fillets and place in bottom of cozy. Add 2 cups boiling water to rice, place in cozy on top of fillets. Put in cozy 15 minutes.

Divide fish, sauce and rice between the two bags and enjoy! Serves 2. Clam Chowder Orange Rice w/ Salmon Smoked Salmon Pasta

Put in a quart freezer bag: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1 Package Knorr Leek Soup 1 1/2 cups instant rice 1 cup cooked dried pasta (penne or 1 cup instant mashed potatoes 2 tsp low sodium chicken bullion mac) Also take: 1 Tablespoon dried orange peel 1 tsp butter buds (1 Tablespoon Butter A 1 3 oz. pouch of clams or a can of 1 tsp orange flavor crystal light or margarine can be used.) baby clams in oil. 1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans, 1/4 cup dry sweet or regular onion To prepare, add 2 cups boiling water toasted 1 chicken bullion cube, crushed (or low to the freezer bag, add the clams and 2 Tablespoon dried onion sodium if preferred) the margarine. Stir well. Pop in a cozy 2 Tablespoon parsley flakes 2 Teaspoons dry milk for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt Also take: 2 Teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese & pepper. Serves 1-2. 1 3 ounce pouch pink salmon (about 4 packets)

To prepare, add salmon and 1 1/2 2 teaspoons tomato power (or tomato cups boiling water, stir well and put in soup mix) a cozy 10 minutes. Stir again and 1/4 cup freeze dried peas serve. Serves 1-2. Dash of dill, salt, coarse grind black pepper To prepare, add boiling water to cover and cozy 10 minutes. Shake to mix several times. When pasta seems done, add 2 oz smoked salmon

(skinned & diced) and toss. (You can find small packages of smoked salmon in vac sealed bags in grocery stores.) Serves 2.

Spicy Mussel Noodle Bowl Salmon Chowder Seafood Chowder

In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: In a quart freezer bag put: 1 Cup cooked & dried pasta (linguine 1/2 cup instant mashed potatoes 1/2 cup instant mashed potatoes works well) 1/2 cup dried powdered milk 1/2 cup dried instant milk 2 Teaspoons dry onion 1 Tsp. Old Bay seasoning 1 Tablespoon. Butter Buds/Molly 1 Teaspoons dry green bell pepper 1 Tsp. dried chives McButter 4 oz cooked turkey sausage, dried (or 2 Tablespoon. dried veggie flakes or 1 Tsp. Old Bay seasoning you could use summer sausage) Just Veggie freeze-dried veggies a few shakes of celery seed 1 tsp granulated garlic 1/2 Tsp. granulated garlic Also take: Dash of saffron, black pepper, parsley salt to taste, if desired 1 3 oz. pouch each of shrimp and crab 1 chicken bullion cube, crushed Also take: meat (can substitute clams). 1/8 cup dried tomato chunks (or sun A 3 oz. pouch of salmon. To prepare, add the seafood, and 2 dried tomatoes, non oil variety) To prepare, put the salmon in the cups boiling water. Stir well, and put in To prepare, add 1 foil pouch smoked freezer bag, and add 2 cups boiling a cozy for 5-10 minutes. Serves 1-2. mussels. Add boiling water to cover water. Stir well, pop in a cozy and let and cozy 10 minutes. sit for 10 minutes. Great with 2 or 3 Optional: If first night, replace sausage packets of Parmesan cheese. Serves with a baggies of cooked chorizo or 1-2. sliced kielbasa. Also, ½ cup of white wine added is nice if you carry wine with you. Serves 2.

chapter 5 keeping food safe during

an emergency

Did you know that a flood, fire, national disaster, or the loss of power from high winds, snow, or ice could jeopardize the safety of your food? Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how to keep food safe will help minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. This fact sheet will help you make the right decisions for keeping your family safe during an emergency. power outages Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or below 0 ºF. This may be difficult when the power is out. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased. Be prepared for an emergency by having items on hand that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or heated on the outdoor grill. Shelf-stable food, boxed or canned milk, water, and canned goods should be part of a planned emergency food supply. Make sure you have ready-to-use baby formula for infants and pet food. Remember to use these items and replace them from time to time. Be sure to keep a hand-held can opener for an emergency. Consider what you can do ahead of time to store your food safely in an emergency. If you live in a location that could be affected by a flood, plan your food storage on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water. Coolers are a great help for keeping food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours—have a couple on hand along with frozen gel packs. When your freezer is not full, keep items close together—this helps the food stay cold longer. Digital, dial, or instant-read food thermometers and appliance thermometers will help you know if the food is at safe temperatures. Keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer at all times. When the power is out, an appliance thermometer will always indicate the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer no matter how long the power has been out. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 ºF or below; the freezer, 0 ºF or lower. If you’re not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a food thermometer. Do not put food outside in snow. Frozen food can thaw if it is exposed to the sun's rays even when the temperature is very cold. Refrigerated food may become too warm and foodborne bacteria could grow. The outside temperature could vary hour by hour and the temperature outside will not protect refrigerated and frozen food. Additionally, perishable items could be exposed to unsanitary conditions or to animals. Animals may harbor bacteria or disease; never consume food that has come in contact with an animal. Rather than putting the food outside, consider taking advantage of the cold temperatures by making ice. Fill buckets, empty milk cartons or cans with water and leave them outside to freeze. Then put the homemade ice in your refrigerator, freezer, or coolers.

floods Discard all food that comes in contact with flood waters including canned goods. It is impossible to know if containers were damaged and the seal compromised. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers. There is no way to safely clean them if they have come in contact with contaminated flood waters. Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils with hot soapy water and sanitize by boiling them in clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach per quart of water. Drink only approved or chlorinated water. Consider all water from wells, cisterns, and other delivery systems in the disaster area unsafe until tested. Purchase bottled water, if necessary, until you are certain that your water supply is safe. Keep a 3-day supply of water or a minimum of 3 gallons of water per person. fires Discard food that has been near a fire. Food exposed to fire can be damaged by the heat of the fire, smoke fumes, and chemicals used to fight the fire . Food in cans or jars may appear to be okay, but the heat from a fire can activate food spoilage bacteria. If the heat is extreme, the cans or jars themselves can split or rupture, rendering the food unsafe. One of the most dangerous elements of a fire is sometimes not the fire itself, but toxic fumes released from burning materials. Discard any raw food or food in permeable packaging—cardboard, plastic wrap, screw-topped jars, bottles, etc.—stored outside the refrigerator. Food stored in refrigerators or freezers can also become contaminated by fumes. The refrigerator seal isn't airtight and fumes can get inside. Chemicals used to fight the fire contain toxic materials and can contaminate food and cookware. Food that is exposed to chemicals should be thrown away—the chemicals cannot be washed off the food. This includes food stored at room temperature, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as food stored in permeable containers like cardboard and screw-topped jars and bottles. Cookware exposed to fire-fighting chemicals can be decontaminated by washing in soap and hot water. Then submerge for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water.

loss of refrigeration and safety After a power outage, some food may be partially thawed. Never taste food to determine its safety! You will have to evaluate each item separately. If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, read the temperature when the power comes back on. If the appliance thermometer stored in the freezer reads 40 °F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen. If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine the safety. Remember you can’t rely on appearance or odor. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or below, it is safe to refreeze . Refrigerated food should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for 2 hours.

Food may be safely refrozen if the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below. You will have to evaluate each item separately. Be sure to discard any items in either the freezer or the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices. Partial thawing and refreezing may reduce the quality of some food, but the food will remain safe to eat. See the attached charts for specific recommendations.

refrigerator foods When to Save and When to Throw It Out

MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD

Discard

Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes

Thawing meat or poultry

Discard

Meat, tuna, shrimp,chicken, or egg salad

Discard

Gravy, stuffing, broth

Discard

Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef

Discard

Pizza – with any topping

Discard

Canned hams labeled "Keep Refrigerated"

Discard

Canned meats and fish, opened

Discard

CHEESE

Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Discard

Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, Queso blanco fresco

Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano

Safe

Processed Cheeses

Safe

Shredded Cheeses

Discard

Low-fat Cheeses

Discard

Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)

Safe

DAIRY Discard

Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk

Butter, margarine

Safe

Baby formula, opened

Discard

EGGS

Discard

Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products

Custards and puddings

Discard

CASSEROLES, SOUPS, STEWS Discard FRUITS

Discard

Fresh fruits, cut

Fruit juices, opened Safe Canned fruits, opened

Safe

Fresh fruits, coconut,raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates Safe SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS

Discard if above 50

Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish °F for over 8 hrs. Peanut butter Safe Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles Safe Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, Hoisin sauces

Safe

Fish sauces (oyster sauce) Discard Opened vinegar-based dressings Safe Opened creamy-based dressings

Discard

Spaghetti sauce, opened jar Discard BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES,PASTA, GRAINS

Safe

Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas

Refrigerator biscuits,rolls, cookie dough Discard Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes

Discard

Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette

Discard

Fresh pasta Discard Cheesecake

Discard

Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels

Safe

PIES, PASTRY

Discard

Pastries, cream filled

Pies – custard,cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche Discard Pies, fruit Safe VEGETABLES

Safe

Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices

Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged

Discard

Vegetables, raw Safe

Vegetables, cooked; tofu

Discard

Vegetable juice, opened

Discard

Baked potatoes

Discard

Commercial garlic in oil

Discard

Potato Salad

Discard

chapter 6 one year emergency food supply for one adult

At the beginning of 2013 the retail Cost of the "One-Year Emergency Food Supply" was equal to $1,385 on January 9, 2013.

The total cost of the following one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 15.3% or $212 in twelve-months from January 9, 2012 ($1,385) to January 3, 2013 ($1,597).

The total cost of the following one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 6.1% or $97 in twelve-months from January 3, 2003 ($1,597) to January 4, 2014 ($1,694).

Quantity Calories Cost Item (Number In Parenthesis = Total Calories per One Bag, Jar, or Can)

70 Pounds 105,000 $ 42 Long Grain White Rice in 10 or 20 pound Bags (15,000 Calories per 10 lbs.)

70 Pounds 105,000 $ 24 Whole Wheat Berries or Flour (Not self-rising) (7,500 Calories per 5 lbs.)

30 Pounds 48,240 $ 14 5 lb. Bag Corn Meal (8,040 Calories per 5 lb. Bag)

36 Boxes 60,480 $ 36 16 oz. Box Spaghetti Noodles (Angel Hair or Thin) (1,680 Calories)

36 Boxes 9,360 $ 18 7 oz. Box Macaroni and Cheese (260)

4 Boxes 18,000 $ 13 42 oz. Box Quaker Quick 1 Minute Oats (4500)

4 Boxes 31,720 $ 10 5 lb. Box Quaker Quick Grits (7930)

4 Boxes 12,800 $ 9 32 oz. Box Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete Pancake/Waffle Mix (3200)

48 Cans 10,800

$ 72

6 oz. Can Bumble Bee Brand Tuna in Oil (Water pack has fewer calories)

(225)

24 Cans 8,640 $ 49 12.5 oz. Can Chicken (360)

12 Cans 9,600 $ 32 16 oz. Can Dak Brand Canned Ham (No refrigeration required) (800)

24 Cans 24,480 $ 56 12 oz. Can Spam (1020)

24 Cans 9,000 $ 11 5 oz. Can Vienna Sausage (375)

24 Cans 9,000 $ 72 12 oz. Can Roast Beef (375)

48 Cans 10,080 $44 15.5 oz. Can Sloppy Joe Mix (210)

48 Cans 30,240 $ 109 24 oz. Can Armour Brand Beef Stew (with Potatoes & Carrots) (630)

48 Cans 33,600 $ 69 15 oz. Can Chili with Beans (700)

96 Cans 35,520 $ 65 15 oz. Can Beans (Assorted Different Varieties) (370)

180 Cans 25,200 $ 140 15 oz. Can Mixed Vegetables (Note: Green Beans have few calories) (140)

12 Boxes 41,280 $ 30 32 oz. Box Instant Potatoes (Add water only preferred) (3440)

48 Cans 15,120 $ 60 15 oz. Can Fruit Cocktail (315)

24 Cans 3,000 $ 13 6 oz. Can Tomato Paste (125)

36 Cans 15,120 $ 35 26.5 oz. Can Hunt's or Delmonte Spaghetti Sauce (420)

12 Cans 480 $ 9 4 oz. Can Sliced Mushrooms (not pieces) (40)

12 Cans 3,600 $ 14 10.75 oz. Can Cream of Chicken Soup (To eat if you get sick) (300)

12 Boxes 76,800 $ 197 64 oz. Box Powdered Instant Non-fat Dry Milk (6,400)

24 Cans 11,520 $ 23 12 oz. Can Evaporated Milk (480)

3 Boxes 7,680 $ 15 32 oz. Box Velvetta Brand Cheese (short shelf life) (2,560)

4 Jars 32,160 $ 38 34 oz. Jar Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (8,040)

4 Cans 49,720 $ 17 3 lb. Can Crisco Shortening (12,430)

12 Boxes 38,400 $ 23 1 lb. Box Butter (Shelf Life is short unless Frozen) (No Margarine) (3,200)

12 Cans 10,800 $ 36 8 oz. Container Hershey's Cocoa Powder (900)

8 Cans 9,600 $ 13 16 oz. Can Hershey's Cocoa Syrup (1200)

6 Boxes 10,080 $ 6 16 oz. Box Corn Starch (1,680)

25 Pounds 42,500 $ 15 5 lb. Bag White Granulated Sugar (8,500)

12 Pounds 10,200 $ 11 1 lb. Box Light Brown or Dark Brown Sugar (1,700)

12 Pounds 10,800 $ 11 1 lb. Box Confectioners Sugar (1,800)

12 Boxes 26,400 $ 17 20 oz. Box Brownie Mix (or Cake Mix) (2,200)

6 Jars 11,520 $ 9 18 oz. Jar Light Corn Syrup (1,920)

6 Bottles 21,600 $ 15 36 oz. Bottle Log Cabin Syrup (3,600)

6 Jars 10,240 $ 42 24 oz. Jar "Sue Bee Brand" Clover Honey (1,920)

12 Jars 36,480 $ 24 18 oz. Jar Peanut Butter (3,040)

12 Jars 15,600 $ 13 16 oz. Jar Jelly or Preserves (1,300)

24 Pkgs. 0 $ 12 5/16 oz. Package Hodgson Mill Brand Yeast (Store in Ziplock in Freezer)

12 Cans 0 $ 14 10 oz. Can Baking Powder (Store in Ziplock Bag in Refrigerator or Freezer)

12 Boxes 0 $ 6 16 oz. Box Baking Soda

6 Bottles 0 $ 27 2 oz. Bottle Vanilla Extract

48 Each 0 $ 12 Beef Bouillon Cubes

48 Each 0 $ 12 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

24 Pounds 0 $ 7 4 lb. Box Salt (Morton Brand Canning and Pickling Salt) (Pure Salt)

12 Jars 0 $ 12 2.6 oz. Ground Black Pepper (or Whole Peppercorns) (Walmart)

12 Jars 0 $ 6 3.12 oz. Onion Powder (Walmart)

2 Jars 0 $ 1 0.9 oz. Oregano (Walmart)

2 Jars 0 $ 1 2.5 oz. Garlic Powder (Walmart)

2 Jars 0 $ 1 2.37 oz. Cinnamon (Walmart)

1 Jar 0 $ 1 0.4 oz. Parsley Flakes (Walmart)

1 Jar 0 $ 4 1.75 oz. Cayenne Red Pepper

2 Jars 0 $ 9 2.62 oz. Cream of Tartar

2 Bottles 0 $ 4 15 oz. Bottle Lemon Juice (Short shelf life)

1 Jug 0 $ 3 1 Gallon Jug Apple Cider Vinegar

------ ------ ------ ------

Totals = 1,108,740

$1,694 One-Year Emergency Food Supply for One Adult

comfort foods: The above list contains 60 different food items. However, you should also purchase some Kool-Aid, Tang, Coffee, Tea, Soft Drinks, Beer, Wine, Miniature Tootsie Rolls, Caramels, Assorted Hard Candies, or whatever else appeals to you. These are referred to as "comfort foods" and they can definitely help make the hard times more bearable.

quantities: You should have enough food for each member of your family for at least six-months. If you are an experienced farmer or rancher living on your own land, then you should also have enough seeds to replenish your food supplies on an annual basis. You will also need your own canning jars and lids or a "root cellar." If you have no previous experience with farming then you would probably be better off with a two or three-years supply of food for each family member.

appetite fatigue: Your emergency food supply must have a reasonable variety of different food items. If you only have a limited number of different food items to eat then appetite fatigue will result in your starvation even though you have food. Your mind and your body will simply reject the thought of eating the same food again and again and again. If you doubt the truth of this statement then conduct a simple test. Pick your favorite four food items that you enjoy eating more than anything else and then only eat those four food items for one-month. Before one-week has passed you will be repulsed at the thought of eating those foods again. Try it and see if you can force yourself to only eat those four foods for an entire month.

Appetite fatigue does not occur when there is no food available. For example, long-term war prisoners in a POW camp will generally eat almost anything. Each day they do not have the option to eat or not eat. On many days they get nothing to eat. When they do get fed there is never enough food to satisfy their hunger and therefore they will eat almost anything at any time and be grateful for whatever it happens to be. Appetite fatigue occurs when you have food to eat and you have the choice to eat or not eat. This is one of the reasons old people in a retirement home usually lose weight and their health. The cafeteria serves the same basic bland food over and over again. Therefore you should have some reasonable variety in your emergency food supplies.

substitutions: If you are allergic to a food then do not buy it. If you do not enjoy the taste of one of the above recommended foods then do not buy it. Feel free to substitute any food item and name brands you prefer. However, you should try to keep a reasonable balance of meat, carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. For example, instead of buying 48 cans of Fruit Cocktail you may wish to buy a few cans of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and pineapple based on your own individual taste preferences. The important issue is to have some canned fruits in your food storage plan. The same concept applies to vegetables. The above list recommends 180 cans of mixed vegetables, 96 cans of beans, 12 boxes of instant potatoes, 48 cans of beef stew (meat, potatoes, and carrots), and 48 cans of chili with beans. If you like the canned "Mixed Vegetables" then purchase them. But you could purchase cans of corn, peas, spinach, or any other vegetable you wish. However, you should consider the nutritional value of each vegetable by reading the nutrition label. For example, green beans cost almost the same as all the other vegetables but they have very few calories. Therefore, green beans would be a poor choice from a nutritional value standpoint. There would be nothing wrong with having a few cans of green beans in your pantry for variety but the number of those cans should be very small compared to the other vegetables. However, most other canned beans have relatively high levels of protein and calories. You should also adjust the recommended quantities based on your family's actual needs. If you have several family members who drink a lot of milk, then you should purchase more dry powdered milk than suggested. calories: An active adult engaged in normal physical labor can burn 3,000 calories per day without gaining weight. However, an adult who has a desk job would gain weight. Therefore the concept of a "One-Year Food Supply" is based on the average physically active adult. If you were not very active during a disaster event then you could easily reduce your calorie intake to 2,000 calories per day and still maintain your weight. Therefore, the above food reserves would last a non-active adult for 18 months with no weight loss. If you wanted to lose a little weight, then the above food could last for 24 to 30 months. (Note: For an investment of approximately $1,694 one adult could stay alive and in good health for two and one-half years. Or the above food could feed two adults for 15 months.) brand names: All the above foods are generic brand or store brand except where brand names are specifically indicated. For example, in my opinion Armour Brand Beef Stew is pleasant to eat but the cheaper brands are disgusting. Therefore, purchase and eat one can of each of the above food items to see if the flavor of that brand is agreeable to you before you purchase a year's supply of that item and then discover it tastes horrible. Taste is a very personal experience. Two people can have entirely different opinions about the same exact food. The limited number of brand name foods I recommend are based on my individual taste preferences and I do not have any financial interest in any of those food companies. You will need to make your own decision about which brands of food you prefer. If you are already happy with a specific name brand then it would probably be a better investment than a generic brand you are not familiar with. However, if there is a big price difference between the brands, such as 52 cents for the generic and 94 cents for your brand, then it would be a good idea to buy one can of the generic brand and take it home and eat it to see how it compares to your preferred name brand food item.

prices: All the above prices are the average retail price in United States Dollars in the southeast United States. None of the prices are special temporary sale prices. If you can find any of the above items offered at a really good discount, then you should stock up on that item during the week it is on sale. package sizes: Larger packages are usually a little cheaper per ounce, but if half the package spoils after you open it and before it can all be used, then you lose. Therefore resist the temptation to buy the large one-gallon size cans of food. If you need more food per meal than one regular size can then you can always open two cans. However, instead of opening two cans of the same thing you might consider opening one can of two different food items to provide more variety during the meal. storage area: You should carefully consider where you will keep your emergency food stored for the following reasons:

1. It takes a lot of space to store a one-year supply of food. 2. It will take a significant amount of time and effort to move all the food between locations. 3. The food should not be located where it may be accidentally discovered by anyone. 4. Absolutely no one, except your spouse, should know about your emergency food reserves. 5. The above recommended foods need to be stored in a temperature controlled

environment for a variety of reasons. 6. If a disaster unfolds rapidly and unexpectedly, you will need to be able to get to your

food without drawing attention to your family. If possible, always purchase your food on cardboard flats for easy convenient stacking when you put it into a storage area. In other words, purchase canned goods in multiples of 6, 12, or 24 depending on the number that fit onto a standard cardboard flat. Take the cardboard flat with you through the check-out line when you pay for the food. If your store cuts one side off the front of the cardboard flats then take two cardboard flats and turn them end-to-end one inside the other to make one new cardboard flat that will hold your canned goods without collapsing. When items are on sale at your local grocery store they sometimes leave them on cardboard flats at the end of an aisle. Just pick up an entire cardboard flat of food and put it into your shopping cart. If appropriate, put two, three, or more flats of food into your shopping cart and then pay for them at the cashier station. It would not hurt to have a little more food than you think you might need. Usually it is much easier to buy large quantities of food at a place like Sam's Club or Costco. You can pick up entire cases of food already enclosed in plastic wrap and put them on your flatbed cart and take them to the checkout area. However, food items are very, very heavy so resist the temptation to purchase an entire year's food supply in one trip. Your vehicle may not be able to move 2,000 pounds of food in one trip. The only disadvantage of purchasing at a "Membership Warehouse" is that the store keeps a permanent record of all your purchases in its computer, even if you pay with cash. On the other hand, if you pay with cash at a grocery store and do not use a "Store Shopping Card" then there will be no permanent record of your food purchases. The lack of an electronic trail to your emergency food supplies may allow you to keep your food if the government decides to collect all the food purchased by "unethical hoarders" who made their food purchases just prior to a worldwide food shortage. If you need to use a credit card to finance your food purchases, then you should consider going to your local bank and asking your bank teller to give you a "cash advance" against your credit card. Most banks will do this regardless of which bank issued the credit card. Each time you go to the store it is usually better to purchase food in more than one food category

instead of investing all your money in only one food item. This way you could gradually build your emergency food reserves. If a disaster were to occur before you finished, you would still have some food in each major food group, instead of having lots of rice and no vegetables, as an example. Either write or tape a simple label onto each cardboard flat of food indicating the date you purchased it. It is very easy to forget what you have already purchased so you should keep a written list of all the food items that you have added to your reserves. This list will help you to strategically build your food stores without overlooking something or buying too much of something else. The shelf life of most of the above items is five years or more, regardless of the expiration date printed on the package. Store food at temperatures between 40ºF to 70°F if possible. Higher storage temperatures shortens the shelf life, reduces the vitamins and calories, and changes the taste. rotation: Long-term food storage advice usually includes the recommendation that you use your emergency food on a regular basis and replace it as you use it by employing a first-in first-out inventory strategy. This is good advice but it is very difficult for most families to execute. The sheer volume of any reasonable emergency food supply makes it very difficult to rotate your food without a tremendous investment in time and energy. Therefore most families simply buy their emergency food, put it into a suitable storage area, and then forget about it. May I suggest a compromise between these two extremes. Most of the recommended long-term storage food items have a shelf life of five-years or longer. The major exceptions are yeast, baking powder, spices, lemon juice, fresh butter, Velvetta Brand cheese, flour, and corn meal. If you will store these items where you can easily get to them then you could gradually use these items and replace them as they are consumed. If you discover that two or three years have passed and some of these items have not been used then you should consider replacing them with fresh food. However the balance of your emergency storage food should still be safe and enjoyable to eat, even though you did not rotate it the same way you did your short shelf life foods. consumption: Carefully ration your food at the beginning of hard times. Don't wait until half your food is gone before you consider rationing. cooking from scratch: At the current time you may not use some of the food items in the recommended food list. However, in the event of an emergency you will probably discover you will need all the foods in the list, including the spices. additional food items: If you have the money and the space, then purchase extra white rice, beans, and wheat. beans: A small quantity of dry beans may be substituted for some of the canned beans. Dry beans can be planted as seed in a garden and they will produce a new crop of beans at the end of the summer growing season. Dry beans are sold at most grocery stores inside 1, 2, and 4 pound plastic bags. However, it should be noted that dry beans will continue to get drier and drier with the passage of time and they will gradually become too hard to cook and eat after about 3 or 4 years in storage. Therefore, if you anticipate storing your beans for an extended period of time then the canned beans are a better option. Canned beans are already fully cooked inside the can and they will be edible many, many years after the printed expiration date on the can. (Note: I have personally eaten canned beans that were ten years old and they tasted just like they had been recently canned.)

salt: The above food list recommends the purchase of more salt than you would need in one -year because almost all the canned and processed foods already contain adequate salt. The reason salt is on the list is to provide the option to cook, season, and/or preserve any fresh vegetables or meat that you may be able to obtain during a long-term disaster event. Salt is one of the basic ingredients that the human body requires to maintain good long-term health. At the present time salt is very cheap but during a disaster event it may become very difficult to acquire. long-term storage foods: Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods are also an outstanding choice for long-term food storage and you should include them in your food storage plan if you can find them available at a price that you can afford. Occasionally these items are on backorder and it may take weeks or months before the food is delivered to you. That is one of the advantages of buying food at your local grocery store. You take possession of your food immediately and you don't have to worry about receiving a very polite notice at some future date that your order has been canceled and it will not be shipped to you for reasons beyond the control of the seller.