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This is a video ..I used to make butter with my kids way back they loved doing this together..and it tasted so good..you can put in what ever you want garlic spices. etc...
Making your own butter is so easy – here’s how
http://survivingthemiddleclasscrash.wor ... heres-how/
Kathyet
How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel http://www.mdpub.com/SolarPanel/index.html
How I built a electricity producing Wind turbine http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/
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Victory Gardens Produce Abundance
By Cassandra Anderson
Source: MORPHCity
Food is a market that will always exist. Many people are turning away from industrial farmed food, seeking healthier choices and getting back to the basics.
Victory gardens in America produced up to 40% of all vegetables consumed during World War II. Over 20 million home gardens, apartment rooftop plants and community plots produced 9-10 million tons of produce; equal to the amount of commercial production at that time. The population during the war years increased from approximately 132 million people in 1940 to 140 million in 1945. Current US population is approaching 311 million people.
A family in Pasadena, California is making a living from selling produce grown in their yard to neighbors and restaurants. They grow 6,000 pounds of produce on 1/10th of an acre of cultivated land per year.
While organic food accounts for only 1%- 2% of all food sales worldwide, the organic market expands up to 20% per year. We believe that the organic market is small right now because of lack of education about health dangers of GE (genetically engineered) food and the lack of labeling of GE food. Most Americans don’t realize that about 75% of their diet is GE. As Americans awaken, the demand for pure non-GE foods is increasing. Organic farming is not only healthier but yields can increase, pollution decreases and water use can be decreased (click here for an example).
Some Americans barter or sell produce grown in their yards to neighbors, farmer’s markets, church communities, etc. You can earn extra money selling produce grown in your yard. Because there is a wealth of information on the Internet about how to grow produce in your yard, we will explore some other innovative ideas and suggestions for creating markets. There will always be a market for food.
* Start a vegetable gardening business. Many people don’t have time to garden but will pay you to do it or to get them started.
* If you live in an apartment but want to plant a garden, consider planting in a neighbor’s yard. Many homeowners would love to have someone tending their land and sharing the the fruits of your labor. This can be a a pure barter system and you can both save money on food costs.
* Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a delivery service direct from a farm. You can create a market by enrolling family, friends, advertising on Craigslist, social networking, and tapping into other networks like schools. This is also a good way to help farmers to decrease market dependency. And if there is a food shortage, the farmer will likely give you preferential treatment because of your support.
* Stockpiling food reserves that can be sold or traded during shortages, price hikes and inclement weather are a good investment. Seeds may also be a wise investment.
* Root storage cellars can be used to store food like potatoes and canned goods in areas where there are harsh winters. Neighbors can contribute to storage and withdraw food as it is needed or it can be sold. Baking and canning are valuable skills.
* A company in Oregon started a business for remote farming; people choose their crops which are later shipped to them. If you have fertile land, you can create a market on the internet.
* Bees have been dying off at an alarming rate and could destroy America’s farmlands because there won’t be enough to pollinate crops. This is most likely due to the use of harmful pesticides. Problems present opportunity. Some entrepreneurs in Europe are creating bee colonies in urban areas and selling honey. Empty rooftops are wasted real estate.
* Vermiculture (raising worms to compost) provides extremely nutrient rich fertilizer or “black goldâ€
Good article Kathy.
I have to share my thoughts about something. In the past two years, we lived in an duplex, inside a complex, where gangs were slowly taking over and making things stressful. We had been trying, in our limited backyard space, to garden and raise our own chickens and eggs. The city stepped in and took away our ability to raise any chickens, via our snotty neighbors (who complained and continued to snoop over the fence afterwards and harass). We continued gardening, but last years weather left us with little to show for it (the yard was surrounded by trees and made it doubly difficult to grow already).
We talked of our desire to have a "farm" like situation, where we were free from intervention of city, or complainy snotty neighbors, and free from the stress of where we lived. Long story short, in November, we got it, and it happened rather quickly. We have a very inexpensive house rental right now, but, it is on about two acres, with a well, and outside of city limits, as well, in the country, farmland, near a river full of fish in spring and fall.
I firmly believe our nation is coming to a point where we will all have to learn to take care of our families again, like it used to be, and this place has afforded us an opportunity to do just that. I have to say I believe it was "Providence" (the old-fashioned term for Gods will). God getting us out here in order to be able to do what was needed. I say this as we have had offer after offer, of livestock. Eighteen chickens (we had eight already, kept ten out of the eighteen) for eggs, a male rabbit, and soon to be a female, for meat rabbit breeding (and of course we added some chickens for meat, they are inexpensive when raised form chicks). Seemingly all the things we had hoped to be able to do, has been happening.
I suppose the one we are lacking is a milk cow, but unfortunately, we can't keep a large animal on this plot, though it is possible to find someone who will "board" it for us..... :wink:
We decided to take the opportunity we were given, to do as much as possible to become free of the contrived and corrupted markets. It will one day all fall around us like a house of cards, and I think Americans need to be at least versed in their ability to grow their own foods. Though I admit, many in my family are feeling squeemish about "meat rabbits", I assured them rabbits have been a source of protein for people for thousands of years, we're not doing anything shocking or ground breaking (to be honest all of our "poultry" is taken down the road to a family run business where they are processed in a sanitary and correct way).
I go down the roads back here, I grew up in this area, and remember old farms, berry fields, family run produce stands, fresh milk, and it is pretty much all fallow now, weedy fields, barren of anything man can eat and in some cases outright barren covered in thickets of weeds and thorns, some now just landscaping plants, which almost no one now is buying (the construction industry went down, so did the lucrative nursery business).
Barns empty of livestock, fields once full of cattle, sheep, chickens and other, housing a few horses for entertainment. It is sad we have come to this point, where rural America is nothing more than bedroom communities for those seeking to escape the city. Rural America used to be a place where our food was grown, land made useful, but not now, and that is our biggest problem in this nation when it comes to food production, no one is willing to do the hard work it takes to be the farmer or dairyman (person).
I actually look forward to a day when we are forced to return to it. America was better for it. We were more productive, we worked harder (which to me meant less time for crime to happen), and we were in better control of our own futures.
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Survival Food Series: 3 Ways To Naturally Make Yeast
Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition
March 2011
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Where would we be without the discovery of yeast? Fresh, puffy bread would be non-existent, and need I not mention the fact that beer, wine and alcohol products would cease to exist. Of course, all yeasts were not created equal. Some yeasts are made for making bread and baked goods, and some yeasts are made for distilling spirits.
Knowing ways of making this essential prep would be beneficial to anyone trying to live off of the food supply they have. Grains, vegetables and fruits are three of the easiest ways to find yeast. Some have even used herbs to get their yeast.
How Does It Work?
Did you know that yeast is actually alive on plants? As long as it has warmth, moisture, and food to grow, it will stay alive. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and all edible sources have yeast living on it’s surface. As a result, using different produce will add to the flavor of the bread you make. Simply by soaking the produce in water, you can separate the yeast and use the water it is floating in. The water and yeast actually start the fermentation process that when mixed with flours creates that desirable baked good we love so much. This fermented concoction is also called a bread starter by some.
By using this method, however much water the recipe calls for is how much water to soak the fruit, vegetable, herb or grain in. Those that have used this method rave about raisins as being one of the best fruits to use for acquiring yeast.
Grains
In the book, The Little House Cookbook, Ma Ingalls explains how she ferments her bread dough using what she has on hand,”You start it by putting some flour and warm water in a jar and letting it stand till it sours…”Then you use it, always a little. And put in the scraps of biscuit dough…and add warm water, and cover it and just set it in a warm place.”
Because yeast is already present on grains, when combined with water, the yeast will separate from the grain. As a result of the soaking process, the combination will begin to ferment.
To create this starter you will need:
1 1/4 unbleached all-purpose white flour1 cup of warm waterGlass jar with lid or piece of cheeseclothMix flour and water in the jar and let stand until the batter bubbles and rises. This may take anywhere from overnight to a week!
Source (p.77-78)
*Bonus* Here is another method you could use.
Potatoes
Wild yeast naturally lives on potatoes as well, making this a popular choice for making alchols, such as vodka. According to the article,”Home Made Yeast: Making and Using Yeast For Bread,” the author states that using potatoes to make yeast starters dates back to 4,000 B.C.!
Yeast Starter 1
one medium potato (peeled)
4 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Boil potato in the unsalted water until done. Drain, but save the water. Mash potato then add sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm, add enough potato water to make one quart of mixture. Cover and set in a warm place and let ferment. If you like, you can add a package of store bought yeast to speed up the process, but it will be just as good if allowed to ferment without the yeast.
This recipe is about right for a large family requiring more than one loaf at a baking.
Yeast Starter 2
one potato (about the size of a large hen egg)
3/4 cup potato water
2 Tbsp. sugar
flour
Boil potato, drain and save potato water (unsalted). Mash potato well, and then add potato water, sugar and enough flour to make a fairly stiff batter or soft dough. Keep in a warm place until well fermented. Then put in a wide mouth jar and cover loosely–never use a tight fitting lid. In about five or six days it should be ready. Old-fashioned Light Bread from Everlasting Yeast Starter. In order to make bread from the starter first set the sponge. To do this, use the following ingredients:
Yeast Starter 3
1-1/2 cups potato water or sweet milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
flour
Get a large bowl and put the starter, potato water or sweet milk (heated to a little more than lukewarm), sugar and enough flour to make a stiff batter. Beat well, cover loosely and set over night in a warm place. The next morning the mixture should be nice and bubbly. If it isn’t, no use going any further. You’ll have a flop!
If the sponge is bubbly, take out of this mixture the starter you want to keep for the next time you make bread. Put it in a wide mouth jar and Put in refrigerator. You’ll probably want a lid on it because the odor will transfer to other foods but don’t put it on too tightly.
Source
*Bonus* Here’s a quick and easy way to make a potato starter
Fruit Yeasts
Many fruits can be used to make yeast for bread. Oranges, apples, grapefruits, grapes and even dried raisins all have traces of yeast on them. Using yeasts from fruits will create different flavors to the breads that you make. Skins of fruit can be used as well as cores of apples and even tomatoes. The only fruits that should be avoided are kiwi, pineapple and papaya. These fruits contain actinidin, an enzyme that breaks the dough down and it creates a sticky mess.
3-4 tbls. raisins (or any fresh or dried fruit)
bottled water
clean jar
Place raisins in clean jar and pour bottled water into the jar until it is 80% full. Loosely cover the jar and leave at room temperature. This process should take a few days. You will notice small bubbles and “activity” occurring inside the jar. At this point, all the raisins should be floating at the top. The jar should smell like wine. Once it is done, store in the refrigerator.
Tip: Adding 1-2 tbls. of honey or sugar to your mixture speeds up the fermenting process and leads to a better result.
Source
Without yeast, our lives would be void of many of our day-to-day products. Getting back to the basics and learning how to make yeast yourself will give you an invaluable skill to hold onto and share with others. Using different produce such as oranges, potatoes, herbs and grains is not only a great science experiment, but a way for you to play around with the flavors of your favorite bread recipes.
Author: Tess Pennington
Web Site: http://www.readynutrition.com/
Date: March 2nd, 2011
Related Categories: Homesteading, Natural Alternatives, Recipes, Survival Food
Related Reading:
- Bake Bread From a Coffee Can
- Recipes For the Bread Baking Challenged
- Best Beer Bread Recipes
- Amazing Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- No Knead To Worry Bread
http://readynutrition.com/resources/...east_02032011/
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The Unprepared Population: A Statistic You Dont Want To Be a Part Of
Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition
February 2011
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I have suggested to readers that setting aside 10% of your monthly budget and using it for emergency preparation is an advantageous investment for your future well being. Many have remarked that with the economy on the down slope, they simply cannot afford to use a portion on their budgets towards preparations. My response back to them is, “Can you afford not to be prepared?
FEMA Wants Every Home To Have 2 Weeks Worth of Food
As a whole, most of the population is not prepared for an unforeseen disaster. Many emergency websites such as FEMA has stressed how important it is to be prepared. Specifically, FEMA has suggested that each family should have at a minimum a two week supply of food. Statistics state that the average family household has only 3 days worth of food in their homes. With that knowledge in hand, it is safe to say that most of the population is ill equipped to handle an unforeseen emergency, and the result is a formula for epic disaster.
Simply put, when human beings basic needs are not met, their once passive natures dissolves and a more aggressive side replaces it. When an entire population’s needs are not being met, what do you think will happen? 4 words. Complete and utter pandemonium. The unspoken truth is there is simply not enough food in the stores to supply a large population all at once. As a result, many families will go without food and chaos will ensue.
Point and fact, many who live in areas where extreme weather occurs knows that when a storm is imminent, there is a mass rush to the stores to stock up on supplies. Some people are able to buy a surplus of goods (if they get to the stores in time), and some people get there too late and walk home empty handed. The supply of food has run out because everyone is buying the same types of foods. Foods such as basic food pantry, canned goods, bread, condiments, water, batteries, flashlights, emergency supplies, etc. Having these supplies at home will eliminate the stress of fighting the hoards in the stores.
Preparing Provides Peace of Mind
Accumulating an emergency food supply can be acheived even on the most modest of budgets. This author bought a 6 month food supply for 1 person with $115. If this amount is too much for your budget, try breaking up the emergency food list up into different categories such as breakfast foods, grains, water, baking needs, etc. Each time a person goes to the store, they can buy a portion of their food supply and store it away for later use. As a result, in a matter of a few weeks to 1 month’s time, a modest amount of food has been stored. To find how much food a family needs, many preppers use this food storage calculator. Although, many of our budgets are dwindling due to the bad economy, there are ways of stretching your budget and changing your lifestyle in order to prepare.
Being prepared can put a person way ahead of the game. While many who are unprepared for disasters will be battling the lines at the grocery stores, those that have prepared can concentrate on other matters at hand: their families well being.
Author: Tess Pennington
Web Site: http://www.readynutrition.com/
Date: February 28th, 2011
Related Categories: News and Commentary, Opinions and Commentary, Preparedness Mindset
Related Reading:
- Learning to Prepare the Hard Way
- First Time Shopping List For An Emergency Food Supply
- Bugging Out With the Joneses
- The Economic Recovery Failed Us: Food Shortages, High Unemployment Rates, 43.6 Million On Food Stamps
- The 30 Day Preparedness Challenge
http://readynutrition.com/resources/...t-of_28022011/
Kept a copy of the yeast one. I remember my mother getting starter jars from neighbor women, mainly for sourdough. It is really good made with wheat flour and just formed into a round on a pan, good chewy bread.
As for people not having at least two weeks worth of food in your house, to me, and the way I grew up, seems odd to not. I have come across people who literally have nothing to "make" in their cupboards, no baking supplies, no rice, pasta, powedered milk, nothing really, and wondered how they lived like that. However, I suppose people do, mainly because they have gotten so used to there always being a store with stuff inside for you to buy, but it seems at any day, it could all change, and then what would they do? I could not imagine going to my cupboards and thinking "I'd like to make cookies, but, I need flour, sugar, shortening, vanilla, baking powder/soda.....never has been this way in our house.
The other thing people take for granted is electricity. Now overall you can live without it, but then how to cook? What about heat eventually? What about lighting? This means stocking up on candles, maybe lamp oil (find old oil lamps at thrift stores, get more wicks, stock up on the oil). If you do not have a woodstove, or fireplace, then rigging something up outdoors will work (you could bake in a gas grill with it closed, but this means making sure you have plenty of propane). Getting creative in a survival situation for you cooking needs....collecting bricks, freebies off of your local Craiglist "free" spot, people dismantling fireplaces (foolish people if it was just for asthaetics). Make a "fireplace" in your yard, look up ideas for working outdoor ovens, maybe a makeshift one out of metal parts? How about having an old fashioned dutch oven?
I can bet people will tap into skills they did not think they even had, to survive.
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Tess Pennington On Rising Prices and Preparedness
Watch Ready Nutrition founder Tess Pennington's latest Fox News Interview, where she discusses the rising cost of food and how you can invest at today's lower commodity prices and consume at tomorrow's higher prices.
Video: FOX News Report: Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition Discusses Price Inflation and Preparedness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUCqCUf9 ... r_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUCqC...layer_embedded
Current Articles at the link
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Good for you. Thanks for sharing and good luck in your new place..Quote:
Originally Posted by AmericanElizabeth
Kathyet