The Summer of Jars -- Emergency Prepardness

Found some old Mason jars in storage along with some attractive antique food jars. Back in the day the manufacturers went the extra mile to decorate the glass jars containing food. Today's jars, not so much.

As  matter of fact, there seems to be another problem with today's canning jars -- they seem to be a bit smaller than the old ones. The canning recipes don't quite fit the jars. The jar dinner recipes have required a bit of tamping down to fit.

Recipes from the "jar" cookie book have not fit in all cases. Especially the chocolate chocolate chip one. Layering in the ingredients, by the time I got to the chips, there was no room at all left in the jar. Good recipe, but problematical. I'll need to find some slightly-larger-than-a-quart jars.
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Ordered more freeze dried veggies from Honeyville Farms. Friend Maggie has gone in on the order, too. This time I'm trying the potato slices, she's trying the mixed vege, and we're splitting mushrooms and dried onions. These products are so good I use them as additions to everyday cooking out here in the boonies, when I run out of something. Next month I plan on getting the peas and carrots, and maybe the tomato powder.
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Drought continues unabated; the weeds even crunch under my feet. 58 days of 100+ weather, 36 days in a row. Did manage to pick a watermelon the deer didn't get to first. It was slightly underripe, but good. Leaving out water for wild birds, thinking about leaving some out for deer, too.

Please, let it rain.

More Emergency Prepapedeness Info

 A quick critique of my Honeyville Farms freeze dried vegetables order:
The mushrooms are excellent. I'll definitely get more. I use them in everyday cooking, too.
Potato dices are the best value for your money in terms of the weight of the #10 can. The dices are very small, like hash browns. Good for soups, breakfast, or casserole toppings. I'll try the slices next time to put in casseroles instead.
Celery and chopped green onions are great in jar dinners and everyday cooking. Lots and lots of onions in a quantity that will probably last forever!
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Sweating over a hot stove canning for the EP Pantry:

Pickled jalapenos, both red and green  2 pts.
Large sliced hamburger dill pickles      3 pts.
Mixed veggies-- okra, zucchini, and a few cucumbers  1 pt.

Okra-- tasty and pretty, too

Fighting the grasshoppers for veggies during this drought has affected the yield in the garden, so I'm doing small batches. The okra is still too slow producing to do full jars, so I did a  mix just to get some okra pickled.

I've learned to keep extra veggies nearby when pickling. I ran short of cucumbers and had to go back to the garden in the middle of packing the jars to get more. Good thing the pickling process is more forgiving than making jam or jellies. The whole house smelled like pickles for six hours. Good thing I like pickles. Sadly, Hubby doesn't like them.

Emergency Prep. Recipes--cont'd

Whether your emergency is a collapsing economy, your spouse's boss coming to dinner, or an overfilled day of errands , it pays to be prepared!

We've eaten some of the prepared emergency dinners on our shelf this summer, and I'm working on modifications of some of the recipes. Some were just too salty! I've branched out to modifying regular recipes for on-the-shelf storage. Here's my latest venture into Mexican cuisine in a jar:

Quick Chi-Rab Mole
(if you're new here, this means recipe works with chicken or rabbit)



My recope looks redder due to tomato sauce

 Combine in a small baggie:

2 TBL. dried onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. garlic powder

Layer in Jar:
1 cup uncooked rice
1-8oz. can tomato sauce
1-4 1/2 oz can diced green chilis
spice bag above
Close and label jar with name and directions

Additional ingredients needed: 2 TBL peanut butter
                                           2 c. water
Directions:

Combine spices with tomato sauce, peanut butter and green chilis.
Stir in 1 # shredded cooked chicken or rabbit. Simmer on stove top 20-30 minutes. Prepare rice with 2 cups water.

Serve mole over rice.

Optional:
* add 1can black beans to mole mixture before simmering
                            or
* serve in tortillas instead of over rice
                  
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I ordered dried bulk food from Honeyville Farms this month and am very pleased. Their shipping and handling fee is only $4.99, no matter how much you buy, and the order arrived in four days!

"So long, Ready Store!"

Progress in Preparedness

Apologies for the time lapse, but sometimes life just happens, you know?

Gardens now blooming and setting veggies. I watch them grow daily, chanting " I will not pick yet. I will not pick yet." Those baby squash are looking mighty tasty!

The little green peppers are whispering my name. I must not pick yet!



Scarlet Emperor runner beans are Italian type green beans



Pretty blossoms, but no beans yet.

The drought has seriously affected the dewberries that survived the herbicide applied by the electric company. We'll probably get a handful of berries this year compared to the bounty last year. Have to start watering the pear trees before the fruit drops off.



Last year's dewberry jam burbling away



 I have canning jars waiting to fill with jams and preserves for those emergency shelves. Bought 32 pounds of strawberries to take up some of the slack left by the dewberries. Hubby and I are starting jam production tomorrow.



Things are so dry I'm finding it hard find wild green feed to cut for the rabbits. Have to plant more swiss chard to make up the diffference. Fifty rabbits can eat a LOT of rabbit food-- more than a pound an animal per week with small amounts of greens and handsfulls of hay to supplement. Today two disappointing does will go to the freezer, but none of the younger ones are big enough to process yet. The next group needs another month of growth to qualify as fryers.

Art's been feeding bunny poo to the wild grape vines we're culturing. They've taken off hugely with the extra food and water. We'll actually get some grapes this year.

 He visits the fig trees with buckets of poo and water,too. If he isnt tired enough after that, he hauls compost, and scoops it out into the new raised beds.After that, strewing rabbit poo around established plants gives them a boost in growth and productivity. Bunny poo is nature's time release fertilizer, but he also mixes it into buckets of water for bunny poo tea to water with. 50 bunnies make a lot of poo! Therefore Art makes lots of compost, too.

Hangman and brother-in-Law, Dan,brought another load of dirt. I kid him that it'll take forever if he is going to move his family up here one cubic yard at a time. He'd offered me a choice of dirt or another dead fridgie -- so hard to choose! Two of the fridgies at the shooting range moved up to the garden line-up, so the load of dirt won. A pair of young breeding rabbits left with Dan to form the foundation of his rabbit empire. Two less for us to feed, and cash to buy more rabbit chow.

Matthew and Hangman installed a water meter (found by Mr. H.) for the spigot leading to the gardens and the animal area. Now we have an accurate measure of the water --for farm use only-- to take off on our taxes.

Self sufficiency on the increase,gardens going, canning season beginning, good friends got our back, family pitching in: life is good. Hate to be greedy, but how about some more rain? Please?

With a Little Help... (More Emergency Prep)

The Joe Cocker version of "With a Little Help from My Friends" is playing in my head as my song of the day. Why? Hangman and family visited last weekend and he brought my traditional birthday gift and more. What was it?

Bagged and brown, it's manure! 1000 pounds of gardening richness, in bags. That man knows what to buy a woman who gardens, all right! More and better homegrown produce to can!

 Not only that, but he brought the Ball Blue Book, two flats of canning jars, canning spices and mixes, and a set of canning tools! He says it's my birthday, Christmas,  and all the other gifts of the year, and probably next year, too. Thanks, Hangman! I've already used a flat of the jars to bring my total of Jarred Dinners to 80!

With the pressure canner ready to go, I really needed a new jar lifter. Mine is probably antique, it falls apart when I try to use it unless I bend it first. Imagine the accidents in a canning kitchen with an undependable lifter. I shiver as I imagine the sound of breaking jars.

From the Blue Book I've learned rabbit meat can be canned with bones in. I wasn't looking forward to boning all that rabbit meat first. There's some delicious recipes for stews, and main dishes to try, and veggie recipes too.

 I think I'd better re-organise my pantry soon. When I complete the Jarred Dinners one shelving unit will be full. I need another unit to hold the pressure canned items I'm planning, so it looks like a spell of carpentry looms on the horizon.
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Can't get to the dehydrator yet. It's behind the insulation pile in the Hut.
Seedlings fill the porch kitchen counters waiting for us to finish one of the back gardens. Weeding has taken three days, and we're making hay of some of the wild grass we're pulling up. Rabbits seem to like it.

Presto! It's a Canner! (Emergency Prep)

I found one! I found one! Why so excited? I didn't realize how much of a challenge finding a pressure canner would be. Finally tracked one down at Parker-Astin Hardware in Bryan, TX.

Remember the "oldtime" hardware stores? P-A has tools, fasteners, garden equipment, household goods, automotive and more. Visiting there is like a trip to my past: bins of hardware, not just the pre-boxed stuff. They have the weird stuff that I need, in stock, such as the spring scale we use to weigh the rabbits.

At any rate, they had one Presto pressure canner (holds 7 qts.) which they graciously held for me until I could get to town to collect it. "Presto" sits in its box on the porch, gleaming, waiting for the produce to come.

Visions of home processed stews and chili dance in my head. Lean ground beef and home grown rabbit to put up in shining jars as soon as these buns reach proper size. The home canned bacon recipe lurks in my collection, waiting for me to collect the supplies I need.

I'm cheered to view my shelves of "Dinners in Jars" ( 60 and still working on more) , but the pressure canned meals will be true luxury. Guess my next purchase will be the newest Ball Blue Book, the authority on putting up food. Safety first when canning low acid foods like veggies and meat is critical. Botulism is deadly.

The emergency preparedness program at HomePlace enters a new phase.

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Order from the Ready store arrived 3/14/11 -- back to making up "jarred" dinners.

Pear trees are blooming, dewberries greening up, seeds planted, seedlings transplanted, and weeding old overgrown gardens continues. Spring is here regardless of the calendar.  Thirty-five rabbit babies and counting. Four more does due at month's end. P

Venison (harvested here) for dinner 3/17, to share with Hangman, the Mrs. and son, who'll visit for the weekend. Gotta go junk out "the Hut", my office and guest house to make room. Can't have folks tripping over my excess of "stuff" trying to get to bed. I need to tame my office and craft stuff anyway.

Emergency Prep -- Finding Dried Foods

Taking a break from filling jars to hunt down more supplies. Somewhere in our mega storage units is a dehydrator. I need to find it ASAP!!!
Ruth's hint to try King Arthur Flour company for cheese powder was a good one -- Thanks!

Went on an interesting shopping trip this past week. Looking for plant seedlings I was surprised to note the diminished supplies of same. Wal-Mart had fewer in number total, fewer varieties, and some of my favorites from years past were missing. Talked to the clerk in the gardening area. She said, " This is what we have left from the order we got this morning. We don't know when we'll be getting more." I noticed the Jubilee watermelon plants were just the seed leaves that first emerge, no true leaves at all; I took several home to nurture until large enough to plant.

Lowe's plants were outside as usual, but several were stressed/scalded from the sun. Lots of tomato plants (no cherry tomatoes), but again the number of varieties were more limited than last year. Even fewer types of peppers, both sweet and hot. The cole crops looked a little "peak-ed" and gangly from lack of light. Strawberry plants were outrageous in price.

In both locations, six packs have downsized to four packs. If you plan on planting any commercial seedlings, go get them now. What I can't get as plants I'll start seeds for.Too bad the greenhouse burned two years ago. I really miss it. Lots of people are buying plants and starting gardens this year. Don't be disappointed!

Brazos Valley Natural Foods stocked the "Red" lentils I wanted. The green ones and brown ones readily available were ugly! If we're eating emergency supplies, they should look appetizing, yes? Dried vegetable flakes were on sale -- $1 off per bag. They also had celery flakes and green bell pepper flakes in bulk so I could try out a small amount. In a hurry at the time, I need to go back and see what else they have available to try.

The Ready Store order hasn't come yet (3-6-11). I know they said there was a delay, but I'm trying to work out a shepherd's pie jar dinner, and getting impatient. I may try ordering elsewhere. Art loves shepherd's pie!

Found complete Potato Buds at Sam's, along with bulk rice, macaroni, coffee creamer, dried mushrooms, and large containers of spices.

 Hangman sent me a link for a spice company he knows : http://www.zachspice.com/  They sell spices at many Gander Mountain stores, HEB's and a variety of locations in Texas, as well as an online store. Since Hangman is a fine cook, I'd take his tip and try out some of these products.


Price Increase/ Shipping Delays :Talked to the Preparedness Plus store, and found that prices for dried foodstuffs will be going up later this week. They have a 3 week shipping delay similar to the Ready Store. Honeyville Farms claims no delays in general, but some items may be back ordered.

My order from Ready store shipped out Thursday, but haven't seen it yet (3-13-11).
Used up all the Jars Art saved. I'll ask friends to save some and get some real canning jars, too. Now I'm buying regular products based on the shape of the jar. Art is still chuckling about the jars he would save, and I would complain about.

Emergency Preparedness -- 2 Liter Bottles

As the 2 liter bottles from Diet Coke piled up around us, we recycled them, but came to the conclusion they could become part of our Emergency Plan. Here's a few uses:



Buns cooling off

 Fill rinsed 2 liter bottles with drinking water, leave some headspace, and freeze them. They keep the freezers here filled when space is open and help keep things frozen when the power goes out. Then we can use the generator less. Thaw a few when you're thirsty for a cold drink. Tuck a few into an ice chest to keep foods that need refrigeration cool. Use them to ice injuries or as a cold pack to treat folks who are sensitive to heat.

Build a water filter. Warning: You must still treat the water with bleach or purification tablets. Cut the bottom of the bottle off, lay some cheesecloth   inside over the neck, tuck in a layer of cotton fluff, a layer of sand, and a layer of gravel. Run muddy water through the filter to remove gross imputities, then treat cleared water with chemicals before drinking.

Cut the bottoms off some more 2 liters, rubber band some screen or loosely woven fabric over the neck, and place over tender seedlings as a mini-greenhouse when cold snaps threaten. Fill several with water and place them in a ring around tender plants and you've got something similar to the Wall o' Water at zero dollars.

In a pinch, the bottles can be used for dry storage of rice, lentils, beans,etc. Not as good as glass, but usable. Use a bottle cut in half and use as a large funnel, too!

What uses have you found for 2 liter bottles?
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One day old palimino pinkie rabbits

 Rabbit Maternity Report:

Silver (grey Lop) - 7 born March 1 (1st litter)
Brown-Eyed Susan (Palomino) 9 born March 1 (2nd litter, 1st to survive)
Bonnie (Black) - 7  Feb. 28 ( dependable momma)
Specs (Broken coat pattern) nothing...Think this round is a "dud"
Joyce - (grade Californian) due March 12

Weaned the first three litters of this year (Born end of January) last week. Looks like we'll need more cages soon...Art??? Cut some wire? My hands get tired way too quickly, so I assemble cages after Art cuts the panels. The herd is over 50 again, and three more does are ready to re-breed.

Emergency Preparedness --Revised-The Food that Never Spoils

Honey never spoils. It may crystallize, but as long as it's pure honey, it's safe.


Grocery store honey is better than none, but go "a-field" for your honey. Local producers will appreciate your business, and their honey contains substances native to your area that may help treat allergies.

Maybe you'll be lucky enough to find a keeper that doesn't use commercial frames with cells already in place. You can get beeswax then. There is something special about the hand-dipped beeswax candles Art makes. The color is a lovely gold, and the fragrance is heavenly.


Back to honey.... and sore throats. The old fashioned brew of hot lemonade with honey is soothing, and has anti-bacterial effects as it bathes your throat. Some folks like to add a bit of something "special" to kick up the effects. Whiskey is another kind of painkiller altogether. The non-alcoholic variety is good for kids past 18 months old. Never give honey to kids younger than 18 months old; it can cause infant botulism!


In a pinch I've treated chickens sick with upper respiratory problems with honey and lemon. On a Sunday when my supply of Terracycline in the vet box was used up I figured it was better than nothing. It held them over until the feed store opened Monday morning.

*Cruising the bookstore yesterday (3-2-11) I ran across an article in the February Acres USA magazine "Healing With Honey"by Nathaniel Altman. He discusses the use of honey to treat MRSA infections. Apparently the results are amazing. This excellent article is well worth reading for other medicinal uses of honey, too.


Try making jam with honey; the flavor is phenominal in pear preserves. Just remember to use sugar free pectin. It contains instructions for using honey, which may not jell using regular pectin.
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Received my copy of Dinner Is In the Jar through Amazon.com. I shouldn't have been so stubborn about ordering it. It's well worth the money. The recipes are yummy, and the author gives instructions on making your own mylar food storage bags using a scissors and iron. Jars can be expensive unless youre married to a jar collector. Thanks, Art!


Shocked at the price of freeze dried meat, my next project is to can meat. First I need a new pressure canner. I'm sorry I sold mine ten years ago. I even found directions for home canning bacon!

Emergency Preparedness-- The "Outa-Backa"

We had one when we replaced the plumbing and put in a septic tank (when we first moved to the HomePlace).  Living outside the city limits, there were no regulations against one. Sanitation during an emergency is vital for your health and the health of those you protect and provide for.

Ours was located down a path through the woods at the edge of the back pasture, far enough away from the house to avoid nuisances like bugs and smells. It had a transparent moon roof at first. You could look up at the remarkable skyfull of stars at night, but during a hot summer day it suffered from the greenhouse effect and became an odd smelling sauna.  The moon roof was covered shortly after that. Want to see the stars? Open the door!  Small windows for light were added at the top sides instead.

TP was stored in a water-proof plastic box with top until needed. Rain occasionally found its way in through the ventilation.

We kept a covered coffee can of ashes from our fires next to the TP. After each visit a person sprinkled ashes over their deposit  to keep the smell in reasonable limits, discourages some bugs, and help the "product" break down fast. Save those ashes!

It had a lovely toilet seat installed to avoid fanny slivers, and add to the homey atmosphere. We posted a few pictures to improve the decor, provided some reading material, and it was perfectly adequate.

Built on skids, when the hole below reached capacity, Art hooked  the Outa-Backa up to the tractor and pulled it over to the new hole. Shovel a thick layer of dirt over the previous hole, mark it carefully, and begin again in the new location.

Emergency Preparedness -- Rabbits for Town and Country -- Grow Meat!

4 wks. old California Black
New Zealand cross



Whether you live in the country or city, in an emergency situation a source of fresh meat is welcome. Even country land can be hunted out after a time, so grow your own meat -- raise rabbits.

Advantages:                                                     

* quiet

* efficient converters of feed

* you can gather your own feed in the country

* high protien

* extremely low fat ( add fat to recipes when living off rabbit meat completely -- the dreaded "rabbit starvation" stories may not be all fiction)

* short gestation period (28 - 31 days, multiple litters per year)

* rapid maturation

* can keep live until needed (no refrigeration)

Information on raising rabbits is available online, at your bookstore, or in my article "Makin' Money with Bunnies" BackHomeMagazine March 2010 (Brag ! Brag!). If stumped, contact Art or I through our blogs with your e-mail. We also consult by phone if needed.



Occasionally you may need to buy or trade for new unrelated rabbits to avoid inbred genetic faults such as wolf teeth, or small litters. We added two new does this fall. Now there's 11 does and 4 bucks in our herd.


grade(not purebred) broken coat pattern due Feb.27  




French lop doe due feb. 28



Purebred rabbits, such as the Palominos we started raising a year ago sport ear tatoos for identification. We can get more rabbits which will be unrelated to our current Palomino doe and buck (below) from the local breeder.

Stick with rabbits from the large breeds for the most efficiency in meat production -- Californian, New Zealand, Palomino, French Lop, etc. A French lop Buck is on my "want" list: 12 -14 pounds with larger litters up to 13 in a batch.

I must admit we keep medium sized rabbits as well, for three reasons: coat color/pattern variety for pet sales, smaller bucks are best for first breedings of does - smaller offspring for easier first delivery, and the pure pleasure of seeing what colors/ patterns you get when mating two interesting rabbits. 14 genes determine coat color and pattern, so there are always surprises in store.


Lula, typical Silver Martin color/pattern, medium breed



The meat is delicious and can be prepared fried, stewed, roasted, and grilled with extra fat. Raising rabbits can provide meat for your family and extra income for sale as breeders or pets. In hard times, they make great barter items.
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Ordered from The Ready Store online today. Recieved an e-mail about delayed shipping due to unusual demand. I'll let you know how long it takes, and how the dry milk and dried green beans are.

Ordered open pollinated seeds from Terratorial seeds -- my usual seed company. OP seeds produce plants from which you may save seeds for the following year. Saving your own seeds is a very good idea!

Ordered Dinner's in the Jar this morning for more meal storage recipes. Amazon also carries the oxygen- removing packets that will keep your jarred dinners very dry and fresh.

Next Emergency Prep post : "The Outa-backa"

    

Emergency Preparedness -- Your Pantry, part 3

  Hesitant to buy large amounts of cheese powder to try a recipe, I compromised on getting a generic mac and cheese dinner for 34 cents. The macaroni can go into a different dinner. Cheese powder isn't available at the grocery stores in the largest town nearby (60 miles).

Anyone have a good source for cheese powder in less than a 10# size?

 Taco Rice

In quart jar place:

3 TBS. Taco Seasoning from Your Pantry, part 1
1 c uncooked rice
1 packet dry cheese sauce from Mac and Cheese dinner

To cook:
In medium pan add 3 cups water, rice and Taco Seasoning, bring to boil, and simmer 10 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in 2 TBS. butter (optional), and contents of cheese packet. Carnivores add meat. Top with crushed corn chips.

Serve as casserole or in tortillas with refried beans.

variations: decrease water to 2 c and add 8 oz. diced tomatoes  
                           decrease water to 2 c and add 8 oz tomato sauce

Creole Rice
In 1-1/2 cup jar or bag
1-1/2 tsp Creole seasoning (Your Pantry, Page 1- add more to
                                              taste later, if needed -- HOT!)
1 c  rice
from your shelves : 8 oz can tomato sauce
Tomato sauce can be sealed in a baggie (more hygenic) and placed with rice/ seasonings in 1 qt. widemouth jar, instead.

To prepare:

In medium saucepan add 2 c water, tomato sauce, and rice/ sesonings. Bring to boil and simmer 15- 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

additions: chopped celery, diced sweet peppers, fresh onions, grated cheese
Carnivores add  cooked sausage, chicken/rabbit, meat, seafood (shrimp is very tasty) after rice is done. Allow to heat through.
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Check it out! Rooster tracks in the last snowstorm!  Antonio is getting stealthier since my post "The Night Before Christmas--Art  vs. The Rooster! Or maybe it's just too cold to go out chasing  Antonio Banty-Deras.



Warm spell due! Huzzah! Next Blog on Preparedness -- Rabbits.

Emergency Preparedness -- Garden : Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is one of the best vegetables you can plant for emergency preparedness. Once started from seed, it is tolerant to a variety of weather conditions with a bit of help from you. Swiss chard plants can produce for two years from your first seeding. Best results come from direct seeding in your garden, then thinning and replanting the seedlings you carefully lifted out. It can be started inside; be aware it needs much light to keep it from growing spindly. Grow it in large pots or containers if you don't have garden space.

Keep your chard production uninterrupted by seeding more in the spring of your first crop's second year. When it goes to seed, the second crop will be producing. Plant every year.

It doesn't take much room. The upright, bushy habit of growth makes it good for interplanting with shorter season plants such as lettuce. Once the lettuce is gone, the chard spreads out to take over the empty spaces.

Here in Texas, chard will grow year round, even through our blistering summers. Adequate water is key, and light shading during the worst of the afternoon heat helps keep leaves succulent. Plant them to the east of taller, bushy plants, or use row cover. Pick younger leaves in the morning for the best salad greens.

Winter temperatures below 32 degrees require sturdier covering. We use old sheets which allow some passage of light. Our chard has been covered for up to a week at a time with no problems. When the weather warms, uncover it. Toss the sheet back on it when it turns cold. In snow prone areas grow it in a cold frame or mini-greenhouse. Pick chard for greens, or to include in recipes, in the afternoon when the leaves have less moisture.

Swiss chard contains vitamins K and E, folic acid and niacin, calcium, beta-carotene, and as much vitamin C as an orange. Chlorophyll content helps with wound healing, ulcers and inflammation.

The mild taste combines well with a number of foods or with sauces. Add it when preparing soups or casseroles stored in your pantry to boost  nutrition.

It's in high demand from our veggie customers, and we sell out every time we bring it to town. We feed it to our small farm animals, too, helping cut the feed bills to save more $$$. It improves egg quality in winter months.

Not recipes for shelf storage, but yummy none-the-less:

Swiss Chard with Hot Bacon Dressing
Everythings better with bacon, right?Remove ribs and tear leaves of approx. 1 gallon container full of chard
Dice 4 slices of bacon; fry until crisp.
Drain off all but 1 TBS. bacon fat
Add:
1 TBS vinegar
2 TBS water
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
stir in torn chard leaves, continue stirring until leaves are covered with dressing and slightly wilted. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Meatballs with Chard and Cheese

Use your favorite meatball recipe using 1 pound of meat (beef, venison, turkey, pork, etc.)

Remove ribs from 1 1/2 c raw chard
Use scissors to snip chard into small strips -- 1/2" x 3/4"
Place chard into  heatproof bowl, pour 3/4 c simmering water over chard and cover for 2 minutes.
Drain chard (freeze water for soup later), squeeze out gently
Mix into meatball mixture with 1/2 to 3/4 c. cheddar or parmesan cheese. Cook as usual.

The chard is very mild, nigh unto tastless, if you're hesitant to try it. It makes the meatballs "prettier" and more nutritious.

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  I have a thing about chard ribs. I read they could be stuffed and substituted for celery ribs. I don't think so!!! GACK! Ptooi! I removed the stuffing and fed the stems to the chickens.

I've also read the stems can be cooked and served buttered like asparagus. When I work up the courage, I'll let you know how that goes.

Next Blog: Back to "Your Pantry, Page 3"

Emergency Preparedness -- Your Pantry, Part 2

A special thanks to my husband, Art, the hoarder of jars!
                                             
Before I list dinner mix recipes, let's look at general storage time for selected dry foods/ingredients at room temperature (85 degrees max) :

white rice -- 1 year                  pasta -- 2 years
brown rice -- 6 months            whole wheat pasta -- 9 months
                       (whole grain requires longer cooking)
herb/spice mixes -- 1 year       ground spices -- 6 months
dry milk -- 1 year                    cornstarch -- 18 months
soup mixes -- 1 year                boullion -- 1 year

Your dinners will last a minimum of 6 months (ground spices), or longer with some decrease in flavor due to the spices.

Suppose you work through the supply of jars the hoarder has...what to do? Pack dinners in freezer weight baggies and collect in gallon glass jars. Iced tea jars appear in resale shops in the winter for around $2.00 a jar, or you might find some on sale. Deoderize glass pickle jars if available. Ball makes gallon storage jars for $12.99 + shipping. Draw your own conclusions.

Label each jar or bag with the dinner name, date, added ingredients needed, and cooking directions.

Seasoned Rice n' Pasta -- Beef or Chicken

 1--1 1/2 cup jar or sandwich size freezer baggie per recipe 
3/4 c rice                                      
1/4 c. small pasta ( broken vermicelli, estrella, etc.) 
1 TBS beef or chicken boullion
1 tsp mixed herbs                        
3/8 tsp garlic powder
3/8 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley

Combine rice and pasta into container, add seasonings.
To cook:  pour jar into 1 3/4 c. water, bring to boil, then simmer 10 minutes. May add 2 TBS butter. Makes about 3+ cups.
Add cooked meat and veggies to make a one pot meal.

Chicken/Rabbit Assistant

Combine the following ingredients in a medium bowl:

1-1/2 TBS black or white pepper
2 tsp. mixed herbs
2 TBS dried parsley
1/3 c dried minced onion
3 TBS onion powder
1-2/3 c. dry milk powder
2 TBS coffee creamer powder
4 TBS chicken boullion
( change to Beef/Vennison Assistant by omitting chicken boullion and substituting beef boullion)

Combine ingredients well.  Measure 1/2 cup of seasoning mixture into each of five  3 cup or quart glass jars. Add 1 cup uncooked
macaroni to each jar. Cooking directions follow.

Brown 1# boned chicken or rabbit meat cut into small pieces, or use leftover meat. Add 1 cup water, 16 oz chopped tomatoes, pour in macaroni and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 to 25 minutes (covered, stir occasionally) until pasta is tender.

Variations, add:
1 TBS chili powder, or
3/4 c. chopped celery,
 or 1 c. mushrooms, or
omit tomatoes, increase liquid,stir in cheese 
add a variety of veggies
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Still working on the rice pudding recipe, the texture is about right, but flavor needs improvement.
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Blast it! The hot water pipes froze despite efforts to drip them. Maybe they'll thaw starting on the weekend. Just collected the eggs -- half were frozen! Wed. 3:00 PM

Emergency Preparedness -- Your Pantry, Part 1

 I found something that's revolutionizing our pantry here at HomePlace.  Making our own convenience mixes as preparedness planning takes a bit of time, but is well worth it. Why buy boxed and bagged dinners at steadily increasing prices when you can do your own and control your ingredients?

The idea took hold when I discovered Dinner's In the Jar by Kathy Clark. She explains how to create a 90 day supply of dinners stored in Mason jars. This book is not available at our library and Barnes and Noble doesn't carry it either. Drat!

What to do? I wanted to start immediately, not make an order to Amazon and wait. I searched further and found budget101.com and recipelion.com which have extensive lists of convenience mixes. I began with making seasoning mixes.

Understand I can't leave well enough alone  and have to mess with recipes to suit our tastes. I read the ingredient lists and went to the local discount warehouse to stock up on onion powder, garlic powder, dried onion, chili powder, assorted boullions and parlsey in larger sizes. Other spices and herbs were in our spice box already, but I'd need to replenish them soon.

Secondly, you don't need to trot out and stock up on canning jars. Use what you have at home first! Chip dip jars, olive jars, salsa jars and the like are wide mouth jars with rubber where the jar meets the lid. Even freezer type baggies will do.

None of the following recipes contain sugar; if you want it, have at it!

Here's  two spice mix recipes I modified:

Creole Seasoning
2TBS + 1 tsp paprika          Mix and store in air-tight
2TBS  garlic powder           container. Use on seafood
2TBS  onion powder           chicken, fish, beans, or on rice.
1TBS  chicken boullion       Can be used in other mix recipes.
1TBS  Italian seasoning
1TBS  dried thyme
1TBS  cayenne pepper        ( HOT - may want to modify more)
1TBS  pepper

 Taco Seasoning Mix

1TBS   dried minced onion          Combine in air-tight container.
2TBS   chili powder
2 TBS   paprika                            
 41/2 tsp  cumin                            
3 tsp    onion powder                   
2 1/2 tsp garlic                              
1/8 tsp cayenne or red pepper 

Add 3 TBS to1# browned  ground beef,chicken or turkey. Add 1/2 c water or 1/2 c salsa for extra zip. Use in other convenience mixes to follow in future blogs.          
Stay tuned for more recipes and hints for preparing your emergency pantry supplies. 

I've made up 37 dinner mixes in jars and bags in two "sittings" of 1 to 2 hours each. The project will continue for some time, complete with culinary experiments. The rice pudding dessert mix recipe needs a lot of tweaking, for instance!

 Hope to live off these during the summer with the garden, home raised rabbits, venison,chickens, eggs and some purchased meat added in. Almost forgot the home cannned fruit and jams, too!