FOOD IDEAS

Preserving Food: Tips and Techniques 1) Cherries. Drying cherries is a great way to preserve their taste. They can also be canned and made into pie filling for long-term storage. 2) Cranberries. Like cherries, cranberries can be dried or made into jelly. 3) Corn. To preserve corn while maintaining its flavor and texture, use a pressure canner. 4) Cornmeal. Properly stored cornmeal can stay fresh for over a decade! Key factors affecting freshness include exposure to oxygen, temperature, packaging, and light. 5) Chicken Meat. An old-world practice of meat preservation involves curing with salt. If kept in air-tight packaging, chicken meat can last 3 to 4 months without refrigeration. 6) Canning. This technique can preserve food for up to fifteen years! Pressure canning is ideal for chicken meat. The cooler the place, the longer the canned chicken will last. 7) Candy and Chocolate. Store hard candy or extra sugar for later use. Powdered chocolate is versatile for making homemade goodies. 8) Spices and Nuts. Cinnamon, coriander, and cayenne pepper are versatile ingredients. Cashews, stored in airtight containers, are antioxidant powerhouses. 9) Coffee. Stored in a vacuum-sealed package, coffee not only makes a good drink but also improves the flavor of chocolate and has health benefits. Don't get caught this winter without your goodies. Prepare and stock up.

Practical Prepping: A Guide to Building a Well-Stocked Prepper Pantry Prepping for emergencies doesn't always mean preparing for the apocalypse. It's about being ready for more probable occurrences like natural disasters, power outages, or job loss. A well-stocked prepper pantry can be a lifesaver in these situations. A prepper pantry is a personal grocery store. It's not your everyday kitchen cabinet, nor is it your long-term storage of beans and rice. It's the middle ground, stocked with items that can last for at least six months and withstand minor temperature fluctuations. When stocking your pantry, consider nutrition, variety, and rotation. Your pantry should contain a balance of meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and grains. Include a variety of foods and spices to avoid monotony. And remember to rotate your stock regularly to avoid waste. The space you devote to your prepper pantry depends on your living conditions and resources. It could be an expanded main pantry, an under-used room, or even hidden spaces like closets or under beds. The key is to make the most of what you have. Aim for a standard of 2,000 calories per person per day for 90 days. This should provide all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. However, if possible, work towards a six-month supply, or even a one-year supply in conjunction with your long-term storage. Your pantry should include items like honey, a natural sweetener with a long shelf life, and canned meats like ham and hamburger for long-term storage. You can also store hazelnuts, which can be kept fresh in the freezer for up to a year. Building a well-stocked prepper pantry is an investment in your future health and well-being. It's not just about survival, but also about maintaining a balanced diet and a sense of normalcy during challenging times. Happy prepping!

Cabbage Thinking about storing cabbage for winter? When cabbages are ripe for the picking, they’re cheaper than any other vegetable. 1. Fermentation Did you know traditionally fermented foods increase your gut bacteria and digestive enzymes? 2. Dehydrating cabbage Drying your cabbage for long-term storage is as simple as cutting and arranging the slices on your dehydrator trays. 3. Canning If you’re living in the low-tech world, or perhaps exploring off-grid solutions, using a fridge or a freezer might present you with food storage limitations. Even if you use modern appliances to help you preserve your food, it always makes sense to learn how to can as well. It can serve you very well in times of power outages, in saving money and in having nutritious food that is always ready-to-eat. Canning a head of cabbage or two is a wonderful way to increase the selection in your pantry. 4. Cold storage/root cellar The cool, dark space of a cellar is ideal for storing cabbages. Wrap each head with brown paper and place them on shelves a few inches apart, making sure they don’t touch. Cabbages in cold storage can be kept for about 6 months. 5. Storing cabbage in the ground An unconventional way of storing cabbages is to pull them up by their roots, dig a hole, place them upside down with the roots sticking out, cover them back up with the soil and leave them that way until you’re ready to “harvest”. 6. Pressure Canning Pressure canning is a safe, effective way to preserve food by using heat and pressure. This process helps eliminate bacteria that can cause spoilage in low-acid foods such as leafy greens, meat, poultry, and seafood. It also removes oxygen from the jars so that no new microorganisms enter them. 7. Pickling Pickling is a technique that has been used for centuries to preserve food by submerging it in an acidic solution, generally vinegar or brine. There are hundreds of foods that can be pickled including vegetables, fruits, eggs, and even cheese. Tip 1: Start with Fresh Greens Tip 2: Create a Flavorful Brine Mixture Tip 3: Use Glass Jars Instead of Plastic Containers Tip 4: Ensure Airtight Seals Tip 5: Store Away Until Ready To Eat Drying& Smoking Two of the oldest methods used to preserve foods were drying and smoking. Drying involves removing moisture from food to slow down microbial activity, while smoking adds flavors and seals out oxygen. Dried foods have a longer shelf life than fresh products, making them easy for long-term storage because they are easy to store for significant periods. Smoked products such as venison can be either naturally or with a smoker; often they are made when freezers aren’t practical options due to their remoteness or lack of electrical power. The combination of drying and smoking helps create flavorful, tasty items that will last from one year up in some cases. Collard Greens Carrots 1. Store carrots in a root cellar. If you have access to a cool, dark place such as a root cellar, this is the best place to store unwashed carrots. 2. Can carrots. Canning carrots is an effective preservation method; however, due to their low acid content, carrots must be canned using a pressure canner. 3. Dehydrate carrots. Dehydrating carrots removes all the moisture from the vegetable, causing it to shrink and dry out completely. 4. Pickle your carrots. Remember stocking up on your pantry will not only ensure that you are protecting yourself but also protecting those around you. C. Something say something. 'C' Something Say Something