Seedling and Rooting Update

I have the seedlings transplanted and I am acclimating them to the outdoors now.

The strawberries are still very small but should start taking off now.

I have put the pineapple seedlings in their own little containers. I am using recycled pint sized cream cartons for them.

The pineapple tops that I have rooted are also in their own pots now.

I recently bought an organic lemon. It was very small and had wonderful seeds inside, so I planted six seeds and so far three have taken to root. Here is one of them.

I am hoping I can keep it trimmed and grow it as a miniature lemon tree so that I can bring it indoors in the winter.

My tomato and pepper plants are doing very well.

So are my leeks!

Today I put some apple seeds in pots to see if they will grow. They will be planted on the grove side of my house with the plum tree that I started and the cherry tree that has been growing for a few years.

This coming week is going to be dedicated to working outside in the garden. My aim is to make it a cozy and useful space.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Dehydrating Tomatoes For Tomato Powder

As the tomato season draws to a close for us here, many of us are busy canning. Making homemade spaghetti sauces, salsas, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, paste, juice, soup. Those are all wonderful ways to store up food for the winter, but I also like to have dehydrated ones for making tomato powder.

I wash and then cut the tomatoes. This first batch I sliced removed the seeds. There was a little over one cup of tomato dices and I placed them on parchment paper on a baking sheet, sprinkled a little sea salt on them and placed in the oven at 175 degrees F. I do not use any oil on these when they are for making tomato powder. I started them with the door propped open. This is good in my area today as the outside temps are getting chilly.

Half way through the process I peeled the tomatoes off of the parchment paper and flipped them. Most of them came free from the paper fairly easily but some stuck a little bit.

They are starting to get dark. A taste of a piece showed me that the tomato flavor gets more robust as it dries. They dried dark brown and they snapped in half rather than bend.

The tomatoes should be thoroughly dehydrated so that there is no moisture left and I put them in a grinder. I have a Magic Bullet blender and I use that with the whipping/grinding blade to make powder.

I started with a overly full cup of chopped tomatoes and ended with 1/8 of a cup of tomato powder at a fraction of the original weight. I would say it took about 9 hours from start to finish, but my furnace never came on the whole time. I really would have liked to have the oven completely full, but I used what I had.
You can store this powder in either glass jars or plastic baggies. Keep away from humidity and light. It stores a long, long time. The amount of time depends on who you ask and the condition you store it in and if it was completely dried before you ground it.

The uses for tomato powder are endless and if you are camping and cooking in the wilderness it is just a great flavoring to have!

You can mix it right into bread dough with a little basil for a flavored bread.

You can mix a small amount of water to some powder, add Italian seasoning, some garlic and onion flakes for a pizza sauce, or you can forget the water and just sprinkle stuff right on the dough, and if you are out camping don't forget the freeze-dried cheese and mushrooms or a stick of pepperoni for toppings and you can have pizza.

For a stew you can add some powder in with some thistle and cattail roots along with your favorite small game, a little salt and if you have onion and garlic great, if you have some dried hot peppers, even better! Wild game can taste, well, gamy and spices can cover that up fairly well.

Sprinkle a little bit over bacon and eggs in the morning.

Use a little in a sandwich, you get the flavor without the mess of a raw tomato.

Tomato powder is a easy to make, warms the home on a chilly day, is a lightweight addition to a survival pack and is a great way to store your garden tomatoes past winter when you run out of canning jars.

I hope you find this helpful.

Thank you for stopping by
Dee Dee

Make a Fishing Can

Being fairly poor and having four little children to raise, my parents did not have it within their budget to buy us all fishing poles, reels, tackle and bait, even though it would put food on the table.

My mother had learned many frugal things from my grandparents and one of those was how to make a fishing can.

She used smaller coffee cans to fit our little hands better, but I am using the larger #10 size cans as I have a surplus of those,

 and where she used an old wooden broom stick for the handle I am using a wooden rod from a closet.

You could even use a small branch for the handle.

When using a regular can opener, the point where the lid last separates usually leaves a sharp burr.

On a hard surface, like concrete, hammer that burr down.

If it still feels sharp use a metal file.

Then take a nail and make a hole near the edge. Pound this over a piece of scrap wood.

This also makes a sharp edge that will need to be pounded and filed.

There it is.

Measure the inside of the can and mark the wooden rod just less than the can so that it can be cut and nailed inside the can like this...

Now all that is left is to tie your fishing line through the hole on the edge and wrap the line around the can. Put your hook or lure on it and you are set to go fishing, that is after you get some bait. Worms, grubs and crickets are great for catching pan fish.

To cast out, hold the line close to the bait or float, toss out underhand and point the bottom of the can in the direction the bait is going, this makes some of the line around the can unravel. To reel in just wrap it around the can.

I keep the plastic lid for the can so that when I am traveling to my fishing location I can put the hook inside the can and span the lid on so the line doesn't unravel.

We caught many pan fish with these. They are good for dock, boat or river fishing where you don't need to cast far to catch fish. I have even brought in a decent sized Northern Pike with this. The fight can be tricky at times as a big fish can snap your line if there is too much tension.

Another plus to the fishing can is that you can transport it very easy by car or have a smaller one for your back pack. You can keep some of your gear inside it as well or small containers of worms or crickets for bait.

I have seen people use pop or beer cans to fish but they don't have a handle or the other advantages of  this fishing can.

Where I live children under 16 don't need a fishing license so this is a great way to get them outside and they are so happy when they catch fish!

Remember to teach them to keep only what you will eat, to respect other people fishing near by and never leave garbage in or around your fishing spot. Leave it cleaner than how you found it. That can help hide a good fishing spot as well.  If it doesn't look like anyone has been there some people think there may be a reason no one fishes there.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.

If you do, please share it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Camp Bread Recipe

Before you head out to camp mix the dry ingredients together, fill and label bags. I like to use the gallon sized bags even though this will fit in a quart size bag.

The gallon is big enough to mix the dough and after kneading it you can use the bag for raising the dough in.

My recipe makes a half sized loaf. I am still working on this recipe. I have made some breads, adding powdered eggs, honey (honey in condiment packages is great for this), and have tried a few that I liked with tomato powder and basil flakes. I really wish that I would have written those down. You can basically adapt any recipe to suit your tastes.

1 1/4 Cup Flour (I used All-purpose for this)

2 1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/8 teaspoon dry yeast

2 teaspoons powdered milk

The label on this should read "Bread Dough". For your own good label that

Bring an extra quart sized bag with a few cups of flour in case you should need more during kneading and for other cooking projects.

Once you get to camp start your fire and boil some water. Pour 1/2 Cup of that water into a cup with 2 teaspoons of butter or shortening.

*

Right now I have to tell you that I forgot that step before kneading and had to add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil as I was kneading. Then before I put it into the plastic bag to raise I smothered butter all over it. If you mess up, improvise!

*

Let that cool to just warm and pour right into the bag. I prefer to mix with one hand and hold the bag with the other in case I need a clean hand to grab more flour. Try to get in the habit of mixing and kneaded with your non-dominate hand. There is a very good reason for that.

Once you have a good ball going in there you can take it out and knead it on a clean smooth surface, floured if necessary.

Once the dough is smooth and elastic it is ready to put back in the bag to raise.

It took me a long time to understand what smooth and elastic felt like, because I never really kneaded it long enough to get to that point. 15 minutes of kneading or more may just be what it takes. Kneading the dough does all kinds of magical things to it that you can learn about elsewhere if you desire. If you want to get good at it, close your eyes and feel it.

Dough needs a still and warm place to rest. You won't have much success with it if you put it in your back pack and start hiking. However, if you have to be on the move, you can make a "bun in the oven" pack to hold it in next to your belly. For the guys out there you can call it your "beer belly bag".

When the dough has risen to twice it's size it is ready to bake or slow roast over a campfire as with bread twists. Then there are some of us that also like to deep fry it.

You can use powdered eggs to make an egg wash for it.

Roll it in flour to ash bake it.

Brush melted butter on it.

There really is so much variety that you can do with breads.

If you are low on flour there are many wild plants that can help you stretch your flour supply.

I will do a post on that later.

Being at camp you will not have the ability to watch the temperature while you are baking your bread so you will have to eye and ear it. Golden brown crust and a hollow sound when tapped on and it is done. You can also check with a toothpick as you would a cake.

You can also take your own bread recipes and divide them by 1/4th as most recipes I have come across are for 2 loaves. For recipes with eggs in them, the powdered eggs are much easier to divide.

I have not tried powdered butter with this yet, but that is on the to do list.

I hope I have given you enough ideas to help you be more cozy at camp.

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to comment.

Dee Dee

Cooking Camp Bread

Few things are more satisfying than eating freshly baked bread when you are out camping.

I like to mix all the dry ingredients together and put in plastic bags to be able to have a couple of loaves or bread sticks. You can add your water right into the bag and mix the dough in the bag.

We have made stone ovens to bake in, which can be a lot of work, and the bread turns out much like what a brick oven makes. Good stuff!

You can tote in a camp oven, which is a heavy and bulky addition to a backpack. These can be nice as they have a temperature gauge.

But let's get primitive for a moment.

I am talking bread sticks with a twist, literally.

The way to make bread sticks for over a fire is to wrap your bread dough around a stick that has had the bark stripped off (make sure you use a good wood for this as some woods can be poisonous) and then you can roast if over hot coals.

I like to use Y shaped branches stuck into the ground on each side of the fire to cradle the bread stick stick on. It makes it easy to turn the stick for even heating and lets me work on the other foods for the meal.

And then there is Ash bread.

Ash bread is where you start a fire on a fairly flat rock and once that goes to coals you move the coals aside, place the dough (well floured) on the rock, put a layer of hot ashes on the dough and then hot coals on top of the ashes. Once it is done you just brush off the coals and ashes. You can even cook roasts this way. Ash gives a wonderful flavor.

Most campers like to bring bannock for bread making. Bannock is quite wonderful and less complicated than my camp bread recipe, and quite possibly more versatile. There are several recipes for bannock out there or you can use Bisquick.

It is good to bring extra plain flour and some salt when you go primitive. Don't forget the butter, cooking oil/grease and a fry pan for the fried fish fillets to go with your bread!

I will update this post later with pictures and put my bread recipe on another post.

Thank you for stopping by.

Grab a warm slice and be cozy!

Dee Dee

Stinging Nettle, Yes, Food

Stinging Nettle, which is also referred to a itch weed, started out to me on the same scale as poison ivy. I was wrong. Not only is it a good weed to grow just outside of windows to detour windows from being used as entry and exits, it turns out that it has a place in the kitchen as well.

The first time I tried Nettle I steamed it and ate it much like you would spinach. I found the texture was hard to get over.

I had no interest in trying it again.

After doing some research I have found recipes for Nettle pesto, soups and even making a pasta with it and I will be testing some of those when I can. There are hundreds of recipes for this plant.

It is said that Nettles are very healthy for you. I have heard differing reports on the benefits.

A word of warning. It is called itch weed for a reason. Use gloves until you blanch the leaves and eat a small amount to make sure you have no allergies to it. Blanching is best done in salted boiling water.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Survival Storage 2

Part of what you store should be portable by vehicle or trailer.

By trailer, that could be either one that pulls behind your vehicle, one that you hitch to a bicycle or four wheeler, or it could be something you pull like a wagon or garden cart.

This would be something that you could grab if you have 15 minutes to evacuate. You want to be sure you first get your important documents, your BOBs, your family and some "tools".

It is best if you have them stored where is won't get too warm and put them out of sight. Some people will have a box under their bed, but I believe in putting them in other places. I use the same type of boxes to store some yarns and fabrics and other misc. items as a diversion. If you are a fan of labeling boxes put a misleading label on it like "Stuffed Animals".

The boxes you see are filled with freeze-dried foods, water, MREs (meals ready to eat), and drink mixes. But you can also store other types of food as well and if you do, try to do so as a meal planning thing. Not just a cans of meat, veggies and fruits, but a plan of what to make out of them. Add a bag of rice, some dried beans, seasoning, a bottle of cooking oil and you are well on your way to a more comfortable meal. Unless, of course, you forget to pack a can opener. You will also want to make sure you have a mess kit with you so you have something to boil water in.

I am a firm believer of never having to go to a shelter of any kind for any reason. I can make my own shelter. That's another story.

Thank you for stopping by,

Dee Dee

Survival Storage 1

When storing foods you want to make sure the climate is best to prolong the shelf life of what you are storing.

I store a great deal of foods in my basement where the temperature stays below 65 degrees F most of the year. Sometimes as low as 45. I have a dehumidifier down there because we live in swampy forest land where mushrooms could sprout without spores.

In the first picture on the top shelf I have a non-electric water distiller (which I am not very fond of the fact that it was made in China as they have a different standard of stainless steel and it show signs of rust), it can be used on a woodstove, campfire or grill and supposedly can distill up to 16 gallons per day.

Next to that is a Wonder-clean laundry washer which worked fine until the plastic screw parts stripped and I had to deal with that and the rubber gasket didn't last long either. I bought a plunger type of washer and a washboard and found they do a better job.

Then I have a water filter that should be able to filter most any water, but I think I would first run it through a coffee filter, then through that and into the distiller.

Next to that is an Easy Bake oven (which I plan on turning into a dehydrator) and a food mill for processing some fruits and veggies.

On the second shelf is a non electric grain mill, meats, salad dressings, soups, bullion, misc. and some veggies.

The next shelf down is emergency candles meats, vegetables, and fruits.

Then fruit juices, coffee, condiments, oils and pickles. Below that is work gloves, pails of grains, and water.

In another area I have freeze-dried foods which include powdered milk, butter, sour cream, fruits, vegetables, meals, peanut butter and more. Water jugs filled with water for cleaning. I also have outdoor fuel lamps and fuel and some cooking stoves.

In another area I have more grains stored in canning jars, yeast, canning jars, lids and rims, instant potatoes, steamer and crock pot (not that those would work if we lose power). When the jars of grains get used up they can be used for canning other foods in.

This is just a part of my storage. I built this up slowly, usually in the summer when my energy bills are lower. I have a system to rotate what I store and I work on new recipes so that I use what I store.

I also have a smaller chest freezer that gets filled with garden goodies when things go well. This year won't be one of those years. Then again if we have a major power outage losing so much food with a larger freezer would really hurt.

I do have a fall back plan with wild foods and dehydrating/smoking foods. I have extra sugar and salt for preserving some things.

I started all of this with a very tight budget working with coupons and sales items and growing my own foods as well. 2 years ago I grew over 100 pounds of beans and 20 pounds of strawberries as well as an assortment of other foods.

I even grow foods that I don't eat but others will so that I can trade if need be.

The key is to buy what you can as cheap as you can and built your supplies as you go, keeping in mind what you use. The reason I have posted some recipes here is so that you will be encouraged to work with more items in your food storage.

Some things, like celery, are best to be purchased as freeze-dried so that they will last longer.

If you have any questions, please comment so that I can address them.

I will be adding more on storage items soon.

Believe it or not, these things can make you really cozy when the rest of the world does not feel that way.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Chicken Chimichangas from Home Storage Part 2

Finishing the chimichangas, you put the hot meat filling on the flour tortilla with a layer of sour cream and cheese (Monterey Jack is best but I used Co-Jack) and first fold the ends up and then fold up the sides. Secure with a toothpick and either put in a deep fryer or use a skillet with a few inches of oil, turn when golden brown.

Be careful you don't burn your finger like I just did. Oil spatters if you don't turn the food carefully, and sometimes even when you do.

If you store the meat mixture in the fridge, heat it before putting on the tortilla or it may not be hot enough after frying.

This is not a high end restaurant recipe, but it really is quite good for stored foods. I don't have a recipe for a topping sauce yet because they get eaten to fast to experiment with that, but there are sauces that you can put over it. I haven't felt a need for a sauce either.

I put the pictures on in reverse order so that the finished product would be seen first. I am sorry I couldn't show pictures of how to roll it up but that would require more hands than I have and there are youtube videos on how to wrap a chimichanga. I hope this helps to add to your use of stored foods.

I am going to go try to knit with my burned finger now.

You all take care and cook safely.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Chicken Chimichangas from Home Storage Part 1

I start here with some very basic talk about preparedness for those of you who may not be storing foods and may think it is not necessary.We buy canned chicken by the cases to have in our storage pantry. I also buy the cans of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles by the case as well.

It's best to have a years supply of food on hand of foods that you eat for many reasons. Gardens can fail, storms can wipe out nearly everything, jobs can be lost in a flash. Then there are reasons so frightful to think could happen like a disruption to the power grip by an EMP which would bring our current way of living to it's knees.

I hope none of these things happen, but if they should I will not be one of the people racing to the grocery store to clean out the shelves there.

So now we come to rotating the cans so they don't expire. When loading the shelves put new cans behind older cans. Learn to use your canned goods so that you don't just stare at the cans wondering what to do with them.

Here is the recipe I created for Chimichangas.

2 9.75oz Cans of White Chunk Chicken breast

1 10oz Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1 teaspoon Dried Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Dried Minced Garlic

1 Tablespoon Dried Onion Flakes

Substitutes.

You may substitute the canned white chicken with re-hydrated freeze dried chicken, though I am unsure of what the measurements would be. You would have to add more water as well.

Put all of the ingredients in a skillet, including the liquids from the meat and tomatoes. Add half a can of water (use tomato can as measure) mix well and bring to a boil. Turn temp down to simmer until meat is shredded and most all of the liquids are gone. This took nearly three hours on medium low heat.

It's ready to use for Chimichangas or for putting on Nachos.

I will have part 2 up shortly.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

The Dandelion Dilemma

Do you remember going out into the yard and picking a handful of these to give them to the most beautiful woman in the world?

I used to bring my mom a dandelion bouquet all the time, and when I became a mom it was my turn. If I had known then what I know now, I would have made fritters out of them!

Now, as my yard has been turning into a weed bed (I don't like chemical weed killers) the dreaded dandelion is gaining ground on me.

I have tried using sugar prevent them, which seemed to work for a while, but sugar is not a practical solution.

I am not going to make a long post about this because there are so many other blogs that have gone into such detail that I feel if you don't search out more information you may miss out on a lot. So please seek knowledge on this little wonder of a plant.

The main highlights I want to share with you is that, yes the leaves tend to be a bit too bitter for most people, but mixed with milder greens it is a bit nicer. You can make fritters or wine with the flowers. The roots can be used for a coffee substitute and for other uses. That said there are also great health benefits from the entire plant, from root to blossom.

Dandelions may be used for a wide range of conditions needing a mild diuretic treatment such as poor digestion, liver disorders and high blood pressure.

The white milky sap is said to be effective in treating warts and to heal other skin afflictions.

Be aware that there has been drug interactions with dandelion consumption and there is the possibility of other reactions. Don't be afraid of them. Just do some research before you proceed.

The following link is to a friend's page which has some interesting recipes. Please visit her site. I will be throwing caution to the wind and frying up some of those flower fritters!

Thank you Brenda!

Dandelions | thesustainablehome

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Pine Tea

There are many people that know so much more about foraging for wild foods then I do and I have so much respect for them. What I am bringing to you is just a small sampling of what I have learned as I have been trying to be as well rounded as possible.

This is a pine needle tea and it is the first time I have tried it.

I also made my 15 year old daughter and my husband try it.

I have heard that you can use any of the green needles year round, but then I have also heard that spring to earlier summer new buds are the best so that is what I have used.

I boiled a cup of water and put a small handful of buds into the water to steep for 5 minutes. Then strained it into my favorite holiday mug, because it smelled quite festive, an took a sip. I couldn't really taste the pine very much so I would say that this is something that you could add to other herbs such as mint or lemon balm and have a nice warming tea on a cold day.

Pine needles are said to be high in vitamin C so that is something that you should keep in mind if you are not near citrus trees.

It is important that you try new foods in small amounts so that if you react to it it will have a smaller impact on you and so that you can get used to it.

I really didn't mind the taste, my daughter said she didn't like it, but she is 15, and my husband said he couldn't really taste the pine. Like I said, if you add a few of your favorite herbs you really might enjoy this. Find your cozy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Lambs Quarters=Spinach with cooking suggestion.

If the thistles intimidated you, I have the perfect solution!

Lamb's Quarters.

These are quite common in my area and I really don't mind.

They are mostly green but can have a purple tint to them as well.

Pick the tender newer leaves and stay away from plants with damage to them.

I should have cautioned in my thistle post that when you forage for food you should know that food source and know that it is not in an area that has been chemically treated. Since this patch is in my own yard I know it is safe.

So now that you have gathered a big bucket full of these leaves, what to do...

Rinse them well in cold water. If you have a metal colander you can rinse them in there and then place the colander with your Lamb's Quarters over a pot of boiling water and let them steam until all the leaves are cooked tender. If you don't have a metal colander just steam them with what you can.

Put the hot cooked leaves in a serving bowl with softened Butter and Salt over top and the sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese over it all and mix so the butter melts completely and the cheese melts slightly.

When I have made spinach this way, even die hard spinach haters took a new look at spinach. Lamb's Quarters are so very close in taste you may not notice a difference.

You can also use these leaves in a fresh salad. Throw in some violet flowers and your salad will really be something cozy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Thistle=celery

My garden has been neglected for the past couple of years due to an injury and now I am faced with more pain in trying to clean it up.

So I decided to use some of those nasty thistles for a treat.

You will need work gloves and some of those thorns will go through leather so be prepared to suffer a little.

I used a combat knife to chop the thistle and remove most of the outer thorns. I am at war with these weeds so the combat knife just felt appropriate.

You need to peel as much of the fibrous outer skin off that you can leaving the tender and soft inside core.

This is very much like celery and can be eaten raw or cooked in a stew.

All in all, this was not an enjoyable task. I found that I did not get enough of the fiber off when I cleaned it. The taste is very close to celery and when mixed with ranch salad dressing it was good. But it was a lot of squeeze for the juice.

Thistle is something that I would add to a wild stew to add fiber to the diet. In a survival situation or just when you don't have much money for groceries, this can help you stretch your pantry supplies.

I really have to say at this point that I am glad I planted asparagus though. I picked some tonight and had a plate of steamed asparagus with salt and butter.

Now THAT was cozy!

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee