Jim,
One oil that I think is very good for us and has exceptional storage life is coconut oil. That is, organic, extra-virgin coconut oil. There is quite a bit of info out there on it, the two best sites that I have found are, www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com, and www.tropicaltraditions.com.
In our research, coconut oil is better for your health than even olive oil. We have been using it exclusively for about nine months. God Bless, – Bob P.
Mr. Rawles:
One of your readers recent comments about geese as a source of fat served to jog my memory about the origins of what is now commonly considered a gourmet food.
Goose confit and duck confit were made as a way of preserving the meat from birds slaughtered for foie gras. Birds are plucked, cleaned and sectioned, the fat from around the internal organs is saved and the skin is left on the carcass. Pieces are then liberally sprinkled with salt and whatever other spices one might wish to apply (thyme, rosemary, black pepper and garlic are all good choices). The heavily salted sections are then held overnight in a cool place, for most that would be the fridge but traditionally it would be either a root or wine cellar. The next day, the excess salt is shaken off and the pieces are cooked in a dutch oven over low heat for 2 to 3 hours uncovered. The fat will melt and should be allowed to get hot enough to gently boil, but not hot enough to smoke. As the fat cooks it will clarify. When it’s finished, strain half the fat into an earthenware container, let the fat cool until it begins to firm up then lay the pieces of cooked meat on the fat in a single layer and arrange them so they don’t touch the sides of the container, now pour the rest of the fat over the meat. Cover the container and leave the confit in a cool place for up to one year. Confit can be reheated or eaten cold, additionally the fat is commonly used as either a spread or to fry potatoes in. Domestic birds fattened on grain (they do not have to be force fed) will have more than enough fat but wild ducks and geese probably won’t yield enough fat to cover the whole bird so, either supplement the fat with lard or just preserve the thighs and legs.
I noticed that the Walton Feed web site has a description of meat potting, that’s basically the same process minus the salting step. So if salt isn’t available you might be able to get some short term preservation with just the fat.
If all of this seems like a big hassle there is a French foie gras company, Rougié, that sells canned duck confit. Rougié says the shelf life is 4 years. They also sell big cans of duck and goose fat, but I’ve never seen those on this side of the Atlantic. – B. from New York
JWR:
Something anyone with a couple of cows or more found indispensable was a cream separator in the 30’s Particularly where it pertains to making butter. Skimming doesn’t quite cut it.
Here is a small modern hand unit. I would prefer S Steel spouts, but they would be easy to make. The important/indispensable part is the centrifuge. Old ones, except the centrifuge, bowl, and float, were usually cast iron on their own base. (About 4&1/2 feet tall) This one needs to be bolted down onto a bench. (Bit of a pain to use.) Replacement “O” rings are essential, you don’t use more than one a year, but getting others will be very difficult. The rest of the machine should last indefinitely if maintained. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
P.S.: Tell Carl, of the manual grain harvesting letter, that for practice, oats would probably teach him faster than wheat, but given potential drought problems? Plus, given the current state of the financial world, I doubt he will have the extra year to learn. – JustamereFarmBoy
James:
To get to the survival bottom line for me first – the long-term storage of food oils and pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and health food products and the long-term storage of live local heirloom seeds plus the short-term storage of venison, beef and fish have set many of my equipment investment decisions here on the farm. I believe the most critical pieces of survival gear are two very efficient electric chest freezers and a small efficient electric upright freezer and a way to power them inside a survival envelope. My freezers are electric because I would not have a propane/ammonia freezer anywhere within the survival envelope. My propane generator and propane freezer are in a barn about 400’ away (not one used for animals, but one used for equipment) with an underground propane tank. If a propane/ammonia freezer explodes or leaks ammonia, it will most likely to render a shelter unusable for a critical period of time (days not hours). My propane freezer and propane generator sit unused in the far equipment barn waiting for a time when power consumption may become critical. While the price of the wire alone from the barn to my pump and generator was $1,500, it was worth every penny for long-term security and short-term quiet during power outages. Recent solar electric pricing changes have switched me even further toward electric with propane planned mainly for convenience and the possibility of a nuclear winter.
My main long-term food oil stored is frozen 31.5 oz. (1 qt.) plastic-jarred LouAna coconut oil (92% saturated) bought at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club. I also store a smaller amount of frozen unsalted clarified butter that I have processed myself to add taste to my diet when I feel it is critical. Most of the Essential Fatty Acid/food oil academic studies of saturated oils and cholesterol have used lard (39% saturated) as the “straw man” saturated oil. The reason I recommend coconut oil is complicated and requires study into the role of arachidonic acid in the body. While the case may be overstated at The Scientific Debate Forum, all the appropriate journal articles are referenced there and there is no need for me to repeat them here.- Southsider in Georgia