Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Coffee

Sarah, I have tried grinding my own coffee and do prefer it. However, buying only a few pounds at a time I found that the beans cost more than buying the ground coffee! That goes for the green coffee beans too. It reminded me of the old Heathkit radios that everyone said you paid for the privilege of putting together. Perhaps they would be cheaper if bought in volumes of 100 or 500 pounds, but I can not afford such a purchase on my own and there is no one in my family, friends or acquaintances who are willing to …


A Homemade Thermos Cooker, by M.P.

A thermos cooker is an energy saving cooking device. Earlier versions were a vacuum thermos that you placed uncooked food and boiling water into and then sealed it up, and in a few hours you had cooked food. Later versions have a pot that you put your ingredients into and place on your stove; you then bring the contents to a boil and place the pot into an insulated outer pot to hold the heat in and cook the food. Thermos cookers do not speed up cooking times; they only save energy, and in fact cooking times can be significantly …


Vinegar As An Essential Multi-Purpose Tool for TEOTWAWKI- Part 2, by J.R.

Equipment and Supplies Making your own vinegar at home is a simple, useful, practical skill that is applicable to TEOTWAWKI.  If you can crush apples and save the apple juice, you can make apple cider vinegar (ACV).  In addition to apple, there are many different types of vinegars you can make depending upon your needs and desires.  I have been making ACV for many years. I have gallons put away in my basement, and I always have a bottle in the fridge that I use on a continual basis.  Stocking up on some basic supplies ahead of time will ensure …


Vinegar As An Essential Multi-Purpose Tool for TEOTWAWKI- Part 1, by J.R.

During TEOTWAWKI, long-term survivability will depend upon more than adequate caloric intake and the ability to defend oneself and one’s family.  Historically, the leading cause of death during times of prolonged war, conflict, or natural disasters has not been violence or the direct impact of disasters, rather, most people perished due to rampant disease and infections caused by the interruption of access to medical treatment, clean water, and adequate hygiene.  In dire times, access to medicinal agents and the ability to both prevent food and water-borne illness and to maintain hygienic living quarters may make the difference between life and …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 6, by Sarah Latimer

Well, this series on pantry basics (beyond meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables) is getting long. Yet, I still have several more items on my list to explore and share. These items even go beyond the normal bulk items we think of and beyond spices and herbs, though last week I covered salt and pepper and encouraged readers to use the improved SurvivalBlog search capabilities to go back and read some of the great articles our SurvivalBlog community has previous provided on the subject of “growing herbs” and spices. We have a wealth of information within our community not …


Our Home Freeze Drying Saga, by R.P.

First, let me share a little background. Being single for a long time, I bought a very small house on a big lot. Well, things seem to happen in our lives. I met a woman, one thing led to another, and now I have a wife and three kids in a very tiny house. Retiring at the first of the year, my brother asked me to help rehab a house. While I was working, I kept hearing these ads for a food freeze drier by Harvest Right. After a few months of this, I went home one night and asked …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 5, by Sarah Latimer

I’m continuing my journey to consider some of the pantry basics (beyond meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables) that I will want to have available in the event of TEOTWAWKI. I am resolved that I will ideally be able to make or grow these items myself, but in researching them I know I may find it necessary to either store them indefinitely in large quantity and have some alternatives available, and/or have a local/regional source for obtaining in barter. Quite honestly, this journey has caused me to dig deeper in some areas than I’d expected to go. Additionally, I …


Letter Re: Yeasts and Natural Leaven for TEOTWAWKI

Dear Latimers, Your latest post on leavening bread is certainly of interest. One of the concerns with store-bought yeasts is that they use bromides to kill off the bacteria in the yeast. Unfortunately, this de-natures some of the effects we should have in our breads, and the bromides are thyroid suppressants. Furthermore, guess what? We have thyroid deficiency in endemic proportions! If we will go back to the leaven that the Hebrews have passed down since times immemorial, using methods that have proven themselves over millennia, it seems that we can be sustainable, and have better health. Those bacteria that …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 4, by Sarah Latimer

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The Physical Properties and Application I’m concerned about having yeast readily available in TEOTWAWKI. I like having dry yeast readily available by the measurable spoonful, and so I buy it in one pound bricks and then store it in a sealed quart Mason jars – one in my refrigerator door and one in my freezer– so that the yeast keeps for well over a year (if I haven’t used it up in that amount of time). It is no problem to use cold yeast directly in your recipes. It wakes up in the warm water just as if it had …


Two Letters Re: Wertz Family Farm

Good morning, I just thought I would be another to drop you a line and mention that you will not go wrong with Wertz Farm Market. I grew up with and actually lived with one of the sons through college. They are old school Christian Conservatives who work hard and serve the community all year round. I was truly astounded and beyond happy to see them get mentioned on your site. – AJM o o o Dear HJL & JWR, You posted on 1-26-17, a short item about Wertz family farm. I looked them up and decided to place an …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 2, by Sarah Latimer

I’m continuing my journey to consider some of the basics (beyond meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables) that I will want in my pantry in the event of TEOTWAWKI. Sure, if it is a matter of life and death, we will take what we have and make the most of it. However, like many others who have contributed to the wealth of information on SurvivalBlog, I am pursuing the idea of thriving rather than just surviving, and I know that knowledge and tools are far more valuable in a long-term crisis situation than having a finite supply of end …


Letter Re: Baking Soda

Sarah, I too am laying by a lot of baking soda. I too have spent enormous amounts of time pondering the absence of it. I found the answer in Carla Emory’s Encyclopedia of Country Living. It’s on page 220 in my book, under Acid-Base Leavenings. “In the real old days, they used to leaven with wood ash. Ashes are alkaline. If you add a teaspoon of ash to a mixture that contains an acid, such as real sour cream, buttermilk from slightly soured milk, or yogurt, then the two make bubbles. You have to work fast because the bubbles don’t …


Letter Re: Baking Soda

Sarah, I just finished reading your article on “all about baking soda” and found this to be very informative. Thank you for your time in researching and writing it. Now I know the technical details of this wonderful product I had been using, same as you, for many years! I also had my question answered as to why my quick bread recipes worked by replacing the valuable egg with vinegar. The seven years my husband and I were sailing with our two children around the world, eggs were very dear when our passages were 1-3 weeks at a time. One …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 1, by Sarah Latimer

So, in between my homestead responsibilities, writing for SurvivalBlog, and caring for friends, family, and all of life’s responsibilities and pleasures, I’m still working on that cookbook Hugh and I have mentioned. I have several hundred recipes input into the database, but I am just not satisfied and am still working on additions and improvements. I have our family’s favorites included, but there are many ways that I make each recipe. Most of the time, I cook recipes from scratch with fresh, homegrown ingredients, when they’re in season and I have the time to cook, because that’s the healthiest and …


Food Storage: The Calories Count! by JWR

Many newbie preppers make the mistake of buying a packaged long-term food storage system withoƒstarut looking at the details, and they just assume that they are now magically “prepared”. But anyone who is shopping for packaged food storage systems should look with a discerning eye at any claims such as: “a six month supply for four adults.” Often these estimates are based on the manufacturers’ absurd assumption that a daily ration is around 1,500 calories per day. But that is actually a starvation ration that would not maintain the body mass index for anyone with an average body stature. In …