Category: Food Storage & Cooking

In Thursday’s Odds n Sods, you mention using the top of a salt carton in the top of a canning jar to create a pour spout. This will work, but I do not go through much salt, and the salt pour spouts don’t seem to be in good shape when I am finished with the carton. Also, this does not really seal the jar as tightly as I would like. I saw somewhere to use the top of milk and juice cartons with the screw on lid. I go through a couple of these a week. I cut the top …

Maybe you wear a Peyton Manning jersey. Maybe you gulp Gatorade during your outdoor activities. Maybe you like Lowe’s because they sponsor Jimmy Johnson’s #48 car. If you’re one of the millions of people who commonly buy into the products of the top professionals, you might have an appetite for Long Range Patrol Ration Entrees. After all, LRP Rations are the survival food carried on long range missions by U.S. Military Special Forces members. The name Long Range Patrol Rations tells you who the intended military target was for this food. Today, current examples of Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol units …

Dear SurvivalBlog, First off, thanks for all you do. Your site is a great resource to “our community” of those awake and aware. I wanted to share something I found at my local Costco. By the way, I don’t work for either Costco or Tasty Bite. I’m just offering up an idea for others. I’m always looking for multi-purpose food for storage and rotating through my kitchen. I found a product called “Tasty Bite Asian Noodles” in a multi-pack. I thought it would make a good food item for a bug out bag. I have freeze dried backpacking meals and …

Dear Friends, I read the submissions regarding seasoning cast iron with interest. Many years ago I was fortunate to buy a new Wagner Dutch oven that must have sat on the shelf for an appreciable amount of time; the price was under $20. Inside it had the instructions from Wagner for seasoning. The instructions called for the use of peanut oil in an oven at 375 degrees F. for one to two hours. The only reason there is peanut oil in our house is for seasoning cast iron. Seasoning is not a once-and-done procedure, rather it needs to be built …

Referencing Three Letters Re: A Science Based Technique for Seasoning Cast Iron Dear HJL, As a grower of canola, I would like to point out the “ola” in its name is for oil. It was bred the old fashioned way in the 1970’s, long before genetic modification, at the university of Manitoba. Outside of North America, it’s called Rape, Oilseed Rape, or Rapeseed. Now, as to whether or not the Canola oil you buy at the store is GMO or not? I would say, just like corn and soybean products, it’s 95% likely to be GMO. However, I have no …

Others have mentioned Azure Standard as a source for bulk grains, as well as a variety of other goods, and I second their favorable endorsements. Those living in or near agricultural areas may find they can connect with grain farmers in their area and purchase grains in very large quantities directly. These purchasers may need to provide their own containers, but it’s common to have to repackage bulk grains from other sources for long term storage anyway. Local growers may also have “feed grade” grains, so called because they have some amount of weed seed and other material in them …

HJL, S.B. talks about the high levels of sodium in freeze dried commercial meals. As a hobby backpacker and working in the outdoor industry for some time, I know why. It is because they are designed for high activity situations, where you exceed your normal calorie consumption and have expended large amounts of sweat. Just like those working out will take some sort of beverage, like Gatorade, to replenish salts and other minerals, freeze dried meals are designed to do the same for backpackers. They will be good for those who are required to do heavy manual labor; they are …

Hugh, I was saddened to see that HercuGlass went out of business. Do you know of any other companies that sell hardened canning jars? – C.V.

Maple syrup is a gift of nature. Like all good gifts, it must be received. That happens in late winter and early spring in the New England and the Great Lakes regions. Since autumn, temperatures below 45 degrees have caused the trees to store sugar as starch. Around the end of February and into March, the sun begins to warm the maple trees even while the nights remain quite cold– below freezing. This fluctuation in temperature begins a pumping action in the sugar maple trees, which I interrupt by gathering sap. The Tree Sugar Maple (also known as Rock Maple …

I read with interest DDR’s article “The Joy of Canning”. Most of her advice is spot-on and an excellent primer for new canners. I commend her for such a comprehensive article for novice canners. However, she includes some potentially dangerous advice that can invite the risk of botulism. For example, she correctly writes, “Vegetables and meats are considered low-acid and should always be processed in your pressure canner. This is also true of your soups, chilis, and most sauces. I find that it’s a good idea, when in doubt, to pressure can just to be safe.” Then, she contradicts this …

Dear Editor, When I was in college we had a history class which we re-enacted the civil war battle at Pea Ridge, Arkansas. We actually dressed in period clothing and ate food the solders would eat. Hard tack was one on the meals we had. Another staple was beans, I found if you put the hard tack down and had the beans on top it was a little easier to eat. If this was all I had to eat I would go looking for something better for supper. FYI the hard tack works well as a hammer. – K. —– …