Dachsie
16th September 2014, 03:46 AM
My grandmother in Oklahoma would do canning throughout the summer and end the Fall.
The tomato soup was great and she also made something called End of Garden pickles which I loved. I still have the recipe and I made it one time from store bought veggies. It had several different vegetables in it including cauliflower and was really good.
Her blackberry preserves were great. They had the blackberry seeds in them and it is not possible to buy them at the store with the seeds anymore.
__________________
http://lowtechlifestyle.org/5-ways-to-preserve-food-without-refrigeration/
http://lowtechlifestyle.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-shot-2014-09-15-at-8.36.28-PM-900x600.png
September 16, 2014
5 Ways To Preserve Food Without Refrigeration
(TH) Fridges are convenient only until the power goes out, which is why it’s worthwhile knowing how to preserve food in alternative ways.
1. Canning
In the past, the arrival of fall meant a scramble to harvest and preserve as much food as possible before the cold weather set in. Most families would spend many long hours working on this enormous task because their year-round access to food depended on it. Only in recent decades have we become reliant on the convenience of refrigerators, which are wonderful for keeping food fresh — until the power goes out. Then a mad scramble of another sort ensues – trying to eat as much of the food before it goes bad within a day or two.
Since outages happen all the time and increasingly violent storms keep the power out for longer, we could do well to relearn the food preservation techniques of our ancestors that do not rely on electricity. There are several great and effective alternatives to refrigeration that are easy to learn.
Canning is a traditional method of preservation that partially cooks food to kill bacteria and seals it up until you’re ready to eat it. The food can be eaten right away, unless you make pickles, which usually require a couple weeks for flavour to develop properly.
There are multiple stages of work required for canning, i.e. preparing the food and any additives such as brine or sugar syrup, sterilizing glass jars and lids, filling and processing, wiping down and storing the filled jars. It can take a long time, but it’s a skill that becomes quicker the more you do.
While the upfront cost of jars can be expensive, they have an extremely long life span. (My grandmother has been using the same jars for decades.) All you have to replace is the snap lids that seal in the food, and those don’t cost much.
2. Drying
Drying is considered to be the easiest and least labour-intensive way to preserve food. Since mold, bacteria, and mildew thrive in a moist environment, drying is effective for food storage because it removes all water and can be stored safely for a long period of time. You can buy a food dehydrator or use a low-temperature oven, although the latter can take many, many hours to accomplish the task.
Dried food, especially fruit, can be eaten as is, or you can rehydrate it by soaking in water for several hours. You can also make delicious snacks such as fruit leather and beef jerky. (Here’s anexcellent recipe for jerky that I like to make.)
3. Fermenting
Fermenting is somewhat similar to canning, although it doesn’t seal up the food, allows entry of ‘good’ bacteria, and uses acidic brine. Paul Clarke of Resilient Communities explains: “The brine allows for controlled fermentation of your food by select anaerobic bacteria, killing off potentially harmful molds or bacterial strains while preserving your harvest against future breakdown.”
Lately I’ve become hooked on making fermented kimchi, a spicy Korean condiment. A huge head of cabbage reduces to fit inside a single 1-quart jar. The recipe I use comes from Alice Waters’ cookbook, “The Art of Simple Food II.” It’s quick to prepare and only takes two or three days before it’s ready to eat. The fermentation continues to deepen the flavour until it’s all been eaten.
4. Salt Curing and Brining
Using salt to preserve meat is a very old method, as salt creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria and most microorganisms cannot tolerate a salt concentration of more than 10 percent.
Curing involves rubbing a mixture of salt and sugar into pieces of fresh pork, packing it tightly into a crock, and then storing it a stable, cool temperature. Brining starts out the same as salt curing, but uses an additional salty brine solution that must be changed on a regular basis. (See detaileddirections here.)
Salt-cured meat requires a lengthy soaking in water to remove the excess salt and bring it down to edible levels.
5. Charcuterie
This is similar to salt-curing, but goes one step further to create a finished product that requires no further cooking. On his award-winning blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, Hank Shaw explainswhy curing meat is an essential part of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and why you should start with goose or duck prosciutto: “It’s probably the easiest charcuterie project you can undertake.” You can find his directions here.
- See more at: http://lowtechlifestyle.org/5-ways-to-preserve-food-without-refrigeration/#sthash.c8o0nf4n.dpuf
________________
http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/01/06/cheap-easy-beef-jerky-strips-using-ground-beef/
Here is recipe for jerky using ground beef.
Ingredients
3 pounds ground beef (use 90% lean meat/10% fat or leaner)
5 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
3-4 teaspoons sea salt (we prefer 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoons unsulphured molasses
Instructions
Place the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Stir together the beef broth, liquid smoke, and molasses, and then pour it into the mixing bowl with the ground beef. Stir until well combined.
Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Form the meat into strips, about 1/8-1/4” thick, using a jerky gun or by using your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the meat into strips or whatever shape you desire.
Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 145 degrees (F) for 6-12 hours.
Place the jerky strips on paper towels to cool and to absorb any excess fat.
Consume within 24-48 hours at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 7 days. For long-term storage, freeze in an air tight container and consume within 3-4 months.
Recipe Notes from Megan
Q: Can I make this recipe using my oven? A: I don't see why you couldn't on the lowest temp, but I have not tried it, so I can't say for sure if it will work or not. If you do try it, please come back and let us know if you were successful!
The flavor of this recipe is most comparable to an "original" recipe type of jerky, although not as sweet.
You could easily substitute bison or ground turkey breast for the lean ground beef.
I use the Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator and love it (so far, I just got it!). It seems to dry evenly and be very efficient.
The tomato soup was great and she also made something called End of Garden pickles which I loved. I still have the recipe and I made it one time from store bought veggies. It had several different vegetables in it including cauliflower and was really good.
Her blackberry preserves were great. They had the blackberry seeds in them and it is not possible to buy them at the store with the seeds anymore.
__________________
http://lowtechlifestyle.org/5-ways-to-preserve-food-without-refrigeration/
http://lowtechlifestyle.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-shot-2014-09-15-at-8.36.28-PM-900x600.png
September 16, 2014
5 Ways To Preserve Food Without Refrigeration
(TH) Fridges are convenient only until the power goes out, which is why it’s worthwhile knowing how to preserve food in alternative ways.
1. Canning
In the past, the arrival of fall meant a scramble to harvest and preserve as much food as possible before the cold weather set in. Most families would spend many long hours working on this enormous task because their year-round access to food depended on it. Only in recent decades have we become reliant on the convenience of refrigerators, which are wonderful for keeping food fresh — until the power goes out. Then a mad scramble of another sort ensues – trying to eat as much of the food before it goes bad within a day or two.
Since outages happen all the time and increasingly violent storms keep the power out for longer, we could do well to relearn the food preservation techniques of our ancestors that do not rely on electricity. There are several great and effective alternatives to refrigeration that are easy to learn.
Canning is a traditional method of preservation that partially cooks food to kill bacteria and seals it up until you’re ready to eat it. The food can be eaten right away, unless you make pickles, which usually require a couple weeks for flavour to develop properly.
There are multiple stages of work required for canning, i.e. preparing the food and any additives such as brine or sugar syrup, sterilizing glass jars and lids, filling and processing, wiping down and storing the filled jars. It can take a long time, but it’s a skill that becomes quicker the more you do.
While the upfront cost of jars can be expensive, they have an extremely long life span. (My grandmother has been using the same jars for decades.) All you have to replace is the snap lids that seal in the food, and those don’t cost much.
2. Drying
Drying is considered to be the easiest and least labour-intensive way to preserve food. Since mold, bacteria, and mildew thrive in a moist environment, drying is effective for food storage because it removes all water and can be stored safely for a long period of time. You can buy a food dehydrator or use a low-temperature oven, although the latter can take many, many hours to accomplish the task.
Dried food, especially fruit, can be eaten as is, or you can rehydrate it by soaking in water for several hours. You can also make delicious snacks such as fruit leather and beef jerky. (Here’s anexcellent recipe for jerky that I like to make.)
3. Fermenting
Fermenting is somewhat similar to canning, although it doesn’t seal up the food, allows entry of ‘good’ bacteria, and uses acidic brine. Paul Clarke of Resilient Communities explains: “The brine allows for controlled fermentation of your food by select anaerobic bacteria, killing off potentially harmful molds or bacterial strains while preserving your harvest against future breakdown.”
Lately I’ve become hooked on making fermented kimchi, a spicy Korean condiment. A huge head of cabbage reduces to fit inside a single 1-quart jar. The recipe I use comes from Alice Waters’ cookbook, “The Art of Simple Food II.” It’s quick to prepare and only takes two or three days before it’s ready to eat. The fermentation continues to deepen the flavour until it’s all been eaten.
4. Salt Curing and Brining
Using salt to preserve meat is a very old method, as salt creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria and most microorganisms cannot tolerate a salt concentration of more than 10 percent.
Curing involves rubbing a mixture of salt and sugar into pieces of fresh pork, packing it tightly into a crock, and then storing it a stable, cool temperature. Brining starts out the same as salt curing, but uses an additional salty brine solution that must be changed on a regular basis. (See detaileddirections here.)
Salt-cured meat requires a lengthy soaking in water to remove the excess salt and bring it down to edible levels.
5. Charcuterie
This is similar to salt-curing, but goes one step further to create a finished product that requires no further cooking. On his award-winning blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, Hank Shaw explainswhy curing meat is an essential part of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and why you should start with goose or duck prosciutto: “It’s probably the easiest charcuterie project you can undertake.” You can find his directions here.
- See more at: http://lowtechlifestyle.org/5-ways-to-preserve-food-without-refrigeration/#sthash.c8o0nf4n.dpuf
________________
http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2014/01/06/cheap-easy-beef-jerky-strips-using-ground-beef/
Here is recipe for jerky using ground beef.
Ingredients
3 pounds ground beef (use 90% lean meat/10% fat or leaner)
5 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
3-4 teaspoons sea salt (we prefer 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoons unsulphured molasses
Instructions
Place the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Stir together the beef broth, liquid smoke, and molasses, and then pour it into the mixing bowl with the ground beef. Stir until well combined.
Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Form the meat into strips, about 1/8-1/4” thick, using a jerky gun or by using your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the meat into strips or whatever shape you desire.
Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 145 degrees (F) for 6-12 hours.
Place the jerky strips on paper towels to cool and to absorb any excess fat.
Consume within 24-48 hours at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 7 days. For long-term storage, freeze in an air tight container and consume within 3-4 months.
Recipe Notes from Megan
Q: Can I make this recipe using my oven? A: I don't see why you couldn't on the lowest temp, but I have not tried it, so I can't say for sure if it will work or not. If you do try it, please come back and let us know if you were successful!
The flavor of this recipe is most comparable to an "original" recipe type of jerky, although not as sweet.
You could easily substitute bison or ground turkey breast for the lean ground beef.
I use the Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Dehydrator and love it (so far, I just got it!). It seems to dry evenly and be very efficient.