Survival Strategies

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2011-11-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

Bean Bonanza!

2007-07-29T12:48:00.000-04:00

To start this day's post we have to delve into the primary costs of beans.
Around here we have many Amish dry goods and the like supposedly the most cost efficient stores. Most of the time all the prices are around normal ( i.e. baseline from the grocery store, seems a good benchmark ), or are drastically lower, yay. I began purchasing my bean mixes at the "country" store last year. I needed the beans as a cost limiting alternative for stocking up during the winter. Looking at the bean bag from the store I discover that the unit price of the bean mix is $1.49.lb and the bag contains 1.99lb equaling $2.97. For months I have purchased this type of bean mix and have gleefully eaten it only placing some "meat" / ham base, instead of the required hock and other ingredients. once i found a stash of beans in my house i took a long look at what i was doing for daily food. All the beans were available from the local walmart at drastically reduced prices! Beans for the mix will range anywhere from $.50 per pound to the most expensive, usually large lima beans, at $1.25 per pound. This price difference seems to be only for the mixing and packaging of the beans in the mix. So, for a difference of at least $.24 per lb of beans I'll continue mixing my own. Besides its fun to feel all the beans up to your forearm and swish them around like a madman.

Yes, of course, an individual can live "solely" on pinto beans, however why not throw a mix together while you have the chance. Not only is it good for trading... Oh...look at the fancy colors. One could even take this recipe, layer the beans, enclose directions and give as a holiday present. to mix this recipe of beans together requires a massive bowl! I used a 5 gallon bucket from walmart. Beans will fill 1/2 of the bucket so be prepared. Again physics also prevails and all the lentils, split peas and the smaller beans go to the bottom of your mixing apparatus. When drawing from the bucket to fill your containers, make sure that you mix then draw from the bottom assuring that you have all the beans in a container. Not just the largest beans in the first container and the littlest beans in the last one.

Poor man’s meat?
At one time beans were called “poor man’s meat,” but the
sweeping interest in Mexican and Mediterranean food in
this country has taught us that beans are everybody’s food.

Folks on limited budgets should know that they can stretch their food pennies with a tasty, nutritious combination of pinto beans and corn. Such a diet is not the marginal bill of fare you might imagine, either. Rather, as generations of poor people throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States have proven, it can supply a fair amount of the body's daily requirements of vitamins and minerals and a goodly portion of the necessary proteins.

Neither beans nor corn alone, of course, is such a complete food . . . chiefly because neither is a complete protein. Beans, however, contain all the essential amino acids but one (methionine) . . . which just happens to be the amino acid that corn does have. Together, a mixture of two parts corn and one part beans is almost equal in protein quality to fresh milk. Add some fruits and vegetables to supply the vitamins and minerals that beans and corn lack and top with some real milk . . . and you've got a fairly well-balanced diet that is both tasty and very economical. The further addition of fresh wheat germ and an occasional egg should round this menu off a lot closer to nutritionally perfect than the "average" American diet without raising the total cost too many pennies.

DRIED BEANS AND CORN
Both beans and corn can be dried and kept for long periods of time with very little loss of flavor or nutritional value. Drying is a handy method of preserving the foods because the process reduces 100 pounds of either to only about 10 pounds

DRYING BEANS
After the beans have matured and dried on the vine they should be shelled, placed on the drying racks and heated to 165-180° F. for 10 to 15 minutes. This will destroy any insect eggs in the beans. If you don't want to build trays, spread the beans on a flat baking pan and put them in the oven. The beans are dry enough when they no longer stick together after you squeeze a few in your hand, or when a single bean can be pressed without moisture coming to the surface. Remove the beans from heat and let them cool.

DRYING CORN
Dried sweet corn can be used in many delightful and economical soups, breads, casseroles and stews. Select freshly gathered ears in the milk stage, ready for table use. Blanch the corn by wrapping the ears in a piece of cheesecloth or placing them in a wire basket or similar porous container, and plunging them into boiling water for 8-12 minutes to set the milk. Blanching gives the corn a thorough cleaning, removes objectionable flavors and odors, kills bacteria and softens and loosens the fiber to allow quicker and more uniform evaporation of moisture during drying. Do not blanch longer than the prescribed time or color will be lost, the starch will partially cook to a paste and—worst of all—some of the valuable nutrients will dissolve out. After blanching, drain the corn well and slice off the rows of kernels with a sharp knife. Spread the corn one layer deep on a drying rack or put it in a pan in a 130° F. oven. Gradually raise the temperature to 140° F. while stirring frequently. When the corn is hard and semi-transparent remove it from the trays and let it cool.

STORAGE CONTAINERS
When the dry beans and corn have cooled, place them in milk cartons (the wax coating makes these cartons great for storage) or some other light and insect-proof boxes, bags or cans. The containers should not be completely air-tight since the corn and beans must be allowed to "breathe" as they continue to dry in the cans.

CONDITIONING
Both beans and corn should be conditioned daily for the first 10-14 days after drying. Keep the containers open and covered only with clean, dry cloth during this time, and stir the dried products or pour them from container to container regularly. When no change in moisture content has been observed for several days, the food is ready for permanent storage.

STORAGE
After conditioning, the dried corn and beans may be sealed in the containers and stored for long periods of time if kept warm, dry, well-ventilated and protected from insects and rodents. Check the boxes, cans and/or bags from time to time and—if any dampness is found—remove the contents, dry them in a warm oven and return the corn and beans to the containers.

REVITALIZING DRIED BEANS AND CORN
Approximately three to five cups of water must be added to a recipe for every cup of dried corn or beans. Before using the dried corn, cover it with water and soak the kernels until they are swollen. Add enough water to cover the swelled kernels (if necessary), put in a bit of honey or sugar and bring the corn to a boil. Then turn the heat down and cook the corn slowly until it's almost tender. Salt, pepper and butter to taste and finish cooking. Dried corn may also be run through a food chopper and added to soups at the same time that onions and carrots are dropped into the boiling water.

Holiday Bean Soup Mix
1 pound dried black beans
1 pound dried red beans
1 pound dried kidney beans
1 pound dried navy beans
1 pound dried great northern beans
1 pound dried baby lima beans
1 pound dried large lima beans
1 pound dried pinto beans
1 pound dried green split peas
1 pound dried yellow split peas
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 pound dried green lentils
1 pound dried brown lentils

Combine beans in a very large bowl. Pour two cups of bean mix into pretty jars ( 16-oz.) jars holds two cups of bean mix. Give with the following recipe for holiday bean soup.

You could also layer the beans in the jar for prettier effect. Just put a little of each of the beans in until you fill it to the top.

Attach To Jar:
Holiday Bean Soup

Beans from jar
1 smoked ham hock
2 cans ( 14.5 oz each ) stewed tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seed

Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain beans and place in a stockpot. Add ham hoc, tomatoes, onion, garlic, bay leaf and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover & simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Serve warm. Makes 11 cups of soup.

BEAN RECIPES
Pinto beans can be prepared in a variety of mouth-watering ways. They should always be cooked a long time at a low temperature (that's the secret of making them tasty). An earthenware pot is best for this cooking method but a metal kettle can also be used with success.

PINTO BEANS
2 cups beans
10 cups water (approx.)
4 tablespoons bacon fat or 1 cup diced salt pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder salt to taste

Pick rocks, seed or bad beans from the pintos. Wash and cover with water and let the beans soak overnight. If the pintos haven't been soaked, put them over heat, bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let the beans sit for one hour before continuing with the cooking process. Add sugar and garlic to the pintos, place them over heat, cover and simmer. Throw in some bacon fat or a chunk of salt pork after the beans have cooked at least a half hour and add enough boiling water during cooking to keep the pintos covered. Depending on altitude and water softness, the total cooking time will be three to six hours. Add paprika and chili powder when the pintos are about half done and, after they've become tender, add salt and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until the seasoning has cooked into the beans and the juice has slightly thickened.

BEAN CAKES
2 cups mashed beans
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon chili powder

Mash beans with a fork and add cornmeal, salt, flour and chili powder. Stir well. Add the chopped onion and mix until well blended. If the mixture is too dry, thin it with bean juice or a small amount of water. Heat a skillet and grease it with bacon drippings. When the pan is hot, drop in the bean mixture by the spoonful and mash each cake flat with a spoon. Brown and serve.

REFRIED BEANS
Melt about three teaspoons of bacon fat for each cup of leftover beans (the fat keeps the beans from losing their flavor). Add a little flour and some chopped onions or hot chili peppers to the pintos and spoon them into the hot grease. Grated cheese may be melted into the beans just before they're taken off the fire. Serve piping hot.

CORN RECIPES
OLD FASHIONED CORNBREAD
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons bacon drippings
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 teaspoons baking powder

Measure cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and stir. Add milk, mix well, add eggs and beat thoroughly. Stir in the bacon drippings and beat again until well blended. Melt two tablespoons of fat in a heated cast iron skillet, pour the batter into the hot pan and place it in a 400° F. oven. Cook about 40 minutes, or until the cornbread is lightly browned on top. If thinner, crustier bread is desired, divide the batter into two skillets and bake it about 25 minutes.

Oral Hygiene in a SitX

2007-07-07T14:30:00.002-04:00

Oral Hygiene in a SitX

Most of us drudge to the store to purchase the brand of dentifrice which we grew up on, either weekly, monthly, or other. Todays blog will be telling the tale of humble toothpaste and how to acquire it from common stock come crunch time.

A little history first...
The early history and evolution of the toothbrush has its origin in the "chewingsticks" used by the Babylonians as early as 3500 BC. Ancient Greek and Roman literature even discusses primitive toothpicks that were chewed on to help clean the teeth and mouth.

As the years passed, toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed into and became softened and brush-like while the opposite end was pointed and used as a pick to clean food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs used were carefully chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean and freshen the mouth. The earliest literature showing the use of these twigs is found in Chinese literature at around 1600 BC.

The first true bristled toothbrush also originated in China at around 1600 AD. At around 1780, the first toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenald, England. Addis, and later, his descendants, manufactured the finest English brushes, where the handles were carved out of the bone of cattle and the heads of the natural bristles were placed in the bored holes made in the bone and kept in place by thin wire. The natural bristles were obtained from the necks and shoulders of swine, especially from pigs living in colder climates like Siberia and China.

By the early 1800s the bristled brushes were in general use in Europe and Japan. In 1857, H. N. Wadsworth was credited as the first American to receive a toothbrush patent as America entered the growing toothbrush market. In 1844, the first toothbrush was manufactured by hand and patented as a 3-row brush of serrated bristles with larger tufts by Dr. Meyer L. Rhein. In 1885, the Florence Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts, in association with Dr.Rhein, began producing the Pro-phy-lac-tic brush for mass marketing in the United States.

As technology progressed, synthetic bristles replaced the natural swine bristles. Nylon was first applied to the toothbrush at around 1938 and by 1939, electric toothbrushes arrived in an attempt to offer the public a brush that could simulate the action of a manual brush but with better results and cleaning performance.

Hard to believe, but most Americans didn't brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army's enforced habit back home from World War II. The first real electric toothbrush was produced in 1939, developed in Switzerland. The electrical toothbrush was first marketed in the United States in 1960 by Squibb. The brush was called the Broxodent. General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961. Interplak was the first rotary action electrical toothbrush for home use, introduced in 1987.

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Keep Your Teeth Clean with a Chew Stick.
Thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth with a toothbrush at least once each day. If you don't have a toothbrush, make a chewing stick. Find a twig about 20 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide. Chew one end of the stick to separate the fibers. Now brush your teeth thoroughly. Another way is to wrap a clean strip of cloth around your fingers and rub your teeth with it to wipe away food particles. You can also brush your teeth with small amounts of sand, baking soda, salt, or soap. Then rinse your mouth with water, salt water, or willow bark tea. Also, flossing your teeth with string or fiber helps oral hygiene.

If you have cavities, you can make temporary fillings by placing candle wax, tobacco, aspirin, hot pepper, tooth paste or powder, or portions of a ginger root into the cavity. Make sure you clean the cavity by rinsing or picking the particles out of the cavity before placing a filling in the cavity.
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THE INGREDIENTS OF DENTIFRICE.

Over the centuries individuals have been trying different substances for “tooth-cleaning”. People have found some that have made their teeth and gums look and feel better. Some very beneficial combinations have been formulated without any understanding of the therapeutic properties of the ingredients used.

In the material that follows I have tried to provide a little insight into the therapeutic potential of some of these substances. Properly used they equal and often surpass the formulations found in many commercial dentifrices. They many not be as tasty or as convenient to use, but they can be far superior therapeutically.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
a product used for many years by itself or in combination with other ingredients has several excellent properties. As a soft crystalline substance that dissolves readily, it has a mild abrasive potential. In solution it will kill on contact all of the motile microorganisms associated with periodontal infections, e.g. spirochetes, motile rods, etc. It will also kill other disease related bacteria. It will also neutralize and detoxify the bacterial acids and toxins that form in plaques (bacterial biofilms). I would put this inexpensive, readily available, product at the very top of the list of potentially beneficial dentifrice-ingredients.

Sodium chloride (table salt)
Like baking soda, salt has been used for many years as a dentifrice, alone or in combination. When used alone it is rather stingy and unless milled, rather grainy. It is not highly abrasive, contrary to some opinions. In solution at higher concentrations it will kill on contact all motile microorganisms associated with periodontal infections. However, its antibacterial potential, while good, is not as powerful as that of sodium bicarbonate, and it will not detoxify bacterial byproducts. In higher concentrations it will reduce edema in the gingival tissues and stimulate circulation.

Glycerin
Glycerin has an antibacterial potential, which is not well recognized. When living bacterial dental plaque is examined with a phase contrast microscope, all of the motile microorganisms (spirochetes, amoebae, motile rods, tricohmonads, etc) can be seen actively moving about. If a drop of glycerin is add to the solution in which the bacterial are living, all motility instantly ceases. In the scientific literature some of the antibacterial properties of glycerin have been described.

Hydrogen peroxide.
When hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with dentobacterial plaques, it breaks down very rapidly into oxygen and water. This breakdown, which causes the foaming action, is caused by an enzyme (catalase). This foaming action does two things: It helps to disorganize and disperse the bacterial biofilms growing on tooth surfaces, and it reveals places where bacteria are located. When used as an ingredient in dentifrices, it has little, if any, bactericidal action. It breaks down too rapidly.

Vinegar
Vinegar is another product that has been used for dental hygiene for many years. A half strength solution of vinegar (apple cider for taste) will pickle all of the motile bacteria mentioned above, and it will help to dissolve deposits of calculus. For persons whose dental hygiene does not reduce the buildup of bacterial plaques adequately, some of this buildup may harden into calculus. Brushing several time a week with a vinegar solution can help to prevent calculus formation.

Cranberry juice
Unsweetened cranberry juice can be used as mouthwash and as a solution for brushing one's teeth. It will kill all motile bacteria on contact and help to disintegrate plaques. Since it is somewhat acidic, probably it should not be used more then a few times a week. It is pleasant to use and can be swallowed. This juice can be used as a rinse and then swallowed. Brushing the teeth with cranberry juice leaves the teeth and mouth feeling very fresh and clean. After brushing one can rinse again and expectorate or swallow the juice. For the care of handicapped persons who cannot manage conventional oral hygiene measures, this could be a pleasant solution for caregivers to use. It is tasty and can be swallowed.

Neutrogena Soap (unscented)
About 25 years ago a dentist on the West Coast called my attention to the use of unscented Neutrogena soap as an ingredient in a homemade dentifrice. When a solution of this soap comes into contact with the motile microorganisms in plaques all motility ceases rapidly. To use, rub dry or moisten bristles over a bar of this soap. The unscented type tastes soapy. The scented tastes awful.

Weak solution of sodium hypochlorite (e.g. Clorox)
One teaspoon in a pint of water provides a very powerful irrigation solution (DO NOT INGEST). The taste is very unpleasant, but it can be very beneficial in the maintenance-regimen for persons who have been treated for periodontal diseases. Brushing the teeth with baking soda after using this solution will rapidly neutralize its taste. Then one can rinse with a pleasant tasting mouthwash.

There are numerous ways the ingredients mentioned above may be used alone or in combination. With their antibacterial potentials they can be very beneficial therapeutically, if properly applied to tooth surfaces and gingival crevices. They will help to control the bacterial populations that cannot be removed mechanically with irrigation, brushing, flossing, or tooth picking.

Now to combine it all...
Tooth powder recipes.

Basic Homemade Toothpowder:
Materials:

4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flavoring (vanilla, almond or peppermint extract)
Air-tight container ( This is a must! The flavoring will evaporate without it. )

Directions:
Mix the ingredients together. Be sure to cover the container with a tight-fitting lid after each use.

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Homemade Mint Toothpaste:
Materials:

6 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons glycerin
15 drops peppermint

Directions:
Mix thoroughly. Should be a tooth paste consistency.
You can add a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen for flavor.
Store in a container. You'll be surprised with how fresh your mouth feels.

One can even reuse a toothpaste container for this one.
Cut out the seal in the rear of the tube.
Rinse out the old tube.
Fill with your new toothpaste concoction!
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Old Fashioned Tooth Powder:
Materials:

2 Tbsp dried lemon or orange rind
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tsp salt

Directions:
Place rinds in food processor, grind until peel becomes a fine powder.
Add baking soda and salt then process a few seconds more until you have a fine powder.
Store in an airtight tin or jar.
Dip moistened toothbrush into mixture, brush as usual.
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Homemade Spearmint Mouthwash:
Materials:

6 ounces water
2 ounces vodka
4 teaspoons liquid glycerine
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
10-15 drops Spearmint essential oil

Directions:
Boil water and vodka, add glycerine and aloe vera gel.
Remove from the heat, let cool slightly.
Add spearmint oil, shake well.
Pour into bottle, cap tightly.
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Baking Soda Mouthwash:
Materials:

2 ounces of Water.
1/4 Teaspoon of baking soda or Sea Salt.
1 drop of Pure Peppermint Oil.
1 drop of Tea Tree oil.

Directions:
Mix thoroughly.
Pour into bottle, cap tightly.
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Hygiene can fortify an individual when humanities comforts are few.

Recycle that Brita Filter

2007-07-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

Clean waters are something we all desire, but at what cost? Currently we use the Brita on-tap water filtration system. We have used this type of system for several years without any type of problems. These units are reasonable in price, about $32.99 for the unit and one filter. Where the price jumps up to bite you is in the cost of the replacement filters,about $34.99 for 2. That's $17.50 per filter, or $.17 per gallon of water. The manufacturer rates these filters for 100 gallons,including a 3 - 5 gallon burn in time to activate the charcoal.

After religiously replacing the filter when the little red light went on, I thought to myself. Why am I throwing away this seemingly good filter? The water tastes fine, and its still clear. As it turns out there is a way to reuse the filter when the tap unit says it is dead. In the directions it states to leave the old filter off for over 3-5 minutes. This allows the unit ( called a "memo" ) to reset its timer for the replacement filter. So instead of putting on a new filtration unit just replace the old one.
Presto another 100 gallons!
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Directly from Brita Central
How long will my BRITA tap water filter cartridge last?

The tap water filter has been designed to last for an average of 3 months*. The traffic light system reminds you when the cartridge is expiring. When the cartridge is nearly exhausted the light will turn from green to amber to remind you to get your new cartridge ready. Once the cartridge has completely expired the light will go red to let you know that it is no longer working and needs to be replaced.

* Based on average usage/500 litres or 3 months. Whichever comes first.
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Considering that we use the filter only to remove the sulfur smell from the water, I take that as the signifying marker of when to replace the unit.

Health concerns...
Reusing a water filter is solely up to you! If at anytime there is an unusual smell or leaking around the faucet replace the filter immediately!!! The smell could be bacteria malingering in the unit. The leak could indicate a sediment buildup. In either case immediate replacement is recommended. I try to use a filter four times before discarding it, gaining an extra mile out of the filters which are only recommended for replacement every three months. Knocking my cost per gallon down to $.04.
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Water in its purist form feeds the mind, as well as the body.

Edible Day Lilies

2007-06-30T15:32:00.000-04:00

The Incredible Edible Day Lily.

The other day in the garden I noticed that the lily were up and fecund in their proliferation. Having to mow around the damn things all the time really got my goat.

Dialing into the "wayback" machine I remembered that one could eat of the lily, I decided to pluck a few pods and a few blossoms to try them myself. I carefully picked the choicest blossoms in full sun, any blossom that was wilted or looked otherwise "ugly" was skipped. I washed the blossoms and pods and took a nibble of this wild plant... It was delicious sort of a cross between a lettuce and a radish sort of well.. spicy, a spicy lettuce then. Next the pod. The same reaction! this was a fine tasting plant indeed! Each time the entire blossom or pod was eaten. I can just imagine it sprucing up a dandelion salad with its happy orange blossoms!

Stalking the wild lily stand..
On my way to work I noticed several patches of lily free standing in the wild along the roadside. These were back a bit from the road, but not hard to get to at all. They would be back far enough to not bear the brunt of the road crew and close enough to be readily picked without any discomfort.

Posted Notes.
If you run across "Posted" signs, invariably nowadays you will, take down the name and number of the owner. Give him or her a call and ask them if it would be alright to forage on their property. Usually trading garbage clean up for a little foraging will go along way. Try to start out with the benefit to the owner( cleanup ), then swing the conversation to your needs. Most of the time the owner will want to have the unsightly debris picked up at no cost to them, a true bonus for you.

Another great place to wander is on State Game Lands or Federal Forest Lands. Check with the state offices first to see if foraging without a permit is allowed, or if it isn't see how much a foraging permit costs.

AS ALWAYS IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF IDENTIFICATION OF WILD PLANTS, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION!

Now for the technical errata.
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Science Content.....

Day Lily Nutrition Facts

Day Lily (per 100g)
Hemerocallis fulva

Calories 42
Protein 2g
Fat .4g
Calcium 87mg
Phosphorus 176mg
Iron 1.2mg
Sodium 24mg
Potassium 170mg
Vitamin A 3,000 I.U.
Thiamin .16mg
Riboflavin .21mg
Niacin .8mg
Vitamin C 88mg

Day lily buds, raw (per 100g)
Hemerocallis fulva

Calories 42
Protein 2g
Fat 0.0g
Calcium 87mg
Phosphorus 176mg
Iron 1.2mg
Sodium 0.0mg
Potassium 0.0mg
Vitamin A 3,000 I.U.
Thiamin .16mg
Riboflavin .21mg
Niacin .08mg
Vitamin C 88mg

Weed Nutrition
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Cooking with wild edibles
Please Do Eat the Day lilies

Both the buds and the blossoms of day lilies are edible, a fact I regrettably learned only after I had dug out numerous flowering clusters encroaching on my lawn. But now I get a kick out of astonishing friends when I casually pluck a daylily "bean" from their backyard patch, and take a bite. Next thing you know, they're inviting me to gather a handful, which I'm happy to add to my next stir-fry. And they're happy to know that when the vivid flowers bloom, they will make a sweet-spicy bonus in the kitchen.

Day lilies are a common garden plant that have "gone wild." They're found throughout most parts of the United States from late spring through summer, often near sunny fields, roadsides and empty lots.

Buds are distinguished from the plant's non-edible fruits by their layered interiors. Choose smallish buds that are just beginning to open and cook them as you would beans: boil and serve them with butter or add chilled, tender-cooked buds to salads. Or, if you happen upon a spicy batch (they're typically mild-flavored, like beans or zucchini), stir-fry them with Asian flavors.

Day lily buds will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but the delicate flowers (trumpet-shaped blooms that grow in multiples on a leafless stalk) should be consumed the same day they are picked; they are very short-lived. You can add the petals to egg dishes, soups and salads, or dip whole flowers in batter and deep-fry them, as you would squash blossoms.

Day lily Recipes
Orange and Ginger Glazed Day lily Buds
Tapioca in Day lily Blossom Cups

If you’re planning a hunt...

..check with the appropriate authority before setting out. Foraging restrictions vary on public lands, and on private property you must get the owner’s permission. Reference a reputable field guide book, preferably one that’s specific to your region, or apprentice with an experienced hunter. Never eat a wild plant you can’t positively identify. And please, don’t get greedy: pick only a portion of what you find, to allow the plants to replenish themselves for next year.

In case you can't find enough in the wild or at the market, we've provided substitute ingredients for each recipe.

When you get home, take care to thoroughly clean your cache. Tender greens, especially, should be rinsed well under or in cold water and often require several washings. Dry them in cotton or paper towels and keep them chilled in plastic bags. This will help prevent loss of moisture and vitamins, but not for long--most wild greens decline after a couple of days.

If you’re new to a particular wild edible, make your first serving a small one. As with any food, allergic reactions are rare, but possible.

Finally, whether you gather, grow or purchase the wild foods of spring, get them now, for all too soon, they’ll be gone.

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Nature's bounty used wisely will never mutiny...

SOCK BATH

2007-06-23T12:13:00.001-04:00

Awhile back Jim over at Bison mentioned about saving soap chips.

"A use for soap scraps. Place several in a wash cloth, tie shut ( plastic security tie? ) and wet and use like a scrubber. I once saved three years worth of soap scraps and couldn’t think of a use for them. Now I can save again, as I hate wasting anything."

Instead of using a washcloth why not try an old nylon stocking. Tie the bad part of the stocking shut and fill her up with soap scraps. This will lighten the load if you are packing, the nylon scrubs you gently, and it air drys almost instantly instead of having a sopping wet mess to deal with when it comes time to head out of camp. The nylon can be easily be tied ( with a knot )at the long end and sways in the breeze. I used this method while hiking in NM to the chagrin of fellow hikers who spent several dollars on soap caddies.

Another variation is to use a lost mate sock in the same principle. However I would turn the sock inside out to maximize scrubbing.

Watch out for hotels in your area going out of business or changing hands. Inevitably they will be changing shower products to standardize with home office. you can pick up all the little bars of soap and shampoo you could ever use!

Be wary of a clean man in the middle of a mud fight...

The Ubiquitous Kerchief

2007-06-23T11:53:00.000-04:00

You've probably one in your pocket right now. Thats right your instant first aid kit. Just think of all the times it was the first thing you grabbed in an emergency. Why when walking in the woods you sometimes carry two just in case.

From keeping the sun off your neck, to keeping all of your blood inside where it belongs lets not forget the usefulness of the handkerchief!

We made these kerchiefs or cravats out of feed bag material when it was still cloth like. You remember, your sister had a dress made out of them. They had floral prints and were made of soft quality cotton material. Nowadays most material within my price range is stiff and thin. Useless for a utilitarian item such as a hankie.

Over the counter hankies are great for tooting our snoot, however if you need to put your arm in a sling, make a stretcher, or tie up a splint a homemade cravat is your obvious choice. The cravat must be made out of a medium weight material, ( you can cut two from the back of a nice goodwill name brand long sleeve casual shirt the largest you can get. ) since it must withstand anything you could throw at it. Also it must wash soft, i.e. imagine wearing a burlap sack against your skin for days at a time.

Square cravats take up more material, but are stronger, and thicker. Triangle cravats are just one half of the square, are thinner, and standard in a first aid kit. If you are going to make kerchief and cravats I would make several types of each to carry on your person, and also to put in your emergency kit replacing the inferior lightweight type included in the kit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO MAKE A CRAVAT / KERCHIEF.

Time to complete:
unhemmed triangle kerchief - 30 minutes
hemmed triangle kerchief - 2 hours

Supplies:

Fabric:
A 30 inch square of medium to light-weight fabric for the boy's kerchief. A 33 to 36 inch square of medium to light-weight fabric for the girl's kerchief. The square may be cut diagonally to produce two triangular scarves. A checked material with small, even, woven checks is appropriate, and easy to measure and cut.

Scissors

Fabric glue, sewing machine, or needle and thread

Background:

Working men wore kerchiefs tied around their necks. Wealthier men wore a neck cloth, which was like a cravat, or a stock. They might wear a kerchief for informal occasions. The kerchief was folded or cut into a triangle, and worn either on top of the shirt collar or underneath it. It was tied in a double knot at the front of the neck. They could be made of dark or light colored material, some had polka dots or checks, and some were printed with pictures or designs. They could be made of homespun, or expensive silk. They often had a woven border the way kerchiefs do today. But whether he was feeding animals or going to church, the working man would wear a kerchief.

Women wore kerchiefs folded or cut into a triangle, over their shoulders, and pinned to, or tucked in their front. They wore them for warmth, and for fashion. Poor women and rich women all wore kerchiefs. The kerchief could be made out of a material so fine that it was translucent and edged with lace, or it could be made of wool for warmth. A utilitarian kerchief would be made of linen or cotton. It might be solid colored, or checked. White or light colored kerchiefs were the most common, but blue, brown, and red or orange-red were also popular. Women's kerchiefs also might have a woven border. Women did not always wear kerchiefs. They might not wear them working, or for very dressy occasions. But usually they wore both a kerchief and an apron.

Directions:

1. Cut a square of cloth. Cut as straight and as smoothly as possible.

2. To make two triangles, fold the square across the diagonal. Make a line for cutting the diagonal by ironing the diagonal fold, or marking it with a pencil. Cut as straight and smoothly as possible.

3. The kerchief can be left unhemmed. If you want to continue to wash and use the kerchief it should be hemmed. A 1/8 inch, hand-sewn narrow hem would be the most authentic. Do not hem selvedge edges. Make the smallest hem that you can in all of the raw edges. Glue or sew the hem down.

4. In the 18th century, people sometimes cross-stitched their initials in a kerchief's corner.

Directions courtesy of www.1771.org
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Help is only a triangle away.

Pizza Dough Surprise

2007-06-23T11:14:00.001-04:00

I finally went out and broke the bank.

After pondering about what it would be like to have a bread machine (for rising and baking bread in the oven turns out much like my microwave popcorn.) for several weeks and seeing the cost of bread recently i was delighted to receive one as a birthday present. well of course the first thing i did was stampede out to the store to buy a ready boxed mix at $1.86 to $2.09 per box. So now my bread was costing $2.41 with electricity for baking. WOW thats the cost of a "gourmet" loaf of bread, there had to be a better way.

A friend at a local pizza shop suggested that i take their old dough and freeze it (they throw it away by the tens of pounds at the end of the week). Basically free bread now only costing $.32 per loaf to bake it in the machine. I don't have to purchase the flour, mix it, knead it, i have to just slap the ball of thawed dough into the machine and off it churns away to make me fluffy fresh bread. Of course you don't have to make bread out of the dough, you could make a Stromboli, or even just plain pizza.

So in the end i learn about bread making in the modern age, the understanding of how it works today will help me retrofit the skill later.

Some from scratch bread machine recipes.
Breadmaker.net
Better Homes and Gardens Bread Machine Recipes

Its always better to start these from scratch, the bread machine will do most all the work. The modern machines do require that you layer the ingredients in a certain order to make the best of your loaf.

Experimenting today, becomes experience tomorrow.

Tube Squeezer

2007-06-21T22:06:00.001-04:00

This is a neat little item I found in the checkout isle at Walmart. It reminds me of the days that a wooden non-spring clothes pin would do the trick, or even a piece of dowel rod to roll out the last drop of product. Of course if you purchase this item attempt to do it at the least expense, not the MSRP listed here!

Tube Squeezer

Survival tomorrow begins with living frugally today.

Cream of "X" Soup

2007-06-21T18:07:00.000-04:00

Ran across this recipe awhile back, I always keep some in stock and handy. This is a great little mix to throw in your B.O.B. and will enhance the eating enjoyment of any fare you care to put in.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cream of "Anything" Soup Mix
Compliments of Budget101.com

4 c. powdered milk
1 1/2 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. instant chicken bouillon granules
4 tsp. dried onion flakes
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp basil - crushed dried
1 tsp. pepper

Measure all ingredients into a Ziploc Bag. Shake well, transfer to vacuum seal bag, seal and store up to a year.

To Use:
1/3 C mix
1 C water
Cook over low/med heat until thickened.

Variations: add 1/2 c. minced or chopped *_________*

*Choose One*:
Onions, Mushrooms, Asparagus, Broccoli, Celery, Cooked Chicken, Diced Potatoes, Tomato, Cooked Shrimp, etc.

Use as you would in any Cream of "Anything" Recipe

Solar Heater

2007-06-21T11:09:00.000-04:00

SOLAR HEATER
Yesterday I reverted back to norm and ran around in circles and started screaming about the sky falling after Peak Oil hit us. Today I’ll try to take it a little easy on you. Since I covered cheap AC, how about cheap heat? It is not a total answer, not a “replace my oil furnace” type of heat. Just a “keep you alive in the winter if marauding bandits burned down your outhouse and the woods caught fire and there is no wood to burn” type of heat. It’s not even my idea, so don’t blame me if it doesn’t work. A kind reader, not content to simple read the same drivel about the same old crap, forwarded an article about a simple $300 solar heater from, of all places if you can possibly believe it but I didn’t until I saw the picture from the cover but I still rubbed my eyes in astonishment and felt the cold chill of death crawl up my spine since this could only mean that Hell itself had froze over and all the liberal Communist tree-hugging Gore vomited hype about global warming had been a foul lie, Mother Earth News.
*
Yes, the same magazine that focuses on Southern California Hollywood pukes insulating their twenty thousand square foot house, not because it ever gets cold there but to insulate their tender pink skin from the scorching 70 degree heat as well as having the added benefit of keeping the noise of the non-electric vehicles and the unemployed non-Yuppie types kept to a minimum. And of course these same people must have at least fifty thousand dollars worth of PV panels on their roof so they can power up their alarm systems to notify the private security guards that are actually armed with firearms unlike the rest of the comrades in the Peoples Republic Of Kalifornia, who may decide to buy a stolen 38 special from the turn of two centuries ago but if they ever defend themselves against an escaped felon armed with a fully automatic machine gun and having the fresh blood of his last victim still dripping off of his chin, well, not only will the state prosecute him and toss him in prison for life with actual criminals, if by some miracle he has the money to hire a defense attorney from the OJ Simpson team and gets out before he is sodomized and dies from AIDS he will still face a civil lawsuit from the relatives of the alleged felon who although they are all illegal immigrants still can win the lawsuit because our lawyers must not under any circumstances including nuclear war be faced with unemployment and so it is perfectly fine to smear the Constitution with their body wastes and then burn it.
*
In case you are wondering, I think Mother Earth News is a total fish wrap, but once in awhile the clouds part and a divine voice from on high proclaims they will present a decent article of self reliance. The author of the article took a separate building, a garage or workroom, and covered the south side with five or six panels of plastic sheets to heat the building rather than use his propane heater. Actually I don’t know if it was a total replacement or just enough to keep the gas bill down, but it doesn’t matter. For three hundred dollars you could buy ten refills on your five gallon propane canister, or you could heat your building forever more. Who cares if the heat never approached the BTU rating of oil or gas. It is free after the initial investment. But more importantly, in any kind of emergency or disruption of supply, it will keep you alive. Sure, at night you need to dive under a stack of wool blankets or comforters and it will be hell in the morning getting out of bed to a cold house, but that’s your own damn fault for living in a conventional stick built house with almost no insulation that takes three quarters of your income for thirty years to pay off instead of digging a big hole, driving a cargo van down into it, ferro-cementing the whole thing and covering back up with dirt for a constant fifty degrees inside and possibly sixty if you burn a few bear fat lamps. You know the oil is running out and you still are living in a conventional home and commuting to work. But aren’t we all. I don’t commute but I sure burn the fossil fuels to keep it livable in my trailer in winter. We’re all guilty, so in the future the solar heater is all any of us will have.
*
The solar heater is a frame of wood on the outside of the building, laid over the pattern of the wall wood frame. You cut a intake hole at the bottom, and one at the top. A few inches tall, from 2x4 to 2x4 of the wall frame. On the outside, the new frame is covered by the sheets of plastic ( looks like the tin sheet but made of semi-transparent plastic ). Laid on the old outside wall are sheets of black metal screen. Seal it all up. It can be one section, one foot wide by six tall, or multiple sheets side by side. Ideally you want to cover the entire south facing wall. The cold air from inside the dwelling is drawn in at the bottom, rises up and is heated by the sun coming through the plastic and hitting the black metal. The warm air goes back into the building in the top opening. No outside air gets in, so the air is constantly heated and forced inside. This is a variation of my old solar heating article, from the excellent publication Dollars From Sunshine. A trough is built, if from nothing else an old door. Put sheet metal on it, paint it flat black. On the edges, place raised wood, such as 1x1’s. Put a sheet of glass over the raised wood. Have an opening at top. Place at an angle, up against a south facing window, the opening in the raised window. Close the window at sundown. Hot air during sunny days.
*
The wall mounted unit has its advantages though. Number one, no one can easily steal it. Number two for the spoiled trophy wife Barbie Princess of the family, it looks neat and clean rather than trashy and junky. Three, it is easier to shut it down after the sun is gone. You just close off a small wall hole rather than manhandling the whole unit away from the window. Of course, it won’t get quite as much sun. The window unit can have reflectors and works at a slant. I like the original concept, but the new MEN article type might float your boat instead. Presented here for your information. If you don’t like it, cancel your subscription to MEN and send that money to me where I will keep visions of sugar plumbs and bolt action war surplus rifles dancing in your head. And please, keep in mind these kinds of projects need to be done before any kind of energy emergency hits. In the 1970’s after the oil shock, insulation was almost impossible to get once everyone else had the same idea. The same will happen with solar heat materials. And, think about replacement plastic or glass in storage. One wind swept particle or one small bullet will kill your heater and Lowe’s will be closed.
END
you know the drill-buy all my crap, and Amazon's. www.bisonpress.com

posted by James m Dakin at 6:05 AM

The Right Idea

2007-06-20T22:36:00.000-04:00

A Buffalo, NY man lives in the solitary confines of his underground man made bunker.
Man lives in underground bunker

Starting Fire with a Condom

2007-06-20T11:48:00.000-04:00

Could not believe it myself!

Check it out here:
How to with pictures.

And the live action version here:
Live action grass fire.

Notice how he starts the fire, THEN places the rock ring as an afterthought while the grass fire is spreading.

IT’S THE ENERGY, STUPID

2007-06-20T11:43:00.001-04:00

IT’S THE ENERGY, STUPID
Ah, President Clinton. What a guy! The luckiest SOB to ever rule these fair shores. I would rather shove rusty yet still sharp razor blades up my southern hemispheric body orifice than ever say anything nice about the bastard, but he sure had it good. Oh, sure, he gutted the military and raped the Social Security fund to make the economy function. But more than that the policies of former prez Reagan paid off for him in the form of really cheap and affordable oil. It wasn’t the economy, stupid ( as his saying went ), it is the energy.
*
My adopted special needs reader, my personally appointed heckler, made a comment. Don’t you have anything good to say about this country? Okay, here it is officially. America has one of the most liberal sets of gun laws around. But his main beef was my suggesting that you buy foreign made products instead of American made. So I say to him ( cover your eyes if you‘re underage or turn pink with embarrassment at profanity ), who’s my bitch now? Thank you for the article idea. That’s at least the second one you’ve given me. It doesn’t matter who makes the crap we buy, at least not at this point. From a national security standpoint, it is strategically asinine to give up any sector of the economy that strengthens you militarily ( which would include manufacturing and agriculture ). From an economic point it doesn’t matter in the slightest. Why? Because it is about energy, not economics.
*
I love my job, at least as much as you can like any pointless activity that consumes ten hours a day. Not only is there no stress, not only can I go dumpster diving every day I work since I am tasked with taking the garbage trailer to the dump, not only do I get all the bread products I want, I can also allow my mind to drift while driving. This morning I am driving along and it suddenly hits me. It’s the energy, stupid! Here I spent the last few decades wrestling with the question was an information economy as viable as a manufacturing one. It doesn’t really matter. A Chinaman can make and sell a stainless steel knife for about a buck in bulk purchase pricing and walk away with a nice profit. The company in this country can buy it for a buck and sell it for five, the four buck profit having as much buying power as the Chinese profit. Everybody wins, including the consumer. If the item was made in America, it would retail for five to ten times as much, the company would make no extra profit due to sales volumes falling and the consumer would get screwed. The only winner would be Union workers. That wouldn’t be bad if we were all Union and all made their wages, but as it stands now only a small minority of workers get those benefits. My supporting them does nothing to strengthen this country as a whole.
*
By buying foreign you still provide American jobs. They just pay a rate more in line with global wages. Sad but true. The government encouraged factory jobs to move overseas, starting fifty years ago with Japanese steel. We subsidized them at the expense of our own producers in order to bribe the Japanese to stay out of the Communists camp. So don’t wave the flag and call me unpatriotic by not buying American. Our own government screwed over our manufacturing sector for short term gains. Save the jingoistic blabbering for convincing young kids they need to go over and get slaughtered in Iran, chocking on the depleted uranium rounds dust we put in our own munitions. People like me telling the truth are not as dangerous as our own government, so wake up.
*
Two world wars did not defeat the British Empire. The common excuse is that two wars bankrupted them. Well, why didn’t it bankrupt Russia? She came out of fighting both wars better than ever. Why? She had a butt load of oil. England went from the worlds greatest economy to a crippled has-been largely due to lack of oil. Her coal mines made her great in Victorian times, lack of oil killed her economy later. North Sea oil rejuvenated her to some extent but the damage had already been done. Her seed corn had been consumed. And we are following in her footsteps. Look, don’t write me and curse me out. Oil addiction will be our undoing. That doesn’t make me hate our country, just its choices. I admire all the British have done, but the sad fact is they are over and done as a power. We will be as soon as the oil reserves drop low enough. Energy surplus is what an economy is about. Without it your economy sucks.
*
If it functions at all. Life is energy. Manufacturing is not important. Information economic activity is not important. Energy is important. As soon as it become too dear, both the Chinese manufacture who needs cheap ocean transportation and the US service economy which needs cheap Interstate transportation are equally screwed. Even if we still had all of our manufacturing, even if we still were 100% food self-sufficient ( I’m not sure that we are, but a topic for another day ), when energy becomes dear instead of cheap ( gas is still under the price of the equivalent unit of milk, a local item ) it doesn’t matter. Game over. All this senseless economic activity is to keep us too busy to revolt and keep a minority in power and profits. It isn’t necessary by any means. We would still be on our own dirt farms if it was profitable to the banks and politicians. So stop focusing on all of our goods being made in China, it only matters as long as the oil is abundant. Failing that, what and where for our consumer goods manufacturing origin is not very important.
*
We could go from a service economy today to a telecommuting economy tomorrow. Or everyone being a vacuum cleaner salesman. It wouldn’t matter. As long as the cheap energy was available. Granted, economic activity dictates being able to secure energy. But the ability to become economically and militarily powerful is first contingent on a good oil supply. We had that, we advanced. No amount of other factors would have helped. Japan rose to power without energy, but it was a time of global oversupply and she was able to finesse the system to her advantage. That can’t happen in a scarcity situation. And she never would have become a global superpower without the oil. Same with Germany and even England. Coal and oil geopolitics are two separate animals.
*
Forget paper currencies, trade deficits, economic activity. The answer is in energy supply.
END
buy books, buy stuff www.bisonpress.com

daily survival blog

2007-06-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

The daily survival blog, Bison Survival Blog, www.bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com

FRUGAL AIR CONDITIONING

Remember when you were a young teenager? You had just gotten a license to partake in using up the last of the earth's resources in metal and petroleum in order to aimlessly wander around and try to impress your friends with a brand spanking new automobile. Actually, judging from fighting the traffic past the High School in the mornings it looks like parents are trying to out perform the Jones' by equipping their spawn with the latest and greatest ( well, as good as it gets for American sheet metal ) from Detroit in order to make themselves look good. Oooooh!!! Look at me. I'm Mr. Big Shot Hot To Trot Super Lawyer Yuppie Bastard. I can afford to give my irresponsible, long hair hippie drug using pants hanging past his ass crack mascara wearing son a thirty thousand dollar vehicle so his lazy carcass doesn't have to pedal a bike three miles to school like a dirty lower class poor proletarian swine. Now, in theory, if Dad isn't as worthless as the son or as big of a canker on the rectal wall of society like most Yuppie's are, he will warn him before he gets behind the wheel.

Don't drive too fast. Don't pick up stray tramps from the other side of the tracks ( Yuppie tramps are okay-their families have the medical insurance to combat VD ). Don't drink and drive. So what happens? Junior, once thought to be first in line to the family fortune, now totally and beyond doubt proves how idiotic he is and gets plastered while being pleasured by a syphilitic whore, goes driving into a telephone pole at ninety miles an hour. The moral of the story, listen to those older and wiser than you. Now, I know, you know, and Ross Perot knows that almost none of you listen to me. You are reliving your teenage years all over again. You are living in a two hundred thousand dollar house, driving a thirty grand SUV, stock MRE's and I am sure that after you get done reading Rawles Survival Blog you go into your subterranean lair and caress your two thousand dollar semi-automatic battle rifle. Yes. Yes, my pretty. Soon. Soon we will emerge and rule the world. You and me, my love. You will be my queen! I would make sweet love to you now, but unfortunately your seven millimeter orifice is too large for my manhood.

So, I figure, you need a break from my incessant chatter on cutting back expenses and living a cruel existence of deprivation and misery surrounded by a sea of plenty. I'm going to take pity on you today and throw you a bone. Instead of being forced to live on the front porch for half the year to get a bit of shade and a breeze, how about some real air conditioning? Not mechanical. We still need to concern ourselves with the grid crashing and the oil running out. But air conditioning nonetheless. And no water is needed, so desert dwellers can partake in this luxury. You don't even need to have an underground home. I should have written about this sooner, but I was in the grip of a cold winter ( for here, anyway ) and I was focused on warm, not cool. I first ran across this idea when I read "How To Live Without Electricity, And Like It" ( of course available through my Amazon books page www.bisonpress.com ). But the Internet is full of articles on it. Just do a search on underground cooling tubes.

The directions on utilizing a small ( 50x50 ) yard and getting maximum cooling from it are a bit more expensive than I care for, about a thousand dollars. Essentially you rent a trencher and make a lot of ditches and bundle pipe together, maximizing the surface of pipe that is exposed to the cool ground. If you take the average winter temperature at your location and the average summer temperature and average them you get the year round ground temperature. In other words, thirty in winter and seventy in summer equal fifty degrees ground temp. All the time. This is the temperature air you can draw in the summer. So almost any area outside of Florida and south Texas will give you under 72 degree cool air for the summer. But even there, eighty in the house is better than 100. The fancy way costs almost a thousand bucks. You're talking almost eight hundred feet of pipe to get a house to feel like a meat packing plant. Of course, it is a one time expense, and electrical costs are only going to go up. It seems a shame for anyone who has at least a fifty by fifty foot yard not to do this. You might even be able to get just one summer to pay for itself. But let's talk about the cheaper way. Under a hundred bucks.

If you own a small dwelling, say a trailer of a shack, this is perfect. Take at least a four inch PVC pipe and bury it at least four feet down for at least a hundred feet. The outside pipe rises from the ground to a higher level than the inside pipe. You have a U shape. Straight down into the ground, turn toward the house and running towards it underground, then up into the house. Make sure to paint to keep the pipe from becoming sun damaged. Screen the intake and find a way to keep the rain out. When you want to stop the process have a cap to place over the intake pipe. Air is drawn in from the pipe, travels down the earth cooled pipe, and enters the building much colder than when it entered. A natural cooling tube, without electricity. Can you get much simpler? Sure, the digging is going to suck. But then you only need to buy pipe, not rent a back hoe or ditch witch. If you don't like the idea of digging, at least buy the pipe and store it. One day you might have no choice if you want cooling. And of course don't neglect shade and insulation. One pipe does not equal a big AC unit. More likely a few rotary fans.

END