Hope your gardens are doing well.
If you haven't started yet, it's not too late to start.
Most everything is safe to plant now. Hopefully we
won't need the wall-of-water on our plants any longer.

BREAD MAKING
Here is a site for those of you that wanted to watch
 an easy video on making bread.  This one is using hard
 white wheat flour but you can use which ever kind you
want to.  It's just a nice basic video in a normal
 kitchen setting.
http://everydayfoodstorage.net/wonders-of-bread

Wonders of Whole Wheat Bread

everydayfoodstorage.net

Learn how to use your food storage wheat to make delicious bread!

 You'll be amazed at how easy and delicious it can be

This would be my grandson wanting to eat the giant loaf his mother

just made.

Want to try a warm drink that isn't chocolate?

I really like Stephen's gourmet French Vanilla

Hot chocolate. Here's a drink similar to that.

3/4 cup water

1 rounded tsp. honey

a couple drops vanilla

3 rounded Tbsp. dry milk

Heat water in microwave about 45

seconds or until hot. Stir in remaining

ingredients and stir. Adjust honey and

milk to desired sweetness and richness.



















Thinking about gardens yet?

It's that time of year again to be thinking about your

garden. Make a plan of what

you want to plant and start getting ready. Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach

and such will be the first things that need to get planted; probably about the end of

this month if we don't have snow on the ground still.

It's Apple time once again. If you want a good recipe for

Apple Pie Filling, look under canning and find the

Apple Pie recipe using Clear Jel A. It's a

yummy one.

Basic Disaster Kit

Here is the list recommended by FEMA for your 72 hour kit.

* 3 day supply of non-perishable food

* 3 day supply of water-one gallon of water per person per day

* portable, battery powered radio or television and extra batteries

* flashlight and extra batteries

* first aid kit and manual

* sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper)

* matches and waterproof container

* whistle

* extra clothing

* kitchen accessories and cooking utensils, including a can opener

* photo copy of credit and identification cards

* cash and coins

* special needs items such as, prescriptions, eye glasses, contact solution

hearing aid batteries

* other items to meet your unique family needs

If you live in a cold climate, you must think about warmth.

It is possible that you will not have heat. Think about your

clothing and bedding supplies. Be sure to include one complete

change of clothing and shoes per person. Including:

* jacket or coat

* long pants

* long sleeve shirt

* sturdy shoes

* hat, mittens, and scarf

* sleeping bag or warm blanket (per person)

Be sure to account for growing children and other family changes.

Change stored food and water every six months and replace them

with fresh supplies. Keep items in airtight plastic bags and place in

an easy to carry container: back pack, duffel bag,, etc. Keep in a place

where temperature is cool. Re-think your needs every year.

****************************************************

This list will need to be adapted to your own family needs.

Remember you have to carry it or pull it, so go light as possible.

If it is winter you will most likely already have a jacket or coat

on when you leave your house. It's a good idea to keep a pair

of gloves or mittens in your coat pocket.

A little time preparing now, saves many hours of worry, later.

Happy preparing!

It's Tomato Time

For all of you who love to do your own spaghetti sauce,

here is some important information for you.

ALL SPAGHETTI SAUCE NEEDS TO BE PROCESSED

IN A PRESSURE CANNER NOT WATER-BATH. The FDA

has removed all recipes for spaghetti sauce from the water-bath

way of canning due to the acidic level of the tomatoes. I realize that

you may have done your favorite recipe for many years without any

issues but we have been told that the tomatoes we are able to get are

much lower in acid than they used to be. It's best not to take a chance.

Also, there shouldn't be more than one cup of cooking oil to 30 pounds

of tomatoes. Here is one safe recipe for this area:

30 lbs tomatoes, peeled quartered, cored (15 quarts)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery OR green peppers

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

2 Tablespoons oregano

4 Tablespoons minced parsley

2 teaspoons black pepper

4 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Boil tomatoes for 20 minutes, uncovered in a large

saucepan. Stir as needed to prevent sticking. Press

through a food mill or sieve. Saute onions, celery or

green pepper and mushrooms (if desired) in vegetable

oil until tender. Combine with tomatoes, spices, salt,

and sugar; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring

frequently, until thick enough for serving. (The volume

should be reduced by nearly one half.) Pour into hot jars,

leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place lids and rings. Process

in PRESSURE CANNER at 12 1/2 pounds pressure.

20 minutes for pints

25 minutes for quarts

Makes about 9 pints.

CAUTION: Do not increase the proportion of onions,

peppers, or mushrooms.

for Spaghetti sauce with meat add 2 1/2 pounds

of sauteed ground beef or sausage to above recipe

leaving 1 inch head space.

Process pints: for 60 minutes, quarts for 70 minutes

*Tomato helps:

53 pounds tomatoes to a bushel

1 quart cut up tomatoes =2 pounds

1 pint cut up tomatoes = 1 pound

*Stewed Tomatoes also need to be processed in a Pressure canner.

Happy and safe canning.

What kind of wheat is best to store?

I heard someone ask what the difference was between hard and soft wheat. Hard wheat is what you want for your

long-term storage, it stores much longer. Hard wheat also has a higher gluten and is best for bread

Variety	Protein	Best Use(s)
Hard red spring , Hard red winter & Hard white spring	11-15%	bread flour (high gluten)
Soft red winter, Soft white winter & Soft white spring	9-12%	pasta, cake, biscuit, cracker, and pastry flours (low gluten)