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Feeding our families healthy food at a good price is always a parents concern. With the rising food and energy crises in the world prices are jumping sharply. While we have seen the increase in food prices in North America it is the developing countries that have been hit the hardest. In North Korea the price of rice is up 186% since April 2007, its overall food price has soared 70%. In Pakistan wheat is up 66% and it’s overall food price has gone up 35%. Many countries are in a similar or worse position and I believe that it will soon be affecting our families more. The bulk store/flour mill I buy from has been affected by the grain prices. For years I had been able to by a 10 kg bag of unbleached white flour for about 4.50, this was half the price the grocery stores charged and the flour was much fresher. Now the same bag is almost 12.00 and the price of name brand flour in the grocery store is around 15.00 for 10kg. It is not only wheat that has been effected but all grains including corn and rice. Many areas of the world have been hit by repeated years of drought and now much of the grain crop in Africa is being damaged by a new stem rust Ug99. The rising prices of grains will effect all areas of our food. As rabbit farmers we have seen the price of our feed jump. Many farmers are dumping pigs and other livestock on the market because of the high price of feed. This is causing a temporary surplus in meat and lowering prices farther. However in a year or so we could see a sharp jump in the price of meat due to both feed cost and a shortage of supply. The best way to find out how venerable your family is to food supply inflation is to ask your self some questions. When most people think about food we tend to think : Am I hungry? What sounds good? What will it cost me? But we need to get much deeper then that. Where does your food come from? Try thinking about the individual items you buy. Where does the tomatoes and lettuce come from? What about your bread, potatoes and other staples? How much of your food comes from your garden? How much does your garden produce? Keeping a garden journal is a huge help here. A small investment in seeds often under 20.00 will return hundreds of dollars in fresh, healthy vegetables for your families table. In your garden journal record what varieties you planted and were. Keep notes on what mulch you used, what the weather was like and how many pounds of harvest you had. Your journal will help you to see what varieties grow and produce best in your location . How much food do you eat in a year? According to the FDA Americans eat 1500 pounds of food per person each year. Do you know were the local farm markets and stands are? While many of our family farms have disappeared, taken over by large factory farms. There has been a resurgence in fruit stand, farmers markets, pick your owns and CSA’s. Find out what is in your area and take advantage of what they offer! Like produce from your own garden it will be much fresher and use less natural resources (transportation and preservation) then items purchased across the country or across the ocean. How much food could your family produce? If you put in a little more time in the garden, how much would your production rise? What about grinding your own flour, baking your own bread, canning and freezing your harvest. All of these things will increase your families food supplies. Does your community work together? Many areas have empty lots, try working together to start community gardens. Working together shares the work load and will increase the amount of potential harvest. It helps neighbours to form close bonds and keeps young people busy and out of trouble. How large is your pantry? Lets suppose that a natural or economic disaster cut off your normal ability to shop how long could you feed your family on what is in your house right now? With world wheat stores at it’s lowest in a decade and prices jumping, countries putting export bands on grains so they can feed their own people each of us should be prepared. Keeping a pantry is not a fad thing nor is it a crazy thing. It is a very practical thing to do and our grandmothers before us relied heavily upon them. A few years ago a major black out hit the Eastern USA and Canada, some areas were with out power for days. Many people lost everything in there freezers (that’s why I prefer canning), people who had gas in there cars were driving long distances hoping to find ice. Not only for there freezers but the temperatures were in the high 90’s F. Most gas bars were shut down, you can’t pump gas with out electricity and generators were almost impossible to find. Many people had little food in the house because they like to shop every day and had no way to cook. Grocery stores were forced to destroy there supplies of meat, dairy and frozen items along with much produce. I remember it was weeks before the stores started to be normally stocked again. Why did it take so long? Because it was a wide spread problem! ALL the stores needed to be restocked, so supply was limited. These things really do happen! Maybe not every day but we still need to be ready when it does. How much energy does it take to produce your food? It takes a small amount of labour to care for a well planned garden. But commercially prepared food takes 10 kcal of energy to produce just 1 kcal of food, not including home cooking energy. That means that the USA food production system uses 10 times more energy then it produces in food energy. This is only sustainable while fossil fuels are cheep. Making a huge difference in your families food bill and health is not as hard as it may sound. Even in a small lot or patio you can use intensive method to get high yields. Wide rows, square food gardening, mulching are all things that help to reduce the work load and get the maximum potential from your soil. Learning to use whole grains, cooking your foods from scratch will all help save you money and boost your nutrition value. |
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Cooking oils quickly go rancid. To save money and quality buy cooking oils when on sale and store in the freezer. Unlike water and milk, oil contracts when frozen so you do not need to poor some off before freezing. |
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Here is the buttermilk biscuit recipe as promised. Buttermilk Biscuits - Gluten Free 1 1/4 cups sorghum flour 1 TBS salt 1 TBS baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 TBS sugar 1 3/4 tsp xanthan gum 1/3 cup butter - cold 3/4 cup buttermilk In the bowl of a food processor mix dry ingredients well. Cut butter into cubes and add to the mix. Pulse until the texture of coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and pulse until dough gathers into a soft clump. Shape by hand into biscuit shape and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 12 - 15 minutes until lightly browned. Depending on size makes about 12 biscuits. |
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I've been playing around making gluten free banana cake. I've finally come up with a winner. This is soooo yummy!! I'm going to try them as muffins tomorrow. Banana Cake - Gluten Free
Beat bananas and white and brown sugar together. Add remaining wet ingredients, mix well. Whisk together dry ingredients then combine with wet ingredients. Poor into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes. If desired glase top by mixing 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 3 to 4 tsp milk. Drizzle over top of cake when cool. |
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Buckwheat although often considered a cereal grain is not a member of the grain family. It is a herb related to rhubarb. The plants flowers turn into seeds, buckwheat groats. Buckwheat contains no gluten and is considered safe for people with allergies to wheat, barley and rye. Buckwheat has more then 80% of the protein found in eggs and 90% of milk. Buckwheat is a source of quartering and rutin, which are antioxidants. It is high in all of the eight amino acids needed for good health. These are tryptophan, lysine, isoleucine, leucine, methinoine, threonie valine, and phenylalanine. Buckwheat is also a good source of phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B5 and magnesium. |
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A basic list of kitchen equipment I find helpful. Kitchen Equipment Cutting Board Knives Food Processor Measuring Cups Measuring Spoons Food Processor Blender Slow Cooker Toaster Cast Iron Fry Pans 10 and 12 inch 22 Quart Stock Pot Medium Sauce Pan Large Sauce Pan Roasting Pan Dutch Oven Deep Fryer Kettle Coffee Pot Tea Pot 9x13 pyrex baking pan 8 x 8 pyrex baking pan Cookie Sheets Pizza Pan Jelly Roll Pan Steamer Pressure Cooker Pressure Canner Strainers/Colander Sieve Small/Medium Broiler Pan Mixing Bowls small/medium/large Spatulas Wooden Spoons Whisk Slotted Spoon Canning Jars Bread Pans Muffin Tins Serving Dishes and Spoons |
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I've been working at redoing my pantry lists. There have been a lot of changes since weeding most of the gluten out of our diets. Pantry List Flours & Grains Brown rice flour Sorghum flour Buckwheat flour Tapioca flour Tapioca starch Potato flour Potato starch Cornstarch Arrowroot powder Xanthan gum Oats Buckwheat groats Rice Vegetables Corn - Canned and Frozen Peas - Canned and Frozen Green Beans - Canned Broccoli - Frozen Cauliflower - Frozen Onions Garlic Olives - Canned Zucchini - Shredded Pumpkin - Canned Carrots - Canned and Fresh Mixed Vegetables Cabbage Lettuce Bell Peppers - Fresh and Frozen Tomatoes - Canned Crushed, Diced Fruits Blueberries - Frozen Raspberries - Frozen Strawberries - Frozen Peaches - Canned Raisins Applesauce - Canned Pineapple Lemon Juice Lime Juice Bananas Frozen Juice
Meats
Chicken quarters Chicken wings & legs Ground Beef Beef bones for stock Beef roast or steaks Pork chops Ground Pork Bacon Ham Pork Shoulder roasts Turkey Salmon - Frozen and Canned Tuna - Canned Rabbit Pepperoni Chicken Stock - Canned Beef Stock - Canned Condiments, Spices and Seasonings Ketchup Mustard Salt Mayonnaise Vinegar Rice Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar Black Pepper Garlic Oregano Basil Fennel Seed Cinnamon Nutmeg Curry Powder Chilly Powder Paprika Rosemary Sage Dill Parsley Marjoram Baking Powder Baking Soda Worcestershire Sauce Soy or Tamari sauce Jam - Strawberry, Grape, Peach Oils Lard Olive Oil Coconut Oil Butter Bacon Grease Sweeteners Honey Sugar Brown Sugar Raw Sugar Molasses Powdered Sugar Maple Syrup Coco Chocolate - Chips & Squares Dairy & Eggs Milk Cream Yogurt Sour Cream Buttermilk Kefir Cheddar Cheese Mozzarella Cheese Eggs Butter |
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I wanted to share this yummy recipe I came up with. It's gluten free and so yummy, even the pickiest eaters here asked for 2nds and 3rds lol.
Buckwheat Pancakes
2 cups buckwheat flour
4 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 TBS butter, melted
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
3 TBS applesauce
Mix dry ingredients together. Melt butter and add remaining ingredients, mix together. Poor by 1/4 cupfuls on to a hot greased frying pan. When edges are dry and bubbles form on the top flip, continue frying until golden brown.
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Mild Sourdough Bread This is mild and has a nice flavor with out being heavy sour. 1 cup of starter 1 1/2 cups water 2 tsp salt 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup sugar 6 cups flour Mix first 5 ingredients together. Then add flour and mix well. Place in a greased bowl and cover to rise over night. The next morning on a floured counter kneed for 10 minutes. Divided in half and place in loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until done.
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This is a recipe I came up with last year and we enjoyed. 2 cups of sourdough starter 2 cups water 2 tsp salt 2 tbs sugar or honey 5 to 7 cups of flour Mix starter, water, salt and sweetener together. Add enough flour to make a soft dough, continue to add flour a little at a time until dough is to stiff to stir. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover to rise until doubled, normaly overnight. Punch down and divided into loafs. Cover and let rise until doubled again. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until done. |
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No Kneed Sourdough Bread Starter; 2 tsp yeast 2 cups warm water 2 cups flour Bread: 1 cup water 1/2 cup milk 5 cups flour 2 TBs melted butter 2 tsp salt 2 TBS sugar Combine starter ingredients and let sit covered in a warm place for 2 days. Until bubbly and yeasty smelling. Stir a few times a day. When ready to use stir in the remaining ingredients and enough flour to make a soft dough. Don't kneed. Cover and let rise until doubled in size about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Place on a floured counter and punch down, do not kneed. Divide in half and shape into round loafs. Place on well greased baking sheets with cornmeal if desired. Cover and let rise until doubled again. Make 3 diagonal slashes a cross the top of the loaf. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes brush with water and continue to bake for 35 minutes.
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Preacher Cookies 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup cocoa 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup peanut butter 3 1/2 cups oatmeal (GF if your on a GF diet) Melt the butter in a large sauce pan until sizzling hot. Add milk, sugar and cocoa stir well. On medium heat boil from 3 to 5 minuets stirring constantly. Remove pot from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla mix until combined. Add in oatmeal stir well. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and a low to cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Here is my recipe for a delicious gluten free Dressing. 1 1/2 loafs (about 8 cups) of gluten free French bread cubed and toasted 3 cups chicken broth (if store bought make sure its GF!) 2 TBS poultry seasoning 3 stocks celery diced 1 medium onion 1/2 cup butter 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, when sizzling hot add celery and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper mix well. Then add to bread cubes and mix thoroughly. Mix in 3 cups of chicken broth and pour into a casserole dish. Bake at 350F covered for 20 minutes then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. |
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Thursday was my birthday and I tried out a new cake recipe. It turned out really good! Here is a pic of one just out of the oven. It rose up very nicely. It did sink down a tiny bit as it cooled.
mmmm so good! We actually like gluten free cakes much better then the wheat flour ones. Here is the recipe, the original called for white rice flour. I changed that to brown rice flour. I may also change the sugar to whole cane sugars to. It's originally from here: http://www.recipezaar.com/224448 1/2 cup sorghum flour 1/2 cup tapioca flour 1/2 cup brown rice flour (fine ground) 1 cup cocoa 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum 3/4 cup of salted butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 2 egg yolks 2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups buttermilk Mix the flours together, then add the rest of the dry ingredients and blend. Cream butter, then add sugars beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, add vanilla. Alternately add flower mixture and buttermilk. Pour into a prepared cake pan and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. |
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Anyone who has family with allergies knows how hard it can be to make huge diet changes. Especially if you have children! I would like to put together a ebook full of gluten free recipes. This ebook will be FREE for everyone, but I need your help to make it happen! If you have tried and true gluten free recipes that are your own and you would like to share them for this book, that would help so much! Please leave recipes in the comments section or email to me at kim.mills@wightman.com Thank you! |
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Well this week we are working at a lot of canning and some freezer cooking. Yesterday we did 14 quart jars of potatoes. Then 12 pints of apple sauce + 1 quart jar. But that one doesn't really count, we already ate it LOL! Tomorrow we have lots of hamburger to can. If memory serves me right there is 40 pounds in the freezer. Some will be cooked and canned with just a bit of seasonings. Some will be saved to add to chili and other dishes. Dh also picked 3 grocery bags of apples off our tree. So we'll get them done into more apple sauce and maybe some apple butter. They are such nice sweet apples!! I wish I knew what the name of the tree was. Also on the list for this week is chili, ketchup, lots of canned meats, chicken/turkey stock and chicken soup. It's going to be busy in the kitchen! We also want to make up lots of dry mixes, especially gluten free ones. Hopefully we'll get time to do a big baking session to! We have been working at decluttering and organizing a section each day as well. |
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We are still having trouble with the well. Probably need a new well casing. I did a little price checking while out. Another store had not raised there milk price yet it was 5.49 a gal. I did get a good deal on cheese blocks half price. 4 was the limit so I got two cheddar and 2 mozza, should last us a month or two. Dh makes pizza every weekend and a block makes 4 to 6 pizzas. Thurs. we stopped for rabbit feed and its gone way up to. 24% over 3.00 more per bag. I expect it has a lot to do wight the world wide wheat shortage. Also the corn going up in price. There is a high demand for corn for ethanol. Leaves less for feed and raises the price. I've decided to put myself on a pantry challenge. Anyone want to join in? With the exception of dairy and fresh veggies, I'm trying not to buy anything for a while. DH said our large freezer has been making odd sounds. Soooo I'm going to start canning at least a batch a day. I find it more helpful to have precooked canned meat on hand anyway. |
Thats just not going to happen right now. At least so far I can wash and clean with it, but all cooking/drinking water is bottled. We went out to day to get some more jugs. Then we just refill them at the conservation park. Frustrating they have good water but ours was better! LOL We may end up putting in a good filter system probably cheaper then a new well casing for the mean time...Posted in In My Kitchen
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Yippee!! LOL Our new fridge is here. Now no more leaky water every where or things freezing on the fridge side. When we bought the house 3 years ago we bought the fridge from the last owner. It was a side by side with an ice maker. I'd always wanted one. However it wasn't long before it started giving us problems. The ice maker started overflowing all the time, the auto defrost didn't work right either just made a big mess. Heres the old beast, it was about 13 years old.
And here is our new one:
It's a little taller then the old one and the layout gives it a LOT more room. |
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I'm so excited our new (used) fridge is soon to be here. Our old one we bought with the house and it's been leaking water all over the floor for quite a while. We've had no luck fixing it (sigh). So our appliance fella is brining us one over, he should be here in a few minuets. |
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Well its been a busy week for canning here! This week I've managed to do :
7 pints of zucchini relish
9 pints and 4 half pints of grape jam
17 quarts of volcano pickles
25 pints of salsa
10 quarts and 2 pints of bread and butter pickles
6 quarts crushed tomatoes
I have 2 large stock pots of tomatoes cooking right now for more sauce.
What have you been putting up?
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