Prior to modern canning methods people were faced with the problem of preserving food.  One method which probably came about by accident is fermentation. Someone was probably trying to preserve their food by salting and may have created sauerkraut or another fermented vegetable. Or its possible someone was transporting milk and created yogurt. Another likely accident could have been when someone added sugar to preserve fruit and accidently created wine. No matter where the process was started it has been done for thousands of years and is actually a very good way of preserving food between harvests.

If you think of fermented foods and immediately think of sauerkraut then you may be surprised to find out that some of your favorite foods are really forms of fermentation. I imagine that the germans used cabbage because thats what they had and were trying to preserve. Every culture has foods that they ferment going all the way back thousands of years. The list is huge but here are a few foods from all over the globe: miso, soy sauce, sake, tempeh, beer, wine, sour dough, cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, pickles, kraut, vinegar, creme fraiche, worcestorshire, curtido, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, poi, scoby, shrimp paste, black garlic. Thats really just a small sample to show the list of varied fermented foods. There are books devoted to fermenting and some focus on just one form or another. 

The beauty of fermenting foods is that it creates a food that is alive and because of that it is constantly changing and almost never spoils.  Its also believed that staying healthy is linked to having healthy bacteria and enzymes in our gut. When everything is working properly our system creates an environment that isn't sterile which many people mistakenly believe is good.  Actually, a healthy gut in humans and animals is not flushed clean but contains all kinds of live activity.  When we take things like antibiotics it tends to kill not just the bad bacteria but the good bacterias as well and we end up with a struggling immune system.  That is where probiotics come in.  The easiest way to get those probiotics are through eating fermented foods.

By learning to ferment our own foods we are able to preserve food which can be kept without refrigeration. It will change in flavor as it continues to ferment but it shouldn't spoil. Milk doesn't ever spoil. It just changes form to things like yogurt, cheese and sour cream. The same is true of fruit if it changes to wine and then continues changing to vinegar.

It doesn't require fancy equipment to ferment food. Usually the bacteria or yeasts are already on the vegetables and we just create the proper environment for fermenting by adding salt or in some cases sugar. Some forms of fermentation require a starter but in most cases that is just a matter of saving a starter from the prior batch to add to the new batch. Any crock or jar can be used to ferment. It takes very little to learn to do it and the most time consuming is just the wait while the food changes on its own.

There are already posts on the blog about making vinegar, wine and sour dough. I won't include directions for fermenting here because there are so many foods out there that can be fermented. Don't stop at cabbage when making kraut. Ferment other vegetables too. Radishes, turnips, wild greens, carrots and many other foods can be fermented. Its just a matter of a little salt and vegetables to be able to ferment and preserve in the process. Its a good skill to learn for a time when electricity may not be available to Pressure can foods. It has the added benefit of promoting good health.

Southern Wood Elf

Just because you live in the city there's no reason you can't live on a homestead. You can turn your city lot into your own homestead that provides you with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, and in some cities, even fresh meat. Even a small yard can be used to provide an ample supply of fresh vegetables and fruit to get you through the summer with a little extra to can or dehydrate for winter use. 

And just think about the benefits you'll reap from having your own homestead. You'll eat foods that are the freshest you can possibly get. Foods that still have all their vitamins and minerals because they haven't been in storage somewhere for days, weeks, or even months. Foods that are picked at the height of ripeness that have so much more flavor then those that are picked green and left to ripen in storage. And then there's the money saved when you grow your own and don't buy over-priced produce from the stores. 

You may be thinking that you don't want all the work involved in digging up your yard and removing all the grass but you don't have to do all that to have a garden. You can use raised beds to grow enough produce to last at least through the growing season, if not the whole year. And vertical gardening, which lets you grow plants in a vertical manner rather than horizontal, is a great boon for those with little to no land.

Container gardening is a good way to grow food and recycle old items at the same time. You can use old plastic tote boxes, tires, wagons and the list goes on. If you can put soil in it and it will hold up to water, you can use it for growing. Just make sure there are no toxic chemicals in or on it.

Grape arbors are both pretty and practical. PVC pipe can be used to make an upright strawberry bed that doesn't take a lot of space. Ornate gates can be used to grow beans upwards making a pretty and functional addition to your yard.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, small pumpkins, runner beans, and a lot of different squash varieties can be grown vertically. 

Herb beds are also a wonderful option. You can even grow herbs in old wooden pallets or containers. However you choose to grow them, the taste of fresh picked herbs is so much better than store bought ones. 

You can even raise your own meat on a city lot. It depends on your city's rules and regulations so you'll need to check with them before starting but most cities allow a person to raise rabbits and some cities let people have up to 6 hens but no rooster. Even if you can't have a rooster to have more chicks you still can get fresh eggs from the hens. And you can use a chicken tractor to let the chickens free range around your yard, reducing the need for purchased feed and giving you better tasting eggs chock full of minerals and vitamins. Some cities allow people to have a couple of mini goats so check that out. Two small mini goats could give you fresh milk on a regular basis.

So if you're thinking there's no way to turn your yard into food for your family think again. Do your research on the web. You'll find lot of ideas on container gardening, raised bed gardening, vertical gardening, raising meat animals in the city, and more. 

Do yourself and your family the best favor you ever could by preparing for your future needs now instead of waiting. The old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", holds true in the prepping world. The more you prepare now the better your chances of survival when the world goes to hell in a hand basket. 

Prepping Granny

A lot of people are afraid to can their own meat. They're afraid of pressure canners and/or making their families sick but as long as you follow the safety guidelines that are outlined in the Ball Blue Book, your own canned meats will be just as safe as purchased and may even be safer because you control the quality of meat.

Pressure canners are not hard to use. They're safe as long as you follow the correct procedures, inspect them before each use, and replace the rubber gasket and weight, which wear out. Remember that pressure canners have come a long way since the days of our great grandmothers. The risk of explosion is rare as long as you use the canner properly.

The benefits of canning meat are many. It can be stored long term and freezer burn is eliminated. You can buy large quantities of meat on sale and can it for future use thus allowing you to save money on your grocery bill. Of course there are other reasons to can meat. It can be a huge time saver to pull out a jar of your own canned meat for meatloaf.  It can help you put a wholesome meal on the table in under 30 minutes and leave you more time with your family, a hobby, or some other chore that needs your attention.

Just think about it. The power grid has gone down. All the stores are closed and have been for a month. All your neighbors are out of meat and trying to hunt or fish in freezing weather. If they do find a source of meat, they have to stand outside in freezing weather gutting, cleaning, and taking the hide off the animal and if they have no way to cook inside they will have to stay out in freezing weather even longer to cook the meat. And here you are with your home-canned meats. You can pull out the ingredients for a soup, dump them in a pot and go outside long enough to heat the food over a fire and you're good to go with a hot meal for your family. Sounds better that what your neighbor is having to do doesn't it?

So if you're afraid to can your own meats I urge you to give it another thought. It is well worth the effort, it can accomplished safely, and you will reap many beneifits from it. 

NOTE* I know the picture above is a picture of beans and meat but I did not have a picture of my home canned meat on my computer. Sorry about that. 

Prepping Granny

Prepping in today's economy isn't easy but here's something very helpful. It will not only save you money but will also give you extra meals you might not have had otherwise.

Most people think bones in meat are a waste of money so they either pay more for boneless cuts of meat or they cook the meat with the bone on and either throw the bones away or give them to the dogs.

When I buy meat I pick bone-in which is cheaper by the pound than boneless meat. I then cut the meat from the bones, package the meat into serving sizes and place in the freezer. I wrap and freeze the bones until I have enough for a big pot of soup or broth. 

I do this with pork chops, beef steak, chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork steak and any other meat with bones.

When I have enough of one kind of meat I take the bones and roast them in the oven until they are nicely browned and smell awesome. Then I drain off the liquid, which is mostly fat, and place the bones in a big stock pot with water and boil to extract the flavor. Once the broth is done I pull out the bones and let them cool. I pick all the meat off the bones, place the meat back in the broth, add some fresh or frozen veggies and make a great pot of soup that I either freeze or can. Then, and only then, are the bones ready to give to the dog. 

Once the fat is cooled from roasting the bones I put it in the refrigerator to use in cooking. Pork fat makes some really great tasting biscuits and pie crusts. I use the chicken fat and beef fat for frying other foods like potatoes. 

Here is a picture of some pork chops I prepared today. I'll use the main part of the chops as boneless pork chops. The little medallions I cut from the other side of the bone I will sprinkle with some salt & pepper, roll in flour and fry up for pork tenderloins on biscuits. The bones will be roasted and made into a rich broth for a pot of soup. 

In the above picture you can see the boneless chop, the medallion and the bone. Its easy to cut a chop like this as long as you have a sharp knife. And just think about all the wonderful flavor and extra meals you'll get when you use those bones to your full advantage. So the next time you buy meat get it with the bone on and cut them off instead of cooking the meat with them on. Get the most out of those bones and your food dollars and serve your family some darn good eating. 

Prepping Granny