April Giveaway - Homesteading: A Back to Basics Guide

   April Giveaway     

One copy of:
Homesteading: A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More (Back to Basics Guides)


Who doesn’t want to shrink their carbon footprint, save money, and eat homegrown food whenever possible? Even readers who are very much on the grid will embrace this large, fully-illustrated guide on the basics of living the good, clean life. It’s written with country lovers in mind—even those who currently live in the city.


Whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or even the wilderness, there is plenty you can do to improve your life from a green perspective. Got sunlight? Start container gardening. With a few plants, fresh tomatoes, which then become canned tomato sauce, are a real option. Reduce electricity use by eating dinner by candlelight (using homemade candles, of course). Learn to use rainwater to augment water supplies. Make your own soap and hand lotion. Consider keeping chickens for the eggs. From what to eat to supporting sustainable restaurants to avoiding dry cleaning, this book offers information on anything a homesteader needs—and more. 1000 color illustrations.

A great book for beginner homesteaders!


To Enter:
Leave me a commnet and tell me how you homestead or how you plan to start.
For bonus entry: Follow me with Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment so I know you are following.
For another entry: Tweet, Facebook or Blog about the Giveaway. Please leave link per comment so I can verify.

*Make sure I am able to reach you via e-mail, either by your Profile or leaving your e-mail address in the comment.


The Rules:
*Entries will be accepted from April 3  thru April 29 2011
*Winner will be announced on April 30

What I am Reading- Family Preparedness Handbook

** I have been reading this book for a couple weeks now. In my opinion this is a must have for every homesteading, back to basics living library. I think it would be great for beginners and even more advanced homesteaders would find something of interest too. There are all kinds of recipes, instructions and checklists.

I can see why it has sold some many copies. get yours today!! Click the pic!

Family Preparedness Handbook By James Talmage Stevens

If you were temporarily out of work, how long could you sustain yourself and your family in a near-normal manner?

To what natural, man-caused, or personal disasters are you vulnerable?

If the transportation system were disrupted, how long could you and your family live on the food in your home?

Do you know what to store, how much you need, or where to get it?

In today's world you can't afford to be unprepared.

If you want the security of being able to live from your own personal resources for up to a year regardless of external conditions, Making the Best of Basics will show you how.

With over 365,000 copies sold, Making the Best of Basics has long been a standard on in-home food storage and family preparedness. The 10th edition of Basics has been expanded, revised, and updated. More than 100 additional pages of charts, tables, and recipes have been added. The Resource Directory is more than 60 pages, and comprises over 2,500 private industry preparedness providers, as well as government resources. The Family Preparedness Handbook is the most comprehensive single volume ever compiled on in-home storage.

The Family Preparedness Handbook gives you:

• A plan for acquiring and maintaining your in-home food storage

• Charts defining what foods and nonfoods to buy for your in-home storage

• A Family Factor to determine quantities of foods and other items for your family

• Resource Directories listing of 2500+ suppliers of food storage and preparedness items

Peace of mind follows preparation. Let the Family Preparedness Handbook do for you what it has already done for more than a generation––make preparation both possible and manageable––and give your family a measure of security in an uncertain world.



Table Of Contents
Chapter 1: What is Family Preparedness?

Chapter 2: Basic In-Home Storage

Chapter 3: In-Home Storage Problems and Solutions

Chapter 4: Water--the Absolute Basic

Chapter 5: Wheat--the Basic Grain

Chapter 6: Basic Whole-Wheat Bulgur Cookery

Chapter 7: Basic Whole-Wheat Flour Cookery

Chapter 8: Basic "WheatMeat" Cookery

Chapter 9: Basic Sourdough Cookery

Chapter 10: Basic White Flour Cookery

Chapter 11: Basic Triticale Cookery

Chapter 12: Basic Dairy Products from Powdered Milk

Chapter 13: Basic Honey Use

Chapter 14: Basic Self-Health with Supplementation

Chapter 15: Basic Sprouting and Kitchen Gardening

Chapter 16: Basic In-Home Drying of Fruits and Vegetables

Chapter 17: Energy and Fuels Storage

Appendices
Appendix I––Websites of Selected Preparedness Suppliers
Appendix II––FEMA National Emergency Management System
Quick-Guide II-1––Summary of National Disasters Publications
Supplement––Compendium of Preparedness Resources
Selected listing of more than 2,500 vendors and suppliers of preparedness products and services in the US and Canada

Grandma and the Computer

Matt teaching his 84 year old Grandma how to use the Computer



Daily Word

Photo Credit

When I see rain softly falling on my window and hear thunder in the distance, I feel a connection with something greater than myself. The air is being cleansed and the ground saturated with a renewing shower. The birds and other animals quench their thirst and plants are nourished. I am content knowing that each drop of water has a purpose.

I take a breath and become aware of the activity of Spirit in each element of nature. As I sense its beauty and symmetry, a feeling of inner peace fills me.

I go within to reconnect with Divine Presence;

I experience a feeling of spiritual balance, a calm peace in my soul.



Food Storage Series- Dairy Products from Powdered Milk- Sour Cream and Cream Cheese

Next up in the Food Storage Series is Yogurt Cream Cheese and Greek Style Yogurt.

This time I made the milk from powdered milk. I used 2 quarts of water and 4 cups instant milk. I used my blender to mix the milk but you could also just mix by hand until all the lumps are out.

I followed the directions for making basic yogurt as outlined in this post from the book Making the Best of Basics Family Preparedness Handbook

Now you begin making the Yogurt Cream Cheese and Greek Style Yogurt.

Ingredients needed

•Prepared Plain yogurt

•Salt (optional)

Preparation:

1. Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth, and place over a bowl.

2. Pour the plain yogurt into the strainer.

3. I left the yogurt to drain for 8 hours. I collected the whey that had drained off.

4. The yogurt left was the consistency of Sour Cream and that is what I intend to use it as.

This is also what is known as Greek Style Yogurt.

Attempting to show consistency.

I think you can see it better

in the shot below.

5. I reserved some of  the Greek style yogurt and wrapped it tight in the cheese cloth. I then filled a bag with some water and placed it on top of the cheese cloth. This will act as added weight and drain off more of the whey.

6. I let it drain for an additional 4 hours.

The yogurt left was the consistency of cream cheese

and that is what I intend to use it as.

Again, attempting to show consistency.

I think you can see it better in the shot below.

It is pretty amazing that you can get 3 different dairy products from 1 thing.
The yogurt tastes like yogurt, the Greek style yogurt tastes just like sour cream and the yogurt cheese tastes just like cream cheese. I added no seasonings or anything. The flavor changes just by the amount of drain time.
All this takes a little time commitment but the overall process in not hard at all.

Tips:
1. Use your yogurt cheese as a substitute for cream cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise. You can use it in recipes for dips, spread, sauces and dressings.

2. If you don't have cheesecloth, you can use a coffee filter or an old (but clean) pillowcase instead.

3. Save the whey that drains from your cheese, and use it in place of the liquids in baked goods recipes for some extra protein.

Yogurt and Augason Farms

The yogurt turned out great! It was a little thinner than store bought yogurts but that didn't bother me and I found that after being in the refrigerator it did thicken up. From what I read on the internet you can thicken the yogurt by using powdered milk or gelatin.

I decided to use 8 oz jelly jars to store the yogurt. From the half gallon of milk I got 11 jelly jars of yogurt. So for less that $5.00 I got 11 jars on yogurt!

The process was really easy. The time commitment was the only "bad thing". Just be mindful of your time and plan ahead to do heating and cooling of the milk during the day and the culturing overnight.

~~~~~~~~~

I also found a new company to get Food Storage items from. It is Augason Farms.

 
 
 

 
 
 

The prices are cheaper than other Food Storage Companies. I was also pleased to find that

Sam's Club offers their products also.

 

Augason Farms offers interesting combo packs. This time I ordered the "Starter Pack".

It has a nice variety of food storage items.

 

The Starter Pack included

Whole Eggs

Instant Milk

Beef Flavored Vegetarian Meat Substitute

Instant Potatoes

Freeze Dried Strawberries

Freeze Dried Sweet Corn

 

I was excited about the variety in the Starter Pack.

I have been wanting to try the meat substitute and the freeze dried veggies and fruits.

And then the idea struck me that I can use the Strawberries in the yogurt I made!!

 

 

This is what the Strawberries look like in the can.



 

Re Hydrating the Strawberries in warm water

 

Cut up Re Hydrated Strawberries

Add the Strawberries to Yogurt and Stir

Yum!

 

 

**I also cut up the freeze dried Strawberries as is and mixed them into another container of yogurt.

I want to see if the step of re hydrating the Strawberries could be skipped.

I will let you know how the experiment turns out.

Yogurt in your Crock- Pot

I had 3 failed attempts with the EasiYo Yogurt making. Tried 3 different variations of the recipe and all failed. Then I looked at the best if used by day on the packet and found it was out of date. So the failures can be blamed on out of date starter cultures.

In searching the Internet for yogurt making I came across how to's for making yogurt in a crock pot. Sounds interesting.......sounds easy. So I am gonna give it a shot!



Crock Pot Yogurt



•Turn your crock pot to low and pour in 1/2 gallon of milk. Can use whole milk or down to 1% .
(I did find variations where they used half real milk and half powdered milk with water. I will try that on the next attempt. It sounds like you can customize the recipe once you have got the basics down.)

•Heat on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes.


•Once 2 hours and 30 minutes have elapsed turn your crock pot off and unplug it. Let the milk cool in the crock with the lid on for 3 hours.


•After 3 hours remove 1-2 cups of the warmed milk and place in a bowl. To that add 1/2 cup of yogurt with live active cultures and mix very well.


•Pour the yogurt-milk mixture back into the milk and whisk thoroughly.


•Place the cover back on the crock and wrap the entire crock pot in a thick bath towel or two.


•Let it culture overnight, 8-12 hours.


•In the morning stir yogurt (if desired) and store in glass quart jars or a container of your choice.


•For optimum texture, refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.

Food Storage Series- Dairy Products from Powdered Milk

Dairy Products from Powered Milk

Powdered Milk is a staple in food storage.
Most dairy products can be made from re hydrated Powdered Milk which makes it very versatile.

In this Food Storage Series, We will explore the how to make yogurt, cream cheese and cottage cheese.

First up will be Yogurt Making.

If you have been with me for a while you might remember this post about my EasiYo Yogurt Maker. I liked the EasiYo maker but had my concerns about the cost of the sachets.

In Making the Best of Basics Family Preparedness Handbook, I found a recipe for Basic Yogurt from Powdered Milk. The recipe is as follows:

2 cups warm water
1 cup powdered milk
2 Tablespoons yogurt starter

Slowly add powdered milk and yogurt starter to warm water.
Mix with whisk until all lumps are out.

I placed the mix in my EasiYo, following manufactures directions.
The yogurt will set in 3 to 4 hours.

I just set a batch out....... I will let you know how it turns out!


Search Amazon.com for yogurt maker

What I am Reading

CSN Stores Review

Look what I got from CSN Stores!

OXO Good Grips 3 Piece Angled Measuring Cup Set.

OXO has revolutionized liquid measuring with our Good Grips Angled Measuring Cups. A patented angled surface lets you read measurement markings by looking straight down into the Cup and eliminates the need to fill, check and adjust the amount of liquid you are measuring. The handle is soft and non-slip for a firm grip, and cup, ounce and milliliter measurement markings increase convenience. The set includes 1-cup, 2-cup and 4-cup versions.

The product came packaged well and it arrived in a timely manner. It shipped within 24 hours! My experience with CSN Stores.com was exceptional. Browsing the website was easy and informative. Checkout was a breeze!



My experience with the CSNStores.com was a great!




Please check out their 200+ websites at http://www.csnstores.com/


Note: CSN Stores contacted me with this promotional opportunity and I received a giftcard for my review. However, all opinions expressed are strictly my own