Backyard Labors and NO Meat?

"Backyard Labors"  colored pencil  1993 

Gardening is what I have been doing this summer.  I have always gardened.  This summer has been very hot and I do not have a good watering system, just automatic sprinkler from lawn and my hoses in front and back yards.  So, hand watering keeps me busy and of course pulling the endless bindweed.  

 This year I am growing my favorites....Meaty-Green pumpkins, Strawberry Popcorn, and Scarlet Runner Beans or I call them "Moqui Beans" and some Cannalini Beans.  All foods that I can harvest dry and store.  I grow a few green beans, pole and bush and some tomatoes, basil, kale and chard.   Not a real exciting garden but it is doing well and the results will keep me busy this fall. 

What I haven't been doing is taking pictures of my food inventions and posting the pictures and recipes.  I guess I have lost the motivation for it or been too busy in other directions.   I don't know.   

I do know that I am changing again .....for the better.   The Holy Spirit is prompting me in other directions.  For one thing, it has told me to stop buying and storing and eating red meats and pork including my favorite, bacon.  I am to use up what is in my freezers and buy no more.   Interesting, because this is what I have been preaching for a few years. 

So, we haven't been eating beef, lamb or pork the past few weeks.  For me, a blood type O and my Perry, a B, this is really interesting.  For the time being, we can eat chicken. turkey and fish. 

I don't know what all this means or where it is leading.  We have speculated plenty but no reasons, no explanations have been given.  Perhaps it is just a test of obedience.  What ever it is I will comply and see where it goes.  Neither my husband or myself are suffering from some debilitating disease and need a cleanse....we are both pretty healthy right now so I don't know what the nature of this is.  

I am trying to find more ways to eat beans and grain, expanding my formulations of Pulses and augmenting them with lots of fresh vegetables from my garden.  I am also using spices especially the Indian curry kinds to make beans and grain more interesting but haven't posted any of those yet.  Perhaps I will.   I just ordered from Mountain Rose herb online store lots of curry types of spices and herbs.  I love the flavors and husband is growing into it.  

I still make raw milk kefir and consume about 1 1/2 cups a day, and my kombucha with 4-6 ounces a day, and make my sourdough bread every 2 weeks and make sourdough muffins for my husband and love making my own Ginger Ale too.  My  sauerkraut is all used up and I haven't made any more because....I have found several brands of small batch sauerkraut in the health food stores that are quite delightful. 

I still sell starters....some to Redmond Heritage Stores but also from my home.   I still teach people how to use them if they come here.  I can be reached at  joannesmithseal@gmail.com.       

 

Make Your Own Dried Breakfast Cereal; Not a Granola

     My husband loves certain brands of boxed cereal.  They are his "default meal" for breakfast and in the evening either before or after dinner several times a week.  He loves it with his raw milk and honey.  I won't disclose which brands or flavors, but those boxes of cereals are expensive and he goes through a lot of it and I did not like the ingredients lists ...even the ones that claimed were "healthy".   So, I decided to see what I could do to replace those cereals with something healthier for him and certainly cheaper and even tasty.  Another quality I wanted  was that it would store well for a while. 

      I know how the industry produces boxed cereals in a general way and I thought I could replicate that process only better.  

First of all, they take raw grain ( most of it is GMO and has herbicides infused) and they pressure cook it hot and fast keeping the phytic acid, a known nutrient blocker and they mix in high-fructose corn syrup and other sugars and flavors and then they "extrude" it ( high pressure- straining into certain shapes) then they dry it quickly and perhaps coat it with more sugars and add some freeze-dried or dehydrated fruit, and a lot of other un-food ingredients and then package it and ship it.  Like I said, this is just a general idea but none of it is how grains were supposed to be treated for food.   

My process:  I measure out 12 ounces of dry grain and crushed legumes in a 2 to one mixture ( a pulse) and soak all of it overnight in a pot with measured 36 ounces of water 

( a 1  to 3 ratio).

  I add a TBS of some kind of acidy liquid like whey, kefir, milk or ac vinegar.  This acid helps to reduce the phytic acid.  Next day I cook it.  It starts off at med. heat to speed the cooking and after about 10 minutes I reduce it to low or just warm and cook for another hour and 15 minutes.  It is necessary to be around it to stir once in a while.  It needs to have a lid but tilt it to allow steam escape or it will boil over in a mess. ( I've done that a few times)  During the cooking process add salt and some fat. For sweetner, I add some chopped raisins but you can add some honey or maple syrup.  This makes about 6 servings.  I usually take 2 servings out to eat immediately or to store in a bowl with cover in the fridge for him to heat up in the morning.  The rest of it I dehydrate and store as his dry cereal.   

RECIPE:

This pulse is for a blood type B

In a pint size glass measuring container

measure out  8 ounces of a combination of any 2  or all of the following;

cracked spelt

whole millet

cut or rolled oats

Add to the grains 4 ounces of crushed legumes; 

navy beans and split peas

12 ounces of dry food in all.  Soak dry food in water overnight.  Water should be 3 times the amount of dry food. 

During cooking add 1 1/2 tsp. Real Salt and 1-2 TBS of butter or coconut oil.  

Optional additions:  raisins, cranberries, apples or blueberries.

Nuts and seeds can also be added for greater protein and essential oil nutrition.  Flax and chia seeds are good additions for all 4 blood types. 

For blood type Os use;  8 ozs. combination of  any 2  or all of the following;   amaranth, oats, brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat

and 4 ozs. crushed blackeyed peas and adzuki beans. 

Walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and  almond pieces are good add-to options.

For blood type As use; 8 ozs. combination of any 2 or all of the following;  amaranth, oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet and  rye.

and 4 ozs. of crushed adzuki beans, black beans, blackeyed peas, pinto beans or lentils ( not necessary to crush them as they are small enough to cook up with the grain). 

Peanuts, walnuts, pecans and almond pieces, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are good add-to options.

For blood type ABs use;  8 ozs. combination of any 2 or all of the following;  Millet, oats, brown rice, rye, barley, quinoa, cracked spelt and amaranth.

and 4 ozs. of crushed navy beans, split peas, lentils or pinto beans. 

Peanuts, pecans, walnuts and cashews are good add-to options.  

To dehydrate;  It is not necessary to grease the flexible clear sheets that come with your dehydrator because the cooked cereal has the fat in it and that will suffice.  I use my fingers to spread out the cooked, cooled cereal on the sheets.  Wet the counter top under the clear sheets to keep it from sliding all over the counter as you work.  One pot of cooked pulse 

( mush or porridge) minus 2 servings filled 8 of my dehydrator sheets.  It took a day to dry it all, at abut 110 degrees.  You could dehydrate this in your oven also at warm on large cookie sheets but keep the door open.  

Use a scrapper to get the cereal off the sheets when dry and put those on a large cloth  to catch the "flying" bits.  Store in a clear container so you can see what is left.  When my husband soaks a serving of it with milk, he says it swells about twice it's volume.  He adds honey to it and some fresh fruit.  It is very tasty and soft enough to chew easily.  I think this is a success.  

Nut Crust Pumpkin Pie made with Home Grown Meaty Green Pumpkins

      In this Image in the back are two of my 10 "Meaty Green Pumpkins" I grew this summer.   I think they are also known as the Utah Winter Pumpkin.  They have thick flesh which is very orange and sweet tasting.  The center seed pod is small and the seeds are delicious.   These are the last two.  I have given away 3 of them and rendered the other 5.  I carve them up (yes, lots of work), cut up the meat, dry the seeds and either cook the meat and blend it up ( after boiling chunks of pumpkin, I puree it and store in pint jars in fridge or freezer) or dehydrate it in chunks as pictured. This pie is the best I've ever made and without starchy ingredients so it could qualify as Paleo.   

Recipe for Nut crust;  for 2 pies:

in processor;  1 cup walnuts
                      1 cup pecans (part of this can be almond meal)
                       6 dates cut up and without seed
                            or 2 TBS coconut sugar
                       1 egg
                       1/2  tsp. real salt
                       2 TBS  coconut oil

     Divide the mixture between 2 pie pans and hand press it into the bottoms and half way up the sides of the pans.  Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. 

Filliing;    
                        4 eggs
                        32 ounces of pumpkin puree
                        1 pint heavy cream
                        1 tsp. real salt
                        2 tsps. cinnamon
                        1 tsp.  ginger
                        1/2  tsp. cloves
                        1/2  tsp. nutmeg
                        1 1/4 cups maple syrup, or brown sugar 

Process all ingredients and divide between the two pies.
Protect edges of pie with a ring of foil.  Or not. 

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 35 and continue baking for 40 -50 minutes.  

The Red Cracker; Flaxseed, Tomato, Red Bell Pepper Dried Food

This image looks like meat but really it is all vegetable and seeds.  At the Barebones Camp in July I met this wonderful woman whose food for the week was in gallon zip lock bags as crackers.   I loved her idea and the foods she had dehydrated...she called them "crackers" but there is no grain in them.  Since then I have been making some from her recipes and I have invented some of my own.  

Healthy and easy to carry these foods are just the thing for on-the-go people.   This first recipe is hers and the color is very red wet or dry.   I love the savory seasonings.

You will need a dehydrator.   Mine is rectangular and called 
"l'Equip" sold by Emergency Essentials.  It has a heating element and a fan so it works very quickly. You will also need from 6-8 clear, flexible, solid trays. ( they usually come with a dehydrator).

Soak 2 cups whole flax seeds in 2 cups good water 6-8 hours

Blend:   
1 large, peeled red beet
1 large red bell pepper  not peeled
3-4 tomatoes  not peeled
1/2  yellow onion yes, peeled
3-4 cloves fresh garlic   also
1/2 tsp. real salt
2 tsp. powdered cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano 
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup  raw pumpkin seeds

Add blended mixture to the soaked flaxseeds.  
oil the flexible trays with olive oil and spread out the mixture on the trays as thin as possible without creating holes.

Place the trays on the bigger trays of your dehydrator and start.  If you have a temp gage, turn it to 100 degrees...not much hotter.  It is not necessary to cook this food...just dry it. It should  take about 24 to 32 hours to dry crisp.  

Preparedness Campout 2016 at the Tifie Ranch, Morgan Utah

That's Perry and I by our  small Davis Wall Tent with good friend, Julie Ann,  in the back ground and our red trailer.  Perry got this small red trailer years ago from his father.  It was used to haul a snowmobile but Perry insulated it, added another axle and wheels so it could hold the weight of our camping equipment.  But the shelves he built inside to store stuff, he made 30" wide so they could be slept on.   That's where we slept for the 7 nights we were there.  He also added 3 screened windows and roof vent so we had nice cool air in the evening.  We needed that because it was hot!  very hot during the day the last week of July.  The Davis tent is 10'x15' and it served as our kitchen tent this trip.  

Robert Workman who owns the Tifie Ranch offered our Prep Group his hay fields to hold our annual campout.  We are very grateful for his support.  He owns the Barebones Tent Company so there was a natural connection.  There was shade around the edges of the hay fields and a stream on the north side which the children and teens loved.  The middle, open spaces is where the pota-potties and vehicles ended up with most of the tents and camps around the shaded spots.  It's a beautiful place but we had to bring our own shade for the classes and group dinners that were out in the open.  

 I took charge of 2 of the children's classes and here is a picture of my friend, Natalie, pushing our very big wagon up a small incline with 3 of the camp children.  The class had 9 children and was called, "What can you do with a very Big Wagon?"  Well, the children found out that you can haul a lot of stuff in it and a lot of kids.  They had a great time with it. 

 In the evenings after the sun was down and after the group pot-luck dinners, we all gathered (approx. 250 people this camp) in the big field east of camp for entertainment.  We had talks by Robert Workman about his mission in life; to help the poor of the world be more self-sufficient with cheap energy(Goal Zero products), shelters and food. 
The next evening we heard from David Warwick who is a visionary man tell of his experiences with dreams and visions of the future. Very interesting.
Another night we had an impromptu talent show that was really entertaining.
The last night we had a panel discussion about all things having to do with preparedness.  Again very interesting.

 Another children's group I took on, made art out of the natural elements they found at camp and along the river.  The inspiration was Andy Goldworthy; an environmental artist.  The children did a wonderful job organizing some raw materials into works of art.   Such fun! 
I also taught 2 adult classes, one on fermenting...just a general one, and the other on Pulses and why they would be useful to do now for camp later.  And of course the health benefits.  

 There were tents of all kinds and sizes in camp and few motorhomes.  The tent in this picture is a Barebones tent...not the orange one.  There were some geodesic dome type tents too and one family brought a really big Teepee with an American flag waving at the top.  Several campers had their solar equipment out and working so they could have a fan running and lights at night and powerpoint presentations for some of the adult classes.  We had our solar units up and batteries charging and fan running and lights at night.   Love that solar ability.  

I wish I could brag about my wonderful camp cooking....can't.  I planned it simple this year...just freeze dried pouches (Eden Valley) and hot water.  I wanted to see what  my favorite meals were so I could come back and buy more of those.  But everybody around us can brag about what they fixed for meals and the group pot-luck dinners.  We were really spoiled with all the good food around us.  Especially fun was the Richards camp next to us with their little girls.  We ended up eating breakfasts and lunches with them  in the shade of our tent fly porch.  Sylvia shared a lot of her food with us and it was delightful. She brought fresh foods.  The picture at one of the group dinners, Perry and I eating with another good friend, Lynn Engberson next to me.  He and his wife camped in our group and brought a son and a daughter both just returned from their missions.  They were a wonderful addition. 

This is our 5th campout and one would think we would have it "all together" but we made so many mistakes and forgot some important things even with all my lists.  The big lesson this trip was WATER.    We ran out of the good water we brought from home because of the hot weather.  We were drinking more than we usually do and then cleaning ourselves at night (yes, we have a nice camp showering set up).  So we got out our gravity-feed water purifier buckets and went and filled our empty containers with river water.  He said it was good water and with filtration it would be all right.  Several other campers did the same thing.   The first 4-6 gallons were wonderful and coming fast but then the system slowed and by 8 gallons, there was barely a drip every minute.  We discovered that, that the clean and pure river water still had particulates in it that clogged up our filtration unit.  Learned that you must pre-filter river water before pouring into filtration unit to get the bigger stuff out.   Good lesson. Never did that before.  Lots of other things learned too and by the end of the week we were all settled in and didn't want to go home.  Good spirit there with good people.  Good lessons learned. 

Pumpkin Puree and Oats Breakfast Bake

     I love this recipe!  When I make it I save out 4 servings and freeze them for mornings I have to leave early and fast.  I take one container out of freezer at night and just warm it up and add some cream or eat it thawed and room temperature.  This is good for any of the 4 blood types.  The oats are neutral for Os but beneficial for As, Bs, and ABs. 

3 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree or butternut squash
1 cut raw, whole milk (or your best substitute)
1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp. real salt
1 cup  quick or rolled oats
1/3 cup flaxseeds or flax meal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts 

Mix everything together and cover and let sit overnight and bake in the morning or mix in the morning and bake in evening.  Soaking is needed to neutralize the phytic acid on the oats and nuts and seeds.  

Butter a 9x9" baking dish.   Bake at 350 for 45 - 60 minutes.   Insert a toothpick in center to check for doness.    Good cold or warm.   We like it with cream and if for dessert add more maple syrup. 

Raw Milk Kefir Green Smoothie Update

     I have added a couple new ingredients to my traditional green smoothie; ginger, kale and ripe banana.  Not much to write about but I think the new ingredients make a difference and boost the nutritional value.  

Recipe; 
 2 cups homemade raw milk kefir (if you don't do this use commercial plain kefir or yogurt)
 2 cups pineapple juice  
 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks   
 1 ripe banana  
 1 TBS  raw, ginger without skin  
 2-3 fresh kale leave  or handful of fresh spinach.

Process at med speed 1 minute then higher speed another minute.  

 I like to freeze 4 cups of this in 1 cup containers for future mornings.   1 or 2 cups of this smoothie a day is very revitalizing and refreshing.