It's Week #3 of April and the focus item is....

It's a beautiful morning today!  What a great way to start this day than to have a bowl of Oatmeal, no matter how you choose to make it. 

Oats are our target item this week.  This is also a very versatile food, and we will be exploring the options available to you as the week goes on.  Why Oats?  See the short video below!

I have one left....

This is my last jar of Beef Stew that I canned last year.  The reason I am showing this, is that I wanted share a little secret.  I didn't have enough Roast Beef (from another dinner) to make this large batch of stew, so I added some of my Freeze-Dried Beef to the recipe. 

In the middle of the winter, when it is cold and snowy (and you are really short on time....the story of my life!) there is nothing as welcoming as some hearty stew and homemade biscuits.  That is what happened to the rest of my bottled stew...and it was a wonderful convenience for me and great conversation-starter for my family at dinner time.  It's something to consider...and is really easy to do.  Please remember that the LRH does not do anything that is "too hard"....I just don't have the time....or patience!

Addendum:  I received a request for the recipe.  I used the following recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving page 61.  It is also found at http://www.freshpreserving.com/

Beef Stew  Makes about 7 (32 oz) quarts or 14 (16 oz) pints

You will need:

 4 to 5 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
 12 cups cubed and peeled potatoes (about 12 medium)
 8 cups sliced carrots (about 16 small)
 3 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
 3 cups chopped onion (about 4 small)
 1-1/2 Tbsp salt
 1 tsp thyme
 1/2 tsp pepper
 Water

 7 (32 oz) quart or 14 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) PREPARE pressure canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2.) BROWN meat in oil in a large saucepot. Add vegetables and seasonings to browned meat. Cover with boiling water. Bring stew to a boil. Remove from heat.

3.) LADLE hot stew into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

4.) PROCESS filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 1 hour and 15 minutes for pints and 1 hour and 30 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

A quick lunch idea.....

Yesterday was one of those days that was packed with appointments from morning until night.  These appointments took me from the south end of our county all the way up to Salt Lake.  I knew that lunch would be difficult to fit in and I might be eating in a parking lot the way things were going!  So, here is something that is quick and uses your Freeze-Dried meats in a way you may not have thought of. 

I decided to make a salad because it is fast and easy.

I chose to use diced Turkey today.  I use a measuring cup so that the oils and moisture from my hands do not get on the Freeze-Dried meat.

Initially, rinse your Freeze-Dried meat. I do this in the baggie. I pour in water, "swish" it around for a minute, and then pour the water out. I then add water and seasoning. It is important to add some seasoning like some bullion or Italian Seasoning because the meat is not flavored at all.

I them put the baggie with the liquid and Freeze-Dried meat atop my salad and put the lid on.

Then, into my lunch bag it went with my freezer pack.  When I had a moment yesterday, I opened the baggie, drained the liquid and place the fully re-hydrated meat on top of my salad.  It was good!  I'll bet you never thought to use your food storage like this!

We'll Plant Our Seeds to Fill our Needs.....

Tuesday evening, we had a wonderful Relief Society Meeting. Two of our sisters, Linda M. & Rena B. had kindly raised herbs (from seed) for us to transplant. Many sisters took advantage of the opportunity to plant a small herb garden in their containers to take home. In fact, you can still plant, your own herb container garden as there are still plants available. Please contact Brother and Sister B to do so.

There was plenty of visiting and opportunities to learn while sisters learned how to transplant and care for their new herb plants.

We also had the opportunity to hear from Brother DeVirl B, Sister Linda M., and Sister Lorna W. We learned about medicinal uses of herbs, why we should plant a garden from a temporal and spiritual viewpoint, and things to do to maximize your space. We learned about ways to water and feed your garden, types of gardening, ways to warm the soil, and how to reap from your garden through the winter. We also learned about ground cover, rotating certain crops, and had a fun activity trying to identify different types of soil.

We were introduced to a book sold at a Highland Nursery. It was entitled Successful Home Gardening, 2nd Edition, by E Gordon Wells, Jr. Cost: ~ $16.00

At the request of several Sisters, the following information comes from the books displayed by Sister Linda & Sister Rena.

Culinary Herbs for Short-Season Gardeners. (2001) by Ernest Small and Grace Deutsch. Mountain Press Publishing Company.

Herbal Tea Gardens by Marietta Marshall Marcin (1999), Storey Books.

Rejuvenating Recipes for Body & Soul Well Being by Barbara Close (2000), Chronicle Books.

Grow your own Drugs by James Wong (2009). Silver River Productions Ltd.

The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, & Flavorings; a Cooks’ Compendium by Elisabeth Lambert Oriz (1992). Dorling Kindersley Books.

The Herb Society of America Herbs & their uses by Deni Bown (2001). Dorling Kindersly Books.

Gardening Activity on 4/13/10

This information comes to us from Brother D. B.  Please be at his home on Tuesday at 6:45.  We express our thanks to him and the others who are preparing to make this an outstanding event.  Don't forget to bring an empty container to plant your herbs in!

Sisters should bring a warm jacket because we will be outside until dark AND wear walking shoes because we will be tromping in the dirt. There should not be any mud unless it rains that day. In that event we will have to stand on the wet grass and just look. You may also want to bring garden gloves for when we plant our herbs.

6:45 to 7:20 Transplanting of herbs as people arrive.

We'll have the sprouting table set up for show and tell.  Sister B. will also have herb information available.


7:20 to 7:45 Garden Tour

Location of garden -sun, water, soil

Two types of raised beds

Four examples of trellises or plant supports

Four examples of watering methods

Soils discussion - Types, texture, testing, fertility

Four types of "mulch" - black plastic, mulch, pine needles, bark

Dig carrots and parsnips (winter harvest/storage)

Tools discussion - display

See square foot gardening grow boxes


7:45 to 7:55 Soils test and Demonstration

a) Five numbered soil samples - four categories A fill in the blanks test

b) "Carrot preparation race" - two people - Shows difference between store bought and home grown.  This will be an eye opener.


8:00 to 8:05 Handouts and gardening book ordering sheet

8:05 to 8:15 Why garden? Presentation/Discussion

I believe this will be the most important 10 minutes of the evening. (Please take a couple of minutes before you come and ponder why you want to garden.)



8:15 to 8:30 Q & A and desert - Strawberry and rhubarb crisp - Small sample.  Hopefully the rhubarb will be from the garden. Maybe to early.  It's already up about six inches.  I hope the first asparagus spears will be showing. Again,  pretty early.



Messages

1. Time - 15 minutes a day. 10-15 minutes every day is better than 2 hours, 1 day/wk..

2. Can start small - just dig a hole and plant something.

3. Objective is not to feed the family but to learn, to experience the law of the harvest.

4. Eventual goal - To learn to love the earth and appreciate the wonder of creation.