The Skinny on Irish Soda Bread

     I may have said before that I am a big fan of soda breads. They are cheap, quick, and easy to make, and don't require the addition of finicky yeast. Traditional Irish Soda Bread, a recipe that became popular during the Victorian Era, is the master recipe for many other quick breads.
     Irish soda bread is made with flour, buttermilk, baking soda, sugar, and salt. The traditional flour used for the recipe is a soft flour, the opposite of durum semolina. Soft flours are uncommon here in the US, but cake flour is a good mixture between soft and all-purpose that will work nicely if you are trying to closely approximate the historical recipe. I just use all-purpose, since that is what we buy in bulk and have for our longer term food storage/preps.
     Buttermilk is the only hard-to-get ingredient. It can be found in most grocery stores and tolerates freezing well, but if you don't have a chance to run out and pick some up, it can be approximated by adding some vinegar or lemon juice to plain milk. Yet another (traditional?) technique for approximating buttermilk when none is available is to use the effluent from a somewhat rancid sourdough starter as the buttermilk portion of the recipe. I see no reason why the effluent, or whey, from homemade yogurt couldn't be used in this way. All four additives could change the base recipe to suit your tastes. Which is your favorite?

Banana path update, one year later

     Remember the photo of these banana sticks that I planted last February?
     Surprisingly, all but one survived, and have turned into these beautiful, tropical trees. Photo taken in December.
     Underneath, on the southern side, I have decided to place another small sunken rabbit manure garden, planted up with taro, onions, annuals for the rabbits, and whatever else I can find.

Vitamin C for the Survivalist

     Have you ever thought about what your diet would be like if you had to fend for yourself? Have you found a solution to the problems of vitamin insufficiency in restricted diets? Most of our modern, processed foods have been vitamin-enriched to prevent scurvy, rickets, and folate deficiency. If you were trying to supply your whole diet from what you can grow or forage, would you be safe?

     Interestingly, capybaras and guinea pigs (cuys) also lack the ability to synthesize ascorbic acid just like humans, bats, and some other apes. If cuys are one of your survival protein sources or urban farming animal, this is a problem you will have to address.

     Lack of vitamin C results in scurvy, with significant symptoms appearing in as little as three months. Foods naturally high in ascorbic acid are cruciferous vegetables, all kinds of peppers, kiwi, seabuckthorn, acerola, goji berry, persimmon, and citrus. Also found in oysters and animal liver. Heat (cooking or canning) significantly reduces available vitamin C in foods. One trick for canning is to add lemon juice to foods which are lacking, increasing the vitamins, preventing oxidation, and lowering the pH.

     Although I have no real proof, I suspect that the leaves of many of our edible plants that produce high-vitamin crops probably have a higher than average concentration of those vitamins, particularly before flowering and fruiting. I suspect strawberry, rose, and hibiscus leaves to be higher in vitamin C, banana leaves to be higher in potassium, citrus leaves high in both. With our soils naturally being magnesium-deficient, I suspect that to be lacking in a person living on a native Floridian diet (in the absence of shellfish and other seafoods). The more research I have done to prove or disprove this hypothesis, the more I notice there is a lack of study in this area, though I did find here that purslane and plantain are very high in vitamin A precursor. This study finds that ascorbic acid is higher in lemon leaves than in the bark, roots, and juice, partially confirming my hypothesis.

Another Great Reason to Grow Lemon Trees

     There are several reasons to grow citrus trees even if your production of fruit turns out disappointing, or if you live in an apartment and only have room for a small plant in dim light indoors.
     Vitamins found in the leaves can be higher than the vitamins found in the fruit. This includes vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A precursor. Potassium and vitamin C are not stored well by the body, so have to be replenished periodically by the diet. There is some evidence that dehydrating the leaves concentrates the vitamins, as long as the dehydrating is performed without excessive heat. Can we say valuable post-apocalyptic trading commodity? Also a great reason to enjoy herbal tisanes and justify the cost of an inexpensive solar dehydrator for the backyard.
     Citrus greening could become a problem, but not if you are growing the plants specifically for the leaves. Greening is the newest, baddest threat to Florida's citrus industry, basically an uncontrollable bacteria that causes fruit to improperly ripen. However, leaves are unaffected, and the bacteria is not a human pathogen. The best time to harvest leaves is right before the lemon trees flower and fruit, as that is when they will have the maximum nutrition. Meyer lemons flower in December, usually, and fruit a few months later. The flowers are fragrant and nutritious too! Citrus trees are perennials, so care must be taken to sustainably harvest them.
     As much as IFAS and the news sensationalize the plights of the citrus industry, most citrus trees are largely resistant to pests. Perhaps it is because those statistics come from the monocultured orchard citrus industry. Perhaps it's because most are already grafted before you have the opportunity to purchase the trees. Perhaps it is because most people's backyard citrus are not planted so densely so as to encourage the growth of pests and the lack of beneficial insects and bacteria. Remember this previous article about how the state destroyed thousands of homeowner's citrus trees, then lost a lawsuit because it was scientifically unfounded? It just shows that they don't really know the answers either.
     The fruit has many culinary uses. It is used in canning to lower pH and prevent oxidation. It can be used to cook raw fish without heat, but dehydrates the proteins - changing the texture. Lemonade. Household cleaner. Fragrance. Color. Limitless possibilities.
     It may have some medicinal properties. Although not thoroughly researched here in the US, lemon is used in Ayurveda in India. According to this study, lemon is used to treat disorders of the throat and persistent catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes usually in the airway, causing an overproduction of phlegm and mucus). The low pH of lemon juice inhibits bacterial growth. Certainly vitamin C is absolutely necessary in our diet. Remember this post where I wrote about vitamin C and guinea pigs (as a survival protein source)? We all need good nutrition.
     The recommendations for lemon culture from IFAS state that lemons are more vigorous than most citrus species and that dense plantings encourage pests. They are recommended for the warmest, sunniest part of the landscape that does not flood. IFAS doesn't recommend propagation by seed, but rather grafting onto a rootstock specifically chosen to avoid certain soil pathogens.

Making Bread After the Apocalypse

     The biggest problem with making bread after the apocalypse has to be the availability of ingredients. This is the part where gluten-free bakers get to jump up and shout hooray, because they have probably already been making potato bread and cassava bread for some time. Of the grains that do grow here in Central Florida, perhaps amaranth and sorghum might be our best choices. Research should be done into kenaf and durum semolina also. Assuming you'll be able to acquire some kind of flour or substitute...
     Many preppers foresee themselves culturing sourdough starter to make homemade breads at some point in the future. After maintaining a starter for several years, I now no longer do so because I don't have a large enough family to properly produce and use almost any quantity of starter. It also takes a lot of cleaning and attention to bacterial growth prevention. Here in Florida, the warmer temperatures in your average air-conditioned kitchen will make your starter 'grow' about three times as fast as the yankees' starter. A sourdough starter gone flat can still be used in your bread recipes with the addition of either commercial yeast or a pinch of baking soda.
     What can be used to leaven bread when you can't get baking soda? Hardwood ashes, once leeched and turned into lye (potassium hydroxide), can further be dehydrated and kiln-fired into potash/pearlash. Potash is potassium carbonate, known commonly for its fertilizer properties. It was an American tradition with some Native Americans and the colonists to leaven bread with potassium carbonate, but over time this fell out of favor when commercial baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) became available, as it has less of a bitter aftertaste. It is conceivable that the underground kiln your buddy used for making biochar was also making some pretty high-quality pearlash, or could be used to produce some.
     For the easiest Solar Cooker ever, used to bake bread in along with an oven bag, check out this design that I have used successfully.
     For other ideas on cooking with your preps, with local ingredients, and without expensive ingredients, please check out the labels marked Pantry Raid or Cook With Your Preps in the sidebar.

Debunking the paleo diet: Christina Warinner at TEDxOU

     I have decided that every once in a while I will be sharing some videos of interesting, probably nerdy topics. Not all will be related to the food supply, but many will, since we all need to eat.
     This video espouses the common claims that it is even possible to approximate Paleolithic humankind's diet in our modern world. She points out many interesting facts, the most remarkable being the severe hybridization of our modern agricultural system. Our fruits and vegetables aren't what they once were. The end wraps up with a concise summary and plan for those who want to eat in a more paleolithic style.
     What is your opinion?

 

Voluntary Poverty

     Voluntary poverty. Some people think it's a rationalization to avoid hard work. Others view it as knowingly relying on the social welfare systems in place in our country. Others would view it as doing your best to live a life of less impact on both the environment and other people. Somewhere in the gray lies views about self-sufficiency, frugality, and happiness.
     Having lived in Florida almost my whole life, I can tell you that very few people in Florida were born or raised here. Most people have moved from someplace less hospitable to the heat and insects that they forever love to complain about. I have spent much time trying to understand what would make someone leave their family to come to a place that they hate, and the only conclusion that seems worthwhile is the one that says that they came here to have more with less. Taxes in the Northeast being what they are, they can come here and have huge ranch-style abominations, four cars, and spoiled brats that refuse to work hard for the community they now share. I'm not bitter, but it is a phenomenon that needs looking into.
     After working at a difficult and poorly-compensated career for several years, I am proud to say that I have paid off my house. It's not a big house, but it is more than big enough for our needs, which is very different from a person's wants. And I figure that if something happens to me, it will be three years of failed tax payments before we will be homeless.
     Now that shelter is covered, the next biggest expense is transportation. I'm still working on that one. The local transit system is not a far walk, maybe 2/3rds of a mile to the closest bus stop, and much cheaper than the car insurance for your average cheap car. I still use a cheap car at the moment, but that might change someday.
     After shelter and transportation, the next largest expenses are electricity and food/toiletries. Most of electricity is air conditioning. I have halved the air conditioning expense by raising the temperature setting in the house to 83F. It's warm but not actively sweating warm, and much cooler than outside. It's still good to drink plenty of cold water and do all outdoor activities before 10:00 AM. Installing solar water heating and an efficient clothesline system will save even more electricity over the long run.
     Food is a much more difficult expense to cut down. My love of sandwiches has led me to egg-salad, chicken-salad, and tuna-salad as my favorite warm weather foods. Easy to make, cheap, and nutritious. Unfortunately the kid prefers peanut butter and jelly, but sometimes I can talk her into grilled cheese and tomato soup, another cheap, easy, and nutritious meal. The next best way to save money on food is to grow as much of it as possible, and that is a topic for another post.
     People worry about healthcare a lot, and learning about the healthcare system as it stands today and in the future will prevent this anxiety. If you have a small child or a disability (Hmmmmmm?), you qualify for medicaid, provided your income is sufficiently low. Over the age of 65 should qualify for medicare, the cadillac of health plans at the moment, provided you have paid enough income tax to qualify. The most important thing about healthcare is to prevent sickness and injury in the first place, which is not easy or everyone would do it. Sometimes illness happens, and healthcare agencies will work with you to set up a payment plan. They don't mind, believe me. As long as you are paying it, even slowly, they will not put it to collections. And hospitals are unable to deny you critical care based on payment status, but they have been known to transfer patients once stable based on ability to pay. Not such a big deal since the patient still receives the needed care.

Finally part of the 3%. 

     After having recently re-evaluated my life situation, goals have changed somewhat. I still want to take this house off-grid as much as possible, and continue learning about sustainable living. I don't feel the need to slave to buy junk like so many others, and retirement savings seem not as important since it's so cheap to live here. Obviously having some money is worthwhile, but having a lot of money seems pointless, since the more you earn the more they take, for every category mentioned above.

     Did you know households that are led by a single mother have a 31.6% poverty rate? Are they like minds or deliberately accidentally poor?

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

     Ever since learning that bread can be made in small batches in the crock pot, I have been seriously contemplating the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method. Before I had ruled it out, since heating up the kitchen with the oven everyday seemed kind of excessive. Not to mention the serious electricity drain. It made me kind of miss the bread making machine I had given away years ago when I was given a stand mixer. But with using the crock pot method for baking bread, small batches can be cooked quickly and with very little mess.
     Their technique couldn't be easier. The only special equipment needed is a large enough container to hold your four pounds of dough in the refrigerator.

Master Recipe, directly from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day website.
Makes 4 loaves, slightly less than 1 lb. each.
Note: The recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use the dough in 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) portions over the next 14 days.

• 3 c. lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated yeast
• 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a 6-quart bowl or, preferably, in a lidded food container or food-grade plastic bucket, stir together the water, yeast and salt.
• Mix in the flour — kneading is unnecessary.
• Allow this to rise, covered with a lid that’s not completely airtight, at room temperature for about 2 hours. Refrigerate the dough and use over the next 14 days. Do not punch down the dough before using it.

In the Crockpot from Star Tribune (2013)

"On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated Master Recipe dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Place the shaped ball on a strip of parchment paper wide enough so there is 1 inch on each side. (No need to let dough rise.)"

     I have found that you may omit the additional flour dusting.

Making Soap from Wood Ash (Potash) and Oils, Part 3

      Most websites say that the lye solution is the correct strength when a small potato or raw egg floats while showing an amount above the surface tension of the water about the size of a quarter. Most sources are unclear about the proper pH of lye water, but it is expected to be somewhere between 13 and 14 (the most alkalotic substances known to man) to be strong enough to saponify oils.
     It is difficult to guesstimate an approximate recipe to use the lye water. One person states, "If your lye water will float an egg with only a quarter size showing, boil down 1 gallon of lye water to 3/8 cup. Use 2 cup fats with 3/4 c. concentrated lye water…proceed slowly adding small amounts lye to fats whipping briskly each time."
     Another recipe concerning the proportion to ash water to fats can be found here. The author states, "Thirty-five liters of ashes is about the right amount for 2 kilograms of fat (a bushel of ashes for 4 pounds of fat). This proportion is cited in soap-making recipes of the colonial period in the United States, but many of the recipes of that era differ on the proportion of ashes to fat. Put 115 ml (1/2 cup) of lye in the kettle for every 230 ml (1 cup) of fats or oils."
     Another soap making website says the ratio of home-made lye water to fats should be "115 ml (1/2 cup) of lye in the kettle for every 230 ml (1 cup) of fats or oils." It goes on to say the mixture should be boiled until it becomes thick, foamy, and rubbery.
     This site has a surprisingly well-written article about how to neutralize an alkalotic pH in liquid soaps. In short, boric acid or borax is added to the soap solution, then allowed to precipitate, leaving the remaining soap more neutral and clear. Of course, proper pH testing is necessary to prevent skin reaction (we can handle more acid than alkali). Adding more fat will also bind the alkali in the lye.

Making Soap from Wood Ash (Potash) and Oils, Part 2

     On the other hand, Mother Earth News has printed an article from 1972 that says this about making wood ash lye at home:

To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water, rain water is best, for about half an hour. Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim the liquid lye off the top. You can do this daily and when you've got enough of the weak solution, start the soap making process by boiling the liquid down until it'll float an egg. Now put that meat fat, left-over cooking lard and vegetable oil into a kettle not over half full, and heat the whole mess until all the liquid has been rendered out of the solid scraps. While it's still hot, add this clean grease to the bubbling lye and continue to boil the mixture, stirring all the while, until it reaches the consistency of thick cornmeal mush. 

     The article goes on to say that added salt makes the soap set into bars more easily, and that non-hardwood ashes are too resinous to produce soap. That last statement could use a good skeptical questioning, since pine tar soap is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties against ailments such as psoriasis.