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Making Honeybutter and White Honey; Starting on your spring garden

3/17/2011

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Little purple pansies...

Did you know that both the flowers and leaves are edible? They're nice in a salad.

Hey, it’s that time again- the snow has melted, the soil is drying, and some things can be planted!  Depending on where in the yard your garden is, it may be dry enough to till, at least as soon as yesterday's rain dries up.  A way to tell is- walk on it or stick a shovel in it.  If big chunks stick to your shoe or shovel, it’s not ready.  If you tilled now you’d compact the soil and have big hard lumps all over.  My garden area used to be a sandbox, so it has good drainage-- yes, I had to add a bunch of good stuff to it!--, and it was absolutely beautiful tilling condition this week, at least until it rained.   Early season crops that can be planted outdoors now include potatoes, peas, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, radishes, onions, asparagus, and rhubarb.  Most of the nurseries, both big-box and local- now have seed potatoes, asparagus, rhubarb, onion sets, and bare-root  berries (strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and fruit trees waiting for you.     For a GREAT information sheet you can print out, listing when to plant different seeds here on the Wasatch Front (USDA Zone 5), go to http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Garden_2009-01pr.pdf   If you live elsewhere, look up your state's extension office- they'll likely have a list for your area.  For a list of what you can plant without having to go buy seeds, see my blog post, More Seeds From Your Kitchentheprovidenthomemaker.com/my-blog/more-of-the-cookbook-more-seeds-from-your-kitchen.

Next week I’ll post “Gardening 101”, info on finding a good spot for your garden, how to prepare the soil, and when to plant what.

After the recipes is a condensed version of an essay, "The Proper Role of Government", that President Benson wrote while an apostle.  It is classic, timely, and every American, LDS or not, would be better off reading it.  Please look it over.  I know the principles in it are true.

-Rhonda
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Honey Butter (simplest version)
8 oz. (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 oz. (3/4 c.) honey, room temperature
 
A tiny bit of salt and vanilla is good, too.  Stir or whip until all smooth. Whipping it will give you a fluffier texture. Refrigerate.
 
This kind sometimes separates.  Just stir it again to recombine.  Or to keep it from separating, add either ½ c. powdered sugar or one egg yolk.  The Lion House recipe calls for the egg yolk.  It makes it silky-smooth, too.  Make sure to use an egg with no cracks, then wash and dry it well before using in the recipe.  Then using it raw will be safe.  
 
Canadian White Honey 
3 lbs (1 qt.)  honey   warmed just till softened
2 (7-oz.) jars  marshmallow cream   
1   cube   softened butter or margarine   
 Combine all and whip until blended. Makes about 2 quarts. 
 
 To make true creamed honey, (which is EASY, just takes time for it to sit) see this video.


 
__________________________________
 
 
The Proper Role of Government
by The Honorable Ezra Taft Benson (excerpts)
Former Secretary of Agriculture to President Eisenhower
Published in 1968

See full text here. 
 

THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT  It is generally agreed that the most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. But, what are those rights? And what is their source? Until these questions are answered there is little likelihood that we can correctly determine how government can best secure them. Thomas Paine, back in the days of the American Revolution, explained that:
"Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another… It is impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man." (P.P.N.S., p. 134)
Starting at the foundation of the pyramid, let us first consider the origin of those freedoms we have come to know are human rights. There are only two possible sources. Rights are either God-given as part of the Divine Plan, or they are granted by government as part of the political plan. Reason, necessity, tradition and religious convictions all lead me to accept the divine origin of these rights. If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government. I, for one, shall never accept that premise. As the French political economist, Frederick Bastiat, phrased it so succinctly, "Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." (The Law, p.6)

A  FORMULA FOR PROSPERITY

1. Economic security for all is impossible without widespread abundance.

2. Abundance is impossible without industrious and efficient production.

3. Such production is impossible without energetic, willing and eager labor.

4. This is not possible without incentive.

5. Of all forms of incentive – the freedom to attain a reward for one’s labors is the most sustaining for most people. Sometimes called THE PROFIT MOTIVE, it is simply the right to plan and to earn and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

6. This profit motive DIMINISHES as government controls, regulations and taxes INCREASE to deny the fruits of success to those who produce.

7. Therefore, any attempt THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION to redistribute the material rewards of labor can only result in the eventual destruction of the productive base of society, without which real abundance and security for more than the ruling elite is quite impossible.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE NEEDY?  On the surface this may sound heartless and insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate individuals who are found in any society, no matter how affluent. "What about the lame, the sick and the destitute? Is an often-voice question. Most other countries in the world have attempted to use the power of government to meet this need. Yet, in every case, the improvement has been marginal at best and has resulted in the long run creating more misery, more poverty, and certainly less freedom than when government first stepped in.

THE BETTER WAY  By comparison, America traditionally has followed Jefferson’s advice of relying on individual action and charity. The result is that the United States has fewer cases of genuine hardship per capita than any other country in the entire world or throughout all history. Even during the depression of the 1930’s, Americans ate and lived better than most people in other countries do today.

FIFTEEN PRINCIPLES WHICH MAKE FOR GOOD AND PROPER GOVERNMENT

(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.

(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.

(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.

(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:
(a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;
(b) Protect the right and control of private property;
(c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense;
(d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.

(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.

(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.

(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.

(8) I am unalterably opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.

(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person’s property or income be taxed at the same rate.

For the other principles see
here.
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Ezra Taft Benson

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Pink Salad Dressing; Saving money on food and more

3/4/2011

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Pink Salad Dressing

½ -1 c. sugar
½ c. red wine vinegar (there is no alcohol in wine vinegar)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ c. chopped red onion.   

Combine all in a blender.  Turn on and slowly pour in 1 c. oil.  Run until well blended.


________________________
Does it seem like your money isn’t going as far as usual?  The government is claiming that there has been only 1% increase in cost of living for the year, but here are what some food prices have done over the last year.  Numbers are taken from http://www.cnbc.com/id/41831886

 ·       Ground beef up 11%.
·       Butter, up a stunning 27%.
·       Potatoes, up 7.1%.
·       Lettuce is up 5%.
·       Bread up 3%.
·       Chicken up 4.3%.
·       Egg prices have been fairly steady.
·       Milk, up 2%. 

Two of the biggest ways to save money on everyday things are:

1-the S.O.S. method- Stay Out of Stores.  This especially includes restaurants!

2- Be organized so food and ‘stuff’ doesn’t get lost or ruined, waste less of the food you buy

_____________________________ 

Compiled by my friend Angie
Utah  FOOD SAVINGS

 Liquidation Wearhouse (Orem): sellsCostco's and Sam's leftover and returned merchandise

Sunflower Market (Murray. across from Fashion Place) honors competitors' ads on Wednesdays from this week's and next week's ads. They specialize in produce and their prices are crazy low anyway (29 cent per lb. oranges). It's kind of a like a Wild Oats.

Winco Foods (around 72nd South, Salt Lake Valley, see http://www.wincofoods.com/ for other locations) has cheap food/produce as well.

Reams often has very cheap produce and other items (note from Rhonda- my overall grocery list there costs about the same as Walmart.  Produce and meat are cheaper, canned and boxed things are generally more.)

Buy-Lo: In Orem. They have amazingly low produce prices. (10/$1 kiwi). You can print off their list and price match at Wal-Mart.

The Baker's Outlet and Donut Shop (12652 S. 2700 W. #A, Riverton, #542-8286) has restaurant bread, pastries, donuts, rolls, artisan breads, wheat breads, etc., for cheap.  Bags of flour tortillas are $. 50.  They have both fresh bread and day-old bread both.

Smith's Foods deeply discounts their meat and dairy when close to the sell-by date.  With dairy, the ‘best by’ date is actually 1 week after the ‘sell by’ date.

 MEAL PLANNING
Planning meals around the sales does wonders for the food budget. You do have to spend a little time using leftovers and preparing more raw foods (uncanned/boxed things) like rice, pasta, grains, etc., if you want to save. However, if you use coupons effectively with sales (see below) you can get a lot of manufacturer deals on brand-name boxed/canned food. 

 
PRICE MATCHING
Wal-Mart price matches exact prices from any ad (not BOGOs) in checkout lines. So get the online ads for the cheap stores above and take them to walmart for location convenience.

Target price matches at the Customer Service desk.

Sunflower Market (see above)

 COUPONS
Print out dozens of online coupons and add them to any sale any stores are having. Plan ahead and bring ads for proof of price-matching if you don't have coupons. You can also use this strategy with price matching at the above-listed stores. Note that some of these may be .net or .com, you'll need to search a sec if you don't find it.)

Coupon sites that compare sales at all the stores and let you print coupons that you can add to already-good sales

PinchingYourPennies.com/Grocery Smarts: This site (I assume Pinching Pennies? Or Maybe they're linked companies?) and their daily newsletter can get you some of the best internet clothing deals out there, particularly for Kohls (we're talking a regular 75% off of purchase and free shipping), Children's Place and free-shipping codes for countless other stores. Children's Place clothing is often $3 and under.

DealsToMeals.com (costs $5 a month) This site is similar to pinching your pennies, but requires a little less effort. For $4.95/month they scour the ads for you, compare them to Costco, Sams club and Walmart and tell you where the best deals are. They also have a menu planner with recipes centered around the best deals. They give you tips on things to stock up on for food storage. If you use it, it's definitely worth the $5/ month. You'll definitely save much more than that. They also have a blog: www.myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot. com and www.dealstomeals. blogspot. com. Both are full of great food storage tips and recipes.

GroceryGame.com

SmartSource.com

Pricecheck.com

TheObessiveShopper.net

E-bay: People also sell overprinted manufacturer coupons on e-bay for pennies. They come within a couple days in the mail. You can add these all up when it's a limit of 10 per item or something and get steals. 

 
CLOTHING AND HOUSEWARES
Craigslist.com, KSL.com (for-sale part of the site): For more expensive clothing purchases, like a great ski parkas or watches, I've had great luck here. People respond to politeness, so be kind in emails. Be brave and always ask what price they want to sell for first: Never be the first to offer a price. The last person talking in the negotiation always wins. (For selling stuff, remember that Craig's list is often a younger crowd and often out of state, and KSL is usually local and older crowds. But try selling to both places when you have something to sell.)

Liquidation Wearhouse (Orem): sells Costco's and Sam's leftover and returned merchandise—like backyard deck sets and stuff like that.

Downeast Outlet's Outlet- 3500 S. & Bangerter, across from Granger High next to Albertsons. Clothing (2 for $5), housewares, Potterybarn, seasonal. Prices are slightly negotiable; ask what percentage you can get off (about 20%). This is where I buy Diesl, Lucky, Ann Taylor, 7, American Eagle and Downeast for around $2.50. They have a great size selection.

Savers: Two locations. Always bring items to donate and get 20% off of your whole purchase.Clothing from Tanger outlet mall is shipped here. JCrew, Banana Republic, Express, Ann Taylor, J Jill, Aerospostale, American Eagle, Old Navy, Gap, Children's Place, Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom Rack shoe returns, Dress Barn, Ross and TJ Maxx books--- kids books are $.69 and buy 3 get one free. I get wonderful children's items and very nice shoes here. This is where I took the J Crew catalog, found the $100 items on the racks and walked away paying less than $6 for each. (You can take the catalogs in, find things that are still selling, then buy and resell them on ebay.)

DI: Mondays after yardsale items have been dropped off from the previous Saturday. Larger items are negotiable and it's tax free. Downtown/nicer-area DIs will have nicer stuff.

The Store. Part of the Salvation Army. They receive shipments from Target on Wednesdays. (in West Valley and Murray; 56th south and 9th east)

Kid to Kid (store in sandy) with kids clothes and stuff for cheap—used but in good condition.

Dillards in St. George: has great fall shoe sales—especially on close-toed shoes since no one there wears them.

 
ONLINE SHOPPING
Coupon codes online. Look up every store before purchasing online. For example, Google "Office Max Coupon Codes." I did so when looking for a camera and found a $20 off any $100 purchase. 

 MISC
The Library: So this is obvious---that the library is cheaper—but just a reminder that they carry lots of magazine subscriptions as well as tons of movies along with the books. The current magazines can now be checked out, not just back issues.  And if they don't have something, you can often request an inter-library loan from other library systems. You can request things and use it as a free version of Netflix (where they hold the movies that come in and you just have to swing by and get them). You'll have to wait on a few things, but patience is a virtue—a free one. 

Cars lose half of their value by the third year. So buy a 3-yr-old car with low miles for the least loss of investment.

Cash up front does wonders for prices! We got incredible rent, insurance prices, and yardsale items that way.

Yard Sales: you can do better with small amounts of cash in your hand, small children that are cute, and kindness. Negotiating fact: whoever offers the first price looses! Always ask "What price could you do on this?" By noon people are burned out and will give you almost anything for low, low prices. 118th south and 114th south had great sales last year. Daybreak is always good. So is the Johnson Farms ivory home development behind the district—the homes are bigger but about 10 years old, so you know their kids are casting off stuff.

People spend 18% percent less when dealing with cash. Carry cash=saving money. It hurts more! 

 
Reading List: The Scriptures, LDS General Conference articles on debt. Books: The Tightwad Gazette, Millionaire Next Door, Total Money Makeover, One for the Money

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The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance, Lemon-Zucchini Bread

10/28/2010

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(originally from 8/5/10)
Do you have garden produce yet?  Or are you seeing it at farmers' markets?  We got the first yellow summer squash of the year yesterday.  This is exciting!  Unfortunately, we don’t have zucchini at all because one of my little people stepped on the plants just as they were coming up.  I replanted, but didn’t water well enough that first week…


Fortunately, I still have frozen zucchini from last year.  I used to shred it and freeze it in quart bags, which was the proper amount for a double batch of my zucchini bread, but didn’t like how it thawed.  It separated into water and strings of fiber.  That’s kind of baffling to cook with.  There’s a much better way-  puree it! Chop the zucchini into chunks small enough to fit down your blender, and buzz until smooth.  A bonus is that the texture of your baked goods will be smoother. 

Our favorite recipe to use it is Lemon Zucchini Bread.  It has a little more flavor if you use fresh lemons, but is still good using bottled lemon juice and dried lemon zest.  Or use your lemon-zest-sugar, (find it in the archives under 'homemade orange seasoning', in the Spices or Seasonings category, right. And FYI, Zucchini bread, since it’s a ‘quick bread’, is simply a variation on the muffin recipe.   To see for yourself, go look at the 'Anything-Goes' Muffin recipe.                                          

 *  *  *  *  * 
Now, for the thought of the week- a First Presidency message from 1984, reprinted in the Ensign last year as one of the ‘classics’- “The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance”.  Or, ‘what does self-reliance have to do with eternal life’? Think about it: Is food/money/water storage a suggestion or a commandment?  This article has something for any of us to work on- whether you haven’t started, are a little ways into it, making a lot of progress, or have built up all your reserves.  I HIGHLY recommend re-reading the whole article, below is a condensed piece of it:

 “Since the beginning of time man has been counseled to earn his own way, thereby becoming self-reliant. It is easy to understand the reason the Lord places so much emphasis on this principle when we come to understand that it is tied very closely to freedom itself.

Now, I wish to speak of a very important truth: self-reliance is not the end, but a means to an end.

Doctrine and Covenants 29:34–35 tells us there is no such thing as a temporal commandment, that all commandments are spiritual. It also tells us that man is to be “an agent unto himself.” Man cannot be an agent unto himself if he is not self-reliant. Herein we see that independence and self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth.  Whenever we get into a situation which threatens our self-reliance, we will find our freedom threatened as well.  If we increase our dependence, we will find an immediate decrease in our freedom to act.

The key to making self-reliance spiritual is in using the freedom to comply with God’s commandments.”

For the whole article, which I know can bless everyone’s life,  go to The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance at lds.org.

If using fresh lemons for this recipe, you'll need two. 

Lemon-Zucchini Bread


1 lb. zucchini or other summer squash (4 c. loosely packed, or 2 cups pureed)
¼ c. lemon juice*
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest, OR ½ tsp. lemon extract, OR 1/8 tsp (16 drops)    lemon essential oil
2 c. sugar
½ c. oil
3 eggs
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Place lemon juice, zest, sugar, and oil in a bowl and beat.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Stir in flour and baking powder, then add zucchini and nuts.  Pour into two greased and floured 9x5 loaf pans.   Or use three 8x4 pans.  Bake at 375 degrees about 50 minutes (40 for 8x4 pans) or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Wrap or bag when completely cool. The flavor is even better the next day.


See the blender-mixing-method here.  

 *An acceptable substitute for lemon juice in this recipe is 1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar is better but not necessary) and a little bit extra lemon zest, extract, or essential oil.

 
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Garden Seeds, homemade orange flavoring and EASY marmalade

10/26/2010

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Make your own citrus flavoring by saving the peels, drying,  and powdering them with some sugar.  The marmalade recipe, below, is even faster.

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From left to right:  wet-canned candied orange peel, dried-first and then canned candied orange peel, orange marmalade.    Baby food jars are a great size to fill and give away with a loaf of bread.  I dress up the lid with a square of fabric, and secure with a ribbon or rubber band.


How is your 3-month supply coming?  I know some of you are past that; another post lists quantities for a year’s supply.  Once you have 3 months, remember it counts towards your full year, and long-term storage foods are the cheapest you can eat.  It will cost you less to get that remaining 9 months than it did to get the 3 months’ worth.

Now for this week’s information, the recipe is for something simple  to do with all those wonderful oranges that are in season right now.

President Benson said, “There are blessings in being close to the soil, in raising your own food even if it is only a garden in your yard and a fruit tree or two.  Those families will be fortunate who, in the last days, have an adequate supply of food because of their foresight and ability to produce their own.” –October 1980 General Conference

Between fall harvest and early spring is a perfect time to plan your garden.  A lot of stores already have their seeds in stock by February, and many seed companies have discount coupons to their sites online. 

I suggest starting small.  If you’ve never grown anything, start with just 1-4 types of vegetables your first year.  Some easy ones include lettuce, peas, radishes, beets, green beans, tomatoes, and pumpkins.   If you don’t have a garden spot, try growing them in a flower bed.  Or just tear out some grass.   You’ll water the same amount, but get food out of the deal.

The best resource around for Utah is the USU Extension office.  Their website is http://extension.usu.edu/  

For which varieties are known to produce well here, look at "Recommended Vegetable Varieties",  http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/pub__5657148.pdf

For more gardening info, go to the Horticulture Fact Sheets (shortcut is http://extension.usu.edu/htm/publications/by=category/category=43 )There is all the other info you'd want on growing any particular vegetable- when to plant, how much to fertilize, how much food you can expect from each plant, etc. 

For when to put your seeds in the ground, here's "Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for the Wasatch Front", http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Garden_2009-01pr.pdf   Nothing goes in the ground yet, unless you have a greenhouse.

I highly recommend testing your soil.  Last I checked, it was $15 per sample, going through the Extension Office. The linked article was from 1990, that's why it says the test is $10.  They suggest testing yearly, but one year’s  test will at least tell you what your soil needs to start with.  This will save you headaches, using the wrong fertilizer, or too much/not enough fertilizer.  Definitely worth it.  You'll earn the cost of the test back in fertilizer!   The article on this link is Testing Your Soil:  http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/HG_H_05.pdf   Typically I do 3-4 samples in my yard- front, back, side, and garden location.  Yes, there have ALWAYS been significant differences.

One more good article to read before you start; "Preparing and Improving Garden Soil" http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/pub__8066784.pdf 

For when to put your seeds in the ground, here's "Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for the Wasatch Front", http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Garden_2009-01pr.pdf

Hopefully this wasn't too big of a load to dump on you- just read what you can get to.  The above is good, basic, start-from-scratch information.   Do you have more specific questions?  The USU extension site will probably have an answer...

Good seed sources:  http://miniag.com/?page_id=316 (family business in Colorado, most seeds are $1 per packet, which is very good) http://www.seedstrust.com (specializing in non-hybrid, high-elevation- short season-, and heirloom seeds- with the best selection of tomatoes I’ve ever seen!), http://gurneys.com (they also have a coupon for $25 off a $50 order.  Most of my fruit trees have come from there), most grocery stores, Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, local nurseries. IFA in Riverton (1926 W 12600 S) has bulk seeds- peas, corn, green beans.  I got a half pound of peas for the same price as a less-than-one-ounce packet.   

  It turns out that orange (or any citrus) peel is full of nutrition.  According to Answers.com, “One may be surprised to find that there is 2,000% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C, 100% of the daily recommended value of Calcium, and 90% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A in any type of orange peel.”     I certainly was surprised!  The pith (white part, bitter) is also very high in pectin, which is why marmalade thickens so well.  Pectin is a great fiber for your body and is a prebiotic.  Prebiotics help the probiotics live happily inside you. Compounds in citrus peel has shown in studies to be as effective as statin drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol.  Who knew?  All this means that if you’ve been saving and storing your orange peel (dried and ground up, or otherwise), you’ve been stashing away a multivitamin!

Homemade Orange Flavoring- preserving orange zest; this works for any citrus as well. 

Wash and dry 3-4 oranges.  (or as many as you like)

Use a vegetable peeler to peel all the orange off the outside. (eat the oranges!) Spread the peels on a plate, and let dry out for a couple days, until they’re thoroughly dry.  Drop them in a blender or food processor, add 1 Tbsp sugar for each orange you had, and run on high until peel is very finely chopped.  Store in an old spice jar, baby food jar, or a small jelly jar.  Label it.  2 Tablespoons gives you the zest of one orange, enough to flavor a batch of about anything; muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, whatever.  Use it in place of part of the recipe’s sugar. Also good as part of a spice rub for meats.

You don’t really need to add sugar, but it seems to help the zest hold its flavor longer, and makes it easier to have enough in the blender for it to chop well. If you’re not using sugar, 1 Tbsp. is the zest of one orange.


Another way to preserve oranges is


Easy Orange Marmalade

1 orange, washed well
Sugar or honey

Cut the orange into quarters, and put it, peel and all, in a blender or food processor.  Turn on and let it chop as fine or coarse as you like your marmalade. Look at how much puree you have, and use that same amount of sugar or honey.  Put the puree and sugar  in a saucepan and heat on high until it boils.  Simmer for 5 minutes, until everything is translucent.  You’re done.  Makes 1- 1 ½ cups, depending on your orange.  Or make a big batch, this will take more like 10 minutes of simmering.  Pour into jars, seal if you want to store it for a year or more.  I’ve kept it in unsealed jars in the refrigerator for 9-10 months before. They might have lasted longer, but we ate them first. 

Do you ever have oranges start to shrivel and dry out?  Turn them into marmalade, even if the peels are hard as leather.  It’s also delicious to make lemon or lime marmalade, or a mixture.  The lemon is my favorite, especially using just a bit of salt and vanilla – 1/8 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. vanilla per cup of puree.

You can use marmalade as the sweetener in recipes; a cup of it has about ¾ c. sugar.  I love it in muffins.

Candied Orange Peels (short version instructions): save peels from 5-8 oranges, boil them in 3 changes of water, drain, cut in strips with scissors, simmer til translucent in 2 c. sugar and ½ water.  Roll in extra sugar while still warm. 

I usually keep these in a container in the fridge, but I've sealed them in jars (10 minutes in a boiling-water bath) when still hot, and also dry-sealed them after letting them thoroughly dry out on top of the cupboards for a week or two.
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Shelf-life of spices, homemade onion powder, Creamy Turkey Soup

10/9/2010

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Homemade onion powder.  The dried onions cost $2.50/lb at the LDS Church's Home Storage Center.
See the Home Storage Center order form.
What other seasoning (other than salt!) can you get for that much per POUND? 

When you grind up the onions, they reduce in volume by about half; the custard cup had been full before powdering.

Here’s something  from Providentliving.org:

“Three-Month Supply

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.”

 
            I guarantee that if I didn’t have a bunch of spices in the cupboard and in storage, I wouldn’t have a “normal, daily diet”!   The holidays are a great time to stock up on spices and other baking supplies, as they go on sale a lot between November and the end of December.  Sometimes there's a 'Buy One, Get One Free' sale.   Two suggestions there:  either get double and be set for the next few years on that spice/extract, OR talk to  friends/neighbors and see who'd like to split with you.   I tend to think that neighbors helping each other that way helps build Zion anyway.  

            Now- how long are your spices good for?  Spice companies tell us to throw out herbs (leaves) after they are one year old, whole spices and seeds after 4 years, ground spices after 3 years,  as they lose potency, BUT- I'd rather have 6-year-old cinnamon than none at all!  I've had older, too, and found them to be fine.  Maybe not gourmet level, but still flavorful.   You can usually tell by smelling in the jar.  If there's not quite enough flavor when I cook, I just add a little more.  No problem.   The cooler and darker your storage area, the better they’ll keep their flavor.   It helps if they are good quality.  I’ve had a brand or two of cinnamon that tasted a bit like dirty bark to begin with. And you can’t always tell by price.   Sometimes I find good quality spices at the dollar store or Big Lots.  I’ve even been able to find almond extract, lemon, etc, there.

            The spices I use most  I buy in BIG containers (like 16 oz. or so)-  cinnamon, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and ginger- the big containers stay in the basement and are used to refill my little ones in the spice cupboard.  The big containers come from Sam’s Club or Macey’s, or whoever has a good price.  Smith’s sells spices in bulk over by their ‘natural foods’ section.  You get whatever quantity you want in a little baggie.  It’s usually a lot cheaper than in the little jars.  And if you like onion powder, you can make it yourself much more inexpensively with the dried onions from the DryPack Cannery- $2 a pound! That’s dirt-cheap for spice. See below with the other recipe.

 
                Spice Things Up! 

from The Wooden Spoon Cooking School, taught for a short time at the LDS Church's Welfare Square.
 
    Basic food storage can be pretty drab.  If the idea of living off of basic ingredients for a substantial amount of time already makes you want to turn green, then you quickly need to add to the basics you already have.  Seasonings and spices will add variety and store nicely!

    Beef, chicken, or ham bouillon granules are excellent secondary storage items.  Wheat and rice, either brown or white, cooked in bouillon, take on wonderful new flavors, as does barley.  In fact, bouillon is an excellent base for many soups, sauces, and casseroles.

    Soy sauce, with its Oriental flavor, is another excellent seasoning.  Fried wheat or rice with fresh vegetables and sprouts is enhanced with soy.  It also adds good flavor to a stir-fry or even to some stews, chicken, or fish dishes.

    Legumes respond well to seasoning salts and spice blends like chili powder, curry powder, poultry seasoning and celery, garlic, and onion salts.

    It is important to keep some sweet spices on hand, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice.  Simple rice pudding, for example, is dependent on such spices for its unique flavor.  The simplest cookies and cakes are enhanced with their use.

    Dried parsley, basil, oregano, marjoram, and rosemary are great to keep in supply.  They can be added to any dish for “Italian” flavors, or added to a simple stew to compliment the natural flavors of the other ingredients. 

    Cocoa, sweet cocoa mix, or a cereal drink like Ovaltine is a good supplementary item to store along with the basic nonfat dry milk.  Punch powder is a welcome flavor in lean times.  Nor should we forget vanilla, almond, maple, and lemon extracts.  All of these items store well.

    Many of these items can be bought in bulk at warehouse retailers (Sam’s or Costco), and can be stored for a great length of time.  As with all food storage items, these should be rotated regularly.  A year’s supply of flavorings could make the big difference between stark or satisfying eating.  

 * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a simply way to get some inexpensive seasoning:
Homemade Onion Powder


2 cups dried onions
1 8-ounce jar with lid (label it!!!)

 
Put the dried onions in a blender and food processor, chop until powdery.  Pour into your jar.   Done.  

 
What else I like to know about it: 2 Tbsp. of onion powder is equal to about 4 Tbsp. (1/4 c.)  dried onions, which is about 1 medium onion.  SO- when your chicken noodle soup, or whatever, calls for 1 medium onion, dump in 2 Tbsp. of onion powder, and your (my!) kids won’t complain about onions in the soup.   Some of my children THINK they don’t like onions- but they say the soup “doesn’t taste right” the times I’ve left them out.  So now I’m sneaky.  I guess they just don’t like the texture.

 

Easy Creamy Turkey Soup     

Ready In: 35 min.    Yield: 4 ½ -5 cups

1   Tbsp.   dried minced onion, or 1 ½  tsp. onion   powder
1   stalk   celery, sliced in 1/4" pieces   
1   can   (10-3/4 oz.) cream of celery soup ( or cream of chicken, or mushroom)     
1/4   tsp.   thyme     or rosemary
1-1/2   cups   cubed cooked turkey   
3   large   carrots, cut in 1/4" pieces   
1/2   to 1 cup   milk   
1   cup   frozen peas    


            Mix together onion, celery, soup, thyme, turkey, and carrots.  Stir in enough milk to make the consistency you like.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in peas and remove from heat.  As the peas heat through, they’ll cool your soup enough to eat it.

 

To make this faster, you can microwave the celery and carrots, covered and with 1 Tbsp. of water, for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Then just heat the soup until the peas have thawed through.  This will reduce your total cooking time by about 15 more minutes. 

 
This is also good using leftover Christmas ham instead of leftover Christmas turkey, though I’d substitute a couple cubed potatoes or a can of green beans for the carrots.  

 
-Rhonda

 
Here's some great info-

If you click on no other link, check out the spice chart (#3)

 
(1)The dozen "most essential" spices

http://www.spiceadvice.com/newsa/usage/staple_spices.html

 
(2)how, when, and how much spice to add:

http://www.spiceadvice.com/newsa/usage/adding.html

 
(3)quick reference spice chart: what different herbs and spices taste good with:

GREAT for printing out and taping on the inside of your spice cupboard!

http://www.spiceadvice.com/newsa/usage/chart.html

 
(4)details on each spice: the spice encyclopedia

http://www.spiceadvice.com/encyclopedia/index.html

 
(5)antioxidants in spices:    remember hearing how awesome pomegranates and blueberries are for containing antioxidants?   1 tsp. of cinnamon has more than a whole cup of pomegranate juice or a half cup of blueberries.  Several other spices are also high.

http://www.mccormick.com/~/media/Images/ORACChart.ashx

 
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