Category Archives: Food Storage

Food Storage, Garden

New Video Releases: Gardening Naturally & Permaculture

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As I stated in my last post, one of the goals I set was to clean up my website to create a more user-friendly experience for my visitors. Another was to clean up and upload videos I have been holding onto for far too long, which has been a significant undertaking. That task (the bulk of it) has been completed! I am excited to share that these are videos from the 1990s, a fascinating era that shaped much of my creative journey (This Old House was another one that I watched religiously, but that is still on the air and readily available online). I have done my best to edit, clean up, and enhance the audio to ensure that the quality meets the expectations of my audience. In addition, I have also included subtitles for all of these new videos (and all of my previously uploaded ones) to make them more accessible to a wider audience. With the intention of not overwhelming anyone, I have all of the videos set to release once per week, so no one is inundated with notification

I now have two new playlists on my YouTube channel. The first is all of the Gardening Naturally episodes I could find. What is Gardening Naturally?

Gardening Naturally is an educational television series created in the early 1990s, hosted by renowned horticulturists Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman. The show focuses on sustainable, organic, and four-season gardening techniques, presenting viewers with practical knowledge that is both applicable and inspiring. Although the show officially ran for 3 seasons, I discovered enough videos to stretch it to 4 seasons, allowing you to delve deeper into the wealth of information it offers. Each episode features engaging segments that resonate with both novice and seasoned gardeners, showcasing a range of topics from planting and soil health to pest management and seasonal harvesting. I absolutely fell in love with this show! This show, for the first time, displayed practical tips and methods for organic gardening that were relatable, transforming the way I approached my own garden and instilling in me a sense of connection to the earth and the food I grow.

The second playlist is for Bill Mollison’s renowned Permaculture course, which explores sustainable agricultural practices and ecological design. I had originally uploaded these videos a few years ago but decided to take them down for various reasons, including the desire to improve the overall quality of the content. Now, after dedicating time to enhancing the material, the video quality is notably crisper,. Additionally, the audio has been significantly improved, now sounding 1000 times better than before.

I hope your day is exciting as mine will be (climbing onto the roof to eliminate moss while the weather is warm).

Bread, Drying, Food Storage, Preserving

Reviving My Baking Passion with Fresh Sprouts

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While re-adjusting to our move, I am slowly re-learning what I loved to do. One thing is baking. The second, is sprouting. I used to love having fresh alfalfa sprouts in the fridge.

So, I decided to experiment with the supplies I already have on hand. That brings us to this video. These are the original grains (white wheat, red wheat, and barley) that I used to make my sprouted grain video 6 YEARS AGO! I show you how I had them stored and we play the game of “Will they sprout?”

It turns out they all did! The barley was the quickest to sprout, followed closely by the white wheat, then the red, which took a bit longer. They are all currently in my dehydrators, which I’m using this time instead of the oven, as it allows for more even drying and better preservation of flavors. I can’t wait to bake something with these! The anticipation is building as I think about the wonderful bread, muffins, or pastries I could create using this freshly dehydrated grain mix. The unique flavors and textures they will bring to my baked goods are sure to impress anyone who gets a taste!

Here’s the link to my original post:

Sprouted Grain Flour!
Food Storage, Garden, Health And Wellness, Journal

Why I Chose Convenience Over Preparation in Life

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I made my first Substack post and who knows if I will make another one. I barely remember (or don’t know what to share) to post here.

So, here’s the link if you want to read it there, or just scroll down and read the pasted text here.

https://open.substack.com/pub/brendanolen587563/p/it-isnt-prepping-its-laziness?r=cg71s&utm_medium=ios

I used to be a prepper. I used to have a full inventory of everything we would need to survive whatever catastrophe could befall us. I live in California, so my disaster plans included drought, earthquakes, and flooding but mostly civil unrest. Then, through a mind shift that changed my focus from lack to plenty, I reverted back to my original way of thinking: I’m lazy.

I could use terms with a more positive connotation: frugal, thrifty, organized, budget-friendly, etc. I could pretend it’s for health reasons but that would be a lie. My base feeling towards all-things-storage is laziness.

I can’t stand leaving my house every day to purchase food or supplies. I can’t stand planning every meal months ahead of time so I know what I need for the future. I know people who shop every day for that night’s meal and it drives me crazy! They actually love it and I just don’t understand how!


Do you know what I love? Knowing that I can just walk over there and grab whatever I need off of the shelf without getting dressed and driving through “shouldn’t all of you be at work or something?” traffic. That was the only good thing about the Covid lockdowns: everyone was so paranoid that virtually no one was out shopping!

That’s why I grow food, too. It isn’t to control what goes into my body or to save money (because anyone who has grown food knows it is cheaper to buy a crate of tomatoes from Mexico than grow tomatoes while dealing with the “what is wrong with this plant now?” issues. I grow food so I only have to walk 10 feet to get food and only have to wear enough clothing to not scare the neighbors.
Technically, we are healthier. Before we moved back into our house (we lived with my in-laws for 2 ½ years), we ate out a lot (there simply was no room for us there). Since moving back and building up our supplies, we have lost weight, become stronger, and are so much happier. Whoever said laziness was a bad thing obviously didn’t know us!

Canning, Food Storage

Easy Oven-Roasted Nut Storage Method

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This is so easy!

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Take whatever nuts you want to store. Shell them or just make sure there are no bits of shell or debris.

Place the nuts in whatever size jars you want and place new lids and rings on.

Place your jars on a baking tray (for stability), and bake for one hour. Remove and let cool.

As long as they are sealed, they will store almost forever.

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

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Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

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Home Canned Meats

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:

Description

Canning meats at home is simple once you have all of the right tools.

Ingredients

Home Canned Meats

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Wash jars and lids.
  2. Cut meat into cubes.
  3. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
  4. Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
  5. Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
  6. Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Remember to add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your water to prevent mineral buildup on your jars.
  7. Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
  8. Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
  9. Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
  10. As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Bread, Breakfast, Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

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My favorite biscuits are Baking Powder Biscuits from Kraft (https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051722/baking-powder-biscuits). Out of all of the recipes I have ever tried, these always turn out fantastic. So, I thought I would try to adapt that recipe for my sprouted grain flour. I think I have a winner!

Recipe Card

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Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Grate the frozen butter into the flour and, using a fork, coat the butter with the flour. Add the buttermilk and mix until almost all of the flour in incorporated (do not mix too much or the biscuits will be dense).

    Sprinkle flour on your countertop and scoop out the biscuit dough. Gently fold the dough until it becomes more solid (roughly 20 times), only adding flour to prevent it sticking to your hands or countertop. Pat flat so the dough is at least 1/2 inch thick.

    If you want circles, cut with any item that is at least 2 inches round (a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, an empty food can, etc.). If you want squares, just cut with a knife. Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet an bake for 8 to 12 minutes (until the edges start to brown). Let cool a few minutes, then split with a fork (use the tines of a fork to split the biscuit instead of a knife). Serve.

Bread, Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Bread

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Since the sprouted grain flour is more like whole wheat flour (make sure you watch that video here: Sprouted Grain Flour), that’s the recipe I ended up using. I tried one written for all purposed flour and it did not work at all! This video is almost the entire process, including hand kneading, but in the description I included a link so you can fast forward past my kneading (and rambling).

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Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: , ,

Ingredients

Small Batch (2 loaves)

Large Batch (6 loaves)

Instructions

By hand instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, add the first 6 ingredients, about half of the flour, and the yeast. Mix for about one minute.
  2. Optional step (I did this): for enhanced flavor and texture, allow the batter to sit for 15-30 minutes until it becomes bubbly.
  3. Mix in the rest of the flour, a little at a time (about 1/2 cup at a time) until the dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. You may not need all of the flour. On a lightly floured surface, place the dough and begin kneading in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 degrees F 30-40 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F).

Mixer instructions:

  1. In BOSCH mixing bowl with dough hook and dough hook extender in place, add forst 6 ingredients, about half of the flour, and the yeast. Mix on speed 3 for about one minute.
  2. Optional step (I did this): for enhanced flavor and texture, allow the batter to sit for 15-30 minutes until it becomes bubbly.
  3. Increase to speed 2. Continue adding remaining flour, a little at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. You may no need all of the flour. Knead on speed 2 for 6-8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly oil your hands and counter. Divide the dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 degrees F 30-40 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F).
Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Flour!

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So, I randomly decided to try my hand at sprouted grain flour. I went to the bulk bins at Winco to see what I could find. They didn’t really have as many whole grains as I wanted, but I bought some barley, red Winter wheat, white wheat, and some raw sunflower seeds. I am going to say this right now: do not try to sprout shelled raw sunflower seeds! They got slimy, stinky, and NEVER really dried out.

In a quart jar, I put one cup of each, put my sprouting lids on the jars, rinsed, then filled them with water and let them soak overnight. I then drained out the liquid, rinsed them, and stored them upside down. Rinse and drain twice per day until the grains are sprouted as much as you want them to be.

Here are the sprouting lids I am using:

[UPGRADED] Aozita 6 Pack Plastic Sprouting Lids for Wide Mouth Mason Jars – Sprouting Jar Strainer Lid for Canning Jars – Sprouting Screen for Broccoli, Alfalfa, etc. by Aozita

Then, to dry them, I put parchment paper onto rimmed baking sheets, spread the grains out, and put these baking sheets in the oven with only the light on. That produced enough heat to ensure the air was warm and dry enough to dehydrate the grains. Then, for about 48 hours, I stirred the grains around. The ones toward the outside of the baking sheets dry faster. Once they were completely dry, I put them in jars.

I tried to grind them into flour with my food processor first but the grains just spun around, so I tried my blender. That did a pretty good job! I first pulsed the grains on the “crush ice” setting, then just blended them on the lowest setting for 5 minutes. I had to strain it because the blender didn’t grind all of the grains and I didn’t want it chunky. It was at this point that I killed my blender. I ran it for 10 minutes and it overheated so bad that it wouldn’t start again.

I went looking on Amazon and almost bought these:

Roots & Branches VKP1024 Deluxe Grain Mill, small, Silver by Amazon.com

Roots & Branches VKP1024-M2 Deluxe VKP1024 grain mill motor, small, black by BuyBoxer

BUT I ended up buying this one:

NutriMill Plus High-Speed Grain/Flour Mill by Nutrimill

I love this mill! I am so happy I went with this instead of a hand crank mill because I know how strenuous it can be to use my hand meat grinder. I can’t imagine how much more tiring it would be using a hand operated grain mill! I ran the grain through twice and BAM! I had really nice flour!

If you make too much flour, just store it in an air-tight container (if you won’t be using it again for a while, store it in the freezer). That’s it! We made flour! My next video is how to turn this into bread. 🙂

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

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I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

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Homemade Corned Beef

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 12

Description

It’s so much easier than I thought!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. To Cure:

    Mix all of the other ingredients, ensuring the salts dissolve.

    Remove as much fat as you want, leaving a minimum of roughly 1/4 to 1/8 inch.

    Place your meat and the brine in a container that will allow the meat to remain submerged. Submerging the meat is key to proper curing. Exposure to air introduces bacteria. I prefer plastic freezer bags. This allows me to actually remove all of the air and turn the meat with less mess.

    Place the container in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5 days, with 7 being preferred. Turn once per day. Now, it’s ready to cook or freeze.

     

  1. To Cook:

    Place the meat in a large pot along with enough hot water to cover it by at least 1″ and put the lid on. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a low simmer and keep it simmering for 30 minutes. If you boil it, it will get tough and shrink. Beware that the meat is cold, so when it warms the water will slowly move from simmer to boil. Keep an eye on it and try not to let it boil.

    After 30 minutes, dump out the water and cover 1″ over the meat with fresh hot water. Bring to a low simmer again, this time for 3 hours or until it is fork tender. Keep the meat submerged with a small plate.

    For Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, remove the meat and let it rest. Now add sliced carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the cooking liquid. Simmer until the carrots are tender.  

    Slice the meat across the grain and serve.

Keywords: corned, beef, brisket, pastrami, home, made

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Canning, Food Storage, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canning Milk

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Look! I discovered an easy method to can milk at home. We never have straight-up milk, unless we plan on eating cereal or need it for some other “only milk will do” reason. So, I used this method on half and half. As a test, I let a pint jar sit for 3 years. It became solid as it sat but retained a seal and, when I opened it, there was no smell, no strange colors, it just looked like it had separated into curds and whey. Needless to say, I didn’t consume it but I don’t see why this will not keep for at least a year on the shelf.

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Canned Milk

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Description

Home canned evaporated milk

Instructions

  1. Fill your pressure canner with about 2 inches of room temperature water. Do not turn on your burner yet.

    Fill your clean and sterilized room temperature jars with just about room temperature milk, leaving an inch of head space (usually just below the threads of the jar). Wipe the rim of the jars with vinegar (to eliminate any possible fats or liquids). Place your lid, then ring on the jar, hand tighten, then place in your pressure canner.

    Once the canner is filled, put your lid on and turn the burner on medium-high to high. Once a steady stream of steam is shooting through the vent, set your timer for 10 minutes. Place your weight on the vent, then when it gets up to pressure (sea level is 10 pounds), turn off the burner (if you have an electric cook top,  move the canner to a cold burner) and let the pressure canner sit until the pressure gauge reads zero.

    Remove the weight, the lid, and place the jars on a towel covered rack to cool. After 24 hours, remove the rings, wash the jars, label and store in a cool, dark place.  These should be good for 1 year.

Note

Keywords: milk, dairy, pressure, can, food, storage

Now is the time to learn techniques that have been safely used for decades before the USDA eliminates this knowledge altogether.