Friday, May 15, 2009

Rice ~50 ways to make it extraordinary!

50 WAYS TO MAKE RICE EXTRAORDINARY
Source: USA Rice Federation
1. Butter, lime juice and chopped cilantro
2. Wild mushrooms sauteed in butter, thawed frozen petite peas and parmesan cheese
3. Diced tomatoes and basil pesto
4. Heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon and browned butter
5. Sliced green onions, salted cashews, toasted sesame seeds and rice vinegar
6. Dried cranberries, chopped pecans, sliced green onions and parmesan cheese
7. Red beans, coconut milk and chopped cilantro
8. Heavy cream, sliced bananas, chopped pecans and chocolate chips
9. Thawed frozen peas and chopped smoked ham
10. Grilled chicken strips cut into bite-sized pieces, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, basil pesto, provolone cheese cubes and balsamic vinaigrette
11. Chopped roasted chicken, toasted sliced almonds, sliced green onions and orange marmalade
12. Black beans, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro
13. Kidney beans, caramelized onions, sour cream and Asiago cheese
14. Crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped chives
15. Smoked gouda (cubed), smoked turkey breast cut into bite-size pieces, chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion, ranch dressing and chopped cilantro
16. Crushed pineapple, green bell pepper slices and chopped fresh mint
17. Fresh green beans sauteed in butter and toasted sliced almonds
18. Scrambled eggs, chopped Canadian bacon and chopped chives
19. Orange segments, toasted sliced almonds and sliced green onions
20. Granola, vanilla yogurt and golden raisins
21. Mushrooms sauteed in butter, and chopped, steamed asparagus
22. Cashews, chopped roasted chicken and chopped chives
23. Thawed frozen peas and finely chopped fresh mint
24. Butter, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice
25. Grilled shrimp, corn, crisp bacon bits and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
26. Minced garlic and mushrooms sauteed in butter
27. Fresh corn off the cob, chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh basil
28. Sliced kielbasa sausage and barbecue sauce
29. Sauteed okra and chopped stewed tomatoes
30. Navel orange slices, chopped red onions or chives and vinaigrette dressing
31. Steamed asparagus tips, toasted pine nuts, sliced red or yellow bell pepper and parmesan cheese
32. Diced tomatoes, sliced green onions and shredded monterey jack cheese
33. Vanilla ice cream and a dash of cinnamon
34. Scrambled eggs, crumbled sausage, cream cheese cubes and sliced green onions
35. Yogurt and fresh fruit
36. Zucchini and carrot "matchsticks" Sauteed in butter, and parmesan cheese
37. Heavy cream, raisins, sugar and vanilla
38. Minced garlic sauteed in butter and toasted pine nuts
39. Sliced apples sauteed in butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, chopped nuts, and vanilla yogurt
40. Black beans, minced red onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped cilantro and vinaigrette
41. Sauteed chanterelle mushrooms, dried apricots and toasted almonds
42. Chopped fresh spinach, asiago cheese and toasted walnuts
43. Fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries, heavy cream, vanilla and sugar
44. Currants and toasted pine nuts
45. Thawed frozen corn, mild green chiles and sour cream
46. Feta cheese, chopped kalamata olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped fresh basil
47. Finely diced carrots, thawed frozen peas, scrambled eggs, grated ginger root and soy sauce
48. Chopped rotisserie chicken and sun-dried tomato pesto
49. Grilled shrimp, lime juice and fresh pico de gallo
50. Grilled chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, and chile con queso

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Home made laundry soap recipes

Powdered Laundry Detergent
12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)
• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.
The Recipe

Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:

Homemade Laundry Soap Gel
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

30 min. Mozzarella Cheese ~Yes, made at home too!

30 Minute Mozzarella Cheese

Materials needed:

1 non-aluminum pot that will hold at least a gallon of liquid

1 measuring cup of bowl to dissolve the rennet (see note below)

1 spoon

1 candy thermometer

1 large slotted spoon, or small sieve

Ingredients:

½ rennet tablet

¼ cup cool, chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are chlorine-free)

1 gallon milk (2% 1% or skim)

2 teaspoons citric acid (see additional note below)

Directions:

Crush the rennet into the water and stir to dissolve. Pour milk into a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron). Place over medium heat. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. Heat milk to 88 degrees. Milk will begin to curdle. At 88 degrees add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees. Turn off the heat. Large curds will appear and begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).

With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass bowl. (If it’s still too liquid , let it set for a few more minutes). Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as possible. Microwave curds on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey. With a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool. Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and continue to drain the whey and work cheese into a ball. In the meantime, place the whey over medium heat and let it heat to about 175 degrees. When cheese is cool enough to touch, knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds to make it warm and pliable. Then pick it up again and stretch it into a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Dip in hot whey as needed to make the cheese pliable. When the cheese is smooth and shiny (this takes just a few minutes), it is ready to eat. Shape it into a log or golf-size balls, then store it in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water.

Canning Hamburger ~with pics!

Canning Hamburger ~from Anteagrarian Blog

Canning Hamburger

I've canned 28 pounds of hamburger, and so I have 28 pints of hamburger ready to be used. You can use canned hamburger in any of your favorite recipes. All you need to do is heat it up, drain the fat off, and put it your dish.



I had to really scrub the jars yesterday because I was using jars that have already been used. We purchased them at a thrift store. Remember to check your jars for chips or cracks before using them.



I used the new super fabulous cast iron enamel coated dutch oven to brown the ground hamburger in.



After the hamburger is browned I use the canning funnel to put the meat in the jars. You'll want to make sure you also fill the jar about half full with some of the fat. I don't use water at all in canning my hamburger or sausage. I also can all our ground sausage the same way.
Here I have the lids boiling.
When I clean the threads and rim of the jars I'll use a paper towel, or dish cloth dipped in the boiling hot water. This allows the jar rims to be sterile when I place the lid on.
Here I'm cleaning the threads and rims. I'll then use my lid grabber, which has a magnet on the end to pick up the lids in the hot water. I'll place the lids on and then put on the bands. Remember to only tighten them slightly to finger tip tight.
In this cannier load I had 15 pints, so I canned for 90 mins. at 15 lbs. I would have uploaded more pics, but the computer started giving me trouble. My cannier is an All American Cannier, and it was a wonderful investment. It has the gauge along with the weight, and has a metal to metal seal. You can google them if you'd like more info on them. The cannier is a double decker, and I can put 14 quarts, or 19 pints in it at once. Later I'll post pics of it and how it works for those who have commented on how to use one. Well I better get back to canning. I have 20 lbs. of ground sausage to can as well.

Canning Bacon ~with Pics

Canning Bacon~ with pics

When the local grocery store puts these 10 lbs boxes up for sale we usually buy several. We purchased these boxes for $11.99 a box. Roger only bought 30 lbs. this time for me to can.

Everyone has their own method of canning bacon. Some like to fry it up in stripes and then wrap it in Parchment paper, or cut it up in pieces then can it. Cutting it up into pieces works best for our family. Having it cut up into pieces usually cuts down on the cook time, and is just faster for us.
Here's the jars ready and some bacon already frying. Make sure you've cleaned the jars, and looked them over for any cracks or chips.

Some of the bacon sometimes has alot of fat on them, so I'll cut away the fat and keep it. With the fat we save I'll then render into lard.

Once you've fried the bacon place it in the jars. You'll want to leave alittle fat on the bacon so you'll have fat to pour over the pieces in the jar. Usually you'll want to pour the fat about half way in the jar. Here's some pics of mine ready to go into the cannier. Place your lids in boiling water to sterilize them. Clean the jars and rims (especially the rim and threads) after you've place the meat in and before you place your lid on. Place the lid on using a lid wand. This usually comes with canning utensil sets. Then place the band on till it feels slightly tight, just finger tip tight.
You can the bacon for 90 mins according to however many lbs. of course you have. A full cannier load I'll can for 90 mins at 15 lbs. This cannier load was only eight pints which was one box, and I canned it for 90 mins. at 10 lbs. You can see the fat has cooled and the bacon is ready to be stored.



Answering ?'s about bacon canning.

Thanks for the tutorial, I do have a couple questions though, if you don't mind.

1. How do you normally use the bacon once its canned.

2. Do you fry the bacon crispy or do you just somewhat fry it because it cooks more during the canning process?

3. Does the taste/texture change because it has been canned?

Thanks for the questions, and I'll answer them in order.

1. I normally use the bacon in the morning in eggs. I'll open the can and scope out some of the bacon along with the fat and heat it up in my frying pan. The fat helps to coat your pan so when you add your eggs they won't stick. Once your bacon is slightly heated and fat melted add your eggs and cook. Then if you want add cheese, salt, & pepper. Easy, yummy, scrambled eggs.

I use the bacon in anything that calls for bacon. I'll put it on salads for bacon bits, and in broccoli salad. The great thing is the bacon is already cooked. All you may have to do is slightly heat it up, and there's no mess. I've used the bacon in potato cheese soup, and for quick BLT sandwiches. You can use it however you want. If we have leftover's from a jar I've opened we'll just eat the bacon for a snack. I can't really say I have a favorite recipe I use it in, because we use it alot.

2. I fry my bacon till it's done. Not really crispy, but done enough to go ahead and eat. Then I'll place it in the jars.

3. Canning it doesn't really change the texture except you won't have really crispy bacon. The flavor is still the same, and no one I've ever given it to has noticed it was canned bacon instead of freshly made. People usually say how great it is.

Artisian Bread Recipe

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

Ingredients and Equipment

Great breads really only require four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. The rest is detail. Here’s a short guide to the basic ingredients and equipment you’ll need to make artisan loaves.

Unbleached, white, all-purpose flour: Has adequate protein (around 10 percent) to create a satisfying “chew,” but low enough to prevent heaviness. We prefer unbleached flours because bleaching removes some protein, not to mention adding unnecessary chemicals.

Whole wheat flour: Contains the germ and bran, both of which are healthful and tasty. Together they add a slightly bitter, nutty flavor that many people enjoy.

Bread flour: For chewier bread, substitute bread flour (about 12 percent protein) for all-purpose white flour by decreasing the amount slightly (by about a quarter cup for every 6 cups of all-purpose).

Yeast: Use what’s readily available and buy in bulk rather than packets, which are much more expensive.

Salt: Use noniodized coarse kosher or sea salt.

Baking stone: Use a high-­quality, ­half-­inch-­thick stone. The porous stone absorbs moisture from your dough, allowing a thin, crackling, crisp crust to form — one of the keys to artisanal baking.

Pizza peel: This long-handled board helps slide doughs onto a hot stone. A cookie sheet or cutting board will work, but will be more difficult to handle.

Broiler tray: A pan to hold water for steam during baking.

The Master Recipe

The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means “ball”) is the easiest to master. You’ll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won’t retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you’ll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.

Keep your dough wet — wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.

Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

On Baking Day

5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.


The Master Recipe: Boule

(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel


Tips to Amaze Your Friends

The “6-3-3-13” rule. To store enough for eight loaves, remember 6-3-3-13. It’s 6 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons yeast, and then add 13 cups of flour. It’ll amaze your friends when you do this in their homes without a ­recipe!

Lazy sourdough shortcut. When your dough container is empty, don’t wash it! Just scrape it down and incorporate it into the next batch. In addition to saving cleanup, the aged dough stuck to the sides will give your new batch a head start on sourdough flavor.

Variation: Herb Bread. Add a couple teaspoons of your favorite dried herbs (double if fresh) to the water mixture.


Neapolitan Pizza Dough

The secrets to this pizza are to keep the crust thin, don’t overload it, and to bake it quickly at a high temperature so it ­doesn’t cook down to a soup. It’s unlike anything most of us are used to eating — especially if you make fresh mozzarella!

1 pound ­pre-­mixed boule dough
Cornmeal for covering the pizza peel
Topping: your favorite seasonal ingredients

  1. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone (scraped clean) at your oven’s maximum temperature — the hotter, the better. (Another option is to use the baking stone over a grill, which takes about two-thirds of the time.)
  2. Prepare the toppings in advance. The key to a pizza that slides right off the peel is to work ­quickly.
  3. Follow Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
  4. Flatten the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick round with your hands and a rolling pin on a wooden board. Dust with flour to keep the dough from sticking. (A little sticking can help overcome the dough’s re­sis­tance to stretching, though, so don’t overuse flour.) You also can let the partially rolled dough relax for a few minutes to allow further rolling. Stretching by hand may help, followed by additional rolling. Place the rolled-­out dough onto a liberally ­cornmeal-­covered pizza peel.
  5. Distribute your toppings over the surface, leaving some of its surface exposed so you can appreciate the individual ingredientsand the magnificent crust! — of the final product. No further resting is needed.
  6. Turn on the exhaust fan (or use lower heat and bake a few minutes longer), because some of the cornmeal will smoke. Slide the pizza onto the stone (­back-­and-­forth shakes can help dislodge it). Check for doneness in 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the pizza around if one side is browning too fast. It may need up to 5 more minutes.
  7. Allow to cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Makes 1 ­12- to 14-inch pizza to serve 2 to 4.


100 Percent Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Whole wheat flour has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor, and it caramelizes easily, yielding a rich, brown loaf. Milk and honey are tenderizers, and their sweetness complements the bitter notes. Although we’ve showcased a loaf-pan method here, this dough also makes lovely free-form loaves on a baking stone.

1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water
6 2⁄3 cups whole wheat flour

  1. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, oil, milk and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
  2. Mix in the flour using a spoon, high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook.
  3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); about 2 to 3 hours.
  4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next several days.
  5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan. Using wet hands, scoop out a 11⁄2 pound (cantaloupe-sized) hunk of dough. Keeping your hands wet (it’ll be sticky!), quickly shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
  6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan. You’ll want enough dough to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
  7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
  8. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with an empty broiler tray on another shelf.
  9. Place the loaf in the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
  10. Allow to cool completely before slicing in order to cut reasonable sandwich slices.

Makes 3 1 1⁄2 pound loaves.


Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls

This crowd-pleaser was our first attempt to make dessert from stored bread dough. It was so successful that it reshaped our view of what this technique could accomplish. The flavors were enhanced by using stored dough, and the butter and sugar seeped into the folds, approximating enriched sweet doughs.

1 1⁄2 pounds pre-mixed boule dough

TOPPING FILLING
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 4 tbsp salted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon
30 pecan halves 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Cream together the butter, salt and brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the pecan halves over the mixture and set aside.

  1. Dust the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-sized piece. Dust the piece with flour and shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
  2. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Add only enough flour to prevent it from sticking.
  3. Cream together the butter, sugar and spices for the filling. Spread evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Roll the dough into a log. If it’s too soft to cut, chill for 20 minutes.
  4. With a serrated knife, cut the log into 8 pieces and arrange over the pecans, with the “swirled” edge facing up. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise 1 hour (or 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
  5. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set in center. While still hot, run a knife around the pan to release the rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish.

Makes 6 to 8 large rolls.

Making Feta Cheese at Home!

If you want to dabble in cheese making then feta cheese is a great place to start. I have been using a lot of whey lately and was making yogurt and straining that to get the whey but I don’t get to much whey from a quart of yogurt. So I decided to make feta instead.

Here is what the process looked like…

I start with a gallon of milk and my culture and rennet. Then after the cheese has been made I hang it in an old sheet that I wash well in hot, soapy water with bleach added. I set a big pan under it to collect the whey:

Then after 24 hours or so I take the cheese down. Sometimes I will take the cheese down before the 24 hours are up and stir it and hang it up again to help get the whey completely drained out. When I am done this is what the cheese looks like:

And this is how much whey I have:

The last step is to cut the cheese up and layer cheese, salt and herbs in a quart jar. This time I used basil and marjoram. When I have it all in the jar I cover it with olive oil. Then it sits on the counter for 3 days. I turn the jar upside down once and then right side up during those 3 days.. after that, it is ready to eat!


Cottage/Ricotta Cheese Recipe!~ Yep, you make it at home!

The following recipe represents the ultimate in simplicity in cheese making. It will produce a delicious cottage cheese that resembles ricotta and is excellent fresh or used in cooking Italian dishes such as lasagna. We recommend that beginners start with a cottage cheese to get the feel for the basics and for the instant gratification of being able to enjoy the product immediately.

Ingredients:

1 gallon 2% milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt

1. Heat the milk to 190F. You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil.

2. Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool.

3. When cool, pour the mixture, (which now consists of curds and whey as in Miss Muffet food) into a colander and drain off the whey.

4. Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well. You may wish to use less salt or more. It is simply a matter of taste which is the next step. You can add a little cream for a silky texture.

Pool Shock

Just thought I would pass this great info along:

Better than Bleach: Use Calcium Hypochlorite to Disinfect Water

More Articles Related to Water
Gets past the bleach storage problem

Many ourdoorsmen, survivalists, and households preparing for emergency disasters rely upon common household bleach as a disinfecting agent to make water safe to drink.

Bleach will destroy most (but NOT all!) disease causing organisms (boiling water to make it safe to drink is always the best method).

What is not well known is Calcium Hypochlorite is far better for chemically disinfecting water.

Old Way: Using Bleach to Disinfect Water

I cringe to think how many people have expired bleach in their disaster emergency kits that will be used for treating polluted water.

Those of us who have emergency preparedness stocks of survival food and survival gear often keep a gallon or two of unscented household bleach on hand for making safe drinking water in large quantities. Bleach is often the chemical of choice because it is commonly available and frequently mentioned when discussing the how-to’s of drinking water.

calcium hypochlorite bleach
calcium hypochlorite - bleach

Typical fresh household chlorine bleach has about 5.35% chlorine content (be sure to read the label). To use household bleach for disinfecting water:

  1. Add two drops of bleach per quart or liter of water.
  2. Stir it well.
  3. Let the mixture stand for a half hour before drinking.

If the water is cloudy with suspended particles:

  • First filter the water as best you can.
  • Double the amount of bleach you add to the water.

Why Using Bleach to Disinfect Contaminated Water is a Problem

A little known problem with long term storage of bleach in your disaster emergency supply cache is that it degrades over time. Consulting a Chlorox bleach representative produced this statement:

“We recommend storing our bleach at room temperatures. It can be stored for about 6 months at temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After this time, bleach will be begin to degrade at a rate of 20% each year until totally degraded to salt and water. Storing at temperatures much higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit could cause the bleach to lose its effectiveness and degrade more rapidly. However, if you require 6% sodium hypochlorite, you should change your supply every 3 months.”

I cringe to think how many people have expired bleach in their disaster emergency kits that will be used for treating polluted water. Even what are considered reliable sources of information such as the EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA will show you how to use bleach to disinfect water but will leave out this exceedingly important piece of information.

This is why I created Survival Topics – to give you the real information you need to survive.

So if bleach is unreliable for long term storage in emergency preparedness kits then what other commonly available chemical methods of disinfecting water are there? As it turns out a better solution is easily available.

Use Calcium Hypochlorite for Disinfect Water

A 1-pound pag of calcium hypochlorite in granular form will treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water

Calcium hypochlorite is one of the best chemical disinfectants for water, better than household bleach by far. It destroys a variety of disease causing organisms including bacteria, yeast, fungus, spores, and viruses.

Calcium Hypochlorite is widely available for use as swimming pool chlorine tablets or white powder that is much more stable than chlorine. This is often known as “pool shock”.

How to Disinfect Water Using Calcium Hypochlorite

Using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water is a two step process.

  1. To make a stock of chlorine solution (do not drink this!) dissolve 1 heaping teaspoon (about one-quarter of an ounce) of high-test (78%) granular calcium hypochlorite for each two gallons (eight liters) of water.
  2. To disinfect water add one part of the chlorine solution to 100 parts water to be treated.
  3. Let the mixture sit for at least one-half hour before drinking.

Be sure to obtain the dry granular calcium hypochlorite since once it is made into a liquid solution it will begin to degrade and eventually become useless as a disinfecting agent. This also means you should make your treated drinking water in small batches, for example enough for a few weeks at a time at most.

Another plus for using calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water for emergency use is that a little goes a very long way. A 1-pound pag of calcium hypochlorite in granular form typically costs only a few $US dollars and can be obtained in any swimming pool supply section of your hardware store or online. This amount will treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water, which is enough for a family of four for some six or seven years at a gallon per day per person!

Calcium hypochlorite will store for a long period of time and remain effective as a chemical drinking water treatment. So get rid of the household bleach and buy a can of Calcium hypochlorite for your disaster emergency water disinfection needs. It lasts far longer and treats far more water than the traditional chlorine bleach water disinfection treatment.

Garden City Wet Pack Schedule May 2009

The Garden City Cannery has posted the most current wet pack schedule!
For the month of May these are the dates and items that will be available:

May 7th~ Frozen Marion Berries (4 lb bag) (Put into 4-1gallon bags) $9.00
Frozen Blueberries (4lb bag) (") $7.00
Frozen Strawberries (same) $6.00
Frozen Raspberries (same) $12.00
May 12th~ Whole Marionberries (Pt Jar) $1.19
May 13th~ Black Beans #300 Can $.66
May 14th~ Whole Blueberries (Pt. Jar) $2.35
May 28th~ Marion Berry Pie Filling (Qt Jar) $1.40
Cherry Pie Filling (Qt. Jar) $1.65
Blueberry Pie Filling (Qt Jar) $2.15
Raspberry Pie Filling (Qt. jar) $2.25


Welcome

Welcome to the Parma Food Storage Blog! We will be sharing thoughts and ideas regarding food storage. Ideas, recipes. Food storage activities etc. I will have guest posters and many posts will be from other sites and church publications! So pull a chair up......grab something to take notes on.... and stay awhile!