Much Cheaper and Easier Yogurt Starter

A little while after I finished the post on making yogurt, I stumbled across another little gem, but it took awhile for me to get to the store to be able to try it out.
So some people were posting somewhere that probiotic capsules could be used as a yogurt starter.  If that were really the case, that would be huge.  The freeze-dried yogurt starters run about a dollar to two each.  That's kind of a chunk of change, but not so bad in the long term if you make yogurt regularly and always save some to start the next batch.  But it you don't?  If you forgot, or if you can't go through a batch quickly enough?  If one of the kids ate it?  Yeah, it can get a little pricey.

I figured it would be worth giving this idea a try, especially since it could wind up saving a lot of money.

As luck would have it, when I finally made it out to go grocery shopping (we've been down to one vehicle for the past couple of months, so getting out for shopping has been a little difficult), I happened upon a discounted bottle of probiotic capsules, normally $12.49, discounted to $6.29.  Nice.  The label states that each capsule contains 14 billion bacteria from eight species:  Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus casei. The bottle contains sixty capsules and I used one capsule to make a two-quart batch of yogurt, making my cost for this starter a little over ten cents.

What I had read suggested using capsules containing two to three billion bacteria, so fourteen billion would have been a little over the top.  But it was on sale....

Anyway, so instead of having to find my starter yogurt in the fridge and then mixing it with a little of the milk to start a new batch of yogurt, I just had to wait for the milk to reach the right temperature and then sprinkle the probiotic capsule contents (don't just throw the capsule into the yogurt) over the milk and whisk it in.

I really wasn't sure this was going to work.  After all, I've tried quite a few things that have not worked.

Fortunately, this is not one of them!

I actually made two different batches of yogurt that day so that I could do a side-by-side comparison.  I followed the same directions for making both batches, but for the first batch I used some starter that I had set aside from the previous batch, and for the second batch I used the probiotic capsule.

Not only did the probiotic capsule make yogurt, it made it very well!  The yogurt set up much firmer but was still creamy and thick without being stiff.  And it's much cheaper and easier.  Awesome!

In the future, I will probably try using half a capsule per batch, or I may buy probiotic capsules that contain even more bacteria, and then use only a portion of those.  Next time you make yogurt, be sure to give probiotic capsules a try. 

Links to related posts:
Dry Milk
Making Thick, Creamy Yogurt
Frozen Yogurt from Food Storage 

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com

Frozen Yogurt from Food Storage

I'm not entirely convinced that I'll be able to generate enough electricity to make ice, in the summer, that is.  I'm not too concerned about being able to make ice in winter.

But I think there is a chance that people will eventually make it happen, and be able to make it happen in quantities sufficient to make frozen yogurt once in a while.  Of course, I would rather make ice cream.  I love ice cream.  Ice cream loves me.  But I'm not too sure how much whipping cream we'll have access to in the long term.

Now, I have to admit, I was very skeptical about making frozen yogurt.  I've made quite a bit of ice cream in the past, and even with an ice cream maker and following lots of suggestions for how to make ice cream creamier, the suggestions never really worked for me.  Our ice cream was usually pretty grainy.

I feared the situation would be worse with frozen yogurt; after all, frozen yogurt has a lot more water in it, and less fat, and yogurt made from powdered milk has no fat.  I thought the result would be very grainy.

But I was wrong!  Amazing!

Frozen yogurt making experts shared that one of the keys to making smoother frozen yogurt at home is to use liquid sugar for the sweetener, and also that because this is a frozen treat, more sugar needs to be used.  Also, using this liquid sugar would make scooping the frozen yogurt much easier, which is really important if you don't have an ice cream maker and are just using your freezer.

It was true!  I made surprisingly creamy frozen yogurt today.  Two batches!!

I followed the recipe for making yogurt that I posted here last month, using the probiotic capsule to make the yogurt, because it made a much firmer yogurt.

To two cups of this yogurt, I added 1/3 cup of corn syrup, but I think a little more sweetener would be good.  Beyond that, the ingredients you add will depend on the flavor you want to make.  Pureed fruits are a really good choice.  Right now I'm thinking chocolate would be good, too.

Links to related posts:
Basic Food Storage--Powdered Milk 
Making Thick, Creamy Yogurt 

For further reading:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/how-to-make-what-is-best-frozen-yogurt.html
https://thesurvivalmom.com/try-today-homemade-yogurt-powdered-milk/
https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-frozen-yogurt/

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com

Five TEOTWAWKI Options for Cream Cheese

After you've been at the prepping and food storage game for a little while, you eventually start thinking and preparing as if you are really going to have to eat what you have stored.  And that your family is going to have to eat it, too.  And that having good food is going to be critical to being able to be happy.  You're going to have to be able to cook and bake from scratch, and you're going to get a hankering for the good food you used to have.  Like cream cheese.  And you're probably thinking you need to buy some powdered cream cheese or you need to learn how to make it.
So let's look at the options so that you can make an informed choice for your family.  All of these options were tested for fresh eating only, not for being baked into desserts or casseroles.

1. Cream cheese powder, like this one from Hoosier Farms.  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "somebody's trying to poison me" and 10 being "go away, I'm eating this cheesecake by myself", this product, mixed exactly according to directions on the package rates a solid 1.  It was runny.  I couldn't even ask my family to try it.  It was so, so, so nasty.  
2. Cream cheese powder, the same from above, but mixed with homemade plain yogurt instead to thicken it up and maybe improve flavor and mouth feel.  On the same scale of 1 to 10, this rated a 2.  It was thicker but still had an off taste to it.  
3. One person on a preparedness forum indicated that she added one tablespoon of butter powder per cup of yogurt to make a cream cheese substitute very similar to Philadelphia cream cheese.  I think she hasn't bought Philadelphia cream cheese or any brand of cream cheese in a very long time.  It tastes ok, meriting perhaps a 4 or 5.  Members of my preparedness class tonight thought it would work as a base for a chip dip, with the right herbs.  It was definitely nothing like cream cheese.  
4. Cream cheese substitute from plain yogurt.  Per numerous recommendations online, I drained and salted some of my homemade yogurt.  I think I'd give this a 5 as well, better than the others, but nothing you'd want to eat a lot of.  
5. My fifth and final attempt at making cream cheese from food storage items involves the recipe below, the ingredients and instructions for which come exactly from Bigger, Bolder Baking.  However, I did adapt the ingredients to using a whole milk substitute that is completely from food storage.  Like the others, this did not turn out well, either.  To be fair, I am using a whole milk substitute.  Also, from what I have read from other sources, cream cheese is much easier to make and tastes better when the milk is not homogenized, and most store-bought milk is.  

I feel the cards are truly stacked against preppers when it comes to cream cheese.  I just don't think it's happening for us.  And again, what was my point in posting recipes that don't work?  So that you have them to refer to when you get the idea that you can make cream cheese yourself.  Because sooner or later, you might want to give it a try.  To keep from wasting precious resources, you can at least make a more informed decision about what to try, or whether it might be better to give up and try something else.

For me, right here and right now, I'm giving up.  I think I will not pursue the quixotic quest for cream cheese any further.  At least, for now.  Maybe we should just get some goats.

Bigger, Bolder Baking's Homemade Cream Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 cups (32oz /1000ml) whole milk (full fat, not low fat)  (1 1/3 cups p milk plus water to make full quart.  4 teaspoons honey, 1/4 cup butter powder   
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (lime juice or white vinegar)
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (read notes)

Instructions

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk on med-high. Stirring constantly until it starts to a rolling simmer.
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, in 1-minute intervals. Continue stirring constantly.
3. Continue cooking until the mixture curdles. Stir constantly till the mixture has separated completely, this should take just a few minutes. There will be a green liquid on the bottom and thick curdles on top. Remove from the heat. This should happen within a few minutes.
4. Lay a sieve with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the curd mixture into the sieve. Let it strain and cool for about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer curds to a food processor and process until curds have come together and are totally smooth and creamy. It will take around 3-4 minutes. Keep going if your cream cheese is grainy.
6. Add salt and taste. Add more if you want more flavor. Now is also a good time to add herbs, garlic or any other flavors you like.
7. This cream cheese must be stored in the fridge. I always use it within 7 days but can last as long as up to 2 weeks.

Links to related posts:
Making Thick and Creamy Yogurt


For further reading:
https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-make-cream-cheese/
http://preparetodaywardnewsletter.blogspot.com/2014/09/my-food-storge-week-in-review-yogurt.html

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com

Bucket Wrenches

So I'm sitting in bed here, as I do most mornings, banging out another post.  The house is quiet; my husband and daughters left for the favorite archery tournament of the year in Nevada City over an hour ago.   Without interruptions, I ought to be able to write quickly, which is good, because I'm a little more pressed for time than usual.  I've got the usual Saturday morning stuff to do, plus a bridal shower this afternoon.  For my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.  My very first.  :)
Anyway, Luke and Sarah's primary wedding gift from us is a year's supply of food storage, plus some furniture.  I'm not wrapping up any of those items to take to a shower.  However, at the same time, giving them food storage without a bucket wrench reminds me a bit of one of the best Far Side comics ever.  You know, the one with the old couple in a basement bomb shelter full of canned goods, and a mushroom cloud in the sky above the house.  And the wife says to her husband, "How many times did I say it, Harold?  How many times?  'Make sure that bomb shelter's got a can opener--ain't much good without a can opener.'"

So what will Sarah be receiving from me today?

Bucket wrenches.  Yeah, I guess I'm that kind of mother-in-law. 

For the more tool-oriented readers, these are also called bung wrenches or drum bung wrenches.  Now, most men don't actually need these bucket wrenches.  They've got all the finger strength in the world to open bucket lids.  However, it is a totally different matter for women.  And while I could open these bucket lids with great effort without a wrench in my twenties, by the time I hit thirty, that was no longer an option.  It can be hard enough to rotate food storage when it's easy.  Don't make using your long-term storage in buckets any harder by not having a bucket wrench.  And just because these wrenches are inexpensive, don't assume that they're indispensable.  You really need at least a couple.

They come in several colors, and while I would like to have gotten blue (Sarah's favorite color), our WinCo only had yellow last night.  Amazon and every food storage company on the planet sell them for somewhere between five to ten dollars, but WinCo's got them for under two dollars. 

Unless you are using gamma lids on everything, you'll probably want to have a few of these on hand to get into your buckets.  Some choose to spend the money for gamma lids, but at seven dollars per lid, well, say you've got a hundred buckets.  One for each bucket would be $700.  Or get a couple of bucket wrenches and spend the difference on more food.  That's not a difficult decision to make.

You probably only need a couple, but if you've got a daughter like mine ("QOTPE"--Queen of the Picky Eaters), she'll say something to wig you out and make you get more.  I can't remember her exact words, but I already had six wrenches and whatever it was she said, I had to buy two more.  It is nice to have them in all the locations where we have the buckets.

Links to related posts:
Long Term Food Storage  

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com  

Medicinal Uses of Arrowroot

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.


Arrowroot, Maranta arundinacea, is a tropical plant native to the Americas.  It is most often used today as a thickener for food, a non-GMO alternative to cornstarch.  Arrowroot isn't commonly used at home as food in our society today, except by those individuals who are on gluten-free diets and/or needing an alternative to cornstarch.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that you are able to grow arrowroot in your area.  That fact alone is often a deal-killer for me, but I have been known to make exceptions, especially for medicinal items with a respectable shelf life.  If you can grow it in your area, you'll have a powerhouse of nutrition at your fingertips.  A one-cup serving of arrowroot contains impressive amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B1, B3, and B9, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

As you do your own research into arrowroot powder and determining whether this is something you want in your stores, keep in mind that arrowroot powder and arrowroot flour and arrowroot starch are all the same thing.  Also, when using arrowroot to replace cornstarch, start with substituting 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount of cornstarch the recipe calls for.   Be sure to make a slurry, you know, like you do with cornstarch or flour, mixing the arrowroot powder with a small amount of water or other liquid, before stirring it into the soup or gravy or whatever.  Also, be sure to stir the arrowroot slurry into the soup right before serving, as high heat breaks down the thickening qualities of the arrowroot.

Arrowroot has a shelf life of at least 3-4 years when properly stored.  

However, the culinary uses of arrowroot are not the focus of this post today.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't bother with arrowroot for its uses in food.  No one in my immediate family is bothered by gluten issues, and while I do try to avoid all the genetically-modified food I can, I don't stress too much over cornstarch as we really don't use it that often.


Historically, arrowroot was highly valued for its medicinal effects, and that's what we're interested in today.  Arrowroot especially developed a reputation for its efficacy against poison arrow wounds and snake and spider bites, but it's got a lot of other interesting uses, too.  Fortunately for those readers living in tropical areas, the active constituents of arrowroot are also found in other plants:  Florida arrowroot (Zamia integrifolia, cassava (Manihot esculenta), and kudzu (Pueraria lobata).  The rest of us will have to buy it.

INTERNAL USAGE
Arrowroot is mixed into juice, water, or some other drink, about two teaspoons per cup of liquid, and then taken to relieve the following conditions:

• Gastrointestinal conditions, including:
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea and dysentery
• Food poisoning, to treat and as a preventative, may be added to soups, gravies, and other liquids.
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Urinary tract infection.  
• Bladder infections and cystitis
• Also, may be taken daily to prevent recurrence of these infections.
• Teething pain in infants.
• Arrowroot biscuits have been around for ages.  Arrowroot powder may be applied directly to the gums, or it may be used as flour and baked into biscuits for teething.  
• Boost immune system.  
• Venomous snake and spider bites.  Arrowroot juice or tea was historically administered to treat these bites.  However, I could find no mention of modern usage. 

EXTERNAL USAGE
Historically, arrowroot powder was mixed with a little bit of water to make a paste and then applied directly or in a poultice to treat the following:

• Venomous snake and spider bites.  
• Smallpox
• Poison arrow wounds, infected wounds, including gangrene.

Contraindications:  None.  Safe for babies and pregnant and nursing women, when used in normal quantities.  Sitting down to a meal of arrowroot only is not a good idea.  Just like eating a cup of salt is not a good idea.

Caution:  Do not take arrowroot powder in conjunction with any other medications or supplements to alleviate diarrhea.  You risk extreme constipation.  

For further reading:
https://draxe.com/arrowroot/
https://www.yourhealthremedy.com/medicinal-plants/arrowroot-powder-uses-health-benefits-side-effects/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/arrowroot.html
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-28032000000100005&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en  (diarrhea treatment in IBS)
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/arrowroot-for-babies-benefits-and-recipe/
https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/prevent-recurrence-of-uti-with-arrowroot-powder-bs915/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15453588
https://draxe.com/homemade-probiotic-deodorant/moistening and a nourishing effect on the body.
https://downshiftology.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-arrowroot-powder/
https://stilltasty.com/Fooditems/index/16412


© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com  

19 jul 2021

17 june 2024