Is It Just Me, or Is That Can Bulging?

Sometimes we just aren't sure whether a can is starting to bulge.  We found a bulging can of stewed tomatoes a few days ago, and now every can of stewed tomatoes is under suspicion.  Perhaps one can in the case bulged, so there may be more.  "When in doubt, throw it out" works well enough when there is plenty of money and food to go around.  However, in challenging times, like it or not, people start to take risks.

If you think your can has a suspicious bulge, here's how to test it:

1. Clean the lid
2. Put a few drops of water on the lid in the spot to be punctured
3. Puncture the lid through the water
4. If the water is sucked into the can, the food is good
5. If the escaping gas bubbles through the water or the water is forced away from the puncture, the food is bad[1]

If the food is contaminated, it should be carefully discarded so that people and animals do not come into contact with it.   Even microscopic amounts of toxin absorbed through the eyes or skin can cause illness.[2]

Four steps to take to reduce the risks of bulging cans and spoiled food:

1. Rotate your canned goods.  Develop a rotation system that works for your family and your situation.
2. Become aware of what the dates stamped on cans really mean.  Keep in mind that just because an arbitrary date is reached or passed, it does not mean the food has gone bad.  Also, remember that canned meats and dairy last longer than vegetables which last longer than fruits.  
3. If you have foods that you know are at risk of spoiling soon, say some tomatoes or pineapple, dehydrate them.
4. Avoid metal cans altogether when possible.  Tomatoes and pineapple are especially acidic and eat through the lining in cans pretty quickly.  That's why people say they go bad quickly.  However, home-canned tomatoes and pineapple have a much longer shelf life because they are in glass.  

Other measures to take to reduce the risk of rust from the outside in are particularly important in humid areas.

1. Remove labels
2. Dip the ends or the entire can in paraffin or oil.  Paraffin is cleaner and doesn't attract dirt.
3. Do not store canned goods in cardboard boxes. 

Links to related posts:
Botulism
Best-By Dates:  What Those Numbers Really Mean
Tomatoes--Home Canned Tomato Sauce
Canning Pineapple
Dehydrating Pineapple
Storing Canned Goods for the Long Term in Humid Areas 

References:
[1]Larry Bush, et al., “Botulism,” MSD Manual: Consumer Version, https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/infections/bacterial-infections-anaerobic-bacteria/botulism (accessed 1 May 2020).
[2]Ibid. 

 

6 august 2020

Copycat Crunch Bars—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café

I’m so blessed to be here in the middle of nowhere with Ellie and Cowboy and their new baby boy.  He’s absolutely beautiful, and at 18 days late he only weighed 7 lbs 12 oz, nowhere near as big as his 9 lb older sister was at 10 days late.  We really feared for the worst this time, but for nought.  Not only was he substantially lighter than his sister, he also came in at a whopping 23”, just like his aunt.  This boy is gonna be tall. 

While I spend my days tending to his mother and sister and making dinner, I can still write a little in the evenings.  But I’m limited in what I have to work with.  No way was I hauling all the herbal and conventional medicine texts with me.  It looks like I’ll be testing a lot of recipes over the next two weeks.

Which brings us to the Copycat Nestle Crunch Bars.  Provided are the recipe with quantities as originally written, as well as my scaled down version.  While I’m happy to share chocolate with my family, when we need chocolate, we need only a little at a time, not a big batch of candy.  And the neighbors?  Well, if they wanted chocolate, they would have stored it.  No way I’m letting them know we have any to spare.

Copycat Crunch Bars (original batch size)

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup Rice Krispies

Directions:  Line an 8x8” pan with parchment paper.

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together.  (Alternatively, melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 20-second intervals.)  When the chocolate mixture is melted and smooth, stir in the Rice Krispies.  Spread into the prepared pan.  Refrigerate or freeze 15-30 minutes.  Cut into bars. 

 

Copycat Crunch Bars (smalll batch size)

½ cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons (scant) peanut butter

1/3 cup Rice Krispies

Directions:  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together.  (Alternatively, melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 20-second intervals.)  When the chocolate mixture is melted and smooth, stir in the Rice Krispies.  Spread into the prepared pan.  Refrigerate or freeze30 minutes.    

Family reviews:  I didn’t care for them much.  Crunch bars have never been my thing.  I mean, they taste just fine, but they don’t get me twitterpated.  Ellie, Cowboy, and Blueberry Girl like them quite a bit.  They are very quick and easy to make. 

Spiced Squash Muffins—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café

Last week, at about eight o’clock in the morning, I read the text that I’d been anticipating for two weeks:  Ellie was finally in labor, and I was encouraged to start driving down to their ranch “at [my] earliest convenience.”  They still live a couple of hours from the nearest grocery store, so I also had their grocery shopping to do before hitting the road.

About halfway there, I called to check if there was anything else needed before I passed the last grocery store.  Blueberry Girl merely informed me that I’d missed the birth, and she wasn’t even going to tell me whether I had a new grandson or granddaughter. 

Fortunately, all went perfectly well (except the part about being 18 days late), only a tiny bit of tearing, and no need for stitches, unlike the 21 she got last time.  All the fears her family shared about a home birth were completely ungrounded. 

When I arrived, her door was shut and she was resting.  So I turned to unloading the car and eating one of Blueberry Girl’s latest recipe trials, a muffin.  It reminded me of something, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  BG suggested that it tasted like a cake donut.  She was absolutely right!  Except, perhaps, it was a little light on sugar.  But just a little, and most of us recognize that we need to cut back on sugar, so it was all good. 

 

Spiced Squash Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup mashed, cooked butternut squash

¾ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

STREUSEL TOPPING:

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons cold butter

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Grease a muffin tin or line it with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fill muffin cups two-thirds to three-fourths full.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.  Yield: about 1 dozen. 

Family reviews:  These are quite tasty.  The ingredients are basic food storage items, and—get this—they really don’t taste like butternut squash.  That was kinda surprising. 

Personal Medical History Form

 We've previously addressed the importance of maintaining a personal medical history at home.  Ideally, you have copies of records from your physician's office.  But if not, here's a form to get you started.  Do this now while your mind is clear.  It's a lot harder to remember critical information in a crisis.  (I tested this form.  It comes up beautifully on the blog as of this moment, and it can be copied and pasted into a Word document for printing.)  (ETA:  We now have a downloadable PDF)

PERSONAL MEDICAL HISTORY

Keep with your medical records and update regularly.

BLOOD TYPE

DATE LAST UPDATED

1. IDENTIFICATION & EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Full name	Date of birth	Phone
Emergency contact / relationship	Phone	Primary doctor / clinic

2. NORMAL-FOR-YOU FINDINGS

Record findings that are normal for you but might otherwise look abnormal to a caregiver.

3. VACCINATIONS

Record vaccine, date, dose/series if known, and reactions.

Vaccine / immunization	Date(s)	Dose / series	Reaction / notes

4. FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY

For blood relatives, record major illnesses and conditions, age at diagnosis when known, and age/cause of death.

Relative	Illnesses / conditions	Age at diagnosis	Age at death / cause

5. ILLNESSES, INJURIES & HOSPITALIZATIONS

Include dates, diagnosis/reason, treatment or medications, duration, complications, and outcome. Record falls and apparently minor events too.

Date	Illness / injury / reason	Treatment / medications	Duration / outcome

6. SURGERIES & PROCEDURES

Date	Surgery / procedure	Reason	Hospital / surgeon / notes
Date	Surgery / procedure	Reason	Hospital / surgeon / notes

7. REPRODUCTIVE HISTORY (if applicable)

Pregnancies	Children / number living	Miscarriages	Abortions / other notes

MEDICATIONS & LIFESTYLE

8. ALLERGIES & ADVERSE REACTIONS

List medication, food, environmental, and other allergies. Describe the reaction.

Allergen	Reaction	Severity / notes

9. CURRENT & PAST MEDICATIONS

Include every prescription and OTC medication. Note dose, frequency, reason, dates, and significant reactions.

Medication	Dose / frequency	Current?	Reason / response / notes

10. SUPPLEMENTS, HERBS & OTHER REMEDIES

Record amounts/frequency and purpose. Note whether herbs or remedies are harvested or prepared yourself.

Supplement / herb / remedy	Amount & frequency	Purpose	Self-harvested / prepared?

11. TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, CAFFEINE & OTHER DRUGS

Document current and past use, approximate amount/frequency, and when use stopped if applicable.

Tobacco / nicotine	Alcohol	Coffee / caffeine
Tea	Other / recreational drugs	Past use / quit dates

12. DIET & RECENT DIETARY CHANGES

Record important dietary patterns and changes, especially rapid changes such as a move to whole grains/high fiber, fasting, elimination diets, or other major changes.

13. ONGOING SYMPTOMS, FALLS & INJURIES

Continue recording events as they occur—even events that seem insignificant. Include date, symptoms/findings, treatment, and outcome.

Date	What happened / symptoms / findings	Treatment / medications	Outcome / follow-up

14. OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CAREGIVERS

Include chronic conditions, baseline measurements, implanted devices, special care needs, unusual reactions, previous diagnostic findings, or anything else a caregiver should know.

15. ADDITIONAL NOTES

RECORD-KEEPING REMINDER

Keep this form and supporting medical records in a heavy-duty waterproof bag. Bring them to medical visits. Keep blank paper with the records for additional notes. Update this record whenever important medical information changes.

Additional pages may be attached. This form organizes information; it does not replace professional medical records or medical advice.