How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles

David Nash — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:00:28 +0000

Pickling produce for preservation (say that ten times fast) is a staple food preservation technique, it is a simple process that is easily adapted to almost any food. From Corned Beef to pickles, fermented food is found in every culture.

Today we are going to go through a simple way to begin learning about pickling and fermented foods by making pickles.

Ingredients

6 lbs. of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)
1/2 cup canning or pickling salt (most large grocery stores sell this)
4 cups 5% vinegar (Or substitute 5% apple cider vinegar works well).
4 and 1/2 cups sugar (You can substitute Splenda, or omit sugar altogether)
water
a package of pickle spice (or)

2 tbsp. mustard seed
1-1/2 tbsp. celery seed
1 tbsp. ground turmeric

Equipment

Jar grabber
Magnetic Lid lifter
Jar funnel
1 large non-reactive pot; (stainless steel, glass or ceramic)
Large spoons and ladles
1 Water Bath Canner
Wide Mouth Pint Canning Jars
Canning Lids
Canning Rings

Procedure

The basic recipe is simple, but if you are willing to put in the extra work, there are some variations for firmer pickles.

1. Selecting the cucumbers

Good cucumbers are dark green, firm, have lots of “warts”, and are not bloated. Bad ones are overripe, has yellow or white areas in the skin, and the warts are almost all gone. If you cut it open, you will see developed seeds.

2. How many cucumbers?

You will need approximately 3 or 4 cucumbers to fill each pint jar. Get cucumbers that are around 5 inches long because you will cut off the ends so they will fit with ¼-inch to spare…

3. Get the jars and lids sanitizing

I use our dishwasher to wash the jars. I get it running (with just the jars) while I am cutting and prepping everything else, so it’s done by the time I’m ready to fill the jars. If you don’t have a dishwasher (or don’t trust it), submerge the jars in a large pot (the canner itself) of water and bring it to a boil.

4. Get the canner heating up

Fill the canner about 1/2 full of water and start it heating (with the lid on).

5. Start the water for the lids

Put the lids into the small pot of boiling water for at least several minutes. Realize that everything gets sanitized in the water bath later, this helps ensure their isn’t spoilage later, and makes me feel a lot better about the safety of the final product.

6. Wash and cut the vegetables

Cut a 1/16-inch slice off the blossom end of the cucumbers and discard,
You can leave the ¼ of the stem or slice the stem end off, depending on preference…
Prepare the cucumbers into 3/16-inch cross-wise wedges.
Slice the onions thinly (1/8 inch or less)

7. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl.

Add salt to the sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced onions. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice

8. Refrigerate

Refrigerate the cucumber/onion mix for 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed. Then drain and rinse, discarding the liquid.

9. Combine the other ingredients in a separate pot and boil

Combine these ingredients in a large non-reactive pot. Boil for 10 minutes.

4 cups 5% white vinegar
4 and 1/2 cups sugar
Commercial Pickle mix or:

2 tbsp. mustard seed
1-1/2 tbsp. celery seed
1 tbsp. ground turmeric

10. Drain the cukes/onions and add to the hot liquid

Drain the cucumbers and onions. Add them to the hot mix from the last step and slowly reheat to boiling.

11. Fill the jars

Fill the jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

12. Process the sealed jars

Adjust lids and process according to one of the methods below.
The first method is easiest, but the second method yields firmer pickles:

a. Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Boil them for 10 minutes (or as directed by the instructions with your canner).

b. low-temperature pasteurization treatment:.
The following treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage

Place jars in a canner filled half way with warm (120º to 140ºF) water.
Then, add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars.
Heat the water enough to maintain 180 to 185ºF water temperature for 30 minutes.
Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180ºF during the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185ºF may cause unnecessary softening of pickles.

c. Altitude Adjustments – Boil pints for:

10 minutes from 2 sea level to 1,000 ft.
24.15 minutes from 1,001 to 6,000 ft.
25 minutes above 6,000 ft.

13. Finished

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool overnight without touching or bumping them.

Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed.

If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it.
Wait 4 to 5 weeks before eating to let the cucumbers develop into pickles….

14. If you want firmer pickles:

Wash cucumbers.
Cut 1/16-inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices.
Mix 1 cup pickling lime and 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamelware container. (Don’t inhale lime dust) .
Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. I keep them in the fridge during this time.
Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water.
Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle.
Drain well.

27 Prepper Precepts #18

David Nash — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:00:44 +0000

My plans are generic as much as possible. I prep and plan for all hazards, and not specific events. How many people bought into the Y2K, and then let their food rot because they felt silly. My food storage is for when I cannot buy groceries, it does not matter to me that it might be because I lost my job, or I am under quarantine for bird flu. When I need it, all that matters is I have it, not why I need it.

More Classes Scheduled and 2012 Fee Schedule

David Nash — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:44:31 +0000

Asherbranner’s built a second classroom at their range, so I can add more classes to the schedule. This post has the fee schedule as well as the classes scheduled out until May. The classes can also be found on the store link above.

The New 2012 Fee Schedule is:

Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit Course $65.00
Armed Security Training Course $265.00 (2 Day)
Unarmed Security Training Course $60.00 (4 hour)
Armed Guard Renewal Course $70.00 (4 hour)
Chemical Spray and Baton Course $90.00
NRA Basic Pistol Instructor and Basic Instructor Training (combined) $350.00 (2 day)
NRA Personal Protection in the Home Instructor Training $350.00
NRA Home Firearm Safety Instructor $200 (2 day)
NRA Range Safety Officer $175
Combined NRA RSO/HFS Instructor $350 (2 day)

Class Schedule:

March

9-10 Armed Guard
9^th morning Unarmed Guard
10^th morning Armed Renewal
10^th Handgun Carry Permit
24^th and 25th NRA Pistol Instructor Sevierville
31 – 1^st NRA Personal Protection in the Home Instructor

April

7^th and 8th NRA Pistol Instructor Chattanooga
13-14th Armed Guard
13th morning Unarmed Guard
14th morning Armed Renewal
14th Handgun Carry Permit

May

18-19th Armed Guard
18th morning Unarmed Guard
19th morning Armed Renewal
19th Handgun Carry Permit

Uvpaqlite Review

David Nash — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:00:26 +0000

I don’t do reviews all that often, but not too long ago survivalblog had a passing mention about a new company that made reusable glowstick the size of a chemlite. I immediately ordered a couple sample for my personal evaluation.

Basically the devices are containing strontium crystals that are doped with other rare earth elements to form the latest generation of glow in the dark technology. These crystals charge very quickly from any type of visible light and glow for quite a long time. As with most glow in the dark devices, the stronger and longer the light source charging the crystals the brighter and longer they give off glow.

The company that produces the crystals is called uvpaqlite.com and the crystals come in either glued inside a robust flat plastic sheet that reminds me of vacuum seal bags, or plastic tubes filled with clear epoxy.

Since I had never heard of the company before, I did not want to spend a lot of money on my first evaluation set was pretty inexpensive. I purchased the smallest product in both lines – the flat 4×6 mini uvpaqlite for $3.50 and the key chain sized tooblite mini for $4.95.
I received the package pretty quickly in the mail and wasted no time in charging them and trying them out. In my first video they had only charged for an hour or two since I only charged them from the time I got the mail until it got dark that evening.

While my camera did not take a very good video, I was able to use the mini paqlite in my pantry to read the labels on my can goods. It was bright enough that if I held it next to something I could make out what it was.

I think this size of paqlite would be very good as a trail marker or a way to find something in the dark, We used the chain it came with to attach it to the pull switch on our bedroom ceiling fan, and the light it gets during the day (even with the shades drawn) is enough that I can always quickly find the light switch. it is not a replacement for a flashlight.

The tubelight went on my keychain, and even though it is normally in my pocket, I use it to help me find my keys and the door knob when I come home at night. It also helps when I misplace my keys, in the morning, as I get up while it is still dark out, and if I turn off the lights I can just look for the glow.

All in all, I think these are great products, and when used according to their limitations have a definite use in a prepared household. I had planned on buying the larger sizes to use while camping, but the company contacted me and asked me if I would review their larger lites. Of course I said I would. (FTC disclaimer – I received no payment for the review, but

I did receive two paqlites from the company at no cost to me, which I intend to keep).
I shortly received the larger Tooblite glow stick (about 8 inches long) which retails for $6.95 and the large 8×15 paqlite which costs $24.00. As a side note they came in a clear envelope which allowed them to come charged – I wonder what the post office thought of them glowing in their trucks.

The company that sells these lites says that the larger size will light up a small dome tent, and while I did not try it, I believe it would. Once again my camera did not do these devices justice, but I could set the large paqlite in my living room and make out the walls and location of the exits. It would not light the room up enough to read by, but I could use it to find my glasses, flashlight, or other personal protective devices.

I keep the 8×15 paqlite on the dash of my work vehicle, where it is constantly receiving a charge, that way when I get in the truck at night, I can see where all my tools are. It also helps me differentiate my vehicle from everyone else’s as they are all unmarked white SUVs. The large tooblite is attached to the outside of my daypack where I can use it if I have to make an unscheduled trip into the woods. I know that even if I forget to check my flashlight batteries I will at least have some form of light, because I don’t know about you, but whenever I am sitting around a campfire at night I always seem to lose something important and have to fumble around in the dark looking for it.

I think these products are very well made, and while the manufacturer suggested I do a destructive review to show how robust they are, I really don’t want to shoot them and have to go out and buy a replacement. I thought about driving over them, as I believe they could handle that without damage… I don’t know, do you want me to shoot them and see what will happen? It might give me an excuse to get some tannerite…

Review of Brass Wizard

How to Can Bacon

David Nash — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:00:48 +0000

Bacon is one of those items you just cannot replace – While you can buy canned bacon it costs an arm and a leg, so when I started hearing about home canned bacon I just had to try it.

The way we are going to use today is for ends and pieces, however over at Rural Revolution they have an in depth post on canning whole bacon strips.

Bacon end pieces are a lot cheaper, and since canned bacon won’t get crispy, I did not want to “waste” strips. This bacon is perfect for flavoring beans or greens.

Basically it’s pretty simple, divide your end pieces, stuff them raw into your canning jars (bacon is packed both dry and raw) then process your jars at 10 pounds for 90 minutes.

27 Prepper Precepts #17

David Nash — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:27 +0000

Charity is important, but charity is not enabling others to be lazy or rewarding bad behaviors. If you work hard, someone that refuses to work has no moral demand on your labor. However, I would have a hard time swallowing a meal if I refused to help a hungry child, widow, or a disabled person. God gave us free will; he also was clear about the consequences for bad behavior. In my house you contribute, or you don’t eat.

DIY Steam Engine Boiler

David Nash — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:58 +0000

First off, playing with steam – especially under pressure is a dangerous thing. Failure to use common sense and a healthy dose of caution can melt the flesh from your bones.

However, if channeled properly steam can transmit a lot of power and turn heat to torque.
I have already shown you my weed-eater conversion to a basic single acting steam engine, now I will show my home workshop boiler. This portion of the project caused me the most sleepless nights and research, and I fully expect you to do your own research if you plan to create your own boiler. As I am not there to ensure you take the necessary precautions, I cannot be held liable for your actions.

That being said I used a pressure cooker for my boiler. I did this because I know it is tested to the pressures I plan on using for my boiler. I flirted briefly with a firetube boiler, but in the end, I feel much careful using something that was designed and constructed to boil water under pressure.

My pressure cooker (as well as every other cooker I have seen) has a pressure release that is designed to rupture well before the pressures inside the cooker endanger the integrity of the cooker itself. If this every goes off cut the heat immediately and get AWAY.

The pressure cooker has a pressure gauge on it also. The Agricultural extension office will test your gauge to ensure it is accurate (for food safety purposes) This calibration should be done annually, for food preservation and I would suggest you get it checked BEFORE you modify your boiler, as I doubt they will test it with a roll of copper pipe coming out the end. They may even call the revenuer’s thinking you have built a still… (By the way, my boiler is aluminum, and that reacts with alcohol so my steam boiler is in no shape, form, or fashion an alcohol distillation device.)

The other thing your pressure cooker should have on it is a weight of some kind to let steam out during the cooking process. This is the only thing of the three you should mess with. I used some tools and unscrewed it from the cooker lid. I replaced the weight with a brass ¾ mpt fitting and used hard copper line to attach the fitting to a ball joint and a quick release coupling. (Before I use this for more than testing I will also plumb in a 150 psi safety valve).

From the quick release coupling I attached an air tool line – I looked into using soft copper ¼ tubing, and even though the burst pressures were 900psi which was plenty strong enough, for testing I wanted the flexibility of a hose.

When filling the pressure cooker/boiler do not overfill it, don’t go more than 1/3 full or you could have dangerous overpressure. Believe me just a small amount of water will run weed eater steam conversion a long time, especially considering this is something you cannot fire and forget. If you have heat to your boiler you HAVE to be present at all times.

So in closing, a pressure cooker makes a pretty decent steam boiler, but you have to take into consideration the strength of all the components and realize that you are dealing with extremer heat and pressure, and if a failure occurs it will be at the weakest link. You have to think through the process and ensure that precautions are taken to keep that weakest link in a safe place.

Please watch the video, as it will explain things a lot better, as well as show the engine working.

How to Eat Acorns

David Nash — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:04 +0000

Acorns are not something most of us think about as food, however, Acorns were a staple of many Indian tribes and were used as a primary foodstuff from one coast to another. According to Jackie Clay (of Backwoods Home fame)

Acorns have been tested and found to be possibly the best food for effectively controlling blood sugar levels. They have a low sugar content, but leave a sweetish aftertaste, making them very good in stews, as well as in breads of all types.

The only two problems I have with eating acorns are I am too lazy to pick them up quick enough to prevent worms from ruining them, and the bitter taste the tannins give them. Luckily there are solutions to both problems, and this article and accompanying video will show them.

This year I decided to harvest acorns from the oak trees in my front yard. Being lazy, I spread out a large tarp and weighted it down with rocks. Every afternoon (or so) from September to early November I would take a quick look and scoop up any acorns I saw on the tarp. (I went the even lazier route and used by bullet roller since it was originally designed for picking up nuts). If the acorns were soft feeling, or looked like they were compromised I tossed them down the hill, the good ones went in my solar oven to collect in a place where they would not be subject to rot or worms.

Once I got enough acorns to make the process worthwhile I took them inside to process them to remove the tannins. Tannic acid makes the acorns bitter, but different oak trees have differing amounts of tannins in the acorns. Depending on the oak tree and your taste buds, it may be possible to eat the acorns without any processing. However these oaks are rare, and normally in the west coast, generally eating an acorn without removing the tannins will make your mouth feel like cotton, can cause constipation, and with large amounts even kidney damage. Luckily to process your acorns all you really need is water.

Indians basically threw their acorns in baskets and left them in swiftly running streams until the tannins were leached out. For us modern folks, there are faster ways.

First thing to do is dry them out so that they don’t mold. You can lay them out on a sheet or tarp single layer deep and let the sun cook them. Personally, I would rather throw them in the dehydrator for a couple hours, or put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at its lowest temperature for an hour (about 175).

Next peel the acorn, its simple to crack the shell with a nutcracker or slip joint pliers, peel off the thin skin, and throw the good acorns in a bucket. If the acorn has a black hole its evidence of worm infestation – throw those out.

Next get your food grinder and make a course meal. Put the meal in a pot and cover with boiling water. After an hour the water should be brown to black. You can throw this out, however, I have heard of using the tannin containing water to TAN animal hides. Since I don’t have both at the same time, I just dump it out. Taste the meal, if it taste sweet it’s done, if it’s like eating a green persimmon repeat the boiling water soak. Do this as many times as necessary.

Once you are happy with the meal, lay it out to dry. A good way to start this process is to dump the wet meal in a sheet or doubled sheet of cheesecloth, gather the ends like a jelly bag and press the water out. Next put in in the oven at its lowest setting or a dehydrator. Be careful with this process as if you let the meal sit around wet it will mold.

In an airtight jar the course ground chucks will last a while in the freezer, grind it to flour as you need it, because the acorn oil will go rancid about as fast a whole grains will. Either way course of fine, it will start go rancid in a couple weeks if stored at room temperature.

You can use acorn meal in many of the same ways as wheat flour. I have seen recipes online for acorn pasta, pancakes, and various breads. Today we are going to make a kind version of bannock bread that is a cross between a pancake and an unleavened bread loaf. Historically this is the closest to the common use of acorn meal I can find. Let’s see if an 11 year old will eat it, which in itself is a test of usefulness as a foodstuff.

No related posts.

27 Prepper Precepts #16

David Nash — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:07 +0000

Be balanced in your plan. All food no gun, makes you vulnerable to those with all gun and no food. It’s better to have a lower level of prep that is more versatile and covers water, food, shelter, defense, communications, and medical, than a extremely high level of preparedness that covers only one or two areas.

Beekeeping: Varoa Mite Control Using Powdered Sugar

David Nash — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:35 +0000

Varroa mites are an external parasite that can kill honey bees. It is one of the contributing factors in colony collapse disorder, as well as spreading viruses such as the deformed wing virus.

We use small cell bees as a method of controlling mite population as well as using a screened bottom board in out hives to allow mites to fall down and be removed from the hive. However, we still need to check for mites in the fall before we close the hives for the winter, and there is a very simple method of doing that.

Equipment

Screened bottom board and chloroplast cover sheet
Oil or shortening
Sugar
Flour sifter or mason jar with holes in lid

Procedure

Spread oil or shortening on chloroplast sheet, this will cause the mites that fall off the bees to stick to the board so that they can be counted. Insert this oiled sheet of plastic into the screened bottom board – most have slots or runners already attached for this purpose. My supplier includes the chloroplast board with the bottom board as part of a set.
Next you need cause the bees to groom the mites off of themselves, as well as reduce the mite’s ability to stick to the bees. Powdered sugar does the trick as it is safe for the honeybees, stimulates grooming, and is a small additional food source. I used a helper to keep the flour sifter full of powdered sugar, as the bees got a little agitated as I sifted them with flour. But basically you open the hive and cover each box with powdered sugar.
I check the board after three days to count the mites. If you do this in the fall and count 50-60 mites on your board you need to treat for mites using whatever method you are comfortable with. In the spring, the numbers are lower, as the mites will reproduce quicker because they prefer to reproduce in drone cells. In the spring treat for mites if you count 10 on the oiled board.
Repeat as necessary, but not more than once every 10 days.

Note:
This is a meld of the two main ways to count mites, some insert the oiled board and do not add sugar. Others use the sugar in a mason jar and shake bees into the jar and then count how many bees have fallen off into the jar (I have attached this procedure as a pdf). My way is not standard, but it not only allows me to check for mites, but do a basic treatment at the same time.

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