Beef jerky happens to be one of my husband’s favorite snacks, and I sure love some homemade beef jerky as well. When our dehydrator died over a year ago, I realized that we wouldn’t have jerky for some time. At Christmastime, I researched new choices for an air fryer for my husband. He has one, but he wanted a second. That’s when I found out … [Read more...]
Cast Iron Cookware: How to Restore It, Season It, and Cook With It
Cast iron pots and pans have been around for centuries. They were first used in China in the 6th century and their use and appeal spread across Europe and to the pioneers of early America. At one point, more than a dozen cast iron manufacturers supplied the growing demand for cast iron cookware in the U.S. That is, until the invention of … [Read more...]
Poor Man’s Steak Recipe (Cabbage, Garlic & Butter)
Over the past few years, my husband and I have been trying to cut costs and save for retirement. When you get to be middle-aged and realize how fast time goes by, you start developing a sense of urgency about things like that. Anyway, one of the main ways we've managed to save money is by cooking more foods from scratch and giving up on … [Read more...]
8 Foods You Can Grind Into Flour + Instructions & Recipes
Grinding Your Own Flour Can Save You Money, Enhance Your Nutrition, and Teach You a Valuable Survival Skill. In many ways, bread is what made civilization happen. The ability to cultivate crops, especially grains, gave humanity the chance to find the time to invent things like language, culture, mathematics, government, and towns. The greatest … [Read more...]
How To Cook A Squirrel
Have you ever eaten a squirrel before? The taste is hard to describe. Some people say it tastes like chicken, only darker and tastier. Others say it tastes a like rabbit, or even pork, but not quite. I'd say it's a blend of chicken and rabbit. But the fact is, squirrel has its own distinct flavor, so you won't know what it really tastes like until … [Read more...]
How To Render Lard The Easy Way
Our Pioneer Ancestors Rendered Lard on a Regular Basis. Did They Know Something We Don’t? A lot of people are quick to say “no” to lard as a cooking ingredient. That’s unfortunate. They certainly have their reasons, and some are well-founded, but lard isn’t the bad guy that many people make it out to be. Moderation is the key, and a well-timed … [Read more...]
50 Staple Foods That Should Be In Every Cook’s Kitchen
A well-stocked pantry offers peace of mind. When you have all the basic cooking supplies on hand, you can be ready to prepare a meal on short notice and without the time and expense of running to the store for ingredients. Every family is a little bit different in terms of their tastes and customers. Some families may not be able to live without … [Read more...]
How to Cook on a Wood Stove + 9 Cooking Tips
Cooking on a wood stove requires a bit of patience at first, but the delicious rewards make the learning process well worth it. Having a wood cook stove or a wood burning stove will allow you to heat your home and cook food during a disaster where the power grid fails. You can cook food or boil water on either type of wood stove, but there are … [Read more...]
Off Grid Coffee Roasting and Brewing
If you're prepper or homesteader who also loves coffee, then at some point you probably asked yourself, "How can I drink coffee while living off the grid?" If going to the grocery store or a coffee shop isn't an option, you'll need another way to feed your addiction. Of course, you can stockpile coffee grounds, but those only last a few months. … [Read more...]
DIY Cinder Block Grill
Have you ever thought about building your own grill? Most people wouldn't even consider doing this. They're afraid they don't have enough knowledge or that it would be way too much work. But after watching this video from Dr. Stewart Productions, you'll realize that building a grill isn't nearly as complicated as you thought. Want to save this … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Bake Bread Without Electricity
For anyone trying to increase their self-reliance, learning to bake bread is often one of the first goals. Bread making isn’t difficult and it’s a great way to save money. It’s also a great survival skill. It doesn’t have to stop there though. If you want to take this skill a step further, you should learn how to bake bread without a … [Read more...]
5 Off Grid Kitchen Gadgets You Need
Setting up an off-grid kitchen is easier said than done. Most rely on electricity and electronics more than they realize (ovens, blenders, mixers, timers, and so forth). But with the right tools, you can do you everything you would do with an "on-grid" kitchen. In this video, Stacy from Off Grid with Doug & Stacy shares five of her favorite … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Bake Without an Oven
Play with your food! It’s time to start experimenting with different baking methods that don’t require a traditional oven! That means getting your hands messy, buying some new toys, and deep diving into some YouTube videos... for science. Remember, bread making and primitive baking go back centuries before electricity was even invented. We don’t … [Read more...]
27 Essential Spices That Should Be In Every Kitchen
Whether you're stockpiling food or just organizing your first kitchen, be sure to include lots of spices on your list of necessities. By having the following essentials on hand, you'll already have all the spices you need for almost any meal. And in addition to being able to flavor your food, you'll also be able to heal many ailments. First, you … [Read more...]
10 Genius Kitchen Tricks to Make Your Life Easier
If you spend a lot of time in your home, you need to follow Household Hacker on Youtube. They make videos about the coolest kitchen and household tricks anyone has ever come up with. No matter how many of their videos I watch, I learn something new every time they upload a video. Here are their latest hacks. 1. Easily Peel an Egg - Peel a small … [Read more...]
20 Foods to Cook on a Wood Stove
Wood stove cooking is a great way to let your fuel work double duty in the winter time. With a wood stove already running, you can save on stovetop electricity or propane. Wood stove cooking can be especially handy if the power goes out, or if you live off grid or are planning to live off grid someday. There are a number of specialized tools you … [Read more...]
How to Build an Earthen Oven (& Bake Bread In It)
Earthen ovens have been used to cook food for at least two thousand years. They were widely used in homes and forts in the 18th century, they were moved from place to place on wagons in medieval times, and there is evidence of them being used all around the world during the era of the Roman empire. They're made from a mixture of clay and sand … [Read more...]
