The great depression brought out both the resiliency and ingenuity of literally millions of people. With few options, people had to make do with what was on hand. Clothes were sewn with spare flour sacks and shoes repaired with cardboard. Food, however, is where things got really interesting. Some foods were still plentiful and reasonably … [Read more...]
2 Ways to Make Tasty Homemade Pickles
If you like pickles, making your own can be a fun and healthy way of preserving the abundance of your summer harvests. Pickles are a useful preservation method for a multitude of different veggies. While canned pickles usually rely on vinegar, brine, and heat for preservation, there is also a way to naturally ferment most veggies, and even some … [Read more...]
How to Make Hardtack (Step by Step with Pics)
Hardtack is a survival food that can sit on the shelves for years. It was first made popular during the Civil War when soldiers were given rations to take into the field. With no refrigeration or luxuries like sugar available, they were forced to survive on the very basic, bland, and incredibly hard crackers that were fondly dubbed hardtack. It … [Read more...]
Grandma’s Pancake Recipe: The Best Pancakes EVER!
These are the most delicious pancakes in the world! At least according to me, my kids, and my grandma, but I think you'll agree with us once you try them. My grandma taught this recipe to my mom, and she taught it to me, and none of us ever bothered writing it down until now. It's similar to most from-scratch pancake recipes, but what I love … [Read more...]
The Easiest Way to Make Your Own Yeast
There are many ways to make your own yeast, but arguably the easiest way is to grow a sourdough starter. To do this, all you have to do is capture wild yeast using flour and water. Though there are other methods that are fairly easy, I recommend this method for a couple of reasons. First, it involves basic ingredients that everyone already has … [Read more...]
How to Make Natural, Healthy Soda at Home
I already made a post about homemade soda a few months back, but what can I say, I really love soda. And since I vowed to never drink sodas made by giant corporations (who don't seem to care about public health), I've been making my own soda lately and trying various recipes. Recently, I discovered a recipe by Rain Country that I really like. … [Read more...]
Peasant Bread: A Delicious Food That Anyone Can Make (With Pics)
If you're new to from-scratch cooking or bread-making in particular, peasant bread is a great place to start. It’s long been a cheap family staple and is an easy recipe to add to or alter to suit your tastes. Plus, it’s no-knead! While there isn’t a strict definition for peasant bread, traditionally the basis was simply flour, water, yeast, and … [Read more...]
18th Century Energy Drink
Isn't it amazing that there was once a time when no one had ever heard the term, "energy drink"? I myself, an admitted Monster Energy Drink addict, find the idea horrifying. But even though drinks like Monster, Red Bull, and 5 Hour Energy are fairly new, there have always been things people drink for an energy boost (other than tea and coffee). … [Read more...]
