Survival 101 classes starting this week!

Welcome to the "meat and Potatoes" of this blog!
I will be starting a Survival 101 series of Classes (Blogs)
Spanning from Shelter to water and all things in between!

The first one will cover basic shelter. So, Pull out a note pad and jot down some notes!

I hope you will join us and "Share" this blog with all your friends and loved ones!

AND
Please feel free to add to any of these BLOGS, I'm sure you each have some great ideas as well that you can share!

Looking forward to sharing with all of you!
Peace! Sherry

Survival 101

Making Pickles and planting my winter garden! Dill pickle recipe!

Easy Dill Pickles!

12 large pickling cucumbers(  cut in slices)
8 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of kosher salt
2 1/4 cups white Vinegar
fresh dill
1/2 cup sliced garlic

Prepare jars as directed, this recipe made 4 full pints and 4 1/2 pints of pickles.

In clean jars place 2/4 sprigs of fresh dill and a teaspoon of sliced garlic in the bottom. Then layer your cucumber slices.

Put your water, salt and vinegar in a large sauce pan and heat to boiling. Pour with ladle over pickles in prepared canning jars. Leave 1/2 inch space at top! Cover and put in your canning pot. Maker sure the water is boiling! Leave jars in the pot in boiling water for 15 minutes. Take jars out and let set on a towel on your counter. Let cool completely.

Canning is really easy once you get the proper tools together! And pickles are a great way to start!
I dont know about you but There something very gratifying about making something from scratch! I love to look in my pantry and see the jars with all the summer fruits and the rich colors of the salsa's! I know that it's going to be wonderful when we pop it open during the gray winter months!
I hope if you havent had the pleasure of canning your own jam or making something pickled you give it a try!

Well, I apologize for not posting much this past week! Unfortunately I had hurt myself at work and messed up my back ...So, hadnt been able to do alot of anything....But I'm on the mend!
In fact we put in our first stage of our winter garden today! Carrots, green onions, asian pea pods, assorted radishes and beets!
And Bill even built a green house type of structure for it! Next week will be swiss chard!
It's great that fall is finally showing it's head! But I must say I'll be missing all those lovely tomatoes we've been enjoying! Thank goodness for canning and dehydrating tho!
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll be back with more recipes and I'll be starting some posts getting into the "Meat and potatoes" of preparedness and survival!
Please be sure to FILL YOUR CONTAINERS WITH WATER!
And grab a few "extra" food items you can store in your emergency food stuff! A few cans or packages here and there will add up before you know it!

Peace and blessings to all! Sherry

 

"Like" us on Facebook! Get an entry for a YUMMY survival/preparedness dinner kit!

http://www.facebook.com/SimplySurvivingToday

Greetings all!

Our goal is to get 300 "Likes" on Facebook! As soon as we do we will be having a drawing for a Complete Survival/Preparedness dinner Kit  for 4 as a prize! Just go to our page and LIKE us! We will be holding the drawing on OCTOBER 31ST (Providing we have that amount of "likes" ). Tell your friends and if they LIKE us and you post it was a referral from you you will be entered for each and every friend who LIKES us!
You will be given a list of "Tasty" dinner kits to choose from!!!
So what do you have to lose???? See ya on facebook!

Peace, Sherry

Special recipe! Pumpkin, orange, pecan and raspberry bread!!!!!! YUM!

Pumpkin~Orange~Pecan & Raspberry Bread
With the holidays creeping up on us, I thought I would share one of my favorite Quick bread recipes with you!

This is wonderful warm with a bit of cream cheese on it!


1/2 cups of butter

1 cup of white sugar

1/2 can of frozen orange juice concentrate

2 large eggs

13 or 16 oz. can of Solid pack pumpkin ( small can, weights may vary)

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 Tablespoons grated Orange peel

3/4 chopped pecans

1 cup (Re Hydrated) Raspberries
****Freeze dried from http://www.motherearthproducts.com/****

Cream butter eggs and sugar together and add GRADUALLY all your dry ingredients. Mix well. Add pecans, pumpkin, orange peel and raspberries into your mixture.
Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Check with a toothpick , if it comes out clean its done!. If baking mini loaves bake for about 40 minutes.

*******NOTE! Nutmeg is VERY expensive now! BUT, if you go to the Latino isle in your market you can get it in a plastic envelope for a fraction of the cost if you were to buy it in the spice isle!!!! I paid $1!

I hope you try this recipe! You'll want to make this one again and again! AND PLEASE, If you have tried the recipes on this blog, let me know how they came out and how your family liked them!

Peace! Sherry

Above all...Keep calm and prepare!

PREPARE!
Just a reminder! As we go through our daily lives, keep in mind to get prepared!
A disaster can happen at any moment! Give yourself a piece of mind! Prepare!
WATER~NON-PERISHABLE FOOD~FIRST AID!
Peace, Sherry

 

Easy 'Infused" Flavored oils and vinegar! Home food storage!



HOMEMADE "Flavored Infused" OILS AND VINEGARS!

 

This is so fun and interesting! You can make Flavored oils and vinegars for your food storage OR give em as gifts! The flavors can be endless!

 

For Vinegars....Start out with white vinegar. I like to use those bottles that have the old fashioned cork lids that are attached! They are attractive and seal well!

 

For Oils, you may want to use a oil that could be half olive and half canola or vegetable. Make sure that the oil you use is FRESH! Use new unopened oil to start out with!

 

In a quart canning jar with a lid put your "infusion add ins" and pour your Oil OR Vinegar over it and close lid tightly! Store in a cool and dark place. It will take on the flavors of you "infusion" items in about 2-3 weeks. The longer you leave it be the stronger, fuller flavor will happen!

 

Here are some suggestions!

*Lemon slices and sprigs of fresh mint in Vinegar OR Oil. Makes a great base for a light and refreshing salad dressing as well as a Good base for a marinade for fish and chicken!

* Raspberries (Freeze dried) & Rosemary sprigs in Vinegar OR Oil! Great salad dressing base! Also can be a wonderful marinade for Poultry!

* Garlic cloves and Chili peppers
* Lemon slices and fresh dill
* Orange slices, a cinnamon stick and cloves
*Cucumber spears and fresh dill , peppercorns

Use things that you and your family like and enjoy the flavors of!
This would make a great "home storage" project for you and your family!

Peace!
Sherry

 

"South of the border" Hot chocolate mix! Food storage and Gift idea!

 It's getting cooler and it makes me think of sweaters, crisp evenings and hot chocolate!

This is a EASY mix that you can put together and store for your food storage OR put it in a pretty jar and give as a gift!

So, get your "favorite" mug out of the cupboard and sit back and enjoy!

 South of the border

Hot chocolate mix






 In a large jar put the following:

4 cups of dried milk
1 cup dried "unsweetened" Cocoa
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix dry ingredients by shaking the jar well until mixed! Be sure to put a lid on first!

To enjoy, add 4 heaping tablespoons of mix to a mug of HOT water! Easy and yummy!

To give as a gift, Put in a quart, lidded jar. Make a small tag out of card stock and write the name of the mix and directions! You can tie the tag on with a piece of ribbon or raffia!

Peace and blessings!
\Sherry