Corn bread

If you have access to a grinder you can widen your diet a lot. If you don’t have one it would be a good idea to get at least 1 hand-grinder.

1 cup corn meal
¾ cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup molasses
1 cup milk
1 or 2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons oil

sift together corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt; add remaining ingredients. Mix with a spoon. Bake in a 9 inch round non stick pan at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

Variation

Mexican corn bread

1 cup yellow corn meal
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 can [9 oz] cream-style corn
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a mixing bowl, combine first six ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Stir only until moistened. Pour into greased 9 inch baking pan
OR 10 inch heavy skillet. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

Variation

1 cup yellow [white or blue would work too] corn meal
1 cup whole wheat [all purpose would work too] flour
2 tablespoons sugar [brown sugar or honey would work too]
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda [if you don’t have baking soda you can up the baking powder to 3 teasons]
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk [whole milk will work too]
½ cup vegetable oil [olive oil works as would ½ lbs bacon minced, fried reserving the grease]
1 can [9 oz] cream-style corn
½ cup chopped onion [if green tops are available add them too]
¼ cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine first six ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Stir only until moistened. Pour into preheated greased cast iron Dutch-oven OR 10/12 inch heavy skillet. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

Serve with butter, jam/jelly and or honey. A variation which enhances the nutritional value is to substitute up to half of the wheat and or corn meal with bean and barley flours.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/field-rations-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/baked-beans/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/carrot-croquettes/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/to-start-a-food-storage-program/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us

Ezekiel Bread

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups wheat grains red or white
1 1/2 cups spelt *** if you do not have spelt use the same amount of wheat OR if you have a problem with wheat use all spelt so that you still end up with 4 cups of this grain.
1/2 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup dry lentils – green, red, brown or what ever color combination
2 Tbs. dry northern beans
2 Tbs. dry kidney beans
2 Tbs. dry pinto beans
4 cups lukewarm whey (or water/milk -you can add powdered milk to boost the flavor and nutrients)
1 1/8 cups local honey – any honey will do BUT local honey helps your local economy.
1/2 cup oil such as olive oil, melted butter can work too both add flavor
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. active dry yeast (2 packages)
2 eggs

the following are optional
1/2 cup milled flax seed
½ cup whole sunflower or sesame seeds to mix in the bread
½ cup raisins or other dried fruit for added flavor and nutrition
the types of beans listed above and the millet can be adjusted to what you have on hand, just adjust the amounts to compensate. Amaranth, chia or alfalfa can replace the millet too.
Instructions
1. Grind in a flour mill each of the grains and legumes separately. This makes about 9 cups of flour, be sure to mix the flours well to combine evenly and mix in the dry yeast
2. In large bowl mix whey (or water), eggs, honey, oil, salt and the dry fruit if any.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir or knead 10 minutes either by hand, dough hook, or mixer (given that this is a batter bread, it will NOT form into a ball)
4. Pour dough into 2 (10×5) greased pans or 2 9×13 pans
5. Cover with towel and let rise in pans until dough is about 1/4 inch from top of the pan, [about an hour] but not much higher or it most likely will overflow in the oven
6. Bake at 350 degrees 30-50 minutes until thermometer reaches 190F or a toothpick comes out clean (smaller pans takes less time – 30 minutes; larger pans take longer -close to 50) all ovens are different so you will have to check more often until you learn how this reacts in YOUR oven
7. Remove pans from oven and place on cooling rack
8. Run a knife or spatula around the edges and remove the loaves from the pans immediately
9. Let rest on it’s side but do not cut into the loaves until they have cooled at least 30 minutes
10. This concoction does not survive well on the counter as it is so packed with nutrients and mold will start growing in 72 – 96 hours. *** This IS a good thing ;] Compare this mold to regular store bought bread that has molded, This mold will be a vibrant green V the sickly color of the mold on the store bought bread or cake.

Please share your experiences and thoughts with the rest of us.

Fresh IS best …. most of the time. Eat the fresh stuff first before it spoils. Forage or hunt for more before you run out of food. Listed under the fresh field rations section [but yet kinda shelf stable] would be eggs, summer sausage and cheeses. Eggs can be shelf stable for up to 6 months if they are kept at least as cool as you are comfortable living. Store bought eggs are most likely a couple of months old before you buy them. Historically summer sausage and cheese was a mainstay with most cultures especially for field work or war.

Jams and jellies occupy that area between fresh and long term food storage. Depending on how they are packaged [glass, metal, plastic] dictates how well they will travel. I like them better for field rations in the individual serving size as there is less waste or contamination chances. Less mess too.

Dehydrated ‘back packing’ meals are good as they are portion controled. They have a longer shelf life but are more expensive than many other options.

The Knorr side dishes are a great option as they are more economical, are portion controlled and something most of us are used to using. You can experiment and make your own similar side dishes / main courses for way less money.

Along this line in history the Indians used parched maze [corn] as a trail food which could be eaten out of hand or mixed with pemmican and reconstituted.

A more modern rendition would be the ‘instants and flours’

Instant potatoes [and pearls] ARE great in the field, just add to hot water and eat. Also, make flour or meal from beans, barley, corn, carrots, rice and wheat and do the same. it cooks faster and you get more nutrients out of it than whole. Prepare it as bread or soup and mix in whatever extra you find ei herbs and meat. For storage / transport you can either premix it and then put in coke bottles or keep the types flour in their own coke bottle and mix it in the field. Look up Ezekiel 4:9-13. We have used this system for many years and it has worked well. IF you can not have a fire for whatever reason you can mix with cold water and drink it down rapidly before it sets up… think Metamucil texture.
Store bought examples of some of this would be cream of wheat [which does NOT come with dairy mixed in so the cream of wheat is referring to the texture being smooth] and grits. A more economical form of these 2 is whole wheat flour and corn meal.

Please share your experiences and thoughts with the rest of us.