Starting from Scratch

Day 32

2012-02-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

For breakfast I had 1 1/2 eggs, applesauce and cornbread with grape jelly.

Lunch included some of the vegetable soup I made with turnips, carrots, summer squash and tomato sauce. I also had a slice of cornbread with grape jelly.

For supper tonight I had loobee beans with polenta and tomato sauce. I also had another piece of cornbread.

For snack this evening I had some of the apricot glazed carrots I made for tomorrow.

Day 31

2012-02-02T07:56:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; bran cereal, fried polenta, 1 egg, applesauce. Remember how I said I am done with bran cereal? I am. But I sill need to eat, so there you go.

Lunch; leftover fish soup, breaded fried polenta with tomato sauce, crackers. That soup was still not good. The breaded polenta is a great dish, I just wish I had come up with it sooner. I will be eating it all too frequently in these waning days of the challenge.

Dinner; mixed vegetables with soybeans. I threw everything in the crockpot to make soup. I used the juice from canned tomatoes as stock, soybeans, fresh turnips, fresh beets, frozen and fresh carrots, turnip greens, and garlic. I didn't put the lid on straight or it got bumped off, because when I came in at dinner time it was cocked to one side and almost all the water had cooked off. It was still edible, save for a few choice bits. I can say with certainty now that I do not like beets.

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Day 31 Meals

2012-02-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

I seem to be using the last bits of a lot of my inventory. I don't think it's going to be too much longer. I may be talking concession soon!!! I know that Mark is smiling as he's reading this!!!! I used the last of my beans for the loobee beans. I split the batch in three so I have enough for the next two days. As far as frozen vegetables go, I only have a bag of carrots, a very small bag of beets, a bag of pea pods, a bag of freezer pickles, two 1/2 baked potatoes and a few wilting lettuce leaves. I have 3 1/2 eggs and about 3 oz of turkey. I have lots of grape juice, bran and corn meal but I'm afraid I can't survive on grape juice and corn meal. The time is ticking down away . . .

Breakfast consisted of 1 1/2 scrambled eggs, applesauce, cornbread with grape jam, 1/2 baked potato with chives and some chicory beverage.

Grazing snacks included polenta with loobee beans, the last of the applesauce zucchini bread, applesauce, bread and butter pickles, and a tomato vegetable soup I made last night with the last of the tomato sauce, last turnips, second last bag of carrots, summer squash, chives and garlic.

Day 30 Meals

2012-01-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

Breakfast was simply a large bowl of cooked bran with milk and blackberry jam.

For my grazing snacks today I took a salad (lettuce and carrots from the kitchen garden, beets, teeny tiny cherry tomatoes, beets and bread & butter pickle juice for dressing), cornbread with the last of the blackberry jam, applesauce, 1/2 baked potato and polenta with loobee beans and tomato sauce. I have to say that this was the best sauce I have ever had in my entire life (THANK YOU SHARON)!

Day 30

2012-01-31T17:43:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; 2 eggs, breaded fried polenta. Wheat reserves are quite low. I will have to focus my diet on more cornmeal dishes. I used the polenta I made yesterday for this dish, and then made a bigger batch for tomorrow.

I will re-mill the bran I have to get more flour out of it, I am hoping there is enough flour content left in it to make noodles and crackers. I don't have a desire to eat bran cereal any more.

Lunch; you don't get to see a picture. It was the crockpot turkey from yesterday, in soup form.

Dinner; cream of fish soup, crackers. Yes, I said yesterday I wasn't going to make any more crackers, but another evening at a friend's necessitates snack foods. I have naught but crackers left. I had been planning to make this soup for a while. I found the recipe in the American Woman's Cookbook and thought it was worth a try. I was adding spices and put a bunch of curry in it. Too much! My soup tasted like grass. Half my remaining milk gone into a lousy dish. Ah, well, you can't win em all.

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Which Kitchen Hammer Would You Rather Use?

2012-01-31T07:39:00.001-05:00

Weight 3.4 lbs. The casting sand wasn't packed hard enough in a few areas so some of the detail was lost (in particular, the word 'from' is not on the handle.)

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Days 28, 29

2012-01-30T19:22:00.002-05:00

Day 28; breakfast was a bowl of bran cereal and 3 pancakes with grape jelly. This is the grape jelly Todd made entirely from ingredients at the Lohman's estate - even the pectin! It is very good, and entirely different from what you get in the store.

Lunch was some soup I made with soybeans, fresh turnips and carrots, garlic, and a few other odds and ends. I saved the liquid from the canned tomatoes and used that as the stock. I had a couple eggs too and some crackers. I am going to stop making crackers because I eat them all immediately.

Dinner was a bit of this and that through the evening, half a jar of pickles, some eggs, the rest of my crackers, half a potato, whatever. I got hungry in fits, and sated my hunger the same way.

Day 29; breakfast was just bran cereal. I am over bran cereal now. Nearly every day for 4 weeks - ugh!

Lunch was poorly planned. Everything was frozen that I wanted to make. I ended up having spaghetti with tomato sauce, the rest of my dill pickles, and some applesauce.

Dinner was the result of my poorly conceived lunch. I threw a bunch of stuff in the crockpot at lunchtime so I had turkey, turnips, carrots, and green beans from there. I ate about half a portion of the turkey. My eggs are thawed so I had eggs too. The polenta I made at lunch time has set up now too. I took a few strips and fried them. Polenta does not brown at all, it is quite disappointing. Then I had a revalation - coat it in breadcrumbs! Those came out pretty good, I must say. I am still a bit hungry so I will head off in search of the convenient.

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Day 29 Meals

2012-01-30T08:50:00.001-05:00

For breakfast this morning I had a bowl of bran cereal with milk and maple sugar, a bowl of applesauce, and chicory beverage (also tastes better with milk).

For my grazing snacks today I am taking pumpkin soup with crackers, cornbread with blackberry jam, applesauce and polenta with green beans and spaghetti sauce.

Day 28 Meals

2012-01-29T19:48:00.000-05:00

I was very hungry today and so I treated myself to two eggs for breakfast, a piece of applesauce zucchini bread with blackberry jam, 1/2 baked potato and chicory beverage.

For lunch I had turkey with gravy, a 1/2 ear of corn, pea pods stir fried with garlic and 1/2 baked potato with chives. I made the gravy with garlic, chives, parsley and a little wheat flour.

Before supper tonight I baked cornbread and made polenta. I used some of the milk that I got in the trade on Thursday. The cornbread was much better with the milk!

For supper tonight I had pumpkin soup with polenta, wheat crackers (thanks Mark!), chicory beverage and a piece of cornbread with blackberry jam.

Day 27 Meals

2012-01-28T23:01:00.002-05:00

For breakfast I had bran cereal with some blackberry jam and an applesauce grape slushy along with chicory beverage.

I worked the late shift today so before I left for work I ate tomato/beet soup (very red) with wheat crackers.

For my grazing meals today I had the last turkey pot pie, the leftover rice and pea pods from Thursday night dinner to which I added some chopped turkey, applesauce, pickles, chicory beverage and 1/2 ear of corn.

Day 27

2012-01-28T19:17:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; bran cereal.

Lunch; squirrel soup redux. I put a bag of frozen turnips and some garlic and cooked them about 20 minutes. Then I added the rest of the squirrel soup. It was quite a lot of soup!

I was full when I left the house this evening, but I know the hunger will creep up on me. I have a few eggs waiting at home later...hopefully I wont need to run out and stalk a rabbit in the parking lot here!

Another day down with minimal impact on my stores.

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Day 26

2012-01-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to put up a quick post about yesterday. I had bran cereal for breakfast, then the turkey pies, some pickles, and some rice for lunch. For dinner I put the rest of the rice in the pumpkin soup I got in trade, and had a couple of eggs. Altogether I had 1/2 cup bran and 2 eggs out of my stores on the day. The trade day has given me quite a boost!

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Day 25 Acquisitions

2012-01-27T14:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I picked up in trade;

3 portions turkey, approx 2 oz each
1 qt pumpkin soup
1 pt grape juice
6 half potatoes
Frozen spag sauce
Frozen carrots
Frozen turnips
Frozen tomatoes
Frozen parsley
Frozen green beans
Vegetable oil
Frozen applesauce
Pickles

And from dinner I got leftovers;

Rice
Squirrel soup
Spaghetti sauce

2 turkey mini pies

AND from the garden I got;

Turnips & greens
A few small beets
A few small carrots

AND from what Sharon dumped out on the table;

Canned apples

I gave up 1/2 pt maple sugar, the wheat flour and 2 eggs for the mini-pies, 4lb cornmeal, 1lb bran, 1/2lb crackers, 1 jar of jelly, and a quart of summer squash.

My coffers feel quite rejuvenated! Not 48 more days rejuvenated, mind you, but still!

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Day 25

2012-01-27T13:58:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; bran cereal, eggs, applesauce. This jar of milk is starting to sour, I will endeavor to make cheese again.

Lunch; a few crackers. I was running behind on the day, and didn't really get to make any lunch. I headed over to mom's and we made turkey pies and crackers. She let me root through her garden for turnips too.

Dinner; a feast! Kathy made a challenge food meal, and Sharon brought some rice too. I had squirrel soup, corn on the cob, spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, polenta with the same sauce, beets, pea pods, rice, and raspberries rolled in maple sugar.

Afterwards I took the last 2 12 oz bottles of wine I had over to Peter's. The berry wine was vinegar so I gave that to Peter, and then I enjoyed the last bottle of apricot wine.

The big jug of mulberry wine I made smells like rotted feet. I am not going to drink it.

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Day 26 - Challenge Meals

2012-01-27T09:42:00.003-05:00

For breakfast today I had molded polenta sprinkled with maple sugar and filled with warm blueberries along with some chicory beverage.

Grazing snacks today include loobee beans with polenta, wheat crackers, beets with rosemary, two turkey pot pies, and applesauce with maple sugar and black walnuts.

Acquisitions on Day 25

2012-01-27T09:14:00.002-05:00

I've add to my stores and shared some of my inventory to extend the end date as long as possible. I've added: frozen milk, wheat crackers, a large jar of summer squash, blackberry jam, wheat, lots of bran, lots of cornmeal, maple sugar, elderberry jelly, two 1/2 ears of corn, a cup of rice pilaf, blueberries, whole kernels of meal corn and beets. The grains are very much appreciated as they are filling and have really helped to extend the challenge for me. I am glad to trade my extra vegetables for the variety that the grains offered. I don't know if I would have even made it through week 2 without the addition of bran, wheat flour and cornmeal.

Day 25 Meals (33.7% of original challenge complete)

2012-01-27T09:07:00.000-05:00

Breakfast was bran cereal with blackberry jam, applesauce and chicory beverage.

For lunch I had polenta with blackberry jam.

Thursday was the long awaited FAMILY DINNER DAY. Kathleen was our main cook. It was a wonderful challenge friendly meal. On my plate was 1/2 ear of corn, cooked beats with rosemary, spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and a turkey pot pie (Mark and I combined ingredients and Mark made some wonderful turkey pot pies). I also ate (not pictured) a wonderful rice pilaf (made by Sharon), a small piece of polenta with tomato sauce, some yummy blueberries and a cup of chicory beverage. It was a delightful meal followed by a great Clue game.

Day 24

2012-01-26T08:54:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; polenta wth blackberry jam, 2 eggs, apples. I decided I would try my Mom's suggestion of polenta with tomato sauce for lunch, so I made the polenta at breakfast. I put a tray in the fridge to set up for lunch and had this bowl for breakfast.

Lunch; fried polenta with tomato sauce, salted fish, 1 egg, 1 tomatillo, apples. Nothing in this emal clashed per se, but everything was a few degrees in flavor off from any other thing. Nothing was bad, just a strange combination. To reconstitute the fish I soaked it in water for about an hour, then put it in a pot and boiled it for 10 minutes. The meat peels right off the bones.

Dinner; 1 scrambled egg, bread and butter pickles, cream cheese, and crackers. This spartan meal was taken to a friends house. I was a bit jealous of the Hungry Howie's pizza they got.

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Day 24 - Exemption Day

2012-01-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

No pictures today. I attended a seminar for my job. So, since breakfast, lunch and snacks were provided, I decided today was the day!

For breakfast at home: Two eggs and two strips of turkey bacon with two cups of decaf coffee
For breakfast at the seminar: One blueberry scone, a banana, a strawberry and two more cups of decaf
For lunch: One turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce and cheese, 1/4 cup of pasta salad, two cookies, a small fruit salad and coffee
For snack: One bag of baked potato chips
For supper: Tuna salad with eggs, sweet pickles and mayo and one slice of prairie bread toast with butter and of course more decaf coffee

I ate lots of protein today to make up for the deficit and REALLY enjoyed the coffee It was very nice to have the exemption day but I am now fortified and ready to get back on track. Mark and I are going to cook and trade tomorrow.

Day 23

2012-01-24T20:22:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; bran cereal with blackberry jam and milk, pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs. I used 1 egg, a yeast starter, flour, and bran to make the cakes. They were average.

Lunch; spaghetti with tomato sauce, catfish, crackers and relish, 1 piece of pizza. I thought I had eaten all the pizza but closer examination revealed that there was 1 piece left. The catfish was good, the pasta was ho hum.

Dinner; vegetable soup and crackers. Soybeans, wheat berries, tomatoes, summer squash, and various spices.

Current stores leave me with 1 portion of frozen fish, 2 portions of salted fish, 6 portions of soybeans, and 40 eggs.

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Day 22

2012-01-24T10:36:00.001-05:00

I got busy and didn't get to post last night. Here were the delights of yesterday;

Breakfast; scrambled eggs, bran cereal, apples, and grape juice. This was the good can of grape juice, when I made raisins I had to split and seed all the grapes. There was a lot of good clear juice in the bottom of the bowl when I was done.

I have no idea why my phone keeps rotating the pictures. I wish it would stop.

Lunch; 3 turkey pies, relish, whatever else is on the plate there. I don't remember what I had so I'll leave that up to your interpretation.

Dinner; spaghetti with tomato sauce, catfish filet. This is the last whole catfish I had. I have 1 more cooked filet and then I cooked the carcass too to pick the rest of the meat bits off.

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Day 23 - 31%???

2012-01-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

If we are going by the original date, we are 31% of the way through the challenge. I think the ending date is going to be closer. Today I am eating the last of my squash soup and loobee beans. Thank goodness I have my exemption day (which I am using tomorrow). I am enjoying the challenge food and sharing the pictures and thoughts throughout the challenge. However, if I ever do this again, I will make certain to expand my garden and give myself a bigger "allowance." With the extra funds, I would probably have bought two or three turkeys, more eggs and some tuna. (Before the challenge began I found tuna 5 for $5.00 and eggs 5 dozen for $5.00.)

For breakfast - Bran cereal with blackberry jam and applesauce/grape slushy. I also had some chicory beverage.

Grazing items are all frozen so they might look a little strange. The tasty items for today are butternut squash soup (one of my favorites, freezer pickles, applesauce zucchini walnut bread, blackberry jam and polenta with tomato sauce and loobee beans. I am also taking chicory beverage and dry mint.

Day 22 - Happy Chinese New Year (Year of the Dragon)

2012-01-23T08:29:00.000-05:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

For breakfast today I had a BIG bowl of bran cereal with blackberry jam and one scrambled egg with chives.

For my grazing meals today I have (clockwise from 12:00) beet juice, carrots in apricot glaze, applesauce, freezer pickles, polenta in tomato basil sauce and pumpkin soup.

Day 21

2012-01-23T08:13:00.002-05:00

Breakfast; breakfast today was one of the pizzas I baked yesterday. I didn't feel like cooking in the morning.

Lunch; lunch today was breakfast food; 4 eggs, apples in syrup, last bit of Mom's bread rolled in sugar, bran cereal with blackberry jam and milk. I wasn't baking anything today so I got to eat all the eggs!

Dinner; 3 Turkey mini-pies, hash browns, sauerkraut, soybeans with garlic. I had a bit of potatoes left over from making the mini-pies. They had already been boiled. I just fried them up in a pan with a little oil, salt, and black pepper.

Inventory After 3 Weeks

2012-01-23T07:46:00.003-05:00

I've done my best to keep it in the same order as last time, so anyone wanting to spend the time to see how much I have actually used will have an easy time of it. Here goes;

Dry Goods/ Stores;

Pickles - 1 pint

Relish - 1 pint + 1 open pint

Blackberry Jam - 2 half-pints

Grape jelly - 1 half-pint

Grape butter - 1 open half-pint

Elderberry preserves - 1 half-pint

Whole peeled tomatoes - 1 open quart

Tomato sauce - 1 quart

Summer squash - 1 quart, 1 pint, 1 half-pint, +1 open pint

Apples in light syrup - 1 pint +1 open pint

Dry beans - 7 oz

White vinegar - 1 quart

Wine vinegar - 8 fl oz

White sugar - 1/2 lb

Salted fish - 1 oz

Wheat flour - 1-3/4 lbs

Corn flour - 1-1/4 lbs

Cornmeal - 4 lbs

Wheat bran - 5-1/4 lbs

Hickory nuts - 1oz

Elderberry oil - 1 tbs

Walnut oil - 4 tbs

Vegetable oil - 2 tbs

Raisins - 1/4 lb

Apricot almonds - 1 oz

Basswood nuts, small container

Bread crumbs - 4 oz

Perishables/Prepared Foods

Green onions, 1/2 small

Yeast, 2 oz

Turkey mini pot pies, 3

Milk, 1 cup

Grape juice, 10 fl oz

Grape soda, 1/2 liter

Apricot Syrup, 1-1/2 pints

Eggs, thawed, 4

Carrots, a few

Tomatillos, 1/4 lb

Freezer Department

Rose hips (pressed), 2 oz

Eggs, 4 dozen

Lemon, 3/4

Catfish, 8oz

Melons, 1-1/4lbs

Grape Juice, 10 fl oz

Spaghetti Sauce, frozen, 1 lb

Pea pods & green beans, 6 oz

Applesauce, 3 cups

Milk, frozen, 3 pints

Raspberries, 1/2 lb

Spices;

Curry

Mint

Rosemary

Basil

Marjoram

Thyme

Stevia

Coriander Seed

Chives

Garlic

Chicory, 6 oz

Salt, 20 oz

Black peppercorns

Dill

I also have, which I forgot to mention in the previous inventory, unmilled wheat. I have 3lbs left. On day 1 I had 10lbs. I should be able to get around 2lbs finished flour out of the wheat, the rest will add to my bran reserves. Bran forever!

I also have a few bottles of fruit wine in the basement. Only 1 was capped with a metal cap, that is a bottle of apricot wine. The other two were corked, one bottle of mix berry wine and 1 gallon jug of mulberry wine. I don't know if these are vinegar or not. I'm guessing they are.

Day 21 Meals

2012-01-22T18:31:00.001-05:00

For breakfast I had a large bowl of cooked bran cereal with blackberries and chicory beverage.

I had a late lunch today. It consisted of a bowl of pumpkin soup, carrots with apricot glaze and a piece of applesauce, zucchini, walnut bread with blackberry jam.

For supper I had the molded polenta that I made a couple days ago, filled with warm blackberries and a small amount of applesauce. On the side is a dish of frozen watermelon cubes and chicory beverage.

Inventory - Day 21

2012-01-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

Here is my challenge inventory list at the beginning of day 21 -

Protein
10 - 1 1/2 to 2 oz pckgs turkey
6 eggs
5 oz black walnuts

Fruit
7 - containers of applesauce
1 and 1/2 pckgs of apricots
3 pckgs frozen watermelon
1 jar peaches
2 large containers grape juice
2 medium containers grape juice
5 small containers grape juice
3/4 jar blackberry jam
1 jar grape jelly

Soups
2 Large Containers Christmas Soup
3 Large Containers Pumpkin Soup
1 Container of Squash Soup
1 Pckg Tomato/Beet Soup

Vegetables
2 packages pea pods
3 packages green beans
1 package loobee beans
4 packages carrots
3 packages turnips
1 small package beets
4 small packages kale
20 - 1/2 baked potatoes
4 cups beet juice
Approx 2 doz very small carrots still growing
Small amount of fresh lettuce
Fresh mint

Tomato & Cucumber Products
5 pckgs tomatoes
3 pckgs freezer pickles
1 small container tomato sauce
1 1/2 jars dill pickles
1 jar bread & butter pickles

Grains
1 lunch bag of bran
1 1/2 cups flour
5 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 polenta cake
2 slices polenta
4 slices (frozen) applesauce zucchini bread

Dry Goods
Clover Flowers
Linden Flowers
Mint
Rosemary
Thyme
Sage
Lavender
Basil
2 t baking powder
salt
Sunflower Seeds
Chicory

Miscellaneous
1/3 stick butter
Mark's vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 c oil
1/2 maple cake
Frozen chopped chives - 1 roll
Frozen chopped garlic - 1 roll
Frozen chopped parsley

I think I have it all - but everyone once in a while I find something in the back of the freezer or the cupboard - so list is subject to change.

Day 20 - More Like 67% Of The Way!

2012-01-21T12:44:00.001-05:00

Breakfast was a couple of eggs, bran cereal, and the last bit of turkey skins. I actually fried the rest of the skins a couple of days ago, concerned that they would spoil.

Another afternoon at a friend's house means I will be taking my lunch on the road. I had a baking bonanza this morning, making crackers, mini-turkey pies, and 2 small pizzas with onion, garlic, chives, tomato, and cream cheese. Lunch will be 1 pizza, 2 mini pies, crackers, and grape soda. I am fairly certain i've posted all these recipes in previous posts.

Dinner is yet to come, but I will most likely make spaghetti and some soybeans or green beans (or maybe i'll live on the edge abd have both!)

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Day 20 - 27% of the WAY!!!!

2012-01-21T08:33:00.000-05:00

Breakfast consisted of three slices of polenta, fried and topped with blackberry jam along with some blackberry applesauce and chicory beverage.

For my grazing meals today I am taking one of the pizzas I made yesterday, Christmas soup (still frozen in picture), kosher dill pickles, blackberry applesauce, and a salad consisting of lettuce from the indoor garden, beets, summer squash and sunflower seeds. I am also taking mint and linden flowers for tea (not pictured).

Day 19 - 25.6%

2012-01-20T20:56:00.002-05:00

For breakfast I had 1 scrambled egg, 1/2 baked potato and 2 slices of polenta fried with blackberry jam on top.

After breakfast, I made four mini turkey, summer squash pizzas with herb crusts. I ate one hot from the oven. YUMMMY!!!

For grazing meals today I took 1 of the mini pizza pies, blackberry applesauce, polenta and green beans in tomato basil sauce, grape juice and some very sour dill pickles.

Day 19

2012-01-20T18:09:00.001-05:00

Today was spent on the road for the most part. Brakfast and lunch were the mini pies from yesterday - 6 turkey and 2 egg. The egg ones weren't great, the pies cook too long for eggs to be a good filling. The turkey ones were delightful. I also brought the grape soda I made and the few crackers I had left.

Dinner; fish Friday! A small catfish filet, spaghetti with tomato sauce, soybeans and pea pods. The peas got cooked too long. The fish was excellent. The spaghetti was okay, I wont be writing a book about it.

Sunday I will take another inventory so you can all see how depleted my stores are. I have a strong feeling that the end of this competition wont be all that far off…

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Day 18, Only Day 18.

2012-01-19T22:16:00.001-05:00

Looking at my coffers, I find they they are much depleted. Had I made the challenge 30 days I would have enough stock to make it through. 75 days? Forget it. 50 days? Not gonna happen. 40 days? We will see...

Breakfast; 2 egg omelet with onions and cream cheese, watermelon, applesauce, bits of turkey skin, bran cereal, sliced tomatillo.

Lunch; mini rabbit pies (4). It was a late lunch. I had milled a pile of flour this morning for making bread tonight. I rummaged through the freezer to pick out what meat I would have. I saw the rabbit and thought, hey, I should make like a pot pie or something.

1 egg, 3/4 cup water, add enough flour to make a medium dough (not too stiff but not floppy.) Knead 80 passes. Roll through pasta mill to the #3 setting. Grease muffin pan. Make mixture of rabbit meat in gravy, corn, and mashed potatoes. Line cups with rolled dough, fill, pinch closed. Lightly oil tops. 350 degree oven, 20-25 mins.

I used the rest of the dough to make noodles and crackers.

Dinner; turkey mini pies (2), apple mini pie, mixed vegetables, last fresh tomato, tomatillo. The pies were so good I made another batch using my 4oz turkey portion, the last baked potato I had, and the last of the sweet corn I had. I will need them for tomorrow as I will be on the road a good part of the day. The vegetables included soybeans, pea pods, baby corns, and garlic.

I used so much of my flour that I didn't make any bread.

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Day 18 - 24.3% - Almost 1/4 of the way there . . .

2012-01-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

I didn't work today so I got to eat three meals. Breakfast was filling. I had a bowl of cooked bran cereal with peaches and peach juice, a blackberry applesauce and frozen grape juice slushy, and chicory beverage.

For lunch today I had turkey/turnip soup along with applesauce, zucchini, walnut bread covered with blackberry jam. I had a little broth left and decided to finish it off at supper. The soup was good but after eating it several days in a row, I had enough.

So after lunch I decided to make a big batch of polenta. When I was talking about polenta with some of my coworkers, Ernie told me that his grandmother served polenta with spaghetti sauce. I thought I would try it.

Supper consisted of two slices of polenta with tomato/basil sauce, loubee beans, the last slice of Mark's wheat bread with blackberry jelly and the last of the turkey/turnip broth. I like the potenta with the spaghetti sauce. Thanks for the suggestion Ernie!

Making Cheese From Scratch

2012-01-18T20:39:00.001-05:00

As I previously mentioned, my milk was starting to get a little funny. It didn't smell bad but it was clumping when I added it to things, soup, cereal, etc. So I decided I would try to turn it into cheese.

I had seen on Settler House on PBS that a woman used vinegar to coagulate the milk. I decided to give this a try. I put a coffee filter in a small gladware container and put some of the vinegar I developed in my basement into it as well. The woman on the show was cooking it on the stove so I figured it should probably be hot. I microwaved it for 20 seconds, then slowly added the milk. I then microwaved that for 20 more seconds. I carefully picked the edges of the filter up and squeezed all the water I could out of it. No white milk came through the filter so it seemed to be working. I squeezed and squeezed and finally took a peek - there were strands just like cheese should have! I pressed it a bit more, then rested a pickle jar on it for a while. The resulting product tastes like a very blank cheese with wine vinegar on it. I only had about 3/4 cup of milk when I started so the corresponding bit of cheese is minuscule. I will definitely experiment with this more post-challenge.

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Day 17

2012-01-18T20:29:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; eggs basted, bran cereal, turkey skin, applesauce, grape juice. Basically the eggs were still a bit frozen so I added a bit of water to the pan and covered it with a lid. They came out fine.

Lunch; p&c pierogis with tomato sauce, 2 slices of bread, grape soda. That is the last of the pierogis. They were good but they have started to wear out their welcome.

Dinner; vegetable pot, fried corn cakes, chow-chow relish. for the vegetable pot I had soybeans, corn, tomatoes, summer squash, garlic, black pepper, salt, and basil. It was not great but fine. I love that chow-chow relish!

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Day 17 - 22.9% at the end of the day

2012-01-18T10:04:00.001-05:00

For breakfast I had one scrambled egg, 1/2 baked potato, one slice of Mark's wheat bread toasted and some peaches.

My grazing fixings today include turkey/turnip soup, cornbread with plum preserves, one kraut pierogi with tomato sauce, blackberry applesauce, grape juice and a salad with lettuce, beets and summer squash. I am also taking some linden flowers for tea. The beets came out of the garden last week and the lettuce is from my inside garden.

Days 15 & 16

2012-01-18T00:25:00.001-05:00

Day 15 - that was a long day. I woke up and had a good breakfast. Then I had a meeting with a client, 2 inventory pick-ups, and then a meeting with another client. We were on the road for most of the day. I brown-bagged it for lunch, sorry no photos available.

Breakfast; scrambled eggs, turkey skin, fresh tomatillos, bran cereal. Tomatillos hold up amazingly well.

Lunch; brown bag with turkey sandwiches, apricot almonds, raisins, mint tea, and a wedge of Mom's bread. The turkey sandwiches were made using leftovers from the 'turkey on a shingle' dinner a couple of nights ago. The bread is pretty dry.

Dinner; mixed vegetable pot. I started with 2 sauerkraut pierogis, chopped them up into thin slices. Then I added soybeans, 1 egg, rosemary, salt, a bit of vinegar, and probably some other ingredients that I can't think of right now.

I went to bed that night very early. Then I woke up in the middle of the night and was up for several hours. Finally I got back to bed and slept another 2 hours, but I have had a bit of an upset stomach all day.

Day 16

Breakfast; 2 eggs, applesauce, turkey skin, bran cereal, whatever else you see on that plate. I can't remember.

Lunch; turkey soup, corn cakes. The corn cakes were terrible. I made these the other day and, bleagh. I think the milk I am using is starting to turn too, it doesn't smell or taste sour but it keeps coagulating when I put it in stuff. I will attempt a cheese experiment with it soon.

Dinner; once again, no picture. We were out at a friend's house this evening, so I packed food to take with. I put all my oil in an egg pan, sliced one potato super thin, and made potato chips. I also took the disgusting corn cakes mentioned in the previous meal and fried those. They were a zillion times better. I also had half a baked potato, turkey meat, bread, and soda 3.0 (grape!) I ended up using only half of the 2oz turkey portion and just 1 slice of bread. I still have bread to last tomorrow and a bit of meat there. I will have to mill flour and bake again soon though.

As for the soda, here is what I have done; I made the initial batch using apricot syrup (made essentially from cooked apricots and sugar,) a bunch of sugar, and some yeast. I used warm water and smooshed the sides of the soda bottle in a little so I could see when it was pressurized. The next morning I put it in the fridge. It was carbonated well, it was too sweet though.

On version 2, I added more water to the original batch along with a little more sugar and a few slices of lemon. I cut my finger on the knife too. Be careful when cutting frozen lemons! That came out pretty good.

On version 3, I wanted to try to make grape soda. I used about 4/5ths of the bottle, then added about 1-1/2 jars of grape butter and filled with water. I wanted to get away from using my raw sugar for this as it takes a lot to sweeten it and my sugar stock is dwindling. It also came out pretty good. I am still on the same yeast as the first batch too - I think the bready smell is starting to subside in the yeast culture.

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Is anybody out there? - Day 16

2012-01-17T22:26:00.000-05:00

For breakfast, I made the last of the fresh potatoes into four heavenly potato pancakes and I had a grape juice/blackberry applesauce slushy along with a cup of chicory.

My grazing snacks today included turkey/turnip soup, a salad of lettuce, carrots, summer squash and a few teeny tiny cherry tomatoes, grape juice, one sauerkraut pierogi (thanks Mark!) and a piece of corn bread.

Day 15 - At end of day - 1/5 of the way there!!!

2012-01-16T09:22:00.002-05:00

I had hot bran cereal for breakfast cooked with maple sugar chips and some plum preserves added for flavor (no milk). I also had some of the canned peaches (trade item) and chicory beverage.

For grazing today I am taking turkey/turnip soup with the crumbles of cornmeal dumplings, pea pods in tomato basil sauce, two pieces of cornbread with plum preserves and blackberry applesauce. When I look at the past few days meals, I realize just how important the trade was. If not for the trade items, today's meal would consist of pea pods in tomatoes, applesauce and turkey/turnip soup (no dumplings) and no chicory beverage. Family, thank you for the trade items!!!

Day 14 - 18.9% of the way there!!!

2012-01-15T22:44:00.001-05:00

I just read Mark's last post. I totally agree with the concept of saving every last scrap. If I drop a green bean on the floor and the cat attacks it, I feel sad for the loss. (If the cat would eat it, it would be a different story but NO they just want to play with everything!) This challenge has been - well let's just say VERY challenging. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and the food, it would be nice to have just a little more protein and some more butter. At the restaurant today, I had two small pieces of pizza, a grilled chicken sandwich, a scoop of mashed potatoes and two VERY large cups of coffee. I too am stuffed. It was nice to take a break and I am ready to meet tomorrow with new resolve.

For breakfast I had two corncakes with plum preservers and chicory beverage. For snack tonight I had a small piece of cornbread. It was a GREAT day!!!

So What Is This Whole Challenge About?

2012-01-15T21:16:00.001-05:00

Welcome, new viewers, to our website. I don't know how you made it here but I am glad you found your way. If you have been reading along for the past 2+ years, well, read along in case I say something funny. This is the re-cap episode.

A little over two years ago, I was sitting around mulling crazy ideas in my head. I have a lot of those. After thinking about this concept for a long time I mentioned it to my wife, my pillar of reality. The idea was to try to live 'off the land' for a month.

'Why not try a week first?' The voice of reason asked. A good point, I thought, why not try a week first. I mentioned the idea to a few friends and family members, and the first 'Starting From Scratch Challenge' was born. It was announced in late fall/early winter, and participants had until the following July to save up as much food as they could by hunting, fishing, farming, or foraging.

It was miserable. I had taken a Canada goose and a squirrel over the hunting season and found some abandoned corn fields, but for the most part all we had available were earlier season vegetables. We had a few potatoes and tomatoes but the main harvest of those was a few months away. We had a distinct lack of grains for certain. Cheating was allowed but participants were supposed to disclose any indiscretions., a few of us managed to make it through without cheating or deviating; Therese, my mom, and myself (Mark) among them.

When it ended, I vowed I would never do it again. Following the first challenge I had cravings for certain foods, pizza, chicken wings, coffee, hamburgers, beer, cheese, everything we went without. Everything I craved was a disappointment. I had built these things up to such an ideal that nothing could meet my expectations. Food in reality just isn't that good.

Move forward to that fall - the disappointments of the first challenge have faded. The itch gets to me again, and I suggest this, the second Starting From Scratch Challenge.

The concept is to survive the winter on foods hunted, fished, farmed, or gathered. The rules were as follows, amended as the pre-challenge commenced; participants had 1 year to prepare. Each participant added $10 to their family's pool to buy staples at the store. Salt, vinegar, sugar, yeast, and other ingredients were accessible to settlers, but the bulk of their food was to be harvested by hand. For every day a member of your family cheated in the first challenge, you take a $1 penalty. My wife was interested in the last challenge for 1 meal. We took a $7 penalty and started with $13 for the family. Todd and Kathy each cheated 1 day, they started with $18. Both Sharon and Therese started with $10. Everything else we have saved has been grown in our gardens, hunted or fished at local reservations, or harvested from local woods, or estates of friends and family. We are allowed 1 'party day' exemption, where we can eat and drink whatever we want for the whole day. We also agreed that Sharon's birthday party would warrant an exemption for the duration of our stay in the restaurant that day.

The goal was to be the last survivor, or, in case of more than 1 tenacious participants, anyone who makes it to March 15th is declared the winner(s).

Sharon declared at the beginning that she would not participate past her birthday (1/16.) Sharon made it 1 week - you may think that is easy, audience, but I dare you to try it! I double dare you!

Both the Jacksons decided at Christmas that they weren't going to participate, their in-laws were in town and they weren't going to starve themselves etc et al.

So here we are - 2 weeks in, and 2 participants left. My mom and I persist, though we both know we have less than a month of supplies remaining. You can see our happy faces picture above, our first meal we didn't have to cook ourselves since New Year's Day.

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Day 14, It Was The Best Day Ever.

2012-01-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; 1 egg, bran cereal, fried turkey skin. A brief breakfast with an impending epic lunch.

Lunch/Dinner; chicken wings, 1/2 bacon cheeseburger, pizza, 1 large coffe, 5 large beers. Happy Birthday Sharon! Today was a milestone birthday for my sister. As previously agreed we had an exempt day from the time we entered the restaurant until the time we left. The party was scheduled for 1PM. Mom, Sharon, and I all arrived within moments of one another at 12:30PM. I made full use of our time there, eating and drinking and drinking and eating. It is almost 8PM anf ther is not a shred of hunger in me.

I understand a little why people who lived through the great depression are so crazy about saving things now. We have been at this for 2 weeks. I have a pan that I save breadcrumbs in because I have a recipe that calls for them. No food I make goes to waste. If I am like this in 2 weeks, I couldn't imagine going through this for 6 years!

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Day 13

2012-01-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

My mom called today. 'Hello,' I answered, 'did you call to concede?' This is generally how our phone conversations start now.

Breakfast; 4 pancakes, 2 eggs, turkey skin, and bran cereal. I made the pancakes with 1/2 cup bran and 1/2 cup flour. I made a big breakfast because I was cold yesterday. Food helps ward that off.

Lunch; p&c pierogis with tomato sauce, cabbage and noodles. I used the freezer kraut for the cabbage.

Dinner; turkey on a shingle, apple sauce. My wife likes to make chipped beef. I asked her for the recipe and made it substituting turkey meat. It turned out pretty good; I ate it on thin slices of toast.

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Day 13 - Lunch and Supper

2012-01-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

Lunch consisted of a mixture of pea pods, tomato basil sauce, one wheat pierogi and a couple scoops of the cornbread mixture from this morning. I also had a piece of applesauce zucchini bread.

I saw a recipe on the web for soup using turkey wings, turnips greens, turnips and garlic, all of which I had. The recipe also included instructions for cornbread dumplings. Well, I tried cooking two batches of the dumplings (only 5 each time) and about half of them fell apart. The picture above is the turkey soup with the remaining dumplings. I added a few ingredients to the remaining mixture and I made cornbread (not pictured). For dinner I had the turkey/turnip soup, blackberry applesauce and two pieces of cornbread. It was a corny day.

Day 13 - Breakfast

2012-01-14T09:09:00.001-05:00

Last night I cooked enough cornmeal to fill a loaf pan so that I could fry it for breakfast (called mush). I think I didn't cook it long enough because it was still pretty liquidy this morning. So, it took forEVER to fry into a cake. However, it came out pretty good and it was an excellent sweet treat when I added the plum preserves (trade item). I had some chicory beverage and felt very satisfied.

Flowers to Flour (flour extender)

2012-01-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

I am also running low on my flour supply. I remembered something I read last summer about the early settlers adding ground clover flowers to their supply of wheat to extend it. I just so happened to have a gallon bag of dry clover flowers gathered last summer (during the first challenge). I figured - why not? So, above are a progression of flowers to flour. From left to right are the flowers, the petals and the flour. I'll let you know how it turns out. Mark, I have more if you would like to try them.

Day 12 Meals and Day 11 Snack

2012-01-13T20:51:00.001-05:00

Today's breakfast was totally awesome!!! I had a scrambled egg, a piece of cornbread with grape jelly and 1/2 baked potato along with some chicory beverage.

For my grazing meals today I had the last two pieces of cornbread with grape jelly, green beans with tomatoes and garlic, blackberry applesauce and pumpkin soup. The last three items were still frozen in the picture. I heated them at work. A side note, a lot of people at work are asking to see what I've brought. I am now officially know as the office eccentric tree-hugger.

I was somewhat hungry last night so I made some "cookies." I cut up a piece of the applesauce/zucchini/walnut bread into squares. Then, I use the small food processor to turn a small amount of sugar into powdered sugar and then I coated the squares with the powdered sugar. They were quite tasty.

Day 12

2012-01-13T20:21:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; bran cereal, 3 slices of bread. I topped the bread with walnut butter and blackberry jam. It was the last of the loaf and was getting pretty crumbly.

Lunch; vegetable pot, corn cakes. The vegetable pot had soybeans, meal corn that I boiled for a few hours, tomato, summer squash, garlic, and seasonings. It turned out pretty well. The corn cakes I made last night, hoping to utilize more of the cornmeal I have. I have been burning through the wheat at an incredible rate but not the cornmeal. I still have 10lbs of wheat to mill, still I would like to stretch that out if possible.

Dinner; fish friday! Salted fish broth with crackers. I soaked the salted fish for a while in water. I then made a pot up with the fish, potatoes, carrots, wheat noodles, garlic, and spices. I added a bit of milk to the broth, and once the solids were all cooked I took them out and reduced the broth down. The broth and mixed vegetables were good, the fish had a bit of a bitter and fishy taste to it. It was still palatable. I found the texture of the fish meat most interesting though, it was more dense, kind of like canned fish is.

I have been hungry this evening (I think the cold does it to me) so I have been snacking a lot. I have come to the decision that I am going to conserve less food; I am increasing our daily egg allocation from 2 to 3, and milk from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. I am also planning to keep my meat intake at about the same level instead of having to suffer through vegetarian weeks. If I lose, at least I wont lose hungry!

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Hello, Mother

2012-01-13T09:03:00.001-05:00

As previously mentioned I went to a friends house last night, challenge treats in tow. I made a bunch of wheat crackers for the event. I took some turkey mallows with as well, and a couple bottles of wine I made.

I don't really remember much about making the wines, it was quite early in the year and I can't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. I took one bottle labeled 'apricot wine' and another labeled 'mixed berry wine'. The apricot wine was capped in a 12oz bottle. It was quite well pressurized and had a good slightly sour taste. The mixed berry wine was corked in a 12oz bottle. I took a taste and it had a weird, earthy dark flavor. I passed it over to Mike. He took a drink, looked at me with a sour face and said, 'Dude, you have a bottle of vinegar.' So now I have challenge created vinegar! Boy my salads are going to be great! Lucky thing the winter has been so warm, I can go out and gather greens, oh, wait...

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Day 11

2012-01-12T18:24:00.001-05:00

Breakfast; pancakes with grape butter, scrambled egg, fried turkey skins. I made the pancakes by starting with a small yeast starter. I mixed 1 cup wheat flour, 1/2 cup corn meal, and a pinch of salt. Once the yeast was foamy I mixed it into the flour mixture. Then I added enough water to make a good batter. I let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking it.

Lunch; turkey broth, 1 wheat bread with nut butter, 1 wheat bread with turkey spread. That was the last of the turkey broth. It was lovely! I sure hope I can bag more game before this challenge is out, so I can crush their bones and make a lovely soup.

Dinner; spaghetti with tomato sauce, a slice of wheat bread. I had a small dinner as I am going out for a social evening. Along with a few bottles of fruit wine I am taking crackers, a bit of spread and cream cheese, pickles, some marshmallows, and my bottle of apricot soda (which is in version 2.0, I added lemon which greatly improved it.)

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A Moment of Pause . . .

2012-01-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

I am amazed and thankful that I am still harvesting from my northern Ohio garden on January 11. When we started the challenge, I was hopeful that I would be able to harvest until the end of October. This morning I did a little garden cleanup and picked beets, carrots, turnips, lettuce and radish greens. I feel truly blessed and in awe that am taken care in such an wonderful way. The snow is supposed to start flying tonight but I still have some vegetables growing and I'm hoping for a couple more mid winter warm ups so the remaining plants have a chance to get a little bigger. I believe in miracles you know. I'm just sayin'.

Day 11 Meals

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Breakfast was bran cereal with peach juice and grape jelly, applesauce (of course), and peaches along with a cup of chicory beverage.

For my grazing meals today, I am taking Christmas soup (still frozen in picture), the last two pieces of my turkey/squash pizza, and a salad with lettuce and carrots I picked from the garden this morning, beets and some of the summer squash (trade item). The dressing is a beet juice, oil and squash juice dressing (small bowl). I am also taking chicory beverage (in the bottle) and carrot greens to make a hot tea.

Clarification

2012-01-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

I just want to clarify the exemption day. Are we able to eat anything all day or just one meal? I wouldn't want to mess up at this point. We are 13.5% of the way to completion!!!

Day 10

2012-01-11T19:40:00.001-05:00

Breakfast today; 1 egg, toast, biscotti, bran cereal, and fried turkey skin. I take pictures of every meal because by the end of the day I have forgotten what I had at the beginning.

Lunch, which came quite late; spaghetti with tomato sauce, garlic bread, and soybeans with pickles.

Dinner; mixed vegetables and the last of the biscotti. The biscotti are all gone now! Yay!

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Day 10 - They taste better than they look

2012-01-11T09:34:00.001-05:00

Breakfast today included molded polenta filled with warm blackberry compote. I found the blackberries in the back of the freezer. They were left over from last year's challenge. The cornmeal used to make the polenta was a trade item. There was a side dish of the blackberry compote (not pictured) which I also polished off, along with a cup of chicory beverage.

For my grazing meals today I am taking 1/2 of a 9" pizza I made last night. The pizza has a cornmeal/wheat crust (made up of items received in trade). For the toppings, I sauteed garlic with canned summer squash (trade item). To that I added some cut up turkey and heated that for a little while. I topped the crust with a tomato/basil sauce I made during the summer. The turnkey/squash mixture was placed on top and then I added dry herbs including parsley, basil, and sage. I sampled the pizza last evening and even though it doesn't look so great - it was wonderful (or maybe I was just hungry). Other grazing items include tomato juice, freezer pickles and a carrot "slaw" made of some of the fresh mutant carrots, a small amount of applesauce, chopped black walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Turkey Marshmallows

2012-01-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

While waiting for the bread to finish baking last night I sat there and read excerpts from the American Woman's Cookbook. One of the recipes was for marshmallows. It called primarily for sugar and gelatin. I had gelatin, turkey flavored of course, but why not give it a try!

First I spooned the gelatin out of the cup, trying to get the clearest bits. I heated it on the stove until it was liquid, then poured it through a coffee filter.

Next I lightly oiled a bread pan and then powdered that with maple sugar. I used a fine cheese grater to make the maple sugar very fine. I added 1 cup of sugar to the 1/2 cup molten gelatin. I stirred constantly until it reached 138 degrees, then removed it from the heat. I poured it into a bowl and whisked it vigorously for...a while. I held the bowl in another bowl filled with cold water to help get the temp down. It was turning white and looking fluffy so I poured it into the pan. I dusted the top with more maple sugar.

A few hours later I went back to see what I had created. It was...not marshmallows. It was very tasty though, with a good texture similar to fudge. I cut it in to squares and dusted each one with more maple sugar. Jessica says they were so good that she could eat the whole pan!

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Day 9 (the first 2/3rds, at least)

2012-01-10T13:33:00.002-05:00

Breakfast today was french toast with blackberry jam, bran cereal with maple sugar, a leftover bit of egg, and applesauce. The bread was a little slow to rise at the end, I stopped working in the kitchen so it started to cool down. I turned the oven on and set the bread to rise a little longer. Once it finally filled out the pan I put it in the oven, 10 mins at 400 and then 25 minutes more at 375. It has a definite crust, though the top is a little too dry. It is not light and airy like white bread but it has a pretty good texture and it smells wonderful.

For lunch, turkey soup and apricot soda. Here is how I made this home-made soda: I started with 1-1/2 cups of sugar, warm water and an empty 2 liter bottle. I filled the bottle about 3/4 full of water and dissolved the sugar. Next I added 1/2tsp of dry yeast. I also added a generous helping of apricot syrup. I let it sit overnight. In the morning the bottle was firm, and I put it in the fridge. By lunch time it was cold, and I enjoyed a refreshing beverage!

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Did I tell you about the Herb Rolls?

2012-01-10T10:01:00.002-05:00

During the summer, I chopped up garlic and (separately of course) chives. I placed the chopped herbs at one end of a piece of plastic wrap, in a line, leave a couple inches at each end. Then, I rolled the plastic up and tied each end. When I want to use chives or garlic in my recipes, I just untie one end and squeeze out the desired amount.

Day 9 Meals

2012-01-10T09:57:00.001-05:00

Breakfast consisted of four potatoe pancakes from two of the four raw potatoes I had left. I also had my world famous grape juice/applesauce slushy (I never get tired of it).

For "grazing" today I have butternut squash soup with chives, pea pod/garlic stir fry, freezer pickles, and two pieces of cornbread with grape jelly. The pickles and the soup are still frozen - that's why they look a little "funny."

I have a ton of meetings scheduled today so I hope I get a chance to eat all these yummy snacks.

Day 8 Meals

2012-01-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

Breakfast was a bowl of cooked bran with canned peaches from the trade and cornbread with grape jelly. I also had a couple cups of mint tea. I think my indoor mint plant is being invaded by tiny bugs (sad).

For my grazing meals today I took a salad with beets, lettuce, tomatoes and pickle juice dressing. I also had two pieces of cornbread with grape jelly, two of the lovely wheat pierogies with tomato sauce and green beans with tomato sauce, garlic and chives.

I also am very satisfied and feel as though the challenge is going well. I've come up with two projects for the final prize (which I am going to love keeping). More details to follow.

Making Wheat Bread From Scratch

2012-01-09T20:02:00.003-05:00

If you are going to try this recipe, read through the post first. I started with 3/4 cup lukewarm water, 2 tsp yeast powder, and 1 tsp sugar. I mixed them all in a small dish and left them to rise. Reading on in the directions it told me to scald 2 cups of milk - I am trying to conserve milk so I used 1-1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup water. Then I had to look up scaling milk on the internet. To scald milk you bring the temperature up to 180 degrees. Next you wait for the milk to cool to lukewarm, wait, what? Shouldn't I have done the milk first so that 10 minutes after the yeast was ready the milk will have cooled some? Not that this is that big of a deal, just scald your milk first.
Next add 2tbs sugar, 2tbs fat (I used 1 tbs vegetable oil and 1 tbs turkey fat,) 1tsp salt into the milk. When the milk is lukewarm add the yeast that was already started. Then add 3 cups flour and whisk until well blended.
now, add flour until it is a soft dough - the book says that should be 3 more cups but it was in fact probably 4 or 5 cup. Then knead the dough on a floured board (and by board I mean countertop) until it is 'elastic and doesn't stick to an unfoured board'. It probably took about 120 kneads to get it to that state, I get bored and count these things. Next oil a bowl, put the dough in the bowl and then flip it over so the oiled side is up. Wait until the dough doubles in size, then punch it down. Wait for it to rise again and then cut it in half, rolling each half into ta ball. Cover these balls of dough and let them rest for 10 mins. (That is where I am in the process right now.) Shape into loaves and place into greased pans. Grease tops and cover until, once again, htey have doubled in bulk. Bake at 400 for 10 mins, then drop temp to 375 and continue to bake for 35-40 more minutes.
I do hope this bread turns out better than the last one did. That bread was dense and crumbly. This bread does seem to be rising well, about an hour to rise each time. Bread is not made with haste!

Day 8

2012-01-09T19:33:00.002-05:00

Breakfast today - bran cereal, scrambled egg, biscotti, fried turkey skin, and applesauce. I decided to skip the milk and just sugar the cereal up with maple sugar. Id like to make this milk last as long as possible. I froze some too so we'll see how that works out later.

Lunch today was a good helping of turkey soup with wheat noodles, and crackers with turkey spread and savory gelatin. To make the soup this time I used 1 cup soup stock, 1/2 cup of the drippings from the pan (there was very little fat in the pan, it all came out as gelatin) 1/2 cup water, and 1/4 cup milk. I added a bit of salt and two crushed peppercorns, plus some of the meat I had picked off the bones. I figure there is 1 more meal of turkey soup with meat and then another one with just broth left. The crackers I made yesterday in the oven from the bread dough I made with Sharon last Sunday. I rolled the dough flat, put it in a 300 degree oven until they were dry and crispy. I didn't time it so I can't say how long it took. I experimented with various amounts of water to try to make them crispier. The savory gelatin was just a small spoon from the original turkey pan drippings.

Dinner was clean out the fridge; 2 pierogis with tomato sauce, sauerkraut, applesauce. Not the finest food combination but I am trying to bake bread so I am content to have whatever is quickest. I will probably snack more as I go tonight.

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All New Week, All New Recipes

2012-01-09T10:29:00.001-05:00

I began with the organ meats from the turkey - kidneys and liver. I was going to make a recipe from my favorite cookbook with the kidneys last night but I had already used some of my precious oil in preparing the rabbit. I put it in the fridge overnight, and woke up with a bit of inspiration this morning.

I boiled the liver this morning, shredded both of them on a very fine cheese shredder, added 1tbs milk, 2tsp cream cheese, 1 clove garlic (also shredded) salt and parsley. I mashed them together with a fork until I had one well blended patty. Now I have a delicious spread for crackers or bread!

Compared to the last challenge, I feel I have hit a lot of home-runs with recipes so far. The turkey soup, this spread, Sharon's pizza, all these turned out better than the normal fare I would typically eat. Sure this whole process is labor intensive and the blogging takes up a bit of the day (and the dishes...), but I am cooking and experimenting in the kitchen and really enjoying the experience. Once the selection of foods dwindles I may have a few other choice words for this project. As for now, I find myself quite content.

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Meat!

2012-01-08T21:48:00.002-05:00

I am watching a documentary on dumpster diving. They say that americans consume 222lbs of meat per person per year. I did eat 1lb of bacon on new years day, but since then I have had 3oz of fish and probably 4oz of turkey. America, if you could just hang on to the 40+lbs of meat I will not be eating as a result of this challenge, I can make a big barbecue when it is over!

The Competition Is Down To Two!

2012-01-08T20:09:00.002-05:00

Sharon sent me a text this evening. She is finished with the challenge. She will post any more meals she makes using challenge food for your enjoyment. Sharon, enjoy some bacon, coffe and a hamburger for me! I have 67 days left to go!

Day 7, I just deleted my entire post.

2012-01-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

I don't have the patience to type all that up again, so I will simply sum up my meals;

Breakfast - eggs, bran cereal, fried turkey skin, apple sauce, biscotti with jam.

Lunch - turkey soup with wheat noodles, crackers

Dinner - sauce from 'rabbit en caserrole', half baked potato, cracker.

Soup was to die for. So was the fried skin. Biscotti needs a new home soon, methinks.

Now im hungry and off to make more food.

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A Message Sent To Me By Nature

2012-01-08T19:28:00.001-05:00

Dear Mark,

You are kind of a lousy hunter. You are noisy and not terribly observant. You don't even wear camouflage. Here, have half a rabbit. Now, go on home.

-Nature

Dear Nature,

Thanks for the half a rabbit. I didn't know things like that grew on trees! I was tired and hungry anyways, so thanks for the gift.

Your Friend,

Mark

I went out to the local public hunting grounds. The game warden pulled in as I was getting ready to head into the field. He informed me that I needed an orange vest, as today was part of deer muzzle-loader season. He was kind enough to call a local store, who were out of stock, and then gave me directions to a hardware store in the area. The hardware store did have it. I headed back out into the field, dressed as a traffic cone.

I first headed west through a corn field to try to find a site I had found when out hunting with Jeff a few years ago. There is a semicircle of earth raised up about 3-1/2 feet, spanning probably 25 or 30 feet in diameter. The trees in a line leading up to it are all very small. I am guessing there was either a plane crash or a meteor strike there. I plan to investigate with a metal detector in the summer.

After that I headed south to the southern border of the area, then skirted along to an area where I know rabbits dwell. I know this because I have seen them multiple times in the area. I didn't see any movement out there today.

As I was leaving that little area something in a nearby tree caught my eye. It was the front half of a rabbit, in the crook of a small tree. At first I thought it was the remains from another hunter who had bagged one and skinned it on the spot. Closer investigation revealed that the whole front of the rabbit was there, and no entrails littered the ground. Some bird of prey probably killed it and hung it in the tree to feast on. Thanks for the rabbit, stupid!

I was ravenously hungry by then. I contentedly took my half rabbit and went home. I have already cooked and frozen the meat. There is not a lot there but enough for one good meal

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Day 7 and the End of Week One . . .

2012-01-08T18:40:00.000-05:00

For breakfast today I cut a piece of the zucchini,applesauce walnut bread (which I've decided is a little too sweet). I cut it in half and formed each half into a pancake because it was a little to wet, I browned it in just the tiniest bit of butter. Along with the "bread cakes," I had canned peaches (received in trade) and strawberry applesauce. I also had some chicory beverage.

For dinner I had the last (thank heavens!) of the vegetable soup, strawberry applesauce with black walnut sprinkles, the vegetables Sharon and I roasted yesterday and cornbread made with my newly acquired grains. I topped it with a little grape jelly after the photo to sweeten it up a bit. I feel much more confident now that I've added the grains to my meals.

Pizza

2012-01-07T21:04:00.006-05:00

Here it is - the hit at brunch this morning!!

Here is the recipe for the crust:
1 TBS yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup corn flour
2 TBS maple sugar (recipe called for 2 tsp but I mistakenly measure out tablespoons)
1 tsp salt
2 TBS oil

Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow it to set until foamy (about 10 min)
Add yeast mixture to the rest of the combined ingredients and allow it to rise (covered with a towel) for 30 minutes. Spread across slightly oiled baking sheet and top with items of your choice. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree preheated oven.

I topped it with tomato sauce and 1/2 of the pizza with eggplant italiano and the other 1/2 with tomatoes and garlic. I spread crushed garlic/oil around the edges and sprinkled chives across the top.

Tomorrow I think I am going to try breakfast pizza topped with eggs and the baked potatoes from mom. To be continued...

Beverages

2012-01-07T20:45:00.004-05:00

The first couple of days I only had water to drink. I needed something else! I don't like chicory and I'm not big on mint tea (I usually just drink it if I have an upset stomach).

Desperate times call for desperate measures so I had light peach syrup one evening with dinner! I think mom said that she drank the bread and butter pickle juice as a beverage (or something like that).

A few days ago, before work I had the idea to make raspberry lemonade. I combined frozen squeezed lemon, water, raspberry sauce (sweetened with maple sugar) and chipped away at the maple sugar. I had to give up on the maple sugar because I cut my finger while chipping away at it so it was a little sour.

Today I used up the remaining small amount of thawed lemon and raspberry sauce. This time I heated the maple sugar in water to melt it to create a syrup. I added a little syrup and water and it was much better. I still have 2 lemons and a package of raspberries in the freezer in case I decide to make this again.

I also made grape juice from raisins (I will drink this with breakfast tomorrow). I soaked the raisins (they were soaking due to a cooking experiment gone wrong), then added a little more water and boiled it. I strained the raisins and added maple syrup to the liquid. It tastes ok - but the grapes are not my favorite flavor.

Soups and Chili

2012-01-07T20:26:00.007-05:00

The first picture is pickle soup - of course!! I made this yesterday to use up some of my left over opened canned goods. It contains whole tomatoes, summer squash (and juice), a couple pickles (and a little juice) and the package of frozen green beans with tomatoes. It has a sweet and sour flavor - certainly not as sour as the batch that I made for our potluck before the challenge!

The middle picture is chili. I took the various packages of chili I made throughout the summer and fall and combined them. I added in cooked soybeans.

The last picture is the first soup I made to start off the challenge. It contained canned tomatoes and the juice, canned summer squash, frozen green beans, fresh carrots (that I found in garden) and cooked soybeans.

Garden Finds

2012-01-07T20:10:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, prior to our big snowstorm, I walked up to the community garden to see if there was anything left. I got a nice bunch of thyme, carrots (which I used in soup), lettuce, radishes, chives and most importantly my team mascot, a wild carrot.

Biscotti??

2012-01-07T19:48:00.009-05:00

Ok - at least we attempted to make biscotti. It was the end of a long baking and cooking afternoon/evening. We wanted something sweet to add to our stash of goods. We had most of the ingredients for maple walnut biscotti except for baking powder. We figured we could use yeast/warm water in place of the baking powder which made it more bread-like instead of crunchy.

I ate my biscotti as snacks with blackberry jam. After a of couple days, I decided to use the few I had left as a crust for apple "pie". I used a little oil to grease the bottom of the baking dish and crumbled the biscotti. I then topped it with baked apples that I had in the freezer (sweetened with maple sugar). The topping is candied walnuts (melted maple sugar and chopped walnuts).

Ooodles of Noodles

2012-01-07T19:36:00.007-05:00

The beauties are in the first picture - the endless possibilities!

Pictured below is noodles and cabbage. I boiled the noodles (probably 2 minutes tops - just taste tested until they were done). I fried the cooked noodles in fried cabbage that I had in the freezer. It tasted very good but the cabbage was chewy.

I still have some noodles left which will be one of my meals in the upcoming week (most likely topped with tomato sauce).

Pierogis: Part 2

2012-01-07T19:24:00.007-05:00

The pierogis made two delicious meals.

The first picture is the potato and cream cheese. As I previously commented, these are very creamy inside, similar to ravioli so I topped them with tomato sauce.

The second picture is the sauerkraut. I browned them in oil with chives and a pinch of dill. Mark, I think you should try preparing your last 4 this way so they are slightly crispy. I'm sure you will notice a difference from just eating them boiled.

Pierogis: Part 1

2012-01-07T18:56:00.011-05:00

Here are the first few pierogis made grandma's way. So you start with a good amount of flour and one egg. Then add enough water so it is like pancake batter. Then gradually add flour until it is not sticky and you can roll it out. Take sections of the dough (remembering to cover the unused portion so it doesn't dry out) and roll it out; then cut into squares, add filling, fold over, pinch closed and then put them in boiling water. Once they float to the top they are finished (we waited a couple extra minutes since the dough was thick since we were using whole wheat flour). Rinse cooked pierogis with cool water. Grandma tops them with butter and onions. We left them plain.

This first batch was a little rough, grainy and the dough was hard to work with. That's when Mark had the brilliant idea to get the pasta queen involved.

The King and Queen Have Arrived

2012-01-07T18:47:00.003-05:00

Here they are: the king and queen (pasta queen that is) working hard to make dough for noodles and pierogis. The texture and ability to work with the dough (fold it and pinch the ends) was greatly improved with a few passes through the pasta queen.

Third Time's a Charm

2012-01-07T17:48:00.001-05:00

I yielded a quart+1/2 pint of stock from the crock pot. I then picked through the remains. I discarded the bones, put the turnips and the little bits of meat I had previously missed in a separate bowl, and returned all the fatty and grisly bits to the stove to simmer. Im hoping I can rend some pure fat out doing this. Also pictured are the organs. Kidneys, liver, and a bit of meaty flesh were present but no heart ;(

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Mutant Carrots

2012-01-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

The mutant carrots are back at it. These two are Carrocchio and the Fairy Dancing queen. Carrocchio is on the left side of the picture. He is saying "I don't really think they are going to roast us!" The Fairy Dancing Queen is on the right - She is saying (to Carrocchio) "Don't you lie to me!" "Your nose is getting bigger and bigger!"

I guess the lack of food is having an effect on me. And - those silly fairies keep creeping into the blog. Well-Sharon and I roasted them. The fairy was right - he was lying!

Winnowing Wheat

2012-01-07T17:05:00.001-05:00

Action pose! Here Mom is winnowing her wheat. She still has some to sort out. We got 2lbs flour and 1lb bran from what she had sorted. I left my corona mill with her to finish the job up. Her confidence in victory was soaring today!

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The Turkey

2012-01-07T17:02:00.001-05:00

Here it is in all its glory. Mom got about 2-1/4 or 2-1/2 lbs of meat from it. I got 14oz good meat, 4oz skin, 1-1/4lbs carcass, and the organ meats. Mmmm heart.

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Carcass

2012-01-07T16:59:00.001-05:00

'Never discard the bones of turkey or chicken as they will always make a delicious soup,' advises The American Woman's Cook Book. 'Scrape the meat from the bones, break the bones, pack them in a kettle, and cover in cold water, adding a small onion. Cover closely and simmer very gently for three hours. Strain and cool. One-half hour before it is to be served, return to the fire and for every quart of stock add one cup cold meat, season and keep hot until needed.'

I lost half a leg bone when I smashed it in half with a hammer. I was a little more careful with subsequent bones as I cracked them open. I dumped the picked carcass in the crock pot, covered it over with water, and added a small onion (one I got from Sharon today) along with 4 fresh turnips. It is nearly done, we will soon see how it turned out!

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Day 6 - SO Satisfied!!!

2012-01-07T16:51:00.001-05:00

For breakfast this morning I had the leftover Christmas Soup that I didn't eat yesterday, another slushy and some chicory.

Mark, Sharon and I got together for a trade and to share a meal. Mark also helped me to grind the wheat - well actually Mark did most of the work - THANK YOU Mark! I haven't had any grains this week and I really enjoyed the hot bran cereal and veggie pizza.

After lunch, Sharon and I made roasted vegetables - well actually Sharon made roasted vegetables -THANK YOU SHARON - I just helped pick and clean the veggies. They are SO yummy. Then we made zucchini, applesauce, black walnut bread. Oh my goodness- I'm in heaven!!! I ate some of the bread with a little butter along with a grape/applesauce slushy.

A Fine Brunch

2012-01-07T16:50:00.001-05:00

The 3 remaining challengers got together today for brunch. I was heading to Mom's anyways to help her mill wheat and for a bit of trade. I invited Sharon over too (without mentioning it to Mom - what a jerk!) and we had a nice brunch together. I brought some bran cereal, grape butter, and milk. Mom made her famous fruit slushies. She also roasted her turkey today and we ate a sampler of that. Sharon outdid us both and made a fantastic pizza. We had a bit of trade afterwards. I gave up about 6 lbs of ground grains (wheat bran and cornmeal) plus some other odds and ends and got a cup of oil(the way I was acting you would think it was made of precious metals!) Some frozen fruits and vegetables, a few fresh turnips, and turkey! Mom didn't want the legs, the skin, the carcass, or the organ meats! Good eats in my future!

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Day 5

2012-01-06T17:14:00.003-05:00

Breakfast was; egg omelet with cream cheese and green onion, applesauce, polenta with grape butter, biscotti, and 1/4 cup milk. I'm getting pretty tired of the biscotti, there are probably a dozen pieces left.

Today was the first meat I have eaten since the challenge began - I chose the smaller of the two catfish I caught. I cut the fillets off the sides and then chucked the remains in a stock pot with boiling water. Once cooked I picked all the little bits of meat off of it. I was reading yesterday about cream soups and I will make a fish soup once I have cooked the other fish in a similar manner I will make the aforementioned soup.

Here the lunch is - A small fresh salad, 1 fish fillet, sauerkraut, chow-chow relish, and more biscotti (yay!) I froze the other fish fillet, cooked. I fried them in the oil-and-onions Sharon gave me for the pierogis, covered in toasted bread crumbs from the first loaf of bread. The salad was radish greens, carrot, radish, and for dressing I used the juice from the bread and butter pickles I ate the last of yesterday. Great idea, Mom! The sauerkraut actually tasted a little bit like sauerkraut once i added salt and cooked it up in a frying pan.

For dinner, Pizza! Also some soybeans. For the pizza, I had taken one of the bread doughs out of the freezer this morning. Once thawed it was pretty crumbly. I added a bit of water to it, then kneaded it until it had a better consistency. I set it on the stove to proof for about 10 mins, then into the oven on the pizza stone. 425 degrees for 12 minutes did the trick. I actually made 2 small pizzas. The first is pictured above topped with tomato/basil sauce, cream cheese, green onions, and whole peeled tomato. To get the cream cheese into a useful state I dusted it with cornmeal and rolled it out flat. Then i cut it with a butter knife into strips. The second didn't go into the oven so good so my pizza stone is a mess now. I added garlic to that one as well. Once I added some salt it was pretty good, I stood there while the 2nd one cooked and ate 2/3rds of the first one. Then once that one came out of the oven I ate 2/3rds of it too! I have 2 bits of pizza left, I will save them for another day.

As for the soybeans, I had some soaking for my soup a few days ago and didn't use all of them. I put them in the water I used to boil the fish in and boiled them down a bit. I added the last of a jar of summer squash and a pinch of salt to the boil as well. I reduced the water down by most so that there was just a bit of broth in the beans. It came out pretty good - if I should find myself with the same impromptu ingredients lined up I will certainly make the same dish again.

I am in good spirits but kind of hungry today! I am going to make a snack right now and then put together some trail mix or something for later.

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Day of Trade

2012-01-06T14:22:00.004-05:00

Mom and I are getting together tomorrow morning so I can mill her wheat into flour, and for a bit of trade. Mom, here is what I could use from your list;

Baked Potatoes (chive or parsley) 36 (1/2 each)

Pea Pods 7 bags

Plain Green Beans 5 bags

Tomatilloes 8 small

Carrots still growing

Lettuce still growing

Applesauce 15 containers

Turkey 1 (8.5 pounds)

Oil about 1/3 bottle

Butter 2/3 stick

Mint (Dry)

Sharon, If you want to make some trades too, here is what I like on your list;

2 small onions

green beans with tomatoes

2 packages raspberries

small amount of dill

Chili

oil

pepper

rice

For those of you wondering what happened to the Jacksons, they have already conceded!

Day 5 Meals

2012-01-06T10:01:00.005-05:00

Breakfast this morning consisted of two half baked potatoes with parsley, a grape juice/applesauce slushy (which I am still loving), and some mint tea.

My grazing today will consist of eggplant italiano (thank you Sharon - it smells wonderful - I can't wait to try it), bread and butter pickles, Christmas soup, and the endless vegetable soup - picture just shows a sample, the serving is much bigger. The Christmas soup is still frozen, that's why it looks a little funny. When I get home at night, I usually have a snack. Last night I had a few sunflower seeds, the leftover potato pancake, and some applesauce.

Long Awaited Inventory List

2012-01-06T00:42:00.003-05:00

Here is my "inventory list" for the rest of the challenge. I am hoping to trade turkey and oil for cornmeal, salt and perhaps baking powder to make some fruit breads. For items that say "bag", amount is between 8-12 ounces in a freezer bag. For items that say "container," it is a glad container.

VEGETABLES
Baked Potatoes (chive or parsley) 36 (1/2 each)
Beets 4 oz
Carrots 4 bags
Chopped Chives 1 rolls
Chopped Garlic 1 1/2 rolls
Eggplant Ilaliano 6 oz
Gr Beans w/Tomatoes & Garlic 2 bags
Kale 3 sm bags
Pea Pods 7 bags
Plain Green Beans 5 bags
Shredded Zucchini 1 bag
Summer Squash 1 8oz jar
Summer Squash 1 16 oz jar
Turips 4 bags
Potatoes (raw) 6 small
Tomatilloes 8 small
Cherry Tomatoes 20 tiny
Carrots still growing
Lettuce still growing

SOUPS
Vegetable Soup 2 containers
Tomato Beet Soup 1 container
Pumpkin Soup 2 containers
Zucchini Soup 1 container
Christmas Soup 1 16 oz
Christmas Soup 2 8 oz
Butternut Squash Soup 2 containers

JAMS & JELLIES
White Plum Preserves 1 jar
Grape Jelly 2 jars
Blackberry Jam 1 jar

FRUIT
Applesauce 15 containers
Apricots 1 1/2 bags
Frozen watermelon 3 bags
Grape Juice 6 small jars
Grape Juice 3 large containers
Peaches 1 jar

PICKLES
Dill Pickles 1 jar
Kosher Dills 1 jar
Freezer Pickles 4 bags
Bread & Butter Pickles 1/3 jar
PROTEIN
Eggs 11
Turkey 1 (8.5 pounds)
Walnut Meats 6 oz

TOMATO STUFF
Chopped Tomatoes 2-1# bags
Peeled Tomatoes 2 bags
Spaghetti sauce 2 bags
Tomato Basic Sauce 2 1# bags
Tomato Sauce 1 container

MISCELLANEOUS
Maple Cake 1
Chicory
Oil about 1/3 bottle
Butter 2/3 stick
Soup Base 1/8 jar
Vinegar 1/8 bottle
Sugar 1/8 bag
Wheat (not milled) 2-3 pounds
Sunflower Seeds

SPICES
Mint (Dry)
Mint
still growing
Rosemary
Stevia
Basil
Parsley (Dry and Frozen)
Thyme
Lavender
Clover Flowers
Linden Flowers

Eyes on the Prize

2012-01-05T22:17:00.001-05:00

I do metal work in addition to this madman's diet, mostly in aluminum. Today I made up a foam form for the prize I will furnish to the victor of this challenge. I really hope this casting turns out, I would hate to have to make another one.

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Day 4, Out of Fun Titles.

2012-01-05T21:45:00.002-05:00

Boy that didn't take long.

Breakfast today;

Polenta with grape butter,

1 egg scrambled,

last bit of toast with walnut butter,

A couple biscotti with blackberry jam,

1/4 cup grape juice.

The grape butter was supposed to turn out like apple butter, only with grapes. It didn't really thicken up. So I basically have grape syrup. On reviewing my inventory I noticed I hadn't eaten any cornmeal up to this point, so I decided to have polenta for breakfast. 4:1 water to cornmeal, boil, cover and reduce to simmer for whatever seems an appropriate time. I think I went 20 mins.

The eggs were all frozen earlier in the year, for those of you who don't feel like sifting through all the old posts to figure out what I am talking about. I found a resource that said adding honey or salt will stabilize the yolk. Neither worked. I made an egg for me and one for Jessica this morning. 'Why is this sweet!'

'Because there is sugar in it.'

'Why would you put sugar in an egg?'

'To stabilize the yolk. Here, give it to me, I'll make you something else.'

'No, its fine, it was just unexpected.' My culinary endeavors should have warning lights.

Lunch;

3 pierogis with tomato sauce

Last of the leftover stew

Raisins

Kosher style dill pickles

Sharon was right, the pierogis do suffice quite well as ravioli. I'm glad to be done with that stew. Working the same thing into your diet 3 straight days gets pretty old. The raisins were another inventory item I had been neglecting.

Dinner;

Mashed potatoes

Fresh tomato, carrot, and tomatillo

Biscotti with apricot sauce

Bread and butter pickles

Apricot almonds

Challenge-legal libations

Just a plate of random stuff really, whatever I figured would be easy. The tomatillo came from my mom's garden. She never planted it, I just came up from a seed left there the previous year. I also enjoyed a 12oz bottle of apricot wine I made earlier this year. Well, half a bottle really, as it was overpressurized and sprayed all over the kitchen counter when I opened it.

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Day Four - Only Seventy TO GO!!!!

2012-01-05T09:57:00.005-05:00

Breakfast consisted of more potato pancakes (the potatoes are starting to get soft so I have to use them up), a grape juice and applesauce slushy, grape juice and chicory beverage.

For my "grazing" meals today I have a salad (consisting of lettuce from the kitchen garden, beets, the mutant carrot, small cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds from last year, and bread and butter pickles), zucchini soup (one of my favorite soups), and vegetable soup made earlier this week.

Mutant Carrots

2012-01-05T09:51:00.003-05:00

I'm not certain that it was a good idea to bring the carrots into the house. They seem to be mutating. Oh well - they still taste good!

Day 3, Still Here

2012-01-04T19:59:00.003-05:00

I am feeling a bit grumbly tonight. I would like a hamburger and a coffee.

Breakfast today was a bowl of bran cereal with grape butter, toasted bread, 1/2 cup milk, and mint tea. I made some better walnut butter today - I passed the nut meats through the corona mill 5 times, picking out bits of shell as I went. The walnuts were crazy oily. I squeezed the oil out of them, then added salt and sugar. I used the oil to toast the bread in a pan. I made an egg omelet a little later too.
Lunch was a few potato pierogis, some toasted garlic bread, thawed out watermelon, leftover soup and green beans, and rose hips as a beverage. The garlic bread was made like the toast in the morning, add garlic. I did the same with the pierogis. The watermelon tasted a bit off, and I thawed it too long so the texture was off.
For dinner I had curry vegetables over noodles, hot apples with maple sugar, and some bread and butter pickles. The vegetables consisted of corn, pea pods, soybeans, and garlic. I started it out like a stir-fry with some curry added in. Then I put a splash of milk in, and added the soybeans. Then I remembered that soybeans need to cook; I added some water and left them to simmer for a bit. The peapods were woody, the rest of it was pretty good. It doesn't change the fact that I want a coffee and a burger.

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Challenge Saver . . .

2012-01-04T09:33:00.004-05:00

Who would have thought that a turkey would save the day - or the challenge. I took the turkey out of the freezer to thaw today. Half of my $10 allowance was spent on the turkey. I bought it before Thanksgiving when they were $.49 per pound. I'm looking forward to some good meals from the turkey. I am going to roast it on Saturday and divide it into packages to use throughout the challenge.

Someone Come Help Put All These Dishes Away!

2012-01-04T08:33:00.001-05:00

Here is the part of the challenge you out there on your interwebs never see - the eternal struggle against dishes. Cooking everything from scratch and making presentable plates yields an incredible amount of dishes. I wont really need help putting these away though, in a day I will have picked through most of them and made them dirty again.

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Day Three Menu

2012-01-04T08:32:00.005-05:00

Breakfast today was really good. I had a twice baked potato with parsley, one scrambled egg and a slushy made from blackberry applesauce, frozen grape juice and a little sugar. YUMMY!!!

Except for breakfast, I am not going to have a whole meal - I probably will just graze throughout the day the way I did yesterday. That seems to work better for this challenge. The items I am taking with me today to "graze" on are: vegetable soup, apricot glazed carrots, bread and butter pickles (from trade day), loubee beans and mint tea.

I'll probably have to raid the supplies when I get home tonight!

Day 2, And All Is Well

2012-01-03T19:23:00.001-05:00

Braeakfast was;

1 egg, omelet style, with green onion and cream cheese

Hot apples

Bran cereal with grape butter and milk

Mint Tea

The egg omelet was really good. I expect I will be buying cream cheese more in the future when this challenge ends. I used a 3:1 ratio on the bran cereal, it still needed cooked down some but just for a couple minutes.

Lunch was;

Vegetable soup

Biscotti with cream cheese

Bread and butter pickles

Walnuts with caramel sauce

The walnuts had a few bits of shell, which is always extra annoying to find. The soup was average, I added whole wheat and soy beans to the broth I made some months ago. I don't really remember what was in it exactly, I know there was corn, tomato, turnips, and green beans. The biscotti are a little grueling, they are not quite sweet or crunchy enough.

Dinner was;

Mashed potatoes

Green beans with garlic and tomato

Radish green salad

3 sauerkraut pierogis

Chow-chow relish

The salad consisted of radish greens, radishes, carrots, and fresh tomatoes. I made a dressing from white vinegar, elderberry oil, dried parsley, dried basil, and salt. The radishes have been holding up pretty well in the mild winter. The roots are getting a bit woody but the greens are still good, and not at all hot. It was a good salad.

The green beans were received in trade, they were also good, once a sprinkle of salt was added.

I picked the 4 smallest potatoes, boiled them, added a splash of milk, and mashed them up. They were also quite good.

The weakest link in the dinner were the pierogis. They are a little too thick in the dough department. The middle part is good but the edges are like a job to eat. I will definitely roll them out using the noodle maker next time.

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Day Two and Three Meals

2012-01-03T09:54:00.006-05:00

I'm thinking that I'll probably have the same menu both today and tomorrow, with a little variation. I also had some applesauce with jelly when I got home last night because I was just a tiny bit FAMISHED!!!!Breakfast consisted of three potato pancakes, blackberry applesauce with a dollop of grape jelly and mint tea.

Lunch will consist of orange glazed carrots (made with the apricots I had left from last year's challenge and the carrots from my garden along with about two t. sugar), loubee beans (garlic, green beans and tomatoes), and some freezer pickles.

Dinner will be the vegetable soup from yesterday's blog. I have enough to last until Saturday.

Inventory

2012-01-03T09:12:00.003-05:00

This morning I decided to take a good inventory of what I have. I was surprised by how much I have amassed! Here goes;

Dry/Canned Goods;

Pickles 2 half pints, 4 pints +1 open pint

Relish 2 half pints, 1 quarter pint +1 open quarter pint

Blackberry Jam - 2 half pints +1 open half pint

Grape Jelly - 1 half pint

Grape Butter - 8 half pints

Elderberry Preserves - 1 half pint

Whole Peeled Tomatoes - 1 quart, 1 pint, 1 half pint

Tomato Sauce - 2 quarts +1 open quart, 1 pint, 1 half pint

Summer Squash - 1 quart, 3 pints, 3 half pints

Apples in Light Syrup - 2 pints +1 open pint

Dry Beans - 1lb

White Vinegar - 1 quart

Maple Sugar - 1-3/4 lbs

White Sugar - 2 lbs

Salted Fish - 2 oz

Wheat Flour 3-3/4 lbs

Corn Flour - 3 lbs

Corn Meal - 8 lbs

Wheat Bran - 6 lbs

Hickory Nuts - 1 oz

Elderberry Oil - 2 tbs

Dry Noodles - 1 lb

Black Walnuts 1-3/4 lbs

Raisins - 1/2 lb

Maple Syrup - 12oz

Apricot 'Almonds', 2 oz

Basswood nuts, small container

Perishables/Prepared Foods

'Fresh' Tomatoes (those few tiny ones that didn't rot) 3 oz

Walnut Carmel Sauce - small container

Walnut Butter - small container

Soybeans - soaking (Will be gone by lunch)

Wheat Bread 1/2 loaf

Tomato Soup Stock (will also be gone by lunch)

Potatoes, 1-1/4 lbs

Green Onions (or are they leeks?), 2 small

Yeast, 3 oz

Cream Cheese, 3 oz

Rose Hips Spread, 4 oz

Onions w/ oil, small container

Carrots, 1/4 lb

Pierogis, 2-3/4 lbs

Frozen Goods

Whole Rose Hips, 3 oz

Wheat Bread, frozen loaves 2 (12 oz each)

Sweet Corn, 1/2 lb

Eggs, about 8 dozen

Tomatoes, 1 lb

Baby Corns, small bag

Lemon, 1

Catfish, 14 oz

Melons, 1-3/4 lbs

Grape Juice, roughly 30 oz

Spaghetti Sauce, 8 oz

Pea Pods, 1 oz

Carrots, 1 oz

Apple Sauce, 1-1/2 lbs

Freezer Kraut, 1-1/4 lbs

Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Garlic 1-1/4 lbs

Freezer Pickles, 1/4 lb

Apricot Sauce, 1 Pint

Basswood Greens, 1 lb

Mulberries, 1-1/2 lbs

Spices

Curry

Mint

Rosemary

Parsley

Basil

Marjoram

Thyme

Stevia

Coriander Seeds

Chives

Garlic 9 oz

Dried Chicory Root 8 oz

Salt 26 oz

Everything I Eat Is The Same Color - Brown.

2012-01-02T20:59:00.001-05:00

I prepared a small dinner since lunch was so late - 4 pierogis, a nut butter & rose hips spread sandwich, chow-chow relish, and mint tea.

The pierogis were made with Sharon yesterday - filled with cream cheese and potatoes.

The bread is the same as previously mentioned. I have 2 frozen loaves yet to bake in the freezer. The bread is pretty crumbly at this point. The nut butter is ground black walnuts and a little maple sugar. The rose hips spread I made by putting a bunch of rose hips in a blender with water, then straining the contents. I then decanted the water off the top a few days later and added sugar.

The chow-chow relish was acquired in trade from the Jacksons. It is a bit like sweet relish but with carrots in it among other things. I was going to put it on the peirogis but it seems to be a fine stand-alone little salad.

The mint tea has also had a previous mention.

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