MEDIEVAL DIET BROUGHT FORWARD

I've been watching a lot of BBC programs about real life farming in certain time periods... here are just a few (in time-period order):

Medieval/Secrets of the Castle (circa 1200s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AmEtIrwpO0
Tudor Monastery Farm (1485-1603): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ERDYjsHBg
Tales from the Green Valley (James 1st, 1620): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpqpwJ__Ek
Victorian Farm (1837-1901): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4apIM4l0laY
Edwardian Farm (1901-1910 or 1912): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcBl4_2FJX4
WarTime (after WWII) Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUsU5s0ofYo

Then I did some reading. I enjoyed http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life_04_food.htm as it gave great info about the medieval period diet. 

A Colonial perspective, from 1678, is found in the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvMnla9TQTk

A look at the 1900's is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaCxQ1ArY3w.  A peek at 1940's Britain is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOxdUF6vcw.

See how people might have lived during the Frontier expansion in the USA, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyGk9UhrpQY.  Post Civil-War Texas in USA (late 1800's) is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DBUbYEUIMM.

I wanted to go back as far as possible so I started watching the Stone Age videos ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7bqi70B3tE ).

What I learned is that even tho the Medieval diet might be boring, we can make do with the following:

POTTAGE (a thick soup or stew, which is NOT Porridge which is just grains/cereals and sometimes legumes boiled in milk or water):
Any kind of grain (seed of any grass, including wheat, barley, etc), can be made into a pottage or gruel.  Just crack the grain a little to make it easier to cook, and boil with water.  Can add something different each time to change the taste.  Leeks, onions, carrots, etc.  They didn't have potatoes back then, but we have them now so you could even add a potatoes or two a few times a week.  Play around with spices and herbs as they too can change the taste, making it less boring.

Note: In order to have pottage or porridge every morning, you will need to grow or buy/trade enough grain for your family for a year.

SOUP:
They really didn't do much soup.  That's basically what pottage is, except it's grain based.  If you choose to, you can just use potatoes to make your soup base, and add veggies.  It's up to you!

BREAD:
Learn how to make sourdough bread. OR learn how to "harvest" yeast from your barley or other grain crop.  OR you can learn how to make unleavened bread by just mixing flour from any grain plus water.  You can bake / cook it in a solar oven or fry like tortillas on your campfire.  Add spices, herbs, apple dices, raisins, etc to change it up from time to time.

Note: If you want bread AND porridge/pottage every day, calculate how much grain you need for your family for a year for all of that. 

MEAT:
Meat was somewhat hard to come by.  If you plan to make cheese, your need rennet so you'll need a suckling calf to slaughter for it's innards.  That means you need a few cows and access to a bull.  If you have room for goats or sheep, or can trade for one of those a year, then be sure to preserve most of the meat by smoking or salting it. Or making Pemmican (coming soon to this blog) or jerky.

If you live near water where there is seafood, wonderful! Back then, they made sure to eat the fish on Fridays as Medieval England was run, basically, by the Church.

OTHER PROTEIN:
You need to grow legumes: fava beans, chick peas/garbanzo beans, split peas and field peas were all staples in the Medieval diet.  Personally, I've added navy or white beans and lentils to our stores.  Be sure to change up the taste with herbs, veggies and so forth. And get used to the gas now.

DAIRY:
If you are lucky enough to have a milking animal (goat, sheep, yak, cow), then you can make wonderful dairy products that last for months after your animal dries up.  Ricotta, cheddar, bleu and many other cheese will do well if you start practicing now.  Unbaked tiles on the floor with water thrown on them plus a decent cross-breeze from open windows will keep a room quite chilly even in the summer.  Be sure to learn how to keep things cold enough, away from rodents and other problems.

DRINK:
Back then they couldn't drink straight water because it was usually contaminated.  We will probably face the same situation in the future (or even now!). So what they did was make ale.  I won't go into details here but you'll need barley, some yeast, water, and time.  Usually the first batch is strong enough to get people drunk so keep that in a separate container to be brought out at night when the day's chores are done.  After the first batch is taken off the grain, add more water to the fermented grain and when it's ready, keep that in a separate container as this will be weaker for more like everyday drinking to whet your whistle.

You could also make wine or juice in varying strengths.  Making apple juice, cider and then hard cider and THEN apple cider vinegar is always a good notion.  Not exactly medieval but good now that our civilization has apples (not really available back then).

Note: You've calculated how much grain you need for pottage and/or porridge for your family for a year.  And you've done the same for bread for your family.  IF you plan on making ale, you'll need a good supply of barley.  Can you imagine how huge your grain storage area needs to be? AND it needs to be free of bugs and rodents.  AND, in case your crop fails the next year, will you store extra, grow and eat more potatoes, or beg/borrow/steal enough OR go hungry.

Just something to think about.

SUMMARY:
Even with this meager amount of food, you will need to put in a lot of hard work to keep it all going, year after year.  Plant your apple trees and grape vines now!  Get your supplies now for making wine, cider/vinegar, ale, bread and pottage, and so forth.   Check out your property for aerable land, where you can grow enough barley and wheat and potatoes to harvest enough for your family for a year.  If you are gluten-free, you can grow oats, millet, amaranth  and rice instead.

Then USE your supplies.  Start making pottage and porridge now, getting used to it as your daily meal. Start now by growing all of these things.  Experiment with recipes and write the down.  What did your family hate or just tolerate. What did they love.

Don't wait.

The time is ever coming closer to when we might need to exist on just what we can grow.

FLU, EBOLA, ENTERO, AND OTHER VIRUSES

Between regular seasonal flu/influenza, the ebola virus, the entero virus and others, it’s even more important now to get your immune system up and running at maximum speed.

Here are a few things you can do:

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EXERCISE: Your body needs to be working as efficiently as possible.  Make an effort to exercise at least 15 minutes a day, twice a day. Get your heart rate up.

WASH YOUR HANDS: Don’t be obsessive about it, but be sure to wash your hands with soap (NOT antibacterial) and water several times a day. As you wash, sing the happy birthday song … THAT’s how long you need to wash. Be sure to use a clean towel to dry your hands. Don’t use the hand sanitizer because that’s just creating super-bacteria.

CLEAN YOUR HOUSE AND WORKSPACE: WORK: As soon as you get into work, put on gloves and get out the chlorox wipes (or use vinegar). Wipe down your phone (ALL parts of it), your desk, writing utensils, computer keyboard , and everything else you touch.  Do it all again if someone uses your desk at lunch, or borrows something. Don’t be paranoid but do be smart. HOUSE: Keep your house clean. Wipe down all doorknobs, toilet flusher handles, sink and faucets, and every surface you can. Change the furnace or a/c filters often. Use Hepa filters if you can. Open windows for fresh air.

VISITORS: Ban ALL visitors to your home during this critical time, except those absolutely necessary. When someone, even your children, enter the house, have them wash up, keep outdoor clothing at the door, and maybe even use a mask and gloves while they are there. Be very aware of people with sniffles, headaches, sore throats, etc.

OUTINGS: You don’t really need to meet the girls for lunch out, do you?  Stock up on groceries now so you won’t need to do it later. If you absolutely want to keep some of these viruses from spreading, and IF you know there are people in your area that have tested positive for it, stay home!

IN-HOME SECLUSION: Assume that a lot of people in your area get sick. People will stop going out, not even to work. No one to repair telephone or electric lines. No one to make sure the water/sewer treatment works correctly. Water and toilets stop working. Electricity goes out so there also goes your means of heating the house, keeping food in your freezer/fridge, and cooking. Find alternatives for these situations, and make sure you have at least one to three months’ supply of these items:

-toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, baby wipes for instant baths
-chlorox wipes, bleach, other cleaners
-F95 respiration masks, nitrile gloves, flu medicine, ibuprofen
-candles, matches, liters
-2 ml heavy-duty plastic and duct tape to seal up house or a sick room
-trash bags for human waste
-flashlights, batteries (for flashlights AND games, toys, DVD player, etc)
-vitamins, supplements, herbs, essential oils, probiotics
-water (to drink, add to soups, clean home and body, and do laundry)
-soups, stews, canned fruit, canned veggies (shelf-stable)
-instant and bottled tea and coffee, juice boxes, V8
-canned ham/turkey/chicken/tuna, Vienna sausages, spam, peanut butter
-seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax, chia) and nuts (almonds, brazil, pecan, walnut, hazelnut)
-candies, crackers, snacks, yogurt-covered fruit, dried berries, dark chocolate and more.
-cards, games, books, and other ways to alleviate boredom

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YOGURT: Get your digestive tract in place with real yogurt with natural ingredients and sweeteners and Kefir. Most illnesses start with problems in your GI, so help it out with probiotics.

OATS/BARLEY: People who eat these regularly have fewer infections. Eat at least one serving of one of these per day.

GARLIC: Garlic has been proven to boost immunity and all around, take out the bad guys in our bodies. Take 1-2 raw cloves (or capsules) each day, and add garlic, crushed, to as many of your meals as possible. I prefer the capsules with my evening pills so I won’t be tasting it all day!

SELENIUM: This nutrient helps to clear infections from our bodies. Eat as many as possible each day. Here are a few good sources: brazil nuts, fish, poultry, sunflower seeds, shellfish, beef, lamb, goat, eggs, mushrooms, whole grains, onions, garlic, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, yogurt, milk, fortified cereals.

Make a yummy chicken noodle soup with whole grain noodles, organic chicken, garlic, onion, broccoli and mushrooms. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it!  Or an omelet with farm fresh eggs, mushrooms, asparagus and broccoli.

BLACK TEA: Several cups daily will get lots of antioxidants into your body.

ZINC: This enhances your T-cells and helps enhance other actions of your immune system. Sources: oysters, wheat germ, liver, seeds like pumpkin, winter squash (like pumpkin, butternut, acorn, spaghetti), summer squash (like zucchini), watermelon, beef, dark chocolate/cocoa powder, lamb, peanuts, garlic, garbanzo beans/chickpeas, mushrooms, ginger root, broccoli/cauliflower/brussells sprouts, red bell pepper (I prefer red!) and use lots of oregano.

BERRIES: Most berries are full of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. We make sure that we get a daily dose! Suggestions: elderberries, strawberries, blueberries, goji berries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

HONEY: While not on most people’s list, we need to take a closer look at honey. It is one of the few foods that will NEVER spoil (unless it’s not pure honey) and is good at killing bacteria.  Great for rubbing into cuts to speed healing, so it stands to reason that having it working in your digestive system would be a good idea too! Best way to take it is in a cup of hot tea (black or green or herbal), with lemon or lime juice, and honey.

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I like going to Vitamin Cottage / Natural Grocers to stock up on bulk dried vegetables, herbs, tea-fixings, and fruit. Get lots of freeze-dried berries (I get them from www.justtomatoes.com).

Don't wait to stock up / prep until these viruses actually hit your town or nearby. Do it NOW so you will be ready to shut your doors and ride it out.

Stealth Animals

As you know, we need to move closer to town (doctors, physical therapy, etc), which  means we have to follow city rules. Limited chickens, no roosters, no turkeys or ducks, and certainly no goats.

At first, I rebelled. I can’t imagine buying milk again. Not with how much my son goes through! And I prefer goat milk, raw, from our own antibiotic- and hormone-free goats. And goat baby meat.  Turkeys and chickens producing delicious orange-yolk eggs and free-range meat.

I just can’t imagine doing without these.

But I’m getting the feeling, as I speak with zoning and planning commissions, that unless we suddenly get rich, we will not be able to have farm animals of any kind, in town.

There might be a way around it. Well, for poultry.

Quail. Maybe we can buy a big enough house with a super-large garage where we can have 50 or so quail to produce eggs and meat.  We can sell the extra eggs (just got a call last week from a customer asking about buying quail eggs) and if we hatch out eggs once every couple of months, we will have lots of replacements.

But chickens … they walk around and poop, are more personable, and keep weeds and bugs down.

Quail … have to be kept confined so no weed or bug control, and poop needs to be cleaned more often. Not much personality.

Chickens … larger eggs.  Larger meat. Processor charges $3.00 per bird to butcher.

Quail … smaller eggs so we need to have 3-5 to equal one chicken egg.  We could butcher inside our home. Meat on one quail is just enough for one person.

Chickens … outside with fresh air.

Quail … inside a garage with hopefully air from a window.

What a conundrum.

How can you stealthily raise meat / eggs for your family?

Pets vs Survival

What would happen if you need to bug out, or if you don't have enough food to feed your pet? Would you find a way to provide for them? Would you eat them?

I know, this isn't a favorite topic for anybody, but it's something you need to think about.

Dogs:
As much as I love my dogs, I wouldn't keep both of them. The chihuahua is too noisy and loves to dig.  The lab is my son's autism service dog-in-training, and would help to mitigate his meltdowns, so I'd keep K-Dog.  I have already begun to feed them home-grown food: chicken, veggies, and store-bought rice or oats. They don't get a lot of treats so it won't be a big deal to eliminate them. Plus, any extra animals we kill that I wouldn't be able to force my family to eat (squirrel, prairie dog, etc), I'd give to him!

Cats:
We don't have any. Yet. But if we did and the cat was a good mouser, we'd keep it at home. Traveling would be a different story. Can't see myself carrying a travel-kennel with a yowling cat inside. Not when I could be carrying more food, clothing and water.

Chickens/Turkeys/Quail:
Chickens can be noisy, especially the roosters, so I'd have to slit his throat if I wanted stealth. I'd keep as many hens as possible, both of chickens and turkeys.  Turkey toms (boys) aren't noisy at all so if I can hide them, I will.  As far as quail goes, while they can be very noisy, I could hide them in a sound-proofed bedroom or garage. They are rapid producers of eggs and the fast gestation period means edible poultry in just a few weeks.  Not sure I'd want to carry a cage of quail and their feed if I need to bug out.

Rabbits:
Generally quiet, this animals reproduces rapidly and is a great source of lean protein. Great for hiding in the house. Again, not so great for carrying around breeding stock and their feed.

Goats/Sheep/Cattle:
These are very very hard to hide!  Not good for a stealthy source of protein or milk.


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What are your pets? Would you kill them before bugging out? Depends on the situation, huh? Yeah, us too. But as callous as this sounds, animals/pets can be replaced. People can't.

Fruit Trees on your Property

If you have a spot of land, you really should have planted a fruit tree or 20 by now! Why?

• Long term food source
• Food for the bees to keep them around
• Apple trees, once they die or are no longer producing, are great for firewood

There are even miniature fruit trees that you can grow inside. Look for colonnade trees at the Starks Brothers Nursery. Several different kinds of apples, and one peach that I know of.  Grow in a pot, and have it on your deck or balcony in good weather, or start an inside garden where the tree is prominently featured!

If you have even .25 of an acre, what fruit trees have you planted? What fruit tree can you just not live without?

• Apples: so versatile, from fresh eating, long-term storing, dehydrating, juicing, canning for apple butter or pie filling, and even making vinegar for pickling, digestion and cleaning.
• Pears: delicious fresh, dehydrating or canned. Have you tried pear raisin pies?
• Cherries: very expensive in the store so try growing either pie/sour cherries or sweet. We love the Ranier cherries (yellow and red). If you don't want a tree, Nanking cherries grow on a bush.
• Plums: very healthy but highly sprayed from the stores. Great to eat fresh, dehydrated or canned. I make an amazing spiced plum jam that I use for Winter holidays.

You get the idea. What fruit tree do you absolutely need on your property? And why?

Halloween...now and future

Halloween is coming soon.  Sure you  might be almost ready for this year, with house decorations, candy and costumes, but what if the SHTF? What will you do?

No matter the situation, most children will expect trick-or-treating, or at least donning costumes for a party. They will miss the candy and treats, and have a hard time accepting that their traditional Halloween won't happen at least that year.

First, take advantage of dollar stores to stock up on hard candies NOW. Store out of reach of children, roaches and rodents. Use only for super-special occasions, which will make it last a long time.  Then start new traditions that don't rely on spending money money money!

Have you considered what to do? Here are a few suggestions:

• Keep old costumes and face paint. Dress up!
• Instead of loads of candy, have them search for a few pieces of hard candies (non-perishable, like dum-dum suckers or hard mints) around the house. We hide them like Easter eggs!
• Have a few close friends over for a meal with easy-to-make dishes and a costume contest.
• Observe the real meaning of "All Hallows' Eve" and remember those who have died ... friends, family and saints (hallows). Have the kids draw pictures of these people, gather natural items like sticks, rocks and leaves, and create a special altar with all of this in remembrance of them.
• Make this day your harvest festival! Gather neighbors and family to harvest. Start the preserving whether by canning or dehydrating. Having many hands to slice makes quick work! The kids can bob for apples after collecting them for storage.

What do you think your family could do to celebrate Halloween if there are no sources for costumes or candy, and trick-or-treating is not safe?

Grab and Go Cooking Bucket

If you are planning to bug-out in case of an emergency situation, do you have all of your cooking equipment gathered together? Suggestion, get a 5-gallon bucket (like the one to the right, or a bright-orange bucket from Home Depot IF you don't mind being bright and visible!) and store these items:

• Cooking pot with a lid (pot first in bucket, rest of items nested in and on top of it. The lid will be on top of all items in bucket)
• Mixing bowl (nested in pot)
• Aluminum foil (for easy clean-up from cooking)
• Matches, lighters, fire-starters
• Can opener (test it to make sure it won't fall apart!)
• Utensils for eating and cooking
• Dishes for eating: bowls, mugs, plates
• Pot holder(s)
• Dish towels
• Soap for washing dishes

IF you have any room leftover, nestle into corners small packages of dehydrated fruit and veggies, protein bars, bacon pieces, SPAM or tuna singles, etc. Use every bit of space, but don't weigh it down too much so you can easily carry it for a long period of time.

Thanks for the notes, Shayla!