Pioneer Day

Happy Pioneer Day! Since today we are remembering our Pioneer ancestry, I thought it would be fun to take a look at how the Pioneers used what they had around them to survive.

I have a wonderful book called "Cookin' With Home Storage", by Vicki Tate and Peggy Layton. The author's are from Manti, UT and they do a wonderful job of using what you have in your pantry to make meals with. They also have added some Pioneer "recipes" for medicine, candy and cleaning, along with some of their food recipes as well. You can find their book at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Emergency Essentials, and I have even seen it at Walmart.

CUCUMBER SALAD
Pioneer Recipe
2 large cucumbers
1/3 C cider vinegar
1/4 C water
1/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
dash pepper
Cut the cucumbers into slices. Mix all the other ingredients together. Add the cucumbers and toss lightly.

"Soups were one of the most typical mainstays of the early settlers of Manti. Any leftover vegetables, any soup bones, and every scrap of meat was saved and made into soup" -Peggy Layton "Cookin' With Home Storage" p 133

PIONEER CREAM OF POTATO SOUP
1 1/2 C cubed potatoes
1 T margarine/butter
1 T onion
3/4 t salt
3/4 C water
2 C milk
1 T flour
Cook the potatoes, onion, and salt until tender. Blend the margarine and flour together and stir into the hot potato mixture. Stir constantly while cooking. When mixture thickens add milk and reheat. Modern day variation-add beef or chicken bullion to taste.

"It took several weeks to make the treacherous journey by covered wagon to Salt Lake City for medical care. If the Saints were sick they had to rely on the herbs that they could find growing wild." Peggy Layton "Cookin' With Home Storage" p 247

Doc Smith's Cough Syrup
1 C honey
1/2 C hot water
juice of 2 lemons
1 T glycerin
Mix well together and take 1 T at a time when cough persists. (I personally give my kids honey for really bad coughs. 1 T at bedtime really coats their throats and helps with the cough. Also, rub Vicks Vapor rub on the bottom of the feet and put socks on before bed and that helps with coughing-sounds weird, but works!)

CANKER SORES
Sprinkle dry Thyme on the canker sore. It should heal in a few hours.

OLD FASHIONED HONEY CANDY (lds.about.com)
Boil 2 C honey until it reaches hard ball stage (about 225 degrees) Pour onto buttered surface. When cool enough to handle butter hands and start to pull as you do for taffy.When honey holds it shape and has a golden color, twist into ropes and place back on counter and cut into pieces with scissors. Wrap in wax paper.

For more information and just a fun thing to read, click here to read a blog that is titled Pioneer Foodie, need I say more.
July Goals:
WATER: Store 14 gallons per person for a 2 week supply. This is the bare minimum for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. I would recommend storing water everywhere you can think of, under stairs, in the car, storage rooms, under beds,etc. Use soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles (for cleaning water) and any other container with the word "PETE" on the bottom of it. That means is will hold up over time and is safe to store water in.

OILS/FATS: Store 25lbs of oils and fats per person for a year storage. This includes mayonnaise,butter, oils, peanut butter, salad dressings, and shortening. Stock up this month while the prices are lower, watch for sales on ketchup and mustard as well.

NON-FOOD STORAGE: This month we are storing paper goods, which includes: paper plates, bowls, cups, utensils & napkins. I priced these items this week and found some great deals.
Big Lots:
paper plates 60ct $1.00
plastic cups 54ct $1.50
napkins 100ct $1.00
spoons 48ct $1.00

Dollar Store
forks 48ct $1.00
bowls 36ct $1.00

Both stores have great prices, make sure to watch the size of the product you are buying. Big Lots has a 36ct forks package for $1.30 and you get 48 forks for $1.00 at the Dollar Store.

CHARCOAL is our other non-food storage item this month. Store charcoal in 5 gallon buckets to keep it dry, and it will last indefinitely. Watch for charcoal to go on sale throughout the summer months. You will need charcoal to cook meals with especially if you don't have other ways of cooking with out electricity.
To cook 1 hour a day for a year you will need 24 #15 bags of charcoal.

Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the blessings!
Feel the Peace!