EVERYTHING UNDER
THE SUN
Food Storage for the Solar Oven
by Wendy DeWitt
“What’s for dinner?” is an age old
question. But in times of crisis, that question becomes even more
important. Experience has shown that when people are in emergency
situations, food and water become
the focus of everyone’s attention. But it doesn’t take a
natural disaster to need food storage. Personal
economic disasters happen every day in this country. Food storage
can be life saving in many different
situations.
We all have questions and concerns
about food storage. What should I buy? What will it cost? Where do I
store it? How do I cook it? What about rotation? There are
hundreds of answers to these questions and the
following information isn’t right or wrong, it’s just the way I do
it.
Most of the recipes in previous
versions of this book were “made from scratch” recipes. This version
includes a “user friendly” section for meals that are more easily
prepared. These recipes have been given
only to show you the kind of things can be stored and how to
cook them in a solar oven. Your family will
appreciate it if you use your own favorite recipes.
THE SOLAR OVEN It’s not uncommon in emergency situations for the power to
be out. With a solar
oven, it doesn’t matter where you live; as long as the sun is shining, you’ve got
power. Have backup
sources of fuel, such as wood or propane, but most of the time your
solar oven will be your main source of
cooking. Solar cooking is clean, it keeps the heat out of your
kitchen, it’s delicious and, best of all, it uses a
free source of energy. It’s a good idea to practice cooking with
your food storage now, so you know what
you’re doing. You don’t want to be wasting precious food when
times are bad. Every recipe in this book
was made in my solar oven.
There are other uses for your solar
oven such as pasteurizing water, killing infestations in grain or dried
foods, sanitizing dishes, drying firewood, sprouting foods, and decrystallizing honey or jams. A good rule of
thumb is: germs can’t grow at 120 degrees, water is pasteurized
at 150 degrees, foods will cook at 180
degrees and water boils at 212 degrees.
Using a solar oven is a matter of
practice. Experiment with it. Learn where to place your oven for the best
cooking,
how to adjust the angles and how often to reposition it to
maintain the highest temperatures. There are many solar
ovens on the market ranging in price from $20 to $200. There are
also books in the library on how to make your
own. I have the Global Sun Oven ($170) which has 4 reflector panels that surround
the oven, a thermometer and a
tight fitting glass door that fits on top of a heavy rubber
gasket. Inside is a rocker arm the food sits on which provides
good circulation and keeps the food level when the oven is
tilted. A good solar oven will reach almost 350 degrees.
Your goal is to face the oven
directly at the sun
so there are little or no shadows inside. Check your foods often.
Never leave your oven in the cooking
angle without food or water in it. It can destroy the inside finish. Preheat
your
oven by slightly propping up the lid and facing it in the
direction of the sun.
COOKWARE Check the size of your oven before buying any pots or pans.
Use dark pots with tight fitting lids.
2
Dark cookware will absorb the heat
and your cooking will go faster. Smoked glass is also good because it lets you
see how the cooking is going without opening the oven. Cast
iron is great on partially cloudy days because it holds
the heat. Don’t use stainless steel or shiny aluminum pans...
they reflect the heat instead of holding it in. (If it’s all
you have, cover them with a dark cloth.) Canning jars painted
black work well too. Put a strip of masking tape from
the top of the jar down to the bottom and up the other
side...paint and remove the tape. This allows you to see
inside the jar while cooking. Always use pot holders and it’s a
good idea to wear sun
glasses to avoid the glare of
the reflectors..
COOKING TIPS FOR SOLAR COOKING Start early in the day to be sure you’ll have a dinner that
night! (You
might want to do what our ancestors did; eat your big meal in the
afternoon and have a light snack before bed.)
Foods cook in approximately twice
the amount of time as in a normal oven. If you cover your pots and pans with
tight fitting lids, your oven won’t steam up and your food won’t
need to be stirred as often. This is important because
opening your oven drops the temperature by 50 to100 degrees in just
seconds. Grains and beans need about 1/4
less liquid because very little moisture escapes in solar
cooking. Cloudy days are good times to cook foods that just
need a gentle simmer. The intermittent sun will provide enough heat
to simmer soups and stews. Do your baking
on bright sunny days. I have two solar ovens so I can be
cooking dinner in one and baking breads or desserts in the
other. Cooking times are always approximate and will depend upon
how your oven is placed, the time of day and
cloud cover. Don’t try to cook too much at one time. Larger
amounts of food will cook faster if you divide it up and
put it into smaller pots. Cut foods into smaller pieces for
faster cooking.
Remember, no matter how you do your
cooking, there is a danger zone for foods. Some foods left at a temperature
between 50 and 125 degrees for 3 or 4 hours can grow harmful
bacteria and can carry a risk of food poisoning.
Watch your food and don’t let it
fall to these temperatures for extended periods of time!
THE SYSTEM
I’ve based this system on a “worst
case scenario,” meaning, if there were no stores, gardens, city water or
electricity,
I could still feed my family. This
scenario also assumes that each family will be on their own, that we won’t be
“banding
together” at churches or schools. There are dozens of scenarios that would
require isolation from other
people. Please don’t put your family at risk by assuming that you
will be eating someone else’s food! No one else is
storing food for your family. Your neighbors aren’t, the government
isn’t and the church isn’t.
How much food is a year’s supply?
This system answers that question right down to the last teaspoon of salt. You
choose 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners that you would want to have once
a week for one year. There are 52 weeks in the
year, you’re having this meal once a week, so you’ll have it 52
times. Make these meals things that you eat all the
time, things that you like! You are going to multiply everything (including the
amount of water) in each of your
recipes by 52. An example would be if you used 1 jar of Ragu and 1
pound of spaghetti to feed your family, you’d
buy 52 jars of Ragu, 52 pounds of spaghetti and include the
water to cook the noodles. My personal food storage
has 14 dinners (multiplied by 26) 7 breakfasts (x 365) and a
variety of breads and desserts. If we’re in a “worst case
scenario” your big meal of the day is going to be in the afternoon
before the sun goes
down. So, you would have
breakfast, a big dinner and maybe a sandwich or a snack in the
evening. This is a very simple system that saves
time and money because you only store what you really need and
will eat. Another plus is the individuality your can
give your food storage. I like Malt-o-meal, my husband likes
oatmeal, so I store according to our likes.
3
Once you’ve made up your menus and
have multiplied everything
in them by 52 or 26 (or whatever you decide you
want) make up a chart or table that alphabetically lists all the
foods in your recipes....almonds to yeast, and keep this
in a notebook. It might look like this: under “rice” you list all the
meals that have rice in them and how many cups
you need for each meal. Mine says “salmon & rice = 35 cups,
Sweet & sour = 35 cups, rice pudding = 70 cups.” A
little further over on the page have a column for “Need” which is
how much rice you’ll need for the year, 140 cups.
The next column will say “Have”
which is what you already have in your home and the last column is “Buy” which
is
what you need to buy. The item, the meals, need, have and buy. I
also list on this page when the food was
purchased and what room it’s in. Carry this folder whenever you go
shopping and shop the sales.
The equivalencies page gives you
most of the information you’ll need to do your own menus. Things like “a #10 can
will hold 12 cups of rice, there are 59 tablespoons in one pound
of baking powder and 1 cup of uncooked rice makes
3 cups cooked.”
COST The cost of using this system depends on your menus. Using
the least expensive menus, if you shop
wisely and bottle your own meats, it can cost as little as $350
per person per year. This would include 2 cups of
breakfast, 2 cups of dinner and ½ loaf of bread daily.
STORAGE One person’s year supply will usually fit into 10 cannery
boxes. (The kind that 6 #10 cans fit into.) This
will fit under
a regular twin size bed. In desert areas you must store your food in the house.
Heat will destroy your
food storage. Water can be stored in the garage or on the north
side of the house.
ROTATION Most people have a hard time with rotation because it’s
difficult to keep track of all that food. I purchase
my meals all at once, meaning within a reasonable amount of
time. Everything is
logged in my notebook; how much
food I have, when it was purchased, what room it’s stored in.
Since I’m all about long shelf life, the shortest shelf life I
have is 3 years...the powdered milk. Once a year I check my
notebook to see if anything is expiring that year. I check
my vacuum sealed foods at the same time to make sure they’re
still sealed. If anything is close to expiration, I take it
out, put it in my kitchen pantry for daily use and immediately
replace it with fresh food. With this system, food
storage is a once a year event and I always have a full year’s
supply on hand. Have a food storage slush fund. If
you put even $10 a month away, after those 3 years you’ll have
$360 to purchase your new food. And the food that
goes into your pantry is going to cut your grocery bill because
it’s food that you like and use.
BOTTLING MEATS
(Caution: If you have a glass-top
stove, you MAY want to use a propane camp stove or other means to bottle meats.
I have a glass top and have had no
problems, but I still need to caution you.)
Item
Meals
Need
Have
Buy
Rice
salmon & rice=35 c Sw&sour=35
rice pudding =70 c 140c=
12can
s
6 cans-2/05-mst
6 cans-12/06-mst
0
Salmo
n
salmon and rice=26 pints
26 pts 26 pts-2/06-bd3
0
4
Bottling your own meats is so easy
and it’s what makes this food storage system REAL food. It’s real chicken soup
and real beef stew. The meat is tender, juicy, ready to eat and needs no freezing or refrigeration...just
like your tuna
fish in the store. But because it’s in a glass jar and not a
metal can, the shelf life is extraordinary. (I’ve eaten bottled
chicken that was 10 years old and it was delicious!) But this
process is so easy. You may want to rotate your meats
more often to be sure the nutritional quality is high. You can
bottle any kind of meat; chicken, turkey, beef, fish, ham,
moose...you name it.
Pressure Canners (canningpantry.com) You will need a
pressure canner. (Pressure cookers don’t generate enough
pressure to safely can meats.) Canners come in quart sizes, meaning
they hold a certain amount of liquid quarts.
Model #921 is 15 ½” tall, holds 21.5
liquid qts. = 7 qts jars or
17-19 pint jars. ($148) The model #930 is 19" tall,
holds 30 liquid qts. = 14 qts or 17-19 pints ($241). This is a very tall canner and
won’t fit under most
microwaves
installed over the stove.
If you’re interested in a used
canner, I’ve purchased 5 of them on E-Bay and they’ve all been great, costing
between
$50 and $70
including the shipping. Be sure to have
the gauge tested at the Extension Center at 4341 E.
Broadway
Rd in Tempe (602-470-8086). This will ensure that you are cooking at the right pressure
and your food
will be safe. Requirements for a good used canner are: metal to
metal lid (no rubber gasket,) a pressure gauge, a
pressure release valve, wing nuts to hold down the lid, a tray
inside and at least a 15 quart capacity, which holds 7
quart jars. A canner is a great investment even if you’re not
doing food storage because you will save time (no more
defrosting chickens) money (you buy everything on sale) and a good canner will last
forever. I have one that is 70
years old that still works.
Canning Meats Most books will tell you to cook the meat before you bottle
it, but, with the exception of ground
meats, I prefer the raw pack. Make your own choice on this
matter. A pint bottle will hold 1 pound of meat, a quart
will hold 2. You can put spices in before cooking. Questionable
jars (those from DI or yard sales) are ok for sealing
dry foods and jar cakes, but don‘t use them for bottling meats.
Old jars might crack under
the pressure. Invest in
some new jars when you first start and you can reuse them.
Pour water into your canner to
2" deep. Put your meat and 1/4 to ½ tsp of salt in a clean jar (it does
not need to be
sterilized.) Fill jars up to ½” from rim. With the exception of ground
meats, no water is added to the meats ...they
make their own juices. In a small pan, boil the lids for about 2
minutes to soften the rubber seal. Make sure the rim
of the jar is completely clean from grease or food before you
put the heated lid and ring on. Tighten down the ring,
but not too hard. Put your jars into the canner, screw down the
canner lid, making sure the top is even, and turn your
stove on to high. Don’t put the weight on the pressure valve
until water has spouted out of it for about 3 minutes.
This expresses the air out. Now put
the weight on the pressure valve. In the desert, put it at the 10 pound mark.
If
you have an older canner, there may not be a weight but there
will be some kind of pressure release mechanism.
Keep this open until water spits out
for 3 minutes and then close it up to begin your pressure. When the gauge gets
to 10 pounds of pressure, begin timing...75 minutes for pints
and 90 minutes for quarts (Fish is 15 min longer!). This
is the formula for all meats in the desert. When it hits 10#,
you will need to immediately turn down the heat and keep
turning it down over the allotted time, keeping the gauge at 10
pounds. (If the pressure drops or increases, a
vacuum effect causes the liquid in the jar to be pulled out.) DO
NOT LEAVE YOUR CANNER! At the end of the 75
or 90 minutes your heat should be at a very low level and you
will then turn the heat completely off. Don’t touch the
canner, just let the pressure go down on it’s
own. When it’s back to zero, release the pressure valve (or remove the
weight) take off the lid, put the jars on the counter (away from
cool drafts) and wait for them to seal. You’ll hear a
5
“plink”
when the lids seal correctly. If a jar doesn’t seal, you can either refrigerate
it for later use or re-bottle it using a
new lid. After several hours, wipe the bottles clean, remove
the ring and put them back in the box for storage. Use
your own judgment as to how often to rotate your meats. Don’t
waste the juices of your meats. Use them in your
recipes whenever possible. Don’t worry if the juice doesn’t cover
all the meat. Ground meats have a better texture if
you brown them first, pack loosely in the jars, cover with
water and process. If you’re canning pre-cooked meats,
like left over turkey, add a soup
broth before canning. Don’t bottle spiral cut hams, use a shank type cut. Ham
makes very little juice. Don’t add salt to ham. Don’t bottle
turkey, ham or other processed meats like bologna or hot
dogs....the texture is horrible.
FOOD HINTS
Baking powder, baking soda, sugar,
salt, cocoa These are SOME of the items you
don’t need to (or shouldn’t)
can. Keep them in their original containers or you can place
them in buckets with lids.
Brown
sugar 2 Tbs. Molasses + 1 cup white sugar. Mix with pastry blender until blended.
Also, vacuum seal regular brown
sugar to keep it fresh for years.
Butter or margarine...almost!
1 pound shortening (butter flavored
works well) ½ tsp salt
1 2/3 c condensed milk
Whip the shortening and the salt
until light. Add the condensed milk a little at a time and blend.
Butter bottled (Google “bottled butter”) Real butter is best but margarine
works too. Heat pint jars in the oven @
250 for 20 minutes. Heat lids in boiling water for 3 minutes. Slowly stir and
melt the butter in a pan. After it has
boiled for 5 minutes, stir and then scoop the butter into the hot
jars. Use a funnel to keep butter off the rims. Place
the hot lid and ring on the jar and wait for the “plink.” Shake
jars several times over the next 15-20 minutes. The
separation will stop. While still slightly warm, put the jars in the
refrigerator. Check every 10-15 minutes, shaking jars
each time. Eventually the butter will harden. Leave in
refrigerator for one more hour. Bottled butter can store on your
shelf for at least 3 years.
Cheese Canned cheese. (Go to internet-grocer.com for details on
this cheese.) It’s a Kraft Velveeta type cheddar
that comes in a can. $3 for an 8 oz can. Minimum
5 year shelf life. Call Phyllis @ 1-903-356-6443
Corn syrup 1 c sugar + 2 c water Cook in canning jar in solar oven
about an hour or until thick.
“Eggs” from unflavored gelatin
(Knox) Buy in bulk at bulkfoods.com
In all the recipes in this book I
have substituted unflavored gelatin for the eggs. The gelatin is less expensive
than
powdered eggs (as little as 3 cents per “egg”) has an indefinite
shelf life and works well in all the recipes I’ve tried. I
used unflavored gelatin that was over 20 years old and it worked
perfectly. 1tsp gelatin= 1 egg 1 oz gelatin=12
tsp 1 pound gelatin=192 eggs.
Making one egg: Combine 1 teaspoon
of unflavored gelatin with 3 Tablespoons of cold water and stir until
dissolved. Then add 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of hot water and
stir. When using your own recipes, decrease
the liquid called for in your recipe by about 1/4 cup to
compensate for the added water from the “egg.” I have
already done this for the recipes in this book.
Eggs (storing fresh eggs for up to 1 year) Rub warmed mineral oil
on your hands and coat the entire surface of the
fresh egg with the oil. Replace egg in the egg carton with the
point down. In cold climates they can be stored in a
cool, dark place, but I keep mine in the refrigerator and rotate
once a year.
Jar cakes & breads Breads, cakes, muffins, cornbread, brownies, cookies, cinnamon
rolls sealed in jars.
6
This is a great idea for food
storage and the solar oven, but you must be very sure to boil all your jars and
lids to be
sure they are free from bacteria! They can also be washed and
then sanitized in your solar oven. Jar Foods are
cooked in canning jars WITHOUT THE LIDS in your solar oven or a
regular oven. The food will slip out of the jars
easily if you use the straight sided “jelly jars” but any kind of
mason jar will work Using a pastry brush, grease the
insides with shortening (no Pam or Baker’s Secret) fill it ½ to 2/3
full with your batter or dough and bake as usual.
(Let your breads raise
in the jars and then bake.) Some foods rise more than others, so practice with
these amounts
so you don’t waste space in your jars. If it bakes too high,
cut the top of your bread or cake off before sealing the jar.
Just be sure your jar edge is clean
and your lids are hot! Immediately after the food is cooked, place your heated
lid
on the hot jar and tighten with the ring. (Use hot pads!)
Within a few minutes, the lid will “plink” and the food will be
sealed. This food can sit on your shelf with no refrigeration or
freezing for several months. (The more moist the
recipe, the better. Applesauce cakes are great.) With this method,
you can cook jar foods on your bright sunny days
and have fully cooked foods waiting on your shelves for that
occasional rainy day. It’s also great for those cloudy
days when there’s not enough sunshine to bake but it’s perfect
for simmering soups and stews. You can simmer
your chili in the solar oven all day and before dinner, pop in a
jar of precooked cornbread to warm it up. Try warming
up a jar of chocolate cake for dessert!
This method of baking has been done
for years, but lately there has been some discussion as to it’s safety.
Because the eggs were exchanged with
unflavored gelatin in all of these recipes, it is unlikely that the
ingredients used could support bacteria if prepared and cooked
properly. If you feel at all uncomfortable
with this method, don’t use it.
Magic heat/magic stove There are a few things that just can’t be cooked in a solar oven,
so this may come in
handy. It’s similar to Sterno. The
Magic Heat is the fuel cell and comes in small (200 ml) which burns 4-6 hours
and
large (300) which burns for 6-8 hours. I ended up ordering mine
from a company in Canada and the cost was
around $78 for a case of 24 small cells and $99 for a case of 24
large cells. (Remember to ask for prices in US
dollars and ask about any extra charges!!) The Magic Stove is a
little metal X fixture that fits over the fuel cell
(around $5)
and you can place a small pot or pan on it to cook. My experience has shown it
takes 5 minutes to bring
1 cup of cold water to a
boil...almost 10 minutes for 2 cups. A 15 oz can of beans heated up in just under
5 minutes,
soup took 4 minutes. Pancakes took 2 minutes to heat up the pan,
then 3 minutes per pancake. It took 10 minutes
to heat up oil but even then it wasn’t really hot enough to
fry foods. This is great for singles or even couples but I’m
afraid it would take too much fuel to serve a family. If you plan
to use this as your only fuel source, you will need 26
large fuel cells (averaging 7 hours per cell) to have ½ hour of
cooking per day for a year. (That’s 3 meals a day at 10
minutes per meal.) I found limited supplies of this product at
Kmart, so I went to scientificutility.com and ordered from
the manufacturer. If you want the large fuel cells (the better
deal) you may not find them online. Call the company
and ask for Jim Stewart at 1-877-432-8548.
Milk Powdered milk: If you have electricity, powdered milk is
best if you use warm water, mix with a blender and
chill overnight.
Buttermilk
1 c water +1/3 c dry milk + 1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit 5 min.
Condensed milk ½ c hot water, 1 c sugar, 1/4 c dry milk, + 1 c water
Place in canning jar with lid and
shake until thoroughly blended.
“Eagle Brand” 1 c hot water, 1/3 c corn syrup,1 2/3 c sugar, 1/4 tsp
vanilla, pinch of salt, ½ c butter, 2 c dry milk.
Place all ingredients except
“butter” in canning jar with lid and shake until well blended. Gradually add
the butter and
shake each time until well blended.
Evaporated 1 c water + 2/3 c dry milk, Skim 1 c water + 1/4 c
dry milk, Whole 1 c water + 1/3 c dry
7
Milk on the shelf Technology has now given us the opportunity to buy real milk
that sits on the shelf. It has at least
a 1 year shelf life. One brand is Parmalot.
It comes in quart containers and is available in whole and 2% for $1.44. (I
only drink skim, so it tasted like canned milk to me.) The shelf
milk I like is vanilla soy milk @ about 90 cents/qt.at
CostCo. Rice milk is good too.
Peanut butter 2 c peanuts and 4 Tb honey OR 2 ½ c peanuts and 2 Tb butter
- salt to taste
Blend until smooth. This really
needs an electric blender but it can still be done without one.
Rice
RANCID RICE? = AIR OUT 2 DAYS & RINSE WITH WATER
Shortening I have substituted shortening for the oil in all my recipes
because it has a longer shelf life. Oil has
about a 2 year shelf life, unopened shortening has 10 years. If
you can still find the hard lid shortening (not foil lids)
they have an indefinite shelf life. Store shortening in a cool,
dark place. Opened shortening has a one year or less
shelf life. After opening a can of shortening, you may want to
transfer it to mason jars and vacuum seal it for a longer
shelf life. Remove the air pockets in the jar or melt it, then
vacuum.
Tomato powder ½ cup powder mixed with 1 cup water = 1 c tomato sauce. Less
water makes tomato paste and
more water makes tomato juice.
Vacuum sealed foods (Sealing foods in your old jars using the Deni JarVac or Food Saver)
Many high oil or high sugar foods
cannot be stored in the regular #10 cans because they eat away at the metal.
(Chocolate chips, nuts and raisins
for example.) You can significantly increase the shelf life of many foods by
using
a JarVac or a Food Saver to vacuum
out the air. The JarVac can seal any glass jar with
its’ original metal lid but
canning jars work best. (If a jar won’t seal, try heating the lid
in boiling water.) Put your ingredients in a jar, put the
lid and ring on (don’t tighten the ring too much) place the
dome of the JarVac over the jar and press the button.
The
jar can be opened and resealed over and over . If you take the
lids off carefully, the lids can be reused many times.
We have sealed nuts, raisins,
chocolate chips, brown rice, cornmeal, candy bars, egg
noodles, poppy seeds, dried
apricots, malt-o-meal, cookies, granola bars...just about anything
and they last for years. We have raisins that were a
little sugary but still edible after 20years. It’s difficult to
give an exact shelf life of these foods because, so far,
nothing we’ve sealed correctly has gone bad. Don’t vacuum fine
powders. They gum up the works of your machine.
If you want to seal powders, put
them into a plastic bag, express all the air out, place it in the jar and seal.
We’ve been using the Food Saver for
more than 20 years and recently started using the Jar Vac. The Food Saver
appears to be a sturdier machine and will probably last longer than
the Jar Vac. But, the Jar Vac will reseal any glass
jar with its’ original lid...spaghetti jars, hot sauce jars,
baby food jars. I resealed all the bottled foods in my
refrigerator and nothing has gone bad in 6 months. (Do not put
resealed items that belong in the refrigerator on
your shelves.) The best
price I’ve found for the Jar Vac was at QVC.com ($65)
A Food Saver will cost at least $100
in stores. Try E-Bay for a much better deal. Be sure it has
the port on top of the machine that uses the jar sealer
attachment.
Water I store mine in the 55 gallon plastic barrels and add 1 tsp
of household bleach for every 5 gallons of water. 2
- 3 of these barrels per person will
fill most water needs for cooking.
Yeast Yeast has an indefinite
shelf life in your freezer...one year on the shelf. ALWAYS test your
yeast before
adding it to your dry ingredients. Warm the water, add the yeast
and wait.....it should bubble up.
8
RECIPES
Using your own recipes is the best
way to use this system, but I’ve included a list of recipes to show you the wide
variety of meals there are and how to cook them in a solar oven.
Use your imagination....a year’s supply of food
doesn’t have to be boring! The amounts and costs are approximates.
BREADS
The question asked most often about
solar cooked bread is, “Does it brown?” The answer is yes. It bakes and
browns beautifully. As with all other foods, breads take almost
twice as long to cook in a solar oven. They will bake
in a cooler oven (200 degrees) but hotter ovens are best.
Cinnamon and raisin bread Makes 1 loaf @ $ .60 / loaf or 2-3 pints @ $ .24 / pint
1 recipe white wheat bread, 1/8 c
“butter,” 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 Tbs sugar, 1/4 c raisins
Make the bread recipe and before you
roll it into a loaf, spread the butter on the dough, sprinkle on raisins and a
mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Roll it up, place in loaf pan or
jars and bake.
Cornbread Makes one 8x 8 pan @ $ .71 / pan or 3-4 pints @ $ .18 /
pint
1 2/3 c flour, 1 2/3 c yellow
cornmeal, 2/3 c sugar, 2 “eggs” (2 tsp unflavored gelatin + ½ c water)
5 tsp baking powder, 1/4 c dry milk,
1 tsp salt, 1/3 c melted shortening (reg or butter
flavored), 1 1/4 c water
Heat 4 Tbs
plus 2 tsp water until it’s very hot. Make your “eggs.” Melt
1/3 c shortening. Mix the flour, sugar, baking
powder, salt and dry milk in a large bowl. Stir in the cornmeal
until well blended. Add “eggs” and water and stir until
the batter is smooth. Gently stir in the melted shortening just
until blended. Do not over-stir. Pour into your pan or
greased jars and bake for 60 to 80 minutes or until browned.
Oatmeal Raisin Muffins Makes 12 muffins @ $ .08 ea or 2 pints @ $ .51 / pint
1 “egg” (1 tsp gelatin + 1/4 c
water), 3 tsp baking powder, ½ c milk (1/8 c dry + ½ c water), ½ tsp salt
½ c raisins, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg,
½ c shortening - melted, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1/3 c sugar, 1 c white or whole wheat
flour, 1 c rolled oats
Melt the shortening. Make your
“egg.” Mix “egg”, milk, raisins and shortening. Stir
in remaining ingredients and stir
just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full or mason jars
just over half full. Bake 60 minutes or until browned.
Wheat Muffins Makes 12 muffins @ $ .07 ea or 2 pints @ $ .46 / pint
2 c whole wheat flour, ½ c regular
or butter flavored shortening melted, 1 c sugar (or brown sugar),
1 “egg” (1 tsp gelatin + 1/4 c water)
1/4 tsp salt,1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda, 3/4 c water
1/3 c dry milk, 1/4 c raisins
Melt shortening. Make your “egg.”
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix liquid ingredients, raisins and “egg” and
pour
over the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tins or fill mason jars to just over half
full.
Bake 30 minutes or until browned.
Whole Wheat Bread Makes one loaf @ $ .42 / loaf or 2-3 pints @ $ .16 / pint
2 tsp yeast, 1 c water, 2 c wheat (turkey red or white wheat. I prefer the white) ground into 3
c flour,
1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 Tbs (1/8 c) applesauce or shortening, 1/4 c sugar or honey.
Solar oven: Warm 1/4 c of the water, stir in the yeast and set aside.
Mix 2 c of the flour, melted shortening, sugar,
salt and the rest of the water in a large bowl. A little at a
time, add the rest of the flour, kneading until smooth and
9
elastic. Let raise
until doubled. Shape into loaf, place into greased pan or jars, cover and let
it raise again until
doubled. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until browned.
(Oven= 25-30 min)
365 loaves of bread White wheat bread - 1 loaf per day
Total for One Year
2 c white wheat (= 3 c flour) x 365
= 730 c divided by 12 c /#10 can
61 #10 cans white wheat
1 c water x 365 = 365 c divided by
16 c/gal
23 gal of water
1 1/2 tsp salt x 365 = 547 tsp
divided by 117 tsp/container
4 2/3 containers of salt
2 Tb melted shortening x 365 = 730
Tb (17 Tb/c, 2 1/4 c/#)
19 # shortening
(or
applesauce: 2 Tb x 365 = 730Tb = 308 oz = 23 qts)
1/4 c sugar x 365 = 91 c (2 c = 1#)
46# of sugar
(or honey =
91 c (13 oz = 1c = 74# honey)
2 tsp yeast x 365 = 730 tsp = 243 Tbs (48 Tb/#)
5# of yeast
Warm the water and add the yeast.
Set aside. Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add the yeast and melted shortening and
knead until smooth and elastic. Shape into a loaf, place in
greased pan or jars, cover and let raise
until doubled.
Bake in solar oven
45 min. or until browned. In an oven, 350 degrees 25-30 min.
CEREALS
These recipes do not include
the separate serving of ½ c water, 1/8 c dry milk and 1 Tbs. sugar. You will
need to
add them to your lists. The total price does include the
milk and sugar.
Granola Makes 5 cups or 3 pint jars @ $.33 / cup + ½ c milk @ $.06 =
$.39 / cup
3 c rolled oats, 1/3 c honey
1 c sliced almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c melted shortening, ½ tsp salt
½ c raisins
Melt the shortening. Place all the
ingredients (except raisins) in a large bowl and mix well. Spread onto a
shallow
pan (or put into 3 uncovered pint jars) and bake until browned
(60 minutes or longer) It shouldn’t have to be stirred
but you can turn the jars half way through. Watch it closely so
it doesn’t get too dark! For jars, add the raisins and
place a lid and ring on the jar as soon as you remove it from the
oven. That will seal the jar and keep the granola
fresh for weeks. For pans, add the raisins and cool and store in
airtight containers. Serve with milk (no sugar
needed!)
Grape Nuts Makes 4 cups @ $ .29 / cup + ½ c milk and 1 Tbs sugar @ $ .07 = $ .36 / cup
6 c whole wheat flour (4 c wheat), 1
c brown sugar
2 c water + 2/3 c powdered milk + 2 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice (2 c buttermilk)
1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
Mix everything in a bowl and press onto 2 cookie sheets
and bake until dry (1-2 hours) Grind with a meat grinder to
the size of grape nuts and bake again until golden brown. Watch
that it doesn’t burn! Cool and store in airtight
container. Serve with milk and sugar.
10
Oatmeal Makes 1 cup @ $ .07 / cup + ½ c milk and 1 Tbs sugar @ $ .07 = $ .14 / cup
½ c rolled oats (or quick), 1 c
water
pinch of salt
Place the salted water and the oats
in separate canning jars or covered pots and heat. When water is hot, add
warmed oats and cook to desired consistency. Serve with milk and
sugar. Add raisins or apples too!
Rice cereal Makes 4 cups @ $ .07 / cup + ½ milk and 1 Tbs sugar @ $ .07 = $ .14 / cup
(With opts. = $ .18 / cup)
1 ½ c rice, 4 c water
1 tsp salt, 2-3 Tbs
sugar
optional rice pudding: 2 “eggs”, ½ c raisins, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4
tsp vanilla
Place water, rice and salt in either
canning jars with lids or a covered pot and place in solar oven. Cook for 40 to
50
minutes or until rice is done. Add milk and sugar. For rice pudding,
add 2 “eggs” to the hot rice, the sugar, raisins
and nutmeg, stir well and return to the oven for about 15
minutes or until the rice is thick like a pudding. Stir and add
vanilla. Add 1 /2 c milk if desired.
Wheat cereal Makes 1 1/4 cups @ $ .08 / cup + ½ c milk and 1 Tbs sugar @ $ .07 = $ .15 / cup
½ c wheat + 1 c water. Soak overnight. (1 or 2 more c of water will
be needed to cook.) Place water, soaked wheat
and pinch of salt in a jar or pot with tight fitting lid. Cook
2 hours. Add water as needed.
MAIN DISHES
Beef and Beans Makes 8 cups @ $ .27 / cup (Start early....beans take
a long time)
1 pound (2 ½ c) pinto beans
(washed), 7 c water
1 pint bottled beef (undrained), 2 tsp salt
2-3 Tbs
dried onion, ½ tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
Place water in covered pot and heat
to as close to boiling as possible. Add beans. Cover and soak out of oven for 1
hour. Do not drain. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 4
-5 hours or until done.
Beef soup Makes 12 cups @ $ .16 / cup
1 pint bottled beef (undrained)
4 - 8 tsp (according to taste) beef
soup base + 8 c water
1 c dried carrots, 2 - 3 Tbs dried onion
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf, ½ - 1 tsp thyme
Optional: ½ c dried celery
Mix all ingredients in large covered
pot and simmer for several hours until blended and hot.
Beef stew Makes 8 cups Cream style @ $ .30 / cup
Tomato style @ $ .37 / cup
11
1 pint bottled beef
1 recipe cream of mushroom soup
(using beef soup base instead of chicken soup base)
OR 1 c tomato powder + 2 c water = 2
c tomato sauce
1 c dried carrots, 2 Tbs dried onion
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf, ½ - 1 tsp thyme
opt: 1 c diced potatoes
Use the beef juices and water to
make the cream of mushroom soup. (Or make the tomato sauce) Place all
ingredients in large covered dish and simmer in solar oven for several
hours.
Chicken Alfredo
Makes 10 cups @ $ .27 / cup
1 recipe Alfredo sauce, 1 pint
bottled chicken (drained)
1 pound spaghetti noodles, 8 c water
1 - 2 Tbs
parsley, ½ - 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt, ½ tsp salt + 1/8 tsp
pepper
Make the Alfredo sauce. Heat the
water and salt in a large covered pot (or 4 canning jars w lids). Add spaghetti
and cook 15 - 20 min. Stir the drained noodles, sauce, parsley,
garlic, salt, pepper and chicken together gently and
return to oven for 20 min or until hot.
Chicken creole
Makes 10 cups @ $ .27 / cup
1 ½ c rice + 3 c water + ½ tsp salt
= 5 c cooked rice
W/ opts. $ .33 / cup
1 pint bottled chicken (drained) 1/4
c dried celery
1/4 c dried carrots, 1 bay leaf
1 c tomato powder + 2 c water
2 Tbs
dried onion, ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp seasoning salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 3 Tbs cornstarch
1 c water, 1/4 c dried parsley
optional: ½ c dried mushrooms
Split the 3 c water, ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ c rice between 2 canning jars, cover and
cook about 40 min. Hydrate
vegetables. In a large covered pot, put vegetables, tomato sauce, bay
leaf, sugar, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire.
Cook 30 - 45 min. Put
the 1 c water or broth and cornstarch in another jar and shake until smooth.
Add chicken and
cornstarch mixture to vegetable mixture and cook uncovered until
thickened. Serve over the rice.
Chicken delight Makes 9 cups @ $ .18 / cup (W/ opts. $ .24 / cup)
1 ½ c rice, 2 Tbs
beef soup base
3 tbs
dried onion, ½ recipe cream mushroom soup
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
2 c water, 1 pint bottled
chicken optional: ½ c dehydrated mushrooms
(May use broth and
water to equal the 2 cups liquid.) Mix all
ingredients in a large covered pot. Cook in solar oven
4 hours or until
rice is cooked. Remove lid and cook another ½ hour
or until brown.
12
Chicken fricassee 6 cups of broth and 8 cups potatoes @ $ .17 / cup total
4 tsp chicken soup base + 4 cups
water
4 tsp dry onion, ½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, ½ c white flour and
water as needed
1 pint bottled chicken(undrained) 3 c potato pearls + 5 ½ c water
Combine the 4 cups of water, soup
base, chicken and it’s broth, onion, salt and pepper
in a large covered pot. Place
the 5 ½ c of water in another covered pot (or jars) and heat
both pots in solar oven until hot. Take out the broth and
slowly add flour and water mixture. Return to the oven to thicken.
Take out the pot of hot water and stir in potato
pearls. (Make sure they’re nice and thick) Place the potatoes on a
plate, scoop the center to the sides, making a
“bowl” and
spoon the broth mixture into the “bowl”.
Chicken soup Makes 12-14 cups @ $ .11 / cup (w/opts. $ .12 /
cup)
8 tsp chicken soup base + 8 c water
4 tsp dried onion, 1 c dried carrots
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 pint bottled chicken (undrained)
Optional: ½ c dried celery, ½ c dry rice
Mix all the ingredients in a large
covered pot and simmer 2-3 hours or as long as you like.
Chicken and rice casserole Makes about 12 cups @ $ .15 / cup (W/ opts $ .18 cup)
1 recipe cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbs
lemon juice, ½ tsp salt
2 c rice, 4 c water +1 tsp salt
(Don’t add salt if broth is used)
2 Tbs
dried onion, 1 pint bottled chicken
1/4 tsp pepper, 1/3 tsp paprika
Optional: 1/3 c dried celery and ½ c
sliced toasted almonds (toast in hot shortening)
Add broth and water to make 4 cups.
Add the rice to the liquid and cook in solar oven about 40 minutes or until
done. In a large covered dish, mix the cream of mushroom soup,
lemon juice, onion, paprika, pepper, salt, chicken
and cooked rice. (And optional celery and almonds) Cover and
bake 45 min or until done.
Chili Makes 12 cups @ $ .27 / cup
1 pound (or 2 ½ c) washed pinto
beans, 7 c water
1 - 2 tsp salt, 1/4 c dried onion
½ - 1 tsp garlic powder, 3 - 4 Tbs chili powder
3 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs
sugar, 1 pint ground beef
2 c tomato powder + 5 c water
Place water in a large covered pot
and heat to as close to boiling as possible. Add beans. Cover and soak beans
out of the oven for 1 hour. (Use soaking water to cook beans)
Cook beans in covered dish 4-5 hours. Add rest of
the ingredients and simmer another 1 - 2 hrs.
Chili-Mac Makes 10 cups (add more water or broth if too dry) @ $
.30 / cup
13
2 c macaroni, 2 Tbs
dried onion
1/4 tsp garlic powder, 2 Tbs chili powder
1 ½ c tomato powder + 3 c water = 3
c tomato sauce
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 pint bottled ground beef
Add beef broth and water to equal 3
cups of liquid. Add water and tomato powder to make tomato sauce. Add liquid,
tomato sauce, macaroni, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper and
ground beef. Cook in solar oven 30 min. or until
macaroni is done.
Goulash Makes 14 cups @ $ .28 / cup
1 pound macaroni, 2 c water
2 c tomato powder + 6 c water = 6 c
tomato juice
2 tsp dried onion, 1/4 tsp garlic
powder
1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp salt + 1/8 tsp
pepper
1 pint ground beef (drained) 1 can
of corn (undrained)
Heat the 4 c water and salt in solar
oven until very hot. Cook the macaroni in the water about 15 min or until done.
Do not rinse. Add the rest of the
ingredients to the macaroni, return to oven and cook until heated through.
Macaroni and cheese
Makes 10 cups @ $ .13 / cup
4 c macaroni, 8 c water
10 Tbs mac + cheese powder, 1 tsp salt
1/3 c dry milk + 1 ½ c water, 2 Tbs “butter” ½ tsp salt + 1/8 tsp pepper
Heat the 8 c of salted water and the
macaroni in separate containers. When the water’s hot, add the macaroni and
cook for 15 - 20 min or until done. Drain. Mix in butter, cheese
powder, salt, pepper and milk.
Rice-a-roni
Makes 8 cups @ $ .07 / cup w/opts.
($ .29 / cup)
2 c rice, 1/4 - 1/3 pound spaghetti
(1 cup broken into 1" pieces)
1 Tbs
dried onion, 2 tsp dry parsley
½ tsp dry ginger, ½ tsp garlic
powder
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
4 Tbs
shortening, 4 tsp chicken soup base + 4 c water
optional: 1 pint jar chicken, ½ c sliced toasted almonds and ½ c
each dried carrots and celery.
In the solar oven, heat the
shortening in a large pot. Dutch ovens are great but this can also be done in
several
canning jars with lids. Break the spaghetti into 1" pieces.
When the shortening is hot, stir in the rice and broken
spaghetti and cook for about 10 to 15 min. or until browned. (Jars can
cook on their sides for this) Add the rest of
the ingredients, cover and cook for 40 - 50 min.
or until done.
Shepherd’s pie Makes 12 cups @ $ .28 / cup
1 can corn (drained), 1 can green
beans (drained)
½ recipe tomato soup, 2 Tbs dried onion
½ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
1 pint bottled ground beef
(drained), 2 c potato pearls + 4 c water
14
Make your tomato soup. Place the 4 c
water in a painted canning jar or a covered pot in solar oven until very hot.
While this is heating, mix the
ground beef, corn, green beans, tomato soup, onions, salt and pepper into a
covered
pot. Take the water out of the oven and wrap it in a dark cloth
or other insulation to keep it hot. Place the meat
mixture in the oven and bake 45 min. or until hot. When it’s done,
mix the potato pearls and the hot water and spread
on top of the meat mixture.
Spaghetti
Makes 10 cups @ $ .35 /cup
1 pound spaghetti noodles, 1 recipe
marinara sauce
1 pint bottled ground beef (drained)
6 c water
1 tsp salt
Make marinara sauce and add drained
hamburger. Heat the water and salt in a large covered pot (or use caning
jars) add spaghetti and cook 15 - 20 min. Mix sauce and noodles.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Makes 7 - 8 cups
1 pint chicken, 1 1/3 c rice, 2 2/3
c water, 1 can pineapple, 2/3 c vinegar, 1 1/3 c sugar, 4 Tb cornstarch,
4 Tb soy sauce, 1 tsp. Molasses, 1
Tb dried onion, (opt. ½ c sliced almonds, 1/4 c dehyd.
celery.)
Cook the rice in the water in a qt
jar or covered pot. (Heat the chicken in it’s
jar at the same time.) Put the pineapple
juice, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, soy and molasses into a qt
jar. Shake well and cook in solar oven. Shake
occasionally and cook until thickened. On the bed of cooked rice place
the chicken, almonds, pineapple, and
hydrated celery. Pour sauce over the top.
Taco soup Makes 12 cups @ $.25 / cup
1 pint bottled ground beef or
sausage,1 can corn, 1 can kidney beans, 1 29 oz
can stewed tomatoes, 2 c water (OR
1 c water ,
1 c tomato sauce) 2 - 3 Tbs taco seasoning, 1 Tb.
onion and1/4 tsp garlic
Place all ingredients in covered
dish and let simmer.
Tamale pie Makes 10 cups @ $ .33 / cup
1 pint bottled beef or ground beef
(drained),1 c tomato powder + 2 c water = 2 c tomato
sauce
½ pound (1 1/4 c) pinto beans + 3 c
water + 1 tsp salt (3 c cooked beans)
2 Tbs
dried onion, ½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp oregano
2 Tbs
chili powder, 1/4 tsp pepper
Topping:
1 2/3 c cornmeal, 1 2/3 c white
flour
2/3 c sugar, 2 “eggs”
5 tsp baking powder, ½ c dry milk + 1 c water
1/3 c melted shortening (butter
flavored is good)
1 tsp salt
In large covered pot
heat 3 c water to as close to boiling as possible. Add beans. Cover and soak out of oven 1
15
hour. Add 1 tsp salt to beans and cook in oven 4 -5 hours or
until done. Melt the 1/3 c shortening and set aside in
the sun. Put the beef, tomato sauce, cooked beans, onion,
garlic, oregano and chili powder in a covered baking dish
and bake 20 - 30 min. While it’s cooking, make the topping by
stirring together the flour, sugar baking powder and
salt. Stir in the cornmeal until well blended. Add “eggs” and
milk and stir to a smooth batter. Stir in melted
shortening just until blended. When meat mixture is done, remove from
oven, spoon topping over meat and bake
again about 30 - 40 min. or until cornbread is done.
Tomato soup (Condensed) Makes 2 cups @ $ .20 / cup
2 Tbs
dried onion, 1 c tomato powder + 2 c water = 2 c tomato sauce, 3 Tbs melted butter flavored shortening, 6 Tbs
white flour, 1/4 tsp pepper, milk if needed, ½ tsp seasoned salt,
½ tsp soda, 2 tsp sugar
Melt 3 Tbs
shortening in a canning jar in the solar oven. Place the flour, milk, salt and
pepper together in another jar,
shake to mix well (no lumps!) And heat. Add heated flour mixture
to the melted shortening and stir or shake well.
Heat another 10 -15 min. Continue to
shake and cook until thickened. Add the onion, soda and sugar to the tomato
sauce and slowly blend the two sauces together. Add milk if
needed to attain consistency of condensed tomato
soup. Return to solar oven and gently heat. Do not boil. (For
soup, add 3-4 cups of milk then stir and heat)
PASTAS
To keep pasta from getting pasty,
use 2 pans or jars. Heat the dry pasta with a little oil or shortening in one;
heat the
water in another. When the water is hot, combine the two. Cook
pastas in a pot with a tight fitting lid or in the
painted canning jars.
Macaroni Makes 5 c cooked @ $ .06 / cup
2 c macaroni, 2 - 3 c water ½ tsp
salt
Heat water and salt
until very hot. Add the macaroni to the water and
cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Spaghetti makes 4 c cooked @ $ .05 / cup
½ pound spaghetti (break noodles to
fit cookware) + 1-2 tsp shortening, 3 - 4 c water, ½ tsp salt
Heat water and salt
until very hot. Add heated spaghetti and cook 15 to
20 minutes.
SAUCES
Heat juices and flour in separate
containers, then combine and stir
Alfredo sauce...almost Makes 2 ½ cups @ $ .53 / cup
½ c water + 1/3 c dry milk = ½ c
evaporated milk
3/4 c Parmesan cheese, 1/8 tsp white
or black pepper
pinch of nutmeg, ½ c dry milk + 2 c water = 2 c skim milk
Place the 2 cups of regular milk in
a canning jar and cook in the solar oven until hot (20 min) While
the milk is
cooking, place the ½ c of evaporated milk, Parmesan, pepper and
nutmeg in another canning jar and shake to mix.
When the milk is hot, slowly add a
little of the evaporated milk mixture to the hot milk and shake. Repeat until
it’s all
mixed together. Return the jar to oven for 15 to 20 min. to
thicken. (You may have to add ½ - 1 tsp cornstarch and
a Tbs water if it doesn’t thicken)
Cream of
mushroom soup (without the mushrooms!) Makes 4 cups @ $ .11 / cup
½ c dry milk + 2 c water, 1 c white
flour
16
3 Tbs
shortening, 3/4 tsp seasoning salt
1/8 tsp pepper, tsp onion powder
½ tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chicken soup base + 1 ½ c
water
Melt the shortening in a canning
jar, add the milk and heat. Heat flour and seasonings in a
second jar. Combine the
two and shake well. Put chicken broth in a jar and place both
jars in the solar oven. After 10 min. take the milk jar
out and shake it well. Return to the oven for another 10
minutes. Repeat until thickened. Remove both jars from the
oven and slowly begin to add the hot broth to the thickened milk
mixture, stirring or shaking until you have the
consistency that you desire...either as condensed or as soup.
Marinara sauce Makes 4 cups @ $ .53 / cup
2 c tomato paste + 4 c water = 4 c
tomato sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1-2 Tbs dried
onion
1 ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp oregano,
1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper,1 tsp sugar. Or use 2 - 3 tsp Italian
seasoning in place of other spices. Mix all ingredients in 1 or 2
canning jars and let it simmer.
SNACKS AND DESSERTS
Apple crisp Makes 1 9x12 pan @ $ .19 / cup
2 c dry apples, 3 c water
2 Tbs + 1
tsp cornstarch, 3/4 c sugar
1/3 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
optional: 2 Tbs lemon juice
topping:
1 c rolled oats, 1 c brown sugar
1 c white flour, 1/4 tsp salt tsp
1/3 tsp baking powder, ½ c
shortening (butter flavored opt)
Mix dry ingredients for apple crisp
in large covered pot, add water and mix well. Bake in covered dish 1 - 2 hours
or
until done. Mix the topping with pastry blender or fork, spread
over cooked apples and return to oven for 30 - 40 min
(uncovered)
until browned.
Brownies Makes 1 8x8 pan @ $1.25 / pan +
$1.09 w/ frosting or 4 pint jars @ $ .31 / jar
1 c butter flavored shortening, 2 c
sugar
2 c white flour, 1 tsp vanilla
4 “Eggs” (4 tsp gelatin + 1 c
water), 2/3 c baking cocoa
½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
Optional: ½-1 c chopped walnuts
Optional Frosting:
6 Tbs
butter flavored shortening, 6 Tbs cocoa
2 Tbs corn
syrup, 1 tsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar, 2-4 Tbs milk
Make your “eggs” Mix shortening,
sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and
vanilla and mix. Bake in 8x8 pan (or jars) about
45 min or until done.
17
Chocolate cake Makes 1 9x12 pan @ $1.01 (w/ opts.$1.59)
or 6 pints @ $ .17 ea or $ .26 ea
3 1/4 c white flour, 2 tsp baking
soda
1 tsp salt, 1 ½ c sugar
½ c cocoa, ½ tsp baking powder
2 c water, 2 Tbs
vinegar
2/3 c melted shortening, 5 tsp
vanilla
optional: ½ c chocolate chips and ½ cup chopped walnuts
Melt shortening in solar oven.
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together melted shortening, water,
vinegar and vanilla and stir into the dry mixture until smooth.
Pour into 9x12 greased and floured pan (or greased
jars) and bake for 30 - 40 min or until done.
Chocolate chip cookies Makes 3 dozen @ $ .05 ea w/opts. $ .06 each
1 c butter flavored shortening, 3/4
c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla
2 “eggs” (2 tsp gelatin + ½ c water)
2 ½ c white flour
½ tsp water, 1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda, 1 c chocolate
chips
optional: 1 c nuts
Mix shortening, sugars, vanilla,
water, soda and salt til creamy. Add “eggs,” flour
and chips. Bake in solar oven on
cookie sheets or in jars until done. (15-20 min)
Chocolate pudding or pie
Makes 7 cups @ $ .30 / cup
3 c pudding mix, 5
1/3 c water
(1/4 to 1/3 ratio)
In a container with a tight lid,
combine mix and water and shake until blended. Let sit for 5
- 10 min until set. Use as
a pudding or make a graham cracker crust and have pie.
To make a pie crust, crumble enough
crackers to equal 1 cup of crumbs. Add 1/3 c brown sugar and 1/4 cup melted
butter flavored Crisco and press into a pie pan. Use it this way
or you can bake the crust in the solar oven for 10 -15
min or until browned.
Graham crackers $1.08
1 ½ c white flour, 3/4 c wheat flour
½ tsp salt, 1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c butter flavored shortening
1/3 c honey, 3 Tbs
water
2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp sugar
Combine all dry ingredients except
cinnamon and sugar. Cut in shortening to consistency of cornmeal. Stir together
the honey and water and mix into dry ingredients. Divide in
half and roll each half out onto ungreased cookie sheet
to 1/4" thickness. Cut into desired shapes and prick with
a fork. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake 15 - 25
min. Store in airtight container.
18
Grapefruit and Oranges - bottled
1 pint holds 1#, 1 Qt holds 2# of fruit
Boil water and sugar at a 6 to 1
ratio to make a syrup. (6 water to 1 sugar) Cut fruit
from the peel. Tightly pack
grapefruit and oranges OR grapefruit only (don’t do oranges alone)
into canning jar. Pour syrup (1 - 1 1/2 c per qt)
over fruit up ½” from top. Exhaust 10 min. Cook@ 10# pressure -
8 minutes.
Spice cake Makes 1 9x12 pan @ $1.04 /pan (w/ opts $1.50) or 6 pint
jars @ $ .17 or $ .25 ea
3 cups white flour, 2 c sugar, 1 tsp
salt, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 ½ tsp ground cloves, 2 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 ½ tsp nutmeg, 2/3 c melted
shortening, 2 Tbs vinegar, 1 ½ c water, 2 “eggs”, 2 Tbs vanilla
(grease pan
with 1 tsp shortening + 1 tsp flour)
optional: ½ c raisins and ½ c walnuts
Melt the shortening in solar oven.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the melted shortening,
water,
vinegar, “eggs” and vanilla and stir into the dry mixture until
smooth. Pour into a greased and floured 9x12 pan or
greased jars and bake about 1 ½ hours or until done.
Tapioca pudding Makes 9 cups @ $ .20 / cup
1 c sugar, 9 Tbs
minute tapioca
2 1/4 c dry milk + 7 ½ c water 3
“eggs” (3 tsp gelatin +3/4 c water)
1 Tbs
vanilla
Put all ingredients except vanilla
into your painted canning jar. Cook in solar oven for about 30 min. Remove, shake
well and return to oven. Continue cooking and shaking jar every
15 - 20 min until tapioca swells up (total time is
about 60 -75 min) Add vanilla, shake and pour into dishes.
Pudding thickens as it cools.
Wheat thins
½ c wheat flour, ½ c
white flour
½ tsp salt, 1/4 c melted shortening
1 Tbs dry
milk + 1/4 c water, 1 tsp molasses
Melt shortening. Mix dry ingredients
in large bowl. Combine milk and molasses and stir into dry mixture. Place a
ball of dough the size of a tennis ball in the middle of a
greased cookie sheet and cover with a sheet of waxed paper.
Roll out thinly, covering sheet.
Peel off the waxed paper and cut with pizza cutter into desired shape. Bake 30
– 40
min or until browned. Salt while hot.
19
USER FRIENDLY FOODS (May not be suitable for the solar oven and may need
electricity.)
Breakfasts (
Remember to add the milk, sugar and
dash of salt to your breakfasts if needed.)
Try cold cereal, Pop Tarts, granola
bars, flavored instant oatmeal. Descent shelf life, kids love them.
Malt-o-meal (1 cup, once a week) 1/4 c Malt-o-meal = 1 cup cooked. One
box = 23 cups cooked.
1/4 c x 52 = 13 c =
2 1/4 boxes Malt-o-meal
1 c water per 1/4 c malt-o-meal = 52
c =
3 1/4
gal. water
Oatmeal (two cups, once a week) 1 c raw oats = 2 c cooked. #10 can =
24 c cooked
1 c oats x 52 = 52 c =
4 1/3 #10 cans oats
2 c water x 52 = 104 c =
6 ½ gal water
Pancakes (5-6 pancakes, once a week) 1 c Krusteaz
= 7-8 pancakes. 1- 10 lb bag Krusteaz = 40 c.
1 c Krusteaz
x 52 = 52 c =
1 1/3 bags Krusteaz
3/4 c water x 52 = 39 c =
2 ½ gal water
½ c syrup x 52 = 26 c =
9 - 24oz bottles syrup
Scrambled eggs and sausage (or ham) (4 eggs, twice a month)
4 fresh eggs x 26 = 104 eggs
8 - 9 doz
eggs
1 pint sausage (or ham) x 26 =
26 pints sausage
Dinners
Chicken and rice (makes 6 cups, once a week)
1 pint chicken x 52 =
52 pints chicken
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom
soup x 52 =
52 cans soup
1 1/2 c rice (makes4 ½ c cooked) x
52 = 78 c =
6 ½ #10 cans rice
3 c water x 52 = 156 c =
9 3/4
gal. water
1 Tb onion x 52 = 52 Tb =
3 ½ c dry onion
Cook the rice in the water. Add the
rice, chicken, soup and onion and bake. Top with cheese?
Chile and fry bread (6 fry breads covered with chile,
once a week) or Chile and cornbread.
1 - 15oz can chile
x 52 =
52 cans chile
1 1/2 c flour x 52 = 78 c =
6 ½ #10 cans flour
½ tsp salt x 52 = 26 tsp =
26 tsp salt
1 Tb shortening x 52 + 4 Tb for
frying x 52 = 260 Tb =
7 # shortening
½ Tb baking powder x 52 = 26 Tb =
½ # baking powder
3/4 c (+ or -) water x 52 = 39 c =
2 ½ gal water
Mix the flour, salt, 1 Tb
shortening, baking powder and most of the water together and knead. (Add more
water as
necessary.) Let this dough sit for 10 min. Pull
off pieces of dough, flatten into disks and fry in melted shortening.
Cover with the heated beans.
Hamburger pie (makes 5-6 cups, once a week)
1 pint bottled beef or hamburger x
52 =
52 pints beef
1 can corn x 52 =
52 cans corn
1 can green
beans x 52 =
52 cans green beans
1 can
tomato soup x 52 =
52 cans tomato soup
2 Tb dried onions x 52 = 104 Tb
7 cups dry onion
1 1/2 c potato pearls x 52 = 78 c =
6 ½ #10 cans potato pearls
3 c water x 52 =156 c =
9 3/4
gal. water
20
Mix everything except the water and
potato pearls in a casserole dish and heat in the solar oven. Heat the water at
the same time. When the mixture is hot and the water is hot,
add the potato pearls to the hot water and top the
mixture with the potatoes.
Parmesan chicken (makes 7-8 cups, once a week) Add Italian bread crumbs for
extra flavor.
1 pint chicken x 52 =
52 pints chicken
½ pound spaghetti(4
c cooked) x 52 = 26 pounds =
6 #10 cans spaghetti
1 jar Ragu x 52 =
52 jars Ragu
½ c Parmesan cheese x 52 = 26 c =
5 # Parmesan cheese
3 c water x 52 = 156 c =
9 3/4 gal water
Cook the spaghetti in the water.
Layer spaghetti, chicken, Ragu, bread crumbs, cheese and bake.
Salmon and rice (makes 6-7 cups, once a week)
1 pint salmon x 52 =
52 pints salmon
1 1/2 c rice (makes 4 ½ c) x 52 =
6 ½ #10 cans rice
1 Tb lemon pepper x 52 = 52 Tb =
13 oz lemon pepper
1 can corn or other vegetable x 52 =
52 cans corn
Cook rice
in the water and serve salmon over the rice. Corn is a side
dish.
Sweet and Sour Chicken (Makes 7 - 8 cups)
1 pint chicken x 52 =
52 pints chicken
1 1/2 c rice x 52 = 78 c =
6 ½ #10 cans rice
3 c water x 52 =156 c =
9 3/4
gal. water
1 can
pineapple x 52 =
52 cans pineapple
2/3 c vinegar x 52 =35 c =280 oz
2 gal. vinegar
1 1/3 c sugar x 52 =70 c =
35 # sugar
4 Tb cornstarch x 52 =208 Tb =
4 ½ # cornstarch
4 Tb soy sauce x 52 = 208 Tb =
1 gal. soy sauce
1 tsp. Molasses x 52 =
12 oz molasses
1 Tb dried onion x 52 = 52 Tb =
4 c dried onion
(opt. ½ c sliced almonds, 1/4 c dehyd. celery.)
Cook the rice in the water in a qt
jar or covered pot. (Heat the chicken in it’s
jar at the same time.) Put the pineapple
juice, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, soy and molasses into a qt
jar. Shake well and cook in solar oven. Shake
occasionally and cook until thickened. On the bed of cooked rice place
the chicken, almonds, pineapple, and
hydrated celery. Pour sauce over the top.
Taco soup (makes 9-10 cups, once a week)
1 pint ground beef or sausage x 52 =
52 pints meat
1 can
kidney beans x 52 =
52 cans kidney beans
1 can corn x 52 =
52 cans corn
1 29 oz can stewed or reg. tomatoes
x 52 =
52 cans tomato
2 c water x 52 = 104 c =
6 ½ gal. water
3 Tb taco seasoning x 52 = 156 Tb =
9 3/4 c =
2 ½ #
taco seasoning
Page 21
Other ideas:
Bottled meat and barbeque sauce over
rice, potatoes or bread.
Bottled meat with
green chiles, onions and Mexican spices on fry bread
or tortillas.
Bottled meat with canned ranch style
beans. (Add barbeque sauce?)
Bottled meat over mashed potatoes
(potato pearls)
Chicken, tuna or
beef sandwiches on homemade bread. (Use
individual mayo and pickle packets?)
Chicken or tuna mixed with cooked
noodles and cream of chicken soup.
Hamburger Helpers. Add a pint meat and the water it calls for.
Peanut butter and jelly on homemade
bread.
Ragu and bottled sausage over
spaghetti or on a homemade pizza crust. Top with cheese.
Soup: Tomato soup and oyster
crackers with a toasted cheese sandwich. Ramen soup, Cup-a-soup, Campbell’s
soups, dry packaged soups.
Page 22
SOURCE LIST
Shop around for your best prices.
Use the internet...ebay, amazon.com Google etc.
A Bite of Independence: (Phipps) $25 + shipping 1-800-955-7772. Great
cookbook. 100's of recipes for “made
from scratch” foods. Also check Waltonfeed.com, Amazon.com,
e-bay or used bookstores.
Bulkfoods.com: Find things like unflavored gelatin, powdered molasses,
dried vegetables, tapioca.
CostCo/Sams Club: Good prices on chocolate chips, flour, sugar, nuts,
Parmesan cheese and yeast.
countrylivinggrainmills.com: One of the largest wheat grinders available and is
attachable to a stationary
bike....but it’s $350. E-mail the makers for bike instructions
Deni JarVac: QVC.com (Around $65)
Food Saver: Most stores carry this. Ebay is a
good place for inexpensive ones.
Food Source: 480-829-0886 440 W. Fairmont Dr. Tempe. Good local place
for bulk foods such as baking
powder, corn meal, cocoa and raisins. Price list can be faxed.
Internet-grocer.com: This is where I order my cheddar cheese in the can. Call
Phyllis@ 1-903-356-6443.
Maricopa County Extension Center: 602-470-8086 ext. 340. Ask for Susie to check pressure
canners.
Mesa Cannery: 480-967-8551 They used to carry
quart and pint canning jars/ lids/ rings...call. Order food from the
cannery through your ward canning specialist. Generally speaking,
they have the best price but always shop the
sales. You can bring in your own items to the cannery and can
them there. Their Basic Food Storage Cookbook is
only $2.
Sahuaro Spice Co.: 602-272-8557
West Phx. Spices sold by the pound. ($3 for a pound
of cinnamon) Price list
can be faxed. Store spices in mason jars to preserve freshness,
but don’t vacuum seal fine powders...it can clog the
works.
Solar ovens: There are new ideas out every day. Do a little research on
the internet or at the library. I like the
Global Sun Oven. For prices around $190 inc.s/h
check survivalunlimited.com/solar aimdiscount.com/SOven
kansaswindpower.net/solarcookers
Walton Feed: Lots of bulk food items (dehydrated celery, sweet peas, sour
cream, etc) 1-800-847-0465
.
Page 23
EQUIVALENCES and APPROXIMATE PRICES
APPLE SLICES
$.46/C dry, 10 CUPS IN A #10 CAN, =
1 1/4#,
1 c dry + ½ c water = 2c fresh
BAKING POWDER
$ .01/TB, 59 TB = 1#
BAKING SODA
$ .01/TB
38 TBS = 1#
BEANS
$.19 /C (.48 /#)dry
1 # = 2 ½ C dry = 6 c cooked
12 c = #10 can
CARROTS
$ .39 /C dry
12 C IN A #10 CAN = 2.5 #
½ C DRY = 1
C CARROTS
CELERY
$ .44 /C dry
2 oz = 1 C 12 C in #10 CAN
½ C
DRY = 1 C CELERY
CHEESE POWDER
$ .03/TB
4 C IN 1 # OF POWDER
96 TBS = 1 # 1 Tb to
1 c cooked macaroni
COCOA
$ .24 /C
90 TBS = 1# (20+ years shelf life. Store in jars. Don’t
vacuum pack
CORNMEAL
$ .06 /C
4 c = 1 #
CORNSTARCH
$ .01 /TB
45 TBS = 1#
CRISCO
$ .42 /c 227 TB = 6# CAN 17 TB = 1 C
2 1/4 C = 1# 13 ½ c
in 6# can 1 C CRISCO + 6 TSP WATER = 1 C “BUTTER
EGGS (powdered)
32 EGGS = 1#
2 EGGS = 1 OZ
FLOUR
$ .12 /C 18 3/4c = 5# 12 c in a #10
can
UNFLAVORED GELATIN
$ .03 /tsp 1 Tsp gelatin+3tbs cold
water+ 2tbs and 1tsp hot
water=1 egg
1 oz gelatin = 12 tsp = 12 “eggs”
1#=192
“eggs”
HONEY
$1.67 /C
20 TBS = 1 C
13 oz = 1 cup
6 C =
5#
HOT CHOCOLATE
$ .10 / liquid C 12 C in #10 can #10
can = 56 liquid cups
MACARONI
$ .22 /C dry
12 C IN A #10
CAN
18 C = 5#
2
c dry = 5 c cooked
MEATS
$1.00- 1.50 /#
1 pint holds 1# of meat
1 qt holds
2#
MILK
$ .48 /C dry
1/4 c dry milk + 1 c water=1 c milk
12-13 c dry in a #10
CAN
.38# DRY=1 C DRY #10can = 58 liquid
cups
MUSHROOMS
$1.25 /C (dry)
4 C DEHYDRATED = 3 OZ 20 C = 1 #
NOODLES
$ .07 /C dry
4 C = 8 OZ 2 c dry = 2 c cooked
Page 24
NUTS
avg $ .63 /C
REGULAR OATS
$ .14 /C dry
12-13 C IN A #10
CAN
1 C = 4 OZ
ONION
$.02 /TB dry
½ ONION = 1 TBS DRY
16 TBS DRY = 1 C
12 C = #10 CAN = 192 Tbs.
PARSLEY
$.01/TB
30 TBS = 1 OZ
PEPPER
$.01 / tsp
6 TBS = 1 OZ
PIZZA SPICE
$.01 /tsp
42 TB = 1#
POPCORN
12 C IN A #10
CAN
1 C POPCORN = 16 C POPPED
POTATO PEARLS
$.41/C dry
12 C IN A #
10 CAN, 4.5 oz = 1 C DRY
1 C DRY = 2 ½ -3 C POTATOES
PUDDING MIX
$ .69 / C dry
12 -13 C MIX IN A
#10 CAN
RAISINS
$ .38 /C
4 c = 1#
RICE
$ .16 /C dry
12 C IN A #10
CAN
2 1/3 C = 1#
1c raw = 3 c cooked
SALT
$ .01 / TB
1.5 TB =1 OZ
1 CONTAINER =
26
OZ = 39 TB =
117 tsp
SOUP BASE
$ .03 /TB 1/8 - 1/4 C DRY MAKES 6 C BROTH
SPAGHETTI
$ .50 /# dry
4 - 5 # IN A #
10 CAN 8 OZ = 4 C.
COOKED
SPICES
$.01 / tsp
1 C = 4 OZ = 16 TBS 64 TBS = approx.
1#
SUGAR (white)
$.12 /C $ .006 / TB
12 C IN A #
10 CAN
2 C = 1#
1# = 32 TBS = 96 tsp
SUGAR (brown)
$ .37 /C
1 1/3 C = 1#
TAPIOCA
$ .06 /TB dry
40 TB = 1# 1 TB = 1 C cooked
TOMATO POWDER
$1.03 /C dry
1 C POWDER + 2 C WATER = 2 C TOMATO
SAUCE
WHEAT
$ .16 / C (flour .11 /C) # 10 can =
5.8 lbs = 12c =18c flour
1 C wheat =1 ½c flour, 1# = 2 1/4 C
wheat = 3.37 c flour
YEAST
1# compressed = 8 oz = 24 Tb Shelf
life: indefinite in freezer...1
year out of freezer
Page 25
APPROXIMATE FOOD FROM ONE MONTH KIT
+ WATER
(All these foods may be cooked in a
solar oven
)
ONE MONTH KIT CONTENTS
YIELD
WATER REQUIRED
WHEAT - 17.4# or 36 cups
72 cups of cooked wheat
96 cups
RICE - 11.4# or 24 cups
72 cups of cooked rice
66 cups
OATS - 2.8# or 13 cups
26 cups of cooked oats
35 cups
MACARONI - 3.4#or 12 cups
30 cups of cooked macaroni
16 cups
BEANS - 5# or 12 cups
30 cups of cooked
36 cups
SUGAR - 6.1#
Only 3.5# needed for all of the above
DRY MILK - 12 cups dry
All 12 cups will be used for the
above
included in above
SALT - 26 oz.
Only 9 oz. used for the all of the
above
Total water - 16 gallons
This is a very simple estimate of
the food included in a one month kit. I didn’t include any oil or white flour
in this
estimate. There is a total of about 230 cups of cooked food in each
kit. Divided by 30 days, this is 7 ½ cups of food
per day for one person.
If I were to begin adding items to
the one month kits, they would be:
1.
Yeast and a wheat
grinder. The wheat can then be used to bake
bread in your solar oven. Instead of 72
cups of cooked wheat, you could have 36 loaves of homemade wheat
bread.
2.
Basic pantry items: Baking powder,
unflavored gelatin, dried onions, cocoa, vinegar, vanilla and spices (garlic
powder, chili powder, oregano, crushed red peppers, seasoning
salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper)
Now the flour can be used to make
things like wheat and oatmeal muffins, cinnamon bread, spice and
chocolate cakes, and rice pudding.
3.
Bottled meats
4.
Dehydrated or canned fruits and
vegetables
5.
Soup bases
Page 26
Index
Alfredo Sauce (almost)
16
Graham Crackers
18
Apple Crisp
17
Granola
10
Beef and Beans
11
Grapefruit bottled
18
Beef Soup
11
Jar Cakes and Breads
6
Beef Stew
11
Macaroni (cooking)
16
Bottling Meats
4
Macaroni and Cheese
14
Bread (365 loaves)
9
Marinara Sauce
16
Brownies
17
Magic Heat
6
Butter
5
Milk variations
6
Cheese (canned cheese)
5
Muffins, Oatmeal
8
Chicken Alfredo
11
Muffins, Wheat
8
Chicken Creole
12
Mushroom soup
16
Chicken Delight
12
Oatmeal
10
Chicken Fricassee
12
Rice-a-roni
14
Chicken and Rice
13
Rice Cereal
10
Chicken Soup
12
Shepard’s Pie
14
Chili
13
Shortening
7
Chili-Mac
13
Solar Cooking
1
Chocolate cake
17
Source List
22
Chocolate Chip Cookies
18
Spice Cake
18
Chocolate Pudding/Pie
18
Sweet & Sour Chicken
15
Cinnamon Bread
8
Taco soup
15
Cooking Tips for Solar
2
Tamale Pie
15
Cornbread
8
Tapioca
19
Corn Syrup
5
Tomato Soup
15
Cream of Mushroom Soup
16
User friendly foods
20-21
Eggs (Knox & fresh)
5
Vacuum Sealed Foods
7
Equivalencies
23-24
Water Storage
7
Goulash
13
Wheat Cereal
10