Pagan Village News

In my second installment of Natures Kitchen, I want to include some recipes on some of the more simpler stuff that we would need if things were to come crashing down around us. Have we really thought about what we would miss if civilization were to come crashing down. How many of us know how to make our own flour, or our own baking soda or baking powder. It's the little things like this that would do us the most good if we were ever cut off from the modern world. What would happen to most of us if civilization crashed? Would we be able to fend for ourselves, would we need to rely on the black market for things that we won't be able to get anymore, would we be able to barter with others for things we need.

A tip for those worried about the world coming to an end sooner than we think. Tomato leaves contain more nicotine than Tobacco leaves do. I don't know how well they will smoke but tomatoes are much easier to grow than Tobacco plants are. (Be wary, tomatoes are also part of the nightshade family and can be very dangerous.)

Wheat flour is the most common kind of flour used today. There are also corn, barley, rye, and oat flours too. Wheat is used for white or bleached flour as it is sometimes called. It is made from the wheat kernels, also called milling. The white inner part called the endosperm is separated from the outer kernel or bran layers. Wheat is moistened to soften the bran so it doesn't break when separated from the inner white part. It is placed between two rollers to crush the outer kernel and then sifted through a sieve to separate the bran from the inner white part. This is done several times to get as much as the bran away from the inner kernel as possible. Once this is accomplished, the inner kernels are ground to make a fine flour powder. The final stage is mixing in the enrichments such as Calcium, Vitamin D, and Riboflavin, etc. In the pre-modern days this was normal performed using grinding stones. Two flat stones with channels gouged into them to help the separating of the kernels. Who knows, things may some day go back to those pre-modern days again. Flour is one of the main components of baking, we must all be familiar with how to make flour should the case arise.

Another subject of great interest by many who have talked to me is "if civilization were to fall or be hampered, what can we do about milk?" Good question. Milk is used by the gallons by many people and to increase its shelf life is a must. Pasteurized mild is very easy to make on your own. Pasteurization is a method used to kill nearly all bacteria from the milk. Essentially it is not wise to boil milk as most of the flavor goes right along with it. Pasteurization is bringing the milk up to 143 - 147 degrees and then rapidly cooling the milk. This kills about 98% of the bacteria in milk and increases the shelf life of the milk. Homogenized milk is the process that puts milk under about 2000 lbs of pressure to keep the milk fat molecules from separating and floating to the top. Although homogenization is not easily accomplished by the amateur, pasteurization can be done by almost anyone and will help by increasing the shelf life of the milk in the event that store bought milk is no longer an option. (Goats milk is actually better nutritiously than cows milk is.)

Thank you for letting me bring you yet another month of the Nature's Kitchen.

Dave Clark (Pryderi)

To Survive the Future, We must turn to the Olde Ways - Laura Crowe