CrabGrassAcres

GMO is genetically modified organism. GMO crops are engineered to tolerate really high doses of herbicides etc so have more chemicals in them. The genetics are also patented, so if you grow any of them out and the patent holder finds out, they can and will sue you. Best to avoid them.

Parching kills insect eggs and was an ancient method of keeping the grain usable for long periods. I don't think I would parch a lot for long term storage tho. It is so much easier to use a mylar bag and O2 absorbers.

I just spread the dried field corn on baking sheets and roast it in the oven till it is lightly browned. Do just a little at first and grind it after it cools to see how brown you want it. Parched, dried corn can be eaten without further cooking. The Indians would carry some ground parched corn with them for trail food.

Here is an interesting web site on parched corn:

(Thanks to Leah, this link has been fixed. However, I will also post the information in the Preserving forum so that it is preserved here, too.)

http://web.archive.org/web/20070711060334/...archedCorn.html

There is an identical grinder on ebay for quite a bit less:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?s...op=1&fsoo=1

Then there is this one;

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-BIG-HOPPER-CAST-...1QQcmdZViewItem

They look the same except one has a larger hopper. Shipping may be more or less depending on your location.

I haven't used either. Some people say they like them fine and others don't. There is also the corona brand. I expect any of them is better than two rocks! LOL

I like it parched too, Sharon. I put it in a slow oven so I don't have to stand over it, stirring the pan while it parches. You can add parched corn or corn meal to nearly any dish to give it more flavor and stretch it out.

I use my Whisper Mill to grind the corn. There are manual grinders just for corn. You can get them on ebay. I also have a very old huge grinder with a wheel that can be hooked up to an exercise bike or to the PTO of a tractor or any motor that can accept a vbelt. I bet I could use the treadle of my sewing machine to run it too.

You need to check the corn before buying a large quantity. Ask the feed dealer if it is GMO. Usually they will not be selling GMO because it has to be kept separate from nonGMO grains. "Deer corn" in my local is used for feed and is clean. That is what I normally feed my animals and myself. If all you can get is not real clean, it can be cleaned by pouring it from one container to another in front of a fan. If it is really dirty, you can wash some in water and spread it out to dry before grinding. The hull will keep the corn from absorbing water unless you really soak it a long time. Usually you need lye in the water to get the hull off. What I've been buying has not needed to be cleaned.

Tell the feed store guy you want animal feed corn, deer corn or for chickens, it is basically the same thing. Do NOT get corn chops, which is cracked corn.

I store mine in mylar bags with O2 absorbers in blue totes or buckets. I keep a bucket in the kitchen with a Gamma lid that I use out of regularly. I grind it in my regular grain mill and eat from it several times a week. I find the local corn is cheaper to buy than rice or wheat and I use it to stretch my bucks and give me more variety in my diet. You won't believe how much better tasting it is than the stale corn meal from the grocery store.

The cracked corn is field (dent) corn that has been run thru a grain mill. Popcorn is a flint type corn. You can use the cracked corn and remill it to corn meal, but it is much better to get whole shelled corn and mill that. I've seen bits of cob and stuff in with the cracked corn. It is easier to clean stuff out of the whole corn before grinding than to try to clean the cracked. Also, the whole corn will stay fresh much longer than the cracked.

Corn bread, tortillas, mush, polenta, corn nuts, hominy, grits.......

This will supply nearly 2,000 calories/day for one year with adequate protein and fat. If you know what wild foods to forage for greens or can grow a small patch of greens, you can provide vitamins at no additional cost. You will also need salt and will want some other seasonings. You may be able to grow or forage for fruits, nuts, peppers etc.

This is prob one of the more boring diets in existence, but my mother told me this is the diet that kept her family alive through the depression and WWII. They did have a garden and grew lots of collards.

1. Pinto beans, 50 pounds at Sams Club for 25.43 1500 cal/pound = 75,000

2. Field corn, 50 pounds at Feed Store for 6.50 1500 cal/pound = 75,000

3. Bakers liquid shortening 35 # at Sam's 22.49 3500 cal/pound = 122,500 calories

Buy one container liq shortening $22.49, 2 bags of beans $50.86, 6 bags of corn $39.00, Total 112.35

I have one!

You have at least three sizes of clothes and two of them are bigger than you need so you will look like you've lost weight post SHTF.

We need more ducks!

I looked out the window and one of my roosters was squaring off with a duck! When I laughed the rooster turned around and started to walk of, but the duck chased after him and noodled him right in the tail feathers. That rooster jumped two feet in the air and took off running with the duck hot on his tail. LOL

Yeah, I need a couple sets of those gun racks. I like to keep the rifles over the door so they're easy to grab when a varmint shows up. LOL

http://www.theshelffactory.com.futuresite...._wsn/page2.html

I was looking for decorative brackets and these look reasonably priced. I'm hoping to get shelves put at the tops of the walls over all the windows pretty soon. Figured I could start with my bedroom and do one room at a time. If you drill a hole thru the supports that are on either side of the window, you can run a wooden dowel rod or metal rod thru the holes and put a decorative cap on each end. Here are some pretty ones:

http://www.countrycurtains.com/sdx/H24715.jsp

(I've never ordered from either of these places, so have no idea how the service or anything is. They are just two sites I found to show what I want to do.)

http://www.justhungry.com/2006/04/milking_the_soy.html

Took me a while to remember what the pulp was called and I didn't want to go digging for the soy cookbook that is probably in a box somewhere anyhow.

Feed corn! YOu can get 50 pounds for about $7. I eat a lot of mush. I make "polenta" and put all kinds of stuff with it. It is way cheaper than pasta and even cheaper than rice. Use it to vary your diet now and when you are totally dependent on your storage foods.

I never buy soups. They are expensive and I don't care for the taste of them. My DD cannot have them anyhow because of gluten problems.

Things that will add body/flavor to soups are powdered onions, browned flour (or cornmeal or rice), dried nettles, leftover coffee, kelp granules (taste a bit fishy), tomato powder,other powdered dried veggies.

If you use soy, buy the beans and learn to make your own soy milk and tofu. The leftover fiberous bean bits can be dried in the oven and added to meatloaf or other ground meat dishes. To avoid a beany flavor bring the water to a boil and pour in the dried soybeans. This kills the enzyme that causes the beany taste. The enzyme also has antinutritive factors that are deactivated by the boiling.