kappydell

those look delicious....now i just have to catch one!

the float line fishinging is illegal in my state, Cat, but I can get a permit for a bank set - a strong hook & line is fastened to a pole stuck in the bank (or to a tree limb) with bait attached. That is probably what I will try, since the only traps we are allowed cost about $50 each - too expensive for me for experimentation. I can see why you don't see too many around here. A fish should work for bait on a good sturdy hook, since he is already used to stealing off stringers.....Tags are $5 for each line, and have to check it daily. That I can handle. I'm thinking I'll try the soup since that is what I hear the most praise for. I can just see my neighbors face when he sees me with a snapper in the back yard, cutting it up...he has just about decided I was a little nuts for cooking up carp, he'll think I've lost it with the turtle! (Of course, that means I just have to show him....if only to gross him out.) Maybe I can get some frogs too...I've had frog legs, and they are GOOOD!

microfiber?? i get suspicous whenever they won't tell you what the microfiber is MADE of. I guess the manufacturers think we are too stupid to care, but I do. Cotton or wool please; if I want mystery fiber I might as well wear a garbage bag. Grrrr. I had the same problem when trying to buy womens chambray work shirts...then kept trying to foist off microfiber on me.

Last year we had a snapping turtle that was a real nusiance at one of our prime fishing spots. He was prone to eat your fish off the stringer while you were fishing! This year I have been studying up on how to catch a turtle using set lines (kind of like the fellows do on Swamp People for alligator, only the bait is in the water). It would be interesting to cook it after I catch it, as I understand turtle is quite delicious, but tough. Could I use the crock pot? Could I pressure cook it? Anybody got first hand experience?

It is not hard, just time consuming if you are making it from wheat berries or flour. You have to knead it well, then soak it for hours, then rinse it several times to rinse all the starch & wheat hulls out. That is why I reeeealy liked the version using the vital wheat gluten....you can skip the soaking, rinsing and re-rinsing. Just mix well, knead 10 min (unless you have a dough hook you can use instead), shape and simmer. Lots easier than bread, and faster to make up. Just the simmering takes time; 45 min to an hour for smaller pieces for stew; 1 1/2 to 2 hours if simmered on a stovetop for cutlets or steak size pieces. The roasts simmer 8-12 hours on low in the crockpot. I've found the longer the simmer, the firmer the texture, but the heat needs to be kept low as possible. Boil it too fast (high heat) and it can turn slimy on you. The technique for using whole wheat berries requires grinding them into flour, then you would make the 'dough' like this: Combine flour and water. Mix until a stiff-but-cohesive dough is formed. (Use a dough hook and a stand mixer if possible.)You want to knead it until it is extremely gooey, stiff and stretchy - that is why the dough hook is a good idea. Form dough into a ball, place in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Cover and let stand 4-8 hours. Knead the dough and rinse until water runs clear, about 10 minutes. Squeeze dough and press out as much liquid and air as possible. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the gluten into bite-sized pieces. Combine ingredients for broth (or use your preferred vegetable stock) and bring to a boil. Drop gluten pieces into boiling broth and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, turning gluten pieces occasionally, until the broth is mostly absorbed and reduced, about 30 minutes. Discard onion and tomato pieces. To use seitan right away, drain and sauté in a little oil. To store, cover with broth and keep refrigerated up to a week, or frozen. Thicken and reduce broth as a gravy if desired. As you can see, the soak time adds 4-8 hours to the preparation time, but it is critical to help you get the starch out. The starch removal takes practice, plain and simple, before you develop the knack-after that it is easy-peasy. Even children can make gluten, once they learn how, so if an 8 year old can do it, then we can!

It IS good....that is the dish I used to introduce my husband to lentils...which he promptly declared he liked very much with his usual high praise..."you could make this again..."

I'm looking for direction on how to can seitan. Since some recipes for making it use the pressure cooker, and it is simmered in a flavored broth, why couldn't one put the uncooked seitan in a jar with the flavored broth (leaving head space of course) and simply cook it in the jar while canning it? The only tricky part would be allowing for the swelling of the gluten as it cooks....it must be possible, it's done commercially....Hmmmmmm. Still hunting for info on this one.

For those who want to try the hot dogs....here is the recipe I found SEITAN HOT DOGS 1 16 oz. Can Mild Bush's Chili Beans (1/2 cup used for recipe) 3/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten 1/2 Cup Wheat Germ 3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes 3 Tablespoons Lower Sodium Soy Sauce 1 Tablespoon Ketchup 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder 1 Teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning 1/8 Teaspoon Dried Thyme 1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar 1/2 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke 1/3 Cup Water Open chili beans and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice from the can and set aside. Then measure out 1/2 a cup of the beans and rinse and drain them and place in the food processor and pulse about 5 times to break the beans up. Save the rest of the beans to make chili dogs if you like, don't add them. Now add the rest of the ingredients, including the juice you reserved from the beans, to this and process until forms a dough. Separate the dough into an even 7 sections and roll them into hot dog shapes with your hands, approximately 5 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. Use the first one to gauge the size of the other ones. Create 7, 5 inch X 8 inch parchment paper sheets to roll the hot dogs in. Roll them up into the paper and pinch the ends shut. Place in a steamer for 45 minutes. You can make your own steamer if you don't have one by placing a stainless steel colander into a large pot with water in the bottom, and a lid on top. And you would cook them on medium to low heat. Bring water to a complete boil before placing the hot dogs in the colander. Make sure you don't put too much water in the bottom of the pot, so it doesn't wet the hot dogs. After cooking, let rest 10 minutes. If the hot dogs are stacked on top of each other, switch them around in the middle of cooking. Use the remaining beans for a chili dog. These hot dogs can be frozen and microwaved for 1 minute while still frozen to heat. What can I say....I play with my food....

I like the ones from the Hilbilly Housewife site - using vital wheat gluten to make it less work. I did the beef in the crock pot the first time, and it was so good it fooled my husband...he thought it was stew meat! Hearty Brown Veggie-Beef Roast Gluten Roast: 2 cups instant gluten flour 1 tablespoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon sugar Pinch cayenne pepper 1/4 cup vegetarian beef broth powder or 4 beef flavored bouillon cubes 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoon oil 2 teaspoons browning liquid 1-1/4 cups cool tap water Simmering Broth: 4 beef flavored bouillon cubes or 1/4 cup vegetarian beef broth powder 4 cups tap water This recipe is cooked in a crock pot and mixed in a bread maker. It can also be mixed by hand if you don't have a bread machine. It has a hearty beefy flavor and sturdy texture that is remarkably meat-like. Begin by preparing the roast. Bread Machine Method: Measure all of the roast ingredients into your bread machine. Turn it on and allow it to mix for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the roast from the bread machine and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Shape it into a large, thick oval. Hand Method: Measure the vital wheat gluten, onion, garlic, black pepper, sugar, vegetarian beef broth powder, and cayenne into a large bowl. Stir with a fork to distribute the seasonings evenly. In another bowl combine the soy sauce, oil, browning liquid, and 1-1/4 cups water. Mix well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes by the clock. You want to work the gluten well, so that the texture of the cooked roast is firm. Shape the dough into a large, thick oval. Crock Pot: Pour 4 cups water, 4 tablespoons beef broth powder and 4 vegetable bouillon cubes in your crock pot. Mix to dissolve the broth. Place the beef gluten oval into the broth. Put the lid on the crock pot and allow it to cook on low, overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. If you get up in the middle of the night, take a minute to check the roast, and flip it over if desired. Continue cooking until morning. Cool a little before slicing thin and serving. Refrigerate leftovers in their cooking broth. They will keep for about a week. You can also freeze it like you would meat. Leftovers are delicious in sandwiches, fried with fresh onions, cut into strips for stir fries and fajitas, tossed into pot pies, or ground and used in place of ground meat. This roast is meaty, full bodied and very much like beef. Those vegetarians who dislike foods that are too meat-like may find it too meaty for their taste. Makes 8 to 12 servings. I made it by hand (no bread machine at the time) and using the crock pot to cook it was very workable for me. After it was cooked, I cooled it in the liquid until I could handle it, then chunked it up and put it back in the liquid in the refrigerator until I used it in stir fry. I have since even found a recipe for gluten hot dogs (really looks interesting) so the experiments should be fun.

EUREKA! I'll make some wheat-meat, aka seitan, aka gluten steak. That will reinforce the wheat thing, and wow them for sure. The Hilbilly Housewife's recipes for it are excellent, have made them before.

I had to look up this thread again, so I could make the oat-meat for lasagna. I have ALWAYS put oats into my meatballs (keeps them moist, you know) then browned them, afterwards simmering in broth on top of the stove. They turn out nice and moist, and very tasty, just like my mother taught me (she told me that she NEVER had hamburgers without oatmeal all the time she grew up during the 30s & 40s. I actually like the taste better with the oats than without....

Well, last night my preppers group met. It was the first time we set up barter/sell tables for before & after the discussion in quite some time. (The discussion was on EMPs, verrry interesting....) I had just bought another 25 lbs of white whole wheat so I made up some 'texas tabouli' and took along the bag of wheat. I figured that people could taste it, then if they wanted to experiment without buying a lot, I calculated out the cost of the wheat at 25 cents a cup. I was surprised....the men nearly trampled me to taste the salad. The women were more interested in purchasing some to take home to try (I handed out recipes for free). The samplers expressed surprise at how good it tasted, and how nice the chewy texture was, but biggest surprise was universal, however, when I told them where I bought it....good old Wal-Mart, at $13 for 25 lbs. I hope I got a few more folks interested in storing - and using - more wheat. Now I have to think about what I will take next month...I'd like to take some whole kernel corn, but many northerners do not know that much about hominy...maybe I could grind it into meal make something with it...Corn chips? Indian pudding? It has to be something small and easy to sample. Then I could sell more small amounts of whole corn for experimenting. We have soooo many newbies, I want to encourage them to jump in and start prepping.

Well, last night my preppers group met. It was the first time we set up barter/sell tables for before & after the discussion in quite some time. (The discussion was on EMPs, verrry interesting....) I had just bought another 25 lbs of white whole wheat so I made up some 'texas tabouli' and took along the bag of wheat. I figured that people could taste it, then if they wanted to experiment without buying a lot, I calculated out the cost of the wheat at 25 cents a cup. I was surprised....the men nearly trampled me to taste the salad. The women were more interested in purchasing some to take home to try (I handed out recipes for free). The samplers expressed surprise at how good it tasted, and how nice the chewy texture was, but biggest surprise was universal, however, when I told them where I bought it....good old Wal-Mart, at $13 for 25 lbs. I hope I got a few more folks interested in storing - and using - more wheat. Now I have to think about what I will take next month...I'd like to take some whole kernel corn, but many northerners do not know that much about hominy...maybe I could grind it into meal and bake something with it...Corn chips? Indian pudding? It has to be something easy to sample. Then I could sell more small amounts of whole corn for experimenting. We have soooo many newbies, I want to encourage them to jump in and start prepping.

I am printing out these recipes to add to my 'to try' file. Last night I made a meatless 'spanish rice' with wheat in the slow cooker for my first Lenten Friday supper. Wow, it was tasty, and surprisingly satisfying. I guess that recipe was a keeper - here is what I did (nothing fancy): 2 cups cooked white wheat kernels (I had some frozen from before...) 3 cups cooked lentils (done the day before in the slow cooker) one 15 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes (the el-cheapo house brand kind, I had low sodium) about 1/2 cup salsa for seasoning Dropped it in the crock pot in the morning and let it simmer all day on low. When dinner time came, all the juice from the stewed tomatoes had been absorbed by the wheat and lentils, so the texture went from chili-like (I had originally thought of it as chili) to a nice, moist casserole or super-thick soup. I dropped a good pinch of shredded cheese on top of my serving and went to town! This would also be great with sour cream, but I didn't have any handy. The leftovers cooked on low overnight and got thicker yet (!) so I had burritos for breakfast. This one goes in the 'keeper' file for me! (on a side note, though I am used to eating beans, I usually get a little..."eruptive air displacement"...this time, nada...)

Welcome, Lee! It is nice to find a forum with cyber-aunties instead of the macho-men, I quite agree! Mrs S is the first form I started with way back, lurking & reading, all the while rejoicing in my discovery that there were so many others who thought like I did. So welcome, feel free to shout for help if you need it - lots of us can, garden, crochet, sew, and juggle our homesteads and lives with prepping, too! Tickle the little one for me!

Yep, those sound like the ones. Maybe if I used the dehydrator instead...Hmmm.....

Yes, my husband recognized the music of 'Cut-throat' as he called it when we heard it in a movie re-creation of the battle. It means, of course, 'no quarter' will be asked or given.

Yes, my husband recognized the music of 'Cut-throat' as he called it when we heard it in a movie re-creation of the battle. It means, of course, 'no quarter' will be asked or given.

Mmmm...beans and 'taters! My husband loved chili-beans over mashed potatoes, beans for breakfast, instead of hash browns (he'd pour on some salsa and eat them with his eggs) and also crazy about butter beans. I miss him, he was a peasant gourmet and such fun to cook for! He'd try anything, if I warned him that I was serving something new (and had a backup in case he did not like it). We only had to fall back on the alternate a few times, most things he liked. Especially beans!

Do you warn him first?

Yes, it pops when you bite it, but still keeps its nice 'chew' texture. I really like it for salads, that texture really adds to them. I may try it next in a mixed grain pilaf - I have some brown rice & wild rice mix that it would be good with. That way (mixed) my roommate will try it too. I think it would be really good in a 'fried rice' type recipe as well, with some veggies mixed in, and maybe some thawed frozen salad shrimp, for a Friday Lent dish... Ironically, I did not like it when I tried to pan-fry it, although I like the commercial 'fried' wheat berries. Maybe I didn't do it right, but it came out dry, hard and greasy, all at once, instead of crunchy like I expected. That did not do it for me at all! So the salads were a wonderful surprise! I'm thinking I have to go get more wheat next time I'm at Wally-world...

Using the address posted above seems to help...THANK you! I was alarmed at the thought of not being able to stop in....

I have been experimenting with my whole wheat kernels. They are from the white whole wheat that my local Wal-Mart sells in 25 lb bags. I guess cabin fever has me in its clutches, because I decided to spend some time experimenting with those wheat kernels, and with the dry soybeans I have had sitting around a while. So far, the wheat kernels have had the most success. They are tasty used like brown rice (in spanish rice or taco rice), and the white wheat's milder flavor is tastier for me than the red. I especially like them in salad. Not tabouli salad, (cause I just don't have any mint lying around to try it with) but in common 'winter salads' of the season. Here are my favorites, (so far): WINTER WHEAT SALAD 2 cups cooked wheat kernels (I simmer for 1 1/2 hrs) 1 thinly sliced onion, with rings quartered to make slivers 2 thin sliced radishes, slices cut in 1/8th (radish chips?) 1/4 green pepper, chopped medium Miracle Whip (or salad dressing of choice) 1/2 cup finely shredded cheese Mix, chill 2-3 hours to blend flavors. Variations: Add 1/4 c raisins; or omit the cheese and add 1 unpeeled apple, cored & diced, and any walnuts you have laying around from Christmas baking...both variants are tasty. TEXAS TABOULI 1 1/2 cups cooked wheat kernels 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained 1 can corn, drained 1 cup EACH diced sweet pepper, diced green onions, and diced celery 1/4 c salad oil 1/2 c sugar or artificial sweetener 3-6 slices pickled jalapeno pepper, chopped (to taste) In a pot, simmer the oil, vinegar and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat. In a bowl, mix wheat, beans, corn, chopped vegetables and the pikled pepper bits. Pour vinegar-oil mixture over the top and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours before tasting. Drain excess liquid before serving. This is based on the recipe I like for 'texas caviar'. And tomorrow? Wheaty Chinese Slaw, of course... 2 pkgs crushed raw ramen noodles (save packets for other use) 3 cups shredded cabbage 3 sliced green onions 1/3 cup cooked whole wheat kernels Dressing: 2/3 c vegetable oil 6 TB white vinegar (or more to taste) salt & pepper Mix dressing and noodles, and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and chill 2 hours or more to blend flavors. I would call the experiments with the cooked wheat a success....While I cooked the last batch I made extra and froze it in 2 cup packages, so I can use it more often. I found when I ate more wheat, I had no cravings for evening snacks whatever, so I must be doing something right!

I remember those days...I remember the Ag dept secretary telling farmers "Go big, or go home"...thakn goodness for the independents!

LOL! Child-proof cabinets deter more than two legged children! (I had a cat who could open cabinets, too, until I put child proof lock on. She even learned hot to work the hook & eye latch I tried first!) Do they share mousies when they catch them? My newest pup (austrailian shepherd) proudly brought me one tonight to admire. Had a devil of a time getting him to drop it - he liked his new 'toy'...