Homemade Groceries & Supplies

When you absolutely, positively must have it today and the local grocery store has been hit by a large meteor......

Lard:
Cut away every little bit of meat from the fat. Melt the fat. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth to remove cracklins. Pour into small stone crocks. Wait until it hardens before covering. If cooled it can be stored for 6 months.

Noodles:
1 egg/ 1/2C. flour/ 1/4t. salt. Beat egg with flour and salt until smooth. roll out until very, very thin. Cut into 4" strips, lay them out to dry in warm air until they are very dry and stiff. Flour them and place them on top of each other. When ready to use, drop them into meat broth. Cook 25 minutes. If broth is not rich, add butter.

Tomato Paste:
8 qts. peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes (about 4 dozen large)/ 1.5C. chopped sweet red pepper (about 3)/ 1T. salt/ 2 bay leaves/ 1 clove garlic (optional). Combine first 4 ingredients and cook slowly 1 hour. Press through a fine sieve. Add the garlic if desired. Continue cooking until thick enough to round up on a spoon (about 2.5 hours). Stir often. Remove the garlic. Pour hot into hot jars leaving 1/4" head space. Adjust caps. Process 1/2 pint for 45 minutes in boiling water broth. Makes 9 half pints.

Tomato Puree:
Wash, scald, peel and core tomatoes. Cook until soft. Press through a fine sieve. Cook until thick. Stir often. Pour hot into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps. Process 1/2 pints 30 minutes in boiling water bath.

Oleo:
Thoroughly wash and finely chop suet and render in a steam heated tank; 1000 parts of fat, 300 parts of water, 1 part potassium carbonate and 2 stomachs of pigs (or sheep). The temperature is raised to 113F. After 12 hours (under the influence of the pepsin in the stomach) the membranes are dissolved and the fat is melted and rises to the top of the mixture. After the addition of a little salt, the melted fat is drawn off, left to cool (so as to allow the stearin and palmitate to separate) and then pressed into bags by a press. 40-50% of solid stearin remains, while 50-60% of fluid oleopalmitine is pressed out. The "oleo oil" is then mixed (with 10% of its weight) with milk and churned and salted. It is now margarine. As you might imagine it is very high in cholesterol.

Ginger Beer:
1.5# bruised ginger/ 20# sugar/ 1 dozen lemons/ 1# honey/ 20 gallons water. Boil the ginger in 3 gallons of water for 1/2 hour. Add sugar, lemons (bruised and sliced), honey, 17 gallons of water. Strain after 3-4 days. Bottle.

Ghetto champagne:
About 35 parts crushed millet to which a little wheat flour is added. Place both in a large kettle. Pour about 400 parts water in, stir well, and boil 3 hours. After it sits for 1 hour the lost amount of water is renewed and the boiling is continued for another 10 hours. A viscous mass remains in the kettle which is spread on large tables to cool. After it is perfectly cool, it is stirred with water in a wooden trough and left to ferment 8 hours. This pulp is sifted, mixed with a little water and after an hour the braga (champagne) is ready. Tastes a little sweetish at first but gets more sourish in time. Fermentation begins only in the trough. Braga is a liquid of milky turbidity and forming a considerable precipitate when left alone. When shaken, it sparkles and a little gas escapes. Its taste is more or less acid but pleasant.

Cottage Cheese:
1 gallon clabbered milk (soured milk that's lumpy). Set on hearth or in oven after a meal as been cooked (leave the oven door slightly ajar). Turn it around frequently and cut the curd in squares, stirring gently until about as warm as the finger will bear and the whey shows all around the curd. Pour into a coarse bag and hang to drain in a cool place 3-4 hours (or overnight if made in evening). When wanted, empty it from the bag, coarsely chop, add salt, pepper and sweet cream. Some mash thoroughly with cream. Others add sugar, cream and nutmeg rather than salt and pepper.

Almost Maple Syrup:
Peel 6 medium sized potatoes. Boil uncovered in 2C. water until only 1 cup water remains. remove potatoes for use any way you want. Stirring the liquid until it reaches the boiling point, again, slowly add 1C. white sugar and 1C. brown sugar. Once this has dissolved entirely, take the pan off the heat to cool slowly. bottle and age at least 3 days before using.

Ice Cream:
Dry flakes of snow are best. Empty a can of evaporated milk in a large pot or bowl. (A similar amount of dry milk reconstituted with about half the usual amount of water will do as well). Add 2T. sugar/ 1/8t. salt/ flavoring of choice to taste. (For mocha, add 2t. powdered instant coffee and 1t. powdered cocoa-flavors 1qt. ice cream). Quickly stir in fresh snow until mixture is the consistency and taste you want.

Vinegar:
4 gallons of warm rainwater in an open cask with 1 gallon of common molasses and 2qts. yeast. (a lot, I know). Cover the top with thin muslin and leave in sun 3-4 weeks. Cover at night and when it rains. If cider can be used in place of rainwater, it will only take 1 week to make. (Because of the amount of yeast needed, I prefer to make apple cider vinegar but include this here for the more adventurous).

Cornstarch:
Young, tender roasting ears. Cut grains close to the cob. Wash grains thoroughly. Remove grains from water without disturbing the starch on the bottom of the pan. After starch "sets" drain water from pan and place pan in the sun to dry the starch thoroughly. When dry, starch may be used to thicken gravies, for diaper rash treatment or for starching clothes.

Yeastie Beasties:
3/4# potatoes/ 1.25C. boiling water/ 4T. white sugar/ 1/5t. salt/ 1.5C. cold water/ 1/2oz. yeast cake. Peel, dice and boil potatoes until tender. Mash in some water. Add sugar, salt and col water (enough to bring total volume to 3.75C). Let this cool until tepid. Add yeast cake to 1C. warm water. After 10 minutes, stir dissolved yeast in the potato mixture. Let stand overnight in warm, draft-free place. It's ready to use in the morning. Stir well. Pour off 1C. for saving starter. Use in place of store bought yeast for recipes requiring yeast.

Baking powder:
16oz. cornstarch/ 8oz. baking soda/ 5oz. tartaric acid. Mix thoroughly and put through a sieve several times. Place in glass jars and store in a dry place. Makes 2 quarts.

Mayonnaise(ish):
Beat 3 egg yolk. Add 1t. dry mustard, 2t. salt, 1/8t. cayenne, 2T. sugar, 2T. vinegar, 3 egg whites stiffly beaten. Cook in a boiler until thick, stirring well. Should be consistency of cream. Cool thoroughly and place in glass jars.

Ottawa Beer:
1oz. each of sassafras, allspice, wintergreen and yellow dock. 1/2oz each wild cherry bark, hops and coriander. 3qts. molasses. Pour boiling water over all the previous ingredients and let it set for 24 hours. Strain and add 1/2 pint yeast. Let set another 24 hours. Bottle.

Tea:
Both black and green tea (and now "white" tea) come from the same stalks. Green tea is made by steaming and drying. Black tea; the leaf is fermented before drying. Pekoe is made from the tips of young shoots. Use only fresh boiling water since water which has been boiled long loses flavor. Steep no longer than 3-5 minutes because extended steeping extracts the tannin. Contains approximately 30 milligrams caffeine per 8oz. cup (coffee is about 50 mg.)

Shampoo:
1oz. borax/ 1/2oz. camphor. Combine and powder finely. dissolve in 1qt. boiling water. Use when it cools.

Antiperspirant:
Compound spirits of ammonia (about 2T. in a basin of water). Wash with this solution.

Mouthwash:
Dilute a little bromo chloralum with 8 parts water. Gargle (ok to swallow a few drops).

Dandruff shampoo:
Mix 1oz. sulfur/ 1qt. water. Shake every few hours and saturate head every morning with the liquid. Takes about a week to be effective.

Hand lotion (for chapped hands):
Scrape beeswax in a small wide-mouthed jar until nearly full. Add small piece of mutton tallow and fill with olive oil. Place in a warm spot. When it is melted, add 12 drops otto of roses (or other scent). Cap. Use as necessary.

Insecticide:
Hot alum and water. Boil until all the alum is dissolved. Apply solution to all cracks, closets, bedsteads and wherever insects are found. Not poisonous to people.

Lye Soap:
Empty 13oz. lye in an iron or stoneware (not aluminum) pot, containing 2.5pts. COLD water. Stir with stick or wooden spoon. Lye dissolves quickly and water becomes hot. Set aside. Take 5# CLEAN grease, tallow, lard, drippings (free from salt-no bacon drippings) and melt in any pan. Allow it to settle and pour in porcelain (or iron) kettle. Let cool to tepid. When lye water and grease are about the same temperature (to touch of OUTSIDE of kettle), pour lye water into grease in a small stream, very slowly. Add 1/2C. Borax, 1/4C. ammonia. Stir until mixture is thick like gravy and honey colored. Pour into molds. Let stand in cool place overnight or 12 hours. Cut into bar shapes. Let dry for a day or so.

You can wash your hair, body, clothes, anything with lye soap. I rinse with vinegar when using lye soap. Makes hair squeaky clean and shiny.

Moth repellent:
Tobacco and spirits of camphor decoction rubbed in closets. Can place decoction on a piece of paper and place in closets.

Herbs:
Gather flowers in summer. Gather leaves and bark in the spring. Gather roots in the spring and fall. Clean carefully before drying and make sure they are crisp before storing. To dry: spread on screen (air must flow through), dry in hot sun 3-4 days. To store: crush into powder and place in jars. Roots: Wash carefully, slice, allow plenty of time to make sure they are thoroughly dry. Seeds: Dry on thin cloth or paper towel, turning often. Store in tight containers. All must be dry or they will mold. Must be sealed tight to keep out mice and worms.

This is very helpful. It also should show us that we don't have to be completely dependent on big brother, but really need to learn more how to grow things ourselves, and become as independent as possible. I would add to this, that we can also grind our own whole grains and grow many varieties of sprouts. Also homemade yogurt, there are many recipes online, and the ingredients are as simple as milk, a little culture, even just from organic yogurt, and a little skim milk or gelatin to thicken, though this does get improved in time, fruit and honey to taste. The top of the fridge adds just the right amount of heat, so it can be made in a cooler placed on the fridge, in jars.

Absolutely right. Knowledge is power and, with all the fear-mongering going on these days, it empowers people to know that they're not at the mercy of every disaster that they may encounter.

Thanks for the post about the yogurt. It is very simple to make. There are a lot of simple things we can do to empower ourselves. I'd like to hear more from anyone that knows simple things we can learn to do or make ourselves.

Ive been making my own homemade wax that I use, except for in the summer, for hair removal. Its similar to this idea: www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com...

I use 1 cup of honey, although a mixture of honey/sugar would do, and 1/4 or so cup of lemon or lime juice. I usually double this, and cook it down, carefully. It should darken a bit, but you dont want it to burn, so I have to keep turning it slightly up and stirring to reduce, roughly med, to lower. It should be roughly the thickness of pancake batter, and you can test to see how well it beads in lukewarm water.

If it does turn out a little runny, you need to let it cool down, and then use strips, such as an old sheet. But if its thickened right, you would have quite a firm substance, you can warm it slightly in a sink with hot water, or the microwave, and knead pieces with your fingers until it is a firm, flexible putty, and use the wax repeatedly, over and over, to remove hairs without strips, adding a little more to knead. Its wonderful, far cheaper than anything from the store, and works better, once you get the hang of it.

[edit on 6-9-2009 by Unity_99]

All-purpose Glass, Counter and Bathroom Cleaner

* 1 cup rubbing alcohol
* 1 cup ammonia
* 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap (I use Dawn)
* 10 cups warm water

Put in gallon jug and decant some into a spray bottle.

_____________________________________________

Carpet Cleaner for Steam Cleaning Carpets

* 1/4 cup lemon-scented ammonia
* 1/4 cup white vinegar
* 3 teaspoons any clear dishwashing soap (non-moisturizer)
* hot water

To check for color-fastness: test a bit of cleaner on an inconspicuous area of the carpet before using the first time.


I've saved lots of $ making my own cleaners

Now see, that's excellent! I didn't know you could make homemade wax. Can you also burn it like wax or is it strictly for hair removal?

Good stuff, Unity99. Keep it coming folks.

reply to post by sad_eyed_lady


Another helpful addition, sadeyedlady. With the prices of everyday items skyrocketing, it's good to be able to make your own and not be dependent on the corporate giants.

If we can be frugal with our spending by learning to make our own stuff, we might be able to hang on a little longer.

Thanks for adding your knowledge.

I'd put away 4 or 5 gallons of olive oil now and forget about the lard until I had used all the olive oil and any other alternatives. Lard is long-term cardiovascular poison.

With the wax, if it is a little runny, just cook it down a little longer. I really prefer using the wax itself as a strip and kneading it, its so convenient that way, even works well for underarms. That part does take a bit of time, where you must watch it continually. Its a bit of a chore, but doubling this recipe, doesn't much. I always use the cheapest honey, and the big bottle of real lemon, no name preferrably. It keeps indefinitely in the fridge, in a small pot is the best, because it can be warmed up again on the stove easily. But if little ones might be confuse, another container labeled might be useful. Then you must give it warm water bath to reuse.

[edit on 6-9-2009 by Unity_99]

reply to post by praxis


While I somewhat agree, I have a few caveats.
1) oils go rancid rather quickly and olive oil is horrendously expensive.
2) unless you have a dedicated refrigerator to store these bulk items and the guaranteed uninterrupted power supply to keep them fresh, your 5 gallons of oil will quickly turn into 5 gallons of weed killer.
3) my parents generation ate lard with every meal it seems and they still managed to live into their late 70's and 80's. I think the cardiovascular risks come more with the lifestyle than with any individual food component.

Still, if you can store the oil at a constant temperature, that would be preferable, imho.

reply to post by Unity_99


Thanks for the clarification. You've got me motivated to try making some for myself.

Quick question whitewave - Where are you getting the LYE now?

I use to be able to get it at my local grocery store but they have discontinued it.

I make soap and soy candles, lotions and 'balms' and started to make Mineral Makeup. I have had to rely on "Melt & Pour" base for the soap as I can't get the lye any longer.

I also like to use Emu or Ostrich oil in my skin care items - it penatrates and is very healing. Also refined wheat germ oil. I have not seen you talk about these two (3) oils. (Ostrich and Emu are similar in their properties).

Thanks

PS:

My household cleaner is a little different

8oz spray bottle
1/2 bottle rubbing alcohol
1 T Sudsy Ammonia
1 tea dish soap
couple drops of Essencial Oil (I usually use lavender for the antibactrial properties).
Fill with distilled water.
Shake before use.



[edit on 6-9-2009 by mappam]

reply to post by Unity_99


That is awesome! I am going to try it, tell me does it smell good too?

These are great recipes for substitutes or from scratch idea but I dont have many of these things on hand all the time and buying them would cost money. If the store doesnt have it I just get something else....I will keep these because I would like to try some and then I would probably start buying some of this stuff regularly....Now where do you get cheesecloth? I have never heard of it. I cook a lot but this is something i havent heard of...Why?!
S&F

Lye may be made as well, using ashes.
I recall that the process was locally called 'dripping lye'.

A quick search lead to this link, and there were many more. I believe that the process was fairly well covered in one of the FOXFIRE books.

www.endtimesreport.com...

reply to post by mappam


I can no longer get lye at my local grocery store either. Haven't been able to for a few years. Fortunately, it is available for order online. Just google "lye" and several options will come up. I've forgotten where I got my last batch.

Also, you can make your own wood ashes lye if you have a fireplace (or even if you just burn some wood outside). It's very strong and works as well as the stuff you buy online.

Nice addition of lavender in the cleaning supply. I use my lavender for medicinal purposes and hadn't thought of using it for cleaning products. Thanks for making me aware of that use.

Maybe you could share with us some of your recipes for mineral makeup and such?

reply to post by mblahnikluver


For me, being a survivalist means being of a different mind set than most people. When I shop at the grocery store I think of what all can be done with the items I'm getting, not just their advertised use. It does take a while to get used to shopping differently. I think in terms of the long haul rather than just what to make for tonight's dinner.

I can still get cheesecloth at the grocery store. It's in the canning/pickling section. You can get paraffin wax there and the jars are handy for all sorts of DIY projects.

reply to post by Viking04


Thanks for pointing that out. It was negligent of me to not include the basic ingedient. Here it is for those who dislike ordering online:

Wood ashes lye:

Put hardwood ashes in a bucket with holes in the bottom. Pour water on the ashes. Catch the drippings in a pot. Can use pottery, gourds, pretty much anything except aluminum. *Caution* Very Caustic.

Also, if you re-drip (is that a word?) the drippings, the lye will be even stronger.


[edit on 6-9-2009 by whitewave]

reply to post by whitewave

Great info...S&F.
Here is a web site with itemized Emergency Preparedness Insight Articles:

beprepared.com...

Fantastic amount of valuable info for free!

Sweet! Bookmarked the site.

See? We all have something to bring to the table. Great contributions you guys.