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Hey Mahrie, great recipe! I have seen other versions, but this one looks like a good base to build on with the added advantage of longevity for storage.
I remember reading that peasants in medieval Europe would have a pot hanging over the fire that they would start a pot of something with whatever they had, beans, peas, turnips, oats, wheat, whatever and add any meat they might find, or onions, leeks, etc. and then keep adding to it with whatever they found to keep it going for a long time.
That's the traditional porridge or gruel that kept the serfs alive for centuries. My great grandfather on my mother's side always kept a pot of split pea soup on the back of the woodstove and would grab a bowl anytime he felt hungry, and he had emigrated from Europe as a young man in the late 1800's so I guess the tradition was still alive in the remote regions of Europe even then.
Your post reminded me of the old nursery rhyme that with my remembrance of Great Grandfather's habit with the soup makes perfect sense to me.
Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
Peas porridge in the pot, 9 days old
Some like it hot
Some like it cold
Some like it in the pot 9 days old
I like it hot
I like it cold
I like it in the pot 9 days old
Amazing how if we look we can see connections to the distant past that are still handed down today.
I started my prepping by recording everything I bought for a period of 6 months. It was a pain, but, by the end of that time I knew about how much I used of everything. My stores are based on those records. I store only what I will use, and use the FIFO method of consuming (first in, first out). I have never had a problem with anything going bad. Canned, and dried foods last a l o n g time if stored properly. Non perishables (toilet tissue, charcoal, etc) can last forever. I check my medical supplies every 6 months. Many medications will lost potentcy after 1 year.
That being said, I am no longer storing an extra set of tires, belts and hoses for my car. It is now headed for 20 years of age. The next MAJOR thing that goes wrong, I will shop for a new car. Being a good little prepper, I never stop paying a car note. The money goes into an interest paying bank account and, when my car is at least 20 years old, and there is enough money in the account, I shop for a new car.
The nice thing about prepping, I keep a running list of what needs to be replaced and watch for sales. Since I never run out of the essentials, I can wait for an opportunity to buy them on sale.
FYI - Backwoods Home and GRIT magazines both have some excellent articles on prepping.
Hey Mahrie, great recipe! I have seen other versions, but this one looks like a good base to build on with the added advantage of longevity for storage.
I remember reading that peasants in medieval Europe would have a pot hanging over the fire that they would start a pot of something with whatever they had, beans, peas, turnips, oats, wheat, whatever and add any meat they might find, or onions, leeks, etc. and then keep adding to it with whatever they found to keep it going for a long time.
That's the traditional porridge or gruel that kept the serfs alive for centuries. My great grandfather on my mother's side always kept a pot of split pea soup on the back of the wood stove and would grab a bowl anytime he felt hungry, and he had emigrated from Europe as a young man in the late 1800's so I guess the tradition was still alive in the remote regions of Europe even then.
Your post reminded me of the old nursery rhyme that with my remembrance of Great Grandfather's habit with the soup makes perfect sense to me.
Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
Peas porridge in the pot, 9 days old
Some like it hot
Some like it cold
Some like it in the pot 9 days old
I like it hot
I like it cold
I like it in the pot 9 days old
Amazing how if we look we can see connections to the distant past that are still handed down today.
Evening Silvertip!
Got to love this post!
Y'dont have to go back centuries to find this reality though - I was *raised* that way and haven't departed much from it - although diabetes does limit what I can put into the pot nowadays. Rabbits aren't difficult to catch but they're easier to raise - if one lives in a stationary spot. (I know people who raise 'em in their basements, and a few even raise them in a spare room in their apartments, as they don't smell bad and need so little care.)
Anyway, having a pot of something hot always brewing on the wood stove is simply... normal for me.
Whether at home or on the road, we happily make use of fiddle heads and dandelions for super salads (lettuce is expensive and has far fewer nutrients), and there are few places on Earth that don't have dandelions (or a good enough relative) free for the taking. Same goes for other wild plants and roots that grow along the roadside, so even in an RV, one can gather enough for a salad for two in just a few minutes.
Another 'roadside' goodie is the bramble bush (kind of like raspberries/blackberries etc. Not sure what folks call them in N. America) - also found in abundance in most places. Makes for a tasty on-the-spot dessert.
I'm so grateful that I grew up 'poor' (I didn't know I was 'poor' at the time), as it taught me how to live simply, happily, and put me on intimate terms with survivalism in the wild - and so much more.
I find I'm really enjoying your posts on just about every subject - thank you!
I too was raised close to the bone, way out in the country so I didn't know we didn't have money, that was just the way it was. Our neihbors were all in the same boat, so it was just the culture of where I grew up to take care of yourself and include a lot of wild edibles as well as what we could grow or raise.
I agree with you that there are a lot of wild edibles in the roadside ditches, just be careful because of the chemicals they spray the roads with in the winters, and the weed killers they spray all summer long.
I like to be at least 30 feet from a road before I even start looking because of that. In the spring near my parent's place, the roadside ditches are full of brilliant blue flowers, Flax.
Flax is great for chordage, you can make linen cloth from it, the seeds are very nutritious, crush the seeds and you have a good livestock feed and linseed oil, which can be made into lamp fuel or even bio-diesel! Really a versitile and useful plant.
The U.S. has several "Bramble berries" that I am familier with including Raspberries, Blackberries, gooseberries and rosehips, there are also huckleberries, chokecherries, service berries, elderberries, and if you are adventerous enough, thornapples from the Blackthorn bush in my part of the world. (careful with these, only take the thornapples from the bush because if they hit the ground they become very toxic).
Biggest problem with berries is their short season, and in my area, competition with bears for them
(Luckily, bears are pretty tasty with all that great bear grease, so finding one in your berry patch if you are prepared is an added blessing)
We have wild onion, camas, biscuitroot and of course cattail as root crop edibles, and a host of other roots, blossoms, leaves and buds you can eat. During the spring/summer/fall you can do pretty good around here, but after the frosts and the ground freezing, you are pretty much on a meat only diet until the snow melts again unless you preserve your take of wild edible plants.
Have fun on your adventure, I know you will enjoy yourself
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Rabbits aren't difficult to catch but they're easier to raise - if one lives in a stationary spot. (I know people who raise 'em in their basements, and a few even raise them in a spare room in their apartments, as they don't smell bad and need so little care.)
