COOKING WITH A DUTCH OVEN
STIR WITH A WOODEN SPOON
HOW TO PREHEAT
Use a clean cloth or paper towel to coat the inside of your pot and lid with olive oil. Set the lid onto the pot and set it near the fire to warm while you prepare your ingredients. This is pre-heating your Dutch oven just as you would a modern standard oven. The oil penetrates the iron as the pot is warmed, making the vessel ready to cook. Securing the lid will keep ash out of the interior of the pot. If onions or peppers are part of the recipe, add them to the oven while it warms so that they may simmer and create a barrier between the rest of the food when it is added and the bottom of the pot.
PLACING FOOD INTO YOUR OVEN
Assemble the ingredients for your recipe. Remember the seasonings. The pre-heated oven should be moved away from the heat of the fire. A curved metal rod is useful as a tool to carefully remove the hot lid.
The remaining ingredients should be layered into your oven at this point. If rice is part of your recipe, add it and the water or broth at this point. Vegetables are next to be added. The meat rests on top of any vegetables, rice or potatoes so that it may flavor them as it cooks. Take care that the pot is not overfilled so that the food touches the underside of the lid. If cooking a bread or desert, layer the ingredients in the same way you would if using a conventional oven. Place the lid back onto the pot.
PLACING THE OVEN TO THE COALS
Your cooking time should be similar to the time used in a modern kitchen oven or a little longer if your coals are cool. When finished, remove the live coals from the lid of your pot using a shovel. Use a fire-resistant brush to remove any remaining debris. Remove the pot from the hot coals and move it back from the fire. Raise the lid and set it aside using a heavy piece of curved metal. Examine your food for doneness. Serve with a wooden spoon if the food has finished cooking. If more time is needed, recover the pot with the lid and replace it onto the small bed of coals scooping more coals back onto the top. After a few minutes, check the food.
CLEANING AND STORING
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The following video is a demonstration of bread-making using a Dutch oven. While the footage shows use in a conventional oven, the technique is the same -- except for the fact that you'd be using fire as your heat source as described above:
PREPARING TO BARTER
When currency is in short supply, trading for goods (bartering) is another method by which you can secure goods. Another benefit of bartering is that traded items can help you generate goodwill from others and secure needed services. However, in order engage in a successful trade, you will need to be prepared.
When determining the best items to have on hand, consider these guidelines.
REMEMBER THAT THIS IS AN INVESTMENT
WHEN NEEDED, REPAIRED ITEMS ARE JUST AS GOOD AS NEW
Take inventory of your skills as you consider items for trade. If you know how to make simple repairs, you could purchase slightly worn items at a deep discount and refurbish them yourself.
ITEMS WITH MORE THAN ONE USE
Look for things which can be used for more than one purpose. This will increase your trading opportunities and save storage space. A partial list of such items include: assorted cloth, soap, basins, buckets, rubber bands, blankets, twine, string, tarps and duct tape.
KNOWLEDGE
Books on self-sufficiency are a valuable resource. Vary your collection with entertaining fiction. Even more valuable is literature that teaches while it entertains. Shop discount outlets for used books.
The ability to think creatively will be your most valuable asset. Re-purposing used items into useful goods is a greatly beneficial ability. You can practice this skill now, learning to recognize opportunities. Debi Pearl has written a wonderful work of fiction called THE VISION that promises to get your imagination reeling with possibilities. Read this adventure novel and follow the characters through political, social and economic upheaval as they utilize their skills to deal with difficulties and danger. Read it today and enjoy learning how to make your own way.
HARVESTING & USING GOLDENROD
Solidago virgaurea is the botanical name for goldenrod. This adaptable plant can be found in Asia, North America & Europe. Found in areas with good sun exposure, goldenrod will reach a height of 2-3 feet in open areas, mountain ranges and along hillsides. The leaves alternate along the stem which is accented with branches of golden flowers.
The choice places to locate goldenrod are those with good sun exposure, near water. We were able to locate a patch growing near an abandoned footbridge in an open area. The little patch was filled with pokeweed, leggy grasses and splashes of goldenrod. Use sharp garden shears to harvest, removing the 2 or 3 feet of stem, leaves and blooming tops. The bruised parts of the plant will offer up a pleasant smell similar to wild carrots with a hint of citrus. A yellow dye can be made from the flower tops.
HOW TO DRY HERBS
Use a string to tie the cut stems in groups of five to ten. Make a loop in the tail of the string in order that you may hang the plants with the flowers downward and a box lid or tray beneath. Find a place to hang the plants where they will not be disturbed: a closet, cabinet, storage room, ceiling beam. Hooks and coat racks can also be used. If it fits, a paper bag can be secured over the plants to shield them from sun and catch loose plant parts. In one to three weeks the plants will be dry. This method is also effective for preserving flower arrangements.
When the plants are dried, remove the blooms and leaves to store them in a glass jar with a lid.
As an herb, goldenrod has qualities that make it symptom regulating, regenerating and detoxifying.
DETOXIFYING HERBS clear blockages and remove excesses. Known as a bitter, goldenrod contains tannin. Bitters are herbs that trigger the secretion of digestive juices by their taste. Because it helps the body release excess fluids, this herb is known as a diuretic. In times past this herb was used in applications to assist in the removal of bladder stones. Goldenrod helps remove hardened mucus and thick phlegm deposits (catarrh). Urinary tract infections are also eased by the antioxidant properties of goldenrod tea. Goldenrod is a digestive which means it strengthens digestion. A diaphoretic, this herb promotes perspiration which helps the body remove toxins.
REGENERATING HERBS
SYMPTOM REGULATING HERBS are plants which help relieve discomfort and pain. The antiseptic properties of this herb help counteract decay. Tea made from the leaves and flowers can be used as a mouthwash. Its stimulant properties increase the action of other herbs in remedies. Stomach pain is relieved by the carminative action of goldenseal which helps remove gas from the digestive tract. To reduce fevers, goldenseal tea is helpful. Pain associated with menstruation is also lessened by drinking goldenseal tea.
TO MAKE GOLDENSEAL TEA
SINUS WASH
The tea is also good as a sinus spray. This is an effective treatment for upper respiratory inflammation and congestion accompanied by a sore throat and low fever.
SALVES & OILS
A tincture of goldenrod can be used to help alleviate allergy symptoms. In tincture combinations, goldenrod will help to increase the beneficial properties of other herbs. While the individual response and underlying conditions must be considered, a tincture of goldenrod, nettle and elderberry is considered a good combination for allergy relief. Another tincture combination that is useful in the treatment of kidney and urinary tract infections is goldenrod, echinacea, yarrow and elderberry. One dropperful should be taken hourly until symptoms ease. After the symptoms lessen, continue taking several drops 3-4 times a day for around 10 days. A ten day trial period is the same time used in Scripture to establish good health.* Another application for tinctures can be topical as a liniment.
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SOOTHING PAINFUL INFLAMMATION
If you have experienced inflammatory pain, you know that it hinders activity. Your muscles tighten. It is possible for you to lose several days to bed rest, fighting nausea and popping pain pills. Pain relief isn't always found with medication. I'm not a medical professional, but I suspect that many pain medications only serve to quiet the patient and not to reduce the pain.
There is a more natural treatment that will help with pain and inflammation. The treatment is the alternate application of hot and cold compresses.
By using cold and then hot applications, a pumping action is created. Blood is pushed away from the area by the cold. The area is then flooded with fresh blood with the application of heat. The inflammation in the blood stream is reduced as a result of the increased circulation. Down time is reduced as mobility is increased with the decrease in inflammation and pain.
Hot & Cold treatment can be done two ways.
ONE METHOD -- WHILE SHOWERING.
Direct your shower stream at the painful area. Adjust the water to the coolest setting you can stand and keep it there for 15 seconds. Next adjust the water temperature back to the hottest setting you can tolerate. Yell if you need to, but try to keep this up for around 20 minutes.
ANOTHER METHOD, WITH HELP
Wet two cloth towels and then squeeze the excess liquid from them. Put one of the towels into a paper bag and fold shut. Warm your oven to its lowest temperature, somewhere between 100 and 170 degrees. Making sure to not touch any of the heating elements, set the closed paper bag into the oven. Place the second towel into another paper bag. Place the second bag into the freezer.
START & END WITH COLD
After a quarter of an hour, set a timer for 15 minutes, remove the cool towel from the freezer, place it onto the sore area and let it rest for 15 minutes. When the timer rings, take the oven towel, and replace the cool towel with it. Move the cool cloth back into the freezer and repeat this procedure until there is pain relief. This is a slow, methodical relay of hot for cold towels.
You may need to keep a cloth between the towel and your skin. Insulate the hot/cold towel with another thick dry towel placed on top. If the towels become too dry, wet them again. Your last session should use the cold towel.
By taking naps, I've managed to continue this through the night. One night's loss of sleep was worth it to know I'd be up and about the next day.
If you're roughing it, use a campfire to heat dry rocks which you can then wrap in damp towels. Don't use wet rocks because they will explode when heated on a fire. The warm compress will consist of the heated rocks wrapped in damp towels. The cool compress will be towels moistened in fresh water. Utilize a cooling breeze (or create a fan) across the damp compress. This will cause some of the moisture to evaporate and cause it to be even cooler. Every person is important in a survival situation. It's to your advantage to have someone recover quickly. An inflamed injury can cause someone to lose mobility. Using the hot/cold compress can help you get valuable members of your party back onto their feet.
This article is for the information of the reader. The reader assumes all risk and is encouraged to utilize these suggestions with discretion.
