BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Clairvoyance Foraging and Other Free Food Resources

I thought with the average dollar bill working overtime, if anyone would like to share how they are stretching theirs, in the home or otherwise, this would be a resourceful link!

In another thread we were talking about, Wild Yeast, or airborn yeast.

There is free-born yeast all around us in the air, on our bodies. By providing a food agent or climate for the wild yeast, it will feed, thus producing a concentrated culture that grows naturally.

A good yeast isn't really developed for a few weeks to couple of months.

Below is the recipe:

What you'll need:

1 medium sized glass or plastic container.

(I re-use spaghetti jars or you can purchase a container with a lid). I like mine to be see through.

1/4 cup warm water (approximately. Maybe a T more).

1/2 cup all purpose flour. You can replace a T of all purpose with Rye if you'd like.

The idea is to have equal weight of both water and flour, but the consistency should be somewhere between pancake batter and a milkshake.

INSTRUCTIONS

Work by hand the ingredients or with a wooden chopstick, Don't use metal. I don't know why, but I just wouldn't.

Loosely set a lid or cloth like a cheese cloth over the top and let sit in a warm place for 12-24 hours. It should bubble as you check on it.

Discard 1/2 of the bottled contents in the trash NOT sink or toilet. Re-feed your yeast using any type of equal weighted proportions within reason, remember you're feeding your culture, each day or even twice a day if you bake quite a lot. When there are bubbles, the yeast is feeding. That's what you want.

NOTES

In the cooler months I keep mine on the countertop. There's a space between the refrigerator and counter where a slight warmth moves up the side.

You can store your yeast in the refrigerator. This slows the process. So if you don't plan on usuing it soon that would be ideal. Take it out when you want to resuscitate by feeding it again.

Once you learn the process you can experiment with pineapple juice instead of water or different types of flour.

When you use your yeast, Usually you'll want about a cup in general or more but leave about 1/2 cup in the jar so you don't have to start all over from scratch.

Over time the developing yeast accumulates flavors of the climate it lives but creates a taste and texture that is often found in an Artisian, San Fransico or french bread loaf.

If you've had french bread from Walmart, the bread tastes similar to that on a light side or a sourdough on a pungent side.

You can also sweeten it up with sugar such as you'd find with Amish Friendship breads. Some bakers pass on their starters from generation to generation, some as old as 100 yrs.

Very interesting Elleise. I did not know that about yeast! Thanks

Hi Linda,

I'm finding I'm learning all sorts of just odd things I hadn't known about until I focused on being self reliant or more self reliant when it comes to food.

Below is a photo of a seed I took from the inside of a vine-tomato I purchased from a local market that was grown by a woman from the area.

At the time, I was just curious to see if it grew as I was needing tomato seeds anyway and thought if this works I don't have to purchase a $3.00 plus s/h for an envelope of them

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I received a newsletter today with some more information on acorns and making flour. The large acorns from the white oak are considered the best. They are a little sweet and have substantially less tannic acid. They require less soaking and rinsing, and being larger, are faster to gather.

There are bunches of these locally and permission to gather them would be a blessing for the lawn maintenance guys. The article also included live oaks and swamp chestnut oaks. Red and Black oaks generally have more tannic acid in the acorns and require much more processing to remove the bitterness. If you're wondering about the acorns in your yard, check the leaves. If they have rounded lobes with no prickles on the tips, the acorns should be suitable for gathering in the fall and winter. Place them in deep water and discard the floaters. Let them soak for about an hour. Remove and rinse well. Spread them evenly and toast in the oven at 150-200 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until just dry. Once dried in the oven, the shells are cracked with a small hammer and the nut meat is ground into flour.

Not certain how long this flour will keep or the best way to store it. The oven heat probably kills off most, if not all, organisms. It should have a good shelf life, if thoroughly dried and stored properly (minimal air, dark and cool)

Acorn flour is generally combined with wheat flour and could be a good way to stretch our supplies. There are additional instructions and recipes on Nativetech.org

Thick slice of acorn bread, a squirrel fricasse in brown gravy with lots of wild onion, and a dandelion green salad. Now that's a tasty foraged supper! The only things used from the pantry, a little flour, a little leavening, a little oil and some spices. But this supper is only for months with a R here in the South. Squirrels can have some nasty little parasites in the warmer months and not safe to handle.

If you have dandelions in your yard, don't dig them up, but don't let them bloom, unless you want more plants. Pinch off the flower stalks and pick the top leaves. Wash thoroughly, even if you don't use lawn chemicals (something could have blown in from the neighbors). People in NYC pay $10 for a salad made with the same weeds growing in our yards!

This is so great! Thanks Lcp!

Not saying we'll need this stuff tomorrow or next week, but I keep remembering what my husband said, "There will be some people that panic and some that won't." I'm thinking regardless of circumstance.

It could be a heavy snow, electric outage, computer glitch. He was in the MidWest while I was out East 9/11. He said, people in the Midwest lost their minds. All the water, milk, bread and gasoline was just gone. He didn't even bother filling up his car, the lines went out the gas station into the streets and the atm's were out of cash.

I'm rethinking the whole dandelion thing and solar generators, dehydrating all sorts of vegetables, like every kind. I understand we will be getting a new set of solar flares from the sun close to next year. On top of everything else, back ups would be good to have.

Thanks for the tips on the oak leaves. I've got everything else as a know how but for flour so this helps and we've plenty of oaks so I'll know what to look for and can experiment to see what works and doesn't.

I already practice on my husband who swears he won't eat this or drink that. I serve it anyway, spicing it up w/flavor and ask, "How is it?"

He says, "Really great, why? What'd you do?" LOL

Here's an idea that fits well with foraging. But as with foraging, you need permission. Public lands have restrictions and you should never forage for plants near roadways (run-off contamination), or in/near water that may be contaminated. Please pardon me if I'm being repetitive, but safety is important.

Gleaning is a term from the Bible, seldom used today. This was our major source of fresh food for about 8 years in Charleston. Our landlord planted a huge 2+ acres each spring. We were granted "gleaners rights" just like Ruth in the Old Testament. Once the landlord's families harvested what they could use, we could gather anything left. We had so much food available my Dad got us a freezer. We also had "dock rights." When the property owners weren't using the docks, we could fish the salt water creek behind our house. We ate lots of flounder, catfish, whiting, crab, and shrimp, expensive fare for City folk.

If there is a family farm near you, or neighbors with large gardens, ask them for permission to glean after they have picked all they can use. There are only 3 possible responses, Yes, No, or Maybe, depending upon crop yields. While this isn't exactly foraging, it can still be Free Food. Some farmers or gardeners may request a small fee for gleaners rights. This would help pay for seeds and supplies. However, if you can provide some weeding/mulching/watering labor, I'm willing to bet gleaners rights would be granted at no charge.

It's the same for neighbors/family/friends with stocked ponds or waterfront and fishable property. Ask and they may say yes. The only concession is being patient until it's your turn. You won't get the tender first yields, but what you do harvest will be nutritious, probably plentiful, and best of all FREE.

Wow,

Parellels never cease to amaize me w/you.

That's what my mom did when I was a kid. Anyone could purchase a rent on some acres and plant.

However, some in the nights would harvest her crop, steal basically. So, I don't expect anything less. However, w/all of the insomnia we've got these days, find a nightowl like myself and take turns, splitting the harvest w/eachother.

The easier things are granted, caving to welfare, the less people will do for themselves. When those grants get a glitch of some sort, it will be an entirely different fairytale.

Use, please practice even subtly instincts. Just practice like figuring out a feeling when the mail comes. It doesn't cost anything and you'll feel it like you feel a muscle that's been worked that hasn't been in awhile, it will just let you know it's there.

It will help you to discern what's real and what isn't. Technology will then aid even more what you are trying to learn in your gut and further progress even more, with balance.

I had no idea people in the Midwest acted so aggressively after 9/11. Other than being emotional, supportive, horrified but defiant, it was pretty much business as usual here in the Deep South. But then, we usually have a unqiue take on things down here. There was a complete lock-down on base. But my husband was able to call to say he would be home when he got home, with no idea when.

You have raised a very good point about experimenting with food. I know I have said this before, so everyone please forgive the repetition.

We need to experiment NOW. We need to get ourselves and our families adjusted to alternative food sources NOW. Find out what we like and don't like. Find out if there are any allergy issues. If/When the time comes when we must rely on these alternative food sources, we are already adjusted and it's an easy transfer. Yes, we will miss some of the treats we easily enjoy now, like Ice Cream, croissants, and ethnic foods, such as my beloved Feta Cheese. But we will have alternatives, already palatable, to provide good nutrition for us to survive, if only for the short term. My apologies for linking this to Visions and Preparations for the Future, but this topic is very complimentary, not to mention helpful with food prices rising.

We may receive more nutrition from foraged and gleaned foods than with the irradiated, genetically modified foods in the local grocer. Foraging might actually be healthier, if we can find clean, uncontaminated areas to forage in.

We have a "franchise" concept budding here. Introducing "Night Owl Security Services" Available soon for your farm or garden. Fees negotiable, based on crop yields and gleaners rights.

By Gosh, I think this might just catch on. But then, I've had a week with little sleep and I am determined to have an uninterrupted one tonight. On my 4th glass of wine, I'm a cheap date, and it's almost bedtime. Even if inspired by White Zinfandel, it still a good idea:)

Awesome! Thanks for posting the yeast recipe - I'm going to give this a try!