Square Foot Gardening

I've wanted a garden for years. When I was a kid, I tried to grow pumpkins and watermelons just by sticking some seeds in a bare patch of dirt in the corner of our back yard in Las Vegas. The seeds actually sprouted and I think a baseball ball-sized watermelon even grew on a pathetic little vine, but under my negligent care it split open and a bunch of ants ate it hollow. I've since learned that there can be an endless number of factors that predict the success of a garden, so for a long time I've been too intimidated to try.

But recently I've learned from several gardeners, ranging in expertise from beginner to seasoned professional, about the square foot gardening method and I thought it warranted further exploration. I checked the book out from the library and have been nothing but amazed and impressed by this method. It's the most intuitive, effective, and economical system imaginable. You don't have to rototill, fertilize, or correct the pH of your soil. You don't have to spend hours thinning crops or pulling weeds and you don't have to buy expensive tools. In fact, after the first year, you don't have to buy anything except new seeds! And you don't overplant, so you don't have to leave anonymous bags of squash on your neighbors' porches to get rid of your over-abundant harvest.

If you're into gardening or want to get into gardening and could possibly trust a recommendation from a person who has no garden, check it out! The book is called All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. Now is the time to get started. I'm going to try it and I think I might actually be able to do it. Here's hoping!

Dehydrated Veggies: Onions, Peppers, and Carrots

Before I forget, I thought I would mention that all of the products I've been buying from Macey's are now available at Wal-Mart, at least the one in American Fork. The label on the can looks just a little different and the brand is no longer called Morning Moo's, but I'm almost positive that it's the same company packaging and selling it. I don't know if it's just Utah County Wal-Marts that are selling these products or if every Wal-Mart carries them. Does anyone else know?

Anyway, over the last year or so I've collected several cans of different dehydrated vegetables. Here are the ones I've tried so far:


Onions
First off, if you've never used dehydrated minced/chopped onions, go out right now and buy a can! They are seriously a gift from Heaven, at least if you're like me and you hate chopping onions. I substitute them in everything that contains cooked, chopped onions and you would never be able to tell. I bought a #10 can of them from Macey's but you can also buy them from the LDS cannery for about $7 and any grocery store or bulk food store would sell them in a smaller quantity. The only time I ever even buy real onions is when I need them raw and/or sliced. Fantastic!


Carrots
I found a ten-year-old can of carrots from the LDS cannery (about $7 if you buy them there) in my parents' basement (my mom needs a little help rotating her food storage) and decided that I would see if it lives up to its supposed ten year shelf life. When first opened, the can released a smell that was identical to that of the bagged bunny food we used to feed our rabbit. As you would expect, the skepticism set in immediately. I poured a bowl of dehydrated carrots, covered them up with water and let them soak for about 10 minutes until they were flexible. I cooked them up in a stir-fry (recipe to follow) and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference and neither could my family. Another success! Obviously they weren't like raw carrots and I wouldn't ever try to eat them plain. But would I use them in a soup? Definitely. Would I use them in stir-fry? Definitely.


Peppers
These also came in a #10 can from Macey's which I bought for about $10, but as I mentioned earlier they now have them at Wal-Mart. They come in a mix of red and green, so you wouldn't ever be able to have either color exclusively, but we can't be too picky, can we? Anyway, I used these exactly the same way as I used the carrots (soaked and stir-fried) and they were great! Like I said, no one noticed. The pieces are pretty small. I would say they're the perfect size for anything that calls for chopped red or green peppers. They don't have that special tender-crisp texture that fresh peppers can have, but they would definitely do if you were living on food storage.


And last but not least, here's the recipe I used to demo the carrots and peppers. I used a Rachael Ray recipe and just subbed the re-hydrated dehydrated veggies for the fresh ones (except for the green onions; I haven't ever seen them for sale and haven't tried drying my own... yet). It's a great recipe! I'm adding it to my 3-month supply menu.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced [or use re-hydrated dried peppers]
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-2 cloves garlic
-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
-a couple shakes of crushed red pepper
-black pepper, to taste
-1 tbsp. sesame oil
-1 large carrot, peeled and diced [again, try the dehydrated!]
-1 can water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
-3 heaping tablespoons hoisin sauce (an Asian condiment that can be bought in the ethnic section of most grocery stores)
-a couple handfuls unsalted cashews
-3 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle
-hot, cooked rice

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add carrot and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Add coated chicken and peppers and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Add chestnuts and heat through for 1 minute. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat evenly. Serve over a bed of rice and top with cashews and green onions. Feeds 4 well.

[Sorry I don't have a picture. My camera always makes food look crappy anyway and it wouldn't really motivate you to try it.]

Sour Cream Powder and Refried Beans

I thought this would be a good follow-up to the tortilla post in case anyone was wondering what I put on the bjillion tortillas I made. I saw this can of sour cream powder at a Macey's emergency preparedness sale a few months ago and decided I had to try it. If I could add sour cream to my long-term storage menu, that would create a lot of possibilities. Here it is in its reconstituted glory:


I think it looks slightly more yellowish in the picture than it was in real life. As you can see, its consistency isn't so different from the consistency of fresh sour cream. You can also thicken or thin it by changing the amount of water you add. It would be a really great thing to have in your year's supply if it weren't for the really strong bad taste. Yes, unfortunately sour cream powder didn't really taste like sour cream. I think it had the same aftertaste as powdered milk, which is probably pretty unavoidable in dry dairy products, but the taste was a lot stronger in the sour cream powder since it's a lot more concentrated when it is reconstituted. Boo. I did try it out in a recipe that only calls for a couple tablespoons and it wasn't that noticable, but I'm not sure that I wouldn't have been better off to just skip the sour cream altogether.

On a happier note, I would like to declare my LOVE for the refried bean flakes from the LDS cannery.


That's right, I just dropped an L-bomb. On beans. I'm actually kinda surprised that I even decided to try them since I normally don't even like refried beans. But they're awesome! Here's why:

-They taste way better than regular refried beans from a can. Just my opinion, but I would trust me.
-They have a shelf life of 4-5 years, a lot longer than Old El Paso. (I guess I'm just assuming that since I don't actually own any of that kind.)
-They only contain two ingredients: beans and salt. So you don't have to worry about all the lard or chemicals or whatever else is in commercially canned refried beans.
-They don't come out shaped like a can. I don't know why, but that always bothered me about the other kind.
-They're so easy to make! You just stir them into boiling water, cover them, and let them sit for 10 minutes.

I like to make them as recommended in Pantry Cooking:

Refried Beans

-2 cups refried bean flakes
-2 cups boiling water
-1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
-1 teaspoon dried onions
-1/2 teaspoon dried jalapenos (optional)

Stir refried bean flakes into boiling water. Lower heat and mix well. Add green chiles, onions, and jalapenos. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Makes 4 servings.


Try them! I know you'll like them.