How to Make Black Garlic Why You Need to Try It

How to Make Black Garlic: Why You Need to Try It

 

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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Black garlic is a traditionally Korean specialty that is also becoming common in North America. It is probably cheaper to buy pre-packaged black garlic,but I wanted to try to make it myself.

Once done, the garlic is chewy, sweet, and has a very mellow garlic flavor.

You can use it in many recipes such as pasta, hummus, pizza or stir-fries.

Fermenting the garlic is a simple, but it does take a long stand-by time, so be prepared to wait.

Equipment

  • Aluminum foil
  • Dehydrator

Procedure

  • Wrap as many whole, unpeeled garlic bulbs as you would like in aluminum foil, wrap tightly and as airtight as possible
  • Put in dehydrator set to 90 degrees and leave alone for 30-40 days.  after a couple weeks you will get a garlic smell, so do this outside unless your spouse is very supportive…

I took some of my homemade black garlic and used it in a hot pepper mash to make some “gourmet” hot sauce – it looked bad, as the garlic turned it dark, but it was really good.

I think you should try this, it is really good, but as I say in the video, you may have to fight with the people you share your home with, because if you are not careful, fermenting garlic in you home for 30-40 days to make black garlic can cause smell problems…

Recipe Blackberry Brownies

Recipe Blackberry Brownies
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I saw something like this on pinterest, but it was called bluies – where someone got the idea to use blueberries in their brownie mix.

It looked really cool, but I don’t grow blueberries.

I do have blackberries, so I figured, what the heck, I would try it.

Since I am substituting something I can grow (blackberries) for something I cannot (Chocolate), I am making a prepper desert because I can store or grow everything needed.

I now share my recipe for Blackberry Brownies – you could call them blackies, but some social justice warrior would probably make a stink for some non-existent slight.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Grated rind from whole lemon – about 2 tsp
  • 1 heaping cup of flour – or up to 1 1/4 cups
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Procedure

  • In a large sauce pan on medium heat, cook 2 cups of the berries.
  • Gently smash them using a fork or potato masher.
  • Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until most all of the liquid has evaporated and you have a thick syrup.
  • When stirring the syrup occasionally stir the mixture away from the bottom of the pan. When the syrup moves very slowly to fill back in the space add the lemon juice and rind and stir to combine.
  • Immediately take off the heat and add the butter stirring to melt.
  • When melted, add the sugar and stir to combine.
  • After the sugar has been incorporated, the mixture should be cool enough to add the eggs.
  • Add them one at a time mixing each one well into the batter. Then add the vanilla.
  • Add the cinnamon and salt to the flour and stir with a fork. Then, add the flour mixture all at once. Gently fold the flour into the mixture.
  • When all combined, beat the mixture for 60 to 80 strokes. If the batter seems too wet, add a little more flour.
  • Next, add the walnuts and the 1/2 cup of remaining fresh blackberries on top and stir to combine.
  • Pour into a prepared 8″ square cake pan and bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes. This is a wet batter and takes a little longer than regular brownies.
  • Test as you would for brownies. Cool before cutting and serving.

Recipe Homemade Mustard

Recipe Homemade Mustard
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Homemade mustard is a very simple thing to make. If you are a prepper and are worried about SHTF or TEOTWAWKI then having condiments like mustard will really help mitigate appetite fatigue.

If you are a foodie or just like diy tricks, then this is a great project as it is very simple and you get great results.

When I started planning this I thought it would be a big deal, but from planting, to harvesting, to preparing the seed, and making the mustard it was a really easy and fun process.  Of course, many people think I am weird, so what I find find fun may not apply to you…

This was one project where I did almost everything farm to table – I grew the mustard plant, made the vinegar, and mixed it all myself by hand.

 

Ingredients:

  • Mustard Powder (or crushed homegrown mustard seed)
  • Cold Water (Hot Water makes for bitter mustard)
  • Salt
  • Vinegar

Procedure

  • Mix in a nonreactive bowl
  • Let sit for 10-15 minutes
  • Salt to taste
  • Mix vinegar to stop the chemical reactions taking place with the water/seed
  • Let sit for at least a week which will allow the bitterness mellow – there is a noticeable difference between fresh mustard and mustard allowed to mellow over a week.

Due to the salt, the vinegar, and the propertied of the mustard seed itself, this has an indeterminate shelf life if kept in a closed container in a cool place.

I hope this project is useful to you and gives you a reason to grow some mustard in your garden.

Scenario Prepper Life with an Angry Wife

Scenario Prepper Life with an Angry Wife
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The Duffle Blog is one of my favorite websites, however I have noticed (sometimes with glee) that sometimes the satire found on their site gets picked up by “mainstream” media and published as real news.

Since I get such a kick out of their humor and love of the Military, I thought should I attempt at making a funny video for prepping? – of course both my wife and my higher brain function said no, but If I let common sense stop me I would lose about 75 percent of my ideas for future videos.  Thats prepper life at my house, doing videos that I think are neat that I think will help me in the future.

Since some people cannot tell, I have to say the video below is my lame attempt at humor – I don’t force my wife to watch tremors and eat MRE’s for date night (I am too busy prepping and shooting videos to waste time on date night).

I do, however, look at Burt Gummer’s gun safe as the ideal – since I will never surpass Mad Mike Williamson and own more guns that the nation of Barbados.

My wife did not think my joke was funny, but it took her a second to get it, she is not used to me trying  to be funny.  Unfortunately she says I am too serious and don’t take time to have fun – which is a shame, because I would like to, I just forget to take my own advice sometimes as I spend all my time working to better my family’s life rather than take time to enjoy it.

But at least the boy helps me with that – if I spend too much time on the computer he always comes gets me…