New 51 Week Storage Ideas Week Fifteen

This is for two (2) people so buy according to your family’s size.

 Non-food list:

Rain poncho, cheap ones are like $2.00
First aid kit
Bug repellant
Borax (20 Mule Team) Helps keep away ants etc.

 Food list:

Honey 2 large bottles
Olive oil enough bottles to equal ½ gallon
Shortening 2 cans

Recipe:
Sally’s Whole Wheat/White Batter Bread Dutch Oven Bread

3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
Let rest 10 minutes then add:
1-teaspoon salt
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup honey
4 cups wheat flour
¼ cup olive oil
2 cup unbleached or white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup oat or wheat bran
Bake 350 deg 1 hour in cast iron 10 inch Dutch oven
What is the best heat source for a Dutch oven?

Charcoal briquettes are the easiest to use and best for controlling the temperature.

How many briquettes do I use to achieve the desired temperature?

Keep in mind the briquettes must be applied to both the top and the bottom. Use only quality charcoal briquettes for consistent temperature control. (We recommend Kingsford even though we get no commission for the reference.) The chart below tells how many briquettes to use for a desired temperature. As a rule of thumb to achieve 325 degrees use the following method. Take the size of the oven and take that number of briquettes less three for the bottom and that number plus three for the top. For example with 12" oven you would place 9 briquettes on the bottom (12-3) and 15 briquettes on the top (12+3). This works for Lodge® Dutch ovens and GSI Aluminum ovens.


Temperature      8" Oven             10"Oven                Oven 12"             Oven 14"           Oven 16" Oven


Degrees F     Top     Bottom     Top     Bottom    Top     Bottom     Top      Bottom      Top      Bottom


300                 10         4             12           6            14           8            16           10           18           12


325                 11         5             13           7            15           9             7            11           19           13


350                 12         6             14           8            16          10           18            12           20          14


375                 13         7             15           9            17          11            19           13           21          15

    

Note: Adding one set of briquettes (one on top and one on bottom) will raise the temperature of the Dutch Oven approximately 25 degrees. Or conversely removing one set of briquettes will lower the temperature by 25 degrees.

For the MACA Dutch ovens more briquettes are needed to compensate for the depth and thickness of the ovens. Take the diameter of the MACA Dutch oven and add three briquettes for the bottom heat. Then add six to the diameter of the Dutch oven to get the number of briquettes for your top heat. This gives you a temperature of about 325° F. For example with a 15" Dutch oven your will need 18 charcoal briquettes for the bottom heat and 21 charcoal briquettes for the top heat to achieve a temperature of 325°


Can I cook in the Dutch oven using wood as a heat source?

With a little know how and practice you can learn to effectively use wood as a heat source without cremating your meal. The best type of woods for cooking are hardwoods such as hickory, oak, mesquite and hard maple. Pecan, walnut, and Osage orange would also work. Not all hardwoods produce good coals.

Soft woods such as pine, poplar, and cottonwood don't make good coals for Dutch oven cooking because they burn hot for a short period of time, and then burn out quickly. Start the hardwood fire at least 45 minutes before you need to start cooking. Go to the following link for more information. http://www.chuckwagonsupply.com/faqs.html

Our lilacs are blooming this week and they sure smell wonderful.

We just found out our oldest son and his family are movng out here from Virginia at the end of July. So one moving one coming. It would be nice to have them all together again just once. Okay done feeling sorry.

Daughter Tanya in AZ is having tests today to see where her cancer has migrated to. They have a 15 year old girl and 5 year old boy.

Sister in law Sandy has on going tests to make sure the bone they cut out of her skull the 30th of May hasn't spread to any of the rest of her skull, so far so good.