PETE Jars

Convenient and Air-Tight Food Storage Containers

PETE Jars

Many people have been using PETE Jars for storing food for years.  However, not everyone is familiar with these containers.  Plastic PETE Jars derive their name from the symbol on the botom of the container.  On this particular type of jar, the symbol is 1 with the letter designation of PETE or PET.  This type of plastic is considered BPA Free and air tight.  This type of plastic container is commonly used for juice containers, sports drinks and other liquid and food products.

So, why use PETE Jars?  For us, having our grains, seeds, nuts and legumes in PETE jars encourages us to use and rotate our food storage.  Keep the jars in the pantry, in your cupboards or on a bookcase like we do and have easy access to your for storage.  The PETE jars  are so air tight that you can add an oxygen absorber with a metal lid and it will hold a tight seal and help provide a great long-term food storage option.  Many of them are made in a square design, so they maximize space.  They are clear, which helps you see the contents easily.  However, this also means that for long-term storage they should be stored in a box or kept in a dark place.

We also prepared a short video on storing food in PETE Jars.  This will help you see how easy it is to use them for short or long term food storage.

 

Thrive Six Grain Pancake Mix

Easy to Make Pancakes that are Fluffy and Tasty

THRIVE Six Grain Pancake Mix

The Six Grain Pancake Mix from THRIVE has a great shelf life of 10 years and mixes up easily with just water to provide a delicious breakfast.  This mix re-constitutes well and can easily be stirred after adding water with just a fork.  The pancakes cook up fluffy and golden on the griddle.  The six grain mix includes red wheat flakes, white wheat flakes, barley flakes, rye flakes, rolled oats, and ground sunflower seeds to provide a really great tasting pancake.  Check out our video review below for more information and to see how easily the pancakes mix together and how good they look!

Volcano 2 Cookstoves

Multi-Faceted Outdoor and Emergency Cook Stove

Volcano II Cook Stove

The Volcano II Collapsible Cook Stove is a multi-functional stove and grill that can be fueled by three different sources.  This stove and grill can be heated using wood, charcoal, or an optional propane burner.  There are many unique designs that have led to this stove being extremely versatile, efficient and useful for outdoor and emergency use.

The grill itself has double wall construction.  This means that the inner liner is in contact more with the heat from the fuel source, but an air space between the inner wall and outer wall improves the effieciency of the stove and maintains a lower temperature on the outer wall.  The stove then has three bottom legs that provide support and stability, while maintaining air flow under the unit itself.  The outer wall has air ventilation holes that help to feed air through the bottom of the inner liner and focus the heat up.  The stove has a ventillation control that allows you to bank the coals with little air flow or stoke the coals with increased air flow.

At the bottom of the stove the coals or wood are supported by a steel grate.  This grate allows ash to spill off of the coals and allow improved coal efficiency.  A few inches above the grate a heat plate fits in.  This heat plate helps transfer heat around the stove or helps hold the coals closer to the grill.  The heat plate can also be moved up to the top of the stove to support a pot or pan.  The top has a removable grill top that can be left in place to grill meat or vegetables, or removed to provide a place for a pot, wok or dutch oven.

As you can see, the Volcano II Cook Stove works well with dutch ovens.  A 10" dutch oven will fit fully inside of the Volcano II Cook Stove.  When using the 12" dutch oven, insert the heat plate and the dutch oven will protrude slightly from the stove.  Dutch ovens ranging from 14" to 16" will sit on top of the stove.  You still use coals on the top of the dutch oven, but you now have a dutch oven stand for your dutch oven.  You can even light your briquettes in the stove and then remove the necessary coals and place them on the lid.

Volcano II Cook Stove with Propane Burner

The Volcano can also be fueled by an optional propane burner.  This burner provides you with another option for cooking everyday or in the outdoors.  The limitation with the burner is that it is not very wide, and so the heat is focused in a small area.  This limits the food you cook to a small area on the grill itself.  It does however provide a very hot cooking surface for pots, pans and woks.

The stove collapses down to about 5 inches high and comes with a carry case.  Volcano now makes a Volcano lid for the stove.  This Kevlar lid makes the stove even more efficient and improves cooking time.  The lid packs down nicely and fits in the pouch inside of the bag for easy store.

 

The video review above helps you get a good look at the Volcano II Cook Stove and provides information on how to use the Volcano as a stove or grill.  Hope you enjoy.

Freeze Dried Peaches

Delicious Peaches You Can Enjoy Year Round

THRIVE Freeze Dried Peaches

THRIVE Freeze Dried Peaches are large peach slices that come packed in #10 cans.  These freeze dried peach slices make a wonderful snack all by themselves, but they really excell in recipes.  Since they are large in size, they are perfect for use in pies, cobblers, cakes and other dishes.  These peaches are super sweet without any added sugars.  These peaches can store for up to 25 years if stored in cool, dry conditions.

It is easy to rehydrate these peaches for use in recipes.  Simply soak the peach slices in hot water for 3-5 minutes.  THRIVE recommends that you soak 1 cup of peaches in 4 cups hot water to help fully rehydrate the peaches.  We found that if you soak them for more than 10 minutes they really soften up and are like bottled peaches without the syrup.

These peaches really are as good as they look!  So come on in and try out a can today.

Don't be afraid to try them in your favorite dessert or give some to your kids to see how much they like them.  Our little taste testers at home were delighted to try them.

The only problem was..........they wanted to eat the whole can!

Quinoa Salad

Healthy Quinoa Salad

Nutritious and Delicious

Quinoa is one of the powerhouses of the grain world.  Quinoa is gluten free and is a great source of fiber, magnesium and iron.  Quinoa is high in protein, and more importantly, it is a complete protein.  This means that it provides us with all of the essential amino acids.  Quinoa develops a high level of protein as it is grown in the high elevations of Peru and Bolivia.  Quinoa comes in three different colors:  traditional (white), red and black.  Each of the three has slightly different tastes but are all packed with great nutrition.

This quinoa mix can be served as a main dish on a bed of greens or a side dish.  It is easy to make and tastes great.

The first step is to cook the quinoa.  Prior to cooking the quinoa, make sure you soak the quinoa for at least a few hours to help break down the saponins that leave a bitter taste.  After soaking, rinse a few times to ensure great tasting quinoa.  In a pot, bring 2 Cups of water to a boil.  Add the soaked quiona and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  This will yield 2 cups of cooked quinoa.  Allow to cool and then continue with the following recipe.

2 Cups Cooked Quinoa (1 Cup Quinoa and 2 Cups Water)

1 Bunch Cilantro (chopped)

1 Bunch Green Onion (sliced)

1 Large Tomato (diced)

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

Mix ingredients and then serve over a bed of mixed greens or lettuce.

Freeze Dried Ground Beef!

Easy to Prepare, High in Protein and Tastes Good

Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Ground Beef

The Honeyville Farms Ranchers Cut Freeze Dried Ground Beef is a good tasting product and represents a great value.  The ground beef in the Honeyville Farms Ground Beef primarily consists of larger crumbles of ground beef with some smaller powder as well.  The only ingredients in the product are ground beef and salt.  The ground beef is fully cooked with salt and then freeze dried.  This results in a high quality product.   What I really liked about the Honeyville ground beef is that to me it tasted like really low fat ground beef that I have eaten.  It is also really easy to re-hydrate.  It only took 5 minutes in boiling water to reconstitute fully.  Just soak and then drain off the excesses water.  The meat comes out nicely reconsistuted and tender.

We decided to make soft tacos with the freeze dried ground beef.  We also used the Honeyville Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese as a topping for the soft tacos.  Food storage has come a long way!  Freeze Dried Meat and Cheese.........I never thought I would see the day.

We made homemade whole wheat tortillas from scratch and grew our own lettuce.  This helped us to feel we were making a meal centered in self sufficiency.

The soft tacos tasted great and primarily came from our food storage!

Barley Beef Soup

Hearty and Delicious Wintertime Soup

Barley Beef Soup

I love soups and stews and I look forward to cooler weather to be able to fully enjoy them.  Barley Beef soup is a hearty soup that the whole family can enjoy.  You can prepare it using different vegetable combinations for variety or to please the picky eaters in your household.  You can easily prepare this meal with fresh vegetables and meat, or you can use freeze dried vegetables or meat.

Pearled barley is great for soups and stews because it cooks more quickly than hulled barley and provides a delicious flavor and texture to soups.  The barley also helps to provide additional fiber and nutrients.  Here is a delicious recipe that my wife uses:

Barley Beef Soup

1 Cup Chopped Cooked Beef (or brown stew meat first)

2 Carrots Chopped

2 Celery Stalks Chopped

1/2 Large Onion Chopped

1 Small Red Potato Chopped

1/2 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Cup Pearled Barley

16 Cups Water

2 oz Haco Soup Base (Vegetable or Beef)

1 Tablespoon Real Salt

If using raw meat, brown the stew meat in a tablespoon of oil.  Combine ingredients in pan and bring to a boil.  Stir periodically.  After soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour.  The vegetables should now be fully cooked and the barley soft and robust in size and texture.  Serve with fresh bread or rolls.