Phoenix Bird

BEVERAGES

Clover Tea Soft Drinks
Cocoa to Go Soy Milk
Dandelion Wine Yarrow Tea
Pine Needle Tea  
CLOVER TEA
Chelly
Here is one of my favorite recipes for a tea that will knock a cough right out of you.
1 tsp. of orange peel or 2 tsp. lemon juice 4-5 stalks of red clover (stems, leaves, and flowers)
2 in. piece of willow bark(optional) 4 mint leaves
2 cups cold water 1/2 inch of chopped ginger root
Heat water to boiling. Place clover, willow bark, mint leaves, orange peel, and ginger root in a tea pot and pour the boiling water over the dry ingredients and let it steep for 8 minutes. Pour through a strainer into your cup, drink it as hot as possible. I like it sweetened with honey, and if I am really, really bad off, I'll add 1/2 oz. of Southern Comfort (the honey and willow bark should not be used if you are giving the tea to a young child.)
COCOA TO GO
Green
If you would like to make instant cocoa without buying anything extra, try this.

Use a regular tin can from vegetables (16 oz.) into which you have used a punch type can opener to punch at least 6-10 holes in the side of the bottom and the same near the top side. (A miniature hobo stove).

Take one level tablespoon of shortening and sandwich it between two cotton cosmetic squares. (Nice and clean to handle or store). Put a napkin or small piece of dry paper in the bottom of the can and the shortening square on top of it. Light through one of the holes at the bottom of the can.

Place a metal cup with clean water and one pack instant cocoa directly on top of the little hobo stove. Allow to cook about 6 or 7 minutes to get 140 degrees. There will still be fuel left on the cotton if you want to start a second cup.

This is compact, clean and easy to store in an auto or BOB for emergencies. It also tastes fine with stored chlorinated water. I don't know how well it would do in the summer storing shortening, but then again, who wants cocoa then anyway?

Two one dollar bags of cosmetic squares (100 count each) and a three pound can of shortening can provide enough easily portable fuel to burn for more than 16 hours of cooking heat for less than 5 bucks. Just another idea for your layering options.
PINE NEEDLE TEA
Old Mom

I haven't seen a decent true pine for many years, but here is how I used to do it.
Pick the freshest needles you can come by. You'll need about a handful; as goes your tummy, so goes I suppose the size of your hand? For me, this is about a cup. Add to two or more cups of boiling water. Let steep for 3 min or so. I prefer to put a plate on it while it steeps (cover it). Drain the needles and sweeten to taste. As far as selection, the ones off the tree work best - still have a bit of sap. You can also put a plug into the tree and get a sappy substance. I don't know if I'd eat it, but I do know that it makes a fine adhesive if you've run out of duct tape.
SOFT DRINKS - HOW TO MAKE
Old Mom
1 gallon of water 1/4 teaspoon brewer's yeast
1 Tablespoon of Flavoring Extract 2 cups sugar
  • Dissolve brewer's yeast or wine yeast in a cup of warm water ~98 degrees. Generally, the water should not feel overly hot..and not cold, about body temp.

  • Add flavoring of some kind (Rootbeer, or whatever), and sugar to water.

  • Add dissolved yeast to 'Water/Sugar/Flavoring'

  • Taste. Adjust sugar as appropriate

  • Stir a bit

  • Fill bottles (like plastic soft drink bottles). Leave no headroom. Cap tightly
    Age for a few weeks (although can be drunk immediately).

  • To go the 'diet' route... 6 tablespoons of sugar per gallon of water, then add sweet N Low (or whatever sweetening substitute) to taste.
    Make sure it is good water. OK?
SOY MILK
Old Mom
How to Make Milk and TVP from Soy

Old Mom

I found an On Line Visual demonstration on how to make Milk from Soybeans. The Okara (residual) is basically TVP. So, from one cup of soybeans and water, you can get both milk and a meat extender/substitute. I've posted the basic recipe after the link; however, the visual demonstration is quite good. The milk can also be refined for Tofu and yogurt, should one choose that route. Here is the link

LDS.Net Global Community

I am giving it a shot next week, if anyone else tries it before I do, please let me know the results. Normally, I don't like to post what I haven't done, but I just feel that the Milk issue is an important one, and in the absence of a cow, this may help others with children, or who desire a lower cost alternative to TVP. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Ok, last Friday I posted some stuff on the soymilk and Okara. Well, I followed the website directions to the 'T'...and it came out exactly like they said! I'd like to reduce the bean flavor, but perhaps in the morning after chilling this will pass. Anyway, if you've made jelly, you can do this: same equipment (save no need for the water bath) and same method as a jelly. Anyway, the milk is a bit thinner than real milk and has a bean flavor, so once that is worked out, it looks like a viable option for us.

The recipe is basically as follows:

  • Soak 1 cup of soy beans overnight in 4 cups water. Drain. Puree drained beans in 1-cup batches, adding 1 1/2 cups water to each cup of beans. Process each batch for 2 minutes.

  • In 4-quart saucepan, stir together pureed beans and 5 cups water, bringing mixture to boil. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes.

  • Ladle mixture into cheesecloth-lined colander that is set over bowl. Strain out as much liquid as possible. Swish cheesecloth-wrapped residue (Okara) in a bowl of cold water to prepare Okara for next step.

  • Place cheesecloth-wrapped Okara back in colander, pour 2 cups water through Okara. (Okara is the meat replacement). Press, squeeze, and twist cloth to drain water into bowl. Sweeten milk to taste or use unsweetened for baking.
YARROW TEA
Someone sent me this recipe from the Message Board. I lost the sender's name but not the recipe - let me know where this came from and I'll credit the cook!
Here in Southern Ohio, we have an abundance of a wonderful medicinal plant called Yarrow. Yarrow looks similar to Queen Anns Lace. It has clusters of off-white blooms and the leaves resemble little fuzzy ferns. Blooming season here is from about mid-May until mid-August. Yarrow helps to heal wounds and the leaves are used to stop bleeding.

I've used Yarrow and ginger in a tea to help relieve colds and flu. I learned about this plant through various articles. And from plenty of trial and error, and many award winning dramatic performances from my guinea pig children, I've come up with a good tasting tea recipe:
1 whole yarrow plant, cut up in med. pieces 1 tsp. fresh ginger root
1 cinnamon stick 2 tsp. orange pekoe tea
2-1/2 cups cold water Honey or sugar (optional)
Place all ingredients in water, heat 'til boiling, let seep for 10 min. Strain and serve with honey or sugar. This tea is good for reducing fevers, relieving cough and congestion, and will help you to sleep.
DANDELION WINE
Old Mom
Dandelion Wine is made from the flowers. If you're feeling particularly motivated, here's how to go about making it:
1 gallon dandelion blossoms 2 unpeeled lemons
2 unpeeled oranges 2 peeled grapefruit
1 cup sugar 1 cup raisins
1 pkg. Dry wine yeast 4 cups sugar - reserve
Gather 1 gallon of dandelion blossoms. In a large container, mix with lemons, oranges, grapefuit, raisins and 1 cup sugar. Add boiling water to cover; stir and let cool. Stir in dry wine yeast.

Add boiling water to cover, stir, and let cool. Stir in dry wine yeast. Cover. Stir daily for a week.

Strain the mixture through a couple layers of cheesecloth, squeezing well to extract all the juices. Add 4 cups or sugar- or to taste. Let this mix sit a further 5 days.

Now pour the filtered mix into bottles, but don't seal the bottles yet. Wait until all fermentation has ceased, then cork or otherwise seal the bottles, and let them age. How long? Well, the longer the better; too long, you get a vinegar.

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