After hearing that most foods are highly processed and have little nutritional value (pop has 14 cubes of sugar per glass) my family and I have decided to give up all processed foods. Does anyone have a good source of recipes for foods that are HOME MADE and can be stored. We do have a pessure cooker and my wife and I love to can and garden. We have always wanted to make our own foods such as cheese and sausage. Thank you in advance.

-- Tim Jaeger (tjkayaker@cyplace.net), March 22, 2000

Answers

Check out - cheese.com - click around the links and you will find the instuctions to make cheese, all kinds! Also, an invaluable tool for me is a 1905 cookbook. You must have a basic knowledge of cooking to use one of these 'oldies', as the instructions 'assume' you don't have a can of Swansons Chicken Broth on the pantry shelf! Experiment. So, you have to toss a few batches of this or that and have breakfast for dinner now and then, you'll learn, and it will be well worth it!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), March 22, 2000.

Go to the goat shed.. its associated with this forum on msn communities.. I posted several cheese recipies there. Also try going to the farmers almanac site.. don't have addy handy.. lots of recipies there.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 22, 2000.

Tim and family, I don't know if these books are still in print: Snackers, Sneaky Confessions of an Organic Cook, The Arrowhead Mills Cookbook, they have good recipies. Websites: PBS.Org Find your way to Regina's Vegetarian Table. I think you click on Body and Spirit.(Sorry) Also, Jump Up and Kiss Me- spicy vegetarian dishes, The Meatless Gourmet. Fit for Life. Sorry I don't have time to look up the authors now. I have literally at least 1000 healthy recipies. I would be glad to share. E-mail if you would like recipies not found in books.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 23, 2000.

We too have been working in the direction of eliminating all processed foods. We have a long way to go, but I am making progress. We now garden with some wonderful friends with land enough to do so. I am canning a major portion of our foods. We bake our bread with freshly ground wheat and other grains. I filter our water. The instigating factor for us was a winter where our children were very sick. Our neighbors never seemed to get sick so we began to compare their lifestyle to ours. Since that time, we have only made one trip to the doctor. I have eliminated all extra medications from my system and feel great! Cooking from scratch does take more time. Sometimes that becomes a problem when those hectic weeks come along. Especially during harvest! I found two books that have make ahead mixes that work well for us. They are "Make a Mix" by Eliason, Harward, and Westover and "The Perfect Mix" by Diane Phillips. Also, I make large batches of biscuit dough, cut out the biscuits and freeze them on cookie sheets. After they freeze I put them in freezer bags and they are ready to pop in the oven in no time. This works for a lot of things too. I have found that having a few items in the freezer like this can keep us from eating out on nights that I'm too tired to prepare a complete meal. Good luck in your pursuit of healthy food! I'd love to hear if you have any good ideas or recipes. Anyone else? Jennifer

-- Jennifer (jkmills@freewwweb.com), March 23, 2000.

One other thought. I agree about the old recipe books. I got a great whole grain book from 1932 on ebay. The older they are the less processed foods they have in them. I think it is difficult to cook when all of the current recipes call for cans and sizes that you have to purchase. Jennifer

-- Jennifer (jkmills@freewwweb.com), March 23, 2000.

Jennifer, I sure agree. I hate recipes that call for a can of this or a can of that. I cringe when organizations sell recipe books for a fund raiser - there is basically nothing in them that doesn't call for processed food! Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), March 23, 2000.

Tim, Bernice is a true gem and sent me cheese recepies that I printed out. Everyone at the goat shed is nice too! We are doing this also but decided to take it slow. Our first one: no partially hydrogenated anything. Margarine, Peanut Butter (except homemade or natural) mixes of almost any kind, some cheese products, chips, microwave popcorn etc) 2nd: frozen foods, except vegetables. 3rd and now: we are not eating out, fast fooding etc. except once a month and at Goat Shows. This is the toughest one, and I know husband doesn't really go by this much. The next one is pop and sugar. I hope your family has more willpower than ours. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 23, 2000.

Tim, if you are really serious about healthy eating, whether you're a Christian or not, you might want to check out the book "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living" by Rex Russell, M.D. Besides great information, it is encouraging. You'll find a lot of people will laugh at you and try to discourage you. Eating natural food is a great thing for you to do for and with your family, esp. getting away from msg, nutrasweet and hydrogenated fats. Also, you can make several Whole wheat pizza crusts, tortillas, breads and pie crusts to freeze. You can also make meat substitues out of soy and bulgar. Some of the things you might want to have on hand are: lemons, apple cider vinegar, Bragg's liquid aminos, garlic, onions, hot peppers and herbs and spices. Bland food could send you back to McDonald's esp. if you have teenagers, they also have health benefits. I may be telling more than you want to know, but I would encourage you to go for it.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 24, 2000.

If you find out how to give up Pepsi let me know its my downfall!The great thing about giving up processed food is that you also save money .Eating out costs to much "another downfall" Maybe with this thread I can do a little better.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 24, 2000.

Patty, mine is Doctor Pepper! And of course chocolate! We do garden, can and butcher 100% of our meat, we do buy chicken. With dairy goats we have milk and meat. I am just not a fan of water. I would have to force my self to drink 8, 8 ounce glasses of just water. Even without cookies, or pies, or cake from the store in the house, I am an avid baker, and can whip up something fattening in no time, even if it is just carmelized sugar for popcorn!! My favorite cook book for good recepies using my whole grain wheat,vegetables, honey, beans and rice is More with Less, cookbook. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 24, 2000.

I have the more with less book "tag sale of course" I'll have to take another look at it .Why don't you butcher your own chickens ?I have an Amish friend do it for me and most birds we just skin .Its easier and less fat .All it takes is 12-16 weeks and then you can have a freezer full . I;ve heard from some people who worked at a chicken plant , and trust me grow your own!

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 24, 2000.

We got rid of processed foods in our diet a couple of years ago. We also don't use anything refined such as sugar, flour, etc. The cookbook that has helped me the most is Whole Foods for the Whole Family. It is put out by La Leche League. It is a great way to get current recipes without the processed ingredients. I belong to a coop that gets its food from a place called FORC in Ohio. If anyone is interested I can get you some information on them. Once a month we place an order and an 18-wheeler delivers it to our location. They are the suppliers for most of the health food stores east of the Mississippi. You can get your items much cheaper. We have grown so big that we even get a discount. You can get "fun" items such as chips and sodas that are organic or made without your bad ingredients such as hydrogenized fats, msg, nitrates, etc. We have gone from buying our store foods from the local grocery to buying everything from the coop. It is much handier only shopping once a month and our food bill has not gone up because we cook from scratch more and use their "convenience" foods to keep us from going out to eat. Besides which my doctor only sees us when we have an accident or the next baby needs a check up somewhere in the first year of life.

-- Kathy (DavidWH6@juno.com), March 24, 2000.

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook was originally published in the 1890s. It has been reproduced in its original form several times since then. I don't know if there is a current version, but any copy would be useful and probably can be found at used book stores in your area or off the internet. I have a paperback version and I am very pleased with the recipes and other information in it. I too avoid processed foods whenever possible. It takes more planning and time, but is worth it in my opinion.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), March 25, 2000.

I have a Fannie Farmer Cookbook published in 1980. I have used it to death, and was looking for a replacement. The one in print now is different and uses purchased mixes in some of the recipes. Try a used book store. The one I have had a cover on it that was white with gold and brown pictures printed all over it. The cover came off a long time ago.

Sometimes used bookstores will take your name and call you if the book you want comes in.

-- Carmen (logcabin_now@yahoo.com), March 25, 2000.

Nobody's addressed the sausage issue yet, so here's an address (no web site) you can write to for a very complete catalog: The Sausagemaker, 1500 Clinton St., Building 123, Buffalo, NY 14206. (1- 716-824-6510). They also have a good listing of spices at reasonable prices, as does . Ask for Penzeys' catalog - it's full of good info. And of course, you must have the Ball Blue Book. Another good one is "Stocking Up", Rodale Press. Also "Butchering, Processing and Preservation of Meat" by Frank G. Ashbrook. And of course, the above- mentioned Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Ours is a 1965 copy. For finding books, I have had good luck with . They have a network of used book stores. You enter info (name, author, whatever) and they will notify you if they get a "hit". Then you deal directly with the book store. Butchering chickens isn't all that hard. I do it by myself (my wife usually has other things to do on days I dress chickens). I would not attempt turkeys by myself, but chickens yes. If you want step by step e-mail me directly and I'll get it to you. Good luck!

Brad

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), March 27, 2000.

Kathy, I would love any informtion you have on the co-op. We are pretty far away from any major cities(halfway between Lexington Kentucky and Knoxville Tennessee). We did have our wheat and other grains delivered by eighteen wheeler from Wheat Montana a little over a year ago. I have a network of friends who might be interested . Also, thanks to all for the great books selections. I've heard "Fannie Farmer" before but really didn't know it was a cookbook. Now I'm on a quest! One more thought on going slow...it is the only way to go. If you take on too many changes at one time you get tired of it and head to the nearest fast food restaurant!

-- Jennifer (jkmills@freewwweb.com), March 27, 2000.

Obviously, there is some sort of block on web-sites. Let's try this: Penzeys is at 3ws, then a period, then penzeys, then a period, then the word com. The used booksite is at 3ws, then a period, then abebooks, then a period, then the word com. Steve - why is this? Good luck!

Brad

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), March 27, 2000.

If you re looking for a co-op for herbs, vitamins, empty capsules, shampoo etc. try www.frontiercoop.com. Another coop is Something Better (Country life), don't have an address.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 28, 2000.

La Leche League has another cookbook called Whole Foods From the Whole World - an ethnic continuation of WHole Foods for the Whole Family - which was my mother's mainstay in my childhood. I also like Bill Kaysing's 99 cent a meal books - he's very anti-processed food, so they might be very helpful.

-- Becky M. (beckymom@kjsl.com), April 01, 2000.

This is in answer to sausage making ,there is a web address for the company.I do not remember who was asking so I hope this will help all those interested in sausage making.I make all my own sausage as well as non processed foods. The url and address for the company is below: http://www.sausagemaker.com/ The SausageMaker Inc. 1500 Clinton St., Bldg. 123, Buffalo, NY 14206 Order 24 hours a day 7 days a week Order toll free! 1-888-490-8525 Fax: 1-716-824-6465 Customer Service: 1-716-824-5814 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST E-mail: sausmaker@aol.com

Mary Hopkins I also have other sources of information for books on making your own books,sausage books,Cheesemaking ,soapmaking,basic cooking as well if anyone would like I can send a list of books with authors.Some are out of print so you would have to get them from used books stores or borrow them from the library. Mary Hopkins

-- Mary Hopkins (sensous_portagee@hotmail.com), January 20, 2002.