I cooked Hardtack today: an everlasting food

Ah yes, hardtack. The staple food of many a seafaring mariner; non-perishable and also stupidly hard to eat. They'd often have to soak the biscuits in water before being able to eat the damn things.

A lot of people think that stockpiling food like canned goods and hardtack is the way to go. But in my current country of residence, I think that hunting is a better alternative. In a disaster situation, old methods of preserving foods should be brought to the forefront. I used to go hunting fairly often, mostly shooting feral pigs. I think there needs to be a counter-active push from the meat industry, and the focus shifted on eating meat sources such as feral pigs, wild caught rabbits, feral goats, feral camels and feral deer. Not only do these animals wreak havoc on native ecosystems, but they are also deliciously edible. Sadly, the few times I've seen wild caught rabbit carcasses for sale, they cost $25 for a single carcass! When I lived in Canberra, there were rabbits everywhere, like right in the city centre. I'm not sure if it was legal or not, but my boyfriend and I would go around setting up wire snares, bag a few rabbits, do all the necessary gutting and skinning, and have a free meal, just like that. When I lived in a coastal area, I'd often catch bream, and provided they met the minimum side standards, I'd scale them, gut them, make little incisions in the flesh in which I'd insert slices of lemon and lime, put a bit of salt and pepper over it, throw it in the oven for a bit and end up with a lovely meal of fresh caught fish.

Most hunters in Australia do not hunt for trophies. They hunt feral species, and usually make a meal out of them too. I think there is a terrible disconnect between the meat most people buy at supermarkets, all nice and packaged up for them, and the reality of killing and dressing a carcass for consumption. Whilst they are perfectly happy to buy a steak at the grocery shops, they are often mortified at the idea of killing an animal themselves.

Personally, I believe that anyone who eats meat should be prepared to hunt, kill, and dress the carcass themselves. But of course, this is not always possible.

The reason I mention hunting is that is a great way to obtain food. Hardtack is all well and good, but you can't truly live on it.

Personal vegetable gardens are also great. We keep chickens, though usually for eggs rather than meat. Self sufficiency is often a whole lot cheaper than buying everything from big chain grocery shops, and no doubt much more healthful. For example, all kangaroos shot for meat must be shot in the either the head or neck - reducing the animal's suffering. Given that they're a native species, and are not farmed, they are free of antibiotics and hormones and whatnot, and very lean. In recent years it has become increasingly popular - though not nearly as profitable as the beef industry.

And here lies the real issue - some people will try to be as self sufficient as possible, and good for them! But they are in the minority. The push for cheaper meat causes all sorts of problems, not to mention the over use of antibiotics. We need a serious global reform of farming practices. I would happily go vegetarian, but unfortunately I require iron.

a reply to: Ghost147

Made hard tac when I was younger, only edible with a soup or stew after its soaked up some flavor and soften!

I'd like to introduce you to a favorite channel, cooking in the 18th century using only period cooking instruments and ingredients. The recipes or filed cooking hasnt changed much between the Revolutionary war and the Civil war, so I hope you enjoy Pemmican, another everlasting food;




Cooking Pemmican

The hardtack I've had is like trying to eat a chunk of particle board.

You might check into a recipe for 'common cracker'. There are dozens of options available. Simple to do, they taste pretty good, and will last for a long time. Not as long as particle board, but still pretty long. You'll find they're good with soups and chowders, so it's not like you'll store them away until the apocalypse. Just keep replenishing as you consume.

a reply to: Kukri

A good trick to get a ton of jerky in the oven to save on energy is to use toothpicks and hang it from the rack. I did a whole ham in one shot just a week ago. A good cured ham can go in the oven to dehydrate without doing anything but slicing and hanging it. I prefer a good layer of fresh cracked pepper and course sea salt though at a 3:1 ratio. It's super easy and has phenomenal flavor.

Great idea for a thread OP!

This is how you do any meat in the oven to get as much done as possible. This was a pretty large cured ham.


Left to right, just a little course sea salt, pineapple-hot sauce, pepper and course sea salt. All of them are amazing.

I let the slices sit over night in baking pans. You definitely want to slice the ham half frozen but not hard like Kukri mentioned.

a reply to: DeceptioVisus

Very cool I'll definitely try out this technique. very simple

a reply to: marg6043

In medieval times the food for the common man was 'Potage" basically a big iron pot that stays permanently over a smouldering fire. Different stuff is added, a hare here a rabbit there, some herbs, etc. you could probably keep it going for years and live well, as it would end up having just about every nutrient in it over time. Personally I could eat stew every day.

a reply to: anonentity

Hmmm, I'd like to know more about the science of that. Sounds tasty, but it seems like it would consume a lot of water though.

originally posted by: anonentity
Different stuff is added, a hare here a rabbit there, some herbs, etc. you could probably keep it going for years and live well, as it would end up having just about every nutrient in it over time.

We call this "garbage soup", and it's made from whatever's in the refrigerator that you're

a) tired of
b) unable to identify clearly
c) worried that it's getting sort of past its prime

Add in whatever's on sale in the veggie aisle at Winco, some garlic, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and let it simmer overnight in the big electric cooker.

Manuka Honey is awesome. It has antibacterial & anti-inflammatory
properties. It works great for healing wounds & MRSA.

We use it in the veterinary hospital on burns, degloving wounds,
& etc. It allows special cells to grow & repair the damaged area.

It's good to eat too. It is a little expensive.

Cheers
Ektar

a reply to: DeceptioVisus

WOW! That's a great tip and one I'll be sure to use on my next batch. This certainly will save a lot of time,work and energy.

originally posted by: Bedlam

originally posted by: anonentity
Different stuff is added, a hare here a rabbit there, some herbs, etc. you could probably keep it going for years and live well, as it would end up having just about every nutrient in it over time.

We call this "garbage soup", and it's made from whatever's in the refrigerator that you're

a) tired of
b) unable to identify clearly
c) worried that it's getting sort of past its prime

Add in whatever's on sale in the veggie aisle at Winco, some garlic, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and let it simmer overnight in the big electric cooker.

MMM but it tastes so good.

a reply to: Ektar

In human pre-history, people would store fruit in honey in order to keep it from spoiling. What happened? Natural yeasts on the skin of the fruits began to eat the sugars in the honey, converting it to alcohol...

And this, mankind discovered the very first alcoholic beverage!

Meade is made from honey, and is considered one of the oldest alcoholic beverages, preceding even beer. The term "honeymoon" was coined in Mesopotamia. Recently married couples were given a one month supply of this "honey wine" in order so they might....*ahem* produce off spring. So, for one "moon" they would enjoy a lot of honey-wine.



The more you know...

(I'm full of useless facts like that)

a reply to: MystikMushroom

interesting I wonder what that would taste like?

a reply to: Ghost147

Mead kicks ass. Or more properly, I like melomels and cysers, which are mead variants with fruit (technically, a non-grape fruit) and mead with cider in.

A pure mead picks up the character of the honey you made it with, but removes most of the sweetness, adds in some spice and secondary flavors, and alcohol. Imagine your favorite honey (hopefully not sue bee) and imagine that flavor with all the sugar gone and a bit of alcohol kick.

Tupelo and orange blossom mead is to die for.

eta: if you are a mead-brewing madman, you are permitted to change your nickname to "Mazer". It's a little-known side benefit.

a reply to: Bedlam

I also recently made a 5 gallon batch of mead from 4 quarts of local honey in a glass carboy, no pics for this one though. I can't say I have had a finer beverage. I added in some dextrose to sweeten it back up after I racked it several times to make sure there was no yeast left and then proceeded to drink it all right out of the carboy, with help of course. It's an incredibly simple process and very rewarding.

Step 1. Mix a gallon of fresh local honey in about a gallon of hot water until its consistency has diluted. Do not boil the honey water. Just get it hot enough to dilute. You can usually still put your finger in the water and dilute honey.

Step 2. Add honey mixture to 2.5 gallons of 75-80 degree water already in your carboy or other vessel.

Step 3. Combine 1 ounce of yeast with 1 cup of 100 degree water. Wait 5-10 minutes to react. Sometimes it won't foam up but is still good yeast. Then toss it in the carboy.

Step 4. Top the carboy off leaving a few inches of air space with 80-85 degree water. Insert airlock with dust cap. As soon as it's done bubbling it's ready to drink. Like Bedlam mentioned, there are countless ways to tweak the flavor from here. Just like there are countless ways to make mead, this is just a very simple and delicious one.

The idea is to make sure the "must" you have now created stays in the 80-85 degree range from the time you add yeast all the way through fermentation.

Racking - www.homebrewtalk.com...

Carboys - www.brewinternational.com...

airlocks - www.brewinternational.com...

I hope this creates a few more mead drinkers. I will be making some more soon.

Hum? so no mention of portable soup?

Well it's very simple to make. I make mine by making a stock out of ox tails then slowly cooking. You need to extract as much of the gelatin as possible out of it. Then filter it through a cheese cloth, return to a clean pot, and continue to cook out as much water as possible. When the stock naturally thickens up take it off the heat and let the gelled stock set up. Then just air dry it (make sure you don't use any heat to dry it or else you'll get a very unappetizing bitter taste). It comes out looking like leather, and last forever I think (I made a soup last week from a batch I found from 30 years ago)

Now you're halfway to making Fish and Brewis!

a reply to: Ghost147

If you want real answers on how to store foods for both short and long term. I'd suggest taking advice from people who made it part of their religious duty. The Mormons.

Food Storage

I have to say, though your OP mentions that you don't want to use preserving methods like canning, having recently picked up this skill myself, it's a lot easier than you think it might be, especially if you take the time to read up on the science behind it, or find good recipes online. I bought a pressure canner last year, and have successfully made things like pickled ginger, various preserved fruits, bruschetta mix, jams and jellies, etc. Usually when I decide to do it, I'll spend about 6 hours to make 3-4 different recipes, because it's more energy efficient that way. Instead of heating cold water 4 times, I'm only heating it once and then keeping it at temp for each batch, plus different recipes require different prep steps, so you'll spend most of that 6 hour period juggling all the recipes, but the next day have a few dozen jars to show for it.

Things like hardtack are all well and good, but having some serious flavor in your life post-survival situation would be better, especially since canned recipes all have a certain amount of fluid, which means that instead of needing to use up your water stores, you can dunk it in a can of soup instead and call it good.