Hello Self Sustaining Enthusiasts!
Today I'd like to start doing a preliminary study of how property in Maine can provide, store and maintain much of the food necessary for survival.
I'm going to break this down a bit...
PART 1 - PROTEIN
Meat and its Preservation
Although protein can definitely be obtained by vegetable means, I don't believe I will be able (for the first few years) to grow the diversity of appropriate plants required to meet a well-rounded diet and this is especially true in the protein department.
Therefore, my plan is to buy and store as large an amount of meat as I can for the first 6 to 8 months. There are a lot of great ideas out there about how to preserve meat without the need for refrigeration. Pickling, curing, drying and smoking can go a long way.
My preference is for using curing and drying techniques. The meats I would probably store will be pork, beef, fish and eggs. Here are a few ideas for each...
1. PORK
Dry-Curing
Dry-cured pork.
For a beginner like me, dry-curing pork or ham is a safe way to get used to the proces. WikiHow.com gives great step by step instructions. Basically, the following steps are taken.
A. Decide what kind of meat you'd like to use. Ham is a popular choice for curing, but you can use anything from beef to venison and much more in between. With a good piece of meat, you really can't go wrong, although the first-time curers might want to go with a more forgiving piece of meat, like pork belly or pork butt.
For the most part, use meats with whole muscle groups in their anatomical connection. Pork loin and belly, beef hindquarter or brisket, mutton legs and even duck breast are popular cuts for dry-curing.
B. If necessary, trim off any excess fat, tendons, or meat. Say you're trying to make Capicola charcuterie. You might buy a boneless pork shoulder, and then cut the picnic end of the pork shoulder from the pork butt, leaving you with two distinct cuts of meat. You can then use the picnic end of the shoulder in a sausage, for example, and the butt in your dry-cure charcuterie.
C. For larger cuts of meat, consider stabbing the meat with a prong for better salt coverage. You don't have to stab the meat before applying the dry rub, but for certain cuts of meat — larger cuts or cuts like pork belly, which are often covered with a lining of fat — stabbing the meat allows the salt and nitrite mix to penetrate deeper into the meat, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the cure.
D. Decide whether you want to cure with a pre-mixed curing salt or mix your own. Dry-curing with salt will sap away the moisture from the meat and intensify the flavor of the meat, but it still won't eliminate the possibility of botulism spores germinating. To combat botulism, sodium nitrite is often used in combination with salt as "curing salts," "Instacure #1," and "pink salts." Botulism is a dangerous illness characterized by paralysis and respiratory problems caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
* Consult manufacturer's instructions for how much curing salt to use alongside regular salt. Usually, a 10:90 ratio of pink salt to regular salt is called for.
* If you are particular about exactly what goes into your cured meat, it might be best to add the sodium nitrite on your own. (See next step.) Most casual curers, however, will find it easiest to use pre-mixed curing salts, where they won't have to fuss with the ratio of salt to sodium nitrite.
* Why are pink salts pink? Manufacturers of pink salt purposely dye the salt for cooks so that they don't confuse curing salt with regular salt. That's because, in large quantities, sodium nitrite is toxic. Accidentally using pink salt instead of regular salt in your chicken soup, for example, could be very unfortunate. The pink dye itself does not influence the final color of the cured meat; the sodium nitrite does.
E. Use a ratio of 2:1000 sodium nitrite per salt, if mixing your own curing salt. If you want to make your own curing salts, be sure to nail the ratio of sodium nitrite to salt. For every 2 grams of sodium nitrite, for example, use 1000 grams of salt. Another way to do this is to take the total weight of your salt, multiply it by .002, and use that much sodium nitrite in your mix.
F. Mix up your spices along with your curing salt. Spices add a rich dimension of flavor to your cured meats. While it's important not to get too carried away and spice the meat to oblivion, a good spice mix will intensify flavors and add distinct profiles to your cures. In a small spice grinder, grind up your spices and add them to the curing salt/salt mixture. Here are some suggestions for spices to use:
* Peppercorns. Black, green, or white are essential in most spice mixes. There's a reason they call peppercorns the "master spice."
* Sugar. A little Demerara sugar adds a touch of caramel sweetness to your cure.
* Coriander and mustard seed. Adds smokiness to the meat.
* Star anise. Silky and slightly sweet, a little bit goes a long way. Slightly nutty.
* Fennel seed. Adds a pleasantly green or grassy dimension to the cure.
* Citrus zest. Adds a light, pleasantly acidic element that cuts through fattier pieces of meat.
G. With your hands, rub the curing salt and and spice mix over the entire cut of meat. Cover a tray with parchment and line the bottom generously with your curing salt and spice mix. Place your meat on the bed of curing salt (fat side up, if appropriate) and cover the top of the meat with your remaining mix for equal coverage. If desired, cover the top of the meat with another piece of parchment, then another tray, and finally a pair of bricks or another heavy object to weight the meat down.
* Do not use metal trays for this step without parchment. The metal reacts with the salt and sodium nitrite. If using a metal tray for underlayment, always use a piece of parchment between it and the salt mix.
* If you have a round piece of meat and want to keep it (more or less) round, you don't have to weight it down. The salt will do its job naturally. Weighting down is preferable for a pork belly, for example, that you later want to roll into shape.
H. Refrigerate the meat for 7 to 10 days. Allow for adequate airflow by leaving at least a small portion of the meat uncovered. After 7 to 10 days, a lot of the moisture should have been drawn out by the salt.
I. After 7 to 10 days, remove from the refrigerator and rinse off all the salt/spice mix. Under cold water, remove as much of the salt/spice mix as possible and allow to briefly air-dry over an elevated rack. Take a paper towel, as insurance, and wipe away any excess moisture before proceeding to the next step.
J. Roll up the meat (optional). Most cured meats will not need to be rolled into shape at this point, but some will. If you're taking pork belly, for example, and trying to make pancetta, you want to start with a rectangular piece of pork belly and roll up the longer end very tightly. The tighter the roll, the less space there is for mold or other bacteria to inhabit.
If you are rolling the cured meat, it helps to start with an even square or, usually, rectangle. Cut off pieces of meat on all four sides until you have a neat rectangle. Save the scraps for soups or render off the fat separately.
K. Wrap the meat in tightly cheesecloth. Tightly wrapping the meat in cheesecloth will help wick away any moisture that forms on the outside of the meat, keeping it dry while it ages. Fold the cheesecloth over both sides of the meat, bunch the cheesecloth up at both ends, and tie the ends into knots. If possible, create a second knot at the top of the cheesecloth into which you can pry your hanging hook.
L. Truss your meat to help it keep its shape while it ages (optional). Especially if dealing with a rolled piece of meat, trussing will help the meat stay tightly rolled and keep its shape. Use butcher's twine and simply tie off every inch until the length of the meat is trussed. Remove any dangling pieces of twine with shears.
M. Label the meat and hang in a cool, dark place for anywhere from two weeks to two months. A walk-in refrigerator is ideal, being cool and dark, but anywhere that doesn't get a lot of light and doesn't exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) will work.
N. Serve. After you've removed the trussing and cheesecloth, cut thin slices of the cured meat and enjoy. Store any cured meat you don't use immediately in a refrigerator.
2. BEEF
Dry-Cured Jerky
Homemade beef jerky.
Another option is to make "Jerky." I would probably choose making jerky out of beef, but I would be amenable to trying other meats, including game meat. The following description is taken directly from Wikipedia. I've snipped out parts that have to do with industrial production.
Description and History
Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed. The word "jerky" is derived from the Spanish word charqui which is in turn derived from the Incan Quechua word ch'arki. which means to burn (meat). All that is needed to produce basic "jerky" is a low-temperature drying method, and salt to inhibit bacterial growth.
[snip]
Preparation
Any particular preparation or recipe for jerky typically uses only one type of meat. Around the world, meat from domestic and wild animals is used to make jerky. Meats from domestic animals include bovine, pork, goat and mutton or lamb. Wild animals including deer, elk, caribou, kudu, springbok, kangaroo, bison and moose are also used. Recently, other animals such as turkey, ostrich, salmon, alligator, tuna, emu, horse, and camel have also been used.
The meat must be dried quickly, to limit bacterial growth during the critical period where the meat is not yet dry. To do this, the meat is thinly sliced, or pressed thinly, in the case of ground meat. The strips of meat are dried at low temperatures, to avoid cooking it, or overdrying it to the point where it is brittle.
[snip]
Some additional form of chemical preservative, such as sodium nitrite, is often used in conjunction with the historical salted drying procedure to prepare jerky. Smoking is the most traditional method, as it preserves, flavors, and dries the meat simultaneously. Salting is the most common method used today, as it both provides seasoning to improve the flavor as well as preserve the meat. While some methods involve applying the seasonings with a marinade, this can increase the drying time by adding moisture to the meat.
[snip]
Packages
After the jerky is dried to the proper moisture content to prevent spoilage, it is cooled, then packaged in (often resealable) plastic bags, either nitrogen gas flushed or vacuumed packed. To prevent the oxidation of the fat, the sealed packages often contain small pouches of oxygen absorber. These small packets are filled with iron particles which react with oxygen, removing the oxygen from the sealed jerky package, and from the air that is introduced after the seal is broken (due to partial consumption).
Most of the fat must be trimmed off prior to drying the meat, as fat does not dry, thus creating the potential for spoilage as the fat becomes rancid (modern vacuum packing and chemical preservatives have served to help prevent these risks).
Because of the necessary low fat and moisture content, jerky is high in protein. A 30 g (about 1 oz) portion of lean meat, for example, contains about 7 g of protein. By removing 15 g of water from the meat, the protein ratio is doubled to nearly 15 g of protein per 30 g portion. In some low moisture varieties, a 30 g serving will contain 21 grams of protein, and only one gram of fat.
[snip]
3. FISH
Factory Canned
My favorite Maine sardines.
If I am near a lake, river or stream I certainly will investigate the possibility of fishing. Even in winter of course there is the potential for ice fishing. If fishing becomes a bigger part of my plan, I may do a whole post on it.
4. EGGS
Fresh Eggs
Fresh laid chicken eggs.
This will mean a hen house. The eggs laying season is in the warmer months. Apparently you can extend this right through the winter if extra light and heat are provided. But my energy situation will be weak for the first couple of years. I might even wait until the second year to buy hens. The idea is attractive though and it would be nice to have them around.
Freezer Shed Idea
In the deep winter (December through February) - especially in the locations I am looking at around the Penobscot region - it might be completely realistic to simply build a freezer shed. I've had ideas about how to do this and will post some diagrams when I really nail them down.
Such an outdoor freezer shed would have to involve heavy insulation around the walls (probably in the form of thick styrofoam), with a screen vent to the outside at the very top and bottom to assure airflow. I think metal containers of ice or just ice blocks on metal racks above the shelves where meat and other food is stored would keep the air below freezing--19th Century style.
Refrigeration
As I talked about in the first post, Introduction - The Five Basics for Human Survival, For the house refrigerator I'm just going to use either a small electric 1.8 cubic foot model or a cooler of some kind where ice can be added to the top to keep the temperature at the right level. In this way frozen or cured foods can be moved inside for short term storage before eating them.
Other Sources of Protein
Nuts, seeds, legumes, grains and other non-animal protein will be discussed in a coming "Plants, Fruits and Vegetable" post.
That's it for today!
Thank you again for reading and following along on this adventure! Please consider making a contribution to support this blog and project if you can, by clicking the "Donate" button at the top right of this page.
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Property Update: It appears that the Penobscot County region has the kinds of prices and land that I'm looking for.
No serious commitments to anything yet.
This looks like a nice piece of property up in Hartland...
$5,900 for 1.02 Acres.
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