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Of Ice Storms, Power Outages, and Cooking from the Larder

© Pier Jones

My thoughtful husband gave me something for Christmas last year that I have longed for for many years-----a woodburning Cookstove. It proved most useful immediately. We were hit hard by ice storms on Christmas Day, 2000. By evening, our power was knocked out, and remained so for 73 hours, in temperatures ranging from the low teens, to mid twenties. Thank goodness we heat primarily with wood anyway, so had an ample supply of cut, seasoned wood on hand. Our big woodstove was helpful, but couldn't begin to heat the whole house without the use of its blowers. The little wood cookstove (brand new, never-been-used, but 70 years old, when we got it!) proved very useful for heating as well as cooking. I should mention that cooking on top of a woodstove requires no special skill, but baking is proving an interesting challenge!

Between the two woodstoves, I was able to keep a good supply of hot water on hand for washing dishes as well as taking "spit baths". We had no water because we are on a well, which requires electricity to operate and are most grateful to neighbors who had rural water access, and allowed us to haul water from their place not only for our own use, but for watering our 18 horses, plus numerous chickens, cats, and dogs.

There is little that provides a feeling of security in such a situation, so much as having a full larder. I was relieved to not only have more than enough home-canned and -dried foods on hand to feed us, but other family members in the same predicament.

I thought I would share with you a recipe for Turkey Soup that I made last week, as well as our New Year's Day Menu, which also came completely from home-canned items.

Turkey Soup

1 pint canned turkey, including juice

1 qt water

1 half pint sliced, dried Baby Bella mushrooms

1 hefty handful crushed, dried greens (I used collards, because they add more body)

1 half pint dried green beans, with juice

3 T dried vegetable powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all and simmer over medium heat (or whatever heat you have going on that woodstove!) until the green beans are tender.

Southern New Year Menu

This menu was whipped up entirely from foods I had put up during the year.

Black-eyed Peas http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food... ---season by adding a piece of Salt Pork during the simmering.

Collard Greens http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food... ----- season with a pat of butter, or a little bacon grease (no one said this was a low-fat meal!)

Fried Okra frozen from last summer

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