Melondy Phillips
Staff Writer
According to the FDA’s website, there were 32 listed food recalls for December 2024 and there are already three more as of January 7. The site also states, “…information gathered from press releases and other public notices…” and “Not all recalls have press releases or are posted on this page.”
With all the public food scares, isn’t it nice when we can make our own food? I’m not just talking about growing fruits and vegetables. Making simple items at home helps reduce our dependency on manufactured items such as ketchup, peanut butter, homemade deli meats, and other convenient foods and snacks.
Special equipment can be a major help but it’s not always necessary, for example, making peanut butter.
Years ago, I ran dry roasted peanuts through an old hand crank cast iron grain mill fitted with a flat disk. This did the trick but left behind a slightly grainy textured peanut butter. Each day the homemade peanut butter needed to be stirred due to the separation of oil. In more recent years, I was able to acquire a better tool. I absolutely love my Vitamix®! It makes quick work of making fresh nut butters and more. Just add a little salt, sugar, honey, or other flavoring (to taste) to some peanuts and blend. Even though this peanut butter is not completely emulsified, it has a very smooth and creamy texture, and the oils are very slow to separate.
Homemade frozen pops are not only pined for by children but are also a delicious treat for adults. Having molds for these frozen treats can give a feeling of nostalgia – but they are not required. To make a flavorful strawberry pop, blend together about a pound of frozen strawberries, a half cup of simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water), and a pinch of guar gum. Guar gum is not heat activated and is good for improving the texture of cold items like frozen pops. Once the mix is as smooth of a consistency as desired, pour into molds and insert a stick before placing them into the freezer. If using ice cube trays, pour the strawberry mix into trays, cover the trays with plastic wrap or foil and then poke a toothpick into the center of each. Freeze the mixture overnight and enjoy! Even though we had very limited resources when I was young, I still remember enjoying frozen ice cube pops as a special treat.
Bread is a common homemade item with a million and one ways to make it. Homemade bread doesn’t have emulsifiers, preservatives and other unknown additives. The bread can be as simple or as elaborate as the baker wishes.
Homemade cheese may be a little trickier but is doable. Soft cheeses are much easier to make than aged hard cheeses. A few examples of these are mozzarella, ricotta and cottage cheese. One thing to consider when making any cultured dairy products is the milk source. Starting with raw milk from a trusted local source has always been my go-to for cheese making. A few years back we lost our raw milk source. This led us to seriously contemplate getting our own cow. At the time, taking care of a milk cow was more work than we could handle so the idea was tabled. I am excited to announce that we can once again procure the precious substance. The probability of getting our own cow is still a possibility.
Another easily made dairy item is butter. It doesn’t matter if the milk is pasteurized or not but non-homogenized is best. When the milk is non-homogenized, the cream rises to the top. This rich cream makes a creamy butter with almost no waste. The liquid left over from making the butter is buttermilk. Buttermilk sold in stores today is a type of cultured milk which is a different product from true buttermilk. Cultured buttermilk, along with yogurt, kefir, Piima, Crème fraîche, sour cream and others, are all products that can be made at home with limited equipment, time and space.
Condiments from ketchup and mustard to barbecue sauce, salsa and relish can be made in large batches on a single day and then canned for use throughout the year. Each batch can be tailored to personal flavor preferences and dietary concerns.
Whole grain flour has a shorter shelf life than most people realize. Instead, try buying whole grains, which can last for years, and then grinding only what is needed for the next 1-2 weeks. The flavor and freshness can be well worth the one-to-three minutes of grinding, not to mention the savings from the reduced cost. At the time of this writing, a small one cup mill could be purchased for as little as $14.
Chocolate is another big store item that can be made at home and in bulk. Having a high-powered blender is helpful but not necessary. The most basic recipe is only two ingredients, cacao nibs and sugar, but the combinations are endless.
There are so many processed foods that can be made at home with little effort and ingredients.
I sign off for now with one last recommendation – cookies.
Try making a double batch of your favorite cookies. Bake some as normal. With the rest of the dough, make flattened balls on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. The next day, transfer the frozen disks into a freezer bag. When that cookie craving hits out of nowhere, take a few out of the freezer and pop them in the oven; a convenient snack without a trip to the store and then finding out the next week that they were recalled.