Scratch cooking --- a healthy way.

[PT7]

After I read this interesting article, I wondered if scratch cooking really is a lost art?
So sending it around to see what the "Henry chefs" think.
http://www.askaprepper.com/the-lost-art ... 58dGc1Lg==

What the article reminded me of was when Mom used to send me outside to the veggie garden to pick a good part of our Sunday dinners. Always had great veggie dishes with our meals, prepared in a variety of tasty ways ! And of course, the bounty from the apple, peach, and lemon trees made terrific desserts --- always tart, because Mom usually cut any sugar by 1/2 to 3/4 of what was called for. Lemon desserts especially make the tongue curl!

I know some Henry folk enjoy cooking. This was a good read, and thought the article might be of some interest.
Enjoy!

[ditto1958]

While I freely admit to some guilty pleasures that come in a box, I mostly cook everything from scratch. Cheaper, healthier and better tasting.

[CT_Shooter]

We would love to cook from "scratch"; but do not.

We buy milk, butter, cream, flour, yeast, sugar and any number of other ingredients that we use to prepare meals. We do have two chickens, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and bushes, an herb garden, and we buy locally grown veggies that we don't or can't grow at home at farm markets that seem to be everywhere now. That said, from 'scratch' is way more than we do or even plan to do. We do ferment all kinds of things, from corned beef to pickles and saurkraut; and we can, dry, and freeze whenever and whatever we can, but we do not grind flour or harvest milk from animals, or even hunt for meat (though that's a huge goal I hope to meet). I've tried for years to keep bees, but the pesticides used by too many growers in the area prevent them from surviving into the fall or winter. I finally gave up.

We do make almost everything else from scratch using ingredients we buy -- but we do buy them. That's a huge difference.

I don't think we'll ever live a from "scratch" lifestyle. But, we do our best to avoid the worst of the food that's sold and try to make what we can with the ingredients that are available. Can you say, "home made Ice Cream?" OMG.

[JEBar]

my wife comes from a long line of excellent cooks .... as the oldest of 7 children coming up on a Midwestern farm, she learned from her Mom and is now passing the traditions on to our daughter and daughters-in-law .... my Dad was an excellent mountain cook who started me out working in kitchens of his various restaurants that featured country cuisine .... we often comment when driving by restaurant row that very few people must cook at home .... we don't raise a garden anymore but do frequent the local farmer's market where we buy by the bushel and can or freeze a number of veggies and berries

[daytime dave]

I enjoyed that read. Thank you. I try to cook all things as close to scratch as possible.

I grind my own grain. It takes time and commitment. I would have it no other way at this point.

[PT7]

Good Day, JEBar. I'm wondering...what is a "mountain cook?" Not heard that description before.
Is it connected to the "country cuisine" you said his restaurants offered?

my wife comes from a long line of excellent cooks .... as the oldest of 7 children coming up on a Midwestern farm, she learned from her Mom and is now passing the traditions on to our daughter and daughters-in-law .... my Dad was an excellent mountain cook who started me out working in kitchens of his various restaurants that featured country cuisine .... we often comment when driving by restaurant row that very few people must cook at home .... we don't raise a garden anymore but do frequent the local farmer's market where we buy by the bushel and can or freeze a number of veggies and berries

[PT7]

I learned as much, if not more, from you Henry Folk as from the article....

ditto 1958 -- you gave me your observation, which I had never thought about: "....better tasting." That was a tongue, errrr, eye opener to me.

CT_Shooter -- quite an interesting distinction you shared: " "... 'scratch' is way more than we do .... We do make almost everything else from scratch using ingredients we buy -- but we do buy them. That's a huge difference."

DD -- you shared what is probably a deal breaker for a lot of people: "I grind my own grain. It takes time and commitment."

I also agree with the premise of the article, that scratch cooking is becoming more and more a "lost art," if not there already.
Thanks much for your comments. They were all a good read back to me!

[JEBar]

Good Day, JEBar. I'm wondering...what is a "mountain cook?" Not heard that description before.
Is it connected to the "country cuisine" you said his restaurants offered?

Dad was a product of the great depression and WWII .... those experiences shaped his life .... for the most part, "Mountain Folk" of that era were hard working, poor people who had to save, couldn't afford to waste anything .... they had a garden, some chickens, a hog or two out back and a cow or two out in the pasture .... they preserved food through canning and nothing left over at one meal was thrown away .... they ate simple, solid food .... today mountain cooking is all but synonymous with country cooking, the degree of difference varies from region to region .... no sauce drizzled on the plate but gravy for the taters and biscuits was usually close by .... as but one example, in his restaurants, veggies left over from one day were in the soup the next .... pork was heavily used as seasoning for

[MartinEr]

So last night i made my first meal as an official single dad. I made Pigs N a blanket and mac n cheese. Needless to say my 5yr old didnt like it of course and my reply was "its all im ever cooking again so love it" at least my 1yr old seem to enjoy it.

[daytime dave]

Martin,
Congratulations on your first meal as a single dad. I raised my two children on my own. Certainly a challenge too. Cooking will be one of the easiest tasks. Good luck and glad you are here.