What is everyone doing about fats and oils post collapse?

[SoJer]

..If you get olive oil from Italy.... The mafia controls the OO industry so there is a lot of political "influence" if you will. Calif. olive oil is actually a better option if we want real olive oil.

Mmm, ya, but with Zommiefornia OO, within 6 mo's ya mysteriously 'start wearing more pink', rabidly hating Trump for ???, voluntarily melt-down All yer guns, and charging out the minute ya can to vote straight Blue - kind of 'counterproductive' methinks.. jk..

Good point to be "careful" about Italian OO - From what I've researched, it's the EVOO ya mostly gotta be watchful about (acidity-levels as Low as they claim / Purity, etc) Purportedly, EVOO from both Greece and Spain are "safer bets", as the regulating entities aren't under such 'influences', and Do a good job of holding strict to Standards, etc, but..

That said, still, best to do some 'homework' on Any source, before 'banking hundreds of $$$' / stocking Gallons upon Gallons, etc..

.02
jd

 

[Caribou]

What brand Powdered whole milk & how long does it last in the pantry?
Can powdered whole milk be added to hot coffee n it's dry form or must it be add to water first?
I have found that some pull tops brake off & you have to get out the mini vise grips, this may not be the can cheese problem.

Hoosier Hill Farms (Amazon) is the brand that I buy. I’ve not tried the milk. The heavy cream powder works in my coffee. I use it in my closed top car cup and shake it after filling with hot coffee. Most of it dissolves before the shaking but there are always a few lumps to deal with.

 

[Caribou]

Rendering fat is pretty easy. I have every confidence you would be able to figure it out quickly.
RE the olive oil. I think most olive oil actually comes out of India??? If you get olive oil from Italy - hang on if we here in the US, not sure about there - it is not pure olive oil anyways. The mafia controls the OO industry so there is a lot of political "influence" if you will. For us Calif. olive oil is actually a better option if we want real olive oil.

Rendering seal oil is pretty easy. You cut the seal fat into cubes about 1/2” on a side, put it in a bowl and pour off the oil as it comes from the fat. It is used mostly as a condiment. I’ve seen it done but never developed the taste.

 

[LadyLocust]

Rendering seal oil is pretty easy. You cut the seal fat into cubes about 1/2” on a side, put it in a bowl and pour off the oil as it comes from the fat. It is used mostly as a condiment. I’ve seen it done but never developed the taste.

Rendering seal oil is pretty easy. You cut the seal fat into cubes about 1/2” on a side, put it in a bowl and pour off the oil as it comes from the fat. It is used mostly as a condiment. I’ve seen it done but never developed the taste.

You and your seal oil and moose poop - I don't know about you. I think I'll just go out in my back yard and gather those up
I've heard seal is not even an acquired taste but a taste that is forced upon you from birth.

 

[Caribou]

You and your seal oil and moose poop - I don't know about you. I think I'll just go out in my back yard and gather those up
I've heard seal is not even an acquired taste but a taste that is forced upon you from birth.

Probably more of us have access to bear grease than seal oil, but what fun is that?

 

[Aerindel]

Maybe different areas may have different options. Around here, at least in a few stores, the butcher in the meat department still cuts up the beef. I haven't asked for fat but people I know get leg bones for their dogs to chew on, and it is possible to get your steaks cut super thick, with extra fat on the edges, or trimmed clean of fat for people who still think animal fat is what is killing them.

You can get about a pint or two... of rendered white tallow from a brisket.

To be fair, brisket isn't cheap....but it is really tasty.

Not hard to render. I always save my fat and render it down. Even made a video about it

 

[Caribou]

You can get about a pint or two... of rendered white tallow from a brisket.

To be fair, brisket isn't cheap....but it is really tasty.

Not hard to render. I always save my fat and render it down. Even made a video about it

I can’t see buying brisket to render the tallow but saving the tallow makes as much sense as saving bacon grease. The tallow would make good pie crust and gravy.

Fat/grease is a hard thing to come by and it is important to the diet. The brain and nervous system is mostly fat. I view this thread as an idea bank should the need ever arise. I doubt that many here will ever collect seal oil but hopefully, should the need ever arise, we will look in nontraditional places for fat. A roast duck renders a surprising amount of fat.

I make a chicken stew. I use chicken with the bone and skin intact. This adds fat, for oil and flavor, plus the bone adds flavor and all the benefits of the marrow.

 

[Aerindel]

I can’t see buying brisket to render the tallow but saving the tallow makes as much sense as saving bacon grease. The tallow would make good pie crust and gravy.

No, I wouldn't buy it for that either.....but if you like brisket anyway....its worth trimming and rendering the fat that would normally be discarded or cooked out and lost.

Good comment about ducks. I've never eaten duck, but I do see them locally and would be easily hunted....until they are hunted out. We also have beaver, which I understand is a good fat source.

 

[elkhound]

no matter the animal source this will help

 

[LadyLocust]

No, I wouldn't buy it for that either.....but if you like brisket anyway....its worth trimming and rendering the fat that would normally be discarded or cooked out and lost.

Good comment about ducks. I've never eaten duck, but I do see them locally and would be easily hunted....until they are hunted out. We also have beaver, which I understand is a good fat source.

You've never had duck!? That surprises me. I don't care much for it but if it came down to it, I'd eat it of course.

 

[joel]

You've never had duck!? That surprises me. I don't care much for it but if it came down to it, I'd eat it of course.

could eat a lot of things if t came down to t.
Never cook duck, understand you have to let the fat flow off to get a good duck.
Put the duck in a pan with a screen(cookie grill), poke hole in the duck skin before cooking.
I have only eaten duck in restaurants.

 

[Caribou]

could eat a lot of things if t came down to t.
Never cook duck, understand you have to let the fat flow off to get a good duck.
Put the duck in a pan with a screen(cookie grill), poke hole in the duck skin before cooking.
I have only eaten duck in restaurants.

Made Duck à l’orange to impress my girlfriend. She married me anyway. The vet put our dog on a duck and potato diet. The wife cooks her duck for treats. The amount of grease produced is surprising.

 

[Aerindel]

You've never had duck!? That surprises me. I don't care much for it but if it came down to it, I'd eat it of course.

Just not the kind of thing I see on the menu here and I've never really been that interested in hunting them.

I haven't heard many people say they like duck either so I guess just never went out of my way to find one to eat.

 

[INresponse]

No, I wouldn't buy it for that either.....but if you like brisket anyway....its worth trimming and rendering the fat that would normally be discarded or cooked out and lost.

Good comment about ducks. I've never eaten duck, but I do see them locally and would be easily hunted....until they are hunted out. We also have beaver, which I understand is a good fat source.

We raise ducks, mostly for the eggs, but from time to time we invite one to dinner. We started with others, silver appleyard and others if I remember correctly, but now we mostly have Pekin with a few crossed with our one male (whatever breed he is). Pekin are a larger breed, have a considerable amount of fat under the skin but not in the meat, and grow big and fast compared to the others. The best thing about the Pekin, when roasted the meat tastes like roast beef. It is delicious!!!! My GF loves roasting them and collecting the fat for later uses. I just love eating them. One thing about duck, even though there is a lot of fat under the skin you need to cook them covered to keep the moisture in the meat or it will dry out. Kinda like when cooking a turkey wrong. But, it isn't hard to research a good recipe for roast duck.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Duck fat is known for being very well suited to frying up potatoes.

A lot of the world's best gourmet chefs prefer duck fat for cooking potatoes.

Duck fat is high in Zinc making it a natural antiviral.

In typical duck fat, only about a third of the fat content is saturated.

 

[Canon29]

Duck (and goose for that matter) is absolutely delicious..

I have noticed some difference in taste between diving ducks and puddle ducks but that's hardly a concern in a survival. Everyone goes crazy for turkey in this country- I think it's about the most overrated game bird there is. Duck is far better imo both taste and nutritionally.

 

[SoJer]

We raise ducks, mostly for the eggs, ...

Yep, my eldest Son made a wholesale-believer (in Ducks for Eggs) outta me, 'by Example'..

..SO Good, too..

..So, yah - Firmly a believer in Muscovy for eggs and meat, but.. First, I need to find a way for both our Dogs - and the ~3 mo's of Brutal summer heat, down here - to not Kill them.. Safety from the Dogs, I've got worked out, but.. The Heat is a yet-to-be-figured tricky-spot (area where it's 100% safe from the Dogs Unavoidably gets into / north of the 110˚s - in the shade - for sometimes a week+ here, so.. TBD.

Anyhoo, speaking of 'Muscovy'...

...I haven't heard many people say they like duck either so...

..Well, Mon Freré, maybe you just haven't met the Right People yet. Muscovy duck is Awesome. Here's one of my Fav recipes: Jalapeño Cream Cheese n Bacon Duck Poppers

..But, even just doing up some Breasts 'in foil' (butter / sea salt / course grindered pepper / rosemary 'em; wrap in 'foil burrito', leaving 'air gap' up top to enable steam-pocket; toss in 400˚ oven / dutch oven for ~10-12 mins) is Amazing.

Stop in next time yer down this way, We'll hunt some up local / cook it up on 'the barbie'..

jd

 

[Tommyice]

Duck fat is known for being very well suited to frying up potatoes.

A lot of the world's best gourmet chefs prefer duck fat for cooking potatoes.

Duck fat is high in Zinc making it a natural antiviral.

In typical duck fat, only about a third of the fat content is saturated.

It's a delicious fat to use for savory pastry crusts too.

The barn where I kept my horse was more of a menagerie--name an animal and my friend had one or more of them at some time. When I would take care of the horses and animals when the regular caretaker was unavailable, he would pay me animal products. The ducks were some of my favorites.

 

[Cabin Fever]

To put the minimum requirement of dietary fats needed for a healthy diet, a 200# adult would need to consume the equivalent of about 2/3 cup of peanuts.

 

[Canon29]

To put the minimum requirement of dietary fats needed for a healthy diet, a 200# adult would need to consume the equivalent of about 2/3 cup of peanuts.

In the case of a normal diet yes. If you are on a primarily carnivorous diet long term you actually need quite a bit more.

 

[Tim Horton]

My experience with black bear fat has been, with the fat as well as the meat... If you harvest an animal that has been on a bad diet both the fat and meat can be not fit to eat.. If you harvest an animal that has been on a good diet, the fat will be good as well...

However the fat will be quite ..rich.. as the meat is also and best to be used sparingly.. There may be a better term for this than ...rich... but that seems to work best for me...

The little experience with the fat of moose, caribou, raccoon, wood chuck (marmot), goose, wild turkey, and even venison at times I never cared for..

Your experience may be different...
== ==
Then there is the old joke about cooking a diving variety of duck on a wood shingle.. When the duck is done, throw the duck away and eat the shingle... It will taste better...

 

[Bluedanube]

I started rendering fats about three years ago from our pork and beef. We can the tallow or lard and I freeze the cracklings. So far I’ve not had much issue with any of it going rancid, and our use of vegetable oils has plummeted. I really only buy super high quality olive oil for pasta dishes. My husband bought me a nice meat grinder for Christmas and I actually ground about 35lbs of beef fat on Tuesday night that was from the steer we split with my folks. I will render most of it through the spring on the deck after the wind slows down. Rendering tallow is a bit stinky so it’s only done outside. Lard is less so and I have done a few batches inside, but I rather do it outside also. The cracklings are a great addition to soups, stews, and cornbread. My goal of zero waste is a slow march but we keep making progress!

 

[Cabin Fever]

In the case of a normal diet yes. If you are on a primarily carnivorous diet long term you actually need quite a bit more.

I am of the opinion that in a SHTF situation, which this thread is all about, no one will be eating any kind of special diet, or even a "normal" diet.

 

[Canon29]

I am of the opinion that in a SHTF situation, which this thread is all about, no one will be eating any kind of special diet, or even a "normal" diet.

I don't understand this comment- if it's not a normal diet it's technically a special diet... but you also said no one will have a special diet?

Regardless, a SHTF diet for me would be wild edibles and game meaning much higher fat content to allow to ketones and glucose production through ketogensis and gluconeogensis respectively- Which is essentially a "specialty" low carb, ketogenic diet. Without that fat- rabbit starvation (protein poisoning) would occur.

 

[Tim Horton]

Trivia..
Rabbit starvation - protein poisoning is a real thing... The pioneers in the old west settlement days and the far north west experienced this through the 1940s.. For instance.. Just because you were able to harvest a moose that would last most of the winter doesn't mean you were well fed.. One homestead in the far north I was acquainted with was more well known and important in its day for growing a field of potatoes as maintaining the river crossing barge located there.. This from the 1870 through the early 1920s...

 

[Aerindel]

Just because you were able to harvest a moose that would last most of the winter doesn't mean you were well fed

No, but luckily moose do have a lot of fat.

mmmm....moose......I haven't had moose in so long....I miss it.

 

[INresponse]

Trivia..
Rabbit starvation - protein poisoning is a real thing... The pioneers in the old west settlement days and the far north west experienced this through the 1940s..

Rabbis Starvation is real, if the only thing you eat is rabbit meat. Rabbits, like elk and several other critters do not have much fat in the meat, it is all under the skin and rabbits have very little fat anyways unless they are the special meat breeds.
You can eat rabbits on a regular basis but you need a source for fat, which is best, or a source for carbohydrates. The rabbit starvation occurred because those poor, hungry people had no other food to eat and it takes energy to digest food so they were burning calories and withering away.

 

[Cabin Fever]

I don't understand this comment- if it's not a normal diet it's technically a special diet... but you also said no one will have a special diet?

Regardless, a SHTF diet for me would be wild edibles and game meaning much higher fat content to allow to ketones and glucose production through ketogensis and gluconeogensis respectively- Which is essentially a "specialty" low carb, ketogenic diet. Without that fat- rabbit starvation (protein poisoning) would occur.

What I meant was, there will be no predefined diet in a SHTF scenario. You'll eat what you can harvest, both plants and animals, and be thankful for it. No starving person is going to turn away any food just because it's too high in carbs or doesn't have enough fat content. People will be seeking calories and care less if it is from carbs, protein, or fat.

 

[INresponse]

I use olive oil a lot in cooking but have other thought about what you'll do when you're no longer able to buy oils? I don't believe that olive oil keeps long term.

In the case of a normal diet yes. If you are on a primarily carnivorous diet long term you actually need quite a bit more.

I am of the opinion that in a SHTF situation, which this thread is all about, no one will be eating any kind of special diet, or even a "normal" diet.

I don't understand this comment- if it's not a normal diet it's technically a special diet... but you also said no one will have a special diet?

Regardless, a SHTF diet for me would be wild edibles and game meaning much higher fat content to allow to ketones and glucose production through ketogensis and gluconeogensis respectively- Which is essentially a "specialty" low carb, ketogenic diet. Without that fat- rabbit starvation (protein poisoning) would occur.

What I meant was, there will be no predefined diet in a SHTF scenario. You'll eat what you can harvest, both plants and animals, and be thankful for it. No starving person is going to turn away any food just because it's too high in carbs or doesn't have enough fat content. People will be seeking calories and care less if it is from carbs, protein, or fat.

I think the main topic of the discussion is what is a good, long storing fat/oil to have stored and what foods post event would be helpful in keeping us healthy.
But, post event we will all have our own different specialty diets we prepared for and what we are able to harvest from our homestead and the wild.
Some will be eating a lot of fish, others deer or moose or bear, others wild birds and squirrels, and some will be living off their storage and homestead critters. Here in the desert maybe scorpions and jackrabbits, I suspect the deer and elk will be harvested away real quick. But I have a shotgun for pigeons and other wild birds in the area. It is almost impossible to eradicate pigeons.

 

[LadyLocust]

My experience with black bear fat has been, with the fat as well as the meat... If you harvest an animal that has been on a bad diet both the fat and meat can be not fit to eat.. If you harvest an animal that has been on a good diet, the fat will be good as well...

However the fat will be quite ..rich.. as the meat is also and best to be used sparingly.. There may be a better term for this than ...rich... but that seems to work best for me...

The little experience with the fat of moose, caribou, raccoon, wood chuck (marmot), goose, wild turkey, and even venison at times I never cared for..

Your experience may be different...
== ==
Then there is the old joke about cooking a diving variety of duck on a wood shingle.. When the duck is done, throw the duck away and eat the shingle... It will taste better...

Spring bear is for the pelt - not good meat as they are feeding on fawns and salmon or fish. Fall bear is delicious and we agree a rich flavor (Hubby’s favorite) as they are typically eating fruits and berries but their pelt is thinner - slicked out from summer.