The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

Up here at Location, in Yellowstone National Park, I'm learning alot of things.

Some key thoughts:
you  have to be flexible. Now that we're snowed in and food arrives via snowcoach, how long something is going to last, otherwise known as "shelf life" is critical.

If the lettuce freezes its junk. You can throw it in stock, but, not so great on tacos.
Ok, so fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are at a premium. We don't waste anything. You would think we had starving kids in Africa on Location.

So, we're getting in a lot of back up supplies, like frozen, dried and canned.

The apples? Love them. We peeled them and made apple crisp, by design, from fresh apples. The chef told me they would actually ferment, providing a natural yeast product if left in a warm spot. I didn't hardly believe it, considering how long they've been in storage since harvest.

I remembered apple mash, the trash left over from making apple cider at Bethke's Orchard, discarded into a near by field. It was during the heat of fall, and eventually one day the farmer called, said, Don't Do That Anymore, the cows are getting drunk. Turns out, the mash, apple trash, had fermented into a lovely intoxicating mess.

Well, we here at location have discovered that left in water, the apple trash will ferment. The peelings must be submerged, held down with a lid or plate or else they will mold. Not good for beverages.

In a survival situation, this knowlege could provide fermentation for breads and drinks.

I'm loving it up here at Yellowstone Lake Man Camp.

I've got some wine brewing. My process is so simple a child could handle it. I buy one bottle of juice from Walmart, like Apple Juice. Using a clean, empty bottle, I split the juice between them and add a quarter teaspoon of baking yeast to each one. I swish it around to mix it. You can see in this photo that I also added raisins, about half a cup, to each bottle. This gives it flavor and extra sugar to ferment. I then place a balloon over the openings. They will inflate as the yeast ferments.

In this photo you can see one jug is nearly finished fermenting because the balloon is starting to deflate. At this point, a person can decide to add a bit of sugar, cap it and store it in the frig. It will continue to work a little more. Strain it for clarity before serving.
Or, like me, a person can add more juice, and if they really want some extra fermentation, a few tablespoons of sugar. I chose brown sugar because it will have more flavor.


I then replaced the balloon, and its back fermenting again. Be very careful if you plan to re-charge the wine by adding more sugar and juice. If you tear the balloon, you'll need a new one.
Some people don't use balloons to cover the wine while its working. I like to do it because it keeps all critters out of it and its fun to watch the balloon grow and shrink.

The stuff smelled fabulous, by the way.