Townsends historical cooking channel--Portable Soup

[Schneb]

I am just discovering this guy's YouTube channel with many, many episodes (nicely short, concise 5-8 min. or so, each) where he does a recipe from the 1800s or so, or earlier. This one is for making portable soup, but there are others with different ways to preserve food, or to cook using old-style preserved food.

In the little bit that I read about him, he the son of the founder of a store that sells historical reenacting gear, so his interest in this has that sort of application in mind, but there seems like a lot in what he does that would work well for off-grid situations.

[dalewick]

Thanks for the post. Good field recipes are few and far between. Look forward to watching a good many of these. Ramen for dinner or freeze dried in the hunting camp, gets old fast.

Dale

[Buggyout]

I've been watching him for quite some time now. GOOD stuff if you're into early American cooking. I love how he uses the period kitchen too! Fascinating!

-Buggy

[CountryGuy]

I mentioned him somewhere a few months back. He has a series he did at Mt Vernon with some of their people there and also saw one he did with a re-enactor friend who happens to own a coffee shop where they roast their coffee and they walked thru roasting your own green coffee beans over a camp fire. He has a lot of the tools and items he uses on his website for sale. Like a small single pot coffee grinder... Awesome ideas and I like that he shows things made from basic staples which I'm sure most or all of us have in our preps and also gives ideas on things we should maybe consider in them.

[Applejack]

This is really good to know. As soon as I get some time, I am going to start watching some of these. Thinks for the info.

[RICHFL]

Thanks for the post. Good field recipes are few and far between. Look forward to watching a good many of these. Ramen for dinner or freeze dried in the hunting camp, gets old fast.

Dale

One thing you can do is use broth (beef, chicken, pork) to change the taste of the noodles Cook the noodles and broth together, to make the basics of a soup. Add vegetables and or meat to make it into a meal. Do not use the spice packet. Save it..

[dalewick]

One thing you can do is use broth (beef, chicken, pork) to change the taste of the noodles Cook the noodles and broth together, to make the basics of a soup. Add vegetables and or meat to make it into a meal. Do not use the spice packet. Save it..

Thanks RICHFL, I've been doing all of that for a lot of years. Started carrying Ramen in the Army to supplement my food. I've added the freeze dried beef or pork patties, BBQ meatballs, bullion cubes, fresh caught anything (shrimp, fish, snake, lizard, etc.), canned chicken, texas pete hot sauce, or whatever else was available for a change. I even added some of the freeze dried LRRP rats at times (especially the chili con carne) to make a meal. Normally carried at least 1 bag of ramen for however many days I thought we would be gone. Mixed in 1/3 pound of dry white rice for each day along with whatever LRRP or MRE rats we were issued and that's what I ate while squatting in the jungle, where ever. That habit just kept going with what I take hunting. Getting old and like a change for my meals anymore. Thanks for the thought.

Dale

[Schneb]

I mentioned him somewhere a few months back. He has a series he did at Mt Vernon with some of their people there and also saw one he did with a re-enactor friend who happens to own a coffee shop where they roast their coffee and they walked thru roasting your own green coffee beans over a camp fire. He has a lot of the tools and items he uses on his website for sale. Like a small single pot coffee grinder... Awesome ideas and I like that he shows things made from basic staples which I'm sure most or all of us have in our preps and also gives ideas on things we should maybe consider in them.

I saw the one with the campfire roasted coffee--I'd like to try that. I'll be looking up where to get green coffee now. Not sure if that's a post SHTF skill (how would I get the green coffee in that situation?) but seems like a fun thing to try next time I'm cooking over a campfire.

And now I'm thinking I'll look up other historical reenacting info/resources. Coming at prepping in terms of how folks did things in the past is always fun. Usually, there's a lighter-wieght and/or higher tech version of gear (for example, tents, pans, etc.) but seeing that people got along ok with the older versions is good to know. And sometimes the older versions have things going for them (parts are easier to replace, built like a tank, etc.)

Seems like that would be an interesting discussion: which items are better in their 'old style' version and which are better in the 'new and improved'. Probably a matter of beauty is in the eye of the beholder where everyone has their own preferences.

[Schneb]

Another historical reenactor supplier: Panther Primitives. I like the look of some of their gear--it might not be what you'd want in a BOB--it's heavy looking, and/or not the sort of stripped-down, essential items--but browsing their catalogue gives idea for DIY items. And they sell both the finished version as well as DIY guides (for camp furniture, clothes, etc) and materials (for sewing clothing, bags, etc.) and for maintaining gear.

Also, some iron hooks that attach to an old-style, wooden tent pole, and such that could be kind of handy and easier to buy than to make.

http://www.pantherprimitives.com/catalog25/Catalog25web.pdf

Page '78' (or 80 in the downloaded version) had the camp furniture guides, and there's an index at the end if you wanted to look up specific items.

[CountryGuy]

I saw the one with the campfire roasted coffee--I'd like to try that. I'll be looking up where to get green coffee now. Not sure if that's a post SHTF skill (how would I get the green coffee in that situation?) but seems like a fun thing to try next time I'm cooking over a campfire.

Schneb, You're better to store green coffee beans if you are looking at long term stores. already roasted or ground stuff in a can doesn't last as long as the green beans. So learning how to roast would be key. I have a friend that's into home roasting. He buys his green beans from a local coffee place that roasts their own and then he uses the old style electric air popcorn popper to roast them. Dude makes some insanely awesome coffee. Says he's always on the look out for air poppers at garage sales, thrift stores, etc...

And now I'm thinking I'll look up other historical reenacting info/resources. Coming at prepping in terms of how folks did things in the past is always fun. Usually, there's a lighter-wieght and/or higher tech version of gear (for example, tents, pans, etc.) but seeing that people got along ok with the older versions is good to know. And sometimes the older versions have things going for them (parts are easier to replace, built like a tank, etc.)

Seems like that would be an interesting discussion: which items are better in their 'old style' version and which are better in the 'new and improved'. Probably a matter of beauty is in the eye of the beholder where everyone has their own preferences.

Spot on, I think a big takeaway is the skills and procedures to be learned from reenactors - be they midleages, Revoltutionary, Pioneer, Civil War or WW2. something they used to make out of heavy canvas or leather might be made today with more modern canvas or materials like poly or nylon bought at a material shop - nylon or other synthetic materials though I'm guessing there are techniques to be learned for properly sewing those just like there would be if you were doing it in oiled canvas or leather.

I think this also helps make the point that in our preps, besides the typical beans and bullets we should have materials be it cloth, lumber, sheets of different metals, leather, rope, string, nails, screws, glues, rivets, sealants, epoxy... and the proper tools to install or use them. I mean with a can of bondo resin and pieces of cloth you can make your own micarta scales for knives or whatever else you might need. With some Kydex sheet you can make your own sheaths or holster for a knife, gun, ax or other tool. Lets not forget a set of good quality tools from saws and chisels to squares and a bit and brace set. I mean we can likely find ways to charge my 20V Dewalt drill via solar or some other method but what about when the battery or charger finally dies or the motor burns out. I often think people don't consider what all goes away in a true grid down or what happens when something breaks. What kind of items, tools and equipment are needed beyond food. You can have 50lbs of seeds but if you don't have a way to till the ground or a way to manually pump water, or hoses to move from a rain barrel to your garden will you be successful? And on the other end, do they have a cool packer and supplies that would be needed to can their produce so they have it to eat thru the winter.

As you say the items and gear re-enactors use might be heavy and aren't necessarily for bugging out but they likely are the exact things to have at home or at your BOL to use long term following something like a full grid down situation. that cast iron butch oven will long outlast that titanium backpacking pot.

[Black Powder]

John Townsend is the real deal who I've met a number of times at reenactments and market fairs. It has always been a pleasure of sitting around an evening campfire with him and other such like minded folks just shooting the bull and sharing what we know.

[CountryGuy]

John Townsend is the real deal who I've met a number of times at reenactments and market fairs. It has always been a pleasure of sitting around an evening campfire with him and other such like minded folks just shooting the bull and sharing what we know.

He's out of southern Indiana isn't he?