Food That Preserved A Nation

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  • Опубліковано 24 лют 2024
  • We eat preserved food everyday. Modern day conveniences offer canned goods, even deep freezers for meat and vegetables. What about 250 years ago. How did folks make it by in times of drought or through a harsh winter? Find out in “Food That Preserved A Nation.”
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,1 тис.

  • @townsends
    @townsends  2 місяці тому +41

    Historical Food Preservation Playlist ua-cam.com/play/PL4e4wpjna1vxjVcKc_BHTb0nsvVwimwXt.html

    • @jesuslovesmebetter
      @jesuslovesmebetter Місяць тому

      Much Love, J. Thanks for keeping our history.

    • @twodogs716
      @twodogs716 22 дні тому

      Know where I can buy hat "blanks" to make tricorn hats? Love this video!

  • @SunsetWatcher77
    @SunsetWatcher77 2 місяці тому +2689

    Beef jerky went from essential preserved staple to luxury good. Jerky prices are outrageous.

    • @nonegone7170
      @nonegone7170 2 місяці тому +2

      Low supply + ever increasing demand =

    • @Just_Sara
      @Just_Sara 2 місяці тому +176

      Making your own is a little cheaper maybe, and kind of fun! Takes some time, though.

    • @goblinslayer6375
      @goblinslayer6375 2 місяці тому +26

      make ur own

    • @AlRoderick
      @AlRoderick 2 місяці тому +328

      Of course it's expensive. It's a time and labor intensive process that starts with the most expensive kind of food (beef) and then removes the cheapest part of its weight (water).

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 2 місяці тому +57

      ​@@AlRoderickDifferent parts of North America are suffering from a severe drought. This is affecting farmers and ranchers, and this is why beef prices are going up.

  • @FrikInCasualMode
    @FrikInCasualMode 2 місяці тому +1387

    Many of those techniques are still used in rural Poland. Every fall, when it gets cool enough we pack sauerkraut into a barrel with salt and shredded carrots for color and health benefits. We dry forest mushrooms to add them to soups and sauces during winter. We pickle cucumbers in jars. And many houses still have small smoke houses in the backyard, to smoke homemade sausages and cured hams or slabs of bacon.

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 2 місяці тому +74

      I'm in Canada, and I have a mixed Slavic ancestry, which includes Polish and Ukrainan. My grandmothers made pickled items. Even my dad made homemade sauerkraut with cabbages he grew on his farm, pickling salt, put in a ceramic crock, with a board put on top with a weight. It was really good. Cheers!

    • @CryoToast
      @CryoToast 2 місяці тому +30

      I now want to live in rural Poland.

    • @kamilpotato3764
      @kamilpotato3764 2 місяці тому +38

      And let's not forget about all type of jams, "kompots".

    • @apost0167
      @apost0167 2 місяці тому +5

      @@CryoToastYou definetely should visit

    • @Richard-or2km
      @Richard-or2km 2 місяці тому +9

      @@dwaynewladyka577 Sounds like my dad making homemade kraut, some years get together with the neighbours and process what seemed to be hundreds of pounds of cabbage with the old cabbage mandoline slicer, ceramic crock as well, weighted down with a large dinner plate and a nice 5 # round stone on top. Also pickled herring from time to time. I never really cared for gutting the fish myself as a kid , but if you were going to eat it, you had to help out. I just pickled some cukes a couple of days ago along with some jalapeno peppers. Now I wait.

  • @essaboselin5252
    @essaboselin5252 2 місяці тому +608

    My mother's family lived on a farm at the start of the Depression. They salted their pork every fall after slaughtering. According to my mom and aunts, the saying: "Scraping the bottom of the barrel" exists for a reason. By the time you got to that last bit of meat, you had to be hungry to eat it. It might not be bad, per se, but it sure wasn't good.

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 2 місяці тому +29

      My parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents were around in the 1920s, 1930s, and the 1940s. They had to do different things to preserve food on the farm.

    • @cpeace3172
      @cpeace3172 2 місяці тому +9

      Thanks for sharing.

    • @ted1045
      @ted1045 2 місяці тому +18

      I know people used to fall Spring "The Starving Times' due to the fact that all the winter stores were pretty much gone.

    • @grannyannie2948
      @grannyannie2948 2 місяці тому +10

      One of my grandmother's was a child on a dairy farm during the Depression in Australia. She said the only foods she knew were corned beef (beef preserved in brine) bread and potatoes grown in the yard. Two of her siblings died of food poisoning.

    • @grannyannie2948
      @grannyannie2948 2 місяці тому +10

      ​@@ted1045I have come across spring being described as the hunger gap in England in the 1500s. It was as you say the gap between winter supplies and anything having grown sufficiently to eat yet.

  • @scriptonite2182
    @scriptonite2182 2 місяці тому +707

    Many people don't realize that they had to endure the spring as well. The harvests of summer and fall are a long way off. Gardens do not produce food immediately. Spring can be bleak.
    But hope is there.

    • @raraavis7782
      @raraavis7782 2 місяці тому +78

      Indeed. We tend to think of winter as the time of scarcity. But really, it's spring were you would be most likely not get sufficient calories anymore, although some edible plants would be available again. But you can't exactly live on greens.

    • @KairuHakubi
      @KairuHakubi 2 місяці тому +55

      i wonder if that's why the catholics put 'lent' in spring. I know that 'fish on fridays' thing was in response to a meat shortage, and was only meant to be temporary.

    • @heidimisfeldt5685
      @heidimisfeldt5685 2 місяці тому +27

      🌄🏞 Traditionally springtime was a time of food scarcity, as most provisions put away for winter were low and sometimes all gone, and dandilion greens were the first fresh vegetable at hand early in the warm season.

    • @TheSaneHatter
      @TheSaneHatter 2 місяці тому +2

      "Hope SPRINGS eternal."

    • @GabeSweetman
      @GabeSweetman 2 місяці тому +33

      However spring also means far more hunting opportunities with birds returning from migration and animals leaving hibernation. Fruits and veggies are still sparse, but wild game is booming!

  • @leviswranglers2813
    @leviswranglers2813 2 місяці тому +134

    It's kind of crazy that preserving food is the backbone of history and yet it's rarely given the credit it is due. Excellent video and wonderful information.

    • @MaoRatto
      @MaoRatto Місяць тому

      I view it this way. Why would people give food preservation a secons thought as it was a way of life for a long vast period of time? No we can reflect on that period.

  • @Nanan00
    @Nanan00 2 місяці тому +316

    My great grandparents had a farm in southern Michigan SW of Battle Creek, the area is now subdivisions sadly. Anyway they had a dedicated smoke house for smoking meat that was built in the mid 1800's, it took 4 cows worth of meat to fill that thing but every fall gramps would do 2-3 batches and give/sell/trade much of it. The dried meat was smoked with apple wood that was trimmings from their apple orchard that made up the majority of their farm land. I have not tasted any dried beef that has tasted so good or had that smooth texture since.

    • @cpeace3172
      @cpeace3172 2 місяці тому +17

      That made my mouth water lol

    • @hetedeleambacht6608
      @hetedeleambacht6608 2 місяці тому

      i believe you!

    • @rushroberts6313
      @rushroberts6313 2 місяці тому +4

      I know people who do the same up near mackinaw city

    • @larrybulthouse455
      @larrybulthouse455 2 місяці тому +6

      Old methods were always not only better but healthier for us humans

    • @kevinprzy4539
      @kevinprzy4539 2 місяці тому

      stats say otherwise.@@larrybulthouse455

  • @fish-dx8zx
    @fish-dx8zx 2 місяці тому +246

    In a world of chaos, your videos are always a calming presence. Love to watch them. Thank you

  • @u.s.militia7682
    @u.s.militia7682 2 місяці тому +85

    I live in Saltville Virginia.The first recorded battle ever fought here, over the salt, goes back to the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500’s. All of them were about food preservation.

    • @RileyGoss
      @RileyGoss 2 місяці тому +8

      The salt must flow!

    • @faithsrvtrip8768
      @faithsrvtrip8768 2 місяці тому +4

      Salt is life.

    • @948320z
      @948320z 2 місяці тому +1

      @@faithsrvtrip8768"The ceiling's salt, the floor's salt, the walls are salt, the air is salt, you breathe that in and you can constantly taste the salt."

    • @jonathanwilliams1065
      @jonathanwilliams1065 2 місяці тому

      Since when were the Spanish in Virginia?

    • @u.s.militia7682
      @u.s.militia7682 2 місяці тому +2

      Google Dr. Jim Glanville Saltville Virginia

  • @elsieoneill6181
    @elsieoneill6181 2 місяці тому +78

    Up here in Newfoundland, we still have salt beef and pork all the time! We soak it overnight and boil it with our veggies for jigs dinner ❤

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 2 місяці тому +8

      It's a great way to preserve the meat. Cheers, from Alberta! ✌️🇨🇦

    • @lilybruggeman9634
      @lilybruggeman9634 2 місяці тому +9

      my best friends mum is a newfie. He was born on the island but left real young. He invited me over for a jiggs supper a few times

    • @woodstream6137
      @woodstream6137 2 місяці тому +9

      Love jigs dinner

    • @jennifermarlow.
      @jennifermarlow. Місяць тому +1

      Not just the Granite Planet, but the whole of Atlantic Canada. Corned beef and cabbage. HELLO! I really miss salt cod. You're probably not old enough to remember, but DRIED salt cod was so, so delicious. The new, wet salt process truly sucks.

    • @elsieoneill6181
      @elsieoneill6181 Місяць тому

      @@jennifermarlow. I love corned beef and cabbage

  • @kaffekoppteiskrem
    @kaffekoppteiskrem 2 місяці тому +95

    I'm from Norway and "klippfisk" is still very popular here, it is salted fish that has to be soaked in water for many hours before you can cook with it.

    • @j.robertsergertson4513
      @j.robertsergertson4513 2 місяці тому +2

      No wonder Norwegians are hardy folks ,klipp fisk and lute fisk makes you strong 👍

    • @Woad25
      @Woad25 2 місяці тому +7

      That's all well and good but did you have to go and salt the liquorice too? :)

    • @plebisMaximus
      @plebisMaximus 2 місяці тому +5

      @@Woad25 They definitely did. Salt liquorice is delicious.

    • @andersjjensen
      @andersjjensen 2 місяці тому +1

      @@Woad25 Salt liquorice is for boy scouts. Salmiak liquorice is what will grow some hair on your chest.

    • @Woad25
      @Woad25 2 місяці тому

      @@andersjjensen Isn't that the same thing? That's sort of what I was referencing when I made the comment.

  • @elizabeththequeen943
    @elizabeththequeen943 2 місяці тому +44

    And don't forget the "shrubs." Preserving fruits in cider vinegar with some sugar is very tasty.

  • @stevekunz6573
    @stevekunz6573 2 місяці тому +44

    Used to smoke a lot of salmon back in my Alaska years, I lived on an island near a beaver pond and would gather the alder chips they left behind when downing trees, some of the best smoked sockeye ever.

    • @thomasbeach905
      @thomasbeach905 2 місяці тому +8

      I tried smoking a fish a while back, but couldn’t get it to light. 😢

    • @stevekunz6573
      @stevekunz6573 2 місяці тому +6

      @@thomasbeach905 just need a bigger lighter my friend.

    • @jennifermarlow.
      @jennifermarlow. Місяць тому +2

      I'm from Nova Scotia, and my grandmother was a friend of Willie Krauch, who made the "Nova" that is famous for being the best smoked salmon outside of Scotland. Just ask any Jewish person from NYC. We no longer have the good stuff, as the wild Atlantic salmon is no longer a commercial product --- only farmed, as we overfished, and almost made the species extinct.
      I love sockeye salmon, but it is completely different from the Atlantic salmon. No offense. :)

  • @coffeelover7687
    @coffeelover7687 2 місяці тому +224

    Technically the fermenting process with cabbage is done by Lactobacillus. While the yeast make alcohol, the lactobacillus creates lactic acid, which pickles it. It's why I still consider it a form of pickling. It's also much healthier as the lactic acid improves your immune health and the bacteria improves gut health.

    • @defeqel6537
      @defeqel6537 2 місяці тому +5

      Does the bacteria actually survive our stomach acids, which are one of the harshest in nature?

    • @coffeelover7687
      @coffeelover7687 2 місяці тому +13

      @l6537 Yes they do. Plus since they create lactic acid by consuming sugar, they can even lower our blood sugar. It's why I love to pickle carrot with this method, plus the flavor is so good.

    • @Just_Sara
      @Just_Sara 2 місяці тому +10

      @@coffeelover7687I once fermented bell peppers just right, and they tasted like they had ranch already on them, I've never been able to replicate it!

    • @torchris1
      @torchris1 2 місяці тому +7

      In the fall I get a few big heads of fresh cabbage and make sauerkraut in a crock with an airlock. Awesome! I share it with my in laws and it usually lasts the whole winter. Super simple to make.

    • @user-un8tv1pp8m
      @user-un8tv1pp8m 2 місяці тому +12

      @@Just_Sara Thats my trouble with lacto-acidic fermentation - I found the outcomes extremely varied and unpredictable.
      I tried a whole bunch of stuff, from Saurkraut and Kimchi to pickeling ginger shavings or garlic.
      But the exact same recipe has given me stuff I loooved and stuff I hardly managed to eat, too sour, too structurally detiriorated and mushy - I just cant seem to replicate good results.

  • @susanohnhaus611
    @susanohnhaus611 2 місяці тому +73

    I remember a business near where I lived that smoked salmon to sell to tourists. They used old refrigerators with the lower part with the motors removed. The salmon strips were hung from the old racks, the fire was built just at the front of the open bottom and the smoking coals pushed underneath. They also dug out the area under the smokers a little. They drilled holes in the metal bottom of the fridge for the smoke to rise and the doors provided easy access to the products. My dad and brothers had built a large smoke house for our fish and game and while dad said he admired the creative thinking with the friges, they wouldn't be big enough for our family.

    • @jonanderson5137
      @jonanderson5137 2 місяці тому +1

      I prefer dried salmon, a little smoke isn't bad.

    • @jennifermarlow.
      @jennifermarlow. Місяць тому

      @@jonanderson5137 Dry smoked salmon is best, and bears no comparison to wet smoked. That is how they make the "Nova". Source? The makers of "Nova" lox were family friends. RIP Willie Krauch, LEGEND

  • @jerryodell1168
    @jerryodell1168 2 місяці тому +38

    Years ago I read they would preserve slow cooked meats covered in hot grease in a tall narrow pot so the grease when cooled would seal and keep safe the meat. It was called confit (sounds like con-feet). Apparently, the meat could be kept for up to a year if done right.

    • @utility63
      @utility63 2 місяці тому +22

      There is a video on this channel called "Potted Beef in the 18th Century" that I think is the thing you're describing.

    • @zhiracs
      @zhiracs 2 місяці тому +15

      Cone-fee, actually. It's French. Like the other guy said, potting is a similar technique, but the modern confit method is to slow-cook meat in its own fat with intention to eat it immediately after. Duck and pork are popular choices, e.g. carnitas.

    • @phantomkate6
      @phantomkate6 2 місяці тому +5

      ​@@zhiracsIf we're going to get that nitpicky about pronunciation, it's kōn-fee. The o in "cone" is too long and not correct.

    • @carolynellis387
      @carolynellis387 2 місяці тому +3

      Confit of duck is still sold mostly from France, but world wide now

    • @simonh6371
      @simonh6371 2 місяці тому +3

      They still do it in France and you can buy confit duck in jars there (and in Belgium and the Netherlands too) and doubtless other meats.

  • @Bob.W.
    @Bob.W. 2 місяці тому +22

    When my mom was young they would preserve meat in a barrel between layers of salt sealed by a layers of lard. No air would get to the lower layers that way.

  • @briannawalker4793
    @briannawalker4793 2 місяці тому +17

    It's so crazy to think about how much time each household had to spend just on food production and preservation before the advent of refrigeration and modern preservation techniques! I love how the necessary preservation techniques have translated to today's favorite flavors 😍 #teampickle

  • @NothingXemnas
    @NothingXemnas 2 місяці тому +22

    I find it magnificent that this video is all about preservation and its importance, but all footages used come from this very channel, showing how much information has already been produced and published by you.

    • @MrFranklitalien
      @MrFranklitalien Місяць тому +1

      the entire channel is such a gem, I am so glad I found it

  • @Ironstarfish
    @Ironstarfish 2 місяці тому +23

    The wood ash preservation for eggs still blows me away

    • @Scriptorsilentum
      @Scriptorsilentum 2 місяці тому +5

      for me it's potting meats and the whole purpose of "pot pie"

    • @pabloricardodetarragon2649
      @pabloricardodetarragon2649 2 місяці тому +8

      It's not the best to keep eggs. The best and finally simplest way is in lime water, more than six months easily. You have in the channel an excellemnt video about egg preservation.

    • @hetedeleambacht6608
      @hetedeleambacht6608 2 місяці тому

      indeed, right?

    • @aj2080xy6
      @aj2080xy6 Місяць тому

      Ash is generally basic, so it's not pickling (which is a vinegar based process), but it must taste amazing.

  • @wmschooley1234
    @wmschooley1234 2 місяці тому +24

    As a child, I remember that my great-aunt and uncle’s Indiana farm had a fully stocked fall root cellar up until the 1930 when rural electrification finally reached their farm. Potatoes, beets, squash, gourds, mason jars full of green beans, sacks of wheat and the hand mill were all down there. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Respectfully, W.S.

  • @slomkaadas9603
    @slomkaadas9603 2 місяці тому +38

    I would like to thank you and your friends for creating this content. I've been watching you guys practically since the beginning, and I'm learning a lot from you - not to mention just honing my English. I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting and best-run YouTub channel. Let's hope for the best.
    Warm greetings from Poland, cheers 🍻

  • @HBrooks
    @HBrooks 2 місяці тому +14

    thinking 5 years ago about how to do things in the kitchen more naturally led me to your channel. the cheesemaking episodes you had then inspired me to learn about cheesemaking. now, thanks to a few other cheesemaking youtubers i know how to make cheese of different types.
    thanks again for years of BETTER THAN TV entertainment combined with knowledge.
    love ya John and Co.! keep making knowledge videos.

  • @Just_Sara
    @Just_Sara 2 місяці тому +14

    This. Video. Is. SPECTACULAR. I've learned a lot about fermentation and curing the past few years, and I can validated that everything you've said lines up with what I've heard, and I LOVE THIS VIDEO!! Imagine how excited our ancestors would have been over pressure canning! The ability to completely eliminate spoilage and the risk of botulism and other foodborne germs makes me very, very happy.

  • @tomdrake9121
    @tomdrake9121 2 місяці тому +16

    It’s videos like this is why I’ve stayed subscribed over the years. Such a great history lesson.

    • @Scriptorsilentum
      @Scriptorsilentum 2 місяці тому

      Sure beats American Pickers.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 місяці тому +2

      Agreed. I know a lot of people prefer the more hands-on stuff, which is of course very fun to watch, but my favorite videos on this channel are the ones like this where I can dive deeper into something to really appreciate it.

  • @davidwoolsey2135
    @davidwoolsey2135 2 місяці тому +67

    With the fear of sodium that we have today, salt preserved foods are pretty much gone, BUT in our world today, having these vintage food preservation techniques, and knowing how to return that preserved food to a palatable as well as edible dish, is a valuable skill set and knowledge base. I'd like to see a renaissance of old foods. Huzzah also for Townsends for mentioning the use of beer over water "in some places" which was quite correct! Too many people think it a myth.

    • @nancywest1926
      @nancywest1926 2 місяці тому +5

      They brought back salt preservation by calling it lacto fermentation. Change terminology and folks were ok with doing it.

    • @Frommerman
      @Frommerman Місяць тому +8

      And the funny thing is salt doesn't increase blood pressure. That was a food industry lie to get us eating more sugar, alongside the "fat makes you fat" myth. Calories in combination with sedentary lifestyles make you fat and cause hypertension, not specific chemicals which are literally required for life.

    • @Icabod-os6rg
      @Icabod-os6rg Місяць тому +3

      @@Frommerman Salt makes the body retain water which in turn can increase blood pressure that can lead to other issues if left unchecked. You don't have to be fat to have those problems. It doesn't matter if it a natural chemical that our body uses. Too much is never good.

    • @Frommerman
      @Frommerman Місяць тому +6

      @@Icabod-os6rg Nope. Salt does cause water retention in the extremely short term as the body keeps electrolyte balance in the blood, but salt is also one of the easiest things other than water for the body to excrete. Any amount of salt which doesn't cause death or kidney damage will have zero impact on a chronic condition like hypertension.
      If you ate a large block of salt and took blood pressure the moment it began entering the bloodstream, it would probably be higher than average. But that effect would vanish the next time you urinated. Chronic hypertension happens when things which can't be trivially excreted, like sugars or dissolved fats, build up in the bloodstream, and as arterial walls sclerose due to aging, plaque buildups, or behavioral damage like smoking. Salt has nothing whatsoever to do with it.

    • @fritz1990
      @fritz1990 Місяць тому +3

      ​@@FrommermanYep. Have high BP and Dr says I'm low on sodium.

  • @RebeccaTreeseed
    @RebeccaTreeseed 2 місяці тому +5

    I moved to the high desert for other reasons, but quickly noticed how easy it is to dry food here. I shifted to mostly dehydrating my garden produce. I love pickling hard vegetables and making vegetable relishes.

  • @amcalabrese1
    @amcalabrese1 2 місяці тому +14

    My grandparents came from Southern Italy and baccala (salted cod) was something we had often when I was a kid. My mom would hang the dried cod in the garage. When used she would soak it in water for a few days.

    • @morrismonet3554
      @morrismonet3554 2 місяці тому +1

      Same with me. Also, in Italy they are masters at salting and then dry curing meat, mostly pork.

    • @amcalabrese1
      @amcalabrese1 2 місяці тому +1

      @@morrismonet3554 very true. It was too warm to rely on cool cellars so drying was needed.

    • @hetedeleambacht6608
      @hetedeleambacht6608 2 місяці тому +1

      baccalau in spanish and portugese....in dutch we have Kabeljauw which is the fresh fish

    • @joost1120
      @joost1120 2 місяці тому

      @@hetedeleambacht6608 In Dutch we also have Bakkeljauw, from the Antilles and Suriname. This is actually salted cod and despite sounding a lot like Kabeljauw, the name originates from the Portuguese Bacalhau, which in turn is related to the Italian Baccala. It's a small world.

  • @ryanstottlemyer5698
    @ryanstottlemyer5698 2 місяці тому +8

    Excellent video on food preparation. By the way, just received parcel with my black linen vest and britches, the ladies that made them did a wonderful job. Thank you.

  • @matthewthompson5655
    @matthewthompson5655 2 місяці тому +7

    I love this channel. I wish everyone was as enthusiastic as Jon in sharing their knowledge and interests. Love and respect from Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

  • @41tl
    @41tl 2 місяці тому +14

    This channel is a real treasure.

  • @simong4252
    @simong4252 2 місяці тому +8

    I love the subject of preservation and fermentation and its wonderful you highlight this isn't just about survival - these are delicious wholesome products that have stood the test of time and still enjoyed today. I'm wishing I could have salt beef and sauerkraut for supper ; with a beer of course

  • @Branwhin
    @Branwhin 2 місяці тому +35

    Thank you to you and your entire team for all of these lovely, educational videos. :D Cheers from the middle of Canada!

    • @Corvuspacificus
      @Corvuspacificus 2 місяці тому +3

      I second this message, from somewhere not in the middle of Canada.

    • @NansGlobalKitchen
      @NansGlobalKitchen 2 місяці тому +1

      I am guessing that is Winnipeg MB! 😊

    • @Branwhin
      @Branwhin 2 місяці тому

      @@NansGlobalKitchen Winterpeg indeed ... Though I have to say we have NOT been living up to our fearsome reputation this year.

    • @cpeace3172
      @cpeace3172 2 місяці тому

      My great grandfather was from a tiny village called Webb, Saskatchewan. (It’s mostly just a cemetery now) Apparently, the harsh conditions and isolation, combined with alcohol made him go a little loony. He was sent to an asylum nearby (which has since been closed) and he spent five years there. When he was released no one ever heard from him again. The asylum was later known for using LSD to treat alcoholism.

    • @hetedeleambacht6608
      @hetedeleambacht6608 2 місяці тому

      @@cpeace3172 social isolation is the worst, its that what makes people go looney mostly

  • @imxploring
    @imxploring 2 місяці тому +7

    I could sit and listen to John for hours! When he has Joe visit it's like sitting down with two old friends!

  • @elsalopez6868
    @elsalopez6868 2 місяці тому +5

    We must learn to preserve meat,vegetables and fruit now so we can have them in difficult times. Thanks for the info Jon!

  • @robzinawarriorprincess1318
    @robzinawarriorprincess1318 2 місяці тому +39

    Yay! The smokehouse is active!🎉

  • @dorseyblack9833
    @dorseyblack9833 2 місяці тому +12

    I remember way back when I was a kid, my parents owned a bar and one of my favorite treats was called a Bahama Mama. It was a spicy, pickled sausage 😋 and man were they good! So were the pickled eggs.

  • @Scriptorsilentum
    @Scriptorsilentum 2 місяці тому +7

    i'm literally overwhelmed; there is just so much in this video. another excellent trip back over the centuries to see what my ancestors had to do for survival. As for smoking I had no idea it could be done so darned simply. I keep thinking of pemmican and how it was usually sun-dried. the trick with potted meats, even covering the meat with a layer of clarified butter, and the pot pies are absolutely news to me. I really was surprised to learn this.
    John Townsend & Comp., thank you for another excellent video! 😁😁👍👍

  • @QuestForTheS
    @QuestForTheS 2 місяці тому +22

    There are a lot of grain farmers who still dry their corn in the field. Guy who ran an elevator once told me a rule of thumb, corn at 14.5% moisture will keep in a bin for 400 days, any percent more will halve that time: 200 days at 15.5, 100 at 16.5 and so on, up to 20.5% that can barely keep safely for a week. The other side of field drying, is the longer it's out there the more yield you'll lose as cobs and kernels get dropped. Owning a dryer lets you trade time and potential losses for fuel costs, and store your crop until after the harvest ends and prices go back up- IME with my little single-fan dryer, it's most economical to harvest corn at 18-21%.

    • @morrismonet3554
      @morrismonet3554 2 місяці тому +5

      Leave it in the field in most places and the deer, turkeys, racoons, squirrels, crows, etc. will get most of it. That's why the corn crib was invented.

    • @phantomkate6
      @phantomkate6 2 місяці тому +1

      The dryer also becomes necessary when conditions are consistently too wet to leave the corn in the fields. Sometimes there's no way around it if you actually want to sell your crops before they rot.

  • @leonelarquitetura
    @leonelarquitetura 2 місяці тому +8

    What you and all the Townsend's crew performs to spread information, techniques and history is important to all culture fans on the world.
    Thank you very much!

  • @RagnarokCo
    @RagnarokCo 2 місяці тому +4

    I love learning about topics like these. It really is humbling, the techniques we take for granted that built the societies we know today.

  • @NorThenX047
    @NorThenX047 2 місяці тому +5

    These videos make me feel conflicted. It's such an enjoyable, educational and calming video that gives me a sense of dread due to how little I actually know if the grocery stores turn empty and the grid goes down

  • @VoodooViking
    @VoodooViking 2 місяці тому +17

    I have a small deep freezer. Other than that I got a mini fridge and a smoke, & I can foods. Everything else is hanging in my pantry. I have enough food to last me 2+ months. And I live in the French Quarter in a 180 year old apartment. Pretty easy if you know what you’re doing. And they definitely taste a lot better than most store bought foods. And I buy most of my meats and vegetables from local farmers and ranchers, some of em grow their crops in the city.

    • @Beryllahawk
      @Beryllahawk 2 місяці тому +7

      It's the "if you know what you're doing" part that's tricky though! I well remember my first attempt at simple refrigerator pickles. Thank goodness my mother in law was there to keep me from poisoning myself!! Very few public schools teach even the basic principles behind preservation, much less something this practical.

    • @heidimisfeldt5685
      @heidimisfeldt5685 2 місяці тому +5

      ​@@Beryllahawk
      It really should be parents and grandparents teaching these skills to the children, and passing on family traditions and special recipes. This would provide for a good time together as well, and a time for meaningful conversations.

    • @Beryllahawk
      @Beryllahawk 2 місяці тому +2

      @@heidimisfeldt5685 That would be ideal, yes...sadly I think a lot of parents don't KNOW these things, or they don't have time for lessons (or won't make time, as the case may be). Certainly my mother in law's background as a sharecropper's daughter gave her a ton of know-how that my own mother (and grandmother) didn't have. My German grandmother was very much a "city girl," even before the war; and her husband hunted, but never preserved anything, simply hunted for the table as it were.
      It feels like we're losing incredibly important parts of our history by losing these skills.

  • @tomisnt
    @tomisnt 2 місяці тому +3

    dried corn on the cob will keep with some air flow available to it. Shell corn picked out of the fields is often not dry enough to store without more forced drying . Farmers have corn driers to handle this. The old corn cribs for dried corn on the cob intentionally had air gaps in them to allow air flow so the drying could continue.

  • @heavyq
    @heavyq 2 місяці тому +5

    My favorite thing about the history of smoking meats is that the term buccaneer derives from the Caribbean Arawak word buccan, which refers to a wooden frame on which Tainos and Caribs slowly roasted or smoked meat, commonly manatee. The word was adopted into French as boucan, hence the name boucanier for French hunters who used such frames to smoke meat from feral cattle and pigs on Hispaniola. Later on, English colonists anglicised boucanier to buccaneer.

  • @chrismaverick9828
    @chrismaverick9828 2 місяці тому +11

    @ Townsends Your videos would have been amazing back in middle and high school history classes. While streaming is the way these days, you should consider making and perhaps selling some hard copies of your videos, perhaps by theme. We are facing an ever-increasing electronic black hole in terms of modern history and preserved hard-copies are the only hedge against it.

    • @janehall2720
      @janehall2720 2 місяці тому

      Go to their website. They sell dvds of each season. Each season is now streaming but they do sell hard copies.

  • @johnsadventures8100
    @johnsadventures8100 2 місяці тому +16

    The preservation techniques are great knowledge from the past that we still use today, in all aspects of food. In first year of culinary we studied food safety by learning FAT TOM, meaning Food Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen and Moisture. By understanding this and stopping any one or more from preventing harmful bacteria growth it's easy to understand preparing food safely for immediate use or preserving it for long periods.

  • @razorboy251
    @razorboy251 2 місяці тому +6

    What an amazing video, the enthusiasm, production quality, educational value - going to show it to my Grade 8 history class some time!

  • @jlshel42
    @jlshel42 2 місяці тому +15

    Good morning everyone, time to get educated and inspired

  • @anitapaulsen3282
    @anitapaulsen3282 2 місяці тому +4

    Love how you covered every possible method of food preservation. Exceptional video.

  • @alexk3088
    @alexk3088 2 місяці тому +13

    Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) is a lacto-fermentation (results in lactic acid). For a great looking product add some red cabbage to the white, and a few cloves of garlic. 2% of salt by weight, squeeze the cabbage by hand to get the juices flowing, then put under press, to make sure the juice eventually covers the contents. Keep at room temp, agitate periodically to make sure the bubbles escape. Ready in about 4 days (keep refrigerated after that). Delicious, healthy and so simple. Will keep for months. Add to a pork or beef soup, brine and all, also amazing. The "sauerkraut" sold in cans or even jars is drek compared to homemade 🤣

  • @Military__fanatic
    @Military__fanatic 2 місяці тому +3

    Thank you for sharing all this information without a million ads. I found your channel when I was 17, and I learned more from you than I did in 12 years of public schooling.

  • @michaelg.8062
    @michaelg.8062 2 місяці тому

    Finding your channel was on of the best thing in the last few years for me. Your calming voice and excellent way of presentation makes your stories wonderful each time. Thank you!

  • @odinfromcentr2
    @odinfromcentr2 2 місяці тому +13

    On one hand, I'm somewhat relieved my late father, much as I miss him, won't be seeing a world where this knowledge becomes necessary again.
    On the other, he probably knew and did a lot of these things, having grown up in 1940s and '50s Appalachia, so... yeah, that knowledge would have been really helpful.

  • @joshsetzer8786
    @joshsetzer8786 2 місяці тому +10

    These are the kind of " Old School" survival skills every prepper should learn.

    • @Scriptorsilentum
      @Scriptorsilentum 2 місяці тому +1

      the potted meats and pot pies were so simple yet effective...!

  • @abcstardust
    @abcstardust 2 місяці тому +1

    Very well done! I love how your video gets to the heart of How and Why food preservation was-and still is-done! Thank you so much!

  • @Rickt2445
    @Rickt2445 2 місяці тому +2

    Thank you for the continually wholesome content on this channel. Always gets me through stressfull times. Food preservation and fermentation is an area ive been getting into. I havent made sauerkraut but made some wonderful kimchii last week.

  • @deepnurmom1737
    @deepnurmom1737 2 місяці тому +14

    Pay attention 2 this vid it could save ur life over the next few years

  • @johnclarke6647
    @johnclarke6647 2 місяці тому +5

    Even before we switched from hunter gatherers food preservation was always something they did, because not all food products are not available throughout the year, so they needed a means to preserve it.

  • @SheyD78
    @SheyD78 2 місяці тому +4

    Necessity is the mother of invention. All these techniques needed to preserve food just to survive, now used for flavour and variety.

  • @TheZinmo
    @TheZinmo 2 місяці тому +41

    Sorry, I found a mistake: Sauerkraut is not fermented with yeast, but with Lactobacillus (as in sour milk).

    • @buttonvalley
      @buttonvalley 2 місяці тому +8

      Yeast action is necessary first for the lactobacillus to have food to consume. The bacteria consumes the alcohol, and produces the acid that preserves the cabbage.

    • @user-wq6sv3vj1s
      @user-wq6sv3vj1s 2 місяці тому +1

      Definitely yeast on the cabbage before fermented

    • @Imadov
      @Imadov 9 днів тому

      Lactofermentation

  • @ruoazquara6070
    @ruoazquara6070 2 місяці тому +3

    Who else is here before the next super cyberattack the wipes out our power grip & we get sent back to the 1800’s

  • @eringrant8221
    @eringrant8221 2 місяці тому +3

    This was SO interesting and generated a good discussion in our household. Thanks for always posting such great content!

  • @Isaac_El_Khoury
    @Isaac_El_Khoury 2 місяці тому +2

    Your videos are so beautifully produced. I'm in awe that this content is free for me to watch-- Thank you.

  • @chefc8371
    @chefc8371 2 місяці тому +17

    Who’s here before the apocalypse? ⬇️

    • @bobthorton607
      @bobthorton607 Місяць тому +2

      The apocalypse is over

    • @TheOnlyJonno
      @TheOnlyJonno Місяць тому +2

      There is only one apocalypse that is a current concern in america currently and that apocalypse is "Stupidity".

    • @samuelmire9389
      @samuelmire9389 20 днів тому +2

      Lol not me im here after

  • @nicholaskoa1371
    @nicholaskoa1371 2 місяці тому

    Jon, you and your team are doing us a proper treat and a true service. thanks for all u do

  • @scooterking136
    @scooterking136 2 місяці тому +2

    these videos are always such high quality, props to you and the townsends team for this great show!

  • @Zippsterman
    @Zippsterman 2 місяці тому +3

    The excellent game Farthest Frontier simulates building a village but introduces food spoilage and preservation as a key mechanic. It makes a huge difference in how you have to manage your food supply, and a good grain supply can keep everyone from starving when a season goes poorly.
    Love your videos!

  • @lydiashelton3089
    @lydiashelton3089 2 місяці тому +3

    Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us.. you're so appreciated!!!!

  • @olddawgdreaming5715
    @olddawgdreaming5715 2 місяці тому +1

    Thanks for sharing with us Jon. It will be going on till the end of time. Stay safe and keep uo the great videos. Fred.

  • @HeatherMerrell
    @HeatherMerrell 2 місяці тому +1

    Bravo John. This might have been one of my favorite videos from you.
    God Bless

  • @niros9667
    @niros9667 2 місяці тому +1

    A fascinating and well put together video yet again. Love this channel. Thanks Townsends.

  • @deamontube30
    @deamontube30 Місяць тому

    quality video, kept it brief yet informative and excellent flow.

  • @jamesvatter5729
    @jamesvatter5729 2 місяці тому +5

    Another great video. Thank you, Jon, for keeping us interested.

  • @kainaaguiarferreira4351
    @kainaaguiarferreira4351 Місяць тому +2

    You are an amazing UA-camr, thank you for your service!❤

  • @jillsipocz3582
    @jillsipocz3582 2 місяці тому +1

    I find your videos fascinating. I love learning how people lived day to day back then. You are a wonderful teacher!!! You make the subject interesting.

  • @SPJCerv
    @SPJCerv 2 місяці тому

    incredible video! Thank you for the so much time and research dedicated.

  • @ArtiDificial
    @ArtiDificial Місяць тому +2

    Your channel should be shown in elementary (6th grade) and middle schools. This is super educational, entertaining, and very appropriate for all ages. It piques curiosity, which is the catalyst for passion. You're like the Bill Nye of olde world cooking, and if you inspire a single child to become a historian then you're a success.

  • @user-ln4zr4pz4f
    @user-ln4zr4pz4f Місяць тому +2

    Always a great presentation sir. I can't wait for the next, please.

  • @stonetooth2506
    @stonetooth2506 2 місяці тому +1

    Great video, thank you all for doing this channel.

  • @johndayan7126
    @johndayan7126 2 місяці тому +1

    Great program! Fascinating. Thank you. 💖

  • @Will-Parr
    @Will-Parr 2 місяці тому +3

    This is one of your best videos. Very informative and entertaining. Congrats

  • @sec808
    @sec808 2 місяці тому

    Thank you for continuing to make amazing and informative videos. Our great Nation and even the world are a better informed place because of what you do.

  • @EsMenca
    @EsMenca Місяць тому

    i stopped watching your channel couple of years ago but this video popped up and i resubscribed, you gave me the same feelings you did those years ago. I loved this video

  • @madelineryan7999
    @madelineryan7999 2 місяці тому +1

    You have made many, many great videos, but this was one of the best. Thanks!

  • @Creepernom
    @Creepernom 2 місяці тому +2

    This is the only channel that just fills me with warmth and happiness unlike anything else. It's just so cozy, interesting and nice.

  • @foresthiker6707
    @foresthiker6707 2 місяці тому +1

    Very outstanding and comprehensive video. Keep up the good work Townsends!!

  • @channah64
    @channah64 2 місяці тому +1

    This video is so wonderful and engaging. I cannot wait to share it with friends and family - it was a whole journey!

  • @mrstardian
    @mrstardian 2 місяці тому +4

    Fantastic way to start the day, thank you townsends!!

  • @yardsausage
    @yardsausage 2 місяці тому +4

    this is an eye opening video that shows how hard it was back in the day !!!

  • @vintageme298
    @vintageme298 2 місяці тому +1

    This video was so much fun ! I really loved the way you put this together. 😁👍

  • @benclarke3626
    @benclarke3626 21 день тому

    Love and appreciate everything you do

  • @kinjiru731
    @kinjiru731 2 місяці тому +1

    I really enjoyed this one, thanks so much. You guys make my day with every new video.

  • @Nerathul1
    @Nerathul1 2 місяці тому +5

    The smokehouse looks so much better now it's wood has gotten a little weather worn.

  • @troelsandersen9654
    @troelsandersen9654 2 місяці тому +1

    You are so good at doing these videos. Thank you.

  • @cassandralibertywest4310
    @cassandralibertywest4310 2 місяці тому +2

    Thank you for about a decade of informative, colorful and interesting videos.

  • @SmallGreenPlanetoid
    @SmallGreenPlanetoid 2 місяці тому

    I love this channel. The videos are such informative little summaries, and they're always so engaging that they consistently feel too short.
    Also reminds me I haven't fermented any vegetables this year; these days, the premium part of pickling is having the space available to do so.

  • @gtbkts
    @gtbkts 2 місяці тому +5

    Thanks for the awesome content and all the amazing videos!!!

  • @markkaidy8741
    @markkaidy8741 2 місяці тому +1

    Keep going Old Boy!!! Thank you for sharing your paasion and knowledge!

  • @deca12351
    @deca12351 2 місяці тому +1

    Love your video's !! So glad you do them !!! Thank you !!