Day 73 post EMP. Our clan is still hunkered down at our homestead site. We have no immediate plan to leave but we are ready at a moment's notice if the situation changes.

Our spirits are often easily knocked down by a dwindling supply of food and resources but everyday we are grateful for what we have. I am fortunate to have the honor of cooking for our family tonight.

Since you, kind and weary soul, are a guest at our campfire tonight, please pull up some grass and enjoy some warm food.

This post is my entry to 🌽 🥘 🍗 Prepper Cook-Off Challenge 😅 🤢 🤮 Updated Rules hosted by @canadianrenegade. There are 7 days left to enter this contest!

We finally are wrapping up our days' chores which consisted of scrounging for food, brainstorming & scouting for new food sources as well as other resources we may need, daily check in with the neighbors, security update and emergency drills.

Now its getting close to dusk and I grab the foodstuffs that we had the fortune of discovering today in our scrounging of abandoned buildings.

We lucked out with some brown rice and a can of coconut milk that was missed by other scroungers at the back of a pantry cabinet.

In addition I gathered up:

• Dried Yellowfoot mushrooms that I had harvested and dried in the late winter, just after the EMP
• Dried Stinging Nettle seed that was harvested and dried last summer before the EMP
• Dried Lambs Quarters & Magenta Spreen leaves that were harvested and dried last fall before the EMP
• A small amount of salt

I feel grateful that we still have some of the Stinging Nettle Seeds and Lambs Quarters Leaves which were available last year in huge abundance thanks to mother nature. As a homesteader and hippie prepper I am both grateful for nature's abundance but I also don't take it for granted that it will always be there for me. Gratitude.

For tonight's meal I ground a small portion of Nettle Seed and Lamb's Quarters leaves into a fine powder that would replace the chicken stock I would normally use in Risotto. I call it Hippy bullion powder.

Now to get the fire going. I scrounged up some scraps of dry material. A lot of the prime fuel has been used. In this case some dried blackberry canes, branches, stems and bark make good kindling and fuel. Blackberry vines might be a gardener's bane, but tonight they are a survivor's blessing.

I lit it up wind to help the rest of the fuel catch on fire. We are so lucky for this dry fuel and a fire that starts quick.

Meanwhile I combine all the ingredients into a pan.

Then I add two cups of water, which pretty much fills the pan, and cover it. Good. Its ready to cook.

We are so blessed for the water that we have to use. Even though the EMP took out some critical components of our solar electric system we have a hand pump backup and can pump and haul water as needed.

I get some few moments of quality relaxation for the first time today while I am waiting for the fire to burn down a bit. Stretching soothes my sore muscles...

Ahh, its starting to get dark now. We are lucky to have a bright moon up in the sky early tonight. The light from the fire and the moon will help us conserve our precious few remaining batteries.

Finally, there are a good amount of coals which I spread out and arrange to create a nice bed. I found a cinder block which I can use to raise my pan above the hot coals several inches.

It takes a little while but the rice begins to boil and simmer. Excellent! It's just a matter of time now.

The mushrooms, rice and powdered seeds and leaves soak up a lot of water and I add in a bit more as needed until the rice is soft enough to be palatable.

It could cook a little longer, but enough is enough. We've been waiting all day for this moment to arrive and we'll need to get some rest soon for a big day tomorrow.

Here's your dish friend. I hope this food warms your belly and your soul.

Bon Apetit! Mmm, the flavors in this dish are not overwhelming, but the salt brings them out delightfully. Blessings for that salt that we stocked up on years ago! The texture of the mushrooms is a welcome addition. The seeds and greens are nourishing our bodies with protein, vitamins and minerals.

Today was a good day. We are nourished and well.

Hippie Prepper's Mushroom Risotto Ingredients:

• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup dried mushrooms
• 1/2 cup ground nettle seed + lambs quarters leaves
• small amount of salt
• water

Directions

It's a one pot meal ... Cook it like you're camping!

Added Bonus: Biochar for the survival garden!

As an added bonus of this meal I was able to yield some excellent char which will make amazing biochar.

At the end of the meal I noticed the fuel breaking down into some nice coals/char and so I spread them out and extinguished the fire. This morning I woke up to some beautiful char. Once this gets charged it will be a nice edition to the survival garden we are prepping. The water retention ability of biochar will be a big help in the dry months.

You permaculture folks out there will appreciate the stacking functions of this meal :)

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Who is @sagescrub?

I am a ex-suburbanite turned permaculture homesteader. Follow my journey and I will share what I know and am learning along the way. You can learn more about me in my re-introducing @sagescrub post. Wishing you abundance in your life!

Know that I am likely NOT an expert on the subjects I present. Please do your own research and be your own expert!

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