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Originally Posted by Canadian Army
or just eat the dog or cat.
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Ummm...remember in the 14th century, when the European populace killed all the cats they could because the cats were thought to be witches' familiars and responsible for the plague? The cats that might have kept the rodent factor of the flea-borne disease vector population down?
And often, cats bring "gifts" to their humans--birds, mice, rats, snakes, moles, voles.
I'd be trying to keep my cats and dogs in good health as a public health and safety measure! And besides, they're loyal to me--I keep them fed in tough times.
On a totally different topic: sprouting beans. Sprouting dried beans is very easy--Soak the beans for about 4 hours or so, the pour off the liquid, keep them damp in a moderately warm/stable temperature in a shaded location. Full sunlight will encourage the sprouts to go leafy, which may be fine if you want to plant them, but not as an immediate food source. Rinse and drain the beans several times a day; after about 2 days, you will see the sprout emerging from the hull. The sprouts are at their peak at about day 7--eat them raw or cook them. They have lots of certain B-vitamins (B1, B2, and B3) and vitamins A and C--important for scurvy and vision impairment prevention. Note: according to my best source, soybean- and Kidney bean sprouts are toxic. Some sprouted beans may contain natural defensive enzymes that may inhibit fat and protein absorption: these need to be cooked before eating them.
http://www.growyouthful.com/recipes/sprouts.php One of the episodes of Jericho had the techno-geek girl mentioning how the bean sprouts were coming along well--important when they were going to be the main source of Vitamin C as winter continued.
Lastly, a word about lentils, the lovely little lens-shaped legume that is a great ingredient. Lentils do not have to be soaked overnight: they take about 45 minutes of cooking to be edible. They are a great protein source and have a broad range of uses, whether ground up or in their natural form. Lots of Middle Eastern and South Asian dishes include them. And you can sprout them (see above).