Salt

[TeeDee]

( Maybe not the right place for this)

So a little left field but as salt is a big part of food preservation and food preservation ties into homesteading ( sort of ) and I know @British Red
And others have spoken about the unique value of salt , a simple substance we take for granted but when without it by golly don't we miss it.

Anyway - here on Lanzarote I paid a little visit here. Vast salt production. Maybe of interest to some.

 

[British Red]

Very much so. I made a study of salt pans at one point. Those who talk confidently about "just chop wood & boil down some seawater" haven't enjoyed curing pork with enough salt to not need refrigeration. Once you understand why salt was so important (and yet affordable to the common man), the importance of salt works to civilisation becomes obvious!

Great pictures, love the wind pump!

 

[Pattree]

Close by a supply of raw materials.

If ever you get a chance the Nantwich salt mines are worth a look. They sometimes have open days.

A significant proportion of Cheshire is sitting on a salt mountain.

When I explained road salting to my Sudanese colleagues, their immediate reaction was “How do you get it back?”. Salt was a very precious commodity!

 

[British Red]

Close by a supply of raw materials.

If ever you get a chance the Nantwich salt mines are worth a look. They sometimes have open days.

A significant proportion of Cheshire is sitting on a salt mountain.

When I explained road salting to my Sudanese colleagues, their immediate reaction was “How do you get it back?”. Salt was a very precious commodity!

I used to live on the Bronze Age salt road in Cheshire. A very ancient trackway

 

[Falstaff]

Salt used to be highly valuable, used almost as a form of currency. Hence the expression "above and below the salt" to denote your social standing and position at the local Lord's long dining table.
Domestically we'd be stuck without it, as it has so many basic domestic uses for sterilisation and preservation. Do you know what the Lanzaroti salt is used for? As those heaps are on sand I'm not sure how good that would be for culinary use.

Interestingly the second biggest producer of salt in the UK is Ineos - as it is required to produce chemicals for those forever plastics.

Sadly, none of the market business reviews on sale consider the environmental or strategic risks, or accessible reserves in the ground, whilst still greedily anticipating increases in extraction and sale. The salt bands underground are huge but over 5 million tonnes removal per year is a lot to remove year on year. Nobody expected to run out of north sea oil either.

The UK mining reserves and supply of gypsum plaster is now on life support. Successive govt' have quietly granted special mining extensions for fear of what it will mean for their housing targets, based on shroud waiving pleas by British Gypsum. It's production and use is actually quite energy intensive, but the Govt. 's (plural) turn a blind eye to that whilst simultaeneously talking about carbon neutral housing.

 

[Broch]

Not forgetting Anglesea Sea Salt - once banned from production because they were mixing it with 'inferior' Cheshire rock salt

Welsh Sea Salt | Flake Sea Salt | Flavoured Sea Salt

Let us take you through each step of how we make our pure sea salt, and how we turn it into a variety of cooking salt for all your favourite recipes.

www.halenmon.com

 

[Falstaff]

I used to live on the Bronze Age salt road in Cheshire. A very ancient trackway

There used to be an ancient Scottish law that vagrants found on the road with less than a Groat on them would be sent as slaves to the salt mines.

 

[TeeDee]

Salt used to be highly valuable, used almost as a form of currency. Hence the expression "above and below the salt" to denote your social standing and position at the local Lord's long dining table.
Domestically we'd be stuck without it, as it has so many basic domestic uses for sterilisation and preservation. Do you know what the Lanzaroti salt is used for? As those heaps are on sand I'm not sure how good that would be for culinary use.

Interestingly the second biggest producer of salt in the UK is Ineos - as it is required to produce chemicals for those forever plastics.

Sadly, none of the market business reviews on sale consider the environmental or strategic risks, or accessible reserves in the ground, whilst still greedily anticipating increases in extraction and sale. The salt bands underground are huge but over 5 million tonnes removal per year is a lot to remove year on year. Nobody expected to run out of north sea oil either.

The UK mining reserves and supply of gypsum plaster is now on life support. Successive govt' have quietly granted special mining extensions for fear of what it will mean for their housing targets, based on shroud waiving pleas by British Gypsum. It's production and use is actually quite energy intensive, but the Govt. 's (plural) turn a blind eye to that whilst simultaeneously talking about carbon neutral housing.

Majority of this is used for salt for domestic or tourist use. Also used for swimming pools and few other applications. The salt is actually piled onto far older almost rock like salt. It all gets packed and parcelled in a modern factory shop but the family that own the operation want to reinstate additional wind mills.

There is difference between the various states of salt but frankly even although I went on the tour it was a little beyond my pigeon Spanish / English

 

[Stew]

Have you seen these guys?

Blackthorn Salt | Our Method

 

[demented dale]

Question. Do we need salt? and if so why? I always remember there being salt in that survival game where you had to choose items from a list in order of perceived usefulness. There were always salt tablets in the desert scenario. Could someone tell me please are they any good in a desert setting?. Has anyone got a copy of that list? I remember there being a pistol on the list and a book on edible desert animals, And I think the mirror was the most useful or was it the water? Any thoughts???? xxx

 

[Pattree]

I don’t have that list any more but I used to use something similar Back in the seventies as a team building exercise.

I don’t want to spoil the exercise if anyone is still using it but the salt tablets are useless. What is interesting is that team members that know this have a hell of a problem trying to persuade other members who “know” that salt tablets should be part of desert survival. They are highly counterproductive. Your kidneys are desperately trying to get rid of salts as you dehydrate but they can’t because there isn’t enough fluid throughout. Salt would make things very much worse.

That exercise has a number of counter-intuitive elements in it but the most important ones are listening and cooperation! Definitely not salt.

Too much salt in a diet has been associated with strokes. I do not know whether that is still current advice.

 

[Tengu]

I dont add salt as a rule, but I do find a pinch in very hot weather helps.

 

[Stew]

Question. Do we need salt? and if so why? I always remember there being salt in that survival game where you had to choose items from a list in order of perceived usefulness. There were always salt tablets in the desert scenario. Could someone tell me please are they any good in a desert setting?. Has anyone got a copy of that list? I remember there being a pistol on the list and a book on edible desert animals, And I think the mirror was the most useful or was it the water? Any thoughts???? xxx

The simple is answer is that yes you need salt. You don't want too much, you don't want too little. It's important for your body to function.

Salt in sodium chloride form is largely demonised but it's a complicated issue.

 

[Nice65]

Salt used to be highly valuable, used almost as a form of currency.

And where we get the word 'salary'.

Our old mate here, Robson Valley, had a huge interest in the world's salt, and a huge collection to match. I remember sending him some Cornish and Maldon sea salts to try, and he recommended a fascinating book to me, 'Salt' by Mark Kurlansky. It's a world history of salt, well worth a read.

Salt

Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt...

www.worldofbooks.com

 

[HillBill]

Salt is a weird thing. If you dont consume any, you die . If you consume too much you die, but it takes longer and in a different way. Yet too much is not a great amount. and not enough isn't much less. Life or death balanced on the teaspoon you wont think twice about loading with coffee or sugar.

For me, i stopped caring a long time ago. I only eat one meal a day and thats home cooked, not processed or takeaway. I dont mind eating a couple grams of salt on my food if that's what makes it taste the best. I'm not consuming anymore for 24 hours ish. So i'm getting enough, but not eating too much.

 

[HillBill]

And where we get the word 'salary'.

Our old mate here, Robson Valley, had a huge interest in the world's salt, and a huge collection to match. I remember sending him some Cornish and Maldon sea salts to try, and he recommended a fascinating book to me, 'Salt' by Mark Kurlansky. It's a world history of salt, well worth a read.

Salt

Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt...

www.worldofbooks.com

I miss his input. Knowledgeable chap. Place went quiet after he passed.

 

[Nice65]

The simple is answer is that yes you need salt. You don't want too much, you don't want too little. It's important for your body to function.

Salt in sodium chloride form is largely demonised but it's a complicated issue.

Monosodium glutamate is also massively demonised despite it have about 40% less sodium than sodium chloride and absolutely zero evidence it causes any harm whatsoever. It got a bad name, that unfortunately stuck, after claims it caused headaches, and now people actively avoid it. All totally ridiculous really, it's a superb ingredient.

 

[HillBill]

Monosodium glutamate is also massively demonised despite it have about 40% less sodium than sodium chloride and absolutely zero evidence it causes any harm whatsoever. It got a bad name, that unfortunately stuck, after claims it caused headaches, and now people actively avoid it. All totally ridiculous really, it's a superb ingredient.

I buy that stuff by the kilo, maybe twice a year. Mmmm, Umami.

I quite literally use it in most things... Tonight.. Beef Stew.. Season the beef with MSG and white pepper, brown it off, cook said stew... When done, taste.. Needs more salt.. More MSG.
Salt a pepper prawns... MSG and chilli you mean...

 

[nigelp]

…….

 

[Tengu]

I buy that stuff by the kilo, maybe twice a year. Mmmm, Umami.

I quite literally use it in most things... Tonight.. Beef Stew.. Season the beef with MSG and white pepper, brown it off, cook said stew... When done, taste.. Needs more salt.. More MSG.
Salt a pepper prawns... MSG and chilli you mean...

Umami, yes, I made a special study for an exhibition.

(Research can take you strange places...)

and Umami means glutamates, -tasty food is high in them.

MSG is a cheat; harmless but it makes poor food very nice.