Can you think of ways you can stretch your groceries if you were suddenly faced with not being able to buy more for some reason? I’d like to share a few ideas with you to help kickstart your own idea machine.
How far do you think you could stretch your groceries if you really needed to? How solid are your emergency preparedness plans? Could you deal with a longer crisis than anticipated, or multiple ones? Why should you consider questions such as these?
The scene of this world is rapidly changing and becoming more threatening, with no letup in sight. Just a few bumps in the wrong places on the beltway of global commerce alone can trigger a cascading chain of events that can put a serious dent in anyone’s plans.
Our global community has grown so fragile and unpredictable that new normals are being set every day. Here are a few interesting factoids that illustrate how fast the scene of our world is changing. What we are witnessing today was not ‘normal’ just ten, twenty or thirty years ago!
Not that many years ago, terrorism was almost unheard of. The June 1986 issue of the Awake! magazine reports this about the early years of terrorism (see the commentary at the end of this article for an explanation of these statistics):
In 1971, fewer than two dozen people died in terrorist attacks worldwide.
In 1983, 10,000 people around the world were killed in terrorist attacks.
Despite increasingly diligent and aggressive anti-terrorism measures, the year 2007 saw over 22,000 people killed in terrorist attacks. Things are heating up fast!
And look at the disasters!
In 1960, there were 523 catastrophic disasters worldwide.
In 1970, there were 720 catastrophic disasters worldwide.
In 1980, there were 1387 catastrophic disasters worldwide.
Globally, more than 2.5 billion people were affected by floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters between 1994 and 2003. That's a 60% increase over the previous two ten-year periods, United Nations officials report. (These numbers do not include the millions displaced by the horrific tsunami which killed an estimated 180,000 people in South and Southeast Asia in 2004. Also, those numbers do not include Hurricane Katrina's victims and survivors.)
Despite better communications and evacuation methods, more people than ever are dying in natural disasters. As recent as 2008, 220,000 people perished in natural disasters.
Then there's the global threat of out-of-control influenza and other pandemics that are admittedly unstoppable. Famine can strike anywhere now, thanks to shortsighted agricultural practices such as monoculture and genetically engineered food crops. Weather conditions wreak havoc with our food supplies. Agricultural terrorism is waiting in the wings. War is an ever present threat in many places.
Because we can only digest so much bad news, it’s easy to be lulled into a jaded complacency that dulls our vision and hearing. It’s only natural, or else we would all go mad with worry. On the other hand, the wrong kind of complacency can be deadly because ignoring probabilities does not make them any less likely to happen. Being well prepared brings peace of mind because you know that you have done all that you reasonably can to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious emergencies.
The old saying about ‘preparing for the worst and hoping for the best’ is wise, considering the uncertainty of our times. Because none of us know what emergencies lay ahead or for how long, it doesn’t make much sense to limit your preparedness goals based on a guess what the disaster of the day might be. (If you do hazzard to guess, then be prepared to deal with the tragic possibility of being wrong.) It makes sense to prepare for the most likely events first, but don’t stop there. It’s better to be a little over prepared than not enough. The broader your plans are, the more your back will be covered.
Being well prepared is not a destination, with a finish line where you can say, “I have finally arrived! I have enough!” View your preparedness plans as an ongoing, evolving process of learning new ways to be more self-reliant. You and those around you will benefit from being better prepared for The Unexpecteds.
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Being well prepared is learning how to be more self-reliant, and being less of a victim of your own ignorance.
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HOW TO STRETCH YOUR SUPPLIES TO THE MAXIMUM LIMIT
Take an inventory of your supplies. How much do you have on hand? At your present rate of consumption, how long will they last? Three days? Three weeks? Three months? What will happen if you run out of supplies and replacements are not readily available? Hmmm... ok, then...
With that thought in mind, pay close attention to warning signs of prolonged or multiple events that could affect your ability to renew your supplies. You may need to consider a few drastic measures to stretch your provisions to create a thicker cushion against hard times.
1. RATIONS: Consider the possibility that someday you may need to view your provisions as rations, rather than as your only source of sustenance. Be prepared to use your provisions only to supplement what you cannot get otherwise. If you ever find yourself in the midst of a severe crisis, don’t wait until you have gone through most of your stuff to begin rationing. If you can, begin stretching your supplies early on, and take all reasonable measures to make them last as long as possible.
2. SUPPLEMENT YOUR PROVISIONS
A) Indoor/outdoor food gardens can be grown just about anywhere in urban, suburban and rural areas.
Explore different gardening techniques that would be useful in your area. For example, if gardening is difficult because of too much shade or not enough water, seek information about which food plants thrive under those conditions. Are you physically challenged, or do you live in an apartment in the city? Look into container gardening. Many kinds of vegetables can grow in surprisingly small spaces. Highly nutritious sprouts are easy to grow inside a quart jar. Poke salad shoots can be grown in a cardboard box in a closet. Surprised? Wait, there’s more…
B) Guerrilla gardening: hiding in plain sight.
If historical accounts of the Great American Depression (and other sad chapters in human history) are any indication, you can expect conventional or “normal” gardens to be a magnet for hungry visitors during particularly hard times. If you realize that you can’t feed everyone who comes knocking, and if you can’t see yourself standing guard over your beans, corn and tomatoes, consider gardening guerrilla-style.
Guerrilla gardens can be grown just about anywhere --in the city, suburbs and in the rurals. This new clandestine type of gardening can be made highly theft-resistant without the need for fences or alarms, operating on the principle of ‘hiding in plain sight’.
You can easily grow delicious and highly nutritious ‘specialty vegetables’ that won’t attract the attention of those who are unaccustomed to eating them. Certain plants that look like weeds or ornamentals to most people in your community are highly prized as delicious foods by people in other lands. More information about this style of gardening with easy to grow plants will be discussed in my future blog posts and will be covered in detail in the upcoming Mrs. Tightwad’s Creative Survival Handbook.
C) Go for the wild and natural. Learn the basics about harvesting animals and wild plants for food and medicine.
Making meat: If you are an inexperienced omnivore who wants to learn how to 'make meat', you may want to consider cultivating a working knowledge of fishing, hunting and trapping, now. These skills can go a long way in stretching your provisions. If you are not skilled in these areas, consider taking the time now to learn. Viewing documentary videos, along with some real-time observations and experiences will help you to be a better hunter and gatherer. Much in the way of animal behavior, along with a plethora of hunting tips and techniques can also be learned from library books and the internet (Google.com is your friend).
During prolonged or widespread crisis, expect hunting pressure to adversely affect deer and other wildlife populations, in terms of a lower count and increase elusiveness. Consider studying smaller animals and birds that are generally more plentiful and easier to hunt and trap.
Foraging for wild edibles and medicines: There are a lot of look-alikes in the botanical world, and some are deadly poisonous. If you don’t have an experienced guide to personally introduce you to the wonderful world of wild cuisine, then get a reputable guidebook and proceed very slowly and carefully. Don’t try to learn too many things at once.
One of the easiest and the most foolproof learning tools I’ve ever seen is the Peterson Identification System, as taught in the Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants in the Peterson Field Guide Series. These guides are sponsored by the National Audubon Society and are published by the Houghton Mifflin Company.
These guidebooks really shine with incredibly detailed descriptions, illustrations and photos that aid in positive identification. Plants that have poisonous look-alikes are indicated by a skull and crossbones icon as a warning, and a special chapter is devoted to them.
D) Go native! Broaden your horizons by learning about “alternative” foods that primitive tribes around the world have thrived on for thousands of years.
If you live in America, a casual study of traditional Native American foods that sustained the tribes that originally inhabited your region should be enlightening.
E) Microfarming: the other, other meat.
If you find your supplies nearing the end of their existence, and if times are austere enough, you may also want to consider ‘microfarming’, or raising certain insects for an abundance of nutritionally rich and life-sustaining food. Other folks may think of it as raising fish bait. Naturally, I prefer to recycle the fish bait first, by fishing. But if times were hard enough and I couldn’t fish for some reason, then I’d consider eating the bait (after proper cooking of course).
For thousands of years people around the world have cooked and eaten certain insects for their superior nutritional value and also because they’re tasty. This makes perfect sense because no one in their right mind would want to eat a bug, if it didn’t taste good. In many parts of the world, certain insects are highly prized delicacies that fetch good prices on the market, and are eagerly sought after.
If times ever get hard enough and you are staring at starvation, please do consider microfarming. After all, millions of people around the planet couldn't have been wrong all these years.
Those with high ‘ick’ factors can take a lesson from smart mommies around the world: camouflage the undesirable food! Cooked, dried and pulverized almost to a powder, insects can be added to soups and stews without anyone noticing the source of extra nutrition. Although the flavor of most insects is considered quite mild and bland, it is possible to sort different flavors of some insects to match or complement the flavor of the dish at hand. For instance, roasted June Bugs are said to faintly resemble the flavor of malted milkball candies and would do well to raise the nutritional value of a variety of sweet dishes. Imagine that.
F) Minifarm with small animals.
Unless you have the means to grow all your own animal feed, owning conventional livestock may become a hardship and a liability during prolonged emergencies and other hard times. Smaller animals are generally easier to maintain because of their size and feed requirements, and make good choices for minifarming during hard times.
During really hard times when hungry thieves may be a problem, some animals can be raised indoors, out of sight. If set up properly, animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs are easy to maintain indoors and pose little to no odor problems. An easy ‘ecosystem’ can be created with wire cages suspended above worm beds (plastic boxes containing soil and worms). The worms will recycle animal wastes into nutrient rich castings which makes an excellent plant fertilizer.
To prepare against the really, really hard times, you may also want to consider collecting information about how to raise some of the smaller critters such as rats or mice. The taste of the meat is said to be quite good, and has been enjoyed by people in other lands for generations.
3. LEARN TO BE MORE SELF-RELIANT
Self-reliance topics such as these may seem extreme to some who have always enjoyed an uninterrupted supply of food and water. In contrast, many people are seeing the need to explore as many options as possible because they recognize that our food and water delivery systems are becoming increasingly unreliable and disturbingly vulnerable to new threats and interruptions.
None of us can be totally self-sufficient, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to be a little less dependent on an undependable system. Independence begins with knowledge. Accumulating a wealth of information is good, but having a working knowledge is even better and may prove to be more sustaining than relying on a pile of stockpiled goods that have a limited shelf life.
Can you learn and practice new self-reliant skills right now? Hopefully, you will never need to put this information to use, but if you wait until the last minute to learn too many new skills, it would be a lot like waiting until you are drowning before learning to swim.
A few words about statistics...
Notice that the terrorism statistics given at the outset of this article represent what is called ‘non-state terrorism‘. State terrorism is not included in the statistics given by Wikipedia and other similar factoid places because they are considered to be 'acts conducted by governments'.
When you do a Google search using the key words: 'deaths terrorism 1971', you’ll find state terrorism deaths are not included in the statistics published in many of the encyclopedia-type sites such as history.com, Wikipedia and other similar notables. The acts committed against people by governments or their armies are not considered in the statistics.
So, what I'm seeing is that while the harm done by some political machines can be horrific and terrible, it's apparently not coined with the term 'terrorism'. That’s too bad, because terroristic acts committed in the name of governments are in many ways worse than that of individuals in a militant or religious group.
Terrorism is terrorism, no matter how you look at it, regardless of the source! To me this ‘state’ and ‘non-state’ distinction is terribly misleading, also because it is obvious that some deaths will fall through the cracks of “facts” and may never be reported justly or accurately. To see an example, Google statistics involving the IRA (Irish Republican Army). Although by definition (from wordnet.princeton.edu),the IRA is "a militant organization of Irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland...", those who died under IRA hands sometimes are not counted in terrorism statistics because of the misleading 'state' distinction.
In spite of these inaccuracies in historical accounts, one thing is clear: terrorism in every form is showing no signs of slowing down and more innocent people than ever will be affected by it in the future. No, it’s not a new thing, by a long shot, but it is an unstoppable growing thing that every preparedness plan should take into account.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label BOOK EXCERPT from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BOOK EXCERPT from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Seeds for survival gardens? How reliable are they?
Before ordering from a new-to-me seed company, I always plug their name into the search box here:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/
The Garden Watchdog has saved me a small fortune with just a few clicks. It is a "directory of 6,750 mail order gardening companies. Here gardeners share their opinions on which companies really deliver on quality, price and service."
Keep in mind, a few bad reviews does not always mean a bad business, but a long string of them is a good indication that something is not right.
Speaking of not right…
Hmmm...looks like more than a few ‘survival seed’ companies are jumping on the $eed wagon these days. My concern with some of these new boys on the block is their integrity.
Without naming names, I’ll just use a typical example of a ’survival garden seed’ outfit selling an (x) number of thousands of seeds, almost two dozen variety heirloom seed package for a total of $X.95...
For what it's worth, my alarm bells were clanging and banging when I visited their site.
I was put-off and a bit suspicious of the hype-hype talk, especially since the heirloom seeds they're offering are not exactly 'rare' as they claim. The same varieties are commonly available--by the small pack and in bulk--at reputable places such as Fedco, Baker Creek, Seeds of Change, Johnny's Seeds, Territorial Seeds and others. Also the emphasis on their seed count was silly and pure hype (almost insulting, really). Most small-seeded varieties are normally sold in multi-hundreds or thousands anyway.
Because heirloom seeds are essential to a survival garden, more folks are appreciating their value. Heirloom seed sales are skyrocketing, and as with any other profit venture, there will be unsavory merchants.
If venturing outside well known and established companies...buyer beware! Companies with reputations similar to the ones I listed are a safe bet for your large orders.
Some 'new kids on the block' look promising, but they'll get small trial orders from me before I would consider investing in a larger order.
For long term storage purposes and as a hedge against hard times, I'd rather assemble the packet myself with seeds from reputable companies that are well known for their fresh-as-possible seeds labeled with honest germination rates and dates.
I'm not saying all new companies are bad news, but...
If your food source is--or will be--from your garden, get your seeds from a well known and reputable seed source before trusting the success of your food garden to brand new or unknown entities.
Seeds of all food plants can be safely stored many years (in most cases for up to ten times longer than normal germination rates, longer in some cases) if they are frozen in airtight containers and if the seeds are dried to about 5% - 8% moisture. If they are not dry enough, the excess moisture inside the seeds will expand when frozen and derange their internal cell walls. As a result, germination and seed vigor may be poor.
How dry is enough? If the seed breaks or shatters instead of bending when folded or whacked with a hammer, it is good to go.
If you can’t freeze the seeds, the next best place to store them would be the refrigerator. Failing that, a cool dry and dark place would be third best.
Tip: When you take your seeds out of the freezer or refrigerator, allow the container to completely reach room temperature before opening (overnight is best). If you don't, you may have problems associated with condensed moisture inside the container.
Because fluctuations in temperature will also shorten the shelf life of seeds, I like to package my seeds in many smaller containers instead of a few large ones. That way I don't thaw out a big wad of seeds when I just need to remove a few from frozen storage.
And just in case you didn’t know…it is possible to overdry seeds! For example, if you stored a desiccant (a drying material such as silica gel, etc.) with seeds that are already plenty enough dry, you could shorten their life span considerably.
Seeds that are stored with less than 5% moisture may suffer a poor germination rate over time, and the ones that manage to sprout may suffer loss of vigor. You can test one or two seeds from each batch the low tech way. When the seeds reach the point where they are dry enough to crack and shatter when lightly whacked with a hammer or when bitten with your teeth, they should be stored in an airtight container without a desiccant.
Never dry seeds in an oven or in direct sunshine! Damage begins when the temp rises above 95* F. When you harvest your own seeds, it is best to dry them on window screens in a warm airy place. I like to boost the air circulation with a fan, and park the seedworks in the same room as my woodstove. On the days when I don’t want to fire up the woodstove, I use a fan, a thermometer, and a portable electric heater with a built-in thermostat to dry seeds in a small room.
A great food garden starts with great seeds!
Grow forth and be happy!
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/
The Garden Watchdog has saved me a small fortune with just a few clicks. It is a "directory of 6,750 mail order gardening companies. Here gardeners share their opinions on which companies really deliver on quality, price and service."
Keep in mind, a few bad reviews does not always mean a bad business, but a long string of them is a good indication that something is not right.
Speaking of not right…
Hmmm...looks like more than a few ‘survival seed’ companies are jumping on the $eed wagon these days. My concern with some of these new boys on the block is their integrity.
Without naming names, I’ll just use a typical example of a ’survival garden seed’ outfit selling an (x) number of thousands of seeds, almost two dozen variety heirloom seed package for a total of $X.95...
For what it's worth, my alarm bells were clanging and banging when I visited their site.
I was put-off and a bit suspicious of the hype-hype talk, especially since the heirloom seeds they're offering are not exactly 'rare' as they claim. The same varieties are commonly available--by the small pack and in bulk--at reputable places such as Fedco, Baker Creek, Seeds of Change, Johnny's Seeds, Territorial Seeds and others. Also the emphasis on their seed count was silly and pure hype (almost insulting, really). Most small-seeded varieties are normally sold in multi-hundreds or thousands anyway.
Because heirloom seeds are essential to a survival garden, more folks are appreciating their value. Heirloom seed sales are skyrocketing, and as with any other profit venture, there will be unsavory merchants.
If venturing outside well known and established companies...buyer beware! Companies with reputations similar to the ones I listed are a safe bet for your large orders.
Some 'new kids on the block' look promising, but they'll get small trial orders from me before I would consider investing in a larger order.
For long term storage purposes and as a hedge against hard times, I'd rather assemble the packet myself with seeds from reputable companies that are well known for their fresh-as-possible seeds labeled with honest germination rates and dates.
I'm not saying all new companies are bad news, but...
If your food source is--or will be--from your garden, get your seeds from a well known and reputable seed source before trusting the success of your food garden to brand new or unknown entities.
Seeds of all food plants can be safely stored many years (in most cases for up to ten times longer than normal germination rates, longer in some cases) if they are frozen in airtight containers and if the seeds are dried to about 5% - 8% moisture. If they are not dry enough, the excess moisture inside the seeds will expand when frozen and derange their internal cell walls. As a result, germination and seed vigor may be poor.
How dry is enough? If the seed breaks or shatters instead of bending when folded or whacked with a hammer, it is good to go.
If you can’t freeze the seeds, the next best place to store them would be the refrigerator. Failing that, a cool dry and dark place would be third best.
Tip: When you take your seeds out of the freezer or refrigerator, allow the container to completely reach room temperature before opening (overnight is best). If you don't, you may have problems associated with condensed moisture inside the container.
Because fluctuations in temperature will also shorten the shelf life of seeds, I like to package my seeds in many smaller containers instead of a few large ones. That way I don't thaw out a big wad of seeds when I just need to remove a few from frozen storage.
And just in case you didn’t know…it is possible to overdry seeds! For example, if you stored a desiccant (a drying material such as silica gel, etc.) with seeds that are already plenty enough dry, you could shorten their life span considerably.
Seeds that are stored with less than 5% moisture may suffer a poor germination rate over time, and the ones that manage to sprout may suffer loss of vigor. You can test one or two seeds from each batch the low tech way. When the seeds reach the point where they are dry enough to crack and shatter when lightly whacked with a hammer or when bitten with your teeth, they should be stored in an airtight container without a desiccant.
Never dry seeds in an oven or in direct sunshine! Damage begins when the temp rises above 95* F. When you harvest your own seeds, it is best to dry them on window screens in a warm airy place. I like to boost the air circulation with a fan, and park the seedworks in the same room as my woodstove. On the days when I don’t want to fire up the woodstove, I use a fan, a thermometer, and a portable electric heater with a built-in thermostat to dry seeds in a small room.
A great food garden starts with great seeds!
Grow forth and be happy!
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 2, 2009
Put a 'Shelter Box' in Your Emergency Preparedness Plans
Even if you plan to ride out every crisis in the comfort of your home, you should prepare to evacuate anyway. When SHTF (Stuff Hits The Fan) it is not usually evenly distributed...Not one of us is immune to the possibility of natural or manmade disasters forcing us to flee our homes or our favorite crisis hideyholes.
Do you have a tent in your emergency bugout kit?
Some of you may be thinking along these lines in the event of an emergency evacuation, "I don't need a tent, I'll be in a motel/relative or friend's house/etc." or "I can sleep in my car, if I need to." If this is you talking, then please consider that best laid plans can go wrong. You may have to abandon your vehicle for some reason or another...or face way too many miles of no motel vacancies...houses can burn down...you get the idea.
The paramount rules for survival anytime, anywhere involves shelter, water and food. Naturally, when preparing for emergencies, we always think of food and water...but how prepared are you for emergency shelter?
If you have not already done so, put a low cost ‘shelter box’ in your emergency preparedness plans. Make your own custom kit to suit your group. Here’s the general idea:
http://www.shelterbox.ca/what-shelterbox.html
The price and weight is a bear, so...
Here’s my spin…a combination Shelter Box and 'bugout' bag. The following items can be packed into one or two large sturdy and waterproof boxes (or large bags). Waterproofing is essential, in the event of rain. Use plastic bags inside of the containers, if needed. A well stocked Shelter Box should at least include the following items.
This is an outline of a very basic kit. My personal kit contains more gear than this, and other folks may have more or less than what is outlined here. A supply list as long as your leg can be overwhelming to those who are just starting out in their preparedness ventures, or to those who simply can't afford to buy a lot. Here is a short and sweet version of the basics:
1. Expedient dry shelter such as a tent (or several heavy duty tarps and rope if you can’t afford a tent right now). Instead of including one large/medium tent to shelter your whole group, I would include two medium (or smaller) tents. Bad things can happen to your one shelter. Better to have a backup, even if it will be a bit cramped.
2. Bedding and clothing for every person:
A. Thermal blankets and thermal sleeping bags, if you can afford it.
B. Even if it is summertime (or wintertime) when you pack your shelter box, and the next season is far from your mind…don’t forget to include a coat and a summer/winter change of clothing and shoes for each person.
C. One heavy duty plastic tarp for each person, to serve as a ground cover beneath bedding. Include an inexpensive mylar blanket for every person to bolster up insulation where needed. In summer, the same mylar blanket can be used on top of a tarp shelter to divert the sun’s hot rays and to help cool the area beneath the tarp…
3. Light - Include an inexpensive solar powered battery charger and rechargeable batteries for several LED flashlights. I like to get a few of the same kind of flashlight (and other gear), so I can cannibalize one for parts, if needed.
4. Clean water and several ways and means of purification. Collapsible water containers.
5. Heat / cooking - Two lightweight stoves: one multi-fuel stove and one twig-burning stove. Here are some options/ideas: http://www.modernoutpost.com/gear/camping-stoves.html Include several ways of making fire.
6. Cooking aids - 2 cooking pots, cooking spoon, sharp, tough knives, small knife sharpener, folded heavy duty aluminum foil, etc. Include one set of utensils and a bowl for each person. Lightweight mugs if you have room. (A bowl can do multi-duty in a pinch, if needed to save space on plates and mugs).
7. Food - Lightweight instant foods that require no refrigeration or extensive cooking. Include dried fruits, nuts, jerky, tasty energy bars, etc.
8. Tools - hammer, axe, saw, heavy duty plastic bags of varying sizes, quality duct tape (the ‘Gorilla’ brand tape is the best!), folding shovel, rope, tent stakes, bungie cords, etc. etc.
9. Health and special needs: fever and diarrhea reducing meds, personal medications, basic first aid gear. Your favorite insecticide, and mosquito nets if your area calls for it. If you have babies, include the basics for their survival. Pets…decide ahead of time what their emergency plans will involve and plan accordingly.
10. Communications - Radio, cell phone, windup battery chargers. Phone numbers.
11. Sanity savers - Just to mention a few…
A. A copy or the originals of your important papers. You know what they are.
B. A list of details about your employment/educational history. Not many think to include this in their emergency kit, but it is a sanity saver in the event you cannot return home right away, and may need to apply for temporary or permanent work elsewhere.
C. Crayons, pens, pencils and paper can go a long way to help children work through stress. Include instructions for simple games that can be made with found materials.
D. Snacks and hard candies.
E Last but not least, consider your spiritual needs. For me and mine, that would be our Bibles.
If you made your own Shelter Box right now, what would it contain? How could you make it better, later?
Here are a few ideas for solving the problem of hauling all this stuff on foot, if you needed to abandon your home or vehicle. In addition to backpacks, you could consider a few options.
The first one I like. The rest are make-do's, but they may be better than just a backpack alone.
--> Folding game carts and carriers can haul up to 700 pounds of deer and gear--or your shelter box and bugout kits. One of my favorite places to shop has a good variety. Looksee at Cabela's...
--> whatyoucallit...the suitcase-on-wheels-with-a-long-handle kind of thing (lined with plastic bags)...
--> Plastic wheelbarrows can be disassembled and reassembled with minimal tools and ease...
--> Garbage cans with wheels...
--> Child's wagon and rope for strapping a load on...
--> Native American style travios...
Can you think of other ideas for transporting as much of your essential gear as possible, in case you need to travel on foot in an emergency?
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Do you have a tent in your emergency bugout kit?
Some of you may be thinking along these lines in the event of an emergency evacuation, "I don't need a tent, I'll be in a motel/relative or friend's house/etc." or "I can sleep in my car, if I need to." If this is you talking, then please consider that best laid plans can go wrong. You may have to abandon your vehicle for some reason or another...or face way too many miles of no motel vacancies...houses can burn down...you get the idea.
The paramount rules for survival anytime, anywhere involves shelter, water and food. Naturally, when preparing for emergencies, we always think of food and water...but how prepared are you for emergency shelter?
If you have not already done so, put a low cost ‘shelter box’ in your emergency preparedness plans. Make your own custom kit to suit your group. Here’s the general idea:
http://www.shelterbox.ca/what-shelterbox.html
The price and weight is a bear, so...
Here’s my spin…a combination Shelter Box and 'bugout' bag. The following items can be packed into one or two large sturdy and waterproof boxes (or large bags). Waterproofing is essential, in the event of rain. Use plastic bags inside of the containers, if needed. A well stocked Shelter Box should at least include the following items.
This is an outline of a very basic kit. My personal kit contains more gear than this, and other folks may have more or less than what is outlined here. A supply list as long as your leg can be overwhelming to those who are just starting out in their preparedness ventures, or to those who simply can't afford to buy a lot. Here is a short and sweet version of the basics:
1. Expedient dry shelter such as a tent (or several heavy duty tarps and rope if you can’t afford a tent right now). Instead of including one large/medium tent to shelter your whole group, I would include two medium (or smaller) tents. Bad things can happen to your one shelter. Better to have a backup, even if it will be a bit cramped.
2. Bedding and clothing for every person:
A. Thermal blankets and thermal sleeping bags, if you can afford it.
B. Even if it is summertime (or wintertime) when you pack your shelter box, and the next season is far from your mind…don’t forget to include a coat and a summer/winter change of clothing and shoes for each person.
C. One heavy duty plastic tarp for each person, to serve as a ground cover beneath bedding. Include an inexpensive mylar blanket for every person to bolster up insulation where needed. In summer, the same mylar blanket can be used on top of a tarp shelter to divert the sun’s hot rays and to help cool the area beneath the tarp…
3. Light - Include an inexpensive solar powered battery charger and rechargeable batteries for several LED flashlights. I like to get a few of the same kind of flashlight (and other gear), so I can cannibalize one for parts, if needed.
4. Clean water and several ways and means of purification. Collapsible water containers.
5. Heat / cooking - Two lightweight stoves: one multi-fuel stove and one twig-burning stove. Here are some options/ideas: http://www.modernoutpost.com/gear/camping-stoves.html Include several ways of making fire.
6. Cooking aids - 2 cooking pots, cooking spoon, sharp, tough knives, small knife sharpener, folded heavy duty aluminum foil, etc. Include one set of utensils and a bowl for each person. Lightweight mugs if you have room. (A bowl can do multi-duty in a pinch, if needed to save space on plates and mugs).
7. Food - Lightweight instant foods that require no refrigeration or extensive cooking. Include dried fruits, nuts, jerky, tasty energy bars, etc.
8. Tools - hammer, axe, saw, heavy duty plastic bags of varying sizes, quality duct tape (the ‘Gorilla’ brand tape is the best!), folding shovel, rope, tent stakes, bungie cords, etc. etc.
9. Health and special needs: fever and diarrhea reducing meds, personal medications, basic first aid gear. Your favorite insecticide, and mosquito nets if your area calls for it. If you have babies, include the basics for their survival. Pets…decide ahead of time what their emergency plans will involve and plan accordingly.
10. Communications - Radio, cell phone, windup battery chargers. Phone numbers.
11. Sanity savers - Just to mention a few…
A. A copy or the originals of your important papers. You know what they are.
B. A list of details about your employment/educational history. Not many think to include this in their emergency kit, but it is a sanity saver in the event you cannot return home right away, and may need to apply for temporary or permanent work elsewhere.
C. Crayons, pens, pencils and paper can go a long way to help children work through stress. Include instructions for simple games that can be made with found materials.
D. Snacks and hard candies.
E Last but not least, consider your spiritual needs. For me and mine, that would be our Bibles.
If you made your own Shelter Box right now, what would it contain? How could you make it better, later?
Here are a few ideas for solving the problem of hauling all this stuff on foot, if you needed to abandon your home or vehicle. In addition to backpacks, you could consider a few options.
The first one I like. The rest are make-do's, but they may be better than just a backpack alone.
--> Folding game carts and carriers can haul up to 700 pounds of deer and gear--or your shelter box and bugout kits. One of my favorite places to shop has a good variety. Looksee at Cabela's...
--> whatyoucallit...the suitcase-on-wheels-with-a-long-handle kind of thing (lined with plastic bags)...
--> Plastic wheelbarrows can be disassembled and reassembled with minimal tools and ease...
--> Garbage cans with wheels...
--> Child's wagon and rope for strapping a load on...
--> Native American style travios...
Can you think of other ideas for transporting as much of your essential gear as possible, in case you need to travel on foot in an emergency?
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
What to do with all those apples...
Pretty soon, I'm going to have my hands on gobs and gobs of apples! It is getting cool enough here so that I can temporarily store some of them in a sort-of 'root cellar' that I made out of a clean galvanized trash can that is parked in the shade outside my kitchen door. (Last winter I used it to dump my woodstove ashes into.)
Speaking of root cellars, here's an excellent book about root cellars of every description: Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel. This book and many other self-reliant topics are published by Storey Publishing http://www.storey.com . Root Cellering is the best book I've ever seen on the subject, and it's where I got the inspiration for my trashcan 'root cellar'.
Blurb on the book's front cover: "Keep your produce 'harvest fresh' in your own basement, porch, garage, or closet hideaway!"
What I'll be doing with the rest of the apples:
-- Dehydrate (rings and apple leather)...This can be done in the oven, or near a wood stove or in a dehydrator.
-- Vinegar (peels and cores)... It's fun and easy to make gourmet vinegars as well. http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/2007/10/homemade-vinegar-is-fun-and-easy.html
-- Applesauce
-- Apple Pie Jam
-- 'Apple Pie Jam Leather', made with the same yummy flavors in this delicious recipe:
Miss Violet's APPLE PIE JAM
4 cups tart apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 box powdered pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter
Add water to chopped apples to measure 4 cups. (This is NOT 4 cups each, but water placed on top of the diced apples to come up to the 4 cup mark.)
Place apples and water into large, heavy saucepan.
Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice. Measure sugars. Stir pectin into fruit. Add butter.
Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in both sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle quickly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
-----------------------------------------
DID YOU KNOW?
Applesauce and apple leathers are considered to be good foods to eat during and after a nuclear crisis. While this is by no means a 'cure' for radiation poisoning, it does not hurt that the pectin in the apples binds with heavy metals associated with radiation poisoning. The pectin (along with some of the bound metals) is removed by the process of elimination. This helps your body to detox better. And of course, you know about how good applesauce is for you! Plus it is a comfort food that is easy to digest.
Here's a link to an excellent tutorial: Making Your Own Apple Pectin
By Sam Thayer From The Forager. Volume 1, Issue 3. August-September 2001
http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/The_Forager/pectin.html
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given: This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Speaking of root cellars, here's an excellent book about root cellars of every description: Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel. This book and many other self-reliant topics are published by Storey Publishing http://www.storey.com . Root Cellering is the best book I've ever seen on the subject, and it's where I got the inspiration for my trashcan 'root cellar'.
Blurb on the book's front cover: "Keep your produce 'harvest fresh' in your own basement, porch, garage, or closet hideaway!"
What I'll be doing with the rest of the apples:
-- Dehydrate (rings and apple leather)...This can be done in the oven, or near a wood stove or in a dehydrator.
-- Vinegar (peels and cores)... It's fun and easy to make gourmet vinegars as well. http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/2007/10/homemade-vinegar-is-fun-and-easy.html
-- Applesauce
-- Apple Pie Jam
-- 'Apple Pie Jam Leather', made with the same yummy flavors in this delicious recipe:
Miss Violet's APPLE PIE JAM
4 cups tart apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 box powdered pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter
Add water to chopped apples to measure 4 cups. (This is NOT 4 cups each, but water placed on top of the diced apples to come up to the 4 cup mark.)
Place apples and water into large, heavy saucepan.
Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice. Measure sugars. Stir pectin into fruit. Add butter.
Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in both sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle quickly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
-----------------------------------------
DID YOU KNOW?
Applesauce and apple leathers are considered to be good foods to eat during and after a nuclear crisis. While this is by no means a 'cure' for radiation poisoning, it does not hurt that the pectin in the apples binds with heavy metals associated with radiation poisoning. The pectin (along with some of the bound metals) is removed by the process of elimination. This helps your body to detox better. And of course, you know about how good applesauce is for you! Plus it is a comfort food that is easy to digest.
Here's a link to an excellent tutorial: Making Your Own Apple Pectin
By Sam Thayer From The Forager. Volume 1, Issue 3. August-September 2001
http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/The_Forager/pectin.html
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given: This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 12, 2008
How To Check Any Gasoline Pump for Accuracy
Do you ever wonder if your favorite gas station's pumps are accurate? Here is a simple and easy way to find out...and what to do about it if it's not accurate.
After all, we don't need to be giving away an arm, a leg and our firstborn...just yet.
The results of this test will not be affected by the grade of gasoline you use, or the time of day you are pumping it.
1. Put exactly ten gallons in your tank. (This test will not be accurate if you put a smidgen less than ten gallons, nor will it work if you accidentally go over ten gallons, even by just a little bit.)
2. Now, look at the price at the pump. The price you pay should be exactly ten times the per gallon price of the gas. If it is not, then the pump is not accurate.
If the pump is not accurate, this does not mean it is rigged
More often than not, the problem is with worn check valves. This means that the favor could swing either way, to you or the gas station.
The check valve is the gizmo that is supposed to make the price meter start ticking at the exact same time as the gas starts flowing. A common symptom of wearing out is when the price meter advances a few cents before the gas starts flowing.
The likelihood of the meter or the pump being deliberately rigged are very slim. The meter itself is built in such a way that it is not 'riggable'. State inspections that go along with state and federal laws are another strong deterrent to any temptations a dishonest gas vendor may have.
If you encounter a problem, report it to the gas station manager and/or to the local Commissioner of Weights and Measures.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Banging your head against the wall?
.
'tain't all that bad...
Banging your head against the wall uses 150 calories an hour.
'tain't all that bad...
Banging your head against the wall uses 150 calories an hour.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Up-to-the-minute global earthquake news links
Get up-to-the-minute earthquake news from around the globe. Whoah...what a weird sensation it is to watch the pulsing red dots glowing all over the world to indicate currently occurring earthquakes! Check out this cool map from http://www.earthquake-news.net/
And this site has a nice view of the world's earthquake 'footprints'.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/sitemap.php
Here's one map from that site
And this site has a nice view of the world's earthquake 'footprints'.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/sitemap.php
Here's one map from that site
Monday, April 28, 2008
Are You As Prepared As You Think You Are?
This post is not meant to disturb you or gross you out . I apologize if parts of it seems to be unnecessarily harsh. It's a serious wake up call to help some of us look beyond ordinary disaster preps.
What will you do if your present best-laid plans fail, or after they are used up? You need to have some idea of Plan B, C & D! Here are some practical ideas that might help you to see your disaster preparations beyond 'Plan A'.
Most preps are temporary, having a life span of only (x) number days, weeks or years. Also, things like theft, bugs, mold, fires and other disasters can easily lay to waste our carefully made preparations.
If you are ever faced with a prolonged crisis, or a series of them that leave you with nothing but your two hands and a half of a mind...What will you do? If you are in good spiritual health, or otherwise strong of heart and mind...then you won't be likely to panic or suffer extreme despair. If you have the know-how to make sustainable preparations work well, and enough staying power, you'll have a greater chance of thriving the crisis at hand.
Truly useful preparations are sustainable. They are often of the kind that you carry in your head. Sometimes, knowledge can carry you further than any storebought disaster prep item.
Take for instance, the most important prep item: water. Instead of focusing only on things like collecting a gazillion empty soda pop bottles, and how many drops of bleach to use for purification, learn what you can about how you can to safely replace the saved water during the most austere of times.
Learn about indicator plants that reveal higher levels of moisture in the ground, and how to harvest it...Know how to make water catchment devices (rainbarrels, cisterns, ponds, or even earthworks like ditches and ridges to funnel water into an area). Get hydrology maps for your area, and study them. Visit alternate sources of water.
That sort of thing.
None of us are immune to severe survival challenges, and that's why we should seriously consider Plan B, C & D, possibly even more so than Plan A.
During good times, it is sometimes difficult to wrap the mind around unknown factors. To remedy that kind of shortsightedness, take a look at recent history. Wars, disasters, famines, and pestilences abounded throughout all of humankind's history.
One eye-opener for me was in an interesting book, When All Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin. Here are a few excerpts that I hope will cause you to open your eyes a little wider, to look beyond the obvious, and to motivate you to gather more knowledge and sustainable preps. As a result, you may be more proactive in making your Plan B, C & D work.
Most people think of famine as ancient history, or something that happens only to third world countries. Notice that most of the following events happened not that long ago...and consider that these are just a few of many.
Here's a sobering look into our history, from Cody Lundin's book:
Europe, AD 1315-1322, The Great Famine
Bad weather and crop failure caused the death of millions of people by starvation, disease, infanticide, and cannibalism. At that time in Europe's history, famines were common and people were lucky to survive to the ripe old age of thirty. It seems that hard times knew no economic boundaries. In 1276, official records from the British royal family, society's wealthiest people at the time, recorded an average life span of thirty-five years.
Ireland, 1845-1849, The Great Potato Famine
Potatoes, the mainstay of the Irish diet, were inflicted with a potato blight that killed the crops. Local grain and livestock were owned by the English, and laws prevented the Irish from importing grain. The combination of crop disease and politics caused the death of 1.5 million people by starvation, cannibalism and disease.
USA, The Great Plains, 1930s
The United States experienced the worst drought of the twentieth century. The resulting lack of precipitation caused massive dust storms, which dominated the landscape, causing severe health problems while destroying crops and killing livestock. Death toll is unknown....
The Soviet Famine, 1932-1943
The Soviet Famine was initiated by Josef Stalin in an attempt to boost industrialization financed by forced collective farms in which grain production fell by 40 percent. His draconian measures included forbidding peasants to leave the country without permission; expelling, killing, or sending rich peasants to labor camps and forcibly seizing what little food remained to double grain exports to raise cash for his failed plan. The predicted chaos included a report issued by an Italian consul member in the Ukraine reporting "a growing commerce in human meat" and that people were killing and eating their own children. Astute authorities immediately responded, not with food, but by distributing posters that read: "Eating Dead Children Is Barbarism". Due to a national cover-up forbidding doctors to disclose on death certificates that the deceased had starved to death, numbers for the total dead are sketchy but estimates are at 5 to 8 million people, 10 to 25 percent of the population of the Ukraine.
The Warsaw Ghetto, 1940-1942
Three hundred eighty thousand Jews were confined to a 3.5. mile area that normally housed 160,000. The population eventually reached 445,000 before the Nazis sealed off the area with a ten-food wall, with the intention of starving all of the inhabitants within nine months. Official food rationing provided 2,613 kilocalories per day for Germans, 699 kilocalories per day for Poles, and 184 kilocalories for Jews in the Ghetto. Tens of thousands died from starvation and disease.
Northern China, 1958-1962
Chairman Mao's failed bid to "industrialize" his nation, along with several natural disasters and drought, killed an unbelievable 30 million people by starvation, disease, infanticide, and cannibalism. Desperate families swapped each other's children to eat, thus avoiding having to eat their kin....
Biafra (now Nigeria), Africa, 1967-1969
Civil war-caused famine kills one million people, leaving another 3.5 million to suffer from extreme malnutrition.
North Korea, 1994-1998
A combination of reduced Chinese and Russian food subsidies, along with the effects of collective farming, flooding, drought, and government corruption, caused an estimated 2 to 3 million people to die of starvation, disease, and cannibalism...
-------------- end of excerpts.
Because of weather, disease or politics, many more famines have occurred, or are happening now, and will happen again in one place after another.
Please don't suffer tunnel-vision and be caught mentally and physically unprepared if a (short or long term) famine comes to your neighborhood. Get ready for a short term crises with the obvious, but look beyond temporary preparedness for a longer lasting and more sustainable kind.
This post was not aimed at increasing worry levels, but to kick up awareness/preparedness levels a notch or two...
Like I said before, if you are in good spiritual health...then you won't be likely to worry needlessly, or suffer despair. Worry is so destructive, and accomplishes nothing good; on the other hand, being fully aware with eyes wide open can be a good thing, and may lead to workable solutions.
I'll wager that most of us have already thought about these things. But I suspect that some of us are preparing pretty much for a temporary event or two, and that 'everything will return to normal' after the dust settles...
It won't. The scene of this world is changing too much, too fast. There are 'new normals' being set every day.
Your ability to adapt to these 'new normals' may well depend upon how sustainable your Plans B, C and D are...in addition to your spiritual health.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
What will you do if your present best-laid plans fail, or after they are used up? You need to have some idea of Plan B, C & D! Here are some practical ideas that might help you to see your disaster preparations beyond 'Plan A'.
Most preps are temporary, having a life span of only (x) number days, weeks or years. Also, things like theft, bugs, mold, fires and other disasters can easily lay to waste our carefully made preparations.
If you are ever faced with a prolonged crisis, or a series of them that leave you with nothing but your two hands and a half of a mind...What will you do? If you are in good spiritual health, or otherwise strong of heart and mind...then you won't be likely to panic or suffer extreme despair. If you have the know-how to make sustainable preparations work well, and enough staying power, you'll have a greater chance of thriving the crisis at hand.
Truly useful preparations are sustainable. They are often of the kind that you carry in your head. Sometimes, knowledge can carry you further than any storebought disaster prep item.
Take for instance, the most important prep item: water. Instead of focusing only on things like collecting a gazillion empty soda pop bottles, and how many drops of bleach to use for purification, learn what you can about how you can to safely replace the saved water during the most austere of times.
Learn about indicator plants that reveal higher levels of moisture in the ground, and how to harvest it...Know how to make water catchment devices (rainbarrels, cisterns, ponds, or even earthworks like ditches and ridges to funnel water into an area). Get hydrology maps for your area, and study them. Visit alternate sources of water.
That sort of thing.
None of us are immune to severe survival challenges, and that's why we should seriously consider Plan B, C & D, possibly even more so than Plan A.
During good times, it is sometimes difficult to wrap the mind around unknown factors. To remedy that kind of shortsightedness, take a look at recent history. Wars, disasters, famines, and pestilences abounded throughout all of humankind's history.
One eye-opener for me was in an interesting book, When All Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin. Here are a few excerpts that I hope will cause you to open your eyes a little wider, to look beyond the obvious, and to motivate you to gather more knowledge and sustainable preps. As a result, you may be more proactive in making your Plan B, C & D work.
Most people think of famine as ancient history, or something that happens only to third world countries. Notice that most of the following events happened not that long ago...and consider that these are just a few of many.
Here's a sobering look into our history, from Cody Lundin's book:
Europe, AD 1315-1322, The Great Famine
Bad weather and crop failure caused the death of millions of people by starvation, disease, infanticide, and cannibalism. At that time in Europe's history, famines were common and people were lucky to survive to the ripe old age of thirty. It seems that hard times knew no economic boundaries. In 1276, official records from the British royal family, society's wealthiest people at the time, recorded an average life span of thirty-five years.
Ireland, 1845-1849, The Great Potato Famine
Potatoes, the mainstay of the Irish diet, were inflicted with a potato blight that killed the crops. Local grain and livestock were owned by the English, and laws prevented the Irish from importing grain. The combination of crop disease and politics caused the death of 1.5 million people by starvation, cannibalism and disease.
USA, The Great Plains, 1930s
The United States experienced the worst drought of the twentieth century. The resulting lack of precipitation caused massive dust storms, which dominated the landscape, causing severe health problems while destroying crops and killing livestock. Death toll is unknown....
The Soviet Famine, 1932-1943
The Soviet Famine was initiated by Josef Stalin in an attempt to boost industrialization financed by forced collective farms in which grain production fell by 40 percent. His draconian measures included forbidding peasants to leave the country without permission; expelling, killing, or sending rich peasants to labor camps and forcibly seizing what little food remained to double grain exports to raise cash for his failed plan. The predicted chaos included a report issued by an Italian consul member in the Ukraine reporting "a growing commerce in human meat" and that people were killing and eating their own children. Astute authorities immediately responded, not with food, but by distributing posters that read: "Eating Dead Children Is Barbarism". Due to a national cover-up forbidding doctors to disclose on death certificates that the deceased had starved to death, numbers for the total dead are sketchy but estimates are at 5 to 8 million people, 10 to 25 percent of the population of the Ukraine.
The Warsaw Ghetto, 1940-1942
Three hundred eighty thousand Jews were confined to a 3.5. mile area that normally housed 160,000. The population eventually reached 445,000 before the Nazis sealed off the area with a ten-food wall, with the intention of starving all of the inhabitants within nine months. Official food rationing provided 2,613 kilocalories per day for Germans, 699 kilocalories per day for Poles, and 184 kilocalories for Jews in the Ghetto. Tens of thousands died from starvation and disease.
Northern China, 1958-1962
Chairman Mao's failed bid to "industrialize" his nation, along with several natural disasters and drought, killed an unbelievable 30 million people by starvation, disease, infanticide, and cannibalism. Desperate families swapped each other's children to eat, thus avoiding having to eat their kin....
Biafra (now Nigeria), Africa, 1967-1969
Civil war-caused famine kills one million people, leaving another 3.5 million to suffer from extreme malnutrition.
North Korea, 1994-1998
A combination of reduced Chinese and Russian food subsidies, along with the effects of collective farming, flooding, drought, and government corruption, caused an estimated 2 to 3 million people to die of starvation, disease, and cannibalism...
-------------- end of excerpts.
Because of weather, disease or politics, many more famines have occurred, or are happening now, and will happen again in one place after another.
Please don't suffer tunnel-vision and be caught mentally and physically unprepared if a (short or long term) famine comes to your neighborhood. Get ready for a short term crises with the obvious, but look beyond temporary preparedness for a longer lasting and more sustainable kind.
This post was not aimed at increasing worry levels, but to kick up awareness/preparedness levels a notch or two...
Like I said before, if you are in good spiritual health...then you won't be likely to worry needlessly, or suffer despair. Worry is so destructive, and accomplishes nothing good; on the other hand, being fully aware with eyes wide open can be a good thing, and may lead to workable solutions.
I'll wager that most of us have already thought about these things. But I suspect that some of us are preparing pretty much for a temporary event or two, and that 'everything will return to normal' after the dust settles...
It won't. The scene of this world is changing too much, too fast. There are 'new normals' being set every day.
Your ability to adapt to these 'new normals' may well depend upon how sustainable your Plans B, C and D are...in addition to your spiritual health.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Survival and Preparedness Wit and Wisdom
.
These are a few of my favorite bits of wit and wisdom. They drive home some pretty good maxims of a preparedness lifestyle. Here's hoping you'll enjoy these as much as I do.
The more you carry in your head, the less you carry on your back.
--Jack Mountain Bushcraft and Guide Service
It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
The difference between adventure and disaster is being prepared.
Last minute preparations are like learning to swim when you are drowning.
Chance favors the prepared mind. --Louis Pasteur
A lack of prior planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.
When it does hit the fan, it will not be evenly distributed.
On the job training doesn's work when you're dealing with survival.
--Duncan Long "Backpack Survival"
Don't prepare to survive the bad times, prepare so that you don't even notice them, by living a simpler lifestyle.
Blessed are the flexible, for they don't get bent out of shape.
Adversity can lead to the discovery of strengths that you did not know you had.
--Al Siebert "The Survivor Personality"
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
A testimony is what's left after the test.
The best way to win a gunfight is by not being there. --John Farnham, firearms expert
If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be...until the looting started.
Everything will be OK in the end. If it is not OK, it's not the end.
What are your favorite survival and preparedness proverbs, funnies, witty sayings, or bits of wisdom? Please share them with us using the 'comments' link just below this post!
These are a few of my favorite bits of wit and wisdom. They drive home some pretty good maxims of a preparedness lifestyle. Here's hoping you'll enjoy these as much as I do.
The more you carry in your head, the less you carry on your back.
--Jack Mountain Bushcraft and Guide Service
It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
The difference between adventure and disaster is being prepared.
Last minute preparations are like learning to swim when you are drowning.
Chance favors the prepared mind. --Louis Pasteur
A lack of prior planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.
When it does hit the fan, it will not be evenly distributed.
On the job training doesn's work when you're dealing with survival.
--Duncan Long "Backpack Survival"
Don't prepare to survive the bad times, prepare so that you don't even notice them, by living a simpler lifestyle.
Blessed are the flexible, for they don't get bent out of shape.
Adversity can lead to the discovery of strengths that you did not know you had.
--Al Siebert "The Survivor Personality"
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
A testimony is what's left after the test.
The best way to win a gunfight is by not being there. --John Farnham, firearms expert
If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be...until the looting started.
Everything will be OK in the end. If it is not OK, it's not the end.
What are your favorite survival and preparedness proverbs, funnies, witty sayings, or bits of wisdom? Please share them with us using the 'comments' link just below this post!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water: How long do you REALLY need to boil water to purify it?
There are so many conflicting guidelines for emergency disinfection of drinking water, that many people may decide to boil water longer than is necessary, just to be on the safe side.
In most crisis situations fuel may be in very short supply, so knowing exactly how long to boil water to safely purify it may prove to be helpful.
The United States Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends boiling water for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 2 kilometers (6562 feet) to disinfect water for drinking.
The CDC recommends boiling water for one minute to kill most organisms. One minute is long enough to kill all major harmful waterborne bacteria and protozoa including Esherischia coli, Salmonella, Shigella sonnei, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio cholerae, Legionella pneumophila, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica and other pathogens.
Waterborne viral pathogens such as hepatitis A, which is known to be one of the more heat-resistant viruses, are also inactivated by one minute of boiling.
If you can't boil water for drinking, here is what the CDC recommends:
"If you can't boil water, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets. If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 milliliter [mL]) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Treating water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or liquid bleach will not kill many parasitic organisms. Boiling is the best way to kill these organisms."
Unfortunately liquid bleach has a fairly short 'shelf life', but granular calcium hypochlorite lasts a long time. The EPA has easy to follow guidelines for using it for emergency disinfection of drinking water. Several methods are discussed here, including using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water. Calcium hypochlorite is the main ingredient in 'pool shock', a powdered product commonly sold to disinfect swimming pools.
Caution: Use only 'high test' calcium hypochlorite that contains a minimum of 70 percent, preferably 78% available chlorine.
Here is what the EPA says about using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water:
Make a concentrated 'stock' solution (liquid bleach):
Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately ¼ ounce) for each two gallons of water, or 5 milliliters (approximately 7 grams) per 7.5 liters of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 milligrams per liter, since the calcium hypochlorite has available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 ounces) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water or (approximately ½ liter to 50 liters of water) to be disinfected.
Mix the treated water thoroughly and allow it to stand, preferably covered, for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, allow the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or pour it from one clean container to another several times.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
In most crisis situations fuel may be in very short supply, so knowing exactly how long to boil water to safely purify it may prove to be helpful.
The United States Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends boiling water for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 2 kilometers (6562 feet) to disinfect water for drinking.
The CDC recommends boiling water for one minute to kill most organisms. One minute is long enough to kill all major harmful waterborne bacteria and protozoa including Esherischia coli, Salmonella, Shigella sonnei, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio cholerae, Legionella pneumophila, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica and other pathogens.
Waterborne viral pathogens such as hepatitis A, which is known to be one of the more heat-resistant viruses, are also inactivated by one minute of boiling.
If you can't boil water for drinking, here is what the CDC recommends:
"If you can't boil water, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets. If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 milliliter [mL]) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Treating water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or liquid bleach will not kill many parasitic organisms. Boiling is the best way to kill these organisms."
Unfortunately liquid bleach has a fairly short 'shelf life', but granular calcium hypochlorite lasts a long time. The EPA has easy to follow guidelines for using it for emergency disinfection of drinking water. Several methods are discussed here, including using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water. Calcium hypochlorite is the main ingredient in 'pool shock', a powdered product commonly sold to disinfect swimming pools.
Caution: Use only 'high test' calcium hypochlorite that contains a minimum of 70 percent, preferably 78% available chlorine.
Here is what the EPA says about using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water:
Make a concentrated 'stock' solution (liquid bleach):
Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately ¼ ounce) for each two gallons of water, or 5 milliliters (approximately 7 grams) per 7.5 liters of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 milligrams per liter, since the calcium hypochlorite has available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 ounces) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water or (approximately ½ liter to 50 liters of water) to be disinfected.
Mix the treated water thoroughly and allow it to stand, preferably covered, for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, allow the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or pour it from one clean container to another several times.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
How to Keep Rabbits, Dogs, Cats, Deer and Other Critters Out Of The Vegetable Garden The EZ Way
I discovered that most critters will not walk over a solid border of prickly, stick-it-to-em pine cones, or other weird stuff. Tenderfooted dogs, cats and rabbits hate walking on those prickly pine cones! I have more of a rabbit problem than a dog or cat one, so I make my pine cone barrier a bit wider than a rabbit-jump across. Fresh pine cones keep their wonderful prickly, stick-it-to-em nature for about two years before softening and losing their 'bite'. Every year, I add more pine cones to my arsenal, and remove the really old ones. I use the 'spent' pine cones as handy dandy firestarters in my wood stove.
No pine cones? Use scrap fencing material. Cats and rabbits especially hate to walk on chicken wire fencing material that has been laid down sort of loose and floppy-like. Most dogs don't like to walk on it either, but it works only if it is really sproingy-boingy, and not laid down perfectly flat.
Because I have moved to a lots-of-bears wilderness area, I also use the same 'barrier principle' to keep the deer and bears out of certain areas, by laying scraps of fence material on the ground. The deer positively hate walking where their hooves can get tangled up in it... I find I don't need to completely cover the ground with the barrier material, just enough pieces here and there, to get the message across that this ground is not easy to navigate through. Use any kind of fencing material that is larger than chicken wire.
One night as I slept, a bear got its claws hung up in a ground barrier of scrap fence material. That must have been one highly irritated bear. It flung fence wire everywhere, and tracks indicated it was not a short struggle. Dang. I missed the whole show.
Note to self: put up game camera.
Heh. Most people wanna keep fences up; sometimes I find they work better laying on the ground. Tip: don't lay the material too flat. The more bumps and humps, the better...
This article is an excerpt from the Gardening During Hard Times section of Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: How To Survive Disasters and Other Hard Times.
This copyrighted material may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
No pine cones? Use scrap fencing material. Cats and rabbits especially hate to walk on chicken wire fencing material that has been laid down sort of loose and floppy-like. Most dogs don't like to walk on it either, but it works only if it is really sproingy-boingy, and not laid down perfectly flat.
Because I have moved to a lots-of-bears wilderness area, I also use the same 'barrier principle' to keep the deer and bears out of certain areas, by laying scraps of fence material on the ground. The deer positively hate walking where their hooves can get tangled up in it... I find I don't need to completely cover the ground with the barrier material, just enough pieces here and there, to get the message across that this ground is not easy to navigate through. Use any kind of fencing material that is larger than chicken wire.
One night as I slept, a bear got its claws hung up in a ground barrier of scrap fence material. That must have been one highly irritated bear. It flung fence wire everywhere, and tracks indicated it was not a short struggle. Dang. I missed the whole show.
Note to self: put up game camera.
Heh. Most people wanna keep fences up; sometimes I find they work better laying on the ground. Tip: don't lay the material too flat. The more bumps and humps, the better...
This article is an excerpt from the Gardening During Hard Times section of Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: How To Survive Disasters and Other Hard Times.
This copyrighted material may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 28, 2008
How I Grind Grain The Old Way With Handheld Grinding Stones
I have a pair of very old grinding stones that I use from time to time to grind parched corn, bulgur (cooked and dried wheat berries), and other such things. Grinding raw wheat into flour by hand is hard work! Grinding dried field corn with it is easier, and grinding millet and parched corn is easiest of all.
My larger grinding stone is about the size of a car's steering wheel, with a depression hollowed out caused from years of use. Eventually, the action of the smaller handheld stone grinding all the grains, acorns and whatever else against the larger stone formed a handy hollow in the larger stone, making the job easier than if it were just a plain flat rock...
If the stones are reasonably hard, and not apt to bits crumbling or flaking off as you work, any two stones with a slightly rough texture should get the grinding job done. From a bit of trial and error, I learned that a gentle thud with the handheld rock smacked against the grains (that are sitting in the little hollow in the larger stone), then a pushing or dragging action of the smaller handheld stone against the larger one, with the grains inbetween the rocks, does a pretty good job of rendering any grain to flour...
My old antique grinding stones are of Native American origin and were originally used to grind softer stuff than wheatberries...such as dried acorns that had the tannins leached out, and wild grass seeds, corn, and certain roots. That's what I use them for, and they do the job well!
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
My larger grinding stone is about the size of a car's steering wheel, with a depression hollowed out caused from years of use. Eventually, the action of the smaller handheld stone grinding all the grains, acorns and whatever else against the larger stone formed a handy hollow in the larger stone, making the job easier than if it were just a plain flat rock...
If the stones are reasonably hard, and not apt to bits crumbling or flaking off as you work, any two stones with a slightly rough texture should get the grinding job done. From a bit of trial and error, I learned that a gentle thud with the handheld rock smacked against the grains (that are sitting in the little hollow in the larger stone), then a pushing or dragging action of the smaller handheld stone against the larger one, with the grains inbetween the rocks, does a pretty good job of rendering any grain to flour...
My old antique grinding stones are of Native American origin and were originally used to grind softer stuff than wheatberries...such as dried acorns that had the tannins leached out, and wild grass seeds, corn, and certain roots. That's what I use them for, and they do the job well!
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
How To Convince Others To Prepare For Disasters and Other Hard Times
There are many intelligent people in this world who are still finding the idea of pandemics, crippling terrorist events, economic collapse, or any other heavy-duty scenario a mite hard to bite into...'tis so incredibly and wildly horrific! Who can blame them?
Some people's "tipping points" are built differently. If they are fortunate, they have a caring and knowledgeable friend or relative who is willing to nudge and point, and if needed, push, shove and show what can and should be done with what resources they have.
To some people, 'PREP' is just another four letter word. If ya just spell it a little differently, it might appeal to those folks a bit more.
There's Social Security and...there's grocery security!!!
Use buzz words like "Insurance you can eat", or a "hedge against inflation", or "money in the pantry", or something like that...
Next week, or maybe next month, some might feel differently about accepting (and preparing for) the very real possibility of the really "scary" kind of scenarios.
Some will never wake up until TSHTF (the stuff hits the fan) ...and they will likely be one of your biggest problems. Count on it.
Heh. I'm preparing for that eventuality now.
I have recipes for Cricket Jambalaya and Grasshopper Gumbo, and I am not afraid to use them. My family and friends know this, and that is a good thing. The mental imagery of eating these things in a SHTF situation helps to ensure that I won't be overrun with too many unprepared and empty-handed guests, in the event a severe and widespread event has them 'fleeing to the hills'.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Some people's "tipping points" are built differently. If they are fortunate, they have a caring and knowledgeable friend or relative who is willing to nudge and point, and if needed, push, shove and show what can and should be done with what resources they have.
To some people, 'PREP' is just another four letter word. If ya just spell it a little differently, it might appeal to those folks a bit more.
There's Social Security and...there's grocery security!!!
Use buzz words like "Insurance you can eat", or a "hedge against inflation", or "money in the pantry", or something like that...
Next week, or maybe next month, some might feel differently about accepting (and preparing for) the very real possibility of the really "scary" kind of scenarios.
Some will never wake up until TSHTF (the stuff hits the fan) ...and they will likely be one of your biggest problems. Count on it.
Heh. I'm preparing for that eventuality now.
I have recipes for Cricket Jambalaya and Grasshopper Gumbo, and I am not afraid to use them. My family and friends know this, and that is a good thing. The mental imagery of eating these things in a SHTF situation helps to ensure that I won't be overrun with too many unprepared and empty-handed guests, in the event a severe and widespread event has them 'fleeing to the hills'.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Thursday, January 10, 2008
If You Are On a Diet, Do Not Read This
Millions of Americans are overweight, but in the event of a widespread or prolonged disaster situation, that might not be a bad thing.
Being 50 lbs overweight will buy almost an extra month of survival in austere conditions...
Two pounds of extra body weight will sustain most people for a day without food. If a person is 50 pounds overweight, that might buy another 25 days or so, because the body will utilize its own fat reserves...if you don't croak with the bad side effects of being overweight, first. Hauling fifty pounds all day is hard work.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Being 50 lbs overweight will buy almost an extra month of survival in austere conditions...
Two pounds of extra body weight will sustain most people for a day without food. If a person is 50 pounds overweight, that might buy another 25 days or so, because the body will utilize its own fat reserves...if you don't croak with the bad side effects of being overweight, first. Hauling fifty pounds all day is hard work.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Thinking About 'Fleeing to The Mountains' If a Severe Crisis Hits Your Area? Read This Before You Bug-Out!
Are you one of the gazillions of town or city folks who think that all they need to do survive a severe widespread crisis, is to head for a wilderness area and set up camp?
There's a few things you need to know.
I live in a remote wilderness area in the mountains, and I can tell you a little bit about my neighbors, the people who are already living where everyone wants to go, WTSHTF (When The Stuff Hits The Fan).
I hope ya'll have land of your own in those mountains, or else you may find yourselves considered by the neighbors, the local mountainfolk, as being one of "Them"...one of the crowd of invaders who will be pouring out of the towns and cities into the countryside and "wilderness areas". In rural folk's eyes, these ones are viewed as the dreaded hordes of strangers who will suck the neighborhood dry of vital resources. My neighbors are not as nice as I am. Expect severe--and very likely brutal--resistance from many of the rural folks. This sentiment is widespread, not just in my neck of the woods. The "good old boys" who live in the country won't cotton too well to a bunch of peeps stomping all over their prime hunting grounds, either.
I suspect that, in many ways, things will be harder for the refugees in the woods, than if they had stayed in the cities.
Maybe a better idea would be to consider buying a small, cheap piece of rural property. If a SHTF situation finds you with just that, and nothing else, then you are leagues ahead of "Them". You can make do with with hasty shelter on your property, if need be.
Tight finances? Slow or no credit? Look for a lease-purchase or owner financing agreement. Many rural sellers are quite motivated, especially these days because of the tanking real estate market.
Here's another thought, if tight finances are an issue: After getting a little piece of land to call your own, build a lil' ol tool shed on the place, just barely big enough for everyone to lay their sleeping bags down. After that, build something a little bigger as finances permit...then expand on that.
I primitive-camped on my heavily forested property in a wilderness area for three years with no running water, no electricity, no heat, no a/c, and no phone service (mountains interfere with signals). Slowly but surely, and little by little, with a little help from a couple of friends now and then, I got a patch of land cleared enough to build my (now almost complete) home on. It wasn't easy...but it can be done. If'n a little old lady like me can do it, anyone can.
The idea is to have something Out There to call your own, paid for free and clear, before a major crisis event. Be a neighbor, and please don't be one of the unwelcome invaders...
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
There's a few things you need to know.
I live in a remote wilderness area in the mountains, and I can tell you a little bit about my neighbors, the people who are already living where everyone wants to go, WTSHTF (When The Stuff Hits The Fan).
I hope ya'll have land of your own in those mountains, or else you may find yourselves considered by the neighbors, the local mountainfolk, as being one of "Them"...one of the crowd of invaders who will be pouring out of the towns and cities into the countryside and "wilderness areas". In rural folk's eyes, these ones are viewed as the dreaded hordes of strangers who will suck the neighborhood dry of vital resources. My neighbors are not as nice as I am. Expect severe--and very likely brutal--resistance from many of the rural folks. This sentiment is widespread, not just in my neck of the woods. The "good old boys" who live in the country won't cotton too well to a bunch of peeps stomping all over their prime hunting grounds, either.
I suspect that, in many ways, things will be harder for the refugees in the woods, than if they had stayed in the cities.
Maybe a better idea would be to consider buying a small, cheap piece of rural property. If a SHTF situation finds you with just that, and nothing else, then you are leagues ahead of "Them". You can make do with with hasty shelter on your property, if need be.
Tight finances? Slow or no credit? Look for a lease-purchase or owner financing agreement. Many rural sellers are quite motivated, especially these days because of the tanking real estate market.
Here's another thought, if tight finances are an issue: After getting a little piece of land to call your own, build a lil' ol tool shed on the place, just barely big enough for everyone to lay their sleeping bags down. After that, build something a little bigger as finances permit...then expand on that.
I primitive-camped on my heavily forested property in a wilderness area for three years with no running water, no electricity, no heat, no a/c, and no phone service (mountains interfere with signals). Slowly but surely, and little by little, with a little help from a couple of friends now and then, I got a patch of land cleared enough to build my (now almost complete) home on. It wasn't easy...but it can be done. If'n a little old lady like me can do it, anyone can.
The idea is to have something Out There to call your own, paid for free and clear, before a major crisis event. Be a neighbor, and please don't be one of the unwelcome invaders...
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 17, 2007
Where To Find The Latest Breaking News about Pandemic Influenza
Here are some of the best places for keeping track of the latest breaking news about pandemic flu, or H5N1. The freshest news are often found at some of these sites before the news media has a chance to broadcast them into the mainstream.
This is one of the most reputable and complete portals I've found for the latest breaking news on H5N1 on the Internet:
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/
Other collaborative sites for the latest on influenza outbreaks:
http://planforpandemic.com/index.php
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/
http://www.curevents.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40
http://thisbluemarble.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28
http://www.newfluwiki2.com/
http://recombinomics.com/
http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/
Topflight health and influenza stuff here:
http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/from_pandemic_flu_to_walmart_b.php
Here are a few reputable flu blogs:
Scott Mcpherson"s
http://www.scottmcpherson.net/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=1366394&categoryId=116462
Sophia Zoe's
http://birdflujourney.typepad.com/
Crof's Blog (a great portal, as well)
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/
This is one of the most reputable and complete portals I've found for the latest breaking news on H5N1 on the Internet:
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/
Other collaborative sites for the latest on influenza outbreaks:
http://planforpandemic.com/index.php
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/
http://www.curevents.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=40
http://thisbluemarble.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28
http://www.newfluwiki2.com/
http://recombinomics.com/
http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/
Topflight health and influenza stuff here:
http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/from_pandemic_flu_to_walmart_b.php
Here are a few reputable flu blogs:
Scott Mcpherson"s
http://www.scottmcpherson.net/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=1366394&categoryId=116462
Sophia Zoe's
http://birdflujourney.typepad.com/
Crof's Blog (a great portal, as well)
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Everything You Need to Know to Make Really Great Jerky...Safely
Making jerky is the world's oldest way of preserving meat. When our ancestors hunted for food, they often did it in a large way. Bison, bear and deer were like the Walmarts of the ancients. A good hunt meant much more than food. It also meant bone tools, clothing, shelter and more. Priority was given to the meat and the hides because of rapid spoilage.
Before the days of canned foods and frozen dinners, many foods were usually preserved by drying. With the moisture removed, heavyweights become lightweights. The moisture is easily restored by soaking in water, or by adding to soups and stews, or simply chewed.
Because jerky and other dehydrated foods are so lightweight and needs no refrigeration, they are perfect for travel or emergencies. All the goodness of a pound of meat can be reduced to a mere four ounces!
IMPORTANT FOOD SAFETY ISSUES
Through the stream of time, much has been discovered in the name of food safety. Foodborne illness and diseases can be deadly serious. Because we know more about safe food preparation than the ancients did, most of us will enjoy a longer life span!
In the old days of the First Americans, jerky was hung to dry in the sun, especially in climates with low humidity, high heat and a goodly amount of wind. Other tribes that lived in less than ideal jerky-making territory, hung strips of meat near smoldering fires.
The old way of doing things is perfectly acceptable, if you are willing to put up with a small--but definite--risk of serious illness or death.
No jerky ever tasted good enough to die for, so it's a good idea to check out the latest approved techniques for making jerky the safest way possible. The USDA has the latest, right here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/jerky_and_food_safety/index.asp
Here are excerpts from the link above, which is (as of December 2007) the latest USDA meat and poultry recommendations for making homemade jerky:
* Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40 °F or slightly below; use or freeze ground beef and poultry within 2 days; whole red meats, within 3 to 5 days.
* Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.
* Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Don't save marinade to re-use. Marinades are used to tenderize and flavor the jerky before dehydrating it.
* Steam or roast meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer before dehydrating it.
* Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a temperature of at least 130 to 140 °F throughout the drying process.
* Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after working with meat products.
* Use clean equipment and utensils.
Why is it a Food Safety Concern to Dry Meat Without First Heating it to 160 °F?
The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F — temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed — before it dries. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.
Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause foodborne illness to those consuming the jerky.
Are There Special Considerations for Wild Game Jerky?
Yes, there are other special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild game. According to Keene and his co-authors, "Venison can be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria — the degree varying with the hunter's skill, wound location, and other factors. While fresh beef is usually rapidly chilled, deer carcasses are typically held at ambient temperatures, potentially allowing bacteria multiplication."
What is the Safe Storage Time for Jerky?
Commercially packaged jerky can be kept 12 months; home-dried jerky can be stored 1 to 2 months.
(Well, I'm going to argue about that last point. Lots of people say jerky has lasted as long as a year. Maybe it could last longer, but I'll never know because me and my friends can't keep away from it long enough to find out. I'll be sure to include some of my favorite recipes here, so you'll know the real reason jerky has such a short shelf life.) --PureCajunSunshine
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is an excellent authority all kinds of ways to preserve food including drying, curing & smoking, fermenting, pickling and more. Go here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html
Their section on jerky recommends this:
If you choose to heat the meat prior to drying to decrease the risk of foodborne illness, do so at the end of the marination time. To heat, bring strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased. If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160ºF has been reached.
If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet, close together, but not touching or overlapping. For strips originally cut 1/4 inch thick or less, heat 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275ºF. (Thicker strips may require longer heating to reach 160ºF.)
(End of excerpts from the United States Department of Agriculture)
JERKY MAKING BASICS
Now that we have the important food safety issues covered, lets get to the meat of the matter.
Use only pure lean muscle meat in making jerky. That means no fat, no tendons, no connective tissues of any kind. Meat that is marbled with fat will not make good jerky.
Best wild game or beef cuts of meat to use in making jerky: flank, round and sirloin.
If using poultry, pork or bear meat, dry only meats that have been thoroughly pre-cooked for safety's sake.
Before drying wild game, freeze the meat for at least 60 days at 0 degrees F to help kill any parasites or bacteria that causes disease that may be present.
Cut strips of meat 1/8" - 1/4" thick, and 1" -1 1/2' wide. They can be as long as you wish. The thinner the meat, the faster it dries.
Make the meat easier to cut thinly by firming it up in the freezer for a bit, first.
There are two ways to cut jerky: for a real chewing workout, cut the meat "with, or along the grain"; for an easier chew, cut "across the grain". The grain is the direction that the muscle fibers lay.
A marinade or dry rub is what makes delicious jerky.
To marinade: Raw meat strips are soaked between four to eight hours, or overnight in a flavorful liquid consisting of any combination of ingredients such as soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and seasonings.
Dry rubs are often a blend of salt and seasonings that are rubbed onto the surface of raw meat, and is refrigerated for several hours to overnight.
Fancy dehydrators are nice, but not necessary. For years, I made my best jerky in an oven at the lowest heat setting, with the door propped open one or two inches. I can fit lots more in an oven, which is a must during deer hunting season.
To test jerky for doneness: Remove a strip of dried jerky, let it cool for 5 minutes. Bend the jerky. Jerky that was cut across the grain should snap if it is done. Jerky that was cut along the grain won't break, but will bend.
Never, ever make jerky in a microwave, which is notorious for uneven cooking, and can be a health hazard.
A gas or electric oven works fine.
For longer shelf life, I tend to overdry the meat a little more than I need to. I store it in a glass jar with some kind of desiccant (moisture absorber). Some people like to store jerky in plastic bags.
If you freeze or refrigerate the jerky, and take it out of storage, it will immediately absorb moisture from the air. This may shorten shelf life, depending on the amount of moisture it collects.
If you use a dehydrator, and if the instructions include jerky making, follow the directions carefully.
OVEN DRYING JERKY
Here's how I do jerky in an oven.
Marinate the meat overnight in your favorite choice of flavors. Drain well, but do not rinse.
Line the bottom of the oven with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray the oven racks with a no stick spray made for BBQ cookers. Do not forget this. If you do, you will never forget it again. The baked on drippings are a pain to remove.
Skewer the end of a strip of meat onto a toothpick. Position the toothpick between the rungs in the oven rack, so that the meat dangles freely below the rack. (My way is a little different from what most people do, which is laying the strips directly onto the oven racks. My way dries better because of improved air circulation. It is a space saver, so more jerky can be made at one time.)
Turn the oven on the lowest setting (mine goes to 200 degrees Fahrenheit). Close the oven door, but leave it ajar with a one or two inch opening to allow moisture to escape. To hasten the drying process, and drive everyone in the house insane and drooling, place a fan in the room. If it gets too bad, beat everyone back with a broomstick until it is done. Jerky before its time can make you sick as a dog.
Tip: place the thinnest cuts of meat near the front of the oven. Because it will be a few degrees cooler near the front, the thinner pieces won't need as much heat as the thicker slices. The thicker pieces dry much better closer to the hotter backside of the oven.
Before storing, the meat must be allowed to cool on the rack naturally. After the jerky has cooled, remove the toothpicks, and place the strips of jerky in a large bowl. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow them to "rest" for several hours. During this period, the overall small amount of moisture remaining in the jerky becomes equalized. This allows for the possibility that a few small unseen spots in some of the pieces might not be as dry as the others.
Here are a few of my favorite jerky recipes. They're all deliciously different.
Cut strips of lean meat 1/8" - 1/4" thick, and 1" -1 1/2' wide. They can be as long as you wish. Soak the strips in the mixture given below for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Stir occasionally to ensure even penetration of flavor throughout. Dry in a dehydrator or oven, according to guidelines given above.
Marinade #1, for about 1 or 2 pounds of meat
2 packs of Au Jus instant dry gravy mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 dry powdered mustard
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water
Marinade #2, for about 3 or 4 pounds of meat:
2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs liquid smoke (look near the Worcestershire sauce in the grocery)
1 Tbs garlic powder or onion powder (or, in proportion, use both if you're adventurous!)
1 Tbs ground ginger
black pepper (optional)
Marinade #3, for up to 5 pounds of meat:
2 cups teriyaki sauce
3/4 cup water
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. onion powder
1 t. ground ginger (powder)
1 Tb. Liquid smoke
1 t. black pepper
1 t. Tabasco sauce
This recipe from Sunset Home Canning shows another way of making jerky.
Basic Beef Jerky Recipe
1½ lb Lean boneless meat
¼ c Soy sauce
1 ts Worcestershire Sauce
½ ts Onion powder
¼ ts Pepper
¼ ts Garlic powder
¼ ts Liquid smoke
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Preparing the jerky: Freeze meat until firm but not hard; then cut into 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a medium-size glass, stoneware, plastic or stainless steel bowl, combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. Stir to dissolve seasonings. Add meat and mix until all surfaces are thoroughly coated. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or until next day, stirring occasionally; recover tightly after stirring.
Drying the jerky: Depending upon the drying method you're using, evenly coat dehydrator racks or metal racks with cooking spray; if oven drying, place racks over rimmed baking pans. Lift meat from bowl, shaking off any excess liquid. Arrange meat strips close together, but not overlapping, on racks. Dehydrator and oven drying: Arrange trays according to manufacturer's directions (if using dehydrator) and dry at 140-degrees until a piece of jerky cracks, but does not break when bent (8 to 10 hours, let jerky cool for 5 minutes before testing). Pat off any beads of oil from jerky. Let jerky cool completely on racks; remove from racks and store in airtight, insect proof containers in a cool, dry place. You may also freeze or refrigerate the jerky, however keep in mind that cold jerky will collect moisture from the air when taken out of cold storage.
Makes about 3/4 pound.
Storage time: Up to 3 weeks at room temperature; up to 4 months in refrigerator, up to 8 months in freezer. Per ounce: 94 calories, 12 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates; 4 g total fat; 28 mg cholesterol, 398 mg sodium.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Before the days of canned foods and frozen dinners, many foods were usually preserved by drying. With the moisture removed, heavyweights become lightweights. The moisture is easily restored by soaking in water, or by adding to soups and stews, or simply chewed.
Because jerky and other dehydrated foods are so lightweight and needs no refrigeration, they are perfect for travel or emergencies. All the goodness of a pound of meat can be reduced to a mere four ounces!
IMPORTANT FOOD SAFETY ISSUES
Through the stream of time, much has been discovered in the name of food safety. Foodborne illness and diseases can be deadly serious. Because we know more about safe food preparation than the ancients did, most of us will enjoy a longer life span!
In the old days of the First Americans, jerky was hung to dry in the sun, especially in climates with low humidity, high heat and a goodly amount of wind. Other tribes that lived in less than ideal jerky-making territory, hung strips of meat near smoldering fires.
The old way of doing things is perfectly acceptable, if you are willing to put up with a small--but definite--risk of serious illness or death.
No jerky ever tasted good enough to die for, so it's a good idea to check out the latest approved techniques for making jerky the safest way possible. The USDA has the latest, right here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/jerky_and_food_safety/index.asp
Here are excerpts from the link above, which is (as of December 2007) the latest USDA meat and poultry recommendations for making homemade jerky:
* Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40 °F or slightly below; use or freeze ground beef and poultry within 2 days; whole red meats, within 3 to 5 days.
* Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.
* Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Don't save marinade to re-use. Marinades are used to tenderize and flavor the jerky before dehydrating it.
* Steam or roast meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer before dehydrating it.
* Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a temperature of at least 130 to 140 °F throughout the drying process.
* Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after working with meat products.
* Use clean equipment and utensils.
Why is it a Food Safety Concern to Dry Meat Without First Heating it to 160 °F?
The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F — temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed — before it dries. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.
Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause foodborne illness to those consuming the jerky.
Are There Special Considerations for Wild Game Jerky?
Yes, there are other special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild game. According to Keene and his co-authors, "Venison can be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria — the degree varying with the hunter's skill, wound location, and other factors. While fresh beef is usually rapidly chilled, deer carcasses are typically held at ambient temperatures, potentially allowing bacteria multiplication."
What is the Safe Storage Time for Jerky?
Commercially packaged jerky can be kept 12 months; home-dried jerky can be stored 1 to 2 months.
(Well, I'm going to argue about that last point. Lots of people say jerky has lasted as long as a year. Maybe it could last longer, but I'll never know because me and my friends can't keep away from it long enough to find out. I'll be sure to include some of my favorite recipes here, so you'll know the real reason jerky has such a short shelf life.) --PureCajunSunshine
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is an excellent authority all kinds of ways to preserve food including drying, curing & smoking, fermenting, pickling and more. Go here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html
Their section on jerky recommends this:
If you choose to heat the meat prior to drying to decrease the risk of foodborne illness, do so at the end of the marination time. To heat, bring strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased. If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160ºF has been reached.
If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet, close together, but not touching or overlapping. For strips originally cut 1/4 inch thick or less, heat 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275ºF. (Thicker strips may require longer heating to reach 160ºF.)
(End of excerpts from the United States Department of Agriculture)
JERKY MAKING BASICS
Now that we have the important food safety issues covered, lets get to the meat of the matter.
Use only pure lean muscle meat in making jerky. That means no fat, no tendons, no connective tissues of any kind. Meat that is marbled with fat will not make good jerky.
Best wild game or beef cuts of meat to use in making jerky: flank, round and sirloin.
If using poultry, pork or bear meat, dry only meats that have been thoroughly pre-cooked for safety's sake.
Before drying wild game, freeze the meat for at least 60 days at 0 degrees F to help kill any parasites or bacteria that causes disease that may be present.
Cut strips of meat 1/8" - 1/4" thick, and 1" -1 1/2' wide. They can be as long as you wish. The thinner the meat, the faster it dries.
Make the meat easier to cut thinly by firming it up in the freezer for a bit, first.
There are two ways to cut jerky: for a real chewing workout, cut the meat "with, or along the grain"; for an easier chew, cut "across the grain". The grain is the direction that the muscle fibers lay.
A marinade or dry rub is what makes delicious jerky.
To marinade: Raw meat strips are soaked between four to eight hours, or overnight in a flavorful liquid consisting of any combination of ingredients such as soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and seasonings.
Dry rubs are often a blend of salt and seasonings that are rubbed onto the surface of raw meat, and is refrigerated for several hours to overnight.
Fancy dehydrators are nice, but not necessary. For years, I made my best jerky in an oven at the lowest heat setting, with the door propped open one or two inches. I can fit lots more in an oven, which is a must during deer hunting season.
To test jerky for doneness: Remove a strip of dried jerky, let it cool for 5 minutes. Bend the jerky. Jerky that was cut across the grain should snap if it is done. Jerky that was cut along the grain won't break, but will bend.
Never, ever make jerky in a microwave, which is notorious for uneven cooking, and can be a health hazard.
A gas or electric oven works fine.
For longer shelf life, I tend to overdry the meat a little more than I need to. I store it in a glass jar with some kind of desiccant (moisture absorber). Some people like to store jerky in plastic bags.
If you freeze or refrigerate the jerky, and take it out of storage, it will immediately absorb moisture from the air. This may shorten shelf life, depending on the amount of moisture it collects.
If you use a dehydrator, and if the instructions include jerky making, follow the directions carefully.
OVEN DRYING JERKY
Here's how I do jerky in an oven.
Marinate the meat overnight in your favorite choice of flavors. Drain well, but do not rinse.
Line the bottom of the oven with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray the oven racks with a no stick spray made for BBQ cookers. Do not forget this. If you do, you will never forget it again. The baked on drippings are a pain to remove.
Skewer the end of a strip of meat onto a toothpick. Position the toothpick between the rungs in the oven rack, so that the meat dangles freely below the rack. (My way is a little different from what most people do, which is laying the strips directly onto the oven racks. My way dries better because of improved air circulation. It is a space saver, so more jerky can be made at one time.)
Turn the oven on the lowest setting (mine goes to 200 degrees Fahrenheit). Close the oven door, but leave it ajar with a one or two inch opening to allow moisture to escape. To hasten the drying process, and drive everyone in the house insane and drooling, place a fan in the room. If it gets too bad, beat everyone back with a broomstick until it is done. Jerky before its time can make you sick as a dog.
Tip: place the thinnest cuts of meat near the front of the oven. Because it will be a few degrees cooler near the front, the thinner pieces won't need as much heat as the thicker slices. The thicker pieces dry much better closer to the hotter backside of the oven.
Before storing, the meat must be allowed to cool on the rack naturally. After the jerky has cooled, remove the toothpicks, and place the strips of jerky in a large bowl. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow them to "rest" for several hours. During this period, the overall small amount of moisture remaining in the jerky becomes equalized. This allows for the possibility that a few small unseen spots in some of the pieces might not be as dry as the others.
Here are a few of my favorite jerky recipes. They're all deliciously different.
Cut strips of lean meat 1/8" - 1/4" thick, and 1" -1 1/2' wide. They can be as long as you wish. Soak the strips in the mixture given below for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Stir occasionally to ensure even penetration of flavor throughout. Dry in a dehydrator or oven, according to guidelines given above.
Marinade #1, for about 1 or 2 pounds of meat
2 packs of Au Jus instant dry gravy mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 dry powdered mustard
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water
Marinade #2, for about 3 or 4 pounds of meat:
2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs liquid smoke (look near the Worcestershire sauce in the grocery)
1 Tbs garlic powder or onion powder (or, in proportion, use both if you're adventurous!)
1 Tbs ground ginger
black pepper (optional)
Marinade #3, for up to 5 pounds of meat:
2 cups teriyaki sauce
3/4 cup water
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. onion powder
1 t. ground ginger (powder)
1 Tb. Liquid smoke
1 t. black pepper
1 t. Tabasco sauce
This recipe from Sunset Home Canning shows another way of making jerky.
Basic Beef Jerky Recipe
1½ lb Lean boneless meat
¼ c Soy sauce
1 ts Worcestershire Sauce
½ ts Onion powder
¼ ts Pepper
¼ ts Garlic powder
¼ ts Liquid smoke
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Preparing the jerky: Freeze meat until firm but not hard; then cut into 1/8 to 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a medium-size glass, stoneware, plastic or stainless steel bowl, combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. Stir to dissolve seasonings. Add meat and mix until all surfaces are thoroughly coated. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or until next day, stirring occasionally; recover tightly after stirring.
Drying the jerky: Depending upon the drying method you're using, evenly coat dehydrator racks or metal racks with cooking spray; if oven drying, place racks over rimmed baking pans. Lift meat from bowl, shaking off any excess liquid. Arrange meat strips close together, but not overlapping, on racks. Dehydrator and oven drying: Arrange trays according to manufacturer's directions (if using dehydrator) and dry at 140-degrees until a piece of jerky cracks, but does not break when bent (8 to 10 hours, let jerky cool for 5 minutes before testing). Pat off any beads of oil from jerky. Let jerky cool completely on racks; remove from racks and store in airtight, insect proof containers in a cool, dry place. You may also freeze or refrigerate the jerky, however keep in mind that cold jerky will collect moisture from the air when taken out of cold storage.
Makes about 3/4 pound.
Storage time: Up to 3 weeks at room temperature; up to 4 months in refrigerator, up to 8 months in freezer. Per ounce: 94 calories, 12 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates; 4 g total fat; 28 mg cholesterol, 398 mg sodium.
This copyrighted article may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Friday, November 23, 2007
Pemmican: The Original Fast Food of the First Americans, Traditional and Fat Free Recipes
Pemmican is a tasty high-protein treat that's perfect for snacking, traveling, hiking, camping, and for disasters or other crisis events, where cooking meals may be difficult. As a bonus, this lightweight nutrient-packed food needs no refrigeration.
Traditional recipes for Indian pemmican usually calls for a mixture of shredded jerky, dried berries and nuts, along with a bit of melted fat to hold it all together. In the old days, it was considered essential for sustaining warriors and hunters on the trail. Pemmican can be eaten out of hand, or added to soups, stews, or anything in need of an extra nutritional boost.
The fast-food idea caught on with the Hudson's Bay Company and became a standard feature in the North American fur trade industry. The highest prices were paid for Native American-made pemmican that was stored in buffalo skin bags, called parfleches. The filled bags were sealed with melted fat. The parfleches shrank as they dried, creating a kind of vacuum seal that helped to preserve the contents for years. Traditionally, this kind of pemmican was made with equal parts dried meat and melted fat. Animal fat taken from around the kidneys and loins were considered choice. If taken from beef, this kind of fat is called suet. For those who prefer a fat-free pemmican, a recipe is included here.
To eat pemmican Native American style, pop a little bit into your mouth and chew it just about forever, sort of like chewing gum. That way you entertain your mouth and extract every bit of goodness from the dehydrated meat, berries and nuts. It is surprisingly filling when eaten this way. Even though the food is low-volume, it it packs power because it is highly concentrated and loaded with protein.
There are different schools of thought regarding the shelf life of pemmican. Some say it will last for only a month or two; others say it will last for years. It depends upon the temperature and humidity of the environment, the quality of ingredients, and how it is stored. At any rate, the fat content will also determine shelf life. After the fat goes rancid from age, it will taste bad, and should be thrown out. The cooler the storage temperatures are, the longer the fat will stay fresh.
To help extend shelf life, I like to store pemmican in the freezer. If the electricity should ever go out long enough to affect the contents of the freezer, I will take the pemmican out of the freezer, and after making sure that it is perfectly dry, store it in a glass jar or plastic bag in a dark cool place.
For even longer term storage, I sometimes use raisins in place of fat in the traditional recipe.
PureCajunSunshine's Fat-Free Pemmican
In a blender, whizz together equal parts of pulverized-to-a-powder jerky, ground dried berries, and chopped nuts of your choice. Add enough raisins so that the smashed up raisins hold everything together nicely. Then you can form marble-sized balls or whatever. No blender handy? Chop with a knife, then pound the foodstuff to a pulp with a rock.
This stores a lot longer than the traditional version with fat. But then, during really high caloric demanding situations such as hiking, working, or coping with a disaster, you'd be wishing for that little extra fat, because it supplies a majority of the calories in pemmican.
Another delicious alternative to animal fat is peanut butter, which provides more sustenance than the fat-free version.
Pemmican with Honey and Peanut Butter
Some people prefer peanut butter to fat; some like a blend of honey and peanut butter. Here is a recipe that helps provide calories without fat:
1/2 pound of jerky, pulverized to a powder, or nearly to a powder
1/2 pound of raisins
1/2 pound of nuts (peanuts, pecans. etc)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut butter
Warm the honey and mix with the peanut butter together until well blended.
Add all ingredients together. Store in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place.
Native American Pemmican - Traditional Style
Cook chunks of fat over low heat until all moisture is removed and oil is rendered. Strain well, allow to cool until hardened. Reheat and strain again, to make the fat firmer, and to improve its keeping qualities.
Pulverize dried meat (jerky) to a powder. Add equal parts of ground dried berries and chopped nuts. Add just enough hot melted fat into the mixture to lightly coat all the ingredients. Immediately stir the mixture, working quickly to allow the melted fat to soak into the powdered ingredients before cooling. If it cools too quickly, gently warm the mixture in the microwave or over a low flame. While still warm, shape the pemmican into balls, bars or small patties.
Lacking traditional containers such as animal intestines or skin parfleche bags to store them in, wrap the pemmican pieces in wax paper. Store in glass jars or plastic bags.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Traditional recipes for Indian pemmican usually calls for a mixture of shredded jerky, dried berries and nuts, along with a bit of melted fat to hold it all together. In the old days, it was considered essential for sustaining warriors and hunters on the trail. Pemmican can be eaten out of hand, or added to soups, stews, or anything in need of an extra nutritional boost.
The fast-food idea caught on with the Hudson's Bay Company and became a standard feature in the North American fur trade industry. The highest prices were paid for Native American-made pemmican that was stored in buffalo skin bags, called parfleches. The filled bags were sealed with melted fat. The parfleches shrank as they dried, creating a kind of vacuum seal that helped to preserve the contents for years. Traditionally, this kind of pemmican was made with equal parts dried meat and melted fat. Animal fat taken from around the kidneys and loins were considered choice. If taken from beef, this kind of fat is called suet. For those who prefer a fat-free pemmican, a recipe is included here.
To eat pemmican Native American style, pop a little bit into your mouth and chew it just about forever, sort of like chewing gum. That way you entertain your mouth and extract every bit of goodness from the dehydrated meat, berries and nuts. It is surprisingly filling when eaten this way. Even though the food is low-volume, it it packs power because it is highly concentrated and loaded with protein.
There are different schools of thought regarding the shelf life of pemmican. Some say it will last for only a month or two; others say it will last for years. It depends upon the temperature and humidity of the environment, the quality of ingredients, and how it is stored. At any rate, the fat content will also determine shelf life. After the fat goes rancid from age, it will taste bad, and should be thrown out. The cooler the storage temperatures are, the longer the fat will stay fresh.
To help extend shelf life, I like to store pemmican in the freezer. If the electricity should ever go out long enough to affect the contents of the freezer, I will take the pemmican out of the freezer, and after making sure that it is perfectly dry, store it in a glass jar or plastic bag in a dark cool place.
For even longer term storage, I sometimes use raisins in place of fat in the traditional recipe.
PureCajunSunshine's Fat-Free Pemmican
In a blender, whizz together equal parts of pulverized-to-a-powder jerky, ground dried berries, and chopped nuts of your choice. Add enough raisins so that the smashed up raisins hold everything together nicely. Then you can form marble-sized balls or whatever. No blender handy? Chop with a knife, then pound the foodstuff to a pulp with a rock.
This stores a lot longer than the traditional version with fat. But then, during really high caloric demanding situations such as hiking, working, or coping with a disaster, you'd be wishing for that little extra fat, because it supplies a majority of the calories in pemmican.
Another delicious alternative to animal fat is peanut butter, which provides more sustenance than the fat-free version.
Pemmican with Honey and Peanut Butter
Some people prefer peanut butter to fat; some like a blend of honey and peanut butter. Here is a recipe that helps provide calories without fat:
1/2 pound of jerky, pulverized to a powder, or nearly to a powder
1/2 pound of raisins
1/2 pound of nuts (peanuts, pecans. etc)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut butter
Warm the honey and mix with the peanut butter together until well blended.
Add all ingredients together. Store in a plastic bag in a cool, dry place.
Native American Pemmican - Traditional Style
Cook chunks of fat over low heat until all moisture is removed and oil is rendered. Strain well, allow to cool until hardened. Reheat and strain again, to make the fat firmer, and to improve its keeping qualities.
Pulverize dried meat (jerky) to a powder. Add equal parts of ground dried berries and chopped nuts. Add just enough hot melted fat into the mixture to lightly coat all the ingredients. Immediately stir the mixture, working quickly to allow the melted fat to soak into the powdered ingredients before cooling. If it cools too quickly, gently warm the mixture in the microwave or over a low flame. While still warm, shape the pemmican into balls, bars or small patties.
Lacking traditional containers such as animal intestines or skin parfleche bags to store them in, wrap the pemmican pieces in wax paper. Store in glass jars or plastic bags.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Foods That Are Perfect for Camping, Traveling, Disasters or Crisis Events
Save time and money when traveling, by bringing your own brand of fast foods to eat. Light and nutritious foods helps to beat road fatigue better than heavy, fat-laden McAnything!
Camp or trail food needs to be fast and easy, so that you can get back to having more fun doing other things besides fooling around with a bunch of pots and pans without a sink to wash them in!
Homemade fast foods can also come in handy even when you are not having a good time.
During and after a prolonged and severe crisis, the ways and means to prepare meals may become a serious challenge. Fuel may be scarce, or you may be an evacuee, or you may be too sick or injured to prepare a conventional meal.
Good buzzwords: Trail Food...Instant Meals...Quick Cooking...No Cook...Low Profile...
Low profile? Yes, as in a "don't attract unwanted attention" kind of way.
Imagine the effects of the smell of delicious meat roasting over an open fire or even of beans cooking during a very severe crisis, after most of the unprepared masses have gone long past "just a missed lunch"...
That picturesque odor trail you see in newspaper comics and TV cartoons is for real. You would be surprised at how far odor molecules float in the wind to keenly hungry people! Unless you are in a position to assist everyone, go low profile!
Sometimes the business of keeping well fed can be a challenge in a crisis situation, or even while camping or traveling. That is why I will soon devote a separate category just for this, in my blog and handbook.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Camp or trail food needs to be fast and easy, so that you can get back to having more fun doing other things besides fooling around with a bunch of pots and pans without a sink to wash them in!
Homemade fast foods can also come in handy even when you are not having a good time.
During and after a prolonged and severe crisis, the ways and means to prepare meals may become a serious challenge. Fuel may be scarce, or you may be an evacuee, or you may be too sick or injured to prepare a conventional meal.
Good buzzwords: Trail Food...Instant Meals...Quick Cooking...No Cook...Low Profile...
Low profile? Yes, as in a "don't attract unwanted attention" kind of way.
Imagine the effects of the smell of delicious meat roasting over an open fire or even of beans cooking during a very severe crisis, after most of the unprepared masses have gone long past "just a missed lunch"...
That picturesque odor trail you see in newspaper comics and TV cartoons is for real. You would be surprised at how far odor molecules float in the wind to keenly hungry people! Unless you are in a position to assist everyone, go low profile!
Sometimes the business of keeping well fed can be a challenge in a crisis situation, or even while camping or traveling. That is why I will soon devote a separate category just for this, in my blog and handbook.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 12, 2007
Urban Survival During a Severe Crisis
Natural or manmade disasters can befall any community. That can be bad enough, but in the inner cities especially, things can get real ugly in a hurry. There, extreme duress can bring out the very darkest side of humanity. It is the kind of stuff that used to shock the world: widespread rioting, looting, and general mayhem triggered by things such as electricity outages, court decisions, or even just general fed-upness of the people...such as what happened in France not that long ago. Then there's Katrina...where even rural and small town communities were raped and plundered by out of town gangs, and even by their own neighbors.
If you ever find yourself in a severe crisis situation that turns your world upside down, and your fellow man turn into predators, here are a few lessons borrowed from Katrina Hell that might help you survive:
1. Water is top priority! Lots of pure drinking water, and the ways and means of purifying the worst possible polluted water. Think viruses (pandemics), radiation, sewage, industrial accidents and other toxic scenarios. Do NOT even count on rain. After Katrina, it did not rain for weeks. Droughts happen.
Prep action: Scout out all possible sources of water now. A Google-search using the keywords "hydrology" and "hydrology maps" and your location could be rich with little known sources of water. A good hydrology map will reveal abandoned wells, natural springs, streams and other sources of water in your area.
2. Prep for various ways and means for purifying water and cooking meals. My portable "mess kit" has saved me much grief over the years. I keep one at home and another in my vehicle. It is a sturdy school-style backpack that contains a few propane bottles, a single burner rig that screws onto the propane bottles, plus other ways and means of "making heat", boiling water and cooking foods: pots, utensils, homemade "hobo stoves" (more on that in a future article), alcohol, candles, Sterno fuel, a flint & steel kit, Bic lighters, matches, and a few pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil to serve as wind foils and as a pot "lid".
3. Prep heavily on instant meals, MREs, dehydrated stuff, and canned goods for low profile heat-and-eats that also conserves fuel, which will likely be limited.
Concentrate on low, low profile meals, as in NO COOKING ODORS. You would be amazed at how far the odor trail goes...and the trouble it can bring back to you.
4. Secret temporary retreats (important IF you are few in number, or could possibly be overrun). This can be inside fake walls, fake closet backs, etc. Use your imagination and plan ahead of time. Preparing for this possibility now may be your saving grace later.
5. Low tech barrier "alarms" might buy time for you to prepare for fight or flight. Almost a hundred years ago, some French Quarter residents would place large broken pieces of slate on the ground beneath the windows, so that the crunching sound of the intruder's footfalls could alert the householders. Some still do. Use your imagination with whatever materials are handy...
During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I strung clean empty tin cans (with a small hole punched near the open top for passing a string through) and beer cans onto fishing string. Then strings of cans were tied to gether in such a way that it made a hellacious racket at the slightest movement. I pinned bunches of them onto curtains, and also used them in other rigged up contraptions that made lot of noise if triggered...
6. If your home/apartment already looks looted, AND uninviting in an unappealing kind of way...gangs, and other Bad Guys will move on quickly.
Edited to add: This advice may be useful only in certain situations (such as mentioned in #4, "IF you are few in number, or could possibly be overrun", and if you decide to hide or leave the area...). Every situation is different. More on this in a future article.
This bit of advice may not always prevent theft, but it might discourage looters and other two legged critters from hanging around too long, or camping out at your place.
Prep item (don't laugh): Large jars of superstinky homemade catfish bait with screw lid caps. These can be opened and hidden near likely points of entry, and in the kitchen area, etc.
Heh. Now the Bad Guys think the place has already been picked over AND there's a lot of dead and rotten things in there...phew! They might be more inclined to set up camp down the road in better quarters.
PureCajunSunshine's Looter Repellant...duh huh...this plan just might work almost too (gag) good.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
If you ever find yourself in a severe crisis situation that turns your world upside down, and your fellow man turn into predators, here are a few lessons borrowed from Katrina Hell that might help you survive:
1. Water is top priority! Lots of pure drinking water, and the ways and means of purifying the worst possible polluted water. Think viruses (pandemics), radiation, sewage, industrial accidents and other toxic scenarios. Do NOT even count on rain. After Katrina, it did not rain for weeks. Droughts happen.
Prep action: Scout out all possible sources of water now. A Google-search using the keywords "hydrology" and "hydrology maps" and your location could be rich with little known sources of water. A good hydrology map will reveal abandoned wells, natural springs, streams and other sources of water in your area.
2. Prep for various ways and means for purifying water and cooking meals. My portable "mess kit" has saved me much grief over the years. I keep one at home and another in my vehicle. It is a sturdy school-style backpack that contains a few propane bottles, a single burner rig that screws onto the propane bottles, plus other ways and means of "making heat", boiling water and cooking foods: pots, utensils, homemade "hobo stoves" (more on that in a future article), alcohol, candles, Sterno fuel, a flint & steel kit, Bic lighters, matches, and a few pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil to serve as wind foils and as a pot "lid".
3. Prep heavily on instant meals, MREs, dehydrated stuff, and canned goods for low profile heat-and-eats that also conserves fuel, which will likely be limited.
Concentrate on low, low profile meals, as in NO COOKING ODORS. You would be amazed at how far the odor trail goes...and the trouble it can bring back to you.
4. Secret temporary retreats (important IF you are few in number, or could possibly be overrun). This can be inside fake walls, fake closet backs, etc. Use your imagination and plan ahead of time. Preparing for this possibility now may be your saving grace later.
5. Low tech barrier "alarms" might buy time for you to prepare for fight or flight. Almost a hundred years ago, some French Quarter residents would place large broken pieces of slate on the ground beneath the windows, so that the crunching sound of the intruder's footfalls could alert the householders. Some still do. Use your imagination with whatever materials are handy...
During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I strung clean empty tin cans (with a small hole punched near the open top for passing a string through) and beer cans onto fishing string. Then strings of cans were tied to gether in such a way that it made a hellacious racket at the slightest movement. I pinned bunches of them onto curtains, and also used them in other rigged up contraptions that made lot of noise if triggered...
6. If your home/apartment already looks looted, AND uninviting in an unappealing kind of way...gangs, and other Bad Guys will move on quickly.
Edited to add: This advice may be useful only in certain situations (such as mentioned in #4, "IF you are few in number, or could possibly be overrun", and if you decide to hide or leave the area...). Every situation is different. More on this in a future article.
This bit of advice may not always prevent theft, but it might discourage looters and other two legged critters from hanging around too long, or camping out at your place.
Prep item (don't laugh): Large jars of superstinky homemade catfish bait with screw lid caps. These can be opened and hidden near likely points of entry, and in the kitchen area, etc.
Heh. Now the Bad Guys think the place has already been picked over AND there's a lot of dead and rotten things in there...phew! They might be more inclined to set up camp down the road in better quarters.
PureCajunSunshine's Looter Repellant...duh huh...this plan just might work almost too (gag) good.
This may be reprinted by you for noncommercial use, if the following credit is given:
This article is an excerpt from Mrs. Tightwad's Handbook #1: HOW TO SURVIVE DISASTERS AND OTHER HARD TIMES. For more information, see the left sidebar on this site: http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/
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