I'm not sure if this covers just one week or not, but I want to start every Sunday relating what I've done the previous week to prepare.
I know it's been a couple weeks, but I made three batches of Survival Bread. Here's the recipe:
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Survival Bars
2 cups oats (I used gluten free)
2-1/2 cups powdered milk
1 cup sugar
1 package orange Jello (or Lemon)
3 TBSP Honey
1/4 cup water.
Mix oats, powdered milk and sugar together in a bowl and set aside. In medium pan, mix water, Jello and honey and bring to a full boil. Add Jello mix to dry ingredients. Mix well. It should just hold together. If dough is too dry, add a small amount of water. Form into small bricks (I used mini loaf pans). Place on a cookie sheet and back at 350 degrees until dry. Cool. Wrap in aluminum foil to store. I batch is 2,000 calories, enough for 1 adult for 1 day.
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My first batch I used the called for 3 TBSP of water, and ended up with granola, so I raised it to 1/4 cup and it worked nicely.
I also made hard tack, which is a very dry bread, hard enough to break a tooth on, but will last a year. It was popular during the civil war, and usually eaten with broth or soaked in coffee. It has no taste, but will keep you alive.
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Hard Tack
4 Cups flour (again, I used gluten free)
1 cup water ( don't know if it was because it was gluten free or not, but I needed almost half cup more)
1 tsp salt.
Mix salt into the water, then mix saltwater into flour. It should be a dough that you can roll out. Knead well (doesn't matter exactly how well, as the kneading activates the gluten in the regular flour, but enough to make it fairly elastic). Roll out to about a half inch thick. Cut into squares using either a pizza cutter or knife (I gathered up the scraps and rolled it out and repeated the process until I only had one irregularly shaped piece). To be authentic, you're supposed to poke 16 holes in each square (I used a metal skewer) that goes all the way through. Place the squares onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Turn and bake another 30 minutes. Let COMPLETELY cool, preferably a couple days.
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After a couple days, I sealed mine in vacuum bags - 4 to a bag - with an equal amount of beef bouillon cubes. My batch made 20 squares.
I also evaluated where I was with my food storage. I had earlier made menus for 14 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes. I went through and listed all the ingredients needed for one time through, or 2 weeks. Then I multiplied that out for 3 months worth. I have that list on the back of one of the pages so I can refer to it. I didn't start my food storage this way, using recipes, so I'm letting some of the canned goods go down and not get replaced as I rotate them. I filled in the ones I needed for the 2 week menus.
We also transferred our water storage (cases of bottled water) from just inside the garage door (where it's visible every time we open the garage door) to a corner of the master bedroom. We stacked them in 2's, alternating orientation like a cube to lock them together, stacked 9 high. I figured our family of 4 would need a case of water a day, to include cooking. But, we rotate it often, because my husband works outside and goes through about 6 water bottles a day.
We sat down this morning to list the skills we already have, and hopefully come up with ideas for skills we need to learn.
I knit, crochet, sew (mending as well as making clothes), quilt, have a stock pile of recipes that are shelf stable, own 2 dutch ovens, and have a list of printed directions on how to make things in case the power is off for a long time. Most of those items can be found on line with a simple search. I found one for making a survival kit out of an Altoids tin, how to make an oven with cardboard and tin foil, how to make various heaters, etc. I went over it and can't really think of anything to add.
My husband can do electrical work, fabricate just about anything, work with wood if he had to, run a power plant, so he can fix generators, and do general maintenance. We both shoot VERY well, being ex-military. Together we make a good pair.
We also made a wish list to buy when he gets overtime, or extra money.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Every Day Carry (EDC)
I've read a lot about what people carry with them every day. Some call it Every Day Carry (EDC), my husband calls it pocket litter. It's what you have on you on a daily basis. Everyone is probably different, so I thought I'd just throw in what I carry.
First of all, I'm a cancer patient. My hair hasn't come back in yet. I was wearing wigs or hats, but I decided if SHTF while I'm away, they wouldn't add anything to my situation. I started wearing long scarves tied around my head, turban style. There are a lot of uses for a scarf or bandanna. If there's a fire, you can keep smoke out of your mouth with it. Or, you could soak it down with water to drape over your head and face to keep fire away for a bit, long enough to get out of a building that's on fire. You could use it for a sling if you hurt your arm, or a tourniquet if you are bleeding. You could also carry things in it, hobo style. Works for looting, I suppose, just kidding.
I also have my purse. In it I carry a lot of things I don't really NEED, but are useful to me. I try to keep it small, but I do have a family. I have a planner with calendar, place for notes, etc., with a pen. This could also be used in case you can't communicate verbally, if there's a need for silence. You could also tear out a page and leave a note or burn a page for some reason.
In my little side interior pocket, I carry the keys that don't go on my car key chain. These include the valet key for my husband's truck, my parents' house keys, even though they are in a different state, mirror and a pocket lent brush. Don't know how the lent brush would help in an emergency of the SHTF type, but it will if I suddenly need to meet someone important. I always have my parents' house keys in case we suddenly need to bug out and need to drive 12 hours away and get to their house.
In a little almost see-through plastic cosmetic bag I have migraine meds, splenda packets along with salt and pepper and some little jellies that were left on our table for meals out. I also have a thing of dental floss, nail care kit and a pack of Rolaids. These are items I might need if I were out under normal circumstances longer than anticipated.
Obviously, I have my wallet. In it is all my ID, credit cards, cash, library cards, etc. I keep it in a zip pocket of my purse so someone can't just bump me and grab it. In this same zip pocket is a pen size pepper spray, and a wallet that only has pictures.
On an outside pocket, I have lip gloss and a thingy that allows you to hang your purse on the table instead of putting it on the ground. My purse has side pockets as well. I carry a water bottle on one side, and a tin of emergency gear on the other.
More about the emergency tin. I had read so many articles about keeping a survival tin, like an Altoids can, with you at all time. I tried to stuff everything I thought I needed into a small tin like that, and it wouldn't fit. So I found a candle tin that had a lid and got the wax out and I'm using that.
So, now the contents of the tin: First, it's held shut with 2 hair bands. Inside the lid, I have scotch taped to the lid a sewing needle. On top of that a small rolled piece of duct tape holding a square foot of tin foil, folded to fit the lid exactly. The sewing needle is obvious, and the tin foil has several uses. I could fold it just right to hold water, it can signal, it can be used over a fire to cook or boil water. I have a flashlight that has a small amount of duct tape wrapped around it. The tin is the same height as the flashlight, and it's the kind that has the push button on the end, and it kept being turned on when I closed up the tin, so I took out the battery pack and it's stored separately. Inside the flashlight barrel is a small roll of sport tape (the kind you wrap around a band aid when you get a blood draw), nail clippers and a salt packet with a pepper packet. Then the battery pack for the flashlight (3 triple A's in a holder). I have a roll of duct tape with 2 safety pins, 2 paper clips, tweezers, a nail file and two pennies (don't ask me why, just seemed right at the time), rolled to about the size of a cigarette lighter (you can never have too much duct tape). Next is the lighter. Then I have a combination whistle, thermometer, compass and magnifying glass (for signaling, direction finding, etc). Then I have a little zip bag with Q-tips and 3 band aids. I have a small sharpening stone, again, not sure why, but it seemed right at the time. Rolled up real tight and held with another hair band is 2 $1 bills. Then I have a small Berkley multi-tool that has pliers, a small blade, small saw, 2 different sizes of standard screw driver heads, a Phillips screw driver head, a bottle opener, awl with file, and scissors. With it open and the backs together, it has a ruler that goes to about 4.5 inches and 11 cm. Also in the tin is a military can opener. Along one wall is my sealed pack of migraine meds. The last thing is a small pill box with a day's meds for me, a couple tums and a couple Pepto-bismol. It's a certain way it all goes in there, and since I had to empty it to list everything, I'll have to work at getting it all back in there....
Also, in the same pocket of my purse as the tin, I have a homemade whistle that my grandpa gave me years ago. I know how to blow it (very much like when you whistle with your fingers), but my kids don't. So I can give up my other whistle if one of my kids is with me.
Another part of my every day carry is my keys. I have keys to both our vehicles, keys to our house (all three doors) and a key to a trunk that has our bug out bags in it. These keys are separated by 2 links of copper wire made into chain links (also a present from my late grandpa) and a small replica knife that he made me. I just discovered, as I was going through all the blades on the multi-tool that chemo has made my nails not capable of getting out a knife blade and used the replica knife as a pry bar. Worked great. My instincts of putting it on there were good. I have 2 carabiners, one small that holds all the house keys, and a bigger one that clips my keys to my purse.
The last thing on my purse is a little gel type holder that holds a small bottle of hand sanitizer. One never knows when one will need to keep germs away.
Besides all that, I have my IPhone that I always carry. I used to be a fashionista 3 years ago, making sure I had nice shoes, my outfit matched, etc. Now I wear either Capri's or long pants that have lots of pockets, cargo type. I also have neuropathy in both feet, so I have to wear "sensible" shoes. I have on my feet at all times, shoes that I could hike a distance in if I have to. I only wear the heels going to church. I may decide at some point to throw in the sneakers when ever I go to church even, based on the situation in the world at the time.
And that's my every cay carry list.
First of all, I'm a cancer patient. My hair hasn't come back in yet. I was wearing wigs or hats, but I decided if SHTF while I'm away, they wouldn't add anything to my situation. I started wearing long scarves tied around my head, turban style. There are a lot of uses for a scarf or bandanna. If there's a fire, you can keep smoke out of your mouth with it. Or, you could soak it down with water to drape over your head and face to keep fire away for a bit, long enough to get out of a building that's on fire. You could use it for a sling if you hurt your arm, or a tourniquet if you are bleeding. You could also carry things in it, hobo style. Works for looting, I suppose, just kidding.
I also have my purse. In it I carry a lot of things I don't really NEED, but are useful to me. I try to keep it small, but I do have a family. I have a planner with calendar, place for notes, etc., with a pen. This could also be used in case you can't communicate verbally, if there's a need for silence. You could also tear out a page and leave a note or burn a page for some reason.
In my little side interior pocket, I carry the keys that don't go on my car key chain. These include the valet key for my husband's truck, my parents' house keys, even though they are in a different state, mirror and a pocket lent brush. Don't know how the lent brush would help in an emergency of the SHTF type, but it will if I suddenly need to meet someone important. I always have my parents' house keys in case we suddenly need to bug out and need to drive 12 hours away and get to their house.
In a little almost see-through plastic cosmetic bag I have migraine meds, splenda packets along with salt and pepper and some little jellies that were left on our table for meals out. I also have a thing of dental floss, nail care kit and a pack of Rolaids. These are items I might need if I were out under normal circumstances longer than anticipated.
Obviously, I have my wallet. In it is all my ID, credit cards, cash, library cards, etc. I keep it in a zip pocket of my purse so someone can't just bump me and grab it. In this same zip pocket is a pen size pepper spray, and a wallet that only has pictures.
On an outside pocket, I have lip gloss and a thingy that allows you to hang your purse on the table instead of putting it on the ground. My purse has side pockets as well. I carry a water bottle on one side, and a tin of emergency gear on the other.
More about the emergency tin. I had read so many articles about keeping a survival tin, like an Altoids can, with you at all time. I tried to stuff everything I thought I needed into a small tin like that, and it wouldn't fit. So I found a candle tin that had a lid and got the wax out and I'm using that.
So, now the contents of the tin: First, it's held shut with 2 hair bands. Inside the lid, I have scotch taped to the lid a sewing needle. On top of that a small rolled piece of duct tape holding a square foot of tin foil, folded to fit the lid exactly. The sewing needle is obvious, and the tin foil has several uses. I could fold it just right to hold water, it can signal, it can be used over a fire to cook or boil water. I have a flashlight that has a small amount of duct tape wrapped around it. The tin is the same height as the flashlight, and it's the kind that has the push button on the end, and it kept being turned on when I closed up the tin, so I took out the battery pack and it's stored separately. Inside the flashlight barrel is a small roll of sport tape (the kind you wrap around a band aid when you get a blood draw), nail clippers and a salt packet with a pepper packet. Then the battery pack for the flashlight (3 triple A's in a holder). I have a roll of duct tape with 2 safety pins, 2 paper clips, tweezers, a nail file and two pennies (don't ask me why, just seemed right at the time), rolled to about the size of a cigarette lighter (you can never have too much duct tape). Next is the lighter. Then I have a combination whistle, thermometer, compass and magnifying glass (for signaling, direction finding, etc). Then I have a little zip bag with Q-tips and 3 band aids. I have a small sharpening stone, again, not sure why, but it seemed right at the time. Rolled up real tight and held with another hair band is 2 $1 bills. Then I have a small Berkley multi-tool that has pliers, a small blade, small saw, 2 different sizes of standard screw driver heads, a Phillips screw driver head, a bottle opener, awl with file, and scissors. With it open and the backs together, it has a ruler that goes to about 4.5 inches and 11 cm. Also in the tin is a military can opener. Along one wall is my sealed pack of migraine meds. The last thing is a small pill box with a day's meds for me, a couple tums and a couple Pepto-bismol. It's a certain way it all goes in there, and since I had to empty it to list everything, I'll have to work at getting it all back in there....
Also, in the same pocket of my purse as the tin, I have a homemade whistle that my grandpa gave me years ago. I know how to blow it (very much like when you whistle with your fingers), but my kids don't. So I can give up my other whistle if one of my kids is with me.
Another part of my every day carry is my keys. I have keys to both our vehicles, keys to our house (all three doors) and a key to a trunk that has our bug out bags in it. These keys are separated by 2 links of copper wire made into chain links (also a present from my late grandpa) and a small replica knife that he made me. I just discovered, as I was going through all the blades on the multi-tool that chemo has made my nails not capable of getting out a knife blade and used the replica knife as a pry bar. Worked great. My instincts of putting it on there were good. I have 2 carabiners, one small that holds all the house keys, and a bigger one that clips my keys to my purse.
The last thing on my purse is a little gel type holder that holds a small bottle of hand sanitizer. One never knows when one will need to keep germs away.
Besides all that, I have my IPhone that I always carry. I used to be a fashionista 3 years ago, making sure I had nice shoes, my outfit matched, etc. Now I wear either Capri's or long pants that have lots of pockets, cargo type. I also have neuropathy in both feet, so I have to wear "sensible" shoes. I have on my feet at all times, shoes that I could hike a distance in if I have to. I only wear the heels going to church. I may decide at some point to throw in the sneakers when ever I go to church even, based on the situation in the world at the time.
And that's my every cay carry list.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bug Out or Shelter In?
I'm still struggling with this concept. Do I bug out, or shelter in? I suppose it would depend on the situation.
There has been a lot written on this subject, and most say you need to pick a scenario and plan for that scenario. But, I'm a bid ADD. I have so many scenarios running through my head that I can't keep track of what I might need for each individual happening.
I live in a neighborhood that is fast becoming rent land. When we moved in, just three years ago, the majority of the neighbors that I new were older. Several have died, leaving their houses to be bought by someone else. Across from our alley, is still a bit influential, meaning a bit higher income. Our street is the dividing line. Across the street are a lot of houses that are rented out, not owned. I'm not saying all renters are people who wouldn't make it owning their own house, but usually when you have a lot of rentals, the property values drop. I have so many people on government assistance in my neighborhood that I constantly get calls from Democrat candidates. I also got a flyer on my door a while back about the government handing out free cell phones if you were on government assistance of any kind.
That being said, if SHTF ("Stuff" Hit The Fan), I basically live in a neighborhood of takers. I don't let it be widely known that I'm a prepper. I park in the back when I unload groceries, and make sure I don't get a LOT at one time. We don't use our garage to park our vehicles in, so I don't have to open the garage door and let them see the stacks of bottled water.
I suppose I'm preparing for both. We have bug out bags prepared and all in a trunk that we can grab and throw in the truck. In our garage is a little room for storage. We have all of our camping gear in that, so it's easily grabbed. If we need to bug out, we're prepared.
When it came time to purchase a new (to us) vehicle, we bought a 4-door truck. It will seat 5, meaning the four family members with a pet carrier between the kids. Can't bug out without the family dog and cat.
As for what is in our bug out bags? I have shorts and long pants, short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts, 3 pr underwear and socks, those fluorescent vests that construction crews use, some basics for survival, like flashlights, maps, etc. Everyone but my handicapped son has something to start a fire with. We have a family bag that has the cooking pots, and pet food. We also have 72-hour kits in the family bug out bag, so that no one has to carry their food and clothing. We all have a regular backpack for these items. Me and my husband have a bit more survival gear in ours than the kids. I say kids, but my youngest is 13 and a Boy Scout. My oldest is 22, though mentally about 8. We also have a sling backpack ready to throw all our meds into. If things turn south quickly we can get out of dodge. I also have accumulated from thrift stores frame packs for each of us, as well as canteens and we have a couple camel backs (for water).
As to sheltering in, we just got really good windows installed. We have extra doors that my husband has picked up off the street that people were throwing away. What would that be used for, you ask? If we had to we could block a broken window, board up all windows so no one can see it, whatever. We have our food storage so we wouldn't need to run to the store.
You can't prepare for every disaster one can think of. I picked a couple....economic collapse that only involves prices sky-rocketing (which is a shelter in situation) and my neighborhood turning nasty when they can no longer use their EBT Food Stamp cards (the bug out situation). I also have a friend who is about an hour and a half away, out in the sticks, who knows if SHTF we're coming to his house.
There has been a lot written on this subject, and most say you need to pick a scenario and plan for that scenario. But, I'm a bid ADD. I have so many scenarios running through my head that I can't keep track of what I might need for each individual happening.
I live in a neighborhood that is fast becoming rent land. When we moved in, just three years ago, the majority of the neighbors that I new were older. Several have died, leaving their houses to be bought by someone else. Across from our alley, is still a bit influential, meaning a bit higher income. Our street is the dividing line. Across the street are a lot of houses that are rented out, not owned. I'm not saying all renters are people who wouldn't make it owning their own house, but usually when you have a lot of rentals, the property values drop. I have so many people on government assistance in my neighborhood that I constantly get calls from Democrat candidates. I also got a flyer on my door a while back about the government handing out free cell phones if you were on government assistance of any kind.
That being said, if SHTF ("Stuff" Hit The Fan), I basically live in a neighborhood of takers. I don't let it be widely known that I'm a prepper. I park in the back when I unload groceries, and make sure I don't get a LOT at one time. We don't use our garage to park our vehicles in, so I don't have to open the garage door and let them see the stacks of bottled water.
I suppose I'm preparing for both. We have bug out bags prepared and all in a trunk that we can grab and throw in the truck. In our garage is a little room for storage. We have all of our camping gear in that, so it's easily grabbed. If we need to bug out, we're prepared.
When it came time to purchase a new (to us) vehicle, we bought a 4-door truck. It will seat 5, meaning the four family members with a pet carrier between the kids. Can't bug out without the family dog and cat.
As for what is in our bug out bags? I have shorts and long pants, short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts, 3 pr underwear and socks, those fluorescent vests that construction crews use, some basics for survival, like flashlights, maps, etc. Everyone but my handicapped son has something to start a fire with. We have a family bag that has the cooking pots, and pet food. We also have 72-hour kits in the family bug out bag, so that no one has to carry their food and clothing. We all have a regular backpack for these items. Me and my husband have a bit more survival gear in ours than the kids. I say kids, but my youngest is 13 and a Boy Scout. My oldest is 22, though mentally about 8. We also have a sling backpack ready to throw all our meds into. If things turn south quickly we can get out of dodge. I also have accumulated from thrift stores frame packs for each of us, as well as canteens and we have a couple camel backs (for water).
As to sheltering in, we just got really good windows installed. We have extra doors that my husband has picked up off the street that people were throwing away. What would that be used for, you ask? If we had to we could block a broken window, board up all windows so no one can see it, whatever. We have our food storage so we wouldn't need to run to the store.
You can't prepare for every disaster one can think of. I picked a couple....economic collapse that only involves prices sky-rocketing (which is a shelter in situation) and my neighborhood turning nasty when they can no longer use their EBT Food Stamp cards (the bug out situation). I also have a friend who is about an hour and a half away, out in the sticks, who knows if SHTF we're coming to his house.
Where are you in prepping?
It's hard to determine just where you are on the scale of preparedness. I still consider myself a novice, even though I've been doing this for 3 years.
This will be a "looking back" about how I started all this, and the techniques and tips that helped me.
My first thought was I needed more food. I was mostly planning for an economic collapse. We all see it coming. When they put a new Aldi's in our town (right across from the WalMart), a couple years ago, milk was 99 cents. Now it's $2.09. I remember when it went to $1.09 last year. I'm a mom, and I do most of the grocery shopping. I can't afford to go to Kroger anymore unless they have a really big sale. I have to go to the places like Aldi's that cuts down their expenses by not packing anything for you, and not paying their staff to round up carts. You "rent" the cart for a quarter. When you return it yourself, you get your quarter back. I think it's a great idea. It cuts down on their expenses and most people will return the cart to get the quarter back, so there aren't carts all around the lot. Plus, they don't have to put up the cart return places, taking up valuable parking spaces. By not packing the stuff into bags they save twice. They're faster in the lane because you bag at a counter after you're done, plus they don't have to double bag because the cheap little plastic bags won't hold much and they don't waste money when 2 bags come off the little package and the clerk just tosses it. They do have bags at the produce section. I bring my reusable bags (and wash them about every third trip).
But, enough on that. My first stop was the Internet, trying to figure out just how to build up enough food for an extra 3 months. I was thinking if I could get by for 3 months without buying food, I could catch up if our dollar suddenly tanked. I think this was the first site I found. That's when I realized the Mormons have been doing this for a really long time. At first, I tried their method.
They do it a bit differently than I like. They stock up on basics, intending to figure out how to use it later...you know, buckets of raw wheat, buckets of rice and beans, sugar, flour, the ingredients you need to make stuff from scratch. I stocked up on sugar, salt, my flour (me and both my kids have celiac disease, which means no wheat, barley or rye, and only gluten free oats). I started buying canned goods that I knew I would eat, like canned potatoes, green beans, corn, etc. At first, I bought number 10 cans, you know the really big ones. I have several, but I got to thinking, what happens if the power goes off? We'd have to make a meal on green beans because we couldn't refrigerate the left overs. I also started putting away canned meat.
I thought about buying the already canned stuff, but I can't really afford that. When I started this, I was paying 2 mortgages and borrowing my in-laws van for a second vehicle. We had moved in together (a discussion for another time) and it didn't work out so well. We bought another house just as the housing market crashed. It took 3 years to sell the other one. It took my in laws 3 months to find another house.
This method, crude as it was, ended up helping us out a lot. I had powdered milk, canned vegetables, all sorts of things put away in boxes. At first I organized everything together (all the beans, all the tomato products, etc.), but when my husband broke his leg and was off work for 2 months and we started eating out of those boxes, it proved to be too difficult. So I tried organizing the boxes by meals. Even that was difficult. Finally, I came upon a windfall. Someone gave us 9.5 ft x 12 inch x 1 inch lumber and a bunch of cinder blocks. We emptied one wall and built shelves along that wall.
This was a great solution to our problem. I could easily see everything and the living room is the only large area in our house. I ended up putting a white duvet cover in front of the shelves, with some of my rarely used cooking stuff...caste iron skillets, pressure cooker, canning pots, etc...on the top shelf to hold the cover. It blends right in with our wall. We put the cinder blocks about a foot in from the end of the boards so we can put decorative stuff there. My husband's chair is right near there, and he stores his snacks at reaching level.
I sat down with my recipe file and tried to find recipes that I could make totally shelf stable (canned goods with a few extras thrown in if I had them) and researched new recipes that had shelf stable ingredients. Then, I put them in the forms that the Foodstoragemadeeasy site had on their site. I basically menu planned for a couple weeks. Then I figured out how much of each ingredient I needed for 3 months. I also bought a great book called 100-Day Pantry by Jan Jackson. The reason this is great, is because they're common ingredients, not using raw wheat, etc.
I also started dehydrating in earnest. I had dabbled in it before, but now I started looking at what raw vegetables I COULD dehydrate. Mostly dehydrated veggies can be used in soups or other things you cook. You can't really rehydrate them and eat them. I've dehydrated potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, parsnips, rutabaga and bananas. A whole stalk of celery, leaves included if they're in good shape, will dehydrate down to fit in a cheese jar. It takes up a lot less room, and you'll have it when prices hit the roof.
I have dabbled in gardening. Last year my garden was bigger than this year. I have a small city plot of land, not even a quarter acre, plus the house takes up most of it. I put in a raised bed garden and planted what my mother always called a salad garden. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, corn, zucchini and peas. That was last year. The cucumbers did well, as did the tomatoes and green beans. The peas dried up on the vine in the Texas heat. I can't seem to grow lettuce. Also, the zucchini got bigger than we expected and I had planted it too close together. It did well considering we transplanted it.
This year, due to battling cancer and my husband having a broken leg to deal with, we did a much smaller garden. I planted 2 zucchini plants, and had a bumper crop. I planted 6 tomato plants, one came up and produced not a single tomato. I had cucumbers coming out my ears, and a volunteer cantaloupe that cross pollinated with the cucumbers. It was funny. It looked like a cantaloupe, smelled like a cucumber and had no taste whatsoever.
Last year, because of the tremendous amount of green tomatoes on the vine close to frost, I made lots of green tomato relish (canned). I also started canning watermelon rind relish this summer. Normally, I can stewed tomatoes, but we didn't get enough last year at one time to do that. I'm hoping a sale will go on for tomatoes and I still can do that this summer.
So, to recap this very long article. We learned that shelves are better to store your canned goods (easier to rotate with your regular pantry, too), it's easier to put away what you'll actually eat, according to recipes and grow a garden and dehydrate or can your produce.
This will be a "looking back" about how I started all this, and the techniques and tips that helped me.
My first thought was I needed more food. I was mostly planning for an economic collapse. We all see it coming. When they put a new Aldi's in our town (right across from the WalMart), a couple years ago, milk was 99 cents. Now it's $2.09. I remember when it went to $1.09 last year. I'm a mom, and I do most of the grocery shopping. I can't afford to go to Kroger anymore unless they have a really big sale. I have to go to the places like Aldi's that cuts down their expenses by not packing anything for you, and not paying their staff to round up carts. You "rent" the cart for a quarter. When you return it yourself, you get your quarter back. I think it's a great idea. It cuts down on their expenses and most people will return the cart to get the quarter back, so there aren't carts all around the lot. Plus, they don't have to put up the cart return places, taking up valuable parking spaces. By not packing the stuff into bags they save twice. They're faster in the lane because you bag at a counter after you're done, plus they don't have to double bag because the cheap little plastic bags won't hold much and they don't waste money when 2 bags come off the little package and the clerk just tosses it. They do have bags at the produce section. I bring my reusable bags (and wash them about every third trip).
But, enough on that. My first stop was the Internet, trying to figure out just how to build up enough food for an extra 3 months. I was thinking if I could get by for 3 months without buying food, I could catch up if our dollar suddenly tanked. I think this was the first site I found. That's when I realized the Mormons have been doing this for a really long time. At first, I tried their method.
They do it a bit differently than I like. They stock up on basics, intending to figure out how to use it later...you know, buckets of raw wheat, buckets of rice and beans, sugar, flour, the ingredients you need to make stuff from scratch. I stocked up on sugar, salt, my flour (me and both my kids have celiac disease, which means no wheat, barley or rye, and only gluten free oats). I started buying canned goods that I knew I would eat, like canned potatoes, green beans, corn, etc. At first, I bought number 10 cans, you know the really big ones. I have several, but I got to thinking, what happens if the power goes off? We'd have to make a meal on green beans because we couldn't refrigerate the left overs. I also started putting away canned meat.
I thought about buying the already canned stuff, but I can't really afford that. When I started this, I was paying 2 mortgages and borrowing my in-laws van for a second vehicle. We had moved in together (a discussion for another time) and it didn't work out so well. We bought another house just as the housing market crashed. It took 3 years to sell the other one. It took my in laws 3 months to find another house.
This method, crude as it was, ended up helping us out a lot. I had powdered milk, canned vegetables, all sorts of things put away in boxes. At first I organized everything together (all the beans, all the tomato products, etc.), but when my husband broke his leg and was off work for 2 months and we started eating out of those boxes, it proved to be too difficult. So I tried organizing the boxes by meals. Even that was difficult. Finally, I came upon a windfall. Someone gave us 9.5 ft x 12 inch x 1 inch lumber and a bunch of cinder blocks. We emptied one wall and built shelves along that wall.
This was a great solution to our problem. I could easily see everything and the living room is the only large area in our house. I ended up putting a white duvet cover in front of the shelves, with some of my rarely used cooking stuff...caste iron skillets, pressure cooker, canning pots, etc...on the top shelf to hold the cover. It blends right in with our wall. We put the cinder blocks about a foot in from the end of the boards so we can put decorative stuff there. My husband's chair is right near there, and he stores his snacks at reaching level.
I sat down with my recipe file and tried to find recipes that I could make totally shelf stable (canned goods with a few extras thrown in if I had them) and researched new recipes that had shelf stable ingredients. Then, I put them in the forms that the Foodstoragemadeeasy site had on their site. I basically menu planned for a couple weeks. Then I figured out how much of each ingredient I needed for 3 months. I also bought a great book called 100-Day Pantry by Jan Jackson. The reason this is great, is because they're common ingredients, not using raw wheat, etc.
I also started dehydrating in earnest. I had dabbled in it before, but now I started looking at what raw vegetables I COULD dehydrate. Mostly dehydrated veggies can be used in soups or other things you cook. You can't really rehydrate them and eat them. I've dehydrated potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, parsnips, rutabaga and bananas. A whole stalk of celery, leaves included if they're in good shape, will dehydrate down to fit in a cheese jar. It takes up a lot less room, and you'll have it when prices hit the roof.
I have dabbled in gardening. Last year my garden was bigger than this year. I have a small city plot of land, not even a quarter acre, plus the house takes up most of it. I put in a raised bed garden and planted what my mother always called a salad garden. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, corn, zucchini and peas. That was last year. The cucumbers did well, as did the tomatoes and green beans. The peas dried up on the vine in the Texas heat. I can't seem to grow lettuce. Also, the zucchini got bigger than we expected and I had planted it too close together. It did well considering we transplanted it.
This year, due to battling cancer and my husband having a broken leg to deal with, we did a much smaller garden. I planted 2 zucchini plants, and had a bumper crop. I planted 6 tomato plants, one came up and produced not a single tomato. I had cucumbers coming out my ears, and a volunteer cantaloupe that cross pollinated with the cucumbers. It was funny. It looked like a cantaloupe, smelled like a cucumber and had no taste whatsoever.
Last year, because of the tremendous amount of green tomatoes on the vine close to frost, I made lots of green tomato relish (canned). I also started canning watermelon rind relish this summer. Normally, I can stewed tomatoes, but we didn't get enough last year at one time to do that. I'm hoping a sale will go on for tomatoes and I still can do that this summer.
So, to recap this very long article. We learned that shelves are better to store your canned goods (easier to rotate with your regular pantry, too), it's easier to put away what you'll actually eat, according to recipes and grow a garden and dehydrate or can your produce.
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