Cast Iron Maintenance and Restoration

Cast Iron Maintenance and Restoration

 

Bonsai

Bonsai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai

Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway

 

The battle lasted over several days in early June, 1942.

Common Sense For Food Assurance, by J.M.

Common Sense For Food Assurance, by J.M.

　

Over the years of taking the journey to being a better prepper, through self taught observations/experiences with myself and with others, have effected and guided me to realize that common sense had better be a big factor in all areas of prepper skills but, in particular, the areas of foods preparations (what to obtain) and food storage (both for the long- and short-term storage, how much, and the quantity needed versus available space to store). Using that guideline/method, it can be applied to all areas of planning and execution for surviving major, life-altering experiences.

However, this article is geared to a major mistake I have seen both in my journey and in other people’s experiences in planning, gathering, and storing their food preps– the unknown factor. What seems to elude most preppers, even the experienced ones, is maintaining the integrity of the food quality through the use of a temp-controlled storage area.

What is this guy talking about? Well, lets use myself as an example. I have been a student in prepping for about 40 years. I started long before prepping even became a known major topic, due in part to a life-changing injury that occurred in 1969 in the remote mountains in New Mexico. While building a very remote cabin in the mountain area, I was using stick nitro to remove boulders and trees on the road to the cabin. The injury was due to bad fusing that resulted in the loss of my right hand in the middle of nowhere and the realization that I was not prepared nor had planned or even given any thought for the unexpected. Up to that point in my life, each day was lived as if there was always another day and whatever I might need was always available– WRONG! This incident caused a radical change in my life, the way I thought, and the need to use the five "p"s– Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor results, and using common sense to factor in the "what if" into my everyday events. This brought on a change in all areas of my life, including the area of food prepping and storage. Think of it in this light; in most other prep articles, you read that 3 is 2, 2 is 1, and 1 is none, but with no thought of the proper storage, food items may ALL be none, if they are destroyed because of extreme temperatures.

This "what if" effected my plan for food, as part of my prepping, for unknown events. I started my initial attempts with my short-term needs in mind, buying canned goods and bulk items and storing them anywhere with no regard to heat, cold, moisture, time, or safety. After experiencing loss, due to food items going bad or causing "internal reactions", my awareness level led me on a path of trying to blend in different types of food, MRE’s, instant mixes, my own canning methods, and those new things coming on the market back in the 60s called camping foods. Most of the camping foods, taste-wise, were like eating cardboard with flavors added in; sometimes, given a choice between them and eating worms, you might choose the worms. Yuck! During the first 20 years, I slowly realized that lack of effort, lack of caring, or just an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" situation was causing me to have to throw out my food preps on a regular basis. So, okay, I would accept that and resupply. During this time I noticed both heat and cold were my enemy but more so the heat. I tried keeping food preps in the home, even with that changes in seasons or whatever, still caused concern over the quality and integrity. During my second 20 years, my aging and life experience level has dictated that I get wiser and utilize what I learned on the food storage journey. Based upon what I learned, I suggest the following:
Plan and prepare a separate area for food and other perishables that is climate-controlled by you.
Identify a short-term food supply (canned/bagged/liquids) that is your revolving pantry, based on a year supply of need for you and your family.
Identify your long-term food supply of one year or more (I recommend three years of food for each person in the household), and buy only freeze-dried foods both in #10 cans and in pouches, with a variety. I stress freeze-dried because of their shelf life and also their taste. Buy the best tasting items (for you and yours). When buying freeze dried foods, cold is no longer a threat, but heat is still always your main enemy.
I REPEAT: HEAT IS THE #1 PROBLEM. To deal with this problem, I have built a separate, insulated room, approximately 20′ by 7′, in my workshop that has both an electric quartz heater sitting inside and a 12K BTU window A/C built into the outer wall. I maintain a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and the A/C keeps the room at 76 during summer’s hot days. I have shelving for three separate types of food. The highest shelf on three sides of the room is used to store freeze-dried items. The lower shelves on one side contain the one-year supply of canned goods and/or pasta, which I keep in 12″x 12″ x 6″ cardboard boxes, so that items can easily be stacked/labeled/moved by even an old person or child as needed to the pantry in the house. Also, since the food is separated in boxes it can be identified for donation to a church or food pantry or passed out as a charity gift to the locals. All other food preps, which are condiments (mustard/ketchup/mayo/relish/salad dressing/spices) are kept on the remaining side walls of shelves, along with candles, matches, peroxide, witch hazel, soaps, first aid items, and whatever. Note: Plan your orders for the cooler times of the year, as any delivery service may have in their delivery cycle periods where the shipment is exposed for periods of time to extreme heat or cold.

I want the word to get out that prepping for food procurement and storage without any consideration given to the affects of hot or cold temperatures and, to some degree, also humidity is a bomb that could leave you in a major dodo situation when a crisis occurs.

Let me also mention that the food inflation factor, that is just now beginning to surface in our country, is only one portion of the coming storm. The additional factors are the food shortages that are also becoming more apparent. I will use Wally World as an example. If your radar is "on", start becoming a smart shopper and talk with your retailer. They are now stocking the shelves with a reduced quantity and selection of brands. As it was conveyed to me by some managers at those stores, they are having a supply problem and also a credit problem. The solution is to hold back inventory in the back room, so they can have a least a few items to restock shelves with. So, when you buy, buy like you may not get another chance for a few months… because you may not. Why do I mention this? It is because your ability to stock up and safely store your foods items may become Job #1 very soon and also because food will, in a crisis, be worth its weight in gold, or maybe more. Many people, lacking in the common sense department, will still assume they are going to be able to run to the corner market when the doo doo hits the fan. Likewise, a numbers of preppers may find out at the worst possible time that most of their survival foods, which they acquired but gave no concern to maintaining the quality of, is worthless.

My effort, at the local level, has been to help educate people, families, and church groups that they are to be praised at their attempts of preparing, but if proper storage of the food supplies is not part of their planning, then all of their effort could be for nothing or even worse harmful to them or others. People at the LDS local canning sessions put a great amount of effort into repackaging bulk food items in #10 cans, but only one person out of a group of 40 there at the event had given any thought to how to store those #10 cans safely when I spoke to them. Upon hearing my advice about temperature control, they became a very attentive audience for the next 30 minutes. It made me feel great about their thirst for knowledge and willingness to learn. My discussions with others often yield a response like, "I have never given any thought to heat or cold". These are good people trying to do the best they can, but they are setting themselves up for failure. When somebody takes my advice and checks their food and or other preps that has been left in a metal storage shed, garage, in an under-cooled part of the home, or even a over-rated mini warehouse with substandard cooling oversight which may result in long durations of high heat or extreme cold and discover that most of it has "gone bad", I am reminded of my own journey with the same results.

My journey has giving me the reward and satisfaction of knowing that, today, I am at a high level of efficiency in maintaining and better utilizing what I have purchased for an event that I hope and pray never happens, and I realize, in this current time, that the unfolding of history is happening right now. The term "food assurance" to me means FOOD INSURANCE. The old saying is true today– plan for tomorrow. My sincere hope is that this will start you to think about doing something to get ready but most importantly you actually do something in the best possible way with this information. Ensure that you "get er done".

Gibson Guitar Corporation

Gibson Guitar Corporation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation

USAA Magazine – Summer Issue

USAA Magazine – Summer Issue

The articles might help your cause.

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/magazines_USAA?akredirect=true

Ginger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger

The New Regressives

The New Regressives

By Victor Davis Hanson in PJ Media

Today’s liberalism is about as liberal as the Hellenistic world was Hellenic — a glossy veneer over a rotten core.

In the old days, liberalism was about the means to an end, not the end itself. Since the days of Socrates, liberalism enshrined free inquiry, guided by inductive thinking and empirical use of data. Its enemies were not necessary organized religion — some of the Church fathers sought to find their salvation through the means of neo-Platonic cosmology and Aristotelian logic — or government or traditional custom and practice, but rather deductive thinking anywhere it was found.

Yet today liberalism itself is deductive. It has descended into a constructed end that requires any means necessary to achieve it. Take any hot-button liberal issue: censorship, abortion, global warming, affirmative action, or illegal immigration. Note the liberal reaction.

I don’t like most of the assigned readings that now pass for the university’s seminal texts of the liberal arts. But on the other hand, I don’t believe in triggers to warn students of what is inside a book. Otherwise, I might insist that universities put a warning on Rigoberta Menchú’s or Barack Obama’s autobiographies: “Trigger Warning: these are fictive accounts that rely on occasional invention and adaption and so do not, as the authors have claimed, reflect actual events.” Nor would I want a written trigger for the book flap of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, along the following lines: “Trigger Warning: Ms. Goodwin has admitted past plagiarism in her works, a fact that may be necessary to weigh when evaluating her present history.” Readers can determine for themselves to what degree past confessions of plagiarism should guide their own studies.

Nor do I favor yanking Bill Maher off television — in Paula Deen or Duck Dynasty fashion — for his serial profane and misogynist attacks on Sarah Palin and other conservative women. Nor do I want a running Trigger Warning on the bottom of the screen, as Maher talks: “Trigger Warning: We do not endorse Mr. Maher’s sometime misogynistic and reactionary use of slurs against prominent women with whom he disagrees.”

Nor do I think MSNBC must dump Al Sharpton for his past homophobic, anti-Semitic, and racist rants that have on occasion contributed to fatal violence. If they wish to put a buffoon who cannot read a teleprompted script on the air, then it is their market decision to do so, and we are adult enough to make the necessary channel selections. Nor do I think Chris Rock should apologize for calling the 4th of July “white people’s day,” or for that matter Jamie Foxx making a crude joke about the joy of killing white people as an actor in the latest Tarantino film. Free speech assumes that much of free speech is crude and vulgar.

Nor would I object if Hillsdale College, Pepperdine University, or any other traditional school chose to invite a Democratic or liberal graduation speaker whose views I oppose. I once attended a Pepperdine graduate school graduation address given by a liberal Los Angeles politician that was little more than an unhinged rant against George W. Bush — and politely clapped through her pathetic rambling.

All that is not today’s liberalism, which instead believes in pursuance of race, class, and gender equality by any means of intimidation and censorship necessary.

If science now allows a premature child to live outside the womb at 20 weeks, that knowledge must remain an irrelevant fact. Champions of abortion who used to insist that fetuses were not viable outside the womb simply have dropped that argument altogether. They are not interested any more in the issue of when life begins, but rather wedded deductively to the notion of terminating a pregnancy at almost anytime the mother might wish to do so. The unexamined career of Dr. Gosnell was not the aberration, but the logical fruition of contemporary liberalism’s unquestioned embrace of abortion.

I don’t have the expertise to know exactly to what degree, if any, man-caused carbon releases since the Industrial Revolution have heated up the planet, or whether the supposed heating is deleterious to the human condition, or whether the deleteriousness can be addressed by global statutes that are equitably enforced around the world without causing greater impoverishment and suffering.

But I do know something about philology and the historical circumstances behind both euphemism and the constant shifting of vocabulary. Thus why did “global warming” begat “climate change” that sometimes begat “climate chaos”?

And why, at this time of history’s greatest carbon releases, has the planet not warmed in the last 17 years? Why was data massaged to create the so-called “hockey stick” paradigm? Why sue satirist Mark Steyn for an inconvenient truth, or denigrate opponents as “deniers” as if they were some sort of Holocaust deniers, if the data is unimpeachable and speaks for itself?

Add in the Climategate email scandals and the green hucksterism of an Al Gore or the crony capitalism that leads to a Solyndra scandal, and there are liberal grounds for skepticism and ongoing debate. As for settled science, I once was told as teenager to take Vitamin C but avoid D, and now to take D but avoid C, in the manner that the PSA test was once the touchstone to diagnosing prostate cancer and now not so much, and then again in the future perhaps again essential to an early diagnosis. What most directly leads to heart disease — fatty foods, too much meat, too many carbohydrates, inflammation, or high cholesterol? Do we know yet the precise factors responsible for coronary disease when collating weight, genetics, exercise, and food intake? We know that the sedentary obese are at higher risk, but does science yet tell us why the thin with low cholesterol sometimes drop dead at 60?

So when I hear the president state the science is “settled” and that he is prepared to act, he sounds like a Grand Inquisitioner who won’t tolerate heresies such as a round Earth or heliocentric solar system. No science is ever quite settled, as more data is constantly gathered and theories of exegesis rebound off each other.

When Eric Holder announces an endless affirmative action and leaves it at that, I want a classically liberal defense along the lines of something like the following: “We believe that preferences must be accorded to those of particular ethnic and racial backgrounds to compensate for past discrimination, whose legacy still makes it difficult even in the present age for particular groups to be treated equitably. And more importantly, we in the government have the ability to ascertain which groups are deserving of such preferences and which not, and also know how to determine which individuals meet precise criteria that earn them official minority status.” Instead, we get something tantamount to “either support something nebulous called affirmative action or you’re a racist.”

Then there is illegal immigration. Again, examine the philology, always the tip-off to an Orwellian rewrite. First we had illegal alien, then illegal immigrant, then undocumented immigrant, and now just immigrant. Such linguistic hocus pocus is necessary given the the present indefensible system of not enforcing the border, ignoring immigration law, and peddling the untruth that almost all illegal aliens fit the DREAM Act categories. Language must accomplish what reality cannot.

But modern-day liberalism is still stranger than all that: after crafting a system of open borders and de facto amnesty that has allowed millions of impoverished from central Mexico to reside in California, the architects of such a system then shut down almost all means to provide illegal aliens a livelihood: water diversions from agriculture, the near extinction of the timber and mining industries, taboos against fracking and horizontal drilling, a virtual shut-down of new housing construction, and on and on.

The result is that the Bay Area liberal looking down from his cupola has pulled up the stairway to his perch. He has essentially decreed that the impoverished will have very little livelihood in an overregulated state other than welfare and entry-level government jobs, and will live an apartheid existence in the Central Valley and L.A. basin, shut out from the coastal corridor where new housing is permanently on hold to any other than the top 2% of the state population.

We should not use the word “progressive” or “liberal,” given that on issues like abortion, affirmative action, the environment, illegal immigration, censorship, and a host of others, the left is reactionary to the core.

In the spirit of changing words to reflect reality, I suggest that we call today’s liberals “regressives” — fundamentalists who are wedded to self-serving deductive doctrines that cannot sustain empirical scrutiny and exist mostly as fossilized theologies of the 1960s.

 

Letter Re: Seven Secrets of Medical Prepping

Letter Re: Seven Secrets of Medical Prepping

I have appreciated Dr. Koelker’s fine contributions to this blog for some time. One thing I would like to add to the doctor’s list of items that were formerly prescription but are now OTC that are “must have’s” to stock up on is Meclizine. If I am not mistake I learned about that drug from one of Dr. Koelker’s Survival Blog offerings.

Meclizineis sold as a motion sickness aid for travel. In our area it is available at most pharmacies. A trick I learned is that while they frequently sell store brand “blister pack’s” on their shelves, they also sell bottles of 100 sold by “Rugby” that they keep behind the pharmacy counter that you have to ask for. I have found this to be true at four national pharmacy chains. The bottles of 100 are much cheaper than the blister packs. Furthermore, Amazon sells bottles of 1000 tabs at a very reasonable price. As was pointed out in the article that mentioned Meclizine, it is a powerful anti-nausea agent.

During the holiday season of 2012, I contracted a heck of a stomach flu that was also morphing afterward into an intestinal infection. Our local hospitals were swamped with this “Bug”, such that you had to wait in your car for hours for your turn to see an ER doctor. I have a very high pain tolerance, but I was in utter agony with nausea so bad I found myself heading for the ER. I remembered that I had printed the SB article, and on it was an anti-nausea OTC compound. I found the article and thought that on my way to the ER I would give it a try. The first national pharmacy I tried didn’t have any, so I was about to give up when I thought I would try one more national pharmacy “drive through” a block away.

I pulled up to the window and asked if they had Meclizine. The gal said, “Sure. Do you want 12.5 mg or 25mg?” I said, “Give me the strongest you have!” At this point, price was of no consequence to me. She could have come back and said that will be $400, and I would have bought it. A bottle of 100 was less than $4! I pulled forward and didn’t even leave the drive through before I chewed three of them. I left heading for the hospital and decided to chew one more. The drive to the hospital was about ten minutes, but by the time I arrived the nausea was completely gone! So I went home.

I later found that the year prior my wife had been having problems with Vertigo and her doctor prescribed Meclizine. Also, this drug does “knock the wind out of your sail’s”, so in a pinch if someone is “freaking out” it can be used as an anti-anxiety tool.

Our outlook is that, after TSHTF, many people will resign themselves to ingesting tainted food and water, and that consequently having tools on hand to manage diarrhea, nausea, and dehydration will be very valuable. Talk about a good way to dispense charity! Get some Meclizine! It’s cheap and it works!

BradJ

From the Survival Blog

 

Dry Measuring Cups vs. Liquid Measuring Cups

Dry Measuring Cups vs. Liquid Measuring Cups

http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/dry-measuring-cups-vs-liquid-measuring-cups/

 

Posters comments:

And then there’s volume compared to weight, like in milligrams (mg). Most of our medicine is now in milligrams (mg).

Measles

Measles

      A wiki link on measles can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles

            Another link on measles can be found at:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-still-poses-threat-to-us-more-than-decade-after-its-elimination/

            There are many more links, too.

 

Posters comments:

         1)  I personally believe in vaccinations.

         2)  I have personally been vaccinated from many diseases we humans can get.

Northeast megalopolis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis

This is a repeat post of sorts.

Bread Making at the Hemlocks

Well, many go to church, while I periodically try on Sunday to make “artisan” bread, otherwise called “homemade” bread.

The experiment begins.  I am using the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle.  Plus I have seen some YouTube videos, also. Plus I am a male who does not like to follow directions, plus being an American puts me in a hurry, which is not good for bread making I think so far. So my results probably will reflect all this.

First the ingredients, which are self rising flour (about 3 cups), some salt, and about a cup of room temp water, all mixed together. Self rising means that baking powder (vice yeast) is already mixed in to the flour.  While mixing, a lot of the dough goo stuck to my hands and fingers, and the dough tasted pretty good to me when I licked it off. The balance also washed off into the sink just fine with just warm water.  Using the “cooks prerogative” idea, I liked that (both the tasting and cleaning parts). I deliberately did not put extra flavorings like honey or herbs or grated cheese into the mix since I was using the KISS idea. I figured fake butter stuff would add enough flavor later.  Last I was using the “no knead idea” which suggests I let the bread “rise” by itself for about 4 to 24 hours.

I assumed we humans do like bread now and then. I do.

So I also preheated my electric oven to 450 F  while the bread was rising (I hoped…..like forget the extra time to rise poorly kneaded dough). Oh yes, I also used some dry flour to roll the dough ball in the process of my work.

So into the oven it went after about a half hour of hopeful rising. I had already oiled a cast iron pot to bake it in (not a dutch oven), plus I did oil the outside of the bread ball that had formed.

The results will follow, but I don’t expect much on this high school type experiment.

My first blush reaction is following directions (the recipe) is a good idea. After all we humans have been making bread for thousands of years, but the recent lessons learned are just that. Mistakes are being made, I suspect.  And the bread quality  will suffer as a result.  At least being a Marine and having yard dogs provides me a way to otherwise get rid of it.

You can do it, too…..like make your own bread.  I suspect many already do.

And remember most breads are from ground grains that make flour, which vary all over the place from wheat to rye to barley to rice to acorns, etc.

Recipe of the Week: Wild Turkey Pho

Recipe of the Week: Wild Turkey Pho

  Recipe of the Week Comments Off

I am a 5th generation Oklahoman. My wife is ethnically Vietnamese. Our children are happy little mongrels with Eurasian eyes and Oklahoma accents. We often produce fusion recipes consisting of local ingredients and traditional Vietnamese ideas.

Wild turkey spring season is almost upon us, and I would like to share one of our fusion recipes with the blog.

Pho (pronounced fuh-uh with two syllables NOT foe with a long O and one syllable) is a simple soup dish with numerous health benefits. In its simplest form it is broth made from bones and simple herbs. The bones provide minerals and collagen for bone and joint support. The herbs provide a medicinal element (anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, et cetera). The entire concoction can be considered as a prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, and ideally the herbs should be tailored to medical needs and not to palette preference.

I shoot my turkeys with a small cal rifle, because I’m not fond of eating bird shot or trying for a head shot. I do not pluck feathers or attempt to save skin. Gut it. Remove head and feet.

Drop the bird into a large Dutch oven or crock pot, along with a few carrots, celery, an onion, garlic, and maybe an apple. Salt well, and slow cook until meat becomes tender. You may have to separate the bird depending on its size. If so, use legs and wings and save the breast for Chia Gio (Viet Eggrolls, next time).

Remove most of the tender meat and veggies into a bowl and set aside. Place bones and drippings into a stock pot, along with a handful of coriander, one cinnamon stick, three star anise, a half handful of fennel seed, and a half handful of cloves. I do not really measure ingredients and neither do the Vietnamese grandmas who make this on Sunday afternoon in homes throughout OKC. Use what you have. Experiment.

Fill the remainder of the pot with fresh cold water and boil for at least an hour. Honestly, I think the longer it boils the better it is. You may have to add water to counter evaporation. Taste for saltiness.

Rice noodles, known as Banh Pho, can be purchased dried or fresh here in OKC and most any place with an Asian market. Be careful to follow directions. It’s very easy to turn these into mush. If you don’t have access to rice noodles, make your own egg noodles with wheat flour, egg, and water, just like grandma does. I use them frequently, as do many Vietnamese here.

Noodles go into your bowl. The broth goes on top. Add turkey and cooked veggies. Garnish with fresh onions and herbs. Commonly used are cilantro and basil, but I frequently make use of wild herbs, such as dandelion and curly dock (good stuff). Use what you like and what is available.

Finish with a squeeze of lime and some chili paste, too, if you can handle it. Love your neighbor and share! Say fuh-uh not foe; it’s excruciating to hear it incorrectly. Next time I will share Viet Spring Rolls/Eggrolls with wild turkey. Shalom y’all. – C.B.

 

Does active dry yeast really expire?

Does active dry yeast really expire?

Here is one link and opinion with comments:  http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/2532/does-active-dry-yeast-really-expire

A Simpleton’s Guide To Preps: The Best And The Overrated, by B.H.

A Simpleton’s Guide To Preps: The Best And The Overrated, by B.H. 





The Best:

Become a faithful, obedient Christian.
Why? Because we’re thinking long-term. Prepping doesn’t exempt death; it just postpones it (maybe). If you believe in prepping for the few decades you have on this earth, doesn’t it make sense to prep for the eternity that follows?
Develop a long-term attitude in all your preparations.
Why? At various gun-shows and events I attend, I occasionally see a small patch for sale that reads, "Embrace the Suck." How true this could be. Simply giving-up during bad times will most likely kill more folks than anything, including smoking unfiltered cigarettes or running with scissors. Everyone runs fast the first mile of a marathon, but how many actually finish strong, or finish at all? I would imagine the first item you’d want to acquire in your prepping life is the right attitude, so think long-term with everything on this list.
Prepare shelter from the cold, including the most important skill of making fire.
Why? With the exception of lava flows, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, sharks, lions, mudslides, avalanche, coral snakes, lightening strike, asteroid impact, stampeding cattle, hurricanes, or lack of air, absolutely no element of nature kills quicker than cold. Being prepared to survive the cold includes clothing, coats, and blankets. It also includes ways to make fire; a place to make fire; the means to cut, split, and chop wood; a roof to keep you dry; and walls to shield the wind. (Walls also have the duel benefit of keeping sharks and stampeding cattle at bay.)
Know where and how to obtain clean water.
Why? You can’t go more than a few days without it. However, just having access to water is only half the battle, because dirty water may be almost as bad as no water at all, so you need to know how to make dirty water clean. There are many easy ways to keep "the runs" away. (Grandmother used to say that.) You can boil it, bleach it, filter it, or chemically treat it. Just don’t get confused and boil your filter in chemically-altered bleach; that would be overkill.
Build sources for live food, such as chickens, rabbits, and a vegetable garden.
Why? After a collapse, Taco Bell will probably cut back its hours of operation and not even Bill Gates can afford to buy enough pre-packaged #10 cans of dehydrated gourmet entrées to last a lifetime. Keeping chickens and brussel sprouts alive takes practice; practice takes time; and time will not be available post-collapse. Getting these items in place now will force you to get the tools you need (both physical and mental) ahead of time. This type of food is healthy, and you’ll get a lot of exercise in the process, but the really good news is you’ll have no trouble reaching that weight-loss goal you set during the New Year’s holiday. You’ll look great come swimsuit season.
Buy that rifle or shotgun (and ammo for the same).
Why? There are many obvious reasons why a firearm or two would be a pretty good idea following the collapse of society. First, we will be back to the Wild West style of justice. Even though government organized law enforcement will no longer be worried about things like littering, seat-belts, or car window-tint that is just a tad too dark, they will still be a little busy. (Assuming they haven’t ditched the job entirely to stay home and look after their own families.) Secondly, hunting will become America’s most popular pastime, and while slingshots and bow and arrow certainly make the hunt more challenging, using a good old American-made firearm will be your best bet at putting meat on the table. I mean no offense to you vegetarians reading this. Finally, the number of homeless cats and dogs will explode; homeless cats and dogs just love chickens and rabbits. (Read #5 again, if I went over your head with this comment.)
Store salt, soap, and candles.
Why? All of these will last forever. All are dirt cheap now, and all will be invaluable at meal time, bath time, nighttime, and "romance" time. (Well, the salt won’t help here, unless someone knows something I don’t.) Don’t skimp; stock up. I mean fill your closets and drawers with them. Also fill every empty box you can find. There is no such thing as too much here. Plus, these are great barter items.
Buy and store silver.
Why? Eventually you may want to buy something when paper money may not be accepted. Credit cards, checks, PayPal, and those cute, trendy little "bit-coins" might not work out for you either; I’m just sayin’. Have no fear. Whether it’s as simple as buying a drink of water or as difficult as finding someone to betray Jesus Christ, silver can always be counted on to get you what you need.

The Overrated:

Gold
Why? You can’t easily make change. Let’s say you walk into a convenience store with a gold coin. Both you and the cashier may agree that your shiny gold coin is worth $5,000. However, in the end, you will not be going home with that loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter you wanted, unless you’re willing to pay $5,000 for it.
Medications/Antibiotics
Why? They have a short shelf life. Band-aids and aspirin are fine. Okay, I’ll give you a pass on Viagra, as well, but let’s be realistic. Antibiotics have a short shelf life. Heat or moisture makes it even shorter. Some medicines must be refrigerated. A total collapse is going to be very unpleasant, and unfortunately some of its realities are going to be hard to accept. Still, look on the bright side; chopping wood will do your body more good than any blood-pressure medicine, anyhow.
Gasoline and anything that runs on it
Why? Again, it’s the shelf life. Yes, of course I have a gasoline-powered generator, but its sole purpose is so I don’t lose the 2-3 weeks of food in my refrigerator and freezer. Beyond that, it’s overrated. If you take the time to treat gas with a stabilizer, you’ll still be lucky to get 18 months out of it. Then what do you do? Here’s the bigger problem: gas engines make a lot of unwanted noise, like a cell phone in church. Don’t be the guy who loses everything because his cell phone went off in church.
Batteries and anything that requires electricity
Why? Batteries eventually die. (Yes, even the re-chargeable ones eventually die.) Have you ever seen a Clint Eastwood western where he whined about a lack of batteries, air conditioning, or cell phone service? No, you haven’t. Did a lack of electricity keep men like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin from becoming studs of American history? No, it didn’t. Don’t be a prepping "hipster"! Man-up, put your "big-boy" pants on, lace up them boots, and ditch the electronics.
Bugging Out
Why? Let’s see. Could it be that I have no shelter other than what I can quickly build with what is on hand, my supplies are limited to what I can carry or pull in a little red wagon, I’m alone (or in a relatively small group), and I’m in an unfamiliar and lawless environment with a good chance of running into a bunch of hungry, desperate strangers. Oh, by the way, hungry, desperate strangers are never ever intimidated by a person pulling a little red wagon. What could possibly go wrong?
A Survival Retreat You Don’t Live In
Why? You have to get there BEFORE the collapse. If you don’t, you have to bug-out; read "Bugging Out" again. The only way you can be there before the collapse is to see it coming, and what are the chances of that? 40%? 60%? Even at 80%, this seems like a poor return for a prep that cost tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we’re just talking about getting there! That’s not to mention what you may find waiting on you, if and when you arrive. What could possibly suck worse than someone breaking into your retreat before you get there, eating all your Tactical bacon (Google it if you don’t believe me), grabbing your $3,000 spiral-fluted-barrel assault rifle (with greasy fingers no less), and shooting at you with your coveted premium Zombie-Load ammo, all while using your shelter as, well…..shelter? Verdict: OVERRATED.
That 3rd, 4th, or 5th Firearm
Why? Because you’re kidding yourself! You aren’t prepping. You just like guns and are using prepping as an excuse to buy more of them. It’s like thinking you actually look cool wearing black leather chaps to the mall, because they are "necessary" for the Harley you have parked in your garage. (Sorry, that was the best analogy I could come up with, and remember I’m shooting for 1,500 words here!) Hey, don’t get me wrong; I love guns and have more than my share, but I do not believe for a second that convincing my wife to let me buy that 7th assault rifle is going to somehow extend my survival.
NBC Equipment
Why? Exactly! "WHY?" Chances are a nuclear or biological attack will not be small scale. They don’t call them weapons of MASS destruction for nothing. Who wants to live in a land that is poisoned for centuries while wearing a hot rubber chemical body suit and mask? How can you enjoy a romantic evening with your spouse, if you both are forced to wear a hot rubber body suit and mask? So much for all that stockpiled Viagra. While I hate closing on a dark thought, I do believe that contrary to the thinking of many, there are some survival situations that are worse than death, but hey, just don’t forget the words of the Apostle Paul, "to die is gain." Sooner or later (hopefully later), we’ll all get there. So make the best of it. Enjoy what you can. Embrace it if you have to, and learn to laugh at yourself at least a little.

Seven Years of Preparation, by CHG (Chicken Hating Grandma)

Seven Years of Preparation, by CHG (Chicken Hating Grandma)

We work best when we have a deadline, so our preparation began in October 2008 with hopes of reaching our goal in seven years. Our son, who is a university professor, became convinced that we had seven years to “prepare”; we were not sure of exactly what we were to prepare for though. (We thought perhaps he had changed his name to Joseph, since the Biblical Joseph had seven years to prepare before the seven years of famine.) We decided to join him, because it couldn’t hurt to be ready for any calamity. Our half-hearted efforts took on urgency after we read Michael Cahn’s book, “The Harbinger”, and listened to his explanation of the warnings God is giving America in seven-year increments. The 2008 stock market crash was about the time our son started us on the preparation path. Only a little more than a year remains until the seven year stint is completed. We stand amazed at what we have learned and accomplished in the last five and half years! Our son keeps reminding us that we are “practicing” for the real event.

We live in a rural community and had five acres of land, but the opportunity came to purchase our neighbor’s house and land, so we now have 24 acres (and an extra home). Our son has planted fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and gardens to harvest heirloom seeds. This required a diesel tractor, diesel storage, implements, and lots of reading to learn how to practice. The reading has led to an extensive library, both paper and DVD. Construction included a hardened storage room, a rabbit shed for 18 rabbits, a chicken coop for 16 hens and two roosters, and a goat building for the 11 pygmy goats. Animals were never a part of our life, so this is a huge venture for us. We have town water, but we had our own deep well drilled, and we collect rain water to be more self sufficient. New chain saws help cut wood for the wood stove, which is used for supplemental heat.

We have learned to recycle and re-purpose, until it is now an automatic response. Tearing off a neighbor’s deck for remodeling provided free lumber for some of our projects. Free wood pallets have been very useful. Shopping has become an adventure to stockpile items like white rice, beans, salt, paper products (we NEED toilet paper), candles, blackout curtains, and things we like with an expiration date beyond 2015. Store specials provide products to save for the future and sometimes give free gas. Canning, food dehydration, and grain grinding are some of the skills we have acquired. Food storage with plastic buckets, oxygen eaters, and Mylar bags is now second nature.

Father and son took a free course to achieve amateur radio licenses, so they purchased some suggested equipment. A fire/police scanner was added.

Grandsons took hunter safety courses and practice on the shooting range on our property; they kill some animals in the woods during hunting season. Permits to carry concealed weapons were obtained for adults. Some weapons were purchased, and reloading skills are continually refined. Our property is not very defensible, so hopefully our friendly neighbors will continue to be friendly. Our small community works together, and everyone knows everyone. Being actively involved in community organizations fosters trust, so we are now busier than ever and have made many new friends.

Extra medical supplies have been added to our storeroom, including current medications. Feminine hygiene supplies are necessary.

An old treadle sewing machine is now operational, and supplies of thread, needles, and material are stored.

In case travel will be restricted in the future, we invested in family vacations, which included Disney World, beach vacations, and Niagara Falls. Camping and local day trips have been fun. Memory-building and family cohesiveness is emotional security for hard times.

A game, puzzle, and fun reading library has been created for use, if electronic toys aren’t operational. Many of these items were purchased very cheaply at thrift shops or yard sales. An old manual typewriter may have to substitute for our computer. (We were able to still purchase new ribbons!) Our grandkids have learned to play many musical instruments and can make their own music on the ones we have purchased– some new and some used. An old free-standing wind-up record player and records were purchased at a yard sale for more musical entertainment. (It has only one volume—LOUD).

When the power is out we use a generator, but we realize that gas may not be available. It also makes so much noise that the whole neighborhood knows when we run it. We have invested in some quieter solar panels and storage batteries but haven’t “practiced” with them yet. Oil lamps and oil have become part of our inventory. We are impressed by the output of the mini-candle lantern by UCO so are scavenging yard sales for tea lights.

We are on a budget track to be debt free by September 2015, unless something big breaks! Budgeting is a must as some “fluff” has to be sacrificed in order to buy items for preparation. We had one “farmyard sale” last fall, so the grandkids could earn money from what they helped to grow, and we have sold eggs (including hatching eggs), but there is virtually no income from our endeavor thus far. The cost of animal feed has been a surprise, so we are learning how to find ways to grow our own animal feed. Clearance sales have yielded clothes, including warm gear for our cold winters and shoes, in various sizes, for future wear. Zote soap has become an economical base for the laundry detergent recipe.

Our grandsons have become excellent “silver spotters” and turn gift monies and money they earn into junk silver dating before 1964. They have alerted us to old silver, and we have joined them in their hunt. Paying with cash instead of credit cards is a transition in progress for us, as we are conditioned to paying with credit cards and had gotten used to NOT carrying cash. Our son has invested in “lead and brass”, as he believes .22 shells will be a bartering tool in a cashless society and even now, since they are scarce.

Preparation is a mindset that enables us to react with a plan rather than panic. It is also looking at problems in a solution mode, so that we can figure out novel/inventive answers for overwhelming situations. We can’t know exactly what problems we will face, so we can’t prepare for every imaginable emergency. “Mother Earth News” magazine, Survival Blog, and numerous books, such as J.W.R’s “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” and “The Patriots” have been helpful to teach us new information and techniques. Preparation is an awareness of what is necessary to survive. We have lived with ease and luxury and didn’t get down to the basics of life. What do we truly NEED to live? Essentials are heat, water, food, medicines, clothing, safety, and protection.

Planning, building, planting, harvesting, preserving food, fencing, studying, caring for animals, and storing supplies takes a great deal of effort. Prepping is not for the lazy, as it requires energy and hard work. Our multi-generational family has cooperated and helped each other to lessen the stress on individuals. We would not have chickens if someone else didn’t take care of them! I hate chickens, so my effort with them is to clean and cook the eggs. I am a “chicken hating grandma” (CHG). I have learned to tolerate them on our property, because of their efficiency in converting raw material into food. All ideas are entertained as we “practice” new life styles. Our family has grown closer as we work together toward our goal. The hard work ethic has been adopted by our grandkids, and they are excelling in school. This training will guide them for the rest of their lives, and we are blessed to be a part of it. The wide range of useful knowledge they now possess surpasses most of their peers and many adults.

As our deadline approaches, we have many projects still on our “to do” list. We are planning a cheese cave to be able to preserve the goat’s milk, expanding pastures, experimenting with grains and beans well suited to our climate, continuing to work with storing and filtering water, and devising a plan to help our friends and relatives, who think we are crazy, without depleting our supplies in the case of an emergency.

Our faith has also been strengthened as we study the Bible for clues to how God prepares His people in times of peril. He is our ultimate protection, and we are learning to trust Him completely. He has orchestrated provisions in unique ways and led us to knowledgeable people for guidance. We don’t face the future with fear but with confidence that God will honor our sincere efforts to be wise servants who have used the skills and resources He has provided to prepare for the unknown.

Probably the most important reason for our continued preparation, practice, and increased study is to fulfill God’s purpose. How can we be servants of God if we are not prepared to do His work? If we are unable to take care of our own house, how can we help others right theirs? While this “retirement” is not what I had in mind all of the years I worked as a teacher, His work, through preparing my husband and myself, our homestead, children, and grandchildren to be witnesses for Him to the less prepared has become my mission. We are to use our God-given abilities to help others, so that we “might bring forth fruit unto God” Romans 7:4b ASV. We are planning and preparing to be His instruments in a post-crash world.

When we reach our deadline of September 2015, we will be able to better adjust to whatever our world gives us than we would have if we hadn’t spent seven years in preparation. If there is no abrupt change, we will be in a better place to serve Christ. Just as God helped Joseph in the Bible, He will help our family through and at the end of seven years.

From the Survival Blog

 

Solar Activity

SOLAR ACTIVITY

 With no sunspots actively flaring, the face of the sun is quiet. The edge of the sun is another matter. Amateur astronomers around the world are monitoring a bushy filament of plasma seething over the sun's southeastern limb. Sergio Castillo sends this picture from his backyard observatory in Inglewood, California:

 

"This gigantic prominence spreading its plasma material and gases on the limb makes an excellent target for imaging," says Castillo.

The hot gas in this prominence is held aloft by solar magnetic fields. If those fields become unstable the structure could collapse, causing an explosion when it hits the stellar surface below. This kind of explosion, which occurs without the aid of a sunspot, is called a "Hyder flare."

Readers with backyard solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor the limb for developments.

 

From Space Weather

Refrigerator or Counter? Where to Store Some Produce May Surprise You

Refrigerator or Counter? Where to Store Some Produce May Surprise You

Lisa Egan
Ready Nutrition

There are some foods that absolutely need refrigeration, and some that are better off stored outside of your fridge.

Do not refrigerate (unless cut):

Potatoes: Refrigeration makes the starches in potatoes turn to sugar – which is not a good thing, as it changes the flavor and makes the skin darken.

Onions: Separate them from the potatoes (they don’t play well together – potatoes can make onions rot) and store them where there is plenty of air circulation (no sealed bags or containers)

Garlic: Like onions, they prefer air circulation.

Tomatoes: Store them on the counter – they will turn mealy and dull in the refrigerator.

Avocado: Store on the counter until they are ripe.

Melon: Leave them on your counter to ripen and sweeten properly. The antioxidants in watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew prefer room temperature.

Stone fruits: Place peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, cherries, and similar fruits on the counter, stem side down, to ripen. Once they start to get soft, move them to the refrigerator.

Papaya: These will not ripen in the refrigerator – keep them on the counter, and turn them occasionally so they ripen evenly. Once the skin turns yellow-orange and the fruit starts to soften, move them to the fridge.

Peppers: Store on the counter.

Store these fruits at room temperature until ripe: Guava, kiwi, apricots, mangoes, nectarines, passion fruit, pears, persimmons, and starfruit

Always refrigerate these foods:

Berries: All fresh berries are highly perishable and should be stored in the refrigerator in a container that allows air to circulate. Don’t wash berries until you are ready to use them – moisture will decrease their shelf life.

Grapes: Store in the refrigerator in a perforated bag, and don’t wash them until you are ready to use or eat them.

Pineapple: Despite its tough exterior, pineapples are quite delicate and bruise easily. If left on the counter more than a day or two, they will begin to ferment, and the acidity will increase. Refrigerate the whole pineapple in a perforated plastic bag until you are ready to cut it. After cutting, store in the fridge in an air-tight container.

Figs: Refrigerate in a plastic bag.

These items can go be stored either in the refrigerator or at room temperature – it is a matter of your preference: Apples, clementines, grapefruit, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, pomegranates, and tangerines

- See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/refrigerator-or-counter-where-to-store-some-produce-may-surprise-you_052014#sthash.m89Y3lWD.dpuf