How to Prepare for a Family or Economic Survival in a post-modern World

reply to post by OuttaTime


Great advice on the canned hams. I hadn't thought of that, really. Been gearing my mind away from meats and more towards veggies for dehydrating and dry goods. We also have been switching from name brands to store brands on a lot of things, especially from Walmart, because they use name brands for their store brands anyway.

I had a brother-in-law that worked at Colonial Bread as an engineer, and he told us long ago that Walmart bread is Colonial Bread, just packed in the Walmart bags. They package it right there at the bakery, and it is at least half the price for the same breads.

The other thing we have been doing is buying the huge spice containers of things like garlic powder, lemon pepper, etc. Once I get the vaccuum packer, I am going to repackage the seasonings into sandwich sized bags with oxygen packets for long term storage.

We also got a 25 lb bag of sugar, and if you are at all a chocolate lover, I suggest trying to get some cocoa powder, because I think we will be having issues getting chocolate.

I love my coffee, and I plan on starting to buy bulk beans and packing them with oxygen packs too. I need to look into it more, though, because coffee is an oily product in bean form, and may present a problem in storing it. I know my Maxwell House ground comes with an oxygen pack in the container, but I just want to be sure.

We started buying cases of Ramen, also, as well as elbow macaroni. The bigger the package, the cheaper the cost per ounce or serving, so when we can afford to, we get as many extras as we can.

The carb foods though they are the easiest stored, will have to be more for the rest of the family though, as both my husband and myself are diabetics. This is one reason I am more veggie geared in my thinking as opposed to dry goods, but I have to also consider the rest of the family.

The one thing I had been considering was the meats so your advice was well taken, and I thank you! I had been considering just having to lay the cash out for the freeze dried meats, now I can consider both!

After I sorted my seeds yesterday, I made a list of them so I could know what I had to plant, and make choices about where I wanted to plant them.

I plan on using the raised beds for the hierloom seeds for the most part, but I also was planning on some rows on the far side of the yard behind the beds for things like corn, melons, and potatoes.

I also plan to use some juice containers I have been saving for upside down tomatoes, as well as containers for many of the herbs.

Then, after I add more beds next year, I hope to be able to move the bulk of the garden to the raised beds and/or containers.

Here is my list, so far. I have tons of other seeds, but they are almost all flowers. Most of the flowers I plant are either bulbs, tubers, or perennials, so they come back year after year, but even with seeding perennials, I keep my seeds, as they tend to thin out and eventually die after several years. I almost totally avoid annual flowers, it seems like such a waste of time, money, and effort.

Starting asparagus from seeds is going to be a test of patience for me, and I think probably the most difficult of seed choices that I made. From what I understand, using even good starts from a garden store still takes up to 3 years to begin seeing real harvests, so it will definitely be an experience, I imagine!

Heirloom Seeds

Vegetables:

Asparagus - Mary Washington
Broccoli
Broccoli - Green Sprouting Calabrese
Brussels Sprouts - Long Island Improved
Carrot - Chantenay Red
Cabbage - Brunswisk
Cucumber - White Wonder
Onion - Red Burgundy
Pepper - Hot - Jelepeno M
Rutabaga - American Purple Top
Squash - Summer - Early Prolific
Squash - Summer - Dark Green Zucchini
Squash - Winter - Spaghetti
Tomato - Beefsteak
Tomato - Rutgers VF

Herbs:

Blue Sage
Caraway
Dill - Dukat
Italian Parsley
Mint
Purple Coneflower - Echinacea
Thyme


Fruit:

Melon - Hale's Best Jumbo
Watermelon - Crimson Sweet
Watermelon - Sugar Baby


Flowers:

Russel Lupine
Gayfeather - Blazing Star
___________________________________________

Unsure if Hybrid or organic, some known hybrids

Vegetables:

Carrot - Red Chantenay
Cauliflower - Early Snowball
Celery - Tall Utah 527OR, Improved
Chives
Cucumber - Marketmore 76
Lettuce - Bibb
Onion - Evergreen Bunching
Onion - Hybrid Granex Yellow PRR
Pepper - Cubanelle
Radish - Champion
Squash - Yellow Summer Crookneck
Tomato - Red Cherry


Herbs:
Basil - Sweet
Basil - Cinnamon
Balm Lemon
Catnip
Dill - Bouquet
Lavender - Lavendula Verea
Oregano
Rosemary
Parsley - Italian
Sage - Broadleaf

Flowers:

Wildflowers - Birds and Butterfly Mix
Wildflowers - Nature's Rainbow Mix
Foxglove - Mixed Digitalis

Originally posted by Libertygal
reply to post by OuttaTime

 

Great advice on the canned hams. I hadn't thought of that, really. Been gearing my mind away from meats and more towards veggies for dehydrating and dry goods. We also have been switching from name brands to store brands on a lot of things, especially from Walmart, because they use name brands for their store brands anyway.

I forgot about cocoa. Better put that on my list . I usually shop at my local grocers. It keeps the local economy alive, but I'm not a big fan of the Evil Empire of Wallymart. Their generics are pretty good and often at wholesale club prices. I try to keep stocked up on coffee though. In a pinch, it's a meal . I had a huge stockpile and couldn't eat it as fast as it was approaching expiration dates, so I gave about 900 lbs of it to the local churches and senior centers. I also stashed back a few cans of nuts and the old fashioned popcorn combo (popcorn and popping oil). You're quite welcome on the can meat info. I managed to put back a few cans of crab meat and salmon, along with a load of chili and soups, and mushrooms.
As much as I can, I try to avoid the foods with MSG in them, since they make me feel like I'm walking in a cloud of confusion, so I'm a label junkie. I also picked up a box of powdered milk and a can of powdered buttermilk for use in a pinch. I'll be making up a pile of jerky this summer and packing them in vacuum sealed bags. It goes along great with the surplus of teabags (brown and green) too.
I grew a few spices last year and hung them upside down over my sink to dry properly (so they don't turn brown). Not only do I have a bulk of a few spices, but it made my house smell great. I'll try my hand at growing peppermint this year, as well as parsley and cellantro (along with horserdish, ginger, and garlic). I'm hoping to make my own Mrs Dash (without the MSG) and portion it out.

I also did a few test runs this winter and baked bread in a small charcoal grill on top of my wood stove. I posted my current living conditions on a similar thread so I'll not parrot it here, but I'm golden If I lose power, the only thing I'll miss is watching the markets crash in real-time

reply to post by OuttaTime


We do not really have any local grocers, they have all closed and gone the way of the rest of the economy, into the crapper.

So, I have a choice of any of the chain markets, and Walmart still beats them out, though we do shop at the Ingles close to us when prices are competitive.

Since the Walmart is local, I suppose it keeps the people that live here employed, so I have to make due with what I have. The farmers market is over an hour away from me, though, but I intend to make good use of it this fall for bulk dehydrating.

Once I get into full swing with the dehydrating and vaccuum packing, I plan on pre-packing meals for both singles and family. All I will need to do is add water and heat and serve! They also make great gifts, which I am considering for the Holidays this year, too. Just write the instructions on the bag with a sharpie.

www.dehydrate2store.com...

Here is a video of the quickbread mix, and instructions not only on how to vaccuum package it, but how to make lots of other breads with dehydrated fruits when it's mixed.

Total Cooking Time: 0 min
Serving Size: 9x5 inch loaf
3 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Ground cloves
1/2 tsp Allspice
3 tbsps Ground cinnamon
5 tsps Baking soda
5 tsps Baking powder
1 cup Powdered milk
1 1/2 cup Brown sugar
8 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Ground ginger
2 tsps Salt

Preparation:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and blend for several minutes.
Place 3 1/4 cups of mix into four seperate vacuum bags (each bag will make one loaf)
Put in one 100 cc oxygen pack, vacuum seal and date (good for about 5 years if packaged properly)
View other 'quick bread' recipes to learn how to prepare your bread mix and what fun fruits and vegetables to add.

www.dehydrate2store.com...

Here is the link to the basic recipe.

She also has lots of videos on pre-packing meals, and tips on how to do it, such as packaging the bullion cubes seperately, but in the same bag with the dehydrated ingredients.

reply to post by Libertygal


It's about time I started planning out my garden I suppose I have an ammo can full of seeds. Unfortunately it's a half-n-half blend of hybrid and heirloom. I'll have it all heirloom soon, but I should probably inventory them all this week. My uncle should be over with his tractor/tiller this month so I should get busy then.
I noticed you didn't have garlic in your list. Garlic is very useful. Not only is it a good food spice, but it is also an antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial. When I feel ill from whatever is going around, I take garlic pills and it's usually gone in a day or so. I picked up some freeze dried garlic at the nearby Ahmish store and I use 1/0 gel caplets to cap them up. It probably has a lingerning smell, but I live alone and don't get out much so it works for me My brother also sent me a mason jar full of ascorbic acid (vit C) so I take them also. Good idea on the coneflowers. I grew them last year, and I surrounded my garden with marigolds to keep the pests out, but it didn't work on the potater bugs. I'll grow my cayenne and jalapenos near them this year.
I'll resuscitate my blueberries this year, but I have blackberries and raspberries growing wild all over, so they'll complement my strawberries.
Usually when the power goes out (I live pretty much in the woods) I don't miss a beat. I have a coleman stove on the ready for heating up water for coffee, and I have 8 solar lights and a shelf full of books, so all is good here

Originally posted by tinker9917
I personally live on a very limited income, single with 4 kids.

I also have a very limited income. Therefore I have no kids.

I must admit that being single has its advantages should the shtf!

reply to post by Libertygal


We have a Grants and an IGA in the next city over. I go to WM every once in a while (40 miles away), but is usually to ride with my mom to help her out, but I usually don't buy anything there. Even though it keeps people employed there, the money ends up offshore in their primary accounts, but I'm just crazy that way .
I'm gearing back up for the dehydrating and packing, so it'll be done before the growing/harvesting and canning comes around. I'm down to about 2 gallons of wine now too, so it's time to get another batch started. I don't have the quality control down pat yet, so it's about 20%, and it packs a punch
I should probably print out the recipes I have now so they'll be available easier. Maybe I'll put that 3x5 card box to use.

reply to post by Libertygal


I haven't read your whole thread yet.I wrote this thread
back when I bought my dehydrator...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Libertygal


Still haven't had a chance to read whole thread.
I have 6 pints of mixed fruit in the canner right now.
You need to check out medicinal seeds and plants too.
Lots of peanut butter,that's why I'm canning jelly and
jam.

reply to post by OuttaTime


Yep, got some garlic cloves in the cabinet that are starting to sprout. I never use all the garlic before it begins to sprout, so I plan on just continuously planting it as I can.

Same with the potatoes. I bought a bag to use for dinner when the kids came over one night, and the rest are left to sprout for the garden.

I will be starting strawberries in containers with starts I plan to buy from the garden center.

I was also actually thinking of starting a pepper tree from peppercorns, as well. If that fails, then I will buy some pepper seeds, though. I want to get more peppers, like different types of bell peppers, too.

I have been eyeing my herbs in the kitchen to see what types of seeds I have, like caraway, sesame, peppercorns, celery seed, etc. Not sure if these will grow. Also got some popping corn. I wondered if I could test them by soaking in a cup of water a few days to see if they sprout. I have tons of those solo cups, so I suppose I could give them a shot before spending money on buying them. I could probably test the smaller ones in some damp paper towels.

reply to post by OuttaTime


I would love it if you could post some winemaking information. Never tried it, though I would love to! I haven't the faintest idea even how to begin.

Originally posted by Libertygal
reply to post by OuttaTime

 

I would love it if you could post some winemaking information. Never tried it, though I would love to! I haven't the faintest idea even how to begin.

I don't have it down to a science but what I make is pretty good and has a good flavor/taste. It's a down n' dirty recipe which is like 1 step above prison wine, so here it is.

1 - gallon bottle (mine is a 1 gallon apple cider bottle)
1 pack fleishmanns yeast (I know, it's bread yeast, but I can get it at any grocery store)
2 lbs blueberries
2 cups sugar

Fill bottle half way with hot water and add in yeast and dissolve. Stir in sugar and allow to cool for a couple hours and add mashed blueberries. Fill with water to about 2" from top. Cap it and swirl it until it's mixed well. Put cap on and tighten it, then back it off about a half turn or less to vent off CO2 (some use a baloon with a hole pricked in it with a pin). Let stand for 4 weeks. If you're using a balloon, it's done when the balloon flops over. I filter mine twice using a funnel with cheesecloth rolled up and stuffed tight into the nozzle. It's drips pretty slow but it filters out the sediment. Makes about 4 bottles, after I top them off. I use spring water since tap water has chlorine and other yukky stuff in it. I don't have any of the fancy winemaking gear since I'm pretty broke all the time.
I recently discovered if you want it to be bubbly, filter it after a few weeks, and put it back in the gallon bottle with another cup of sugar for a week and filter it again.

You can experiment with different fruits. I recently tried 2lbs of cherries and 6 drops of peppermint oil. It didn't taste real good but it was strong as MD 20/20 because I let it set for 6 weekd

I wouldn't recomment trying these with any artificial sweeteners, but possibly agave nectar is ok. Aspertame and sucralose are neurotoxins/excitotixins. I was blown away when I found out that saccharin is being used again

reply to post by Libertygal


Garlic is a really good medicinal plant as mentioned above as far as herbals go. Same with pure lemon extract. Most of the storebought garlic is irridated (walmart imports theirs from china) which makes it less effective, but I usually plant a few of them in my garden to grow fresher ones. I had a good tater crop last year along with the case of cans I have from the grocery store. I would like to get a few of them dwarf trees that have midget banannas, lemons, and apples. They would go great with my blueberry bushes

Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by Libertygal

 

I haven't read your whole thread yet.I wrote this thread
back when I bought my dehydrator...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Ah I had seen your thread, and in fact, it was one of the opinions that I had followed on purchasing the Excalibur, though I went all out and got the largest one with the timer. We had considered used ones, off EBay or some such, but then, you never know what someone may have attempted to dehydrate in one, and we decided it wasn't worth the risk. Things that make you *shiver* and go BLEH!

I see you also found the dehydrator lady on youtube. Like I said, she is my hero! I love her videos, they are very educational, packed with tons of tips and information. I have saved all of videos in case something were to ever happen with her website, and printed almost all of what she has on her website, too.

The shelving instructions are located in her recipes section, btw.

So now that you have been dehydrating a while, I saw the post about the corn. One of the things she stresses it to be certain the food is very dry, 95% or more, and I found by reading other sites that you should also let the food stay on the counter in bags for about 10 days before vaccuum packing with oxygen packs, either in the mason jars or the bags.

The reason being, food dehydrates unevenly, and allowing it to stand in bags on the counter allows the remaining moisture to redistribute evenly throughout each food slice. This assures safer packing and prevents problems like what you had with the corn. You will notice in some of her videos that she has a large plastic bag filed with smaller bags of dehydrated foods on her counter. This process is called "conditioning".

What is your favorite dehydrated snack? I hear lots of praises on the strawberries, raspberries, apple chips, banana chips, and pineapple. I spend *so* much money trying to buy food at work for dinner or taking pre-prepared foods. It it is not healthy at all, but preparing food at home for work is time consuming and bothersome when I work 12 hour shifts, so I thought some dehydrated fruits and veggies from home would be *much* better.

I am really trying to cut corners now, instead of spending wreckelessly like we have in the past. The old saying is true, the more money you make, the more you spend, and we spend a lot really needlessly, especially on food! That money could go towards things that would serve a better future outcome, so I am basically re-organizing our entire way of doing things.

In the end, I hope to only use the stores for the most basic of supplies, like soap, paper goods, shampoo, and other items, and to become as independent food-wise as possible. Obviously, I won't be able to grow tropicals like pineapple, oranges, and bananas, so we will always have to purchase those, or go without, but I would rather buy those things from the Farmer's Market. I do want to grow an apple tree or two, though!

reply to post by Libertygal


I now have 3 jars of jelly in the canner,then
I'm done for today.
I had a problem with dehydrating corn.One
batch had not completely dried and it molded.

reply to post by Libertygal


What I have been doing is water-bath canning
fruits,jellies and jams.
I have been dehydrating vegetables.I plan to
pressure can meats.

I have been buying 5lb bags of frozen fruit at
the store.I put the frozen fruit in my large dutch
oven and pour about 2c. of water over this.In a
3 qt.pot,I pour in 2qts. of water,4c.sugar,1t.whole
cloves and 3 cinnamon sticks.I boil the sugar water
until it startes turning an amber color.By this time,
the fruit is starting to bubble a bit.I pour the syrup
into the dutch oven and let the syrup come to a
light boil.

I have the water-bath canner getting hot and the jars
are in HOT water in the sink.I spoon the fruit and syrup
into the jars,wipe the rim,place the lid,screw the ring
on and set aside until all the fruit is in jars.I run them
through the canner about 10-15 minutes in a hard boil.
Then you remove them from the canner and set them
on a towel to cool for 24 hours.Then repeat this process
for the other 5lb bag.

When the fruit is all packed in jars.I add 1-2 boxes of
pectin in the syrup-fruit leftovers.I bring this to a boil then
add 4-6 cups of sugar,bring to a boil,skim off the foam
and pour into pint size jars,water-bath canner for 10
minutes.

10lbs of frozen fruit,2 boxes of pectin,4lbs sugar usually
makes about 10-12 pints of fruit and 3-6 pints of jelly.

Rabbit manure(from female rabbits) if great for gardens. I have the rabbits, have the manure, it's just I'm worried about the outside affecting the food-as I don't have an indoor garden space at the moment. The outside issue is the fallout, outside gardens, might be a little risky? I'm looking more into it.

Today is April 5, 2011

I was so disappointed when I got home. I went right to the back yard, hoping the beds would be there waiting. *sigh* He didn't do them yet.

So, I head inside after a long night, and he was waiting by the kitchen for me.

"You didn't make them?", I said, clearly feeling dejected.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.", he said.

I hung my head and went to go set my keys and purse down, and he says, "Psst!"

"What?"

"Come here."

So, I went to him, my head hanging. I didn't want to say anything, because I knew he had things to do.

He pointed at the back deck. "What?", I questioned.

He pointed.

I went to the back door and looked out, thinking he was showing me the cardinals nest.


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There they were! I was so happy, I clapped my hands and hugged him tight! They are almost as big as the deck!

He ordered Dominoes because he got all hot and sweaty, he said. He was too tired to cook, after working all day then having to come home and slave over the hot drill. I didn't mind! I was thrilled! He got a big kiss!

We had storms brewing last night that ripped through and left some 70,000 without power by this morning. Lots of hail damage, trees down everywhere, roads closed due to fallen trees, debris on all the roads, and 3 people died.

It will be going down to 34 degrees tonight, so a chance of frost. Sometimes, I think things happen just the way they are supposed to.

When I got home, I couldn't help but take a picture of the Japanese Maple. It is leafing out, and the color is simply beautiful. I need to pull out the volunteer pines and sweetgum trees, and some stray roses so I can mulch the garden before the bulbs start coming out. Some of the daffodils are already up and bloomed, the glads should come soon, with the Calla lilllies. The day lillies all around are bushy and green and full, and my asiatic lillies are even up already! The Easter lillies by the road are even up.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1390c36ee741.jpg[/atsimg]


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Here, on the top of that hill right in the middle, is where the beds will go. Next year I will add two more, one to either side, and as the ground slopes down, it will look terraced as I add more beds, since I will have to cut into the slope to make them level, but not so much I interfere with the drain field for the septic tank. The field ends just part way down that slope, so I will possibly have to add soil for leveling, then it won't be an issue for the next beds.

I am going to get rid of the privet hedge by the deck, on the left. We were going to take it down earlier, but cardinals had built a nest in it. I found out this morning they had moved, so it is as good a time as any to cut it down. Need all the sun I can get back there!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/97c1c6f0e1e6.jpg[/atsimg]

We need to clean this up. My lawn man keeps piling stuff up where I don't want him to. There is a brush pile further back, where I think the bunnies live. I think he is trying to lessen the amount of lawn he has to mow!

I was pretty mad when I found out he cut down my wild rose, which had literally covered the whole left corner of the deck and engulfed the stairs. Last year, it literally had hundreds of thousands of blooms on it, and I threatened my husband with torture if he cut it down. I think they plotted it together, because when I woke up one day, it was gone. Just ... gone.

Not sure what happened, but it was supposed to be a ground creeper rose that stayed about a foot wide, and half a foot tall. I planted it there on the left side of the deck, tossed in some fertilizer, and watered it. It really was going to overtake the house, because the more I trimmed it, the more it loved it! It had to be at least 20 feet tall last year, by a good 25 feet wide, and perhaps 15 feet out into the yard.

I am sad, but I do have the starts in the front garden now. *Evil grin*

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These are my morning glories I started from seed a few years back. This is last summer, and they were there every morning to greet me with their happy blooms when I got home from work each day. I want to add some moonflower vines too. I have some seeds in blue, I bet they will be beautiful!

reply to post by mamabeth


That sounds absolutely delicious! I made wild crabapple jelly *one* time, and it was the only time I had tried it. I can't wait till I get enough fruit to try making some more, making the jelly doesn't scare me, but making pressure canned goods does.

Just reading about canning meats and that it can be dangerous, plus the pressure canners I have seen are pretty pricey for something I may not see a lot of benefit from. I fear it will sit by the wayside while I dehydrate half of Georgia!

I do want to look into pickling though. Never tried that, so I may test myself out on it when the cukes start coming in, along with the wine recipe that was posted. Would be good to do on a rainy weekend or something!

Originally posted by dreamingawake
Rabbit manure(from female rabbits) if great for gardens. I have the rabbits, have the manure, it's just I'm worried about the outside affecting the food-as I don't have an indoor garden space at the moment. The outside issue is the fallout, outside gardens, might be a little risky? I'm looking more into it.

I too felt the uncertainty with the Japan fallout thing, but as I wrote in the OP, I have let fear paralyze me long enough. If I continue to keep waiting to see, I think I will miss the boat.

I will do what I can do, and feel some satisfaction from that. If the radiation comes, there will be nothing I can do about it anyway. The foods I have stord indoors will only last for so long, and eventually, if it really gets that bad, we will all be eating the same foods, regardless if it comes from my yard or from a farm in California.

Basically, I can't do anything about it, and I don't want to sit and worry and waste valuable time. Right now, I think things are fine, and I can only take one day at a time.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst, and take whatever comes along!