Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Personal I have a mix, but I am heavy into ingredients in my true preparedness 'stash', I do have chili, beef stew and a few other prepared foods, but I have plenty of that sort of stuff in my regular pantry that I can depend on.

My stash is heavy on spices, sauces, gravies, dehydrated, peppers of various types, onions. We have gotten use to a highly varied diet and food fatigue should be a real concern. Face for many of us you could tell the day of the week by what Mom was cooking (Meatloaf Monday, northern beans and corn bread Tuesday, Wednesday chicken or maybe beef and noodles, Thursday pinto beans and fried potatoes, Friday fish usually the cheap bulk fish sticks, Saturday hamburgers, Sunday fried chick) and we were fine with that, but now days it isn't only the kids that can look into a full 'frig' or pantry and see nothing to eat. Do yourself a favor and pack away things that when added to you basics will keep the everyday interesting and palatable.

1 posted on 08/22/2011 6:50:39 PM PDT by Kartographer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
To: appalachian_dweller; OldPossum; DuncanWaring; VirginiaMom; CodeToad; goosie; kalee; ...

PING!


2 posted on 08/22/2011 6:52:17 PM PDT by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

yep!! Variety is the spice of life, and spice can definitely enhance life...great point to make, and yet another layer for folks to consider as they continue to build that stash and wonder what would be good to put up next.

I just finished smoking and dehydrating the first batch of this year’s garden Ancho peppers. They are just outstanding to rehydrate and flavor any pot full of beans...


4 posted on 08/22/2011 6:56:46 PM PDT by Bean Counter (The promise given was a necessity of the past: the promise broken is a necessity of the present.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

Know your area. It’s not ideal but it can keep you alive. All zones have their unique survival fauna. Chit hits the fan there is no telling how low or long it’s going to go.


5 posted on 08/22/2011 6:57:43 PM PDT by allmost
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer
save
7 posted on 08/22/2011 7:01:57 PM PDT by tomkat (sic semper tyrranis .. literally)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

It’s clear as a bell that at the very least a Double Dip is coming up and I ain’t talk’n roller coaster or Baskin Robbins!

I think that we are in for something like the collapse of Argentina ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yerKMQc7-w&feature=grec_index)but from the look of things it may even be on a global scale. Additionally I think we will see a much more violent version. As recent events show (Flash Mobs, UK riots, etc)we have a larger entitlement minded population and a the US has a much more violent and armed population than Argentina. I see many many small business wiped out by flash mob looting, and see rape, robbery and murder for murder sake. Many of these ‘yutes’ will think no more about killing you than most people think about stepping on a roach. That will be the test of many. Most preppers I know are Christian people and they will hesitate to do what they might have to do to stop the ‘yutes’. On the other hand the ‘yutes’ won’t think twice nor lose a minute of sleep, in fact they will smile and laugh about it.

Think of this quote which is one of my favorites:

“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (#7.8)” (1998)
Quark: Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They’re a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don’t believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes.

Now go look at some of the videos of the riots in the UK and of some of the flash mobs here in the US and look into there eyes.

For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:

http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf

For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.

As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”

Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3

Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.

“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.

Underestimation can be fatal.”


8 posted on 08/22/2011 7:04:12 PM PDT by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer
My plan, not the ideal l I'm sure, is beans, wheat, rice, and oats. Lots of canned seasonings (tomatoes, corn, Spam), and hard candy. Not the ideal and perhaps worst plan, IMO, is the "I have an acre and plenty of non hybrid seeds. I can put up enough for our family and friends" plan. Please.

10 posted on 08/22/2011 7:14:30 PM PDT by I see my hands (Keep your sunny side up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

Lots of peanut butter. It keeps a long time, is nutritious and tastes good on crackers - which also are good keepers.


11 posted on 08/22/2011 7:17:33 PM PDT by alicewonders
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

Should also start buying things you don’t usually think of like powdered milk, canned milk, vitamin supplements, silica gel, powdered eggs, clorox, aspirin, dried fruit and beans. There are so many imaginative things you can think of. A little at a time adds up. If you have a water supply like a stream or river, the clorox will kill just about anything. Chewing tobacco is great for things like ringworm, poison ivy/oak, almost any kind of rash. Baking soda and vinegar. Epsom salts. I could probably list a million things and you would be surprised at how many uses there are for each one. Raw lemon juice will repel ants. Okay. I’m done.


12 posted on 08/22/2011 7:18:10 PM PDT by MestaMachine (If the truth hurts, prepare yourself for a LOT of pain.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

We plan to grow alot of ours as well. Here’s our five basic types of storage:

1. Dry storage - Beans, oilseeds, and grains primarily.

2. Processed - canned, dried.

3. Root cellar or ice box. Freezer if there’s electricity.

4. Overwintered - covered by straw or plastic if they can’t naturally survive subzero.

5. Perennials - come up every year. This includes wild foraging.

I read once, that the pioneers never died in the winter in the raging snowstorms like you see on TV. They died in the spring when the grass was green and the flowers blooming, March or April, because they were out of stores and nothing much was growing yet.

Plan for that.


16 posted on 08/22/2011 7:35:21 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (Obama/Biden '12: No hope and chump change.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

And remember that small dogs and cats will work as livestock for those who might be stranded in a suburban house during the spreading of the riots after blackouts.


20 posted on 08/22/2011 8:05:48 PM PDT by familyop ("Plan? There ain't no plan!" --Pigkiller, "Beyond Thunderdome")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

northern beans and corn bread? Beans with sausage and corn bread, onions and ketchup on top? Good stuff.

Sounds like you’re from the north like me.


26 posted on 08/22/2011 8:13:20 PM PDT by TribalPrincess2U (Rabid democRATS and 0bama the dictator own it all now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

Please add me to your ping list.


27 posted on 08/22/2011 8:21:00 PM PDT by TribalPrincess2U (Rabid democRATS and 0bama the dictator own it all now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer
I'd like to mention something that may be obvious to those that have been at this longer than I, but several years ago we had our largest chest freezer go out. When I discovered the failure, the contents were still extremely cold, but no longer frozen solid. I had several bushels of peas and beans put up, fruits of all kinds, in addition to all kinds of meat.

Not really knowing any better, I was calling everybody I could think of to come and get things to cook so that they wouldn't go to waste. Had I been better schooled, I would have started canning and dehydrating immediately and saved close to $1000.

I've since discovered than canned meats are actually very good. I've played around with different spices. You can whip up all kinds of soups, casseroles and sandwich fillings with canned meat.

31 posted on 08/22/2011 8:44:25 PM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

b4l


35 posted on 08/22/2011 8:48:59 PM PDT by Oratam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

Apple cider vinegar. Bragg’s is good. works for everything.


36 posted on 08/22/2011 8:58:00 PM PDT by Doomonyou (Let them eat Lead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer
I've been preparing for many years. We originally went the bucket and bulk purchase storage route. Over the years we went with a balance of freeze dried with the standard bucket storage. We have balanced it out further with canned goods and a deep freeze. Spices are an important part of the preps. We now refer to our food storage as the temporary, the deep, and very deep. Freeze dried does give that option of very long term storage, however we did not purchase prepared meals.

One of the final areas of food preparation has been acquiring adequate fats and protein. I have been doing low carb now for many years. Many of the prep diets are heavy on carbohydrates. This will not bode well for may people who will develop metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes from this dietary change. Just another consideration. I have many suggestions for those who are concerned about this.

We are currently updating our power backup system with more batteries and an improved transfer switch. One of the items we have always been prepared for is water. We learned over 15 years ago when the power goes out the toilets don't flush. That is the one problem with a water well. Hence, we went a combination of solar and a generator years ago. We have kept our feet in both worlds of having electric service and switching over to batteries when there are outages. That seems to happen regularly where we live.

Having a backup system helped us to prioritise our electric needs versus our wants. Water and refrigeration have always been a priority.

An area of consideration we are completing now is waste disposal. There may not be trash pickup. We have kept a burn barrel for years but have now updated to a link-log incinerator. They are made of a concrete aggregate and you put them together the same way you put the lincoln logs together as children. We have found the link-log outdoor fireplace to be reliable for ten years now. The beauty of the concrete incinerator is that it does not rust out and blends nicely into the landscape.



Finally we are getting the last of the raised beds in. We are installing 12-4X4 drip irrigated units. We are all getting older and square foot gardening makes sense for many reasons, besides being able to keep the animals out when necessary. With our greenhouse we should be able to push three cycles of weather related crops from this garden.



Just a few of my current projects I thought I would share with you. I don't consider prepping to mean sacrificing, though I have been at it now for 12 years. I consider it self-sufficiency to be able to grow and store food, burn wood for heat, provide a minimum of electricity and to continue on as if nothing has happened. The sun will still come up every day and the seasons will change. I have found it important to keep the modern technological diversions in perspective.

PaEngineer
38 posted on 08/22/2011 9:13:57 PM PDT by PA Engineer (SP/XX12: Time to beat the swords of government tyranny into the plowshares of freedom.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer
Beans, rice, oatmeal, flour, sugar, cornmeal, grits, dry pastas, vacuum packed dried fruit, dried eggs, cooking oil, salt, pepper, yeast, baking soda, other condiments.

These are our basics we have layed by and stored in abundance. Same for medical supplies, to include six months minimum for prescription drugs.

Firearms and thousands of rounds for same. As we reload, primers, powder, dozens of bullet molds, several 5 gallon buckets of wheel weights and trot line fishing gear.

And the above does not include all we have.

40 posted on 08/22/2011 9:21:07 PM PDT by Sea Parrot (Democrats creation of the entitlement class will prove out to be their very own Frankenstein monster)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

bttt


43 posted on 08/22/2011 9:30:53 PM PDT by kimmie7 (I do not think BO is the antichrist, but he may very well be 665.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer; Outlaw Woman

Looks very interesting and right up my alley! Had almost no FR time today - will check it out tomorrow.

Outlaw Woman - it’s been crazy in my house lately. I have not forgotten my plans - my blog is up but still pathetic. Thank you for your reminder and I must get my a** in gear. That means my act of course.


45 posted on 08/22/2011 9:39:09 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: Kartographer

This is a little off-topic, but can anyone give me tips on how to keep a well going if the &h*! hits the fan? We have a good deep well but the pump is electric. I’m clueless how to keep it going if we don’t have electricity. Is a generator involved somewhere in this equation? Thanks for info, or pointers to a good web page that gives verrrrry specific how-to information!


47 posted on 08/22/2011 10:02:55 PM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert ("And I'm actually happy to be, for us to be the moat with alligators party." -- Mark Steyn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson