US Families Prepare For 'Modern Day Apocalypse'

Sky News UK ^ | 12/22/2014 | Dominic Waghorn

[bkopto]

An increasing number of Americans seem to think so, and they're preparing for the end.

They call themselves preppers. Mainstream suburban Americans hoarding supplies and weapons while leading otherwise perfectly normal lives.

It's a national phenomenon and it's supporting a doom boom industry worth many millions.

Braxton Southwick is a typical father-of-six in Salt Lake City, who believes the nice suburban neighbourhood he lives in could soon be swept away by some kind of modern day apocalypse.

Like other preppers, he's afraid of some impending catastrophe but also what that will do to American society.

"I think that is what I'm scared of the most," he told Sky News, "Not the actual events. I've already prepared for that. It's the aftermath, when there are no police, there are no military to protect us, we're going to be protecting ourselves."

The trigger could be a terrorist attack, a monetary collapse, cataclysmic failure in power generation, or a natural disaster. Preppers fear what comes next and have no faith in either their government or human nature.

"Once people use up all their resources, they're going to come after the people that prepared and had more resources. So basically we have to take care of ourselves."

[MSF BU]

I am in New England. Here were have regular outages, especially in the exurbia and the rural areas, so it is baffling to me how many people there are in those areas who choose not to have a wood stove or some alternate means of heat.

[tbw2]

When was Alicia?

[bgill]

A search shows ‘83.

[Jamestown1630]

There was an America’s Test Kitchen review of pressure cookers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiCUKA7dDUs

(Disclaimer: I have no experience with food preserving, except for freezing, and drying in the Excalibur.)

Apparently they make electric and stovetop pressure cookers; but in the event of serious “breakdown”, could you even use a stovetop pressure cooker on some kind of outdoor cooking system?

(Come to think of it, how do the Amish can? Don’t they only use wood-fired stoves and cooktops?)

-JT

[Kackikat]

The Amish use the ‘cold pack’ method mostly, at least in the past, but some do use pressure cooking now. The ‘cold pack’ is a processing the FDA does not redeem safe. Mainly because one has to be extremely careful, and must know what they are doing, it’s not for novices.

My mother had used that process off and on years ago, but for really long term storage the pressure cooker works best. It has the ability to take guesswork out of canning. One must be sure those lids have popped and sealed.

http://www.theashevillefoodie.com/2011/06/home-canning-amish-way.html

[Jamestown1630]

But, how do the Amish use a pressure cooker on a wood-fired range? Is it possible to maintain the temp properly for the device to work?

Sorry, I’m totally ignorant; but want to learn.

(I thought I’d just start with pickles; it’s probably not too easy to poison anyone with a very acidic pickle, yes? :-)

-JT

[Kackikat]

There are pressure cookers that work on top of wood stove. They are not electric. However finding that wood stove is not easy. I would say a propane or gas stove, even electric stove works fine, it’s the method and recipes that make the food Amish, not the heat....although wood stoves make great food taste better.

Your canned food is in the jar...and in the canner....it’s about the time it’s cooked and making sure you follow that canning recipe to a T, so that your jars seal. Always use NEW lids and rings, but re use your jars, just sterilize carefully.

Pickles are good. I do some things that aren’t even processed for the shelf, but good in fridge for a couple of weeks or a month like red onions in vinegar, or pickled eggs/beets...etc. Those won’t need long term storage, unless you are doing more than one or two jars as side dish, snacks, etc.

If you don’t have a good canning book, then get one, but look at it thoroughly before buying. Look at the recipes and instructions to make sure it’s simple and easily read and understood.

[Kackikat]

Here is a book I own and you can find used copies like the one on this link, just be sure the site you use is safe. A new one runs about $39.95 depending on the seller. It is from 1970s and has some vegetables not popular in newer books. There are number of good canning books.

http://www.thriftbooks.com/w/farm-journals-freezing-and-canning-cookbook-prized-recipes-from-the-farms-of-america/260326/?isbn=0385134444&mkwid=L4FP2A7x|dc&pcrid=63635742912&gclid=CPyI1NO83cICFUwS7AodW3AAvQ

[bgill]

I was lazy in my description. Meant canner instead of cooker but that’s like saying coke instead of soft drink. Ack, no, I’ve heard too many bad stories about electric ones with touch pads. We can’t even keep coffee makers working with touch pads and went back to one with just an on/off button. One would think you could use a stovetop pressure canner on an outdoor set up during SHTF times as long as you could keep the temperature going. Water baths would be fine. Tomatoes can be canned using a solar oven if you can keep the temp up. But then I’d want to dry tomatoes rather than use a valuable jar on them.

In olden days they’d salt and smoke meats. The early meat canning was to cook the meat, layer it with fat, put the lid on and the heat would seal the jar when turned upside down (no thanks, I’ll pass). I would imagine water baths and drying would be the easiest food preservation for other foods. In cooler areas, they had/have root cellars. With all those different ways of preserving foods, they didn’t know they were missing out on pressure canners.

My grandpa would tell about the time grandma had him clean out the cellar. He brought over the neighbor to “help” emptying the fruit juice when he found it had fermented.

[bgill]

Nance Corn Relish

http://www.shopwell.com/nances-corn-relish/pickles-relish-olives/p/7298000005 - Ingredients: Water, Corn, Sugar, Vinegar, Pickles, Food Starch-Modified, Peppers, Onions, Salt, Tomatoes, Spices and Tumeric.

This link shows more ingredients so there’s a glitch somewhere - https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=354823&catalogId=10002&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay Water, Corn, Sugar, Vinegar, Food Starch-Modified, Peppers, Pickles, Onion, Salt, Fructose, Tomatoes, Spice, Turmeric, Xanthan Gum, Mustard Seed, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Natural Flavors.

http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/nances/corn-relish - Compare the sugars (corn, sugar, starch, fructose) with the ingredient list and tweak a close recipe. Try different pickles (dill, bread and butter) sticking to the same relish ingredients. I’m thinking it’s probably regular dill pickles because bread and butter have other ingredients. Or a very plain sweet pickle. Wonder if pickling the peppers with the cucumbers or separately would make a taste difference? From the ingredient lists, the cucumbers must have been turned into pickles before adding the corn, right? Good luck.

[Jamestown1630]

My grandpa would tell about the time grandma had him clean out the cellar. He brought over the neighbor to “help” emptying the fruit juice when he found it had fermented.

:-)

We recently bought a book about building a root cellar, because that's on our 'wish list' for the tiny homestead we imagine for the future.

We're especially interested in preserving things like cabbages over-winter, so that we can make kimchi and sauerkraut, because they are so healthy and immunity-supportive.

My husband's family has, for generations, canned about 500 quarts of tomato sauce every year, from tomatoes grown on their land. From what I understand from this thread, they use the 'cold pack' method - boiled like crazy over propane, poured into sterilized ball jars; tipped over once to scald the lid, and left to sit until 'popping' (sealing). We've had jars of this that we didn't use until 2 or 3 years later, and it was fine. But, tomato sauce is very acidic. Doing things like string beans and corn worries me.....

Thanks to everyone; gotta do Santa Claus stuff now; but I'll continue watching the thread.

Merry Christmas!

-JT

[bgill]

It’s recommended to use canning books printed after 1994 (?) because of updated safety suggestions. I can’t remember so check the date. A new book is on my list for next garden season.

[bgill]

Green beans are easy. I’ve never been able to grow corn so can’t comment on that.

There’s a great recipe for “filled cookies” in the old Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s basically a not so sweet sugar cookie that is filled with jelly. Only use preserves instead of jelly because jelly will ooze out whereas preserves usually won’t. Similar to pop tarts but waaaaaaay better. I’ve made them since I was little to use up old preserves. You know when you open an old jar of preserves that has darkened and you don’t want to eat it? Well, make these cookies, yuuuuum!

Check out youtube for Imstillworkin’. She has tons of very informative food preservation videos and explains the how and why. In one video, she tried a method of preserving cabbage from her garden by burying it in the ground with straw. It didn’t work but the concept is interesting. Seriously, take a weekend or so and go through all her videos. She’s a great teacher.

[Kackikat]

If a person is canning and plans to be a Prepper during a major catastrophe, one had better know how to do it without an electric stove, and the books of the 1970s were so good, that many people now are going back to them. I have some going back a lot farther...

The most modern way is useless, if there is no electric. What happens if there is an attack on the power grids at harvest time? The ‘back to the land’ movement began in the 1960s, however the ‘how to’ and great ideas books peaked in 1970s, as people began researching and printing.... how it was done on the farms, before the Great Depression and pioneer days. That was a renewal of the old ways, and what worked and didn’t work.

I don’t remember any bad meals my mother made, and she canned most of what we ate, with my help growing up and the later years. My grandmother, and great grandparents did the same thing....I still live by those principles. There was no running to the grocery store when I was young, as we lived in the mountains and people bartered, because they had their own chickens, pigs, and other farm animals.

Self sufficiency is just that, no outside help.

[Kackikat]

The new guidelines can be copied and added to any cookbook.

http://food.unl.edu/preservation/canning

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks very much; I will definitely check it out.

-JT

[Kackikat]

http://food.unl.edu/preservation/canning

This has links to the newer information on canning (1994) and can be printed and added to any older cookbook. So don’t be afraid of buying cookbooks that have recipes you really like, this info is not so drastic, and there is a Canning 101, that you might like.

[DakotaGator]

Glad to see you made it to ID. Must feel nice break away from the routine and visit. Will compare notes of the season with you following your return.

Concur with the seven year/government connection and concern. Great Depression and Dirty Thirties local lore indicates that those personally prepared for seven years of hardship survive and can thrive. Those relying on government lose everything. And, of course, government ends up owning everything.

And now I must prepare for some local traveling. Once again it is time to activate the old pickup as part of Santa’s Reserve Sleigh Corps ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s!

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks for the link to the ‘I’mstillworkin’ videos. I had time to watch a couple and I love her!

I want to try the jalapeno poppers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT9QOgc1WWw

She says she uses ‘shortening’, which I assume is something like Crisco; but do you think that one could one use lard?

Thanks again; a really great resource.

JT

[bgill]

Yes, shortening is Crisco. She (Susan) says the shortening hardens so they aren’t greasy like they would be using oil so just guessing lard would not be greasy either.

Her fiancé (don’t think they’ve married yet) is youtuber mhpgardener who’s big thing is growing tomatoes and donates most of his gardens to the needy. Both are Christians, conservatives, and preppers. Wish they were my neighbors.

Your name - did your family come to Jamestown in 1630? Mine came with John Smith in 1607.