PREPPING MISTAKES: 6 Mistakes Preppers Make That Can Get You Killed

Off Grid Survival ^ | 11/14/12 | Rob Richardson

[Kartographer]

1. Not Having Enough Water

2. They put too Much Importance on Their Gear

3. They lack the Knowledge it takes to Really Survive

4. The Rice & Beans Mentality

5. Becoming too dependent on your Guns & Ammo

6. Not Understanding that People will become a Threat During a SHTF Crisis

[bgill]

Tell the cat I’m sorry. I did the same thing - burst out laughing. Couldn’t help myself. They were insulted and hung up. I’m still shaking my head, sigh...

[yarddog]

My pear tree which produces the good ones is a Bartlett.

They are more than good enough to eat raw. They are a treat.

The sand pears are just the opposite. One year I gave them all away to a guy who fed them to his horses.

[RedStateRocker]

“The latest dingbatty thing was one of them calling up all upset because a bird hit their window and they’re just not country folk like me. Was I supposed to chase down the bird and give him a good talking to? I’m assuming the “country” comment was an insult but who called whom over a bird..”

Wait ‘till hunting season. Libs freaking out “there are people in the forrest out there shooting GUNS!!! Help!!”

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm going to regret this... but here's a recipe.

Buy a cheap pink pop wine. Beringers Zin works well. And should cover 20 servings. Peel, core, and quarter the pears. Bring the bottle of wine and a cup and a half of sugar to a simmer, disolving the sugar.

Add touch of salt and a bit of lemon or lime juice, cinnamon sticks, one clove bud, 4 black peppercorns, crushed fresh cardomom, if you have it, and poach the pears until they are soft but not mushy. They should be pink or red by then.

Serve 2 quarters warm at a 60 degree angle on a dessert plate with mint garnish, and top with vanilla ice cream.

Charge $8.95 per plate.

That's what you do with crappy pears.

Or make hooch out of them. That's what I'd do.

/johnny

[metmom]

I used my normal amount in a recipe. I reeked of garlic for 2 days.

It goes to show you the difference between real food and what you buy in the stores.

The herbs I've dried and stored myself are WAY stronger than anything I've gotten out of a bottle.

[JRandomFreeper]

to go beyond two or three weeks is very expensive and highly consumptive of space and time.

That's about how often I shop at a grocery store now, during fat times.

During sorta lean times, 4 months between grocery store trips isn't a stretch, at all.

Do people not buy in bulk on sale of the stuff they normally eat? It actually saves money to do that.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

I'm talking about the garlic the cambodian father-in-law grew, versus what I normally grow here. Don't know if it's an asian variant, or what, but I'm not planting any of 'em. Whoof!

I don't buy stuff like garlic and peppers that God gives me for a little effort on my part.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

I grow a lot of my own seasonings around here. Basil, cilantro, parsley, cumin, all of those do well and mostly self-propogate.

I don't grow mint here. It's a weed. Crap takes over.

I dry some, but generally, I eat and preserve seasonally, when the 'maters are in, so is the basil, oregano, and cilantro, then it's time to make and can red sauce italian, and salsa.

Thyme and rosemary are generally available fresh, or dried on the branch year round.

Can't grow black peppercorns, cloves, or cinnamon, though. Those have been valuable for centuries because of their restricted ranges.

/johnny

[greeneyes]

My all time favorite meal is Beans, Fried Taters, and Cornbread with a slice of onion. One of my friends from high school had this meal every night.

I also like rice with a few onions, carrots, and green peppers. Mashed potatoes and stewed tomatoes make another good accompanment for beans.

During the winter, I cook a pot of beans or bean soup every other day. We have beans and rice or taters with cornbread for lunch, and use what’s left to make chili con carne, or some other bean dish for supper.

This summer I plan to plant peanuts and make my own peanut butter - I have heard that the taste can be superior to that purchased in the store.

[Marcella]

“It amazes me how many people these days can’t follow simple directions.”

Mine is just different. You have to know exactly where to turn already, meaning you have to have been here once, or you won’t get here. Service people who travel this town all the time, can’t find me, either and they will call and tell me where they are, then I have to tell them almost inch by inch to get them to exactly the right place. My friend, who has lived here many years, couldn’t find it, either, the first time she came.

So, I don’t fault people who can’t find this place right in town. When I turn in where my house is, the electric gate closes and it’s like the town is gone as I can’t see it anymore and they can’t see me.

But, when I need to renew my medicine, I drive across the street into the Walgreen parking lot. Then, I drive back across the street to my house and the town is gone again.

It’s like going from the country into town and back to the country in a few minutes. Maybe it’s an alternate universe or an Einstein time warp.

[yorkiemom]

I'll be addressing that in my Poverty Cooking series chapter 2 that will be posted on the Friday Prepper thread.

Great - I can't wait to see it!

[yorkiemom]

Wheat and beans and rice are the basis of real food, it is better to have to “forage” and scrounge, and hunt, for meat and greens, than it is to have an occasional rabbit or apple, and desperately need big bowls of real, filling, food, that can’t be found easily.

A grain and bean combination can form a complete protein, so meat won't even be necessary. I've stored wheat berries, rice, and beans just for that reason. That, and they can store for 30 years under the right conditions.

Wheat berries are marvelous; with a wheat grinder and some yeast, you can make marvelous whole wheat bread. I started practicing doing just that after storing some wheat berries, figuring I needed to know how to use them. The nutritous value of the whole wheat degrades right after grinding, so fresh ground wheat is much better than anything in the store. There's plenty of manual grinders on the market as well; I got one that can go either manual or electric.

A cast iron dutch oven will work just fine to bake bread over coals from a fire, if there's no other heat source available. You can also add some ground bean flour to the bread, not too much though or it will be too dense. But it increases the protein content.

BTW, I've had no problem getting 100% whole wheat to rise - the secret is vital wheat gluten, about 1 tablespoon per cup of flour. Vital wheat gluten can be stored with oxygen absorbers and will last 5 years, according to the LDS website. I personally think it would last longer than that. Oh, and wheat berries can be sprouted, if you're missing some fresh veggies.

[BlueDragon]

"... I drive across the street into the Walgreen parking lot. Then, I drive back across the street to my house and the town is gone again."

Golf carts can be your friend, even if you don't golf. A bicycle could be good. I wouldn't recommend a dog sled, mushing poodles. Too flashy. Too many would notice. And sometimes even poodles can be hard to stop once they get into the pulling. Full sized ones anyway. [or so I've been told...]

Toy poodles and a really small sled, maybe?

[Nailbiter]

BFLR

[ansel12]

I do like to grind my wheat and make bread and sprout the wheat and beans, but being single and lazy, I only do it for short periods every few years, just to keep familiar with it.

I will get on a jag of making candy and yogurt, marshmallows, making beer, doing the wheat thing, sprouting, making fresh pasta, liqueurs, curd cheese, sauerkraut, pickles, canning, and so on, but then put the stuff away and not do it for years at a time.

[trebb]

I’d say that preppers biggest mistake is in planning to live apart from the community instead of rolling up their sleeves and pitching in to maintain the community.

Depends on the "community". In many, they will be comprised of those so used to getting the dole that they will try to take what they want. I picture that there will be enclaves of like-minded folks who band together for mutual support/protection and they would form the core of a return to civilization once the zombies are quelled.

[tbw2]

Talking excitedly to family about a gun purchase or deals on bulk purchases led to my kids as pre-schoolers talking to others. I had one parent come by asking to confirm if we had a gun, then freaking out when I showed her the “protected by glock” sign we had. Explaining that I work in downtown of a big city or could protect my family from a late night intruder was irrelevant. “Guns bad, you have gun, no more play dates.”
I’ve shifted our “play dates” to focus on friends from church, people who home school and have similar values and those at the private school the oldest now attends. There are neighborhood children on the street my kids now see only driving past and trick or treating. But I no longer have neighbors asking why I have a gun (or more) or why I bought so much of something.

[metmom]

Spices can be kept in the freezer and it greatly preserves their potency. I put them in canning jars so they’re hermetically sealed.

I know that in a SHTF scenario, that freezing them is not going to be a priority, but then if you just keep the jars sealed, you’ll be starting out with them as fresh as possible.

[metmom]

It’s too bad they know.

Maybe you should consider moving.

[JustaCowgirl]

Kartographer, would you add me to the prep ping list? TIA.

Cowgirl