Posted on 04/13/2012 8:48:22 AM PDT by Kartographer
From a very young age there are so many things that we prepare for in life. We prepare for our first day of school by shopping for school clothes and supplies. We prepare for exams by studying information so that when tested the knowledge can be recalled. We prepare for dates by putting on our best clothes and putting our best foot forward. We prepare for job interviews. We prepare for buying our first home. We prepare for health issues. We prepare for a wedding a child a car accident a shower dinner the list goes on and on.
The truth of the matter is that prepping is already ingrained into our everyday lives. We are already a people that have been taught, by word, deed and experience to prepare for life events. For todays purposes I am speaking to what is commonly referred to as disaster prepping, WTSHTF prepping, survival prepping or, most recently doomsday prepping. Well let me tell you folks, when its put like that not only is it not sexy but it sure doesnt sound like much fun or something that I would want to do. Why would I want to subject myself and my family to living in a cloud of fear and paranoia about the end of the Mayan calendar, the zombie apocalypse, the murderous rampage my neighbors might go on if the local Wallyworld closes during an economic collapse, or a host of other terrors propagated by the media and fear mongers? Let me be clear, I wouldnt want to live in fear, I dont want to live in fear and so I prepare for every day possibilities and that, in and of itself, prepares me for the crazy ones.
(Excerpt) Read more at preparednesspro.com ...
Lots of recipe books
Speer reloading manual(#10) is my go to book for square 1. But I have a dozen more then there is magazines and the web.
Go to midwayusa.com to buy components parts (or wideners or Natchez etc.)
Good luck
Great set of vids on rainwater capture here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL38869156CCB7313D
I'm still in early stages with the article, so it may be a while.
/johnny
Same here.
But I tell ya, I went in Kroger Monday morning for a ‘sale’ on cheese they were having. They didn’t have any of it. Said it would be in the next day. I don’t usually shop at Kroger, and this certainly is only one reason why.
I go down the meatcase thinking meat might be marked down...not one pack was.
I go back next day, Tuesday, for the cheese ‘sale’. Still wasn’t any, ask the man, same one I talked to the day before, he said truck had just come in, and hadn’t had a chance to ‘see’ if the cheese had come in. I was annoyed now, because both trips in the cost of gas makes the cost of the cheese go up, in my mind. He went to look. Came back empty handed, said, well, there were a lot of boxes, used his light thingy, said 2 cases was supposed to be on the truck...I said I would wait as he looked.
He came back with 1 case. Asked how many did I want, I said 20 or 30. He said it was a case of 24. I said sale was for 10 for $10. He said they would sell em to me for a $1 each. I said o.k. I’d take the whole case. He didn’t go get the second case. So I thought I would go check the meatcase again. Come back around and see or pick up that second case of cheese (LOL), I did. Some Meat was marked down. But still sooo expensive I didn’t buy one pack. Two little pieces of beef the size of my palm, was $8, that was the ‘marked down’ price. and it was not filet mignon! Just beef cutlets.
As I was perusing the meatcase, the cheese guy actually came to me and asked did I want more cheese? I took that whole case too.
Went down to a no name local grocery that was having a beef sale for $2.58 a pound for beef roast...
Brought my goodies home and vacuumed sealed em all up.
It’s pretty bad out there when the markdown sale is so high it’s too ridiculous to buy.
FourPeas you have been added.
>>Don’t get me wrong. I store basics. But I have enough naturally occuring stuff to make a darn good meal within a short walk of the house. I’d rather have squirrel stew than ramen noodles.
/johnny
Yeah, I have at LEAST 10 40 ft trees (5 of them oak), so squirrel stew for me as well. In my section of NC, there are also a lot of deer meandering through peoples yards so I’m guessing a load of salt, a place to hide, and time are all I need.
I spent a TDY there. Ya'll have great natural resources. In my part of N. Texas, the resources are a little thin, and you really have to know what you are looking for, and when.
/johnny
Thanks i actually bought 2 of these
Looking forward! - been a long time since I had to butcher, and the reminder would be nice.
On a side not to other newish preppers, Traditional Kitchen Wisdom by Andrea Chesman is well worth a read. Wife picked it up for $7 in a discount book store in Vancouver.
Hells bells, at my age, I forgot what sex was/is/could be. But they do make good tourniquets and water balloons.
Just like the tagline every day on The Survival Podcast: “Helping you live a better life if times get tough, OR EVEN IF THEY DON’T.”
Turns out it's pretty darn good. Slightly darker color than Land O' Lakes, and a richer flavor. Regular butter texture, and spreads like any other butter.
I'll be adding more to my larder. Only downside is that it's a salted butter, and for some specialty cooking, I prefer to use unsalted. But I'll add a few more cans. I'm sure I can cope. ;)
/johnny
What’s the shelf life on that canned butter? Thanks in advance.
It may be TEOTWAWKI, but I ain’t gonna go without butter. No way, no how.
There was no drop dead date on it. I would assume, as I assume with all canned foods that it's about 25 years. I don't make that assumption lightly. I've taught food safety classes to young airmen, for both federal and State certifications.
Dented cans are bad. Swelled cans are bad. Throw them away. Don't open them and contaminate the kitchen.
Open undented and unswelled cans and look at and smell of the contents. If it looks ok, and smells ok, it generally is ok.
This is just for commercial canned products, and not home canned. And it is not official advice, it's just what I do in my real world.
/johnny
Well, I guess I can throw away the c-rats I saved from my Marine Corps days. Darn.
How about MREs? What's the drop dead durability of MREs?
That’s pretty much my procedure, too. I’ve taken up home canning in the last year, just the easy stuff that I can water bath.
There’s a pressure canner on my Christmas list, though.
I put back a bushel of fresh Michigan peaches last fall and ate them over the winter. Nothing better than a peach in the middle of January. LOL! I bought the “eat them today” bushel and man are they tasty. I’m down to my last jar. Next year I’m doing two.
I made a dozen jars of home made apple butter, too. My grandmother used to can that stuff and I loved it as a kid. It ain’t bad as a grown-up, neither.
I’m in your debt for digging through the trash. Have a great weekend!
The cooler it is where you store them the longer they last. Temps above 90 or so and they break down pretty quickly.
First one I found on the interwebs so caveat emptor.
I said that was for commercial canned products.
You have mil-spec C-Rats with cigarettes and everything.... Keep them. Forever. Mil-spec is NOT commercial.
I ate C-rats at the firing range in 1981. And they were good.
The safety is forever until the seal is compromised. The quality... meh... heat is the enemy there. And the eggs and ham quality died before they canned it. Store them in a cool dry place.
/johnny
I'm including a section in my article about Menu Fatigue and palatability.
/johnny
I’m certain we were eating Korean War vintage C-Rats in MCRD San Diego in 1981. Other than tasting like crap there were no ill effects.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.