Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood

[Quix]

Right.

[WestCoastGal]

Please give us a recap if you hear anything.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Granny, for my chickens, I crack corn with my chipper/shredder - I can do probably a ton per hour with it.<<<

Thank you for the good information on the mills.

We had Mary and Jay’s cornmeal grinder, from their flour mill in Yuma in the 1920, and Bill rigged it so the pully and a canvas strap would turn it, using the wheel drum of an old Studebaker pickup, that he jacked up and it worked for years.

We make coarse grind for the baby poultry feeds and even for the others.

Good when soaked in goat milk.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Or a group of men or women.<<<

I am sure you are correct.

You know me, always wanting the rest of the story.

[Quix]

Maybe an anthropology search would turn it up.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Also, hate shopping, hate housecleaning and hate doing laundry, but if it is absolutely necessary, I can do it. But love to do the growing, canning, freezing, drying, cooking and eating part. LOL<<<

That is an awesome list of abilities.

Good for you.

I am with you on that child birth bit, “let someone else do it”.

I had one and I went with a Navy wife to play daddy, in the waiting room, except some smart a.. nurse decided that if I was playing daddy, I should go all the way and wait with Laurie.

LOL, it was her 10th baby and she spent all her ‘rest period/waiting time’ telling me “Don’t worry, it will go ok”.

Actually, I planned to have 5 kids and God said “One is enough for you, I have other uses for your time”.

At one time I could name 53 past Foster Children and there have been a few more since then.

When it came time for me to adopt Scott, and Bill to adopt Debra, we had a family meeiting, they were about 12 by then and the kids voted to buy a riding horse and save the thousands that we would have paid, we all used Bill’s name and Scott looks like my brother, or he did as a teen and Debra was short and dark haired like Bill....so we bought Katy a very old horse to go with the Shetland Stud Colt that Bill had fallen in love with at an auction.

It was beautiful and too small for any of us to ride.

Never, ever go to a horse auction, for something to do with the family on Saturday night.

LOL, then came another one that Bill never got around to breaking, an American Saddle Bred horse, with hair the color of a Clairol hair dye, about a light burgundy, which a lady we all loved used on her hair, Babe taught me that people can fly, if only 3 foot off the ground, if that fool, is so dumb, they pick up the 50 foot rope of a running horse and hold on tight.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Please give us a recap if you hear anything.<<<

Not hopeful, it is open mike night and not important talks/rants.

And not a clear station, so I will go to the police scanners, I think.

[ozarkgirl]

After that post I have to plug freecycle again. Yesterday morning I picked up 30 pint jars and the tongs that pulls them out of the hot water for free! She also gave me some pots for gardening.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[nw_arizona_granny]

After that post I have to plug freecycle again.<<<

Wonderful report.

I am so glad you got them, pots and jars.

[Quix]

SURE.

ANTHROPOLOGY = “HISTORY OF PLOWING”

OR

“HISTORY OF PLOWING”

OR

“PLOW PULLING ENERGY”

“PLOW PULLING ANIMALS”

“HUMAN PLOWING”

“PLOWING POWER”

etc.

[nw_arizona_granny]

British Waterways plans to grow more food alongside canals

British Waterways’ Chairman, Tony Hales said: ‘British Waterways is very excited
to be part of the Capital Growth project. The 100-miles of canals and rivers we
care for in London provide a green corridor through the city, offering an escape
from the hustle and bustle of the streets. We are working with Capital Growth to
identify any suitable pockets of land along London’s waterways that we or others
might not be using, and matching them up with local groups and schools looking
to grow their own food.

‘We are also looking into more creative options, such as giving a new lease of life
to some of our retired workboats, saving them from the breaker’s yard and converting
them into floating vegetable gardens, moveable feasts that could provide growing
opportunities in even the most built-up of areas.

City Slicker Farms builds backyard food gardens for low income West Oakland residents

City Slicker Farms helps low income West Oakland residents grow produce to feed
their families. Staff help build organic vegetable gardens and provide the ongoing
assistance, supplies and materials necessary for successful growing. For those who
want to sell produce, they provide the markets necessary for sales and also work
with growers to ensure quality.

Today’s harvest - Parsnips - taken from the ground on February 19

A sunny, West Coast winter day in Vancouver - - Sharon dug up parsnips from our
garden beds and we’ll have them for dinner tonight. Just a month ago the garden
was buried in snow. But today, in mid-February, we found food for supper. These
parsnips were planted last spring.

One Student’s Passion for Urban Agriculture

Imagine University of British Columbia’s (UBC’s) most fascinating and engaging students
coming together for a day, giving ‘the talk of their lives,’ sharing their ideas
and discussing their visions for UBC and the world. Now imagine being there, with
students, alumni, faculty, administration, and members of the general public watching
this unfold and partaking in the various discussions, and think of all the possibilities
that this idea-share holds.

Students Riding Tractor at the Victory Garden, 1943

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See all article here:
City Farmer News [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102469193662&e=001_3CfVqgf-ntz_w5Y7xXwEvjtH6V96OQ1TdovoSQXryGCL1y2QwfcEBW2mZox9odor3nsAASEF5fAlpuBN9NL-jQTQtScU911gT1FOuWTNDU-lyZbKiV-Ug==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture

[DelaWhere]

A couple of things to remember in making your own poultry - or any livestock feed -

Protein levels need to be optimized.

Soy Beans are an excellent source of protein (but they MUST be roasted first - kills the enzyme that is detrimental to livestock)

Rule of 4 for achieving desired protein levels:

Draw a square and write the desired protein level you want in the middle... On the top left, write one of the ingredients and under it put its protein level, put the second ingredient and its protein level on the right. Now subtract the center value from each ingredient and put it in the opposite corner (forget the negative amounts.) The results are the number of pounds of each you need to make the target protein percentage.

Corn________ Soy Beans
9%........................42%

............23

19#.......................14#

So, Corn at 9% and Beans at 42% you need 19# corn and 14# of soy beans to get a 23% ration. (ignore the periods - they are just to space it right)

So, since they total 33 pounds, you would need 57 2/3# corn and 42 1/3# soy beans to make 100 pounds.

Baby chicks need about 23% protein
Layers only need about 14%.

[DelaWhere]

Great - we have a couple of large weekly auctions here and I have picked up a few cases there.

I guess I have about 100 cases of which 80 are currently filled - but then spring is on the way...

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.mountainhouse.com/index.cfm

[I have used this brand of food and it was fine]

SPRING SPECIAL
Enjoy a special treat from Mountain House “FREE” with any $50.00 order
Mountain House Fruit 4-Pack
Mountain House Fruit 4-Pack Bag contains 1 pouch of each:

* Organic Apples
* Organic Strawberries
* Organic Mango’s
* Organic Banana’s

Shop Now to receive your “FREE” Fruit 4-Pack
(Special will be applied during checkout)

OREGON FREEZE DRY INC.
CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT
www.mountainhouse.com

[This was in their newsletter]

[nw_arizona_granny]

[This is the site with the good recipes and free cooking lessons.]

http://www.preparedpantry.com/leaveners.aspx

The Rise of the Cookie: Leaveners and How They Work

While breads use yeast—an organic leavener—cookies rely on chemical reactions to give them lift and make them palatable. In this article, we will explore these chemical leaveners and how they work: baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a powerful alkaline used primarily to leaven cookies, muffins, and cakes. Because it is alkaline, it reacts with acids in a batter as soon as it is mixed causing bubbling and a thickening of the batter. It does not require the heat of the oven to begin leavening.

Generally, only acidic recipes call for baking soda. Buttermilk, juices, unalkalized cocoa, and molasses are common acids used in baking. The reaction of the alkaline baking soda with an acidic batter has two effects: it creates the carbon dioxide bubbles that leaven the batter and it neutralizes the acid in the batter. Neutralizing the acid changes the taste—buttermilk, for example, no longer has its characteristic acid tang.

Typically, recipes use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of flour. Very heavy batters or very acidic ones may use more. Occasionally drop cookies call for more baking soda but that is to allow the cookie to brown more easily. A batter with a lower pH will brown more easily.

Baking Powder

While baking soda is alkaline, baking powder is a mixture of an alkaline baking soda and two acids designed to create a neutral compound. It therefore reacts with itself using the moisture of the batter as a catalyst. Like baking soda, this reaction creates carbon dioxide bubbles.

The baking powder generally used in the kitchen is double-acting: it reacts at room temperature in the presence of moisture and again in the oven in the presence of heat. The result is the extra lifting power necessary to make a cake light and airy. Because the baking powder reacts with itself, it does not alter the pH of the batter.

Often a weakly acidic recipe will call for both baking soda and baking powder. The baking soda will react with the acid in the batter but the reaction will not be strong enough and is bolstered with the extra baking powder.

Cream of Tartar

Cream of tartar is a by-product of the wine-making industry and is derived from tartaric acid. As an acid, it is the counterpart to baking soda and when the two are combined they create a chemical reaction which produces carbon dioxide. Most recipes that call for cream of tartar also call for baking soda. In some recipes, cream of tartar is used to increase the acidity in the batter to preserve the tang of buttermilk or an acidic juice used in conjunction with baking soda.

Other Leaveners

There are other chemical leaveners, though they are rarely used in today’s kitchens. In addition, mechanical means are used for leavening. Creaming butter and sugar together entrains air in the batter. Steam is used to lift products. Egg whites are whipped to capture tiny air pockets and thereby lighten products.

Did you like this? This was excerpted from our upcoming: “About Baking: Ingredients and How They Work.” You will be able to get this handbook free with our next newsletter.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.preparedpantry.com/Striped-Emails/AppleSalad2-17-09.htm

Try these apple salad recipes; this week’s specials

Dear

We were in the grocery store the other day when a load of apples arrived. The produce manager cut several of them for us to try. We ended up with some very good Braeburns (for $.99 a pound!) and some Ambrosia apples. (If you haven’t tried them yet, do so.) It’s wonderful that you can get great apples in February!

We made apple salads. We think you’ll enjoy these recipes.
[links]

* Honeyed Apple and Chicken Salad
* Traditional Waldorf Salad
* Apple and Pear Cole Slaw
* California Apple Salad

Save time with this apple corer and wedger. It cuts and cores your apples with one stroke. This is a nice tool that we use in our own kitchens.

* Save 30% and a bunch of time with this apple corer and wedger

[DelaWhere]

>>>>the kids voted to buy a riding horse <<<<

I grew up riding - my father being a troubled store manager for Sears, he always insisted on giving a pony away to some customers child at Christmas. Well, It was my job to ride and test each one for about a month before Christmas.

Then when I started to school, we had draft horses (long story for another time) but I had one ‘Dolly’ a huge dapple gray Percheron mare that I rode to school (one room schoolhouse - grades 1-12) (See I told you I was old as dirt) I used to tie her by the barn door and climb up on the door and swing out so I could get on her - then at school I would stop next to the hitching rail and climb down onto it.

My parents each had Tennessee Walking Horses and I was given a 5 gaited gelding - we were visiting a friends father who had a caretaker take care of the horse when they traveled, and he was afraid of the horse and he whipped him one time, and after that whenever he came near the horse, there were going to be some boards missing from the side of the barn as he would kick them out.

Anyway, he asked me if I thought I could ride him and I said that I was sure I could... He said if I could, he was mine... I picked up a piece of baler twine and made a loop for around his nose (he was neck reined) and jumped on bareback and rode him 4 miles home. Best horse ever... (but I am partial).

In college, I got to ride a lot in Brandywine and Cheshire hunt country - with jumpers. We still have a hackmore 3/4 sized pony that we keep her back with the Dr.’s three horses.

[DelaWhere]

Great article on leaveners...

I like to always know the why’s for what I use.

Thanks.

[tapatio]

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