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

[mad_as_he$$]

Yes, too much beer - empty kitchen - hunger.

[DelaWhere]

Oh, the joys of having equipment nearly as old as we are!!

Hey, then you could work on it - weld a broken piece, bend something back in place, replace a rivet put in a bolt or screw.

It is reassuring to have equipment that you can look at and pretty well figure out how it works. Then you kept it so you didn't have to figure it out again... LOL

[upcountry miss]

Although I am very tired of fixing and particularly finding parts for our old equipment, I guess I agree with you. One of our real workhorse tractors was made in Germany in 1947 just after WWII. Our small Model G Allis-Chalmers is also a 1947 model. I really doubt that some of the equipment we are buying today will still be serving its purpose 60 years from now. Way too many plastic parts on products today. Good old cast iron serves us well if hubby isn’t too hard on it.

[DelaWhere]

>>>Our small Model G Allis-Chalmers is also a 1947 model.<<<

I can not figure out why nobody makes any piece of equipment as appropriate as that tractor is for small acreage. I know, 1 bottom plow, etc. etc. but for cultivating and many other tasks, it is hard to beat... Plus it just looks neat...

[LucyT]

[CottonBall]

I have proven that I can post when asleep, so you can too.

LOL! So that's how you are able to post so many useful things!

[upcountry miss]

When my better half bought this tractor many years ago (against my advice),he had to cut several small trees which had grown up between the wheels in order to move it. That’s how long it had been abandoned.He brought it home. Took it completely apart, cleaned everything and painted it the original Allis-Chalmers colors. Now it is his pride and joy and it does serve us well, plowing old, already tilled ground and the frame is high enough that we can cultivate until the crop is quite high. Biggest problem is that there is no hydraulic lift for any of the equipment and as hubby has two shoulder replacements, I have to go to each end of the row and operate the lever lifting the plow, cultivators or whatever. We make quite a team. Takes two of us to do half the work of one.

[CottonBall]

I really doubt that some of the equipment we are buying today will still be serving its purpose 60 years from now.

No doubt. It is all made to break so people will have to rebuy it. There's no pride of workmanship any more. I guess that's what happens when you have mass production. But even those can be of good quality if designed that way.

I can think of 3 quick examples of things getting cheaper.

1) Socks! Just like granny's walmart cookies, the socks I buy (same brand, same model each time) have gotten progressively thinner over the years. Price is the same, but the socks last about half as long as they did 5 years ago. And it's a name brand.

2) Our washer. Got a Kenmore to replace the 20+ year old Kenmore that finally gave out. The new one just feels cheaper and is mainly plastic. It certainly won't last the 20 years the old one did.

3) sleeper-sofas. We have one built in the 60's that we found - someone was going to take it to the dump and we were looking for a small sleeper anyway. That thing is amazing - a good cleaning, and new mattress, and it's as good a new. All the mechanisms still work perfectly and the thick, dense fabric is still in good shape (even if it is avocado green!). Conversely, we got a brand new set of sofas that have the recliners in each end. Took less than a year for the first one to break. The fabric is starting to fray on the corners of the chair and one of the couches.

I bet those things won't last more than 5 years. Same with my washer. All of us with new items are going to be in trouble when TSHTF. The old stuff will be the only thing that will last...

[CottonBall]

Love the cattitude! Very accurate (so my 6 furkids tell me...)

[toldyou]

What a great photo and caption! LOL!

Thanks for the ping!

[upcountry miss]

Never gave it that much thought but what you are saying is probably the reason that I never coveted NEW things. 55 years ago, my Aunt moved into a smaller house and I purchased her 15 year old solid maple Bassett bedroom set for $50.00 That set is 70 years old today and I wouldn’t sell it for any price if I couldn’t replace it for one like it. It is all mortice and tenon, dovetail workmanship, not a nail or screw in it, never had a drawer stick. That is more than I can say for any of the new bedroom sets I have purchased for my children over the years. My dining room table is over 100 years old, in perfect condition, was salvaged from my Grandmother’s shed many years ago. The top is polished to a high shine and you can see the original dowels used in the building of it.

For most things, new is not necessarily better.

[DelaWhere]

>>>Biggest problem is that there is no hydraulic lift for any of the equipment<<<

I was thinking that somewhere I saw a hydraulic add on for them... I know, just what you wanted to hear...

Well, he could mount a tractor seat up front on the front axle, that way you could ride to the other end... LOL

Togetherness is such a wonderful thing... ;^)

[upcountry miss]

Believe it or not, at this point, with my knee replacement, the hydraulic add on or even the mounted tractor seat is something I could opt for.

On a different note, the grandson showed up today as he often does on a Sat. A.M. to help Gramps. First thing, Gramps wanted to pick up about a cord of wood left by the power company clearing trees that endanger their lines. Some of that wood was pretty big stuff so grandson got a good workout. Then Gramps asked me if I wanted more seaweed and of course I did with an extra strong back to help out. While gramp went to get shovels, pails and the trailer, grandson asked me if the seaweed smelled real bad. I told him I didn’t think so as it wasn’t real ripe yet. Well, when we got to the beach, it being a Saturday and a lovely day, the “out of staters” were out in force and very curious as to what we were doing with that awful stuff. One gentleman asked me if I ever got used to that smell. I told him it didn’t smell bad to me and not half as bad as pig manure. Anyhow, on the way home the grandson told me he almost lost his breakfast a couple times while emptying his bucket into the trailer, but was real proud of himself for staying with the chore and not quitting.

I noticed his stomach wasn’t too upset to enjoy the ham sandwich with home-made bread and the apple pie we had for lunch.

[PatriotGirl827]

Hi everyone! I am new to this thread, but not new to the idea that we had better get prepared for some hard times. I have had this feeling for over 2 years now, and my mother and I started stocking up on food and essentials a little at a time and have never stopped.

I will never be able to look over this entire thread (500+ posts), but am looking forward to trying to keep up with it from here on out.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

LOL!!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Welcome to our survival thread, PatriotGirl, and I hope you find a lot of interesting and useful information here. I’ve posted Word copies of the first thread (the first 9000 posts there, believe it or not) and will do that again soon. Having all the posts in a couple of Word files makes it possible to search much more easily.

Please post questions because that’s where the best information surfaces, as a result of a request.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://imgs.zinio.com/retail_srvs/classics/

100 literary classics online in an easy to read format.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/Breads/Stoveside_Bread.html

Debbie’s Stoveside Bread

Debi was watching her soup simmer on the top of her potbellied stove, and decided to make this bread. The dough was very happy to be nestled next to the stove to rise. Debbie loves making bread this way, but she confessed that once her attention wandered and she got a ‘Lucy and Ethel’ dough.

* 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 2 cups boiling water
* 1/4 cup softened butter
* 2 packages yeast
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1/4 cup wheat germ
* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup rye flour
* 1/4 cup soy flour
* 4 to 4 1/2 cups white flour

METHOD

Combine cornmeal, brown sugar and salt. Stir gradually into the boiling water with softened butter. Let cool about twenty minutes.

Soften yeast in warm water. Stir into cooled cornmeal mixture. Add wheat germ, whole wheat, soy and rye flours. Stir in white flour one cup at a time. Mix vigorously until dough is moderately stiff.

Turn onto a well-floured board, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 - 9 minutes. Use a scraper or a spatula to incorporate any dough that sticks to the board. The dough will stay slightly sticky.

When dough can be shaped into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat the surface of the bread.

Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk, about one hour.

Punch down and divide in two. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape into two loaves and place in greased 9x5x3 inch pans. Let dough rise again until doubled, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375° F oven for about 45 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with knuckles. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 2 Healthy Loaves.

recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Alison Binkerd for Debbie Farrell

This is the perfect bread to acccompany the vitamin rich Minestrone given to us by Marisa Viola for Diana Serbe.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/Desserts/molcakerec.html

Molasses Cake (Heirloom Recipe)

This heirloom recipe for Molasses Cake was found in the 1920 cookbook of Therese Farrell.

* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup molasses
* 3/4 cup lard
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 level teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 heaping teaspoon of baking soda
* 1 1/4 cups strong, black coffee at room temperature

METHOD

Equipment: 1 cake pan 9 x 13 inches, buttered and floured.
Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Cream together sugar, molasses and lard.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and baking soda.

Cool 1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) strong, black coffee to room temperature.

Combine the dry mixture with the lard/sugar/molasses mixture.

While combining, slowly add the black coffee and stir vigorously until all ingredients are well mixed and a smooth batter is formed.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick or table knife.

Note: Cooks in the old days (remembering my mother and grandmother, now) were artistic in their cooking and thus, a cup of flour may not necessarily be a level cup because they cooked by feel and by experience. It may be that this batter is a bit thin, however, if it was I would still try it first and see if it worked. Again, we have to remember that the gluten content of today’s flour is higher and less flour can make more volume than it once did.

Contributor: Cliff Lowe

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/fruits_and_veggies.html/caramelturnips.html

Caramel Turnips

The sweet-sour of this turnip dish is an excellent accompaniment to Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meats.

* 3 dried plums
* 1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled
* 1 tablespoon mustard
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
* 3 oz Sugar
* 1/2 cup vegetable broth
* 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon butter

METHOD

Soak plums in lukewarm water until partially softened about 15 minutes. When soft, drain, pat dry, and season with mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside

Steam turnips for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and let dry. Turnips should be very dry.

To make caramel: Put sugar, broth and vinegar in saucepan over medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon until sugar has melted. Boil 3 - 4 minutes, or until syrup turns a light brown.

Put in turnips, reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Add butter. Turn into serving bowl.

Garnish with parsley.

Serves: 6 - 8 as side dish

This recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Marieta Peverelli