Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by 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
Glad you are back, you will have to read a lot and catch up.
Your dip, sounds like my cucumber slices last year, what can go wrong with putting them in vinegar and sour cream? something did. The trash can even complained when I tossed them.
We always miss you.
How is the greenhouse doing?
Yes it's hard to catch up as fast as things “change” these days..
spent most of the wee-hours reading and learning.. some very good info !!
>> How is the greenhouse doing? <<
Unbelievably well since it's my first experience.. however I am fortunate to have a mentor.. I've named the layoff plow “the Widow-maker” , it's older than electricity !
have had great success with all except : Okra.. plants die in a couple days after planting.. no sign of cutworms or stem fungus.. can only figure that the soil has been too damp.. in asking around seems no one around here has any luck with okra.. will sow some in box with heavy peat moss next plant day and try that..
BTW have only lost 1 chick out of 28 so that is taking a lot of free time..
http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:23:50 -0800
http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
Outback Steakhouse® Honey Wheat Bushman Bread®
Along with your meal at this huge national steakhouse chain, comes a
freshly baked loaf of dark, sweet bread, served on its own cutting board along
with soft whipped butter. One distinctive feature of the bread is its color.
How does the bread get so dark? Even though this recipe includes molasses and
cocoa, these ingredients alone will not give the bread its dark chocolate brown
color. Usually commercially produced breads that are this dark — such as
pumpernickel or dark bran muffins — contain caramel color, an ingredient often
used in the industry to darken foods. Since your local supermarket will not
likely have this mostly commercial ingredient, we’ll create the brown coloring
from a mixture of three food colorings — red, yellow and blue. My first
version of this clone recipe created a dough that was bit too loose, and the
measurements for the coloring was in drops. Recently, I spent several days
tightening up the formula, and I know you’ll find it to be a better clone. If
you have a bread machine, use it for kneading the bread (you’ll find the order
in which to add the ingredients to your machine in “Tidbits”). To bake the
bread, split the dough into six even portions that you can roll and cook on a
sheet pan in your home oven.
Dough
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg.) yeast
2 cups bread flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
Coloring
1 1/4 teaspoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon yellow food coloring
1 teaspoon blue food coloring
cornmeal for dusting
1. Mix sugar with warm water, then dissolve the yeast in the solution. In five
minutes the solution will begin to foam as the yeast begins its gassy dance
party.
2. While the yeast is waking up, mix the flours, cocoa, and salt in a large
bowl. Mix butter into the dry mixture with your hands. Make an impression in
the middle of the dry mixture. Add the honey and molasses into the well. Mix
the food coloring with the yeast solution, then pour the solution into the
well. Stir from the middle bringing the dry mixture into the wet stuff, slowly
at first, then quickly as you incorporate all the ingredients. You will
eventually have to use your hands to combine everything. Knead the dough for 10
minutes on a lightly floured surface, then roll the dough into a ball and place
it into a covered bowl in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it has
doubled in size.
3. When the dough has doubled, separate it into 6 even portions. Roll each
dough portion into logs that are 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Pour cornmeal
onto your rolling surface. Moisten your hands then rub water onto each dough
log and roll it in the cornmeal. Arrange the rolled dough on a baking sheet and
cover it with plastic wrap. Set the dough in warm spot to rise for another
hour or so until the loaves have doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for 35 to 40
minutes in the hot oven. When the bread is done, take it out of the oven and
let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the bread with a sharp bread knife and
butter on the side. If you want whipped butter, like you get at the restaurant,
just use an electric mixer on high speed to whip some butter until it’s fluffy.
Makes 6 small loaves.
Tidbits
If you’d like to use a bread machine to knead the dough, just add the
ingredients in the following order: Mix the food coloring with the water, then
add the colored water to the bread pan followed by the flours, sugar, salt,
butter, cocoa, honey, molasses, and yeast. Set the machine to knead and walk
away. When the dough’s done kneading and rising, go to step #3 of this recipe
and take it from there.
Jenn B aka Mom2Sam and Tiny
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/1recipes_galore2007-smallappliance
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/1Recipes_Galore2007-drinks
Check them out
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BREAD-RECIPE/
Okra.. plants die in a couple days after planting.. no sign of cutworms or stem fungus.. can only figure that the soil has been too damp.. in asking around seems no one around here has any luck with okra.. will sow some in box with heavy peat moss next plant day and try that..<<<
You are right, okra does not like wet feet.
Try some in good sharp sand, see if it drains fast enough.
If you have Chamomile for tea, make a weak c. tea and water with it, as it is said to be good for damp off that kills plants.
Full sunlight too for okra.
I thas to grow, you need extra to make flour with, for soup and corn bread....
[Other good ideas on this page ]
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2006/03/do_you_have_a_recipe_for_100_w.html
100% Whole Grain Wheat Bread with Flax Seed and Oat Bran
I totally balk at the notion that 100% whole grain wheat bread is too heavy. I’ve been making a wonderfully most fine textured loaf ever since buying a grain mill three years ago. For 15 years I used the 50:50 white/whole wheat flour mixture and thought that was the best I could do. A friend gave me a small bag of fresh home-milled flour and my baking life forever changed. I use either all organic hard red wheat or a 50:50 mix of hard red and hard white (both organic). All amounts by weight unless stated otherwise. Note that the water is somewhat variable. I buy wheat in 45 lb buckets and find that the moisture content varies a bit from lot to lot. Consequently, the water required to achieve the desired consistency varies also. However, once I find the right volume for a particular batch of wheat I don’t generally need to adjust water volume until I get a new batch. I use an old KitchenAid mixer for this. Makes 3 1 ½ lb loaves.
Start by milling 30 oz. wheat berries into flour.
Mix:
20 oz flour
1 cup powdered milk
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp yeast (rounded)
1 Tbsp gluten (rounded)
Add and mix on low for 10 minutes:
3 – 3 ½ cups tepid water
Cover and let double in bulk; about 20 minutes.
Stir down and add:
10 oz flour
6 oz ground flax seed (I like organic golden flax seed and use a clean coffee mill to grind mine)
3 ½ oz oat bran
½ cup oil (canola or olive work well)
1 Tbsp salt
Knead for 7 to 10 minutes (speed 2 or 3). Dough should be somewhat sticky. Transfer to oiled bowl and allow to double in bulk. Punch down, shape into three loafs, let rise, bake 30 – 40 minutes at 350.
Posted by: Ed Curry
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/recipes/bread/
Bread Primer Launched on Epicurious!
Here it is: all the basic techniques, ingredients, equipment, and recipes for bread baking. I worked with Epicurious for many months to create this useful primer. It just launched today and I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you.
If you’re new to bread baking. this primer will give you a great jump start. If you’re already a pro you may learn a few new tricks and recipes.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/primers/bread
From the kitchen of Rose
Adding Old Starter to Bread Dough
Several of my recipes I’ve offered on this blog give an option for adding old unfreshed stiff sour dough starter when making bread dough. I do this to add depth of flavor, moistness, and longer shelf life. I always have left over starter after the weekly feeding of my sourdough starter so I freeze it exactly for this use.
I would not want to add it to a soft bread dough such as a soft white sandwich loaf or brioche because it makes the texture slightly firmer. But I do add it to most other doughs and I do add it to challah because it makes the dough more stretchy and easier to braid.
You need to keep in mind that there is no salt in this starter so you need to add extra salt to balance the flour and water. You may also need to use a slightly larger pan or cut off the equivalent amount or weight of dough and bake it as a roll.
If you retard the dough overnight, it will not rise quite as high so you can then use the same size bread pan as the one you would use without the starter. A bread that rises to 5 inches for example will rise to only about 4 1/2 inches if retarded for 8 to 12 hours.
Of course you will need to make or purchase a sour dough starter and add enough flour to it to make it the consistency of soft bread dough.
To determine how much starter to use in the dough, multiply the weight of the flour in the dough by 16% and that will be the weight of the starter.
For every 75 grams/2.6 ounces of starter add 1/8 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
I like to soften the starter by cutting or tearing it in pieces and soaking it in the water used for the dough for 30 minutes before adding the other ingredients. This helps to distribute it more evenly throughout the dough.
I am so devoted to this technique I may never write another bread book because it presupposes people will have or make or buy a starter and I feel it would be a serious compromise to omit this! The alternative would be to give the recipe with and without added starter the way I do for recipes on this blog...hmmmmmm
From the kitchen of Rose on
To keep you out of trouble, check this list of breads and info:
http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
[BREAD-RECIPE] Soulful German Farmhouse Rye (Raggen-bauerbrot)
Patty
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:53:16 -0700
Soulful German Farmhouse Rye (Raggen-bauerbrot)
ALLOW 12 TO 24 HOURS TO PREPARE THE SOURDOUGH; 8 TO 14 MINUTES TO KNEAD;
10 MINUTES TO REST;
2 TO 2 1/2 HOURS TO FERMENT; 1 TO 1 1/2 HOURS TO PROOF; 30 TO 40 MIN UTES TO
BAKE
Rye breads this deep, dark, and sour can be found only in places like
Oberseifers dorf, Germany, where Gert Kolbe, a fifth-generation baker, has his
shop. Canals still flow through the town, and a waterwheel works the mill where
Gert gets his coarse whole rye flour. The grain is grown in the surrounding
fields. The rolled rye flakes Gert uses as a topping make his loaves resemble
the local thatched-roof houses. This hearty traditional bread in particular is
why I made the trip to the bakery; I left not only with the recipe but with a
long-keeping loaf that I snacked on with smoked sausages and spicy mustard on
the five-hour drive back to Wiesbaden. This dough contains so much rye that it
is sticky and difficult to work with. Although it’s possible to knead by hand,
I recommend kneading it with a stand mixer. Because it doesn’t have much wheat
flour and therefore doesn’t develop much gluten, the dough won’t rise as high
as bread dough made with wheat during fermentation or in the oven. MAKES 2
ROUNDS
(15.6 OUNCES/443 GRAMS EACH)
Ingredients:
2 BANNETONS OR 2 SHALLOW BOWLS (6 INCHES WIDE AND 4 INCHES DEEP) LINED WITH 2
KITCHEN TOWELS BENCH SCRAPER OR CH EF’S KN I FE BAKER’S PEEL OR RIMLESS BAKING
SHEET PARCHMENT PAPER SINGLE-EDGED RAZOR BLADE OR SERRATED KNIFE
German rye sour dough About l/2 cup Water, tepid (70 to 78 degrees) 1 1/2 cups
Instant yeast 1 teaspoon Rye flour 2 1/4 cups Unbleached bread flour,
preferably high-gluten ‘Wheat germ 1 tablespoon Toasted and ground coriander
seeds 1/4 teaspoon Toasted and ground cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon Toasted and
ground fennel seeds 1/4 teaspoon Toasted and ground anise seeds 1/4 teaspoon
Sea salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
Topping: Rolled rye flakses 1 cup
PREPARE THE SOURDOUGH. Twelve to 24 hours before you plan to bake, refresh your
rye sourdough.
MIX THE DOUGH. Pour the water into a large mix ing bowl or the bowl of a stand
mixer. Stir in the yeast, rye flour, bread flour, wheat germ, coriander, cumin,
fennel, anise, and salt with a rubber spatula. Stir down the rye sourdough,
which will have bub bled up during fermentation, to invigorate and deflate it.
Measure out 1/2 cup (3-5 ounces/100 grams) of the sourdough and pour it over
the dough, scraping the measuring cup clean.
(Refresh and store the remaining rye sourdough following the instruc tions on
pages 277-78.) With the spatula, work in the sourdough just enough to bind it
to the dough.
KNEAD THE DOUGH. By hand: Lightly dust the counter with bread flour. Scrape the
dough onto the counter and knead with smooth, consistent strokes, more to
incorporate the ingredients thoroughly than to develop any elasticity, for 8
minutes. Flour your hands as necessary but resist adding extra flour to the
dough. The dough will be soft but not excessively sticky. Cover the dough with
plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Uncover and con
tinue to knead until it is soft, still somewhat ragged, and barely elastic, 4
to 6 minutes more. By machine: Use the dough hook and mix the dough on low
speed (2 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 5 minutes. Turn off the machine and scrape
the hook and the sides of the bowl. Drape a piece of plastic wrap over the
dough and let it rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Turn the mixer back on to
medium-low
(3 on a KitchenAid mixer) and knead until the dough is soft, still somewhat
ragged, and barely elastic, 3 to 5 minutes more.
FERMENT THE DOUGH. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, clear a-quart
container with a lid. With masking tape, mark the spot on the container that
the dough will reach when it has risen one and a half times in volume. Cover
and leave it to rise at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees) until it has
increased one and a half times in size, reaching the masking tape mark, 2 to 2
1/2 hours. It will look spongy and lighter in color.
DIVIDE AND SHAPE THE ROUNDS. Heavily dust
2 bannetons or shallow bowls lined with kitchen towels with the rye flakes.
Lightly flour the counter. Uncover the dough and scrape it out. With a bench
scraper or chef’s knife, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces (15.6 ounces/443
grams each). Shape each piece into a round (see Shaping Rounds, page 36).
Handle the fragile dough gently. The rounds will not look perfectly smooth.
Place them smooth side down in the bannetons or bowls. Cover them with plastic
wrap.
PROOF THE ROUNDS. Let the loaves rise at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees)
until they inflate slightly and the surface looks smoother, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
PREPARE THE OVEN. About 1 hour before baking, place a baking stone on the
middle rack of the oven and a cast-iron skillet on the lower rack. Heat the
oven to 450 degrees.
SCORE THE ROUNDS. Cover a baker’s peel or rim less baking sheet with parchment
paper and dust it with rye flour. Uncover the loaves and tip them out onto the
peel or baking sheet, guiding each loaf with one hand for a soft landing. With
a single-edged razor blade or serrated knife, make two sets of criss crossing
cuts, like a tick-tack-toe board.
BAKE THE ROUNDS. Slide the loaves, still on the parchment, onto the baking
stone. Place 3/4 cup of ice cubes in the skillet to produce heavy steam. Bake
until the rounds are dark walnut-brown, 30 to 40 minutes. They will not rise
dramatically during baking.
COOL AND STORE THE ROUNDS. Slide the peel or the rimless baking sheet under the
parchment paper to remove the loaves from the oven. Slide the loaves, still on
the parchment, onto a wire rack. Cool for about 5 minutes and then peel them
off the parch ment paper. Cool the loaves completely, about 1 hour, before
slicing very thin. The loaves are best eaten the day after baking. They will
stay fresh for 4 to 5 days stored in a brown paper bag at room temperature. For
longer storage, freeze in resealable plastic bags for up to 1 month.
Local Breads by Daniel Leader
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BREAD-RECIPE/
[I don’t know why the computer is putting in extra things like the > in the url, it does not show on the work/paste location, but does when I preview it, so take them out and this is as it appears to me....
mail-archive.com/bread-recipe@yahoogroups.com/index.html#00943
use the entire line as the url and see if it will work...granny]
http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
Blueberry Bread (dak)
ckayp77
Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:32:06 -0800
Blueberry Bread (dak)
Categories: Breadmaker, Breakfast
Yield: 1 Serving
-—MICHAEL HATALA RJHP21A-—
-—FOR 1 1/2 LB. LOAF-—
1 pk Yeast
3 c Bread flour
1/2 t Salt
2 T Sugar
1 T Butter or margerine
1 cn Blueberries (16-1/2
- oz);well drained, reserve
- liquid
1/4 c Retained juice
1/4 c Water; approximately
Add all dry ingredients into pan. Put well drained berries into a
2-cup measuring cup, add 1/4 cup juice and enough water to equal
1-1/3 cups (we found it to be 1/4 cup water) Select white bread and
push start.
From Loafing It by DAK
Yahoo! Groups Links
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http://www.mail-archive.com/bread-
Lg. Vegetable Bread *
Categories: Breadmaker, Breads
Yield: 1 Loaf
1 1/2 c ;water
2 T Margarine/butter
1/2 c Carrots; grated
2/3 t ;salt
1 t Sugar
2 t Celery seeds
2 c Flour, whole wheat bread
2 c Flour, bread
2 1/2 t Yeast
1/2 c Tomatoes, dried; diced
1/2 c Peppers, bell; diced
Add first eight ingredients in order listed. Begin cycle. After
first kneading, add dried tomatoes and bell peppers. Complete cycle.
From: Margaret Young Date: 28 Jan 97 National
Cooking Echo
Yahoo! Groups Links
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Rum Raisin Bread
2 tablespoons rum
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon dry milk powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract
1 egg
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
In a small bowl, pour rum over raisins. Let stand for 30 minutes and drain.
Place ingredients in pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Use the
regular setting for a 1 pound loaf.
If your machine has a Fruit setting, add the raisins at the signal, or about 5
minutes before the kneading cycle has finished.
POTECA ROLL
Dough:
1 1/2 -ounce cake yeast or package active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soft shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 1/2 -3 3/4 cup sifted flour
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let stand
until doubled in size. Mix in dough mixture and let rise. Then pat down,
roll out to 14-by-10.
Filling:
1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring
2 cups ground walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
Mix together.
Cover rolled out dough com pletely with filling and roll up like jelly
roll.
Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. To avoid over browning,
cover with brown paper. Cool on rack.
Patricia Burdine
Williamstown
54th Annual Parkersburg W.V. News & Sentinel Cookbook
Se-Di Bread
(Se-di is the Cherokee word for walnut)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup broken nutmeats
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons baking power
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
Mix flour, nutmeats, sugar, baking power, and salt. Stir in the egg and
milk. Place in a greased baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for 45
minutes.
Smokehouse Ham,Spoon Bread, & Scupperong Wine
Beet Bread
(from “A good Cook& Gen Talents” by Drs. Frank and Rosalie Hurd)
Into a blender put:
2 c cooked beets
1/3 c honey
2-1/2 c warm water or beet liquid
Put into bowl and add:
1 T salt
½ c oil
½ c flaxseed
2 T dried parsley
½ c soy flour
5 c whole wheat flour
Then add 2-1/2 T dry active yeast softened in ½ c warm water and 1 t
honey (dissolve in water and let set 5 minutes before adding) (do
this step while preparing the above mixture)
Then stir in: 5 c unbleached white flour. Knead 5 min. till
smooth and elastic. Cover in oiled bowl. Let rise in warm place till
double. Shape into 4-5 loaves. Place in oiled bread pans. Let rise
double. Bake at 375 for 50 min. or till done.
(Time of baking depends on size of loaves.) Remove from
pans. Oil tops to keep soft. When thoroughly cooled, wrap and
store. If part beet juice is used for water the bread will be deeper
red.
>>>is this a survavlist thread<<<
Test your survival knowledge -
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/quiz/quiz.php
Survivability in a likely scenario would involve families, friends contributing to a community of sustainability. Since no one individual possesses all the tools, skills, knowledge, and supplies for sustainable survival, nor the ability to stand guard 24-7 should a continent of 500 million plus be plunged into raw survivalist mode, we need to acquire skills in maintaining a level of preparedness that encompasses the skills, recipes and knowledge of our forefathers, the knowledge to maintain variety and diversity of diet and a quality of life worth living.
An ongoing supply of bread, cheese, eggs, meat, vegetables - with a reserve supply that can be made into tasty meals sure beats mush with an occasional starling, maybe a turtle and berries if they are in season or a baked cattail root for nutrition.
So, that said, welcome to the thread - bare-bones survival techniques may also be needed - so please join in and add to our knowledge and direction.
Crisis Spurs Spike in ‘Suburban Survivalists’
May 25, 2009
By Gillian FlacCUS
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Six months ago, Jim Wiseman didn’t even have a spare nutrition bar in his kitchen cabinet.
Now, the 54-year-old businessman and father of five has a backup generator, a water filter, a grain mill and a 4-foot-tall pile of emergency food tucked in his home in the expensive San Diego suburb of La Jolla.
Wiseman isn’t alone. Emergency supply retailers and military surplus stores nationwide have seen business boom in the past few months as an increasing number of Americans spooked by the economy rush to stock up on gear that was once the domain of hardcore survivalists.
These people snapping up everything from water purification tablets to thermal blankets shatter the survivalist stereotype: they are mostly urban professionals with mortgages, SUVs, solid jobs and a twinge of embarrassment about their newfound hobby.
From teachers to real estate agents, these budding emergency gurus say the dismal economy has made them prepare for financial collapse as if it were an oncoming Category 5 hurricane. They worry about rampant inflation, runs on banks, bare grocery shelves and widespread power failures that could make taps run dry.
For Wiseman, a fire protection contractor, that’s meant spending roughly $20,000 since September on survival gear–and trying to persuade others to do the same.
“The UPS guy drops things off and he sees my 4-by-8-by-6-foot pile of food and I say ‘What are you doing to prepare, buddy?’” he said. “Because there won’t be a thing left on any shelf of any supermarket in the country if people’s confidence wavers.”
The surge in interest in emergency stockpiling has been a bonanza for camping supply companies and military surplus vendors, some of whom report sales spikes of up to 50 percent. These companies usually cater to people preparing for earthquakes or hurricanes, but informal customer surveys now indicate the bump is from first-time shoppers who cite financial, not natural, disaster as their primary concern, they say.
Top sellers include 55-gallon water jugs, waterproof containers, freeze-dried foods, water filters, water purification tablets, glow sticks, lamp oil, thermal blankets, dust masks, first-aid kits and inexpensive tents.
Joe Branin, owner of the online emergency supply store Living Fresh, said he’s seen a 700 percent increase in orders for water purification tablets in the past month and a similar increase in orders for sterile water pouches.
He is shipping meals ready to eat and food bars by the case to residential addresses nationwide.
“You’re hearing from the people you will always hear from, who will build their own bunkers and stuff,” he said. “But then you’re hearing from people who usually wouldn’t think about this, but now it’s in their heads: ‘What if something comes to the worst?’”
Online interest in survivalism has increased too. The niche Web site SurvivalBlog.com has seen its page views triple in the past 14 months to nearly 137,000 unique visitors a week. Jim Rawles, a self-described survivalist who runs the site, calls the newcomers “11th hour believers.” He charges $100 an hour for phone consulting on emergency preparedness and says that business also has tripled.
“There’s so many people who are concerned about the economy that there’s a huge interest in preparedness, and it pretty much crosses all lines, social, economic, political and religious,” he said. “There’s a steep learning curve going on right now.”
Art Markman, a cognitive psychologist, said he’s not surprised by the reaction to the nation’s financial woes–even though it may seem irrational. In an increasingly global and automated society, most people are dependent on strangers and systems they don’t understand–and the human brain isn’t programmed to work that way.
“We have no real causal understanding of the way our world works at all,” said Markman, a professor at the University of Texas, Austin. “When times are good, you trust that things are working, but when times are bad you realize you don’t have a clue what you would do if the supermarket didn’t have goods on the shelves and that if the banks disappear, you have no idea where your money is.”
Those preparing for the worst echo those thoughts and say learning to be self sufficient makes them feel more in control amid mounting uncertainty–even if it seems crazy to their friends and families.
Chris Macera, a 29-year-old IT systems administrator, said he started buying extra food to take advantage of sales after he lost his job and he was rehired elsewhere for $30,000 less.
But Macera, who works in suburban Orange County, said that over several months his mentality began to shift from saving money to preparing for possible financial mayhem. He is motivated, too, by memories of the government paralysis that followed Hurricane Katrina.
He now buys 15 pounds of meat at a time and freezes it, and buys wheat in 50-pound bags, mills it into flour and uses it to bake bread. He checks survivalist Web sites for advice at least once a day and listens to survival podcasts.
“You kind of have to sift through the people with their hats on a little bit too tight,” said Macera, who said his colleagues tease him about the grain mill. “But I see a lot of things (on the Web) and they’re real common sense-type things.”
“I don’t want to be a slave to anybody,” he said. “The more systems you’re dependent on, the more likely things are going to go bad for you.”
That’s a philosophy shared by Vincent Springer, a newcomer to emergency preparedness from the Chicago area.
Springer, a high school social studies teacher, says he’s most worried about energy shortages and an economic breakdown that could paralyze the just-in-time supply chain that grocery stores rely on.
In the past few months, Springer has stockpiled enough freeze-dried food for three months and bought 72-hour emergency supply kits for himself, his wife and two young children. The 39-year-old is also teaching himself to can food.
“I’m not looking for a retreat in northern Idaho or any of that stuff, but I think there’s more people like me out there and I think those numbers are growing,” he said.
http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D98DCLJG0&show_article=1
http://www.millennium-ark.net/NEWS/09_USA/090526.crisis.spurs.preps.html
It is because of Neil Strauss’ new book, “Emergency: This book may save you life”. There are people hoping to cash in just as PUA trainers saw money after he wrote, “The Game”, a story about the secret world of pickup.
There’s nothing to see here.
Learn to shoot.
Learn to hunt.
Learn to grow veges.
Learn to hide.
Keep enough gold on hand to pay your way anywhere.
Learn basic medical skills.
Have a plan in case society breaks down.
Then, go about living your daily lives. Never live in fear. If you fear something, learn how to defeat it, if your fear is realized. Then, you will not need worry about survival.
CIgars...no one ever mentions the need for a month’s supply of cigars.
Personally, though I love cigars, I would go for pipe tobacco instead. Pipe tobacco lasts almost 10 times as long as an equivalent space for cigars. One 6 inch cigar can last up to 3 hours, if smoked lightly. one inch deep of pipe tobacco can last about as long.
>>>no one ever mentions the need for a month’s supply of cigars.<<<
LOL, Guess everyone tries to be politically correct by not mentioning cigars, cigarettes, chaws or pipes...
As a 14th generation of American tobacco people, I do resent them trying to destroy our heritage. Tobacco was our currency since about 140 years before the revolution.
Growing tobacco is not a daunting task, but properly curing it is. SIL is planning to build a large curing box, and I will be getting some Virginia tobacco seeds to grow the necessary crop. Cigar wrapping is a definite talent and requires practice, but rolling cured leaves and slicing for a pipe is much easier.
Tobacco can be worth its weight in gold in barter situations.
My personal stash does include several pounds of tobacco. It will keep indefinitely in sealed storage.
Welcome to the thread... Join in often, or just try to keep up with the information Granny keeps finding for us. Amazingly she ferrets out some of the greatest information from all kinds of sources.
By the way Granny, how are you doing? How is your computer holding up? Is there anything you need besides our prayers? Are you warmed up by now?
Many many {{{hugs}}} for you!!
Thanks for the information. I have wanted to try making my own paper. Your instructions make it look easy and I bet the result is very pretty. Fragrances! wow.
bookmark this post and the next one
CDC: Interim Recommendations for Facemask and Respirator Use to Reduce Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Transmission
This document provides updated interim guidance on the use of facemasks and respirators for decreasing the exposure to novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. This guidance replaces other CDC guidance on mask and/or respirator use that may be included in other CDC documents in regards to the outbreak of novel H1N1 virus. No change has been made to guidance on the use of facemasks and respirators for health care settings. This document includes guidance on facemask and respirator use for a wider range of settings than was included in previous documents and includes recommendations for those who are at increased risk of severe illness from infection with the novel H1N1 virus compared with those who are at lower risk of severe illness from influenza infection. For more information about human infection with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, visit the CDC H1N1 Flu website. Other CDC novel H1N1 guidance will be updated with the information contained in this document as soon as possible.
Read full article>>
For more information on H1N1 situation, please visit www.PandemicFlu.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/masks.htm
Learn to shoot.
Learn to hunt.
Learn to grow veges.
Learn to hide...
Then, go about living your daily lives. Never live in fear. If you fear something, learn how to defeat it, if your fear is realized. Then, you will not need worry about survival.
Excellent advice.
Welcome and I hope you continue to join in on the thread, we can use more information about the various kinds of survival. Each person’s take on the situation we are in is valuable, because we have no idea what is in store. It may go downhill fast, or it may take a long time, or whatever. The main thing is to be prepared in whatever way you can prepare.
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