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
“Dang, doesn’t sound like there’s enough hours in the day for all that you do.”
That’s why it’s taking so long. :) Trying to fit trips down into our schedule isn’t easy, but we knew this is how it would be when we made our decision. We’re now *comitted* (aka “there’s no turning back now” :) and we’ll get there, hopefully on “our” schedule. ;)
>> I’m here, as time permits, reading along, just usually too pooped to post. (g)<<<
The best description for my state of mind also. !!
Every morning the news just ruins my mood most of the time!
like a line from a movie (edited)
” Who we gonna mess with now “
“Please be careful and do not get run down.
The pig flu is still out there and his hitting groups and schools still, or even more so than in the beginning. If you are run down, it will be harder to survive.”
Thanks for the concern. Actually, we’re in pretty good health, considering our ages. ;) Vitamins and herbs have been my friends for many years now. :)
Since I work “retail”, I upped my intake of Vitamin D when this flu broke out. I don’t have the time to be “sick”. :) Since I handle money(probably the dirtiest thing I touch all day ;), not to mention dealing with customers, Lysol and soap are my very good friends. :)After being coughed on; sneezed on; and yes burped on; not to mention being handed money by people sorely in need of a bath, I’ve also learned to stand back from customers. :)
Increased sales of 7-Up and popsickles usually indicate when “something” is going around, but so far the pig flu seems to have avoided this area and there’s been no mention of it in the local gossip down home.
Although I’m often physically tired at the end of the day, I actually *feel* better than I had in some time because we’re now actually “doing” something positive. :)
An excellent financial blog, several good suggestions:
http://www.goodfinancialcents.com/things-that-make-good-financial-cents/
Large bandanna that is multiple use from dust mask to sling or bandage for injury.<<<
The cowboys also used them for strainers, as in bugs and crud out of water....
LOL, when I was young, I thought those red bandanas were for hankerchiefs and kept buying them for men, how was I to know that yankee men use white ones, that are too small for lots of uses.
Dr. Bill Wattenberg says that a wet t-shirt, or even your shorts, will protect you to a large amount from bio hazards that are blowing in the breeze or falling from the air.
Welcome and do come and join in the thread, if you want to.
The best description for my state of mind also. !!
Every morning the news just ruins my mood most of the time!
like a line from a movie (edited)
” Who we gonna mess with now “<<<
Yes, I agree, the news is all ugly.
I do not have a clue of who we will attack next and the way that the o is going, it will be a friend, maybe England or Canada.
Increased sales of 7-Up and popsickles usually indicate when “something” is going around, but so far the pig flu seems to have avoided this area and there’s been no mention of it in the local gossip down home.
Although I’m often physically tired at the end of the day, I actually *feel* better than I had in some time because we’re now actually “doing” something positive. :)<<<
Yes, you are on the firing line, out there to catch everything that stops.
As for the 7 up, this area has the pig flu and we also are passing around the stomach flu, so 7 up is a good stock to buy.
I envy you, having a dream and living it, even if it is a slow and difficult undertaking.
Somehow surviving is lots more fun, than whipping out the check book and buying everything you want.
http://recipes.kaboose.com/pork-souvlaki-in-a-pita.html
Pork Souvlaki in a Pita
by Stella Zedman
This mouth-watering marinade of oregano, parsley, garlic, tomato and lemon juice bathes chicken in sunny Mediterranean flavors for a taste that will whisk you away to the Greek islands for an evening.
More Spring Recipes
More Pork Recipes
Ingredients
* 1-1/2 lbs. (750 g) boneless pork loin or tenderloin, cut into 1-inch (2-cm) cubes
* 1/3 cup (75 mL) lemon juice
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tbsp. (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley
* 1 tsp. (5 mL) crumbled dried oregano
* 1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
* 1/4 tsp. (1 mL) black pepper
* 2 medium onions, cut into chunks
* 2 red, yellow or green peppers, cut into chunks
* 8 cherry tomatoes (if desired)
* 4 to 6 medium pita breads
* tzatziki sauce for serving (store-bought is fine)
Cooking Instructions
1. Place cubed pork into a zip-top plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour marinade into the bag with the meat, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag shut. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Wrap pita breads in foil and place in a 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) oven to warm while you prepare the souvlaki.
3. Drain marinade from the meat and discard it. Onto the soaked skewers, thread marinated pork cubes alternately with onion and pepper chunks, as well as a cherry tomato (the finishing touch).
4. Preheat barbecue grill to medium-high. Place skewers on the grill and cook, turning once, 5 to 7 minutes per side or until the meat is cooked through.
5. To serve, use a warmed pita to slide the cooked meat and veggies off the skewers. Stuff into the pocket (if there is one) or simply roll up the pita and add a spoonful of tzatziki sauce.
Servings: 4 to 6
How kids can help
Mix together the marinade ingredients and add to the meat in the plastic bag.
Cut up the vegetables.
Thread meat and vegetables onto bamboo skewers.
More Spring Recipes
More Pork Recipes
http://recipes.kaboose.com/peach-and-berry-salad.html
Peach and Berry Salad
Originally submitted by Barrett and modified by Kaboose.com
A burst of seasonal flavor and color, this summer salad plays up the natural sweetness of fresh peaches and berries with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cardamom.
More Spring Recipes
Ingredients
* 3 fresh peaches
* 2-1/2 pints blackberries
* 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Cooking Instructions
1. Bring medium pot of water to boil. Add peaches and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer to medium bowl. Cover with cold water and cool. Drain, peel and slice.
2. In a medium bowl, combine peaches, blackberries, strawberries, honey and cardamom. Toss together and refrigerate.
Nutrition Facts
Servings per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
* calories: 217cal
* total fat: 1.1g
* cholesterol: 0mg
* sodium: 2mg
* carbohydrates: 55g
* fiber: 13.2g
* protein: 2.4g
Preparation Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 5 min.
Ready In: 20 min.
Servings: 4
Try it With:
Applesauce Pancakes
Related Recipes:
Chuckwagon Salad
Related Recipes & Articles:
More Spring Recipes
(((Another WARNING - will we respond?)))
***From Farming to Serfdom***
Written by Ann Shibler
Thursday, 18 June 2009 01:58
Another sweeping draconian measure from your representatives in Washington is quickly taking shape under H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act (FSEA) of 2009. Though not officially introduced until June 8, this bill seems to be the bill of choice for passage, as opposed to the eight other bills on the same subject that still sit in committees.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), John Dingell (D-Mich.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Bart Stupack (D-Mich.) — met to discuss the bill on May 26, which was 13 days before it was introduced. These congressmen are all sponsors of the bill. They also held a hearing on the bill on June 3, five days before it was officially introduced.
With pre-planning like this, it’s no wonder that there’s already an amendment to the bill, and that it has been voted out of the Health Subcommittee and already marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee as a bill being fast-tracked.
Marketed as a bill to “amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to improve the safety of food in the global market, and for other purposes,” the bill in actuality extends U.S. government control over the food supply and those who produce it, using the issue of food safety as the rationale. In fact, the bill doesn’t even address any bad food practices, especially those in foreign countries.
After thoroughly analyzing the text of H.R. 2749, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund reports that small farms and local producers and small business would be forced to endure “a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme” that would “disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.” The bill contains frightening and costly requirements, with severe penalties for individuals who are found non-compliant by the FDA.
Section 101 (b)(1)-p-3 requires food “facilities” to register annually and pay an annual fee of $500, with said amount to be adjusted for inflation at any time. While claiming that food facilities do not include farms, the FDA’s current vague definition of a “farm” could open the door for the federal agency to designate many farms as food facilities at any time:
A facility in one general physical location devoted to the growing and harvesting of crops, the raising of animals (including seafood), or both. Washing, trimming of outer leaves of, and cooling produce are considered part of harvesting. The term “farm” includes:
(i) Facilities that pack or hold food, provided that all food used in such activities is grown, raised, or consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership; and
Facilities that manufacture/process food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership. [21 CFR § 1.227(3)]
By this definition, one owns a farm if one consumes everything one produces, but if one sells any produce, one may no longer be considered a farm. And, a facility is any place that holds food; my kitchen pantry holds food, and so does my local grocery store and I’ve seen them wash and trim vegetables there, so if one were to adhere strictly to the terms above, a grocery store could be under the control of the FDA.
A “facility” according to the FDA is also applied to any place that holds, processes, or manufactures food, including lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, and breads. And manufacturing and processing is defined by the FDA to include any activity that uses, cutting, peeling, trimming, washing, waxing, eviscerating, rendering, cooking, baking, freezing, cooling, pasteurizing, homogenizing, mixing, formulating, bottling, milling, grinding, extracting juice, distilling, labeling, or packaging.” [21 CFR § 1.227(6)]
That covers just about anything one could do to a product intended for consumption, and if shared, sold, or purchased, one would fall under the FDA’s regulations, which then would spill over into other areas on the farm or in the business.
Under H.R. 2749 the FDA would require any such producer or holder of such products to develop a food safety plan to be submitted to the FDA for scrutiny. If the small business or farm can devote the time and resources to such a bureaucratic requirement, and if granted approval by the FDA, they then can be subject to “risk-based inspections” at any time for any reason or no reason, which in laymen’s terms are better labeled warrantless searches.
And if that isn’t enough to discourage the small farmer or entrepreneur, the required record keeping would be massive. All foods would have to be traced at all times, and animals would have to be tracked as well, by the farmer or businessman, and God help those who don’t get it right. The penalties could land individuals up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000 for each violation for bad recordkeeping to misbranding, to food spoilage or contamination.
The FDA will make the determination to detain food, but the Secretary of Health and Human Services can issue geographic quarantines to be enforced by the FDA if there is “credible evidence or information” that indicates any food presents a threat of “adverse health consequences or death to human or animals,” [21 USC 334(h)(1)(A)] OR if there is even a “reason to believe that the article [of food] is adulterated, misbranded or otherwise is in violation of this act,” [section 132(a)–p. 82].
The nail in the coffin for any independent producer would be provisions in H.R. 2749 empowering the FDA to dictate farming practices. In fact, organic- and sustainable-farming practices could be eliminated outright under a scheme to regularize farming practices under the heading of safety standards. Raw meat may be subject to irradiation, and no one would be allowed to drink raw milk. Manure handling, sanitation, animal controls, and temperature controls would be under the FDA’s discretionary power. For details, check section 104 of the text of the bill.
Food safety is best achieved at the local level; small farmers and local food processors are part of the solution to food safety, not the problem. Yet, this onerous Orwellian-style bill grants more and more power to an opaque and unaccountable agency, hyper-regulating small producers out of business or turning them into serfs for the state, and leaving the industrial food system and food imports completely alone to commandeer the marketplace.
It would seem then, that a centralized food system under the complete control of the government is the goal of this bill and others like it.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/congress/1255
Yep I use em for same reasons and also on a plane where I can’t carry a knife or my pistol. I have a small pocket sewn into the corner that I put an unopened roll of quarters or twon in and use that for situations till I get back to my checked baggage with gun and knife......:o)
many many uses for the bandannas......one I carry every day has a small 550 parachute cord sewn into the edges as well as the above mentioned “coin purse” pocket so I can use the bandanna as a drawstring bag if needed also. For collecting berries and other found sources of food in the wild.
When prepping water for a filter or boil I use the bandanna as a pre filter as you suggest as well.
Also carry a neon color four your bandanna of choice for signaling or even cutting off a very small piece to put on a fishing hook. Yep it works as bait too !......:o)
I had troops that would fold and iron the big ones and place em under their boot inserts so they always had spares.
Then there is always the magic tricks you can use it for where language is a barrier. Used many times in my military career to make locals smile and relax when they were scared etc ......
I also lay mine in the bottom of a dark stream with rocks securing it so I can see the fish swim by or over it and shock fish with a large rock...... stuns em just long enough to toss on the bank.
Many many uses....always have one with me !
Have been reading this thread since first inception. Thread has given me much to consider.
Thanks for collecting so much information in one place.
I'm with you on the gadget thing. If we ever have to go primitive, won't do much good to have a bunch of fancy stuff with a bunch of moving parts that could go TU when the wind blows. When I wheeled out my equipment this spring, I started to think a mini-EMP had exploded over my barn. Had 1 tractor, both tillers, 2 high wheel string trimmers and a chain saw that I couldn't get going for nothing. For the first part of spring, I was relegated to picks, sickles, spades, hoes, rakes, and my Cold Steel and KaBar machetes to get stuff done. Not complaining about muscle aches and long hours of blood sweat and tears, just thankful I had backup equipment to get things done. As of now, everything is back up working. Just an example of what you said, “Preparedness , self reliance and redundant systems will let you survive any unseen situation that may happen to YOU and yours.”
Great advice on what to have! I don't have a lot of spare cash to spend on fancy gadgets. My get up and go bags are surplus ALICE packs, one with frame and one without that I picked up along the way real cheap. In fact both packs cost me less than a quarter of those for sale in big sporting goods stores. Got a used LBE with all the stuff attached for almost nothing. Have a bunch of canteens I got from yard sales and other places for almost nothing. Picked up a hundred P38’s not long ago by mistake. Thought I was ordering only a handful but turned out be a hundred. Got some P39’s I've had since my Army days. Been collecting guns, ammo, and knives for years just because I enjoy having them. Just a note on firearm placement - hiredhand posted a picture of some of his stuff placed on his kitchen table - Holy cow, last time I did that I got in big trouble with my better half. Now all my stuff is stored in my man cave. We have an agreement that the cave is mine and I can put stuff where ever I want. Better to get oil and solvent on my desk rather than the kitchen table so she says.
Our whole entire plan for when the shtf is focused on our home and property, with an alternate place out in the woods if need be. I work an hour from home. One of my get out bags is in my vehicle at all times. I totally agree with you on “I personally tend to see myself self reliant at home and a survivalist when away from home.” I just know judging from past experience that if things go south, I'm gonna be an hour drive from home. That's okay though, I'm ready for that.
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/1/4/4/1/14418/14418.htm
[From an 1800’s book titled “Thrift”
A FABLE.
A grasshopper, half starved with cold and hunger, came to a well-stored
beehive at the approach of winter, and humbly begged the bees to relieve
his wants with a few drops of honey.
One of the bees asked him how he had spent his time all the summer, and
why he had not laid up a store of food like them.
“Truly.” said he, “I spent my time very merrily, in drinking, dancing,
and singing, and never once thought of winter.”
“Our plan is very different,” said the bee; “we work hard in the summer,
to lay by a store of food against the season when we foresee we shall
want it; but those who do nothing but drink, and dance, and sing in the
summer, must expect to starve in the winter.”
After thoroughly analyzing the text of H.R. 2749, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund reports that small farms and local producers and small business would be forced to endure “a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme” that would “disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.” The bill contains frightening and costly requirements, with severe penalties for individuals who are found non-compliant by the FDA.<<<
This is a planned gov takeover of farming and producing a food supply, plain and simple, as they have in autos and banks and next planned to be insurance.
If they put enough of these food bills in to vote on, they will get the law they really want in pieces.
Remember about 1917 in Russia, when the commies took over the farms, they starved.
many many uses for the bandannas.<<<
Wonderful, thanks for sharing your ways to use them.
They may well be the cheapest tool on the market, if one paid attention to them.
I do know that the cowboys used them and would have had a fit if you took it away from them.
What other “tools” are you using in ways that we may not be?
Allowing the fish to swim over the dark ones, is an interesting thought.
Bill had a friend that had found the right spots to spread out sheep skins in streams in the gold country, back in the 1960’s he was making $6, 000 to 8,000, per winter season, when he went and got them, burned them and recovered the gold dust in them.
No, I never found a good spot that would do its own work.
Thanks for sticking with the thread.
If you knew how many times on thread one, that i thought that I was posting things that only I read....LOL
There is much to think about and so much that I still have not thought about, but may yet.
One never knows when one will want the information that has been read in passing.
Our whole entire plan for when the shtf is focused on our home and property, with an alternate place out in the woods if need be. I work an hour from home. One of my get out bags is in my vehicle at all times. I totally agree with you on “I personally tend to see myself self reliant at home and a survivalist when away from home.” I just know judging from past experience that if things go south, I’m gonna be an hour drive from home. That’s okay though, I’m ready for that.<<<
Have you mapped out and tested the alternate routes?
The freeways will soon be at a total standstill with all the cars on them.
Or as I have heard from some that evacuated in Florida about the end of the 1990’s, once they were on the freeway, the cops would not allow them to get off of it.
Dr. Bill Wattenberg suggests having walking shoes in your car and desk, in case you need to walk home.
He also has in his, emergency foods, as in Spam, Peanut butter, and those granola bars, sleeping bags and water and of course tools, first aid, etc.
Sometimes it almost seems like a nightmare when I think about stuff like this. But judging by the way things are going, an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure.
Agree !
....good CHEAP kits are easy to make.....here is a good one !
http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Survival%20Kit.htm
stay safe !
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