Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Anyway, he was talking about 101 things to use vodka for other than drinking...<<<

Never heard of it being used with grains, that one is new to me.

It is used with vanilla beans to make flavoring and can be used to make an air conditioner, with essential oils or a perfume.

I bought a bottle, never got around to making perfume, something told me that it would be difficult to convince a cop, that “No, Officer, I did not drink Vodka, but it does smell good so I spray it on myself”.....LOL
[I hate the smell of vodka]

>>>This has to be a disaster for them<<<

This comes about a month after her mother died. Jackie also took care of her until the last few weeks when she required 24/7 skilled care.

Jackie and family certainly have my prayers.

Not aware yet will bump the thread for ya..... I will read up on it.

We keep a few cases of Jack an everclear on the shelf as backup pain meds as well as share some of our crop with the old hippies down the road who grow some alleged feel good crop we may have need of if all turns to crap on a nekid thursday er somethin.....;o)

Thanks for the ping/post at 7992 DelaWhere. I don’t know...but it could have been put out there by a vodka salesmam, a wax paper salesman, a storage container salesman, a paper towel salesman. A hungry bug will try to get to anything but will follow the path of least resistance to a food source. On the other hand, exploring bugs or B & E bugs may have created a path of least resistance for the lazy hunter/gatherer bugs. /sarcasm

BUMP for survival. Thanks to all posters.

then sealed the pail, that there would be no spoilage or insects at all...

My dad used to seal food by putting down a towel and wax paper, then pouring a thin layer of melted bee wax over the top of the various food, put down some more wax paper and poured another layer of melted wax. We had dried black eyed peas that kept for years without insects.

>>>wax paper, then pouring a thin layer of melted bee wax over the top of the various food<<<

That sounds like a good way...

Old Timers used to use a lot of beeswax and paraffin. I have talked to several who made hothouses by taking cheesecloth, dipping it a few times in melted paraffin and letting it harden. This was before there was polyethylene sheets.

Of course we used to always use paraffin (and some used beeswax) for their fruit preserves, jams and jelly jars with poured wax to seal them. I can remember jars of every variety that had the wax, then brown paper tied with a string and stored. You could always tell when the husband had been recruited to tie the string. (It was tied with a millers knot) If the wife had tied it, it usually was a bow.

Yes, jelly and jam always had cheesecloth and wax seals on them. We also put shelled corn and wheat into cloth bags, put them into clay pots, covered with wax paper and covered with bee wax. During the winter, we would take it out and grind it in our hammer mill. We always had fresh flour and corn meal.

Another thing we did when butchering hogs. We took the freshly smoked sausage, and cut it into pieces. We would stuff the sausage into clay pots and cover with hog lard. That stuff kept for a long time.

Did see this about isopropyl alcohol and bugs - maybe it would work with Everclear.

“Pour isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle or on a rag and scrub the inside of your cupboards, making sure to touch every inch. The alcohol kills mealybugs and eggs on contact.”

How to Keep Mealy Bugs Out of Cupboards | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5721758_keep-mealy-bugs-out-cupboards.html#ixzz0w2r3htfx

Check out this thread.

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (Illegal to grow your own food)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2566607/posts

PING to post 8000 of granny’s third survival list!

GREAT survival tips, recipes, news stories, and all sorts of relevant information to those of us prepping for the worst.

If you want on or off thing ping list, please freepmail me.
thanks!

Never heard of that. I think I'd be doing myself a better service to drink the vodka, just my .02.

WOW! Is this the longest FR thread ever or what?

Well, probably not. I DO kind of miss the old days when we could talk for 9,000 posts about a bunny with a pancake on its head. Or cheese. Or a moose. Or somebody’s sister who liked cheese and got bit by a moose, LOL!

That, and when the Mods would actually lets us grind a DU Troll into the cyber-ground for a full week or so.

Now THOSE were the days... *SIGH*

Hey CB, how are things going?

Long too hot summer here - fighting to get a crop on some things.

Politicking like crazy to try to get some sensible people in Washington!

Anything new on your end.?

http://frugaldad.com/2010/08/09/the-frugal-pantry-project/

Beyond the Emergency Fund: The Frugal Pantry Project

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT

This is the second article in a five-part series on preparing your household, “Beyond the Emergency Fund.” For five consecutive Mondays, we’ll look at a variety of preparedness methods such as food and water storage, alternative power sources and ways to prepare for specific types of household emergencies.

Last week we discussed the importance of having enough potable water storage on hand for each person in your family in the event an emergency disrupts the flow of public water systems. Moving right up the order of importance, next we’ll discuss food storage – something that can be costly in terms of dollars and storage space.
The 72-Hour Emergency Food Pantry

The initial phase of any good emergency plan is one that covers your family in the event you are cut off from facilities and rescue for 72 hours. In most localized, regional emergencies (floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.) help should arrive within three days. That is not always the case, but in terms of survival preparations, you can usually count on some relief within 72 hours of a disaster.

So first things first. Most people should have enough food on hand to survive three days without a trip to the store. However, if you are the type that shops every evening on the way home from work, you might want to put a little money aside and start your own food pantry at home.

When preparing a 72-hour emergency cache of food, the easiest thing to do is pick up a few extra non-perishables on your next grocery trip. Canned vegetables, dried beans, rice, peanut butter, and canned tuna are a good start. You can add in other snacks to build complete meals if you wish, but remember, chances are you’ll be operating without power and could be heating foods and water on a grill or over an outdoor flame.

Don’t forget to toss in a manual can opener to easily open canned goods. We picked up an extra one and tossed in our pantry next to our emergency food storage because in an emergency we didn’t want to have to be digging through the kitchen drawers looking for our can opener.
The Two Week Plan and Beyond

Scaling up a bit in scope of disaster scenarios, now imagine a regional disaster has occurred and basic services have been disrupted. Foods disappear from grocers’ shelves within three days, and resupply is impossible thanks to impassable roads. Now what?

The answer is a larger, two-week emergency supply of foods. Planning two weeks of meals for each person in your household seems daunting. Remember, when calculating water needs we used the rule of thumb one gallon of water per person per day. Similarly, you might estimate each family member’s basic caloric requirement, and then multiply by 1.5, considering in a survival situation you may be moving, rebuilding, scavenging, etc. and burning more calories than usual.

In our case, I’ve planned using 2,000 calories per person per day. That number is probably a little high, but accounts for tougher conditions than we are used to living with, when we might be able to lounge around and get by on 1,200 – 1,500 calories.
All Calories Are Not Created Equal

It might seem easy to come up with 1,500 calories worth of food by eating rice, pancakes and canned veggies and fruit. The problem is, that type of diet is severely lacking in two main types of foods essential to survival: fats and protein.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, I’d suggest checking out The 5-Gallon Bucket Food Storage Project created by Jack Spirko (creator of one of my favorite sites/podcasts, The Survival Podcast). Even if you don’t follow his storage methods, his ideas on planning for proper carbohydrates, fats and proteins in survival food stockpiles are important.
Prepackaged Long-Term Storage Food

If you aren’t up for creating your own food buckets you might want to check out long-term food storage vendors. I have personally tasted (and stocked) Mountain House foods. In fact, our pantry now includes a number of #10 cans from Mountain House, including foods like rice, green beans, beef stroganoff, spaghetti, chili mac with beef, granola cereal, etc.

The #10 cans have a 25-year shelf life if stored according to the directions (basically kept in a cool, dry location). I’ve also heard good things about companies such as Food Insurance and Shelf Reliance, but I have yet to try their products.

Here’s a look at our emergency food pantry – still in the early stages:

The Frugal Pantry Project (long-term storage) – a few #10 food cans, a lantern, flashlights, spare batteries and a few packs of beans and rice

Buying foods in this form is expensive, but the nice thing about such a long shelf-life is that you don’t have to focus on expiration dates and rotating stock as much. With a 25-year shelf life, we can basically buy a few #10 cans each paycheck, store them and forget about them until we need them. I suppose in 15 years or so I might crack one open and make sure it is still edible.

The bottom line when it comes to food storage is to start small. Consider the various disaster scenarios for which you’d like to be prepared, and their likelihood of occurring. For instance, a local natural disaster such as a tornado or a flood is more likely than a large scale, apocalyptic nuclear attack. Not saying we shouldn’t be prepared for both. However, I like to prioritize emergencies and plan accordingly.

With monetary emergency funds we try to get that first $1,000 stashed in case of a car repair, or busted pipe in our home. Will this prepare us for unemployment or a serious medical event? No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get started. Similarly, I think it is prudent to have a few backup food and water supplies at home to get you through that likeliest, 72-hour emergency.

Once that first-level emergency food plan is in place, build from there until you have a level of emergency stockpile that makes you feel comfortable. How will you know when that point has arrived? When you can envision practically any type of emergency and sleep comfortably knowing you have done all you can do to prepare.

Post by Frugal Dad

Foodshed Vancouver - envisioning a sustainable foodshed for Greater Vancouver

This study explored assessment methods for sustainable foodshed design. A sustainable
foodshed was defined as a regional form that meets local food needs, is energetically
productive, and is ecologically and socially resilient. Food system energy inputs
were measured through a life-cycle assessment of production, distribution, processing,
and nutrient cycling inputs to determine the food system energy balance for Greater
Vancouver’s hypothetical foodshed. The model accounted for embedded variables such
as dietary habits, circulation allotments and distribution chains, ultimately requiring
the integration of qualitative and quantitative indicators at a regional, municipal
and farm scale.

Highly productive roof garden at Noble Rot (formerly Rocket) in Portland

Portland, Oregon-home to bike riding, book reading, flannel wearing, farmer’s market
shopping, local coffee drinking, forward-thinking, eco-conscious citizens. The folks
at Noble Rot are just an example of the many Portlanders who are taking a different
approach in order to preserve the beautiful place they call home-and to change the
world.

Metropolitan Gardens in Berlin

Man könnte hier die Bienen summen hören, horchen, wie die Grillen zirpen. Prinzessinnengarten,
märchenhaft klingt das. Doch der Presslufthammer schrillt, hinterm Zaun dröhnt der
zweispurige Kreisverkehr. Berlin, Kreuzberg. Ein 1000 Quadratmeter-Areal am Moritzplatz,
Ecke Prinzenstraße. Hier liegt der Prinzessinnengarten. Beet fügt sich an Beet,
ein paar Bäume, in der Ecke ein Bienenstock. Knoblauch wächst hier, Kornblumen,
und Kartoffeln über Kartoffeln. Landwirtschaft mitten in der Stadt.

BBC World News: Urban farming bid to revive Detroit

The woes of the auto industry have decimated Detroit, leaving behind miles of waste
land and abandoned homes. Now one of the area’s richest men is hoping to revive
the region with a farm centred in the urban environment.

Katty Kay has been to meet
John Hantz who hopes his $30m (£18.9m) investment will improve the neighbourhood
and spur development.

Smart city governments grow produce for the people

There’s a new breed of urban agriculture germinating throughout the country, one
whose seeds come from an unlikely source.

Local government officials from Baltimore, Md., to Bainbridge Island, Wash. are
plowing under the ubiquitous hydrangeas, petunias, daylilies, and turf grass around
public buildings, and planting fruits and vegetables instead - as well as in underutilized
spaces in our parks, plazas, street medians, and even parking lots.

Urban Farming at DeLaney Community Farms - Denver, Colorado

Farming has long been a “country thing”. Yet more and more people are reintroducing
farms in urban areas. Not gardens, but actual farms.
The people at Sur La Table have taken notice of this phenomenon. The cookware retail
giant recently released its’ own Farm To Table Cookbook, entitled,
Eating Local:
The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers. Today we get out of the studio and
into the field, on one of the farms featured in this cookbook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stories here:
City Farmer News [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103605925642&s=1304&e=001a82jpRdUifAdSu5CSWaEWAVZyFP7ha6A_rUGwPy8x1yh_Y5XmtziPoOJD27WxCi24hyoZgjYoiZrSjWGgcwWfbb3uh2XRLslhOXTYvU1qlWc2wa8jCN-gQ==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

there would be way too much water in vodka to do any good and the amount of water in grain alcohol while small would still be bad. the steel wool sounds more logical to me (since thats how oxygen absorbers work anyway).

E. COLI O157 - USA (06): GROUND BEEF, ALERT, RECALL
***************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) [edited]
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_048_2010_Release/index.asp

Valley Meat Company of Modesto, California, is recalling about a million
pounds [about 455 tonnes] of frozen ground beef patties and bulk ground
beef products that may be contaminated with _Escherichia coli_ O157:H7, the
United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) has announced.

FSIS became aware of the problem on 15 Jul 2010 when the agency was
notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) of a small
cluster of _E. coli_ O157:H7 illnesses with a rare strain as determined by
PFGE [pulsed field gel electrophoresis] subtyping. A total of 6 patients
with illness onset dates between 8 Apr and 18 Jun 2010 were reported at
that time. After further review, CDPH added another patient from February
2010 to the case count, bringing the count to 7. FSIS is continuing to work
with the CDPH and the company on the investigation. Anyone with signs or
symptoms of foodborne illness should contact a health care provider.

[A list of the products subject to recall can be found at the source URL
above. - Mod.LL]

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 8268”
inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a production code of 27509
through 01210. These products were produced between the dates of 2 Oct 2009
through 12 Jan 2010 and were distributed to retail outlets and
institutional foodservice providers in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona,
and internationally. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will
be posted on FSIS’ website at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp

FSIS and the establishment are concerned that some product may still be
frozen and in consumers’ freezers. FSIS strongly encourages consumers to
check their freezers and immediately discard any product that is the
subject of this recall.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify that firms
notify their customers (including restaurants) of a recall and that steps
are taken to make certain that a suspect product is no longer available to
consumers.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products,
including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been
cooked to a temperature of 160 deg F [71 deg C]. The only way to confirm
that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful
bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

—
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org

[see also:
E. coli O157 - USA (05): (CO, NY), bison meat, alert, recall 20100709.2286
E. coli O157 - USA (04): (MN) unpasteurized milk 20100607.1900
E. coli O157 - USA: 2009, tenderized non-intact steak 20100108.0092

Picture library
Explore our collection of pictures from our partners spanning 400 years showing a wide range of historical and contemporary plant images. Choose from our browse buttons or enter a word or phrase in the search box. Or you can send an e-card.
Help Icon Help with searching

http://www.plantcultures.org/pccms/action/pictureLibrary

Our picture partners:
British Library
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Natural History Museum
Leicester City Museums
Victoria & Albert Museum
Bradford Communities
Wellcome Library, London

Hi Diana, good to see you again.

Ah, the good ‘ol days! I miss those in just about every venue. I even miss the good ‘ol days that I wasn’t around for, like in the 50’s.

I’m hoping we’ll be heading back to a simpler way of life soon, even if it is imposed by events outside of our control.

(BTW, the mods don’t allow troll-bashing any longer? I haven’t been browing here much since I only have dialup at the cabin.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2010
Release #10-316

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (877) 220-0479
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Additional Reports of Fires and Low Consumer Response Rate Prompt Reannouncement of Goldstar and Comfort-Aire Dehumidifier Recall

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today reannounced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Portable Dehumidifiers

Units: About 98,000 (previously recalled in December 2009)

Manufacturer: LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Co., of China

Hazard: The power connector for the dehumidifier’s compressor can short circuit, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: LG has received four additional reports of fires involving the recalled dehumidifiers, including one that resulted in significant damage to a home. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves 30-pint portable dehumidifiers sold under the brand names in the chart below. The dehumidifiers are white with a red shut-off button, controls for fan speed and humidity control and a front-loading water bucket. “Goldstar” or “Comfort-Aire” is printed on the front. The model and serial numbers are printed on the interior of the dehumidifiers and can be viewed after the water bucket is removed.

Brand: Goldstar | Model No. GHD30Y7 | Sold at: Home Depot
Serial Number Range: 611TAxx00001~08400, 611TAxx08401~40600, 612TAxx00001~20400, 612TAxx21001~30600

Brand: Goldstar | Model No. DH305Y7 | Sold at: Walmart
Serial Number Range: 612TAxx00001~00600, 701TAxx00001~16800, 702TAxx00001~03000

Brand: Comfort-Aire | Model No. BHD-301-C | Sold at: Heat Controller Inc.
Serial Number Range: 611TA000001~001697, 612TA000001~004200, 701TA000001~000578, 710TA000001~000599

Sold at: The Home Depot, Walmart and Heat Controller Inc. nationwide from January 2007 through June 2008 for between $140 and $150.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dehumidifier, contact LG to determine if it is included in the recall and return it to an authorized LG service center for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact LG toll-free at (877) 220-0479 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT on Saturday for the location of an authorized LG service center for the repair, or visit the firm’s website at www.30pintdehumidifierrecall.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10316.html