Posted on 08/28/2015 6:23:44 PM PDT by Kartographer
Haven't done one for a while and with all that is going on I though it would be a good idea to do a Weekly Prepper Thread, for posting tips, new products, good prep buys etc.....
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
Thanks for the tip.
I’ve made plans for several “constant heat” methods of cooking. I’d shied away from wood burning stoves previously because that’s generally an outdoor activity (and easily visible to the neighborhood). But, now that I have other cooking methods taken care of, the rocket stove is a logical next step. Wood is cheap and plentiful in my area. It occurs to me that it just makes sense to use that method when appropriate.
“Said another way by Utah State University: “Dry beans average about 22% protein in the seed, the highest protein content of any seed crop. They contain all essential amino acids, except methionine. Methionine can be obtained from corn, rice, or meat.” Remember milk also provides protein.”
Now I get it - why beans alone isn’t a complete protein. Ironically, l-methionine is what u add to my cat’s homemade food because she’s probe to struvite crystals and the l-meth is used to keep her urine in the optimum pH range so neither struvite or calcium oxalate crystals form.
Do you get bean blow-out boiling them for 30 min? In a survival situation, I probably won’t care but now I do - hate mushy unidentifiable beans! And yes, I get the pressure cooker/heat thing. But if I can keep the heat high enough it will still work - just have to make sure the pressure stays up. Too hot is ok as the excess pressure created is released. So it’s not impossible.
I prefer to boil gently anyway, since I want plumb firm beans that aren’t blown apart. Some don’t care, as I’ve been served lots of those ;) I find it’s hard to control the time to perfectly plumb intact beans with rapid cooking (pressure cooker or stovetop).
Ascsoon as we get settled enough to get the firepit going, I’ll practice cooking on it. I especially want to get a handle on controlling the hear for baking in a cast iron Dutch oven. Better yet. I’ll get a used wood cookstove and keep it outside next to my Italian pizza oven! I’ll really be in paradise then!
See Post #68 this thread.
During an ice storm a couple of years ago, I had to drive 50 miles to fill up my gas cans. Now I have six of them, always filled. I rotate them weekly.
36 gallons is what it would take to go to my daughter’s college and back. Plus a little.
You should have seen the smile on her face when my wife explained that to her.
Get the ARRL tests for your iphone or table. I gave up the internet for lent. I started practicing for my tech test on Ash Wednesday. Passed my expert the Thursday before easter.
It is important to learn—but force your way through the tests with shear memory and get your hands on the equipment. Its the easiest way to learn.
MEMORIZE the answers. Dont worry about the math. There are books you can get about antennas that lay it all out.
Really....I was able to do the tech exam in a week, general in a week, and expert in two weeks.
I have a good memory—but if you can memorize a multiplication table you can memorize the answers. Then you can get the radio, get on the air, and your will find dozens of people to help you. The HAM world is great.
Then find your local RACES group. They might be a little nerdy, but they will know where the stuff is going down and give you access to people in Emergency services that the average person would not have.
“Do you get bean blow-out boiling them for 30 min?”
No, they are perfectly identifiable beans - no mush. :o)
One of my friends is the Emergency management director for the area. He runs the RACES group. The good thing about that is that when the Emergency Operation Center is running, we are in the room. The “officials” cannot go on air because they are not amateurs.
We’ve gotten to know the cops, firemen, and first responders.
This means during any time of civil disturbance I will know what is going on and where. We have access to ALL of the gear. And, even in the event of local personal emergency it helps. When my MIL broke her hip, as soon as my address was dispatched I had all of my buddies at the house helping.
And, they will be the first ones to know when its a good time to leave Dodge.
What was I thinking? It wouldn’t matter one if hill of beans (sorry, couldn’t resist) if are pressure cooking beans and the temperature dropped a bit.
I was confusing it with canning, where the internal temperature of the food has to get to 240° to kill microbes.
If all we are doing is boiling some beans, it wouldn’t matter if the temperature fluctuated. It would still be cooking them somewhere between 212° and 240°. You would just need to adjust the cooking time.
moovova - here’s my favorite way to always have beans handy. I cook up a big batch, either on the stovetop or in the oven. The oven tends to be a gentler heat and so your beans stay firm and plump. However, there seems to be about a 3 minute leeway between having plump firm beans that aren’t quite done and ones that have broken apart in the middle. I’m exaggerating, but there is a fine line.
Anyway I could them till they are almost done, still looking beautiful. And then I cook them very gently for another half-hour. Then I drain them and let them cool, and then put them on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper or silpat, anything that they won’t freeze to like the metal cookie sheet! I put them in a single layer, then stir them every hour, maybe half-hour towards the end. So that they don’t stick to themselves. Then I just pour them in a Ziploc bag. And then I have beans ready to use any time, I just scoop out however many cups I need.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TRAVOIS
The other day Darlin and I had an idea that may be something to consider for a get-home or get-out-of-dodge piece of equipment to have in the car at all times along with the other go-bag equipment. Depending on your area of the country, you might be in a place the has abundant wood and you can make an expedient TRAVOIS out of that. Some places are not so blessed, so the following might be worth thinking about.
As good Old Fashioned Boy and Girl Scouts, (”Be Prepared.”) it might be possible to have the rudiments of a TRAVOIS available in your car to drag equipment. This might be especially helpful in the event that anyone in your party might be out of shape, handicapped or have special needs and can’t carry much, or might require extra equipment.
Possible things to assemble:
1. A couple of stout light weight pipes, aluminum I rods, wheel barrow or shovel handles or some such sturdy material for the two poles.
2. Pre drill some holes for some cross pieces to give the travois stability and the surface to place bags and equipment. Don’t forget to include the nuts and bolts, wire, rope, and/or duct tape, etc. that would hold the crosspieces on.
This would be enough in a pinch, but as long as you are preparing, you might consider in your design:
3. the addition of one or two light weight lawn mower wheels at the base to overcome friction and cut down on noise when going over rough terrain. One wheel would make the drag design triangular, two would give you a rectangular shape.
4. depending on your design, you might wish to pad areas of your travois that might chafe parts of the bearer’s hands or body.
Possible body parts traditionally used as contact points for dragging a travois include hands, shoulders (a harness could be imagined here) and some even have used the forehead. One can also imagine some means of attaching the drag handles to the hips as well.
5. Don’t forget doggie power! If you have a large dog, it is known that some Indian tribes trained and employed dogs (and horses) to pull equipment on their migrations.
Bear in mind that this should be as light weight as possible; one might even perhaps figure out a way to have it in the go-bag.
A possible use for the travois is not only for handling equipment, but also, God forbid, an injured person in your party.
Well, food for thought, anyway-FWIW
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travois
http://www.native-languages.org/travois.htm
And with comments like that....
You wouldn't expect me to use something inhumane like a travois on a Dog. would you?
/johnny
During the Y2K preps we had some family members who did an experiment with bay leaf. They put dried beans into plastic 5 gallon buckets generously interspersed with bay leaf from the spice shelf. About 10 years later we were present when they opened them and no bugs, and they tasted just fine!
Please, Marcella, ping me too! :-D
I’ve heard that old wives’s tale. A friend of mine puts bay leaves all about her pantry too.
Good to see you, Johnny!
DON”T SHUT UP!! :-D
LOL!
Not expecting.... just pointing out certain expediencies that could be used in certain situations if the need is great. A large valiant-hearted dog will do whatever can be done to help their Person! They are amazing! It is up to the Person to properly prepare whatever equipment could be employed, and to train the dog to handle it.
[OK, NOW you can shut up! ;-D LOL!]
Are you able to cite the name(s) of such books with the antenna info laid out?
Thanks for the ideal.
Yes, agreed about the sodium. I can’t remember either, but like you, it made sense to me, so I decided I wouldn’t do it.
I just soak them overnight after sorting and rinsing. Then add new water, and bring them to a boil for 2 minutes. Let them sit for an hour and then cook on the stove top, or in the crock pot.
I think I also read that it helps to get rid of gassy side effects. LOL
You are good too. God Bless - Sis
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