All Things Prepping, Simple Living, Back to the Basics [Survival Today, an on going thread]

vanity | 2/26/18 | CottonBall

[CottonBall]

I’ve been missing the vast amount of information on prepping, survival, camping, simple cooking, the old ways of doing just about everything – all the things nw_arizona_granny knew so much about and shared with us, along with numerous other posters with a vast array of skills and knowledge.

We have our various related-threads here, a recipe thread, a gardening thread, and even a prepper thread. They are all great and I don’t mean to take anything away from those and the hard work their owners put in.

But I was missing a place to talk about ALL those things, to get the camaraderie that we used to have on granny’s thread.

I learned how to can on those threads! The pressure canner was not my friend, I thought, but I bought one and stared at it for a month, intimidated. Then I read the directions for another month. But with the help and encouragement of posters on granny’s threads, I jumped in and now have my very own food storage room in the basement with lovely jars of shelf-stable meats, vegetables, and fruit. When we moved, I fashioned my food storage room – and insisted upon having a basement – from what I learned on her threads. Getting started gardening was from her threads. Making my own cleaning products….the list is endless.

So I thought I would take the chance and start another comprehensive prepper thread and see how it goes. I used to have granny’s ping list since I made one of the threads for her, but alas, with numerous computer changes, I cannot find it. So please pass this onto any posters you think might be interested.

We’ll just keep it running until..whenever. Granny created a new thread at 10,000 posts or so. I do like the idea of having ONE thread to go to – because often I cannot find or keep track of the weekly threads. I won’t be posting lots of recipes or tidbits myself – to any mods concerned about the size of this thread. I’d just like a place to chat, post questions, post ideas, make new prepping friends.

Here are granny’s threads, if anyone wants to peruse them:

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #1

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #2

nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #3

[V K Lee]

Perhaps it’s late and missing the point completely. Believe you said you can. Where do you store your canned goodies? The basement? Elsewhere in the house? Are you satisfied when you open the jar and enjoy the contents? Is there room for more jars.

[little jeremiah]

Plastic always degrades faster in the heat; although in my experience hard plastics sometimes degrade in freezing temperatures.

[Jamestown1630]

I think they just left them in because they’re humorous, and because the book did win the Diagram prize. But those reviews don’t seem to show up in the individuals’ profiles.

Bookseller/Diagram Prize:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookseller/Diagram_Prize_for_Oddest_Title_of_the_Year

[CottonBall]

Thank you LJ. That helps!

[Iron Munro]

Hey, I need that plate covering! Where did you get it? I’m always having to clean splatters out of the microwave.

There are several shops in my area all run by orientals that sell things for a dollar or two ('China-Marts').

Most of them have the microwave splatter cover for a dollar.

It looks something like the top of a Tupperware cake carrier and is usually available in several sizes.

Ours is 10" and we use it to cover all different size plates, bowls, etc.

You can buy them on line if you don't have a China-Mart store near you but of course they generally cost more.

I just checked e-Bay and see quite a few there.

Also - Just found this one at Target on-line for $1.79 (free ship with $25.00 purchase)

http://tinyurl.com/Microwave-Splatter-Cover

[CottonBall]

I store the canned jars in the basement. So I think that’s where I will put them. Just have to figure out how to label them and have them somewhat separated so I don’t think it’s food! And can find it when I need it.

It sounds like the consensus is plastic will do better at a cool temperature.

[CottonBall]

That looks perfect. It certainly would contain any splatters. I used to go to dollar stores all the time in California, I can’t believe I never saw one of those there.

[Califreak]

Barring a freak accident, you’ll never have to clean your microwave again.

[Iron Munro]

Your mention of storing things in canning jars reminded me of something.

Do you know that most Classico brand pasta sauce comes in mason jars?

The jars are found in different sizes depending on the product - 8oz, 16oz, 28oz, 32oz, and they all take a standard Ball/Mason screw on top band and lid.
We have reused these jars for water bath and pressure canning for years and never had a problem.

We buy a few jars now and then when the local grocery stores have a buy-one-get-one sale on Classico a few times a year.

But most of our jars came from friends and relatives or people we saw buying the sauce who were happy to save their empty jars for us.

For pickling or short term refrigerator storage we reuse the original one piece screw on top with no problems.

[z3n]

I have made wine before. Never a fully finished wine though. Just a primary & anaerobic ferment, then a siphon down of everything but the sediment and yeast, but never racked it. Good stuff, but not clear, and not strong at all. Made cider that way too. It’s quite easy and very inexpensive.

I’m going to evap down maple sap this weekend and make syrup. I’m thinking about stopping some sap at the right sugar levels (not as concentrated as syrup) for fermenting. I’ve never had maple wine before. Never really even heard of it as being possible until I googled it. Apparently it’s supposed to be very good. I will follow up in a few months when it’s done.

[CottonBall]

I hate those freak accidents :-(

It would be pretty beat to be able to heat up bacon and not make a mess in the microwave.

[V K Lee]

Umm. Real Maple Syrup. Will bring the waffles!

Remembering childhood and eating breakfast at my grandmother’s. She would have Log Cabin Syrup on the table. It was actually packaged in a metal log cabin tin, the spout in the chimney. That was once the best stuff around. Just poured on bread it could make a meal.

Alas, Log Cabin took the short path like so many others and all that is seen now is a poor facsimile.

Hubby has attempted to make wine several times. He’s yet to perfect the method or taste desired; but he keeps trying. Do you use fruit juice other than grape? Remembering the old movie “Arsenic and Old Lace” - Elderberry wine was the favored flavor. During my teen years, it was Strawberry wine, or Ripple :-). These days Black Cherry wine would definitely the first find find a way to these taste buds.
Z3n, do hope you visit frequently and here to help when the wine making season starts. There will surely be a good many questions which you might be able to answer (your method, recipe?, etc.)

[CottonBall]

Oh yeah, I love those jars. I have friends that give them to me. I also get jars from local honey from Those same people. I think they are similar.

I have used them for storing pickled beets stored in the refrigerator. I have never pressure canned or water bath canned with them, not yet. I’ve read they are just fine for waterbath canning so I’m thinking I will do that next year when I have produce ready. I’m glad to hear pressure canning has worked out OK with them, if I run out of mason jars I have an alternative now :-). Mason jars can be crazy expensive. Especially with as many as I use.

I got really lucky when I moved here, a lady was selling a whole bunch of them on craigslist for four dollars a case. That’s about half price so I was happy enough with it. But I’m always on the lookout for more and cheaper!

[z3n]

Yes, you can use bottled fruit juices, but they can’t have preservatives. That will slow or kill off the yeast. Frozen concentrate tends not to have preservatives. You still have to look. Frozen concentrates have the advantage of letting you decide how much water to add too, so you can make a fruitier ‘must’... although it’s not a real fruit must as if you actually harvested grapes and apples and pressed them yourself, obviously. I’d much rather make a real, organic product (which is why I like to make my own maple syrup), but alas, much of the year is not harvest time.

Speaking of cheery wine, I have a carboy of black cherry wine with an airlock on it, as we speak. ;)

You are right about log cabin and most of the others. What you see on the store shelf labeled “pancake syrup” is not maple syrup. It’s just high fructose corn syrup with imitation flavorings. I believe they are not allowed to label it maple syrup unless it’s the real thing.

[V K Lee]

Just read this...
Are you finding a problem and agree re the culprit?
Everything these days is said to be caused by GW Some cry wolf once too often.
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3643114/posts

Should we ever lose chocolate there will be chaos

[z3n]

Do you want to know what’s funny about that?

Maple syrup seaasons in these parts used to always be in February, and early March. Anymore, the last 5-7 years that I’ve been paying attention to the conditions that are best for Maple sap to run have been in late March!

In other words, it has been staying colder, longer.

Call that climate change all you want, but it sure isn’t warming.

...and no, it’s not harder to tap maples for syrup than it used to be. All you need are that week (or two) where the temperatures hover over and under the freeze point. 30s’ & 40’s in the daytime, and 20’s at night. That is when the sap runs up and down repeatedly.

The trees are going to do it every year. It’s just a matter of when. If the trees never returned the sap back up to the limbs, it would never grow buds, seeds, or leaves.

These articles about climate change hurting various things are pure propaganda. I remember one posted here about the cacao plants being in danger. Even if some local/regional climates did experience changes (which they always do over time, either in cycles or trends) then the plant will thrive somewhere else, or even perhaps adapt.

Maple trees, like other deciduous trees, will have sap running when the temperatures rise after winter. It’s just what happens. It will never stop unless you have winter all year. But that’s not the climate change Gore preaches about

[V K Lee]

LOL Believe most of us expected their theory to fall flat.
They’ve yet to find anything that would stick to the wall. That tail will be the last being pinned on this donkey.
Thanks for enlightening us deplorables :-)

[Iron Munro]

Good feedback - we will have to watch for honey packed in mason jars too.

Lately I have noticed that some of the Classico products in the supermarket are packed in regular jars with the lug/twist lids instead of the screw on mason style lids.

There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to it as they sometimes have the same product with the two different style lids side by side.

[CottonBall]

Are they the same price?

I hope they aren’t phasing out the mason jar style!

[Lurker]

Home Made MRE:

2 Single Serve packs of SPAM (460 calories)
2 packages Instant Hot Cocoa (240 calories)
1 package Instant Soup mix (80-150 calories depending)
1 Package Crunchy Granola Bar (210 calories approx depending on brand)
1 package Instant Coffee (0 calories)
2 packages sugar
Salt and pepper packages from McD’s or similar
Napkin

Place all items in a Vac Seal bag and seal on the Gentle setting. Keeps air and moisture out. Good for at least a year.

Costs about $5.00

Use your imagination for items to add. Watch the expiration dates. Consume or just replace as they reach them.

L