Yes.
Posted on 02/26/2018 12:12:20 PM PST by 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
Would you please add me to your ping list? Grannies are the best!
Thanks.
Yes.
John Jeavons’ book is the best, I’m sure his website has the info. I’ve made awesome compost using that method, good enough to eat practically. I’ll see if I can find links.
Here’s the org:
http://www.growbiointensive.org/
A great book, I learned from it years ago:
How to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine
https://www.amazon.com/How-Grow-More-Vegetables-Possible/dp/0898157676
A couple of videos, there are a lot out there on this method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6cEUoN3NgI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C1ryn0DHcQ
DH got me tons of canning jars at an auction or two. I have way more jars than I can use at present. If you were nearby you could have some, I’ve already given quite a few away.
Oh, you are sweet, I am in East Tennessee. Are you anywhere near? :-)
I’ll have to be careful if and when I buy some. Thanks for the tip. I normally make my own pasta sauce, being half Italian. But they have some varieties that I really like, like the one that is mixed with pesto. And I keep forgetting to do that on my own.
Far, far away in rural OR...
bummer.....
you betcha!!
Good ideas, Lurker!
I know I get overwhelmed thinking of things to put in my BOB, so having a nice list like this helps.
What is the gentle cycle? Pulse until it appears tight?
I tried that with chocolate and some rye chips. When I first got the vacuum sealer about 6 months ago, I was hooked - I sealed about anything I could find, LOL!
I’m waiting for this week’s gardening thread to ask about planting onion seeds.
I’m just thinking about it now, so thought I’d let you know, LOL!
(Actually, I was hoping if I forget - which happens more than I like to admit - you’d remind me!)
Just thought I’d post over here that Bob has LOTS of info on prepping, just for the asking.
I was HOPING someone would take this thread and run with it, like granny did. I don’t have the time, the knowledge, or the eloquence to do what she did....but I missed the camaraderie and a thread to check every time I got on FR. And to ask daily prepping/survival/simple living questions as well. The other prepping thread kinda peter out after a while and few people are left.
This one is slow going, but I’m hoping I can be persistent long enough to build it up.
Anyway, Bob offered his boatload of info for the asking!!!
thanks Bob!!! (hope you don’t mind me posting that here)
Sounds good. Would Bob be willing to post at least a weekly page or so from his vast wealth of info etc?
“Would Bob be willing to post at least a weekly page or so from his vast wealth of info etc?”
i Personally love that idea. Not sure how Bob feels about it :-)
Bob,
You could just randomly pick something and cut and paste it, make it easy. No need for a lot of work on your part!
but it’ll give us a topic to go on, and provide some much-needed information and experience.
On Granny’s threads, we had granny and Delawhere. DW was living the life, and he would tell us daily or weekly the things he did. He was a great source of information. DW, if you’re still around let us know!
Sounds good to me.
“so having a nice list like this helps.”
Glad I could be of service.
“What is the gentle cycle? Pulse until it appears tight?”
Our machine ,Foodsaver V3250, has 2 settings for speed, Normal or Gentle, and 2 settings for food, Dry or Moist. I use Gentle and Dry when I made them. Still nice and air free, it just doesn’t pull so hard.
I’ve done breakfast ones with packets of instant oatmeal, hot chocolate and coffee, and lunch ones with tuna packets, mayo packets from White Castle, instant soup pouches, and crackers.
Like I said, just use your imagination. I grabbed some single serve Gatorade powders for some, for example.
They aren’t “military grade” but they’re half the price and good enough.
“I was hooked - I sealed about anything I could find, LOL!”
We are still using the green beans and peppers we got from our garden last summer. We blanch them, shock them in cold water, and then freeze them in a single layer in a baking sheet. Then into the sealer they go. Lasts for months.
We use it for our home made beef and venison jerky, too. Toss 4-5 pieces in a pint bag, add an oxygen absorber, and seal them up tight. I’ve eaten 6 month old jerky with no ill effects.
I’m very pleased you found my contribution of some value.
Good luck.
L
“We are still using the green beans and peppers we got from our garden last summer. We blanch them, shock them in cold water, and then freeze them in a single layer in a baking sheet. Then into the sealer they go. Lasts for months.”
I didn’t think of that. I only got my foodsaver a few months ago, after gardening was done. I do all the rest, but stick them in freezer bags. Of course, removing the air would be MUCH better. Right now, mine have ice crystals in them. How about yours?
“Right now, mine have ice crystals in them. How about yours?”
Nope. Here’s how we do it:
1. Blanch vegetables in boiling water for a minute.
2. Drop them into a big bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
3. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan.
4. Put them in the freezer for an hour or so till solid
5. Vacuum seal tightly.
No ice crystals, no freezer burn. Almost as good as the day we picked them. It works for green beans and sweet peppers.
My next post will be my recipe for hardtack. Water, flour, salt. 250-300 calories per serving. Keeps forever.
Best,
L
Perhaps I am just past my time, but I was thinking along the lines of one or two people that I could send a thumbnail archive to that could share as needed on private 'networks'.
OTOH, if someone on one of these threads wants to pose a question or problem to me I can share my knowledge and experience here. I just had a rather lengthy exchange with FReeper greeneyes about the challenges of water wells in various environments and I think it proved helpful. I provided some links to support my data, links that can also be useful for research. Also, there are sites like survivalblog (link not available here on my Kindle) that can be a springboard for further research. [I have a somewhat technical posting there on defense against drone intrusions.]
Prepping and survival are really relatively new study areas and networking is invaluable, especially as technology grows and changes.
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