BiWeekly Prepper Thread (for these strange days)

7/10/2021

[Pollard]

This is the BiWeekly Prepper Thread for all things prepping.

In these Strange Days, it's not a bad idea to have a little set back. Or a lot. I think we all saw empty shelves last year. We didn't go without though. Since I'm a prepper, I stocked up on TP and food and even bought a small freezer for meat when I saw empty shelves in Italy. My wife no longer thinks my prepping mentality is a little wacky, 20 years later. This year is turning out to be the year of systems hacking. Extreme weather events can happen most anywhere at any time preventing travel to a store.

The first thread was based on Water and this second thread on Food Storage and Preservation which I'm providing some related downloads for. Anything involving prepping can be discussed though.

Here are the download links. You can browse all files in the folders and preview most of them as most are pdf files. Alternatively, you can download all files as a zip file which is 42.9mb using the bottom link.

Curing (folder with multiple files)
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/gPC7xKQH5n96CFe

Drying (folder with multiple files)
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/4ifqKn9J7dnNsdz

Misc (folder with multiple files)
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/gB3NJEz92dptHnq

Storage (folder with multiple files)
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/AXYDL3t6eQ5WcRL

All of the above in a zip file, food.zip
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/nFWW6JA48ajrfRz

Here are the links to the AZ Granny info from the previous thread which covers most things prepping related.

Individual html files
https://permasteader.com/AZ_Granny/stor01.html

As a zip file with the html files in a folder. Save the zip, unzip and you'll have a folder with 75 html files. Keep those files in the folder and the links will work when you open in a browser.
https://permasteader.com/AZ_Granny.zip

Here are previous prepper threads

BiWeekly Prepper Threads

1. Water

nw_arizona_granny's Prepper Threads

1. Thread #1
2. Thread #2
3. Thread #3

CottonBall's Prepper Threads

1. Thread #1
2. Thread #2

[Openurmind]

Oh man...

[The FIGHTIN Illini]

Thanks for the links. ALWAYS something new to learn

[Pollard]

on a tablet now
battery should make it til bed time

[Pollard]

np - got some prep recipes to upload too - will ping all then

[Openurmind]

Lol, that happens to us all the time. We are out in the sticks and the wind and storms slap wires together and blows fuses.

[georgiabelle]

please add me to the ping list

[Pollard]

sure but pm me please because I’m on my tablet and my ping list is on my laptop.

I’ll check my PMs tomorrow

[Bob Ireland]

I sort of envy you guys for your hi tech preps - and their expense. Still, both of you are depending on the system. Your walk in freezer needs dependable power; and your propane generator depends on propane being available and delivered on time.

I had a small solar system that I used for emergency water via a 24VDC deep well pump. My neighbor planted a couple of fast growing trees and soon... the predictable.

Rather than grouse at the neighbor, I decided he provided motivation for expansion. Forgetting that I am 78 years old, I built a large frame about 8 feet off of the ground and purchased two 420w solar panels. With my original 200w panel combination that amounts to about 1kw of generation - on good peak sunny days. I live in Florida so I hope for good results in general. Well, OK; I now have to buy $1200 worth of batteries, a charger and perhaps more inverters than I have now. My investment is substantial also, not to mention my age. But the sun shines brightly most days and I have tried to erect the system reasonably storm proof. I don't think we have ever seen winds here over 50mph.

It is my legacy to my son. This new administration is doing everything that it can to weaken the family and weaken America. They have no public mandate to do it - they are just doing it. I want to be as free as I can from govt controls. There are already rolling blackouts here and there, even in New York City.

We can have all the power we need, but not if we keep electing America hating politicians. If I did this project in California, I would have to provide all my power to the state grid, gaining nothing. America is dying little by little.

[Pollard]

You’ve been added.

The electricity came back on so I’m back on my laptop again.

[pollyshy]

Thanks. bfl

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the ping.

We always had well stocked pantry. And usually we purchased a quarter of beef which was a year’s supply. Just a way of life before anyone started calling it prepping.

In 2008, I could see that prices were going up, so I took some of our savings and we built a storage area in the basement to increase our storage place for pantry items, and stocked up on a lot of things.

For example, Peanut butter was at a buck for 16 oz. So we bought about 18 months worth. It went up to 1.89 bucks shortly thereafter. Eventually it did go back down to 1.25 bucks.

Anytime the oil prices spike, that will shortly be reflected in the stores, either by raised prices or shrinking containers at around the same price.

We didn’t really do anything different for the Plandemic, except to go ahead and stock up on our normal monthly purchases ie restock what we had used, and buy some extra milk, cheese, bread etc.-planning on no shopping for 1-2 months.

Then our Walmart started offering the pickup option, so we were able to go ahead and get what we needed and just pick it up.

More recently, we have increased our storage space again. Concentrating on canning the meat specials each week right now.

Lack of time, and Cooler temps mean our garden is pathetic so far this year - so likely will not have as much produce to can as usual, unless we can get some at the farmer’s market.

[matthew fuller]

please add me to the ping list, Thanks.
matthew fuller

[tired&retired]

My generator is a 38KW propane Generac with a 2,000 gallon reserve.

It has the same engine as a Dodge Dakota so it is easy to service and repair.

[tired&retired]

Totally agree with your thoughts.

[greeneyes]

I make strawberry syrup. I turned the pulp into fruit leather using the dehydrator.

[tired&retired]

Growing up very poor, you learn to improvise and adapt. My Father did as well.

We had the best merry go round in our yard. It was the rear axel of a 53 Plymouth, buried with the one end sticking out of the ground. A 16 ft Plank bolted to the rim and that thing would fly.

Prepping is more about sustainability than stockpiling.

The walk in and freezer is so we don’t lose the meat if a cow goes down. This way we can dress and hang them even in the hottest weather. The butcher shops are usually busy and can’t squeeze in or deal with injured animals.

It hurts to throw over 1,000 lbs of meat on the compost pile.

The entire unit was less than $2,000 at auction and is in excellent condition, including compressors.

We have Amish neighbors that run their refrigeration compressors on diesel engines. If there is a way to adapt and overcome an obstacle, it will be done. It’s more fun than work.

Heck, even my Dewalt shop saw runs on air. Adapt and overcome.

A 45 tray sheet pan cart from the bakery makes the best dehydrator. With a little modification it is also an egg incubator.

I look at things based upon potential, not a pile of scrap.

[greeneyes]

Merry go round - that’s fancy.

I had a sack swing tied to a tree limb, and a broomstick horse after the broom end was worn out. There was hole drilled in one end and a rope through that for the reins.

[Pollard]

Anytime the oil prices spike, that will shortly be reflected in the stores, either by raised prices or shrinking containers at around the same price.

I remember deliveries to the shops I worked at all having a fuel surcharge added. Might happen with this administration too.

[Georgia Girl 2]

We keep a one year supply of food in the garage at all times. Plus 3 blue 55 gallon containers of water.

[Pollard]

Prepper Recipes

As a zip file
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/mtXgf7Boops7pSF

Individual files
https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/QZiDCNptCT3TgeH

Caveat; The cloud software file viewer doesn't render html as a web page but instead, displays the html code. All the Dutch Oven Recipes are htm/html files as are a few other misc recipes. Once downloaded, open in a browser and they'll look fine. Also, there are links on the Dutch Oven Recipes but they do not work. These html files were once someone's website which no longer exists. However, all the Dutch Oven recipes have descriptive names and they are all in their own folder so after downloading, just open any that interest you one at a time from that folder and the html will render into a web page just fine.

At the second link above, there is a ducth_oven_recipes.zip that has just those recipes, the html files in a folder. It's less than 1mb unzipped so the best way to get a look at those is to just download that zip file, unzip, open the resulting folder and double click any htm/html file and it should open in your default browser and look something like this;

A lot of the Dutch Oven recipes are desserts. There's 126 recipes therefor 126 html files which is a bit much for me to go through and convert to pdf or to go through and create an index page and make the links work. Any other html file outside the dutch oven folder will be the same way. The cloud file viewer will show html code instead of rendering the web page. If the title sounds good, just download the htm/html file and open it in a browser to view. If you like it, keep it, if not, delete it. Html/htm files are tiny so you won't be filling up your hard drive. All the recipe files, pdf, htm etc all add up to less than 10mb which is still pretty small. All the other Food files, Drying, Curing, Storage, Misc from yesterday's links add up to about 50mb.

Dutch Oven note: The recipes are for using charcoal briquettes but I've cooked using just coals from a wood fire before. I made sort of a keyhole shaped fire pit using rocks with a fire in the big circle and used a shovel to pull coals over to a the slot part of the keyhole shape where the Dutch Oven was. Just like the briquette method, some go under the dutch oven(with legs) and some go on top of the lid. The dutch ovens with legs also have a rim around the edge of the lid to contain the coals. I used this keyhole fire pit method to make leg quarters quite a few times and it worked great. IIRC it took a couple of hours and fresh/hot coals had to be placed under and on top of the oven every half hour or so. You'll need a pretty heavy hook with a handle to lift the oven. I think I might have used welding gloves because I had some. For the lid, I did use a hook and you have to brush any ashes away from the edge of the lid before you take it off so that you don't get ashes in your food.