Posted on 03/12/2022 5:43:54 AM PST by Pollard
I've been meaning to do a prepper thread for a while now and will do my best to start one the first Saturday of each month from here out.
When you start prepping, it's about stocking up on food, water and supplies and maybe having a BOB(Bug Out Bag) and a retreat to bug out to. That leads to moving to that retreat which is usually away from the cities and your retreat likely is larger than the typical city/suburb home lot. In fact, you probably have room to produce some of your needs. Basic prepping leads to living in a more self sufficient way and producing some of your needs. It's a natural progression and as such, I'm calling these threads, Prepping & Self Sufficiency threads.
In preparation for this, I've reworked my profile page and also included a lot of info that freeper Pete from Shawnee Mission has been collecting from past Weekly Gardening threads. Gardening is a part of prepping and self-sufficiency but I'm far from being an expert so be sure to join in the weekly gardening threads. The best way to find past gardening threads seems to be by doing a keyword or tag search for "gardening:. https://freerepublic.com/tag/gardening/index?tab=articles
Sounds good, thanks for the tip!
I go through a lot of leather gloves. I cut out usable pieces for my leather box before I toss the ragged parts.
I just hand mended the pair I’m using. They’re goat skin but have thinsulate. I’m trying to make them last for the rest of the season because they’re up to 20 bucks a pair now and the feed store only has large and extra large these days but I take a medium.
I’ve got cowhide gloves for handling firewood or any rough surface or heavy work.
I’ll be harvesting meat goats before too long and have a neighbor that knows a bit about tanning. I’ve got a sewing machine that would handle goat hide but gloves have got to be about the hardest thing to pattern and sew.
Thanks for the ping. Was wondering how everyone was doing. :) Read through 123 posts so as not to be redundant, and see if there was anything I could add.
We “bugged out” and started over 12 years ago. And here in the hills of West Virginny, is where we will stay. :). We are blessed with good neighbors, and by that I mean that we all live our own lives, but if some one of us needs help, rare, but it occasionally happens, the neighbors will show up.
We also learned a long time ago, the importance of building a network of local resources. I don’t know the lady who sold us the grass-fed beef we’re eating, but she’s a friend of a friend who split one with us, since we’ve had to admit that we’re past the raising our own stage of life. :)
We still garden and preserve and that’s a good subject to discuss, but I’ve also been stocking up on tools and supplies we’ll need if the “supply chain” shuts down.
I enjoy reading these threads because I can’t think of everything and ofttimes someone mentions something I hadn’t thought of. :)
We moved out here once and moved back to FL and then moved back here for good. FL was just too busy and DeSantis only won by a slight margin. I consider it a mini California and think it will go that way eventually.
My neighbors are the same as far as offering help but I’ve tried not to ask too much of them. I’m saving up my favor credits LOL.
I’m not the most social person so sadly, I haven’t built up a network aside from my close neighbors. I need to improve in that area. Need to introduce myself to the local Ham radio operator etc so I don’t show up as an unknown if and after things go South and I want to know what’s going on in the world.
I’m going to try this once more, hope it works this time. I think that I found this prepper website here on FR, wish I remembered who. It seems to be a great site, and they aren’t selling anything.
https://prepschooldaily.blogspot.com/
It works and a prepper site that isn’t selling anything is a rarity these days. Any site for that matter.
I haven’t ever seen Nido’s at Sam’s. The WM North of me carries it, but the one 75 miles East, where I used to live doesn’t.
I got mine on line.
I’ve been saying for a while now that Americans aren’t fat; they’re famine prepared.
https://bulkfoods.com/wheat/organic-hard-wheat-kernels.html (stores long term)
https://www.lehmans.com/product/country-living-grain-mill/ (da best but expensive)
https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-GRN-101-Manual-Grinder-Hopper/dp/B00JZXCLPU/ (Adequate)
Please add me to your ping list.
Thanks!
done
Though I’ve never purchased from them, Bulk Foods has been around a long time and has a lot of whole spices as opposed to ground so they keep longer. Just grind as needed. Store in glass jars in a dark, cool place for up to two years.
https://bulkfoods.com/herbs-spices.html
If you like spaghetti squash, shark fin squash might also be good. Shark fins form strands like a spaghetti squash, but they’re solid all the way through like a watermelon, and the shell is thin but super-solid like a coconut. According to some sources, they keep in the shell for up to 7 years, although the ones in my basement are only 2 1/2 years old. And, they don’t cross with any of the more common squash species, so they can be grown close by while still keeping the seeds pure.
The only downside to this squash is that the shell is hard to get through. It does NOT soften with cooking, either! I use a bone saw to cut them open, but I know one person who stands outside and drops the squash onto a concrete surface to crack the shell.
My sister found this homestead lady on yt who is a scientist. Lady tests EVERYTHING.
Y’all should check her out. She even knows how to preserve eggs for years.
red rose homestead
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+rose+homestead
Or just milk my goats, lol
I have not had great luck with the hard cheeses yet, though. Just mozzarella, ricotta, farmer cheese, chevre
I’m in an interesting situation - all my neighbors have land, but almost all are older/retired. All the ones I have met are well-armed but haven’t planted gardens in years. At least I know they have the skills. I save enough seeds every year to provide a decent supply of seeds to neighbors who might decide to garden again. I also keep a rooster so that I can provide baby chicks to neighbors who may want to raise chickens again.
At least they have the skills - they just at some point decided it was easier to stock up than grow :-)
can anyone recommend book on bartering?
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