Reminder to include fermenting vessels and some kind of airlock in with your long-term preparations.
In addition to fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt, it’s good to at least know the basics of making alcohol. In addition to being a handy barter item, it’s also a preservative, an antiseptic, a precursor to vinegar, and can be used to make herbal medicines. On top of all that, I’ve found it to be an effective way to cultivate yeasts for breadmaking, especially for those of us who don’t like the “sour” part of sourdough.
I have glass carboys and special airlocks, but it’s also easy to make wine in a plastic soda bottle. Wash the bottle, add your ingredients, and put the cap on tight. The next day, feel the bottle to see if pressure is building up. If it is, loosen the cap very, very slightly. You want it to just barely hiss after you let it go. At that point, pressure from inside the bottle can escape, but if the pressure decreases, the lid will act as if it’s still airtight, preventing outside air from getting in the bottle. Kind of a “poor man’s airlock”.
I make wine from apple juice and do it right in the 64oz plastic bottles they come. I just tighten until I feel the gasket touch and then make sure I can squeeze air out.
Figured out I can take 6 full 64 fl oz bottles plus one clean empty and pour off just a tad over 9 fl oz from each full into the empty. Add a cup of sugar and tsp of bread yeast. Two weeks later, wine that’s approx 10-11 ABV.
Did the math and it’s about 1/5 the price of Natural Light beer by volume and at least 1/10 the price by ABV. I’m not 100% sure what the ABV is for Natural Light here in MO. ALDI had no apple juice today. :(