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

CottonBall

[CottonBall]

This is an ongoing thread – meaning come back to chat, post information, or ask questions any time. Hopefully the thread won’t stagnate and I’ll do better at posting weekly (or bi-weekly) topics than I have in the past. (anyone willing to post a topic now and then we'll be highly praised and appreciated).

We are in for some bumpy rides, and prepping can only help. If for peace of mind, if nothing else. We have a wonderful gardening thread and a current-events survival/prepping thread, and hopefully this one can piggyback off of those, maybe having a longer discussion about certain topics or … whatever. It's your thread, do what you like with it! (civilly, of course)

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

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I think we’ve discussed this before: I will NOT be ‘The Last Woman Standing.’ If things get THAT bad, I’ll have saved a bullet for myself. ;)

I HOPE that’s NOT God’s plan for me - but it MIGHT be His plan for me.

Oh, and rest assured, I’ll take out as many evil-doers as I can on my way out. ;)

(I sound SO tough, LOL! Who knows what ANY of us will do if it comes down to saving our own. Praying that it won’t ever come to that.)

[Iron Munro]

Think damned hard about what you pack cause if you pack too much you might lose all of it.

An excellent reminder!

I try to keep an eye open for smaller size or lighter items and equipment that can serve more than one purpose, etc.

[Iron Munro]

WATER

We all know we must have sufficient clean water to stay hydrated and healthy.
Potable drinking water is one of the most important things to plan for in a multi-day Get-Home or Bail-Out SHTF emergency.
Getting sick from drinking dirty water is debilitating at any time but would be life threatening while trying to get home or bugging out.

In either scenario you will be constantly on the go and carrying some weight; water containers and a pack of some sort at a minimum.
So your water requirement will be more than a quiet day at home - probably at last one gallon a day or more.

Yet water is one of the heaviest items to carry - a gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds.
It will be a challenge to carry enough for more than a day or two.

So you will need to continually replenish your supply of drinking water.
And you cannot count on always finding safe, ready to drink, potable water along the way.
So think the process through on the various ways you may need to replenish drinking water.
You will need some containers, a filter of some sort, a way to purify water you find (bleach, purification drops or tablets, etc.).

• How will you filter dirty or muddy water?
• Into what container?
• How will you purify it?
• Will you boil it?
• Do you have a metal container for that?
• A small stove?
• A way to start a fire?
• Bleach to purify water? How much is enough?
• Purification tablets? Do you know how to use them?
• How will you prevent dirty water from contaminating your drinking cup?

There is a lot of information on the subject available so it would be prudent to study up and try to plan for different contingencies.
An important step in preps is to try out some of the ideas, processes and equipment at home before you are in an emergency situation.

[Iron Munro]

4 Way Sillcock Key

During a SHTF incident if you are on Get-Home or Bugging-Out trek city water systems may sill be functioning - at least for a while
When traveling through built up areas that could be a potential source of clean drinking water.

Additionally, even if the city water system is no longer working some buildings may still have water remaining in the building's water pipes.
If there is water remaining in the building pipes it can be drained from an outside faucet (aka 'hose bib').
It could provide a fair amount of clean water - especially from taller, multi-story buildings.

You may have noticed that some commercial buildings have outside water faucets that do not have faucet handles.

They look something like this:

Those faucets require a tool or 'key' to open and close them.

One tool for that purpose is known as a 4 Way Sillcock Key or Wrench.

These tools will open most of those commercial style outside faucets.

It is a handy tool to carry in your Get-Home bag and could make a big difference if you ever need it.

The keys are about 3" x 3" in size and weigh only a few ounces.
They are available for for around $5 and up at hardware stores, Walmart, Amazon, etc.

[Iron Munro]

Here is the index and the link to a terrific on-line resource.

GRANDPAPPY'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE WITH FREE INFORMATION ON MANY TOPICS

https://grandpappy.org/indexhar.htm

How to Survive Hard Times

WATER:
01. How to Find Water and How to Make Water Safe to Drink
02. How to Build a Very Effective Water Filter System for Approximately $75
03. Berkey Black Water Filter Elements
04. Water Filter Recommendation
05. Pasteurization of Water
06. Water Storage Options

FOOD:
07.The Importance of Food
08. Why Should Anyone Buy More Food Than They Can Eat in One Week?
09. A 30-Day Emergency Food Supply
10. An Affordable One-Year Emergency Food Supply and a Really Cheap One-Year Emergency Food Supply
11. Important Factors to Consider When Purchasing and Storing Emergency Food
12. Ten Different Ways to Heat Canned Foods
13. Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Foods
14. Long-Term Food Storage
15. How to Get the Best Value When Buying Fresh Meat
16. The LEM #10 Hand-Cranked Stainless Steel Meat Grinder
17. Black Pepper, Peppercorns, and Peppercorn Grinders
18. Pure Salt, Iodized Salt, Sea Salt, and Sea Salt Grinders
19. Coffee, Coffee Pots, and Coffee Bean Grinders
20. Grain Grinders for Wheat, Corn, Oats, and Beans
21. Grain: Wheat, Corn, and Oats
22. Parched Corn
23. Beans: An Important Survival Food for Hard Times
24. Emergency Vegetable Seeds for Hard Times

TRADITIONAL SKILLS AND EQUIPMENT:
25. Grandpappy's Homemade Soap Recipe
26. Laundry Washboards and a Suggestion for Using a Clothes Dryer
27. How to Melt Animal Fat
28. How to Start a Fire Using a Match or a Butane Lighter
29. Firewood, Fireplaces, and Cast Iron Stoves
30. Cast Iron Cookware
31. How to Preserve Food Using Three Simple Old Fashioned Methods
32. Practical Cooking Options During Serious Hard Times
33. How to Build a Reflector Oven and How to Use a Reflector Oven
34. How to Make a Primitive Clay Pot and How to Cook in a Clay Pot
35. How to Make a Candle Using Animal Fat and Some Cotton String
36. Smokehouse Questions and Answers
37. How to Smoke Meat and How to Make Meat Jerky
38. How to Build a Simple but Extremely Practical Smokehouse
39. A Few Small Items That Could Be Useful During Hard Times
40. Bicycles for Emergency Transportation
41. How to Build a Simple Sundial

TECHNOLOGY FOR HARD TIMES:
42. Rechargeable Batteries and a Solar Battery Charger
43. Flashlights
44. Candles - Advantages and Disadvantages
45. Two-Way Communication: Cell Phones, Satellite Phones, and Two-Way Radios
46. The Basics of Shortwave Radio
47. A Simple Explanation of the GPS Coordinate System
48. Alternate Energy Sources
How to Build a Portable Solar Power Generator
50. Vacuum Food Sealer

SURVIVAL STRATEGIES:
51. A Simple But Effective Survival Plan
52. A List of 20 Common Mistakes that Should Be Avoided
53. How to Start Preparing for Hard Times on a Very Modest Budget
54. Practical Items for Every Day Carry (EDC)
55. An Emergency Backpack or a Bug-Out-Bag
56. The Basic Rules of Survival During Hard Times
57. Pets and Livestock During Hard Times
58. Charity During Hard Times
59. Realistic Self-Sufficiency: The Do's and the Don'ts
60. Emergency First Aid Books and Supplies
61. How to Survive an Epidemic
62. Trade and Barter Items
63. Simple Easy Strategies on How to Reduce Your Living Expenses
64. What to Do Right Now if the Hard Times Have Begun and You are Not Prepared
65. The Solution to Hard Times

RETREATS:
66. Use Common Sense to Compare Your Current Location to Another Location
67. How to Select the Optimal Retreat Location
68. During a Disaster Event Should You Stay at Home or Leave?
69. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Recreational Vehicles and Campers
70. Community Involvement and Community Long-Term Survival

SHELF LIFE STUDIES:
71. Shelf Life of Canned Food and Dry Food
72. Shelf Life of Medicine

OTHER INFORMATION:
73. Hard Times and Acceptable Behavior
74. Sensationalism - 2007 and July 2, 2012.
75. Clothing for Hard Times
76. Shoes and Boots for Hard Times
77. Practical Suggestions That Can Help to Maintain Harmony with Long-Term House Guests
78. A Comparison of Five Major Brands of Toilet Tissue
79. How to Wipe When There is No Toilet Tissue
80. How to Convert Human Waste into a Safe Garden Compost Fertilizer
81. Ant Hills: A Simple Solution
82. Entertainment Options During Hard Times
83. Ancient Board Games and Solitaire Games From Around the World

[CottonBall]

That is amazing TY!

I wish I had another lifetime to start earlier and learn from resources like that. What a lot of knowledge and experience it takes - and time -to compile that!

[CottonBall]

Our own Pollard also compiled a prepping resource with needed topics:

Pollard’s Prepping Library - https://permasteader.route66custom.com/cloud/index.php/s/2ieKHJxFzADHRb6

His index is on his profile page.

Now, what I should do is print out one or both resources. Knowing these links won’t help if there is no internet or even electricity.

[Iron Munro]

Thanks for the link.

[CottonBall]

this is all great info!

And you bring up a much-needed concept, or bug out bags won’t be of much value if we don’t have water to drink. And trying to carry it all is not reasonable. Not unless we have a vehicle that we never have to leave.

I’ll use your posts as this week’s topic, if that’s okay?

[CottonBall]

This is your ping to the All Things Prepping, Simple Living, Back to the Basics [a place to come sit on the porch and chat, an on going thread]

This week's topic, brought to us by Iron Munro, is Bug Out Water at Post 443 and Post 444

If this topic is of any interest, we can segue into general water information, how we obtain it and use it at our homes.

If you want off/on this list, just let me know.

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you for hosting this thread.

[metmom]

Great resource. Thank you.

FWIW, I have heard that penicillin can actually go bad, so that might be one to check out. I’m guessing liquids have a much shorter shelf life.

Another good grain mill is the Mock Mill. We just bought one and love it. It grinds other stuff besides wheat, too.

https://mockmill.us/shop/

You just have to make sure you can find wheat berries locally. In CNY, one of the local Mennonite stores (Sauder’s in Seneca Falls) carries bags of wheat berries.

A question about root crops. I have a lot of volunteer turnips growing. I know I’ll need to dig them before the ground freezes but how long can they last in the ground. The article only mentions carrots and radishes.

[CottonBall]

You’re welcome!

I wish I was more entertaining so it would be more active

[z3n]

I bought something like this...


...rather than an electric water still because you should be able to use this outdoors and without power, theoretically. I say theoretically, because I haven't used it outdoors yet, but on a stove top it can condense water at a rate of 1 gallon per three hours.

Whats nice is you get pure water, although that isn't considered a long term drinking water solution because you actually need some minerals, but it has a temperature gate on it, so as long as you don't fill it too high was the source water and you don't let the temperature get well over boiling where the excess energy can transport more than just steam into the condenser, then you get pure H2O

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks! Something to consider! Fancy!

All of our well taps (three in the house yard, one in the pasture) have handles that can accommodate a padlock if need be. For now, those are unlocked because we have workers through here planting and/or harvesting and sometimes they need a drink or water too cool something down.

I don’t have the rain barrel locked, but that’s usually got bugs and other ‘interesting’ things in it (even though it’s screened on top where the roof water is channeled) and that water needs to be strained and boiled before drinking. LAST resort. ;)

The idea of a ‘key’ that fits them all is very smart.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for the tip on the mock mill.

Re: Turnips! This lady says to just leave them where they are and harvest as needed.

“I took a kitchen knife to the tops of the majority of my crop, and laid the greens around the roots to act as a mulch. Yes, I could have eaten the greens, but I was literally on my way out the door for our trip.

Next, I uprooted just a couple of decent sized turnips, cut the tops off, and reburied them where they’d been growing. I wished them luck and was on my way. I thought for sure the bugs would destroy them or they would rot before we got back home.”

https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/how-to-store-turnips-in-the-ground/

I don’t grow root crops (other than onions once in a while) because I have clay soil, even in a raised & amended bed. Wisconsin root crops are always cheap because the entire middle of our state is sandy loam and perfect for root crops. The majority of our crops & canning companies are in Plover, WI.

[Iron Munro]

The "handle-less" keyed faucets would be ideal for your application.
Much simpler than padlocks and still secure.

They come with a specific key from the manufacturer as in the picture below.
As you might expect, those keys are sometimes lost or misplaced.
I have seen places where people forget and leave them on the faucets only to find them gone.

As I described in my earlier text, the 4-Way Key is a universal tool that fits a variety of different faucets.
It's always wise to have a backup or two.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“It’s always wise to have a backup or two.”

Or a hundred! Those keys would end up with Beau’s dozens of cans of nuts, bolts, screws, washers and nails-yet-to-be-straightened, LOL!

I’d keep one for myself; I ALWAYS know where MY stuff is. :)

[metmom]

Thanks for the link.

I know in ground storage has been used for a long time for many crops, like potatoes, onions, apples, etc.

IMO, turnips are a very underrated veggie. They work great in soups and stews in lieu of potatoes and are lower carb. The link you gave also references turnip fries. Something I will have to check out.

I had many volunteer turnips grow in odd places after my other ones went to seed and they grow wonderfully in even the most inhospitable circumstances.

[Silentgypsy]

TBH, I think that people are so busy and pressed for time that we’ve become human doings as opposed to human beings. I love reading about prepping and trying new things, but I’ve been so exasperated and bent out of shape about educational system, our political antics and our foreign policy that I haven’t had much time for anything else. Oh, and don’t get me started re: our national debt >:(