Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood

[nw_arizona_granny]

Welcome to the thread, I like both your ideas and I have grown hanging tomatoes, but not from the bottom of the pot.

Will try making yogurt one of these days, as I do eat it sometimes.

Thank you for sharing with us.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I went and looked out the front window, God has hidden my yard from me.

It is now under snow and more falling.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I would love to see the fish farm.

Interesting that fish can really be raised in a barrel, I have had them in aquariums and would love to have a few fancy guppies to look at.

Not so sure today were they would fit.

There is or was a market for fish and birds , for I sold many birds to the pet stores.

It was easier for them, to not fight shipping and just pop out to the house and pick them up.

[Travis T. OJustice]

I really don’t ever see myself raising fish in a barrel, but the idea is interesting.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[nw_arizona_granny]

Interesting to know, so they too want personal attention, or do not give out the fruit.

So much to learn.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Truth you are welcome, even if your fish are not in a barrel, LOL.

If you think of something we need to know, please share it with the thread.

[metmom]

But we overlap with a large section of people (because of what I do professionally) and what we see in these people disturbs us. These people have no skills, they live in debt, and probably worst of all... their "backup plan" is to simply know somebody like us! I've spoken to a few of them about this and asked them why they didn't consider that we also have a "backup plan" and they always give me this bewildered look. I ask them if they honestly think we're going to be where we're at now if the proverbial doo-doo hits the fan? I can tell by the looks on their faces that they hadn't thought about this! They ask where we're going to be, but I don't tell that to anybody except a very few, and they're "like" us.

Gotta love it.....

[metmom]

2) Yogurt: If you like yogurt and hate the price, make your own. It is terribly simple. Heat 2 quarts of milk to 185 degrees. While hot, stir in 3 teaspoons of vanilla and a half cup of sugar or equivalent sweetener to taste. Let cool to 105 degrees. Take a half cup or so (of store bought the first time) yogurt and stir in 1/2 cup or so of the warm milk (to temper the starter.) Stir the starter in the milk and cover. Place in a warm spot for 4, up to 6 hours and then refrigerate.

The best yogurt I ever made, I let incubate in the van on a warm summer day. I'd scald the milk and let it cool to temperature, then stick the pot on the floor of the van and cover it with a towel. I always cracked the windows enough to keep the temperature reasonable, but the van holds a nice steady temperature for hours on end and is free.

[metmom]

Good idea about pollinating the tomatoes. I never heard that before but will be sure to try it.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

If you are interested in the ongoing chaos and upheaval from the currency collapse in Argentina, search in this blog:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/

You can learn a lot about survival from FerFAL. It’s shocking what happened to the world’s eighth largest economy.

Thanks for the ping Granny!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3011764/Make-3-Survival-Kits-1-from-an-Altoids-Tin

Make a Survival Kit out of an Altoids Tin(and Two More Life-Saving DIY Projects)

The Pocket Kit

Fitting inside an altoids tin, this kit is easy to keep on hand at all times. This is ideal for anyone who wants to have the essential survival gear along each time they head into the field. Everything fits in the Altoids tin (above).

It fulfills all the component groups (see “Make Your Own, -last slide) except for shelter and protection, but add a survival blanket to your pocket and you’ll be covered.

Keep clicking through the following slides for details on all of this kit’s components.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

That’s the post that got me linked up to FerFAL’s blog. A terrifying scenario.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2057748/Bulk-Survival-Food-Tips
[An ad for freeze dried food, but worth thinking about. Granny, your thoughts?]

Bulk Survival Food Tips
Kevin Taylor © 2008

What are the options for food emergency preparedness?
The conventional wisdom offered by our governments is to go to your local supermarket and buy canned food and dry grains and store them. There are limitations to this survival food strategy that are highlighted below. Two other options MRE or ‘meals ready to eat’ and Freeze Dried Food have additional superior survival food benefits that will make you and your family much better prepared for a situation that requires a survival food supply from 72 hours to 6 months.

1. Survival Food Option - Buy Canned Food and Dry Grains
Buy the canned foods, grains, and bottled water as many government agencies recommend. Store in your house or apartment.

• Good, can be done in 2 hours or less
• Bad, most will forget or not store it properly so it will be useless when it is needed
• Bad, Goods are heavy, space is often limited people will not be able to store much
• Bad, grains need a lot of water to cook to eat and water may be unavailable or scarce.
• Bad, you will need to spend a lot of time preparing food
• Bad, canned foods can destroy appetites after awhile

2. Survival Food Option - Buy Canned Food and Dry Grains on “inventory cycle” plan
Same as the first option except be more careful in storing and ‘cycle’ inventory of goods buying new food so that food store is always edible.
• Good, food will not be bad when you need it Bad, most people do not have the time, space, or inclination to do this
• Bad, grains need a lot of water to cook to eat and water may be unavailable or scarce.
• Bad, you will need to spend a lot of time preparing food
• Bad, canned foods can destroy appetites after awhile

3. Survival Food Option - Buy MRE’s (military style Meals Ready to Eat)
• Good, easy to store and lasts upto 5-7 years in a cool dry place.
• Good, fastest preparation time possible and can be heated fast with “MRE heaters”
• Good, can be ordered online in minutes, delivered to your house. You will only have to spend less than 30 minutes storing it.
• Bad, relatively expensive per meal and for extended reserve of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year a lot space required to store.
• Bad, lasts only 5-7 years so you will need to buy a replacement reserve relatively soon.
• Bad, tastes like canned food which can destroy appetites after awhile

4. Survival Food Option - Buy Freeze Dried Food
• Good, easy to store and lasts up to 30 years.
• Good, fast simple preparation just add water. But only water that is needed to hydrate the food, much less than cooking.
• Good, once hydrated, freeze dried food taste is very close to original food taste.
• Good, light weight easy to store large qty (Mountain house #10 cans) of food for reserves of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year. A 6 week food reserve can fit under a bed!
• Good, can be ordered online in minutes, delivered to your house. You will only have to spend less than 30 minutes storing it.
• Good, as economical choice - cost can be less than $3.35 per meal. As you can see there are a lot of benefits to Freeze Dried Food over the other options making it a superior choice for bulk survival food.
More information on survival food including MREs and Freeze dried food at

http://bulk-survival-food.com

[kimmie7]

Am enjoying the thread immensely!

And love how you turn a phrase, “God has hidden my yard from me”

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Marmolade, you might find free stuff at Freecycle.org. It’s a series of yahoo groups intended to let people give away stuff FREE! There’s likely a group near you.

You can check craigslist too.

Other than that, you might find pieces at the thrift shops, but many folks are jealous of their old cast iron (the older the better).

So you may end up buying your own new. It’s not expensive. Lodge makes a good line. You can often find pieces at hardware stores. For example, Fresno Ag carries many unusual pieces from Lodge. They have cactus shaped cornbread pans, LOL.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

bookmark

[chickpundit]

Great thread! I still have a lot to learn, but will share the small measures I am taking:

I have begun buying an extra bag or two of white flour when I go to the store. I store these bags in an extra freezer, where they will last for years. I use the oldest bags first and rotate. Rice and dried beans have a fairly long shelf life, and are good buys. It doesn’t hurt buy extra cooking oil. Canola is cheap and has a pretty long shelf life. Butter freezes well.

I have purchased extra vitamins for the kids. They have a long shelf life and could help with Vitamin C/iron deficiencies.

Here’s a site that has info on how what to do in order to conserve/purify water. If you’re not able to boil water, you can treat it with bleach:

http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/emergwatersuppl.html

I wish we had acreage, but we will just have to make due expanding our garden in the suburbs. I love gardening, and am learning more about saving seeds from heirloom veggies. Seeds (once dry and packaged correctly) can also be stored in the freezer so they remain viable longer. Here’s a great site to learn more:

http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html

Some of you may have already heard of No Knead Bread. I started making it a couple months ago, and I no longer buy bread from the store. It’s really easy, and tastes so good. I bought yeast in bulk, so it’s very inexpensive. I apologize for posting something from the NY Times, but it is a wonderful recipe:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

We only have electric heat though. Although we have a fireplace, it does not produce as much heat as I had hoped, as we found out a couple years ago during an ice storm ... better than nothing though. I have some cast iron/enamel covered pots. I wonder if these work on top of a charcoal grill?

Any opinions on this product to dry veggies?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KYNR1O/ref=asc_df_B001KYNR1O711095?smid=A1GV61T0AKND7P&tag=dealt5563-20&linkCode=asn

I saw some plans on earlier posts showing how to build a solar dehydrator, but unfortunately I have no clue/ability when it comes to building things. I have an electric food dehydrator that I like. I still need to learn to can, but a dehydrator is a good option for now.

[chickpundit]

Here’s a recipe for dried cured meat using a grill:

4 lbs. pork, beef, or wild game
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup salt
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper

Slice meat 1/4 inch thick, and trim excess fat. In a shallow dish lay day a layer of the cure then lay down the sliced meat and cover with the cure. Plastic wrap can be used to separate layers of meat. Cover last layer of meat with plastic wrap and put another dish on it to weigh it down. Cure for 3-6 hours then rinse off with water and let air dry. Next, smoke the meat using a grill or smoker using indirect heat for 2-3 hours. Keep the smoking heat around 150-200 degrees. Let meat air dry for another 24 hours after smoking to dry some more. The meat should be shelf stable after this process.

[DelaWhere]

If you have a slide out tray dehydrator, it works very well for yogurt making too. Set the temp and let it culture!

With the round tray ones you can still do it, but I had to take a piece of flashing and make a spacer between the bottom tray and the lid. Just measure around the dehydrator and cut a piece 8 or 10” wide - then just curl it inside the lip of the bottom tray and put in a covered bowl of milk with culture starter and put the cover on.

Yay - yogurt! Then add some of the home canned fruit or even jam - mighty fine eatin.

[ozarkgirl]

I am glad you will come back to read with us, and if you want share your knowledge with the group.

Thank you very much. I tend to read it quite a bit but haven't submitted anything. I'm having a greenhouse this year for the first time and looking forward to seeing if there are any tips for that. Up until the past couple years I've always had a huge garden, canned alot, etc. but just now getting back into it. Family is basically gone so I don't need as much food as before and moved and lost my huge garden plot.