Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by 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
Well, it seems that we are seeing a change in employment around here...
Many years ago, local summer jobs at the beach were the most desirable student endeavors. Then we saw Americans not wanting to take that level of job, and just wanted to party at the beach instead...
This brought many European and particularly Eastern European college students coming and working for the summers, and there was a huge call for more people to be allowed in to fill those jobs.
NOT NOW.... They held their annual Beach Job Fair yesterday - within the first 2 hours, all applications were GONE... Students were having to compete with unemployed of all levels for those jobs... Gone was the dickering over starting dates - Students always tried to arrange it to fit their school schedules... Now they are seeing people saying ‘I can start TODAY if you need me...’ Quite a change...
“Iowa sounds pretty.”
I’m in IL. My parent’s lived close to the city (Chicago) and said when we moved farther west, they felt we were moving to IA. We aren’t even close to the IA border.
But we do have decent land. Hubby grew up on a farm in WI and had sheep here for awhile. Got too busy to care for them. Had a cow many years ago too, sent it up to his dad.
What kind of grinder did you get, CB? Is it hand crank or electric? You may have posted this way back on the thread, but I couldn’t recall if you had.
Is there an ‘awakening’ starting to take place?
Are there ‘signs’ being ‘revealed’.
Seems that every day I am seeing the focus changing on many websites, in the news, and on the radio.
Today I got an email from them...
>>> WND Exclusive TESTING THE FAITH
Famed pastor predicts imminent catastrophe
Best-selling author, Teen Challenge founder, sees ‘earth-shattering calamity about to happen’<<<
Ads on their site too like:
>>>New Survival Seed Bank
Lets You Plant A
Full Acre Crisis Garden! <<<
Their dire warnings as they sell a year’s supply of open pollenated seeds include:
>>>Now you can grow all the survival food you will ever need anywhere in the country with a kit that contains a special seed bank of hard to find, open pollinated… super seeds, grown by small, fiercely independent farmers.
Let’s face it. If the stories coming out on the world’s food supply are even half right, we’ve got real problems and they aren’t going to go away quickly. Here are a couple stories that I ran across recently:
* WorldNet Daily cites strong evidence that some government agencies are stockpiling huge amounts of canned food.
* Jim Randas, former U.S. Intelligence officer, appeared on ABC telling Americans to start stockpiling food.
* Grocery store prices are rising faster than any time in U.S. history.
* Worldwide grain stocks are dropping precipitously as bio-fuels consume inventories… and on and on and on.
You don’t have to be an Old Testament prophet to see what’s going on all around us. A belligerent lower class demanding handouts. A rapidly diminishing middle class crippled by police state bureaucracy. An aloof, ruling elite that has introduced us to an emerging totalitarianism which seeks control over every aspect of our lives.
As the meltdown progresses, one of the first things to be affected will be our nation’s food supply. Expect soaring prices along with moderate to severe shortages by spring. If you don’t have the ability to grow your own food next year, your life may be in danger. Supply lines for food distribution in this country are about three days, meaning a dependence on “just in time” distribution systems, which will leave store shelves empty in the event of even the smallest crisis.
Are You Ready To Take Control Of Your Own Food Supply?
Could you and your family get off the grid and survive in a panic? Do you have enough seeds to plant a survival garden and feed your family? Do you have the right kind of seeds to plant? If you’re answering no to these questions, you need to stop wherever you are and ask yourself… “What would I do if the grocery stores closed?” The answer sadly is that you’d probably go hungry.<<<
Another ad -
>>>If you have ever wanted to produce your own cheaper than dirt survival food...this is going to be the most important message you will ever read.<<<
and goes on to tell readers -
>>> As a result, hunger is spreading worldwide. Already, several African nations have had citizens killed in food riots. There is talk that the government in Bangladesh could be toppled over soaring food prices. Food-related tensions and unrest are breaking out in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and South America. Armed soldiers now stand watch over rice distribution in more and more countries. Just a few miles to the South, food riots have broken out in Mexico and Haiti. Estimates are that 33 nations are at risk of conflict and social unrest because of food shortages.
That’s a lot of suffering. And, Americans who know their history understand all to well, suffering tends to bring out the ugly side in human nature. Right now, Americans just change channels when they see others starving on television. But it seems America could be next.<<<
And that is not the only site - dozens of them are starting to sound the alarm...
Seems that the ‘denial’ phase is departing and the ‘panic’ phase is about to begin...
Well, not just the food... Just heard promo for 60 Minutes for tonight.... ‘What happens when your bank fails - - Hundreds are being closed - - Find out what’s happening and surprising way it’s being done.’
Not much confidence building here...
Sites like -
http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=581
Who is dedicated to our constitutional freedom posting information like:
>>>According to the Army Times, we now have at least 20,000 U.S. military troops deployed within our borders to “help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.” I am not alone in believing that we are just one incident—be it a terrorist attack, a major financial blowout or a widespread natural disaster—away from martial law being declared in this country. And once that happens, the Constitution and Bill of Rights will be suspended and what government officials believe and do, no matter how arbitrary, will become law.<<<
OK, so say it quickly and it loses impact... But - that is an American Soldier for every 5,000 families already being trained for this...
Add in the number of National Guard, Federal, State and Local police... Rough calculations bring it down to an armed force of 1 for every 162 families... With them as the core, bring in the military reserves, and the balance of active duty military of all branches and we are soon faced with an almost desperate situation as a lowly citizen family...
Rutherford Institute further warns:
>>>This danger was made clear in a U.S. Army War College report issued last fall. As Hedges reports, “The military must be prepared, the document warned, for a ‘violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States,’ which could be provoked by ‘unforeseen economic collapse,’ ‘purposeful domestic resistance,’ ‘pervasive public health emergencies’ or ‘loss of functioning political and legal order.’ The ‘widespread civil violence,’ the document said, ‘would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.’”<<<
and ends with:
>>>Right now, all we can do is sound the alarm. Become educated. Form local citizens groups in your community. Educate your neighbors on their rights and inform them about the grave possibilities we face in the event of a government-declared emergency. Keep in almost near-constant contact with your representatives in Congress and voice your discontent. Most of all, stay informed and exercise your right to redress your grievances with the government while you still can.
As abolitionist Wendell Phillips once proclaimed:
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty—power is ever stealing from the many to the few.... The hand entrusted with power becomes ... the necessary enemy of the people. Only by continual oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot.<<<
As a confirmed eternal Optimistic Realist, it is straining my abilities to rationalize what is going on today with optimism... Scary stuff...
So, since confidence is an unrecognized national phenomenon today, all I can say is Prepare, Prepare, Please Prepare!
Maybe I should add - Prepare - Do it with optimism and with confidence that your preparations will be beneficial to you, your family and our Nation!
Well, seed flats need to be seeded - time is a wasting - I will try to think optimistically about the yield, flavor, abundance of what I am planting confident that the skills and resources I have will produce a bumper crop of delicious food...
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I read an interesting idea yesterday that we will try here soon.
To test your supplies, turn off your electric/water for a weekend. Live off of what you have.
In this way, you will see if you have what you need for your family to make it, gain experience so that if you are ever in that situation you do not panic, and also you will probably think of something that you would like to have that you never would have thought of before.
What’s the weather like in IL?
I rotate my stored foods and when the expiry gets close I donate what I won’t be able to use to the food pantry at Holiday time.
I got a half and half ;)
It’s electric, but came with a hand crank too, just in case. That was what I was looking for. It’s a family grain mill. And strangely enough, YouTube is a good place to check out how the various mills work. Some are so loud, even in the videos people can’t talk over them. FGM is pretty quiet, CHEAP, and does a good job milling the flour pretty fine. All except the burrs are plastic (hence the cheap price in comparison to some others). The flour doesn’t end up all over the kitchen either, like some others I’ve read about (as long as I use a rather tall bowl to catch it in.)
I’m making more bread today but....I think I forgot the yeast! it’s been in the frig overnight with no action whatsoever. Bread is so simple - flour, yeast, salt, water, maybe sugar - and I seem to forget one ingredient each time I make it. The bread without flour was pretty bad.;(
sorry about your state mix-up. I didn’t follow the thread very well!
Great! Please share some advice from it when you can.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ThaiRecipes/Stir-fried_Beef_with_Basil.php
Beef with Basil
Serves : 4
Preparation time : 30 minutes
cooking time : 15 minutes
Ingredients :
4 tablespoons oil
5 bunches holy basil, stems removed to yield 2 cups
3 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons minced shallot
2 to 3 tablespoons minced red chilies
500g beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
200g green beans, cut into lengths to yield 2 cups
5cm young ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon fish sauce
11/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
95g roasted unsalted cashew nuts (optional)
Method :
1. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot and stir-fry 1/2 of the basil leaves for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy. Remove and rain on paper towels. Set aside.
2. In the same wok, heat the leftover oil over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic, shallots and chilies for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the beef and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until just cooked. Add the green beans and ginger, and season with the fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until the green beans are tender and cooked. Stir in the remaining basil leaves and remove from the heat.
3. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with cashew nuts (if using) and the reserved crispy fried basil leaves, and serve hot with steamed rice.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ChineseRecipes/Chinese_Cabbage_in_Cream_Sauce.php
Chinese Cabbage in Cream Sauce
Serves : 6
Ingredients :
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 small Chinese cabbages, coarsely shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
125ml single (light) cream
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Method :
1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying-pan. Add the spring onions (scallions) and cabbages and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and vinegar and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked but still crisp.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes, or until the sauce comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a warmed serving dish. Serve at once.
Shanghai Dumplings
Ingredients :
300g plain flour
40g shortening
some cold water
Filling
300g minced meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock granule
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn flour
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
dash of sesame oil
Method :
1. Mix all ingredients for filling in a mixing bowl, follow with same direction during mixing. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Mix plain flour with shortening and water in mixing bowl, knead into smooth dough. Let dough rest for 5 minutes and apportion into 20 small pieces, then flatten into round shape.
3. Wrap 1 teaspoon of filling with 1 dumpling wrapper into bun shape.
4. Steam the dumplings in high heat for 10 minutes.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/ThaiRecipes/Fragrant_Beef_Panaeng_Curry.php
Fragrant Beef Panaeng Curry
Serves : 6-8
Preparation time : 40 minutes
cooking time : 50 minutes
Ingredients :
500ml thin coconut milk and 125ml thick coconut milk
700g beef, cubed
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 bell pepper, deseeded and cut into sticks
3 tablespoons ground roasted unsalted peanuts
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced into strips
Sprigs of Thai basil
Panaeng Curry Paste
4 dried chilies, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes until soft, stems discarded, deseeded
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
1cm galangal root, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon crushed coriander roots and stems.
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons water
Method :
1. To make the Panaeng Curry Paste, dry-fry the dried red chilies, coriander, cumin and black peppercorns in a wok or skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Combine the toasted ingredients and all the other ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a blender.
2. Heat 60ml of the thin coconut milk in a wok over medium heat until hot. Stir in the Panaeng Curry Paste and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant.
3. Add the beef cubes and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting with the curry. Add the remaining thin coconut milk, fish sauce and palm sugar, mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes until the curry has reduced to half and the beef is tender.
4. Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, bell pepper and think coconut milk and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked. Stir in the peanuts and remove from the heat.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and basil leaves before serving.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Asian_Vegetables_Recipes/Fried_Cabbage.php
Fried Cabbage
Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 6
Ingredients :
1 litre coconut milk, from 1/2 grated coconut squeezed first for coconut cream and add sufficient water to extract coconut milk
5 red chilies, cut into strips
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
300g cabbage, cut into 1.25cm pieces
300g small prawns (shrimps), shelled and cleaned
125ml coconut cream, from 1/2 grated coconut and sufficient water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 spring onion (scallion), chopped
Method :
1. Put coconut milk, red chilies, shallots and garlic in a wok and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then add cabbage.
2. When cabbage is soft, add prawns, coconut cream and salt. Sprinkle in spring onion last. Remove from heat as soon as mixture comes to a boil. Serve hot.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Food_Articles/Essential_Oils-Oil_Types.php
Essential Oils - Oil Types
Listed below are various types of oil that most commonly used :
Oil Type
Description
Content
Smoke Point
Cooking Suggestion
Corn oil
Relatively ordourless and mild in flavour.
High in
poly-unsaturates
High, therefore good for frying
Baking, and salad dressings.
Sesame oil
Has a nutty nuance and strong aromatic flavour.
Contains both poly-unsaturates and mono-unsaturates.
Low
Add to cook stir-fry dishes, soups and salad dressings. Use sparingly.
Peanut oil
Mild in flavour. Browns food pretty quickly.
Contains mostly mono-unsaturates and some poly-unsaturates.
High. Excellent for frying
Roasting and all types of cooking.
Sunflower seed oil
Relatively light and mild in flavour.
Very high in poly-unsaturates, low in saturates.
Low, suitable for low-heat frying
Salad dressings and other low-heat cooking.
Soybean oil
Relatively light and mild in flavour.
High in poly-unsaturates and mono-unsaturates, low in saturates.
High, suitable for frying
Generally suitable for all types of cooking.
Olive oil
Fruity in flavour.
Highest concentration of mono-unsaturates, low in poly-unsaturates and saturates.
Very low
Regular - low to medium-heat cooking. Extra-virgin-dizzle in cooked dishes and salads.
Palm oil
Relatively heavy and thick.
Contains as much saturates as unsaturates.
High, excellent for frying
All types of cooking.
Red palm oil
Moderately heavy.
Contains natural carotenes and Vitamin E.
High, excellent for frying
All types of cooking purpose.
Coconut oil
Relatively heavy.
High in saturates.
Low
All types
Oil tips :
* If food pops up when added to oil for deep-frying, then it is hot enough for frying.
* When shallow frying, stick a pair of chopstick into oil to test whether oil is hot enough for frying. It bubbles appear around the chopsticks, then it is hot enough.
* Each time you use oil for frying, its smoke point decreases. Do not re-use oil for frying more than two or three times as it will blacken food.
* Exposing oil to air will lower its smoke point, making it less suitable for frying.
* Buy oils from supermarkets or shops with a high turnover to ensure freshness.
* Oils derived from plant sources are cholesterol-free, but may still contain saturated fats.
* The term lite or light on oil labels simply mean that these oils are lighter in flavour, not in fat content.
* When cooking or baking with olive oil, choose the light variety as it has a higher smoke point.
http://www.asianfood-recipes.com/Food_Articles/Celery_Stalks-Stalking_Health.php
Celery Stalks – Stalking Health
Crisp, crunchy, celery stalks (sometimes, the leaves as well) are common additions to salad greens and fruits. Raw celery chopped into bite-size pieces perk up your leafy vegetable salads and gives a delectable twist to your fruit salads. Although some people take to the strong metallic taste of celery at first bite, for most, the celery’s ‘weird’ and distinctive flavor could take some getting used to.
Besides being a great addition to salads, celery also add a very distinctive flavor and texture to soups, sauces, stocks and stews. The pungent taste of celery is slightly mellowed when cut into sticks and boiled, braised or stewed until tender.
Cut or chopped celery makes great addition to meat-flavored soups and vegetable or beef stews. The head of celery can also be left whole to be boiled or braised in stock, while sticks or pieces of celery make delightfully crunchy additions to vegetable and meat stir-fries.
High in potassium, the celery is believed to be good for gout and rheumatism patients as it raises alkaline levels in the blood. It is also health because not only is it low in calories, but is a good source of Vitamin C. on top of that, celery also contain dietary fibre, calcium, iron and Vitamin A.
Celery sticks are also believe to be sexually stimulating., especially when eaten raw. The tiny black seeds of the celery, however, are believed to be more potent as an aphrodisiac. Sold in many Indian grocery stores, crushed celery seeds are used as a condiment to flavor curries, oil-vinegar salad dressings and bread.
There are three types of celery- one that has thin green stems with bush green leaves at the head, the green or yellow-green variety, and the British white celery (also known as the trench celery as it was originally grown in trenches).
Whichever the variety, the same rules apply when choosing good-quality celery. The stalks of good-quality celery should be crisp, firm and pure in color. Always choose celery with even-colored, unblemished and smooth-skinned stalks. The celery should be in firm bunches that are tightly formed. Soft, bent stalks that spread out is a telltale sign that the product is not fresh.
Celery leaves too is another factor we should pay attention to when buying celery. They should be green and crisp with no signs of wilting. Limp, drying or shriveled leaves are an indication that the celery is not fresh.
Young celery stalks taste best when eaten raw. So, when buying celery, avoid over-aged ones as they are tough. Thick veins on the celery stalks and rough inside surfaces are indication that the celery is over-aged. Celery can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Popularly regarded as health food and eaten raw by many weight-watchers, they border on being bland and boring when eaten that way. Hence, it may be a good idea to cook your celery once in a while for variety. Simple celery dishes that are deliciously healthy can be far from bland and boring as delightfully tasty dishes can be prepared with minimum fuss while keeping a close calorie count.
Yum... will be making more this year.<<<
I am glad that you had used the recipe and the Apple Butter was good, it looked good to me.
LOL, you have me afraid that I will post something that will make folks ill.
Thank you for the garlic ping. We put granulated garlic into capsules and my husband takes them (I’ve tried but honestly I’d rather just eat the stuff). Garlic is so good for you and so are onions, they are in the same family (as lilies?).
NOT NOW.... They held their annual Beach Job Fair yesterday - within the first 2 hours, all applications were GONE... Students were having to compete with unemployed of all levels for those jobs... Gone was the dickering over starting dates - Students always tried to arrange it to fit their school schedules... Now they are seeing people saying ‘I can start TODAY if you need me...’ Quite a change...<<<<
That is good news!!!
It is time the kids find out that the party is over and real life is going to hit them in the face.
I read in the Las Vegas news that 1 in 10 workers in Las Vegas is unemployed.
Sounds about right, as several months ago, Laughlin laid off a bunch of the casino workers and cut the hours to about 36 per week for the ones they kept.
Interesting, real American youths, actually working.
I saw an ad in a drug store window, got off the school bus and went in and applied for it.
Best training that I ever had, in 60 years, I always found a job as a waitress, LOL, not always a choice place, but I got a job.
* WorldNet Daily cites strong evidence that some government agencies are stockpiling huge amounts of canned food.
* Jim Randas, former U.S. Intelligence officer, appeared on ABC telling Americans to start stockpiling food.
* Grocery store prices are rising faster than any time in U.S. history.
* Worldwide grain stocks are dropping precipitously as bio-fuels consume inventories… and on and on and on.<<<<
Interesting, and not surprising.
All of a sudden people are jumping on the band wagon.
Even Alex Jones has an ad on the radio, selling seed collections.
They say it is a recession, when the man next door looses his job.
It is a depression, when you loose your job.
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