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

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Granny you might enjoy this magazine:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2404358/197604-Desert-Magazine-1976-April
April 1976 issue of Desert Magazine, published in Palm Desert, CA. Interesting ads and articles.

[DelaWhere]

Easy Egg Recipes

You are here:
Old Recipe Book >> Salads >> Egg Recipes

How to Boil Eggs
My kids are always asking me, how to boil eggs. Here's how. Take a small pan, put your eggs in, fill with water to cover. Bring to a soft boil, then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat, run pan under cold water, to cool the eggs quickly. Take each one out one by one and crack the shells and peel immediately. It is this "heat to quick cooling," that causes the egg inside to contract, making the eggs very easy to peel. Tap them on the kitchen counter.

Egg Tips:
-When cooking eggs it helps prevent cracking if you wet the shells in cold water before placing them in boiling water.
-A tablespoon of vinegar added to the water when poaching eggs will help set the whites so they will not spread.
-If you shake the egg and you hear a rattle, you can be sure it's stale.
-A really fresh egg will sink and a stale one will float.

How long do eggs stay fresh? There are several different quality of eggs being sold on the market today. On the top of the carton it will say AA or AAA. Triple A is a lower quality of eggs. As far as I know, as long as eggs are refrigerated they last a real long time. If you crack the egg carefully in a bowl, and the egg yellow breaks immediately then I would think twice about eating it. And also if it is bad, it will smell bad when you crack it too, like the commonly used phrase "rotten as an egg"

You really shouldn't keep eggs more than 11 days. If there is a special at the supermarket, just crack the eggs open and put them in the freezer. To use one egg at a time, put single eggs in the ice tray. When frozen, put the egg cubes in a sealed plastic bag. You can take out the cubes one at a time for daily use.

Egg in a Holster

This is something we ate all the time as children, and I continued to cook them for my kids. Nowadays, I think they call them Egg in a Basket. Here's how you make them.

You take a slice of bread, and a glass, and use the open end of the glass to cut a circle in the bread.

Heat your pan over Med heat and put in the piece of bread with the hole, put a tsp. butter inside of the hole, then crack the egg into the center of the hole. Let it cook for a few minutes till the white sets. Then flip it with the spatula and brown the other side. Take the piece of bread left from the cut hole, butter it and lay it along side your Egg in a Holster to brown it. Eat and enjoy. It's like you made your egg and toast at the same time. Note: I like to use small eggs.

How to Make Deviled Eggs

How to make deviled eggs. You take the boiled and peeled eggs, and slice them lengthwise and let the yolk fall in a bowl. Put all the yolks together in a bowl, and your whites halves on a platter.

Mash the yolks with a fork, add a little mayo, add a tiny squirt of mustard, add a smidgen of sugar, and it you want, add some pickle relish. Stir it all up and fill the egg white by picking each one up and holding it, while using a teaspoon to put the filling in, then set it back down and do another, till done with them all. Some people sprinkle a little paprika on top. Gee this is making me hungry.

Tip: If you are making deviled eggs and want to slice it perfectly, dip the knife in water first. The slice will be smooth with no yolk sticking to the knife.

How to Make Deviled Eggs 2

6 hard cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
White pepper to taste
Paprika

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks. Mash yolks with remaining ingredients except paprika. Mix till smooth. Fill egg whites with mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.

Sunshine Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs
2/3 c. salad dressing
2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste

Boil eggs. Peel and cut in half and take out yolks. Mash yolks and add salad dressing. mustard, sugar, and salt.

Easy Egg Salad

Following the peeling of your eggs put them in a bowl, and either slice them and then mash with a fork, or dice them (it depends on your tastebuds) Then just stir in a Tblsp of mayonaise and some pickle relish if you like. Very easy Egg Salad.

Tip: To make quick diced eggs, take your potato masher and go to work on a boiled egg.

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

4 eggs - two for each person
2 Tblsp butter
2 slices of American cheese

Break eggs in a bowl, beat well, add cheese in torn pieces. In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter, pour in the eggs and cheese.

Stir with a spoon over medium heat till the desired consistency. We like the eggs soft scrambled. Chopped meat like sausage or bacon can be added. It is also good with chopped ham and a little onion. If you make Hash Browns first, then leave some of the hash browns in the skillet, dump in your eggs and scramble the eggs with the Hash Browns. Make some biscuits first.

Tip: Bread crumbs added to scrambled eggs will improve the flavor and make larger helpings possible. Sometimes I add part of my hashbrowns to my scrambled eggs too.

Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 slices cubed white bread
1 cup packed cheddar cheese(grated)
1 lb. mild sausage, browned and drained
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt

Beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Add bread and stir. Add sausage and cheese. Pour in greased 9x13 casserole. Refrigerate overnight. Bake 40 minutes at 350. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Serves 10.

Breakfast Casserole

Grease a 9X13 pan
1 pkg crescent rolls - pull apart and press in bottom of pan
1 lb. sausage (in a roll). Slice and layer on rolls
1 pkg. frozen hash brown squares
1 green pepper - chop and layer
1 onion (small) - chop and layer
Carrots - shred and layer (as many as you want)
Beat 12 eggs and 1/2 cup milk together and pour over casserole.
Top with 2 cups grated cheese

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the middle is cooked through.

Breakfast Pizza

1 lb sausage
1 cup cooked shredded potatoes
1 cup cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook meat until browned, then drain. Take your favorite biscuit recipe and put in bottom of a jellyroll pan. Spoon meat over crust, then add potatoes and cheese. Mix together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over all. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 min.

Quiche Lorraine (Blender recipe from 1970)

9 inch pastry pie crust
6 crisply cooked bacon strips
1/2 cup shredded or diced Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups light cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash white pepper
1/2 cup diced ham
4 eggs
1 thin onion

Make your piecrust. Sprinkle bacon and cheese on bottom of crust. Put remaining ingredients in blender. Cover. Press button 11 for 10 seconds. Flash blend if onion needs more blending. Do not overblend. Pour into piecrust over bacon and cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and mixture is set. Serve warm. Vary this delicious dish by substituting a 7 ounce can of flaked and drained crab meat for the bacon and have a crab quiche. Hot garlic bread, crisp green salad completes your meal.

How to Make an Omelet

First decide what kind of omelet you would like. My hubby likes any kind of omelet, and even when we go out for breakfast, he orders an omelet.

Here's the way I make omelets.
-Crack two eggs in a bowl and beat with a fork.
-Cut up a little onion, bell peppers, and ham, mushrooms or whatever, and add to a skillet with a little butter.
-After they are tender, move them to one side of the pan and pour in the eggs.
-Put a lid on the pan till the eggs are set, then open the lid and push the the veggies and meat on top of the eggs. Cover with a slice of cheese.
-Grab your spatula and flip one side of the eggs onto the other side with the cheese. Replace lid and turn stove off.
-In a few minutes the cheese should be melted, then use your spatula to move the omelet to a plate.

Tip: For fluffier omelets add a pinch of cornstarch before beating.

Also see Eggnog and How to Make Eggrolls

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I use a spoon to help peel the egg away from its shell. I crack the egg on a hard surface, then slip the bowl of the spoon under the shell and lift it away. Seems to work for me.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

“Mash the yolks with a fork, add a little mayo, add a tiny squirt of mustard, add a smidgen of sugar, and it you want, add some pickle relish. Stir it all up and fill the egg white by picking each one up and holding it, while using a teaspoon to put the filling in, then set it back down and do another, till done with them all. Some people sprinkle a little paprika on top.”

I’ve heard you can put the egg yolks in a ziplock bag, add the other ingredients, mash together by kneading the bag, then cut a tip off the corner and squeeze the yolk mixture into the boiled egg white halves.

It’s making me hungry too!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Don’t forget your pet food in an emergency. Here’s how to make your own cat food:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Raw-Cat-Food/
Make Raw Cat Food
Felines have been eating raw food for thousands of years. Kept by humans in their homes and barns to catch, kill and eat mice, bugs, and other undesirables, all cat species have remained true carnivores. There may very well be a relationship between the health of these magnificent creatures and the fact that many of us are feeding them meat-flavored cereal that they were never meant to eat. While it is definitely some work, making your own raw cat food is manageable. Think of it as a labor of love and keeping your pet happy and healthy without serving him all the unnecessary additives that are in some canned food. The following recommendation will better suit your cat’s body and health.

GATHER THE FOLLOWING PRIOR TO MAKING

2 kg [4.4 pounds] raw muscle meat with bones (chicken necks are mostly cartilage, are easy to chop and easy for the cat to digest) thighs and drumsticks or, better, a whole carcass of rabbit or chicken amounting to 2 kg; if you don’t use a whole carcass, opt for dark meat like thighs and drumsticks from chicken or turkey)

400 grams [14 oz] raw heart, ideally from the same animal (if no heart is available, substitute with 4000 mg Taurine)

200 grams [7 oz] raw liver, ideally from the same animal (if you can’t find appropriate liver, you can substitute 40,000 IU of Vitamin A and 1600 IU of Vitamin D—but try to use real liver instead of substitutes).

NOTE: If you cannot find the heart or liver and decide to substitute with the Taurine/Vitamin A and D, then remember to replace the missing amount of organ meat with the equivalent amount of muscle meat. In other words, if you cannot find heart, you add another 400 grams of the meat/bones. If you can’t find the liver, add another 200 grams of meat/bones.

16 oz [2 cups] water
4 raw egg yolks (use eggs from free-range, antibiotic-free chickens if you can)
4 capsules raw glandular supplement (such as, for example, “Raw Multiple Glandular” from Premier Labs)
4000 mg salmon oil
200 mg Vitamin B complex
800 IU Vitamin E (”dry E” works well) Buy Vitamin E in dry powder form. It’s much easier to deal with than those little oil-filled capsules.

* OPTIONAL: 1/4 teaspoon of kelp and 1/4 teaspoon of dulse (1/2 teaspoon total) Try and get dulse and kelp in powder form that you can easily measure with a teaspoon rather than in capsule form. Taking apart those capsules is time consuming. If you can only find kelp in caplet form, you’ll have to spend time crushing the caplets with a mortar and pestle. Do yourself a favor and try to find the loose powder form.

OPTIONAL: 4 teaspoons psyllium husk powder (8 teaspoons if using whole psyllium husks)

**HINTS**
Use a needle to pierce or small scissors to open the salmon oil capsules .
Sharp knives. Dull knives make the whole process last too long and can be more dangerous to use than sharp ones.
Poultry shears or a good tough pair of kitchen scissors can sometimes be easier than a knife for cutting and chunking the meats.
An egg separator can make things a little easier and faster too.

[Illustrated instructions at this wonderful website!—TAC]

[DelaWhere]

Sometimes I am also not remorseful that I have spoken impolitely to people.

You just have to do in in such a way that they are thinking it is a compliment - yet gets a dig in that is over their heads -but others listening get the point. It isn't really that hard with most 'liberals'. But you are right - we have to take a firm stand or they feed on their own ignorance.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Best_Meat_Sauce_cheap_w_Beer/

Best Meat Sauce (cheap) w/ Beer
This is how I make my pasta meat sauce, which i get many compliments on. I’m in college, so i make it cheap, and when I’m in a pinch i can make it extra cheap without sacrificing flavor. I’m going to show you how i make it when i have a full refrigerator, i.e. the beginning of the month. This means that it will be the way that i like it (HOT & SPICY), but i will tell you what to do if its your end of the month, if you don’t like it hot, or you just don’t want to spend a lot of money on a good and hearty meal.

this is a deviation of my mothers spaghetti sauce, except i think that this is better, cheaper, easier, and faster (don’t tell my mom that though)

I recommend that you buy as much of these ingredients from Costco or someplace similar.
This will cut the cost and you’ll have stuff left over to make it again. I got almost everything from Costco.

Ingredients:

- 2 large yellow onions
- 1 pack of ground meat
- 4 large Italian style sausages
- 1 jar of pasta sauce
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- a lot of garlic
- oil (i use olive oil but i don’t think it matters much)

These are the mandatory ingredients but I like to add:

- 2-3 large jalapenos peppers (pickled or fresh)
- 1/2-1 can of beer (i like to use Budweiser, but i used nicer beer this time)
- 2-3 bay leaves
- salt, pepper, paprika, Tabasco, anything else you like or have

[Illustrated instructions follow —TAC]

[DelaWhere]

I’ve heard you can put the egg yolks in a ziplock bag, add the other ingredients, mash together by kneading the bag, then cut a tip off the corner and squeeze the yolk mixture into the boiled egg white halves.

Hey, neat- just like a pastry tube decorator - much neater than the spoon - Twist, squeeze it out right where you want it. Easy clean-up too. Great idea!

In fact, so great that I am putting a dozen eggs on to cook right now (Hens are now laying about 2 dozen a day)

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.idos.com/
The International Dutch Oven Society

LOL there is a website for everything!

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://forums.idos.org/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=18504
Quick Dutch oven Vegetarian Chili

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans pinto beans, 1 drained 1 not
2 15 oz cans red kidney beans, 1 drained 1 not
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 14 oz can yellow or white hominy, drained
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 4 oz. can mild green chilie peppers (Ortega)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 to 2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. granulated garlic
½ tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
1 ½ cup jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro

In a 12” deep Dutch oven, combine all ingredients but the toppings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer; cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Serves 6 to 10

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

A former colleague used to raise exotic chickens in Scottsdale or Cave Creek. He used to sell the eggs to local restaurants who needed high-quality eggs.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Kidnapping Capital of the U.S.A. [Phoenix, Arizona]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2183518/posts

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://frugalhacks.com/2009/02/10/frugality-and-time-series-cooking-like-you-have-all-day/
Frugality and Time Series: Cooking Like You Have All Day
Posted by: Frugal.Homemaker.Plus on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

It’s common wisdom that cooking at home will save money and your waistline. It’s one of first things you hear in any “how to be more frugal” talk. So readers, why don’t we do it? While I do cook the majority of our meals at home, I confess to succumbing to fast food here and there. Why do I do that?

The simple answer is time. We don’t cook because we feel like we don’t have time. We’re frazzled, we’re tired, we’ve had a bad day and the last thing we want to is stand in front of a stove and deal with dinner and dishes. I know. I know this exact feeling. Even people who truly never hit up the drive thru have this feeling at least some of the time!

There’s a way around this, of course. It’s planning. The majority of the times that I’ve met my husband at the door with the “we’re going out to dinner” glare have been on days when I’ve failed to plan. Suddenly everybody is hungry and I have a headache and just am not in the mood. Plus everything worth eating is frozen and I don’t have any pasta or sauce or...well, you’ve been there. Before you know it, a pizza is on the way. Or you’ve loaded up the kids to head out to the golden arches. This is what happens when we don’t plan.

We know that dinner happens everyday, so it is something we can plan for. Here’s some things that I do that help keep me away from fast food:

1. Make a menu. I do my menus weekly, although some people do them daily or monthly. Having an idea of what you’re planning on eating this week is important. I start by seeing what I have, then going from there. I make my menu before I make my grocery list for the week. Having a menu and shopping around it prevents having a pot of boiling water before realizing that you’re out of spaghetti.

2. Cut things up right away! I learned this trick from Rachel Ray. When you get home, cut up the veggies and herbs before you put them away. Or have one day where you do a lot of the cutting! Sometimes the only thing between me and Taco Bell is cutting up onions. I’ll cut up veggies in front of the TV. Another trick is to buy pre-cut frozen veggies or “meal starter” packs. I get them when they go on 10 for $10 sales. With frozen pre-cut peppers and fridge dough, I can have a pizza in the oven faster than I can dial the pizza place.

3. When you make your menu, look ahead! It’s best not to make a complected new recipe on the day that you don’t get home until 6 and have to leave at 6:45 for church activities. Save that for the days when you have a lighter schedule, and use other methods on the crazy days.

4. If your life is insane or you just don’t feel like cooking? Cook all day- literally! Dust off your crockpot. When people think crockpot, they often think of cheap cuts of meat cooking for hours. That’s delicious, and one way to use it, but not the only way. There’s crockpot options for everyone, including vegetarians or people on special diets. Get everything ready the night before you use it and store the insert in the fridge.. Nobody wants to be chopping onions at 5:30 AM! If you’re prone to forgetting to putting it in the heating element, put the element somewhere you will see it, like in front of your door or at your place at breakfast. Instant delicious dinner waiting for you!

5. If the crockpot is not your thing, that does not mean you can’t cook ahead. Some people cook one day a month and fill their freezers. While I’ve never personally done that, I often double a recipe and put the extra in the freezer for a busy day. I also often mix up casseroles and the like the day before and put them in the fridge, oven ready for when we get home. Knowing that dinner is practically already done can ease up the urge to head out to Chipotle.

6. Keep a reserve of emergency boxed meals. I have a stock of Tuna Helper and Lean Cuisine TV dinners for days when I just can’t deal. As a rule, we try to avoid processed and other convenience foods, but they’re good to have on hand for every now and then. While Tuna Helper is hardly a winner on the nutrition scale, it’s better than a Big Mac Value meal.

7. Think about how much time going out is really saving you. Making a simple meal may take 30 minutes or so. How long does it take you to drive to a restaurant, wait to be seated, get the meal, pay, and get back home? Sometimes it is not the time saver that people think it is.

8. For the days when all of the above fails you- keep a stash of coupons for local pizza and restaurants. You may also check online. I’ve ordered pizza and gotten a far better deal by ordering online than we would have with the coupons and specials we had in our eating out envelope. We all fall short of perfection. It’s okay. Keeping coupons will help keep it from completely derailing your financial plan.

[DelaWhere]

I have about 35 Buff Orpington hens that just started laying back in January. I bought them as day old chicks back in July. This weekend I have about 30 roosters left that I need to ‘process’.

So, that should be about 6 more cases of canned chicken (I already have enough frozen) another 3 cases of chicken broth and about 16 pounds of chicken scrapple, will probably make some chicken breakfast sausage links too. Then the bones go through the chipper/shredder and into the compost pile, along with the feathers and feet. Waste nothing!

[upcountry miss]

Two of like size, with a plank across them>>>
Why didn’t I think of that? For 25+ years, I have single-handedly been clearing the underbrush along the river bank, leaving just the trees. Every year I have several hugh piles of brush to burn in the spring when it is wet enough to have a bon fire. Must have 700-800 feet cleared now Got places for half a dozen “settees”. Hubby will be cursing you. That means 12 more big rocks to haul from the river and he hates for me to put “stuff” out that he has to mow around. I can’t wait. Just love to go down by the river, sit quietly and watch for birds and wildlife. One day, I watched a mother otter and her two babies while mama was teaching the babies to “hunt” turning over the rocks and chittering away at the young. Won’t those settees be nice, placed along the bank?

[upcountry miss]

We never had a big problem with permits until this last house. The city folk are moving in and want everything like the things they moved to get away from. LOL Living a quarter of a mile in on a private road, we tend to do what we want without permits, but this house was a big project and didn’t want to be required to tear it down. Had a friend that built a garage too close to his neighbors line, went unnoticed for several years, then some nosy official discovered it and even though the neighbor didn’t care, the town made them tear the garage down. Ridiculous!!! We have several small out buildings that were built with no permit and we are now finishing part of our basement-no permit, just holding our brearh.

Really wish I knew how to build rock walls and had the strength to do it. I, too love rock walls and think of our forefathers building miles of them with no tractors or loaders or as hubby says “my bucket”. He thinks he can move mountains with his ancient loader and bucket.

[upcountry miss]

Prince Edward Island is beautiful also, but the Katahdin

area and around Moosehead Lake are my favorite spots. Talk about secluded. The paper companies have built roads all through the area and most of them are open to the public but the logging trucks have the right of way and if you see one coming, you best move way to the side of the road as they are coming full tilt, have a lot of weight behind them and don’t slow down a bit! There are dozens of lakes and ponds in this area and you can pull up to the edge of any body of water and camp as long as you wish. The stars are never so bright as they are out in the wilderness. Add the call of loons to this scene and it is heaven on earth.

The State of Maine has built camps for Game Wardens throughout the area and most have picnic tables, hand pumps for water and outhouses that the public may use. It is a well kept secret as few people use these areas. We were great friends with a Game Warden and camped with him frequently so we know the area fairly well. It is very easy to get lost though as there are no road signs-you are on your own in that vast expanse. We try to get up there at least once a year and more if at all possible.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

“Looking For A Job?”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2136635/posts

Note: This thread is updated on a regular basis.

[gardengirl]

Hey Granny!

The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Part of an old hymn,but it sums it up pretty good.

Any warmer? 70 here today and yest. Wish I could send you some! Course, it’s got everybody antsy about planting, and it’s gonna get cold again. :)

[DelaWhere]

Oh boy, I remember it was Mt. Katahdin, but I can’t really remember if it was Moosehead Lake. Strange, but I can clearly picture the whole place - even remember taking the kids in the canoe early in the morning - the lake was smooth as a sheet of glass - we were having fun watching a couple of loons and trying to predict where they would come up next.

Then we put to shore and picked about a quart of wild blueberries and then back to camp for some delicious blueberry pancakes. Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!