Several years ago, or so it seems, I began my journey into the preparedness sector of the world and life. It began with the desire I had to have food storage. At the time I began this journey we were low on money and I had no idea how to begin or where. I hadn't even heard of freeze-dried strawberries. Thus began my quest for knowledge. I dived into the internet and all it had to offer. I read books and did all I could to acquire a little bit of knowledge before finally buying products for long-term storage.
Well, I'm still low on money and don't have much in terms of long-term storage but I am farther along now than before. My desire to learn more about food storage and the like has not dissipated. I still browse the internet looking for ideas and products. There is one thing I have noticed though, there is a ton of stuff out there. There are so many websites, blogs, methods, and resources out there that it is impossible-unless you have all the time in the world-to sort through it. I've been noticing this lately with my browsing. Really, I have little time to sort through it all. There is just too much. So, my advice is to pick and choose. My plan, we'll see if I can carry it out, is to get a folder and print out the information I would like to keep and have reference to. Not only would this cut down on my needing to sort through all of my 'bookmarks' for the internet but I will have it in case the internet is unavailable.
At that, I am now giving you and whoever else happens upon this blog permission to copy and use anything they see fit from my blog.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Wheat Gone Bad
Last year, in July, I bought 50 lbs of wheat. I have since been trying to use it. I'm sure I could've used it faster but I just was lazy and didn't want to grind it or do whatever else needed to be done.
This resulted in the wheat lasting a year.
Anyhow, I planned on using my wheat fast and did not pack it for longer term storage. Normally I will at least put things in the mylar bags with oxygen absorbers so they will be somewhat protected. For this wheat I put most of it in a large storage container and the remainder in #10 cans. The #10 cans are ones that have been used before for other items and that is the wheat I use first.
A few days ago I decided to grind up the wheat for an experiment I was doing and opened up the #10 can of wheat. I don't remember when I put it in there, it was either a long time ago or not that long ago. Anyhow, I put my hand in the stuff so I could take a picture for the blog.
I'm glad I did. It allowed me to get a good look at the wheat and there were tiny little bugs crawling around all over the place. Hundreds of them! They were so hard to see though that I wouldn't have noticed unless I had done what I did. This created a feeling of loss and stupidity for me. I should've known better. How could I let this happen? I went immediately into my pantry and checked every #10 can for bugs. It turned out that was the only #10 can of wheat I had and there was no bug moving to other containers. I thought that perhaps it had to do with the fact that I had bought the wheat a year ago. That however was not the case. The wheat I kept in the large storage container was completely bug-free. So, what was the cause of my trouble?
There were a few things that could've happened, I decided. One, the lid wasn't on all the way, or two, something else happened. But what? I set the container of wheat aside. Took a few pictures and tried to take a video of the bugs moving so I could post it here. The videos didn't work. The picture did.
See those tiny little buggers?
Anyhow, I didn't know what to do with the stuff and I felt like my hands had become contaminated. I was afraid to touch anything in fear that those little monsters were hiding in me waiting to jump off into some unsuspecting place. I did manage to pour everything in a garbage bag and put it inside another garbage bag. (I'm not going to mess around with food monsters). When I emptied the #10 can I discovered something not normal when one comes to the end of can of wheat.
My guess is that I washed the #10 can out and did not wait long enough for it to become dry, even if it appeared dried, before putting in some wheat. This created a nice moisture environment for those bugs to thrive. This is all theory though and I have no proof of what really went wrong, but I'll be careful, I hope, next time.
This resulted in the wheat lasting a year.
Anyhow, I planned on using my wheat fast and did not pack it for longer term storage. Normally I will at least put things in the mylar bags with oxygen absorbers so they will be somewhat protected. For this wheat I put most of it in a large storage container and the remainder in #10 cans. The #10 cans are ones that have been used before for other items and that is the wheat I use first.
A few days ago I decided to grind up the wheat for an experiment I was doing and opened up the #10 can of wheat. I don't remember when I put it in there, it was either a long time ago or not that long ago. Anyhow, I put my hand in the stuff so I could take a picture for the blog.
I'm glad I did. It allowed me to get a good look at the wheat and there were tiny little bugs crawling around all over the place. Hundreds of them! They were so hard to see though that I wouldn't have noticed unless I had done what I did. This created a feeling of loss and stupidity for me. I should've known better. How could I let this happen? I went immediately into my pantry and checked every #10 can for bugs. It turned out that was the only #10 can of wheat I had and there was no bug moving to other containers. I thought that perhaps it had to do with the fact that I had bought the wheat a year ago. That however was not the case. The wheat I kept in the large storage container was completely bug-free. So, what was the cause of my trouble?
There were a few things that could've happened, I decided. One, the lid wasn't on all the way, or two, something else happened. But what? I set the container of wheat aside. Took a few pictures and tried to take a video of the bugs moving so I could post it here. The videos didn't work. The picture did.
See those tiny little buggers?
Anyhow, I didn't know what to do with the stuff and I felt like my hands had become contaminated. I was afraid to touch anything in fear that those little monsters were hiding in me waiting to jump off into some unsuspecting place. I did manage to pour everything in a garbage bag and put it inside another garbage bag. (I'm not going to mess around with food monsters). When I emptied the #10 can I discovered something not normal when one comes to the end of can of wheat.
My guess is that I washed the #10 can out and did not wait long enough for it to become dry, even if it appeared dried, before putting in some wheat. This created a nice moisture environment for those bugs to thrive. This is all theory though and I have no proof of what really went wrong, but I'll be careful, I hope, next time.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Updated photos of Safety Room and Cupboards
I've decided to finally post the updated pictures of the storage to see just how far I've come. When I sat back to look at it all, it really wasn't much. When I stand up close to the shelves it seems like a lot, but really I have a long way to go yet. Little by little though and I can at least see my progress from last time, of which I less.
I still have to clean the room out more though. It will have to be done, I need the space for additional shelves.
A note about the previous picture. Those buckets that the shelf is on are full of mylar bags with food in, of course.
My cupboards at least look much more organized than the safety room of which parts of it need major organization.
Someday I'll have a freezer to take a picture of, but as of now there isn't much left in there from actual food storage. From produce that I froze in the fall there is pretty much just peaches left and I made some great peach syrup with that.
I still have to clean the room out more though. It will have to be done, I need the space for additional shelves.
A note about the previous picture. Those buckets that the shelf is on are full of mylar bags with food in, of course.
My cupboards at least look much more organized than the safety room of which parts of it need major organization.
Someday I'll have a freezer to take a picture of, but as of now there isn't much left in there from actual food storage. From produce that I froze in the fall there is pretty much just peaches left and I made some great peach syrup with that.
SOS Sport Solar Oven
I did it! I can't believe I did it! It took me months to finally buy the thing but I now own a solar oven. I haven't used it yet because the sun hasn't come out. I am dying to try it and will be able to if the clouds would just leave, for one day, and it has to be a day I am at home.
It was hard to decide which oven to get. It was a pretty close tie between this and the Global Sun Oven. However, America's Test Kitchen did a segment for some morning show and they compared the two along with one other. The Sport one so I made my decision and finally got the thing.
The SOS Sport Oven is made from recycled soda bottles. Somehow each purchase that is made contributes to funding that sends the solar ovens to Africa. So, not only do you get to be involved in a recycling process but also a humanitarian one as well.
There is an optional reflectors but I shouldn't need it come the summer time.
The option I chose in buying mine came with the pots.
A temperature gauge.
And a water pasteurization indicator.
When the clouds go away I will stop staring at it and finally get to use it and see just how tasty the food from it can be.
It was hard to decide which oven to get. It was a pretty close tie between this and the Global Sun Oven. However, America's Test Kitchen did a segment for some morning show and they compared the two along with one other. The Sport one so I made my decision and finally got the thing.
The SOS Sport Oven is made from recycled soda bottles. Somehow each purchase that is made contributes to funding that sends the solar ovens to Africa. So, not only do you get to be involved in a recycling process but also a humanitarian one as well.
There is an optional reflectors but I shouldn't need it come the summer time.
The option I chose in buying mine came with the pots.
A temperature gauge.
And a water pasteurization indicator.
When the clouds go away I will stop staring at it and finally get to use it and see just how tasty the food from it can be.
We Are Now Potty Prepared.
There are some things I never thought I would purchase. There are some things I wasn't planning on purchasing and then promised a young child of mine that at some point in the future we would get one. A potty for emergencies has been requested.
Going shopping with kids can be fun, sometimes, and a few months ago when I took my daughter in tow to the camping section of a Super Wal-Mart she saw the porta-potty. She has been begging for one ever since.
Last week I ventured to the camping section and found a nice little clearance spot. I grabbed up the last three large lantern flashlights for 2 bucks each and was trying to figure out what I would get next. I had my eye on the camping pots/dishes, but just couldn't make up my mind. Then I looked up and found a big black thing. I pulled it off the shelf, turned it to see the label and my daughter asked what it was. It was the porta-potty. It was the same price as the camping pots/dishes and so at my daughter's request I purchased the potty.
It even comes equipped with a nice sitting spot along with a place to hold your toilet paper while you do your business.
Since we were purchasing the potty we decided to make it a theme and get some stuff to go with it.
We should be set for an emergency or camping if we ever get that far....I have only one request to the manufacturer of such a product. Could you please give me something better to lift it with? I have to use both hands to carry the whole thing (no, I'm not going to carry it with unmentionable content in) and it is not easy to keep a grip on the small area provided for hands.
Although I may not have some things in my storage I can now rest assured that the most important thing, aside from water, is taken care. :0
Going shopping with kids can be fun, sometimes, and a few months ago when I took my daughter in tow to the camping section of a Super Wal-Mart she saw the porta-potty. She has been begging for one ever since.
Last week I ventured to the camping section and found a nice little clearance spot. I grabbed up the last three large lantern flashlights for 2 bucks each and was trying to figure out what I would get next. I had my eye on the camping pots/dishes, but just couldn't make up my mind. Then I looked up and found a big black thing. I pulled it off the shelf, turned it to see the label and my daughter asked what it was. It was the porta-potty. It was the same price as the camping pots/dishes and so at my daughter's request I purchased the potty.
It even comes equipped with a nice sitting spot along with a place to hold your toilet paper while you do your business.
Since we were purchasing the potty we decided to make it a theme and get some stuff to go with it.
We should be set for an emergency or camping if we ever get that far....I have only one request to the manufacturer of such a product. Could you please give me something better to lift it with? I have to use both hands to carry the whole thing (no, I'm not going to carry it with unmentionable content in) and it is not easy to keep a grip on the small area provided for hands.
Although I may not have some things in my storage I can now rest assured that the most important thing, aside from water, is taken care. :0
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Ice
A few months ago we had snow. We hadn't had much to be worthy of causing trouble previously but the day after it snowed it rained and everything froze. I had to pay rent a few days later. In order to the climb the little hill up to the landlord's front door I had to use a garden hoe to break through the ice to create places for my feet to go. Needless to say I realized a few things that week. The most important was that I was not prepared to handle our driveway.
The day before the storm I had been shopping. I eyed the bags of ice-melting product and shrugged off the thought to buy one. I regretted my thought. Ice stayed on our drive way well past the de-icing of the roads. I had even tried to make up for my mistake and go to the store to buy some. As I was searching the store I heard another shopper ask a worker if they had any de-icer left. His response was, "no".
One of the other things I learned from this winter is that the stores put out a ton of de-icing product right before a storm. They will never have any left after. So, the next projected storm I went and bought some of those bags so as not to be left behind this time. Turns out I didn't need them, but they have now become a part of my storage.
The day before the storm I had been shopping. I eyed the bags of ice-melting product and shrugged off the thought to buy one. I regretted my thought. Ice stayed on our drive way well past the de-icing of the roads. I had even tried to make up for my mistake and go to the store to buy some. As I was searching the store I heard another shopper ask a worker if they had any de-icer left. His response was, "no".
One of the other things I learned from this winter is that the stores put out a ton of de-icing product right before a storm. They will never have any left after. So, the next projected storm I went and bought some of those bags so as not to be left behind this time. Turns out I didn't need them, but they have now become a part of my storage.
24/48/72 hour kits
The time approached to redo the emergency kits. At this point I'd say they are more toward 24 hour kits but my goal is to them to sustain us in an emergency for 72 hours. It might take some time, or maybe not. I need actually figure out how much more I need, but I do have inventory on what we have now.
The last time I did kits I had all the food in one kit and the baby stuff in the other. This time around I evened things out a bit. There is food in each kit along with a different source of how to cook. Each bag has supplies for one adult and enough for at least one child. I tried to get it where if each adult had a child and we somehow got separated no one would be without. My daughter is getting big enough to help out in the area of her kit so currently she has a backpack with a small food item, first aid kit, and personal hygiene kit...oh and a flashlight. At some point a book and toy will be added to the child bag.
The last time I did kits I had all the food in one kit and the baby stuff in the other. This time around I evened things out a bit. There is food in each kit along with a different source of how to cook. Each bag has supplies for one adult and enough for at least one child. I tried to get it where if each adult had a child and we somehow got separated no one would be without. My daughter is getting big enough to help out in the area of her kit so currently she has a backpack with a small food item, first aid kit, and personal hygiene kit...oh and a flashlight. At some point a book and toy will be added to the child bag.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mylar Baggin'
I've mentioned before about my FoodSaver. I love it more than I thought I would. It has been coming in handy and I finally tried what I wanted to do for awhile now. I sealed some things in mylar bags using my FoodSaver.
I started with 25lbs bags of food, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers. I put whatever food I wanted to use right away in other easily accessible containers and the remaining food ended up being packed in the mylar bags.
The process wasn't difficult. the only hard part is finding places for the full bags to go. I don't have much room for things, or rather, I don't have good places yet for things to go but I did have some empty buckets I had picked up from a bakery of which I put some of the bags in after I sealed them. They worked great.
Since I did these mylar bags I have come to realize that I am not left with enough food out of them before I need more. So, next time I'll pick up more containers when I get more food and then end up with a lot more of certain foods out of the mylar bags and ready to use right away. As it is, I did this a few months ago and have opened up three mylar bags. One sugar and two potato flakes. I could try and prevent such a need of needing to get into the bags, but I cannot afford to go to the store for these 25lbs bags very often. I am in the works to it with the help of other but that may take awhile. In the meantime, I've learned a bit about how much I need to keep out and how much is good to put up.
I started with 25lbs bags of food, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers. I put whatever food I wanted to use right away in other easily accessible containers and the remaining food ended up being packed in the mylar bags.
The process wasn't difficult. the only hard part is finding places for the full bags to go. I don't have much room for things, or rather, I don't have good places yet for things to go but I did have some empty buckets I had picked up from a bakery of which I put some of the bags in after I sealed them. They worked great.
Since I did these mylar bags I have come to realize that I am not left with enough food out of them before I need more. So, next time I'll pick up more containers when I get more food and then end up with a lot more of certain foods out of the mylar bags and ready to use right away. As it is, I did this a few months ago and have opened up three mylar bags. One sugar and two potato flakes. I could try and prevent such a need of needing to get into the bags, but I cannot afford to go to the store for these 25lbs bags very often. I am in the works to it with the help of other but that may take awhile. In the meantime, I've learned a bit about how much I need to keep out and how much is good to put up.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Water
Water storage is very important for the pantry and to have in case of emergency. I have gone through several different methods and they get better as time goes on because I have more room and am a little better and doing it.
This time I have a few different ways of storing water. The first is taking empty juice containers and fill them up with water after they have been cleaned. This may or may not provide drinking water, but it provides water for other uses. I have a few of these.
I also have a few jugs of water that I bought at the store. I don't prefer buying water from the store, but I will do it from time to time and this is one I was able to do in my last home.
Lastly, I finally broke down and bought a 7 gallon water storage container. I like the small size, over the 55 gallon barrels you can buy, because it is easier to move and handle. For now, I will start with these methods. I hope when I get a more permanent residence I will be able to afford and acquire the larger water storage containers that are out there. In the meant time I will just dream of owning a water super tanker http://www.yourfoodstorage.com/product/852369963.
This time I have a few different ways of storing water. The first is taking empty juice containers and fill them up with water after they have been cleaned. This may or may not provide drinking water, but it provides water for other uses. I have a few of these.
I also have a few jugs of water that I bought at the store. I don't prefer buying water from the store, but I will do it from time to time and this is one I was able to do in my last home.
Lastly, I finally broke down and bought a 7 gallon water storage container. I like the small size, over the 55 gallon barrels you can buy, because it is easier to move and handle. For now, I will start with these methods. I hope when I get a more permanent residence I will be able to afford and acquire the larger water storage containers that are out there. In the meant time I will just dream of owning a water super tanker http://www.yourfoodstorage.com/product/852369963.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Grocery Shopping
I took a family member with me to coupon. I was more excited about her excitement than anything else. All in all we got quite a few things free and the total before coupons and after sales was over $80. We spent $30.
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