Week 5 Food Storage Challenge

There is a great article at shtfplan called 11 Questions That Will Help You Be A Better Prepper you can read the whole thing HERE. This is a little of what it has to say.

   1.  Is this necessary? Don’t fool yourself when asking this question. Some things seem necessary, but life would go on without them. Cable TV, smart phone…etc. A vehicle is a necessity, but a beater will get you from point A to point B and settling for a lesser car can put thousands in your pockets that can be used for prepping.

2.  Can I get it cheaper? Before you purchase a new pair of jeans for $30 to $50 (or more!) have you looked at garage sales and thrift stores? Buying a pair of $5 jeans at a thrift store just saved you $25 that can be used to purchase over 30 cans of food marked down to 80 cents in the weekly sale.

3. Will this be able to be used prior to a SHTF scenario AND afterwards? Purchasing something that can be of use now and will still remain useful afterwards is the key here.

4. Are there cheaper options available? Sure, the shiny new decked out shotgun is sweet, but could I find a used one that I could pick up for less?

5.  Will this purchase take up useful time and replace it with useless time that cannot be replaced? For example, to some, gaming systems are fun, but they take up hours and hours of your time and in the end, you haven’t gained a skill or accomplished anything, you’ve just grown older. Avoid time sucking activities that have no meaningful return on your time investment.

6. Can I learn something from this? Buy a canner and learn the skill of canning. This is a lesson that will save you money, will grow a yearning for learning how to garden and become more self sufficient and will save you a lot of money by being able to save food that might be thrown away before it becomes spoiled. Buy a book on woodworking utilizing hand tools instead of the latest science fiction novel. Prepping skills learned are an investment.

7. If it is necessary and I find it at a good price, can I purchase more? This can help with preps as well as save money in the future.

8. If I need this item, but can’t afford it right now, what am I willing to give up to be able to put myself in a position in the near future to be able to afford it?

9. Who says I need this? Too many decisions are made to “Keep up with the Joneses”. Children are excellent at playing the emotional strings because “Everyone in my class is going to the concert”. No decision should be made because someone else is doing it. If you have plenty of disposable income and extra, by all means, get $2,000 front row tickets! But if it means you will have a great time and an empty pantry, get the artist’s CD and call it good. Unless someone is actually paying your bills, their opinion on what you do or spend money on doesn’t matter.

10. Can this hobby be used in a practical application? Scrapbooking may be fun, but what does it teach you that will be useful some day? I’m not a scrapbooker myself so maybe there is something I’m missing, but I know of people who spend hundreds of dollars doing this activity.

11. Does this person identify with my goals, beliefs and will be an asset? Let’s face it, you end up like who you hang around. If being prepared is your goal, you need to guard the gates of your association and limit it to people who don’t take every chance they can to take verbal pokes at your prepping. Find people who are encouraging to your goals. People who have skills they can teach or are hungry to learn from your knowledge.

　

I have heard the excuse many times from people that they cannot afford to prep, yet they have a satellite dish, the most expensive smart phone with data package, an X Box, drink coffee from Fourbucks every morning and I could go on and on. I truly believe that everyone has within their capacity the ability to prep.


This does bring up some good points we need to always have this in the back of our minds when prepping, regardless of what you are prepping for, if you are just wanting to have extra food an hand or want to be all out being self sufficient.

 

This weeks Food Storage Challenge is

Week 5: 8 cans soup or can your own / First aid supplies Band aids, First aid cream, benadryle (I like to have some of this on hand if someone has an allergic reaction to something you have something to help lessen the reaction.) ect. Don’t forget to plant herbs so you can make a lot of your own.

 

Keep getting water put up.

Now is the time to start thinking about a garden even if you can only have a small one ( there are some some great sites on small and container gardening) every little extra bit will help.

Something else to think about are books all kinds from do it your self to pleasure reading. When things are bad it will be nice to have some how to books and to have some fun reading to take your mind off things for a little while.

How I treated my flu/strep

We have had the flu and strep going around here. We do not do the flu shots this post by Daisy at theorganicprepper.ca  explains why they are so bad for you. I think prevention is the best thing but sometimes no matter what you do you are going to get sick. About a week before we went to Denver I felt like I was trying to get sick. So I started on my cold / flu pills and extra D3, C, and Zinc . By the time we left for Denver I felt much better/ But being a ding dong I didn’t take any of that stuff with me. I did pretty good Thursday thru Saturday but by Saturday evening I could tell I was trying to get sick again. Well luckily Andy had brought some C and we stopped at a store and got some D3 and I started on that. By Sunday I was feeling pretty ugly my throat hurt I was achey allover  and had a headache. The trip home wasn’t much fun. Not sure if it was flu or strep or a little of both.

We got home I started on all my vitamins and cold pills again. Then I started gargling, alternating with peroxide and Cayenne pepper ( a ¼ tsp in a small glass of warm water or OJ)3 or 4 times a day. I drank Mullein tea with honey , lemon and a little cayenne pepper in it. When my ears started hurting I flushed them out with warm peroxide a few times a day. By Tuesday evening I was feeling a lot better so on Wednesday I went into town with Andy (instead of staying home and resting like a normal person would have done). Well by Wednesday night I felt awful again so Thursday I rested and did all these things and by Friday I felt better. I did take it easy Friday so by Saturday I was much better. This is the first time in over 10 years that I have been this sick ( even longer for Andy the last time he was sick was about 12 years ago and he had just gotten the flu shot) I think if I had stayed on top of things a little better I would not of gotten this sick .

If I had taken my stuff to Denver with me I don’t think I would have gotten so sick. Andy and Katie have been trying to catch this stuff but I have keep them on the herbs and vitamins and they are over it. Joleen though did the same thing I did was trying to come down with it then left for Denver with the FFA class to the stock show. She came home not feeling to good but we are trying to get rid of it before it gets bad but she will not take time to rest trying to catch up in school for all the time she missed. Hopefully I can keep her doctored up and she will not get it to bad.

My Cold / Flu Pills

 

At the beginning of cold and flu season I make up a bunch of these then if anyone feels like they are trying to catch something or if something is going around we start taking these in addition to the Vitamins C and D3 and zinc . They seem to keep us from getting sick and if we do catch something they seem to shorten it.

I use equally amounts of Garlic, Thyme, Ginger, Mint, and Cayenne pepper.

I am trying to use things that I have readily available then if something happens and I can’t order any thing I can still make these. The only thing I don’t have readily available is the Ginger but I think it is pretty important so I will use it as long as I can and find something to replace it with when I have to.

Here is what each of these things do.

Garlic

A natural antibiotic, anti fungal and antibacterial, garlic can tackle almost any illness. Garlic strengthens the immune system against colds and flu and is especially useful in treating children. It helps in cases of bronchitis, one of the symptoms of the current flu. . Garlic is also an expectorant, helping to loosen mucus so that it can be expelled from the lungs with coughing.

You can grind your own, by drying your garlic cloves Available from the supermarket , health food store or you can grow your own and dry then powder it in your spice mill or blender.

　

　

Ginger

Strengthens the immune system and helps your body fight colds and flu, as well as bronchitis, cough, sinus congestion, and headaches. Available from the supermarket or health food store as fresh root, or powder .

 

Thyme

Is a natural antiseptic and its natural expectorant properties make it excellent for throat or bronchial problems. Available from the supermarket , health food store or you can grow your own and dry then powder it in your spice mill or blender.

 

Cayenne

Is a powerful anti-oxidant , antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. It increases blood flow to hands and feet. It relieves nausea and fights bacterial infections. Cayenne removes toxins from the body. Its also an expectorant and helps to treat cough, and sinus problems. Available from the supermarket , health food store or you can grow your own and dry then powder it in your spice mill or blender. ( If making your own powder be very careful it is very strong, you may want to wear a dust mask).

　

Mint

It is antimicrobial and antiviral. Great for all digestive disturbances and for

lowering fever. It also relieves pain. Available from the supermarket , health food store or you can grow your own ( very easy to grow) and dry then powder it in your spice mill or blender.

 　

First I mix all the herbs together in a small bowl.

　

 

Then get out my Handy dandy pill maker.

 

 

Put it together

 

 

 

Get out my capsule and put into the machine

 

Then I take my herbs mixture and put in on the machine.

 

take the scrapper and slide the herbs to fill the capsules. ( yes I know my nails need some attention)

 

after you do that take the tamper and tamp it down add more herbs  repeat do this several times until you tamp down and the capsules are full.

 

drop down the top tray.

 

put the tops on the capsules.

 

remove the top tray and you have your capsules. I put mine in a used jar with a homemade label on it.

 

I try to make a bunch at a time so I don't run out just when we are needing them.

Week 7 Self Sustaining Pantry

Before we left for Denver I did get the a box and a half of lemons juiced and canned and got 18 pints of lemon juice and two pints of lemon and honey.,

and dried a dehydrator full of lemons.

Got the rest of the orange peels candied I have almost a gallon of them.

I put some of the lemon peels and orange in vinegar to soak for cleaning vinegar.

Our local store had gold fish crackers on sale for 99 cents so I got 20 bags I will use these in the 72 hour kits and in the car kits. They also had pasta on sale for 49 cents ( you have to buy 10) I got 10 macaroni’s the other types of pasta I can make myself.

I was lucky and found a few 100 watt bulbs they were not on sale but since they are going to no longer be making them I am trying to get as many as I can because we use them on our animal waters and in the chicken coop in the winter to keep everything from freezing up.

I also got 300 pounds of pinto beans I traded these out for daycare one of my parents farm beans. I will can a bunch of these so in the summer when we are so busy I can just open a jar of beans for supper.

This next week I will try to get the rest of the lemons done and I have a few grapefruits that need to be worked up.

I have a bunch of lemon peels left that I want to get candied.

Work on onions and potatoes.

I will try to finish up the 72 hour kits they are taking a little longer then I had wanted with being gone and sick and all that has been going on.

I am almost out of laundry soap so I need to make some up.

What are some of the things you were able to do this week towards a self sustaining pantry?

Week 4 Food storage Challenge.

 

Keep working on the water. That is a never ending thing.

　

Week 4: 50 lbs wheat or flour/ Canned meats spam, chicken, tuna ect. or can your own.

If you can find a good sale on meat you can can it canning meat is very easy I show you how to can meat here. I like having canned meat on hand on very busy days I can open a Jar of meat and have a meal put together fairly quick. Get meat that your family will eat no point in getting spam or what ever if they will not eat it.

When you get your flour or wheat, if you have a way to freeze it for a week or so it will help kill all the critters in it. I store mine in a shed outside with spearmint gum in it. I get buckets from the local supermarkets bakery dept to store the four in. We have very cold winters so it stays froze all winter and I have never had a problem with it. If you live in a warmer area you will have to seal it up with oxygen absorbers you can order these online. If you store wheat put it in an air tight container with some dry ice. My dad stored somw wheat this way about 20 years ago he opened one the other day and it was still good and bug free.

I am almost done with the 72 hour kits hope to have a post on them soon. They took a little, longer then I had thought Trying to figure out food for, three days that isn’t to heavy was a little more challenging then I thought it would be. I used our hunting packs because they have lot of stuff in them already but I have had to clean and sort them out they were not as doable as I thought they would be.

How are you coming along on your 72 hour kits?
If you have any questions on the food storage just ask if I don't respond right away just check back I will get an answer to your question.

Have a great week.