back to getting prepared

Recent world events, including twelve missing Libya jetliners has given Senior and I a much needed kick in the butt to resume our prepping operations. I admit with the move we have grown a bit lax.

I have begun saving two-liter drink bottles, adding a few drops of bleach and using them for water storage. I  guess the chicken project and adding a winter garden could also be included in our return to prepping. As we have completed both. Now it is a matter of watching the veggies and chickens grow.

Like I said ; 12 stolen planes, Americans joining terror groups, the 9/11 anniversary, and a President who honestly does not give a S--- from one week to the next.  If those things do not scare a person in to being prepared, then  I don't know what will.

- JUGM

Re-Organization

Yesterday was New Years Day..Seniors South Carolina Gamecocks won the "Outback Bowl" I am hoping Senior will tell us to get dressed so we can go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner, since the Gamecocks won, they are giving away free Bloomin Onions for today only.

 And last night my Florida State Seminoles took it to the house against Northern Illinois. Who, in my mind had no idea even being at the Orange Bowl. So what ! they won their division but, It was said by the commentators they had the easiest schedule in College football. It also did not pay for their QB, a kid named Lynch to run his mouth about the Seminole Defense..they showed him what a real team is like.  : )
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Well yesterday we decided to move and reorganize our food storage. It is all now in my kitchen. It makes more sense for me to have it in there. I am working on putting up curtains in front of it as a panel.

We loaded everything in buckets, the super large cans the kids rolled across the floor. We stacked cans on the table, chairs and counter tops.

It took better part of the afternoon, but Under Seniors leadership he instructed us like a bunch of
 " boots" and we got it done.

Of course this is only a portion, we don't like to keep our eggs in one basket of course.  However, we are starting to get away from the heavy canned items, and now ordering dehydrated foods. In a bug out situation, it is lighter in weight and just makes more sense for us. We had a large number of canned things that would not have been eaten prior to the expiration date, so I went through everything and made a large donation to a local church's food bank. Of course they were extremely grateful. It was a win-win, I got rid of some things, made room for more, and helped a good cause all in one.

-JUGM

Beginning Prepping 101 Pt. 2: Canned Meats

 

There are many different kinds of canned meats out on the market.Above are some of our favorites. Senior and I prefer Tuna, Chicken, and Canned Hams. We have found the DAK Ham brand to be very inexpensive, and they store for several years. Initially, we were purchasing them from

Wal-Mart, then we learned SAMS sold them in a three pack, and cheaper, but in recent months even SAMS has become sold out of the hams.  

The general idea is you want to create a goal for yourself and begin with that..for instance: 3 months. then work from there. Check grocery store ads, and clip coupons. Or just do what we did, if we picked one can off the shelf , we would pick one extra and put that aside. In an emergency situation, the typical store only has a 3 day supply in its back warehouse-so after those three days are over and no deliveries are being made, what do you think will happen? Yep! Complete Chaos...and if you need another reminder, look no further then what is being played out in the Northeast.

 With canned meats you can add gravy and mix it with all that rice you have been storing. Open up a can of chicken and throw in some canned dumplings for a nice warm dinner, which will stick to your belly and fill you up.

I like to make Tuna Mac with elbow noodles, boiled eggs, and mayonnaise. The kids love it!  And there are endless possibilities with SPAM.  : )

People have asked what I will do with all the canned food when it is expired?. Well, my answer to that is: “We stock what we eat, and eat what we stock”

We take from the front, and add to the back. Thus creating a rotation and nothing is allowed to expire. All though in our early days of prepping, and keeping a hurricane kit, things did expire. But now, we have become much more disciplined in our food rotation and with our excel file. 

I also consider the different tastes that my family has, and so should you. However, I do know that in a survival situation if you are hungry it won’t matter. Food and nourishment is important if you like it or not.

So, there you have it…a brief lesson on canned meats. Like I said previously if I only reach one person with this series then I will find it a success.

Beginning Prepping 101 PT. 1 : Rice, Rice and More Rice !

Time to check your tears at the door. BO is back for 4 more years and there is nothing we can do about it. Now is the moment if you haven't all ready to think of food storage for you and your loved ones. If our economy hasn't awoken you to the idea, then look no farther then those folks in the Northeast and the conditions they are now living in due to mother nature. I betcha 9 out of 10 of them never thought it could happen, and they expected the government they voted for this week would swoop  in on white horses to help them out...well, we can see where that is going. So let it all be a lesson to you.

My first food item I recommend to stock pile is RICE, and lots of it.. If it has been good enough for a billion chinese for thousands of years, then its good enough for us. It is a dry grain and if stored correctly can be saved for 15 -25 years.

Rice is a staple in most of our cabinets. You can add it to any main course, or meat. ND and NW love plain ole rice and gravy more then anything. I love plain white rice with a little bit of butter. We eat rice at least 2-3 times per week in one form or the other. Whether its done in my rice cooker, or some sort of boxed dinner mix...
Plus, you can mix plain white rice with  boiled chicken and feed your dog.

Senior and I go to SAMS club and buy the large commercial size bags.We use to go out to COSTCO, but the drive was just getting to be too much.  We then bring it home and separate it down to manageable sizes, by pouring it in to mylar bags, and adding oxygen eaters. Occasionally we will use the extra large bags, but we have recently  began to use the smaller zip lock bags and can do smaller portions which is more manageable for small families like ours. 
I have blogged about it before and here are the links to the posts:

Storing Rice and Sugar

Mylar Bags

We ordered our mylar bags from USA EMERGENCY they are really nice folks that carry
a cornucopia of storing supplies and emergency essentials which can help get you started on  your own food storage. You can also get the oxygen eaters from these fine people.

Another good tip: start buying and saving those 5 gallon buckets..You can  buy them at any home improvement stores, or go to your local bakery..they get all their cake frosting and cake mixes in the same size buckets. Ask the owner or manager if they are willing to either give you some or sell you some. We scored once by doing this and brought home 20 + buckets.
You can go to Home Dept for lids...Senior and I found these awesome Gamma Lids..which If they are affordable for you I recommend spending the extra money and getting these instead of the normal bucket lids.

Now that we have all our rice sealed in our mylar bags and buckets Senior adds our food items to  the most fascinating food storage list he created on excel. You want to know how much you have stored and how long will it sustain you. He just did a post about it, so swing over to his blog and check it out: SENIORS FOOD STORAGE EXCEL FILE

I hope this first lesson has helped some of you out, even if it is just one person..then I will consider it a success.

So Good Luck In your beginning prepping items, and If you have any questions just ask...REMEMBER: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION, ONLY DUMB PEOPLE..    :  )