Why I Remain a Closet Prepper

So I have come to accept that I am a "Prepper".  Like many others, I have watched the show "Doomsday Preppers"  I realize that it is a show produced for ratings and entertainment, therefor they are looking for most eccentric people they can find. If I was producing this show I would probably do the same thing. But this show has not exactly helped the prepper cause. The show is creating a negative stigma of the "prepper".  When I watch these people on Doomsday Preppers, I think to myself, if the SHTF, people all around them will know where to go to get their food and supplies for their starving families. Even the Doomsday Prepper with a roomful of guns will have problems. All it takes is a larger group of intelligent people with guns to come up with a plan to over-throw them from their own property.
There are, of course, reasons outside of "Doomsday Preppers" why I choose to remain anonymous. If something does indeed happen to cause societal chaos, the best thing my family can do is stay far away from chaos, that includes people knocking on my door because they know I have what they desperately need. Yes, I am all about helping neighbors and family, but lets face it, none of us can help the world and survive comfortably ourselves. I have always been the wall-flower type, in social situations that may be a negative trait, but in survival situations that is one trait I will carry on with. People do not need to know what I have in storage in my basement totes or what my land can produce. Just on my land alone we have a natural spring, a stocked pond, a small apple orchard, berry patches, grape vines, a garden and lots of wildlife roaming through. It wouldn't take too many unwelcomed guest to destroy my harvests.
Even the nice old Grandmother that lives in town may kill me and my family if her desire to keep her own children alive was strong enough. If times get too rough, people naturally become selfish. Providing for their own basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and warmth takes over their whole world.
I can think of no reason why I should tell people I am prepper. My husband knows, and that is the extent of who I talk about it with. If the SHTF, I will of course share with my greater family, friends and neighbors, but there is no value in others knowing right now.  I like my neighbors and many of us are like-minded. I would not be surprised if when chaos hits we find out that we are all a bunch of closet preppers. But until then I will remain in my closet, prepping away. I see that "Doomsday Preppers" is looking for people for next season, sorry "Doomsday Preppers" keep looking, nothing to see here.

Power Outage and Heat Wave

Well, the title says it all. Last week we were in the middle of the major storm that produced 85 mph winds and caused havoc all over the area. We were without power for 6 days.  This experience did open my eyes about something, surviving the summer. In general I prep more for the long cold Ohio winter months. I always concerned myself more about the winter than the summer. I guess I figured the winters require a good reliable heat source and plenty of stored food in order to get through it. Well, this past week was a new experience for me. Not only was there a major power outage, there was also a heat wave that produced temperatures up to 100 degrees, with humidity! This heat wave went on day after day. During the power outage I heard people say over and over that they would prefer an outage in the winter over the summer months, I must say, I agree! We even had a generator that we shared with a neighbor and powered refrigerators and a few window air conditioners.
Within 24 hours of the outage, the local gas station, which was one of the few that was opened, was out of gas. There were no bags of ice to be found in the county. People were raiding the local Lowes for flashlights, batteries, and of course generators. Being that we live in a rural area where most wells are ran using electricity, there was also an immediate shortage of water. All within 24 hours.  Unlike blizzards and hurricanes where people have plenty of warning and an opportunity to stock up on supplies, this storm had little warning. I follow local weather pretty closely and this storm was not shown as a threat until 30 minutes before it hit, no one was prepared.
It felt good to know we were just fine with supplies. We had plenty of water, food, lights, batteries, etc.  We were able to wade around in the pond to cool off. Our bodies are not accustomed to  working in 100 degree temperatures, but after a few days I found my body adjusting to the environment. It did not seem as unbearable to be outside. I am not sure how to prep for a heat wave without power. Of course there is the generator and gas. But I always wanted to be prepared without them. I guess I figured that even with the generator, gas is not an endless resource and generators should not be fully relied upon to be there. They can break, be stolen, etc.
I did decide that I could never have enough batteries. My favorite prepper item was my Coleman LED lantern.  It takes 4 DD Duracell batteries and I never changed the batteries the whole time. We used it every night. The lantern has only one LED light bulb, but it lights up the whole room. I will be purchasing more of these in the future. We have propane lanterns but I always worry about my young children around them. This lantern also has a "night light" feature. It give off just a small amount of light, just enough to make the kids feel safe while they sleep. The kids carried this lantern around outside, they even dropped it a few times, but nothing happened to it. It was definitely invaluable during this outage.

Bear Creek Creamy Chicken and Pasta- YUM!

Yesterday for dinner I prepared Bear Creek's Creamy Chicken Pasta Mix. This pasta mix is by far the best dry pasta mix I have ever had!  What is even more impressive about this mix is that all you add is water. There is no need for milk or butter. This is such a great prepper food. It tends to be cheaper than other dry mixes you find at outdoor supply stores but the quality is not compromised. It has a good shelf life, easy to prepare over a fire, and tastes great.
I have had other brands and have added lots of butter, milk, cream cheese or whatever else I could find to help improve the flavor and texture of the mix, but there is no need to do that with Beer Creek.
The mixes are approximately $3 per mix, and each one has four one-cup servings at 330 calories per cup. I prepared the Creamy Chicken and had a salad that that was our dinner. My picky daughters even ate it. I could have easily sneaked in some sweet peas or cooked carrots in the dish to get more vegetables in my daughters diet,, but I resisted my natural tendency to add additional ingredients and try the mix on its own. and I am very glad I did.

I am looking forward to trying more soups, especially the chili, but right now it is summertime in Ohio and 90 degree outside. The chili will just have to wait a bit longer.

My Favorite Cookware - Lodge Cast Iron!

      Lodge Cast Iron is my all-time favorite cookware. Cast iron is the most durable pans and dutch ovens. I can cook a meal in a dutch oven over the campfire and do not have to worry about damaging the pot.  It can go from the oven, to the stove top to outdoor cooking, to heating up food over the fireplace. I prefer Lodge brand cast iron because they are pre-seasoned. I have purchased cheap cast iron pans before and had to heat them in the oven first because they were coated in wax. This process stunk up the entire house. Afterward I followed directions to season the pan with vegetable shortening. It was messy and as soon as I used it it still did not perform right. I just couldn't get it seasoned right. It was way to much work. It is well worth paying more for Lodge Cast Iron. 

     Lodge has a wonderful selection of products.  I have a dutch oven that is a must whenever we go camping. Especially camping in the cool fall, nothing beats cooking a pot of chili over the fire with the crisp smell of autumn leaves all around. We also use the griddle for the morning breakfast. Our favorite breakfast is the simple bacon and eggs. But I must say, for some reason, they never taste better than while camping.  The bacon must be cooked first. After the bacon is ready, remove the bacon from the griddle but leave some of the bacon grease. Cook the eggs directly in the bacon grease. The secret to cooking the perfect bacon and eggs over a fire is controlling the temperature of the griddle. Heat the griddle slowly over hot coals not the fire itself. If you place the griddle over hot flames it has a tendency to get too hot and will burn the bacon edges while other parts of the bacon will remain raw. Get the pan hot enough that the bacon will cook but more slowly.  After the bacon is done. Cast iron retains heat more than any other cookware. The griddle can actually be removed from the heat source and still adequately cook the eggs. When the breakfast is prepared, sit around the fire and enjoy. The blended smell of bacon and a campfire will make this a breakfast you will never forget.

     Lodge had a great catalog of products. I must admit some of them are on my Christmas wish list!  I am excited to try other products and let you know how they perform.

Remember the Dish Soap!

Another prep item I stock pile is dish soap, particularly Dawn and Palmolive.  I remember watching a show on television approximately 10 years ago that stuck with me.  It was more of an educational type of reality TV.  It was in England.  There was a group of around 20-30 volunteers who lived in a Renaissance period camp.  The producers of this program only gave the participants the items that they would have had during the Renaissance Period. These items included the clothing, shelter, food, cooking equipment, tools, medicines, etc. The participants were finding food in the forest, hunting, and gathering water from a nearby spring.  What I remember most about this program is that the producers had to stop this experiment for a short period because many of the participants were getting horribly ill.  Some even had to leave the camp and go home and seek medical care. The reason they were getting ill:  no dish washing soap.
I found this very interesting. Maybe we, as a society, have a weaker immune system because we are accustomed to our cooking environments being sterile. In this experiment, I believe it was a combination of the wooded bowls and spoons that were being used and their innate characteristic to hold bacteria and molds within their cracks and pores, and the lack of soap to clean the bowls and spoons thoroughly.  The producers made a decisions to allow modern day soaps in the camp. They decided they had a choice of allowing the soap or stopping the program. Once soap was introduced, the participants were no longer ill.

I have since add dish washing soap to my stock pile.  Particularly Dawn and Palmolive. Since storage space is an issue with my home. I have found that these two brands seem more concentrated that other brands. I can use a lot less of these soaps and get the same results and using three times as much of cheaper brands. These soaps can also be used to clean much more if need to. You can clean you clothes, if you did not have electricity to use a washing machine, your clothes may need some softener to feel soft, but they would be clean, and smell mush better!

Bear Creek Soups

I have just developed a new fondness for Bear Creek Soups!  I purchased these dehydrated soups for three dollars each and each package provides between 4-8 one cup servings. They are dry mixes therefore they have a long shelf life. There is an expiration date, however, if stored properly it can last much longer. Bear Creek provides a great variety of soups and pastas that only require water to prepare. Even their cream based soups only need water. Personally, I have stocked up on the Vegetable Beef and the Minestrone more than the other ones.  I have found that these two provide a great  base for additional ingredients. You can add beef, pork,venison, or any other type of protein you find.  Vegetables may also be added. I liked to add tomatoes to the Minestrone, but whatever vegetable you find in the garden or in a can would work well. Pasta would also make a great addition for an even heartier meal.  These soups instantly provide such a great base to make a one pot meal for a large group.
I have also purchased the Creamy Chicken Pasta Mix with my picky children in mind. Not surprisingly, they both preferred this one over the more complex soups. One pack has only 4 servings, however, there are 330 calories per serving. This pasta could also be a base, however, you may need to be a little more selective on what you add.  Additional chicken and pasta of course would be great. Carrots, celery, peas, and green beans would also be a way to transform this dish into a larger one pot meal for a family.

I will be buying much more of these soups and pastas. I am looking forward to trying the Cheddar Broccoli, "Darn Good" Chili, and the Potato Soups. I will share what I find out about these as well.

Using Apples to Make Cider Vinedar

On our property we have seven large, mature apple trees that produce a large amount of apples. Sadly most of the apples end up on the ground and added to the compost pile. If a situation arises where we become dependent on surviving on our land, these apples need to be utilized. Of course we have the obvious choices of eating them fresh and drying apple slices. But apple cider and apple cider vinegar would be great choices as well.  I am a big fan of apple cider vinegar. I like to use it to brine poultry, pickle eggs, and is a wonderful flavor   to add to vegetable dishes. I found the following information being provided by the Ohio State Extension Office. This is a great place to obtain information on rural living.

This information comes from the following website:

http://ohioline.osu.edu

The Ohio State University
Extension Human Nutrition
1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212

Making Cider Vinegar at Home

Two factors require special attention when making vinegar at home: oxygen supply and temperature. Oxygen is spread throughout the mixture by stirring it daily and by letting air reach the fluid through a cheesecloth filter, which is used in place of a regular lid. The temperature of fermenting cider should be kept between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Lower temperatures do not always produce a usable vinegar, and higher ones interfere with the formation of the "mother of vinegar." Mother of vinegar is a mat that forms on the bottom of fermenting wine that has gone bad.

Do not use a metal container when making vinegar; acid in the mixture will corrode metal or aluminum objects. Glass, plastic, wood, enamel, or stainless steel containers should be used for making or storing vinegar. The same holds true for making or storing foods that have more than 1 Tablespoon of vinegar in the recipe.

Steps for Making Cider Vinegar

The following steps must be followed to make a high-quality cider vinegar:

1) Make a clean cider from ripe apples.

2) Change all of the fruit sugar to alcohol. This is called "yeast fermentation."

3) Change all of the alcohol to acetic acid. This is called "acetic acid fermentation."

4) Clarify the acetic acid to prevent further fermentation and decomposition.

Step 1--Making Cider

Cider is made from the winter and fall varieties of apples (summer and green apples do not contain enough sugar). Fruit should be gathered, then washed well to remove debris. Crush the fruit to produce apple pulp and strain off the juice. Use a press or cheesecloth for straining.

Adding yeast to activate fermentation is not essential, but will speed up the process. Special cultivated yeasts are available for this purpose at wine-making shops and biological labs--bread yeasts are not recommended. To make a starter, crumble one cake of yeast into one quart of cider. This makes enough starter for 5 gallons of cider; double the recipe proportionately when making more.

Steps 2 and 3--Making Alcohol and Acetic Acid

Pour all of the liquid into one or more containers to about three-quarters capacity; do not close the lids on the containers. Stir the mixtures daily. Keep the containers away from direct sunlight and maintain the temperature at 60 to 80 degrees F. Full fermentation will take about 3 to 4 weeks. Near the end of this period, you should notice a vinegar-like smell. Taste samples daily until the desired strength is reached.

Step 4--Filtering

When the vinegar is fully fermented, filter the liquid through several layers of fine cheesecloth or filter paper--a coffee filter works well for this. This removes the mother of vinegar, preventing further fermentation or spoilage of the product.

Storing Your Vinegar

The vinegar is now ready for storage in separate, capped containers. Stored vinegar will stay in excellent condition almost indefinitely if it is pasteurized. To pasteurize, heat the vinegar before pouring it into sterilized bottles, or bottle, then place in a hot water bath. In both cases, the temperature of the vinegar must reach at least 140 degrees F to sterilize the product, and should not exceed 160 degrees F. Use a cooking thermometer to ensure the correct temperature is met. Cool the containers and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight.

Flavored Vinegar

Flavoring can be added to homemade vinegar just before bottling. Good examples of additives include green onion, garlic, ginger, or any combination of dried or fresh herbs. To make flavoring, place material in a small cheesecloth bag and suspend in the vinegar until desired strength is reached. This will take about 4 days, except for garlic, which takes only 1 day. For every 2 cups of vinegar, use one of the following: 1/2 cup crushed fresh herbs, 1 tablespoon of dried herbs, 2 large cloves of garlic, or 8 small green onions. Other good flavorings include tarragon, basil, nasturtium, chives, mint, chervil, borage, hot chilies, and raspberries. Adjust the amounts to taste, but be careful not to overload the vinegar. Too much vegetable matter can destroy the acid and ruin the preservative quality of the vinegar.

Some flavorings may not go well with cider vinegar's distinct taste and color. When flavoring store-bought vinegar, use more delicate or decorative flavors. When flavoring store-bought vinegar, you will still need to pasteurize it and use sterile bottles.

Flavored vinegars taste great and have a beautiful color, making them excellent for use in salads. You will be tempted to display flavored vinegar; however, be sure to keep your bottles out of direct sunlight, which will destroy the flavor, acidity, and color of the vinegar.

Uses for Homemade Cider Vinegar

Because the acidity of homemade vinegars will vary, do not use them in foods to be canned or stored at room temperature. Homemade vinegar is, however, excellent in salads, cooking, or freezer and refrigerator pickled products.

Prepared by Christine Nicholas, Intern Doris Herringshaw, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences

Meat Preservation.  Today, meat is most often preserved through freezing and refrigeration.  When this method becomes obsolete, new method must be acquired to provide meat throughout the year. Canning, smoking, and curing meat are all effective ways of prolonging the shelf life of meat.
Canning meat is a safe way to preserve meat without refrigeration. You just have to follow the correct procedures. Meat is naturally low in acid. Bacterial growth is hindered by the acid found in foods. Since meat is very low in acid, certain harmful bacteria thrive. Therefore, to can meat, you must super-heat it to 240F degrees, which means it must always be processed by pressure canning, not with boiling water baths that are fine for preserving such high-acid foods such as tomatoes.  Pressure canning as well as boiling water baths can be performed using an open fire.
Curing meat with salt is another practical way to preserve meat. Salt is one of my stockpile items. Table salt is the primary ingredient used in meat curing. Removal of water and addition of salt to meat creates a solution-rich environment where osmotic pressure draws water out of microorganisms, retarding their growth. Doing this requires a concentration of salt of nearly 20%.  In addition, salt causes the soluble meat proteins to come to the surface of the meat particles within sausages. These proteins coagulate when heated helping to hold the sausage together. Salt also slows the oxidation process, effectively preventing the meat from going rancid.
Meat can also be preserved by "smoking", which is to dry the meat in the presence of wood fire that produces a large amount of smoke. Drying meat while smoking it will also keep it tender. Smoking originally kept flies away from the meat until it was dried. Smoking meat can be done in combination with other curing methods such as salting and helps seal the outer layer of the meat making it more difficult for bacteria to enter.

Rural Mom Prepper: Drinking Water

Drinking Water

As a prepper, drinkable water is very important. After all, without it, we die. Many preppers store bottled  water, catch rainwater in storage containers, or store tap water. Other than rainwater, stored bottled water an tap water will eventually be used up. Water goes fast when it i also being used for cooking and cleaning as well as simply drinking.
It is best to have an alternative water source. I live in a place where I am fortunate enough to have a functioning spring house with an endless supply of drinking water. Most people do not have this. I also have a farm pond and a stream 1/4 mile away. Many people can identify a stream or pond within a mile radius of them. This water needs to be filtered to remove protozoa and bacteria. Portable water filters are available for sale. Some require you to pump the water from the pond/stream into your container. Others, only require gravity to work. When purchasing filters look for a pore size efficiency of less than .4 microns. This size is the most effective for removing toxicants.
Water purification tablets provide another good option. These tablets use iodine or other chemicals to kill harmful bacteria. These tablets unfortunately, have a limited shelf life. Purification tablets also leave an undesirable taste. The taste can be overcome by adding flavoring such as Kool-Aid.  Kool-Aid is one of my stockpile items.
Chlorine bleach, although not often used has the ability to kill bacteria and viruses. However, it is ineffective in treating harmful chemicals, radioactive particles, or all protozoa in pond water. For every gallon of warm clear water, add 8 drops of 5.25 percent strength liquid bleach. If the water is cloudy, add 16 drops per gallon. Wait at least one hour and drink the water if you can detect a faint smell of chlorine. If you cannot, add another dose and wait another hour. Chlorine is not healthy for humans so only use this method in emergencies.

I guess you can call me a prepper. The thought of social collapse due to solar flares, electromagnetic pulse, ecenomic collapse, pandemic, natural disater etc is in the back of my mind.  If one of the above happens, you may not have time to gather necessary supplies and prepare yourself for a life without electricity, technology, money, transportations and more. In order to survive comfortably, preparation is a necessity. Food, water, heat, fuel, first aide, shelter, and a new life of sustainable living  need to already be planned out.
I am a wife and mother of two little girls. We live on five country acres in rural ohio. We are lucky enough to have ample garden space, a 1.5 acre pond, chickens, a small apple orchard, and access to a fuctioning spring house. I realize many peopledo not live in a place such as this, however, wherever you live you must be able to utilize what resources you have.
Most likely the world will not end in December 2012. There is no forecasting social collapse. However, there is a chance of one the previousely mentioned scenarios taking place over the next decade. Scientists have determined that there is a 12% chance of a major solar flare occurring within the next decade. That is enough of a chance to concern me.