My bad - Error in Bug-out Bucket book

    I know not everyone here has read my new book about Bug-out Buckets, Specialty Buckets, and Transition Buckets, and this post is not intended to sell the book. 

    A reader pointed out an error where I talked about the foil emergency blankets.  I had done a search on Amazon to get prices while I was writing the book.  In my haste I wrote that the most expensive emergency blanket I found was a Dynarex foil blanket for $89.  I was surprised when I saw that on Amazon but I've seen some amazingly high prices on things, so I figured they catered to the segment of the market that makes considerably more money than most of us!  But hey, even rich people can be preppers.  On some of the forums I've been too there are people with what I call "Million Dollar Preps".  So I shrugged and put the price in the book.

    I did not click on the product link for a closer look.  And that was... my bad.

    That price is for 120 blankets.  Let me say that again.  That price is for one hundred and twenty blankets!  Not for just one, as I stated in my book.

    I went in to the book file today and removed that and re-uploaded it to Amazon, but it doesn't do any good for the people who already have the book in either form, kindle or print.  I offer my apologies.  I hope I haven't caused anyone to think less of the Dynarex company for my error.  I have set a goal to buy an order of emergency blankets and donate them to our local food bank to be distributed with their monthly food boxes as soon as I am able to.

      Please leave comments or questions below, or by email at povertyprepping.com

      Susan

Dave's Kitchen - Sulfuring dried fruit

 

Sulfuring

I ran across this in an old cook book and it reminded me about something my dad did with dried apples when I was a kid. It was called "Sulfuring".

It calls for placing dried fruit on racks in a wooden barrel and lighting an ounce of sulfur in the bottom and letting it burn and allowing the fumes to rise up and seep into the fruit. The barrel would be left for a full day after the sulfur burned, then the fruit was gathered and stored.

The purpose for this was to keep pests out of it while it was stored, and when my dad did it, it worked. I don't ever remember any bugs getting into the apples when we would eat the slices throughout the winter.

 

My mom would store the apple slices in paper bags in the cabinets. so there was plenty of opportunity for insects to get into them. We didn't store them in air tight containers like I do nowdays.

Some dried fruit is still treated with sulfur, I can sometimes taste it in dried fruit we get at the grocery store. Its a taste that once you know what it is, you will not forget it. Its not really an unpleasant taste but you will know it is there.

I checked with my Dad and he said that he has still seen "Campden Tablets" available in some places. They are "Pills" that you drop into water and they release the same SO2(sulfur dioxide) that burning sulfur powder produces.

Caution must be used when burning sulfur.  It is very toxic and can kill if enough of it is breathed.  That may be why it is not common now.

 

 

Thanks, Dave, for sharing this interesting bit of history with us.  If times got bad and air-tight containers coulnd't be found, this might once again be used more widely.  The sulfur pills sound safer than burning sulfur powder!  I wonder which they use at commercial dehydrating plants?

 

Please leave comments or questions below, or mail them to: povertyprepping@yahoo.com

First Aid and Medical - Guest Post: DK Richardson

 

First aid and medical

"Baby, you put me stitches..." The DKR Rockers

Summary -

As a former licensed EMT and having worked while in the Air Force as a military medic, the focus here should be on what training you have. I'll outline a basic First Aid Kit (FAK) and let you know why this is important. I describe an advanced FAK, one that is layered - so that the supplies you do buy are appropriate and inexpensive.

The types of injury you can treat with the FAK is discussed as is the issues of Over the Counter medicines. While you can make a very nice FAK for less than a commercial offering, training is one area where you are advised to obtain commercial training. I've listed sources for hands on training and give you sources on the 'Web for follow on and self-training.

Every first aid kit begins with TRAINING!

I find one of the better training providers here in South-Central Alaska is the American Red Cross - a National organization, they are a good first place to check for your training. I'm providing this listing of classes for your convenience. Currentinformation can always be found at www.redcross.org

Online Blended Learning

The American Red Cross program blends web-based technology with traditional classroom learning. Complete the online tutorial at your pace and the written test online. Then complete your skills session in two hours. all your local office for more information.

Wilderness First Aid - 2 Year Certification
This two-day class consists of hands-on activities about how to respond to emergencies when away from the EMS system. Co-developed by the Boy Scouts of America, students will learn a variety of topics including advanced wound care, head and spinal injuries, shock, environmental illnesses and winter survival. Includes free first aid kit. Wilderness First Aid is valid for two (2) years.

Adult CPR/AED with First Aid PLUS Child and Infant CPR
The CPR/ AED component of this class includes conscious and unconscious choking, rescue breathing, and CPR for adults, children, and infants, and AED . CPR/ AED certificate is valid for two (2) years. First Aid includes caring for sudden illnesses, bleeding control, caring for burns, etc. First Aid certificate is valid for two (2) years.

Adult CPR/AED with First Aid
The CPR/ AED component of this class includes conscious and unconscious choking, rescue breathing, and CPR/ AED for adults. CPR/ AED certificate is valid for two (2) years. First Aid includes caring for sudden illnesses, bleeding control, caring for burns, etc. First Aid certificate is valid for two (2) years.

Standard First Aid
First Aid includes care for sudden illness, bleeding control, care for burns, poisoning, allergic reactions, etc. First Aid certificate is valid for two (2) years.

Self-aid and Buddy Care

http://capnhq.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/399/0/filename/afh36-2218v2.pdf

The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:

• First Aid Manual - a must have.
• 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
• 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
• 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
• 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
• 5 antiseptic wipe packets
• 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
• 1 blanket (space blanket)
• 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
• 1 instant cold compress
• 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
• 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
• Scissors
• 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
• 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
• 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
• Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
• 2 triangular bandages
• Tweezers

Okay, that covers the basics.

In my experience. many first aid kits seem to have been built with either a limited vision or a lack of foresight regarding their use in a disaster situation. Worse, some kits contain items that if misused or improperly used can further injure/permanently cripple/kill the‘patient’. Hence my emphasis on professional training - it is easily as good an investment as any you'll make.

I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to receive training from both the military and the EMT community to provide field medical support. and to work in military hospital ERs for several years. I was a State licensed and Nationally Registered EMT for many years as well.

Using this field and clinical experience, I have some ideas on First Aid Kits that I think amy be of use to you. I make suggestions on how to build a multi-layer kit, offer some specific advice on items not normally found in First Aid Kits and the reasoning behind the suggestions.

Finally, I posted an image of a multi-layered kit, just to you can see what I've been going on about.

DISCLAIMER - I am not a doctor, and I've never even played one on television.
Always seek consultation with a medical professional whenever possible.

If you have not been trained on certain procedures, do notattempt to perform the procedure - you can harm, permanently injure or worse, cause a lifelong disability.

This information is for educational purposes and for discussion.

It will hopefully get you started on your own training program and help you to build a First Aid Kits that will support your family or group.

No first aid kit, no matter advanced, well stocked or massive is a substitute for training.

Concept
The multilayer approach in building this resource is focused on supporting you, your family or small affiliated group in an abnormal situation, be it long term or short term. It provides the means for escalating support for different types of injury and illness found in a situation with limited or no routine medical care access - such is found in disaster areas.

Each kit supports or provides items to be used with the next level kit. Modular in nature, this allows for the medical supplies to be carried by many members of a group, should displacement occur.

Kit Limitations
Some injuries are so grievous that without surgery, drugs, specialized medical equipment and techniques, the odds of patient survival are extremely limited. Likewise, some injuries while non-emergent, require very specialized treatment - for example, a detached retina. Finally, some diseases require special testing in a lab setting to determine the course of treatment. All of these fall outside of what I and many others would consider “first aid”.

You can, however, provide real first aid care for an injured or sick person that will allow them to recover from their injury - with or without advanced medical intervention. You will find this the driving focus here. Items listed are suggestions, feel free to change or add as you see fit.

Multi-layer - what does that mean? It means you have a series of medical resources (First Aid Kits) or modules if you prefer, each with different levels of items and equipment to match treatment of what the patient is presenting to you, the care provider. Simply put, the modules are designed to support the treatment of different levels of injury.

These levels are:
Minor injury, individual
Minor trauma, individual with limited bleeding
Expansion module for minor trauma kit to deal with significant bleeding
Major trauma - as bad as it gets
Clinical or ‘sick call’’ type issues

Minor injury, individual.

Failure to care for even a seemly minor injury can kill you.

My Grandmother was very alert to minor problems - she often told me that “The Presidents son died from an untreated blister” just before dosing me with some noxious concoction. As it turns out - she remembered a tragic death in the Presidents family - that of Calvin Coolidge Jr in 1924 - from a infected toe blister.

I worked with a youngster in the ER who presented advanced sepsis (blood poisoning). His knee was swollen, with‘angry’ or bright red lines running up the leg. He was in pain with an elevated temperature. We used a large bore syringe to remove over 70cc of pus and cloudy liquid from the swollen knee, then a drain was installed. He was given IV antibiotics. After a hospital stay, he was released and made a full recovery.
What happened? He fell while playing, scraping his knee. His folks washed the area but did nothing further. Even as the child complained of pain in his knee, no further ‘first aid’was attempted. On the morning of the second day after injury, he presented a swollen knee - again, nothing was done until late that night, when he made it into the ER. A string of bad moves that could have easily killed the child.

A simple Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) would have been enough to properly treat this child for what began as a minor injury. In a multi-layer system, the IFAK is the first of 4 layers - this kit should have something to:

-clean an injury,

-some antibiotic ointment and

-something to cover the injury.

I keep one of several IFAK at hand, work or play. The size factor is focused on something small enough so that you always have it hand - in a pocket, purse, briefcase, or toolbag. One per individual, extras for workspace.

Suggested contents: (you can have whatever you want, these are just suggestions)
Case, hard, designed for cigarettes. Splits in half and is pretty waterproof. The orange color is a plus. Anything from a glasses case to a small bag or pouch will work just as well.
Inside are

Several adhesive bandages - both strip and ‘dot’
4 Providone-Iodine prep pads
2 foil packets of Betadine antibiotic ointment
2 foil packets of ‘triple antibiotic ointment’ - also sold as Neosporin
2 individual doses of eye drops in individual ‘tear-off’ dispensers
1 foil packet of lip balm (Blistex brand)
1 packet of Aspirin (2 tablets in packet)
1 2x2 sterile gauze packet
1 2x3 no-stick gauze packet
1 steel splinter tweezers
1 small LED‘squeeze’ light
1 book of military waterproof MRE matches
1 card with 5 ft of duck tape wound upon the card. - one ‘stripe’of tape is 1/2 in wide, the other 1.5 in wide. The card itself is a old‘credit card sized’ plastic card

The kit also has a ‘manual pencil sharpener’ which looks like a small folding barber razor. Small, it has a two inch ‘razor’ blade that folds into its handle for safety. Just the thing for scraping off cactus needles and the like. There is room for a flat Fresnel lens to spot splinters. I keep one in my wallet, so not shown in this kit.

The case is secured with a large rubber band, which helps keep the case inside of a pocket and can further be used as‘tinder’ if a fire is needed.

The next level in the multi-layer approach is a Minor Trauma kit.

The basis (container) for this is the well known military Individual First Aid Kit, Field (NSN 6545-01-521-8502).

Minor trauma may be falls, twisted or sprained joints, cuts or minimal depth penetrating injury. While not adequate for large lacerations, avulsions or deep penetrating injuries, it should do for the risk posed by your day to day outside activities. One per individual, extras for the work area. Works with ‘expansion’ module listed next.

On summer break from college, I worked for a geophysical exploration company. In remote Montana , one of our field crew was struck just below the knee with a chainsaw in a brush cutting operation. The saw cut deep, into the bone. The location of the injury allowed us to treat and self-evacuate while treating. The crew person required surgery and a hospital stay but thanks to the care given in the field, was able to fully recover with no permanent loss of mobility. The module described here would meet the needs of this type of accident.

Still small in size (4-3/4 inches high by 2-3/8 deep by 4-1/2 wide) the kit was designed to accommodate a waterproof plastic insert box which contained the components of the military Individual First Aid Kit. The first pattern (preferred) has snaps to fasten the cover flap. The case can be attached to any belt via two ALICE clips. This makes a good platform to build upon. The nylon cover is larger than the ‘insert’ allowing for additional items to be added. This container is available from multiple sources on line.

This is for dealing with minor trauma with limited bleeding. Inside the nylon case we find:

8 Providone-Iodine prep pads
2 hand wash packets (commercial - to clean your hands before or after)
1 aluminized mylar ‘survival blanket’ - this to wrap the patient should shock or cold be an issue
1 gauze eye pad
1 set (or more) latex or Nitrile gloves in Ziploc bag, not sterile, but clean
1 Insert, First aid (plastic)
The plastic insert box holds:
3 Dressing, First aid, Field, Individual Troop, 4x7 inches
1 Bandage, muslin, compressed - a triangular bandage, or cravat
2 Band-Aid brand bandage 2x3 in (larger than the 1 x 2 in ones used in simple kits)
1 Band-Aid bandage, extra large
6 adhesive bandages - 4 ‘normal’, 2 small
2 foil packets, triple antibiotic
2 foil packets, burn get (Lidocaine)
4 large safety pins - for use with the cravat
1 packet electrolyte tablets
1 eye drops in tear-off dispenser
1 book of waterproof MRE matches

If you will support an industrial type operation, you may wish to add a pair of tourniquets. Keep in mind, use of a tourniquet will require you to seek advanced, professional medical care at a hospital or trauma centeras soon as possible.

The “expansion” module for the above listed kit is for more extensive trauma, with bleeding. This should be adequate for large lacerations, avulsions or deep penetrating injuries - but not penetrating chest injuries which result in a tension pneumothorax or those resulting in evisceration. One per two group members involved in industrial or dangerous activity with a high risk of injury minimum - one per person is better.

For me, this module is housed in a soft-sided nylon case 8 x 6 x 3 in deep. It has a strap handle and a steel clip similar to a carabiner to hold the case, should that be required. Color is optional, mine happens to be bright red with a First Aid logo on the exterior, but almost any waterproof container will work.

We had a call to respond to where a person had pushed their hand through a plate glass window. The person had severe and deep lacerations to the hand, with soft tissue avulsion (‘meaty’ parts of one finger removed to the bone). This kit would be adequate to deal with this level of injury.

This module contains:

2 sets of latex or nitrile gloves in Ziploc bag
1 package of 10 cotton applicators (Q-tips)
3 5 x 9 sterile combination dressing
2 Dressings, First Aid, Field 4 x 7 in
5 3 x 4 in non-adhering sterile gauze pads
2 tongue depressors/splits
1 bandage compress, muslin - also called triangular bandage or cravat
1 non-stick gauze pad
1 eye patch
1 Band-Aid - extra large
1 roll 2 in self adhering bandage
1 roll 2 in bandage gauze with 2 safety pins
1 tourniquet
1 set plastic ‘splinter’ tweezers
1 set steel tweezers
1 ‘travel sized’ vial of 200mg INN (Ibuprofen) 22 tablets

1 vial of spray Neosporin
3 swabs, tincture of benzoin for use with SteriStrips
2 packages of ‘SteriStrip’ wound closure strips, butterfly bandages are a substitute
15 Providone-Iodine prep pads
30 adhesive bandages (1x 2)
I plastic hard case insert (3.5 x 4 x 1 in deep)
5 2 x 3 non-stick gauze pads
1 3.5 x 5 in moleskin patch
5 eye drop doses in ‘tear off’ dispensers
6 tabs Imodium (OTC)
4 large safety pins
1 #10 sterile scalpel blade
2 foil packets triple antibiotic ointment
2 foil packets ‘burn gel’ (lidocaine)
2 packets electrolyte tablet (2 tabs per packet)

The next level module is for major trauma.

Housed in a surplus M-3 Medic bag, it has supplies for dealing with major trauma, heavy bleeding, crushing injury. At this stage any injury you treat will require professional medical care found at a hospital or trauma center. Designed to provide pre-hospital treatment of large lacerations, avulsions or deep penetrating injuries which may result in a tension pneumothorax or those resulting in evisceration.

These kits are normally built based on the advice of a trauma physician and include items not covered in training at a level below P-EMT. As such, I will just list some items to provide an idea of the level of care that might be provided -

4 sets latex or nitrile gloves

2 N-95 masks
1 set eye protection
1 SAM brand splint
2 Quick-clot gauze, large
2 Quick-clot gauze, small
20 5 x 9 sterile dressings
20 4 x 4 sterile non-stick pads
2 hot packs (hand warmers are fine)
2 cold packs
2 6 in Ace bandages
2 4 in Ace bandages
2 4 in self-adhering bandages
4 rolls 4 in Kale
2 Israeli Emergency Bandage 6 in with slider
1 Israeli Abdominal Emergency Bandage - 12"

or
1 Silver "H" Compression Bandage (optional as it is specialized)
1 set of OTC meds (ASA/INN/antacid/Sudafed) 10 packs of tablets in OTC doses
1 headlamp - LED - stays in kit.

This is a sample- I strongly suggest you discuss the items for this module with your own medical professional and factor in your level of training, location and risk exposure. I don’t discourage the view that having more‘advanced’ supplies is a good thing - for use by medical professionals to treat your group members in case the pros supplies are exhausted. I will caution you however.

About those 'advanced' supplies - in some States suturing, for example, is considered surgery - and requires professional licensing to perform. If all goes well, fine. If things go badly, you can expect trouble on many fronts. The Good Samaritan laws I am familiar with do not cover you if you perform advanced medical procedures without the documented training and licensing required by the local authorities. If society collapses, this is most likely not going to be an issue. If this ‘system’ is for disaster support - it will become an issue. You can make that decision for yourself.

Both so-called M-3 and M17 based “Medic kits” are offered online. The M3 bags are far smaller and easier to carry and work with in the field.
Prices range from under $30 to over $300.

You must examine the offered contents closely! The “trauma items” offered by some vendors includes such items as a 100 ct package of Q-Tips, 100 adhesive strips (Band-Aids) and so on. These items are quite useful, but are not normally considered in the same class as pressure dressings or tourniquets.

Other vendors offer the “Medic kits” as surplus and may include IV setups, IV bags, and other advanced treatment items. All of these advanced items have “use by” or expiration dates and may have issues with packaging that has not kept the items sterile. Use common sense or ask a professional. The medic bags may be purchased empty and filled as you deem appropriate, this is usually the best option. Consultation with a professional can save you money - by not purchasing unnecessary, outdated or overpriced items.

The final module is for what I will term clinical treatment.

Here is where most of the ‘hardware’resides. For me - it is a two part setup. I use a large tackle box which provides water resistant protected storage and a means to organize the items. The other is a commercial ‘first aid’ bag that folds out presenting many pockets to hold items. These are used to provide follow-on treatment and treat ‘sick call’ type complaints - earaches, foreign object in the eye, colds, hay fever and so on.

Typical contents are:

1 box of latex or nitrile gloves
Surgical soap or Betadine or Hibiclens Soap for cleaning your hands and any wound areas that require cleaning. Check with your medical professional on cleaning tips.
Eye protection and masks
5 x 9 sterile pads for wound dressing changes
Adaptic pads for still draining wounds or burn dressing changes
Steri-strips for reclosure of lacerations, if needed, when changing dressings
Multiple swabs, tincture of benzoin. for use with SteriStrips
Several oz of medical saline solution for wound cleaning, eye wash and so on. Several 2 oz squeeze bottles of saline are better then one big container.
Commercial dental kit + several teabags. Ask your dentist what is best for you.
Stethoscope and sphygmomanometer to monitor blood pressure in long term care, monitor for pulmonary sounds (like rales) and to check for distal pulse sounds.

Note - while the simple ‘nurse’ type stethoscope is just fine, the slightly more expensive Rappaport (two headed) type, with changeable diaphragms, offers better sensitivity.

A quality otoscope for ear examinations, an important item if your group includes small children. Some are sold with booklets containing color photos of different conditions.

A UV or Cobalt Blue light for in use in conjunction with orange dye (fluorescein)
to detect foreign bodies in the eye or damage to the surface of the eye.
Used with saline solution eye drops, it can be used to confirm all debris has been removed from the eye. Ask your medical professional to demonstrate correct use before you use these items.

I suggest adding a set of ‘hobby’headband magnifying lenses - very handy in eye examinations - and allow hand-free use.

Some kind of notebook or other means of recording treatment. These records can be important in the long run, certainly valuable to medical professionals if you seek care after treatment.

Activated charcoal and syrup of ipecac are not included in this module. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that ipecac syrup not be stocked at home, the same for the charcoal. Activated charcoal can cause‘concretions’ in the intestines, an often fatal condition.
You should closely examine those items your group will carry and consult with a poison control unit to determine risk and treatment if the substance is ingested, now. Examples include water treatment tablets, prescription medicines and so on.

A separate OTC carrier. These may hold:

24 Aspirin, 325 mg Tablet
24 Acetaminophen, 325 mg Tablet
24 Ibuprofen, 200 mg Tablet
24 Diphenhydramine, 25 mg Capsule
24 Diamode, 2 mg Tablet
24 Diotame Tablet
24 Alamag Tablet
24 Sudafed Tablet
3 Cera Lyte 70, 50 g Packet, Lemon
24 Loperamide tablets (Commercial name - Imodium)
12 Triple Antibiotic Ointment
12 Hydrocortisone Cream 1%
Printout - of all OTC meds, showing reactions, contraindications and save dose levels

(Consult a PDR guide IF UNSURE ON OTC MEDS AND INTERACTIONS)

Checking with a medical professional on your selection of OTC meds is a good idea if you have members with prescription medicines or long term health issues.
Prescription drugs and antibiotics are best discussed and obtained from your health care professional. In many jurisdictions possession of prescription items without the accompanying script is a felony.

Do not carry any medicines or pills in unmarked containers. Period.

Officer Friendly and his trusty canine companion just may not understand. Avoid that dirty boot on the neck and those cold steel bracelets - ensure all items are in the original and marked containers.

I have covered a module based approach for first aid treatment of :
*Minor injury, individual
*Minor trauma, individual with limited bleeding
*Expansion module for minor trauma kit to deal with significant bleeding
*Major trauma - as bad as it gets
*Clinical or ‘sick call’’ type issues
In layers that provide for mutual support, ease of carry and distributed carry - avoiding a ‘all eggs in one basket’ for medical support.

 

A milti-layered kit does not need to be expensive or massive - it does need to be tailored to you, your family or group. Check with your local health provider and get that training beforeyou need a FAK.

Good luck.

DKR/dkr

Thank you, Mr. Richardson, for this excellent post. 

Please leave comments or questions below, or email them to povertyprepping@yahoo.com

 

Guest Post - Seed orders and barren gardens

 

A Warning About Seed Orders and Barren Gardens

By Steven Gregersen

I love it when the seed catalog arrives with the Christmas cards. We used to spend hours drooling over the latest offerings, comparing growing days and zones, resistance to diseases, prices and other data relevant to our location and needs. Although we made our seed orders early we were never in a hurry to receive them because most years we have snow on the ground until at least the end of March. We had plenty of time we thought.

Then one year our languorous affectation was blown completely away! We'd made our normal seed order in early January then waited. Waiting was nothing new to us. In our northern climate we often specified that fruit trees be shipped in the spring after the snow was gone. We usually got our order in parts and we'd never experienced problems in the past. But this time it was different!

That year in particular, after rising fuel prices made everything else expensive a lot of people began gardening to alleviate the skyrocketing price of fresh vegetables. And I mean a LOT of people. Even in our area we met dozens of people who were planting their first garden. We were so thankful that so many were going to experience the joy of eating actual fresh vegetable that we never considered the problems it would cause nationally. At least we didn't until January slipped past, then February, then March, and then April, and we still hadn't received our seed order.

Inquiries were made and each time we were reassured that our order would be shipped "in season." Finally we got our package from the seed company with about half of our order in it. The apology and explanation was short. It seems that they'd underestimated demand and had run out of the seed we'd ordered. They shipped out orders to the warmest places first, expecting to have more seed available for the colder climates but the new seed never materialized. They were sorry for any inconvenience and encouraged us to order the missing items from other suppliers.

To say we were angry would severely understate our emotions at the time. We'd done business with this company for years! Naturally every other seed supplier was also out of the varieties we wanted. Some were out of almost all of their seed. We were relegated to purchasing from the very limited selections at our local merchants and chain stores. What a disaster! Especially when we depend on the garden for most of the food we eat.

But that disaster brought some needed changes in our lives. We now save our own seed instead of depending upon suppliers a thousand or more miles away.

I'm not going into the "how-to's" of seed saving because it would be too lengthy for this type of forum. I just want to sound a warning to those who rely on outside sources. If for some reason you cannot replenish your seed yourself be sure to include instructions to ship your order immediately. Second; try ordering enough extra to save some for the next year. Rotate your stock and make a new order every year and you'll always be a year ahead ... just in case!

If you've never saved your own seed now is a good time to start. By that I mean ordering heirloom and non-hybrid varieties that reproduce themselves. Most seed companies have them and you can also look for seed exchanges in magazines like Grit and The Mother Earth News. Plus, by starting now you'll have time to study and learn the seed-saving process before harvest time.

If, like us, you are striving for self-sufficiency saving your own seed is one more step forward on the road to independence.

Thank you, Steven.

Steven, by the way, is my husband.  He writes for magazines, including Backwoods Home Magazine, Backwoodsman, Back Home Magazine, Fur Fish & Game, Primitive Archer, Traditional Archer, and others.  He has two published books and is working on another.

 

As always, please leave comments or questions below, or by email at

povertyprepping@yahoo.com

Susan

 PS:  There's been a tremendous amount of mail lately and I'm working my way through answering everyone's emails.  Please be patient!



Dehydrating Eggs

Four dozen dehydrated eggs in a quart jar

 

A few years ago I started dehydrating my extra eggs over the spring, summer, and fall.  The main reason I did this was because from about November until March our chickens don't lay eggs up here in the cold north, with our short winter days.  We didn't like having to eat store-bought eggs during the months our chickens got their break from laying.  In the summer we gave eggs away to everyone we could push them off onto, and it seemed a shame to give away so many eggs, then have to pay to buy them in the winter, as well as buying feed for the chickens during those months too.

 

We live off-grid with solar electric power, so putting lights in the chicken coop isn't an option.  Winters are cloudy and the days are short, so we have to conserve electricity during those months. 

 

Dehydrated eggs have the disadvantage that you have to use them as scrambled eggs.  That means no fried eggs in the winter, but lots of really good and creative omelettes!  They can also be used in baking.  I use one tablespoon whole dried egg to 1 tablespoon water, to make one reconstituted egg.

 

You can also separate the eggs and dry the whites and yolks separately.  If you like to bake things that call for egg whites, or to make meringue, you can use the dried whites.  The dried yolks can be reconstituted and cooked for eating, or used in baking.

 

My Nesco dehydrator came with one plastic liner for making fruit leather.  I use it when I dehydrate eggs and I line the other trays with wax paper.  I cut the hole out in the middle so it would sit on the tray, and trimmed the edges with extra so I could bend it up and form a lip around the edge so the egg wouldn't run off the trays.  I'm careful with the wax paper and re-use it for several batches before having to cut fresh wax paper.

 

Each of these trays holds four eggs.  If you have a different dehydrator you can experiment to see how many it holds.  Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk them until the yolks and whites are evenly mixed, if you're dehydrating whole eggs.  With the lined dehydrator tray sitting on the dehydrator, so you won't have to move it after filling the tray, carefully pour egg onto the tray.  Move the bowl around the tray and pour until you have a good covering.  You can use a spoon to further spread it.

 

You don't want it too thick or it'll take a long time to dry. I poured mine about the thickness of a plain chocolate candy bar.  Try to spread it evenly so that you don't have part of the tray finished before the thicker parts.  It won't be perfect, but take a few minutes to spread it as evenly as you can.

 

This is partway through the drying process.  You can see the 'skin' forming on top.  Set your dehydrator to the hottest setting, if you have a temperature control on it.  Mine is 135 degrees.

 

You can dry eggs in the oven on a low setting, but use the absolute lowest temperature setting your oven has.  You don't want to cook the egg, you just want to dry it.

 

If you live in a dry climate you can air-dry the eggs.  Watch them closely and pour them thinly on the trays.  I tried flipping mine partway through once and it was a messy disaster.

It takes my dehydrator about 8 hours to dry four trays of eggs.  When they're done I lift the wax paper off the dehdrator tray and I turn it upside-down over a cake pan.  The dried eggs should peel off without leaving a mess on the wax paper, other than a few crumbs.  If it's still wet and slimey, put it back on the dehydrator tray and dry it longer.

When they're crumbled in the pan they resemble cornflakes.  I broke them into crumbles, then spooned them into the blender to make egg powder.

The finished egg powder is in the bowl.  I later started just packing the crumbles into a jar and crushing them down with a wooden pestle from a mortar and pestle set I have.  When reconstituted, it works just about as well as 'powdering' it in the blender.

 

It doesn't make a dry powder.  It makes a somewhat-greasy powder.  If you have trouble reconstituting it try using different temperatures of water.  It will look grainy when it's reconstituted, but when you cook it, as either scrambled eggs or omelettes, it comes out with an even texture and a bit spongy rather than fluffy.  The taste is the same as fresh eggs.

We take it camping, so I put some in a ziplock bag for that purpose.  This bag in the picture traveled with me on a 1,100 mile bicycle trip in spring and early summer 2010.

Dumped straight out of the trays and before further crumbling the dried eggs look like peanut brittle without the peanuts.

 

The majority of our dried eggs are packed tightly into glass jars and stored in our dark, cool root cellar.  Most summers I dehydrated around 24 dozen to store for winter use.  It's been a big savings and a great way to have 'home-grown' eggs over the winter.

 

If you have comments or questions, please leave them below or email me at:

povertyprepping@yahoo.com

 

Susan

 

D.K. Richardson Guest Post - Nutrition: Food and Cooking

Nutrition: food & cooking

 

This segment focuses on putting together your own meal, ready to eat. Using commonly available long shelf-life commercial products, you can make your own tasty and easy-to-cook or heat-to-eat meals. I discuss several common problems with home-made MREs and show you how to avoid the problems. Finally, since you should store what you eat - and eat what you store. Here, I show you how to incorporate your homemade MREs into your day-to-day diet so that rotation and out-of-date foods should never be a problem.

 

I'm going to focus on ~about 72 hours of food for an individual. You should be able to eat most the items without cooking; the items should have a good shelf life - more than 6 months in the kit and be relatively low cost.

 

Food for your kit should require no refrigeration, be easy to make and simple to clean up. The food should also provide real calories - in a disaster you'll need anywhere from 2K to 5K calories per day, depending on the weather. Minimal water use is also something you should factor in as well.

Remember, even if you eat nothing, you will still need at least two liters of water, per day.

 

Let's look at some possible choices for your kit food. I'll stick with brands that can be had here in Alaska - you should have no problem finding them where you live as well.

 

Clif Bars - 230 Calories - 30 from fat

 

Oatmeal (fast, not instant)- 150 Calories per 1/2 cup serving (4 days is only 2 full cups)

 

CoffeeMate dry creamer 15 calories per packet (1 tbsp) shows 1 g of fat

 

Sugar, packet 15 calories

 

Instant potatoes - (Baby Reds) 4 oz pouch - 110 calories (no serving size listed, I'm assuming per oz as it is a carbohydrate)

 

Minute rice - 250 Calories per 1/2 cup serving per the producers website

Note - other sources show 150-185 calories per single cup serving or 'rice'.

Note - With Minute Rice brand rice - 1 cup dry is a 1 cup serving. For unprocessed rice, it is 1/2 cup rice = 1 cup cooked.

 

Peanut butter (JIff to go) 250 calories, 150 from fat. per 1.5 oz serving

 

SPAM (classic, slice in bag) 250 calories per 3 oz serving. (Other choices are tuna in the larger bag, chicken breast in the pouch, and dry salami. See below)

 

Trail mix (Planters, 6 oz) 150 calories, 80 from fat per 6 oz bag

 

Lipton Soup (dry) Chicken noodle - 60 calories per packet

 

Sun Maid raisins 1.5 oz (28g) box 90 calories

 

StarKist light tuna in water (Pouch, 2.6 oz) 80 calories, 5 calories from fat.

 

Bumble Bee chicken breast (pouch, 4 oz) 150 calories

 

Sailor Boy Pilot bread - 100 calories per cracker

 

Hormel roast beef and gravy (12 oz can) ? The product page lists servings as "varies' then shows 130 calorie per serving. Lean roast beef is about 46 calories per oz. Call it 500 calories per 12 oz can.

 

A Mountain House Beef Stroganoff (2 serving pouch) gives you 500 calories for 4.6 oz.

 

A single MRE gives (about) 1250 calories and each one weighs in at between 0.8 pounds and 1.8 pounds (depends of menu item and packer) stripping out some of the packing will shave off some weight. Cost of a single MRE is around 8 US dollars as of the time of writing.

 

Hormel Dinty Moore Beef stew, DAK premium canned had (16 oz), Corned beef & corned beef hash, and other canned meats may be more to your taste - this is an exercise in counting calories and trying for some balance in your food choices.

 

To reduce clean up, wet items can be served in a sandwich bag - used as a liner - held by a bowl. Doing this will reduce your clean up tasks. Rice and oatmeal only need hot water, the stew may be (carefully) heated in the opened can using a water bath, the water being saved for washing up after your meal..

 

What kind of meals can we make form these basic ingredients?

So, how about a big breakfast of 1 cup of oatmeal (300k), 1.5 oz of raisins (90) a couple of CoffeeMates in leiu of milk (30) and a packet of sugar (15) - you end up with 435 calories and a pretty filling start to your day. Requires hot water to be palatable for most people.

Optional items, Swiss Miss hot coca mix or freeze dried coffee.

 

For a lunch - as most folks are habituated to a noonday meal, even if not necessary.

Lunch of 6 oz of trail mix (150) + 1 Clif bar (230) consumed thru the day, will give 380 calories and will keep you going. No cooking required.

Optional items would be Crystal Delight or other low-cal drink.

 

Dinner of SPAM, diced (250) in a soup mix (60 ) over 1 cup of Minute rice (500) gives you a full dinner of 820 calories + drink. A 'desert' of a candy bar will add several hundred more calories.

This requires cooking, making a "One Pot meal".

 

Daily total 435 + 380 + 820 = 1635 - still short of what would be necessary except for the very short term.

 

Even the roast beef and gravy over 4 oz potatoes would still leave you a bit short of 2000 calories. Adding a Jif peanut butter packet on a couple of Sailor Boy crackers at mid-day would add an additional 450 calories - meeting the 2K goal per day.

 

Taking a few minutes to plan now and making a list of items to pick up as part of your regular shopping cycle will help keep costs under control. Since you know what you and your group enjoys to eat, these are suggestions to follow when planning your disaster kit food menu choices.
 

Why no MREs? Those are good enough for the Army!

You are correct. Each MRE retails for about 8 dollars, or about 25 dollars a day. You can do better - cost wide. You can certainly plan for the evening meal as an MRE and know you will go to bed with a full tummy and likely have some leftovers to eat the next day.

 

Canned food? That stuff weighs a ton! Why would suggest canned food?

This is a DIY disaster kit, not something you would use for crossing the high Sierras on foot. Canned food makes sense if you will be traveling by automobile - I'm sure most of us would prefer that over walking. Canned food (also called wet pack) normally doesn't require additional water to cook.

 

Why would I pick an MRE over a nice freeze dried meal?

Rarely is a back-packer 'meal' a full meal - a popular brand of FD food - like Beef Stroganoff is lightweight and tasty. Add two cups of boiling water and you have -- a bit over two cups of beef stroganoff.

With a single MRE, you get a lot more - for a couple of dollars above the cost of freeze dried - if that. Open that funky brown plastic bag and you'll find -

Entree - the main course, such as meatloaf

Side dish - lots of choices here, rice, corn, fruit, or mashed potatoes, etc. These are available separately of you wish to build your own custom menus.

Cracker or Bread choice - tortillas even!

Spread - peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread. Yum.

Dessert - a cake or cookie choice.

Candy - This is normally a commercial product - in some cases, not even repackaged.

Beverages - coffee, tea, sport drinks and so on.

Hot sauce or seasoningare found in some menu choices

Flameless Ration Heater- if you don't have a stove or don't want the hassle of a stove - these work pretty well, with MRE packaged items.

Accessories - spoon, matches, creamer, sugar, salt, chewing gum, toilet paper, etc.
 

I was in the store and saw some "Heater Meals". Are they any good for this?

Good question.

Pros - These and so-called microwave pacs are lighter than canned food, these wet pack items can be readily heated in a hot water bath. The Heater Meal brand has something like the MRE flameless ration heater to warm the meal. I have eaten several different brands as lunch while working in Cubeville. Most are decent tasting - but I will caution you to try any of your choices first to avoid any ugly surprises later.

Cons - These are not as rugged as canned food. You must be careful on how you pack and carry these, least you open your disaster kit and find it full of spaghetti and meatballs. The same caution applies to the peel-top cans as well.

 

"How about those sandwiches from the new First Strike Ration?"

I was a bit excited when they first came out at the backpacking stores here. The reality was less than thrilling - long on bread, short on filler. At $4 or more dollars - per sandwich, I find them pricy. That said, I still have some in my bag because you can eat them cold and they are something of a comfort food.

 

"I don't think I could eat a whole can of...say, chili. What can I do?"

There are a host of smaller, peel-top cans which, when heated and poured over rice, potatoes or pasta make a good filling and hot meal.

 

"I don't like the taste of parboiled rice. I don't want to carry the fuel needed to boil the water for 20 minutes to make real rice. Any suggestions?"

I hate to make those kinds of choices as well. I carry a thermal flask and use it to cook 'real rice' and real oatmeal, for that matter. It's also great for heating water the night before to make a hot breakfast without fussing with a stove in the morning. Check out any number of "Thermos cooking" websites for more ideas. For this - practice makes perfect...

 

"What else will work for breakfast? It's a big deal for the start of my day."

There are several dry mix products that will allow you to cook pancakes, bannock (AKA fry bread or pan bread) - or you can roll your own and store the ingredients in a zipbag or plastic container. Make sure your fuel budget covers the extra cooking time and that you have enough water for both cooking and cleaning up.

 

"I dunno, this all looks pretty complicated."

Good point, if you eat out all the time or your meals are mostly fast food, this can seem intimidating. In that case, the MREs are your friend. If you have even basic cooking skills, you can mix and match to suit your tastes.

It is really as simple as making a 4 x3 grid - three meals for 4 days, and filling in the blanks. Remember to check the "Use by" dates on any food before it goes into your DIY kit and make a mote of the dates you need to swap out your food supplies.

If you only do one or two practice campout trips a year, you can eat the food before it expires and get some practice on your cooking.

 

Questions? Ping Susan and I'll get an answer back to you via the webaite.

 

Thanks and Happy Holiday!

 

 

(Thank you, Mr. Richardson.  Excellent information as always, and I'm glad to have you back with us.)

 

From all of us here at Poverty Prepping

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

 

Susan

povertyprepping@yahoo.com

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