To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles [1], but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
Jim Reports:
Early in the week, I built a new cross fence with a gate in our orchard, so that we can safely pasture some of our livestock in part of that plot, to keep them away from our berry bushes.
I slaughtered and butchered a dozen more excess chickens. I also cut some more firewood. And I slaughtered and butchered another yearling ram.
Now, Lily’s part of the report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
We had a very warm beginning to the week with high temperatures up to seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit and lows of twenty-nine degrees with frosts. Midweek we had rain showers and a temperature drop. The Rufous Hummingbirds finally arrived to our ranch. In the beginning of April, I had put out their sugar water feeders for them in case they arrived earlier than the usual. They appear to be right on time this year. I love hearing their call,”Ch, ch, ch, ch, choom”.
We have lots going on here.
I continue to milk three Meat and Fiber flock sheep. The other twos’ job is to nurse their baby and the Bummer, “Gr”. He is now six weeks old.
I made sheep milk Farmhouse Cheddar cheese with it this week, and a batch of sheep milk yogurt.
The Dairy flock is also doing well. I am not yet milking them, this year. Only two of them have lambed. One of the moms had rejected one of her twins so I am still holding her down to nurse the two of them. But I am doing this only three times a day, now. It seems that her favored one is also not drinking except during those times. I no longer separate them from mom except for at night. Another ewe looks as though she could lamb any day now. Yep, she lambed Friday night. Another, soon, and one perhaps didn’t take this year…
I am separating the cow from her calf at night and also milking her in the morning. I made Farmhouse cheddar cheese from her twice this week.
I studied up on plants that can be used for rennet instead of using a calf’s stomach. The main plants are Nettles, Thistles, and Sorrel. Also some fruits can be used such as Fig sap, Papaya and some others. Fascinating.
Jim butchered the chickens, another twelve or so. Those, I removed the legs and the breasts and froze them. The rest of the carcases, I boiled for broth. I deboned the meat that was left on them and split it between us and the dog and cats. Then I froze the broth. Some of the broth is for the animals and for us. I made a very rich broth soup with the last chicken butchering that was done last week. It was super delish.
The ramling that was butchered this week was quartered. All four legs went into the freezer for people consumption. The rib cage and spinal area was cooked up and frozen for the dog. Usually we take the backstrap for us, but this time we just left it for the dog, since it was a small ramling and our pup needs the calories. The three ramlings had very little fat, so I won’t be rendering fat from them. But we have a few adult sheep that are next in line for culling. They’ll have some fat for us. This ramling, Jim was able to save it’s hide with only one cut in the sking and near the edge. The others’ skin was too thin and thus had multiple slices in the hide that Jim deemed not worthy to save. So that went into the freezer also with hopes that I will get to them later.
Improving Kitchen Efficiency
Since I am now spending so much more time in the kitchen, and since I like seeing empty countertops, a minimalistic view, meaning everything is in cupboards and kinda spread out in the kitchen, I was wasting steps trying to get all I need for all of the different tasks that I do in there. So I did another rearrangement. The sink and the stove are on one end of the kitchen and are almost at the corner of the room. There is a corner floor cupboard with a carousel that I had left empty. I put all of my mixing bowls, rolling pin, colanders, plastic mason jar lids and baking equipment there. I put all of the stirring and cutting utensils back into a crock and put them back up on the counter next to the stove. I moved the measuring cups back up onto the wall next to the stove. I put a plastic cutting sheet behind them. I put a gallon jar with the Einkorn flour back on the counter between the sink and the stove. Also my jar of sheep tallow and sourdough starter next to the flour, and jar of garlic cloves.
There is a corner wall cupboard that keeps all of my baking goods. A small cupboard next to it for all of our teas. A cupboard over the stove that keeps more ingredients and another further to the right, another cupboard with all of the seasonings and spices,Under that a small counter and under that another cupboard with the few appliances that I keep, Vitamix and the toaster, then the fridge. All of our cast iron cookware is still at the other end of the kitchen, seven long steps away from the stove. I want Jim to build shelves where our dishwasher used to dwell so I can put them there. Further down the counter to the left are lower cupboards for pots and storage containers and above are silverware and wall cupboards have our dishes. Anyhow, everything is far more accessible to minimize the number of steps taken in the kitchen. In the summer when I have so much going on, I am moving around enough to not worry about exercising while working in the kitchen. I’m sure I will continue into the future to fine-tune my kitchen indefinitely. 😉
I cleaned out the hen house, and cow stalls several times this week and the sheep shed twice. I need to get to the Dairy sheep pen once again.
I weeded the sixteen potato mounds. Already, the weeds are growing. The potatoes have not yet sprouted. I’m just waiting for the weather to change when we might not get any more frosts, before planting anything else in the garden…
I picked the first dandelion flowers this week and made pancake fritters with them, thrice. Yum. I also learned that Dandelion flowers are very high in Lutein which is important for eye health.
Persecution [2] coming…Dear Readers, Trump is NOT your friend. No one in our Elite controlled government is. Just remember that.
Only Jesus is for you, if you are submitted to Him and His Will. Prepare your hearts for Persecution, because Christians are the real target! It comes very quickly.
May You All Remain Safe, Blessed, and Hidden in Christ Jesus,
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
o o o
As always, please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week. We want to hear from you.