Editor’s Introductory Note: Reader C.I. has compiled some solid preparedness information for SurvivalBlog readers, partly from tried and true and widely published recommendations that date back to the 1940s, and partly from her own experience and observations. A lot of the following will already be familiar to long-time SurvivalBlog readers, but it provides a concise review that is useful for consideration for “filling in gaps” in your preps. And it is quite important reading for anyone who is new to family preparedness. This lengthy article will be serialized into four installments. – JWR
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It is hard to be a Good Samaritan when you are in the same shape as the traveler or refugee. It is best to donate through your Church as you don’t want people of uncertain character at your door.
If you have two weeks of food and water at home then you are better prepared than 95% of the population. With the recent run on garden seeds and canning supplies, wise people are waking up and getting prepared. Also, firearm sales are up. I feel this is a red flag that says to get prepared!
It is generally thought that most people would have 3 days of food on hand and the stores another 3 days, however after hurricane Sandy people were out looking for food a lot sooner than Day 3, in spite of days of warning. So unless you are planning on sudden weight loss (and possible death), having food and water on hand is wise. The recent supply chain issues are another warning.
Water, food, shelter, and means of self-protection are the keys to surviving. Long term, also have a means of being self-sustaining, with a garden, fruit trees, and livestock. I would also add: Get out of large cities, and locate somewhere out of sight.
Water
Adding 2-to-6 drops of unscented Clorox bleach will purify 1 quart of water. Depending on the quality of the water and Clorox, give it 30 minutes or longer and add more Clorox if water is cloudy and iffy. But if you can faintly smell chlorine, then it is safe to drink. Over time, Clorox will lose its strength, so rotate every 6 months or use more. Iodine can also be used, 2 drops per quart, more if cloudy. But this method is not recommended for children or for pregnant women.
Plan on at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and cooking. In a pinch, one could survive on just 2 quarts for a while. If you include other uses, at least 5 gallons per person per day would be needed for hygiene, washing clothes, and so on.
A traditional tank-type water heater can be an emergency source of water, in the event that the pressure drops, on your utility-provided water.
Waer storage containers can be found in camping and hardware stores, and Wal-Mart. The large food-grade plastic “tote” cubes (275-gallon capacity) are great if you can find one and it hasn’t ever had anything toxic or odorous in it.
Pool shock powder or liquid works well for making water safe to drink. The liquid is usually at least twice as strong as Clorox. 32 Tablespoons (about one pound) of 50% pool shock powder added to one gallon of water will make one gallon of Clorox equivalent. Add the powder to water, not the water to the powder, which could cause an explosion. Be very careful as it gives off a lot of heat and some chlorine gas, with eye protection and rubber gloves, so do it outside, do it slowly add a little powder at a time to the water. This is an exothermic reaction so it gives off heat, and chlorine gas is bad news to breathe! Sources: Wal-Mart, Menards, and Ace Hardware.
In storage, the powder gradually degrades over time, about 5% per year — far less than liquid bleach. Pool shock powder varies in strength depending on the brand, so do the math. The powder should be replaced every several years as I have not had good results with long-term storage of pool shock powder.
Water filters are also good but some will give out over time.
Boiling: Bring water to a boil for two minutes will kill all the bacteria that will kill you. You really just need to get the water up to 165 degrees, which is difficult to guess, so if you bring it to a boil then you will be safe.
You can make sterile water or a sterile saline solution in a pressure canner. For a medical saline solution, you need 7.8 grams of non-iodized salt — about 1 and ½ tsp of non-iodized salt per quart of water. If you are slightly off, it will not kill you. Pressure can the saline solution at 15 pounds for about 30 minutes. Distilled water would be best to use.
A 10 foot by 10 foot tarp will capture 62.3 gallons of water with one inch of rainfall. If c ollecting rainwater off the roof of a house, note that rainwater needs to be boiled and filtered because of dust or bird droppings.
Food
You should plan on storing at least one pound of dry food per person per day (1,500-1,700 calories), but this is just a starting base. You will need to add oils or fats, game, fish, livestock, and garden produce to this to survive. You will need to get the daily calories up to 2,500-4,000 per day depending on work activity, body size, and temperature. You will need to think about calories and nutrients, not just the weight or volume of stored foods.
You also need to prepare for infants and small children. How much and for how long should I prepare? I would start with 30 days and increase as money and space allows. However the longer the better. You should also plan on helping other family members who are not thinking ahead or people in need if possible.
Store what you eat and what your store. Consider will still be edible and nutritious in long-term storage. Out of date foods may be still good to eat, though they may not have the flavor and full nutrient value. However, if a can is intact, not swollen, and it smells and looks okay, then generally it will be safe to eat.
Don’t forget to provide for pet food and water. They eat and drink too.
Having a well-stocked pantry is a lifesaver as well as a hedge against inflation; the real inflation rate is (9.8 – 14.5%) using the 1980 CPI calculating method, it is now 14.5%. By buying food ahead for a year will save you money in the long run, you need to prepare for natural disasters and economic collapse. Expect food prices to rise 400% in the next 10 years. This is evident by just looking at the food packaging shrinkage and increase in prices.
Unfortunately, I feel that a social or economic collapse is coming. My guess is between 2022 and 2023. We are in the middle of the 4th turning at this time. See the 1997 book The Fourth Turning by Howe and Strauss. Would give you some insight on this. Fourth turnings usually end in war. One website states that the population of the USA in 2025 will be 100 million. Hospitals are already seeing an increase in heart attacks and strokes.
Storage Food Recommendations
Grains — You will need a grain mill to grind wheat/corn/rye into flour. Get untreated grain. It would be best to get a hand-powered grain mill, as grid power may be out. Prices vary and are going up, and you get what you pay for. Having two mills in case of breakage is wise.
A. Wheat. If bought in bulk, you can buy wheat for about $16 for one bushel which is about 60 pounds. Wheat has about 1,600 calories per pound. Sources? Any feed and grain store may have bulk grain that you can buy. Some farmers may also have grain available for sale.
B. Rye about $15.00 per bushel 1,300 calories per pound.
C. Steamed flaked groats, basic oatmeal comes in 50# bags. Again, this can be sourced at feed & grain stores. Yes, it is intended for cattle/horses. It is steamed and rolled, (325 calories per pound). Typically, it will become buggy within a year. So, place it in an oven at 250 degrees for 30 minutes or so to kill any insect eggs or freeze it for several weeks then room temp for several weeks and then refreeze again to kill what has hatched. Then store it in buckets with oxygen displaced. Heat treatment is the most effective.
D. Rice: About $12.50 per 25-pound bag 1,600 calories per pound.
E. Brown rice will store for just a year, while white rice can be stored for up to 30 years, with oxygen removed.
F. Beans about $10 per 10-pound bag. They have 750 calories per pound. You can also plant them. Beans kept in storage for more than three years may not soften with typical soaking and cooking. So grind them first or use a pressure cooker at 15-pounds for 45 minutes, and you will have wonderful bean soup. The prices on everything have really gone up lately, so be prepared for sticker shock. Surprisingly, old beans may germinate and grow even though they will not soften.
G. Garden seeds have a limited shelf-life for germination A good resource book is, Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.
H. Popcorn costs about $25 per 50-pound bag. Ground popcorn makes a nice sweet cornbread; Popcorn has 1,600 calories per pound. (It is a long keeper.)
I. Please note these prices are changing, with inflation.
J. Soybeans from the farm will need to be cooked for 3 hours to break down the proteins to be able to be digested by humans. Otherwise your body can’t properly digest soy. You can shorten the cooking time required by using a pressure cooker.
K. You will need a grain mill. Two examples are: 1.) Country Living $425, and 2.) The Diamont is $999, and one of the best. Both are available at Lehman’s. You get what you pay for. There are other very good ones out there. The two that I mentioned can be hand-powered or converted to motor power. Having two mills is wise, in case of breakage. Keeping spare parts is also wise.
L. Storage: A 55 gallon open-top drums will store about 400 pounds of wheat/rice, One of these will keep one person barely alive for a year. This is about 1,750 calories per day. However, if you are active you will need to double the calories. This is just an example to keep you alive, not fat and happy. Note that in the 1944-5 Minnesota starvation diet experiment was 1,570 calories per day, there was 25% weight loss and the subjects thought of food all the time. This was a 24 week starvation period. The psychological effects lasted for months afterward. This number of calories is not a viable long-term plan. A petite person may get by on just 1,750 calories, with low physical exertion.
M. A 5-gallon bucket will hold about 35 pounds of wheat which will keep you alive for a month. But you will lose weight, as this is only about 1,800 calories per day.)
N. Sources of 55-gallon drums: These can be found at ice cream-making dairies. Call ahead to check if they have drums available. They will frequently have 55-gallon drums that they may sell, these may have had chocolate, or fruit in them, and some may be food grade lined, some have a gasket seal drum lids. (You can make your own gasket seal with silicone caulk, if needed.)
O. Gamma Seal lids (aka “spinner lids”) and food grade 5 gallon buckets – local source Menards, Ace Hardware, and Internet sellers. To get the lids on the bucket put a light coat of Vaseline on the bucket rim, this will help getting the lid on and improve the seal (make sure that the rim is smooth) and then place the lid on the floor and the bucket on top of the lid, then stand on the bucket rocking a bit until the lid snaps on, once it is on, it will not come off, hang on to something, a door, counter top, etc. while you do this will help with your balance.
P. For longer-term storage add pocket hand warmers to use as an oxygen absorber. One hand warmer will absorb the oxygen in a 5-gallon bucket. You can also use small dry ice chunks. Place a walnut-size chunk of dry ice on a paper towel, let it “melt” over an open bucket of grain or legumes. The CO2 goes to the bottom of a five-gallon bucket and pushes out the oxygen. Put the lid on quickly just after the chunk has melted, and seal.
You will need 11 hand warmers for a 55-gallon drum, I find that hand warmers are easier to use and find and more convenient than dry ice. Over time you will have to renew the hand warmers in plastic buckets, as oxygen will gradually seep into plastic barrels. There are also commercially-made oxygen absorbers that you can buy. Steel drums are not permeable to oxygen, but plastic barrels are. So, food-grade plastic buckets or barrels are better with zip-lock mylar bag liners for long-term storage. Those liners are airtight and no oxygen will seep in.
Q. Use a mortar and pestle to grind up spices and herbs. Being able to season food to keep it from becoming monotonous and boring is important.
A bit of history: The Germans in Russian POW camps were getting the same food day after day and after a while they couldn’t keep food down. This is an example of food fatigue.
(To be continued in Part 2.)