Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Questions on Sambucol, EMP-Proof Vehicles, Food Storage, Real Estate, Barter Guns and Ammo, and SAR-8 Rifles

Mr. Rawles: I have some questions for you: [JWR’s replies are in line, in bold] 1.) Regarding the Sambucol products. –Does this product have any preventative component or do you only take it when symptoms occur? Take it only immediately after symptoms occur. –How many 7.8 oz. bottles do you recommend for storage for a family or families in a homestead? We are a family of five, and I bought six bottles.  But we plan to be living in isolated self-quaratine, here in the boonies.  And BTW, half of what I bought was intended charity.  For those of you that …


Letter Re: Guidelines on Storage of Various Supplies?

Sir: I would like to know:  Some things should be stored at “0” degrees. Other things at “70” degrees. Some can tolerate light, some requires dark.(Some medicines, batteries, et cetera.) Anything you could mention would help on this subject. THANKS, VERY MUCH. Survival Minded, – Brother Slim JWR Replies:  I see a FAQ coming!  I’m sure that a number of SurvivalBlog readers will have a lot to add to this (and please do!), but here is a list of guidelines, for starters: 1.) Gardening seed should be stored in the dark, above freezing, in low humidity. The refrigerator is ideal. …


Rourke’s Reply (to JWR’s Original Comments)

You are going for an entire community then, in which case I would recommend you actually form a Village and have self-government. (City is too complex). Now Disney in Florida even made its own county, but I doubt that will happen again. Still, a Village can be very powerful if you can do all the development up front. Set up police, fire, even schools, and public buildings and systems with survival in mind. What an opportunity. However, as it grows, the survival mindset of those started it is likely to be diluted, and that will show up in elections over …


Letter Re: Canned Butter Versus Butter Powder

Hello James, The Blog just keeps getting better and better. Kudos! I’m in the “luxury” stage of my pantry building and recently calculated the cost/benefit of storing butter. I figure butter would not only provide a psychological boost during bleak times, but would make a great barter item as well. I looked at three different methods: 1, Canned Butter Powder – Storage life of 6 to 8 years. Requires reconstituting. Cost per pound of table ready product – $8.45 2. Canned Butter – Storage life of 3 to 5 years. Requires no reconstitution. Cost per pound of table ready product …


Letter Re: How to Bake Over Boiling Water

Here is how to bake bread over boiling water:  Get wide mouth pint mason jars, or empty cans all the same height, and grease them with shortening. ( Oil will make a more gummy texture but is fine to use also.) Many cans have little ridges in the center and make it much harder to get the final breads out. Set the jars in a pan and fill with water to 2/3 of the jar height. Jam in enough empty jars if necessary so they don’t tip. Or stones, anything. They must fit snugly and not fall over. Bring water …


Letter Re: Earthquake Preparedness and Charity

I just thought I’d share some notes on my efforts. In the suburban setting I currently live in, I feel that my biggest day-to-day threat would be from a major earthquake hitting nearby. I would view this as a short-term emergency (2 weeks, perhaps) with somewhat localized impact. While there could be mass looting and rioting, I don’t feel it’s that likely in my particular neighborhood, although I do maintain a stock of arms, a bullhorn, spotlight, extra batteries, etc. My current target is to have a 1-month supply of food items, with a mix of ready-to-eat canned foods and …


A Word to the Unconvinced: Ten Minutes that Could Save Your Life by “Clannad”

What exactly do you stake your life on? Better stated, what is it that you are willing to gamble your future on? A few dollars spent on a fast-food meal that might have purchased a flat of beans or some medical supplies? Perhaps it is a scoffed-at and discarded notion that our society might indeed be fragile and easily disrupted? Maybe it’s the insecurity that your friends and family will think you are a some sort of a nut? Are you secure in your lifestyle and beliefs because you still get your paycheck at the end of the week and …


Letter Re: Diatomaceous Earth for Storage Food and “Nano Masks”

Hi Jim: Great to see young new people trying to start practical preparations. One cup of FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth per five gallon bucket will keep the bugs out. All of my stuff is already in nitro packed buckets with oxygen absorbers, but someday we might not be able to get dry ice and O2 absorbers for packing grains, so I just ordered some diatomaceous earth myself. See: http://www.internet-grocer.net/diatome.htm [The other topic that I wanted mention is] “Nano masks.” Mine just got shipped to me via UPS. I ordered them a month ago. Far more effective than N-95 [filter]s. See: …


Dried Pasta for Storage Food?

Mr. Rawles, I thoroughly enjoyed “Patriots,” as it opened my eyes to the importance of Preparedness. My wife and I are educated Christians in our early twenties, and we are starting to amass supplies as money allows. Being in Law enforcement, I have a good understanding or firearms, but little experience in storing food. Is it a mistake to store large amounts of rice and pasta in food-grade buckets (or other containers)? Both are rather compact for the calories provided, and would be very simple to prepare. When packed vertically, you can feet quite a bit of spaghetti in a …


Letter from Goatlady Re: Miniature Goats and Canning Meat

Seems to me you would need quite a large herd of miniature goats to have chevron throughout the year using minis considering three meals per butchered animal, once a week = 52 goats just for butchering which means at least 26 females producing twins once a year plus being sure you have two bucks for service those females, plus enough browse for them to thrive on. Seems to me you would be much better off having two to three full size meat goat does to produce 4-6 butcher goats at (depending on the breed) 50-100 pounds of meat per animal. …


Letter from Lyn: Lessons from the Siege of Leningrad

James: This is an interesting link. See:  http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/siege_of_leningrad.htm  A city of 2.5 million ( about the same as Philadelphia and immediate suburbs) cut off from food deliveries. One big difference from today was the general patriotism and social order. The magnitude of deaths is ominous for those of us aware of future scenarios disrupting the grid and/or trade. (I was going to write up a historical essay for the contest from a lot of material on this, but alas, too busy. But this link is one good article). – Lyn Excerpt: When the Germans invaded Russia in June 1941, the …


Letter Re: Hunting and Trapping Hazards

Mr. Rawles: All the talk about snares and traps and hunting… You’d better inform people about the proper precautions concerning RABIES in wild game. – Tamara JWR Replies: Yes, you are right. There are risks involved with hunting and trapping. But there are also risks involved with walking down a city street, or buying potato salad at your local delicatessen, or picking berries in bear country. As with anything else in life you need to weigh cost/benefit ratios, and learn to take appropriate precautions. Here are some basic precautions about hunting, trapping, and handling raw meat:  Always wash your hands …


On MREs and Their Shelf Life

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I’m often asked how long the U.S. Military “Meal Ready to Eat” (MRE) rations can be stored. SurvivalBlog reader “Mr. Tango” (BTW, don’t miss reading his fascinating profile) had a round of correspondence with the U.S. Army’s Natick Laboratories in Massachusetts, on the potential storage life of MREs. The data that they sent him was surprising! Here is the gist of it: Degrees, Fahrenheit Months of Storage (Years) 120 1 month 110 5 months 100 22 months (1.8 years) 90 55 months  (4.6 years) 80 76 months  (6.3 years) 70 100 months  (8.3 years) 60 130 months  (10.8 years) — …


MSG, By Any Other Name

The food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) is now used in an alarmingly wide variety of processed foods. MSG has a bad reputation for more than just inducing “Chinese food headache.”  IMHO, it is nasty stuff and should be avoided.  But that is difficult these days because food processors hide it by applying umpteen clever nom de guerres.  These can include: Autolyzed yeast, Barley malt, Broth, Bouillon, Calcium caseinate, Carrageen or carrageenan, Enzyme modified, Fermented, Flavoring, Natural flavoring, Gelatin, Glutamates, Hydrolyzed oat flour, Hydrolyzed protein, Hydrolyzed vegetable, Malt extract, Maltodextrin, Natural flavors, Pectin, Plant protein extract or extracts, Potassium glutamate, Protein fortified, …


Letter Re: Investing in Tangibles vs. an IRA Account

Hi Jim, I have been a big fan of yours for several years since I read your book [Patriots]! I was very excited to find your blog (via Claire Wolfe’s blog) and have been reading it and recommending it since day four. My husband and I have been busy socking money away into retirement accounts to prepare for the future but after listening to your interview with Geri Guidetti we decided to take the money we were putting away in Roth IRAs and spend it instead on survival preparations. There are several reasons for this decision: 1) Roth IRA money …