Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Prepping for Apartment Dwellers, by Anthony S.

Preparing for an uncertain future when living in an apartment or a condominium (“condo”) can be a struggle.  When the Lord has not chosen to give you land to work with, you work with what he has given you, knowing first and foremost that he is your first retreat, and no matter what happens, “All things work together for the Glory of the Lord…”.  There are many limiting factors when you do not have the smallest amount of land.  And if you are reading this, you probably agree that our future has many uncertainties from economic, to natural, to spiritual.  I would like to share a bit …


Four Letters Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society

Sir: In the recent article Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society, the author is talking about Arabica coffee being only cultivated near the equator. Robusto green coffee can be grown in the southern states like Florida, south Texas (same latitude as Cuba, a coffee producing country) basically any place that citrus can grow, Robusto coffee can grow. Robusto coffee can grow at low altitudes although it is not know for it’s high quality taste. Robusto coffee beans that are used mostly for instant coffee and a blend with Arabica beans in espresso for a creamier foam. Yields for Robusto coffee are …


Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society, by T.R.

I have read many articles stating that if you have any addictions to nicotine, caffeine or alcohol that now is the time to change your habits so that your dependency on them in their absence are easier to tolerate. My coffee habit is less a habit-at least that’s what I tell myself-and more of an enjoyment of life. That being said, in moderation coffee actually has an anti-oxidant property- justification is always a sign of a habit I know – not to mention the benefit of assisting in staying alert during a night watch task. As a previous specialty coffee …


Preventing Grain Spoilage by Insects, by Jim in New Hampshire

1

I’m big on food storage and my hobby is finding and photographing beetles. These two interests converge when grain beetles start reproducing in my stored grain products.   I had bought some 50-lb. bags of corn and oats at the Tractor Supply Company store, intending to treat them for insects and put them up in 5-gallon buckets. I never got around to it and eventually noticed tiny grain weevils showing up around the house. The grain had not only become infested with Rice Weevils but their droppings had produced a lot of ammonia that turned the oak flooring dark beneath …


Two Letters Re: Ammunition Storage and Do-It-Yourself Desiccants

Hi Jim,   I wanted to share with others of how I make my own desiccant packs. Go to a craft store like Michaels and in the flower department you can buy a box of silica gel that is used for drying flowers. I then get a box of family sized tea bags (these are twice the size of regular tea bags but any size will work) Use needle nose pliers to remove the staple that holds on the little piece of cardboard used to squeeze the bags, empty out the tea and use a spoon to now fill the …


Buying In Bulk–What We Have Learned, by J.S.P.

This article is to share what we have learned in our attempt to leverage our food preps by buying commercially and in bulk with Survival Blog readers. What works in our part of the world may not be reality in your location but I hope what we have learned will be of value to some readers. To begin with, one of our favorite places to buy in quantitative is “cash and carry” stores. Cash and carry stores were originally set up by large food distribution firms that allowed businesses such as restaurants, bars, smaller retail stores, schools, etc to come …


Letter Re: #10 Cans for Ammunition Storage

Mr. Rawles,   I have searched your site and others for detailed information on long term storage using sealed #10 cans.  Are there any drawbacks?  I can buy cans from the LDS cannery for around 1.00 a piece, which is much cheaper, by volume, than regular ammunition cans.  Any information you or your readers could provided would be greatly appreciated. – John S. JWR Replies: The #10 steel can is awesome! For food storage, they don’t suffer from the gradual oxygen transmission (permeability) weakness of HDPE buckets. For ammo storage, they work nearly as well as military surplus ammo cans. But …


Letter Re: The Forest’s Sweetener–How to Make Maple Syrup

Mr. Rawles: I’m certainly not an expert and do not claim to be, but you can tap and produce syrup from a number of deciduous trees.  Anecdotally, I have a Métis friend who learned to tap poplars from her grandmother, and hickory syrup is now considered “gourmet”. Birch syrup, or rather the ‘tonic’ or straight spring sap, has been a spring tonic in northern Europe.  These resources are not to be overlooked by the people who want to be food independent, especially after a hard winter without any fresh vegetables.  So if you’ve got a big stand of poplar on …


Letter Re: The Forest’s Sweetener–How to Make Maple Syrup

Jim: As a maple producer I want to comment and expand on a few things regarding The Forest’s Sweetener. The original poster instructs you how to find sugar maples which are the best for sugar content but any native maple tree will work (Japanese maple is not native), I even tap silver maples. When making a spile take special care to have clean hands. Trees heal ia a way similar to humans do (bacteria helps close the wound) and will end your season quickly. A better alternative to people in the Northeast ever considering making syrup is to buy some …


The Forest’s Sweetener–How to Make Maple Syrup, by Melissa T.

I am new to the survival mindset and I am a person that loves to make desserts for my family. My first reaction to some of the articles I have read was how would I continue to make the treats that they enjoy after TEOTWAWKI?  Then I realized there would be a way by making maple syrup. This is a family tradition that has continued in our family from two previous generations.  After taking a survey, my oldest son realized many people do not know how to make maple syrup and that is what has led me to write this …


Beginner Prepping for Students by Mat R.

I’m a college student living in the western U.S.  I have been interested in prepping ever since I got my Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge in Boy Scouts when I was about 12.  My parents thought it’d be a phase, but it has always been a way of life for me ever since.  I have had a lot of fun even with it, and it’s not as hard as it can seem, especially for those who are still in school.  I’d like to share a few things that I have picked up over the years that can help any who are …


Traditional Womanly Arts for Austere Times by Sue of Suburbia

Sometimes I ponder what it means to be a woman in our society of hyper-consumption.  If you watch television or read today’s women’s magazines, you are led to believe that the activities most preferred by a woman are shopping, poisoning her nails, getting her hair yanked around in a salon, zapping packaged foods in the microwave, and ingesting a concoction of prescription drugs to stay sane through it all. I tried some of these things in the past.  Each time, I was left with an utterly unfulfilled feeling and thinking, “There has to be more to being a woman than …


Fully Ready But Not Fully Prepared, by Expat D. in Japan

Where We Were In Kogoshima, in the southern part of Japan, residents know that when the active Sakurajima volcano finally erupts with its full force, they will most likely be killed. Some of them even know that it will be the quaking and the toxic pyroclastic flows that kill them rather than flowing lava. Similarly, living just 15 miles from the heart of Tokyo, we have always been aware that Tokyo is past due for a major earthquake. When it hits, it will cause suffering on a scale that will make Kobe and Mexico City seem as if they got …


Four Letters Re: The Struggle for Meat After TEOTWAWKI

Dear Mr. Rawles, The picture provided by N.N.R. just doesn’t seem sustainable. He or she does realise that most Americans get whatever they want whenever they want it, and that this is a problem, but seems unwilling to do anything about it in his or her own family as a means of preparedness. Most of us – as preppers – should understand that our lifestyles are going to change in the scenarios we all talk about. As a society, we are far too focused on dietary meat as a right and necessity. We don’t need meat for every meal, every day, every week or …


The Struggle for Meat After TEOTWAWKI, by N.N.R.

Every day most of us in the U.S. have access to whatever we desire to eat whenever we want to eat it. We eat eggs for breakfast, chicken at any meal, and beef or pork as our dinner, nightly. There is no work or sacrifice in ordering a burger or chicken fingers. It would be very different after TEOTWAWKI. One of the hardest things to do in a homesteading situation will be getting enough protein. We live in a meat eating society. Do the math on your daily intake of meat.  We eat two eggs and bacon or ham for …