Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Low Cost EMP Protection for Electronic Gear

Jim, While working on my preps I found electrical specifications in the data sheet for the mylar-foil bags I was investigating for my food storage.  This reminded me that many computer components (e.g., motherboards, hard disk drives, and expansion cards) are packaged in mylar-foil bags for ESD protection.  I reasoned that since the ESD protection is provided by the conductive foil layer in the bag one should be able to use the same mylar-foil bags as Faraday cages to protect electronic devices and components from EMP. One of the perks of my engineering career at defense contractor is that I …


Letter Re: One Man’s Approach to Preparedness

Sir: Just to let everyone know, I am new to the prepper lifestyle, and new to the kind of changes one must make in one’s life to begin saving as opposed to spending, or maybe a better way of saying it is to say “ changing what your spending your money on ”   where before it may have been a new dirt bike, man toy,   or flat screen television, now my extra cash (after my tithe and savings) is going to preparations.   My change in spending habits quickly brought about a realization , that some items that …


Preparedness: Asking the Right Questions, by Grace T.

In the last year my husband and I have been blessed to be able to sell our house and move to our bug out location (BOL) in the mountains.  It is a learning experience!  We have been watching the signs of these times.  It seemed prudent, for us, to prepare for emergencies – be they natural disasters or an economic meltdown.  About four years ago we began our journey to learn as much as we could and fumble our way through obtaining supplies and equipment to become self-sustaining.  What follows are lessons we have learned and questions we have asked …


My Path To Preparedness, by C.R.H.

Many people feel the need to be prepared for TEOTWAWKI or SHTF situations, and I am one of those people. I do not know what leads other people down the path to preparedness and preparation but the answer for me would just be a simple case of awareness because of the close to home disasters that have happened in my lifetime. My father (a Vietnam veteran) taught me to always be reasonably prepared for any situation because you never know what can go wrong, and he led by example by keeping food stores, first aid and medical supplies, and emergency …


Letter Re: An Alabama Snowstorm

James Wesley: It is beginning to snow in Alabama.  In small towns all around, the grocery stores have been stripped down to the shelves.  People were buying food to cook in fear that they might not make it to the grocery stores when they need to.  Milk is all but gone.    I went to the grocery store Sunday morning to pick-up a few doughnuts for our Sunday school class.  I saw one of my wife’s friends on the junk food aisle.  She is a single mom of two.  She said, “I have $40 to buy groceries to get us …


Letter Re: Storing Fats and Oils

Dear Editor: There are many in the medical field who will dispute Dave the R.N.’s assertions in his recent post on fats and oils. A recommendation that is more in line with the mainstream thinking is to store 3 liters (three quarts or approximately 90 ounces) of oils or fats for each person-month of preps. The assumption is that everyday life will become intensely physical and a per-person calorie budget of 2,500 Calories (or more!) will be required.  Three liters of oil will provide 30-35% of calories-from-fat which is consistent with mainstream wisdom.  Other stored foods and supplementation with produced …


365 Meals: What to Do With All That Dehydrated Food, by Kory M.

It all started while reading Survivalblog. In an article about providing charity during a pandemic and not getting sick, Jim talked about putting food out where others could get it and then retreating to keep a safe distance between you and other people to keep your family from getting infected. While reading this article, I had an epiphany. Instead of handing out some rice, wheat, oats or a can of spam, I could concoct a “meal”, a Home-Made Meal (Almost) Ready to Eat (HMMARE?).  My first HMMARE idea was to dump 1 cup of rice, a chicken bouillon cube, ¼ …


Storing Fats and Oils, by Dave The R.N.

Fats are in important and often neglected part of the diet, especially when it comes to the typically carb-heavy foods typically stored.  Grains like wheat berries and rice along with beans are a cornerstone of any preppers dietary thrust. This provides an overabundance of carbohydrates and some proteins. And when it comes to animal-based protein, I often see information on how easy it is to raise rabbits for protein, and with good reason. They propagate quickly and are easy to butcher and don’t take up much space. The problem with rabbit is that it’s almost devoid of fat. In fact, …


Letter Re: Storing Fats and Oils

Dear Editor: There are many in the medical field who will dispute Dave the R.N.’s assertions in his recent post on fats and oils. A recommendation that is more in line with the mainstream thinking is to store 3 liters (three quarts or approximately 90 ounces) of oils or fats for each person-month of preps. The assumption is that everyday life will become intensely physical and a per-person calorie budget of 2,500 Calories (or more!) will be required.  Three liters of oil will provide 30-35% of calories-from-fat which is consistent with mainstream wisdom.  Other stored foods and supplementation with produced …


A Home-Built Wood-Fired Oven, by Mr. W.F.O.

In the spirit of “off-the-gridness” and in an effort to be more self-sufficient, my wife and I recently tackled a new project at home.  We built a wood-fired oven (WFO). A few times a year we loose power for various reasons.  We can cook (and have) on and in our woodstove.  During the summer months, this makes the house very hot.  An outdoor wood-fired oven gives us another option for many kinds of cooking.  It also provides a great accompaniment to the barbecue.  The WFO is a lot of fun to built and use.  It provides a lot of feel …


Letter Re: Extreme Couponing

James Wesley: Extreme couponing is an absolutely incredible way to save on your groceries. But like many things it should not be the only way you save. In fact, the “Frugal Zealot” Amy Dacyczyn was able to feed a family of eight on $200/month (in 1996 prices) and she hardly ever used coupons. “Frequently, massive couponers boast about the difference between the pre-coupon price and the final total. They circle the “you saved” number on their receipts. “You’re circling the wrong number,” Amy said.What you need to compare is the difference between all possible alternatives and your final total. Other alternatives …


Letter Re: Extreme Couponing

James, I read your book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” and immediately began my prepping. I was watching a program on television last night about “Extreme Couponing”. I think this might be a great topic for those of us who are prepping but have limited financial resources.   The gist of the show was individuals took advantage of coupons, grocery store membership rewards and in-store sales all at the same time. One example on the show was a woman had over $1,000 worth of retail groceries and after coupons and other discounts offered …


Spreading the Word–Working Toward a Community Food Reserve, by Rex C.

“No man is an island…” – John Donne Readers of SurvivalBlog.com tend to have an independent streak, and our attitudes toward preparedness and degrees of readiness vary accordingly. Some of us have unplugged from the grid and are completely self-reliant, many have dreams of doing so at some point, while some of us are a little behind the curve and playing catch-up. Others are new to the field and are making what preparations they can in their current circumstances. Whatever our individual temperament, most of us are members of a community–a church, a neighborhood, an extended family–and we need to …


Coupon Warrior Part 2, by GRITS (Girl Raised in the South)

I’ve learned a few tricks since writing the first part of this article on stocking up on food items and other good stuff with the help of coupons combined with sale prices. Here are some tricks that I’d like to share with you: First, a word about ethics:  The web sites will limit the number of coupons you can print. Photocopying coupons is considered coupon fraud. Each printed coupon has its own codes, and duplicates are not legal to tender. They are counterfeit. It is fair game to clip several coupons for the same item, or to use more than …


Letter Re: Two Liter Bottle Adapters

JWR,   I am a long time prepper, but didn’t really know it until I read “Patriots”. You’re right, you need your family’s support in this type of venture. I am lucky to have a wife and family that feel the same way as I do. I read with great interest the blog entry:  Emergency Preparedness, Two Liters at a Time, by Roy P.   Not too long ago, my kids coerced me to purchase a science experimenter’s “toy” that solves the bottle mating problem discussed near the end of the article. The “Tornado Tube” is a female to female …