Category: Food Storage & Cooking

Letter Re: Thoughts on Shedding Bad Habits, and Developing Good Ones

Hi Mr. Rawles, I was thinking today about a section I read either on the blog or in the book about getting rid of any habits you may have. I instantly thought, “thank God I quit smoking” and left it at that. Until yesterday. I thought of all the things I do that are my habits that would not be there in a melt down. I found some that I just had not even thought about as being a bad habit that needed to be curbed. I am keeping a written diary of my habits to see where I need …


Letter Re: A Nation of Improvisers–More About Everyday Life in Communist Cuba

First our prayers are with your family in these dire times. The first thing about surviving in Cuba was that we did not see it as “surviving”, it was more like living, we did not know anything else, as the media in Cuba is tightly controlled. I remember as a child we did not have glue so we made glue out of Styrofoam and gasoline, just mix them up in a glass container that you could close to preserve and that’s it (if you go a little crazy on the gas it would be too liquid and take forever to …


Developing Our Family’s Survival Strategy, by FBP

We started prepping about 18 months ago. I have felt like a chicken with its head cut off, going wildly in all directions. I’ve learned a lot about a lot, some by research, but have learned most from doing. Being prior military (I served six years in the Army Captain, and as a civilian, I was a financial planner), I started identifying mission statements and initiating plans, backwards (aka backwards planning) in order to get them accomplished on time. The first mission: “How do we survive hyperinflation?” My readings led me to believe that the best protection is to plan …


Real-Life Inspiration for Preparedness, by K.P.

Background Information: My interest in preparedness started in earnest really just a few months ago.  Before that, I had been an avid backpacker, rock climber, and other sports which require self-sufficiency and forethought.  I am also a Red Cross volunteer.  I was at hurricane Wilma, and I have done local search and rescue, amongst other things.  This February I was dispatched to the south-western region of Kentucky for the Ice Storms.  What I learned there changed me in a lot of ways. I was aware of the pending economic collapse, but hadn’t really thought of practical things to do until …


Two Letters Re: A Method for Storing Fresh Eggs up to Two Years

Jim, Thank you for the great information you share. I read the post about storing eggs with a Vaseline coating and have a couple of questions. Do they have to be stored on a refrigerated shelf? Does this work with store bought eggs? My guess is this only works for fresh eggs and I don’t have a chicken….yet. Thank you. – Angela S. Jim, First, I want to wish you and yours all the best. Thank you for this site, friends and I have been learning from your site for about a year now. It has continually supplied us with …


Letter Re: A Method for Storing Fresh Eggs up to Two Years

Mister Rawles, You can store eggs on the shelf for two years with this simple process: 1.When you gather your eggs simply wipe them off with a dry rags to remove anything stuck on the egg. Do not wash them! 2. Get a partner to help with this next step. Cover the palms of your hands with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Cover each egg evenly with a thin layer of Vaseline. (This prevents air from entering the shell). Have your partner place the now very slippery egg into a Styrofoam carton. If using cardboard cartons, then line them with plastic wrap …


Basic Survival Skills for Children, by M.L.

Children play a part in many of our lives. Protecting them becomes an important issue in daily life as well as in an end of the world as you know it moment. However, what happens when adults can’t be there to protect them? What happens when they may need to protect us?             Our government and even many schools across the country, as well as parents and other adults, often do not see the potential in children. I am not talking about the educated potential one might find in the youth of a suburban school, but the potential to rise …


Inventory Control for Retreat Logistics, by Rob C.

There is often a good deal of attention paid to the accumulation, storage and usage of critical supplies performed in the process of preparation, but one thing I rarely see discussed is proper management of your carefully gathered inventory before, during or after a critical event comes into being.  It’s important to consider viewing your family or team as a quasi business entity and recognize that one of the top cited reasons for small business failure is poor inventory management.  Inventory issues can cause nightmarish headaches for any business, and the consequences for your family will only be magnified if you do …


Two Letters Re: Canning Your Own Butter

I’ve made several jars of canned butter using the recipe at the End Times Report web site and they turn out just fine and will keep for three years or more. This is very economical to do. Here is also another resource for purchasing canned butter – but making it is so easy and very good. My prayers go to you and your beloved wife as our Lord and Savior prepares her way into His presence. He holds you both very close in this time. – Pat B. in California Mr. Rawles: Now you can purchase canned butter from The …


Letter Re: Comfort and Holiday Foods for Family Food Storage

James, My prayers and best wishes to you and your family. May the Lord sustain you during these trying times. Regarding "comfort foods", "Momma" makes sure to keep plenty of baking supplies on hand to make "goop"; sweet things with no nutritional value but loaded with morale-boosting ability. We also have many jars of home-canned preserves, marmalades, chutneys, relishes and other additions to spice up otherwise bland meals. A little bit goes a long way. I hope this might give some folks an idea to spice up their menus. Thanks, – Crustyrusty


Letter Re: Comfort and Holiday Foods for Family Food Storage

Mr. Editor, I think someone should mention that one part of food storage schemes that is often overlooked is “comfort foods”. These are foods that can be used as occasional pick-me-ups that can break up a really monotonous and bland diet, when you are [living] on storage foods. It is also important to be able to celebrate special events, holidays, and big accomplishments, with something more than just a bowl of canned peaches. But my question is: What comfort foods do I store, that store well for years? Thanx, – Clifford D. JWR Replies: I agree! Part of keeping harmony …


Letter Re: Storage Underground or in Humid Climates

Hi; [In response to the comment on varnish steel food cans,] I have some experience with long term storage and especially underground storage. Since there aren’t any books that I could ever find on this subject, trial and error is how you learn (or maybe you get lucky and the subject is covered on SurvivalBlog!). Metal cans eventually will rust and especially if in an underground shelter or root cellar. Moisture is always in the air, no matter how well your structure is built. This may not be true if you have the means to have something professionally designed and …


Preparedness Beginnings, by “Two Dogs”

I am a retired Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator (jets and helicopters), commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and most recently, an aircraft operations manager for a Federal agency. I graduated from numerous military schools, including the U.S. Army Airborne (“jump”) School, U.S. Navy Divers School, Army helicopter, and Navy advanced jet schools. In addition, I have attended military “survival” courses whose primary focus was generally short-term survival off the land, escape from capture, and recovery from remote areas.  Like most Marine officers, I attended The Basic School, an 8-month school (only five during the Vietnam era – my case), …


Letter Re: The Virtues of Fasting Experience for Well-Rounded Preparedness

Greetings! I have an idea that I have been wanting the patriot survival community to consider. Here it is: Basically we are able to go without food for much longer than most people know. This is not true with water to be sure. A normal, reasonably healthy human body is easily capable of going three to six weeks on very, very little nutrition and remain completely mentally alert and even physically active. During a prolonged fast you will not be able to pick up as much furniture as normal but you may easily be able to walk for 100 miles! …


Letter Re: Preventing Steel Food Cans from Rusting in High-Moisture Environments

Hello James and Memsahib! Greetings and prayers for you both. In the Saturday August 8th blog there was a report of damage to underground storage food, with cans rusting. When we traveled for years on our sailboat we varnished our canned goods to prevent rusting. We removed the labels, wrote the contents of the can with a permanent marker, then varnished each can. We never had a can rust with this protection. Our cans were exposed to salt air and an occasional dousing from bilge water. B.B. thought that waxing his cans would help. That may work but any contact …