Letter Re: Freeze Dried Versus Dehydrated Foods for Storage






Shalom Jim:

I’ve been researching freeze-dried and dehydrated food as a long-term strategy. I would like to put up at least a years worth for a family of four. Yes, I know that you pretty much grow your own food, but I’ve got a couple of questions if you don’t mind.
1.) Are you storing up any freeze dried, or dehydrated, or not?

2.) If so, are you storing both or more of one or the other? Shabbat shalom, – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies: Because of their lower cost, here at the ranch we store nearly all bulk grains/legumes/honey and various nitrogen-canned dehydrated foods. We have just a few freeze dried items, such as a freeze dried fruit as well as some peas that we got from Freeze Dry Guy. At a fixed-location retreat with copious storage space and plentiful water from a shallow well, dehydrated foods make more sense. If we were planning to G.O.O.D., then logically we would want more freeze dried items–to take advantage of their reduced weight and volume. Living at our retreat year-round has its advantages!

Long term storage foods (both dehydrated and freeze dried) are available from a number of our advertisers including: Freeze Dry Guy, JRH Enterprises, Ready Made Resources, Safecastle, Best Prices Storable Foods, EM Gear, and Nitro-Pak.

Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Today we are featuring Northwest Arkansas. One of our readers Jaina B. highly recommended our newest SurvivalBlog Realtor, Jeff Allen. Congratulations Jeff! Some of his listings may soon be featured on SurvivalRealty.com. The following is a review of the area written by Mr. Allen:

Welcome to Northwest Arkansas! The market in Northwest Arkansas is surviving the downturn very well. Land prices in rural areas are holding very steady on the very few sales that are taking place. The housing market has been overbuilt and we have 8-10 months of inventory to work through before things can look more “optimistic.”

I have been selling mostly land and commercial real estate in Northwest Arkansas for 18 years and I’ve seen land prices go up nearly four-fold in that period of time. There’s always opportunity for a distressed sale to show up, but they are few and far between, even with the recent downturn. Most of the speculative buying has been in the housing sector, as opposed to the bare land side of the market.
One of the biggest draws to Northwest Arkansas is our nearly 32,000-acre Beaver Lake with 449 miles of shoreline that sits on the East side of Benton County and is the first Corps of Engineers lake in the White River Basin. Northwest Arkansas is very unique in that we sit on the Ozark Plateau, and the White River does run northeast up to Missouri from this area. Our elevation is from 1,150-1,300 feet above sea level.

Much of our rough, timbered land is located around Beaver lake and has already been subdivided into 1-5 acre parcels but has not been further developed. It is getting tougher to find land that does not have restrictive covenants, but there is still some available in the outlying areas.

Anyone that owns a home on the lake, even if it is not in a very secluded area, has access to water, fish, and wood for the fireplace, should a national crisis occur. Lake property is least expensive on the North end of the lake with very little development and dirt roads to most areas. This would be one of the ideal places to invest and to build a survival retreat. Shopping from those areas is about 30 miles and often the drive is through hilly and winding roads, perfect for defensible operations and keeping the wandering refugee(s) at bay.
There are currently over 50 properties between 3 and 15 acres listed for sale on the East side of Benton County, where land prices are the most affordable. We also have a tract that is 536 contiguous acres.

See this search engine for the local MLS.

Conversion of farm land to development land has slowed down in recent months and therefore leaves beautiful farms like this one on the market, waiting for just the right owner:. It certainly is a wonderful example of a nature lover’s delight! Already set up for livestock, too, which is something to consider in one’s quest for self-sufficiency. Acreages can be purchased in about any increment; it depends on where you want to be and how much you want to pay.
In conclusion, our climate here is moderate; the winters are mild, the scenery is beautiful, hunting and fishing are among the area’s most enjoyed sports. Industrial and retail growth continues and Northwest Arkansas is fast becoming one of the nation’s number one desired areas to live in due to low cost of living and low unemployment.

I work on a confidential basis, if desired. You can search my personal web site to find acreages and complete homes with land that are retreat worthy at www.JeffAllenRealtor.com by clicking on the “Property Search” link or use the “Helpful Links” button to find out more about our area. If you need a more refined search, please give us a call (479.246.1657), or e-mail your request specifications to jeffallen@lindsey.com and we can e-mail you search results. [Our parent agency] Lindsey and Associates is ranked # 1 in real estate sales for the State of Arkansas, giving our clients top rated service with their transactions.

TDS Adds: I did a search and found 750 acres outside of the town of Westville for $1,000 per acre. It has a small man made lake, cabin and is in 50% timber and 50% in pasture. It seems that the MLS system will not link back so to view it you’ll need to click the search engine above and input 750 acres or MLS number Ref #: 511622. That amount of acreage would make a nice retreat for several families and at that price it would be hard to pass up. Although like anywhere (especially here in northern Idaho) there are some overly expensive properties, overall it looks like the home and land deals are splendid down there and the terrain and climate lend themselves to making very productive retreats. Happy retreat shopping!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mint Fears Losses From Penny Meltdown: Cindy Skrzycki

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Gresham’s Law in action: Proposal to ban U.S. coins in Toronto shot down

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Next Monday (November 19th) has been declared National Ammo Buycott Day, 2007.

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Speaking of ammo, Todd Savage (who kindly volunteers to be the retreat evaluator for SurvivalRealty.com) notes: “I went by the new Cabela’s store in Post Falls, Idaho today while waiting to meet a SurvivalBlog real estate client for a week of retreat property shopping and I noticed that they were selling 1,000 round cases of Wolf [brand Russian] 5.56mm/.223 ammo for $218 per case, which is less than Ammoman.com. (The latter had been asking $249 per case, shipped, but they are sold out.) If you have a Cabela’s store near you, then you may want to stop in and pick up a few cases.” JWR Adds: A new Cabela’s just opened in Reno, Nevada, as well.

Note from JWR:

Today is the last day of bidding in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for four items: a Baygen Freeplay Summit AM/FM/Shortwave digitally-tuned radio, and a Baygen Sherpa hand crank flashlight. These were kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, one of our most loyal advertisers. Also included in the auction lot is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. These four items have a combined value of more than $350. As of this posting, the high bid is still at $400. The auction ends at midnight, eastern time, tonight. Just e-mail us your bid.

Letter Re: The Importance of Making Your BOV Less Visible

Jim,
I am a long time reader, and wanted to thank you for all of your efforts, hard work and dedication to SurvivalBlog and it’s readers, members and groups!
Without you, your books, and your web sites, I would still be in the dark, running around without a care in the world! At least now I am prepared, ready, clear headed, dedicated, and ahead of the game!
Many thanks again! All of us preparing to bug out, are stocking, loading, maintaining, discussing, prepping and planning.

The subject I wanted to touch bases on, is your Bug Out Vehicle (BOV).
So you have it properly maintained, fueled up, spare parts, emergency equipment, spare fuel cans, and tools. Are you done? Is it fully ready?
The following are some factors you might want to consider for making your vehicle relatively invisible.
Your vehicles paint is most likely in great condition, as is, all of the other shiny parts on it, and therefore, needs to have it’s luster dulled before you go driving to your destination or your retreat locale, whether it be day or night, all of the shiny parts need to be masked, to defeat detection of your vehicle over distances. (Stealth is the only way to go, and the only way to get there!)
Some areas that will need attention will be your Paint, chrome, and running lights.
I have stocked up 15 cans of primer paints in Flat Tan, Flat Olive Drab (O.D.) Green and Flat Black. Each can of paint from Wal-Mart costs only 98 cents.
I also purchased some plastic branches with leaves from the local craft store. With theses items, a team of two can quickly camouflage your vehicle’s exterior within 5-to-10 minutes. (Don’t worry about over spray, no one will care what your vehicle looks like WTSHTF or when TEOTWAWKI happens!

Camouflage Painting Procedure:
I start with the flat Tan paint as a base, and then cover several areas of the vehicle at a time with the plastic branches and spray it with light coats of O.D. Green and Flat Black, consistently turning the leave branches, thus giving your vehicle a well blended camouflage look. (You can, of course, utilize any color you choose to compliment your surrounding areas, these colors are just being used as an example.)
I have also Purchased four cans of some Temporary Vehicle Bra Removable Paint, which can be purchased online or at some auto parts or RV center locations as well. this paint is of a temporary nature, and can be washed off with some soap and warm water. It is [normally] utilized to spray on the front of a vehicle to protect the paint while being towed. (It is black in color)
This temporary paint is a perfect way to black out your shiny vehicles tire rims. tail / brake lights, running lights, reflectors, chrome parts, bumpers, and [parts of the window] glass as well.
Glass is a good reflector and can also be camouflaged [when parked] with any see through patio or window screen that can be picked up at any home improvement store in the window treatment areas. (They come in a variety of colors.) This can be temporarily applied to your vehicles windows, with some 3M adhesive spray. just cut out to the appropriate size of your window and spray the adhesive directly on the outside of your vehicles windows, and firmly press
In most older and some newer vehicles, this will also keep all of your glass in one piece if it were to be shot at, or broken in some other method. (A clear safety and warmth factors, as well.)

As for all of the vehicles running lights, I mentioned spraying them with the Temporary Vehicle Bra paint, but you still must disable them as well. Either pulling out the bulbs, which can be time consuming , or simply pulling the fuses out of the vehicle including the vehicles interior light. Now would be a good idea to get to know the locations of your vehicles fuse box, and read the car manual, to know exactly which ones that should be pulled out! You would not want to go to all the trouble of of making your vehicle “invisible” but then have someone open a door at night and give your position away with a glaring interior light. – Rob in Arizona

JWR Replies: I recommend camouflage-painting vehicles only after you have made it to your retreat, WTSHTF. Under other circumstances in the present-day, a camouflaged-painted vehicle will attract unwanted interest–either from malefactors or from law enforcement. A flat paint job in one earth-tone color will not attract suspicion in the present day. But in most parts of the country a camouflage paint job just screams “Prepared Guy!” Be sure to weigh the costs and benefits.

As I mentioned in my novel “Patriots”, when parked, vehicles can be made far less visible with military camouflage nets (supported by spreaders to break up any expected vehicular outline), and burlap sacks to cover high-albedo windows and headlights.

Letter Re: Some Steel Canning Possibilities

Mr. Rawles,
Given the recent discussion about canning, it seems like sealed tin cans would make an effective Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) barrier. Why not can some inexpensive FRS radios, small transistor radios, and other electronic items in a standard soup-size can? Can some lithium batteries, and you’ll be all set. By the way, it would probably be a good idea to make sure that the lid and can have good electrical contact. Some cans might be lacquered/coated, so it might be wise to check the lid/can continuity with an Ohm meter.
Regards, – JN-EMT

JWR Replies: That is a great idea. Congrats! You’ve just earned yourself a Blinding Flash of the Obvious (BFO) award. I’ll have my order fulfillment partner mail you a free copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.”

Letter Re: Storage Foods for Vegetarians?






Sir:
The question of storage food for vegetarians came up and I don’t have a good answer! I have looked at several of the vendors you recommend and there does not seem to be any packages aimed at that market! I have heard about veggie MREs but have not seen them for sale. Safecastle has some nice long term storage packages put together but none seem to be aimed at this crowd. Thanks for your thoughts on this! – SD

JWR Replies: I’m not aware of any storage food vendors that make vegetarian sampler, per se. As I recall, Mountain House makes several vegetarian entrees. Mountain House foods are sold by many of the SurvivalBlog advertisers including Safecastle, Ready Made Resources, and EM Gear. There are also lots of individual veggie food items available from Freeze Dry Guy (our favorite is their freeze dried peas), and from Best Prices Storable Foods. And, of course, all of the staple bulk food items (wheat, rice, beans, and honey) are suitable for vegetarians.

Long term storage foods available from a number of our advertisers including:
Freeze Dry Guy
JRH Enterprises
Ready Made Resources
 Safecastle
Best Prices Storable Foods
EM Gear
 Nitro-Pak

As I ‘ve mentioned both in my novel “Patriots” and here in the blog, vegetarians will have an an advantage followingTEOTWAWKI, since both their appetites and digestive systems are already accustomed to a diet without meat–which will become the norm for the vast majority of the citizenry. Most of my fellow omnivores currently buy their meat fresh or frozen. Except for hunting and ranching country, there will be a shortage of meat.in a grid-down world. (Refrigeration will be a rarity, and transport/commerce in fresh foodstuffs will be problematic.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

H5N1 in the British Isles? Yes, it’s official: Outbreak of lethal bird flu confirmed in Britain.

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Just in time for holiday travel: Pump price to jump 20 cents in next 2-3 weeks

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Thanks to RBS for sending us this article from Forbes: Empty Houses Home to Crime As Loans Fail. Here is a quote: “In the Franklin Reserve neighborhood of Elk Grove, Calif., full of subdivisions with half-million dollar homes, homeowners are fighting inner-city problems like gangs, drugs, theft and graffiti. During the boom, the suburb just south of Sacramento sprouted 10,000 homes in four years, attracting investors from the San Francisco area. Now many houses stand empty, weeds overtaking lawns, signs lining the street: ‘Bank Repo,’ ‘For Rent,’ ‘No trespassing – bank owned property.’ A typical home’s value has dropped from about $570,000 to the low $400,000s.”

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The folks at AlertsUSA (one of our new advertisers) mentioned a special offer for SurvivalBlog readers: They have set up a special promo code which, if entered at the time of purchase, will add three additional months of service free with the purchase of a one year subscription. In other words, 15 months for the price of 12. The promo code to use is: survival07

Note from JWR:

With the many hours required to write the blog, to write books, and to do consulting, I have decided to shut down my mail order business. It was fun, but it was a huge time sink. I will also no longer be taking orders for autographed copies of my novel. Fred’s M14 Stocks still has more than 900 autographed copies available.

Letter Re: Freshness Tests for Storage Foods

Jim,
Numerous web sites and books provide information about average food shelf life. However, this shelf life greatly depends for instance upon temperature (food generally stores proportionately longer at cooler temperatures), thus a properly stored food item could be good to consume well past its ‘expected’ expiration date.
Sometimes discoloration (for instance) is not a show stopper. Do you or your readers know of some simple ‘freshness test’ to ensure that a given food product is good or not (or is that a stupid question)?
I can start with what I gathered from the Internet:

– Baking powder
Freshness test: Mix 1 teaspoon with 1/3 cup of hot water. It it foams vigorously, then it still has rising power.

– Baking Soda
Freshness test: Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of vinegar. It it fizzles, then it will still help leaven a food made with flour when it is cooked.

– Oil (olive)
Freshness test: An unpleasant smell or taste indicates the oil is rancid or oxidized.

– Shortening
Freshness test: Stored too long it will go rancid and develop a bad taste and odor.

– Spices (grounded)
Freshness test: Smell a ground spice to check if aroma is potent.

– Vinegar.
Vinegar sold commercially is pasteurized. Therefore an unopened container should last indefinitely when stored in a cool and dark place. Once opened however, vinegar should last about 3 months if tightly
sealed.
Freshness test: Any sediment that develops can be strained out.
Vinegar should be clear and look clean, not cloudy. If mold develops later, throw the vinegar away.

Again, thanks for a great blog.
Regards, – Crazy Frenchman, (10 Cent Challenge subscriber)

Letter Re: Some Steel Canning Possibilities

Mr. Editor:

I read SurvivalBlog about once a week and thought you might enjoy this.

Someone commented on using their home canning machine for items other than food. I can a lot of different things up to the size of a spaghetti can. Above that takes a number #10 canner and I haven’t found one reasonably priced. If I have to I go down to a store and buy some new/never used paint cans and go that route.

Spare parts for firearms are heavily greased (sometimes placed in vacuum packed plastic, depending on size and function of items). Radio parts, electrical parts, portable survival kits, gold/silver coins, sewing kits, seeds, vitamins, medical supplies, small tools, copies of important documents/pictures/owners manuals, etc.

Call it overkill but some items will have 6+ barriers to insure that if I don’t dig it up for 20 years, it should still be intact. (Grease, plastic, (some times desiccant or O2 absorbers depending on the item), the can itself, a can coating (I have experimented with polyurethane, rubber car undercoating, shrink wrap, and wax (like you would wax a leg hold animal trap).

This is then placed in either a 5 gallon bucket or ammo can. Ammo cans are sprayed with rust neutralizer, sprayed with car undercoating and then the rubber gasket is sealed (often times with more desiccant or O2 absorbers inside). Ammo cans are then sometimes placed in a 5 gallon bucket. 5 gallon buckets are merely sealed with mastic or some kind of caulking. Most of the time I place the ammo can or 5 gallon bucket in a suitable industrial garbage bag and bury.

I label all the items on the outside of the can with either the original labels or something I printed out. If I use a permanent marker, and later wax or polyurethane the can, the labeling can sometimes run or dissolve.

On several larger items I have performed some of the barrier practices and placed them inside a 30 gallon plastic barrel and sealed it. One contains nothing but animal traps, another tools, and yet another full-sized cream separator with parts. Why go to all this trouble? Unfortunately, our getaway stands between the good old farming families and a few families that have made meth and marijuana their main sources of income. Things of value left around tend to walk off.

After all that, I “hope” that my caches or pantry will be around when I need it most. Let me know if you or your readers think I have left any other barrier method out of my system?

A.T. in Illinois (land of humidity and precipitation)

JWR Replies: Thanks for those suggestions. One important note: Seeds should never be vacuum-packed. They are living organisms, and they will die in a vacuum. Air canning or bag sealing is fine but don’t vacuum can or pack them!

Letter Re: Advice on Dog Breeds for Retreat Security?

Jim,
Do you have any thoughts about survival dogs, no, not for dinner.
My dog alerts me if anything approaches the cabin, which is generally bears, and sometimes a charging Saber toothed, bushy-tailed, ground squirrel, a wayward mink or martin.
To the point, what about the value of hunting dogs, or breeds that will charge into the dark of night to scurry away unwelcome visitors.
My homeowners insurance is high enough, so I can rule out some of the more aggressive breeds. Thanks, – D.V.

JWR Replies: I have observed that there are as many opinions about “ideal” dog breeds as there are dog breeds. Selecting a breed depends a lot on a family’s particular circumstances. My personal preference is for medium-size “combination” breeds that can serve as watch dogs as well as be trainable for herding and hunting. A couple of good combination breeds are the Airedale Terrier (the largest terrier) and the Standard Poodle.(not to be confused with the dainty Toy Poodle.) I’m sure that some SurvivalBlog readers would care to chime in with their breed suggestions.

I’m not an attorney, so I can’t make any suggestions on reducing civil liability for dog bites other than : A.) Fence the yard around your home (or retreat/home) quite securely, B.) Post your property with warning signs in both English and Spanish, and C.) Do not select a breed with a bad reputation for aggressiveness.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Could the recently reported outbreak of Asian Avian Flu in England be the dreaded H5N1 strain? Bird flu confirmed on farm in east England. (A tip of the hat to J.P. for sending this link.)

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Rod sent us this: US Supreme Court may hear Second Amendment Case. Hopefully they will settle the “individual right” versus “collective right” controversy once and for all, and roll back some unconstitutional Federal laws.

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The high bid is still at $400 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for four items: a Baygen Freeplay Summit AM/FM/Shortwave digitally-tuned radio, and a Baygen Sherpa hand crank flashlight. These were kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, one of our most loyal advertisers. Also included in the auction lot is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. These four items have a combined value of more than $350. The auction ends on November 15th. Just e-mail us your bid.

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Thanks to Alphie for sending this one: Preparing for Life after [Peak] Oil