image by busyPrinting

In this crazy world of ours, I can’t help but wonder, what if our home was ever raided for food and the pantry emptied?  What would we do?  How long could we live without food?

This thought led me to a pretty creative idea.  What if I squirreled away ingredients to make umpteen batches of soup and hid them in a secret compartment?  I’m not thinking of doing this with tons of food, just enough to keep me and my family going for a few weeks.

First, what would I need?  My preference is #10 cans and we have the extra room to store them, but if you live in a smaller space, store as many smaller #2.5 cans as you will need.  By the way, we buy most of our food for storage from Shelf Reliance*, Freeze Dry Guy*, and Honeyville.  My wife loves the chicken bouillon from Shirley J.

Here’s the list that I came up with for making several dozen batches of soup:

1. #10 can chicken bouillon
2. #10 can tomato powder (for tomato based soups)
3. #10 can beef bouillon
4. #2.5 can salt
5. smaller packets/bottles of seasonings

Those three #10 cans will give me enough soup base to make an awful lot of soup.  Even plain hot chicken broth is nutritious and comforting.  A can of sour cream powder and/or instant milk will make creamier soups, if we get tired of the same-old, same-old.

Next on my list are the vegetables to give my soups plenty of  nutrients.  Note: these are all either freeze-dried or dehydrated.

1. #10 can carrots
2. #10 can celery (freeze-dried is better)
3. #10 can corn
4. #10 can onions
5. #10 can diced potatoes
6. Other veggies we like: green beans, peas, mixed vegetables, mushrooms.

Protein is next, and I prefer freeze-dried meats over TVP for their flavor, but TVP is much less expensive.   There are quite a few options in this category:

1. Multi-bean soup mix
2. #10 cans of individual bean varieties (instant beans are a fairly new option on the market)
3. #10 can freeze-dried chicken
4. #10 can freeze-dried ground beef
5. #10 cans of other proteins: freeze-dried turkey, various flavors of TVP

Finally, to make the soups even heartier, I want to include a few grains and pasta:

1. #10 can barley (My wife likes this more than I do.)
2. #10 can rice
3. #10 can elbow macaroni
4. #10 cans of other grains and pasta, such as quinoa (again, the wife) or egg noodles
5. #10 can of ABC soup mix (has both pasta and legumes)

I haven’t forgotten water!  Without water, there’s no soup, right?  I don’t think that “hoarding” water will ever be an issue, but we do keep a number of water bottles in various places around the house and a couple of large water barrels are outside.

In all, I would have about 14-15 #10 cans to make up my secret stash of soup.  The next step is storing these containers in an area that will not be easily found.  In most homes, hiding several #10 cans is pretty easy.  I’m pretty handy with construction and carpentry, so I’ve been looking around for places to build false walls.

Since these ingredients will be stored in locations that won’t often be checked on, #10 cans will be a better barrier against pests but it’s important that they are not stored anywhere damp.  Heavy duty 1-gallon PETE containers would be acceptable and even clean, dry 2-liter soda bottles are acceptable for storing food.

Usually, a big bowl of soup is enough to keep me going for several hours, but also hiding ingredients to make 40-50 loaves of bread would help your meals be even more filling and nutritious.   This is easy, since a single 5-gallon bucket of wheat will generally make about that many loaves of bread.  If you don’t have room to hide a large bucket, wheat can also be purchased in #10 cans.  Add 1 large packet of yeast (do check on this for expiration dates, since yeast doesn’t last forever), a #2.5 can of salt, and small containers of instant milk, sugar, honey, or other ingredients for your preferred bread recipe.

Finally, what to do about breakfast?  Either leftovers or hot cereals with a mix-in or two is the way to go.  Rolled oats and germade/farina provide warm, filling breakfasts.  These grains can be purchased in large 50 pound bags or #10 cans.  If you buy the bags, make sure to re-package the food in smaller containers, such as the PETE or soda bottles mentioned above. A couple of #2.5 or larger cans of apple or banana chips are good mix-ins that my kids like.  Again, I only want to hide enough food to last for a maybe a month or so as a fall-back.

Is it paranoid to think that marauders, desperate  neighbors or even government agents with orders to confiscate food from “hoarders” might show up at your door?  Well, it’s happened before.  Hiding a percentage of your food may not be paranoid.  It may be the smartest thing you’ll ever do.

*My wife has an affiliate relationship with these two companies.

The Paranoid Dad is married to The Survival Mom.  Together, they have a pretty balanced approach to survival and preparedness, in spite of what their kids might think.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by derekGarvey

Last week’s Action Step was a recommendation to find a good source of wheat and stock up.  A reader made the comment that buying wheat from feed stores was a bad idea because of pesticides.  I wanted to check that out for myself, so first, I made a few calls to local feed stores.  Surprisingly, only two carried “feed wheat”, and neither could say for sure that it was pesticide-free.  One store went so far as to check with their supplier to see if I could get “organic” wheat, but t wasn’t available.

My next step was to talk with an actual wheat farmer in Idaho.  I’ve purchased a couple hundred pounds of wheat directly from him and wanted to hear what he had to say about the use of pesticides and the storage of feed wheat.  Turns out, he was quite talkative!

Not surprisingly, he said that farmers will only use pesticides when it’s absolutely necessary.  It’s an additional cost that cuts into their profit margin.   He told me about an incident a few years ago when grasshoppers invaded his farm, consuming 20 square feet of wheat every day for weeks.  His only choice was to use a pesticide, which he limited to only the perimeter of his fields, hoping to kill any new grasshoppers intent on eating the ripening wheat.  Ultimately, the insects consumed 40% of his crop.

He mentioned that some neighboring farmers chose to spray their entire fields with pesticides.

image by Roger Smith

I asked about the use of fungicides, and again, this is an expense farmers want to avoid but often can’t.  Apparently, there was a problem with wheat leaf frost last year that required many farmers to spray fungicide over their fields.  However, typically a fungicide is sprayed early in the season, before the head of the wheat has had a chance to ripen.  Once the wheat is ripe, any traces of the chemical is undetectable.

According to this farmer, the cost of cleaning wheat properly is very expensive.  The equipment he owns cost more than $75,000.  Not only is the equipment expensive, but the cleaning process takes a lot of time.  Again, farmers have to be mindful of the costs involved with producing their wheat, so unless the wheat has to be thoroughly cleaned, it won’t be.  Feed wheat, that is, wheat sold as animal feed, isn’t cleaned nearly as well as wheat intended for human consumption.

Actually, cleaning feed wheat can be counter-productive because there are things like chaff that are actually good for animals.  Some cleaning is necessary, of course, because dirt, insects, and insect parts must be removed before the wheat is shipped and sold.  Cleaning the wheat at any level, however, doesn’t remove herbicides or pesticides.

image by Scott Butner

The question still remained, is it smart to buy feed wheat for food storage?  This farmer stated, “People who do that are nuts!”  Here’s his explanation.

Not only is feed wheat not cleaned nearly as well as wheat for human consumption, it is also likely to be a combination of wheats from many different farms.  It’s possible that a grain silo might contain a hundred or more different varieties of wheat.  When it comes to actually using the wheat for food, there’s no way to guarantee what the make-up will be or how much protein or gluten the “blended wheat” contains.  This is his pet peeve.  He said that at least half of the companies who sell wheat in buckets and bags sell “blended wheat” and to look for that phrase on their labels.

So?  What is a prepper to do when it comes to buying feed wheat?  One suggestion from this farmer is to talk with the feed store owners and find out as much as possible about where their wheat comes from, how it’s treated and how it’s cleaned.  There will probably be no guarantee that it’s pesticide-free unless it’s from a certified organic farm.  Azure Standard is one such source, and you’ll find others online with a simple Google search for “organic wheat”.  You won’t be paying $15 for 50 pounds, however.

As with anything else we do, be guided by common sense and reliable information.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by tarap

There’s a reason why survival minded people buy wheat and not flour.  Wheat has a shelf life of decades, while flour is only good for a year or so.  Even if you’ve never ground wheat to make your own flour, it’s a smart idea to stock up on several pounds.  You can read about alternative ways to use wheat here.

For this Action Step, track down sources of wheat and try to find the best price possible in your area.  Here are some tips.

1. Check Craigslist for wheat sources.
2. Compare prices, types of wheat, sizes of containers, and shipping among the various sponsors here on my blog.  Local is nice because you won’t have to pay shipping charges, but online may be your only source.
3. If possible, combine your online order with others in order to share the shipping charges.  A cheap shipping charge, by the way, doesn’t necessarily make the purchase a better deal.  Make sure you’re comparing apples with apples, er….wheat with wheat!
4. Contact a local LDS ward and ask about wheat sources in your area.
   

   photo by FleurP

5. “Natural” grocery stores, such as Sunflower Market, Sprout’s, and Henry’s, carry wheat.  It may be called “wheat berries”, but it’s the same stuff.
6. Bob’s Red Mill is another online source, but I’ve found them to be very expensive.
7. Chat with local growers at farmers markets and see if they can recommend a good, local source of wheat.
8. If you’ve never even seen real wheat, start by purchasing a pound or two.  Borrow a grain mill from someone or just cook them up to make an awesome hot breakfast cereal.
9. Check out einkorn, an ancient wheat variety.
10. Use this wheat worksheet to plan your wheat purchases.
11. Make sure you store your wheat as best you can to protect it from the enemies of food storage.
12. Livestock feed stores sell wheat.  I haven’t purchased any from this source, but many preppers have.

I really like this video about wheat by the Survivalist Doc. It’s over ten minutes long, so grab something to sip on and click ‘play’!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Peanut butter is packed with nutrients.

image by Greatist

Resources for recipes and more info:

The Peanut Institute

Peanut Butter Lovers

Skippy Peanut Butter

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by madlyinlovewithlife

Got apples?  If you’ve got apples, you’ve got the basic ingredient for more than a dozen delicious foods.  Apples are one of God’s best blessings to humanity because they’re a great combination of fiber, nutrients, and delicious!

Here are 21 ways to put apples to work, along with a lot of great recipe links!

1. apple butter
2. pies
3. home-canned apple pie filling
4. fruit leather
5. apple sauce
6. my Mom’s Apple Kuchen
7. apple jelly
8. fried apples
9. apple pancakes
10. dehydrated apple slices
11. apple chutney
12. baked apples
13. cheesecake
14. apple juice
15. apple pectin
16. plant apple trees
17. apple cider vinegar
18. apple crisp or cobbler
19. apple turnovers
20. apple cider
21. apple strudel
22. plain apple slices, canned
23. caramel apple jam
24. apple cake
25. spiced apple bread
26. apple fritters
27. Indian Relish

Have an apple recipe of your own to share?  Email it to me, lisa@thesurvivalmom.com, and I’ll add it to the list!  Thanks!!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Obviously, I’m a big fan of blogs, but one of their drawbacks is that the information isn’t organized all in a single location.  One must spend hours tracking down information on a given topic and click from link to link in order to gain enough information.  With Food Storage Made Easy Jodi and Julie have created an organized resource that is a logical, offline version of their informative and fun-to-read blog.

The first thing you’ll notice with this e-book is that it looks like it just jumped off the screen from its’ companion blog!  It has the same pink/green color scheme and friendly you-can-do-it tone. The book is designed so that a beginner who knows nothing at all about food storage or emergency preparedness can complete each assignment and be fully prepared in short order.  However, there’s still plenty of ‘meat’ for experienced Survival Moms.  Even though the book is filled with the term,”baby steps,” don’t be misled.  There are tips and ideas for every level of experience.

Food Storage Made Easy is an e-book, meant to be printed out and organized in a 3-ring binder.  Without a doubt, that’s the best way to utilize the book and all the various forms and checklists it includes.    On the second page, the list the materials you will need to create a hard copy of the book:

• Purchase a 1” 3-ring binder with a plastic cover (we recommend pink of course)
• Purchase 1 set of 10 dividers that are numbered 1-10
• Purchase 1 set of 5 dividers that are blank (or buy labels to cover any numbers)

The best way to get the most out of it is to do exactly what the authors tell you to do!  Put your binder together as instructed, open the book to “Babysteps Checklist #1″, and you’re good to go.  There are 26 “Babystep Checklists”, so you’ll be kept quite busy putting together emergency kits as well as food storage.

With the holidays approaching, this e-book would be a welcome gift to a beginner Survival Mom, complete with an attractive binder and dividers.  Preparedness can be so confusing, and Food Storage Made Easy e-book breaks it down into small bits and bites that will make anyone feel successful.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Chiot's Run

More and more Americans are returning in record numbers to the days of canning to preserve food.  Canning jars and supplies have been disappearing from store shelves and families across the country are rediscovering the satisfaction of preserving their own healthy foods.

However, just as many people are standing on the sidelines, wanting to jump in but confused about where to start.  Sharon over at Simply Canning has an easy-to-navigate website with dozens of helpful articles related to canning.  She also has an inexpensive e-book you can download in seconds to begin your own venture into the world of canning.  Here are some articles you may want to check out:

Canning equipment

Canning chicken or poultry

Canning homemade soups

Kendra, over at New Life on a Homestead, is also into canning and gave her permission for me to post this video explaining the use of a pressure canner.

You can also find directions from Kendra for canning summer squash and zucchini and chicken broth.

Finally, my friend Lori in Oregon recently decided to begin blogging about her own canning adventures.  You can check out her colorful blog, Lori’s Latest – and other tales from the homestead.  I can’t wait to try her recipe for Indian Relish.

One item you will definitely want to have on hand is the book known as the canning Bible, Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  It will almost certainly be in your library but you’ll soon be wanting a copy of your own.  Barbara, a family friend who has been canning for decades, still pulls out her worn copy from twenty years ago.

Look for canning jars and other equipment at garage and estate sales, second-hand stores, eBay, Craigslist, Backpage, and even placing requests for free supplies at Freecycle.  With the weather definitely hitting autumn and, in some places, winter temperatures, a cozy, warm kitchen is just the place to be spending some time…over a water bath filled with jars of tomato preserves!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

1.  Storing food in buckets is smart because the heavy duty plastic helps to keep out pests, light, moisture, and oxygen, four of the five enemies of food.  Buckets should be made from food safe plastic.

2.  A mylar bag can be used as a liner in any bucket and provides a double layer of protection for the food.

3.  Label the outside of each bucket with the contents, either with a Sharpie, a printed label, or a china marker.  You don’t want to have to open each bucket and mylar bag in search of a certain food.

4.  If you use an iron to seal the mylar bags, check to make sure the seal is tight.  The first time I sealed up dried milk in these bags, I was unpleasantly surprised to find white powder trailing along behind me as I carried them to the pantry.  The cat loved it.

5.  Ask for free buckets at grocery store bakeries.

image by karpacious

6.  Buy oxygen absorbers online.  You’ve seen these absorbers before in packets of dry soup mixes and similar foods.  They literally absorb the oxygen inside a container. (The process of oxidation ruins food.)  Use these general guidelines for deciding how many absorbers to use.

100 cc oxygen absorber                    Large canning jar, 32 ounces

300 cc oxygen absorber                    #10 can

300 cc oxygen absorber                    one-gallon container

1500 cc oxygen absorber                  five-gallon bucket/container

The amount of absorbers needed depends on the size of container but also the amount of head room you leave at the top of the container and the size of the food.  Tiny pieces of food, rice, for example, will have much less oxygen in between rice grains than will lima beans or larger foods, but these guidelines are good for most foods.

7.  If you’ll be sealing a lot of mylar bags, check with Ready Made Resources about their hot-jaw sealer loaning program.

8.  Store buckets a few inches off the ground and don’t stack them more than 3 buckets high.

9.  What to store in the buckets?  Just about anything, including toiletries (these won’t need to be sealed in mylar).  Typically, people store dry goods, such as beans, cornmeal, wheat, and rice, in buckets.

10. If you plan on using some of what you’ve stored in buckets, invest a few dollars in Gamma Seal Lids.  These have an outer ring that snaps on the top of an open bucket and then a smaller lid that is inserted within the ring and then twisted until closed.  These lids allow for easy access to food you’re using and yet provide an air-tight seal when closed and can be used for years.

This video walks you through the process of sealing buckets with mylar bag inserts.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by whatleydude

It seems everyone has a plan for having a supply of meat for the future.  Some intend to do a lot of hunting and fishing.  Others are canning beef and chicken like there’s no tomorrow, and a growing number of families are raising chickens and rabbits.  I can’t help but wonder, though, what’s wrong with planning on eating vegetarian when the S hits the fan?

People have lived on little or no meat for thousands of years.  Yes, most of us eat poultry, fish, and meat, but we’re already stocking up on a lot of the same foods vegetarians eat, such as beans, legumes, rice, etc.  Most preppers have gardens or, at least, have plans to garden and grown some of their own produce, and you can buy freeze-dried and dehydrated versions of just about anything that will stand still long enough!

I’m not trying to pick a fight with carnivores!  Just wondering why more preppers aren’t making plans to eat mostly or all vegetarian in the future.  What about you?  Would you go vegetarian or are you honing your hunting skills?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

These are all 1-gallon containers.

One food storage note here: Once I’ve filled my PETE containers (along with 300 cc oxygen absorbers), I put them in cardboard boxes, labeled with the contents, e.g. cornmeal, flour, white beans, etc.  The closed cardboard boxes will protect the food from the effects of light.

(Did you catch those fancy lookin’ containers? Not the soda bottles! The other ones!)

I’ve tried to track down an online source to purchase these without any luck.  (If you have a link to an online company that sells these, let me know!)  The best I can do is suggest that you buy these where I buy them, Sun West Container Company in Phoenix and Tucson.  My contact in Phoenix is Julie, and I know she’d be happy to help you with an order and current pricing.

You might be able to get these free.  A friend of mine owns a restaurant and when she saw my PETE containers, she said, “We get ingredients in those containers all the time!”  So, it may be possible to procure these for free or at a nominal cost from a restaurant. It never hurts to ask.

If you don’t have the money in your budget for these containers, you’ll notice that I get plenty of use out of clean soda bottles!  Rinse them out, swirl a tiny bit of water/bleach solution in the empty bottle, rinse one more time, and allow to dry.  I run the caps of the bottles through the dishwasher.  Use 200-300 cc oxygen absorber per filled soda bottle.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.