Saving your frozen & perishable foods in a disaster (and why a full freezer is good preparation!)

I've encountered several posts around the web recently, which discourage having a large amount of frozen foods stored up.
Why? Because "when the shit hits the fan and you lose power, all your food will spoil". Invariably there are examples of how many people lost massive amounts of food to spoilage when [insert disaster here] struck.

Well, OK, I suppose there is some merit to that, but what about all the things that can go wrong where you DON'T lose power?

Here are just a few things which can cause you to be unable to get fresh foods from the store, which don't necessarily include power outages.

• Injury
• Illness
• Vehicle breakdown
•  Flooding
• Earthquakes
• Tornadoes/Hurricanes
• Severe weather
• Quarantine
• Major police activity (such as nearby hostage situations, prison escapes/manhunts, shootings, etc)
• Riots (they don't only happen in the "famous" big cities!)
• Road closures
• Loss of financial stability

And what about those of us who are just dirt poor and buy in bulk when things go on sale cheap?

Honestly, there are tons of reasons to keep your deep freezer full in preparation for the lean times or when you can't get out and about for whatever reason. For me, the argument of, "but if you lose power for days, all your food will SPOILLLLLL!!!", just doesn't hold water.

Canned and dehydrated foods are usually a LOT more expensive than fresh or frozen foods. They are also usually not as tasty or good for you, so only keeping those around just because your frozen stuff might go bad someday is, IMO, just as stupid as being unprepared in general.

If and when a disaster happens, or is imminent, if you have a freezer full of food, you are already several steps ahead of most!

If things are short term and/or you don't lose power at all, your food will be fine, and you will be enjoying fresher, more nutritional foods while everyone else is losing their minds, without even having to go beyond your porch or yard.

If the power is out, don't open your freezer more than once per day, and do it quickly, preferably in the coolest part of the day/night.

If you do this, things previously frozen at 0° in a packed  freezer should stay frozen for a couple days at least. A half full freezer will keep items frozen for about a day.
To maximise the time food will stay frozen,  place frozen foods as close together as possible. The less air space between items, the colder things will stay. Fill up empty space with newspaper, paper bags, clothing, blankets, or anything that will minimise air pockets. Cover freezers and refrigerators with heavy blankets to provide further insulation.

Eat dairy and other refrigerated, perishable food first.

If the power is out for the long haul, don't panic! You can still save all or most of your food, and avoid having to scavenge, hunt, etc for longer than everyone else. (Make sure you don't make it obvious that you've got food stores, and be prepared to defend your supplies.)

As soon as it becomes apparent that the lights aren't coming back on any time soon, get ready to start drying, smoking, cooking, and canning.

As food thaws, start cooking and/or drying or smoking it. 
Cooked food can be canned. Meats, as well as many fruits and vegetables can also be dried for longer term storage. You can dry fruits on top of the covered grill on screens, drying racks, in cloth or mesh bags suspended over the heat source.

Put as much food on the grill and over the fire at once as you can cook/smoke properly, to conserve fuel. If you have a smoker or smoker box insert, USE IT!  Smoked items, even if not completely dried, last longer than regularly cooked foods. Don't forget that you can dry foods anywhere there is air flow and at least some heat. You don't HAVE to use a fire for all of it, though it will make it faster.

If you don't have any way to keep things cold, you're going to need to dry or can everything that you won't be able to eat before it spoils in fairly short order, so be sure you learn the methods for doing so and make sure you have the supplies you'll need NOW.

There are several methods for drying/preserving food, and using a combination of them is probably your best bet. 

Since there are already tons of books, videos, and articles to be found, including many for free on the web, I'm not going to post the how to's on smoking, drying, and canning here. Just do a search and get to learning.

 Remember to practise your skills before you need them to survive!

Modifying a "survival knife" into a Survival Knife

I got a pretty cool knife last Yule from my daughter and her partner, but until now, it's just been hanging on my headboard with my other home defence blades, rather than being put in a Go bag, because it wasn't really up to par.

Here is what it looked like originally:

There are also pics on the Harbor Freight product page.

Better than nothing, and a great gift for someone new to "prepping", (especially accompanied by this blog post for a beginner level project) but by no means even near adequate for my pack!

SO...
First thing I did was wrap the handle with 12 feet of paracord.

As you can see, the snap no longer will fasten around it. 

That's not a problem though, as I prefer a heftier fastener that won't break out in the field anyway.

By the way, whenever modding/repairing any kind of gear that is meant to  be heavy duty, remember to use heavy duty thread!! I use this craft & button thread.

It's actually stronger than the "outdoor" stuff. In fact, it's the strongest stuff I can find. I tried to break it and ended up cutting my fingers on it instead! It's also mostly synthetic, so is better for all kinds of weather. I've used it for all manner of things, and the fabric has rotted away long before the thread even shows wear. Also great for leather work, and you can use it as fishing line too!

Next step - Adding & upgrading supplies

I wound as much F4 tape as would fit into the handle around a piece of paracord and wrapped it in a bit of plastic wrap to keep it from getting stuff stuck to it. Then I tied a longish loop of nylon cord on the paracord loop, so it's easy to pull out again.

 If you recall, the included matches weren't waterproof, and although the inside of the handle is meant to be water tight (and it does appear to be so), I don't like to take chances, so the next step was to fix that minor issue.

That's as easy as melting some wax and coating the matches - something I learned to do in Girl Scouts back when I was 6 years old!

Presto-chango: Waterproof matches!

Something's still missing though, that you can ALWAYS find a good use for. Duct tape!

 After I stuck the matches, sewing kit, fishing line & hook back in its little baggie, I wrapped a business card blank around the packet and wrapped as much duct tape around that as I could and still fit it back in the knife handle. I also tied a loop of nylon cord through my makeshift tape roll, again, to make the bundle easier to remove.

 That fit perfectly atop the F4 tape roll.

And there you have it, a much improved survival knife, ready to go in my pack and replace some gear that was taking up more space and weight!

What to do with Leftover Marinades

It's a common issue, perhaps more so in the warmer months...

We marinate meats (or other things) for the grill, but there's always some left.
You don't want to re-use it for the next batch, because it has juices from the previous, which can spoil the whole lot, but you don't want to just throw it out either. What a waste!

Here's what I do:
I stick the leftover bits in the freezer, in the same Ziplock freezer bags I used for the marinades (they are still labelled, of course). Then, I use them in soups, stews, or casseroles later, often in the crock pot. It's a great way to have an instant "flavour profile" for something which may otherwise be bland or unimaginative. You don't need a "recipe" to make a great meal - Just things from the basic food groups and some imagination!

As an example, a recent dinner was a soup made with the previous day's water from boiling corn on the cob, the leftover Cholula BBQ steak marinade (generous portion Cholula, a bit of whatever BBQ sauce you have lying around, minced garlic, and a bit of olive oil), a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, a can of chicken & rice soup, some leftover roasted chicken, a big can of green beans, a handful of rice, some dried, roasted red bell pepper, and dried mixed vegetables. Started in the slow cooker on low in the morning.

It made a delicious dinner, plus another couple of lunches!

The value of a well stocked larder (every day preps)

(Updated 2020.02.11)

 

Whether you live in a tiny apartment or trailer, a huge house, or anything in between, storing up food (and supplies) for the "lean times" is a big part of essential preparedness.

Being prepared isn't just about preparing for some major disaster and having to go into lockdown/bug in mode. It's also about being ready to deal with the hardships and unexpected wrinkles that occur in everyday life.
The trick is to expect anything, so you won't ever be taken by surprise when life throws you one of its little (or big) curve balls.

Let me tell you a little story...

As has always been my habit, I generally buy a bit more food and supplies than what is needed every time I go grocery shopping, and I purchase many things, including personal care and household sundries in bulk, especially when they are on sale cheap.
At one point, years ago, after I split with my ex husband, I ended up renting rooms in my house to 4 good friends, so I could still afford to live there. Of course, I had quite a bit of food stored up in the basement pantry and deep freezer, as well as extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner, bars of soap, toilet paper, diapers, baby wipes (my youngest was still a toddler), and other stuff that really needs to NOT run out, like, ever.
Even with all that extra food and supplies, I continued to do the regular shopping as though there was nothing, rotate out the older stuff and store away the new, and add more to the stockpile whenever I could.

The rest of my new household often scoffed at my habits, and told me I was totally going over the top. They shook their heads every time I got on anyone's case to not waste my food and supplies, or dig into the "excess" instead of buying their own, regular, monthly food and whatever, always refusing to accept any of the "but there is PLENTY" arguments.They had all kinds of funny quips at the ready, regarding my "crazy, survivalist" habits. It was all in good fun, but they weren't really joking. Neither was I.

Well, time came when we were all out of work for a couple months. Times were especially hard all over, and the food banks were pretty short on supplies too. Lots of people were living on half rotten potatoes, stale bagels, rice, beans, and not much else. People were willing to trade valuable (in better times) items for a couple bags of plain, white rice or dried beans, of which I already had more than enough, so could trade our share for all sorts of things that wouldn't go as far, but would add variety and more flavour and freshness to our diets. 
This era would later be known as "The Great Recession".

We did fine though. We had regular meals of good, healthy food every day. We didn't have to ration things, because there was enough to last a good 3-4 months before we hit the "mandatory rationing" cap. (for me, that is the point at which only 2 months of food/supplies remain without rationing). We didn't have to choose between paying for food and necessary items or housing and utility costs with what we could make doing day labour, because we were prepared.

Eventually, we all got back on our feet, and let me tell you; This time, when it was time to start replenishing the stores, EVERYONE was VERY much on board with my plans and system.

Anyone can fall on hard times for any number of reasons outside of their control!

How long will you be able to provide for yourself and your family if you suddenly lose your job, get injured and can't work, or some other unforeseen circumstance?

Don't guess! 

Take out the calculator (if you're reading this, you have one at your fingertips) and actually do the maths. Figure out how much food you need per day/week. Not just in terms of budget this time, but in terms of quantity. Now, start putting away extra food and supplies along with the money I hope you are putting away "just in case" (if you are able)!

Look for a future post with some tips on how to get that larder/pantry/storage shed, or whatever well stocked!

Here is one:

Kitchen/Pantry Bare Essentials ~ Where to Begin and How to Use Them (every day preps)

Valid reasons to change your clothes whilst camping

I've mentioned, MANY times, the value of packing light for camping trips, yet most people STILL feel the need to pack a change of clothing for every damn day!

So, because I am a kind and helpful sort, I have compiled a comprehensive list of reasons you may actually need to change into different clothing during your camping trip.

•  It got too hot

• It got too cold

• It started raining

• It started snowing

•  It stopped raining

• It stopped snowing

• You got something that stinks more than you can stand or that will unduly attract wildlife on your clothing and you need to go to the river and wash them

• You've been wearing your clothing so long they're physically uncomfortable or too stinky to stand and you need to go to the river and wash them

• You're going to bed and don't want to sleep fully clothed

• You just got up and need more clothing for outside of your sleeping bag/tent

Wilderness camping pro tips!

These are a few "helpful hints", culled from years of experience going camping with people who don't go camping, and presented in snippets of actual conversation. 

• You only need boots and sandals/water shoes. What are you going to do with one ENTIRE suitcase dedicated to shoes? IN THE WILDERNESS!!??

•  No, there is nowhere to plug in your curling iron. Why the hell did you bring a curling iron camping!? You brought your hair dryer too!? Seriously? Nevermind, I need more coffee!

• Of course the ranger got annoyed with you when you actually WHINED to him that you NEEDED a place to plug in your curling iron and hair dryer, and he should let you use the ranger station. And yes, you are extremely lucky I didn't disavow any knowledge of who you were right then and there!

• No, you can't pop microwave popcorn by holding it on the pigsticker over the fire.

• No, the ranger station doesn't have a microwave you can use.

• No, we can't get a propane powered microwave.

• No, you can't run a microwave, hair dryer, curling iron, or any of that other crap from my car battery!

• No, I am not going to try and figure out how to cook your Lean Pockets. I told you not to bring anything that couldn't be cooked in the woods with no electricity. What part of NO ELECTRICITY did you not understand?

• We TOLD you it was going to be VERY cold and you needed a layers, warm clothes, boots, and a sleeping bag rated for 0° at least. The $20 sleeping bag from Fred Meyer, that says it is rated for 40° WILL NOT CUT IT. Sweats and a sweatshirt with a light jacket are NOT "warm clothes" unless they are layered with other clothes, and your "cute outfits" and 5 pair of open toe shoes are useless.

• No, I'm not cutting my trip (that cost lots me of money to put together and drive for) short to take you back to civilisation because you didn't follow my instructions. We'll make a trip into the nearest town in 5 more days for supplies and you can buy something. You'll have to make do until then.

•  DO NOT waste my propane trying to warm your hands over the damn burner! Put on gloves. If you're still too cold, go gather and cut more wood and I'll build up the fire. I'm not cold, so I'm not cutting more wood. Cutting wood will warm you up.

• No matter HOW many times you check to see if your phone has signal, it is STILL 10+ miles to the closest hope of cell range. 

• Your tent is not "defective" and it doesn't "have a leak". I told you to stake it out tightly and keep everything away from the walls. No, you're not sleeping in my tent. Next time, follow directions. (this has got to be the #1 "conversation" I have with people when camping!)

• We're 6,000 feet up Mt Rainier in November. Of course it's cold. What the hell did you expect!? Quit your whining and keep up.

•  Yes, I'm very serious. You REALLY do have to stomp around and around all over that space in the snow to make a tent platform. 

• I TOLD you you needed to make a tent platform. No, you can't use my "extra" (dry clothing/sleeping bag liner/other dry things) and you're not sleeping in my tent. Get out there, stomp out your platform, stake out your tent properly, and build up the fire to dry your own gear. I'm going back to sleep. 

• No, you don't need the 967 lumens lantern just to go to the BIFFY (that's the outhouse/pit toilet/latrine, for the uninitiated)! Use your flashlight. What do you mean your phone is dead? What does that have to do with anything? WHAT? I told you to bring a FLASHLIGHT! That did not mean rely on your cell phone, which requires plugging in to recharge.

This is only a very small sampling, and, sadly, I didn't make ANY of it up! I'll add to it as I remember/collect more snippets. 

Do feel free to add your own experiences in the comments!

How (not!!) to pack for a camping trip

Despite the title, this helpful post will also provide plenty of information on how to pack for camping in addition to how not to. 

This is for going camping for the sake of camping. It doesn't necessarily apply to events where there will be camping, as a means of lodging. 

Kink events, Highland Games & Faires, Renaissance Fairs, SCA type events, and anything else where garb, costuming, or other fancy getups are the norm get a pass on cute shoes and wardrobe insanity.

Now then...

First off,  clothing...       

Whether you're going camping for a weekend, a week, or a month or more, you never need to bring any more than: 

• 1 pair of socks per day, plus 2 (max 16 - you can hand wash beyond that)
• 1 pair of underwear per day, plus 2 (again, max 16 - hand wash)
• 2 bras for those who need them
• 2, (maybe 3 if it's going to be 2 or more weeks) pair of jeans/BDUs/other durable long pants
• 2 pair of sweats
• 2 sets of long underwear
• 2-3 t-shirts
• 2 tank tops
• 2 long sleeve shirts (a LS T-shirt and a flannel shirt are great for layering)
• 2 pair of shorts (sturdy, comfortable ones with pockets, not "cute" ones!)
• 1 sweatshirt or light jacket that can be worn under heavier jacket
• 1 heavy jacket and/or cloak (cloaks are great! they double as blankets, pillows, carrying sacks, etc)
• 1 pair swim trunks or swimsuit
• 1 pair sturdy, waterproof/resistant boots, suitable for hiking. (combat boots are good all-purpose boots)
• 1 pair sturdy sandals or mesh shoes
• 1 pair sneakers (if you must)

If all your clothing you plan to bring (other than shoes and jackets) won't fit in one large duffel bag, you need to leave some at home. Small children who aren't fully toilet trained can (and should) get away with double the above amounts of everyday clothing.

 You should also bring:

• A GOOD flashlight. (NO, the one on your phone doesn't count!!)
• Spare batteries & at least one spare bulb. (most good flashlights have a space to store an extra bulb in the body)
• insect repellent
• SUNSCREEN!! (SPF 40 or above advised)
• After sun care (plain old aloe or a product specially designed for it like this one)
• a tarp and/or tent (even if someone else is bringing tents, bring a tarp!)
• a sleeping bag rated for at LEAST 10 degrees colder than it is expected to get where you will be
• enough of ALL your regular medications for the length of time you expect to be gone, plus 1 week's worth. 
• A towel
• Personal toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush, hair ties, unscented lotion, unscented or camping soap, etc)
• A good hunting, diving, or survival knife. More than one is better. 
• a knife sharpener - I particularly like the Smith's PP1 Pocket Pal. 
• A para-tool. I prefer S.O.G. but any high end one is good.2 is better than one
• Flint and magnesium fire starter. (strike with a steel knife blade)

This is by NO means a complete list, but those are a few basics that you should never go camping without, even if other people are bringing  "all the supplies".  Personally, I keep all of those things in my go-bag and vehicle at all times, and advise you to as well, but that's a different article.

You should absolutely, positively, never, ever, fucking EVER (femes, I'm looking at YOU here!) bring :

• High heels of any sort. The only thing they are good for when camping is getting ruined and breaking your ankle (or worse!). 
• "Cute outfits", unless they are sturdy, functional, and you don't care if they get trashed.
• "Cute shoes", unless they are  one of the kinds of shoes mentioned in the "bring" list.
• Jewellery or similar accessories (the stuff you always wear, even when you sleep and bathe is an exception) 
• Perfume, cologne, aftershave (witch hazel works great if you must shave), pretty scented lotions or other body products. (Exceptions: lavender, cedar, rosemary, citronella, catnip, mint, & any other scents known to repel insects)
• Hairspray, gel, or any other sticky, bug attracting hair products. (bees & wasps LOVE hairspray! Just sayin'.)
• Your makeup kit. If you must bring something, keep it simple. If it won't all fit in a 1 quart ziplock bag, it's too much!
• Any food or drink that requires a microwave. You won't have one and the bears won't let you use theirs.
• Curling, crimping, or straightening irons. (REALLY!?? WTF were you thinking!?)
• Hair dryers
• ANY other kind of electricity using hair styling device. 
• Your computer (dirt is bad for your computer, there's probably no cell/wifi signal, and you don't need it in the wilderness anyway!)

You are going out to the middle of nowhere to sleep in a tent or under the stars (this is camping, not RVing!). You will be tramping about outdoors for at least most, if not all of the time. There is dirt outside. LOTS of dirt!

There will most likely be a campfire, which produces smoke and soot.  Soot is a lot like dirt, only more persistent. 

This means that whatever clothing you put on at the beginning of the day is going to be dirty - probably even filthy - within a couple hours at the most. Just accept this. Breathe. Embrace the dirty. BE the dirty. Seriously. Just deal with it. If you can't handle getting dirty and wearing dirty clothes, stay home or do hotel vacations.

It's not a fashion show. Even if you're hoping to meet the man/woman of your dreams out there, s/he is camping too.  If they're not an idiot or an asshole, they won't be looking or expecting you to look like you're ready to hit the dance floor. If they're real, they'll appreciate that you share a love of the outdoors and are sensible. If they're phony, eeww! Best to weed them out early!

The people you're going camping with presumably already know what you look like sans beauty routine. If they don't, it's a great way to bond. Again, they're camping too. You'll all be dirty, bedraggled, fuzzy, frizzy, and such after the first day or so. It's not a big deal. 

The ones most likely to appreciate the froufrou smelly stuff out there are more interested in stinging, biting, and sucking your blood in a very non-consensual way. Also, your fellow campers will NOT appreciate you attracting bees, wasps, and other unpleasant things.

I may add to this post as more comes to me. Suggestions for additions welcome. 

I plan on posting more camping hints in future. Topic suggestions or requests also welcome and encouraged.