More preps to add to your preps as you prep, from here
Dennis in Colorado – at 15:31
Today’s prep purchases:
From Sam’s Club:
Extra case bath tissue, $16.58/36 “double” rolls
1 bottle generic Benadryl, $3.22/400 tabs
Spaghetti, $13.88/six 1-pound packs
Spaghetti sauce, $5.88/3 jars
Spaghetti sauce (Alfredo), $5.65/3 jars \\
From True Value Hardware:
Kerosene for lamps, $15.96/4 gallons (didn’t expect it to cost that much…)
You know you’re prepping the right stuff if you have to keep onreplacing it ‘cause they keep eating it.
Seems I’m more trying to learn things than buy things lately. Today I started an attempt at buttermilk, from the Fankhauser site. Next stop, yogurt.
I just realized I skipped a line when I read my receipt and I didn’t think about the price as I was quoting it above. Rest assured, gentle readers, we did not pay $13.88 for six pounds of spaghetti (the $13.88 was for mini cheesecakes for tonight’s Bible study group…). The cost of the spaghetti at Sam’s Club was $3.37.
mmmmm, cheesecake
Noticed today in the coupon section that Poland Springs is selling water in stackable 3 liter bottles….hmmm stackable, maybe they are getting more aware of the preppers out there…here’s hoping!
Dennis,
Thanks for that clarification. I was sitting here going…OMG! He got ripped off! But didn’t think you would appreciate a stranger pointing that out! I have been picking up 1 pound packages of spaghetti for 50 cents a piece at Dollar Tree, so I was wondering if your spaghetti was White Truffle sphaghetti or something! BTW..Dollar Tree has very nice packages on all pastas..good brands too!
I get so tickled sometimes while readiing this, it’s like a hive of busy little bees, workin workin workin, I just got in a big order of FD stuff from emergency essentials and sent off two more orders, and I’m still canning too. gotta go get more jars next week. I still have apple butter to put up. seems like the more I do it makes me think of more that I will have to do later. will it ever end??????? I do feel good about it all though, and I don’t know about everyone else but I feel secure almost like I could take on anything and win. hope that is true. just gotta keep on goin
NEMO, never hesitate to gently question … “Are you sure that is the price you paid…?”
Jefiner, the cheesecake was delicious, as were the chocolate-covered strawberries. Those would never make it as prep food, but its not all about food preps, is it?
Pat in AZ – at 18:33 THANKS for posting the buttermilk/yogurt/cheese link! I’m going to print out the recipes so I have ‘em handy. (Some I already knew but in slightly different versions).
On the topic of MRSA. Tea Tree oil (TTO) has been found to be effective. I would not hesitate to use it on any skin lesion in older children (4 and up) teens and adults. Some people may be sensitive to the ingredients. It is toxic to some animals (cats) so use with caution around small critters. We have used it on scrapes, boils, impetigo, athletes foot, cold sores, insect bites, itchy rash, chafing with excellent results. Relieves pain and itching of lesions. Also repels flying insects (downside-smells like turpentine). I have been buying it by the ounce for years but I just broke down and bought a gallon. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral all in one- hard to beat. Before the advent of antibiotics TTO was one of the chief antimicrobials used in medical field.
Anonymous@1224: “On the topic of MRSA. Tea Tree oil (TTO) has been found to be effective. I would not hesitate to use it on any skin lesion in older children (4 and up) teens and adults.”
I’m MRSA+ and use a tea tree oil facial soap and that really helps to minimize the occasional lesions that pop up around my nose. I stumbled across how well TTO worked when I used the St. Ives clear pore skin cleanser which contained TTO.
today’s prep is updating my bug out bag. I had copies of my ID’s and other info. I got a new voter registration card and it dawned on me that I need to update some of my info for my bag. I also rotated my medicine in my bag- I had not done that for a while.
So just a reminder: rotate bug out bag items and update any info.
Regarding DennisC’s post above …
Especially if that bug out bag is kept in the truck of your vehicle. I know its a handy storage location for bug out materials but heat can seriously deteriorate items.
I keep a carton of 12 bottles of water and a box of granola bars in the car all the time. Every month I replace the granola bars that are in the car and use them up for lunches and snacks.
In Texas there is not much that will not melt in the trunk of a car so for the summer months I keep a can of dry roasted peanuts in my BOB in my car. It is not perfect but it works.
It is interesting to me that people keep their bag in a car/truck. I was assuming that if I really needed to bug out, I would not be able (or want) to use a car. The roads will be “killing zones”.
Love Texas – at 15:10
That’s a good idea, I think I’ll add a can to my emergency kit.
Yesterday I received my first order from bulkfoods.com- five pound bags of mixed fruit and dried mixed veggies. It took a week for delivery after placing the order. I’ve had to wait up to three weeks for delivery from similar companies. The fruit looks really good and, except for the prunes, I’ll be taste-testing the contents to determine what to order more of.
According to the label on the veggies the bag contains about 454 servings. When I first read that I was floored until I noticed that they consider a serving to be 1 tablespoon. That’s still a lot of potential vegetable soup.
1 TBLSP dry = how much rehydrated?
We keep our bug out bags in our vehicles as well.
While Dennis is correct that the roads MAY be killing zones, I can always abandon my vehicle on the side of the road, grab my bag and hoof it.I don’t want to be away from my retreat/home and have no supplies at hand to get back here. My Bug Out Bag is geared for that scenario.
I have thin socks and thick socks for layering if lots of walking is necessary. White Tshirt for hot weather, black tshirt for stealth. Thermals to put on underneath whatever clothes I might be wearing at the time. A dark colored lined windbreaker to layer on top. A rain poncho to aid if its raining or snowing. I don’t have a change of pants because I keep it all in a backpack and don’t have room for them. I have a liter of water and a filter than can “grab” water from a puddle if necessary to refill the Platypus liter container (Platypus are FABULOUS bob gear).
I have copies of my id’s, some cash, some no heat food, instant heat packs for my hands and shoes. First aid gear, especially band aids and mole skin if I’m walking. My husband keeps his bag in the car he uses to commute the 2 hours back and forth each week to a major airport. On weekends, if we are going on a day trip, we transfer his bag to my vehicle- which always has my bag and my sons.
The things that have gone bad in the heat of the vehicle were the rubber straps on our N95 masks, the rubber straps on our goggles, the ear plugs are a little crunchier than we like, but still work. We trade out food, but not as often as we should. A few of the bandaids could probably stand to be made new. These have been kept in our car in major heat of the midwest for five years now.
I do worry about someone breaking in to my vehicle when I travel to a major midwest city because of my extra ID’s. I have decided to make a 4″ slit in the black lining and make a hidden space at the bottom of the bag in which to slip the papers (which I have shrink wrapped in a food saver bag which will keep them from decaying as easily and insures they stay dry no matter where my bag my ends up.) That way, in case someone steals my bag, they won’t find the papers, even if they take everything out and shake the bag upside down hard.
We keep other items in the bags: a fairly good first aid selection, personal hygiene items, bug spray, sunscreen,fire starters of various types, parachute cord for rigging up a mini tent with the ponchos. We also carry a small notepad and thin point sharpie for writing notes that can be left with the car, tacked to a tree along the way, etc. for family who may be following or law enforcement, etc.We all have a good quality multi-tool (Gerber or Leatherman) and a “necklace” saw that could cut through a chain link fence if need be. If anyone is interested in a more detailed list of my bag, let me know. BTW Marshalls dept. stores are the BEST place to get good quality backpacks for BOB’s at about $10!!! When you are doing a bag for each family member, the cost of the bags alone can be daunting. I was even successful in getting my inlaws to make up their own bags. They sat with me and had me go over the contents of our bags, made out a detailed shopping list, and I spent one whole day running around town with them and we put together some fabulous bags in one day (it took me weeks to develop our bags.)
In the event of a home fire, we wouldn’t have to worry about grabbing our bags because they would be safe in the cars (which aren’t garaged.) We could grab our pets and shoes and dash from the house. We have used our bags when we have stayed at our inlaws and it was an unplanned visit. It’s great to have a fresh shirt, fresh undies and be able to brush your teeth and hair. I make sure I replace those items immediately however. Be careful about “borrowing” from your bags!!! Make sure you put back those items immediately so it is complete and ready to go when you need it.
I have an Excalibur dehydrator and haven’t been making the most of it, so I have been trying to do more lately. I was reading on an earlier thread that Kim mentioned drying tomato paste or tomato sauce to make tomato powder. I have purchased tomato powder from Walton’s, but didn’t want to dip into it if not needed. Since my pantry stash of 50 or so cans of tomato sauce is getting a bit on the aged side, I figured I would give a go at seeing if it would work for me!
I tried one can yesterday since I didn’t want to waste a bunch of cans if it just didn’t work. It dehydrated failyly quickly (about 5 hours). After it was about the consistency of fruit leather (a fruit roll-up), I pulled it off the Teflon sheet, and tore it into pieces about 3″x3″ and stuck it back in the dehydrator (still on the Teflon sheet) for another hour until it was cripsy. I let the pieces cool for about 15 minutes, then broke them in half again, and tossed them into my trusty old Hamilton Beach blender. Whirred the puppy up to the highest speed for a few times, stopping to check the progess and give the container a brisk shake or two. The 15 ounce can of Contadina Tomato Sauce turned out to make powder that equaled a scant 1/4 cup of powder. I put that in a clean jelly jar, and decided to convert the rest of my aging “wet” stock of tomatoe sauces and pastes into powders. Once I have more powder I will transfer it into a canning jar and toss in an oxygen absorger or two and then seal it with my Food Saver. I keep my Food Saver and Jar Attachment out on the counter, so it is easier to make sure that I always reseal all the jars that I use in my everyday cooking. I use mostly the half gallon canning jars, but do have a few wide mouth quarts for spices, teas, herbs, buttermilk powder, baking powder. That extends the life of those items WAY beyond what they claim is the usual shelf life. When those are empty, I refill the jars from the #10 cans or the 6 gal buckets. This enables me to use my food storage in my everyday cooking and I am able to know if I like a product and my family would actually eat it WTSHTF.
I was thinking of ways to use the tomato powder beyond just reconstituting it and using it as I usually would use tomato sauce. I am going to make some bread today, using my tried and true recipe, and add some of the tomato powder and some dried basil. Panera Bread (St. Louis Bread Co. - same thing) makes a killer tomato/basil bread and now that we are 2 hours away from one of those stores, it would be nice if I can come up with a decent replacement for it. It’s great for roast beef sandwiches, grilled cheese, and cut into little shapes and toasted- it’s a fabulous appetizer item when topped with flavored cream cheese and a tidbit or two. (yes, us farm folks have been known to entertain now and again and open up a bottle of wine even!)
I also experimented with using my cast iron cookware, which I have had for 4 years but really never used. I let my son use it once on our farmette for a cookout/sleepover and that was stupid! He made a real mess with it, burning eggs in it, and after that I didn’t use it- just kept it for outside cooking emergency or using on top of our woodstove if need be. I had taken it out of the mudroom, gave it a thorough cleaning and did a re-seasoning of it in the oven for many hours. Yesterday I decided to make some from-scratch cornbread to use up a little teensy tinsy fraction of the corn meal that I have (I WAY overbought on cornmeal and some it will have to go to the chickens here soon!) I used fresh eggs from the hens since I have them instead of the egg powder, but I used buttermilk powder instead of fresh milk, so for the most part they are a complete pantry recipe. I cooked it in the 8″ skillet that I preheated in a 400 degree oven. It was gorgeous and didn’t stick at all! I did give it a quick spritz with Pam but when I use my normal cookware and PAM it still usually sticks a bit. I was able to wipe out the skillet and put it away. I split a slice open, slathered it with butter (cheater- yes- not a pantry item unless I would break into one of the jars of canned butter I have) and poured some honey on top. Boy, was that tasty.
My next dehydrator project is to make a go at drying hamburger like many of our fellow wikians have been doing. Then I want to use several of the things I have dried (tomato powder, hamburger, zucchini, peppers- sweet and hot, carrots, celery, onion, garlic) to make up some soup mixes that only need to be added to water and heated up. Toss enough for a pot of soup good for six generous servings into a food saver bag, seal it up tight and toss into the cupboard. I plan on using this soup whenever the mood hits me and replacing the bags every few months. I really appreciate having home canned meats on the shelf and soups I made, but they take up quite a bit of shelf space. Having “ready made” soups in little bags on the shelf will be a nice alternative to add to my storage.
Another way to get tomato powder is to dry sliced tomatoes to the crispy stage and then blend them to smithereens. Once or twice a year I wind up with all the tail ends of the last of the tomatoes out of my parents garden or off the flea market shelves. They are usually at that point getting past their prime. I just cut out all the spots, bruises, and mushy places and then slice and dry for a pretty good tomato powder.
I’ve used tomato powder in bread, pasta dishes, rice dishes, reconstituted for tomato-based beverages, and in soups/stews. Its pretty versatile.
I’ve trying to get that balance between the space savings of dried products and the necessity of having a potable water source. Canned products help me save on water storage … dehydrated products mean I’ll have to store even more water. But the benefits of dried items are too great to discount them all together. <shrug> I’m working on having a little of this and a little of that.
Kathy,
Thanks for the tip on the tomato slices. So far this summer, I haven’t been the beneficiary of too many tomatoes. Maybe next summer. I agree on the water issue. We have multiple water supplies on our property so water storage won’t be issue for us. It might be a pain to haul and filter, but we should have plenty of it. The previous owners lived year round off the cistern, and didn’t even use the other cistern, well or pond for their needs.
The water situation was on the “must have” side of the equation as we looked at real estate. No independent water- no sale. Period. We also, in case anyone wonders how rural retreat shopping works, insisted on some fencing for livestock, a useable barn, a decent house and had to be on a gravel road- back from the road a ways for less visibility. At the time it was a second house, so price was critcal too. I sure put mileage on our van looking for property for those three months we looked. Looked extensively in a five state area and finally found our place. It was a complete change of lifestyle, but we are enjoying the peace of the country even if hubby now commutes all the way across the country. He’d be doing that anyways.
Completly off the topic above, I want to put in a pitch for a breed of dog for a farm/retreat. We have a Great Pyrenese. He WORKS nearly 24 hours a day, keeping our livestock safe and keeping us safe. Sweet as can be with visitors and strangers, but when a questionable looking handyman was here, he judeged his character to be less than he expected, and sat with his teeth bared (almost smiling- but not quite) between myself and the handyman until the guy just kept backing up a bit at a time and finally decided to leave. I have no doubt this dog would fight to the death to save me. I would like to get a German Shepherd as well, but the house is just too small at this point. The Great Pyrenese lives outside 24/7, is easy to care for and well worth his dog chow!!! If you are in the boonies or outer burbs, I highly recommend this breed.
Nemo @ 16:03
My sister has a great Pyrenese. The old guy has been a faithful and much loved companion for many year. My brother-in-law even accidently ran over him in the driveway a while back, he was crippled up for a week or so, but was fine after. Just a sweet guy, loves to collect stray cats & dogs too. They talk about cloning him. :)
ON another subject, does anyone know how many loaves of bread can be made with 5 lbs. of flour?
A note: Aldi’s sugar comes in 5lb bags, the normal supermarket stuff is 4 lbs.
lohrewok - about 5 loaves
NEMO – at 12:54
Nemo, thanks for the info on tomato powder. I am thinking of experimenting with a small jar of spaghetti sauce—I will post my results!
Next we dehydrate wine . . . no, wait, let’s try bourbon first! (jk)
I admit up front that I’m not a gardener. I have never been a gardener. Yet today I planted my first tomato plants. I’ve started small, just two plants for now, to see if I can manage to keep them alive in the Texas heat and drought. If I actually get some ‘maters, I may branch out to other veggies.
I figure any food I can grow means that much less food I have to buy.
Texas Rose, that’s great! Let us know how it goes! I tried some earlier in the year in pots on our patio…..it was a horrible experiment…I hope yours goes better. For all my watering, I got 4 little tomatoes about the size of my thumbnail! Gotta add some manure when we do the big above ground beds my husband built (2 months ago) and still needs to fill with gravel & dirt!
My project for the next couple of days … in between all of the rest of “real life” … is to reorganize my prep areas yet again. Its becoming exponentially more difficult to find the space for all our preps. It is simply astounding how much stuff a family of 7 can go through.
Modern homes simply are not set up for a large family plus an extended pantry. <sigh> What I wouldn’t give to have even a small basement for storage. But that isn’t going to happen here in Florida. Nor is any kind of outside storage facility … to much risk of varmint/pest infestation, not to mention lack of climate control.
I also hope to do some canning this holiday weekend. I’ve got several pounds of meat in the freezer than need to come out before it gets freezer burned. After I empty the freezer, it needs to be defrosted again. Once I get that done I’m going to pull a Hillbilly Bill and use one of the shelves to freeze water in 2 liter bottles. I figure I can actually get some use out of these by rotating them out … giving my husband one for his van on the days he goes out to do maintenance, etc. He drinks a lot of water on those days and having ice water would be a big benefit for him.
Lots and lots of projects running around in my head. Now if I only could find the time and money to complete them. <grin>
My preps this week included taking pets to the vet for thier shots/checkups. I put it off til closer to the flu season, but when things started heating up in Indonisia, I didn’t want to put it off any longer. I also had an eye exam and got a second pair of glasses. We also had our winter propane delivered.
At this point most of my major preps are in place-the routine doc appointments, winter fuel, etc, plus the genny, oil lamps, crank lights and radio, etc. Ive got the kids homeschool schedule worked out-we’ve been homeschooling a month now and its really working out well. Now its just getting more food preps. I am considering a part time job with flex hours to raise some extra money for preps and also to help lower my anxiety a bit. I find that when I’m at home, Im glued to the Flu wiki and my anxiety really goes up. I love the wiki and will always “stay tuned” (and continue prepping of course) but I need a diversion, and of course, the extra cash would really be handy.
Texas Rose – at 00:11 - I live in New Mexico. I grew some tomatoes this year in containers using Miracle Grow soil. They did very well, but I had to watch them carefully for any signs of wilting. I came back from a weekend away, and they were gasping their next to last breath (water, water), even though I had made sure they were watered thoroughly before I left. Two days in full sun almost did them in (I had hoped for at least one cloudy day or rain). They’re still alive, but two of the plants lost a lot of leaves. Next time I’ll drap a soaker hose around them & use a timer. Our monsoon this year was a record-breaker - too bad they aren’t all like this one.
Rose — I live in eastern Arizona and have been growing tomatoes the last two years without any serious problems. (We do not get as hot as Phoenix, but it’s regularly in the 100s in June and July and got up to 112 or so this summer.) It’s good if you get varieties that tolerate heat. I water nearly every day (unless it rains, which is not often). The plants do not set fruit when it gets too hot, but will start up again when it cools off. You can make a sun shade out of PVC and shade fabric if that seems necessary (I have not). Does it stay warm there into December? September seems late to start tomatoes, unless you have quite warm winters.
You could also try peppers — those are really easy too and are smaller so if you put them in containers you could bring them indoors if necessary. Also they’re a good source of Vitamin C. And many herbs are easy and rewarding.
Kathy in FL – at 09:17:
“Modern homes simply are not set up for a large family plus an extended pantry. <sigh> What I wouldn’t give to have even a small basement for storage. But that isn’t going to happen here in Florida. Nor is any kind of outside storage facility … to much risk of varmint/pest infestation, not to mention lack of climate control.”
My neighbor across the street is a snowbird and has an empty patch of property next to her house that used to contain some sheds before the hurricane (Wilma) took them down. I was thinking I should build a food storage bunker while she is gone and hope that when she gets back she doesn’t remember if it was there before or not :)
I think an entire concrete structure with A/C, something the size of 20′x40′ would be sufficient. And it would have to have thick steel doors!
I found some “Beverage can holders” at Lowes for $5 a piece that are stainless steel and hold almost everytype of can in my pantry from small condensed soup to large Progresso and Campbell’s Chunky cans. They aren’t feed at the top and it comes out the bottom but they are gravity fed so the empty space is at the back. I emptied out my Lowes of all 7 and got my pantry organized the other day. Now I just need to pull out all my rubbermaid containers and add the extra food I bought that is still sitting in bags.
I have a 20 ft sea container on my property, bermed on all sides (except the entrance) with earth, painted to match the landscape, and covered with climbing vines.
I put in a reinforced door and an a/c unit, along with power and lighting.
All for around $2K
By “sea container” are you talking about a shipping container that they load on to trucks or trains??
My neighbor had one delivered with all his stuff to his lot when he started building his house. It’s still sitting along his fence and I don’t know if it has anything in it… I have the space I’d just need to rent something to dig the hole.
And I sing:
I’m SO happy! I’m SO happy!
As happy as happy can be!!
DW is in SE Virginia…living in the house we’re moving to at the end of this month (I’m still in lovely FresNo, packing). Yesterday, Sept. 1, she got a taste of tropical depression Ernesto. 12 inches of rain, all power out, no communications by phone, freezer full of food thawing out…
Well, she went out to her car yesterday afternoon, in the rain, and sat for 2 hours out there to charge up her cell phone. When she called me, to tell me just to “get my butt to Virginia”, she sorta mentioned that I was right all along: we need a generator. And stored food. And flashlights. And stored water. For at LEAST 2 weeks!!
Right now…I am LOVING life!!! :-)
Oh…the frozen food? She took it to future Sis-in-Law’s office, a Veterinarian Hospital, and put it all in THEIR freezer!! I can’t wait to hear what the Dr. says this afternoon when he opens THAT up, and sees all the frozen meat there! “HEY! Where’s the doberman that came in yesterday?!?”
I’m working on it----- When growing tomatoes, it is best to set the blossoms with a spray that they sell It makes a be difference that could have been your problem .
that is big difference
Bronco Bill - Now that I’ll have that song zinging in my head for the next day (or week, or month), I feel (I’m as happy as happy can be!!!) that I must reply to you. Yay! Preparedness has entered her consciousness and no longer will you have to plead your case! Congratulations! And thank god it didn’t take a disaster to cause this shift. I’m working on the generator issue here too. Hurricane season in New England…seems like necessity to me…Take care.
Bronco Bill at 16:48 - congrats on the DW conversion!! Now, if you can just convince her to stretch the 2 weeks into several months…..
Watching in Texas – at 18:02 --- That’s what night deliveries are for…whilst she’s asleep, the prep pile just seems to grow…”Honest, honey…we really did buy 12 years worth of TP in one trip to Wally World”
BirdGuano – at 14:45 I’m jealous!!
Love Texas – at 17:26 I’ll ask for some & certainly will use it!
And I second WIT’s comment: Bronco Bill at 16:48 - congrats on the DW conversion!!
bump
Well, my reorganization went really well. Didn’t take me as long as I thought it would but still have some cleaning to do. I found a new type of tub/bin that is working better than what I had before. The only thing is that they are a little over 8 bucks at wallyworld. I only have one thus far, but like it quite well. I figure that if I buy one with each major stocking trip then that should work.
I continue to add tried-and-true recipes to my eprep cookbook and the thing is now in excess of 160 pages in arial narrow 10pt font. They are fairly well organized and I’m even indexing them. At this rate though I’ll have to buy a new printer cartridge just to print the doggone thing out.
Tomorrow I plan another slash-and-burn on the clutter in the house. Its about time to go through the kids toys again and their clothes as well. I’d love to get at my hubby’s closet but that would be taking my life in my hands. <grin>
And I’m finding that I’m again going through some of my preps faster than expected … especially cleaning items. I’m estimating that I may need as much as triple what I originally estimated if I have to clean up from illnesses. I’ve stocked concentrated liquid Lysol disinfectant so that helps some … but laundry is going to be a pain in the backside.
I have some questions regarding fish antibiotics. :) I found some in capsule form, but how many would a human need to take for say- an ear infection? Also what other problems do doctors prescribe amoxicillin for?
Kathy, what bin did you find? We are a family of six in a house that is barely over 1000 sf and no outside storage so reorganization has been my big goal lately, too. (Explains the oatmeal in the coat closet, eh?) I’ve been moving stuff all over the house. I need to find someone to come help me build shelves in the front closet, though, to move canned goods in there ~ I know it should be simple enough but it’s nothing I’ve ever tried before. Time to learn a new skill!
One big focus this month is updating all of our documentation. I found out that US citizens can get up to 10 free Social Security cards in our lifetimes, so am heading over this week to request one ~ I have a form filled out for dh, too; must get him to stop by. I’m also getting copies of birth certificates for the youngest girls, for whom I just realized we had none.
I’ve also called and set up a chimney sweep for the beginning of Oct ~ would rather have done it this month but have to spread out the project $. Apparently the people who lived here before never had that done in almost a decade; it’s horrible.
I need to stop by the hardware store, too, and pick up a couple of those vent hoods for this winter to keep the heat from going through the rooftop. Too bad there wasn’t some way to bottle it all from the *27* days of 100+ temps we had in August and save it for Jan!
Kathy in FL – at 08:36
You should start a new business, Organization and Prepping Inc. “We slash and burn your excess and fill you closets with preps. This week’s bonus with membership: The Kathy Cookbook” :-)
We recently did a “clean sweep” on toys. Moved everthing on to tarps on the lawn and sorted and purged. It worked really well but man is that a lot of work.
For those with Dollar Tree stores and a penchant for Ramen, lol…I picked up several 12-packs of Ramen (only beef & chicken options) for a buck apiece this week. I usually feel like I’m doing good to find Ramen at 10/$1; this even beats that by a bit. They aren’t shrink-wrapped but are boxed per dzn. so they stack better in the closet.
lohrewok – at 09:20
Regarding fish antibiotics: standard disclaimer—taking fish antibiotics for infections can work, not work, or make the infection worse. You gotta know what you are about here.
With that in mind, get a copy of the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics and a good drug reference (i. e. Physician’s Desk Reference)and start reading. Make sure that your ABX collection includes cefelxin, amoxicillin, erithromycin and tetracycline. Pay attention to expiration dates; tetracycline can be deadly if taken too long after expiration. Other ABX lose potency.
I think there was a forum thread regarding fish abx some months ago that addressed a lot of these questions.
Petticoat Junction – at 09:37 They are rubbermaid but they look like those bins you see them use in the places like Walgreens and CVS for their stock. Its opaque/see-thru on the bottom then has blue handle clips. The lid is the kind that it is in 2 pieces and to close it, you overlap the two pieces. Not the greatest description in the world, I know … but they see sturdier than regular tub lids and they stack nicely when packed.
silversage – at 09:39
Hmmm. Let’s see if I can fit one more thing into my schedule … nope. <grin> I wouldn’t mind a business like that. It sure is easier to give advice than to take my own advice. LOL!
Set up a vermiculture bin — never thought I’d be happy to have worms!
Also picked up some aloes to plant in the front yard — well known as a burn salve, the gel is also great for daily skin care.
Pat in AZ – at 12:45
Keep us updated on the worm farm. Its something I’ve thought about and I even have a pretty good spot picked out … but I’m just not confident I would have the time to commit to it. What do you figure is the amount of time you spend on your farm?
Kathy in FL – at 12:28
I knew you were too busy, but you help the rest of us sooooo much. I think to my self, well Kathy’s not slowing down, we need to keep plugging away at all the big and little things that need doing. I keep making my honey a list and he keeps crossing stuff off while I keep up with the fluwikie :-)
Kathy, my “farm” is just a bin — a 73 qt. Rubbermaid bin from Walmart. I drilled drainage holes in the bottom and air holes in the top and put in wet strips of newspaper as bedding, then added some soil, manure, and worms. It needs a tray under it to catch any water that drains, and something to hold the bin up off the tray — wood or bricks. This size bin is supposed to be able to process 3 pounds per week of kitchen scraps.
I’m going to keep it inside the house except when the weather is moderate — it’s too hot in the summer and too cool in the winter to leave it outside. (Has to stay between 40 and 80 degrees F.)
I got the worms at our local garden center. They didn’t have worms to sell so just let me dig them out of their own beds — which means I probably got some “extra” critters, as well. I’m hoping this doesn’t create any problems. Actually I think the worms are the same as “redworms” that are used to catch trout, so that’s what I’ll try next if this bin doesn’t “work.”
I spent about six dollars in all — including the newspaper, which I don’t normally buy!
From what I understand, the only maintenance necessary is adding food (kitchen scraps) and making sure that the moisture stays right. Every six months or so you “harvest” the castings, which sounds like a process that will take only a few minutes of labor (separating the worms from the castings). The bin also might yield “tea” from the drainage, which will go straight into the garden.
I am doing this mainly because I don’t have enough material to have a compost pile, and also because I don’t believe in wasting anything that can be used. Up to now I have been doing what my grandmother in Oklahoma did with her kitchen waste — burying it in holes around the yard.
BB - I was literally posting to you last night when we LOST POWER AGAIN! We just can’t catch a break with the power lately. This time was just for 24 hours but it was very wide spread. Luckily I was up early and cleaned out the closest open grocery store of all their ice and delivered it to multiple neighbors and re-stuffed my fridge and freezer. But I felt the way you did the last time we lost it for 2 1/2 days and that was the ah-ha moment for dh. he sat out in his car on his crakcberry trying to do work. I felt good that I had finally convinced him of the importance of this vital piece of equipment.
Kathy in FL - I have a basement, but it’s full of utlitiy equipment and piles of stuff we need to get rid of. Seems the more space you have, the more you fill it.
So, once the kids are back in school this week, I am going to 1) research and buy a generator and 2) do a big prep re-org. We have to first clean the basement out of all the stuff we’ll probably never use and put up shelves. But right now my preps are all over and not easy to get to. As a result I’m not rotating as well as I should just because I can’t be bothered to look for stuff. It’s not that I’m worried someone will see them, but I just had no place to put much beyond what we usually use. It will feel good to get those two things done. But having htem all home all summer is like living in a black hole - kids conume all light, time and energy!
Kathy in FL – at 12:27
Thanks for the description of the bins; I think I know exactly which ones you mean. I like the idea of them being more sturdy/stackable. The budget is still too tight to accomodate anything but the most conservative preps (and the kids’ math books, lol) but it is getting better…hopefully quickly enough!
Actually, as I’m thinking about it, I may end up moving school supplies into those in the garage so that I can finish the prep take-over of the big school closet….hmmm….I’m picturing one filled with math games/manipulatives and one with….
re: Pat in AZ’s worms: I’ve looked into vermiculture quite a bit, too, over the years. I may finally have my avenue for getting a worm farm up & running at home. Our family is part of a small group of homeschoolers working with our local zoo to set up a homeschool/community green classroom, a grant-funded prototype program for the state. Part of it will include vermiculture and once it is established we will all have extra worms to bring home. The simplest things can make my day, lol.
Well, I had planned on doing some canning today, but don’t know if I will get to it after all.
Had a weird kind of “a-ha moment” in our house. Steve Irwin, the crocodile guy from Australia, died yesterday and we woke up to here about it here in FL. My middle daughter is a huge fan and she is just heart broken about it. The guy was only 44. But that led me to thinking about all of the other folks that could die in a pandemic. It kind of spreads out the trauma … heroic or trusted public figures and their deaths will make for some heavy social influencing. Especially if these are the kind of people that are heroes to our children.
I guess its a bit off-topic, but it got me to thinking about all that might influence my children’s state of minds during and after a pandemic.
Kathy in FL – at 12:27
I was at Sam’s this afternoon and they had those bins w/the 2-piece blue lids like you were describing. I think they were 12 gallon size. They had a 2-pack for $12.88.
My almost-10 and 11 yr old dd’s are very sad about Steve, too; I was having similar thoughts to yours this morning (and also thinking of all the moms who may be left to unexpectedly raise small children on their own).
Kathy and PJ — first, I’m so sorry that your children are being affected by Steve’s death. Has to be hard on the young ones who are seldom exposed to something like this happening to one of their heros.
Regarding the bins you found at Sam’s: since we also have limited space, 905 of all my preps are collected in those containers [used to hold office files] and also in new cardboard boxes of the same size, stacked in closets and in stand alone armoires that we used for off seasonal clothing and office supplies. We simply do not have room otherwise, especially for separate shelving. Of course this means that “shopping” from the various bins and boxes later will be harder since they are two to four high! Much easier to simply walk up to a set of shelves and take from whatever level you need.
905 is supposed to be 90%….but you probably figured that out already.
LauraB @ 21:52
…research and buy a generator…
Just remember that low price is not a good thing. (They ahev to cheapen it up by scrimping on something). Find one that is reliable to run for hundreds of hours straight with minimal maintenance. As a guide, instead of the word generator, use the phrase the machine that my family will utterly depend on in an emergency and which must not fail.
Every time you think of a generator, substitute that phrase. See if it doesn’t change the rank ordering of the features considered for the purchase. So, instead of going out to look for a generator, you are going out for a ….
yesterday was my birthday, so significant other or SO (LOLOLOL) took me shopping , and man was he in for a BIG surprise, I brought no food what so ever, just a new cabinet for a pantry in the computer room and it locks. YEA, NO one can get in it but me. I have so far unloaded seven boxes of FD foods into it and loads of cleaning stuff that I brought yesterday too. I feel so good about all this and when he saw all the stuff he was actually tickled that almost made me pass out. he didn’t know I was prepping. sorta doing it on the side and hiding stuff. don’t have to hide anymore and it’s a good thing cause I was running out of room. I got in a big order from Main and I had ordered some of the maple syrup sugar candy. I have always wanted to try that and liviing here in Missouri it’s only a dream , and now good thing my new cabinet locks cause i caught him with his fingers in a box pilfering. I took the key so he can’t mooch too much unless I say so. like some little kid. honestly.
oh yea one other thing I got and I’m so excited about. (man I gotta get a life) I actually found and bought a beautiful stainless steal percolateor coffee pot. like the ones mom and daddy had. that to me was a wonderful find. yup I gotta get a life someday. LOL
When you DO get that life Lady biker, along with the rest of us, please don’t let it change you one iota!
Pat in AZ — I’m trying to figure out, what’s the benefit of the worm farm? Is it mostly to reduce waste (you can feed them your kitchen scraps?) like in a compost pile? Or is it if you are a gardener, to have good compost? (Maybe both….)
LauraB — how old are your kids? You are one of the only people on fluwikie who writes about their kids they way I feel about mine — i do love them tremendously and am glad to be with them, but at least one of them DOES consume all light, enegery, time…. (-: I’ll be so glad when he’s off to preschool, even though it is only 2 hours a day. Psychologically it will give me much mroe bretahing room here at home… and time to can!
lady biker — funny, it was my birthday last week, and my mother in law sent me a nice check. My husband wanted to know what I would buy with it, and what I want is a big order of emergency supplies! He’s a bit disappointed, thinks birthday money shoudl be spent on frivilous stuff…
Pat in AZ…..that worm farm thingy……..well if things get too tough I remember years ago reading receipes for worms..they are pure protein…….hahahha…….lots of ketchup please……pttttttt diet time
Average Concerned Mom……yup that’s what I used my BD money for preps …….and a hot fudge sunday of course it don’t get much better. :)
Average Concerned Mom – at 21:44 About your birthday check - be sure to have fun. Buy desserts, pie filling, a “thing” you’ve wanted but felt you couldn’t justify spending money on. Holidays will happen, just like pandemics, so get special stuff for that and celebrate your birthday all over again when you use them. And get the usual necessary stuff. But be sure there’s something in that order for YOU.
ACM — Happy birthday! You’re right, the worms are to provide organic compost for the garden and to use kitchen scraps. I just can’t stand to throw anything away if it can be used. It’s a genetic condition.
I’m a little worried, though — it’s started to mold. Well, if it gets worse I’ll just bury the whole danged thing and try again.
lady biker — I think you just gave me nightmares. I am NOT Fear Factor material! Eeeewww!
I’ve been making buttermilk. It’s really easy. You put one part buttermilk and three or four parts milk in a quart jar, shake it up, and put it in a warm place for a day or two until it gets thick.
Average Concerned Mom – at 21:44
I’m trying to figure out, what’s the benefit of the worm farm?
Worms help improve soil aerateion, porosity, and permeability. If you can farm them, you can spread them! Worms improve soil fertility by stirring up minerals and nutrients. Plants grown in worm-rich soil do better. (Greater growth and output.) They love mulch/compost conditions!
AND… they make great fish bait!
The ‘mater plants are in a container, planted in Miracle Gro. I asked the guy at the garden place how to grow tomatoes and that’s what he told me to do and I did. If they die, it’s his fault.;)
Actually, the plants are doing well. I have them on the back patio where they get morning sun and afternoon shade to protect them from the Texas sun and heat(per the garden place guy). I’d swear they’re growing so fast that it’s noticeable.
Okay… just… WHAM! Went to bed last Monday night, woke up Tuesday morning feeling like I’d had a ton of concrete dumped on my chest. Out of nowhere… WHAM! All this stuff in my chest, and deep coughing. It has lasted a week. For the last two days it has just started in my head (nasal sinuses.) When I was finally able to make it out of bed, I discovered this stuff is overtaking my town. Everybody seems to have some “version” of it. It’s a nasty cold. Lesson learned: I could cared less about eating. I was thirsty beyond reason… drank 2 gallons of water in one day! (No fever, either.) I realise that those ORS kits need to be highly individualized. Like, no mixing or measuring… just able to drop a dose into a bottle of water. I layed in bed thinking about this… knowing when I ever made it up from the bed, I needed to make up single portions. Sorta like those koolaid and tea “single servings” you dump into water bottles. No way could I make up ORS with what I have had (a cold), let alone anything way worse (BF.) And housework… forget about it. Who cared. Thank goodness my husband and sons pitched in when they got home! But, I could have cared a less. Outside of some robot that cleans, I don’t have a clue on this. Also, nothing seemed to penetrate this “congestion.” That was very discouraging. What did offer some relief was menthol chest rubs and hot steam baths with eucalyptus oil. (Relaxing and vapor.)
THEN… our phone just went dead on Friday evening. My husband and son-in-law troubleshooted all weekend. Turned out to be a messed up connection at the junction box outside. *Get phone wire, etc. (We have cell phones so we weren’t totally w/o phones. However, we were without internet… and our “home phone.”)
THEN… one of my daughters had a child come home with headlice. None of the other children in her house, or any of the other g’kids, had it. All the same, she had to hang out pillows & comforters on my clothesline. There’s been discussion here about the importance of sanitizing with sun, air and wind. I am here to tell you… I have 300 feet of clothesline. It didn’t come near holding what was needed. And that was just for bed pillows and comforters. That could easily be a daily routine. Not to mention “other stuff” that needs to be hung out. And I know… put out, take in, put out, take in… but sheesh…
Enough: hope that cold is gone by now! If it comes to clothesline space (for drying- I don’t know about sanitizing) you can hang clothes on regular clotheshangers and then hang the hangers on the line.
Enough - hope you’re feeling better soon! Evidently the pukies are going around our town so I’ve been militant about the kids washing their hands lately. I’ll take just about anything over three kids puking in hte middle of the night.
ACM: you’re so funny. Mine are 10, 6 and 3. Two boys, one girl. All high energy, full of life, love them to pieces. But, enough family togetherness. I’ll be doing the happy dancec when the yellow bus comes down the road!
Eccles: thanks for your always wise words. I agree 100%. Especially since water is our main reason for getting one. I don’t often buy just based on prices, but kind of the whole value of the item - what am I getting for my money? Ironically my electrician is getting one as well and has already started doing research and offered to get me one at his cost if it is something his supplier carries. Turns out he’s a prepper too!
EnoughAlready – at 02:30 that’s scary! I’m used to sinus headaches & congestion & have had mild colds turn into sinus infections but I’ve never even had a mild flu — you can see how “excited” I’ll be to see a seriously deadly flu! The way you folks that have been sick in the last few months describe how you’ve felt just puts the fear of God in me about keeping germs away — I swear I’m turning into Mr Monk!
I thought about vermiculture too, but dh absolutly refused to have worms in the basement. ( we had a snake that took up residence in the washer, and tadpoles in the living room, I suppose that was enough) He’s great about other stuff, so I conceded. Ive been working with different types of composting piles. Ive had great success with one that is just a large Rubbermaid tub, with holes drilled for airation-This one was posted on the You grow girl website, but Ive seen them in other places-great for one person, limited space. Since we are a semi-vegi family with lots of room, I also have the three bin monster out in the big garden.
Garden is an absolute mess. We’ve (thankfully) had quite a bit of rain in the last week or so, and ragweed is at its hight, and so Ive just been running out, grabbing a few tomatos, and running back in. The weeds are awful. Winter project-lay down some sort of weed barrier on the perimeter of the garden. FIL swears by black plastic-but I hate the thought of all that plastic…..
Prep today is dehydrateing tomatos.
Enough allready- hope you are feeling better. I swear by the mentholated rub and the eucalyptis oil- I simmer the E-oil in potpouri burners in the winter time with some mint and tea tree oil. Ive really stocked up on the rub as well.
I am also beginning to feel like Mr. Monk.
Green Mom:
Tadpoles?
Don’t have time to read everything so maybe this is already on here somewhere… Some masks are on a 3 day special sale on Amazon. I just got some extra 3M N95′s.
Nemo, a list of your Bug out Bag would certainly be helpful. Thank you for offering, I am now taking you up on the offer…LOL, appreciate it!
EnoughAlready – at 02:30
Sorry you are feeling crudy. Yep, those “sick-y” experiences have led to some changes in how I prep. I’ve got single serving size ORS made up and I also have those “power ade” kinda things in those single servings do-hickies stockpiled. They aren’t cheap, but they’ll be worth it if we need it.
Even if we don’t get sick in the house, my husband sweats like a son of a gun and so does my 14 year old. As they will be the ones doing most of the “heavy labor” jobs I’m willing to foot the extra bill.
Pat in AZ – at 09:15 --- Yeah, you know. In the fish pond between the bookcase and TV set… ;-)
On that note, this thread needs to be closed for length and continued here