From Flu Wiki 2

Forum: Flu Prep XVI

22 August 2006

Bronco Bill – at 16:10

Continued from here

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14


Carrey in VA – at 13:35

I dehydrate almost all my hamburger now. It is so nice to decide to make chili an hour before supper and not have to worry about thawing the burger and then frying it up. I just pack it into a jar and vacuum seal it keeping it on the pantry shelf. Its really nice.

I’ve dehydrated apples alot, but found that I will just eat and eat them till thier gone, so I stopped drying them LOL

I tried drying sausage like Ido the burger, it didn’t work well though. I guess the sausage just has too much fat, I could never get it all rinsed off.


Allquietonthewesternfront – at 14:12

Bird Guano, First off, I figured since this was the wrong place to talk about flu treatment since nothing else on this thread discusses it so sorry to others for hijack. Anyway, my pneumonia was viral, and in addition, I am deathly allergic to antibiotics. More to the point, since I was attempting to suggest a program to others, more to the point, bird flu is viral so that is the point here. I have to admit, I didn’t specifically focus on elderberry extract so I can’t tell how efficatious it was in my treatment but I have read a great deal about it on many flu boards (but not lately so maybe new info came out re: cytokine storms and sambucol) so I thought it was widely believed to help. I am certainly willing to adjust my treatment and obviously since I didn’t have bird flu, I can’t be certain what will work best. I studied it for months and put together my program. Any others know why elderberry was so talked up and now is thrown out? Does it conclusively cause the cytokine storm?

Kim – at 16:42

amak, I store everything (veggies, fruit, hamburger) I’ve dehydrated in glass jars which are kept in my pantry. You can use canning jars with canning lids, or just jars leftover from things such as pickles etc with the lids they came with. I’ve kept hamburger just fine this way for two years, and have some fruits and veggies which are pushing 5 years. I usually vacuum seal the jars with a Pump-N-Seal, so when I get into a jar to remove some of the contents it’s easy to re-vacuum them. Just keep dehydrated foods in a dark, cool spot (my pantry stays about 60–65 degrees F) and keep them dry. The darkness will help prevent color changes, cooler is always better when it comes to food storage, and if kept dry the dehydrated foods won’t support mold or bacterial growth. I use the Pump-N-Seal to draw as much air (and therefore moisture) from the jar as possible whenever I open one. You can order polyscreen tray inserts from Excalibur (you’ll have to cut them to fit your round trays) or use window screen cut to fit.

http://www.pump-n-seal.com/

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/cat7.htm

amak – at 16:57

So you just cook your hamburger (any % of fat work better or worse for this?) and then dheydrate it & then put it away in a glass jar in a dark space? It sounds so simple, but I hate food poisoning!!!

Dennis in Colorado – at 17:01

Allquietonthewesternfront – at 14:12 Any others know why elderberry was so talked up and now is thrown out? Does it conclusively cause the cytokine storm?

The effect of herbal remedies on the production of human inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines
“The Sambucol preparations increased the production of five cytokines (1.3–6.2 fold) compared to the control.”

You’ll have to decide for yourself if a 1.3–6.2 x increase in cytokine production is good or bad. Of course, you must take into account that the study was done with exposure to “normal” influenza viruses and not H5N1. There is no way to say if cytokine production would be increased or decreased when using elderberry extract after exposure to H5N1.

nsthesia – at 17:11

I was looking for some of those 5 year, USCG life raft approved food bars from the Red Cross (to put in my BOB) and ended up talking to one of the disaster planning guys.

It was kinda nice to speak to someone about disaster planning and not have them make snide comments to you. Anyway…I asked him about disaster planning classes and if anyone was teaching them in the community, focusing on hurricane and/or pandemic planning? And he said they quit giving them because no one attended. He said they would give the classes and only one or two people would show up.

I told him I would be glad to volunteer if needed. I think I’ll have to come up with a racy title to get attention. Something like:

EXTREME PREPAREDNESS: How to Have Safe Sex During a Panflu in the Middle of a Hurricane!

Refreshments would consist of survival bar appetizers.

What’s it gonna take to get people to pay attention???!!

Carrey in VA – at 17:21

amak – at 16:57 So you just cook your hamburger (any % of fat work better or worse for this?) and then dheydrate it & then put it away in a glass jar in a dark space? It sounds so simple, but I hate food poisoning!!! Carrey in VA

I buy the cheapest burger I can find. Which is usually 75% lean for about 1.39 a pound. I fry it just like I would for taco meat or chili. Then I rinse it REALLY well with boiling water. Getting off as much fat as possible. Then I just layer it on the dehydrating trays. I have found that if I put the fruit roll up try on the bottom rack and fill the other trays with burger it really saves on the clean up. The tray catches all the little bits that fall through the racks. When the burger is dry it’s like rocks. I let it cool on the racks and then package into canning jars and vacuum seal them. It works GREAT! and it really is simple.

Kim – at 17:36

amak, I brown hamburger (usually 80% lean, but leaner is better if you can get it on sale), then scoop it out of the frying pan with a slotted spoon. I put it on dehydrator racks lined with paper towels and dehydrate. Dump in jars, seal with Pump-N-Seal, and I’m done. (I have an Excalibur dehydrator which blows air from the back of the unit and across the trays, not one of those round dehydrators that blows air up from the bottom, so I’m not sure if this method would work in a round dehydrator.)

I used to fry the hamburger then put it in a colander over a big bowl and squish it down with paper towels to absorb any grease. That was alot of trouble, so I got lazy and skipped doing that. The hamburger is just as good and keeps just as long the way I do it now.

Carrey in VA, doesn’t it clog up your pipes with grease to rinse that hamburger with water?

MAinVAat 17:43

Adding to Carrey’s comments A 17:21. I have not yet gotten a dehydrator so have done this process in my regular oven. Probably adds to the electrical bill; however I do about 5 −7 lbs of hamberger at a time, which takes up tons of room! I do it exactly as described by Carry, put it into large jars with an Oxegen absorber. Works beautifully! When I reconstitute a cup or so of dried, I use beef bullion to kick up the flavor. So far I’ve used it in Mexican casserols, skillet stroganoff, and, if I’ve dried some ground sirloin in Kansas City steak soup.

To keep pecans longer, I also soak 2 lbs of nuts in water for 12 hrs and then dry the batch on two cookie sheets for another 10 hrs in the stove. This came from a health food recipe that my Drs wife shared with me, so I’ve used it for at least 3 years now. Don’t need to worry about the nuts turning because of the oil.

Bronco Bill – at 17:48

Carrey in VA, doesn’t it clog up your pipes with grease to rinse that hamburger with water?

Let the hottest water from your tap run for about 3–5 minutes after you’re done rinsing the meat. During the “wash-away” (that’s what I call it!), I squirt a little liquid dish soap into the drain…it keeps the grease from coagulating and sticking to the pipes….and it smells good, too! ;-)

Carrey in VA – at 17:54

Kim – at 17:36 and Bronco Bill – at 17:48

We have a septic system so I NEVER pour grease down the drain. I put the water and grease from rinsing the meat into a wash pan. Then the next morning I skim off the fat. Sometimes I freeze the fat into small portions for the dog in the winter time. Most of the time I just throw it away. Then I take the water outside and dump it. It is a pain, but well worth the trouble not to have to pump out the septic tank.

Green Mom – at 19:29

We’re having wierd food week here this week. I hate to throw out stuff-espicially food, but I’m cleaning out the pantry so this week I’m actually cooking all the odd cans and boxes of things in the pantry-like the low-carb pasta that I bought for my sister-in-laws visit, and the flavored coffee and tea from Christmas gift baskets and the instant flan mix that I bought for my daughters class when they were studying Spain but then she got sick and missed the Spanish dinner and the off brand chili that seemed like a good idea at the store but at home I’m not so sure. Anyway, I’m getting rid of all the stuff because if we do have to SIP things will be wierd enough. Surprisingly, they liked the Tabouli mix-I’ll stock up on that, but the “gourmet” brownie mix that came in a Christmas gift basket was dreadful.

amak – at 21:16

Oh, so if I don’t have a pump n seal, I can use oxygen absorbers instead? Great ideas - thanks! I like this pump n seal thing - I briefly looked at it - is it electric or hand pumped?

Any dehydrated ground turkey meat instead? We usually eat that instead of ground beef * was wondering how that turns out.

Calandriel – at 21:23

I’ve just discovered the miracle of dehydrated ground beef! It’s easy to do, easy to store, and once rehydrated, tastes practically as good as the fresh thing.

Q Has anyone tried to cook & dry ground turkey the same way you dehydrate ground beef with the same great results?

amak – at 21:39

I think tomorrow I am going to start small - apples. Any advice? Just slice and start my machine? Do you all treat them with something first?

Call me simple but I just can’t get over the whole dry the meat in a machine and it can sit on shelf with no refirgeration etc!!!! (Yea, you can tell prior to becoming a prepper I was not a gourmet cook!!!)

23 August 2006

2beans – at 07:31

Amak:

Add a tsp fresh lemon juice to a bowl (2cups?) of water and briefly dip your apple slices in it before placing them in the dehydrator. This isn’t essential but it does keep them from turning brown. I add a tiny dusting of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the sliced apples before I dehydrate. Makes great snack food.

2beans – at 07:39

Calling anon-22:

Any suggestions for home supplies to treat MSRP? I assume in the event of pandemic there will be a greater prevalence due to lower resistance and/or self-sufficiency-induced injuries to the skin. Is ordinary antibiotic cream the thing to use or something else AND is there any way for the average person to distinguish the condition from regular garden-variety infection?

2beans – at 07:41

correction:

Make that methicillin resistant staph - Not manufacturers suggested retailprice!

Kathy in FL – at 09:32

amak – at 21:39

You can dip apple and pear slices in jello powder (sweetened or sugar-free) and then dehydrate them for a “candy” like treat.

My mom leaves her’s rubber-y and it is a mess. I slice mine much thinner … think potato chip … and then dry them crisp.

To help with clean up, either dry them on cooking parchment or spray your racks with a little bit of non-stick spray.

Kathy in FL – at 09:41

2beans – at 07:39

For all skin breaks I treat them with triple antibiotic cream. I don’t care if this is a simple scrap of a single layer of skin or a slice that has required deep stitching (including my husband’s injury from a chain saw <shudder>).

That stuff really works, and on the smaller cuts and dings I’ve found that it actually helps prevent scarring. I have keloid scars (I can’t remember how to spell it) … the scar tissue is raised and “puffy” or actually quite dense and tough depending on the location on my body. Even a mosquito bite can cause me to scar. In addition, I tend to “try” and get infected easier … think it has something to do with a lower resistant level to that sort of thing … and the triple antibiotic cream really works.

Just my two cents … but that IS what the doctor told my husband to use to keep the infection down in his chain saw injury and what I had to use on my caesarean staples. It also helps keep the skin protected and prevents it from drying out while it heals.

Triple antibiotic is different from first aid cream … look specifically for the tube that says triple antibiotic.

AVanartsat 10:03

I always try to keep several tubes of the triple antibiotic cream around. I buy the generic stuff and it seems to work just as well as the more expensive name brand.

Jefiner – at 10:21

I have been dehydrating all kinds of meat: hamburger, cooked cubed chicken breast, pork loin, roast beef and jerkey. I have been storing it all in zip loc bags for the time being, but I plan on seal a mealing all of it this weekend. I have some silica gel and will make up some packets of the stuff (in triple thick paper towel) for any stray moisture absorption.

I am definitely moving towards dehydrating, because canned takes up so much pantry space and is heavy, besides. We will use what I have in place in rotation, but I don’t think I will expand on any more canned items.

Jefiner – at 10:23

Brave Soldier is an ointment which, while not cheap, works very very well. It has tea tree oil and lidocaine in it as well as the standard antibiotic ingredients; I have used it when I crashed my bike with lots of road rash—kept the areas from getting infected, and healed within a few days. Good stuff.

Kathy in FL – at 10:35

This afternoon I hope to be able to go out and get a few more holes filled back up in my prep pantry. I’m finding it is a lot easier to use some of the items than it is to keep them stocked up.

We eat a lot of rice and I keep getting into the stuff faster than I buy it. I also need to restock a lot of my paper goods … again, easier to just break into the supplies that make a special trip to the store to pick up more. My canned goods are going faster as well. I guess I could consider it part of the normal rotation schedule … but I’m doing more rotating out than rotating in. <grin>

And I’m going to try another road-trip prep test. Hubby is taking the family on a 4 day holiday for my birthday. It will be nice to get away for a few days and focus just on fun. That will be my prep for the weekend.

2beans – at 10:44

Kathy and Jefiner:

Thanks but the news I have seen is that newer antibiotics don’t work on MRSA. It requires some very old ones. I don’t know w/n the tripleA ointment works on it. I do use it all the time on other scrapes.

Jefiner – at 23:14

2beans – at 10:44 Thanks but the news I have seen is that newer antibiotics don’t work on MRSA.

IV vancomycin or a few other high end IV antibiotics (Zosyn) are the only meds to treat MRSA.

EnoughAlreadyat 23:35

Question about dehydrating meat: After putting it into a sealed container (like canning jar, or anything that is truly tightly sealed) why do we have to vacuum seal it? I am assuming there is something out there that is sucking the air out… this pump and vac deal? I have a seal a meal. But it doesn’t suck the air out. If I put dehydrated meat into a sealed container, it isn’t going to keep?

There is some discussion about MRSA on the New Rumors III thread.

24 August 2006

Kim – at 06:31

EnoughAlready, it’s not *necessary* to vacuum seal dehydrated stuff but for really long-term storage it’s a good idea. Dehydrated foods in storage have two enemies… moisture, which can be kept out simply with a tight-closing jar, and oxygen, which will eventually degrade all foods. If you’re planning to store deydrated foods long-term (years, not months) it will really help if you can either vacuum seal or add an oxygen absorber to the packaging. If you plan on using up the product within the next year then the oxygen exposure is not such a big deal, just try to keep the product in as small a container as it will fit into to reduce exposure to oxygen.

Dusty – at 07:25

Just bought 50 lbs of bread flour — is it bay leaves that helps prevent bug infestation?

2beans – at 07:38

Dusty at 7:25:

Yep - lots of’em. If you can do it, organize your flour into, say, 5lb. units and freeze each one for 48 hrs. This kils what you can’t see bugwise.

Dusty – at 08:25

2beans – at 07:38 Thanks! Would not have even thought of freezing first. Looks like I have a busy weekend ahead of me.

Green Mom – at 09:07

Dusty- I freeze grains-flour rice etc for 48 hours-or until I remember to take it out of the freezer! I usually repackage my grains either in jars or zip-bags-I just don’t trust store packaging, and put a bay leaf in each package. Look for bulk bay leaves at food-co-ops/health food stores waaaaaay much cheaper than those little spice jars at the grocery. I bought a pound of bay leaves a couple of years ago-that is a LOT of bay leaves I’m telling you! I also stuff bay leaves in the cracks around the door of the pantry and sprinkle them under shelves-and I don’t have any pantry pest problems-except for the two teens living in my house. If I could find a way to keep THEM out of the pantry….

I dehydrating zucchini today. Ive havn’t done ground beef, but I think I’ll give it a try. I still can some things, jam, beef in sauce, but more and more I’m using the dehydrater.

Prep today-dry the zucchini, drop off extra Pressure guage for re-calibrating at County Extention office. Also will pick up some info on orchards- we have a peach tree, an appricot, and several apple trees that are not doing as well as they should-they are young trees, but I suspect they need some pruning this winter. I’ll take son in for (hopefully) last dentist visit for a while.

Texas Rose – at 19:04

“IV vancomycin or a few other high end IV antibiotics (Zosyn) are the only meds to treat MRSA”

I am MRSA+ and have had a few rounds of Vancomycin, to which I am allergic but hey, when that’s all that works, one deals(with the help of pre-meds of Benadryl and Tylenol).

But the Vanc was given when the infections were systemic and my immune system was nonexistent. Since that time, my immune system is back and the outbreaks have been minor. For the ordinary, garden variety outbreaks on the skin, I’ve used regular OTC antibiotic creams and those work. I also clean the skin around the outbreak with either Betadine or Chlorhexidine before applying the antibiotic. If I deal with the outbreak right away, it doesn’t get bad enough that I have to have the IV Vanc(last time I had to do that was three years ago).

Disclaimer: This works for ME. I’m not saying nor am I advising that it would/could work for others.

EnoughAlreadyat 21:32

Kim – at 06:31

Even though I have put this stuff into canisters that have rubber seals, or jars with clamps and seals, or tins… very tight fitted lids… do you think I would still need to add the oxygen absorbers? If so, I am very glad you told me this because nothing I have read in any of the books I studied up on has said to do this. Even the manual that came with my dehydrater didn’t say to do this. I am very careful to get stuff really dehydrated! I want this for long term prep, not to use now… now I can go to the store! ;) Let me put it to you this way… if you didn’t have my attention I would have just blown this off as nonsense. But, some little bell is going off making me think there may be some credence to this exercise. Before I go investing in oxygen absorbers, I just want to make sure this is necessary. So, how do you know this?

I appreciate so much bringing this to the discussion table! And… we aren’t just talking meat anymore… are we? You’re talking “everything”??? Ugggh. I have a whole lot of stuff put up! Better to know the answer now than later.

Kathy in FL – at 21:57

Made a great find yesterday at wallyworld. Someone had mentioned that they had found lemon and lime flavoring in packets that could just be added to water. Then they couldn’t find them anymore.

Well, I found boxes of them at wallyworld. Bought the last two boxes of lime (40 packets each), and 2 or 3 boxes of lemon … I can’t remember now that I’ve put them away. <sigh>

We are going away for a 4 day weekend … probably the last “fun” weekend we will have before the more traditional holiday season. Its for my 4–0 so … <shrug> … I plan to enjoy it. When we get back I plan on some more extensive prepping. If nothing else I plan on doing a little early shopping for the holidays and making more plans.

Kim – at 21:57

EnoughAlready, hmmmm, well, how do I *know* this? Well, I’m no scientist, have no lab, and have run no tests so guess I can’t say I *know* this. I’m just going on common sense which tells me that exposure to oxygen degrades foods, and the fact that nearly all of the commercial packers of dehydrated foods either vacuum-pack or nitrogen-pack their products for extended shelf life.

BTW, the cheapest place I’ve found to get oxygen absorbers is Honeyville Grains. I think I paid about $4 for 100 there, plus about $4.95 shipping. You probably only need one O2 pkt per container so this shouldn’t break the bank.

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=309

InKyat 22:13

I’m buying a few jars of honey to put in my preps. It’s an effective antibacterial agent and disinfectant whether you are treating a cut, and infection, an ulcer, or bacterial diarrhea. See this 1999 article in Mother Earth News.

OKbirdwatcherat 22:19

Kathy in FL -

Happy B-Day to you!!! 4–0 isn’t so bad. I’ve been there, done that (a few years back;) Have a great time!

Average Concerned Mom – at 22:26

EnoughAlready — I’m just learning about dehydrating — but — what Kim said makes sense to me. I am guessing here than most people who dehydrate food are doing so for the short term — they have extra produce in fall, want to “put it up” for the winter and eat it in the spring or so — i.e. not trying to store it for longer than one year. So, probably no need for O2 absorbers. But, if you want to make the food store longer than that, the absorbers would be a good idea.

I just bought 15 pounds of hamburger on sale — dehydrated 5 pounds, cooked 5 pounds with equivalent amount of kidney beans and froze it, and plan to can 5 pounds as well. I must say, the dehyrdated experiment seems to have worked, but it doesn’t really look like food anymore. I’m going to try to rehydrate it and see if it is edible in the morning.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 22:29

Kathy, have a great trip, and when you come back, try those powdered additives for your drinks. I bought some (Fulfill I think it was called) and didnt’ like them. They have aspertaime as the sweetener but left a bitter aftertaste. I DID get offered some Crystal Light water bottle drink mix in the little individual servings and the CL was GREAT! Aspertaime again, but this time no aftertaste. So try some while you can still return it if you don’t like it.

EnoughAlready, you can check the LDS food storage websites or Nitr-Pak.com or beprepared.com for information on the oxy absorbs. If you REALLY want to store food for a long time, then you prep the food in the freezer, then let it sit out for a day so any moisture evaporates, then line a food grade bucket with a mylar liner, fill to nearly the top with food & the appropriate amount of oxy absorbs, seal with an iron (you can use a piece of wood to give you a ‘straight-edge’ to iron on so the seal is secure) & your food could stay fresh for up to 20 years if stored properly after sealing. There’s a chart on one of those sites (I think) that shows you how many oxy abs per gallon of food — I don’t remember how many. I just know that on some of the professionally sealed buckets that I have, the sides of the bucket actually ‘sucked in’ due to the amount of oxy absorbs inside!

You can sometimes find oxy abs on ebay, but the Honeyville price is a great one & they are dependable!

amak – at 22:43

I did my first dehydrating of apples today - I think they turned out okay. I put them in a seal a meal bag in the freezer? Overkill?

Question though - do fruits have to be stored in the freezer? How long would they lsat on a shelf? And if I do leave them in the freezer and I should lose electricity, how long would they be good when they thaw? Just looking for others personal experience. thanks!

Thinking of doing broccoli tomorrow.

Kim – at 22:55

Dehydrated foods do NOT have to be frozen. I am still eating apple rings that I dehydrated 3 years ago, keep them in a jar in my pantry… I LOVE them, way better than even fresh apples.

gharris – at 23:01

For folks without a dehydrator - check out your local bulk foods shop - they have all kinds of great dehydrated stuff at good prices:- potato slices, powdered dried potatoes, veg mix for soups, fruits (of course)- I was surprised at the extent of choices! It is also a good place to get different grains like quinoa, bulgar, barley etc in case we get tired of rice and couscous with our lentils/peas and beans!

amak – at 23:20

Kim - you just keep them in a jar that you open & close as you want stuff without anything special to the jar? I was nsacking a bit as I packed mine up today. :-)

I have some books ordered on dehydrating stuff & recipes ( not here yet) but my hope was to NOT have to freeze these things.

SaddleTrampat 23:42

All this talk about dehydrating has inspired me to give it a try. BUT ---- I am seriously mechanically challenged. If a thing doesnt poop and have hair, I cant communicate with it.

So which one do you guys recommend? It’s gotta be super simple. Inexpensive would be nice, too, but not required.

amak – at 23:49

Well, I was able to unpack the machine from the box and wash it and plug it in & woo hoo! And I didn’t burn the house down. So I think anyone can DO it. I just don’t know what to do with it after I dehydrate all the life out if it!! I really want to work up to the meat thing, but yeah, I’m scared too….

25 August 2006

SaddleTrampat 00:01

So what brand/make is the WooHoo?

Any other specific ones you guys have used successfully?

amak – at 00:09

Woo hoo was just the sound I made being so proud of myself that I accomplished that much! Honestly I had a coupon & gift certificate to a local housewares stores so that made my decision as to what I got… what they had in stock. I got the Nesco brand. It sucked the moisture out of the food so after my first attempt I’d say it worked. I don’t know where it ranks compared to others - I figured if I really get into it someday I’d upgrade. I have heard of the excalibur brand too.

LEG – at 01:40

has anyone tried a Pump’n’seal? Do the tabs stay sealed for a long time? Is it hard to use on bags?

Green Mom – at 01:55

I bought my dehydrater- a Magic chef at a thrift store for two bucks! I have noticed though that Big Lots had quite a few of them on sale. The packaging was promoting them as a way to make your own beef jerky-I think that was something of a food fad a couple of years ago. Kind of like deep fried turkeys. (which are really really good by the way)

I havn’t done any meat with mine. The instructions tell how to make the jerky but not anything else. Ive dehydrated all kinds of produce though and have been really happy with it. I’m also curious about the pump’n’seal.

Anon-today – at 02:56

A couple of people have mentioned buying drink powders to add to water. One caution. If you end up using iodine to purify your water, it is deactivated by citric acid. So if your powders have citric acid in them, make sure you wait the required amount of time for the iodine to work before you dump in your flavored powders.

EnoughAlreadyat 04:11

Kim – at 21:57

~~snicker~~ smartalec! I hate it when I’m wrong! Honestly, this makes good sense.

Average Concerned Mom – at 22:26

“it really doesn’t look like food anymore” ROFLOL!! Ya’ oughta see what dehydrated cantaloupe turns out to look like!!! I have dehydrated stuff for years, stuff like herbs… but not like I am doing now. There is a difference, IMHO, in short-term vs. long-term “storage” planning. (As I am discovering NOW.)

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 22:29

Prep the food in the freezer- You mean after dehydrating it? If so, am I doing this to cause any remaining moisture to form ice crystals? Which I am assuming then evaporate. I am not sure I am following you here… want to make sure I am on the right thought pattern!

SaddleTramp – at 23:42

Dehydrating is the easiest of all the homemade stuff. Biggest thing is to make sure it gets dehydrated. One reason I really like it is because I can put it on and leave it… w/o “babysitting” the stuff! And, holy smoke, it shrinks down like crazy! Really space saving. (But, now, I’ve got to go back and stick 0–2 absorbers in all those containers.) :0 I like the temperature control kind with a blower. I bought one at a thrift store that didn’t do that and didn’t like it. Then I bought another kind at a thrift store that did do all that and liked it enough to go buy another one like it at the store. Mine is an American Harvest by Nesco. Someday, I will probably upgrade to an excalibar.

Has anybody made tomato powder? I’ve been reading about it online. Sounds to me like it is nothing more than dehydrated tomato paste.

Somewhere on one of these threads I asked about dehydrating cheese. I did it. It is a flop. Did skim mozzarella. Top was “crisp” and bottom “greasy”.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 07:30

Ah oh…..I didn’t mean prep the food in the freezer for dehydrating…..SORRY! I was thinking about 2 things at the same time. Your flour & rice you put in the freezer before sealing it up with oxy abs, the food for dehydrating you just clean, dry, & then store with oxy abs.

I bought the Big Lots Ronco brand dehydrator for $30 & am using it — I DO see the drawbacks of this cheaper model…first, there are no trays for Jerky or fruit roll-ups so I went online to Ronco.com & ordered extra trays & the tray liners. It DOES smell up the house very strongly for hours until the stuff gets dry enough to not smell any more. Lots of people who dry things regularly think it’s worthless and I suppose in comparison it probably is, but it’s what I got so I’m using it. Ronco makes a bigger one that works 4 times as fast as the Big Lots one, but I don’t know if it’s any ‘better’.

I know that Kathy was referring people to the excalibar line — just google excalibar dehydrator should get you to that one — it’s square & apparently very good.

Green Mom – at 08:00

I think if we get through this winter-i.e. no flu, I’ll probably upgrade to a better model. Right now every extra penny is going into preps. I really like dehydrating stuff-its easy, and y’ll are right-you don’t have to babysit the thing!

Jefiner – at 09:45

I keep my dehydrator running outside or in the garage when I am dehydrating strong smelling stuff (like the killer jerkey). The machine gets hot enough to keep visitors away(like the occasional fly or unruly Labrador).

amak – at 09:58

Okay - so I am getting this straight in my head - you all DO NOT freeze after dehydrating (to store it?) So I can take these fruits and veggies, dehydrate, then dump into like a canning jar, throw in the 02 absorber & just put the lid on???

And I know this will sound stupid, but how do you know when to turn the dehydrator off? I thought the apples were pretty darn dry yesterday, but is there a rule of thumb to know when they are done? For apple s- completely crisp? A little flimsy still? Today I am doing broccoli - any hints???

Kim – at 10:58

amak, look at the “using your excalibur dehydrator” (middle) section here on the excalibur site, it will tell you to what degree of crispness (or pliability) various things should be dried to, as well as temperatures (only applies if your dehydrator has various temperature settings/thermostat) and approximate times (times will vary some depending on humidity, beginning moisture content of food, etc). Apples I dry until leathery, they’ll still bend but are pretty dry, kind of like beef jerky. Mmmmm, I could eat them til I explode :-) For broccolii, get it pretty dry, almost crunchy. Yes, just dehydrate, throw in jars, and you’re done. If you’ll be using it within a year or less, no real use for oxygen absorber or vacuum-packing. For storage over one year, I recommend either O2 absorber or vacuum packing.

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/gen1.htm

As for the Pump-N-Seal, I use mine alot. It isn’t too whippy on sealing bags (in my opinion), but for sealing jars it is WONDERFUL. Takes maybe 30 seconds or less to seal a jar. I’ve never had a problem with the seal failing or the tabs falling off. The thing looks like a little bicycle pump and is very easy to use. It does pull a better vacuum than the jar-sealer attachment for the Foodsaver (which I also have).

If you have a cheapie dehydrator and decide to get serious about dehydrating, or are looking to make a good investment, I suggest the Excalibur dehydrator. For “plug-n-play” it can’t be beat. I started out with one of those cheapie round dehydrators, and frankly, it was a pain in the rear. Seemed like things would burn and/or I always had to be shuffling the trays around to get things to dry evenly. The Excalibur eliminates all that… everything dries evenly, no tray shuffling, it has a timer that shuts it off at whatever time you set, and best of all it has a thermostat so you can properly dry things at different temperatures. Just my 2 cents.

EnoughAlready, yep, tomato powder is nothing more than dehydrated tomato paste. Once dehydrated, run it through the food processor or blender to powder it (see excalibur website). You can get those big #10 cans of tomato paste (Contadina brand, the best) at Sam’s Club about $3.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 11:02

Amak, you’re exactly right about the process —everything you dry should be shelf-stable, meaning you can just set it on a shelf without any further ‘treatment’, freezing or otherwise — nothing, nada!!!

As far as the time to dry things…..my machine came with a booklet that gave instructions for my machine & for Ronco’s larger one. The differences were significant, for instance in my smaller 5 tray one, peppers, onions, celery, etc. need to dry for 1–2 days until the peppers & celery are ‘brittle’ and the onions are ‘leathery’, while the bigger 10 tray with a fan would only need to run for 6–9 hours for the celery & 12 hours for the onion & pepper.

My manual says that broccoli should be steamed until tender — 3–5 minutes, then dried 1–2 days until brittle for my 5 tray ionic dryer (which basically is just a heater)

It says that apples should be dipped in pre-treatment solution (like lemon or pineapple juice or liquid fruit pectin to prevent discoloration) for 2 minutes, drained and then dried until ‘pliable’, 1–2 days for my 5 tray ionic dryer. It also says you can dip the apples in jello powder as a coating to make the snack sweeter when dry.

You might google ‘dehydrator drying table for fruits & vegetables’ and see what you come up with for additional charts.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 11:46

Oh I forgot, when you order the oxy abs and they arrive, they will be in one big bag most likely. You will need to get some jars ready BEFORE you cut open the bag, and then open the bag and hurridly spread out the oxy abs into small groups and place in jars and seal up tightly, otherwise they’ll loose their ‘oomph’ quickly. Then as you need to use a couple to put in with your dried foods, just open one of the jars, take out what you need and seal it back up.

amak – at 11:55

Thanks all! I will dig deeper in that excalibur site. My book that came with my machine I think said 4 - 10 hours for apples - which is why I didn’t know when the heck to stop!!

Hillbilly Bill – at 11:59

amak – at 11:55

I found when drying sliced Roma tomatoes that there was a great variety in individual drying times. I had to keep checking the pans and taking out the ones that were done and regrouping those that needed more time. For the tomatoes, it was a fine line between still wet and crispy as a potato chip.

BirdGuanoat 12:13

The definitive food storage FAQ by AT Hagan:

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/PFSFAQ/PFSFAQ-1.html

bird-dog – at 12:31

For a single person with limited finances and many months worth of canned beans, fruits, veggies and a few cans of dried fruits and veggies, etc. from Honeyville, I’m feeling that buying and using a dehydrator isn’t necessary. It sounds so great though! ;-)

Do you guys agree that it wouldn’t make sense to scrimp ‘n save for a dehydrator &/or a foodsaver? Thanks!

BirdGuano - Yup, I did read and then ‘saved’ Hagan’s report…it was so helpful.

Hillbilly Bill – at 12:34

bird-dog – at 12:31

I don’t have a dehydrator, I dried my tomatoes in my oven.

nopower – at 12:35

I finally got around to getting a sample of Wheatgrass juice from my neighbor who grows it, grinds it and sells it out of her home. It takes about a week from seeds to ready to juice and grows year round here in Florida. She sent me some emails detailing how much protein and vitamins it has but I haven’t read it yet. It tastes like grass at first but has kind of a sweet taste after that. You drink about 1–2 oz. and follow it with orange or another juice.

I’m hoping it could serve as a replacement for stocking lunch supplies and it could also help stretch out my other food preps.

She lent me a manual juicer (~$45) and gave me some fresh Wheatgrass to juice everyday. I’m going to try substituting it for my lunch and see how I do. If it works good I might look into storing seeds for her to grow for me if TSHTF.

DennisCat 12:38

you do not have to spend a bunch on a dehydrator. People dehydrated long before they had electricity- just cheese cloth and the sun. clean screening, a light bulb and a box with a vent will work.

And you can get plans for making your own see for example:

http://tinyurl.com/hr4de

I think I have seen plans for them in “mother earth news” - check it out at your library.

bird-dog – at 12:39

Hillbilly Bill --- Thanks…guess I *could* do that! <grin> I’ll have to chase the mice out first though…

bird-dog – at 12:58

DennisC — thanks, too! good site and M.E.N. and the Foxfire books (which I own from the 60′s and 70′s) should have lots of info.

I guess that I’m feeling lazy/overwhelmed and wondering if with all my canned and dried food already in my stash, if I need to take on another project. Maybe when I get these totes, etc. out of my way (can hardly move without bruising a shin) and into appropriate spaces, I’ll have more energy to have fun with dehydrating. Guess one person doesn’t need to prep as much as others…duh! :-)

Dennis in Colorado – at 13:00

nopower, I won’t discourage you from investigating wheatgrass juice … but I checked several websites promoting it and I normally shy away from anything described as something that will “purify and build the blood, and is an excellent all round detoxifier.” (http://www.ukjuicers.com/whatiswheatgrass.htm)

Ocean2 – at 13:03

nopower at 12:35- Wheat grass juice is just great! Very purifying; the chlorophyll that it contains is chemically similar to hemoglobin in human blood. Watch out, tho, some people can have a strong reaction to the juice (nausea). Sip it slowly. If you google it I’m sure you’ll find some good stories about it. When I lived in California years ago I used to take wheat grass enemas when I was losing weight. My gosh, what a natural high!!!

I hope you don’t mind my adding this post I wrote for the gardening thread, on sunflower sprouts – they’re easy and nutritious. Perhaps it’s something for the kids as a task.

One food I’ve always loved is sunflower sprouts. Who would ever think of it?!? They’re very easy to sprout and are ready to eat in a few days. Of course, the seeds themselves make very healthy eating. These sprouts are delicious!

I sort the seeds first; you’ll find a lot of yellow, broken or dark-coloured ones. Those go in the compost pit. The good ones go on a dinner plate with enough water to cover them, and a piece of paper towel over that. Generally, I use 20–25 seeds for a 3 inch pot. They’re pretty close together. After some hours, before they dry out, pop them in a small shallow plastic flower pot, with the pointy side of the seed down. Each seed has an almost translucent “bag” around it; when I make ‘em I gently squeeze the seed out of this bag; this way when the leaves come up the bag doesn’t stick the young leaves together. I always use good clean soil.

After 2–4 days, when the plants are about 3 inches high you can harvest them, stem and all. If the second pair of leaves start to appear the sprouts lose their fresh taste and become a little bitter. I eat half a pot each time, as salad. You can also sow them in bigger pots to feed more people; just keep in mind to use shallow pots or trays because these power house seeds grow very long roots, very fast. Every 4 days or so I start the process over. Try taking these beauties in a mixed salad to a potluck party sometime; people flip out when they see them!

I’ve also experimented with them in the winter on a cold window ledge. They grow much more slowly but if they don’t freeze they’ll come up eventually. I do re-use the soil, after taking out as much of the root system as I can. I set this soil aside so the roots compost back into the soil; this way you avoid the soil getting moldy. I have to recycle in this way; we live in a small appartment in the big city with little money.

I know that all sprouts are very nutritious and easy to grow; even the rinse water is very good to drink. Only the alfalfa seed water has a bitter taste, IMO. Try sprouting beans in a jar with a screen over the jar mouth. Any kind of eating beans are good; beans for planting sometimes are coated with anti-fungals. Soak the beans some hours in the jar, pour off the water (use for soups or drink it as is), give them a fresh bath a few times a day and eat before they start getting green (I mean, with leaves). Lentils and peas are especially delicious. One advantage of eating bean sprouts, besides their high nutrition value, is that they are easily digestible and they don’t give you the flaming pants syndrome!

BirdGuanoat 14:15

Ya, I’ll have to be REALLY starving to drink my lawn clippings.

Yuck.

Be careful with all sprouts and salmonilla. Rinse them in a diluted bleach solution first.

nopower – at 14:16

nopower at 12:35-

“When I lived in California years ago I used to take wheat grass enemas when I was losing weight. My gosh, what a natural high!!!”

That’s much more information than I needed, now I’m going to think about that tommorow morning when I go to drink a shot.

My neighbor grows all kinds of sprouts, sunflower being one of them. I’m not much of a salad eater so sprout salads aren’t going to be a regular for me but she sells them to people with all kinds of ailments (cancer, arthritis) and they seem to find a benefit from it I guess.

Dennis in Colorado – at 13:00:

I am skeptical too but I watched a program on Discovery about Baja and one of the championship drivers was in his kitchen talking about how he does a shot of wheatgrass everyday before he goes and worksout. I’m going to read the emails my neighbor sent me and see what they say.

Ocean2 – at 15:21

What goes in, must come out.

Wheat grass is not the same as lawn grass.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 16:16

bird-dog, if you have a good assortment of your canned dry foods, then you should be fine — prepping for 1 doesn’t take as much and buying a big dehydrator would be almost pointless, unless you just LOVE to make soups, and things like that. I would imagine that you’d be more inclined to open a can of wet food & eat — even eat out of the can if you wanted to, with little or no need for preparing the food to ‘look good’. The only thing you would really need to be aware of is getting tired of eating the same ole thing over and over, so just keep a good variety of things on hand!

bird-dog – at 16:34

I’m-workin’-on-it

Yup, that’s about my speed. And I love rice and grains so have many chutneys, soups, gravy’s, veggies so I’ll be doing well. I do make soups and bread but feel that I have a sufficient amout of Honeyville odds and ends to get me through. Thanks for the reassurance!

And I agree, sprouts will be a tasty crunchy fresh addition. Plus a full indoor herb garden if there’s enough warmth.

anonymous – at 18:50

Today’s prep purchase:
Three kerosene lanterns @ WalMart, $4.62 each.
One 5-gallon kerosene can @ WalMart, $6.93.
One 40 oz pump bottle of Germ-X (identifed on the receipt as “hand soap”), $4.86.

Now all I need to do is find a near-by convenient source for bulk kerosene. I once worked as a dispatcher/office assistant for a local fuel & lube distributor and I know they have a few thousand gallons there but they are all the way across town :(

Genoa – at 20:30

Kim,

Another question about the Pump-N-Seal. (I’m so glad you have one, as it looks like something I’d want to buy but then would be afraid it was just a gimmick. From your description, it sounds very useful.

Would this work for big gallon glass jars with screw on tops? I was thinking that it would be perfect for storing rice and beans if it would pull out the oxygen and create a seal---wouldn’t have to use the oxygen absorbers or mylar bags, etc.

Also, in another vein, I made a tuna sandwich for lunch today and I was thinking what a terrific item canned tuna is for prepping. The cans I opened today have a “best if used by” date of January 2010. Another plus, is that if you like tuna (even just moderately), you’d probably be more willing to open a can and eat it cold than many of the other canned items you might have on hand. Just a thought.

Oremus – at 21:41

That reminds me, I need to dehydrate a lot of celery for all the tuna salad in my plans.

Kim – at 21:46

Genoa, yes, the Pump-n-seal will work on any size jar. Only requirement is that it be airtight (ie, the lid must fit down tightly, so I don’t think plastic lids would work). On canning jar lids and most screw-on metal lids (from thing like pickle jars, etc) you’ll know when you’ve pulled a vacuum because the center of the lid will pop down… kind of like when a jar of canned goods has an indented top with no “give” to it.

26 August 2006

blackbird – at 00:27

A house in my neighborhood burned to the ground today. Needless to say, I’m re-thinking my bug-out bag (contents currently spread out on the floor instead of in the bag while I consider best arrangement of stuff). That won’t do much good in the 30 to 120 seconds time allowed to get out the door during a fire. Also thinking about the poor people who just lost everything in their house. Life goes along, but then when things change, they can change very quickly.

blackbird – at 00:28

Also, thanks for all the info on pump-n-seal. I ordered on last week but haven’t gotten it yet. Sounds like exactly what I wanted.

BirdGuanoat 01:03

Fire is very very bad.

Yes life can change RADICALLY in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately I know from experience. LOL

In a pandemic you probably can’t count on the fire department and better hope the water supply has pressure.

Otherwise, plan on being your OWN fire department.

anonymous – at 09:33

blackbird – at 00:27:

I’m currently rethinking mine too. Fire seems the only thing I would need a BOB for as I don’t plan to leave for PanFlu and I have enough time to pack for a hurricane evac. After a fire I would have the resources to get a motel room and eat at restraunts so it seems like clothes, personal hygiene would be the important things to have in a bag. I’ll throw some power bars and water in there too. I plan on having one in each car since they sit in the driveway and hopefully would survive.

The other very important thing to have in there would be copies of important documents for when my cheapie firesafe burns into the foundation.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 10:26

anonymous, maybe I misunderstood what you were saying, but your comment about after a fire, having the resources to get a motel room, etc, made me want to mention that lots of times fires start during the night — most people don’t sleep with their wallets nearby where they would keep cash, or ATM cards & credit cards, which you need for motel rooms, car rentals, etc., and they don’t think of ‘saving’ it during a fire if they have family & pets to worry about getting out first! Same with duplicate checks for the checking account.

So be sure to keep some cash & an extra credit card in your BOB!

nopower – at 11:16

That anonymous at 9:33 was me, using a different computer today…

Yeah, I planned on having a small amount of cash and a credit card in the BOB in the car. I just have to figure out how to keep an extra car key outside so I can get to the BOB when the car keys are inside with the fire.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 11:46

When you figure that one out let ME know too…..I’ll be busy watching our firesafe melting into the foundation just like yours…..and I never can remember the combination anyway…..I need to write that down on my emergency sheet & put the key on top of the BOB.

Jefiner – at 12:21

Yesterday, I found a nifty Swissgear rechargeable flourescent camping lantern at Walmart—well designed and throws a decent amount of light! I will probably pick up one more.

Kim, thanks for the info on the Excalibur dehydrator. I started out with a Nesco, and it works ok, but as I have been dehydrating larger and larger amounts, it has been running full steam, and does not seem to work as well. Thinking about an Excalibur, and saving the Nesco for putting together my “emergency handout stuff”.

By the way, this really has become a way of life for me, not just a knee jerk reaction to the flu. Now that we have a system (sort of !) DH and I are more comfortable knowing we have resources, and by rotating—whether it is food, water or gas—we could most likely weather a disaster. Except the house burning down with all our preps; but I am working on a contingency for that, too.

cactus az – at 13:01

My local Frys had a closeout on baby wipes. $1 a pack. Bought the entire bunch they had left.Cashier said,”Wow, that`s a bunch!”

I told her that I had lots of g-kids. Which I do, but didn`t tell her that the youngest is 8. :-)

Average Concerned Mom – at 13:40

Just wanted to report back for anyone looking into dehydrating — I dried a few pounds of hamburger meat a few days ago, and the result was very unappetizing. So I put it in a ziplok bag and thought about it a while.

This afternoon for lunch, I cooked some ramen noodles, and added to the hot water a few dehydrated veggies I’ve been working on, plus a spoonful of the burger. It was great! It tasted just like hamburger meat is supposed to taste (maybe a bit dry because I had drained all the fat) But now I see why people do this. I will definitely continue.

I got a cheapie circular dehydrator at the thrift store for $6 and I can tell it isn’t the best, but it is good enough for now. I bought up 15 bags of grean peas, corn and carrots at the grocery store today because they were all on sale; I’m going to slowly dehydrate them to have to add as ramen noodle toppings.

new name – at 13:55

All this talk about dehydrating as me wanting one. My DH is a meat and potaotes guy. So dehydrating hamburger and potatos would be great. He really like Hamburger Stew which is just hamburger,potatos,onions and green beans. But, I have a question… will the hamburger and potatos really taste the same as fresh made or will they taste ‘funny’? Thanks for all comments.

MAinVAat 14:15

new name, I can’t speak to the potatoe question; however the dehydrated hamburger has always worked well for me. To make certain that it has a good flavor, I reconstitute it in beef boullion or concentrated beef broth for a few minutes BEFORE adding it to a recipe. For long term, I’ve bought the jars of concentrated beef soup base at Sam’s and will use that when I run out of canned boullion or broth. Perhaps you could get some canned sliced or whole new potatoes to add to the hamburger for your husband’s stew?

DennisCat 14:39

If you have dried beef (I fry, dry in oven, then freeze), the Honeyville veg combo with some beef boullion from powder makes a nice beef stew or soup. (I like it with just a dash of allspice) It tastes a little different but it is good.

blackbird – at 17:22

Jefiner – at 12:21

Except the house burning down with all our preps; but I am working on a contingency for that, too.

(Hope the formatting above worked. It’s supposed to be italics.) Based on yesterday’s whole house bbq, I’d be interested in what you come up with, Jefiner.

Today’s prep here is a semi-broken refrigerator that’s causing activation of our “dealing with unreliable refrigeration in the summertime” contingency planning. Coolers, ice (“Where do they sell ice? Must be near the freezer section”), minimizing leftovers, and basically renegotiating the usual routine. Very instructive excercise so far. The 5 day cooler is coming in handy for longer-term storage, and a smaller styrofoam cooler (insulated with blankets) is providing cooling for items we use during the day.

Prepping Gal – at 20:42

I had a solar type shower setup (its white not black) which was really meant for indoor use. Anyway got a black solar shower and thought what will I use other one for; I know I’ll hang it over the kitchen sink to rinse my dishes; I remember camping always having to refill rinse basin so this could probably do a better job.

27 August 2006

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…)

Closed and Continued - Bronco Bill – at 17:50

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