Practical Prepping Protocol even if Poor | |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/04/2021 02:19 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Reminder: Fuel and energy are used at every imaginable stage of food production. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 80017521 As we watch fuel and energy prices go up...food prices will rise as well. And ESPECIALLY paper products! - MC Also do remember that corn is used in the production of nearly everything - food and even many non-foods - so absence of good corn crops means absence of many, many products. An old Mexican saying...he who only plants corn, harvests only misery. Keyword: "only". - MC Well, for sure, but since most don't take the effort to read basic Permaculture they are all doomed to useless gardens because they seem to think it is 1870. If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 53276008 United States 03/04/2021 02:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I removed a couple posts - one for insulting the entire thread and another for repeating that post as well as arguing. Quoting: Pooka haha. I wonder if it was one I was going to argue with myself. For the record, at least in the USA: distilling alcohol is NOT 'illegal.' You just can't sell it without a license and tax stamp. That's not all bad: you wouldn't want to drink something that somebody ran through a car radiator to produce and purity for medicinal use cannot be legally certified out of somebody's home still - unless it's your own and you take the risk with eyes open. You can make at least 200 gallons of distilled liquor per year with no scutiny from the watchdogs. It's not as if anybody's going door to door to check how much you have: you only attract attention when you're trying to sell and make a profit. Just as we'd expect, the government couldn't care less what we make at home: (else kids' chemistry sets would be illegal too) they only care if we're making any money off of it and not giving them a cut. People buy grain alcohol to put in their heaters too - I think they're lots safer for use indoors than the kerosene ones. I wouldn't try to make alcohol for 'barter' but that's just because I'm paranoid and watching the behavior of humans over the last year of lockdowns and scarcities has made me more so. Distilling is a necessary domestic skill that every family should have so maybe teaching it is a better kind of barter anyway. Here's a page about countertop water distillers I'm looking at. Electric ones could run off a solar panel, a deep cycle battery and inverter. I've even used a car battery in a pinch; they just don't last as long with repeated charges. [link to watersafetylab.com (secure)] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 80109350 United States 03/04/2021 02:24 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | ... Quoting: Pooka Also do remember that corn is used in the production of nearly everything - food and even many non-foods - so absence of good corn crops means absence of many, many products. An old Mexican saying...he who only plants corn, harvests only misery. Keyword: "only". - MC Well, for sure, but since most don't take the effort to read basic Permaculture they are all doomed to useless gardens because they seem to think it is 1870. I didn't plant corn last year but I buried leaves as I turned the soil in the spring. WOW did I have great crops! It was amazing! Alot of work...but it was worth it. - MC |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/04/2021 02:32 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I removed a couple posts - one for insulting the entire thread and another for repeating that post as well as arguing. Quoting: Pooka haha. I wonder if it was one I was going to argue with myself. For the record, at least in the USA: distilling alcohol is NOT 'illegal.' You just can't sell it without a license and tax stamp. That's not all bad: you wouldn't want to drink something that somebody ran through a car radiator to produce and purity for medicinal use cannot be legally certified out of somebody's home still - unless it's your own and you take the risk with eyes open. You can make at least 200 gallons of distilled liquor per year with no scutiny from the watchdogs. It's not as if anybody's going door to door to check how much you have: you only attract attention when you're trying to sell and make a profit. Just as we'd expect, the government couldn't care less what we make at home: (else kids' chemistry sets would be illegal too) they only care if we're making any money off of it and not giving them a cut. People buy grain alcohol to put in their heaters too - I think they're lots safer for use indoors than the kerosene ones. I wouldn't try to make alcohol for 'barter' but that's just because I'm paranoid and watching the behavior of humans over the last year of lockdowns and scarcities has made me more so. Distilling is a necessary domestic skill that every family should have so maybe teaching it is a better kind of barter anyway. Here's a page about countertop water distillers I'm looking at. Electric ones could run off a solar panel, a deep cycle battery and inverter. I've even used a car battery in a pinch; they just don't last as long with repeated charges. [link to watersafetylab.com (secure)] When I was doing my study on tobacco, and grew a few varieties, I found out a neat thing. There is no limit in Canada as long as you don't sell it. I enquired because I found out the limit in the US which is 1/4 acre and that is monitored from what they said (15 years ago?). That is a decent barter crop to grow. If you can cure it correctly. Curing smoke is a skillset. One that may come in handy. If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 53276008 United States 03/04/2021 03:07 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | When I was doing my study on tobacco, and grew a few varieties, I found out a neat thing. There is no limit in Canada as long as you don't sell it. I enquired because I found out the limit in the US which is 1/4 acre and that is monitored from what they said (15 years ago?). That is a decent barter crop to grow. If you can cure it correctly. Curing smoke is a skillset. One that may come in handy. Quoting: Lance Roseman From BC Curing tobacco just takes so long to do that most people won't bother. It has to be fermented and turned like a compost pile, though of course, under more controlled and sterile conditions. You need a nice airy barn to do a batch right. I found links about it: [link to totalleafsupply.com (secure)] [link to dengarden.com (secure)] [link to www.coffinails.com (secure)] [link to www.instructables.com (secure)] The traditional corncob pipe has another purpose besides a convenient shape for pipe-making: it cools down that homegrown tobacco! I've mixed a little fresh cornsilk in with my bulk tobacco, when it was too harsh to smoke, to do the same thing. Producing corncob pipes for people's harsh homegrown tobacco might be a good barter but I'd never barter the cured tobacco: it takes too long to get a good product and you could lose it all at once if people know you have it. Would you barter homegrown pot? I mean even in a state where it's legal to grow? I'd never do it no matter how legal it is: it's one of those things that people get too fond of and 'crave' and might do about anything to get it. No pot, no tobacco, no liquor, no pain-relievers of any kind: all are guaranteed sellers at high prices and everybody knows it. I wouldn't even barter with a close relative who isn't at least 75 and more likely to know how to be discreet. |
egads!
User ID: 79231772 United States 03/04/2021 03:17 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hyperinflation coming whatever you can buy today will save you a fortune in the future All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 Remember it. A simple Save me Lord Jesus makes all the difference when you're facing the wrong side of eternity. 2/8 Fav Song: HIS NAME IS JESUS [link to youtu.be (secure)] |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/04/2021 03:35 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hyperinflation coming Quoting: egads! whatever you can buy today will save you a fortune in the future Great but what can you buy that you own? An often overlooked aspect of prepping. If you can't fix it, you don't own it. Remember that. If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
Pooka
(OP) User ID: 77912211 Switzerland 03/04/2021 05:10 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hyperinflation coming Quoting: egads! whatever you can buy today will save you a fortune in the future Painfully, exactly, true. Prayer is the most powerful force on earth. “I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” Abraham Lincoln I sign all karma given. Would that those giving it to me followed suit. |
Pooka
(OP) User ID: 77912211 Switzerland 03/04/2021 05:17 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Everyone please thank KTee for pinning us again - and please give her more green, which she richly deserves. Last Edited by Pooka on 03/04/2021 05:19 PM Prayer is the most powerful force on earth. “I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” Abraham Lincoln I sign all karma given. Would that those giving it to me followed suit. |
KTee
User ID: 79591723 United States 03/04/2021 05:31 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm soooo hoping people are going back to the beginning of this thread and taken needed heeds. Or.. just pinning it to your favorites to go back and read the posts at leisure. Keep the info related to what you need. This thread is chocked full of information that will be vital in the future. Thank you all for allowing me to pin this~ 5 *'s always. Much Love!~ Act, and you shall have dinner; wait, and you shall BE dinner. -Gowron, Klingon proverb, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/04/2021 05:54 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I'm soooo hoping people are going back to the beginning of this thread and taken needed heeds. Quoting: KTee Or.. just pinning it to your favorites to go back and read the posts at leisure. Keep the info related to what you need. This thread is chocked full of information that will be vital in the future. Thank you all for allowing me to pin this~ 5 *'s always. Much Love!~ Read it all, but remember to learn to outdesign the old, rather then suffering the scraps of the imposed new. We are smarter then that. If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
egads!
User ID: 79231772 United States 03/04/2021 09:50 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hyperinflation coming Quoting: egads! whatever you can buy today will save you a fortune in the future Great but what can you buy that you own? An often overlooked aspect of prepping. If you can't fix it, you don't own it. Remember that. was thinking more about shelf stable foodstuffs, water filters, clothing, practical stuff All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 Remember it. A simple Save me Lord Jesus makes all the difference when you're facing the wrong side of eternity. 2/8 Fav Song: HIS NAME IS JESUS [link to youtu.be (secure)] |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/04/2021 10:09 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hyperinflation coming Quoting: egads! whatever you can buy today will save you a fortune in the future Great but what can you buy that you own? An often overlooked aspect of prepping. If you can't fix it, you don't own it. Remember that. was thinking more about shelf stable foodstuffs, water filters, clothing, practical stuff Lighters and booze...lol here...Selco's stuff is all here I think? [link to www.theorganicprepper.com (secure)] He lived through a collapse of culture. The same collapse I helped sponsor people from. I think all the essays are here? Good to read and learn from. If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 80113196 United States 03/05/2021 04:13 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Welp...I done went and did it! I dug deep into my seed vault and found the 20 year old golden bantam (heirloom sweet corn). I pulled 20 seeds off of 3 ears and I planted them in 2 cups (10 seeds per cup). Now I'll get an idea of a "sprout rate"...I expect it to be zero. But if even half of them sprout...I'll be planting sweet corn this year I have no intention of transplanting these...it's only a test to see if the seed is viable or not (I suspect not...but I've been surprised before). - MC |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 79359878 United States 03/06/2021 06:34 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I just saw this on a TV show (homestead rescue). They were building little 3 poled teepees as fence posts and they took a torch and burned the bottom 12 inches of each pole (small tree). They said that would keep the pole from rotting where it contacts the ground. I had never heard of that before. - MC |
Lance Roseman From BC
User ID: 77547432 Canada 03/06/2021 06:35 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I just saw this on a TV show (homestead rescue). Quoting: Anonymous Coward 79359878 They were building little 3 poled teepees as fence posts and they took a torch and burned the bottom 12 inches of each pole (small tree). They said that would keep the pole from rotting where it contacts the ground. I had never heard of that before. - MC Creosote? Stops rot, kills ring worm too! If you are not busy weaving your own magick, you are trapped in anothers spell. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius |
Crunch62
User ID: 80039045 United States 03/06/2021 09:37 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Welp...I done went and did it! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 80113196 I dug deep into my seed vault and found the 20 year old golden bantam (heirloom sweet corn). I pulled 20 seeds off of 3 ears and I planted them in 2 cups (10 seeds per cup). Now I'll get an idea of a "sprout rate"...I expect it to be zero. But if even half of them sprout...I'll be planting sweet corn this year I have no intention of transplanting these...it's only a test to see if the seed is viable or not (I suspect not...but I've been surprised before). - MC I have been surprised by 'very old' seeds before, and they were even the cheap ones. I have also been disappointed by fresh, expensive seeds. I've been married so long, I don't even look both ways when I cross the street. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 77527770 United States 03/06/2021 09:52 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Time for a subject change, seems to me. Quoting: Pooka It's nearly spring, thank the good Lord, and that means time for starting seeds. I hope many now "get" how important growing your own food is, Top 20 Best Foods To Grow For Survival 1. Beans 2. Corn 3. Squash 4. Cabbage 5. Potatoes 6. Kale 7. Sweet Potatoes 8. Lentils 9. Onions 10. Tomatoes 11. Spinach 12. Peas 13. Beets 14. Carrots 15. Berries 16. Garlic 17. Peppers 18. Cucumbers 19. Melons 20. Herbs Lentils - The nondescript lentil is seriously underrated, and it genuinely shouldn’t be. Lentils are protein powerhouses, holding almost 18 grams of protein per serving. This legume is legitimately one of the world’s healthiest food sources, and you absolutely should add these to your survival gardening stash. Believed to be one of the oldest crops in cultivation, lentils are an all-time favorite for soups and stews. They’re glorious in curries, and I also like to add cooked lentils to salads. They absorb other flavors well, blending in and becoming a perfect pairing with nearly everything you want to use them in. They’re the perfect storage protein. [link to www.epicgardening.com (secure)] - MC |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 77527770 United States 03/06/2021 09:55 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Welp...I done went and did it! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 80113196 I dug deep into my seed vault and found the 20 year old golden bantam (heirloom sweet corn). I pulled 20 seeds off of 3 ears and I planted them in 2 cups (10 seeds per cup). Now I'll get an idea of a "sprout rate"...I expect it to be zero. But if even half of them sprout...I'll be planting sweet corn this year I have no intention of transplanting these...it's only a test to see if the seed is viable or not (I suspect not...but I've been surprised before). - MC I have been surprised by 'very old' seeds before, and they were even the cheap ones. I have also been disappointed by fresh, expensive seeds. Last year I tried 17 year old tomato seeds...now my 5 heirloom seed varieties are from 2020 instead of 2003 |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 77527770 United States 03/06/2021 09:57 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I just saw this on a TV show (homestead rescue). Quoting: Anonymous Coward 79359878 They were building little 3 poled teepees as fence posts and they took a torch and burned the bottom 12 inches of each pole (small tree). They said that would keep the pole from rotting where it contacts the ground. I had never heard of that before. - MC Creosote? Stops rot, kills ring worm too! Yup...I had no idea until today. And I thought I knew everything :) |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 79313458 United States 03/07/2021 01:07 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I have a garden 15 feet by 15 feet and I can get 100 ears of corn out of that little space...100 ears of corn will give me about 14,000 heirloom seeds. I could even barter somebody the seeds and tell them I want half the crop...it would cost them nothing up front. - MC |
darth
User ID: 28178764 United States 03/07/2021 02:09 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Ref germination rate, I was pleasantly surprised by everything from Park Seed. I got almost 100%. Very important this year. I know that folks like to save heirlooms, but fresh seed with a broader genetic base works best. I learned a LOT from Gardening When It Counts by Solomon. He was a seed grower for many years. That book is about gardening when SHTF as well as when you are simply poor. |
darth
User ID: 28178764 United States 03/07/2021 02:14 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | My current major project is putting in a supply of firewood to last for years. I have about 30 trees to fell in my pasture. I built a rack for cutting them up and it speeds the process. I also got a deal on a wood splitter. Best therapy ever! I enjoy hours of watching that big hydraulic ram split the toughest logs. However, I am learning also how much physical labor our forbears had to put into simply having wood to burn for cooking and heat. It's a lot of work even with a chainsaw and gasoline powered splitter! It would take me an hour or so daily of heavy labor with a hand saw and axe just to keep up. It would be worse in a cold climate. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 78227369 United States 03/07/2021 08:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | My current major project is putting in a supply of firewood to last for years. Quoting: darth I have about 30 trees to fell in my pasture. I built a rack for cutting them up and it speeds the process. I also got a deal on a wood splitter. Best therapy ever! I enjoy hours of watching that big hydraulic ram split the toughest logs. However, I am learning also how much physical labor our forbears had to put into simply having wood to burn for cooking and heat. It's a lot of work even with a chainsaw and gasoline powered splitter! It would take me an hour or so daily of heavy labor with a hand saw and axe just to keep up. It would be worse in a cold climate. Any means of using less wood? Like a rocket stove or more insulation in the house? |
darth
User ID: 28178764 United States 03/08/2021 12:01 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | My current major project is putting in a supply of firewood to last for years. Quoting: darth I have about 30 trees to fell in my pasture. I built a rack for cutting them up and it speeds the process. I also got a deal on a wood splitter. Best therapy ever! I enjoy hours of watching that big hydraulic ram split the toughest logs. However, I am learning also how much physical labor our forbears had to put into simply having wood to burn for cooking and heat. It's a lot of work even with a chainsaw and gasoline powered splitter! It would take me an hour or so daily of heavy labor with a hand saw and axe just to keep up. It would be worse in a cold climate. Any means of using less wood? Like a rocket stove or more insulation in the house? We are far enough South that cold weather is not normally a big problem. The problem is surviving the hot, humid Summers. As we have done upgrades to the house, we added insulation to the walls. The attic has plenty. Need to seal doors and windows better, though. We use most of our wood right now for The Queen's outdoor oven where she also cooks things like Dutch ovens of beans. We live a very basic life with a lot of beans, rice, tortillas, veggies from our garden, and eggs from our chickens. BTW, I tried "candling" some goose eggs in the incubator tonight. As far as I can tell, we are going to have a lot of baby geese in a month or so. I have found that geese are a low input type of livestock. Mine seem to live mostly on grass and mud. They also recycle the cow manure when fresh. They actually stand expectantly behind the cow to see when lunch will be served. I DO throw them some grain each day and they clean up any spilled grain feed that the cow misses. Hope that did not gross anyone out. BTW, full grown geese are not very vulnerable to the raccoons and possums that attack my chickens. As long as I can keep coyotes and dogs out, my geese are safe. |
darth
User ID: 28178764 United States 03/08/2021 08:35 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The Queen stopped him in time. I patched the hole. If I had it to do over again, I would try to get livestock-friendly dogs like Aussie Blue Heelers or somesuch. My German Shepherd killed a goat and our only sheep. The huskies got into the big pasture one night and killed ALL the rest of the goats. They are lovable, but murderous. Also, if SHTF, the food for big dogs is more of a problem. Perhaps I should switch to Jack Russel terriers? |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 79231772 United States 03/09/2021 01:38 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | SHTF and you will be happy to have big dogs. Little ones can only warn you, and typically will at every opportunity, even if there is nothing to be warned about. I'd never have a husky for a shtf, shepherd yah, any of the guarding dogs.. kangal, pyrenees, komondor, etc., but they have their own drawbacks in a non shtf environment. A g shepherd dog is a happy medium. You really need to grow a puppy with livestock for them to be safe for the livestock. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 79424920 United States 03/09/2021 01:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73936606 United States 03/09/2021 04:50 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | How about both? If you don't have a bucket of dry leaves handy, you still need something to wipe with. No matter what you do with it, paper is always worth saving. Even if you're building no fires with it, its value as insulation is not to be underestimated. 'Washing yourself' only works where you have plenty of water of spare, not always the case, as millions discovered recently when so much of the country got hit with a giant storm and deep freeze. Will you drink that water, without which you'll surely die, or will you wash your ass with it? |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 80039739 United States 03/10/2021 08:49 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | One of my huskies got into the front yard and immediately tore a hole in the fence to get at the geese. Quoting: darth The Queen stopped him in time. I patched the hole. If I had it to do over again, I would try to get livestock-friendly dogs like Aussie Blue Heelers or somesuch. My German Shepherd killed a goat and our only sheep. The huskies got into the big pasture one night and killed ALL the rest of the goats. They are lovable, but murderous. Also, if SHTF, the food for big dogs is more of a problem. Perhaps I should switch to Jack Russel terriers? I great working dog! He is a mix rott father and a border collie and aust shepherd mom he is a large/med dog 70 LBs with a small head. he can snach a quail out of the air and bring it to me un harmed, will catch escaped rabbits all day. The small animals love him. He is a great protector kills coyotes. |