VIDEO You Need 2 Years of Food – Martin Armstrong
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SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
That is exactly what I did back in the beginning after I had all the basics. It's not hard to sit down and find simple recipes using shelf stable food. I found enough tried and true recipes that we like to add up to 30 days worth. Then, I multiplied that out to 6 months, then to a year. My year's pantry is stocked with everything I need for one year to make all the recipes. No food fatigue, plus, lots of baked goods and sweets from the pantry, too. Add a few more recipes, along with the ingredients to make those, and you can stretch your storage food out as many years as you like. Rotate, rotate, and rotate.
Hfcomms
EN66iq
We were being served them in the early 80's before the MRE's were widely available. Our were made during the Vietnam War. Ham and lima beans.......
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Excellent idea.
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Border Collie Dad
Flat Earther
I've killed quite a few in my day.
Just in my area there's a lot of pressure.
Sure, lots of people go home empty-handed.
But, those of us who know a thing or three will kill deer if we need to.
My dad told abouit the 1930s that there were almost no deer left around here because of hunting pressure.
As far as small game, 50 years ago, it was nothing to bring home a half dozen rabbits.
Now, you could hunt all day and never see a rabbit ot any other small game.
West
Senior
I think that 2,4-D kills alot of small game. And make deer sick.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
There are still laws on the books, well in my area, that if a person kills another persons livestock, or horse, they can face prison time or worse be hanged for the offense.
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
yep!
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Great Thread and I'm glad to see this sort of thread here again.
Something to keep in mind (and I learned about this before Y2K) is that studies in refugee camps have shown that it isn't true that people will "Eat anything if they are starving."
While it can often be true for young, healthy people, the very young and the very old will frequently slowly starve to death if only presented with unfamiliar, challenging, or bad-tasting foods.
Since most of them are instead attached to our small children and elders, the Littles will be the Hope of the Future, and the frail elderly we can keep alive will be the Living Libraries, some saving everyone's lives because of what they can tell us, even if they can't do such and such anymore themselves.
For this reason, it is not a good idea to prep with the concept of "Well, if it gets that bad, I (or they) will just have to go up and eat it." As Summertyme and others have pointed out, even a moderately small step down from our modern world into having to grow our gardens and live with sporadic electricity (and non-replaceable machines) takes calories. Those pesky little things that modern people (especially women) have been taught all their lives are "The Enemy."
It is going to be difficult for many people to overcome. But depending on how things go, many folks will learn why the first wave of obesity in the US in the past century was not from processed foods. It was from people in the 1940s and 1950s who moved off the farms into a more sedentary lifestyle but still cooked and ate the same way they always had. I saw this myself in the Deep South in the early 1970s. I watched as habits gradually changed over time (and people got fatter because now they were eating commercially processed versions of Grandma's chicken fried steak and gravy).
The one other important point I have only seen mentioned once here so far is the food allergy (or sensitivity) issue. A lot of people get by just fine with food "sensitivities" (of the physical kind, basically a low-level allergic reaction) only to find out they are getting seriously ill (usually with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or sometimes headaches and sinus issues) when they have to eat something every single day for weeks. This is especially a problem with a sudden switch to nothing but whole grains (especially whole wheat) or beans.
There is nothing comical about an entire household squatting in the backyard (because the potties are already in use), withering in pain because few beans were eaten for a decade, and suddenly, they are eating them daily. And it can be life-threatening to have used some of the late 1980s/1990s All Wheat All the Time (with Beans and Rice) Prepper diets only to discover that Mom or Baby Sister has a REAL gluten intolerance. If you know beforehand, you can buy oats, groats, barley, maize corn, and rice.
Something to keep in mind (and I learned about this before Y2K) is that studies in refugee camps have shown that it isn't true that people will "Eat anything if they are starving."
While it can often be true for young, healthy people, the very young and the very old will frequently slowly starve to death if only presented with unfamiliar, challenging, or bad-tasting foods.
Since most of them are instead attached to our small children and elders, the Littles will be the Hope of the Future, and the frail elderly we can keep alive will be the Living Libraries, some saving everyone's lives because of what they can tell us, even if they can't do such and such anymore themselves.
For this reason, it is not a good idea to prep with the concept of "Well, if it gets that bad, I (or they) will just have to go up and eat it." As Summertyme and others have pointed out, even a moderately small step down from our modern world into having to grow our gardens and live with sporadic electricity (and non-replaceable machines) takes calories. Those pesky little things that modern people (especially women) have been taught all their lives are "The Enemy."
It is going to be difficult for many people to overcome. But depending on how things go, many folks will learn why the first wave of obesity in the US in the past century was not from processed foods. It was from people in the 1940s and 1950s who moved off the farms into a more sedentary lifestyle but still cooked and ate the same way they always had. I saw this myself in the Deep South in the early 1970s. I watched as habits gradually changed over time (and people got fatter because now they were eating commercially processed versions of Grandma's chicken fried steak and gravy).
The one other important point I have only seen mentioned once here so far is the food allergy (or sensitivity) issue. A lot of people get by just fine with food "sensitivities" (of the physical kind, basically a low-level allergic reaction) only to find out they are getting seriously ill (usually with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or sometimes headaches and sinus issues) when they have to eat something every single day for weeks. This is especially a problem with a sudden switch to nothing but whole grains (especially whole wheat) or beans.
There is nothing comical about an entire household squatting in the backyard (because the potties are already in use), withering in pain because few beans were eaten for a decade, and suddenly, they are eating them daily. And it can be life-threatening to have used some of the late 1980s/1990s All Wheat All the Time (with Beans and Rice) Prepper diets only to discover that Mom or Baby Sister has a REAL gluten intolerance. If you know beforehand, you can buy oats, groats, barley, maize corn, and rice.
inskanoot
Veteran Member
I always use manual can openers. I’ve had to toss several can openers lately. Someone gave me a Zyliss lock & lift can opener. It comes with a 5 year warranty.
I watched a YouTube vid several years back about opening cans by rotating them on stone. I tried it and it worked. I wonder if the materials or tech have changed, because some cans look different to me.
Here’s a vid for using sandpaper:
RT: 25 secs
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Reasonable Rascal
Veteran Member
No one seems to have mentioned Swiss Army knives and similar. Actually easier to work with than a P-38 having more leverage. The old Boy Scout knives and similar are even beefier and more durable.
You will want a medium sized model; the small ones don't have can openers on them. More blades does not mean better either, so stay away from the Champion and other 381 blade models. Put it on a lanyard and you will always have it with you.
RR
You will want a medium sized model; the small ones don't have can openers on them. More blades does not mean better either, so stay away from the Champion and other 381 blade models. Put it on a lanyard and you will always have it with you.
RR
The game will disappear fast with any kind of pressure (haha - opening morning the deer skedaddle to the hinterland swamps as soon as hunters hit the woods) but don't forget our finned friends either.
The creek running through this place not only hosts browns and brookies, but a lot more total biomass of suckers and chubs. The old Finlander bachelor farmers here used to smoke them and they were quite tasty. I'm sure the fish chowder wouldn't be half bad either. Easy to trap/net 'em, and suckers are pretty easy to catch on a hook and line. Anyway, don't discount rough fish, or any other kind if you have easy access. It's all fresh protein.
I'm still filling in bare spots. Just this morning, ordered a couple cases of #10's of dried carrots and apples while they were available for a good price. People can't live for long on rice and beans alone.
The creek running through this place not only hosts browns and brookies, but a lot more total biomass of suckers and chubs. The old Finlander bachelor farmers here used to smoke them and they were quite tasty. I'm sure the fish chowder wouldn't be half bad either. Easy to trap/net 'em, and suckers are pretty easy to catch on a hook and line. Anyway, don't discount rough fish, or any other kind if you have easy access. It's all fresh protein.
I'm still filling in bare spots. Just this morning, ordered a couple cases of #10's of dried carrots and apples while they were available for a good price. People can't live for long on rice and beans alone.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Where did you order from, and how do you store the remaining contents after you open the can?
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
and unlike MRE’s K rations and C rations are a diet eg you can given a level of menue fatigue eat them routinely Meals Rejected by Everyone instructions indicate 30 or so days OK not an extended diet (worse menue fatigue and constipation at minimum)
Food Storage | Store
These guys have always been my go-to for bare-bone basics. Better prices than anywhere, and only $3.00 (to MN anyway) for shipping. Don't let an "out of stock" scare you. Just put your items in your cart, and order when they are back. That's why I ordered this morning. What I wanted was all in stock. BTW - full cases only.
After a can is opened, put the plastic lid on and store in the kitchen. If your climate isn't super high humidity, it will store just fine for a month or two. I don't have a vacuum sealer, and don't plan on getting one, but if you have one, even better - though I still would use up within a few months.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
When I move to the woods in 2010 there were plenty of squirrels and a few years later there were hardly any. I have a cousin that boasted about killing a hundred in a day. I've told him several times the lack of squirrels is due to over hunting and he gives me some kind of crap saying its not true. haha And he's one of the ones that says he has all he needs in the woods. He's a good ole country boy but I think he will be in for a rude awakening, although maybe not he took two of the clot shots.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Food Storage | Store
store.churchofjesuschrist.org
These guys have always been my go-to for bare-bone basics. Better prices than anywhere, and only $3.00 (to MN anyway) for shipping. Don't let an "out of stock" scare you. Just put your items in your cart, and order when they are back. That's why I ordered this morning. What I wanted was all in stock. BTW - full cases only.
After a can is opened, put the plastic lid on and store in the kitchen. If your climate isn't super high humidity, it will store just fine for a month or two. I don't have a vacuum sealer, and don't plan on getting one, but if you have one, even better - though I still would use up within a few months.
Thanks! For some reason I thought they had stopped selling to the public.
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
I've ordered a lot from them through the years.Food Storage | Store
These guys have always been my go-to for bare-bone basics. Better prices than anywhere, and only $3.00 (to MN anyway) for shipping. Don't let an "out of stock" scare you. Just put your items in your cart, and order when they are back. That's why I ordered this morning. What I wanted was all in stock. BTW - full cases only.
After a can is opened, put the plastic lid on and store in the kitchen. If your climate isn't super high humidity, it will store just fine for a month or two. I don't have a vacuum sealer, and don't plan on getting one, but if you have one, even better - though I still would use up within a few months.
Seeker22
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Good God, why?! That knife is far too valuable to dull on a can. I've used Canadian P-38s for years. Larger than their American cousins.
Seeker22
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I got to wanting some ice cream. I grabbed a quart of cream from the freezer (use by date 2021) and a can of sweetened condensed milk (use by date 2019). I intended to make plain Vanilla, but fate intervened.
That can of condensed milk was almost caramel. A nice camel tan. I just made Vanilla Caramel ice cream. Delish! Just because a use by date passes, doesn't mean I toss it.
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Regarding the brilliant idea for P-38 & P-51 can openers, you want to be careful buying anything that's "Military Style" or "Replica". I've gotten some in the past that didn't last 3 cans. US Military, all the way methinks.
If anyone has sources for replicas that are actually reliable, let us know.
If anyone has sources for replicas that are actually reliable, let us know.
Mongo
Veteran Member
Sigh.
Reading all the comments here, some thoughts:
Many of you need to read my book - seriously. The things you either don't know or worse, think you know....
The amount of posts on P38 can openers and "rubbing on concrete - do not PLAN to improvise. Buy a few good quality manual can openers and be done with it.
Reading all the comments here, some thoughts:
Many of you need to read my book - seriously. The things you either don't know or worse, think you know....
The amount of posts on P38 can openers and "rubbing on concrete - do not PLAN to improvise. Buy a few good quality manual can openers and be done with it.
My mouth is literally watering...I'm trying to lose a few pounds and I'm hungry lol. That sounds good!
After going through countless "good" can openers that didn't last six months, I finally put in a little time doing research and reading reviews. I settled on this one...I resisted because I didn't like the style but I finally gave in and ordered it. Three years later, it still opens a can like it is brand new and I open a lot of cans. I've just been thinking I need to order another for backup. I still have a few of the crappy ones I could use in a pinch but I want another of these and pray the quality is still just as good.Sigh.
Reading all the comments here, some thoughts:
Many of you need to read my book - seriously. The things you either don't know or worse, think you know....
The amount of posts on P38 can openers and "rubbing on concrete - do not PLAN to improvise. Buy a few good quality manual can openers and be done with it.
bw
Fringe Ranger
That's the one I use. I have GI and church keys, including in the same kitchen drawer. But Oxo is the thing!
Wyominglarry
Veteran Member
I would trade my ham and lima beans to a guy who loved them. He gave me his canned fruit. I liked the fruit and cakes the best. A friend was in the AF and he said they ate steak, lobster, chicken, fresh eggs, milk, ice cream, the list was endless all the time. I lost weight he gained weight.We were being served them in the early 80's before the MRE's were widely available. Our were made during the Vietnam War. Ham and lima beans.......
Reasonable Rascal
Veteran Member
The crowd here is getting older and arthritis is a thing. Leverage is your friend.
RR
nomifyle
TB Fanatic
That was way back in the 60's. Although I've retired that knife for better ones, its still a good knife. I have several manual can openers in addition to the ones on my other knives.Good God, why?! That knife is far too valuable to dull on a can. I've used Canadian P-38s for years. Larger than their American cousins.
It's funny you should mention that. I was at a wedding last week, very informal and everyone there but the bride was over 60...she was 59.
One of the guests was ex AF and a few others were ex Army. AF guy swore they were never fed during a mission and that they were always sent in when another branch was in trouble, to rescue them. They'd finally get back to base and were fed a feast but they were usually half starved at that point.
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I considered that one but the Swing Away brand, my favorite in the past, doesn't stay sharp enough for me to last more than a year...at least the last four or five I owned. The ones before that were great.
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Sigh.
Reading all the comments here, some thoughts:
Many of you need to read my book - seriously. The things you either don't know or worse, think you know....
The amount of posts on P38 can openers and "rubbing on concrete - do not PLAN to improvise. Buy a few good quality manual can openers and be done with it.
Don't worry too much, Pastor. The P38/P51 thing is more like the backup to our backups.
Those long handled / manual can openers are nice for leverage, but a bit awkward on short cans...
Some years back I went on an eBay search for the original swing-a-way can openers...new but old ...the old ones and still on their original cards... the ones made in the USA before China got involved....they are great..was able to find and put back...a couple
Also went on the hunt for new old style potato peelers...that really work..
A backup egg slicer
Plus manual kitchen timers that work...
A really good meat tenderizer..
Things I grew up with..
Also went on the hunt for new old style potato peelers...that really work..
A backup egg slicer
Plus manual kitchen timers that work...
A really good meat tenderizer..
Things I grew up with..
A really good hint:
If you have a dehydrator....buy frozen veggies from the grocery store...any type you use and like
I have one with round trays...4 trays..it has a timer and a temperature adjustment...I put small canning jar over the center hole and dump one pound of the frozen veggies per tray..then remove the jar..I use 1 lb of the same type of veggies per tray...they dry the same....then vacuum seal them in canning jars.
they are already cut blanched so no prep work involved...and can often be gotten on sale....
four pounds of most will usually fill a quart canning jar..
If you open a number 10 can dump the remaining product in a glass canning jar and vacuum seal...it
If you have a dehydrator....buy frozen veggies from the grocery store...any type you use and like
I have one with round trays...4 trays..it has a timer and a temperature adjustment...I put small canning jar over the center hole and dump one pound of the frozen veggies per tray..then remove the jar..I use 1 lb of the same type of veggies per tray...they dry the same....then vacuum seal them in canning jars.
they are already cut blanched so no prep work involved...and can often be gotten on sale....
four pounds of most will usually fill a quart canning jar..
If you open a number 10 can dump the remaining product in a glass canning jar and vacuum seal...it
I sell a lot of that sort of thing in my antique booth and it gets snapped up pretty quickly by people who intend to use them. I have a picker who finds that type of thing for me and sells them to me by the lot but they are getting harder and harder to find. I always keep anything of interest to me or DIL...she's the only thirty something around with that kind of collection lol.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
We have several of the oxo good grips can openers, you need to keep them dry otherwise they’re prone to rusting.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
I forgot to mention the humidity issue is real and can drastically affect the life of some of your food prep items.
Ireland has high humidity almost all year, and in some wet "Summers," we have had mold on the kitchen furniture!
Some of the "lasts for 20 years" products from the US (like tomato powder) tend to fuse into unusable bricks after about three years. The other day I had to throw out several cans of pineapple (high acid) from the local supermarket. They were only a couple of years old, but one had rusted through (the one on top, of course) and leaked over the pull cans underneath it. I threw out everything; the lower cans might have been safe, but I wouldn't risk it.
Flour products (including unbleached white) can get clumpy and even mold occasionally in white buckets, though wheat grains and other grains for grinding seem to last about five to ten years. Considering they can last about 4,000 years in a dry climate, this is something to consider when buying 50-pound (25-kilo) bags of stuff to put away.
Finally, many home dehydrated products, even using an Excalibur and drying until brittle and hard, will soften and even mold after three to five years. It's still worth doing, but humidity limits the lifespan.
And yes, I know there are ways (especially easy to do in the US) to achieve better packaging but we lack the time and tools to do most of them. As will most people starting out on this journey or who don't have money to invest in the fancier storage options (beyond white buckets and glass jars). The idea isn't to scare people; it is to help them cope even on a low budget. Even a month to three months ahead is more than MOST people have and is a start.
Ireland has high humidity almost all year, and in some wet "Summers," we have had mold on the kitchen furniture!
Some of the "lasts for 20 years" products from the US (like tomato powder) tend to fuse into unusable bricks after about three years. The other day I had to throw out several cans of pineapple (high acid) from the local supermarket. They were only a couple of years old, but one had rusted through (the one on top, of course) and leaked over the pull cans underneath it. I threw out everything; the lower cans might have been safe, but I wouldn't risk it.
Flour products (including unbleached white) can get clumpy and even mold occasionally in white buckets, though wheat grains and other grains for grinding seem to last about five to ten years. Considering they can last about 4,000 years in a dry climate, this is something to consider when buying 50-pound (25-kilo) bags of stuff to put away.
Finally, many home dehydrated products, even using an Excalibur and drying until brittle and hard, will soften and even mold after three to five years. It's still worth doing, but humidity limits the lifespan.
And yes, I know there are ways (especially easy to do in the US) to achieve better packaging but we lack the time and tools to do most of them. As will most people starting out on this journey or who don't have money to invest in the fancier storage options (beyond white buckets and glass jars). The idea isn't to scare people; it is to help them cope even on a low budget. Even a month to three months ahead is more than MOST people have and is a start.
SquonkHunter
Geezer (ret.)
Same thing here in Central Texas. When I was a young kid back in the early '60s seeing a deer was something quite rare. They had been hunted to near extinction by then. By the late '70s they were seriously repopulating. By the '80s they were so numerous it was not uncommon to see large herds grazing in open pastures. Where I lived out east of Austin just a few years ago they were a damned nuisance and would buzz down my vegetable garden during the night! I would have blasted away at them but the neighbor's houses were a bit too close for my comfort. I know all too well from experience that if I had started blasting away I would never see another one around my place. The old joke was about deer everywhere and they all suddenly disappear on opening day.
There is a reason they have survived severe loss of habitat - extreme adaptability.
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My ex’s grandfather had an old ledger I’d flipped through called the Beef Bank used back in the day among a dozen local farm/ranch families before electricity.
Once a month it’d be somebody’s turn to contribute a cow to be butchered by all, useable meat weight then being credited/added to ledger account of who’d brought the cow that month. And, weight listed for how much meat each family then took home of that cow would be subtracted from same family account.
Was used pre and post civil war and up into 1940’s, some amazing practical history there.
Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane
Once a month it’d be somebody’s turn to contribute a cow to be butchered by all, useable meat weight then being credited/added to ledger account of who’d brought the cow that month. And, weight listed for how much meat each family then took home of that cow would be subtracted from same family account.
Was used pre and post civil war and up into 1940’s, some amazing practical history there.
Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane