We spend a lot of time stocking up our pantries with foods we know are shelf-stable and hold some appeal for us.  Some consideration needs to be made for long-term planning.  Your stock of spam and dried beans will only last so long.  It’s helpful to understand what wild edible plants and game are available in your immediate area, as well as the rest of the US - odds are if there’s any type of long-term emergency it will be all but impossible to leave the country.

For centuries, Native Americans flourished in the Americas.  Not only were they expert hunter-gatherers, but many of them established the first cultivation practices known to man.  Along with wild game such as deer, buffalo, elk, turkey and fish, Native Americans grew the “Three Sisters” - Corn, Beans and Squash.  These were indigenous plants that were easy to grow and were staple foods.  Berries and potatoes also rounded out their diet. 

I think it’s beneficial for all of us to understand the native practices of our areas and be ready to implement them if needed.  We also must be aware and knowledgeable of what native foods will do well in our areas.  For instance most squash varieties today are hybrids.  Native foods are more adapted to the climate and pests, so they’re a better choice when raising food is challenging. 

Another interesting point to keep in mind, there’s more to providing a well-balanced diet than planting some corn rows.  Dried corn is very hard to grind and if not prepared correctly doesn’t provide very adequate nutrition for humans.  However, corn soaked in an alkaline solution is easier to grind and makes proteins and nutrients from the kernel more available to our bodies.  Natives used to use plant ash which contains sodium carbonate to soak their corn.  The corn was then washed thoroughly and ground into masa flour which was either used wet immediately, or dried for future use.  Masa was far more nutritious than plain corn flour. 

There’s so much to learn from the history and practices of Native Americans - I’ll explore further in the coming days.

We’ve all heard of scurvy and know the disease that causes spotty skin, spongy gums, bleeding and death can be prevented by consuming Vitamin C regularly.  What do you do once your stockpile runs out?  If you live in a climate that supports citrus, your concern is mild - but what about those of us living in colder climates?

Native North Americans didn’t suffer from scurvy although their diet consisted largely of wild game and corn.  The reason is they regularly consumed pine tree bark and pine needle tea.  Pine nuts are not the only useful part of the pine.  Fresh green needles, steeped in boiling water for a few minutes make a tea that contains 8 times as much ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) as orange juice.  Pine is an astringent, antiseptic and expectorant.

Native Americans also consumed the soft, white inner bark found under the woody outer layer of bark on the tree.  It can be eaten raw, in slices or dried and ground up into a flour.

The more I learn about the benefits of pine trees, the more I realize how lucky we are here in North America where pine is plentiful in almost every climate zone.  Next time I feel a cold coming on I plan on trying a cup of pine tea.

If you have school aged children, they’ve already become little preppers.  They practice responding to various emergencies, including fires and earthquakes (here in earthquake country!).  I’m of the frame of mind that my kids should enjoy their childhood absent of as many threats as possible.  It’s my job to protect them, but there will be times when even your small children may be separated from you.  They should be ready for something as simple as being lost at the zoo, to knowing what to do if they’re lost outside somewhere.

Kids have great memories and will retain the things you teach them.  So many times I’ve seen a little child lost, only to stand there crying until someone notices them.  Tell your small ones what to do, so they won’t panic.  Kids are very intuitive - if you tell them to be wary of adults, but in certain situations they may need to ask for help, they can make good decisions.  Review your plan in the car on the way, it only takes a few minutes.  Of course the goal is to never let your children out of your sight.  Things happen and the worst thing you could do is say it won’t happen to me.

Think about the areas around your community that a child could wander off to.  Is there water nearby?  Would spending the night exposed cause hypothermia?  There’s no need to frighten your small kids, but just little bits of trivia can help them if they become lost.  Water and shelter are priorities so stick with that and also a plan of how to get help.  Is it better for them to stay put and let adults find them, or try to walk to find help?  Only you can determine this depending on your surroundings.  If you vacation a lot, review these things for the area you’re traveling to.  Knowledge is power and kids don’t need to be helpless.

Kids are strong and resilient - give them the knowledge they can use to help themselves if the situation arises.

What is the one thing you’d absolutely want to take with you?  I’ve always answered this question with two things - a book and lip balm.  I give myself two items since I plan on being prepared!  I’ve often thought of this since I started seriously prepping, and really I don’t think I’d change my choices.  I keep a book in my bug out bag, and I have shelves full at home.  I also have lip balm….but I was thinking about long-term storage and realized I hadn’t really put up a big supply of lotions and lip balms.  This is a small luxury that’s very easy to stock up, and inexpensive too.  I can make do with plain old petroleum jelly, which is very inexpensive.  This would be a wonderful barter item if the need arises.

Petroleum jelly is safe to use, people seldom have an allergy and it has a very long shelf life.  As I was thinking about this, I was wondering what we would do in a major collapse where our way of life changed.  Could we find a substitute around us for the convenience of buying lotions and lip balm?  Spreading animal fat on my lips holds little appeal, although I’m sure people did that for centuries when they didn’t have any choice. 

Fortunately in North America we have a ready supply of alternatives from nature.  All we need is the basic knowledge to know where to look.  Bees wax is a good choice, it can be melted and used as a lubricant and also for lighting.  I’m not sure I want to tangle with bees especially in an environment that lacked professional medical services.  Pine nuts are the most logical choice for most of us as pine trees exist in almost every region of the United States.  Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees and can be pressed to produce pine nut oil.  The pressing may pose some difficulty and you may want to consider a screw-type oil press for your retreat.  There are three main pines used in the US, Colorado Pinyon, Single-leaf Pinyon and Mexican Pinyon along with 8 other varieties that produce nuts large enough to press - it would be wise to check out which are native to your area.

Pine nuts taste great and are highly nutritious - they also have medicinal value in that they’ve shown some ability to lower bad cholesterol and also reduce damage from peptic ulcers or gastritis.  Pine nuts can also be roasted with chicory for those of you needing a daily dose of coffee-like beverages.

I find the idea of using a vegetable oil as a moisturizer far more appealing than smearing deer fat all over.  It can also be used as a healthy alternative in cooking and can be used to make mayo, and other food items requiring a fat component.  I suppose you could use pine oil for soap making too, if you could press enough.

Being prepared means more than just having the necessities of life.  It means having knowledge of how to continue our lives in a meaningful and enjoyable way.  I will be adding moisturizers to my prep lists and making sure I have planned for future sources.  No chapped lips around me!

First of all I want to apologize to all my loyal readers.  I’ve been very neglectful of this blog, and the only excuse I have is it’s been a bit of a rough few months for me.  Enough said, I’m sorry I left you all without new info for a few months.

Have you all been following the latest on the swine flu?  I’m happy to say we had it in my house, it was very mild and I was able to take Tamiflu and avoid it myself altogether.  I do have to say Tamiflu is great stuff and if you can somehow stockpile a quantity, do it.  I had two kids sick and started to get a sore throat, the first day I took it I definitely felt a surge of energy and then the sore throat went away completely and nothing ever developed.  Of course I was maintaining my daily ration of vitamin C also.  Fortunately my kids had very mild cases and were well within a week. 

One of the main symptoms for us was a hoarse cough that lasted about 2 weeks.  I sent them back to school after 7 days as they were fever free, but the cough lingered.  Cool mist humidifiers were the best relief and regular Dimetapp for the cough was sufficient.  Frankly, I’m glad they’ve had it so I don’t have to think about the vaccine. 

Thankfully at this point the pandemic seems mild, at least here in North America if you don’t have underlying medical issues.  We should all learn a valuable lesson and be stocked up on masks, alcohol gel and other necessities as there were shortages in the beginning.  It could have been much, much worse, or it could get worse.  As always it pays to be prepared.

Currently in our world, there are several emergency situations that could develop into disasters in the blink of an eye.  Pandemic, war and financial collapse are the headliners, along with the usual suspects of earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes.  It’s easy in the lazy days of Summer to forget our preparations and say we’ll get to it later.  Use this time wisely.  I’m just as guilty as the next person.  In the rush of end of school and getting the kids settled into their Summer routines, I’ve let my supplies dwindle too.  I keep telling myself I’ll get to it this weekend, but I inevitably find something else to occupy my time. 

I thought you could use some help too, especially if you’re new to prepping, or if you’d just like to be prepared for the coming Winter Flu Season.  Jobs are always easier with a bit of a challenge, so let’s start a new $20 a week stock up challenge.  I know times are bad for some people, and this can certainly be altered to $5 per week, or even less.  Commit to doing what you can, even if you can manage one extra item a week, you’ll be better prepared than the majority. 

Flu Pandemic Stock Up List

Acetaminophen

Adult Diapers

Anti-bacterial Wipes

Baby Wipes

Chamomile Tea

Chlorine Bleach

Cool Mist Humidifier (it’s better if you have more than one)

Extra Humidifier Filters

Expectorant Cough Syrup (this is the “Tussin” type)

Face Masks (whichever kind you decide to stock up on)

Hand Sanitizer

Heating Pad

Hydrogen Peroxide (disinfectant)

Ibuprofen

Isopropyl Alcohol (disinfectant and can be used to cool down patient)

Kleenex

Latex Gloves

Lip Balm

Listerine

Lubricating Eye Drops

Mucinex

Oscillococcinum

Disposable Shower Cap (can be worn multiple times)

Trash Bags

Vitamin C (stock up on chewable and powder also, sick people sometimes can’t swallow pills)

Don’t forget:

Food

Water

Household items you use regularly like laundry and dish soap

If you’re a regular, you know I only stock up food items my family will use.  Feel free to alter any of these items to fit your needs.  Hopefully this will help you be prepared for whatever awaits us this Fall.

Most of us who consider ourselves preppers like to think we’re at least somewhat ready for any disaster scenario.  So I had a rude awakening when my husband fell and broke his arm last week.  Thankfully we have adequate health insurance and we were able to rush to the ER and get him taken care of.  Now that the initial anxiety has passed, it’s made me contemplate what I would do if this accident had happened during a disaster or pandemic.  What if I couldn’t just rush him to the hospital and be assured he’d be taken care of in a relatively short amount of time?  What if we didn’t have orthopedic specialists available to reset the bone and make sure he’s healing correctly?  And, unfortunately I don’t have a real plan for this.  While I’m sure I have the confidence that I could make due with my own skills - a broken bone suddenly looks like a worst case scenario to me.

Most of us have had basic first-aid instruction, and if you haven’t that should be on your list to accomplish as soon as you’re able.  Some of you may be one step ahead of me and have the skills to reset a bone, or suture a cut.  I think for the vast majority of those urban women that feel the need to be prepared, aren’t ready to take a field medical course.  So - what’s a good alternative?

Be careful.  Be very, very careful.  During a survival situation, safety should become your number two priority, just under food and water.  Take precaution to do things slower and more meticulously than you usually would.  Don’t climb on the roof if you don’t absolutely need to.  Don’t fool around with a knife.  Keep toxic chemicals in sealed containers away from children.  Think about this constantly.  You have probably been in an accident situation where a split second determines if you receive an injury or not.  Usually we say “I can’t believe I did that”.  There may not be a second chance during an emergency scenario. 

Get to know your neighbors - one of mine is a physician’s assistant.  She can sew a cut and set a bone and has offered if we need it.  If you have a friend or relative that’s a healthcare provider, talk to them about your emergency plans and if they would want to join you.  Also, educate yourself in case you’re the only option.  It’s not enough to have a splint available if you don’t know how to use it.  If you’re very squemish about first-aid, decide if it would be better for you to join a group that includes a doctor or nurse, or even someone with a stronger stomach.

I’ve thought through this for my own family and am prepared to keep everyone as safe and free from injuries as I can.  If we’re on guard and aware, we can remain accident free.  I’ve also considered pain management.  I have a small supply of prescription pain-killers, but if we had a major injury I’d have to consider alternatives.  Suddenly an adequate supply of booze seems like a good idea.  I hadn’t really considered this since no one in my family is a drinker, but I can see the advantages to having a supply - and the good thing is you don’t really need to rotate as it gets better with age. 

With all the things to think about when preparing for a disaster, don’t forget safety awareness is an important aspect that you can’t afford to ignore.

I was reading a book about early settlers in Oregon (I’m always reading something like this) and I again noticed that they whitewashed their cellars and barns.  So, I was wondering why they did this all the time - was it just to make things look better, or perhaps it was used to control bugs, etc.  Thank goodness for the internet, otherwise I would know nothing…..

White wash, which is basically lime and water is a pretty effective antimicrobial.  They didn’t know much about microbes back then, but they did know that lime when mixed with water made an effective paint - most probably white washed because it “looked” cleaner.  In today’s world we have more convenient methods, but what happens when you realize you can’t run to the hardware store for paint and your disinfectants have run out?  White wash isn’t really recommended for in house use, but if you have a shed, cellar or barn where you’re keeping food stocks, or you want to do everything you can to keep your farm animals healthy, you might use white wash.

There are several ways to make white wash, the easiest being mixing pure slaked lime in water and use a regular paint brush to apply.  The mixture will go on pretty light, but then harden up after it cures.  With this method you’d have to have access to or a store of slaked lime.  You could slake your own limestone if you live near a natural limestone supply, which many in the US do.  Slaking limestone is as simple as mixing with boiling water and keep covered until the limestone breaks down into a paste.  You can then strain it and add additional water to make white wash.

In the days before commercial production of lime, most people used lye made from wood ashes.  This is a much more tedious method as you need to save enough ashes to make a bucket of lye, which can take a year.  However, this may be the only source of lye you have, so it’s worth considering. 

To make lye, boil the ashes from hardwood fires in soft water (this would be rain water) for about half an hour.  Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim off the liquid lye.  Save the liquid for soap making and use the sediment or potash to make lime by mixing the ash with water and an equal mixture of salt and water.  This combination will cause a chemical reaction that produces a result similar to natural lime. 

You can also use the leaching method to make lye.  Take any large wooden or steel container, cut holes in the bottom and put in a layer of pebbles.  Add two or three inches of straw or dried grass on top and then fill the barrel with ashes (leave some room at the top).  Tap everything down and leave a small depression on top of the ash.  Set the barrel about three feet off the ground allowing room underneath for a wooden or steel bucket.  Fill the depression in the top with water - as the water seeps through the ash, lye will begin to trickle into the bucket.  This is slow work, but be patient and only add more water once the depression is empty.  If the second or third runs seem weak, you may need to run them through the ash again.  This method requires more equipment, but can be left unattended.

Whitewashing is one of those skills that our grandparents didn’t pass on - so it’s important to be aware of the basics, knowing it’s a handy skill to have.

I was doing a little research this week about storing vinegar - which by the way stores indefinately - and found out how easy it is to make your own.  This is a handy skill to have, especially in a grid-down, long-term emergency situation.

Vinegar has been used for thousands of years as a food, cleaning product and medicinal treatment.  It can clean the grease off your car wheels and is safe enough to use with children and pets.  You can even use it as a teeth and mouth cleaner - just brush or rinse weekly.  Vinegar will kill mold and gives a boost to bleach’s power.  It’s also a green way to kill weeds and pests in your garden.

Vinegar made at home will not look like the clear vinegar you’re used to buying - unless you have the means to distill it.  Vinegar can be made from almost anything that contains sugar or starch and takes place through a fermentation process.  Here are the basics you’ll need to make your own:

• A container with a wide mouth, it should be glass, enamel or stainless steel, you could use wood, but glass works great.
• Cheescloth to cover the container.
• Fresh fruit juice, cider or you can use fruit scraps.
• Starter culture (you can use some of your unpasturized vinegar, or buy some Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar.
• A dark, warm place.

Pour about 1 quart of starter into the container.

Pour 1 quart of juice into the container.

Put the mix in a warm dark place.  Check it regularly until it’s as strong as you like.  For your first time you might want to buy a testing kit - vinegar should be at least 4% acidity, but it could be slightly higher.

Strain the vinegar through a coffee filter and bottle in an airtight container.  Let this sit for at least 6 months for best results, but it can be used immediately although the taste will be quite strong.  You can also pasturize your vinegar, which will allow you to store it indefinately. 

How to pasturize vinegar:

Heat the vinegar and pour into sterilized bottles or jars.  place in a hot water bath and heat until at least 140 degrees (do not exceed 160 degrees F).  Cool containers and store in a cool dark place.

Some of vinegar’s many uses:

Dab on insect bites to stop the itching

Soothe sunburn

Use as an antiseptic on cuts and scrapes

Use as an aftershave lotion

Eliminates bad breath and whitens teeth

Kills weeds and grass

Gets rid of rust on sigots and tools

Kills slugs

Removes lime buildup

Removes some carpet stains - test first!

Kills germs on door knobs and any nonpourous surface (except marble)

Whitens clothes and can remove some stains

Kills fleas on pets