PREPPER: In The Aftermath Of a Disaster, Do You Really Want To Be Dependent on FEMA To Feed Your Family?
If you have sought out this Wiki page, you probably
already have some reasons in mind to embark on a food storage program,
but if you are still on the fence about acting on your concerns, here are some questions to consider:
- In the event of a local natural disaster, such as a severe winter storm, hurricane, or earthquake, do you really want to be part of the chaotic rush of people flooding your local grocery store and fighting over the last box of mac-n-cheese?
- In the aftermath of a local natural disaster, do you really want to be dependent on FEMA to feed your family?
- What if you are forced to shelter-in-place because of a viral outbreak or chemical contamination in your area? Would you have enough food in your home to stay there for an extended period, or would you be forced to expose your family to the threat to obtain food?
- What if an economic or credit crisis shutdown the banking system (and all commercial trade and food transportation systems) for an extended period? Are you confident that you would be able to find someone willing trade their food for your dollars (or silver and gold coins)?
- What if you lost your employment and/or income for several months — could you still feed your family during this period?
- What if food prices soared for any reason, be it a major drought, a geopolitical event, an energy crisis, or just old-fashioned Wall Street profiteering. Would you be able to cope?
All of these are legitimate concerns for
any conscientious person, but there is one other reason to embark on a
food storage program that has nothing to do with any “doom or gloom”
scenario: It can save you a significant amount of money over the long term.
How much money you save depends on which approach to home food storage
that you take, but before we delve into that, let’s take a detailed look
at the three different types of food products used in home food
storage.
The Three Primary Types of Food Storage Products
Most home food storage plans use a
combination of foods that have been preserved in one of three ways: by
canning, by dehydration, or with the use of a retort oven. Below you
will find a description of each of these preservation methods, as well
as the pros and cons for each.
Canned Goods
Description: These products need
no introduction as they are firmly established within our modern daily
life. These goods are often criticized because the canning process
destroys many of the micronutrients in the food, but the truth is that
significant nutrient loss occurs with many of the other commercial
preservation methods as well.
Pros:
- Good Selection & Availability: Many types of fruits, vegetables, and meat are available as canned goods, and can be easily obtained at your local grocery store.
- Price: Canned goods are generally much cheaper than other types of preserved food, and sometimes are cheaper than their fresh counterparts.
- Easily Traded: During a worst case scenario, canned goods can be easily traded for other goods, and because nearly everyone is familiar with them, they may even serve as a default currency in some situations.
- Shelf life: Research studies have shown that canned goods have a shelf life from two to seven years, depending on the food that is canned.
- Ease of Preparation: Canned goods can be eaten right out of the can, either cold or heated, and don’t need extra water for cooking.
Cons:
- Heavy & Bulky: Because of their liquid content, canned goods are heavier and bulkier when compared to other products, such as dehydrated and retort foods.
Notes:
- Nutrient Retention: Though there is significant nutrient loss during the canning process, canned goods retain their nutrients well during storage. A study at Bringham Young University showed that canned goods only suffered a 10-30% loss in micronutrients (vitamins), and no significant loss of their macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) over time.
- Quality: While their quality might not be great as compared to fresh foods, most people are at least familiar with consuming these goods.
Dehydrated Foods
Description: Another common commercial preservation
method involves drastically reducing the moisture content in foods to
create an unfavorable environment for spoilage. Dehydrated foods can be
either air-dried or freeze-dried. The air-drying process exposes the
food to air heated to 140-400°F to dry it out, while the freeze-drying
process first flash-freezes (at -50°F) the food and then utilizes a
special process to remove the water crystals from the food. Air-dried
foods shrink significantly during their processing, becoming brittle and
hard, while freeze-dried foods are typically spongy in texture.
Pros:
- Reduction In Weight: Both dehydration methods can reduce the weight of fruits and vegetables by 80-90%, and meats by 30% (as compared to their fresh equivalents).
- Space Saving: Air-dried foods are often marketed as taking only one-fifth the space as canned goods, but this assumes that you don’t have to store the water needed to rehydrate them.
- Shelf Life: At best, dehydrated foods remain viable (edible) for about twice as long as their equivalent canned goods, though many companies selling these products claim much longer shelf lives for their products.
Cons:
- Price: When compared to canned goods, expect to pay two to three times more for air-dried foods, and four to five times more for freeze-dried foods.
Notes:
- Nutrient Retention: Dehydrated foods are often marketed as being superior to canned goods in retaining nutrition, but this is not really true in the most practical sense. When you take into account the nutrient losses associated with blanching, drying, storage, and preparation, the total amount of nutrient degradation in dehydrated foods is about equal to that of canned goods.
- Preparation: These foods need to be rehydrated in to be consumed. As a rule of thumb, one pound of dehydrated vegetables or fruits needs 1 gallon of water for rehydration, while a pound of meat or eggs need about one-third of a gallon. Air-dried foods can be soaked in cold water for several hours, or cooked in boiling water for 20-25 minutes to prepare them for consumption. Freeze-dried foods can be prepared in about 15 minutes by simply pouring boiling water over them.
- Quality: Most people equate rehydrated air-dried foods with the taste and texture of ordinarily cooked foods. Freeze-dried foods have an almost fresh-like texture, but are usually considered to have less taste than air-dried foods.
Retort Foods
Description: Retort foods are
typically packaged in multilayer laminate pouches that are vacuum sealed
and then heated to 240-250° to sterilize the contents. The U.S.
military makes extensive use of this technology in their MREs (Meals
Ready to Eat) products. Many juices and beverages are preserved using
this method as well.
Pros:
- Less Deterioration During Processing: The thin pouches allow for shorter sterilization periods than canning, which allows them to retain more nutrients.
- Lighter: Pouches weigh less than cans, providing for easier mobility and storage in some situations.
- Quality: Most opinions are that the food is equal or superior to frozen food in taste and texture.
Cons:
- Price: Typically three to four times more expensive than canned goods, and about on par with freeze-dried goods.
- Storage: Storing large quantities of these products requires packaging to hold them in place, and this extra packaging negates much of their space-saving benefit.
Notes:
- Shelf Life: Typically retort products have a shelf life equal to that of canned goods.
- Preparation: Like canned goods, retort products can be eaten straight out of their packaging, or placed in boiling water for a few minutes to heat them.
- Aseptic Foods: SAP (Sterile Aseptically Packaged) foods are very similar to retort foods, and thus share many of the qualities described above.
Two Approaches To Home Food Resilience
Okay, so you’re ready to start building a food buffer for
your family, but are unsure as to where to begin. Most people take one
of two approaches; they either purchase a supply of emergency food
products, or they design and develop a deep (or “extended”) pantry.
Let’s look at the pros and cons for each approach so that you can decide
which approach is best for you.
Approach #1: Emergency Food Products
Description: You have probably
seen these before, they are the pre-packaged kits that many companies
sell that provide simple-to-prepare meals. Products in this category
range from individual MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) to large, year-supply
kits containing a variety of food items. The majority of these emergency
products are either retort, freeze-dried, or dehydrated products.
Pros: Some of the advantages of using these products include:
- Overall Convenience: If you are looking for the absolute easiest route to personal food resiliency, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of buying an appropriately-sized emergency food supply kit and just sticking it in the back of a closet somewhere in your home.
- Speed: In most cases, you can have an adequate food buffer in place within a week of your purchase. And, as many of these products are now carried by popular big-box retail stores, like Costco and Sam’s Club, you could easily check food storage off of your “prep list” in one day.
- Do It and Forget It: Because most of these products have multiyear shelf lives, there is no need to concern yourself with regularly replacing (or rotating) foods that have exceeded their expiration date.
- Easy Prep: If the time comes that you actually have to eat your emergency food products, you won’t need much equipment to prepare the food, if any. Some foods you may have to rehydrate to consume, but others like MREs can be consumed right out of the package, if needed.
Cons:
- Upfront Costs: The methods used to preserve the food in these kits can cause them to be, pound-for-pound, twice as expensive (or more) than the traditional preservation methods like canning. And as most of these foods come in pre-packaged kits, there can be significant up-front costs to taking this approach to food storage.
- Taste: Taste is an extremely subjective sensation, and people react very differently to the experience of consuming these products. But I think it is safe to say that most people would not choose these products for dinner if they had a choice in the matter. Furthermore, it’s important to realize that if your family is eating from your emergency food supply, they are under a great deal of situational stress already. In this type of scenario the comfort factor of “real” food should not be underestimated, especially if you have children or picky eaters in your family.
- Out-of-SIght, Out-of-Mind: As mentioned in the Pro section, many of these products have a multiyear shelf life expectancy. While this is typically an advantage with these products, it may also be a disadvantage if you forget to annually check the viability of these products. You might find yourself someday pulling out these products in an emergency only to find that they have spoiled.
If you are going to purchase an emergency
food supply kit, now is the time to do it. The quality and pricing of
these kits can vary greatly, so be sure to do your due diligence. Here
are some links to get you started:
Because of their space efficiency, some of these emergency food supply kits are ideal for using in a bug-out-bag or tote.
Approach #2: Developing And Maintaining A Deep Pantry
Description: As its name implies, the deep pantry
method of home food storage is simply an extension of your normal pantry
that stores the foods that you typically use in bulk form. It acts as a
buffer between your pantry and the grocery store, and when you run out
off an item in your pantry, you replenish it from your deep or bulk
pantry. As most kitchen pantries are not large enough to store food
items in bulk, the deep pantry is often located in a basement, garage,
closet, or empty room in your house. The deep pantry will often include
an additional freezer for storing frozen food items in bulk, and
sometimes an additional refrigerator as well.
Pros:
- Food That You Know You Will Eat: Because your deep pantry is only an extension of your regular pantry, you tend to fill it with items that you regularly cook with and consume. Some of these food items might be in a different form than you are used to, for example dried milk versus fresh milk, but the majority of these items are easily adapted for daily use.
- No Spoiled Food: Because you are regularly using and replacing items in your deep pantry, it is rare to have to throw food away due to spoilage or expiration.
- Low Upfront Costs: You can build your deep pantry gradually over time by simply buying a few extra items on your weekly grocery store trips, and putting them into your bulk pantry. This is a great way for those on a tight budget to manage the cost of developing a deep pantry. Most of the upfront costs with the deep pantry approach involve buying bulk storage containers for some items, and building shelving to store your bulk items in an organized manner.
- Get Your Deep Pantry For Free: Perhaps the greatest benefit to this approach is the ability to take advantage of periodic sales to fill and replenish your deep pantry at a significant cost savings. With a little effort on your part, you can use Buy-One-Get-One sales or coupons to get items for your deep pantry for free. You can also realize significant savings on a per-unit basis by purchasing items from a big-box retailer such as Costco or Sam’s Club. In the battle against rising food prices, a deep pantry allows you the flexibility of waiting for the cheapest prices.
Cons:
- Need For Space: Obviously, you need space for a bulk pantry in your home, and for some, this space might be hard to come by. In many cases, allocating space for a deep pantry comes down to asking yourself what is more important, a food buffer for your family or storing some personal belongings? In my own personal case, we made room for a significant deep pantry in our closet by donating clothes that we no longer wear and by rotating seasonal clothing to and from the attic.
- Work Required: Make no mistake about it, it requires a sustained effort to maintain and use a deep pantry. Most of the work involves keeping organized, so that you know what you need to replenish your bulk pantry. I use a Food Storage iPhone App to help keep track of my inventory. To save money with a deep pantry requires dedicating some time each week to coupon hunting and staying informed about local sales at your grocery stores.
- If You Don’t Cook At Home…: And speaking of work, to fully benefit from a deep pantry requires some cooking and baking skills at home. In some cases, you may want to purchase and learn how to use equipment that you may not be familiar with, such as a pressure cooker, a bread machine, a rice (and whole-grain) cooker, and a vacuum sealer. If your family is more inclined to eat out on a regular basis, cooking at home can be a significant task for you, at least initially.
Which method of home food storage is
right for you? Probably a little of both. Most people start out buying a
small emergency food supply kit to gain some resiliency right away, and
then proceed to build a deep panty over time. The remainder of this
article will explore building and maintaining a deep pantry.
What Foods To Store In Your Deep Pantry
There are two main categories of food products that you keep in your deep pantry:
- Everyday Food Products: these are the food items that you eat everyday, only you buy and store them in greater quantity. Examples include canned vegetables, jarred tomato sauce, pasta, canned tuna, condiments, etc.
- Substitute Food Products: these are specialty items that fill in for fresh food products that you normally use, but that might become temporarily unavailable in an emergency. Examples include powered milk, canned butter, canned or dehydrated vegetables/meats (to replace items that you normally consume fresh), powdered eggs, etc.
For the most part, you will not have to
worry about expiration dates on your everyday food products, as these
will be rotated to your kitchen pantry and used on a regular basis. For
the substitute food products that you use less regularly, you will have
to keep track of expiration dates. Its a good idea to try incorporate
these items into your daily cooking on occasion so that you can become
familiar with using them.
Listed below are descriptions of some of the products that constitute a deep pantry:
Salt: An easily overlooked item,
salt is a critical component of a deep pantry. Most recommendations are
for storing 5 pounds of table (cooking) salt per person, per year.
Storing some pickling salt for home canning, curing meat, and other uses
is also recommended. Salt is inexpensive and stores very well with
desiccants, so don’t skimp on it.
Milk Products: You may or may not
regularly drink fresh milk in your daily life, but you should consider
storing it because it is such a good source of protein and calcium.
Powered milk should form the bulk of your storage, but don’t forget some
cans of evaporated milk for cooking and baking. Powdered milk can be used to make cheese if
the need arises. If you have kids, you might consider storing some
chocolate syrup, or some other flavorings, to make the rehydrated
powdered milk more palatable.
Buttermilk Powder: Great for
making batter for pancakes, muffins, and biscuits, dried buttermilk is a
consideration for your deep pantry but not an essential. Shelf life is
about 1 year if bought in the cardboard container, and longer if
packaged in a metal container.
Butter & Margarine: Canned
butter and margarine products are available for your deep pantry, each
with a shelf life of two to four years. Spray-dried powdered butter and
margarine products are also available, but these products typically
don’t rehydrate well and can’t be used for greasing pans or for cooking
with. Butter flavored granules are also available as a seasoning
option.
Oils: Cooking oils, such as canola
and olive oil should be part of your deep pantry. Be sure to store
these oils in a cool, dark place to minimize their degradation. Unopened
plastic containers of cooking oil (stored in a dark place) typically
have a two to three year shelf life. Oils stored in metal containers
(and kept cool) can have up to a ten year shelf life.
Shortening: Vegetable shortening
has a fifteen year shelf life and can be a substitute for oil in baking
and frying. Avoid powdered shortening products because of their high
cost and difficulty in use.
Cheese: Fresh, hard brick cheese
will keep for several years in your deep pantry if properly wrapped to
exclude air. Dehydrated cheese products are also available that can be
used for cheese sauces in cooking. Canned cheese spreads, such as Cheez
Whiz, might also be considered because of their 5 year shelf life. With a
shelf life of over a year, parmesan cheese is also an excellent product
to rotate through your deep pantry.
Sugar: Don’t overlook sugar as a
deep pantry staple, as it is helpful in making food more palatable and
providing needed calories in a stressful situation. White, or
granulated, sugar has a very long shelf life if you store it with
desiccants to protect it from moisture. You might also consider storing
brown sugar, powdered sugar, and molasses as well.
Honey: Honey that contains less
than 18% water content is a great food product for long term storage,
though it may crystalize after a year or so. Honey will become stronger
in flavor and darker with age, and should not be given to infants
because of the threat of infant botulism.
Bulk Grains: Cereal grains such as
wheat, rice, corn, oats, rye, millet, and barley can be excellent long
term sources of protein, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates, and
vitamins. To use some of these grains, however, you will need a home
grain mill to process them into flours. Many of these grains can be
purchased already packaged into long term storage containers at a
reasonable price.
Refined Grains: With grains that
have been processed into flours or meals, moisture content is critical
to storage life. White flour milled at 14% moisture lasts about one to
two years, and 12-13% moisture flour can last two to three years. If you
repackage your flour, be sure to include desiccants in the container.
Pantry moth infestations can occur in flour over a year old, so its best
to limit your storage of flour to a year’s supply. Whole grain flours
are more nutritious, but don’t store very well. Vacuum sealed and kept
in a freezer, most whole grain flours will keep for a year.
Pasta: Pasta is a great food item
for your deep pantry as it is easy to use, stores up to five years, and
is inexpensive if bought in bulk at your local big-box retailer. Pure
semolina pasta has the best shelf life and comes in many sizes and
shapes for variety in your meals.
Legumes: Beans and other legumes
are an excellent source of protein, low glycemic carbohydrates, and B
vitamins. They will store for five years or longer and are inexpensive
in their dried form. They can be prepared rather quickly with the use of
a pressure cooker. Consider black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans,
navy beans, peas, and lentils for your deep pantry.
Canned Fruits, Vegetables, and Meats: Any
canned fruits, vegetables, or meats that you regularly use in cooking
at home should be bought in greater quantity and cycled through your
deep pantry. A common practice to use is called “first-in first-out”,
and simply means that you use the oldest cans first.
Dehydrated Fruits, Vegetables, and Meats: If
your looking to save some space, you might consider storing some
dehydrated fruits, vegetables, and meats in your deep pantry. Dehydrated
products are often best used in soups and stews, though you might find
most of these products too expensive to store in a large quantity.
Powdered Eggs: Egg products, such a
whole egg powder, egg whites powder and scrambled egg powder, should be
considered for the deep pantry as a substitute for fresh eggs. Egg
powders contain a higher quality protein than meats, and are
considerably cheaper in price.
Condiments: Don’t forget to rotate
some of the condiments that you typically use through your deep pantry.
Items such as peanut butter, jelly, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, hot
sauces, and salad dressings can be bought in quantity at a considerable
discount.
Herbs, Spices & Baking Supplies: Items
such as garlic granules or powder, dried onion flakes or powder, black
pepper, red pepper, and dried herbs should be an essential part of deep
pantry. Don’t buy large bottles of these items because they will degrade
rather quickly after opening. Instead, buy multiple, smaller bottles of
these items. Also, if you plan on baking from your deep pantry, don’t
forget to store an adequate supply of yeast and baking powder.
Non-Food Products: Don’t forget to include the many other non-food items that you regularly use in your deep pantry, including:
- Extra Can Openers
- Pet food and supplies
- Toilet paper
- Kitchen soap and detergent
- Bath soap, shampoo, and conditioner
- SOS pads or scrubbing pads
- Over-the-counter pain relievers, cold & flu remedies, antiseptic creams, etc
- Laundry detergent and bleach
- Cleaning supplies
- Garbage bags, zip-lock bags, vacuum sealer bags
- Shaving cream & blades
How Much Food To Store In Your Deep Pantry
How much of these items do you need? For the everyday food
products, you should probably aim for a 6 month supply. This will
provide you with a significant food resiliency buffer and ensure that
you will use these products long before they expire.
The easiest way to build your deep pantry is to simply buy
twice as much of your regular items each month, for six months. For
example, if you normally buy 4 cans of tuna each month, you will now buy
8 cans each month over the next six months. At the end of six months,
you will have 4 cans of tuna in your kitchen pantry and an additional 24
cans of tuna in your deep pantry. You can then go back to just buying 4
cans of tuna each month.
For those on a tight budget, spreading the cost of a deep
pantry over six months can be very helpful. Be sure to take full
advantage of any coupons, sales or specials on your everyday food items
to reduce the overall cost of your deep pantry. You may also save money
during this 6 month period by buying in bulk or quantity from a local
big-box retailer.
You will also need to buy a six month supply of the
substitute food products for your deep pantry. Some of these products
should be available at your local store, but others you may need to
order online. Be sure to shop around online because prices can vary
significantly.
6 Month Estimate For The Basic Pantry Staples
The information in the following table
will give you an idea of how much of the basic pantry staples that you
will need for each family member, and was taken from information in the
book Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival by Jack A. Spigarelli
So now that you know what you will be storing, you will
need to decide how you will store it. Some items can be stored directly
in their own packaging, while others will need to be repackaged to
maximize their shelf life. Let’s look at some of the equipment that you
will need for the repackaging process.
Containers
You will need food-grade buckets or
containers to store some of the items in your deep pantry. While many
people use buckets, if you want to use every inch of your available
shelf space you should consider buying square or rectangular
containers.
When storing loose dry products such as
sugar, rice, and flour, always make sure that you add the newest product
to the bottom of the bucket. Dump the contents of your bucket into a
spare bucket first, then pour your new product in, then replace the
older product. You will also need a smaller air-tight container for this
product in your kitchen pantry.
For items such as bulk grains it is sometimes cheaper to buy them already packaged for long term storage.
If you think that you will need to access the contents of a bucket on a
regular basis, you should buy a resealable gamma-lid for it.
Mylar Bags & Sealers
Placing the contents of a bucket within a mylar bag may help to
extend the shelf life of some food products. Be sure to buy mylar bags
that have a quality foil layer to minimize the gas exchange through the
material over time. You will also need a mylar bag sealer to properly
seal the bag for long-term storage. For more information on mylar bags
see Food Storage Packing: Facts and Myths.
Desiccants
Controlling the moisture level in dry
goods is critical to preventing premature spoilage. Using desiccant
packets in your buckets and bags is a cheap and easy way to minimize
excess moisture in your food, especially if you store it in a humid
environment, such as a basement.
Oxygen Absorbers
The shelf life of some products may be
extended by placing oxygen absorbers within the buckets. The
effectiveness of O2 absorbers depends on several factors.
Metal Cans
Many food products can be optimally
stored in #10 metal cans. Although this is not something typically done
at home, you may be able to visit a local cannery to gain access to this
equipment (and products). For more information see Food Storage Made Easy.
Canned Goods Rotation Shelving Units
If canned goods make up a large portion
of your deep pantry, you might consider building or buying a FIFO
shelving unit. These systems make easy work of rotating your canned
goods through your deep pantry. One company that sells these rotation
shelving units is Shelf Reliance.
Chest Freezer
A chest freezer is an economical way to
store frozen foods such as meat and vegetables. If you are concerned
with losing electricity for an extended period, there are super
efficient chest freezers that can run off a small battery bank, or even
directly off of photovoltaic panels. These units use ample insulation
and internal thermal mass to maintain temperatures when the solar
panels, or grid, is not supplying electricity.
Chest Refrigerators
If you have large harvests from your
garden, and/or egg-laying chickens, you might consider making a chest
refrigerator for your deep pantry. By adding thermostat-controlled power
supply to a chest freezer, you can convert it to a super-efficient
refrigerator. For more details on this DIY retrofit please see A Fridge That Takes Only 0.1 kWh a Day?
Where to Locate Your Deep Pantry
Now that have an idea of what your deep pantry will
contain, it’s now time to decide where you to locate your deep pantry.
The ideal location is one that remains cool year round, has low
humidity, and is easily accessible. It may be difficult to find one
location in your home that satisfies all these conditions, in which case
you may be forced to spread your deep pantry over multiple locations.
Basements, closets, spare rooms, and large kitchen
pantries are all acceptable locations, but you will most likely need to
build or buy shelving to make the most efficient use of your space. If
you do add additional shelving to your space, be sure to first decide
what will be stored on specific shelves so that you can size them
appropriately.
Thoroughly clean and disinfect the space before you begin
storing food in it. You also might consider placing food-safe pest
control products, such as kitchen moth and roach traps, before you begin
storing food.
Using & Maintaining Your Deep Pantry
As mentioned previously, to take full
advantage of your deep pantry may require some additional cooking
skills, recipes, and equipment.
Grain Mill
If you plan to store bulk, unprocessed
grains in your deep pantry, having a grain mill at home to make whole
grain flours is essential. Amazon.com has a good selection of home grain mills ranging from manual to electric models. Pleasant Hill Grain also sells a popular model called the Nutrimill.
Bread Machine
Baking your own bread at home with
fresh milled whole grain flour can be a very rewarding experience. And
while you should learn to do it the old-fashion way, having a bread
machine that can make whole grain breads can really save you much time
and effort.
Pressure Cooker
A pressure cooker can make quick work of
preparing dried beans, grains, and dehydrated foods. They are also very
efficient with cooking fuel if you find yourself in a situation with
limited resources. With the right recipes, you can cook pretty much
anything in a pressure cooker. See Recipe Books below for some pressure
cooker recipe books.
Vacuum Sealer
If you have ample freezer space, a vacuum
sealer can enable you to store precooked meals or fresh foods for up to
a year. You can freeze meats in a marinade for quick grilling, or
freeze whole grain flours in 1 cup quantities for baking.
Recipe Books
Learning to cook from your deep pantry can made easier with the following books:
The Lost Ways (Learn
the long forgotten secrets that helped our forefathers survive
famines,wars,economic crisis and anything else life threw at them)Our grandfathers had more knowledge than any of us today and thrived even when modern conveniences were not available. They were able to produce and store their food for long periods of time. The Lost Ways is the most comprehensive book available. All the knowledge our grandfathers had, in one place.Here’s just a glimpse of what you’ll find in the book:
Table Of Contents:
Making Your Own Beverages: Beer to Stronger Stuff
Ginger Beer: Making Soda the Old Fashioned Way
How North American Indians and Early Pioneers Made Pemmican
Wild West Guns for SHTF and a Guide to Rolling Your Own Ammo
How Our Forefathers Built Their Sawmills, Grain Mills,and Stamping Mills
How Our Ancestors Made Herbal Poultice to Heal Their Wounds
What Our Ancestors Were Foraging For? or How to Wildcraft Your Table
How North California Native Americans Built Their Semi-subterranean Roundhouses
Our Ancestors’Guide to Root Cellars
Good Old Fashioned Cooking on an Open Flame
Learning from Our Ancestors How to Preserve Water
Learning from Our Ancestors How to Take Care of Our Hygiene When There Isn’t Anything to Buy
How and Why I Prefer to Make Soap with Modern Ingredients
Temporarily Installing a Wood-Burning Stove during Emergencies
Making Traditional and Survival Bark Bread…….
Trapping in Winter for Beaver and Muskrat Just like Our Forefathers Did
How to Make a Smokehouse and Smoke Fish
Survival Lessons From The Donner Party
Get your paperback copy HERE
Here’s just a glimpse of what you’ll find in The Lost Ways:
From Ruff Simons, an old west history expert and former deputy, you’ll learn the techniques and methods used by the wise sheriffs from the frontiers to defend an entire village despite being outnumbered and outgunned by gangs of robbers and bandits, and how you can use their wisdom to defend your home against looters when you’ll be surrounded.
Native American ERIK BAINBRIDGE – who took part in the reconstruction of the native village of Kule Loklo in California, will show you how Native Americans build the subterranean roundhouse, an underground house that today will serve you as a storm shelter, a perfectly camouflaged hideout, or a bunker. It can easily shelter three to four families, so how will you feel if, when all hell breaks loose, you’ll be able to call all your loved ones and offer them guidance and shelter? Besides that, the subterranean roundhouse makes an awesome root cellar where you can keep all your food and water reserves year-round.
From Shannon Azares you’ll learn how sailors from the XVII century preserved water in their ships for months on end, even years and how you can use this method to preserve clean water for your family cost-free.
Mike Searson – who is a Firearm and Old West history expert – will show you what to do when there is no more ammo to be had, how people who wandered the West managed to hunt eight deer with six bullets, and why their supply of ammo never ran out. Remember the panic buying in the first half of 2013? That was nothing compared to what’s going to precede the collapse.
From Susan Morrow, an ex-science teacher and chemist, you’ll master “The Art of Poultice.” She says, “If you really explore the ingredients from which our forefathers made poultices, you’ll be totally surprised by the similarities with modern medicines.” Well…how would you feel in a crisis to be the only one from the group knowledgeable about this lost skill? When there are no more antibiotics, people will turn to you to save their ill children’s lives.
If you liked our video tutorial on how to make Pemmican, then you’ll love this: I will show you how to make another superfood that our troops were using in the Independence war, and even George Washington ate on several occasions. This food never goes bad. And I’m not talking about honey or vinegar. I’m talking about real food! The awesome part is that you can make this food in just 10 minutes and I’m pretty sure that you already have the ingredients in your house right now.
Really, this is all just a peek.
Preppers and the Primitive Life
The majority of preppers view bugging out to live a primitive life in the woods as a last resort option. In fact, I would venture a guess that most preppers have planned or are planning a strategic relocation to make bugging in more sustainable. Others know they must endure a short-term bug out from their homes to a shelter or retreat location. But you may have also heard quite a few preppers say something like “I’ve got a permanent reservation at Mother Nature’s hotel”.This category of primitive life preppers intend to bug out to the woods and live off the land at the first sign of trouble. There’s nothing outright wrong with this tactic. Our ancestors did it. And there are scores of avid outdoorsmen, experienced campers, and backpackers who can live off the land for short periods. At first glance, relying on the primitive life following a SHTF situation seems a logical solution to the problem of more gear and supplies than you can carry.
There’s no doubt that having some primitive survival skills will come in handy in a SHTF situation. In truth, there are scores of preppers, such as Mors Kochanski, Cody Lundin, Dave Canterbury, and Lofty Wiseman, who teach primitive skills as a career and make a good living from it. Many of these experts practice what they preach at least part-time. Some of them even routinely rely on primitive skills to survive day to day.
What Are Primitive Skills?
The term primitive skills or bushcraft skills refers to someone who can live off the land and make the best of whatever situation mother nature may throw at them, without relying on manufactured gear and supplies. Living the primitive life centers around using the resources available in whatever environment you find yourself in, to survive.But is primitive living for preppers really the best strategy? Is the primitive life a feasible way for people to survive long-term today? If you’re considering a reservation with Mother Nature when SHTF, we’ll give you some things to think about first.
Benefits of Primitive Living for Preppers
- the more primitive skills you have the less gear and supplies you need to carry
- your knowledge and experience can save your life if gear fails
- resources are plentiful if you know where to look and how to use them
- very inexpensive way to live; no need for much cash
- become more connected to nature
- easier to stay on the move to avoid hordes
- no danger of looters stealing your gear and supplies
- very skilled survivalists could stay alive indefinitely
- improve your use of gear when it is available
- Sense of pride and accomplishment in doing things yourself
- Skilled survivalists will have best chance of procuring food ahead of others
Problems with living a Primitive Life
- More labor intensive to accomplish daily tasks
- Requires more physical strength and stamina
- Time can work against you frequently(storm coming, getting dark, etc.)
- More difficult to learn and perfect skills, especially in the moment
- The number of primitive skills you need to learn is almost never ending
- Knowledge doesn’t equal experience
- Learning primitive skills to a level where you can rely on them to work every time regardless of conditions takes much time and practice.
- During a SHTF situation, your stress level is high, your energy level and mental functioning may suffer so not the best time to learn or be practicing new skills.
It seems to me, a better survival strategy is to strategically relocate and plan to bug in or to set up a survival retreat where you can go when you bug out. AND learn and practice as many primitive skills as you can in the coming months and years. If your gear fails, your supplies run out, are stolen by looters, or something else goes awry, you’ll be at peace knowing that Mother Nature is your backup plan and not your sole option.
You Can Use Your Phone for Emergency Preparations
When
prepping for a natural disaster or emergency, we often neglect to think
of our phones. Cell phones have become the average Americans lifeline
and should be included in all preparations. It makes it so much easier
to be able to reach out for emergency assistance and update your family
on your wellbeing. We have seen incredible storms hitting the southeast,
the Caribbean, and Latin America as of lateso it’s that much more
important to think about what will happen to you if you are in an
emergency situation.Protect Your Phone
A broken phone will do you know good so you should be doing everything you can to protect it now and get the most out of the life of your cell phone. iPhone screen protectors, or a screen protector for your model of smartphone, is an absolute must-have. They keep your screen from cracking and protect from spills that can happen at any given time. Do check into tough cases that will protect your phone from being dropped or thrown should you be caught in a natural disaster. Considering the cost of cellphones these days, the expense of a rugged case is well worth your investment.
Apps that Can Save Your Life
There are millions of apps available for smartphones and there are certainly ones developed for emergency situations. They should be a part of every family emergency plans!
Disaster Alert is an interactive map that allows you to see where disasters are occurring anywhere in the world. This became a very popular app when Hurricane Irma came through a people were able to watch it progress in near real-time and could make decisions based on what they were seeing in the app. The best thing about this app is that you can set up alerts that will keep you updated every 5 minutes. That is especially helpful when it comes down to flash flooding, something you cannot be necessarily alerted hours in advance.
Winter Survival Kit is another great app for those that are living in areas that are prone to large snowstorms and ice storms. If you find yourself stuck on the side of the road and are unable to speak, you can press the “I am stuck” button to notify emergency crews of your location thanks to GPS locations.
Have a Backup Plan
It’s important to note that in some natural disasters and emergencies, cell phones simply won’t work. Hurricanes and tornadoes can tear down cell phone towers and render the rest of us unable to reach out to family or find help. All families should have a satellite phone as a backup since satellite phones do not rely on cell towers but rather the satellites in space. This will give you the freedom to contact emergency crews, reach out to family, and seek help in every capacity you can imagine.
Whether you are a veteran at emergency preparedness, or brand new to the game, having a plan for communication will be vital to your survival and your peace of mind. If you have noticed the increase of natural disasters in the recent months, we hope that it has meant you have taken notice of your own plan and tweak it to cover any possible scenario!
Getting Family Members Involved With Prepping
I recently wrote an article called Reluctant Prepper Family which discussed why family members are reluctant or against the idea or emergency preparedness. The article covered subjects like normalcy bias and budgeting issues. The purpose of today’s article is to provide further insight and tips on how to turn your family into preppers. Changing people’s outlook on anything in life is often difficult and sometimes impossible. None the less the following tips are ones I have tried and tested and wanted to share with you.How To Turn Your Family Into Preppers – Tips
#1 Slowly, Slowly Catchy Monkey
As a prepper you will have firm beliefs in the reasons why you prepare. You are also fully committed to becoming prepared for SHTF scenarios that concern you. When family members don’t share your beliefs it can be frustrating. Getting them to see the light is possible but it needs to be approached slowly. If not you risk strengthening their resistance to prepping which is the opposite of what you set out to do. Remember to take things slowly so that gradually over time they will build their own beliefs with regard to prepping. No one likes to feel rushed into making decisions and such an approach will only result in the shutters coming down on you from the get go.#2 Talk Don’t Preach
Remember your goal is to slowly change their minds by gradually demonstrating the benefits of preparing. This can slowly be achieved through normal conversations over a period of time. Talking as opposed to preaching is by far the better way to go about this. This is because preaching may come across as if you are trying to force them to change their minds. In general people do not like being told what to do. So you need to make suggestions to them instead of lecturing them on area relating to prepping.#3 Get Outdoors
There are many elements to prepping and in the early stages of getting people on board you don’t always have to label every activity as prepping. For example visiting and walking / hiking in rural and wilderness locations as a family will help to strengthen the family bond. Once you are in that setting you will have more opportunity to naturally discuss certain areas of prepping. For example wild edibles or how to navigate.#4 Alternative Family Holidays
Whilst we all love holidays in the sun and trips to theme parks. Try mixing your holiday plans up a bit for example, every now and then plan a camping trip. A camping trip will introduce your family to skills such as living in the wild, sheltering and cooking in the wild. These are all useful prepper skills that don’t initially have to be advertised as such.#5 Go Fishing
learning to fish is a fun activity that all the family can enjoy. As far as your family are concerned your just going fishing. But as they learn to fish they are learning to feed them selves which is learning to prep. As the saying goes “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime”.#6 Martial Arts
Learning martial arts such as karate is not a prepper exclusive activity. Many non preppers learn karate purely for self-defense. By encouraging some or all family members to learn self-defense they will be improving their fitness, confidence and the ability to handle them self’s in a threatening situation. Perfect skills for a prepper.#7 Carry On Prepping
No this is not the title of a 1970’s British film comedy, although maybe it could be. If your attempt’s to turn your family into preppers seems to be failing. Don’t worry because even the act of just carrying on with your own preparations and beliefs will over time cause family members to rethink their opinion. You may have heard people in the past say “Oh its just a fad”. After your family sees this is not the case it may just prompt them to rethink their own approach to prepping.#8 Ask For Help
Another way to get family on board with prepping is to ask for help. For example I wanted to write an article that involved information relating to health care. So I asked my wife who is experienced in this field to help with some facts I needed for the article. Most people are enthusiastic about helping and asking for help regarding a prepper task can slowly get a family member round to your way of thinking.#9 News
Whilst it has its faults, television news reports can be a great way to start meaningful conversations about prepping. Family members may not digest the info you directly give them about prepping. They are however usually far more open to what they see on TV news reports. Recently there has been an increase in TV news reports about natural disasters, terrorist attacks, post apocalyptic antibiotics and more. When you’re sitting as a family watching the news this is the ideal time to gently bring up the subject of prepping. I can’t remember how may times ive been in that situation only to say “I’m prepping for that”.#10 Documentaries, TV Shows & Films
In a similar way to TV news above, documentaries are a great way to get the family into prepping. For example if I watch a documentary about war the family may not be so interested as if I watch a reality TV documentary like celebrity island with Bear Grylls. My point is choose TV documentaries, films and reality shows that would interest family members for reasons other than survival. Once they are watching them they are subconsciously learning about survival. An example of this is the other day when I was watching “The Day After Tomorrow” with my family and without any prompting from me I was pleased to hear discussion about what they would do in that situation.#11 School Activities
This tip mostly relates to younger children of school age. This is because many of the projects they are given at school can have a link to prepping. For example last year my daughter had a project to re-create a WW2 bomb shelter. This gave me the opportunity to talk in detail with her as to what these did, why they were needed and why there still not a bad idea in today’s world. Remember they are children so don’t be to full on, but it helps them to understand why you prepare.#12 Talk About Your Day
Talking is the best way to get across the benefits of becoming a prepper. Often the most effective way is indirect conversation. What I mean by this is you don’t start a conversation with, “why are you not prepping for an earthquake?”. Instead you drop prepper related information into the conversation as it naturally evolves. For example You and the family are sitting eating a meal, you ask your wife how was your day and she tells you. She in turn asks you about yours, your reply is. I cleaned out the garage to make more room for emergency supplies. In itself its innocent conversation but none the less brings the subject off prepping to the forefront in a natural way.#13 Debate versus Argument
When we feel passionate about something it’s very easy for a conversation to turn into a heated debate. A heated debate will have negative effects because when people debate they are attempting to prove why one persons point of view is better than the others. Heated debates will often cause people to become angry, this then leads to an argument and further barriers arising.#14 Prepper related Gifts
Making Gifts of prepper related items is a great idea. Items like folding knifes, compasses, wallets and pouches are just a few examples. That have multiple uses but can start a family member prepping.#15 Prepper Related Books
Just like prepper related gifts, books are another great way to get across the importance of prepping. These books don’t always have to be factual books like how to tie knots or survive in the wild. They could be fictional books that have a great story that relates to prepping and gets them thinking about the implications of failing to prepare.#16 Games
Another really good way of getting family members interested in prepping is to play prepper related board games or card games. For example I recently wrote an article entitled Survival Cards Could Save Your Life in this article there are links yo examples of survival related playing cards. There are also card games available like the conflicted card game which focuses on surviving the apocalypse scenarios. They currently have a new kick-starter project for a board game which you can see on their kick starter project page.Look Out For Signs That Its Working
I have been using the tips mentioned above in my attempt to get my family more interested in prepping and its slowly working. I know this because I have experienced the following results:- The other day my son came to me and said “dad I have been reading some of your posts and noticed a spelling error”. Wow I thought to myself he read it off his own back that progress.
- My daughter saw a news report on the outbreak of the plague in Madagascar and also on the reported post apocalyptic antibiotic crisis. She turned me a said “dad didn’t you just write about those issues”. Now she had not read my articles but had obviously heard me talk about hem and it stuck. Another great sign that she is aware of the issues that face us all.
- I visited my parents the other day and was pleasantly surprised when my father asked me how my blog was doing, this gave me the perfect opportunity to discuss prepping with him.
- My son recently liked some of my articles that I posted on Facebook. This is great not only is he reading them he’s liking and sharing them.
- My wife helped me write a post on DR ABC Emergency Resuscitation and has since asked me how well did the article do. She is now getting involved and more interested.
How To Turn Your Family Into Preppers Summary
There is no absolute guarantee you will be able to turn everyone in your family into preppers but perseverance will be the key. In order to turn your family into preppers consider the tips above as pieces of a jigsaw. Whilst on their own each piece would have minor impact with regard to changing your family’s approach. When all pieces are put together you have a very good chance of solving the puzzle and turn your family into preppers.After all lets face it, when it comes down to it, even if you can’t turn your family into preppers your probably going to be prepping for them anyway. I know I am. So it’s worth trying to get them on board at an early stage as opposed to when it could be too late. If you have had any success in this area yourself with tips that I have not mentioned feel free to use the comments section below to let me and readers know.
