Spring time, what an awesome time of year, the weather is finally warming up a bit. Yes for some of us here int he Midwest it hasn't hardly come close to feeling like spring yet, but that should change this week according to the weatherman. There have been a couple decent days so far, not nearly as many as I would like.
Which brings me to this post, if you and yours are like my family we go out on what our 4 y/o calls "nature walks". We just load up and head out to the woods for a nice long walk on nice days, I am not talking miles and miles here. (how far can you really walk with a four year old in tow). We walk maybe a mile or two when we have the whole family along. There is one thing that I NEVER leave home without and it isn't my credit card, it is my day pack.
I have several different packs for different things, the one we will focus on today is my hiking or out for a walk pack. There are things in this pack that are a bit different from say a overnight pack or a few days pack. Bear in mind that you should tailor your pack to fit your needs, this is by no means a be all end all list of what you should have, that is up to you. This is to give you a great starting point of things to consider. I am about to list a few things that would be a very good idea to have in your pack in no particular order.
1. First Aide Kit: This should be a a staple in every pack for sure! There is no a reason to go out and buy a per-assembled kit. A zip lock bag with a few band-aides, a small roll of gauze, some tape and antibiotic ointment is about all you really need in it. If an injury requires more than this, you are in far worse trouble than you can take care of in most cases.
2. Emergency Blanket: These weigh next to nothing and cost very little, but can be a life saver if the weather were to take a turn for the worse if you are in an area where you are prone to freak spring snow storms. They can also be used to stay dry if it begins to rain, plus many other uses.
3. Folding Saw: Small folding saw, these can normally be picked up at camping, discount or big box stores for less than $10.00 If something were to happen, for instance you walked farther than you thought or maybe you just got tired and decided to spend the night. These are great sawing small limbs to help make a shelter even a simply lean-to.
4.Water Bottle: Stainless steel water bottle, or a water bottle for sure. I say a stainless bottle because if the need were to arise you are able to boil water to disinfect it.
5. Firestarter: This can be in the form of a lighter, ferro rod, or a magnesium block and striker. I do have 2 different firestarters in my pack for those times when one will not work for some reason or another.
6. Knives: Remember the rule of two: Two is one and one is none. There are so many things that a good knife is useful for, it should be common sense.
7. Cordage: This can be in the form of different things, a roll of tared bank line, about 30 feet of 550 para-cord or even a survival bracelet.
All of these things can help you in most any situation. You should tailor these to your individual needs. Not only are these things helpful but also grant you peace of mind that you are prepared if the need comes.
If you feel that there is something that I should include, or even if you disagree with this list please feel free to leave a comment.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Beans, Peas and Cucumbers
In staying with my gardening series, I know that this method for growing is not new by any means to some people, to others though it could be. As with anything, making things easier on you in the long run will help you become more productive. The same can be said with gardening. Who doesn't like fresh green beans, peas or cucumbers?
Whats the best way? The best way to grow them is what works for you! Now, what works best for me is to let them climb. No bending over, no back strain, just easy pick'ns. As far as what to let them climb up, that is entirely up to you. I have done it many ways, I will post below a few pictures of the ways I have done it, from simple pole and string to more of a permanent area using wooden lattice.
I do not have pictures of the lattice trellis that I used last year, I will have to do an update later this spring with that. As you can see you can eliminate the back breaking of bending over or being on your hands and knees when picking these little pots of gold. Not only is it easier on you, but it is also easier on the plants, (especially if you have younger ones out there helping you pick) they wont be stepping on the vines.
Remember to plant in an area where they can get lots of sun and plenty of water. A good shot of compost tea does wonders also.
Till next time!!
Whats the best way? The best way to grow them is what works for you! Now, what works best for me is to let them climb. No bending over, no back strain, just easy pick'ns. As far as what to let them climb up, that is entirely up to you. I have done it many ways, I will post below a few pictures of the ways I have done it, from simple pole and string to more of a permanent area using wooden lattice.
I do not have pictures of the lattice trellis that I used last year, I will have to do an update later this spring with that. As you can see you can eliminate the back breaking of bending over or being on your hands and knees when picking these little pots of gold. Not only is it easier on you, but it is also easier on the plants, (especially if you have younger ones out there helping you pick) they wont be stepping on the vines.
Remember to plant in an area where they can get lots of sun and plenty of water. A good shot of compost tea does wonders also.
Till next time!!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Spring Time
Those of you that have followed my posts for the last couple of years, you know that I do not strictly stick to survival. I have done things on canning, cold storage and different things also. I try to write about things that people can use in a practical sense.
I am going to be doing a series in the next little while on gardening. Yes, I know that most people can plant a seed, give it a bit of water and watch it grow. What I will do in this series is offer some tips and tricks on making your garden so it is not as hard on YOU to do.
Lets start off with something easy like onions. Did you know that you can have green onions all year long no matter where you live by planting them in the house in a planter? Yes, you sure can here is the proof:
Keep in mind that these are only about a week and a half old. There are a couple different methods to growing these little gems all year long. One of which is the obvious, getting enough seed to last you the year and just use and replant. The other, which I do normally but couldn't this time do to the fact that the ends were accidentally thrown away. You will have to forgive me, I do not have a picture of the ends that I have replanted in the past. I will remember to take one when I replant these.
In order to replant onions once you have harvested them, simply cut from the root end about a half an inch up (leaving the roots and a half in of the bottom of the onion). Once you have cut the bottoms, place them in a bowl of room temperature water to rehydrate them for about 15 minutes. After you have gotten the ends re-hydrated, simply replant them. I have done this as many as 6 times.
If chives are what you are looking for, just let the onions grow and simply cut off the green stem part down towards the bottom and they will regrow.
If there is something in particular that you would like to see an article about, feel free to leave me a comment and I will do my best to get one done for you!
I am going to be doing a series in the next little while on gardening. Yes, I know that most people can plant a seed, give it a bit of water and watch it grow. What I will do in this series is offer some tips and tricks on making your garden so it is not as hard on YOU to do.
Lets start off with something easy like onions. Did you know that you can have green onions all year long no matter where you live by planting them in the house in a planter? Yes, you sure can here is the proof:
Keep in mind that these are only about a week and a half old. There are a couple different methods to growing these little gems all year long. One of which is the obvious, getting enough seed to last you the year and just use and replant. The other, which I do normally but couldn't this time do to the fact that the ends were accidentally thrown away. You will have to forgive me, I do not have a picture of the ends that I have replanted in the past. I will remember to take one when I replant these.
In order to replant onions once you have harvested them, simply cut from the root end about a half an inch up (leaving the roots and a half in of the bottom of the onion). Once you have cut the bottoms, place them in a bowl of room temperature water to rehydrate them for about 15 minutes. After you have gotten the ends re-hydrated, simply replant them. I have done this as many as 6 times.
If chives are what you are looking for, just let the onions grow and simply cut off the green stem part down towards the bottom and they will regrow.
If there is something in particular that you would like to see an article about, feel free to leave me a comment and I will do my best to get one done for you!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Oven Canning Dry Goods
Sorry all, I know I haven't posted much lately, but I promise you will love this one!!!
After thinking about trying to buy a vacuum sealer and realizing that they are pretty spendy to say the least. That got me to thinking, how else can I store some dry goods. I could, put things like rice, beans and flour into number 10 cans. Then I thought, well, that wont work because I don't know anyone that has a caner like that. So, that option is out. I have also heard about using freezer bags, and storing it in the freezer. Ok, that might be an option I thought, but then, what happens while moving things around in the freezer and you tear a bag? you will have a mess, not only that but if you have an odor of some sort in there it will probably take that on too.
Well..... now what....
Then I had the bright idea, hmmmm, how about heat canning some how in glass canning jars? So, I did a little experimenting. After a couple of unsuccessful efforts, I tried one last time. How did I finally figure it out you ask, well sit down and listen (read close) It should be noted that since I have done this, I started with flour and have moved on to also include, dry beans, rice, corn meal and oat meal all uncooked of course.
1. The first thing you HAVE to do is to make sure that your jars, quarts or pints are clean and MUST be dry, that is very important as I found out.
2. Fill your jars to with in about a half inch of the top, giving it a little shake to get it all settled. Do NOT put lids or rings on yet.!!
3. Place a cookie sheet into the oven, set your filled jars onto the baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 200 Deg. Shut the door (obviously) and set your timer for 60 minutes or 1 hour which ever is greater. (ha ha a bit of humor there)
4. Lay out a towel onto the counter or the table so the hot glass does not come in contact with the table surface. One by one take the jars out of the oven and screw down the lids till they are pretty tight. As they cool, you will here them start to seal just as if you were water bath canning or the such. There you have it.
I should note here, that the ONLY issue I have had doing this, is that the flour will cake a bit inside of the jar, What I have done is take a knife and push it close to the bottom to loosen the flour up a bit. Once you have it loose, just pour it into a gallon zip-lock bag and finish getting the "clumps" out of it. Then just pour it into your canister or whatever you store flour in. As far as the other things that I have tried, the ONLY other issue I have had, is that the oat meal does take on a bit of a "roasted" taste which, honestly I like.
Disclaimer, In being totally honest here, AFTER I went through all of the trial, and mess-ups I did a bit of research on this very thing, and it turns out that people have been doing this for a long time. Hmmm, who'da knew..... In doing my research, I found that by using this method, these things can be kept reasonable for about 15 years.
Well, there you have it my way of oven canning. If you think you have a better way, please feel free to comment.
Thanks and have a great day!!
After thinking about trying to buy a vacuum sealer and realizing that they are pretty spendy to say the least. That got me to thinking, how else can I store some dry goods. I could, put things like rice, beans and flour into number 10 cans. Then I thought, well, that wont work because I don't know anyone that has a caner like that. So, that option is out. I have also heard about using freezer bags, and storing it in the freezer. Ok, that might be an option I thought, but then, what happens while moving things around in the freezer and you tear a bag? you will have a mess, not only that but if you have an odor of some sort in there it will probably take that on too.
Well..... now what....
Then I had the bright idea, hmmmm, how about heat canning some how in glass canning jars? So, I did a little experimenting. After a couple of unsuccessful efforts, I tried one last time. How did I finally figure it out you ask, well sit down and listen (read close) It should be noted that since I have done this, I started with flour and have moved on to also include, dry beans, rice, corn meal and oat meal all uncooked of course.
1. The first thing you HAVE to do is to make sure that your jars, quarts or pints are clean and MUST be dry, that is very important as I found out.
2. Fill your jars to with in about a half inch of the top, giving it a little shake to get it all settled. Do NOT put lids or rings on yet.!!
3. Place a cookie sheet into the oven, set your filled jars onto the baking sheet. Turn the oven on to 200 Deg. Shut the door (obviously) and set your timer for 60 minutes or 1 hour which ever is greater. (ha ha a bit of humor there)
4. Lay out a towel onto the counter or the table so the hot glass does not come in contact with the table surface. One by one take the jars out of the oven and screw down the lids till they are pretty tight. As they cool, you will here them start to seal just as if you were water bath canning or the such. There you have it.
I should note here, that the ONLY issue I have had doing this, is that the flour will cake a bit inside of the jar, What I have done is take a knife and push it close to the bottom to loosen the flour up a bit. Once you have it loose, just pour it into a gallon zip-lock bag and finish getting the "clumps" out of it. Then just pour it into your canister or whatever you store flour in. As far as the other things that I have tried, the ONLY other issue I have had, is that the oat meal does take on a bit of a "roasted" taste which, honestly I like.
Disclaimer, In being totally honest here, AFTER I went through all of the trial, and mess-ups I did a bit of research on this very thing, and it turns out that people have been doing this for a long time. Hmmm, who'da knew..... In doing my research, I found that by using this method, these things can be kept reasonable for about 15 years.
Well, there you have it my way of oven canning. If you think you have a better way, please feel free to comment.
Thanks and have a great day!!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Always thinking!
In the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Sandy got my mind to thinking of ways to be able to warm up soups and heat water and the like. Outside of the usual ways, like a camp stove, solar oven, I wondered if there might be another way. As I sat there thinking and putting different things in my head trying to conjure something cool.
I think I have come up with something! I have not seen this exact thing so I decided to give it a try. What I did was to take a large coffee metal coffee can and cut the bottom out of it. Next I took a half inch drill bit and drilled about 20 holes at various places on the side of the can. Once all of the holes were drilled. I went out and bought one of those unscented 3 wick large round candles. I set the candle inside of a plain disposable pie tin. I next lit the candle and slide the coffee can down over it. I took a small pot and filled it with cold tap water to see how long it would take to warm the water to be able to be hot enough (if at all) to make hot cocoa or at least have luke warm instant coffee. To my surprise within 15 minutes, the water had reached 120 deg. F. I next then tried the same thing with a can of heat and serve soup, this took a bit longer to heat up, about a half an hour.
All in all I would say that it was a pretty good idea. I had heard of alcohol burners and such, but none that you would use a candle with. From now on I will most definitely keep this in with my family's 72 hour in home kit.
Till Next time, help your fellow man!
I think I have come up with something! I have not seen this exact thing so I decided to give it a try. What I did was to take a large coffee metal coffee can and cut the bottom out of it. Next I took a half inch drill bit and drilled about 20 holes at various places on the side of the can. Once all of the holes were drilled. I went out and bought one of those unscented 3 wick large round candles. I set the candle inside of a plain disposable pie tin. I next lit the candle and slide the coffee can down over it. I took a small pot and filled it with cold tap water to see how long it would take to warm the water to be able to be hot enough (if at all) to make hot cocoa or at least have luke warm instant coffee. To my surprise within 15 minutes, the water had reached 120 deg. F. I next then tried the same thing with a can of heat and serve soup, this took a bit longer to heat up, about a half an hour.
All in all I would say that it was a pretty good idea. I had heard of alcohol burners and such, but none that you would use a candle with. From now on I will most definitely keep this in with my family's 72 hour in home kit.
Till Next time, help your fellow man!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
DIY's and an Update
DIY Fabric Softener
After making and using my own laundry soap for almost a year now, I decided to venture out there and see if there were any alternatives for fabric softener. After doing a bunch of research I decided to give it a try. What I found was that vinegar is even more awesome than I had thought. Not only does it have uses that I had not known about, it even made great fabric softener!!
Here is how I make DIY fabric softener:
6 Cups Hot water
6 Cups Vinegar
1 Cup Hair Conditioner (yes like you use in the shower)
Add the Hot water and the conditioner together and shake in a container well till it is all dissolved. Then add in the vinegar and shake well. Use the same amount that you would normally either in a softener dispensing ball or add to wash on the rinse like usual.
A Quick Update
I am going to do a bit of an update today. It has been nearly a year now since I started making my own laundry soap. I have to be honest here folks, after this amount of time, I have spent a total of $12.38 on the materials to make my families own laundry soap since February!!! Yes you read that right, $12.38 considering I do, on average 10 loads a week, that is a true savings for my family!! After the whole time I have not noticed our clothes being "not clean" or having "bad" smells to be honest, the clothes have no smell when they come out of the washer.
As always I appreciate all of the loyal people that come to my blog and follow it!!!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Canning Tomatoes
I know that a while back I wrote some on canning tomatoes. I finally broke down and made a quick video on how I do it. The way you do it could work just fine for you and if it does that is awesome!! All in all I have done 29 quarts so far this year, it didn't cost me much since I already had all of the jars already, just had to buy the lids. If you would like to watch the video please do so. If it is able to help just one person then it was well worth the embarrassment. I am sorry about the extreme close-ups at times on it. This was my first venture into making a video like this.
Canning Tomatoes
Since my youtube account is different from my blogger account, I had to do it in link form, sorry about that!
If there is anything that you would like a video done on please leave me a comment and I would be happy to try and do one!
Canning Tomatoes
Since my youtube account is different from my blogger account, I had to do it in link form, sorry about that!
If there is anything that you would like a video done on please leave me a comment and I would be happy to try and do one!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Simple and Cheap Cleaning DIY's
I know I know, It has been a while since I have posted. Sorry, there comes times where our daily lives get so busy that we just get caught up. I did take the time to build the new website which you can check out by visiting Here. Now on to today's post.
I recently have been trying to cut costs for me family and outside of the normal coupon here and there and having a garden I was stuck not sure what else I could do. Until, I did some research I realized I could make my own house hold cleaner for pennies. Yes, that's right pennies, all natural household cleaner and great smelling at the same time.
Orange Cleaner: If you like the smell of oranges you will love this. The cleaner is about as easy to make as it is to breathe. Take a 1qt. canning car, fill it with orange peels. Next fill the jar, covering the peels with vinegar and let sit for two weeks. After the time is up, strain the liquid off and there you have it a GREAT smelling all purpose cleaner. Pretty easy huh?
This next one takes a bit more involvement but the cost savings far outweighs the time it takes (about an hour of actual prep) to do it.
Laundry Soap:
Making this the first time, I thought to myself there is no way it is going to work the the store bought stuff....boy, was I wrong. There is a whole 3 ingredients to this, yup thats it. It costs, depending on the store and where you are from about .30-.40 cents per gallon to make. Pretty nuts isn't it?
What you need:
1 Bar of Fels-Naptha bar soap.
1 Box Borax
1 Box Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)
Thats all you need, oh and a bit of water....
Large bucket or plastic tub.
Grater
Large Spoon
Directions:
Cut the Fels-Naptha soap into 1/4's (set the other 3 chunks aside for another batch later. Grate or shred the bar soap into small pieces. (any grater will do) Put the shredded soap into a small pot with 1 cup of water on the stove on medium heat. You will have to stir this almost constantly until it is completely melted. It may end up with some suds but that is normal.
Once it is all melted transfer it to your bucket and 20 cups OR 5 Quarts of water, 2 table spoons of Borax powder and a 1/4 cup of the washing soda.
Stir the batch again you may notice some suds which is fine. Place a lid on your batch and let it sit over night. In the morning you wil notice a big change, it will look like soft jello.
Stir it up and divide it into (2) 1.1 gallon laundry bottles. Once you have it divided into the bottles finish filling them with water give them a good shake and as simple as that you are ready to wash clothes.
Usage: If you have a HE (high efficiency) washer use about 1/3 if a cup and a regular top load washer use about 3/4 cup.
Happy Washing!!
I recently have been trying to cut costs for me family and outside of the normal coupon here and there and having a garden I was stuck not sure what else I could do. Until, I did some research I realized I could make my own house hold cleaner for pennies. Yes, that's right pennies, all natural household cleaner and great smelling at the same time.
Orange Cleaner: If you like the smell of oranges you will love this. The cleaner is about as easy to make as it is to breathe. Take a 1qt. canning car, fill it with orange peels. Next fill the jar, covering the peels with vinegar and let sit for two weeks. After the time is up, strain the liquid off and there you have it a GREAT smelling all purpose cleaner. Pretty easy huh?
This next one takes a bit more involvement but the cost savings far outweighs the time it takes (about an hour of actual prep) to do it.
Laundry Soap:
Making this the first time, I thought to myself there is no way it is going to work the the store bought stuff....boy, was I wrong. There is a whole 3 ingredients to this, yup thats it. It costs, depending on the store and where you are from about .30-.40 cents per gallon to make. Pretty nuts isn't it?
What you need:
1 Bar of Fels-Naptha bar soap.
1 Box Borax
1 Box Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)
Thats all you need, oh and a bit of water....
Large bucket or plastic tub.
Grater
Large Spoon
Directions:
Cut the Fels-Naptha soap into 1/4's (set the other 3 chunks aside for another batch later. Grate or shred the bar soap into small pieces. (any grater will do) Put the shredded soap into a small pot with 1 cup of water on the stove on medium heat. You will have to stir this almost constantly until it is completely melted. It may end up with some suds but that is normal.
Once it is all melted transfer it to your bucket and 20 cups OR 5 Quarts of water, 2 table spoons of Borax powder and a 1/4 cup of the washing soda.
Stir the batch again you may notice some suds which is fine. Place a lid on your batch and let it sit over night. In the morning you wil notice a big change, it will look like soft jello.
Stir it up and divide it into (2) 1.1 gallon laundry bottles. Once you have it divided into the bottles finish filling them with water give them a good shake and as simple as that you are ready to wash clothes.
Usage: If you have a HE (high efficiency) washer use about 1/3 if a cup and a regular top load washer use about 3/4 cup.
Happy Washing!!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
New Site
As some of you have seen, I have taken a bit of a break from my frequent blog posts to work on a new website. I will, however continue to post on here also. I would like to thank you all that visit this blog on a regular basis! Without you all I wouldn't keep doing this. I feel that it gives me that little extra "umph" to keep it up.
If you would like to visit the new website you may do so by going to Real Preppers
Once again I would like to say thank you for all of your wonderful support.
If you would like to visit the new website you may do so by going to Real Preppers
Once again I would like to say thank you for all of your wonderful support.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Salt
Do you include it as one of your prepping essentials? Salt has so many uses people should try to keep at least 10 lbs. I personally keep 10lbs of reg iodized salt and 10lbs pickling salt. I don;t think that many people give salt much thought when it comes to storing and specific quantity. Below I will list my uses for salt, I hope these help you out also.
Some of the uses for salt in a prepping/survival situation.
Curing Meat-Included smoking
Food seasoning-(no brainer)
Mouth rinses (sore throats)
Drying hides
Preserving other foods such as in canning.
Used in egg freshness
Can be used as an aticeptic
There are far more uses for just around the house. As you can see, salt, to me is one of the most overlooked essentials for the survival/prepper. It can also be used as a barter tool if it came down to it.
Some of the uses for salt in a prepping/survival situation.
Curing Meat-Included smoking
Food seasoning-(no brainer)
Mouth rinses (sore throats)
Drying hides
Preserving other foods such as in canning.
Used in egg freshness
Can be used as an aticeptic
There are far more uses for just around the house. As you can see, salt, to me is one of the most overlooked essentials for the survival/prepper. It can also be used as a barter tool if it came down to it.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Education: not just for school
You may have recently read the article or saw it on the news about the three adults that were lost in Oregon while out mushroom hunting. In case you did not hear about it, it was a father, mother and their 25 y/o son. Thankfully they were found alive suffering from only minor injuries one of which was hypothermia.
They left to go out mushroom hunting and got lost. In reading this story I put myself in their situation, and what would I do. First off, I would not have went out without any kind of survival equipment like they did. NO, matter when I go out or where I go out, I always have a basic kit with me, which consists of a lighter, a back-up fire making device, a knife, cordage, an unopened bag of trail mix and a small signal mirror. All of which can be carried in a small backpack. I have several kits that I take with me depending on the time of the year it is.
The story did not tell whether the people were smokers or not, I would have to assume they weren't because there was no mention of a fire but, did mention that the mother was suffering from hypothermia.
If you get lost while out the first thing that you should do is remain calm. Sit and collect your thoughts if you have to. Implement a plan to stay alive until you can either walk out or be rescued. Your best survival tool you have is your mind. If you can not keep calm, in most cases you will not make it out alive. There are all sorts of things that could have been done to ensure their own safety. For the majority for my readers reading the "what to do's" is old hat. I wont get into what they should have done.
We need to do our part to educate others so that if it happens to them they can stay alive if they are in a situation like this. As survival and prepper experts need to do our part in teaching others.
As always feel free to comment Have a great day!!
They left to go out mushroom hunting and got lost. In reading this story I put myself in their situation, and what would I do. First off, I would not have went out without any kind of survival equipment like they did. NO, matter when I go out or where I go out, I always have a basic kit with me, which consists of a lighter, a back-up fire making device, a knife, cordage, an unopened bag of trail mix and a small signal mirror. All of which can be carried in a small backpack. I have several kits that I take with me depending on the time of the year it is.
The story did not tell whether the people were smokers or not, I would have to assume they weren't because there was no mention of a fire but, did mention that the mother was suffering from hypothermia.
If you get lost while out the first thing that you should do is remain calm. Sit and collect your thoughts if you have to. Implement a plan to stay alive until you can either walk out or be rescued. Your best survival tool you have is your mind. If you can not keep calm, in most cases you will not make it out alive. There are all sorts of things that could have been done to ensure their own safety. For the majority for my readers reading the "what to do's" is old hat. I wont get into what they should have done.
We need to do our part to educate others so that if it happens to them they can stay alive if they are in a situation like this. As survival and prepper experts need to do our part in teaching others.
As always feel free to comment Have a great day!!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Staying Warm
Now that winter has returned to most of the country I thought I would spend some time on various situations you may encounter. One of the biggest problems in winter situations obviously is staying warm. Whether you are stranded in your car, out in the wilderness or even in your house during a power outage. Staving off hypothermia and frostbite can be the difference between life and death in any type of survival situation. Over the next few posts, I will be concentrating on staying warm to stay alive!
Stranded in your car:
If you live in an area where the winter comes on hard and is utterly relentless staying warm while stranded is a must. The first rule is being prepared. You should have with you at all times a winter driving kit. You may refer back to an earlier post as to what should be included in your kit. The first rule to winter driving is to keep a full gas tank. The second rule is to NOT go out in bad weather. (we all know this one but never really grasp it I don't think). To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, make sure that the tail pipe is clear of snow and ice. Remember that your car is essentially one big metal box thus becoming a freezer in the winter when the heater is not running. It will not hold heat very well once it is shut off. Pick a time schedule and stick to it! Only run the cars engine for 3 minutes out of every half hour to conserve gas. Here is another thing to keep in mind, if you are able keep your feet off of the floor. We all know that cold air drops to the lowest point, so keeping your feet off the floor will keep them warmer while the engine is not running. If you do happen to run out of water, cut the top off a plastic bottle and fill with snow. When your running your heater melt some of the snow to drink. Another thing you may do is fill 2 different bottles and let one become fully melted. Leave it on the heat as much as possible. As the water gets warm, you can drink the warm water during the times when your car is off to help maintain body heat.
As always, I hope that you find this post helpful. Till next time!!
Stranded in your car:
If you live in an area where the winter comes on hard and is utterly relentless staying warm while stranded is a must. The first rule is being prepared. You should have with you at all times a winter driving kit. You may refer back to an earlier post as to what should be included in your kit. The first rule to winter driving is to keep a full gas tank. The second rule is to NOT go out in bad weather. (we all know this one but never really grasp it I don't think). To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, make sure that the tail pipe is clear of snow and ice. Remember that your car is essentially one big metal box thus becoming a freezer in the winter when the heater is not running. It will not hold heat very well once it is shut off. Pick a time schedule and stick to it! Only run the cars engine for 3 minutes out of every half hour to conserve gas. Here is another thing to keep in mind, if you are able keep your feet off of the floor. We all know that cold air drops to the lowest point, so keeping your feet off the floor will keep them warmer while the engine is not running. If you do happen to run out of water, cut the top off a plastic bottle and fill with snow. When your running your heater melt some of the snow to drink. Another thing you may do is fill 2 different bottles and let one become fully melted. Leave it on the heat as much as possible. As the water gets warm, you can drink the warm water during the times when your car is off to help maintain body heat.
As always, I hope that you find this post helpful. Till next time!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Birch Tree
The Birch tree can be identified by it's bark, it has silvery white smooth bark with dark to black horizontal lines. The tree grows primarily in the northern parts of the U.S. as well as other countries. The Birch tree is also known as the tree of life because of all the medicinal properties it has.
The leaves contain saponin, a bitter substance, mucilage, procatechinic tannin, essential oil, betulin, saccharose, resins. These substances offer the following properties to the birch leaves: diuretic, detoxifying, cicatrizing, anti-rheumatic, astringent, antiulcer, choleretic, slightly hypertensive, anti-fever. The buds also have a diuretic and antibiotic role. The bark is diuretic, digestive and anti-fever. The juice squeezed out of fresh leaves is used in treating infections and inflammations of the urinary tract.
Birch leaf baths help strengthen hair roots, prevent the forming of dandruff and contribute to the healing of skin irritations. Externally, it is used for treating affections of the skin such as dermatitis and types of eczema. An interesting side note an infusion of birch leaves, water and sodium bicarbonate can be used externally to strengthen hair roots. Birch bark decoct is made by 2 teaspoons of dried and cut bark, which is boiled for 5 minutes in 200 ml of water, it is infused for 10 minutes, let it stand for 6 hours, then it is filtered, sweetened and drunk in portions of 3 cups per day, before meals, having digestive, depurative, anti-ulcer effects, with applications in gastric ulcer and skin diseases.
The Birch sap can also be mixed with water as an energy supplement. As you can see, the birch tree has many many beneficial uses.
Once again, I hope that you find my posts informative and helpful. If you have any comments and questions feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer them.
The leaves contain saponin, a bitter substance, mucilage, procatechinic tannin, essential oil, betulin, saccharose, resins. These substances offer the following properties to the birch leaves: diuretic, detoxifying, cicatrizing, anti-rheumatic, astringent, antiulcer, choleretic, slightly hypertensive, anti-fever. The buds also have a diuretic and antibiotic role. The bark is diuretic, digestive and anti-fever. The juice squeezed out of fresh leaves is used in treating infections and inflammations of the urinary tract.
The Birch sap can also be mixed with water as an energy supplement. As you can see, the birch tree has many many beneficial uses.
Once again, I hope that you find my posts informative and helpful. If you have any comments and questions feel free to post them and I will do my best to answer them.
Monday, December 26, 2011
White Oak
The white oak tree is another one of the great medicinal trees. The size and shape of the tree can vary from area to area. The white oak also grows acorns that have many uses. The most used part of the white oak tree is the inner bark.
It also provides numerous minerals and nutrients including vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and zinc, helping to replace needed compounds in the body while it helps your health conditions to improve.
The inner bark can be used for many things from an anti-diarrhea tea to a mouth wash to help with bleeding gums. You can also boil the inner bark and use it was a compress to sooth bug bites, poison ivy and poison oak. It will also promote the healing of minor cuts and scrapes. Drinking white oak bark tea and using the bark itself externally can help to combat varicose veins. It has been shown to help remove gallstones and kidney stones as well as helping internal bleeding of the stomach, rectum, and lungs. Gout and other inflammation related problems may benefit from the use of the tea as well.
It should be noted, that if you are allergic to aspirin you should not take white oak tea. It is recommended that you take oak bark 4 hours before or 4 hours after any prescription medication. To avoid negative side effects.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Black Walnut
Today is the start of my medicinal plant series. As a disclaimer: as with any plant, you should know for sure what it is before using it for any type of medicinal purpose, also as with anything allergic reactions could occur. Black walnut trees are found virtually across all the the United States. Almost all the parts of the Walnut tree can be used as a medicinal purpose, and has been for many many years by the Native Americans.
Identification: The sight of the nuts on the tree is a dead giveaway obviously. There are other ways to identify the tree, breaking a piece of bark off will also give off that distinctive walnut smell.
Medicinal Properties: The leaves can be crushed to help relieve itches from bites and rashes. The leaves can also be soaked and wrapped around the affected area.
The green hulls can be used for many things. When the hulls are green, they are NOT edible, but a great source of iodine for external use. Uses for cuts, scrapes and other external body injuries. They can also be boiled to make a tea for intestinal problems. It can also help cure athlete's foot.
The black or over ripe hulls have more uses, they can be crushed into a fine powder and diluted and used for parasitic worms. It can also be used for mouth sores. Probably the coolest thing that the black hulls can be used for in dried powder form is taking care of cavities in your teeth. You can either brush your teeth with the powder or just simply swish it around in your mouth to help rebuild tooth enamel. Incidentally the black hulls can also be boiled to be used for wood stain or cloth dye.
The bark can be pulverized and used to stun fish in a dammed up stream. The bark can also be used in hide tanning. The wood can be made into tools that you can use such as throwing sticks and handles for hatchets and hammers.
I hope that you will find this series informative and useful. Please leave comments below if there is something you would like to discuss.
Medicinal Properties: The leaves can be crushed to help relieve itches from bites and rashes. The leaves can also be soaked and wrapped around the affected area.
The green hulls can be used for many things. When the hulls are green, they are NOT edible, but a great source of iodine for external use. Uses for cuts, scrapes and other external body injuries. They can also be boiled to make a tea for intestinal problems. It can also help cure athlete's foot.
The black or over ripe hulls have more uses, they can be crushed into a fine powder and diluted and used for parasitic worms. It can also be used for mouth sores. Probably the coolest thing that the black hulls can be used for in dried powder form is taking care of cavities in your teeth. You can either brush your teeth with the powder or just simply swish it around in your mouth to help rebuild tooth enamel. Incidentally the black hulls can also be boiled to be used for wood stain or cloth dye.
The bark can be pulverized and used to stun fish in a dammed up stream. The bark can also be used in hide tanning. The wood can be made into tools that you can use such as throwing sticks and handles for hatchets and hammers.
I hope that you will find this series informative and useful. Please leave comments below if there is something you would like to discuss.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Off the Beaten Path
Christmas is just around the corner, so let me wish you all A very Merry Christmas! I know that it has been a few days since I last posted, things get a bit busy for me now and then. Before I get started, just a couple things, I have in the works (beginning stages) a survival/prepping school that will be here in Iowa. I have been teaching people on an individual basis, but I am seriously looking into doing groups. Ok, enough about me, on with the show.
Today we are going to focus on truly being prepared. You have to ask yourself some serious questions when it comes to being prepared. Sure, you can go with out your cell phone, blackberry and other things for a couple days here and there. but are you really prepared to going without them long term? Computers are another staple in today's society that are such a big part of our lives, I mean I am obviously not writing this on a stone tablet or carving it in a chunk of wood. Being prepared is just that, not only to have everything ready but to ALSO have the knowledge to use the things around you. One thing that I have done is to make a 3 ring binder with information in it on the things that i might not be as familiar with. Things such as medicinal plant uses with pictures of the plant and or leaves. Maybe the directions to a simple recipe that your able to make in a survival situation using the things in your bug out bag or 72 hour kit. There is all sorts of good information out there, and while we are all able it might just be a good idea to take the time and put together your own preparedness binder. Sure you could always buy one, but the chances of it having the information in it for your area of the country could very well not be in it. Over the next few posts, i will be a series of posts on medicinal plants and trees in case you do not have the time to do the research your self. I hope that you will all find it helpful and informative.
Until next time!
Today we are going to focus on truly being prepared. You have to ask yourself some serious questions when it comes to being prepared. Sure, you can go with out your cell phone, blackberry and other things for a couple days here and there. but are you really prepared to going without them long term? Computers are another staple in today's society that are such a big part of our lives, I mean I am obviously not writing this on a stone tablet or carving it in a chunk of wood. Being prepared is just that, not only to have everything ready but to ALSO have the knowledge to use the things around you. One thing that I have done is to make a 3 ring binder with information in it on the things that i might not be as familiar with. Things such as medicinal plant uses with pictures of the plant and or leaves. Maybe the directions to a simple recipe that your able to make in a survival situation using the things in your bug out bag or 72 hour kit. There is all sorts of good information out there, and while we are all able it might just be a good idea to take the time and put together your own preparedness binder. Sure you could always buy one, but the chances of it having the information in it for your area of the country could very well not be in it. Over the next few posts, i will be a series of posts on medicinal plants and trees in case you do not have the time to do the research your self. I hope that you will all find it helpful and informative.
Until next time!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Seeds and saving them
A bit off the normal posts today for something else that my family does. As it looks to me more and more people are returning to gardening, with that people are learning that you can save your own seeds. This is something that my family has done for nearly 10 years. It is one of the easiest things you can do but it does take some time and dedication. It might be easier for some just to go out and buy the seeds, but for my family, it is our way of knowing our seeds and what we can expect. One important note, hybrid seeds should not be saved, as they will not turn out like their first year parents.
Best seeds to save:
The things that are the best to save seeds back from are tomatoes, peas, beans and pretty much all peppers. Each of which have a bit of a different way that is best to preserve and save the seeds. Since these are all self pollinating they make about the best plants to save seeds from. Heirloom seeds are just that, passed down from generation to generation. These would make the best ones to save! If you have a certain plant that does exceptionally well, this might be one to think about using for your save.
Tomatoes:
Saving tomato seeds does require a bit of time and a trick to knowing how to do it correctly. The first step is to allow the fruit to ripen completely. Cut the tomato into either sections or slices and scoop out the seeds along with the protective gel that covers them. Put them into a glass jar and cover the seeds and "goo" till the jar is about 1/3 to 1/2 full depending on how many seeds you are saving. Put the lid on it and let it sit on your counter out of the way. Each day take the lid off and give the seeds a gentle stir. On or about day 6 the protective gel will have degraded and the seeds will have fallen to the bottom of the jar. There could be a bit of scum on the top during this process, don't worry that is natural. Once the seeds have all been de-goo'd place them into a small holed wire strainer or something similar and rinse them well. After they have been rinsed, spread the seeds out onto a plain white paper towel and let them dry for 2-3 days. Once the seeds are dry, simply put them in an air tight container, label as to what they are and the date you put them in and store them till your ready to use them.
Peppers:
Peppers seeds are one of the easiest to obtain and save. The best way is to allow them to fully ripen on the plant until they just start to wrinkle. Pick the peppers and cut the seed pods out. Gently pull the seeds off the pod and spread them out on a white paper towel to dry for 2-3 days. Once dried, just like above place them in a labeled air tight container and store. Pretty simple huh.
Peas and Beans:
These do take a bit longer to harvest. Wait for about a month after you would normally harvest both of these. You will need to wait until the pods turn brown and are very dry. You should be able to hear them rattle around a bit. once you can hear them rattle, bring them in for final drying. Usually a week or so. You can either remove them from the husks or store them in the pods until you are ready to plant them.
Storing your seeds in a cool dry place is the best way to do it. you may also think about placing a silicone gel pack in the container to help ward off moisture.
As with all my posts, feel free to ask questions or leave me a comment. I do my best to answer them all.
Best seeds to save:
The things that are the best to save seeds back from are tomatoes, peas, beans and pretty much all peppers. Each of which have a bit of a different way that is best to preserve and save the seeds. Since these are all self pollinating they make about the best plants to save seeds from. Heirloom seeds are just that, passed down from generation to generation. These would make the best ones to save! If you have a certain plant that does exceptionally well, this might be one to think about using for your save.
Tomatoes:
Saving tomato seeds does require a bit of time and a trick to knowing how to do it correctly. The first step is to allow the fruit to ripen completely. Cut the tomato into either sections or slices and scoop out the seeds along with the protective gel that covers them. Put them into a glass jar and cover the seeds and "goo" till the jar is about 1/3 to 1/2 full depending on how many seeds you are saving. Put the lid on it and let it sit on your counter out of the way. Each day take the lid off and give the seeds a gentle stir. On or about day 6 the protective gel will have degraded and the seeds will have fallen to the bottom of the jar. There could be a bit of scum on the top during this process, don't worry that is natural. Once the seeds have all been de-goo'd place them into a small holed wire strainer or something similar and rinse them well. After they have been rinsed, spread the seeds out onto a plain white paper towel and let them dry for 2-3 days. Once the seeds are dry, simply put them in an air tight container, label as to what they are and the date you put them in and store them till your ready to use them.
Peppers:
Peppers seeds are one of the easiest to obtain and save. The best way is to allow them to fully ripen on the plant until they just start to wrinkle. Pick the peppers and cut the seed pods out. Gently pull the seeds off the pod and spread them out on a white paper towel to dry for 2-3 days. Once dried, just like above place them in a labeled air tight container and store. Pretty simple huh.
Peas and Beans:
These do take a bit longer to harvest. Wait for about a month after you would normally harvest both of these. You will need to wait until the pods turn brown and are very dry. You should be able to hear them rattle around a bit. once you can hear them rattle, bring them in for final drying. Usually a week or so. You can either remove them from the husks or store them in the pods until you are ready to plant them.
Storing your seeds in a cool dry place is the best way to do it. you may also think about placing a silicone gel pack in the container to help ward off moisture.
As with all my posts, feel free to ask questions or leave me a comment. I do my best to answer them all.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Canning your own food is a lost art.
The way the world is today and the state of the economy are you really preparing or are you just going through the motions? Think about it, if something were to happen at this very second, could you make it? Could you keep your family warm and safe? Unless you live in the tropics or some place where it is warm this time of year winter is about to rear it's ugly head and hard. Picture this, January, the dead of winter, an infrastructure failure. This means, no lights, no heat and no water among other things. What are your going to do now? There will probably be little to no communication so if shelters are set up you will not know about them. How will you feed your family? Sure you might have your 72 hour kit ready to go, but what happens if it goes into days or weeks or heaven forbid longer than that. How will you provide food for your family?
Canning:
Canning your own food has been around for a long time and in my opinion it is becoming a lost art. Personally our family cans as much as we can during the summer from tomatoes to corn (freeze) and most other vegetables. Home canned foods will last up to a couple of years. Home canned food provides safe nutrition, there are no additives or preservatives in any of it. Best of all it is not hard to do at all. I know that when people think of canning, they think they have to have all of the fancy pressure cookers and all the gadgets but you don't HAVE to have them.
Jars, rings and seals:
If you are just starting out usually a case of quart jars will run anywhere from 7-10.00 for a dozen. Your first set generally comes with the seals and rings. While they come made and look clean, to be sure, you should wash all of the things in HOT soapy water (as hot as you can stand), rinse them very well. Set them upside down up on a clean dry towel. They do not have to dry. In a very large pot fill with water and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, place a couple jars, seals and rings in the water for about a minute to sanitize them. You can use a long set of tongs, or a jar lifter to get them out of the water and set them back on the towel.
Preparing your veggies, is pretty common sense and easy, simply wash, cut to desired size and fill the jar to within an inch of the top: In a separate pot, bring to a boil 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each 1 qt of water. Using a funnel, fill the the jar with the water/salt until it covers the veggies or within a 1/2 inch of the top. Dip a clean cloth into the water that you used to sterilize the jars and wipe off the rim of the jar to make sure it is clean for a good proper seal.
Sealing your Jars: Place a seal on the jar and screw on the ring pretty tight. Use a towel to hold the jar in place as it will be very hot. Repeat this till all of your jars are full that you have veggies for. Once that is done, place 2-3 jars right side up into the sterilizing pot making sure that the water level is about 3/4 up the side of the jar. Bring the water to a boil and let it boil for 15 minutes. When the time is up, carefully remove the jars and set them in an area where you will not have to move them for 24 hours. Depending on the temperature of your home, it could take as long as 5-6 hours for them to seal. You may also hear them "pop" when sealing themselves. Once they are completely cooled and sealed, store them in a cool dark place like a basement or the bottom of a closet. If by chance, you have a couple that do not seal, put them in the fridge and use them up in a week or so.
Not only does canning food provide an emergency food source, it will also save you money in the long run as the rings and jars can be reused year after year. The only thing that you can not reuse is the seals.
I hope that my blog is giving people the insights to help themselves, not only in prepping but also other little tricks. As always, feel free to comment on anything that you might have a question on.
Canning:
Canning your own food has been around for a long time and in my opinion it is becoming a lost art. Personally our family cans as much as we can during the summer from tomatoes to corn (freeze) and most other vegetables. Home canned foods will last up to a couple of years. Home canned food provides safe nutrition, there are no additives or preservatives in any of it. Best of all it is not hard to do at all. I know that when people think of canning, they think they have to have all of the fancy pressure cookers and all the gadgets but you don't HAVE to have them.
Jars, rings and seals:
If you are just starting out usually a case of quart jars will run anywhere from 7-10.00 for a dozen. Your first set generally comes with the seals and rings. While they come made and look clean, to be sure, you should wash all of the things in HOT soapy water (as hot as you can stand), rinse them very well. Set them upside down up on a clean dry towel. They do not have to dry. In a very large pot fill with water and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, place a couple jars, seals and rings in the water for about a minute to sanitize them. You can use a long set of tongs, or a jar lifter to get them out of the water and set them back on the towel.
Preparing your veggies, is pretty common sense and easy, simply wash, cut to desired size and fill the jar to within an inch of the top: In a separate pot, bring to a boil 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each 1 qt of water. Using a funnel, fill the the jar with the water/salt until it covers the veggies or within a 1/2 inch of the top. Dip a clean cloth into the water that you used to sterilize the jars and wipe off the rim of the jar to make sure it is clean for a good proper seal.
Sealing your Jars: Place a seal on the jar and screw on the ring pretty tight. Use a towel to hold the jar in place as it will be very hot. Repeat this till all of your jars are full that you have veggies for. Once that is done, place 2-3 jars right side up into the sterilizing pot making sure that the water level is about 3/4 up the side of the jar. Bring the water to a boil and let it boil for 15 minutes. When the time is up, carefully remove the jars and set them in an area where you will not have to move them for 24 hours. Depending on the temperature of your home, it could take as long as 5-6 hours for them to seal. You may also hear them "pop" when sealing themselves. Once they are completely cooled and sealed, store them in a cool dark place like a basement or the bottom of a closet. If by chance, you have a couple that do not seal, put them in the fridge and use them up in a week or so.
Not only does canning food provide an emergency food source, it will also save you money in the long run as the rings and jars can be reused year after year. The only thing that you can not reuse is the seals.
I hope that my blog is giving people the insights to help themselves, not only in prepping but also other little tricks. As always, feel free to comment on anything that you might have a question on.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Simple Water Storage
What if I told you that there was no reason to go out and buy gallons and gallons of pre-bottled water. There is such a simple and cost effective way of storing water for your family. How many people now days go out and buy soda in the 20 oz bottles? I would be willing to bet there are many many people that do so. Or how about those gallon jugs of apple juice. Instead of buying the 20oz, why not buy the 2ltr bottles a few times. Not only water, but there are so many uses for these bottles, that it is worth hanging on to a few of them.
Water Storage: It is pretty simple when you think about it. Wash the bottles out with hot soapy water, the hotter the water the better so you can rinse all of the sugars and things out of them. I personally put about 2 cups of really hot water in them. Be a bit liberal with the soap and shake the ever lovin crap out of it, trying to fill the bottle with suds. Let the bottles sit until the suds are all back in the bottom of the bottle. Rinse the bottles very very well. Now, depending on if you have city water or well water will determine the shelf life of your water store.
If you will be filling your bottles from a municipal water source you do not have to do anything special to it, just fill and place the cap on tightly.The water has already been treated and therefore will be safe. Store it in a cool dark place such as the back of a closet or in the basement.
If your going to be using well water for your storage. It is best to put 4-5 drops of bleach in the water to sanitize it. As well water has not been treated, and over time things may start to grow in it that you do not want to drink and could become harmful. Again, store it in a dark cool place where it is easily accessible.
Having said all of that, I truly think that there is no reason to buy "commercial" water. You can save lots of money in doing it yourself.
TIP: When it comes to storing your water, I would suggest writing a date on the bottle so you know when you filled it. If you do not use the water within a years time, empty them out and refill to maintain as fresh of water as you can.
You never know when disaster may strike, wouldn't you rather be prepared, than be the poor shlub down the street that looses his or her mind because they didn't prepare?
Water Storage: It is pretty simple when you think about it. Wash the bottles out with hot soapy water, the hotter the water the better so you can rinse all of the sugars and things out of them. I personally put about 2 cups of really hot water in them. Be a bit liberal with the soap and shake the ever lovin crap out of it, trying to fill the bottle with suds. Let the bottles sit until the suds are all back in the bottom of the bottle. Rinse the bottles very very well. Now, depending on if you have city water or well water will determine the shelf life of your water store.
If you will be filling your bottles from a municipal water source you do not have to do anything special to it, just fill and place the cap on tightly.The water has already been treated and therefore will be safe. Store it in a cool dark place such as the back of a closet or in the basement.
If your going to be using well water for your storage. It is best to put 4-5 drops of bleach in the water to sanitize it. As well water has not been treated, and over time things may start to grow in it that you do not want to drink and could become harmful. Again, store it in a dark cool place where it is easily accessible.
Having said all of that, I truly think that there is no reason to buy "commercial" water. You can save lots of money in doing it yourself.
TIP: When it comes to storing your water, I would suggest writing a date on the bottle so you know when you filled it. If you do not use the water within a years time, empty them out and refill to maintain as fresh of water as you can.
You never know when disaster may strike, wouldn't you rather be prepared, than be the poor shlub down the street that looses his or her mind because they didn't prepare?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Call Me Simple Minded
I didn't get to bed very early last night but, still I woke up this morning way before anyone else in the house thought about stirring for the day. For some reason I just laid there and started thinking to myself about all of the people who are not even remotely prepared or those that live in the big cities. ya know, the ones that go through life thinking that each and every day they wake up they will be able to go and turn the coffee pot on, or stop at the next fast food place and grab breakfast. How many of them could go and catch fish or trap an animal. Hell or even think about the simplest things like heating up soup or cooking by candle right in the house. yup, you read that right, cooking with candle power. It does take a little bit of time, but has worked for me in the past when the lights have gone out and I didn't want to break out all of the "good gear".
Candle cooking: If you are like me (or not) I am sure you have plenty of candles in your house in case of emergency. Believe it or not, all it takes is three of the about 4 inch diameter candles (unscented). Are you laughing yet? You shouldn't be it really does work. Depending on the heights of your candles, you will need something about an inch taller than they are to hold your pan on at least 2 sides. Lite the candles and set it above the flame and wait a few minutes and there you have hot soup.
Folks, there are so many ideas and common sense solutions to any problem that you face in ANY kind of a survival situation. You do not always have to follow the path that others have made. Be bold and make your own trail, use your own ideas it is the only way that you will learn and hone your skills.
If there is something specific that you would like to know about, please feel free to leave a comment. I will be more than happy to help you out with it.
Candle cooking: If you are like me (or not) I am sure you have plenty of candles in your house in case of emergency. Believe it or not, all it takes is three of the about 4 inch diameter candles (unscented). Are you laughing yet? You shouldn't be it really does work. Depending on the heights of your candles, you will need something about an inch taller than they are to hold your pan on at least 2 sides. Lite the candles and set it above the flame and wait a few minutes and there you have hot soup.
Folks, there are so many ideas and common sense solutions to any problem that you face in ANY kind of a survival situation. You do not always have to follow the path that others have made. Be bold and make your own trail, use your own ideas it is the only way that you will learn and hone your skills.
If there is something specific that you would like to know about, please feel free to leave a comment. I will be more than happy to help you out with it.
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