Prepping

[peavey]

I started minor prepping a few years ago with the intention of being able to provide a safe healthy enviorment for my family in case the worst happened. I purchased a cheap solar charging system from harbor freight for about $130 and a deep cycle battery from wal mart for about $100. Since I already had several inverters I saved a few bucks there. I mounted the solar panels on my porch and they keep the battery charged extremly well. I have since added an identical system to a out building that gives me an additional charged battery. These system came in real handy when we lost power due to a summer storm for two weeks. One is hard wired into my living room where I can have electricity with a flick of a switch. I have sinced educated myself on cheaper and more powerful systems and have built a 300 watt system for my cabin in the woods.
Ah, my cabin. I purchased 5 acres of mountain property and built a 16' x 16' cabin with a half loft, plumbed it, installed a propane hot water heater (on demand type), 12 volt water pump, picked up a 250gal plastic water tank from craigslist for $50, propane logs (already had), wal mart emergency food 5 gal. buckets, ceramic water filter from CTD for $30, have extra wood stove and pipe for extended survival needs. There are plenty of extras that I have not mentioned that I consider everyday items. Anyway, I believe I have a plan for the 3 month survival scenerio, but I'm in no way confident that I have every situation covered. Additionally I have prepared bug out bags for all family members who keep them in their vehicles with instructions on how to use specific items and where to meet in case the worst happens.
Do I think we will ever have to utilize all the gear and equipment in a long term situation? NO, at least I hope not. Am I better prepared than some? I think so. I am not a end of world prepper. I just want to make sure I can keep my family alive in a bad situation.

 

[charlz]

I was vaguely aware that the LDS Church had a cannery here in Boise mainly because they sometimes would let the local foodbank process food there and the foodbank would be looking for volunteers. Couple days ago there was a local news story about a guy doing maintenance getting hurt in the local one which brought it back to mind. I did a bit of searching and it turns out you can buy food from the LDS 'Home Storage Centers' which are scattered around the country.

Here is their page on food storage: Food Storage


Here is their online store where you can buy long-term packaged foods:
Self-Reliance - store.lds.org


Or if there is one nearby you should be able to purchase locally without shipping:
Home Storage Center Locations Map



Not sure how the prices are versus other companies and options out there but if you are looking for long-storage staples this might be a good option.

 

[joeyd]

One thing to remember once you start building up reserves for whatever reason is DON"T BROADCAST IT!! The "have not's" will be all over the "haves" if they know about it. If your family was starving how far would you go to get them food? That is my point. How far are you willing to go to protect your supplies and family?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Yes and no. Beef is regularly aged to 18 days or even longer. Deer is good with a few days of aging on it but I have had some that was aged as long as 7 days and it was still fine. This is where something like a root cellar is handy as it is a good place to age meat. Obviously it varies with time of year and ground/root cellar temperatures.

There's a lot of discussion about ageing meat. My take is that you hang it in a cool place (~50 degrees) until the rigor mortis goes out of the meat. If you freeze it while the joints are still stiff, it will be as tough as shoe leather. You don't want to get in a hurry, though, because if you refrigerate the meat before full rigor, about 24 hours, you will get cold shortening of the muscle fibers. Ideally, you keep the meat at about 65 degrees for the first 24 hours, then cool it to 50 to hang for about 5 days before cutting and wrapping.