Planning a survival stockpile can be a financial and logistical nightmare. It doesn’t take long before we realize that building that stockpile is going to be an expensive proposition. Regardless of how carefully we try to budget, it is challenging to make it work.
For many, the financial burden of building a stockpile forces them to seek out ways of reducing their financial outlay at any cost. Unfortunately, that cost might just end up being their health, especially if they don’t stockpile the right things.
More than anything, what I see people trying to do, in order to save money, is stock up on carbohydrates, while cutting back on proteins. But both are equally important to a survival diet.
When nutritionists talk about “proper diet”, we usually hear them talking about micronutrients, things like Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Basically, things the rest of us don’t really understand. Listening to them, you might think that those micronutrients are all we need, that there is no need for macronutrients. But a survival diet has to focus on the macronutrients, even if we ignore the micronutrients.
Related: The SHTF Diet: Minimum Food And Water Supply For 3 Months
There are three macronutrients. We need to understand what they are and what they do, in order to put a realistic survival diet together. These three nutrients are:
#1. Carbohydrates (carbs)
Simple sugars are the fuel that our bodies run on, providing the necessary energy for our body’s muscles to move.
We get those simple sugars from the carbs and complex sugars that we eat (white sugar is a complex sugar).
Digestion starts in the mouth, with our teeth breaking food up and our saliva attacking those carbs and breaking them down to simple sugars. A survival diet should be 50% to 60% carbohydrates.
#2. Fats
The problem with carbohydrates is that they break down into those simple sugars quickly. Therefore are consumed quickly.
Once that happens, the individual “hits the wall” and is suddenly without energy. That’s where fats come in. They too are broken down into simple sugars, but it takes much longer than it does for carbs.
So, when the sugars from the carbs run out, the sugars from the fats take over. This gives us a one-two punch of energy. A survival diet should contain somewhere between 25% to 35% fats, mostly unsaturated fats (vegetable fats).
#3. Proteins
Of the three macronutrients, proteins are the only one we eat for a purpose other than providing energy.
While it is possible for proteins to be broken down into simple sugars, the process is much more complex, so the body only does it in emergencies.
Rather, proteins are the basic building-blocks of life, as all cells are made up out of proteins. Even DNA, the genetic code, is made up of proteins. Since the body is constantly making new cells, it needs a constant source of proteins. If it doesn’t have it, it will cannibalize itself to get those proteins. A survival diet should contain from 10% to 20% proteins.
Related: The 24 Highest Calorie Vegetables for Your Survival Garden
Selecting Your Proteins
There are two problems with proteins, from the viewpoint of building a survival stockpile. The first is that they are generally the most expensive food we buy and the second is that they are the hardest foods to preserve.
Meat, where most of our proteins come from, naturally has a higher bacterial count than any other food source. That bacteria must be killed, for the meat to successfully be preserved.
Nevertheless, these are problems that we must overcome, in order to have a healthy survival diet. Fortunately, there are many methods which have been successfully used for preserving meat for centuries, all of which are available for us today.
There are also sources of protein available to us, other than animal proteins. By mixing our stockpile so that we have both animal proteins and other food sources which contain protein, we can build a stockpile that we can afford, while providing us with the nutrition that our bodies need.
Homemade Jerky
Jerky is nothing more than spiced, dried meat. But the most important part of that jerky, besides the meat itself, is salt.
Salt is a natural preservative, and absolutely essential to making jerky safe for storage.
Making your own saves you money and gives you the opportunity to make sure that it has ample salt, so as to protect the meat. Excess salt can always be rinsed off, before use.
You also want to store homemade jerky in airtight containers, with oxygen and moisture absorbers added. The containers need to be strong enough to make it impossible for rats to chew through them and get to the meat stored inside.
Salt Fish
Salt fish is kind of the fish equivalent of jerky, made in much the same way and with a large amount of salt. If anything, salt fish has more salt used in making it, than jerky does. This preserves it well. As with jerky, you’ll probably need to make your own.
Canned Meats
Canned meat is generally cheaper than fresh cuts of meat.
One of the reasons for this, is that canned meat is usually made from muscles of the animal which are tough and are therefore not usable for steaks and roasts.
The canning process provides ample opportunity to tenderize this meat and make it edible.
⇒ How To Can Hamburger Meat For Long Term Preservation
As with any other canned product, canned meats will last virtually forever. While they may not look very attractive when they come out of the can, they are nutritious and healthy to eat. Having your meat in cans also acts as portion control, helping you to ration out your food and make it last longer.
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
Textured vegetable protein is a meat substitute, made purely out of plant products, mostly soy. It is made to take on the texture and flavor of different types of meat.
While it is not exactly the same texture or flavor, most people won’t recognize the difference in a casserole or other dish, if they are not told.
Beans
Beans have long been used as a source of protein. All sorts of legumes can be eaten, supplementing the protein received from animals. In many poorer cultures today, beans are the main source of protein, due to cost, rather than meat.
The nice thing about beans is that they are sold already dried, making it extremely easy to package them for long-term storage.
As with any other dry food, the major problem is packing them in airtight packaging, with oxygen absorbers and in a container which is strong enough to keep rodents out. That can be done by putting them in aluminized Mylar bags, inside of five-gallon buckets. Stored this way, they will keep for at least 20 years.
Related: If I Could Only Stockpile 10 Foods
Nuts
Nuts have also been used as a survival protein source for centuries. In the early days of the American colonies, it was not uncommon to bury barrels and casks of nuts to preserve them for winter or other hard times. Most nuts keep well, in the shell, as long as rodents can be kept away from them.
All types of nuts can be turned into butters, not just peanut butter. They all provide a considerable amount of protein, in addition to being a comfort food.
Cheese
While cheese is harder to store for prolonged periods of time, it is possible. Actually, the making of cheese came from a desire to convert milk into storable products. Properly stored, cheese can actually last a considerable amount of time. Even when mold grows on it, the moldy edge of the cheese can be cut off, leaving perfectly good cheese for you to eat.
To preserve cheese for a prolonged period of time, triple dip it in wax (paraffin), allowing it to harden between each dipping. Check each dipping carefully, seeking for any pinholes in it, which might flow through. These must be sealed to help ensure that the cheese will keep.
Amaranth
Grains aren’t normally thought of as a good source of protein, but amaranth defies that definition. This amazing grain has 26 grams of protein per cup, the highest of any grain. It is the only grain which is considered a complete protein source, because it contains all of the essential amino acids.
Meat Products to Avoid
Sometimes, it’s not just what you do that matters, but what you don’t do. Some protein sources, especially animal proteins, may not keep for prolonged periods of time, even though they are supposedly “preserved”. You have to watch out for them.
Most of what we know as deli meats or cold cuts originated as “cured meats”. They were a way of taking meat from the animal, which may not otherwise be used, and turning it into usable meat, through the process of curing.
In addition to being preserved by curing, the process also serves to tenderize these meats.
The problem today though, is that what are sold as cured meats or cold cuts, aren’t cured in the same way as olden times. So they are not properly preserved and will not last for a prolonged period of time, unless you can them, in addition to being cured.
The other meat preserving process which is not done like in the olden days, is smoking. What is sold as “smoked meat” today is cold smoked to give it the smoke flavor. But it is not preserved. That requires hot smoking. So, unless you are going to hot smoke your own meats, don’t stockpile smoked meats. Even then, your hot smoked meats will not last as long as meats which are canned or made into jerky.
A Final Note About Fish
Of all the sources of food in the wild, the most abundant is fish. I don’t care where you go, you’re going to need water, and if you find water, there’s a really good chance that there will be fish swimming in it. You should always be ready to harvest those fish, providing yourself with not only food, but specifically with animal protein.
I was surprised to find out that of all the types of animal protein eaten in the world today, fish is the most common. I was expecting it to be chicken. But fish beats chicken by far. Part of that is the ready abundance of fish in the world’s oceans, providing food to us, virtually for free.
Your survival plan should include some means of harvesting whatever fish are available, wherever you are, and making them part of your diet. This means more than just having two little hooks, a bit of line and two lone weights. You need enough fishing gear to keep you fed for the long run, even considering the amount of fishing gear that often goes over the side and is lost forever.
You may also like:
What Really Happens if You Eat a Bucket of Survival Food When SHTF
5 Ingenious Ways To Refrigerate Your Food Without Electricity (Video)
This Super Root Preserves Meat Indefinitely!
Meal Planning: A Month’s Worth of Survival Food with 2000 Calories per Day
Can you store butter the same way you described for cheese?
There is a evaporation type refrigeration that is homemade by using a 2 clay pots. put the smaller pot inside the larger one and fill around it with wet sand. put on a regular saucepan lid for a cover. Its called a zeer pot used in africa
Dan: You dip the cheese in melted wax. I doubt that butter could stand being dipped in melted wax. That said, there is one sure way to find out — try it for yourself.
In the days of sailing vessels and before refrigeration, butter used to be shipped to India and Hong Kong packed in sawdust contained in barrels. Even with the opening of the Suez Canal, that is a long trip from Liverpool to ports in India and Hong Kong. How much of the butter was rancid by the time it got to those distant ports is unknown to me, but I know from reading that the arrival of a ship from England was alway greeted with great joy because of the arrival of “fresh” butter.
They deep fry ice cream, maybe this is possible too?
Best way to store butter is to clarify it. Milk in butter can get moldy. In India, they do this and it stores on the shelf for quite a long time. You can add salt, but it’s not recommended. niio
Yes, I also have an affection for Ghee, so versitile and tastes great.
No. You have to can it in jars. Melt slowly to avoid burning, stirring occasionally. Pour into pint jars. Put dollar tree gems or marbles (5-6) in the jar will help “stir” it in the jar. Put on lids and rings. Put in a water bath, covering with 2″ of water over them. Boil on high for 20 min. Turn off heat. Wait 5 min. Use jar lifter and place jars on trivet or towel. Wait 10-15 min. and shake, allowing the beads to stir. Wait 10 min and shake again. This keeps the butter from separating and will be smoother when you go to use it. You may need to shake a 3rd time, use your own judgement. I hope this helps
You can pressure can butter.
Healthline.com says Amaranth has 9.3 grams pf protein per cup, cooked. Does it have more if eaten raw?
If sprouted then yes, most definitley better.
The lowly Potato has as much protein as an egg… a fact many people do not know.
And they don’t know this because it’s not true. One medium sized potato has approx. 5 grams of protein. An egg has approx. 14 grams of protein. Almost 3:1. A potato, of course, has many more carbohydrates than an egg. You may be confusing carbs with protein. And how many of us on this page are worried about the latest fake “crisis”? Darn few I would think if we have a preparatory mindset to begin with. We already have everything on hand we need. What we don’t have we can make. Bring it on bitches. LOL!
6 grams of protein in an egg.
One medium russet potato, (or one that weighs 213 grams),
contains
4.6 grams of protein
From fooddata.com
Baked Potatoes
(Potatoes White Flesh And Skin Baked)
Database: Standard Release
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
(0g)
Calories 0
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g 0%
~ No added sugar data collected ~
Protein 0g 0%
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Calcium 0mg 0%
Potassium 0mg 0%
Phosphorus 0mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
According to the same website a large egg has 6.3 grams of protein.
I suppose it depends upon what website or authority one consults. I actually had a hard time finding the protein content of an egg. It is the #10 food in terms of protein content out of the top ten. Tofu has more protein according to that website than an egg.
And I said this to, A.E. also, Chuck. It really does depend where you get your info from. I went to Wikipedia and obviously not the ultimate authority on anything. Again not worth arguing about. We’re all entitled to our own opinions. Thanks for doing the digging, LCC.
Yes, Armin. I find it hard to believe that a baked potato has zero calories. I have always read that potatoes get a bad rap calorie wise, that it was the sour cream and chives or the 6 pats of butter that added the extra calories.
I again salute Mark Twain, “Figures don’t lie but liars figure.” I only checked two websites because I had to wade through a bunch of stuff to find the info I was looking for and I didn’t want to make the search my life’s work. I didn’t go to Wikipedia because I didn’t think they would have what I wanted. As Artie como se llama used to say on Laugh In “Vellly intarrrresting.”
Did you happen to notice that the serving size was In your list was 0 (zero) grams? That is why every nutrient type came back with a quantity/percentage of 0 (zero).
Try this chart instead…
Potato
Serving size: 1 medium (5.3 oz. / 148 g) Calories 110; Calories from Fat 0
*Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Amt per Serving %DV*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 0%
Calcium 2%
Vitamin C 45%
Iron 6%
That list of nutrients looks more like what I would expect. I don’t know where the data my source came from but it looks bogus.
In the book “Paddy’s Lament” which dealt with the English occupation of Ireland and in particular the Irish Famine in the 19th century, the author stated that a diet that consisted of mainly, potatoes because they had no marketability in the British Isles/European continent, wild mustard greens and the occasional egg, the Irish peasant was able to survive before the potato blight that killed off the Irish potato crop because there were enough trace minerals that he wouldn’t suffer from the common vitamin deficiency diseases that usually afflicted peasants. He cited how many pounds of potatoes the average Irish peasant consumed a day which I found astounding but have nothing to rebut his assertion. I don’t remember what the figure was now, but It was a lot of potatoes.
I remember Artie Johnson on laugh in. Como se llama? Speed bump? And I also remember Soylent Green, Chuck. That’s an OLD movie. Horrific to contemplate. That we end up eating our dead being marketed as “Soylent Green”. Supposedly made from ocean plankton when there is none left in the oceans. YUCK!!!
AKA the North Korean diet. Special guest at any funeral feast is the victim. that’s what the neolibs want for us. niio
Interesting, Red.
I suppose it depends where we look to get our info, A.E. It’s not worth arguing about. Potato, potahto,
Pretty good list, Rich. Peanut butter is one of my favourite sources of protein and fats. I start off each day with a peanut butter and cranberry sandwich. Delicious. Not only do I get my fats and proteins I also get my vitamin C. All helps to keep me healthy. Obviously not the only thing I eat. As regards storing peanut butter for an extended time it will eventually go a bit rancid. But what I’ve found is that only the very top layer goes a bit rancid. Still edible though with jam or something on top. The rest is fine. And a short comment about this fake pandemic. I really thought that Canadians were a bit more stoic than that yet they still descended upon the stores like a plague of locusts. I forgot that we are dealing with the new generation. They think they’re entitled. At some point they will get a rude awakening. At least now I have some idea of what I have to deal with if a real EOTW crisis happens. The way things are going you’d think we were in the middle of the bubonic plague or something.
Armin: I totally agree with your comments. This whole response to this thing smacks of a world-wide black flag event. Of course, just because I am paranoid doesn’t mean that it really isn’t a black flag event.
The bit of knowledge that is within the grasp of the medical bean counters is on any given day in the year there are a certain number of people infected with the flu. That number is carefully tracked as much as it can be during our regular yearly flu epidemic. Strangely we see no comparison to the regular flue numbers viz a viz the CoVid19 flu numbers. LA is reporting 99 CoVid19 cases. In a city the size of LA, it just stretches my mind to the point of incredulity that during our yearly flu epidemics of just plain old garden variety flu there are not more than 99 cases of flu in the city of LA at any given time. The same with the number of flu deaths. While I have seen a comparison to the swine flu panic, I have not seen a comparison with the number of daily deaths during the regular flu season.
I feel the media has once again blown the whole thing way out of proportion and the pols are forced to take ridiculous stands to keep from being mobbed by the hysterical masses who don’t realize they have again been bamboozled by the numbers driven media.
If you will recall it used to be popular for the media to track how many traffic collision related deaths occurred over 4 day weekends. Mysteriously missing from those figures was how many traffic collision related deaths occurred on any given ordinary weekend from Friday morning at 00:00 to Monday evening at 23:59:59. I think four-day holiday weekend traffic deaths would have been a non-story if those figures were provided. I think this story would be a non-story if the figures I talked about were provided.
Unfortunately the media in their frenzy to be first with the number of viewers or the number of clicks generated will stop at nothing to be at the head of the line with the counts.
When the last of the generation of Walter Cronkhite news broadcasters, genuine news broadcasting was buried too.
I haven’t seen a single statistic that shows -19 is as bad as the seasonal flu we’re used to, let alone that it is a plague worth trashing the world economy over or a monumental disaster that requires us to sacrifice our civil liberties. Does a Mayor really have the authority to shut down small businesses and tell everybody to stay indoors? I don’t recall that in The Constitution which is fast becoming nothing but an extra sheaf of butt wipe for the sheep to hoard. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses are going to be destroyed in the next month, homelessness is bad now but we’re about to put millions of more people out on the street for no good reason.
HaHa, with all the talk about social distancing and shelter in place I realize that’s pretty much how I live out here in the country.
Say, lots of good articles lately on AskaPrepper, thanks be to Claude!
Italy is being blasted for filthy hospitals, for abandoning the elderly and disabled to die. They have universal health care. so do the Chicoms. niio
And I’m one of the ones guilty of that, Red, and I have to apologize for it. That’s not the reason that Italy is having such problems with the virus. They’re a very social people and there might be 3 or 4 generations living in the same home. With all the attendant hugging and kissing. It’s gotten to the point in Italy now where their system is completely overwhelmed and the doctors now have to choose who lives and who dies. A nightmare choice. The stats keep changing hourly and I really don’t like what I’m hearing. This ain’t gonna be pretty. To say the least. I just hope to hell that this won’t usher in a global recession or even depression. They have warned us for years. And I know that they’re trying everything to bring about a cashless society.
Armin: There were articles out about socialized medicine in Italy Back when Italians realized they couldn’t out-compete China in a trade war, they invited Chinese in by the thousands. That’s why they were hit so hard, so fast. I’m surprised S. Africa, which has been going Asian fast, isn’t in the news. Friends with family in Sicily have been trying to get fam to come to the US where they can have good health care. One niece in Germany is volunteering all her spare time in the hospital scrubbing floors and helping. Native American reservations with facilities are gearing up to take in outsiders to help. America is pulling together. May we vote in sync to get rid of the neolibs who allowed it to get so bad. Every two years, the dems have a new plague to terrorize us with and hurt the economy. niio
Hi, Mike. The latest figures seem to suggest otherwise. The incubation period of this particular virus is 4 days. And in that time you could be contagious but completely asymptomatic. This is one sneaky, insidious virus and I wonder how fast it mutates and adapts. Once all the people come back from March break they’re expecting a large spike in cases. Smokers and obese people are more at risk. Apparently 45% of American are obese. You do the numbers. This could be quite bad. Time to practice all of our survival skills we’ve learned over the years. To all of you please stay safe and take reasonable precautions. Maybe now is the time to shed some extra weight and stop smoking.
I have to agree with YOU, Chuck. I don’t know whether it’s paranoia or if most of us on this website try to look behind the news and don’t take anything the talking heads say at face value. We all know by now the media is so controlled and manipulated that most of what they say is complete shyte. There will never be another Walter Cronkite. He’s sorely missed.
People DO forget, Chuck, just how many people the flu does kill every year. The numbers are staggering and the media totally ignore it as if it’s normal for so many of us to die each year. Add in the figures from traffic accidents, smoking, heart disease, cancer, et al and you would be VERY surprised. This from the CDC about the flu, Chuck. I’m going to copy a small blurb from them. Forgive me please. Too much to type this late at night.
“CDC estimates that the burden of illness during the 2018–2019 season included an estimated 35.5 million people getting sick with influenza, 16.5 million people going to a health care provider for their illness, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths from influenza. The number of influenza-associated illnesses that occurred last season was similar to the estimated number of influenza-associated illnesses during the 2012–2013 influenza season when an estimated 34 million people had symptomatic influenza illness”.
I don’t want to go to far afield, Chuck, because we’re supposed to be talking about sources of protein and then the whole thing will just escalate. Again.
I also agree with you that this is another black flag operation with a very sneaky virus. There are so many possibilities. I don’t think this was an accident. As far as I’m concerned it was deliberately let out into the environment. The Russians could even be behind it telling their communist Chinese “friends” to mess us up but not quite enough so that they couldn’t be accused of bio warfare. After all, just a cold virus on steroids. Right? What could go wrong? The latest from China (if they are to be believed) that at the ex-epicenter in China they’ve only had one extra case of Covid-19. If they can be believed.
And I mention the Russians only because they’re getting cocky. The only reason we have such low gas prices right now is because there’s an oil war going on between OPEC and Russia. Russia refused to cut production.
And we have to wonder why there are so many cases of the virus in Iran. Why? What does Iran have to do with anything? Could it be that because Israel is so afraid of Iran, that Iran is the actual target and all the rest just collateral damage to cover up the real reason for this “pandemic”?
Saw a movie once. The name escapes me. Maybe a Tom Cruise film. An assassin was sent to kill a particular target and to confuse the issue that person also killed another 4 or 5 people to muddy the waters and to make it almost impossible to figure out the assassin’s real target. This whole Covid-19 reminds me of that. As I say, Chuck, so many possibilities as to why this is REALLY occurring. I figure a LITTLE paranoia is healthy. Especially in this day and age.
The latest stats. !65 countries and territories have reported 198,000 confirmed cases and 7,987 deaths.
China: 80, 894 cases/3,237 deaths. Understandable. It started there.
Italy: 31,506 cases/2,503 deaths? Something wrong there. An exceptional health system. Exceptionally bad.
Iran: 16,169 cases/988 deaths? Still a 6% death rate. One has to wonder why so many cases in Iran. Apparently a very resilient people. No borders with China. Easy enough to fly some drones over the country and “seed” it with the virus.
Make what you will of this latest manufactured crisis. It smells to high heaven.
Why italy is losing so many people.
https://www.westernjournal.com/look-closely-italys-health-care-see-chilling-future-dems-want-america/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=PostSideSharingButtons&utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons&fbclid=IwAR1H6SBbh8uxuvnS7cgsavoWGj2t3BJBIo9-Gh7asThn6dJxkDV5XlPfCBU
Red: Good read. Thanks for the link. If our health care delivery system was so terrible before Obamacare, why is it that so many folks with money who live in countries with socialistic health care come to the U.S. for treatment?
In my mind, since Obamacare there has been a significant decline in the quality of health care being delivered unless you are wealthy enough to be able to afford to pay for your own health care like Mike B. or have congressional health care like Bernie.
LLC: Look at S. Korea. Very low death toll because the government overrode any protests about using private health care and -hospitals. they say the worse is over for them. niio
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-korea/
We are self-employed. Where we used to have excellent healthcare via group rates through the Chamber of Commerce, we now are without health insurance entirely. It just does not make financial sense nor is it affordable to “self-insure” the first $20k and still have to pay $820/month for crap. Obamacare was and is an abomination… massive failure and sound logical reason to stay away from socialism. It is/was a great help for lower income levels and college students, but sucked the lifeforce out of the middle class. IMHO.
Hi Wicked, Your move is not as risky as it may sound. As long as you do not suffer a massive traumatic injury like a car wreck, you can join a plan before incurring big expenses for a condition. You may have done some checking around, but it would be a good idea to have a plan B. there are options besides Obamacare. Over 30 states offer catastrophic health insurance with a capped premium so might want to see if yours is one. Also, there are some organizations and associations as well as churches that have plans if something happens before you turn 65. A few minutes on the Internet will turn up some options. Medicare has been watered down and hospitals have found a way around them by calling almost every admission as outpatient or designating some of the hours you were there observation so it doesn’t count toward minimum hours for inpt. Even people who have great insurance can get burnt so it’s a crap shoot no matter what you do. We are paying off a $4000 hospital bill on cancer surgery which should have been zero. Hope all goes well.
To me. It SMELLS like another step from the ONE WORLD ORDER folks . Think about it. Quietly create a bug, let it run around a bit causing a mass panic, then step in with a cure. Boom instant hero ! If you’re directives are followed
they get the cure. If not then R I P . Has One World Order written ALL over it to me !
Or am I just paranoid too ?
Well, that makes two of us who have at least a tinge of paranoia. This whole thing to me just reeks of something smelling. I don’t know what stinks. I haven’t got an answer but the rapidity that almost the whole world got ramped up just gets my black flag alert ringing off the hook.
That makes three of us, Chuck, that have a “tinge” of paranoia. And, old troll, you make some good points. “They” are very good at creating a crisis and then giving us the miraculous cure making them look like the good guys when in fact they are doing everything they can to create a cashless society. Then it’s absolute control, a la “1984” and we then may as well put a bullet through our brain. At that point the world won’t be worth living in. Add an extremely aggressive AI into the mix and then we’re all well and truly buggered. Even Musk is worried about how AI is developing. If anyone should know, he should. We’ve all heard about the nightmare scenarios concerning an AI going rogue.
I know we’re supposed to be talking about protein sources but right now this darned virus is more important. It’s extremely insidious. I keep thinking about it. And why it was let loose in the first place. I’ve said this a number of times on other pages on this website that I thought that the next great crisis would be financial in nature. I hope I’m not the harbinger.
No country can afford to start either a nuclear, biological or chemical war. That would be it for all of us and they realize that. So the most efficient way to negatively affect the maximum number of people would be financial. Our money isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on anymore so somewhere down the road there has to be a reckoning. They’ve painted themselves into a corner and they don’t know how to get out. They’re very desperate right now. More than likely to our detriment. It could very well be that’s what this is all about. Crash the world economy and bring about either a very serious recession or even a depression that would make the Great Depression of the thirties look like a walk in the park. And with the virus get rid of 3 or 4% of us at the same time. An insignificant percentage but could still be up to 300 MILLION people. That’s a LOT of son and daughters and mothers and father and aunts and uncles. That’s a lot of people that don’t need to die in this manner. All of us have been preparing for any number of scenarios most of our lives and all we need do is keep our heads while all those around us are losing theirs. Hopefully we can contain this virus before it gets completely out of control.
But what I find conspicuously absent from the media is any talk of punitive action against the Chinese. They’ve admitted that the virus “accidently” got out of their bio weapons lab in Wuhan and apparently now they have it under control. Yeah, right.
If I had my way I would ostracize and completely isolate China from the world economy for AT LEAST A YEAR. Let them know in no uncertain terms that what they’ve done is completely unacceptable and watch THEM go down in flames. I’d be there throwing as much fuel on the fire as I could. But that path also has it’s own perils. If a country has nothing more to lose it may take very desperate measures and this COULD trigger a war started by the Chinese together with their Russian buddies. A very perilous situation.
And then, of course, IF China were to be completely isolated Walmart would go out of business. LOL!
And to all of you; remain steadfast and keep the faith.
Armin: Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t watching me. I forget who said that, but these days, it’s wisdom. MIT biologists are calling this a manufactured panic. S. Korea is ready to open her borders to tourists, again. those with managed healthcare/socialized medicine are using this to get rid of the disabled and elderly, without doing like their ass-ended master, Hitler, who ordered anyone on ss to get a shot and die. The creepy people need us panicked and obedient to their will. Viva la Hunger Games .niio
Hey, Red. I figure most of us are being watched in one way or another. We don’t yet have the two-way screens hanging on our walls a la “1984”. Yet. And those with cell phones (AKA smart phones these days) are also being tracked. All of you don’t need to text so much all the time. Only use your mobile phone when you absolutely have to. The rest of the time take the batteries out.
Armin: I’ve been on the watch list since Carter was causing his major depression. All Native Americans are because we refuse to be good houseboys but tend to pee on the dnc rug; if we can, to make a serious messy on it. Years ago, I sent a letter from Pennsylvania to Ohio, to family. It took 11 days, had been opened and read. It happened a lot. When the dems are in control of the WH, an email can take 3 days to get to its destination. If going to a liberal state, everything showing anything injun is removed from the truck. I don’t need some zealot lib reporting me for driving while injun. We have three rules: Don’t scare the kids, don’t bug the old folks, friends don’t let friends vote democrat. niio
You nasty, trouble-making injun you. LOL! Good for you, red. We bow to no one! I don’t give a crap if even God decides to visit our little corner of the universe and asks me to bow down to it. I’ll tell it to go bugger a moose and damn the consequences. I bow to no one. And I’m damn stubborn.
I like your rules. Simple. Make sense and easy to remember. Even for an old fart like me. LOL!
Whatever it adds up to there is a destroyed world economy. We may be close to going cashless. ‘it Carries” the current bug…
So many will be destroyed when the dust settles.
Personally, Clergylady, I think that what’s happening now is just a “small” test to see how we react to it. Call it a dry run. Dress rehearsal. Whatever. A run up to the big event. I agree with you that we MAY be close to going cashless but to implement it would be a gigantic undertaking. I don’t think the world economy will be destroyed because of this virus but it may get a little bent or dented. Just hang on and make sure you have your seat belt on. We may hit a little turbulence. Even this will pass.
Encouraging and positive. That which does not kill us …
Armin: God never bugs anybody 🙂 it’s people who do. ! First book on human psychology is still the Bible. that’s where modern psych came from. anyone who ever read it knows just how dirty even good people can get. niio
You do realize, red, that I was TRYING to make a joke. Apparently it went over like a led zeppelin. LOL! But what I am serious about is that I will NEVER kowtow or bow down to ANYONE. No matter who they think they are or who they try to convince us they are. And I do realize the dichotomy of being a human. Even the best of us are capable of the most despicable acts under the right conditions. Last word of caution for all of you. Be careful of all the COVID-19 scams that are going to come out of the woodwork now.
Yeah, I saw that and it was good. Remember, in my culture, busting stones is our way to get along without blood shed. Blacks, who are rednecks, adopted it. “You mama is SO fat, her gravy boat is a boat.” 🙂 Mexicans, Yo, why was your mama hanging on the corner? Me to him, Hey, stay away from my mother. she don’t do pervs. for some reason, non-Native Americans call us SOBs, a lot. Then, gravely, thank them for complimenting your mother. “You call your mother a bi*ch?” No, she does. 🙂 niio
I may have to change my tune, Clergylady. The figures on this damn virus keep changing hourly and all the people coming back from March break will change things. I suspect not for the better. More properly I should have said I HOPE that this virus is RELATIVELY harmless. But it appears that’s not the case. This is one darn sneaky virus. I just hope that if the effects of this virus precipitate a global depression that the ruling that the ruling elite won’t use this as an excuse to bring in a cashless society.
Armin: Now you know whey it’s hard to find toilet paper in the store. The terrorist dems are scaring the crap out of people 🙂 Chicom flu is a cold virus. So far, most of the sickness is panic, and the deaths are far, far below the average flu season. More panic, every gun shop seems to be out of ammo with a long backlog of orders for guns. I’ve talked to some owners and tell them, make sure you get full payment from neolibs before ordering with no refunds. niio
And pretty well everything else, red. There IS a lot of unnecessary fear-mongering going on. And fear-mongering translates into huge profits for the shameless opportunists. Maybe the sheeple LIKE to be herded. I don’t. It is a cold virus, red, but a cold virus on steroids. So to speak. I’ve just learned today that the virus CAN exist as an aerosol for about half an hour or so before falling on the surfaces around it. So now it seems the method of transmission is twofold. Incubation time is approx. 4 days and you can be totally asymptomatic and STILL be contagious.This is one of the scenarios that we’ve all been preparing for so let’s put our knowledge to good use. Goldman-Sachs just came out and said that the US GDP is more than likely to contract by at least 24%. So to my American brothers and sisters, put on your seatbelts. We’re going to be in for a rough ride. I don’t know how many bank branches have closed in the US but up here already HUNDREDS. And that’s just from my bank that I know about. I’m sure the figures from the others are similar. Just remember all the things we’ve talked about on these pages re SHTF times. The next 6 months or so will bring out the worst and the best in people. If you’re prepared for the unexpected then very little will surprise you. Anyone that I don’t know comes to my door they’ll receive a “rude awakening”. I don’t have time nor energy to putz around.
Armin: You’re right, but summer is coming even for you folks up near the North Pole. In Mexico, people aren’t much concerned. In Phoenix, people are saying buses are coming in at night and dropping off a lot of people; Kalifornia license plates. It wouldn’t be the first time kali did that. Chi and NYC did it. Castro did it to the Georgia clown, Carter. MIt biologists are bitter because they’re being ignored; it’s a manufactured scam. niio
Yup. Thank god for summer. I need to get out into the garden so badly.
Maybe they SHOULD be more concerned, red. They can’t hide their heads in the sand forever hoping that the virus will pass them by. No matter where they live. That darn virus has even turned up in Hawaii. And I agree with you that this IS a manufactured scam but potentially a very deadly one.
Sign me up for the paranoia club. I am inclined to think it was just a first volley to test our weaknesses. I’m sure our enemies are finding the results breathtaking. So easy to take us down. The political class’s inability to pull together is disgusting. To paraphrase a “Jaws” line-“I think we’re gonna need a bigger bunker.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Govtgirl. ONE of the first volleys (the others may have been SARS, MERS, H1N1) in a never-ending war between US and THEM. And I have to keep shaking my head and wonder how the whole system became so fragile that what is basically a cold virus on steroids could take us down SO easily. They don’t need to use EMP weapons or anything like that on us. Just infect one single person, (the Chinese do say it started with the virus infecting that one person from their bio weapons lab) let them wander around and infect a few others while they’re NOT symptomatic. Let those others keep travelling around the world and suddenly you have a potential pandemic on your hands. And I disliked using the word “pandemic” in the beginning but it almost looks like that’s what it may turn out to be.
And this also begs another question. Even if the virus DID get out by accident and that one person became potentially infected would not the Chinese have been aware of it? And would it not have been much smarter of them to quarantine patient zero and stop this virus in its tracks at the source? So if this reasoning is correct and the Chinese did nothing to stop it before it could spread then the entire blame for this fiasco falls squarely on their shoulders and the world court needs to get involved and take extremely punitive measures against the Chinese gov’t. What they have done is totally unacceptable and by any sane measure this IS bio warfare at it’s sneakiest. Just for that they need to be held accountable and punished accordingly. If they’re allowed to get away with it scot free then what’s to stop any of our other enemies from trying the same thing, Perhaps with a slightly different pathogen. And just because I live in Canada and most of you live in the United States doesn’t mean we have different enemies. Our enemies are the same and we know who they are. If our leaders weren’t so gormless, especially our wimpy, socialist prime minister; the condemnation of China would be well under way and the hue and cry for some justice for what China has done would be rising around the globe. Instead, a thundering silence.
Armin, since the fiasco of Tienanmen Square, the chicoms have become very sensitive to world opinion. their economy is producer based. If nothing sells, they suffer, and are. What better way to destroy dissidents than by a plague? Mao found plague labs in Inner Mongolia. He never destroyed them. niio
Good point, red. Stalin did it with a famine in 1932-33. And then again in 1934-39 with the “Great Purge” where he had over a million imprisoned and approx. 700,000 killed. Complete control. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop and martial law is instituted.
Armin: The dems have been after Trump declare a 2 week minimum shut down with military patrolling the streets. Stalin slaughtered about 40 million all told and was a fast friend of Hitler’s. Must be why he’s such a hero with the dnc. The war was caused by Stalin’s greed. He demanded a whole dollar a barrel for oil when it was selling for a quarter a barrel. niio
And so it starts, my friend.
I agree wholeheartedly. Get CBC here and Canada seems to have similar factions. Here’s a big question-Why is it that everyone just calmly mentions the coronavirus started with one person who happened to work in a bio weapons lab??? I must be beyond naive, but thought that biochemical warfare was something we had all backed off from. Why isn’t everyone damning the Chinese for even having such a lab or do we all have them? I thought the preppers who laid in gas mask type of supplies were just being a little out there. So much to learn, so little time…
Gov: here’s two articles about it.And now, a nastier version of the bird flu popped up–in Wuhan.niio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/26/coronavirus-link-china-biowarfare-program-possible/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/24/virus-hit-wuhan-has-two-laboratories-linked-chines/
There was a delay in looking these up as had tried on my IPad 1, but it can’t pull up certain things due to being IOS-5. Today looked up on my laptop. Was able to get the first. Interestingly, the second article is “No longer available on this website.” Thanks.
One of the first questions I asked, GG. Why haven’t all the governments of the world gotten together by now and demanded a full accounting from China? By now it should be a mighty roar. And as I’ve said somewhere else here all we hear from all the governments of the world is a thundering silence. Quite telling. Either they’re powerless against China or just afraid and gutless. I’m sure Trudeau thinks of China as his dear friend. I wonder if he’ll change his tune if his wife dies. God forbid.
Someone needs to be forced to take responsibility for leaking the virus and appropriate actions need to be meted out. What’s going on is nothing less than genocide. A war crime of the most heinous sort.
And my own favourite conspiracy theory is that Putin is actually behind it. He couldn’t afford to attack the west directly so he used China as his proxy. So now the west can’t afford to call out China for fear of retribution from both China AND Russia. A LOT of people between them. Only a theory but maybe closer to the truth than we realize. Who knows. Russia is getting very cocky. And that makes them even more dangerous.
And I don’t think you’re beyond naïve at all. You may just be too good and kind-hearted to think in such a sneaky manner. It takes a particularly devious person to think in such a manner. No one like that on this page though. LOL!
The use of bio weapons is SUPPOSED to be prohibited under customary international humanitarian law as well as a number of international treaties. The use of bio weapons in an armed conflict is considered a war crime. At the moment we do not have a declared war so the penalties for this crime in times of relative peace should be MUCH more punitive. MUCH MORE!
What a country says and DOES may be poles apart. Can any country afford to stop producing these WMD’s? Have we all gotten rid of our nuclear weapons yet? Do we really need so many to be able to destroy the world a thousand times over? I understand the principle of the MAD status quo. Insanity. The sword of Damocles hanging over all our heads. I have no allusions as to the reality of this world. I’m an old, jaded, cynical bastard. LOL! Still have hope and my sense of humour though. Dark sense of humour. VERY dark.
I would tend to think that even in spite of all the conventions and protocols in place that chemical and biological weapons are still being produced by many countries around the globe. And my reasoning is that so many countries are paranoid these days. Terrified of their neighbours. Maybe justifiably so. So to their way of thinking it’s possible that their neighbours are still producing these prohibited weapons so they have no choice but to also do the same.
The Chinese gov’t needs to be SEVERELY punished for what they’ve done. But unfortunately for the people of China, if it does come to pass, then it will be they that will suffer. Not the corrupt, rich gov’t officials ensconced in their fortresses.
The prepper mindset isn’t something you learn overnight. It’s a lifestyle as natural to some as breathing. Either you are or you aren’t. But never too late to learn. And the goods thing is, GG, that you’ve found this page. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most of the people here are pretty helpful.
Lol. I hear you but watch the condemnation on trump for calling this the “Chinese corona virus” or. “Whuhan Flu”. He’s correct, but condemned as prejudiced.
Chuck, Not sure how valid this is yet but I hope it’s true you mentioned Covid. I read this from Mike Adams
Health Ranger website.
Natural News
I buy lots of peanut butter and keep in the freezer.
That’s an idea, jj. Hadn’t thought of that. Does peanut butter actually freeze with all the oil in it? How is it to defrost?
I bought 2 LG jars of dehydrated peanut butter at Wal-Mart. Essentially a dry peanut flour. Add water or oil to used. Mostly for baking. Still its high protein.
Thank you, Clergylady. I’ll see if they have any left.
Rancheros Carnicera raised its price for 50 lbs pintos to $50.00 Not a large increase, but telling for Arizona. This store is small, but supplies a lot of ranchers and others in the tri-community area. Other than that, we need to go 45 miles to Tucson.
Cheese stored in salt will dry out. this is how semi-soft cheese becomes hard cheese like cheddar, provolone, and romano. Just wash off the salt before using.Cheese is easy, especially ranchero. A gallon of whole milk and a teaspoon of leom juice of apple cidar vinegar. Bring slowly to a simmer and add the acid. Curd will separate and is put in non-metallic colanders, then the whey is used for other things. Yogurt makes a great cheese starter, as well. we make it old-style, on a shelf. Simmer milk to sterilize, let it cool to 100 F, add raw yogurt, cover, and in 24 hours, it’s sweet, old-fashioned yogurt. Put in sterile jars and let it get acidic for cheese or replacement for sour cream.
niio
There’s a lot of good videos on youtube on how to make your own yogurt with store-bought as a “starter”. It’s actually quite easy. Temperatures are critical. Thanks, Red.
I find the best way to make yogurt is in a thermos, just add the starter, some warm milk, close the lid, in the morning, a full thermos of yogurt.
Sounds like an excellent way to make a small amount of yogurt. Thanks for that, A.E.
Try it like they do in India, which is how I described it. Yogurt temps need only be very warm to reproduce, but not hot. It can survive months frozen and still thrive. BTW, after 3 days, it should be refrigerated unless you’re making it a lot. For us, it’s an occasional. niio
Red. That’s what I grew up with. I love to drain the yogurt so it’s thicker and eat it with home canned fruit
Clergy: Cheese, Per gallon, bring to slow heat to simmer, add one teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Place curd in cheese cloth or clean pillowcase, let it drain, hang overnight,then press. You know how it all works 🙂 When we had cattle and goats, we added home-canned fruit salad before pressing (lightly!), or Port wine for Dad when making cheddar. Because no salt is used to ‘cook’ the yogurt, it can be sweetened with a flavoring for ice pops. Your grandkids are coming home soon to you. ! Bet they never had that before. niio!
I tried tvp quite a while back. It compares to ground beef about as well as that fake cheese the granolas push does to real cheese. But, in a survival situation, it becomes far more attractive. Can anyone speak to proper storage and shelf life for tvp?
Govtgirl: After I read your post, I decided to research the question. Although I opened and scanned through about ten different sites, I found nothing about long term storage specifically, even though one article I read pretty thoroughly had “how to store long term” in its title, it was silent on that subject.
What little I gleaned is typically what all of us recommend for long term storage of dry foods, be they rice, macaroni products, pilot biscuits or beef jerky. Cool dry place with little in the way of temperature swings. Avoid dampness, bright sunlight extremely high temperatures or very dramatic temperature swings.
Personally, were I interested in acquiring tvp as a survival food (using that term in the loosest sense of the word) I would look diligently for tvp that came sealed in a #10 vacuum sealed metal can. I think with storage within the parameters I mentioned the tvp will last, reasonably, 25 years.
I was interested to find out that the names tvp and whatever that translates into in plain English is a trademark owned by Archer Daniels Midland, the folks who have brought us so many delicious food products and control significant portions of our food chain in this country.
Does anyone remember the movie Soylent Green?
Yeah. When they reopen the library, I think I’ll pick it up if can’t find it on tv. Thanks for the insight about the textured vegetable protein. I felt embarrassed after that post. Should have done the legwork myself. Won’t happen again.
When this article came out I didn’t read it, just moved it immediately to my survival folder because it looked really good. Now I have read it. Awesome. Thank you.
Took a chance I would not get arrested for being over 70 and out and about last night and went to the local Costco. Meat seemed to be in good supply, although I wasn’t looking for anything specific. They were out of my favorite breakfast sausage.
Beans and rice were completely gone. There were several cases of Bush baked beans but the 50# bags and the 20# bags of rice were completely gone. I wonder if folks know how much rice 50 # of dry rice makes? It looked to me as if everyone who had ever had a passing thought about prepping had suddenly realized they hadn’t gotten started and rushed out to buy up everything they thought they would need. That seemed to be what was mostly gone, although there was plenty of Spam and lots of tuna fish and other canned fish. The mayonnaise was hit pretty hard although there was more than one would find in a grocery store. Although I am as fond of mayonnaise as I am of butter, there is no such word combination in my vocabulary as “too much mayonnaise” or “too much butter.” Mayonnaise is not something I would stockpile for long term without refrigeration. Butter can be kept okay. It doesn’t really need to be refrigerated if it is salted. Just keeping it cool is sufficient and the method with two flower pots will do the job for small quantities.
I guess that thousand dollars that Trump is talking about will go a ways to paying off the Costco tab.
I stopped by the local Safeway on my way home. It looked like the pictures we used to see in the 50s and 60s of stores in Russia. For those of you who don’t clearly remember the 50s and 60s — or maybe even weren’t around to remember — news media used to delight in showing pictures of GUM, the huge store in Moscow with gondola after gondola of empty shelves with a few wilted carrots or sprouting potatoes. Safeway looked like that last night. They are going to have special senior hours from 0700 to 0900 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so tomorrow I am going to try my luck with special senior hours.
Vallarta, a market chain catering to the latino community had senior hours this morning where my brother lives. He went but he said although he was there before the starting gong, the line was daunting and he decided he would pass.
Last night at Costco, I talked to a couple of the clerks. I was told that people start lining up at that Costco at 0500 although the store doesn’t open until 1000. I like to think I have better things to do than stand in line for five hours. I hope it doesn’t come to the point where I think that is a short wait.
You may think this post may be off topic, but I think it is close enough to merit posting. Reasonable minds can differ.
Meats short supply or gone. Milk mostly gone. Water a little of the more expensive ones on hand. Limit 2 cases by request only. Beans, rice et.. are gone. Not worth driving to Wal-Mart for.
Does it look like s set up for a cashless society? Could be.
TP shelves empty for last two weeks. Hear it stocked and gone that fast. I haven’t seen it.
TVP stored dry will keep for years. Soak and season when ready to use it. It is wheat gluten protein. If you’re gluten sensitive leave it alone.
ClergyLady: Niio! I need to get out. Been cooped up with the flu and so on for weeks. So, 55 mile round trip to the store. WalMart, if you have an account (free) told me if I need something that they’re out of, they’ll put me on a list for when it comes in or ship it (non-perishable) to me. We’ve done it both ways and they’re cool to do that. No meat? Oi yoi. we live on meat with beans and so on, on the side. Opposite that when it gets warm out, over 85. Don’t scare me. The dachshund will start looking at me wondering how I’d look covered with ketchup and chili in a tortilla 🙂 haw’!
Can’t trust a weiner dog. The past two days I have seen various Government officials go on TV and say, don’t panic, don’t stockpile, there’s plenty of stuff. Hearing that, who is not going to run out and stockpile? Too many people have read that Forstchen book.
Just give it a try, you don’t have to get the flu, take one capsule of standardized Echinacea every 4th day and it will prevent all colds and flu (and lots of colds are caused by Corona viruses).
I Had a second career at the food stamp office for a number of years. A lot of the people we saw were unhealthy and colds spread like wildfire through our office. Whenever that happened or if I felt a little puny, I took the echinacea that is paired with goldenseal once a day for a couple of days and I wouldn’t get sick. This boost to the immune system should not be taken for too long as I understand it so the body’s immune system won’t get lazy. I had never heard of Forstchen. Thank you for making me aware of this trilogy.
Mike: Males are wannabe alphas, females train easily. The only rivals they have as rabbit dogs is the Beagle, but the dachy is better than cats for rodent control. I’ve seen them refuse dog food when there were mice and rats around and get fat. If I could find a good female, I’d get her. Males need an owner and the human ain’t it 🙂
I use zinc, but it kills all viruses, which isn’t good. Echinacea doesn’t seem to do anything for me. I know it’s good for others, tho. niio
Could be time to start looking for road kill, red. LOL!
Then you’d better remember the mustard and relish, red. LOL!
Nah, he hid them 🙂 I’m more worried about him becoming road kill. His latest love is a very large mixed breed female. I had to chase him down and drag him away from the fence. Man, did she snarl and growl at me. Donno what it is he has with the ladies, but I think I’m jealous. On a serious note, I can’t find a canner (old range cow) to make sausage and hamburger. All the ranchers here are buying stocker calves to raise grass-fed beef. When the Bubba sees a range cow, he stares,then tries to pull one down to feed. So far, he’s lucky he hasn’t been inhaled. 🙂
You make me seriously consider getting a weiner dog, red. We have a serious tree rat, ground rat and rabbit problem here. If I did get one may not have to feed her for a year. LOL! I’m sure she’ll be fine. Then may have to put her on a diet. HA! How are they at taking down a raccoon? Sounds like they’re one nervy dog.
Armin: Ballsey and a half. He was named for my stepson, who was then in Iraq. Friendly, liked by pretty much everyone, appetite like a T-rex. does not play well with others when in a warlike mood. Plans to die while hunting.
The dog would go down groundhog burrows after them. After his dachy was on the farm a few years, an uncle fenced off his hay fields and pasture his cattle. that wasn’t something he could do with all the burrows around. Males are bull headed, but females easy to train. Team them and she’ll make the male behave.
I have yet to see any dog who could take on a grown raccoon and win hands down. Even the black lab learned to avoid them, and they’re as good in water as a raccoon. And, ‘coons can carry rabies, distemper, and so on. Every year, we found one up in PA that was rabid. niio
Thank you for that, red. Much appreciated.
I may try for Wal-Mart delivery. $35 minimum gets free delivery.
Thanks!
Lack of meat in store makes me appreciate the turkey and hams I’ve canned at home.
George Washington had the right idea. Something about no foreign entanglements.
Sounds like a good idea.
Good article.
I like eating fresh whenever possible but those canned foods do come in handy!
After maneuvering through the masses at the local market I was able to find a pack of pork chops.
When I got home I checked on my patch of stinging nettles and sure enough, they were tall enough to cut.
Pork, nettles, and taters makes a good meal.
Too early here for much green stuff. I gave up my space for sprouts for starting garden seedlings. Oh well. Maybe by April or May there will be something green to eat again.
by May, it’s too late for greens here 🙂 Well, amaranth and moringa, yeah, but collards and so on get bitter. Might maybe have kohlrabi till May. Dill, it volunteers. It would be cool if the basil did that. With most of the ants gone, a lot more wild stuff is coming back. Lots of rocket and fillaria came on all winter. niio
Red
I know it isn’t but it almost sounds like a different world. 6300 ft elevation means high mountain desert. 30-50 degree difference between night and day. Cooler nights beans a delayed growing season. About time to perhaps find some fillarie. Too early normally for rocket.
I worked on a ranch south of Denver. It was about 6,000 feet. In August, 90+ days, aft sunset the temps dropped so fast it would snow. When you start moringa, you might have to keep it in the house all winter. People tell me nights have to stay over 60 F for it to sprout in spring. niio
Red
I know it isn’t but it almost sounds like a different world. 6300 ft elevation means high mountain desert. 30-50 degree difference between night and day. Cooler nights beans a delayed growing season. About time to perhaps find some fillarie. Too early normally for rocket.
Any of you that are lucky enough to live in an area without hard freezes,, get to know the Moringa Tree.
AKA Miracle tree, tree of life, drumstick tree.
“The most nutritious land plant known to man”
The leaves are an excellent green veggie.
excess leaves can be dried to become a super supplement. 100 gm of powder has 26 gm Protein. +++
so much nutrition in a tree! with many other nutrients.
Roy: Grows like a weed here. I got seeds from Baker’s Creek, a dwarf variety. The major fault is, they do not like a lot of water (we have adobe soil, which holds water real well). A major plus is, javelina pigs try them once, then run away screaming after rooting around the roots. That means anything planted near them is safe 🙂
They’re good for building humus in the soil, as well. Every time the top is cut back, unneeded roots die back and decay to be food for more roots. niio
I’m starting dwarf moringa as a house plant.
You do know there are many sources of protein in plants we eat. To have a complete protein combine a legume with a grain or potato with skin plus dark green leaves. Ie: beans and a tortilla or with rice
Potato with skin and any prefered dark green leafy vegetable or broccoli. Potato skins are rich sources of vitamins and minerals. Same with the skin area of carrots. Scrub and eat not peel and eat.
ClergyLady: Remember moringa do not like a lot of moisture! If you want some seeds, let me know. I’m getting an extra pack. niio
A few moringa seeds would be good.
Power is out in a wide area this evening. Don’t feel like messing with a generator. Have a 1400w and a 9K. Smaller one and a can of gas are just across the driveway in a shed. Over did two days ago and 4 days ago. Hard to walk i’m still so sore so we’ve called it a night. 9K should be checked. It’s battery started. Haven’t used it in a couple of years. I should put my solar trickle charger on the battery now and then just to be sure its usable if needed.
Ordered the last of my spring seeds today. Ordered nearly 30 wild edibles and medicinals to set out along the west property line fence and a few things in the garden. Waiting on 50 Ft Laramie strawberry plants. 3 hazelnuts arrived today. Will plant those soon. Planting many new areas as many will be to naturalise. Some wild berry bushes I’ll start from seed. Much faster than fruit trees and far less water getting established. A lot are low water plants. That suits me fine. My wells are good but I’m still careful with water here in desert country. The garden will be planted more permaculture style. Little bare ground. Many companion plantings interspersed to conserve water. Even tomatoes will have lettuces and radishes et planted close. This is a garden that needs a placment map. Not just rows of single things. Lots of edible or protective flowers interspersed. Leaving an area for hot beds along one edge. Planting inside to get things started. Last frost averages mid May and frost again by mid September. Snow by October. That means careful planning and early starts on seedlings inside. I often cover tomatoes with old blankets to extent the season and usually I take in a cherry tomato for the winter. My favorite tiny tomato is a yellow pear but its always too big for inside so I choose a smaller plant. Same with peppers. I usually bring in a few jalapeños. They tend to be tall slender plants.
I can hear neighbors generators.
Will do! we got elephant bush, a purslane with growth problems. I ordered a few and he sent a double-handful. According to what I find, they’re very etable (taste like purslane), drought resistant, and everything where they’re from eats them. It’s thought they can absorb moisture from the air to survive in arid places. Zone 9, where I am, is as far north as they can survive winter. But, cuttings are supposed to be easier to make and keep than jade plant. No, not related to jade, but a purslane 🙂 niio
In 2016 I pressure canned organic butter in jars . It has been tightly sealed in a cool dark closet, covered from any light . The color is good. A small taste test detected no off flavor .
Is it still edible ?
Cured meat is cooked and dried by old-timers. It can be hung in a smokehouse to keep ham beatles out of it as it dries. niio
red, my Moringa’s are growing well in large containers, and I’m sure they are not a dwarf variety because I have to keep pruning them down so they stay under ten feet tall so my wife can bend the branches down to harvest leaves. Since we are in Zone 10A with rarely any frost, I leave my Moringa’s outdoors through winter. It’s 27 NOV and they still have green leaves and continue flowering, and we even have a few hummingbirds still coming around to feed from the Moringa flowers, but there are a lot fewer bees out and about now and I am wondering how that will affect my recently planted winter pole beans and peas getting pollinated.
About two years ago my wife brought home a pineapple “start” that I have been growing in a container as our “pineapple experiment”, that also wintered over last year. We recently harvested two small but very sweet pineapples despite neither of us having any idea how to properly care for pineapples, but it has survived and produced two fruits, and is now growing two new stalks that should produce two fruits next year. I have deduced that pineapples are some type of succulent, slow growing in our conditions, and only produce one fruit on top of a stalk. When it gets colder with shorter daylight hours and I know the new growth has slowed down, I plan on dividing the two plants/stalks and replanting each in separate larger containers and watch what happens during next year.
I still have potatoes growing in containers and grow bags, but I think they are slowing down due to shorter days and colder temperatures, especially at night. I’ll cut back on watering to avoid mold and decay, and leave the potatoes in the containers until the wife asks for some. Since we rarely have frost, the potatoes seem to store better if I leave them in semi-dry soil rather than dug up and stored inside.
A few weeks ago I planted garlic, which is coming up well, but the tops of the cloves were showing, and we got raided by birds that ate several, so I had to replant several more cloves to fill the gaps, then added about an inch more soil on top of all so the cloves are about an inch below the surface, with only the green shoots showing.