Oils are indispensable for survival. They have been extracted from plants since the beginning of recorded history.
There are over 200 species of plants whose seeds are used in making oil for illumination, medicine, food, soap, and lubricating machinery.
You can extract oil from seeds, leaves, roots, or fruit pulp/peels. Just bear in mind that you must match your plants with the right extraction process and use the proper amount for a sufficient yield.
Preserve Cheese and Meat, Conquer Illness, Disinfect and Repel Rodents Using Sage, Oregano or Mint Oil
Oregano (Origanum vulgare): Oregano oil can be used as a preservative for meats and cheese. It has very strong antibacterial actions and it is an antiseptic as well. It prevents infections, treats wounds, topical worms, and dissolves fungus from developing.
Use four cups of the leaves and follow the solvent method for this extraction.
Sage (Salvia Officinalis): Remarkably, sage has been used for centuries as a flavoring and natural preservative for cheese and meats, especially sausages. It has superior antibacterial and antioxidant properties and is a phenomenal remedy for respiratory ailments.
Use four cups of the leaves and follow the solvent method for this extraction.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita): Mint is relatively easy to find and grows prolifically. Similar to sage and oregano it is an excellent disinfectant. Also, it makes a superior insect, rodent and deer repellent when you mix 40 drops of mint oil in a spray bottle, with a mixture of ½ vinegar and ½ water.
In addition, it destroys mold. It is a must-have mixture for every household!
Oregano, Sage and Mint Require the Solvent Extraction Method.
Learning the Solvent Extraction Method
I actually like to use pure vodka for extractions. Hexane is used by some people but it leaves toxic traces in your oils. Plant leaves or oily peels work well with this method.
For 1 cup of concentrated oil gather four cups of any ingredient from the list below:
- Peppermint or Spearmint leaves – fresh, chopped
- Oregano leaves – fresh, chopped
- Sage Leaves – fresh chopped
First, cover your leaves (1 cup of fruit peels like lemon or orange are also fine) with the vodka in a clean glass jar, and wait three weeks for the oil to rise to the top.
Then, skim off the oil and pour it into dark glass bottles to increase the shelf life. Finally, store the bottle in a dark, cool place.
Build your own stock of cooking, hardware lubrication, and emergency medicinal oils!
Related: The Complete Guide To Cleaning And Lubricating Your Ar-15
Let’s Embark On A Cold Pressing Adventure
Sunflower seed and Balsamroot seed oil contain similar properties for cooking, and both oils are made in the same way – a simple cold pressing by blending the seeds in your blender and crushing the paste with your hands until the oil is streamed into a glass bowl.
Sunflower (Helianthus), and Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) seeds have been cultivated for oil production since 3000 BC. Moreover, Native Americans crushed these seeds into oil. Both flowers grow throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Sunflowers are larger and taller than Arrowleaf Balsamroot, which is also yellow and daisy-like but is smaller and branches out into several floral-covered stems.
Start with three cups of seeds, run them through your blender to form a paste. Take the paste and squeeze it over a glass bowl with your hands to yield about a half cup of oil. Put the paste you have squeezed back into a clean bowl.
Next, put two tablespoons of ice cold water into the paste and mix it in.
Again, squeeze the paste over the bowl. The water helps separate the oil from the seed pulp.
After two extractions, put your seed oil in a dark glass bottle. Store it in a cool dark place. Once you have squeezed out every drop you can use the seed paste as a nut butter for sandwiches, to make cookies, or baked goods! Yum!
Consider Purchasing a Quality Oil Extractor
It is worth buying a cold press if you plan to make larger quantities of oil more frequently. Here is a consumer review of possible choices:
Flax seeds are a miraculous medium for both nutritional and household use. Lewis Flax (Linum usitatissimum) seeds produce both flax oil and linseed oil. This flax seed oil that we ingest boosts Omega 3/6 levels or it is used topically to tone the skin. Linseed oil cannot be ingested.
From ancient times this oil was made for commercial use in Asia and the Mediterranean region. Remnants of flax plants have even been found in Stone Age habitats! Linseed oil is used to refinish floors and furniture.
Related: 20 Stone Age Foods Every Prepper Should Try
First, run one litre of flax seeds through your oil extractor to yield .5 litre of flax oil. This can take time as you run small batches through your extractor following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Interestingly after you make flaxseed oil, you can use it to make linseed oil!
All you have to do is put a cup and a half of your flaxseed oil and a cup and a half of warm water in a mason jar. Shake it very well for several minutes.
Then let the jar sit in the sun for two days. A darker oil will rise to the top and the water will stay at the bottom.
On day three, use a syringe to siphon the oil from the top into another glass jar for storage. In such a short time, you’ve created an oil you can use for mechanical lubrication and refinishing wood!
Build A Supply of Versatile Cooking Oils
Peanuts or Groundnuts: 1 litre of groundnuts yields .5 litre – This oil is primarily used for cooking. However, it is an effective remedy for skin conditions like eczema and can help prevent skin cancer.
Soybeans: 1 litre of soybeans yields .1 litre – Soybean oil is used for cooking. However, it has industrial uses as well as an oil base for paints and varnishes.
Coconut: 1 litre of coconut yields .7 litre – Coconut oil, in addition to cooking, is one of the most versatile oils.
Due to its antibacterial qualities, it has excellent benefits for dental care when you swish a teaspoon in your mouth for ten minutes and rinse it out.
If you combine one part coconut oil with one part baking soda and apply it to carpet stains they will fade. It can be used to lubricate gears and hinges as well.
Rapeseed: 1 litre of rapeseed yields .4 litre – Interestingly rapeseeeds come from a plant by the name of brassica napus. Its black seeds come from the same family as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. It is high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E yet low in saturated fats. It is an excellent oil for frying because it can withstand elevated temperatures.
Pumpkin seeds: 1 litre of pumpkin seeds yields .4 litre – Have you ever wondered what to do with the extra pumpkin seeds from your fall pumpkins? If these are ground into oil the benefits are substantial.
Furthermore, pumpkin seed oil boosts mood and cognitive function. It is also excellent for cardiovascular function.
Corn: One of our preppers became a corn oil expert! She teaches an alternate cold pressing method. You will love her article and corn oil is very inexpensive to make. Gather 11 pounds of dried corn for this process. The yield is high! You will get four cups of cooking oil!
Consider Jojoba Oil for Both Skin and Industrial Purposes
Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a desert plant long cultivated by the Native Americans. This shrub grows slowly, and has roots that are 35 feet deep!
Its seeds are what you will gather and they produce a golden colored oil that is actually close to our own human body oil. Jojoba is one of the best skin emollients available for protection against harsh elements! It is unique for its stable shelf life and does not easily oxidize or become rancid.
Throughout WWII Jojoba was used industrially as other oil supplies diminished, for motor, transmission and gear oil, as well as to lubricate guns. This large seed is best extracted by a larger mechanical cold press that you can either make yourself or buy.
Don’t Discard Lemon and Orange Peels!
Citrus Peel Extractions Make Great Cleaning Products and Furniture Polish.
Lemon and Orange Peels: Limonene is concentrated oil in the peels of oranges and lemons, not the white pith.
Lemon or orange oil can disinfect the air you breathe!
Put twenty drops of citrus oil in a spray bottle filled with water and 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol.
Moreover, it will disinfect the air and most surfaces as well!
Gather the following quantity of peels and follow the Solvent Extraction Method mentioned above.
- Lemon zest – 1 cup – dried for two days on a paper bag or parchment paper
- Orange Zest – 1 cup – dried for two days on a paper bag or parchment paper
You can see that with just some simple tools and solvents for extraction you will never be at a loss for household, medicinal, or commercial oils. Try the most simple method and progress step by step until your pantry is stocked.
All in all, oil is expensive. Once you see your stock grow and you calculate your savings, you will be very satisfied.
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A surprisingly Excellent Article: ?!
A little personal research and you can do it.
Good work, thanks.
Always wondered just how they do that and now I know. It’s seems as if it’s a good skill to acquire and put to good use. Right now, I’ve got all these potted up herbs on the floor in my kitchen rescued from the garden before the first frost, because I can’t let go and I’m looking at them a little differently this evening.
When making oil from fruit is there any thing other than vodka or anything that has no alcohol in it. Being in recovery from alcohol of any kind puts this recipe’ of your off limits
John: Old school was, put herbs or seed in hot water. It has to be kept at a low simmer, never boiling, for hours. Allow it to cool and remove oil. But, with herbs, you lose a lot. You can simmer them in food grade oil, coconut and olive are most common, and can the oil. Best bet for you is buy a small lab-sized still. The pharmacist’s lab was called the distillery for that reason. niio
Saving this to pdf
Could you please explain how to save this article to PDF?
I am a computer user (barely)
Thanks
Scroll to the top of the article and click the “Printer” icon. You will be given a save to PDF option then.
Top right of the article are 3 small boxes, put your cursor on them and a note comes up, printer and PDF friendly, click the boxes to open the article in a format that is easy to save.
Or conversely, Michael, those same three little boxes are at the end of the article. A little to the right of center. When you left-click (left mouse button) on them you’ll get three options. Print, e-mail or save as a PDF document.
It’s good to make a hard copy as a backup plan.
A few drops of limonene oil in water daily is helpful for acid reflux.
Unfortunately limonene is a mucous membrane irritant and doesn’t “mix” with water (simple science) so your suggestion over time will actually cause digestive issues.
Amy! Viva chia! Chia seed and the oil are considered super foods. American Indian men could work all day on 2 tablespoons of chia and do it for days on end. Going to war, Aztec carried only a pouch of the seeds and usually won the battle.
Chia is extracted by heating crushed seeds in water and simmering at very low temps for 24 hours. Any variety can be used, but Mexican gives the best. California and Tarahumara are very tiny and best used in cooking. Mexican chia will not grow in wet areas. It’s a drylands plant and a short-day bloomer, but Tarahumara might work if the soil is on the dry side. niio
You are absolutely right. Thank you, I agree.
I got this a few years ago. Works well for small home-use quantities of seed oils. https://amzn.to/3qRQq6p
Would any of these oils help the brain function of Illini Weirdo?
Cannabis sativa extract might work.
Why go to all that trouble, Exodus 20/Deuteronomy5, when you can just as easily buy CBD’s. I’m reasonably sure CBD’s are legal even in the US. They don’t contain any THC so they would be classified as medicine. You’d have to look into it of course. Depending upon which state you’re in why risk growing something still deemed illegal south of the 49th?
Armin, you can control the amount of pesticides in your own production of oils, you certainly can’t say that about CBD’s. Here in Montana they grow a lot of hemp for oil & feed. And it’s heavily dosed with pesticides….and besides fresh oil is tastier…..put that in your CBD’s and smoke it …. ?
You’re a funny guy, Lance, you make me chuckle. 🙂 Which brings us back to the point that you would have to grow your own pot, whether sativa or indica. Don’t know for sure but probably still illegal to grow pot in most states. Besides you don’t get CBD’s from hemp. And you also don’t smoke CBD’s. You either use it lingually or topically. It’s supposed to be quite good for pain relief. Have never tried it myself. Also don’t smoke or vape. ANYTHING! People make their own choices but as far as I’m concerned anyone that smokes pot is an idiot. 😉
Oregon has legalized it all. The result is that the legal stuff is more expensive because of taxes so the illegal stuff is still being grown on a large scale. The newspaper recently ran an aerial shot of row upon row of their growing operation. What they didn’t show was the barn where the growers kept their 300 or so illegals as slaves to work the product. Of course, pesticides and such are used.
@Sagebrush Lin
Thank you for that, Lin, because I’m really not very familiar with the US laws re marijuana. Marijuana prohibition has been going on for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a situation in the US where the gov’t is actually allowing the growing and general consumption of it. The gov’t needs to get its act together and go after the much “harder” drugs. Shut down the meth labs. Stem the flow of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl into the country. They could do it if they wanted to but American society and politics is rife with corruption and greed. Those are really the things that are destroying the American people. And then you have to ask yourself why they feel the need to take such strong drugs. Many times it’s because people are trying to dull the pain they feel inside. Where does this pain come from? It’s no wonder that lance was concerned about impurities and pesticides in even the CBD’s. Up here in Canada the industry is very heavily regulated and when you buy even CBD’s you can be SURE of a safe and pure product free of any impurities such as pesticides. Up here gov’t pot is more or less on par with the product you can get from your neighbourhood supplier. But there are also a plethora of independent suppliers distinct from the gov’t stores that sell very good product. You can order any number of things up here ranging from edibles to distillates, oils, hash and of course flower buds. It’s extremely unfortunate that the Oregon growers feel the need to misuse people in such a horrible manner. It almost verges on the demonic. As cannabis is basically a weed there really wouldn’t be that much work involved in its cultivation. And you certainly don’t need to use pesticides on it. That defeats the whole purpose. I don’t think there are a lot of insects that like that particular weed. My next door neighbor grew HUGE plants in pots without much trouble and frankly it stinks to high heaven. I’m really not all that keen on the smell. I really appreciate your input, Lin. Stay safe and be aware of what’s going on with the economy. A very good resource to have a look at if you have time is Lynette Zang. A VERY smart lady. I’m totally convinced that at some point the US will enter a hyperinflationary period. It may end up being a global event. Try to position yourself to take advantage of that coming time and profit from it.
Lance, why would they use chemicals on hemp? I don’t doubt it, but that’s nutty. Nothing eats it. No diseases. And it grows so fast it chokes out weeds. Nope, I do note use, but am puzzled about that. You might need to recall, as well, sir, God doesn’t make mistakes. niio
Armin, Both of our countries have big issues with the misuse of drugs. I was in Vancouver, B.C. a few years ago, driving late at night and made a wrong turn or two. I ended up in a rough part of town. There were some wayward people out that time of night. I was glad that I didn’t have stop at a red light. About 8 years ago, I drove up to Kamloops for a family wedding and I saw all the devastation that pine beetles are doing to the forests. I almost wish that some chemicals could be spritzed on those bugs to save the trees. I used to go up to Canada quite often. As a teen, I even lived there for a year so I have some good memories.
Idaho has just changed the law to permit the growing of hemp, not marijuana. Now that today’s marijuana is 5 times stronger than the type available in the 1970’s, it is not a safe product to use. It is has become a huge and pretty rough business with even whispers of the original push in Oregon for legalization being a soros and wyss backed process.
I completely agree with you regarding the smell. It is really rank.
Armin,
It’s NOT the Oregonians or the Washington or Cali growers using the trafficked peoples.
It’s the Cartels!
Here in Wa,, Seattle especially, you are no longer being charged with a crime if ya are caught with ANY drugs, under a certain weigt. Can’t remember off the top of my head what that weight is. And here is something that will make ya lose your mind. If you state that you Didn’t Know you had drugs on you, that is a legal defense now. They are letting all kinds of convicted drug dealers out of prison on this New Law!!
Makes ya crazy!!!
Not sure where ya are in the GWN, but hope the flooding in BC are not affecting you.
We are ok where I live, on a big hill, but 1 County in any direction is on bad bad shape.
Peace,
MadFab
@Sagebrush Lin
You’re right about that, Lin. The drug problem up here and down there is quite serious. Don’t know why people have to be so darn stupid. It’s almost like they’re trying to destroy themselves. I’ve seen a person at the very end of an alcohol addiction. Absolutely horrible! Still shudder when I see that image.
Have never been to Vancouver but have heard the same thing about it. On the one hand it’s so beautiful. There are areas that you wouldn’t want to be in alone at night. Reminds me when I had to drive through Detroit late at night when I was still working and I saw gangs of blacks standing under light posts with the lights not working. I was praying that my car wouldn’t quit. Apparently the addiction problem is quite bad in Vancouver. Heroin especially. I don’t understand the opiates and I really don’t want to.
Apparently I don’t have an addictive personality as far as the opiates are concerned and you have no idea how grateful I am for that. I can, however, understand how people can end up being addicts after serious operations.
For both of my knee operations they gave me opiates for pain management. I had a pretty bad time with pain after the operations. For the first one they gave me oxycodone. And at the time I thought THAT one was pretty bad. Only took me 2 or 3 days for the withdrawal and while it was still bad it wasn’t THAT bad. For the second operation they gave me hydromorpohone. At the time I didn’t know any better. Thought it would more or less be like oxy. But OH MY GOD! Most horrible stuff those doctors (grinding teeth! 🙁 ) could ever give me for the pain. After a month I couldn’t stand it anymore. Went off the hydromorphone cold turkey. Yeah, I know I’m still a little stupid. In retrospect one of the worst and best decisions I’ve made. Went through the most absolutely worst withdrawal that you could possibly imagine. And I was on my own. Went through ALL the emotions in that withdrawal. Lot of crying in the beginning. Took me a week to get that shit (sorry) out of my system to the point where I started to feel at least half normal again. I’m sorry to say it like this, Lin, but if ANY doctor EVER prescribes hydromorphene for me again I’ll punch them right in the face as hard as I can right then and there. And I’m not a violent person by any means.
One of the few things that works for me for pain management with absolutely no side effects is Demerol. I know a lot of people have problems with Demerol but I kinda like it. So if I was prescribed Demerol for pain management I would have to be careful with it because I might end up liking it too much.
I don’t know how the opiates affect other people but for me I don’t think it was like getting high how people might think of it in the traditional sense. My experience with it was that it made me feel like crap. Upset my stomach. Gave me bad constipation. And for want of a better word made me feel dozy. Didn’t enjoy any of it. It also seemed to disassociate me. In other words split me in two. My mind and my body were separate from each other and I was almost like a passenger or observer just watching myself. VERY strange experience!
Wouldn’t doubt that some of the big guys are involved in the cannabis business. Maybe even Gates and Suckherburger from Fartbook. Big money involved in it. Billions.
Just very quickly about Suckherburger. The latest from him is that apparently he’d like everyone running around in a virtual world with VR glasses on all the time. As far as I’m concerned he’s one of the most evil b*stards on the planet. I have less than zero respect for him. There are special places in hell for people like him. Hopefully people won’t get sucked into his little schemes. If I had the power to bring his company down I’d do it tomorrow. Have to stop talking about him. I can feel my blood pressure starting to go through the roof. Take care, Lin. Stay safe.
Armin, I have been sent home from a medical procedure with Oxycodone a couple of times or more. The stuff scares me so I tossed the unused bottles without taking any. I have never heard of hydromorpohone. It sounds like terrible stuff. A few years ago, I smashed my wrist during a fall. I needed to get the bones somewhat pushed into position that evening, just to get by until surgery the next day. The medical staff wanted me to take some pain meds during the process of moving the bones around. I refused.
When I was in charge of the health care of a couple in their 90’s, there were all sorts of medications around including Oxycodone. It just never occurred to me that the highly recommended CNA that I hired would steal medications but she did. It was really unfortunate because this CNA used to be an extraordinary caregiver but the draw of the drugs changed her. I had to fire her. Another caregiver also had an addictive personality but her’s was contests and the lure of winning something. I had to ban her from having a cell phone on her because her inattention caused her to not pay attention where she was pushing the wheelchair of the 96 year old and causing her harm. By the time, the 96 year old was on Hospice and Hospice had loaded me up with a tray of various drugs for every contingency, I had learned to lock up most of the drugs.
I suppose the lesson there is, if the future situations place us in the position of living with those with addictive personalities, we will have to be ready to take precautions and not be as trusting as I was in the beginning.
Thanks for the advice on being prepared for whatever might happen. This forum has been such a great help for specifics on what to do and also to get the mind thinking of other possibilities.
@MadFab
The world is definitely upside down and there are so many things that need to be fixed. So many have lost their way and instead of focusing their attention on either religious or spiritual matters they’re more interested in instant gratification of their most base nature.
What’s happening in BC is truly horrific. Don’t know how well you know Canada (GWN) MadFab but I live in Ontario and everything is still ok here.
In my world there would be no things such as pornography, pedophiles, corrupt officials, criminal organizations like the mafia and the bike gangs. Fair taxation for both the rich and poor. Everyone would pay their fair share. Every able-bodied person would either work, be in the military or be going to school. The government would be the servant of the people rather than its master just as the kings of old.
We need a new broom to come in and sweep away the old system.
A true democracy only works properly if all its participants are responsible 100% of the time. Ain’t happenin’ right now. 🙁
@SagebrushLin
You’re a tough girl, Lin. Tougher than I am. Smashing your wrist and then not taking anything for it. OUCH! I can only imagine. I’ve heard time and again that women have a much higher pain tolerance than men. I think that’s a given.
The curse of an addictive personality. One never knows when just looking at a person. Unfortunately you can never trust an addict completely 100%.
My young neighbor on one side smokes that stinky stuff every day. Does that make him an addict. Maybe borderline. Because I have a prepper mentality to begin with it’s a given I’m a LITTLE paranoid. Not a complete whackjob but unfortunately do have some trust issues. That’s just the way it is. What are his priorities going to be if things get really bad. My experience is that you can never trust even a semi-addict 100%. The neighbour on the other side, while not so bad on the surface, is definitely a cannabis addict. He’s basically a cannabis chain-smoker. To me a very foolish young man. Young to me at 50. So I question whether I’ll be able to trust these guys completely when it all crashes. They don’t know what I’m doing as far as prepping is concerned. It’s been quite difficult but NO ONE around here knows what I’m doing as far as prepping is concerned. You guys know but for all you guys know I could be Bill Gates brother. 😉 You don’t really know me personally. There’s a certain amount of anonymity here. But I do try and be as friendly as I can with my neighbours. They drink too much. I don’t take part. They also smoke way too much. Obviously don’t indulge in that at all. Even if I catch a whiff by accident gives me a headache. They think I’m somewhat of a prude. Sort of a harmless old man. If they only knew how dangerous I really am. I have let it slip that I’m armed and am willing to defend my home. Sometimes we talk in general terms about the state of the world. The wife of one of my neighbours is also very interested in world events so they at least have some idea of what’s going on. I do feel very alone here in my neighbourhood. There’s no one that I can confide in anyone around here. As nice as it is where I live sometimes I feel as if I’m living on the outskirts of hell. The people around me do have addictive personalities.
As bad as oxy is, Lin, hydromorphone is at least 10 to 20 times as bad. I’m not exaggerating. As I say it’s such crap that it made me feel so bad that I HAD to stop using it after about a month. This was 5 years ago. Even thinking about it now makes my stomach turn. Sometimes I wonder what doctors are thinking when they prescribe certain things for their patients.
I know people are getting tired of hearing it but we all need to try and keep prepping as much as we can for as long as we can. Convert a significant portion of your cash reserves into gold and silver. Keep some on hand for emergencies. Obviously food and water very important. Some alternate way to keep your home warm if the power goes out for an extended period. We all know what to do. We just have to stay the course and have faith that eventually everything will be ok. And it will. What we’re going though is a part of a larger cycle. And this currency reset HAS to happen approx. every hundred years or so. The monetary system that’s been set up is so flawed that it’s basically designed to periodically fail. It’s been set up like this by the very rich. Because of their higher level of resources that that they have they’re able to much more easily profit from these downturns. Us “little guys”, if we’re aware of what’s going on and why, can also profit from the coming crisis to a lesser degree than the big guys if we have a little guts and are willing to take a small risk. Timing will be critical in the next few years if we want to be successful. I’m positioning myself to take advantage of the next economic downturn. Will pick up another load of silver while it’s still to be had at discount prices.
Don’t know how religious or spiritual you are, LIn, but lately I’ve come across videos by DNA Awakening which I find VERY interesting. They’re helping me a lot. It’s said we receive the help we need when we need it.
All the very best, Lin. Stay safe.
Armin, If I had a more trusting personality, I might be more inclined to take pain medication but I know enough about the medical world to not trust them and I have had several things happen in life that has made me not trust everyone out there. I really am not that tough when it comes to pain, just the other issues override.
My uncle died in a Vancouver, B.C. hospital about 20 years ago. He had a device installed in his digestive system. It could have been more or less permanent but the hospital could charge more for re-installing it every 11 days so that is what they did. He died of starvation more than his original disease because of his recovery time after each re-installation. In this country, hospitals are paid more if a person is diagnosed covid. It varies according to state but somewhere around $100,000. If a covid patient is put on a ventilator, they get an additional $30,000 +/-. My state government talking heads lie about hospital capacity as their words are contradicted by easily verified hospital bed tracking systems. Each brand of ventilator works differently and now we have a lot of medical staff that is traveling staff so it is unlikely that they would know how to run unfamiliar machines and not blow out delicate covid lungs. About 25 years ago, my father was put in a cyclotron machine for his cancer treatment. The machine was new and the Swedish firm that designed it had sent along staff to help run it, but they weren’t allowed to because they weren’t U.S. due-paying union employees. The result was that the cyclotron, run by inexperienced union staff, burned a gaping hole right through his cheek.
Where I live, there are a lot of LDS adherents. They’re decent enough people and their teaching has always been to have a year’s worth of food. I am pretty sure that they would help each other out, if need be, so I don’t think any of them will be coming by my house. My closest neighbor is of another legalistic religion and is alright but he sometimes has a poor understanding of fences. When I first moved in, I found that he was driving over my nicely mowed lawn to get to his backyard. I pointed out the damage and he quit driving over it. One day I came home and he told me that he had been in my backyard to get a couple of buckets of dirt. I have a much larger yard than him and an area in the way back that I have cleared of sagebrush (thus, my screen name) and other weeds but it’s not landscaped. My gate has extra locking rings on it so he had to work at it. I blurted out that it’s lucky he didn’t get shot. Nice enough guy, otherwise, but confused about what is his. But, he is a game hunter so he has knowledge. The couple on the other side are very cranky “takers”. They have come over a couple of times looking for minor first aid supplies and other things. What they got from me was out of date stuff but they didn’t mind. But, they have a young man staying with them right now who is a game hunter too. It is really hard to gauge where people will be in a real crisis. I am inclined to share but, definitely not if it means taking anything from my children or grandchildren.
You are wise to keep repeating over and over for the rest of us to be diligent and prepare.
Health and wisdom to you.
I hear you about trust, Lin. Wish I was also more trusting. Used to be. I am pretty good person, Not blowing my own horn. When I was much younger thought everyone else was more or less like me. Talk about being naïve. Too many people screwed me over so now trust and respect have to be earned. I will extend my hand in friendship to most. Some take it. Some don’t.
So sorry to hear about your uncle. They can be pretty neat people. My mum came from a big family and I have very fond memories of her brothers. She was the last to pass away.
I’ve come to the point where I also don’t have much faith in either doctors or our state run medical system. Britain also has a version of the NHS. I’ve had to have a number of operations and it almost seems to me that at my local hospital (about 10 miles away) they hired most of their doctors from the bottom of the class. Their cardiac dept. on the other hand is world class and thank goodness for that. I had some very serious problems with my ticker and now am sporting a Gucci pacemaker. Or so it seems. Has to be replaced in another 7/8 years.
You could do worse than to live in Mormon country. I’ve actually read the book of Mormon when they were giving them away free. Let’s just say that if you’re a thinking person their version of the bible is……strange. People still are free to believe in what they want but have heard too many negative things about Mormons. Apparently some of the people at the top of the Mormon pyramid are attracted to rather young girls. Sounds like too much of a cult to me. If the end times do really come in our lifetime I wonder what colour THEIR koolaid will be. 😉
If I had my druthers I would rather live among the Amish or the Mennonites. Up here it’s Mennonites. Those are people I could respect and would feel safe with. But then I’d have to start raising ducks. Apparently they get up at the quack of dawn and work like maniacs. I’m too old for all of that now. I’ve been cut into too many times and my body is really not that fond of it any more.
My neighbour to the east of me also has boundary issues. I know he means well but I’ve had to quite firmly explain to him that if he messes up my lawn again I’ll take a baseball bat to his face. They’re very young (around 40 or so) and this is their first home coming from an apartment. Do try and give them some leeway and try and teach them a little of what I’ve learned over the years. But they’re not “nature” people. The wife is deathly afraid of bees even though she’s not allergic to them. I told them I’m seriously thinking of getting at least one bee hive. You should have seen their faces. They don’t even like apples. I have a number of crabapple trees growing and I keep telling them to pick as many as they want and eat them. Or make jam out of them. Or apple sauce. Nope. They don’t wanna do it. Their loss.
I have a wonderful compost heap going. Put most everything in there. Vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Leaves. Grass clippings. Any vegetable matter. I think I’m one of the few around here that has one going. Most of my other neighbours have all their vegetable waste picked up by the town. They’re not thinking about the future and probably not even all that aware of what’s going on in the world and heading our way. My crabapples will be quite tasty when they start starving.
But really that’s why all you guys are doing this. For your kids and grandkids. I don’t have any children so when the time comes I may have to share with my neighbours and save their asses. I have enough on hand so that I can do it. As long as they supplement the stored food with wild game. They better learn to hunt and quickly. We have enough squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, coyotes and maybe even deer close by. That should be enough to keep them going until the crisis passes. If not then they’ll have to figure out something else. I don’t love them enough to starve with them. I have tried to hint that maybe they should think about having a little extra on hand because environment Canada keeps telling us it’s going to be a “brutal winter”. That’s true as far as it goes but that’s not the real reason I’M doing it for.
Take care, Lin. Stay safe. Keep prepping. 🙂
Armin, That is rough to have to deal with a series of operations. I am glad that the cardiac center is one you’re happy with. I was beginning to feel more pronounced circulatory and cardiac problems a few weeks ago but they went away when I upped my intake of various herbal supplements but, clearly, you have bigger issues going on.
My area also has quite a few Mennonite people. The little white caps the ladies wear are charming. I am not sure I would want to be of their group because I don’t think that they get to eat as well as I would like as they are all pencil thin. As the men don’t wear distinctive clothing, I don’t know if they’re as thin too.
I am wondering about this winter too. The building code in this area requires that roofs need to handle just 20 pounds per square foot. Some wet snow piled up can weigh a lot more than that. A few years ago, we had some houses in this area cave in partially because of so much snow. It seemed like it was generally the two story tract houses that had the biggest problems, not the one story ones. I really like the R values of a lot of snow but not if the weight is too much.
You have such a good heart, Lin. You have no idea how much I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I hope I’m not keeping you from other things.
Not really happy to hear that your heart is trying to get your attention, Lin. Don’t know what herbal supplements you’re taking but I have a very easy, simple fix for you.
Firstly I don’t know what your diet is like. If you’re eating too many fats and too much red meat maybe cut back on that especially if you like a lot of bacon. I know bacon is delicious but it’s one of the worst things for you. As a rule I also know that generally ladies eat more veggies than men. If you’re not eating enough of those maybe increase your uptake. Dark chocolate is very good for your heart. DARK. At least around 70%. If you can, eat one piece of dark chocolate per day. If you’re drinking more than three cups of coffee per day cut back on that also. Talking about hearts if you drink too much coffee the caffeine doesn’t let your heart rest. As your heart has to beat all the time the only time it can “rest” is in between the beats and caffeine doesn’t let it rest. And eventually your heart gets “tired”. It’s just a muscle after all. A very STRONG muscle mind you but just still a muscle.
There are four basic simple pillars of health. Probably more but if you can start with these it’ll help. Onions, garlic, apples, cayenne pepper. Onions help to clean your blood of toxins. Garlic is excellent for your cardiovascular system and your immune system. A natural antibiotic. Apples help to control the “bad” cholesterol. An apple a day…. Cayenne pepper is also very good for your cardiovascular system. Helps to keep your arteries clean. If possible you can add a little more fish to your diet.
Nope, Lin. Have no more issues with my ticker. It’s the part of me that works the best. I have the heart of a turtle. 😉 Had the most horrible atrial fib you can imagine. I’d be driving, sitting, walking and all of a sudden my heart would go from a normal bpm to something like 300 beats per minute. You could actually see my heart trying to escape from my chest. Freaked the heck right outa me!!
One of the best heart surgeons in the world repaired my mitral valve and now it works like a charm. The pacemaker is there so that it doesn’t go too low.
If you think Mennonites don’t eat well enough you should have a look at a website called; Mennonite Girls Can Cook. AMAZING RECIPES! My kind of food, If i could find a Mennonite girl to marry I’d do it in a heartbeat but her cooking would probably make me so fat so quickly that that I’d die an early death. But happy. 😉
I would tend to think that they seem so skinny is that they probably work much too hard. They mostly do things the old way. By hand. Probably get up at the crack of dawn and put in a full day every day so they would need the calories. I don’t think they drink a lot either. Especially beer which packs on the lard.
20 lbs. per square foot doesn’t sound like a lot. Wet snow is definitely a bugger. If you’re worried about this winter you might want to look into some kind of heating cable for your roof. Don’t know exactly what it’s called but it helps to melt the snow off your roof without you having to go up there and clean the snow off by hand. If you’re adventurous you can get a long handled roof snow scraper type of thing that you can use to scrape the snow off of your roof. Depending upon how high your roof is you might have to use that with a small ladder.
Don’t know what the snow loading for my roof is but as we generally get more snow up here it’s probably more than 20 lbs. per square foot. Have had a LOT of snow on my roof and never any problems. Good insurance policy on the house just in case.
The tract houses were probably the cheapest ones built.
Fluffy snow has a great R-value! When I have to shovel a lot of snow in the winter I pile as much as I can around the foundation. Seems to help a little bit. From my last heating bill period to this period natural gas prices have gone up 30%. Can’t see then going down any time soon. Running my heat a little lower at 20C which is 68F. Warm enough for me. Just had one of those new fangled super efficient furnaces put in a couple of years back. DEFINITELY helps! If natural gas prices continue to rise will run the heat at 20C during the day and maybe 15C or 16C during the night so the pipes don’t freeze. Just have to use a better comforter. We can all adapt in many different ways to save money. As always, Lin. Stay safe.
Armin, Sage: When I moved home to AZ, I had a small problem with trespassers. One is a woman who was badly abused at a young age, and this being Indian Country, she’s tolerated, even cared for. But, there were kids (some in their 30s) who were not harmless. Broken beer bottles in the year is a no-no. Albeit they may have had a problem wit those who lived her before me, but I wanted it stopped, so I told the neighbors a psychologist would call such destructive people closet gays. That stopped it. niio
Red, What you said to the trespassers who were breaking beer bottles, cracks me up – just too funny. Thanks for the laugh.
Armin, I just looked at the web site for Mennonite Girls Can Cook. What a great site! I love cooking in quantities so that it’s over and done with for awhile. I will definitely make up some Pfeffernuesse because it does keep.
You are right about the diet being so vital for our heart health. Alcohol has never been a big draw for me so that’s not an issue.
The local hardware store sells the snow scraper tool for the the roof. Last year, it was somewhere around $70 so well worth the peace of mind. A few years ago, we had a record level of snow. I put squares of rigid foam insulation in front of my crawl space vents. That way if the snow was packed around the house, it didn’t seep under the house. I read somewhere that snow has certain micronutrients for the soil so I carefully shovel all the snow off the driveway onto grass, etc.
Interestingly, when we had our first rain, after a long dry period, our air quality shot up to 128 or so, into the caution zone. After it had rained for awhile, then the numbers dropped down to a more normal 30 or something like that. For those who collect rain water, maybe there should be a way to not collect the rain water until it gets rid of the junk in the air after a dry spell.
Maybe I will swing by the hardware store tomorrow.
Wow got some research to do
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Red, Regarding the use of chemicals on marijuana – maybe the hybridized 5 times stronger version that the cartel type people are growing needs the chemicals. I don’t know. I have seen videos of LEO going in to break up illegal grows in the woods and there are always chemicals around. In a couple of the videos that I saw, the LEO pointed out that the streams by the marijuana grows were being affected.
Sage: Like you pointed out, this weed is not the same as what Nana (Granny) liked to puff back in the 20s. After checking things, I can see why, with all the twisted genes, they would need chems. My apology to you and the others. niio
Red, No need to apologize. I have read plenty of really good information posted by you so that it’s just fine to have a difference of opinion once in a while.
My mother said that when she was a young girl in the 1920’s or so, she would pick some leaves of some wild plants growing by the roadside and chew them in front of the fire in the evening. She said that it was a very relaxing time. The name she had for the plant was somewhat similar to the latin name for marijuana.
My Midwestern friends have always called roadside pot ditch weed. Until the 20th century hemp was widely grown for cordage and rough fabric, the ditch weed descends from those fields of hemp. It gets you about as high as the grapevine we used to smoke as little kids.
Pot smoking is pretty harmless, I can’t use it because I have a mild to moderate anaphylactic reaction to it, eyes, sinuses, and throat swell badly.. I haven’t heard of GMO pot, traditional hybridization is the dominant horticultural practice, also dominant in the cultural appreciation of pot. Go to a site like ILGM, it is amazing how pot heads go beyond even oenophiles in their appreciation of the subtle differences in the hundreds of strains available.
Pot has all of the problems of any other crop, especially when grown as a monoculture in large stands. Spider mites are a major pest, fungus gnats and root aphids also bad. Lots of organic control methods available for these, thinking there must be pot labeled as organic? Except it is common practice to feed all sorts of chemical supplements to the plants to regulate growth and enhance THC production, the plants are also susceptible to some diseases, fungal, viral, and bacterial, these can be harder to control with organic methods.
When I was a kid having even a single marijuana seed was a felony punishable by life in prison on the first offence. Our laws are less evil today but still the most repressive in the nation. Like all drug laws the Texas laws are a joke, thousands of pounds of pot and everything else are flying around the country every day delivered by the USPS, FEDEX, UPS, etc…,what’s good for GM is good for America. The Border Patrol and the Border Sheriffs were corrupted in the 1980s, it only gets worse. Moving Fentanyl, heroin, and meth is a hugely profitable business, there will always be enough money to corrupt as many people as the Narcos need to corrupt. Between the demand here and the demand in Europe there isn’t a Government south of here the Narcos don’t have their way with. Then there is the great joke of Afghanistan becoming the world’s number 1 heroin exporter while the U.S.Army was in charge for 20 years. If we don’t one day legalize drugs and subsidize domestic production while treating addicts we are also doomed as a Free People, I think we’re still pretty free, but I might be dreaming.
Thanks for sharing, Judge. I think we’re still relatively free. Even us up here living in a social democracy (utopia? ;).
Our supply chain problems are going to get worse because of the flooding happening in the western Canadian province of British Columbia (BC). Apparently that was a flood of “biblical proportions” that apparently only happens once every 500 years or so. Even once a millennium is quite enough, thank you. Or never is even better. Those poor people. Couldn’t have happened at a worse time for them. Winter is approaching quickly.
I agree, Judge. Even today’s pot is still relatively harmless. It’s not addictive like a narcotic such as heroin or crack or things like that. I’m making a legal statement when I say that I don’t smoke or vape anything. You guys are just going to have to believe me on that. I have absolutely zero interest in smoking pot. Or cigarettes. Or cigars. I smoked cigarettes when I was much, much younger and even at that time did me no good. I had to stop after a few years because I got laryngitis because of smoking cigarettes. Quit cold turkey. Most of my neighbours around here smoke that damn stuff and it drives me crazy. I’ll be doing something outside and then all of a sudden I’ll smell that damn stink. Drives me nuts. Smells like a bloody skunk walking past. I wish they would smoke that in their houses. But apparently the pot today isn’t the same as the pot of yesteryear. Talking to my pot head friends around here they tell me that today’s pot is much, much stronger than what they had as young kinds. We’re talking adults in their fifties. Married and with children. So they’re not kids anymore but still stupid as kids. If today’s pot IS really that strong then it doesn’t do those kids any bit of good that are still in their late teens or early twenties. I understand why Trudope legalized it. To suppress the black market distribution of that herb and to increase the tax base from the gov’t sale of the same herb. But as with all woke leaders I don’t think he’s thought it through quite completely. I’m sure the black market pot still exists to some degree. I just really don’t want anything to do with pot. To me, smoking it IS stupid. I’m obviously not an angel and I do have a little drink now and again. But for me everything in moderation. I don’t need to get drunk and prove to people how stupid I am. I don’t like the loss of control. It’s always funny to me when I’m walking around the neighbourhood and i start talking with one of my neighbours that’s had a few beers. It’s so funny to watch. THEY think they’re fine but I can definitely tell they’re not quite sober. Funny watching it from the outside. Everyone has to make their own choices. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record but I sincerely hope all of you are doing everything you can to get ready for a potential hyperinflationary period that could end being global. This is different from the depression of the 30’s because of the internet. The global elite have no choice but to let the system crash to burn off the huge amount of accumulated debt. They know this. They have to let it happen. And then reset the currency. But because of the internet there are any number of people telling us to prepare for a period of austerity. So this coming period of scarcity shouldn’t be as bad as what happened in the dirty thirties for those with the wisdom to listen and act upon it. Worst case scenario is if the future isn’t as bad as everyone predicts then we’ll just end up with a little extra food and water on hand. Always good to have a little extra on hand. One never knows. 😉 Keep the faith and stay the course.
Judge: When the kid wanted to get off opioids, he smoked a lot of weed. It kills the pain, I guess, but also has a nasty side effect on us. You know that old thing about a drunk injun getting mean? Some do, some don’t, but toke some smoke and we get nasty. It affects me with mild asthma attacks, so I never tried much 🙂 Just thank God I never wound up in prison for attempted murder, either, because it does that.
I’ve been hearing of experimental weed being trial runs for 20 years+. Since gene manipulation came out, a lot of Monsanto and other researchers moved into po. There’s so much disinformation coming from both sides, how do you say what’s what. niio
You gotta be kiddin’ red. Toking makes you mean? You gotta be joshin’ me. I know that booze makes some people really nasty but I’ve never heard of cannabis doing anything but mellowing people out. native peoples can’t be THAT much different from us white devils. Could it be that native peoples have no cannabinoid receptors. You know a heck of a lot red. Any idea why cannabis has such a negative effect on you?
Armin: Remember the Hashashin? Before assassinating someone, they toked weed. They then felt enough hate to kill anyone.
Some people love wheat and have no problems. We are said to be allergic to weed. Some folks get a whiff too much pollen from flowers and it does things. If we could, I’d access the stats showing most Americans in prison are American Indian, usually mixed-blood, and weeders. That doesn’t mean weed i evil, but has the potential to harm some people just like gluten can. As I pointed oput, American Indians aren’t the only people to get nasty on weed. niio
Great article, although I would suggest Everclear as vodka is only around 40% alcohol. And if I may, I agree to use dark glass containers to store aromatic products, it does Preserve shelf life, but it does Not, as you wrote, Increase shelf life.
its 190 proof…… lol its like 85 percent pure grain alcohol
@ravenprepper
I’ve seem u2b videos of young trying to drink a bottle of everclear. It gets pretty ugly pretty quickly. Just to be clear 190 proof is 95% alcohol. 😉 You may as well run your car on it rather than drink it. I don’t know why they’re allowed to sell it. You can get alcohol poisoning from this stuff very quickly. Even drinking one small bottle of this at one time straight would do your liver no good at all. When I was MUCH younger I went through a tequila phase. That knocked me on my ass. Don’t need it anymore.
When I used a traditional drafting table with the blue/green rubber/plastic cover and a rolling Mayline, I often cleaned everything with Everclear. I needed something that would get all of the pencil graphite and not gum up or leave moisture behind, particularly inside the Mayline mechanism. I never had to worry about any moisture affecting the drafting paper from underneath the Mayline. Everclear is great stuff for cleaning delicate things.
Yes, it is grain alcohol but for formulating products, it’s a must. Within this article, it explains why we must use 190 proof alcohol. To avoid the growth of microbes. “Formulating Sprays for Personal Use” https://www.soulessentialsduo.com/single-post/formulating-room-sprays-body-mists-and-perfumes
this is the link posted in the article for oil extractors but it went to a website listing automotive oil extraction devices, not herbal plant and seed oil extractors:
https://www.bestreviews.guide/oil-extractors
oregano eye drops cures most headaches
and straight oregano oil will burn out the eyes. Always tell them to be cautious. ! niio
That sounds like it would sting and more. How do you use it? Is it a dilution of oregano oil with a carrier oil put next to the eye? A couple of people who have had the covid have mentioned having intense headaches in the beginning stages. This might be something new for them to try.
Sage: I don’t know how much it would need to be cut to use near the eyes. But, the headaches might be helped by a saline nasal rinse. The same rinse can be used in the eyes without stinging. For nasal, I like scotch medicated snuff, as well. Tobacco kills infections, but will itch or burn in open flesh. Medicated Scotch snuff has peppermint oil and camphor to moisten the tobacco. niio
Let’s hope you don’t mean oregano essential oil! ?
Good point, thank you!
Oregano oil is very powerful and it does have to be diluted significantly.
You could use oregano leaf tea compresses but the essential oil would be dangerous. Thanks
Thank you for the information