Hot Food is Important

Here's three ways you may NOT have thought about cooking, but could be interesting. We have an alternative to charcoal, DIY stump oven, and DIY solar oven.  Hot food during a crisis is important.  It gives us comfort and soothes rattled nerves and is all around good for family morale.

Bic FlameDisk
Bic has introduced a new product it's called the FlameDisk.  The major flaw with this product is its fuel. according to the product's website  "FlameDisk uses ethanol as the main fuel ingredient. Our ethanol comes from corn, a renewable resource. "  Yeppers there's a hitch in that plan with an 80% failure in this year's corn crop.  This product may end up to be hard to find.   It does look interesting, and is extremely easy to use.  Seems it would be an excellent item to have in your preps for emergency cooking.  Here it is in the bottom of a Weber grill.  I think based on the shape it's perfect for kettle type grills such as Weber. the cook time is expected to be 35 to 45 mins.  We have stocked some of these because its easier than stocking charcoal for the grill, and we can barter them.

Items Required: Grill, Lighter, Bic FlameDisk

Here's the link to Bic's site:  FlameDisk

DIY Tree Stump Grill
This just looks like FUN.  If you're cleaning debris from a storm and your chainsaw is handy give this a try.



Items required: Log, Chainsaw, newspaper

1. Cut the log evenly on both sides so it stands up freely. Then cut it into vertical segments most of the way down the length of the log.
2. Stuff in some newspaper into the cracks as deep as you can get it, leaving a wick at the bottom, and light it up.
3. That's all there is to it—the log burns from the inside out, and you have a simple, handmade stove....

DIY Solar Ovens:

You don’t need four burners and a gas line to make some great-tasting trail food. All you need is plenty of sunlight. Make your own solar oven and feed the whole group. Solar ovens work by bouncing sunlight off a reflective surface into a pot. The hotter the pot, the faster your food will cook. It’s easy to make—and cheap.  

You can make your own! Lots of plans online, and Boy Scouts everywhere have done this as a camping project, with that said there are many Solar Ovens you can buy.  They can be pricey, and the sun has to be shining.  Also it takes a long time to cook in a solar oven.  There are many more designs online, but this one will get you started. Here is an example of a Boy Scout solar oven:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• A pizza box
• Black construction paper
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic window covering
• Permanent marker
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• String

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

 STEP 1: Line the inside bottom of the box with foil.

  STEP 2: Cover foil with black paper and tape in place.

STEP 3: Set the plastic under the box and trace the outline of the box.

  STEP 4:Remove the box and draw another outline 1⁄4-inch inside the first outline and cut along inside line.

  STEP 5: Close the box cover, and draw another line 1 inch from each side.

STEP 6: Cut along the lines on the front and sides—not the back.
  STEP 7: Open the cover and line the inside with foil.

STEP 8: Glue foil in place.

STEP 9: Cover foil with the cut plastic and tape in place.

STEP 10: All layers should be airtight and wrinkle-free.

  STEP 11: On the outside of the box cover, attach a string long enough to keep the flap open and let the sun shine in.

STEP 12: Once you have the oven, all you need is the sun. Choose a spot that will get at least several hours of direct sun away from any strong wind.

TRY IT OUT

Solar cooking takes a little practice. Try this recipe first:

Solar Oven S’mores  Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• Milk chocolate bars
• Marshmallows

Place graham crackers next to each other on the bottom of a black cast-iron pot. Black pots are best because they absorb and retain the sun’s heat better than light-colored pans. Top each cracker with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow. Put a glass lid over the pot and place the pot in the center of your solar oven. When the marshmallow is gooey, take out the crackers and add the second layer of graham crackers on top to complete it.

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What did you do today to Prep?   Today We placed a bulk order for 400 items.  Retail was $910 when we applied our coupons we saved 95% our out of pocket will be $50 plus tax.  Pick up is Saturday. Prepping for less is important.  We didn't have $910 for these items but we did have the $50  If you don't use coupons you should seriously consider it.

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Note:  Happy Birthday Dad. We love you.

Prep Today?

What did you do TODAY to prep?  Anything? Buy a small bag of beans?  an extra can of soup? Are you a small scale prepper?  Maybe a large scale prepper? Something as small as keeping the dishes done and the laundry clean counts a bit towards prepping.Why? Can you imagine if you had five loads of laundry and a stack of dishes to do but no power? So in that sense yes housework is prepping; keep your house in order.

For September I issue this challenge to you: Do something however small to prep everyday this month. Everyday along with a regular message I will update what we did that day to prep. 

Here's a recap so far on what I've done.  Keep in mind I also do research daily.

• 1st  Saturday Placed Pre-order for 400 Zone Bars Pick up Tuesday cost: near free; Hubby ("THE" Prepper) attended HAM festival and purchased additional communication equipment
• 2nd Sunday Placed Pre-order for 100 Bic FlameDisks (free via coupon) Pick up Thursday
• 3rd Monday Updated and reorganized BLOG; started annual inventory of supplies
• 4th Tuesday Picked up Zone Bars, clipped Coupons from 8-26, made list of items to watch for sale, checked coupon website to track which stores would give me biggest bang for our buck, placed an order for interesting books and a few "items"
• 5th Today placed order 25 pounds of honey powder and new pool cover, special ordered 100 packs of Yakisoba to donate to food bank sourced location for pallets for fencing

You are not in the journey alone.

Empty shelves...

A picture is worth 1000 words.  We all know some folks must see it to believe it.  Are you prepared? While these photos were from the result of panicked buying before the recent storm; Here is a visual this is what shelves will look like when the whole world goes sideways...

If the shelves look like this will you be able to feed your family?  

Thanks to: Tiany Lindemann Davis for these photos

A Prepper's Awareness

A year ago, I posted a pop quiz.  Some of you did quite well ~ while others were concerned about the lack of preparedness.  It's time to review.  We've discussed that prepping takes work. Some folks have been prepping for a while, some are just starting out.  Even if you THINK you are just starting out you may be surprised by the things you already have on hand.  So lets take a Prepper's test this one I have  sourced from page 16 of the 2011 LDS Preparedness Manual ~ let's take a look here:

Preparedness Pop Quiz

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1. Has your family rehearsed fire escape routes from your home? YES - NO
2. Does your family know what to do before, during,
     and after an earthquake or other emergeny YES - NO
3. Do you have heavy objects hanging over beds that can fall
     during an earthquake? YES - NO
4. Do you have access to an operational fl ashlight in every
     occupied bedroom? YES - NO   (use of candles is not recommended
     unless you are sure there is no leaking gas) YES - NO
5. Do you keep shoes near your bed to protect your feet
     against broken glass? YES - NO
6. If a water line was ruptured during an earthquake, do you know
    how to shut off the  main water line to your house? YES - NO
7. Can this water valve be turned off by hand without the use of a tool?
     Do you have a tool if one is needed? YES - NO
8. Do you know where the main gas shut-off valve to your house is
     located? YES - NO
9. If you smell gas, would you be able to shut off this valve? YES - NO
10. Gas valves usually cannot be turned off by hand.
      Is there a tool near your valve? YES - NO
11. Would you be able to safely restart your furnace when
      gas is safely available? YES - NO
12. Do you have working smoke alarms in the proper places? YES - NO
13. In case of a minor fire, do you have a fire extinguisher? YES - NO
      Do you know how to use it ? YES - NO
14. Do you have duplicate keys and copies of important insurance
      and other papers stored outside your home? YES - NO
15. Do you have a functional emergency radio to receive
      emergency information? YES - NO
16. If your family had to evacuate your home,
      have you identified a meeting place? YES - NO

IF AN EMERGENCY LASTED FOR THREE DAYS ( 72 HOURS)

BEFORE HELP WAS AVAILABLE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY...

17. Would you have sufficient food? YES - NO
18. Would you have the means to cook without gas/electricity? YES - NO
19. Would you have sufficient water drinking, cooking,
      & sanitary needs? YES - NO
20. Do you have access to a 72 hour evacuation kit? YES - NO
21. Would you be able to carry or transport these kits? YES - NO
22. Have you established an out-of-state contact? YES - NO
23. Do you have a fi rst aid kit in your home and in each car? YES - NO
24. Do you have work gloves and tools for minor rescue/clean up? YES - NO
25. Do you have emergency cash on hand? YES - NO
      (During emergencies banks and ATMs are closed)
26. Without electricity and gas do you have a way to heat
      at least part of your house? YES - NO
27. If you need medications, do you have a 30 day supply on hand? YES-NO
28. Do you have a plan for toilet facilities if there is
       an extended water shortage? YES - NO
29. Do you have a supply of food, clothing, and fuel where appropriate:
       6 months?  YES - NO     

       For a year? YES - NO

BONUS QUESTION  ~ Play "What IF"

Some folks believe we are only 9 meals from anarchy.  What if an emergency lasted longer than 3 days? a week? a month? 6 months? a year? longer? How prepared are you?

Many of the above items can be addressed with little to no money.  Start there.

~ You are not alone in your journey ~

Chickens for eggs are a good idea

Farmer Randy owns Rooster Hills Farm.  On his website he talks about the nutrition of eggs... I figure that it's ok to share his info with you here.  Keep in mind if you are local ~ you can get everything you need from Farmer Randy and Rooster Hills... Even his world famous HENPEN that has been featured on National TV Hens make great pets, and they earn their keep!


HEY Farmer RANDY Is it necessary to refrigerate my eggs?This is a GREAT question. Let me be very clear with this topic. The government requires you to refrigerate your eggs. It is not a matter of health...it is simply a matter of law. Therefore, I MUST tell you that you MUST refrigerate your eggs! It's the law. Now, with that said, let me tell you what happens in other countries. The USA is the ONLY country in the world that requires its citizens to refrigerate eggs. And there's a good reason for that! Pharmaceutical companies pour millions of dollars into campaigns for politicians to get elected. In turn elected officials "reward" the pharmaceutical companies with legislation that helps them sell more drugs.   Let me explain: When a hen lays an egg, her goal is to hatch that egg (ours is to eat that egg). Since she can lay only one egg each day, it takes her 10-14 days to lay a "clutch" of eggs. When her clutch is full, she settles down on the eggs and heats them up to 101 degrees. Inside that egg is an enzyme named "trypsin," which causes the egg to begin to develop when the hen heats it to 101 degrees. If the temperature falls below 50 degrees the trypsin dies...this is mother nature's way to telling the hen not to hatch the eggs because it's too cold for the chicks to survive.Trypsin also lowers cholesterol. (Something the pharmaceutical company would rather do by selling you drugs!) Pharmaceutical companies know that your refrigerator will kill the trypsin in the eggs. So, the favor they got from the newly elected politicians was legislation that requires us to refrigerate our eggs.  A second enzyme that your refrigerator kills (at the command of the department of public health) is Lanamine. Lanamine is responsible for healthy joints. But, if your eggs are meeting your body's demand for lanamine, then the pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be able to package and sell their drugs...and politicians wouldn't have campaign money to spend. So...refrigerate! Lets keep those politicians politicking!  I recently learned of two other enzymes in eggs that die when refrigerated, but I've not been able to run down the benefits from those enzymes. But, I bet the pharmaceutical companies know! I think I'll ask them.

Hey Farmer Randy.....Should I wash my eggs?If you pick up your eggs direclty from the henhouse, you DO NOT need to wash them. We use a damp sponge tp knock off any dirt on them and then put them on the kitchen counter. Why? When the hen lays an egg she puts an antiboitc coating on the egg. This protects the egg from things like salmonella from getting into the egg. However, if you wash off the antibiotic coating, you wash away the protection. It's interesting to note that the government also requires egg distributors to wash the eggs before they sell them. Isn't that interesting?


Hey Farmer Randy Why Buy Free-Range Eggs? 
Compared to factory farmed eggs, eggs from pasture-raised hens have:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2x more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3x more vitamin E
• 7x more beta carotene
Source LINK~> Meet Real Free-Range Eggs

Nutritional Values Comparison for Eggs

.......................................Chicken..........Duck..........Quail
Calories...............................80.................130..............14
Fat Calories..........................50.................87................9
Total Fat..............................6g ................9.6g............ 1g
Saturated Fat........................2g................2.6g..............0g
Trans Fat..............................0g.................0g................0g
Cholesterol.........................237mg.........619mg..........76mg
Sodium................................78mg.........102mg............3mg
Total Carbohydrates.............0g ................1g................0g
Protein.................................7g..................9g...............1g
Daily Values
Vitamin A...............5% (273IU)..........9% (472IU).........1% (49IU)
Calcium..................3% (29.7mg)........4% (44.8mg)........1% (6mg)
Iron........................6% (1mg)............15% (2.7mg).........2% (0.3mg)
Selenium............... 15% (17.7mcg)....36% (25.5mcg)......4% (3mcg)

Eggs are a very good source of Protein, Riboflavin and Selenium and a good source of Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron and Phosphorus. Source LINK~> Nutritional Data for eggs

If you decide to visit Farmer Randy, be sure to let him know I sent you!