Seeds Ordered

After some research I have ordered the seeds for this years crops from a reputable seed trust out of Idaho that specializes in mountain growing. Since the "farm" is at roughly 8700 feet I needed high altitude seed varieties that do well in cooler climates with shorter growing seasons. They also had to be non-hybrid (heritage) seeds from organic distributors. I chose High Altitude Gardens, they have seeds from around the world for the coldest climates and shortest seasons.

Here is the garden

BEANS, POLE - Northeaster
BEANS, BUSH - Montana Green
PEAS - Montana Marvel
PEAS, SNAP - Sugarsnap
CORN, SWEET - Extra Early Bantam
PEPPERS, BELL - Early Mountain Wonder
RADISH, French Breakfast
CARROTS - Kuroda Chanteney
CARROTS - Kinko 6

TOMATO, EARLY - Sub-arctic Plenty
TOMATO, RUSSIAN - Odessa
TOMATO, SIBERIAN - Moscow
TOMATO, SIBERIAN - Red Siberian
TOMATO, PASTE - Mt. Roma
TOMATO, CHERRY - Whippersnapper Cherry

MELON - Minnesota Midget Cantelope
MELON - Sugar Baby Watermelon

LETTUCE, GREEN LEAF - Black Seeded Simpson
LETTUCE, BUTTERHEAD - Buttercrunch Bibb

SUNFLOWER, WILD - Helianthus annus

I am still researching the onions, potatoes and cucumbers but should have varieties and vendors selected soon.

2009 Garden Start

I have started working on the 2009 garden. Here is what I am planning taking into consideration the short growing season and less then fertile soil. I have most of the seeds but still need to pick up a few high altitude varieties. Everything will be planted directly in the ground or in raised beds depending on soil conditions. The growing season is from roughly June 1st through mid September, hopefully I can extend it with small hothouses.

Pole Bean
Peas

Carrots
Onions

Cantaloupe (maybe)
Watermelon (maybe)

Tomatoes (containers)
Peppers
Potatoes
Radishes

Lettuce (late season)

Sunflowers (grow wild)
Mushrooms (maybe)

Food Storage - Real Numbers

How much food do I need for my family and what will it cost.

The picture to the left represents one years worth of food for one person. It may seem like a lot but think about how much food you consume in a years time. There are 15 five gallon buckets holding a variety of dried foods that will provide a baseline 1800 calorie per day diet.

This diet will be supplemented with fresh game provided by hunting and fishing...note the .22 and fishing gear. As well as hunting/field dressing manuals, beer brewing/wine making equipment, chainsaw to supply the wood stove and 30 twelve packs of ramen noodles although not all are shown. Food cost of roughly $300 all gathered at WalMart.

Note that there are no expensive #10 cans of various high end survival preps. For your basic bulk needs #10 cans are not cost effective. When you start to refine and specialize the food stocks then #10 cans of dried fruits, powdered cheese and possibly powdered eggs are warranted but the basics should be purchased first and from local grocery supplier. These are foods that need colorful menu planning and preparation experience to be fully appreciated.

I have a couple of years of food already stored with plenty of spices and bullets. This batch will be added to the existing supplies and work will begin on the next set of buckets. Each additional set of 15 I add different types of products increasing the variety of foods available. On the buckets that are being actively consumed I use omega lids. These are fancy screw top lids that are resealable. If you can afford it all your buckets could be outfitted with these handy items. Be sure to label you buckets on the top and side with the product and date stored.

One five gallon bucket holds 80 cups of dry stock.

How many many cups of each product are needed yearly to meet the 1800 calorie daily baseline.

For instance you decided that you need one cup of white rice per day either at lunch or dinner, this is 650 calories or about 1/3 of your daily intake. It works out to roughly 365 cups or 4.5 five gallon buckets worth of white rice. Now round the amount up to 5 five gallon buckets. Simple

Decide what dry products your family will eat and how many cups a day are needed. Once you have the number of cups just convert it into buckets. I usually round up, this give me some padding and possibly product to barter with.

How many pounds of each dry product are needed to fill a five gallon bucket.

These numbers are very close to true but might vary slightly depending on the brand and size of the product being stored.

Brown Rice
32 pounds per five gallon bucket
670 calories per dry cup

White Rice
3o pounds per five gallon bucket
650 calories per dry cup

Pinto Beans
32 pounds per five gallon bucket
620 calories per dry cup

Elbow Macaroni Small
21 pounds per five gallon bucket
420 calories per dry cup

Quaker Oats
12 pounds per five gallon bucket
300 calories per dry cup

Lima Beans Large
30 pounds per five gallon bucket
600 calories per dry cup

Black Beans
32 pounds per five gallon bucket
620 calories per dry cup

Pancake Mix
20 pounds per five gallon bucket
420 calories per dry cup (6 midsized pancakes)

Ramen Noodles
3 twelve packs taped together store like one 5 gallons bucket
380 calories per brick

White Flour (with 26 packs yeast)
20 - 25 pounds per five gallon bucket (26 loafs at 14 slices per loaf is 364 slices)
440 calories per 4 slices

Note that if you go to WalMart and buy 63 pounds of elbow macaroni the clerks will ask questions. Have a clever lie ready before hand. I tell them I am preparing meals at a church camp...they smile and nod approvingly.

I am not giving exact costs because they vary regionally and are increasing rapidly.

If you found this article useful check out the other two entries in this series.

Food Storage - Why Do It
Food Storage - Three Plans

Budget Survival - Solar Oven

Solar Oven - Improved Model

The new model solar oven is simple to build, easy to move and captures a great deal of heat. An old coffee can and lid painted flat black was used as a pot. A variety of beans were prepared daily during my stay at Bear Ridge using this setup.

The solar oven I built back in December of last year was grossly over constructed and very heavy. That unit was a 2x2 foot box that tapers from 14” to 10” on the sides. It was lined with sheet metal painted black and there was a one inch gap between the metal and the wood. The front was covered with an old storm window. The temperature inside this unit was between 150 and 170 degrees.

The new solar oven was constructed using an old post office tote, a reflective emergency blanket, a piece of glass and a couple of bungee cords. Take your emergency blanket and place it over the tote. Secure the blanket around the top of the tote with the bungee cords, make sure the blanket is tight across the top of the tote.

Place you cooking can in the center of the emergency blanket and push it down until it rest on the bottom of the tote. The emergency blanket should now slope down from the totes lip to the cooking can. Cover with glass and allow the food to cook for several hours. The temperature hovered between 170 to 190 degrees. Beans were cooked through the day. It worked great...just like a crock pot.

This unit is very light weight and can be easily moved for maximum solar gain. We will need to see if this design works in the winter months. Although most winter cooking of this sort is done in a dutch over on top of the wood stove.

Total cost for this solar oven was roughly three dollars.

Simple Life – Analysis

Recently I spent a week at Bear Ridge surviving only on the supplies stored on site. After analyzing my notes I have come up with this list of items that need work.

Dried Fruit – Somehow I completely miss this. Dried fruit will not keep nearly as long as dried grains but it would be nice to have until a stable fresh supply can be established.

More Meat - Possibly those half cans of spam or bulk cans purchased from an online survival supply company. I will need to do a little more research on this. Meat is very expensive compared to dried grains. Most protein will be supplied through bean products but I like meat. This meat will eventually be provided through fishing and small game hunting.

Prescriptions – If the prescription is necessary for your comfort or life keep a supply on-hand. Prescriptions can be refilled online or at your local pharmacy during a supply run. Special trips to acquire medicines are wasteful and greatly cut into your monthly budget.

Fuel Efficient Vehicle – Traveling to work or simply to fetch supplies becomes very costly with a gas guzzling truck or SUV. Two trips and your monthly budget is shot. I will be looking for a very small fuel efficient compact vehicle to use for monthly trips for supplies and emergencies. An older model Ford Festiva or Geo Metro would work nicely. The big truck will still be necessary to haul water, gather fire wood from the local saw mills or haul lumber.

Hot Water – I need a method of warming water that does not require additional fuel. If you are utilizing dried goods for meals it is necessary to have hot water on hand. A great deal of time and fuel was spent heating water for meals and personal hygiene. In the winter a large water tank sitting on the wood stove would work. In the summer possibly a copper tube solar water heater or maybe a 30 gallon tank painted blank and mounted on the roof. Even with a propane hot water heater if would be prudent to have a free method of preheating the water thus reducing your overall fuel consumption.

Critical System Redundancy – I have a backup charge controller for my solar array. This is not a common item and must be ordered so I classified it as critical and have a backup available. On the other hand, I can pick up an inverter at Wal-Mart so this item was not viewed as critical, no spare was stockpiled. But when the store is almost forty miles away the distance creates an expensive barrier to acquiring the critical part especially if you are on a restricted budget. If the part is necessary for your survival and you can afford it, keep a backup on-hand. The extra can always be used as a trade item.

Simple Life – Dry Run

The week following the Memorial Day holiday allowed me the opportunity to test some of the systems and find any glaring omissions before my actual move to the cabin later this year. Over the ten day stay I had to exist on items stored at Bear Ridge.

What follows is a very rough day to day diary of activity. This of course does not cover all activity but gives a good understanding of what a day will look like after moving or bugging out. The cabin has an XM Radio as well as internet access and most mornings I read the news over breakfast. The cabin does not have a refrigerator or real good running water. I apologize in advance for the choppy structure it was constructed from notes.

Saturday – Loaded up my greenhouse lumber, packed 52 gallons of water and 24 gallons of gas into the truck. Drove to the cabin, inspected, unlocked and aired out the building. Grabbed my rifle and walked the land looking for out of place prints, animal or human. Unloaded and stored the drinking water under the house and hid the four 6 gallon gas cans. Checked the cistern noted that it was very low on water. Re-inspected the cabin noted a leak in the gutters and problems with east deck sagging. Rigged the power system storing the charged batteries in the power box. Made sure the dogs had plenty of food and water. Unloaded and carefully stacked the lumber and supplies for the greenhouse. Boiled some water for dinner on the propane stove, Mountain House Beef Stroganoff and instant potatoes mixed together. Put a cup of black beans in water to soak overnight. Took the dogs on a walk along the ridge, cleaned up, watched the sun set, finished reading Atlas Shrugged, then went to bed. Woke up 2:30 a.m. noticed music and a strange popping noise from the other side of the ridge. Walked up to investigate, got on top of the ridge cabin and surveyed with binoculars, saw nothing would explore in morning.

Sunday - Got up fixed pancakes and coffee on the propane stove. (first time I have not burned the pancakes) Walked the dogs. Checked, changed then used the bucket in the composting toilet. Put together the solar oven placing the beans inside to cook. Locked up, drove to town and filled up truck. Went to storage unit to fetch my cheap (very) Chinese ATV and a couple of solar panels. Driving home passed a couple of guys on dirt bikes coming from somewhere behind my place, will go look for their camp later. Unloaded everything and gassed the ATV. Cleaned up and boiled water for my Ramen noodles mixed with tuna. Inventoried food supplies and checked cabinets for rodents. Walked the land noticed fresh boot prints along the ridge. Probably just someone down for Memorial Day weekend out for a walk, followed them to the edge of my land they did not stray towards the cabin, just passing through. Walked the dogs. Packed some water, the binoculars and my .22 pistol then took off exploring on the ATV. Found several camps but nothing occupied. Made some rice to mix with the beans and had dinner. Took boys on a hike. Put a cup of lima beans in water to soak overnight. Watched the sun set, showered with hot solar water went to bed. Top of feet itching very badly, probably a psoriasis outbreak.

Monday – Woke up fixed coffee and some oatmeal for breakfast. Walked the dogs. Put the beans in the solar oven to cook through the day. Installed the solar panels to get the batteries charged back up. Fried some spam and fixed some instant mashed potatoes for lunch. Fixed the gutter on back of the house. Took off on the ATV for about an hour exploring. Spent several hours on the ridge cutting brush and thinning out the sage brush. Started marking dead trees to cut up for firewood. Mixed some spam left from lunch with the lima beans had dinner. Getting ready to walk the dogs when a dozen or so white tailed dear bolted down the road in front of the cabin. Something greatly spooked them. Put one cup of red beans in water to soak. Set up the hot tub and used some of the collected rainwater. Enjoyed a good soak under the stars and went to bed

Tuesday – Woke up at 6 am there were four white tail deer about five feet from the front window. My great watch dogs were happily asleep on their window seat right at eye level with the deer. I let them sleep but will speak harshly with them about this lax security later in the day. Fixed a breakfast of pancakes and coffee. Boiled some water and shaved head with a cheap razor, very painful. Put the beans in the solar oven to cook. Walked the dogs. Changed the front sprocket on the ATV, fewer teeth equals more climbing power. The swap was necessary if I am to pull a cart loaded with firewood. This simple thirty minute project took all day. Made some elbow pasta and mixed it with powered cheese had mac and cheese for lunch. Finished up the sprocket project tested the ATV great improvement. Went to the ridge to clear more brush. Made rice and fixed red beans and rice for dinner. Took a nice hike. Put one cup of lima beans in water. Heated the hot tub and soaked under the stars. Watched a movie then went to bed.

Wednesday – Fixed breakfast of carnation milk mixed with an instant breakfast powder, it was wretched. Coffee was good. Inverter goes out, will just use 12 volt lighting backup tonight. Walked the dogs the started beans in solar oven. Started repairs on east deck. Couldn’t get the Pointer Sister’s song “she works hard for the money” out of my head and decided to go pick up a new inverter in Alamosa to remedy the problem. Had beef ramen noodles for lunch then went down to visit the neighbor. Ran to Alamosa with the dogs for new inverter, 72 miles round trip cost roughly 36 bucks. Finished the deck repairs had a couple of beers (hot) then took a nap. Fixed dinner fried span and lima beans actually very good. Took the boys on a hike. Put more black beans in water to soak. Heated the hot tub, water getting kinda skunky, and enjoyed a great thunderstorm off to the south. Actually it sprinkled slightly but nothing usable. Read for a while and went to bed.

Thursday – Got up and fixed oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. Walked the dogs, put beans in oven. Started framing on the greenhouse. Simple “A” frame design covering an area 12x24. Finished a few of the 12x4 foot section frames. Fixed simple lunch of Mountain House Beefaroni and instant mashed potatoes. Feet hurting will need prescription filled at Walmart. Set up water filter (5 gallon bucket with holes, paper towels and sand) for hot tub took off for town again. Prescription 12 dollars gas 36. Prepped and baked a loaf of bread in propane oven. Shut down the filter, water crystal clear. Took the boys on a hike. Fixed dinner, black beans and rice with fresh bread. Went for a ride on the ATV. Put pinto beans in to soak. Heated tub, soaked and went to bed.

Friday – Woke up and fixed pancakes and coffee. Walked the dogs. Put beans in solar oven to cook. Removed covers and sleeping bags from the bed and placed them over the fence to sun wash. Also put the dogs bedding in the sun to air out. Checked the cabin for any indication of mice, none found. Boiled water to wash socks and pillow cases. Used 5 gallon bucket with a special stick to wash and rinse the laundry. Hung the laundry out to dry. Made some elbow pasta and mixed it with powered cheese for a mac and cheese lunch. Started clearing brush where the greenhouse will be. Flipped the blankets and sleeping bags brought in the laundry. Built a couple more greenhouse frames. Crawled under the cabin to fully inspect the floor joist and support beans. Noticed a sag under the woodstove will need to reinforce the beams. Brought in the laundry and blankets. Washed and cleaned up. Walked the dogs over to the neighbors house to visit. Fixed soup beans and bread for dinner. Watched a movie, went for night walk along ridge. Put red beans in to soak. Went to bed.

Saturday – Got up and made oatmeal and coffee. Walked the dogs, started the beans in the oven. Took ATV to top of ridge to clear some trails. Set up a bulls-eye and did some target practice. Moved a couple of 6”x6”x8’ post to the top of the ridge just to check the pulling power. Made some elbow pasta, mixed it with tuna and poured powdered cheese on top. Good lunch. Went for a hike with the dogs, to warm for the boys. Rode back up the ridge and started cleaning out the top cabin. Removed several large nests and a ton of mouse crap. Repaired the observation deck and tightened the rungs on the ladder. Had a few beers. Cleared more sage brush for the greenhouse. Took a long ride. Fixed some rice and mixed with the red beans for dinner. Put some lima beans in to soak. Took a nap woke up about night fall. Grabbed my binoculars, drove up the ridge and camped out on the observation deck to star gaze and watch for UFO’s…didn’t see any by the way maybe next time. Went back to cabin, cleaned up and went to bed.

Sunday – Made breakfast of pancakes and coffee. Walked the dogs, put beans in the oven. Went to work on the greenhouse frames. Noticed massive chemtrails in the clear blue sky. Over the course of the day they thickened enough to noticeably lessen the energy output from my solar panels. Fixed lunch of fried spam (love the stuff) on the rest of the bread. Went on a long hike. Bummed around and played with the dogs. Started picking up and organizing lumber and packing up alittle in the house. Fixed dinner of spam and lima beans with cheese sauce. Rode over and visited the neighbor. Heated hot tub and soaked. Took walk up on ridge then went to bed.

Monday – Walked the dogs. Loaded ATV, solar panels and other stuff and took to the storage unit. Grabbed a breakfast at the diner. Packed, locked up everything and headed out.

Over the next few days I will be looking at the problems encountered and where I need to focus my attention.

Garden Update

The hanging tomato's are really coming along well. Strangely the top plant is a small Cherry tomato that honestly I didn't think would do that good. In the next picture you will see three of the cherry tomatoes in the right container, they were potted a day after the hanging plant was finished. Notice how much better the top plant is doing compared to the container tomatoes. They get the same level of light the only difference is that the hanging pot is watered daily and all the excess is drained so the soil is always moist but not water logged.

Growing from the bottom of the planter are Beef Steak tomatoes. I have had some good luck with these fat fruits and, as you can see from the third picture, am hoping for some edible produce soon. Notice the growth on the hanging beef steak compared to the ones planted upright in the container on the left. As with the cherry tomatoes these beef steaks were planted one day after the hanging ones. Again the only difference is the soaked then drained soil.

I have three containers with three tomatoes in each in a different room. Each container was planted about two weeks apart. They all have tomatoes in some stage of development on them but as of right now none are ready for consumption.

My beans did a very weird thing. I had planted a couple of containers with Contender variety bush green beans. There were three plants in each container. They grew, flowered and started producing in a very short time frame, maybe three weeks. The plants were about 16 inches high with very few leaves but probably 12 to 16 beans on each.

As the beans started to mature everyone of the plants broke over about 5 inches up on the stalk, they just snapped over. I used some coat hangers to prop them up until I could harvest, they did not re-flower. I need to try to reproduce this, I love the quick maturing but am concerned about the stability of the plant. They outgrew their ability to support themselves, a metaphor for our modern times.

The peas are doing well, growing but no flowers yet. Dogs are enjoying the wheatgrass but I have not gotten a juicer so cannot attest to the miraculous healing powers of the nasty stuff. It is nice to watch it grow and wheat grass makes a great centerpiece for the table.

I have one carrot left, I don't think they are designed for container gardens seeing that all but the one has died.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Survival Food Storage - Three Plans

The last article in this series focused on why you should store survival foods. Today we will look at three essential stockpile plans and how they should be used to meet your daily nutritional needs. The plans are prepared from personal experience and represent the nutritional requirements for one person. They should be used as a reference guide for planning your survival stocks, not a blueprint.

Survival food plans are there to keep you and your family alive and out of refugee status during a crisis event or large socio political shift. They exist to help during transitional times not as permanent replacements for traditional food gathering methods. It would be impossible to store enough prepared food to maintain your family for the rest of your existence.

Crisis situations are as varied and complex as your diet. It would be difficult to plan for every potential contingency, all you can do is prepare and attempt to cover as many bases as possible. To that end I would recommend three distinct storage plans to address the varied threats faced by families in todays world. Your survival storage plan should include a 3 week stock, 3 month stock and a 3 year stock.

Nutritional Requirements

Survival situations sometimes require a sacrifice of nutritional value and calories in your food choices. But with careful planning most of the basic needs can be met. As a rule of thumb your caloric intake should not fall below 1600 per day if you want to function with any degree of normalcy. Calorie requirements, as with all things, vary depending on the person and circumstances but 1600 per day is a good general baseline to keep you alive.

3 Week Stock

This grab and go kit is not meant to please your gastro senses, it is meant to keep you alive and out of the refugee system until you can return home.

In a disaster situation such as flooding or wildfires it may be necessary to leave the protection of the home. In such a case it would be prudent to have at least 3 weeks of survival food supplies per person that can go with you. This may sound like a tremendous amount of food but with careful planning the stores will easily fit in a duffel bag or back pack.

I use Mainstay 3600 Emergency Food Rations, they taste like vanilla/lemon cookie dough. These foil wrapped packs are designed for use on lifeboats. One pack contains nine 400 calorie bricks, a case of 20 packs will run you about a hundred dollars. They have at least a five year shelf like and the case is the size of a small shoe box. I keep a case in the truck and one in my partners jeep. There are also two 3 week kits near the back door for grab and go convenience. Now of course food is not the only item in the pack but it is the topic of this discussion.

Many people have been sold on the idea of a seventy two hour bug-out-bag or kit. I personally feel that this is a dangerous plan and creates a false sense of security. Seventy two hours may be enough time to remove yourself from a crisis situation but after that period you are again subject to the relief systems you are trying to avoid. For the space of a shoe box you can maintain at least 3 weeks of emergency food stocks.

If forced to leave your house carry enough supplies to hold you until it is safe to return. The 3 week stock is only used for emergency situations where you are forced to leave your home.

3 Month Stock

The second stocking plan involves daily foods that your family already consumes, just a three month supply of them.

In any grid up emergency such as a health crisis or extreme civil unrest the safest place to be is at home. The absolute ideal would be at home with a huge supply of food and methods of preparation. If you can survive on your own without external intervention your odds of weathering the triggering event greatly increase.

It should be clear that McDonald's every evening is not what we are talking about here. These should be conventionally prepared meals with high nutritional value. Since this scenario assumes that the grid will be up, or at least mostly up, frozen and canned foods are acceptable. The advantages are two fold.

First, you already know how to prepare these foods. There is not the trial and error learning curve associated with first time meals. You will have enough to worry about without needing to learn new skills.

Second, disruption to the family is minimized if common meals are served. You know what your family likes, common meals will comfort and reassure them during the difficult time. If you are serving someones favorite meal it gives them something to look forward to. It brightens their day rather than the drudgery of beans and rice every evening.

Building this store is really quite simple. Just buy a couple of extra items each time you do the shopping, try to move towards items with longer shelf life. You will need a pantry area where food can easily be organized for rotational purposes. First in, first out. Watch expiration dates but remember the these are recommended dates, not drop dead dates, do not waste the food.

Special attention needs to be paid to bread and other time sensitive foods. Rather than attempting to secure extra bread, buy the raw ingredients and learn bread making. Or even better purchase an inexpensive bread maker and pick up a few packs every week. Remember powered milk and eggs, buy a good stock of them for storage, don't worry about rotation of these items. Don't forget spices.

Three months is the minimum for this survival plan. You want to ride out the disruption with zero external needs until either thing return to normal or additional step are necessary to secure your family. In this case additional steps refer to a survival garden which would need at least three months to mature. In reality you should build this food store to the largest size that can be physically supported at your home.

Not only is this plan an easy solution for grid up crisis, it also serves as a safety net for times of unemployment or economic hardships.

3 Year Stock

This is your fall back plan and consists of life sustaining food items that can be stored for at least twenty years. This is not a food store that you use except in dire long term emergencies. You build it and bury it.

A global disaster or unprecedented trigger event may make it necessary to leave your comfortable, well stocked home and seek the protection of your retreat cabin. With proper planning being removed from the consumer supply line will not be a problem.

You should plan on building an emergency three year survival storage plan based around dried wheat, rice and various beans. Inexpensive dried grain products are placed in five gallon bucket outfitted with omega lids (screw-on resealable lids). Stored properly this stock can last twenty to thirty years making it the ultimate insurance plan against disaster.

One five gallon bucket holds eighty cups of dried grains. We will go into how much of each grain fills a bucket, how much it costs and where to purchase it in the next article. A one year supply of food for one person consists of roughly fifteen buckets. For one person you will need to store forty five buckets to get to three years. That may sound like a tremendous amount of storage room but a single bucket has a diameter of a little under twelve inches and is about 18 inches high with the omega lid. So forty five buckets require fifteen square foot of floor space and about five foot of head room stacked three high. The buckets should be properly labeled with contents and date stored.

If your family is larger you may consider using fifty five gallon drums to store your food stocks. I would recommend against this. Here's why, if one of your five gallon buckets cracks and starts to rot the products inside you will only lose the five gallons. But if that same rot started growing in a larger container you would lose fifty five gallons of food stocks. Since you will not be checking the contents of the containers after they are stored you will not know if the food has spoiled until it is needed. A five gallon loss is easier than fifty five gallons to weather.

Plus five gallon buckets are easily transported if you needed to relocate your supplies. Additionally you would only need to unearth the food stores required rather than digging up the entire stock. This protects the remaining survival stores.

The buckets will need to be wrapped in protective plastic trash bags or sheeting and placed in a location that is secure, dry and cool. The cooler the temperatures the better, I would recommend an underground storage chamber like a deep root cellar or lined and covered trench. Cool temperatures are necessary to maximize nutritional retention and storage life. If your basement is cool and dry it would also work very well. Freezing is not a problem for dried grains.

Special consideration needs to be paid to preparation. You will need a large crock pot to cook and reconstitute the grains as well as a hearty food mill to grind the wheat and other products. Preparation will be on a wood stove or solar oven. Baking soda is also a necessity to reconstitute beans that have been stored for five or more years.

A three year supply of staple food items will give you the confidence necessary to forge forward in life, not linger in the refugee camps waiting for handouts after a disaster.

Careful planning will allow you and your family to weather the chaos related to social upheaval or natural disaster. Take solace in knowing that what ever happens you are well prepared with your 3 week, 3 month and 3 year stock of emergency food supplies.

Next we will look at real numbers regarding purchase and storing of long term grain items.

Wheat Grass - One Week

The dogs love it.

Wheat grass is a source of beta carotene and the B vitamins, plus C, E, H and K, is said to contain 90 different minerals and 19 amino acids.

It turns out that wheatgrass juice is up to 70% chlorophyll, which in chemical composition closely resembles hemoglobin. It is said to heal tissues, help purify the liver, improve blood sugar levels and help flush out accumulated toxins. That makes it an ideal 'companion' for fasting and in weight control regimes.

Chlorophyll is antibacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer. Gargle with wheatgrass juice for a sore throat. Wheat grass juice is great for constipation and keeping the bowels open.

In "The American Journal of Surgery" (1940), Benjamin Cruskin, M.D., recommends chlorophyll for its antiseptic benefits. The article suggests the following clinical uses for chlorophyll: to clear up foul-smelling odors, neutralize strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome ear inflammation and infections, reduce varicose veins and heal leg ulcers, eliminate impetigo and other scabby eruptions, heal rectal sores, successfully treat inflammation of the uterine cervix, get rid of parasitic vaginal infections, reduce typhoid fever, and cure advanced pyorrhea in many cases.

Wheat Grass

Wheat grass and / or its juice is a specific food which can assist in fighting a whole range of chronic ailments - from simple anemia to leukemia; from a simple skin rash to skin cancer, from worms to ulcers. It can be chewed slowly or drunk as a juice.

How to grow wheat grass

1. Soak adequate quantity of unpolished wheat-grain overnight in water in any container (after cleaning and washing it thoroughly).
2. Keep a few pots (preferably 7 to 9 pots- one to be sown each day of the week) ready with ordinary soil. Do not add any chemicals or fertilizers. Cow-dung or goat-dung may be added as manure if needed.
3. Spread the soaked wheat on the surface of the soil so that the grains are touching one another.
4. Sprinkle a thin layer of soil on the wheat grains .
5. Cover the pot with a newspaper to provide darkness which helps the sprouting and also to prevent the birds from eating the wheat.
6. Keep the pot in a balcony or a windowsill or a covered veranda.
7. Next day uncover the pot and spray on some water and again cover it with the newspaper.
8. Repeat step 7 everyday until you see green leaves sprouting through the soil. Stop covering the pot as soon as the green leaves appear.
9. Everyday water the pot lightly but adequately depending upon the season and also depending upon the pots used - whether they have holes or not. Beautiful green blades of grass keep growing in height everyday.
10. As soon as the grass is about 8 inches tall ( which usually happens around the 7th to the 9th day from the date of sowing) harvest the grass by cutting with a clean pair of scissors about 1/2" above the surface of the soil.
11. The harvested wheat grass is now ready to be chewed or juiced or stored.
12. A second round of wheat grass will again grow in about 6 to 7 days with daily watering as before.
13. After the second harvest from the same pot, remove all the soil in the pot onto a newspaper- breakup all the roots and mix them with the soil. Add a bit of cow dung to this to rejuvenate the soil.
14. The soil is now ready for reuse for a fresh sowing of wheat.

I am not really convinced about the healing powers of wheat grass but Conway, my youngest son, loves to eat grass. Rather than have him grazing in the neighbors yard and possibly poisoning himself with fertilizer or weed killers I thought I could grow him a treat.

I always thought that dogs only ate grass if they had an upset stomach. The vet said dogs do eat grass to throw up but that some dogs just like eating grass. He said if they take big mouthfuls of grass then they are trying to puke but if they pick through the grass and only eat certain blades they like the taste. Conway is very finicky about his grass, he also likes green beans and broccoli.

As for me I will try to find a cheap wheat grass juicer and see if this stuff really does have miraculous healing powers.

Watering System Update

Last week I told you about a new watering product I was using. I am testing a Blumat Automatic Plant Waterer in one of the bean containers. My concern was that the porous cone shaped device would not deliver enough water to the plants to maintain healthy growth.

I was looking for a watering support system that would require no power or plumbing and gradually deliver water to pots unsupported for at least two weeks.

The Blumat was designed as a vacation waterer that requires no power or running water. You place the hollow ceramic spike in the dirt and the hose in a container of water. The planter's dirt will leach water from the porous ceramic cone creating a suction that draws water from the container placed next to the pot.

After testing the unit appears to delivers about 1/2 gallon of water per seven days. At first glance I would say it is not enough water for the plants, especially tomatoes, but the three bean plants in the container are thriving. They are actually doing better than the container sitting next to it that I am manually watering. I am probably over watering the manual container.

I will let you know next week how they are preforming.

Small Beans

I just wanted to update everyone on the new beans I have coming in.

This pot holds three Contender variety green bean and they were planted on January 28th, 2008. In this picture I just wanted to point out how the blooms are attached to the end of the bean pod. The bean actually grows behind the bloom, it continues like this for awhile and eventually the flower drops off.

If the bean is cut from the plant carefully it will continue to bloom and produce for several cycles before dying off. The beans should be harvested when they reach pencil width. At this point in development they have a very distinctive "snap" when broken.

I have a new batch of Tender Improved green beans and some peas just about ready to go into the big pots.

I will keep you updated.

Survival Food Storage - Why Do It

Survival Food Storage

The growing economic and social tensions that the world is currently experiencing have drawn more and more people into the survival lifestyle. This way of living conducts your resources towards directly protecting and providing for your family rather than relying on external paid surrogates to feed and secure those closest to you. The survivalist understands that in a disaster situation security and relief are best served by the survivalist, not some faceless bureaucracy whose agenda may be in conflict with your beliefs and freedoms.

The preparation for safeguarding and providing for your family in uncertain times may seem like a daunting task. There are many blogs out there that address survivalism issues but most focus on the sexier aspect of preparation which revolve around guns and ammunition. Admittedly guns are the fun part and deserves great consideration but as far as survival goes you must start with the most basic of items. If you prioritize the basics of life and move from there it helps clear the path.

The goal of the survivalist is to protect and provide for the family under all possible situations. The worst outcome for a survivalist is being forced into a refugee situation where you are no longer in control of your life. Freedom from the corporate/government machine is only realized with a sound survival plan that focuses on the basics.

To this end this series of articles will explore the most basic of survival necessities, food. More directly why, how and where to store survival food supplies. We will look into how much food is needed for various survival scenarios; where and how to store your supplies; the practical shelf life of stored items; how to prepare the survival stocks and most importantly what will it cost and how to quietly acquire them.

Let's look at three possible scenarios where adequate food storage is critical to your families existence and how having adequate food supplies keeps you out of the "evacuation" centers and free of direct state control.

Wildfire

A dry spring and sweltering summer have left the forests around your suburb a tinderbox ready to blaze with the smallest spark. Then one evening you smell smoke and get the call every home owner dreads. "This is the reverse 911 emergency operator. We are ordering a mandatory evacuation for your area due to wild fires. Please gather your family and immediately report to the Dick Cheney High School for processing. Disobeying this evacuation order is a criminal offense punishable with a one year prison sentence. Thank you for your cooperation"

Being confined to a high school gymnasium for two weeks doesn't exactly sit well so you pack the bug out bags and camping gear in the truck and head up state for a two week "vacation". You carry with you three weeks worth of energy dense foods that will allow a comfortable stay squatting at a friends farm or distant state park.

With a tank of gas and proper food stores your options are open and any option beats incarceration at the local evacuation center through the duration of the crisis. You maintain control of your life, you are not surrendering your families safety to the local authorities. When the danger passes you return home.

Flu Pandemic

The killer flu is finally here spreading from the population dense cities into the countryside at a lethal pace. Mortality rate is high and a mandatory 24/7 curfew is enacted till further notice to try and get in front of the death wave. No one except critical infrastructure workers outside, period. Bodies should be deposited on the roadside for collection and emergency rations will be distributed to your door as needed by trained contract personnel provided by Kellogg-Brown & Root. To request a food delivery call the local 211 operator. It will be necessary, to prevent hoarding, for you to answer some question regarding your family and household status, you will be billed accordingly.

When the "delivery boy" shows up the first thing they will do is confirm the given answers and confiscate all firearms, you will be assured return of your weapons upon restoration of normal activities. It's for public safety you are told.

To maintain autonomy from the system it would be really helpful to have at least a three month supply of rotated day to day food stocks. This is just a big stock of your everyday eating food. In this scenario the power stays on so however you prepare your foods today would not change. Your stored survival foods will keep you out of the system, armed and independent.

Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP)

With the collapse of the United States economy the rest of the world descends into chaos as countries fight for the dwindling resources. One conflict leads to another and it ends with China detonating one 20 megaton nuclear device at an altitude of 250 miles above Kansas. The resulting EMP covers continental North America and fries all integrated circuits within a 1400 mile radius. China's assumption is that the United States will be to busy trying to restore order to busy itself in the worlds affairs.

Unless they are properly shielded, after an EMP attack, the control mechanisms of corporate institutions and the state will be rendered ineffective which of course brings quick anarchy and loss of freedoms to the unprepared. All communications and commerce systems will be unusable; power is off, phone won't work, gas won't pump and credit/debit cards are worthless ice scrapers. All are rendered equal.

This is the worst possible scenario. Stores will be looted empty within hours and with no method of communicating with the people, panic will rule. You have the complete chaos of a global disaster without any population die-off to thin the starving heard. Wal-Mart will quickly be established as the distribution centers for a starving public where food will be handed out after registration of family and surrendering of weapons. All able bodied people will be conscripted into work units and transported to the great corporate farms to grow the necessary food for survival. Families will be broken up and the Constitution becomes a distant memory.

You hunker down in your dark, cold house with your guns and try to ride out the initial chaos. In this scenario having a multi year survival stock of food and seeds would be absolutely necessary. The only way to protect your arsenal is to stay out of the system and the only way to stay out of the system is to have an adequate food supply.

Note the importance of maintaining a proper survival food stock in each of the above disaster scenarios. Now think about how a small emergency situation...something as small as extended unemployment...would affect your family and how long term food storage would be beneficial.

Next we will look at the three type of food storage plans.

Storing Vegetables For Winter Use

I picked up this wonderful how to book on vegetable gardening at the used book store. The book is titled Vegetable Gardening In Color and was written in 1942. It is one of the best garden planning resources I have found and I thought I would share the section on root cellars with you, I found it very informative.

Storing Vegetables for Winter Use

As harvest time approaches, plans must be made for storing vegetables for winter. Such crops as beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, rhubarb and berries are usually canned as they ripen. Many of the root vegetables including beets, carrots, onions, turnips, potatoes as well as squash and the green vegetables like cabbage and celery are easily stored. The season for broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant and peppers can be extended for several weeks by pulling plants and resetting them in boxes of moist soil in a storage room or pit. Greens like kale and collards need not be stored, since they can stand heavy frost and will remain in the ground over the winter, to be gathered as needed. In sections where the climate is mild, celery can be left in the ground provided it has ample protection or like cabbage it can be dug and stored in a deep trench. Proper temperature, moister content and ventilation are the important factors to consider in preparing a place for storing vegetables.

Since it takes more than a little effort to grow good crops, it is worthwhile to take extra care in storing them. For most families a supply of vegetables stored in the basement or outdoors for winter use is convenient and economical. After harvesting root crops, select those that are free of disease and insects as well as bruises. Remember that it takes only one bad apple to make the entire barrel rotten. Most root crops, as well as celery and cabbage and other green vegetables, are best stored in a cool moist place with a low temperature between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Crocks, baskets or boxes with tight-fitting covers can be used for root crops. As previously suggested, allow about an inch of the stems to remain so that they will not bleed. Roots of parsnips and salsify can be left in the ground over winter and mulched with straw or other material to prevent damage which sometimes results from alternate thawing and freezing. Frost greatly improves the flavor of both these vegetables. One of the exceptions to the requirements for root crops is the onion. It can be kept in about the same temperature, but the storage place must be dry. Store onions in open containers in order to insure proper ventilation. Sweet potatoes, squashes and pumpkins need to be kept for at least ten days in a warm dry place before storing. These crops need a warm temperature of at least 50 degrees. Ventilation must be provided whether in a cellar or an outdoor pit. The problem of moisture in basement storage rooms can be solved by spraying the floor with water occasionally.

Most basements are too warm for the storing of vegetables but it is not difficult to provide a small unheated room, preferably on the cool side of the house away from the furnace. Well insulated walls, a tight fitting door and a window for ventilation but not for light are the simple requirements. Bins and shelves to accommodate the vegetables can be built according to the needs of the individual family. A storage room of this kind is practical for keeping fruit or cut flowers, and naturally must be kept clean and in good order. Any evidence of decay in the vegetable bins or covered containers should be corrected at once because vegetable rots spread quickly.

Vegetables and apples usually can be kept better and longer in outdoor pits, which some gardeners find convenient because of the even humidity. Several kins of pits are used. The simplest is made by digging a trench 2 feet deep and wide enough to accommodate the vegetables to be stored. Leaves or straw can be used to line the trench and to cover the crops after they have been put in place. The earth is hilled up, and more soil must be added as the weather gets colder.

Perhaps the handiest storage pit for the average family is made with a barrel sunk in the ground at an angle of about 45 degrees.

First dig a trench large enough to conveniently hold a barrel. Having set it in place, pile on 5 or 6 inches of soil, and then add a little straw or leaves several inches thick. In cold climates an additional layer of soil with a mulch of leaves will help to keep the pit frost proof. Note that a tight fitting cover is placed over the top of the barrel. An additional protection over the cover may be a layer of leaves or straw held in place by a heavy board.

The hillside pit is sometimes found in rural districts. If you are planning to build a cellar of this kind, the size will naturally be determined by the needs of your family. Choose a place that is easily accessible during the winter months, and provide atight fitting door. Ventilation is also important, be sure to supply it.

Canning and drying are other way of storing food for winter use. All up to date cookbooks and special bulletins published by your state experiment stations will give you details on canning and other methods of preserving food.

Watering Systems

I just got a new watering can and am very pleased with it.

Now that may sound silly, but your watering can is a critical part of any container garden. The quality of water delivery will make a very big difference in seed germination and plant support.

I had a really cheap watering can. It held about a half a gallon and had a short spout with a quarter inch watering hole on the end. Seem OK. But when you actually water anything the stream from the quarter inch opening had a tendency to put divots in the dirt. This is very bad when it comes to germination trays or recently planted seedlings.

With germination trays the flow of water will either wash the seed to the surface or drive it to deep to sprout. Seedlings have a tendency to uproot when hit with a stream of water.

The new watering can has a diffuser on the end which simulates a gentle rain...no washouts.

I was looking for a watering support system that would require no power or plumbing and gradually deliver water to pots unsupported for at least two weeks.

The Blumat Automatic Plant Waterer (pictured left) was designed as a vacation waterer that requires no power or running water. You place the hollow ceramic spike in the dirt and the hose in a container of water. The planter's dirt will leach water from the porous ceramic cone creating a suction that draws water from the container placed next to the pot. I am testing it on one of my bean pots and it seems to be working not sure yet if the flow will be high enough to support the tomatoes but you can use more than one cone for additional flow.

This solves a large problems for me. I am running out of space here and would like to utilize the great southern windows at the cabin. But if I am only down there every couple of weeks, until I move down permanently, an unattended watering solution is necessary.

The Blumat Automatic Plant Waterer solves this issue. Put a large water container in front of the windows and drop the suction ends of the waterer into it. It should work nicely.

You can get these great little waterer's at any florist or nursery for around twelve buck for three cones.

Garden Update Mid-March

Big, Beefy and Robust!

These are beefsteak tomatoes. There are about twenty tomatoes in various stages of development in the first pot and they are still blooming like crazy. There are three tomato plants in each pot. I am guessing that each pot will produce probably fifty or so tomatoes.

The second pot was planted about two weeks after the first and the three plants in it are just starting to bloom. The third pot was started a month after the first pot and the blooms are beginning to develop.

Apparently I will be able to grow plenty of tomatoes. This will be handy for making sauces and soup, I like tomato soup. Because of this I have decided to add dried pasta, probably small elbow macaroni, to my survival stores. It's very cheap and hardy enough to withstand moving around without crumbling in a five gallon bucket. Now that I know I can produce a lot of tomatoes fairly easily it opens up my meal options.

The issue I am running into now is lack of southern window space. It takes alot of room to grown these plants. Now that the deep freezing is over I will look into starting some plants at the cabin, it has many more southern windows. I am also exploring a new powerless watering system so I can leave them unattended for a couple of weeks at a time. I will talk more about that on Monday.

A possible solution to the lack of windows is the upside down tomato planter. A while back some contributers suggested this option to the space issue. Now this window in the picture is actually facing south east so the plants here only get morning sun, but it is better than nothing.

I am using a two gallon bucket with a two inch hole cut in the bottom. There is a beefsteak tomato sticking out the hole and a cherry tomato planted in the top. The water runoff drips into a newly planted pot with three beefsteak tomatoes. You really need alot of water for the hanging pot to soak through to the hanging tomato.

The other planter has three carrots planted in it. Not sure they will grow but I like carrots so I thought I'd try it. The two white five gallon buckets are full of rice and are part of my survival supplies. That's Conway looking out the window.

One other thing, make sure your hanging bucket is well designed. The wire handles on the ones I use are starting to pull through the plastic.

My green beans are blooming. These were planted on January 28th and are doing very well. The last batch of Contenders I planted were stunted and have yet to yield any beans. They only grew to six inches and stopped not sure why.

I have three Tender Improved green bean plants to get in the pots as well as three pea plants. All the green beans so far have been bush bean. I have only planted one other pea plant and it died so hopefully I will have better luck with these.

First Harvest

Today I harvested my first beans!

These beans looked finished so I plucked them. They were attached very well, had a hard time and broke the plant stem. I will need to be more careful in the future...or hire a custom harvester.

After harvest I snapped the ends off and sliced them into four equal servings so everyone in the family could have some. Yes I do include the dogs as family members, they both love green beans. I did not cook them just put them on a plate and passed around. It was very cult like.

The beans were tasty with a good texture.

That plant was stunted and is now broke so I doubt it will produce anything else but the other beans are now full of blooms and should be producing soon. I am interested to see how many beans can be grown on each plant.

Next I will pull the plant up, mulch it in the blender and add it to the soil bag completing the cycle.

Look, Green Beans

A real green bean

These are actually Tender Improved green beans planted on the November 7th, 2007. It took it a while but it finally started producing. This plant is somewhat stunted, it is only about a foot and a half tall.

There were only a couple of blooms on this plant small kinda violet flowers. I didn't think it would go anywhere but hey there it is .

That little green plant in the lower right hand corner is Kale a friend of mine gave me. It was planted a couple of weeks back. Seems to be doing good in the shade produced by the beans.

The other green bean planted in this container is a Contender variety. It is not looking so healthy which is unfortunate because I have another six of them that were just moved to the larger containers last week.

The biggest tomatoes are about two inches around and they are still flowering.

I started a hanging tomato planter. They seem to be doing OK I will get some pictures up later this week.

One Acre Of...

How much can you produce on one acre of land. Yields will of course vary but you get an good general idea of what is necessary to support yourself and family.

Wheat

40 bushels of wheat per acre
73 loafs of bread per bushel of wheat
2920 loafs of bread per acre of wheat
Feed 28 people 2 loafs a week for a year

Barley

32 bushels of barley per acre
851 12oz bottles of beer per bushel of barley
27323 12oz bottles of beer per acre
Produce 4 bottles of beer a week for 128 people for a year

Green Beans

40 bushels of beans per acre
148 cups per bushel of beans
5920 cups of beans per acre
Feed 8 people 2 cups of beans a day for a year

Survival Gardening

Damnit BigBear, I am tired of hearing about your tomatoes. Talk about something survival related, talk about something sexy.

Unfortunately life isn't a James Axler novel and in the very near future survival gardening will be the sexiest, most read survival topic on the net. Survivalism is the art of survival, the ability to stay alive and even thrive in a post collapse environment. I am not talking about just getting out of Dodge I am talking about long term existence without modern conveniences. It is one thing to grab your gun, seventy two hour pack and pitch camp in the woods, it is entirely another to plan for lifetime independence completely removed from existing support structures.

If your survival plans do not include a long term renewable food source you are putting yourself and those relying on you at grave risk.

This level of preparation is not a full pantry of canned food and dried noodles. Granted this is a good start and well beyond what most people have but it is a finite solution. Those supplies will run out and without a long term food replenishment strategy eventually you are forced back into the system; a system far different from our current market driven economies.

It is a system where your personal freedoms are sacrificed for the most basic necessity of all...food. You will be forced to register and wait in endless lines for the meager scraps doled out by the local relief agencies. Registered weapons will be surrendered upon request and children will be removed to “care” facilities until the parents can get back on their feet. This is not a system you want to be dependent on.

The best protection against become slaves to this system is learning how to grow and prepare your own food. Survival gardening is the only sustainable strategy for long term preparedness and should be one that every survivalist adopts.