A basic tenet of prepping is conserving food, which includes high pressure canning of food stuffs. Done carefully, the result should be edible food for a long period of time. But, even with care it is possible to have a can not take well to the process. It's important to examine your cans, because if bacteria has entered it can prove deadly. Botulism, in particular kills those that ingest it. … [Read more...]
10 Best Tips for Storing Emergency Supplies in a Small Space
Storage is always an issue in apartments, and that goes double for emergency supplies. Making the most of your storage space often means thinking vertically or finding storage containers that can double as tables, ottomans, or other furniture. Making the most of the spaces under furniture, using luggage and your freezer, and keeping emergency supplies in your car can all be useful as well. There … [Read more...]
Should You Throw It Out? These Moldy Foods Are Still Edible
Mold can potentially be very dangerous, producing potent mycotoxins and often digging tendrils deep down well past what is visible on the surface. Soft or moist foods that have any visible mold should be considered completely unsafe, as invisible roots can sink deep into them even if none are visible. However, some hard, dry foods can be salvaged if you cut off the moldy part, leaving a margin of … [Read more...]
The 11 Most Important Survival Items When You’re Lost And Desperate
Whether you happen to be in the woods, because you're picnicking, or running from a zombie horde, being in the North American woods can be lethal. It's quite easy to get lost if the woods are unfamiliar to you, or your tracking skills are minimal. You will certainly starve without food, or water. Hypothermia is a distinct possibility. And don't assume that because you're not in the jungle the … [Read more...]
Prepping for Disaster: 10 Must-Have Items Everyone Forgets
Less than five years ago, Allstate discovered that over 90% of American citizens had survived some form of natural disaster. Nonetheless, most of those same people have not gone the extra step of getting prepared for the next possible emergency event in their lives. Home fires are a preeminent possibility in this country. Yet less than 50% of polled home-owners own a fire extinguisher. This gets … [Read more...]
Identifying Your Backyard Pharmacy
Many of the “weeds” that grow in untreated fields are actually useful plants that society has forgotten about in the quest for picture perfect lawns. Mullein, for example, is a powerful expectorant and bronchodilator that can be invaluable for respiratory problems. Lamb’s Ear and Yarrow can both be useful first aid tools for controlling bleeding and infection of minor injuries. Elderflower is … [Read more...]
Creating Your Own Off-Grid Security System
Providing a security system for a home-away-from-home that isn’t reliant on the power grid can pose its own challenges. A home that includes its own power infrastructure based on wind, solar or other forms of power may be able to spare enough extra energy for a security system. However, whether or not to pay a mainstream security company to protect your place is another question altogether, as it … [Read more...]
Companion Planting: Vegetable “Buddies” That Actually Thrive Together
Companion planting isn't an exact science, more of a gardening art, but when it works it proves the old adage "stronger together" can refer to gardening team-mates and not just human ones. The concept is simple, different types of plants have different capabilities, besides that of producing yummy vegetables, or beautiful blossoms. Some plants are naturally capable of deterring various pests, or … [Read more...]
How to Make Butter In An Emergency
Assuming that you have taken the possibility of an apocalyptic world event seriously, you've been proactive and set in a large supply of non-perishable food for yourself and your family, possibly enough to sustain yourselves for months. Nonetheless, there are bound to be some conveniences that are not easily stored that will be missed and one such could be butter. The good news is that butter is … [Read more...]
The Single Biggest Mistake Preppers Often Make
To be a prepper, means to take the need to be ready, prepared that is, in the event of a global disaster seriously. That entails having needed supplies and having taken the time to think ahead as to what those needed supplies might be, which means envisioning scenarios and problems and ways that you and your family may go about circumventing and solving them. This is all standard prepper stuff. … [Read more...]