Updates coming on monday

Hey guys, sorry I have been a little big lax on getting some updates done this week. I had some personal stuff going on that kept me pretty busy. I promise you I will have something up by tomorrow. I will be reviewing a couple of books that I received recently, and might practice some canning too.

Oh, also I was able to find a bit more gear that might come in handy, I will be doing a short review on that too. More coming up later.

Survival Food: Farmers Market

Went out this past weekend, and did a little shopping off the beaten path. Around where I live there is a good size outdoor farmers market. I had heard about it before, but I thought it was like most farmers markets where they only run from spring to fall. But recently I found out the local one near me also runs a winter market. So out of curiosity, and a BAD case of cabin fever, I decided to make the trip. Getting down there was not too much trouble.

It was really nice out, being at about 32 degrees or so. (Around where I am at during this time of the year, that is nice.) Most of the vendors were selling bread, honey and meat. They had everything from chickens, beef and ham, to lamb and bison. I even found some things that I normally dont see in the local grocery chains like pork lard and bars of beeswax. When I was there I picked up 2lbs of honey for $7.50, a pound of bison meat for $6 and some summer sausage for $3. Even bought a bar of beeswax for $1. As far as the prices go, I found that they were quite comparable to slightly cheaper than the grocery stores. Granted meat is quite expensive on a budget, but this was not bad. I found a whole young chicken for just a little over $4. As for bison, in the stores it normally runs about $6.50 in one pound packages. I will definitely go back during the spring and summer months to check out the prices then on fruits and veggies. If prices are good then, I might make more trips down there.

Also, with the farmers market, you are supporting your local growers, and getting your goodies direct from the farms. In many areas that cuts down the cost (I think... let me know if this is true in other places). So that is a major plus!

Survival Food: Adventures in Dehydrating, Tropical Blender Fun (UPDATE OOPS)!

Hey guys, I am updating with just a little news. Got sick with the flu over the weekend, so there was no update. I am feeling a lot better, it was just a quick form of it, but you know it is the reason why I prep! I do get sick a lot, so there you go! Had all the food and stuff that I needed. Also noted what I needed to do better the next time it happens. That is all I am going to say on it for now.

As with the Fruit blend, it did not work out on the first attempt, it came up in fragmented pieces. No worries though, I will keep experimenting with it. I know it can be done, I might need to add in a bit more water to help things blend better, or blend it differently. I will note down what I do and tell you all.

I might also be working on some skills, like sewing and leather working. I will probably be adding that on here too. I think those skills might come in handy. I will keep you guys posted!

Keep coming back.

Survival Food: Adventures in Dehydrating, Tropical Blender Fun!

Hi guys, I am back from my weekend trip. Just spent a few day relaxing from being out and about around so many people. Got some new ideas for this place too which I might share later on hopefully. Right now though, I thought I would create another quick fruit leather experiment. I got this idea from a friend of mine. Take one can of your favorite fruit, in this case I like tropical fruit salad, and throw it in a blender, juice, fruit and all. (BUT NOT THE CAN... and no, I do not speak from experience on this one, it is just common sense! :)) Anyways, then I did like what I did with the Apple Fruit Leather . Pour it on the tray, spread it very thin, and let it dry at the regular temperature. Hopefully this will come out OK.

Will show the results later!

Survival Food: Vitamins... Overlooked?

Vitamins... Do many preppers over look this resource? Everyone thinks about food as a necessity, and yes I do heartily agree with that. But some foods can only go so far with nutritional content. Human body needs more of a regular daily nutritional upkeep more than what an MRE can do and what even regular food can do for that matter. I think that vitamin pills would be a necessary item to be added to extra storage, Bug Out Bags, Get Home Bags, and other survival kits. I would add in a good Multi vitamin, some fish oil, extra vitamin C, and other necessary supplements if used for your health.

As a side note, I have personally tested the Emergen-C powder packets that you see in the picture above. It says it has vitamin C, and the power comes in several different flavors. The two that I have are lemon lime and orange. Personally, I find them barely palatable on its own in water, but it is not bad if you mix it with other fruit flavored drinks. I tried both with just water, and also mixed with Gatorade. I am not sure if the Vitamin part works well mixed with that, or even if the powder works at all. Though mixing it with something else made the powder more drinkable. If you need the extra boost of C, that might be an option. Note though that I am not a doctor so talk with your doc about this stuff.

Well, I will not be posting much till either sunday or tuesday as I am going to be out of town for the weekend for some fun. Got to do something to break up the winter monotony!

Survival Food: Mountain House Spaghetti Taste Test.

Hey guys, I am again trying some new stuff again. I kind of like to try out new things once in a while. So, I thought I would try a freeze dried meal. I know that there are a lot of freeze dried meals out there, tons of different companies, so I went and bought one. A popular brand out there is Mountain House, and also it was the only one that Walmart actually sells, errr that I have seen at any rate. It runs about $5 for one bag of 2 servings.



Cooking it was pretty simple. Just heat 2 cups of water to boiling, put it in the bag, stir it, seal it up, and let it sit for about 9 minutes. Then stir again and eat. I thought it looked a little soupy, but then I realized that if during a "troubling situation", liquids are at a premium, so I would probably prefer it a bit a little soupy. The taste is not bad really, and it would make a nice welcome hot meal. It kind of tastes like canned Spaghetti O's.

This would be pretty good for a vehicle or emergency kit. Just make up a little cooking kit with some Sterno, a Sterno stove, stick matches, a metal cup, and some water with this, and you have a pretty good meal kit. I know there are tons of self heating MREs out there, but this is the one locally that I could get my paws on. Mountain House sells a lot of ready made meals in bags, packs, kits and #10 cans on their site, as well as local distributors. At less than $5 this is a bit of a budgetary concern, however for something to add to a vehicle kit on occasion, it would be well worth the price. If stranded, I do not want to ever be caught without food. This is the first time I am trying their products, and so far this was pretty good for a commercial MRE.