Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

I try to prep a little bit each day. Some days that means buying camping supplies. Some days that means buying an oil lamp, fuel, or candles. Some days that means improving my knowledge by researching techniques and skills online. Today, I purchased a few bags of freeze dried food at my local sporting goods store.

They had some beef stroganoff, chili mac, granola, and even some freeze dried ice cream. Today I chose Mexican Style Rice and Chicken.

I spent almost 12 years eating Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's) in the U.S. Army Reserves. At that time, I would have never imagined paying any amount of my hard earned money for food in a plastic bag, but my thoughts and ideas have changed gradually over the years. Now, I think it's a "must have" for everyone.

I don't plan to buy more than 10-15 of these freeze dried meals in a bag and I plan to use them mainly for emergency or back-up food options.

Today I purchased one that will be kept in my Ford Fusion and the other will be kept in my wife's Ford Explorer. We have emergency supply kit's with first aid, 3 options for starting a fire, a blanket, suncreen, water, etc. in both vehicles, so it makes sense to carry some emergency food too.

Some may balk at the price of this type of food, but I am certain that I'd gladly pay 3 or 4 times the price if I find myself in a true emergency situation where other options are limited.

Urban Aquaponics

Aquaponics has been popular in Australia for quite a few years, but in the last couple of years the interest has been increasing in the United States.

There are many examples of commercial aquaponics businesses on the internet, but for the purposes of urban survival something along the lines of the video below might be a nice starting point.



After our holiday travels to visit family out of state, we're going to start our own basement aquaponics system.

Last winter I successfully operated a very prolific homemade hydroponic system. I've posted some example pictures below:

Kale, Spinach, Collards

Kale

Spinach for supper





The downside to hydroponics is the cost of nutrients. With aquaponics, the fish generate the nutrients and the media and plants help filter the water for the fish.

Why do preppers focus on so much negativity?

I started this website about emergency preparedness a.k.a. prepping, because so many of the blogs, discussions, forums, and website about "being prepared" focus almost solely on negatives. I think I understand why they chose such a negative tone in their material - because it sells.

That is almost exactly the same approach the mainstream news media takes as well. Why? Good news doesn't sell the same way bad news does. Good news blogs and bloggers aren't popular to the same degree that the "doomsday" guys are either. Documentaries seem to follow this same pattern.

Case in point:  NatGeo's Doomsday Preppers series.

There is nothing that good and positive about emergencies, disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., but must the so called prepper experts continuously flaunt the negativity to such a degree?

Here's an example that arrived in my inbox today from one of the urban prepper experts that writes a very popular website and blog. These are the main points from the e-mail:

1. Stop believing that positive thought about the future will make things better
2. Don't become overcome with the paralysis of analysis
3. Don't believe the economy will improve

Here are my personal thoughts on the points above:

• I am not an absolute believer in abundance theory, but I know from personal experience that people who are generally positive about the future and who have a postive outlook during their daily social interactions are usually more successful in their careers and with their families. Nobody I know wants to hang around someone that prescribes to the glass half empty point of view constantly.
• I have to agree with point #2. It's better to take small steps toward the overall goal of preparing for the unknown that may never occur than be taken completely by surprise when it happens.
• The naysayers and pundits (preppers included) have contributed to the self-fulfilling prophecy to a large degree, but they do so from a subjective perspective and for selfish reasons. Many of the naysayers and pundits have a conflict of interest. Many of them (not all) want to sell you something. They want to sell you bug out bags, survival food, e-books about buying gold and silver, etc. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying you don't need to be concerned about those products and the potential for return to economic recession. You surely do. But if you blindly follow the experts and their recommendations, you may actually end up in worse shape financially.

I am not a prescriber to the idea of moving your family to the countryside, into a compound, or to an underground bunker. My goal with this blog and with this article is to add a little normalcy and moderation to the overall debate.

I don't believe in by-passing my 401k donation and spending it all on gold and silver. I don't believe the government is out to get me or looking for me around every corner. I am not going to run high balances on my personal credit cards to by 2 or 3 years worth of dehydrated food to store in my basement or spare bedroom.

I do think putting a little extra food, first aid supplies, water, batteries, etc. on a regular basis makes sense. Having some gasoline, good tires, and a vehicle in good working mechanical condition provides a comfort level that I can leave the area when I need to and get to where I am going. You will continue to need these things whether or not SHTF.

CG-15 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer

I purchased a commercial grade vacuum sealer from Cabela's 6 years ago. It's been one of the best investments I've ever made.

My wife and I were looking for a solution for storing leftover bbq and identified the solution--a vacuum sealer. Leftover bbq will store for a few days in standard plastic bowls with lids, but more than a few days of storage requires something more substantial. Enter the vacuum sealer solution.

The vacuum sealer extends the storage life of food by withdrawing oxygen. Too much oxygen accelerates the deterioriation that causes the spoilage process in food. After cooking, we just place the remaining meat into a bag of the appropriate size, press a button and less than a minute later we have a professional quality vacuum seal that will store in the freezer or refrigerator with ease.

When we have a craving for bbq, we just pop the bag into a pan of hot water and--presto--we have a bbq meal at our fingertips.

I'll be the first to warn prospective vacuum sealer shoppers that the CG-15 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer is not inexpensive. Ours cost $399.99 and the 15 x 18 size bags were another $45.00, but when you bbq as much as we do...and can't eat all that you cook in one setting (we often cook 10-15 lbs. of meat at a time), the vacuum sealer is a wise investment.

Here are some alternatives to the Cabela's model that are a little more economical.

Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer
Foodsaver 1-Gallon Bags

We've used the vacuum sealer to store vegetables too. We blanch them first, drop them in an ice bath, seal in a bag, and pop them into the freezer. The veggies stay very fresh this way for us. This method works very well for squash, zucchini, green beans, and peas.

Bean Recipe Refinement

I cooked this recipe again today with a few adjustments.  We had a ham bone leftover from the holidays and after trimming the country ham we ate for Thanksgiving, I set it aside the fridge to use with some beans later one. Well, today was the day.

Bean Recipe

• 1 cup great northern beans
• 1 cup garbonzo beans
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup white beans
• 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 cup black-eyed peas
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup George Dickel No. 12 whiskey

Directions: Soak dry beans for 4 hours. Drain beans. Add bean mix, ham bone, 2 quarts of water to a medium sized dutch oven (or crock pot). Cook for 4 hours on low heat or until beans are tender (use bottom heat only if using a dutch oven).

I always pre-mix spices when I cook and last night I mistakenly doubled the black pepper in the mix. Instead of 1 tbsp I mistakenly added 1 tbsp. Rather than scrapping it all and starting over, I "went with it".

After sampling the beans after 3 hours of cooking, the pepper was a little strong (o.k. very strong). A few Google searches later, it occurred that I happened to have a solution - a half empty bottle of George Dickel. The alcohol is known to help take the edge off excessive heat from too much pepper in a recipe. It actually worked pretty well. And in case you're wondering...the beans had only a hint of the whiskey flavor when I served them two hours later.

Here's a little more information about George Dickel No. 12 if you're interested:

There are many fine Tennessee whiskies. Then there is George Dickel No. 12 Tennessee Whisky. Displaying enormous depth, range and personality, it is considered by many to be the gold standard of Tennessee whisky. 

Back to my original recipe change, before the whiskey....

I doubled the amout of cumin in my bean recipe from 1 1/2 tsp to 1 tbsp. I think beans benefit from a stronger cumin flavor. For those who might be reading this who have ever tasted a bowl of competition quality chili, you know what I mean.

And one last tip about cumin....

Adding the cumin toward the half-way point of cooking will help reduce the chance of your pot of beans turning bitter. For some reason, simmering cumin for several hours sometimes produces a bitterness.

Preventing Food Borne Illnesses

During an electrical outage or other emergency situation, the chances of getting a food borne illness are potentially higher than normal. Luckily, according to the Center for Disease Control there are a few precautions that can dramatically reduce the chances of it occurring.

Here are some specific suggestions from the CDC website:

• Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
• Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
• Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
• Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
• Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.

I am often guilty about washing my hands after contact with my pet bird. Based on this list of suggestions, I need to be more careful. I've known about the potential for years, but admittedly I've lapsed now and then.

When the power goes out for more than a few hours, it's time to begin thinking about the possibility of discarding refrigerated foods. The USDA recommends that meat, fish and poultry be maintained at temperatures below or above the danger zone, with the danger zone defined as above 40 degrees or below 140 degrees for 4 hours. If the refrigerator loses power, it's better safe than sorry. It's better to lose some food, than to get sick from a preventable illness.

Foods stored in the freezer can last for a longer period, but I'd rather check it closely with a meat thermometer to ensure it's safe to retain it than risk illness.

Bean Recipe

Today I brought on the dutch oven and made a 6 bean soup that turned out well. Well actually it was 4 beans and 2 peas, but legumes nonetheless.

6 Bean Soup Recipe

• 1 cup great northern beans
• 1 cup garbonzo beans
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup white beans
• 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 cup black-eyed peas 
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt

Directions:  Soak dry beans for 4 hours. Drain beans. Add bean mix, ham hock, 2 quarts of water to a medium sized dutch oven. Cook for 4 hours in the dutch oven on medium low heat or until beans are tender (use bottom heat only).

Dutch oven table, ash bucket, and bag of charcoal briquettes

I started with 9 briquettes and added 6 - 7 hourly

Ham hock

Legumes ready for cooking

Adding the beans to the dutch oven pot

I used a single slice of ham hock

Adding the spice mixture

Half way there

Bowl of beans topped with some home grown pepper relish

The beans turned out very well. The relish adds just the right amount of additional heat. If I make this recipe again without the relish  I'll add 2 tbsp of vinegar instead.

Spice Up Your Food

If your are familar with the history of chili cooking in Texas you may already know this already, but if you don't you need to learn more about it. In a primitive food preparation scenario whether using a bbq grill or cooking directly over a camp fire, it's vitally important to season it with spices so that it tastes better. How difficult would it be to eat unseasoned, bland, tasteless food for several days, weeks, or months?

I always keep plenty of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, salt, sugar, and cumin powder in my pantry. Beef bouillon and chicken bouillon cubes are also key to making plain foods like beans and beef a little more enjoyable.

Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's and Gordon Food Service (GFS) are sources for bulk spices where I live, but if you don't have access to those retailers in your town you can order them online at reasonable prices.

If you're looking for a source of various types of chili powders, look no further than Mild Bill's. I have personally ordered from their online store and received my order for California, New Mexico, Santa Cruz chili powders within 7 days. The powders are packaged in reseable plastic bags.

If you would prefer to buy a ready-made spice rub there are hundreds of available. The Kansas City Style BBQ Rub Seasoning above if a nice pork rub for making baby back ribs or bbq pulled pork. Cabela's is another nice source for outdoor cooking seasonings. They have plenty available at their retail stores, or you can order from them online as well.

How to Store Food

Dried Soup Mixes

I considered buying dried soup mixes to add to my food storage plan, but soon realized that I could probably just make my own.

Here are two basic dried bean mixes to use as building blocks for your own recipe:

Four Bean Dried Soup Mix
1 cup great northern beans
1 cup black beans
1 cup pinto beans
1 cup white beans

Nine Bean Dried Soup Mix
1 pound great northern beans
1 pound black beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 pound white beans
1 pound kidney beans
1 pound lentils
1 pound garbanzo beans
1 pound barley

These can be mixed and matched in various quantities. I prefer to keep them in equal parts, but they can be customized to individual tastes.

Adding spices to the mixes will help add flavor. Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cumin, and chili powder are several nice options. In my experience garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder work well if added in equal parts. When developing a dried bean mix recipe, I think it's better to start with smaller quantities of black pepper, cumin, and salt. The flavors can always be adjusted later on. Of course once you develop the recipe you like, your dried bean mix can be stored in a "just-add-water" state of readiness. A vacuum sealer works well for this purpose.

The addition of dehydrated vegetables to these basic bean mixes offer the ability to make hundreds if not thousands of different combinations based on what you might have on hand. You can also add pork, beef, chicken, venison, or tofu and just about anything else you can think of that might taste good.

As I fine tune my own dried soup spice mixes for a few different flavor profiles, I'll post the recipes here.

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From

I spent 5 minutes at the local grocery store this afternoon conducting an informal survey. This survey was meant to validate an article I read on Huffington Post while back.

A short quiz (answers below) --

1. Where does salmon come from?

2. Where do artichoke hearts come from?

3. Water chestnuts?

4. Cactus?

5. What about mushrooms?

6. Mayonaise?

Answers:

1. Thailand or Chili, 2. Peru, 3. China, 4. Mexico, 5. Indonesia, 6. Mexico

Granted these represent only a few brand names and two aisles in the entire 24 aisle store, but I purposely chose brand names to validate the point that a heck of a lot of food you and I eat every day is imported from who know's where. I suspect the scope of the problem would be magnified if I checked more foods and more aisles. This is a MAJOR grocery store chain folks. How does this make you feel?

What do you think the chances are for the food that comes from half way around the world to make it to your local grocery store in a day or two after an event that spurs a food shortage? Are you beginning to see the reason it might be beneficial to have a few extra food items on hand?

Still need some convincing? Try your own test at your own local grocery store. You might be surprised.

Growing Garlic in Winter

Several months ago we visited the Plymouth Farmer's Market and purchased some garlic scapes from Michigan Garlic Farm. My wife loves garlic and we cook with it a lot (although she did not particularly like the scapes). After talking with Les and Donna for 15 - 20 minutes at the farmer's market, my excitement for growing garlic was ignited. The Abel Family talks about garlic with so much energy and vitality that it's contagious. We purchased a few varieties from them for planting, although I forgot to ask specifics, and I also purchased another 1 lb from another source a little later on.

With some of the Earthboxes moved out of the normal "flower" beds that the previous homeowner installed, we now have room to plant some garlic! I planted most of our beds with the Music garlic variety and the remainder with the garlic we purchased from Michigan Garlic Farm.

Here are a few pictures (please excuse the picture quality from my cell phone):

It's my first attempt at garlic, so I am not really expecting spectacular results. If we have a few small successes, I'll be happy. The soil is supposed to be worked 18", but for my backyard I couldn't achieve that without some type of mechanical tiller (I don't own one), so I had to settle for a 7-8" base of worked soil, and another 4 inches of mulch on top. I planted the garlic about 5" inches deep.

We also have a second bed on the opposite side of the deck that was planted and mulched also.

For any of the garlic pro's that might read this post later, I apologize if I have violated any written or unwritten laws of growing garlic successfully. Sometimes when conditions are less than perfect, I employ the Nike strategy and go into Larry Cable Guy's mode of just getting it done. Most of the time, I achieve some level of success in spite of myself. I've got my fingers crossed! :-)

Is anyone else growing garlic this fall?

Primitive Cooking

Do you know how to make a meal for the family if the pilot light on the oven goes out?
What if there is no electricity to power the microwave?
Think it can't happen to you?

Think again.

Several years ago while visiting the in-laws in Tennessee for the holiday season, an ice storm knocked out electricity for several days. The in-laws had a house full of 13 people and no running water, no lights, no shower, no refrigerator, etc. But it wasn't really that bad, because we cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner on the gas grill.

Do you own a bbq grill?
Can you cook with a dutch oven?
Do you have charcoal available?

For a modest investment, you can turn out some good food in a cast iron pot. You can probably find one at a garage sale for $15-$20, or if you would rather buy a new one expect to spend closer to $65 for one like this one from Lodge.

Here's a picture of a meal cooked in my dutch oven several weeks ago.

Rabbit, potato, carrots, and celery cooked in my Lodge Dutch Oven

Ummm, tasty!

Here are a couple of additional convenient cast iron accessories:

Lodge lid lifter

Lodge trivet

Lodge lid stand

Preparing for Pets

If you are a pet or livestock owner, don't forget to include plans for how you will take care of your animal(s) in the event of an emergency evacuation. Here's a video from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) with some tips and suggestions.

Growing Food

During World War II, backyard gardens provided a food source for millions of Americans.

From LivingHistoryFarm.org:

They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism.

Many Americans are using similar concepts to supplement and, in some cases, replace the local supermarket as the primary source of food to feed their families.

While living in Florida several years ago we decided to start a backyard garden. We planted an above ground square foot garden spot that measured 8' x 4' in a corner of our postage stamp sized yard. We were able to grow an abundance of carrots, lettuce, radishes, and collard greens.  Eventually we added a couple of self-watering Earthbox containers planted with cucumbers.

Above ground garden

After our move to Michigan we expanded our efforts much further. We added 10 additional Earthboxes to accompany an 4' x 4' above ground garden area and 20' x 4' in ground spot. We grew 100's of Cubanelle peppers, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, jalapenos, pole beans, canteloupe, baby watermelon, squash, Malabar spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, Swiss chard, and zucchini. We also planted rhubarb, blackberry bushes, and a lot of garlic this fall. During the height of the season we grew enough food to eat entire meals grown completely in our backyard. We harvested enough food from the backyard to eat regularly from it for several weeks in late summer and throughout the fall. We even canned 15 to 20 jars of pickles and pepper relish for winter enjoyment.

Above ground bed with 4 Earthboxes

In ground gardening spot just outside our back door

Pole beans and peas in some backyard Earthboxes

We've improved the in ground spot with additional compost this fall and with better planning and crop rotation methods next year, we anticipate doubling the in ground production. We were also able to harvest two different rounds of vegetables from our Earthboxes.

Our strategy for growing food encompasses vegetables that "keep on giving" throughout the season. To maximize yield for the space, we avoid 1 time items like cabbage and iceberg lettuce. The Malabar spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, squash, and collards started producing in June and were still harvesting edible food the dinner table well into the fall months. The addition of more Earthboxes and proper management techniques could easily double or even triple our production from teh self-watering containers.

I hope this gives you some ideas for just easy and practical it is to grow your own food no matter where you live and no matter how small your yard is. You can even garden from a balcony or roof top. I'll be expounding on specific gardening techniques in later posts.