A Couple of Interesting Blogs on Home Food Storage

Momzoo posted a blog about making tomato powder from her garden, complete with pictures.  Thanks, Momzoo.  It certainly was inspiring to see what one can accomplish with a dehydrator.

Another nice post on canning applesauce came from Michelle at my family prepared.  It was also beautifully illustrated.  I really like the hints and tips she provided.

Steve Dowdney, over at puttingup.com's blog has a nice post on making Christmas Pepper Jelly that sounds delicious.

I also found a really nice blog called Safely Gathered In on food storage which a section of recipes using food storage staples.  The recipes are focused on the kind of food storage where you stock what you eat and eat what you stock, and most of the of the recipes have pictures.

Another great blog with food storage recipes is My Year Living on Food Storage.  This blog regales the reader with one family's experiences with eating using food storage items, both the bulk staples and the store bought canned food pantry.  It's very interesting as we learn with this family about what actually works out well and what doesn't.  She also posts a list of books that have helped her find recipes to use the storage items.

The Everyday Gourmet Cooking with Long-term Food Storage
Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis
It's in the Bag a New Approach to Food Storage
A Year's Supply In "Seven Days"
Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation
Food Storage 101 Where do I begin? (Cookin' With Home Storage)
I Can't Believe It's Food Storage
Emergency Preparedness The Right Way
The Essential Food Storage Cookbook
Food Security for the Faint of Heart
Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy
SIMPLE RECIPES USING FOOD STORAGE
How to Develop a Low-Cost Family Food-Storage System
Not Your Mother's Food Storage
Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning: Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation
Pantry Cooking, Quick &Easy Food Storage Recipes - 2006 publication
Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables

Anyway, you get the picture.  There are lots of cookbooks and guides to help you make choices that will fit your budget, and that your family will eat.

Are You A Tech-Junkie?

I think most of us are highly dependent on our electronic and electrical gadgets, and it's astonishing how many of the "simplest" devices now have chips in them to control them.  Modern Stronghold has an chilling piece about what the consequences could be if all those chips were taken out, not by an EMP, but a virus.  The virus he's referring to in his piece is stuxnet, and it's designed to be able to hijack the code in the device it has infiltrated, and customized to sabotage or steal code and/or data.

Imagine then, if you will, a world where electricity was no longer readily available because a virus targetted the control systems at all power plants using certain PLC's, or where driving a car that contains a computer is taking your life in your hands because viral code had been introduced during the manufacturing process.  Maybe your air conditioner develops the habit of dropping temperatures to the freezing point and you live in someplace where it can get brutally hot.  Using air conditioning becomes an exercise in extremes, assuming you have electricity to start with.  Sounds like the beginnings of a great sci-fi novel. 

It's a weird world we live in.  Think I'll jump in my computer-controlled car and go to work, where I sit in front of a computer, in a building where access is controlled by a computer...

Dental Care

Now this is a topic that hit a nerve, what with a dental appointment coming up.  For most people, dental care is something that only happens in an emergency because if you don't have coverage through your work, you can't afford it.  In all my surfing of the web on survival and prep sites, I have read very few thoughts on dental care except to pack extra toothbrushes and toothpaste, and perhaps have a copy of Where There Is No Dentist.  Recently, I was looking at Modern Survival Online's post for the 14th, and he mentioned reading a post on another surivial blog, What If IT Is Today?.

What if you lose a filling, or your tooth breaks, or a cap falls off.  Even if you are just waiting a week or so for a dental appointment, that week can feel like an eternity.  Those folks bought something called "DenTek Temparin Max Lost Filling & Loose Cap Repair".  I'm thinking that this would be a useful thing to have even if nothing disastrous every happened.  For folks in the US, this is available at Wal-Mart.  I'm going to have to see if I can find something like that here on the island.

What's First?

Generally speaking, all survivalists talk about stockpiling food, and goods, and acquiring skills.  However, I'm of the opinion that you need to start with a plan.  I've looked at a lot of sites that give lists, and some even suggest the order to buy things in.

In my ramblings on the internet, I have come across a few sites that I think offer some valuable information that can help you plan.

Food Storage Made Easy is a good site when you are trying to figure out how to get started with food storage.  They have a newsletter you can sign up for with "baby steps" to getting your food storage going on, or get the whole thing as an e-book.

Secrets of Urban Survival is another great site from David Morris.  He sells a course which helps you to decide what you need to prepare for and then how to plan your preparations.  It has gotten very good reviews, and I'm saving up to buy it for myself.  Sign up for his newsletter.  You can also check out his new book, Urban Survival Guide: Learn The Secrets Of Urban Survival To Keep You Alive After Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, and Breakdowns In Civil Order.

The book One Second After has generated a certain amount of interest in preparedness due to its realistic portrayal of what could/would happen after an EMP event.  The progression of societal breakdown would be fairly similar after any large-scale sudden breakdown of the commercial system which moves food and goods around North America.  I read it with great interest and recommend it as both a good read, and food for thought.