Category Archives: FOOD

food production -seeds, livestock, gardening, hunting & fishing and storage systems & procedures go here. Hunting could overlap with defense / security too.

Choking dealing with

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autopsy lungsAs we head into the Holiday season it is time to review and ponder

CHOKING___ are we really doing enough to keep our little ones [This applies to ADULTS TOO ] safe at home?

This is a picture of the lungs of a small child who died of suffocation. It is a peanut. Peanuts and other nuts are the size of the airway of a child younger than 4 to 5 years. Hot dogs, grapes and life saver candies are the greatest offenders.
The risk of death from suffocation is real, but it is avoidable. PLEASE DO NOT OFFER TO SMALL CHILDREN: WHOLE DRY FRUITS, POPCORN, NUTS NOR ANY FOOD THAT MAY RESEMBLE SIZE TO SMALL CANDIES.
It’s time to learn some first aid maneuvers and preventative measures.
Abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich maneuver or Heimlich maneuver, is a first-aid procedure used to treat upper-airway obstructions (or choking) by foreign objects. American doctor Henry Heimlich is often credited for its creation. To performing abdominal thrusts, a rescuer stands behind a choking victim and using the hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm. This compresses the lungs and exerts pressure the object lodged in the trachea in an effort to expel it.
*** Many people are still advocating back blows for choking adults thinking that it helps to expel objects….  HOWEVER if you look at the physics involved you will realize why back blows do NOT work…  a practical experiment to so this is by use of a wood handled hammer. How do you tighten a loose hammer head?  You bang the hammer down on something hard and immovable –handle first– this forces the head tighter onto the handle. [[Ask an OLD person about this]]
IF you are alone, you can still use modified Abdominal thrusts by ‘bouncing’ your belly on the back of a chair which will squeeze your lungs and hopefully pop the offending item out of your airway.
For the victim, SLOW down and pay attention to what you are doing. Take smaller bites and CHEW your food well! Have a drink close by to help you swallow.  WHEN you start to choke PUT DOWN what ever you have in your hands instead of dividing your attention to what is going on. When possible, dine with a friend [IE avoid eating alone] ALL food should be finely cut to decrease the size so it is easier to chew and swallow.
Statistically you will have to respond to a friend or family member more often than a stranger. UNLESS you are a first responder or daycare provider. Choking happens more often when you are distracted, so pay attention. IF you are under the influence of medications/sedatives or alcohol you will have a higher chance of choking. IF you are partying [talking, LAUGHING, fooling around] the chances of choking goes up.
Talking [or getting startled] with your mouth full increases your chances of choking.
Notify someone EARLY when you [or another is] are choking….   dial 911 , the dispatcher will realize what is going on and send you help–they will try to get to you in time. IF you are calling for someone else- give your address and clearly state someone is choking…  you can put the phone on speaker so you will be able to keep working on the victim. First responders would rather roll and get cancelled when the obstruction is removed – rather than arrive too late to help.
 This is a picture of the lungs of a small child who died of suffocation. It is a peanut. Peanuts and other nuts are the size of the airway of a child younger than 4 to 5 years. The risk of death from suffocation is real, but it is avoidable. PLEASE DO NOT OFFER TO SMALL CHILDREN: WHOLE DRY FRUITS, POPCORN, NUTS NOR ANY FOOD THAT MAY RESEMBLE SIZE TO SMALL CANDIES. Hot dogs, grapes and life saver candies are the greatest offenders.

Death cannot be reversed. It is best to prevent. ⚠️

 

cross ref  http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/re-hydration-drink

join us at https://mewe.com/join/www.preparesurvivethrive.us_ for more discussions

 

pea soup

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In a disaster situation OR with the hyper inflation that has already started, cooking time becomes an issue.  The smaller that you butcher meat, vegetables grains ect, the faster it will cook, RIGHT? And there for the less it will cost in energy / time to cook that food.

 

With that in mind, Beans especially those that you have had stored for a long time take awhile to cook. The older they are the longer it takes to cook and get soft, some don’t get soft even after hours of soaking/cooking. We have all experienced this. BUT the smaller the pieces, the less time it takes to cook.

 

Do you need a grain grinder to process grains, beans ect? While it does help you can also use your blender or one of those ‘magic bullet’ small grinders/puree devices. Put just a small amount of grain, beans, OR dehydrated product like carrots, celery, onions can be turned into flour. As you get more experience with the process you will find the best amount to process at a time. Many people then run the flour though a flour sifter or a screen sieve to have consistent sized flour pieces.

 

Once you have your ‘flour’ made and in whatever container you will store it in short term, you can start mixing your recipes. Personally I measure out the whole grain/beans to start with and then grind it all together for the batch of whatever I am making.

 

Here is one recipe I am experimenting with.

 

WWII German military “iron ration”

anything with bean flour… in large heavy pot, try minced bacon 1/2 lbs fried until mostly crisp, add one onion to taste minced fine, cook well caramelized then add pea flour until you have a stiff dough. roll into a sausage roll with waxed paper. This will store good at room temp for a few months… at point of use pinch off however much you want and add to boiling water, stir and you have pea soup in minutes. Serve with crackers. You  can add carrot flour too.

 

A variant is to take ham ½ lbs minced and add a half cup of lard and cook as above.

 

What are your thoughts and or hints along this line?

shortages 2021+

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2019 was not a good years for crops…   late spring and an early winter cut the harvest in the us by some 40% and there was a reported die off of pigs.
2020 also known as BLURSday because it is all a blur with the human malware program 19 which shut everly thing done..   Things did not get planted on time IF at all. MANY tons of live stock were killed and buried because the processing plants did not have staff to process them, and besides that most eateries were closed to indoor eating and most did not have drive ups. 2021 has not any better.
Stores are short of supplies enough that most have noticed it. Many stores are still limiting how much you can buy per day of some products. Some food companies have suspended operations due to lack of food and other needed supplies for operation—  see attached letter from AUGASON FARMS which is one of the MAJOR suppliers of long term storage foods.
Incoming shipments are having to wait off shore due to a reported lack of dock workers. Because of this a lot of ‘fresh’ foods are rotting on the ships.
AS IF all this were not bad enough, prices for what is available are going UP!  Inflation ya’know …
What to do….    stock up what you can reasonably use. Get what shelf stable food you can and safely store it. IF you will need shoes anytime in the next few years, buy them now. Same with tires and oil for your car.
DO NOT do like some did when that pipeline was shut down and pump GAS into plastic bags like one video on the net showed one female doing.
IF you have not already done so…   Pick a spot in your yard and start right now planning next years garden! IF you can, get most of the seeds you will need NOW along with any tools. Plant a food forest even if you don’t think YOU will be around to eat from it…  your kids will be [or grand kids].
Keep a journal of daily happenings, your thoughts, stuff you have learned and stuff you want to learn. Include in your journal a daily list or log of EVERYTHING you use/consume…    over a period of time your come to KNOW how much of what you need to be stocking.
Pray for guidance in all that you do…
FOOD Augason 2021

Illnesses part 2

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Illnesses part 2

Covid 19

 

Remember WAY back in the late 1900s? along about 1999 the West Nile disease was found on the east coast and then was found in Wyoming?   The virus spread very fast and was here the next year!!!    REALLY?!?!

 

 

More realistic is that it had been here [the US and WY] for many YEARS prior to that BUT we were just not testing for it.

 

When we did start testing for it the cases just exploded in the news.

 

 

Typically things are happening many times before we are aware of it and only after it is brought to own attention and we pay heed to it and then it IS all over the place.

 

Here 20 years later we do still hear about West Nile disease but it is kinda like the common cold in news worthiness. Right?

 

OK now that we have that out of the way for the time being, we can discuss Covid 19 some more.

 

ONLY time will tell, BUT there is a good chance that in 20 years we will feel the same about it. [common cold] HOWEVER that is not the case today.

 

There are the basics to pay attention to. GOOD HAND WASHING and general infection control are the prime way to stay healthy. as we discussed in part 1

 

I have heard several things this weekend on Covid 19. Some are rational and some are NOT!

 

This is for discussion ONLY—   Talk with YOUR healthcare provider about your course of action OR inaction!

—-

Any thoughts or data on Colloidal silver

***  Thoughts ONLY as I do not know nor believe that there is any hard data either way-  I would side with that it may be a good treatment when taken per normal protocol…  at least it most likely will NOT hurt…   should always have this available and be able to make more….

 

or Sambucol?—[an elderberry preparation]

***  First, do no harm…..    ;]     it can not hurt to take it…AND should generally help. I would personally have that on hand AND strongly consider growing Elderberry  just because…..

 

***  I have heard/read some claiming that Baking Soda taken internally in relatively large doses, several times a day for several days WILL CURE Covid 19–   this could cause way more issues than it may solve AND there is NO current evidence that this is safe AND effective.

 

Saturday Feb 29th AM I made a normal med run and asked the pharmacy if they had heard anything ref Covid 19….  the 5 staff there agreed that basically what I already wrote was the extent of what they knew FOR NOW…    side note it was a big box pharm that I am on first name basis with all the older staff and they share baby pictures with me… even when I run into them in other stores.     anyway they are TOTALLY out of masks and alcohol gel in the system and it is back ordered…..   also this AM a patient came in with scripts, was coughing openly, did NOT have a mask on and stated that they had tested positive for the flu….  I asked the pharm if they had considered positive pressure filtered air system to keep the bugs out of their shop….. most likely they can not due to cost to the corp…even though it would help the staff stay healthier and on the job.

 

I watched a show about the 1918 Spanish influenza. Millions died, but they said a bunch of people who didn’t get it starved to death. In many cities everything shut down including grocery type stores. In the city there just wasn’t any food.

THAT is the issue— people —- most disasters [bad as they may be] are not near as bad as the people factor… stay prepped

All that is a sample of our conversations this last week.

 

So check your supplies and make sure you have what you need NOW. Top up your fuel tanks [should always drive on the top ¼ of your fuel tank anyway]  You may want to consider some extra cash on hand. Ask your job if you can work on line or at least have meetings on line—which will save the company money on travel.  Talk with YOUR DOCTOR about what you need to do health wise.

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/93/

ttp://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/election-2016-fu/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/convalescent-care/

and some books that explore the topics in more depth
http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-things-will-happen/ This is book 1 the quick start guide to preparedness.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/general-preps/

 

prepping how?

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When we prep how do we do it?

One person that I know decided that he ‘deserved’ to have ALL gourmet, freeze dried foods in his food storage program. He had enough ‘servings’ to last him 2 years. It cost him a LOT and when I added up the actual calorie count only gave him enough food for less than a year. He did not want to store any corn, beans, rice nor oatmeal as he considered that peasant food… he also refused to put in a garden as he was not going to slave in it. He also refused to get a part time job while he complained about how much he “needed’ more money to pay for his hobbies. BTW I am not bashing freeze dried foods in general as they are nice to have and can fill in what is lacking in a basic or expanded food storage program. Nothing replaces fresh foods though for taste and nutrition as well as sustainability as stored food eventually runs out unless you have a way of production. By now you should have decided what you are going to plant in your garden this year.

Focus first on the actual NEEDS that you have, then the nice to have only then maybe the luxuries.

OK, what prompted this post?

Well I was going through some old stuff and came across the following and thought that it would be a good thing for us to ponder.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.
During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.  Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups – porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
 
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
“Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.  While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.  The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate.  In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.  What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups…  And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
 
Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.  They are just tools to hold and contain life.  The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.  God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. 

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything.  They just make the best of everything that they have. 
Live simply.
Love generously.  Care deeply.  Speak kindly. 

And enjoy your hot chocolate

Cross ref

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/convalescent-care/
and some books that explore the topics in more depth
http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-things-will-happen/ This is book 1 the quick start guide to preparedness.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-fun-things-will-happen/ This is book 2 about traveling and evacuation planning.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us

Sponsor of the day www.castlesandcruises.com

Fukashima 2018

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Fukashima Japan incident was 2011, March 11th 7 years ago.

At the time I said that it needed to be watched as it would effect us locally at some point, which it has. Several people locally told me that I was just being a fear monger and NOTHING bad would happen.

WELL, the reactors continue to spew radioactive materials into the air and seas. Wild life have been showing up near Hawaii, Alaska and the US west coast with mutations as has land plants near the site.

So, how does this effect us here in Wyoming? We are down wide via the jet stream from Japan, particles filter out as it drifts and lands on our soil just like it did when we bombed them in WWII.

Anyone who eats sea food from the Pacific ocean is getting some amount of radiation which is in the plants [seaweed for example] that are used to amend your garden soil, as food for livestock and people too along with use as medications / supplements. As little fish eat the plants the radiation levels accumulate and gets into the bigger fish that eat the smaller fish and at the top of the food chain in the sea is tuna and sward fish and then we eat them. As for me, I wont buy stuff from the pacific anymore. I will buy stuff harvested from the Atlantic.

long term storage tip sealing

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Long term storage tip

How to seal stuff air tight for long term storage. One of the better long term storage containers IF it is going to be kept in a dark space is plastic or Mylar. This will keep both air and liquids either in or out depending on what you want. The hard part is sealing the container. If you are using plastic bags or Mylar bags they will store for a very long time. If you are freezing something make sure that you leave a little bit of empty space for expansion BUT get as much air out as you can before sealing the bag.

How to seal the bag? You can spend and get a dedicated device such as a seal a meal or vacuum sealer which can be expensive when new which unless you are doing a lot of it can be cost prohibitive.

You can build a dedicated device out of wood and a clothing iron. This is more economical but can take up a lot of space. In essence you take 2 2x4s however long so that you have a bit of extra length to play with.

What you will need- 2 pieces of 2 x 4 about 2 feet long, 4-5 inch C clamp, a door hinge and screws, a drill, saw and a screw driver. How you build it – cut to length, match them up so that when constructed you will sandwich the Mylar or plastic bag between the 2 x 4s, place the door hinge so that the 2 pieces of wood will articulate like a door opens and closes, mark the spots for the screws and drill pilot holes. Place the screws.

HOW to use – fill the bag leaving enough empty so that the jaws of 2 x 4s can close AND leave about an inch of the bag sticking out, fold this over to the side with the sheet of aluminum foil over it which protects the iron when you seal the bag. Set the iron to medium heat and slowly run it along the flap. Test the seal to make sure it worked. You may have to move faster or slower or adjust the temp up or down depending on the quality of the seals.

Depending on what you are storing you can now toss the package in the freezer, on the shelf or take it out and bury it.

If you are only going to do a few packages you can use a hair curling iron and use it as above.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/

Ready? Or Not, Things WILL Happen = Quick start survival guide
// series
http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Not-Things-WILL-Happen/dp/1496022947/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395604161&sr=1-1&keywords=Richard+Calton

Turkey slow roasted

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slow roasted turkey

I have used this fashion of roasting turkeys for many years. It consistently produces fall off the bone moist turkey every time AND it is hard to over cook or burn it. ;]

Preplanning the feast. Start a few days ahead of when you plan to have your turkey / meal. How big is your turkey? For this discussion we will say that it weighs 20 pounds and is still in the deep freeze. Do you have a roasting pan that will comfortably hold the turkey? Assemble everything that you need for the meal. Write down everything that you are missing and go buy it.

A day or 2 before the meal bake whatever pies you want. The day before make the bread, I would suggest Ezekiel bread. 21 hours before you plan on sitting down for the meal take the turkey out of the freezer. Dice 2 or 3 large onions and make a bed in the roaster pan for the turkey. Release the turkey from the wrapping while it is still frozen and put it on the bed of onions. Coat the turkey with olive oil apply seasonings which will follow. Add 1 cup of water to the pan. Cover & place into the oven. Set your oven to 200 degrees F [no preheating required] set an alarm for 20 hours from starting the oven. Here is the hard part…. Leave it alone, no peaking!

By taking the bird straight from the freezer and cooking it this way germs do not have time to multiply as the turkey spends very little time in the danger zone of 40 – 140 degrees F.

At the end of the 20 hours [1 hour per pound at 200 degrees F] remove the cover and turn the heat up to 350 degrees to brown your turkey. Carve and serve.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE RUB
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage (crumbled between your fingers)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
+++
One year the stores had whole turkeys 20 pounds for $5.00— that year we put up [canned] 150 pounds of turkey [after skinning and deboning] .
What are your recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals?

water storage 2L coke bottles

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Clean water is one of the highest priorities for survival. Generally you could go for 3 days without water although that would not be wise.

It is generally recommended to store at least one gallon of water per person per day for consumption. This would be a bare minimum to have on hand. So for a family of 4 you would need 12 gallons of water for 3 days just for drinking.

What we have found to work the best for storing water are 2 L coke bottles. Coke bottles are rated to store 7 to 10 years with coke product in it under pressure. That is what a coke dealer told me. If the bottle will last that long with a corrosive agent under pressure without failing it should last for many decades holding water.

Our procedure is to gather several used / empty coke bottles and after removing the labels we wash them out with plan dish soap and water. Rinse well and fill with tap water & let them set over night. The next day empty that water out into the garden or flower pots [around here we do not want to waste water as we only get 10 to 14 inches of rain a year].

We the fill the bottles with either tap water or distilled water, leaving a one inch head space and then replace the cap hand tight. The filled bottles then go on selves for later use.

City tap water already has chlorine in it which will kill any bugs and for the distilled water there should have been enough chlorine in the rinse water to have disinfected the bottles and there should not be any bugs in the distilled water. If done properly there should be no reason to rotate this water for at least 10 years.

We have been storing water this way for over 30 years. One friend currently has 11 months worth of water stored in this fashion.

If you have to move your water from one side of the room to the other or from one floor to another, OR if you have to load some of it into the car for a camping trip, even a 3 – 5 year old can help carry it.

PS –NEVER use the ‘milk’ jug type containers as they are designed to fail within about a year.

Slow Roasted Turkey

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Everyone has heard of defrosting a turkey in cold running water or in your fridge. This is a safety issue to keep the bird under 40 degrees F so bugs [germs] don’t grow. Then you have to cook it at, at least 250 degrees F to kill the bugs so they don’t grow while the bird is being cooked.

Burst the myth……

The danger zone for handling food is 40 to 140 degrees F is where the bugs grow and multiply, Right?

The next turkey that you cook, try this.

 

1 frozen turkey any size

Your favorite roasting pan with lid

Seasonings of choice [salt, pepper, sage, thyme ECT]

Your choice of carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic, or fruits – whatever..

2 cups water

½ lbs butter

Take the still frozen turkey out of the packaging and place in the roasting pan.  Rub with the butter, pour water over turkey and add seasonings. Add cut up fruits and vegetables around the turkey. Cover.

Place into oven [you do not have to preheat] set at 200 degrees F.

Cook for one hour per lbs.  DO NOT interrupt cooking. DO NOT ‘check’ on the bird while cooking as this will lower the temperature.

So if you start with a 12 lbs turkey it will take 12 hours to cook. If you have a 22 lbs turkey it will take 22 hours.

At the end of the cooking time remove the lid, baste and brown the turkey at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Discussion – this process takes the turkey from a safe temperature [frozen] quickly trough the danger zone to 200 degrees F safe temperature [above 160 degrees F] COOKED.  This is the same logic behind a slow cooker or crock pot meal.

I have cooked MANY turkeys this way over the last 20 years without negative incident. The turkey ends up moist and tender. Take the juices in the pan to make gravy.

You can do stuffing on the side, as you should anyway.

BTW, I used to be a public health food inspector.