Food Supply

[Grunt]

5 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

My kid got his VZ for $100.  He got his Mosin Nagant for $200.  He got both of them from a friend of ours whose ex-wife fleeced him of all his money so my husband offered to buy his rifles that he inheritted from his grandpa so he can go get an apartment.  The .270 Winchester he got for Christmas.  Dunno how much that was.  The .22 plinking rifle he got for his 12-year-old bday.  Dunno how much that was either.  His shotgun and his AR15 he bought himself.   He trades stocks with his grades money (yes, he's a weird kid).  Donald Trump has been great to him lately.  He has a pellet gun too.  His grandpa got it for him 2 Christmases ago.

A few of us chipped in and bought a crate of Mosins a few years ago.  Averaged out to $89 a rifle.

[anatess2]

3 minutes ago, Grunt said:

A few of us chipped in and bought a crate of Mosins a few years ago.  Averaged out to $89 a rifle.

WHOA!  That's awesome!  But yeah, my husband wouldn't have bought the Mosin nor the VZ if it weren't for the guy needing apartment money. 

[pam]

I think it's interesting the number of friends that are posting pictures of grocery stores in Idaho and Oregon.  The pictures of bare shelves because of the solar eclipse this weekend.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, pam said:

I think it's interesting the number of friends that are posting pictures of grocery stores in Idaho and Oregon.  The pictures of bare shelves because of the solar eclipse this weekend.

Same thing happens in Houston whenever there is a huricane warning.  People rush to the stores to get food.  Others rush to Wal-Mart to get supplies and keep them in the bag in the closets with the receipts.  Then when the hurricane is over, they bring out the stuff from the closets and take them back to the store.  In the interim, the shelves are virtually empty.  They're a bunch of cheaters.

What really gets me is that some people just get tons of Blue Bell ice cream.  First, I don't really care for Blue Bell (I know other Texans will think that is blasphemy).  Second, how on earth did ice cream get so important that this is the one thing people stock up on during an emergency?

[anatess2]

21 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Same thing happens in Houston whenever there is a huricane warning.  People rush to the stores to get food.  Others rush to Wal-Mart to get supplies and keep them in the bag in the closets with the receipts.  Then when the hurricane is over, they bring out the stuff from the closets and take them back to the store.  In the interim, the shelves are virtually empty.  They're a bunch of cheaters.

What really gets me is that some people just get tons of Blue Bell ice cream.  First, I don't really care for Blue Bell (I know other Texans will think that is blasphemy).  Second, how on earth did ice cream get so important that this is the one thing people stock up on during an emergency?

Same in Florida!  It's always the water and bread aisle goes empty during hurricane warning.  And the batteries.  But ice cream?  Haven't seen that here!  Houstonians are weird.

 

[pam]

1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

Same thing happens in Houston whenever there is a huricane warning.  People rush to the stores to get food.  Others rush to Wal-Mart to get supplies and keep them in the bag in the closets with the receipts.  Then when the hurricane is over, they bring out the stuff from the closets and take them back to the store.  In the interim, the shelves are virtually empty.  They're a bunch of cheaters.

What really gets me is that some people just get tons of Blue Bell ice cream.  First, I don't really care for Blue Bell (I know other Texans will think that is blasphemy).  Second, how on earth did ice cream get so important that this is the one thing people stock up on during an emergency?

Okay but if power goes out for any lengthy period of time, that ice-cream isn't going to do them any good.

[anatess2]

3 minutes ago, pam said:

Okay but if power goes out for any lengthy period of time, that ice-cream isn't going to do them any good.

Ice cream has milk.  Perfect for breakfast.

[pam]

Just now, anatess2 said:

Ice cream has milk.  Perfect for breakfast.

Yuck melted ice-cream.  I'd rather use my powdered milk.

[anatess2]

4 minutes ago, pam said:

Yuck melted ice-cream.  I'd rather use my powdered milk.

YUCK!

My dad likes Carnation powder milk and... ugh.  Yuck!  I'd rather have Carnation canned milk!

Oh wait... I do love polvoron... made out of Carnation powdered milk. 

 

[anatess2]

I'm hesitating to like posts today.  Don't want to take sides in the like-competition.  But I liked your post @pam because if there's anybody deserving to win the like count it's anybody who likes powdered milk.

[pam]

2 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

I'm hesitating to like posts today.  Don't want to take sides in the like-competition.  But I liked your post @pam because if there's anybody deserving to win the like count it's anybody who likes powdered milk.

Well I don't necessarily like it...but between melted ice cream and powdered milk...I'll take the milk.

And I didn't want people to just start liking my posts.  I seriously was only joking when I said people need to only like my posts today.  Now I don't feel like I actually earned it.   

[anatess2]

Just now, pam said:

Well I don't necessarily like it...but between melted ice cream and powdered milk...I'll take the milk.

And I didn't want people to just start liking my posts.  I seriously was only joking when I said people need to only like my posts today.  Now I don't feel like I actually earned it.   

I'm taking away that like! 

Nah.  I seriously liked that you mentioned powdered milk.  I miss my dad.

[Iggy]

The only people who are sounding like Chicken Little regarding the eclipse are saying you need to stock up on drinking and flushing water, because with over a million people who will be invading our cities, towns, hwys and byways will be decimating our water. For crying out loud! The estimated one million was for ALL OF Oregon in the path of the eclipse. NOT just here at the Central Oregon Coast.

What concerns me the most are the money grubbing greedy landowners who are turning their yards, driveways, vacant lots into camping areas, without the needed porta-potties needed for the extra people.

The totality eclipse is only for a maximum of 2 MINUTES at approximately 10:16 AM Monday morning. Yet the traffic increase has already began. As for extra, emergency food - I will fill up a 4 5gal. buckets of water and put them in each bathroom to flush with IF NEEDED. I will fill all (7) of my pitchers with filtered via Brita water for drinking & cooking IF NEEDED. For food, I did buy some extra fresh meat and frozen vegetables. The meat I repackaged & cut up some to make stew with and that is in the freezer. The 96% lean hamburger was mixed up as meatloaf, portioned into 8 oz raw weight mini-loaves and frozen. Those can be baked frozen for a meal, when NEEDED.

I do however expect my landowner aka the jerk who rents me this puny 40' wide by 100' deep lot complete with water line directly to my house, to rent out the empty lots that he, by law, cannot rent out to manufactured home, RV/MotoCoach owners that will need to hook up to the septic system, water, electric. BUT he will rent out for the weekend, because the city offices are closed come Friday the 18th  at 3 pm and don't open until Tuesday the 22nd at 9am. I also expect him to unlock the doors of the two vacant trailer home and manufactured home so that these eclipse viewers will have access to the bathrooms - toilets & showers. The reason he has the keys is he claimed that he had to have them in case of emergencies. The idiots who own these *homes* believed him. With the electricity cut off, what emergency could there be? The water is shut off at the road, not inside the house. Same for the electricity. Shut off at the outside pole.

At lease I can turn my outside water taps off from inside the house, and I plan on keeping my doors & windows locked. Plus the shotgun and my handgun are coming out of their storage spot, loaded and put where I can get them if NEEDED. Oh, and the 24" long open ended wrench is coming out too. If anyone comes through my bedroom or living room window during the night, they will get bashed in the head with it after 2/3+ of their body is through the window and into my home.

The reason I feel that jerk landowner is going to rent out camping areas is for the last two months he has actually paid someone to come and mow the vacant lots, tear out and eradicate the two huge piles of noxious weeds, and remove a lot's worth of accumulated trash/tree limbs, etc. Not only has he done this here, but also in his own front yard! We shall see what happens on Fri and Sat.

[SilentOne]

1 hour ago, pam said:

And I didn't want people to just start liking my posts.  I seriously was only joking when I said people need to only like my posts today.  Now I don't feel like I actually earned it.

For the record, I have done my best to like as usual for the past couple of days.

Edited August 17, 2017 by SilentOne

[Iggy]

I fell for the stock up with the long term storage food hue and cry. Bought nearly a $1,000.00 worth of dehydrated & freeze dried foods. Discovered that some were really overpriced for what you got. Some were just plain nasty except when you blended them into powder and used them in soups, stews, savory homemade bread sticks and gravy. I also bought cases and cases of canned vegetables. Peas because my Husband prefers them to frozen. Corn (creamed & regular). Hubby loves corn, creamed corn. I love canned corn but detest canned creamed corn. So I mix one can of well drained corn with 1 can of creamed. That I can tolerate. BUT now that I have to count and inject insulin accordinly to the amount of carbs I eat - 1/2 C of canned corn just isn't what I would eat. I would rather have a different carb choice. Canned carrots, potatoes, mixed veggies, cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup, cream of broccoli soup, canned chicken, and canned roast beef. Those I bought with the intention of making my own pot pies with. Made the chicken pot pie. Made the crust from flour I ground. I thought it tasted pretty good. Hubby who will eat Banquet Chicken & Mrs. Calendar's Chicken Pot Pies didn't like it. The only difference was mine didn't taste soapy like the others do. So, the cans of carrots - I drain one can and then add to the homemade split pea soup I make. They mush out and make the soup a bit sweeter - and Hubby will actually eat it. Canned carrots, drained and nuked as a side - bleh - they are awful! Mush!

Cakes stored for long term. Make absolutely certain they contain NO fat. NONE. Fat goes rancid in about 4-6 months. The snack cakes in the foil pouches that you add eggs and oil to - those have a shelf life of years. I finally gave the last 22 pouches to the Sister Missionaries along with a large bottle of vegetable oil - because I just cannot eat them anymore. They loved them, said all of them tasted great. I kept the corn bread & brownies envelopes - I can have one 2" square. Hubby will easily eat the rest. Oh, and instead of all the oil, add applesauce. The canned brownie mix purchased through Emer. Essen - only make 3.5 pans. Very expensive. Mrs. Calendar's Brownie envelope for the snack size $1.19 at Fred Meyer or $1.00 at BiMart!!!

The dehydrated/freeze dried vegetables: Asparagus was the nasty, nasty crap. Turned it into powder. Broccoli, cauliflower, onion bits, celery bits, carrot dices (have to cook the carrots, a LONG time or turn them into powder), green pepper dices. When you vacuum seal, do NOT let the vacuum part go to the end. Stop after the bag just forms to the product. Otherwise in 6 months you have one huge chunk that to use you have to reconstitute the entire thing. Same for pasta. Did lasagna noodles & spaghetti. Went for the entire vacuum time and ended up with bits & dust when I reopened the box. Turned that into dust and made gravy and stew/soup thickener.

I now buy Rice Sides/ Pasta Sides in the foil packages. As I do with the instant mashed Idahoan potatoes. They last years. The Rice-A-Roni I love, so I vacuum seal the box and all. If I don't they the weevils take over. No matter how clean I get my cupboards, those stinken weevils are still there. So, I vacuum seal anything & everything that comes in a cardboard box and paper bags (sugar) Since I no longer buy flour of any kind, don't have to worry about that.

I repackage my whole wheat into 3.5 pound vacuum seal bags. That is what I need to grind to make a batch of bread. I also buy my yeast in 1 & 2 pound bricks. Open the bricks and re-vacuum seal the 2 pound into a 1 pound bag. Put 1 pound in an airtight sealed jar in my fridge. When I need some, I measure it out and let it sit at room temperature for at leas 30 minutes before I proof it. I have had yeast in the jar for 5 years and it ALWAYS proofs beautifully. Just opened a 1 pound brick that had been in my cupboard, unopened, and it proofed wonderfully. So into the jar it goes, back into the fridge.

Discovered that instant hot cocoa in paper packaging gets hard. When you add boiling hot water to it it is AWFULl So I tossed the three boxes out. When I do replace them, will vacuum seal each packet. Cause the boxes of 6 or 8 packets are cheaper when bought on sale for $1.50 each box then the canisters of my favorite brand and flavors. Since they are a no-no to my diet, I get the packets for Hubby. He likes them.

I have set up my kitchen food cupboards and the two LARGE food storage cupboards to be like my *In House Grocery Store*. I have one case of the 3-4oz canned mushrooms left - so this October when the canned goods go on the case sale, I will buy a case. Same with the canned corn. IF they will let me mix-n-match the cream of condensed soups, then I will do that. Otherwise NOT.

Anatess, I would be lost without my FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Even with buying the pre-made bags, to me that is much cheaper and a way better way to store on the shelf and in the freezer foods. Wish I had room for a much, much LARGER upright freezer. I am even considering cleaning out the guest room closet to put one in there. Only use one half of it anyway - the other half has been empty for 6 years!!

[Iggy]

Okay, one more thing. I used to make is a soup for Hubby. Chicken, tomatoes, onions, spicy mexican seasonings. It called for fresh everything. Well, not on our budget and not with my neuropthic feet! It is frozen sknlss/bnlss chix breasts, steamed in chix broth till they thaw enough to dice. Canned tomatoes, fresh celery, dehydrated green peppers, red peppers and onions. Then I portioned out into either Rubbermaid 1.5 cup containers or Zip containers. When hubby pulled one out of the freezer, he seldom looked at the container in his hand until he put it on the counter. The result - dropped on the floor and container broken into pieces. Oh, the soup was intact and he put it into a microwave safe bowl.

So- what I ended up doing. Froze the soup. Then removed it from the container and placed into vacuum seal bags and sucked the air right out of them. Placed the bags back into the freezer. Drop away Hubby. All that happens now is the soup sometimes gets broken into a few smaller sizes and/or the entire thing gets dropped on his bare foot!!! They stack the same in the freezer. The plastic containers last longer - no breakage.

I don't eat that particular soup. My mouth, esophagus and gut cannot handle the spices. Hubby absolutely loves it.

I do the same when I make homemade split pea. THAT is my favorite, so instead of waiting till I cook corned beef (can't have that anymore) I use pig bones, knuckles, ham. I cook the bones till there is NOTHING left on them. Let it all cool enough to easily remove a lot of the fat. Use that as a base. Add celery, cabbage, just a few carrots as they really sweeten the soup, onions, etc. Then during the last 15 minutes or so of the cooking time, I add the diced ham. Hubby loves it. Sometimes I add bacon to his. I can't have bacon.

Freeze home made chili in the plastic containers, then when frozen transfer them to the vacuum seal bags.

[Grunt]

21 minutes ago, Iggy said:

Okay, one more thing. I used to make is a soup for Hubby. Chicken, tomatoes, onions, spicy mexican seasonings. It called for fresh everything. Well, not on our budget and not with my neuropthic feet! It is frozen sknlss/bnlss chix breasts, steamed in chix broth till they thaw enough to dice. Canned tomatoes, fresh celery, dehydrated green peppers, red peppers and onions. Then I portioned out into either Rubbermaid 1.5 cup containers or Zip containers. When hubby pulled one out of the freezer, he seldom looked at the container in his hand until he put it on the counter. The result - dropped on the floor and container broken into pieces. Oh, the soup was intact and he put it into a microwave safe bowl.

So- what I ended up doing. Froze the soup. Then removed it from the container and placed into vacuum seal bags and sucked the air right out of them. Placed the bags back into the freezer. Drop away Hubby. All that happens now is the soup sometimes gets broken into a few smaller sizes and/or the entire thing gets dropped on his bare foot!!! They stack the same in the freezer. The plastic containers last longer - no breakage.

I don't eat that particular soup. My mouth, esophagus and gut cannot handle the spices. Hubby absolutely loves it.

I do the same when I make homemade split pea. THAT is my favorite, so instead of waiting till I cook corned beef (can't have that anymore) I use pig bones, knuckles, ham. I cook the bones till there is NOTHING left on them. Let it all cool enough to easily remove a lot of the fat. Use that as a base. Add celery, cabbage, just a few carrots as they really sweeten the soup, onions, etc. Then during the last 15 minutes or so of the cooking time, I add the diced ham. Hubby loves it. Sometimes I add bacon to his. I can't have bacon.

Freeze home made chili in the plastic containers, then when frozen transfer them to the vacuum seal bags.

We do that a lot.  Freeze then seal.

[mirkwood]

My thoughts on the topic :

preppercop.blogspot.com

[mirkwood]

Guns scare me.  No beans and ammo at the mirkwood home.

[pam]

2 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

My thoughts on the topic :

preppercop.blogspot.com

I heard the guy that does that blog doesn't have a clue as to what he is talking about.

[pam]

2 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

Guns scare me.  No beans and ammo at the mirkwood home.

Okay so now I know that's really not you in your avatar.

[seashmore]

I live (and therefore eat) alone, so I'm pretty satisfied with my food storage. I've spent a year not gainfully employed (sometimes 45 hours a week, sometimes 12) and one thing that experience taught me is that it takes a lot of days without food to starve to death. I know, for myself, if I hit a patch where I have to dip into my food storage, I cut portions. If your food storage is a 3 months supply, and you cut each portion by a third, that really gives you a 4 month supply. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I also make sure I have a couple of portable (phone) chargers charged up when severe weather warnings start, should the power go out for a while. (I also keep my phone in airplane mode most of the time it goes out, to preserve battery life.)

True story: I have a friend who's dad got pretty intense about the 2012 Mayan calendar apocalypse. They have a farm, and while I don't know if he had a legit bunker or anything, I know he was prepared to use one of his semis (diesel, still functions if there's an EMP event) to meet his daughters on their way if the world started ending. Anyway, he told my friend that our old roommate was invited because she was a nurse, and I was invited because I'm a Mormon. He'd met me maybe twice, and the only other Mormon he even came close to knowing was Mitt Romney. But apparently that was enough to get an invite to his apocalypse party.

[zil]

10 hours ago, pam said:

Okay so now I know that's really not you in your avatar.

@mirkwood's was the first cop car I ever saw without a single gun in it.  It was disturbing.  I offered him my spare, but he didn't want it.

Edited August 17, 2017 by zil

[Guest]

13 hours ago, pam said:

Okay but if power goes out for any lengthy period of time, that ice-cream isn't going to do them any good.

A LOT of people in Houston have backup generators.  A LOT of them.

[askandanswer]

I buy two weeks worth of food storage every two weeks. I rotate it over a two week period, and then go out and get another two weeks.