Homemade MREs For quite a while now, I've wanted to make up my own "MREs" for my Get Home Bag (GHB). I was recently out scouting some properties, and realized that my GHB only had some packs of tuna and some candy in them. I had broken my own Cardinal Rule - If you use it, replace it immediately. So, I went about making up some MRE packages. Now, these are not true MREs, in that their shelf life is less than half of the 5 years of a commercial MRE, but I figured they were WAY less expensive (remember this later on in the post...). I assembled my "ingredients" based on "Best By" date, calories and protein content. The idea was to put long-life food together and vacuum seal it in a FoodSaver bag. For my first MRE, here's what I included - Since the peanuts were loose, I wanted to separate them in the pouch. I then filled that with the peanuts and sealed it. I then filled the bag with the rest of the goodies, and vacuum sealed the whole thing - Here are the stats - Here's the result - Times have changed!
s Homemade Soap Recipe by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. - Grandpappy Grandpappy's Homemade Soap Recipe Copyright © 2007,2008 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. All rights reserved and all rights protected under international copyright law. Click Here for a Microsoft WORD printer friendly copy of this article. Introduction During hard times sooner or later everyone runs out of soap. To make soap you only need three things: rainwater,cold ashes from any hardwood fire, andanimal fat from almost any type of animal, such as a cow, pig, goat, sheep, bear, beaver, raccoon, opossum, groundhog, etc. Soap is not difficult to make and it does not require any special equipment. Soap is a "perfect consumer product" for the following five reasons: Soap is a legal product.Everyone everywhere uses soap.Soap is completely used up in a short period of time.When people run out of soap they want to buy more.Soap is relatively low in price so almost everyone can afford it. There are three major differences between homemade soap and commercial quality soap: Basic Soap Making Equipment
5 Ideas for Fire Tinder A while ago I asked readers Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire? The article concentrated on fire starters; steel and flight, lighters, and a few less common systems. However, most of those will be useless for building a fire if you don’t have some tinder to put the flame to. Here are 5 great ideas for fire tinder, both natural and homemade. 1. Everybody can collect it for free, and even get it from the bottom of your pockets in a pinch. 2. Collect the stringy shavings from the bark of a cedar tree for the best (in my opinion) natural fire tinder. 3. This might be the oldest survivalist trick in the book. 4. Obviously these won’t be available in all areas, but when you can find them the light feathery material inside cattails is like burning paper or cotton. 5. Like cedar, just shave some bark off of a birch tree. Two great products to keep in your Bug Out Bag are “WetFire” and “Fire Paste“. What do you use? I know these are just the tip of the iceberg for survival fire tender.
Sauces & Mixes Recipes Sauce and Mixes Dry Seasoning Mixes for creating meals in a jar recipes or to use instead of the store premixed package's Contents Basic Sauce Mix Cheese Sauce Mix Tomato Cheese Sauce Mix Pizza Sauce Mix Spaghetti Sauce Mix Alfredo Sauce Mix Beef Stew Mix Chicken Stir -Fry Mix Beef Stir-Fry Mix Casserole Sauce Mix Chicken Gravy Mix Beef Gravy Mix Beef Tomato Sauce Mix Milk Gravy Mix Whole Wheat White Sauce Mix Onion Soup Mix Dry Cream Soup Mix Fajita Seasoning Mix Sloppy Joe Seasoning Mix Chill Seasoning Mix Stroganoff Gravy Mix Enchilada Sauce Mix Taco Seasoning Mix Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix Cream of Chicken Soup Mix Cream of Celery Soup Mix Cream of Tomato Soup Mix Tortilla Mix Pancake Waffle Mix Sugar cookie Mix Oatmeal Raisin Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix Ginger Cookie mix Onion Rice Mix Lemon Dill Rice Mix Vegetable Rice Mix Spanish Rice Mix Ranch Dressing Mix Italian Dressing Mix
How to eat wild stuff and not get poisoned (how-to) Let's play pretend for a moment. Are you with me? Let's pretend you can't go down to the supermarket for food to eat. In fact, let's pretend that there is not a supermarket for one hundred miles in any direction, and you don't have any food with you. In this pretend land, you are stranded in the wilderness. Does this seem unlikely? What this guide is:This is a guide to wild things that are 100% safe to eat. What this guide is not:This is NOT a guide to figuring out if something may or may not be safe to eat. BerriesThis is very easy to make 100% foolproof. Unless you are completely sure, do not eat non-aggregate berries - berries that are shaped like blueberries or gooseberries. Green StuffMost "green stuff" is not outright toxic, but can definitely cause you some distress. Note: You should use caution when eating any plant, particularly plants found in the water - they can harbor any creepy crawly that may have been living in the water, including giardia cryptosporidium among others.
Meals In Jar Recipes Cooking With Food Storage ABC's Sloppy Joe's Jar Meal 1 cup Thrive FD Hamburger 1/2 cup Thrive FD Tomatoes 1/2 Cup Thrive FD Bell peppers 1/4 cup Thrive Tomato power 4 Tablespoons Sloppy Joe Seasoning mix Layer Ingredients in a one quart caning jar add oxygen absorber and label. 3 Tablespoons Green Pepper Flakes 4 teaspoons dried minced Garlic mix well together and store in a air tight container. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil turn off heat let sit for 10 to 15 mins to rehydrate turn heat back on and let Simmer for 20 to 25 mins. Savory Onion Roll Jar Mix 1/4 Cup dehydrated onions flakes 3 1/3 cup bread flour 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon powdered milk 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dyed parsley 1 envelope yeast place the onion flakes in a small Zip lock baggie and set aside. Combine ingredients except for the yeast, in a one quart jar. add the baggie of onions and the yeast to the top of the mix and close the jar. vacuum seal and store the mix in a cool, dry place. To Make Chili Jar Meal 1.
BASIC LIST OF SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL Some people are saying we should prepare for at least 7 days, but the way things go after a hurricane, tornado, floods, loss of electricity and the fact that these disasters will continue and perhaps even get worse in coming years according to trends, one week is not enough. Some have said 7 years, but that seems too long so do what you can. Be sure to use the older stocked goods first and replace them with new. Otherwise you will end up with all old food you might not even want to eat. Always check canned tomatoes for spoilage, as even in the can they can spoil. Most other foods last a long time. 1. Homeland Security recommends 7 days for survival, but in recent years, some people don't have electricity or heat for up to 3 weeks, so to be really safe - plan for at least 3 weeks. 2. Note: I have received arguments that boiling for longer than 5 minutes will just waste good water, but 15 minutes is safer to kill Cryptospiridium. 3. Wheat - 300 lbs. Rice - 100 lbs. Honey or Sugar - 60 lbs.
Super Easy Hard Lotion Bar Recipe These have been wonderful for my winter dry skin. I used to coat my hands at night with petroleum jelly, because it was the only thing that helped with the dryness. Normal lotion didn’t help much at all, plus I don’t like the fragrance of most lotions, and many have questionable ingredients. Since I do a lot of dishes and wash my hands frequently, these bars have been a godsend. No more dry skin for me! My only regret is that I didn’t try them sooner, since they are so easy to make. Most homemade lotion recipes involve quite a few ingredients, blenders and more mess than I’d prefer to clean up. I used a recipe from Jo’s Health Corner, a site that I highly recommend. Hard Lotion Bar Recipe Ingredients 1 part each, by weight Melt all ingredients together, pour in molds, let set until hard, unmold, and you’re done! I used plantain infused olive oil, almond oil would probably work nicely as well. Update: Mountain Rose Herbs sells unrefined beeswax tabs for those who need it.
100 Items to Disappear First 100 Items to Disappear First 1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy...target of thieves; maintenance etc.) 2. From a Sarajevo War Survivor: Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks. 1. Home Made MRE I have been looking for sometime for a direct replacement for the commercial MRE due to the high price, weight and limited choices in entrees. I first started back in 1983 with a then new vacuum sealing system. This was before retort pouches were widely available and the few that were had a limited variety. With all the new advances in packaging and the different choices now available, a homemade "MRE" style food pack can be made for a fraction of the cost of the commercial variety. Besides being expensive (I feel), MRE’s are fully constituted so they are heavy as well as bulky. Over time my criteria evolved and culminated in this current home made MRE. Contents: 1 packet hot chocolate 2 packets flavored instant oatmeal 2 packets instant cup of soup 1 packet cappuccino 1 packet spiced cider 1 package cheese n crackers 1 granola bar 1 package raisins 1 packet of tea 2 packets of beef bouillon 1 Oberto meat stick 1 book matches 3 pcs jolly rancher hard candy 1 vitamin pack
Survive Nature - Techniques for Surviving in every Natural Environment When you find yourself lost in the forest, you should be alert to the fact that there are predators and they are dangerous. Try to fashion a spear or knife out of branches to use as protection. Among the many predators to watch out for, bears are the most dangerous (especially Grizzlies): Black Bears: If you see a black bear 50 yards away or more, then keep your distance and continue hiking always making sure to not get closer. If you happen to come across the bear and it doesn't see you, then carefully walk away and talk loudly to alert the bear to your presence. Grizzly Bears: If you come into direct contact with a Grizzly bear, avoid eye contact. Never run from any bear. The most dangerous scenario is to be between a mother bear and her cubs. What to do if a bear attacks: Black Bears: Fight back. Insects/Spiders: Depending on which forest you are located, there are insects and spiders that are poisonous.