# Monthly Prep Thread, August 2008



## Guest (Aug 1, 2008)

Well, here it is August. Southern California got a good rattle to remind them about the need for earthquake preps, but not so much of one that hardly anyone had to actually use them for which we should all be thankful. The hurricane season is progressing. Not a busy season so far, but not quite a snoozer either. August, September, and the first half of October is typically when the season begins to get busy if it's going to. Not much of interest out there this morning but that can change from day to day so it won't do for anyone in the Southeastern Atlantic or Gulf Coast states to become complacent. It has been my habit these last some years during the season to take a quick look at the National Hurricane Center website (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) first thing when I log on every day to see if there's anything I need to pay attention to.










As I write this about a quarter of eleven Eastern time on the first there's a little spot of low pressure they are watching that might could possibly develop into something. It wasn't there this morning at eight a.m. when I first checked which goes to show that things can sometimes develop when we're not paying attention. It's days away from anything if it should develop into something more, but it does not pay to become complacent. It only takes a minute or less just to look then you can be about your business doing other things. Unlike earthquakes we can see hurricanes coming from a long ways out IF we are paying attention.

Prep wise we haven't done much these last couple of weeks. We bought a pair of Great Pyrenees pups that I hope are going to become a major addition to our homestead sustainability so I've been busy gearing up for them. Need to finish building their pen and moving the rooster pen this weekend. Last week I got a couple of surplus German rucksacks in from Cabelas that I'm going to shift our bugout bags into. Not as much carrying capacity as a framed backpack, but can be stowed in a smaller area. Still need to put away the stuff we canned last week which I might get to if I'm rained out of working on the dog pens.

How's the prep month looking for you folks?

.....Alan.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Canning and canning. Green beans, pickles, peaches, potatoes, corn and tomatoes. Dehydrating onions, peppers, green beans and spices. Salting and toasting sunflower seeds. My MIL is going to send me an old fashioned corn dryer that works like a double boiler. Water underneath, and the corn on top is mixed with cream and sugar and then dried. She's sending a recipe and I can't wait to try it.

In the last week I've:

Also made another batch of soap, which turned out really well. I have switched to nothing but homemade soap in the shower and my skin and hair are happy.

Worked on stocking more milk powder (for making yogurt mostly), and Costco canned pickled things like olives, artichokes, capers, mushrooms, etc. Also bought some extra canning jars at the dollar store, lids at the grocery store, and laundry soap.


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## thequeensblessing (Mar 30, 2003)

I've been putting up apples until I'm sick of apples! But I know I'll be thankful for them come the cold snows of winter. I've made jelly, apple butter, apple sauce, honey baked apples, and apple pie filling. Our crab apples are almost ripe too now, so soon I'll be canning crab apple pickles.
Our green beans are simply amazing this year, and there's just no end in sight. Tomatoes and cukes are just starting to come in, so I imagine in the coming weeks, things will get even busier around here, if that's possible. hmm...looking out the window I can see that the peaches will be along shortly too.
We've got to finish butchering the last of the cull chickens and I'll can them, and we have a few ducks left to do. Then, we're done with the small livestock and we'll just be awaiting butchering time for the big stuff (beef, lamb and pork). 
So much to be done, but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Fryegirl (Sep 16, 2006)

Alan, thank you for that link. I'm keeping it in my 'favorites' so I can check it often, as well. We lived in FL for several years (Tampa) so I understand what hurricanes can do. Now we're on the east coast of VA (Chesapeake Bay) and things have been known to get pretty nasty here, too.


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## baldylocks (Aug 15, 2007)

We've been canning like crazy too. I upgraded to an All-American pressure cooker. I have started on a passive solar heater for this winter. I saw plans online similar to thissolar heater. I bought another case of shotgun shells and a box of deer rifle bullets. 

I found several big boxes of strike anywhere matches (I have had a hard time finding them!). We added 25 lbs of sugar and a bunch of spices also.


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

In the last week(some in the end of July)We have made a couple Costco runs for canned items(they have great organic items now for way less than our local co-ops), got a cannery delivery of milk and apples so far. I will be getting wheat straight from the cleaner at a local farm next Saturday. We will also be having another cannery run in a couple of weeks if not sooner for other staples. I canned up a lot of the leftover fruit and fruit juice from last year when I felt I was too hot and pregnant to can. So I have about 40 jars of jam on the counter from yesterday. I will be doing more tonight when I get back from visiting the farmer's market(to get produce since everything here froze a few days ago) and getting a delivery set up from the hardware store. 
I think most importantly I have finally decided to follow the urgings I have been having to learn a bit about midwifery. I have had the feeling for several months that I will be having to help someone with their birth(whether that would be mine or someone else's I don't know). I have been trying to ignore it, but the urgings have gotten stronger so I contacted my midwife and she advised me on the equipment to get. Most of it is in the mail on the way to me now. I have most of the books that she would recommend, but she is going to try to find me a copy of the best one. Most importantly and excitingly is I will more than likely be attending some births with her as her assistant. I have been at a friend's birth that she was the midwife at and helped her and the other midwife, so it will be interesting to do it again with a bit more knowledge under my belt. 
I have also been building up my natural remedy supplies. My midwife is skilled in herbs and has helped me greatly.


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## insocal (May 15, 2005)

Gonna pick up a few pounds of hard red wheat at Whole Paycheck - don't have any on hand and I'm not ready to get a whole big bag or bucket yet due to storage space limitations. This will go in spare quart canning jars in the pantry.

I need to order more of those VERY HANDY plastic canning jar lids.


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## Nana2boys (Mar 8, 2008)

Cleaned more jars for my peaches and squash that I will be canning tomorrow. I bought a lot of nutmeg nuts at the spice store.


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## AR Transplant (Mar 20, 2004)

I am relieved to announce that we finally got a serious water storage tank in place. And it doesn't hurt that it happens to be the kind that you can swim in as well. It's an above ground pool.

Seriously, I think for us it would work out the best if the water suddenly was not in ready supply anymore. We have water filters and a distiller if we needed it for consumption. It's probably the most fun prep item I have ever bought.
>smile<

ar


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## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Just finished up the monthly shopping trip, have a bit leftover for those "oh carp, I forgot" items. But for preps I picked up a couple extra cases of canned goods, snatched up 25lbs of flour (added to the 15 I had on hand) and 20lbs more of sugar (added to the 15lbs on hand), a lb of yeast (heaven help me, don't know what I'm going to store it in once it's open...jar in the fridge I guess), 3 gallons of oil, 2lbs of salt and 10lbs of hamburger that I might just dehydrate. 

I did really well this month with prep buying, usually I can only get a extra 5lbs or so of flour and sugar.


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## Henry (Mar 1, 2006)

Just normal canning going on here. We have the wood cookstove in the outdoor kitchen going strong. I have finished our garden expansion. I figure I moved 300 buckets of good topsoil with the tractor. We are lucky to have so much bottom land that gets flooded every year. Glad thats over.


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

This weekend:
* I've finally talked to the woman who has canning jars for me, and made arrangements to pick them up.
* Made a trip to Costco and noted some prices. Didn't really buy much extra because we are paying for plane tickets this month.
* Making a shopping list for all the ingredients I need for canning. I've got my eye on some soups, if I have enough jars.
* Started using the ice cream maker. The bittersweet chocolate I got at the scratch & dent worked well, so I'll probably go back for more. And making ice cream at home is a survival skill right? Coping skill...maybe?


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## littlekari (Jul 10, 2008)

Canning and more canning going on here. Since we will hopefully be moving to the acreage we bought in March soon I have been spending days there and nights at home canning until 9 or 10 pm. 

The acreage we purchased needed a lot of TLC and we gutted the whole main floor and are putting it back together ourselves--some help once and a while from a friend or two! We have new fencing up for livestock, a chicken house moved there, the barn was revamped a little for our needs, and a huge garden planted were weeds stood taller then my husband. I have to build shelves for all of the canned goods so we can get them off of the floor of the one bedroom--no where to go with them. 

We have tomatoes and cukes to can and hopefully our potatoes will be getting ready to take out and store. Peppers need froze and dehydrated and meat needs canned yet too.


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

As if canning and dehydrating weren't going to keep me busy enough , this week is designated to be The Week I Figure Out Storage Solutions in the new house. I think I'll revive the "glass cabinet" idea and put shelves between the wall studs. Seems like a good idea and will keep under-the-bed for other preps. Pints, half pints and maybe even quarts ought to fit.


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## shellycoley (Mar 6, 2003)

I have about 15 pounds of figs in the fridge quitely waiting to be preserved. These are the small grape sized ones the ones last week were as big as lemons. My brother keeps bringing figs and I keep making preserves.
Yesterday we made a trip to Bass Pro to return the crapola icecream freezer. (Only buy White Mt. Ice Cream Freezers) In exchange I got a nine quart Lodge dutch oven and bullets for the 22 and shot guns. Precious metals you know.

Shelly


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## Kari (Mar 24, 2008)

Local grocer has TP on sale this week. Bought another 24 rolls, this brings our home inventory up to 115 rolls towards our goal of of 150 -175 rolls.

While this may seem like a lot, in reality it isn't considering how much TP you use in a month while at work or other places then home. In an almost worse case scenario, if we were confined to home for an extended period of time, we would go through TP at a much faster rate...hence the large amount to have stored.


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## Shinsan (Jul 11, 2006)

Last time we found T.P. on sale, we got three bales, (8 X 9-packs to the bale), to add to the three we already had. And you're right, it really wouldn't last long if everybody was aboard for a couple of months or so. Myself, Chi, and three daughters, (plus their ever-present friends on weekends), means we also use a lot - seems I put a new roll on every day. And experience has taught us to keep extra on hand in case anybody needs to play 'Cricket'.... (That's where you need to make a lot of runs, lol.)


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

^^ hee hee, shinsan! I've never heard that phrase before. My Nannie called it the Green Apple Two Step. I lived in India as a child, and we started calling it Delhi Belly.

We go through about a roll a day with the kids home for the summer. It will drop way back once school starts again. But I've probably got 100 rolls in stock, between what I've got stored in our attic and what's in the garage. I rotate the two stashes about every six months so that the paper in the attic doesn't disintegrate from the heat.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2008)

The low pressure system off the coast that later turned into Tropical Storm Eduoard dropped a slow, steady rain on us for most of Saturday so I didn't get anything done outside. We did get in a Sam's Club run though where I stocked up on a few canned goods and some dry pack foods. After that we stopped at the local mil-surplus store on the way home to pickup some more lifeboat matches, a couple of whistles, and some water resistant paper for the bugout bags I'm rebuilding.

Back home it was still raining so I started repacking and vac-sealing the stuff we got at Sam's then put most of it away. Still have a bit left needing stowing.

Sunday it didn't rain so I got a fair part of the new dog pens built but wasn't able to finish before I had to knock off. There seems to be a natural law that when driving T-posts you will hit at least one inpenetrable root or rock somewhere along the way o throw off the spacing one spent so much time working out with the big tape and flagging pins.

.....Alan.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

It is hot and only going to get more hot here! August is the month we always start wondering if we should move north! I think I missed the corn this year. I got up early this morning to get some from a fruit/veg stand that I arranged for 200 ears for morning - he had none. Said there might not be any more unless it rains. Alas. Hopefully, some one else the other direction will have some.

We had to put up more shelves for my garden produce. It really looks nice in the jars on the shelves. I don't know that I have ever put so much stuff in jars before.


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## Shinsan (Jul 11, 2006)

Mom of Four, Not surprised you hadn't heard that one: Made it up on the spot!
We also used the term 'Delhi Belly' when we were kids, and we also used the term 'Green Apple Trots'.
We've probably got enough t.p. for a while now: 6 bales = 532 rolls, plus an 18 roll pack of the high-quality stuff that Chi has hidden.
This allows us to survive between the 1/2 price sales that come up from time to time.
Actually, most of our goods are purchased in bulk with that idea in mind, and it has saved us heaps over a period of time.

BTW, have you given your pump-n-seal a good try-out yet?


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I felt guilty that my pump-n-seal was sitting ignored in the garage, so I sealed a bunch of salt this weekend. I had 15 pounds of it that needed to be vacuum packed so I did it manually. I have LOTs of jars I've washed in the dishwasher, and I'm unable to use them for canning. So I sealed salt and some baking powder too. It worked well, and as long as the seal holds I'll be happy.

Hubby and kids thought I had lost what's left of my mind, hand pumping when my Foodsaver was sitting right there.


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

Had purchased another 4 gal of black cherry puree for canned juice, syrup and/or jelly making a couple days ago. Put the bucket in the bedroom with the AC (the puree was frozen when I bought it but it's been 100* for the past three days!) to keep it cooler. 

At 6pm it was fine, nice and cool, and I was thinking on going ahead and jarring it up. 

At 730pm, it had bubbled all over the carpet - the bedroom floor now looks like someone was murdered! I've cleaned up a HUGE pile of cherry goo but it's firmly soaked in. Anyone know of a remedy for the stain? In hindsight, I should've put something under the bucket BUT 1) it wasn't full to the brim and 2) I had no idea it would ferment so quickly out of the blue like that!

The remainder is now happily residing at my girlfriend's house. When we popped the lid the rest of the way off, it already smelled like wine . She put it in a much larger container (which I don't have, thus why I took it to her), added water, sugar and yeast - the yeast started bubbling immediately! 

Looks like our winter preps this year will include cherry wine!


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

YIKES, Falcon! 

My prep for today has been learning to can. I am trying my hand a pressure canning, with a curried summer squash soup. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but we had the ingredients, and I had the desire to can. Hopefully I will get to go to bed before midnight!


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## TundraGypsy (Feb 25, 2005)

Feel really bad that I can't do anything with my three trees full of cherries; they are full of maggot type worms. I did put up some apricot jam and canned only 5 pints of diced peaches this morning. Fruit not quite ripe enough; too green yet to can. DH picking figs tonight to sell at the farmers market tomorrow. I should be busy, but the heat is really slowng me way down.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2008)

In case anyone hadn't noticed the National Hurricane Center graphic I included in the original post updates itself about twice a day.

.....Alan.


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## Traci Ann (Jun 27, 2005)

I rendered lard for the last 3 days. I have an ice cream bucket, a 12 qt stock pot and a 1 gallon jar that will need either used first or reheated to can. WAY TOO HOT without air to do that. BUT!! I did get 19 quarts sealed and done and still have about 100 more lbs of frozen fat to render.

I will be getting 43 2 lb packages of sausage in the next couple of days. And 30 lbs of boysnberries to put up as well.

My co op order comes in Friday, more spices and such, but another 100 lbs of raw sugar to put back...I need more buckets!


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Traci Ann said:


> I rendered lard for the last 3 days. I have an ice cream bucket, a 12 qt stock pot and a 1 gallon jar that will need either used first or reheated to can. WAY TOO HOT without air to do that. BUT!! I did get 19 quarts sealed and done and still have about 100 more lbs of frozen fat to render.


If you don't mind me asking, what do you do with that much rendered lard?


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

I just wanted to post that I picked up my freebie canning jars. :happy: About 3-4 cases worth. And on the way home I stopped at big lots and priced them at $10/case of quarts. Yikes!

The woman thinks she has another two boxes somewhere in her garage. So I encouraged her to call me if she finds them and wants to get rid of them.

As a bonus there were NIB rings & lids that are in good shape. There were also a lot of rusted, older lids that had to get tossed. But I am thrilled to get the rings. I worry about running short on those.

Now I just need to fill the jars up.


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## Elizabeth (Jun 4, 2002)

We had our "biggest" garden harvest to date this year, yesterday. I think we picked 7 cherry tomatoes/ At this rate, we will have our first freeze before we get anything from the garden!

Oh well, today we will try out the new chicken plucker after hubby gets the new fingers installed. Old roosters today, then in a couple of days we will start on the 48 meat birds.


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## AR Transplant (Mar 20, 2004)

I scored the sweetest bing cherries last night for $1.98 a pound. I got 20 pounds and now I am pitting and putting in the freezer.

They were at a wal-mart in Fort Smith on Kelly Hwy. We never go there but I had to take my daughter somewhere close for a foot thingy and that happened to be it.

I love cherries and they will be great for this winter.

ar


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## didaho (Jan 22, 2008)

I'm on my 4th batch of drying zucchini and yellow squash.. Also got some peppers dried and eggplant. Next will be the onions and then start on my tomatoes making spaghetti sauce and just canned toms. 
Boy, the dryer sure has the house hot though. I run it all day. 
Canned some carrots and beans and got to get more done this weekend.
Bust, busy, busy. But I love it.

Ordered band aids of all sizes so now my medical preps are done.

Debbie


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## Wildwood (Jul 2, 2007)

AR Transplant said:


> I scored the sweetest bing cherries last night for $1.98 a pound. I got 20 pounds and now I am pitting and putting in the freezer.
> 
> They were at a wal-mart in Fort Smith on Kelly Hwy. We never go there but I had to take my daughter somewhere close for a foot thingy and that happened to be it.
> 
> ...


I wish I were going to FS this week. I've paid a small fortune for the the few cherries I've bought lately and completely missed the pick your own blueberries due to a friend's illness. Thanks for the heads up.

I can't wait for Target...don't know what I will buy there but just anxious to have an alternative.


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## wottahuzzee (Jul 7, 2006)

A.T. Hagan said:


> In case anyone hadn't noticed the National Hurricane Center graphic I included in the original post updates itself about twice a day.
> 
> .....Alan.


Thanks, Alan. I had noticed that. I hope you will post the graphic on Sept and Oct's thread also, since we will really be in the thick of it by then.


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

I worked in the garden today, and picked another load of tomatoes. Probably can them up this weekend. 

I also broke down and bought some dried black beans. The cheapest I am find them is about $1/pound. The canned version are almost looking economical at this rate. Once it gets cooler, I'm thinking of canning up some pintos and black beans for making chili and soup. Next year, I'm forcing my will on DH and we will be growing drying beans in the garden.


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

MoGrrrl! I just bought a 50# bag of black beans for $26 plus tax at our Amish store. (Lentils were $20 and change for 50#.) Darn it, girl, you need to shop down here . 

9 pints of tomatoes and 6.5 pints of relish today, three gallons of cukes soaking in brine to pickle tomorrow. I'm considering going ahead and canning more tomatoes tonight - since I need to pick cukes, tomatoes and green beans AGAIN tonight!


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## tinda (Jun 11, 2005)

A.T. Hagan said:


> In case anyone hadn't noticed the National Hurricane Center graphic I included in the original post updates itself about twice a day.
> 
> .....Alan.


Do you ever get the feeling that no one is listening to you???
Just a thought.

tinda


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2008)

I'm married with two daughters. That's every day life.

.....Alan


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

FalconDance said:


> MoGrrrl! I just bought a 50# bag of black beans for $26 plus tax at our Amish store. (Lentils were $20 and change for 50#.) Darn it, girl, you need to shop down here .


Well, I think I would spend a little more on gas than is wise, just to get beans. But I'm going to see about going to the Amish store in September or October when we go to the lake again. I'm also writing a letter to Costco asking them to carry other beans in addition to the pintos. Like Alan, I may be unheard, but sometimes people listen.


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

I was blessed enough to get 200# of hard red wheat yesterday for 15 cents a pound. It has some chaff in it, but it is nice and dry and has a high protein content. I picked up 19 buckets from part of a pallet order my church ordered.
Best of all four days ago I made a great new friend who is light years ahead of me on prepping. He is a wonderful guy. His wife is great and it is really funny, but we know all the same people and have so much in common even outside of prepping that we were finishing each other conversation. He is 30 years older than I and could easily be my dad. He would have been a great dad to have. 
I will be heading to another area this weekend so hopefully I can find less expensive produce to bring home to can.


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## Aint2nuts (Feb 18, 2008)

Since I don;'t have a garden yet (I am in Phoenix and gardening starts this month), I have been buying up produce and dehydrating it. I just got a new L'equip dehydrator -- love it! 

Right now I have green beans, broccoli, bananas and italian squash going.


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

I realized last night that we're finally stocked rather well for at least a year . Not _perfectly_, but certainly in dried beans and wheat, dried milk and canned veggies (well, still working on the home-processed version ), coffee/tea, seed and fabric creation capability, most other non-food incidentals. In fact, in some areas, we're well beyond a year :bouncy:.

I wish everyone around us could know how _good_ that feels!


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2008)

We recently made a substantial prep addition to the Dun Hagan homestead. Two Great Pyrenees puppies! Coyotes and ***** watch out! 

This is Merry & Pippin.










They're about ten weeks old now.

Here they are taking the Kinder Major out for a walk. It was getting on dark so they're in their night vision mode.










The next day they drug her through a patch of stinging nettles so they're not the only ones learning out there! 

Once they're grown we're hoping they'll go a long ways towards making the homestead more predator resistant - two and four legged varmints alike. I want to get back to free ranging the birds more than I've been able to these last several years as well as discouraging uninvited guests.

Of course they also add their own complications to our prep planning. Now I have to stock a year's supply of dog food! Fortunately they like eggs a lot so that will supplement the store bought feed and gives us an outlet for the scrap eggs and the uglies that aren't of a good enough shell quality for sale eggs.

.....Alan.


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## insocal (May 15, 2005)

A.T. Hagan said:


> We recently made a substantial prep addition to the Dun Hagan homestead. Two Great Pyrenees puppies! Coyotes and ***** watch out!
> 
> This is Merry & Pippin.
> 
> ...


A year's supply of dog food for a Pyr is no small thing, either, AT. I used to have one years ago.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2008)

insocal said:


> A year's supply of dog food for a Pyr is no small thing, either, AT. I used to have one years ago.


 No, it's not. It's given me something to think about for a while as to how to actually do it. First though I have to settle on a brand of feed that the dogs like, gets the job done, and that I can afford. Some of those brands I looked at Petsmart the other day cost more than the food I eat!

.....Alan.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Alan, I'm sure that you would be able to come up with something besides packaged dog food in a SHTF situation. If you have not already, check out the raw food diets (BARF), as it seems like they could easily live on what people eat if certain things are given in the right amounts...like raw chicken (you have chickens as I remember) and greens. Dogs also do well with some rice. I've been giving my dog Pro-Pet (Akita breed) since he was a pup, and he (and his brother which died last year) have done well on it, but I also give him tidbits of raw ground turkey, as well as veggies, just so I know he can digest them and that if I had to go to a natural diet (gradually wean him off the dog food), things wouldn't be completely strange to his digestive system.
If/when a SHTF situation occurs, I would gradually want to reduce my poultry stock to reduce their food needs, but I'd keep enough to reproduce them so I'd have food for myself and my dog & cat, so it's like having pet food in the yard. Then, of course, I'd eventually have to concentrate on growing food for the poultry to supplement their foraging and to feed over winter (in the North).


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## kabri (May 14, 2002)

Got all our hay bought and stored in the barn (about 7 ton) for our 2 horses and 9 sheep. What a good feeling that is to have a whole years supply! Don't even ask how much it was - I keep telling DH that the sheep eat way less than the horses and we can eat them! Although I do love my horse, I really fret about the un-sustainability (and expense) of owning them in a climate that does not have food for them most of the year. But DH adores riding in the back country, guess we'll keep them for awhile and if SHTF, we'll have them for transportation (until we run out of feed)


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## claytonpiano (Feb 3, 2005)

Canned butter today. I had bought it on sale and thought I would try it. It was easy. I processed it for 40 minutes like Jackie Clay told me to! I've canned 46 pints of peaches and 26 pints of peach peel jelly. It sure looked pretty sitting on the counter!


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2008)

We've got some activity out there in the Atlantic this morning. At least one of them may turn into something more than an area of interest.

Took the Kinder Major off to the Orlando Science Center yesterday as part of the "last week before school starts" family time we're spending together. Conveniently Tropical Plant Products just happens to be a mere three miles away from the science center so we stopped by to pick up another three bales of coconut husk chips and a twenty five pound bag of soluble fertilizer. I'm trying to gradually work my way up to having a hundred pounds of soluble 20-20-20 on hand at all times for just-in-case.

Spent a fair part of Saturday labeling jars and getting it all put away. I've got almost all the wheat stowed now, just one more case I haven't found room for yet.

.....Alan.


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## Colorado (Aug 19, 2005)

Clayton piano, What is peach peel jelly? New one to me. I scald mine and that little thin skin I would not think would make good jelly? You boil the skins for the juice?. I have made corn cob jelly. 

Alan, my Saint ate like 50# a month and he did not care what brand. For size he did not eat as much as the cat. Right now 4 cats and 20# does not go a month. Least two bags. Beautiful dogs you have. I would buy mixed 50# at Save on Dents but for some reason he never seems to care about brand. Of course he wanted half of my food too.


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

I have to hold a discussion with friends today ........ our white (dent) corn is off-limits to any and all and I need to make sure it stays that way! The friend's wife decided to take herself, her daughter and d's friend over and pick yellow corn (which we have been patiently waiting to ripen - haven't even had any ourselves! and didn't plant very much), zukes and green beans from our garden. A neighbor had called because he saw three people in the garden he didn't recognize (which was appreciated). When he went to investigate, she was thumping on the watermelons (which I had told everyone just the evening before was NOT to be messed with) and told him she'd "busted her ass getting this garden ready" (her husband helped mine with busting the ground to begin with - and they worked it all between them, and *she* had nothing to do with it since she hasn't lifted a finger!) and could pick anything she f*ing liked.

Guess that explains the sudden lack of zukes for our table and why the corn I could've sworn would be ready this weekend wasn't - it had been taken. Now I have to figure out how to civilly tell them to stay the hell out of my gardens or at the least, check to make sure I don't have plans for what's ready to pick! (_Most_ of the garden's produce is being prepped for winter.) That dent corn is coming up on ready and is slated for both next year's seed (it's a very hard to find heirloom) and our cornmeal for this winter. There is NOT enough extra for poachers :nono:.

Why do I have the feeling that this is a micro-look at what could/would happen if/when SHTF?


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## mamita (May 19, 2008)

Alan...LOVE those pups!!  they look like little bear cubs..LOL 

ok..this isn't an exciting prep, but our grocery was having Rice a Roni and Pasta Roni 10 for $10. I went wild again. ya know...if you toss a little chicken or sausage into that roni it isn't a bad cheap..easy...quick meal.  with some fruit (or right now..garden salad) but in any time of need, you must know by now that I'm all about any pasta! checked the dates on each box....good for a year. cool. stocking up on dried beans and peas next.


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## MoGrrrl (Jan 19, 2007)

I pick up a couple of gallons of vinegar this morning. I canned tomolives and tomato preserves last night. I also froze about 40 pounds of tomatoes. I was up until 1 a.m. (And then was sick this morning.) Eventually I'm going to can those tomatoes into sauces, but they were going bad.

Tonight, I hope to can the tomatoes I picked yesterday, just plain. There's probably 15 pounds of 'regular' tomatoes and 10 or more pounds of romas.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

We are all excited about our new Nurtrimill....been making bread with the wheat we got from HintonLady and it is so good. 
Next big job will be picking and processing apples before the deer get them. We have a doe with two fawns who are frequent visitors and she's probably told them all about the delicious fruit still to come at the Smiths....
Sick to death of canning tomatoes but will keep going until they quit. New patch of beans about ready to go. Trying to get all my herbs harvested and dehydrated. Need to do something with the hot peppers but really only grow 'em for the kids.
Our Hickory King corn is 11 feet tall with two ears of corn on each stalk that are as long as my forearm...is this mutant corn??? Thought Baker Creek didn't sell GMO's !! In 40 years of gardening have never had field corn like this. DEE


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

Hickory King seems to be a descendant of Hickory Cane (both are heirlooms). 

Our Hickory CANE has ears that are over 6 ft high off the ground!  A few stalks are about 5ft tall and the others are over 10ft tall. It'll be fun to harvest. We're saving a goodly amount of seed since it's near impossible to find this variety now - and the rest is for the winter's cornmeal.


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## doodles (Sep 27, 2002)

We planted 4 acres of Hickory King this year.We have stalks 12-13 foot tall! Would you be interested in selling a few Hickory Cane seeds?
Angie


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

Have to see how they do in the end, Angie. We're hoping for the best, planning for the worst, and will likely score somewhere in the middle .

If nothing else, next year ought to produce enough to share (especially if we can plant more than this year!).


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## shellrow (Feb 8, 2007)

Ok so far I have frozen 2 qts field peas, 8 qts green butter beans (limas) and I canned 13 pints of tomatoes, 12 qts of peaches, 2 qts of jalapeno peppers, and 4 pints of blueberries. I picked up 2 gallons of vinegar the other day while they were on sale and I hope to hit the sales again this week as well. Not much other than that going on.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Well, thought I would catch up with ya'll a bit.
I managed to bring in a years worth of hay - thnx to Halohead and her DH hauling it up my treacherous hill for me! :goodjob:
Also had a new to me deep freeze brought out tonight, it is huge! I now have a canning-staging area! woohoo!! (or, a pit stop for the meat and stuff until I have time to can it!)
Found turkey for 50 cents a pound at wally world the other day and only got one. I will be checking that again, cause I can stash some of it away now... I am ready to do some things I had been wanting to... stocking up on sales items, canning, then restocking on whatever is next.
I think this little freebie (ok, it cost me gas money for the delivery) is going to be worth it's weight in gold.

I need to find that thing where you calculate how much food a person needs for a year. Not sure how far off I am on storage. I think I want to get right about 3 years worth at the least. Still working on getting a plan for the animal feed. I did a dog reduction by 2, so now we only have 4 huge dogs. Mine are pyr crosses Alan, and I love the breed so very much! They really don't eat as much as you would think. And mine would rather have a BARF diet than anything, but I just don't seem to have enough fresh meat for that. So, they get dog food and what scraps the chickens don't get.

I will be holding off on preps the rest of this month, all extra dollars will go to lumber for our house addition. We want it as close to finished as possible by winter, so we can use our wood stove that we got last month.
_*that is unless I find a really good deal I cant pass up!*_


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## FalconDance (Feb 4, 2007)

Went to our local elevator today to price grains (to decide if I should mix the bunnies' food or buy pellets). They have NO wheat whatsoever except for a handful of pre-bagged soft red for sale!  Now, the soft red is $12.50/50# but the guy couldn't tell me is it was treated or not. :shrug: The other they had in was clearly labelled "seed" and was treated.


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2008)

Well, I'm about as ready for Fay as I can get. Brought the fuel storage back up to snuff last night. I had let it get a little down what with the summer mowing season and the price of gas and all. Iâm happy to report both the gen-set and the chainsaw cranked right up without any trouble. Especially for motors that donât get used for long periods of time I am religious about using fuel preservative. When the tree is laying on the house I donât want to be fussing with the saw to get it to start!

Food, water, alternative cooking and all that are always ready so didnât have anything to do there. Iâm waiting for the eleven oâclock fix tomorrow (Tuesday) to decide if Iâm going to need to tie anything down. The chicken tractors handle a rowdy thunderstorm OK, but if weâre going to get sustained hurricane force wind or near to it then I think Iâm going to tie them down. I expect I may lose their tarps, but I have spares for just in case there.

I hope the rest of our Florida board members are getting ready because time is growing short.

â¦..Alan.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2008)

What with Fay finally beginning to move and all I decided I'd better harvest what fruit was ready before it all ended up on the ground. We picked four 5-gallon buckets of pears and about five quarts of grapes. This weekend I'll start processing the pears into sauce and pear butter. The grapes I'll continue to collect until I have enough to do several batches of grape jam. We make all the jam and preserves we eat so this will help to refill the cabinet.

.....Alan.
__________


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Hey Alan! good to hear from you, I was wondering how ya'll were fairing.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

How is everyone in Florida doing? It sounds like this Spring in Iowa floods everywhere.


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## Collinsfarm (Oct 30, 2007)

Hi all. Literally still mopping up after Fay waddled through here. We were lucky. 
As for preps, last week I added an emegency dental kit to the pile. Found it at Camping Survival. Also picked up some additional emergency dental pain swabs and a neat little dental pick tool with a flashlight built in.


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2008)

I got a bit more than twelve inches of rain out of Fay. I'm on the sand ridge on top of a rise so the water wasn't a problem for us. Our formerly dry pond now has water in it again.

We were sure happy to see the sun come out again yesterday though.

.....Alan.


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