20 ITEMS TO KICK START YOUR FOOD STORAGE PLAN

1.  20 pounds of Rice.  As boring as it may sound, rice is one of the backbones of every food storage plan.  It is filling, nutritious  and with the use of  varied seasonings and condiments, highly adaptable in a variety of tasty meals.  The choice of white, brown or a combination of the two is up to you.  White rice has a longer shelf life but brown rice has more nutritional benefits.  In my own household, I like to combine the two along with some Jasmine, Basmati and Calrose sticky rice.

2.  20 pounds of Pinto Beans.   Like rice, beans are the backbone to every food storage plan.  You may substitute white, kidney or other types of dried beans but honestly, pintos are one of the least expensive dried beans and in my opinion, one of the tastiest.  Need help cooking beans? when you are done here be sure to read Survival Woman Learns to Cook Dried Beans and you should too and  Respect for the Lowly Pinto Bean.

3.  20 cans of Vegetables.  Green beans, peas, corn and canned tomatoes are good choices.  Let your taste and budget guide you.  Buy what you currently eat and enjoy.

4.  20 cans of Fruit.  Peaches, pears, pineapple, fruit cocktail – again, this is your choice.  Fruits add a nice sweetness to life and these days we all could use more of that.

5.  20 cans of Meat.  Chicken, tuna, shrimp, salmon, Vienna sausages, beef stew and yes, even the ubiquitous Spam will satisfy this requirement.  Did you know that you can even purchase canned roast beef? Again, let your taste and budget guide you – there is lots to choose from.

6.  4 pounds Oats.  Remember when you were little and Mom warmed your tummy with a nice comforting bowl of oatmeal?  That is what we are talking about here.  A bowl of oatmeal topped with canned fruit can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

7.  2 large jars of Peanut Butter.  Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, with plenty of calories for energy and sustenance.  Besides, who can resist the taste of a gooey spoonful of luscious peanut butter?

8.  2 large jars of Tang or other powdered drink mix.  The only requirement here is get something you like and something fortified with Vitamin C.  I am not going to preach and tell you to avoid artificial sweeteners.  If Crystal Lite works for you in normal times, go for it.

9.  5 pounds of Powdered Milk.  Milk is a great source of protein and other nutrients.  In addition it is filling and can be used to top your oatmeal cereal or stirred into your coffee as a flavor enhancer.

10.  5 pounds of Salt.  It goes without saying that salt is an essential for survival plus it has a lot of uses other than as an enhancement for food. That said, our bodies need salt to survive.  Read more about salt in the article Reasons You Need Salt in the Prepper Pantry.

11.  10 pounds of Pancake Mix.  An all in one pancake mix (such as Krusteaz) only requires the addition of water to make up a batch of batter.  As with oatmeal, a big plate of pancakes, perhaps with some honey or jam, will make a satisfying meal that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

12.  2 pounds of Honey and 2 large jars of Jam.  We all need some sweetness in our life, even with Mother Nature or life deals us a blow.  I choose honey and jam over sugar but at the end of the day, you can make a substitution or simply mix and match.

13.  10 pounds of Pasta.  Pasta is familiar and easy to fix.  Pasta is a dense form of wheat but so much easier to deal with when you are first starting out.  Besides, it is a fabulous comfort food.

14.  10 cans or jars of Spaghetti Sauce.  Cheap yet satisfying, canned pasta sauce on a bed of pasta creates a satisfying meal that can be put together in minutes.

15. 20 cans of Soup or Broth. The beauty of canned soups and canned broth is that they are a budget friendly.  Soups are an all-in-one meal solution. All you need is a can opener and a spoon and you have a meal ready to go.  For an extra satisfying meal, try using a can of soup as part of the cooking water for your rice.  Yummy!

16.  One large jug of Oil. Choose olive oil, coconut oil or some other cooking oil, but definitely get some.  Oil is essential for good health, fueling our energy stores and providing support for fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients as they work their way through our system. Not only that, but a bit of fat in your diet adds flavor and makes you feel satisfied when you are done eating.

17. Spices and Condiments. Adding some spices and condiments to your food storage pantry will allow you to vary the taste of your storage foods, thus mitigating some of the boredom that is likely to occur over time.  The exact mix of spices and condiments is up to you but some suggestions include  garlic, chili, Tabasco (hot sauce), salsa, oregano, thyme and black pepper.

18.  5 pounds of Coffee or 100 Tea Bags.  There are those that will say that life without coffee is not life at all.  Whole bean (assuming you have a hand grinder), ground or instant – take your choice.  Or substitute tea.  Green tea and many herbal teas are quite therapeutic so if you like tea, this may be a good way to go.

19. 2 large bags of Hard Candies.  Hard candy can go a long way toward making an unpleasant situation bearable.  Butterscotch drops, peppermints and even lemon drops are good.  Have fun with this and pick up a couple of bags of your favorites!

20.  Mini LED Flashlight and Extra Batteries.  Okay, this is a cheater item.  It is not food but it is all important and so it will not hurt to stash a miniature flashlight or two along with the edibles in your food storage pantry.  My top pick of the moment in the Blocklite.  This thing just goes and goes and goes plus, it does not take up any storage space.

What's For Dinner - Oven Baked Cabbage Rolls

Oven Baked Cabbage Rolls

12 cabbage leaves

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper 

1/2 cup milk

Sauce:

1 cans (8 ounces ) tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

Drop cabbage leaves into boiling salted water; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain well.

 Combine ground beef, rice, onion, egg, and salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well and divide into

 

12 portions. 

 Place a portion into the center of each cabbage leaf. Roll leaf around filling; fasten with 

toothpick. Place in a baking dish. 

For sauce, combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water and pour 

over cabbage rolls. Bake covered in a preheated 350 degree oven 40 to 45 minutes. Remove

rolls and discard toothpicks. Place pan with juices over medium heat and stir cornstarch and 

water mixture into the sauce; bring to a boil and cook and whisk until thickened. Pour 

thickened sauce over cabbage rolls or serve on the side.

Cooking On A Log

Cooking on a log...

Cut the log evenly on both sides so it stands up freely. Then cut it into vertical segments most of the way down the length of the log. Stuff in some newspaper into the cracks as deep as you can get it, leaving a wick at the bottom, and light it up.

That's all there is to it—the log burns from the inside out, and you have a simple, handmade stove.

Homemade dishwasher detergent cubes with just four ingredients

Homemade dishwasher detergent cubes with just four ingredients! 

1 Cup Borax, 1 Cup Washing Soda, 1/4 Cup Epsom Salt, Lemon Juice. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/4 Cup Epsom Salt

Lemon Juice

First, start by mixing all the powders together. Make sure they get mixed up good because you want it evenly spread through all the cubes you're going to be making. If you're not sure about the Borax, just eliminate that from the recipe, it won't harm it at all.

When everything was mixed,  put a cup of the powder into a separate bowl and then pour in a little bit of lemon juice. For one cup of powder used 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. You don't want it to be dry but you don't want it soaking wet either. 4 tablespoons made it a little wet and sticky which is exactly what you want.

The lemon juice will foam when it hits the powder. Mix it all in and get it a little sticky. When finished with that, start to add it to the ice cube trays. Put in the amount and pat it down.

Now, when you're all done, set the cubes up on the window sill in the kitchen so that it would get a lot of sun and therefore dry quicker. Letting it sit overnight will make it nice and hard. In the morning flip the trays over and knock the cubs out.

Homesteading in a Camper or Travel Trailer during Winter

I reviewed some online articles concerning how to homestead in a travel or camper trailer during the Winter to keep warm in about -9 degrees F, these helpful tips were gleaned from "The Tiny Voice of Reason"  and Homesteading Today's websites/forums.



    You can use hay bales as insulation for the skirting around your travel or camper trailer, however, keep in mind that the mice will be moving in and that hay is prone to spontaneously combust and is a fire hazard. Another form of insulation that would work would be creating a wind break by using permaculture, or various sized plants in pots or planted in the ground in various heights and staggering areas to create a barrier for the wind as wind is the main cause of heat loss during Winter, especially if you have no trees or are in an open area.

    Wood siding for sheds is a good skirting for campers and trailers for winter, consider adding foam board and heavy plastic to the underside of the trailer and over the crawlspace to conserve more heat and buff the cold winter winds. Also, get the vent cushions to cover your AC during winter, these are often found in RV stores or online.

   Buy some cheap shower curtain liners, fold them in half, cut to your window size and put them over the windows on the outside of the camper/trailer just to where they overlap the window frame (and if you have a patio door frame, do the same) and make sure to tape with outdoor heavy duty tape found at Home Depot or other hardware stores and also consider caulking with wet weather caulk on the interior of the camper/trailer where there's cracks, such as around the around the main doors, windows & closet seams where they meet the floor and use expanding foam to fill the areas around the floor seam of the popout if you have one.


   Invest in Styrofoam insulation panels (12 pack for $8) from Home Depot and  put those inside the cabinets, closets, the storage space in the bedroom closet and under the sinks.  Under the tub, and that small space behind the toilet where the pipe sits in front, and stuff in fiberglass bats and make an inside cover with a square piece of Styrofoam insulation. Insulate your sinks as well!

    Put a wool blanket under your flat sheet on your bed, and consider layering two or three thick microfiber blankets on top for warmth when you sleep, also layer thin and thick blankets for your bed coverings, layers do wonders and if you don't have electricity, consider investing in a hot water bottle or pack, otherwise plug in that heating blanket!

    Put thermal curtains or blankets over your windows, open them while the sun is out for passive solar heating and close them up when it starts to get dark. Also, consider painting a few 2 Liter soda bottles black, fill them with water and let the sun heat them up during the day outside, bring them inside to let the warmth leach into the camper/trailer, if you find one or two isn't enough try a few more but larger water containers will take longer to heat up and may end up freezing and having the opposite effect instead.

Invest in a generator if money allows and stock up on fuel when it's the cheapest. Do not store fuel next to your camper/trailer, but in a safe area a good distance away in approved containers.

Some have installed wood stoves into their travel trailers, this can be a dangerous fire hazard and if you have one installed make sure that you have at least two fire distinguishers handy and never leave your camper/trailer unattended with a live fire in the wood stove.