Powdered Eggs

            Lately I’ve been thinking about dehydrated food and adding more to my growing supplies. Dehydrated foods have a longer shelf life, but can be more expensive and less palatable than fresh foods. Always with an eye towards protein, I’ve been weighing my options for longer lasting sources.

            Jerky is one way to go, but the shelf life is probably not as great as you think. Most jerky goes bad in 6 months to a year. Also, the older it gets, the harder it is to eat. And the impact of jerky on your teeth is severe, especially if you don’t have a lot of toothpaste and floss.

            Powdered eggs are not a bad way to go. Almost all powdered eggs are created the same way (removing the water) and so have similar shelf lives. Depending on your storage environment, you may get as much as 10 years from stored powdered eggs. However, the palate quality of the eggs does diminish over time. After 10 years, you may be able to live off it, but you will develop a new appreciation for seasoning. For info on recipes using powdered eggs, go on over to EverydayFoodStorage.com. Yeah, you can use the powder alone or in recipes.

I haven’t tried them myself, but Nutriom claims their egg crystals taste better and last longer than regular egg powder. You might order a small amount just to see if you agree.

You can’t live on carbohydrates only, so do your best to mix it up.

Great, Something New to Worry About.....

            So, you live in small, rural town where everyone knows your name. The small police force solves every crime (if you call them that) and you feel it is safe to leave your door unlocked when you leave. Life is good. Why own a firearm? Why keep supplies in your home? Your community will help each other through anything, right?

            Just read an interesting article over at Survivalblog. Flash mobs started out as these “fun” little “get-togethers” of hippies with no jobs and expensive phones who did things like dance in public or create some type of “art.” Social networking allowed you to set up times and places to do your random “whatever” and stupefy the onlookers in a harmless manner.

Unfortunately they are getting dangerous. Like anything else good, stupid people pervert them until people start dying. In fact, you could argue that the “Occupiers” are nothing more than a prolonged flash mob. Looking back at the aforementioned article, nearly 20,000 members of a flash mob overran a small town of 600, destroying private property, urinating and defecating all over the place and throwing trash around. People were beating each other up and the local law enforcement was completely overwhelmed. According to the article, people had to stand on the porches with their guns to keep people away.

Now what do you think would happen when these people got hungry or thirsty or wanted to get out of the cold? Wouldn’t your place look pretty good? Twenty thousand people lay siege to a small town because of a tweet? Just for “fun?” 

Can you protect your home from "hippy zombies?”

Where Are You?

            So, where are you on your Prepper supplies? Have you got your initial 3 days of food and water yet? Emergency flashlight? Stove and fuel? How about your ammunition supplies? Cash on hand?

            Good. Now, set your sights on 14 days of supplies. Remember, you don’t have to eat like kings. Canned food for 14 days is going to take up a ton of space, so some of your food should be dehydrated in nature. Powdered milk is fine for babies and cooking, but milk of any kind that is room temperature is not real palatable. Oatmeal will last well. Powdered eggs are an acquired taste, for sure.

           

 Keep it going, my friends.

Using Your Preps in a non-Emergency

            Read an article recently on the merits of prepping, not only for the major events but for the short term personal events, too. I think it was at thesurvivalmom.com or family-survival-planning.com, but I haven’t been able to find it since. The author explains that she has been prepping for years and has to dip into her supplies, at times, for normal, everyday “survival.”

Think about it. Your stash (sometimes called “larder”) is like a bank account that you just keep adding to. In fact, since food just keeps getting more expensive, keeping food long term is almost like earning interest (except you will have to replace it). The author wrote about how she has used her large cache of supplies during times of economic hardship for her family. It goes to show you that you should be holding on to food that you and your family will actually eat and enjoy.

It’s good to use your Prepper food anyway as you rotate soon-to-be-expiring food out and fresher food in. The bulk of your preps at first will likely be canned food and packaged rice/noodles. Buy canned food like Ravioli, beef stew, hearty soups and chili. They typically have expiration dates 18 months to 2 years out. This is food you can eat any time.

So you really have no excuse. Try $5-10 extra on canned food each time you go to the grocery store. Throw in some rice and beans every now and then.

More on this later.

Short Term Emergency Economics

            I was reading some articles and book chapters recently about a post-TEOTWAWKI economy. In case you aren’t up on the jargon that means “The End Of The World As We Know It.” Now, I know I have said that this blog is not about prepping for such extremes, but there was a lot of good information that applies. Even in a small-scale emergency, a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, there will still be the need for people to get supplies. People have to eat and drink. People need to feel safe and protected.

It is most important to be able to take care of your family’s needs, but it doesn’t hurt to look at the possibility of filling the needs of others, too, whether it is for charity or financial gain. Below is a list of my top 5 items that would be good for trading in a post-TEOTWAWKI society even if it is short term.

#1. Bullets. Yeah. Of course. You betcha. Bullets, shells, cartridges, whatever you want to call them. You should have a firearm (we’ll hit this later) and you should have bullets. Guess what? Everyone else will want them, too. In fact, fear being what it is people will likely trade food or water or whatever else they can to get them. You can get brick of over 500 22LR bullets for about $20. Why not buy a brick every month? Stockpile them some place safe and secure (like a metal ammo box) and in a year, you’ll have more rounds than you can possibly use. And who DOESN’T own a .22 caliber firearm? It is probably the most popular caliber in the world. You would be rich!

#2. Salt and other condiments. Salt is essential to our continued survival. Well, it also makes bland food more palatable and can be used to preserve foods. This means even in a short term emergency situation, you need salt. But don’t downplay the necessity of other condiments such as pepper, sugar, and even hot sauce. I bought two huge bags of little salt and pepper packets. I put them in thicker Ziploc-type bags and stored them in a dry place. Assuming people already have, grow or catch food, they will “pay” to spice it up a bit after eating bland soup for a few weeks. A warning, double-bag the pepper or you will smell it forever.

#3. Heirloom Seeds. Heirloom seeds are not genetically modified. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a problem with genetically modified foods. We’ve been genetically modifying foods for thousands of years. The problem with modern genetically modified food plants is that many will not set viable seed. You need the seed to re-plant more plants next season. Heirloom seeds are available many places online or in stores in small packages or bulk containers. Depending on when a short term emergency happens, you may need to plant a garden or a larger garden than normal to supplement your stored food or sell/give away to others. Why not buy a few packets each month for less than $10?

#4. First Aid Supplies. A no-brainer. People need to stay healthy, especially if they are not eating well. Bandages, rubbing alcohol, athletic tape, sterile gloves, sterile needles and thread, aspirin and other pain killers, antibiotics, etc., may be in large demand. You can buy small kits for under $5 or a portable operating room for around $500. Or just buy a few items each month. You can use them yourself and rotate with fresh stock. Remember, prescription drugs should only be prescribed by a doctor and given out by a pharmacist. I have heard that pet stores sell medicine for pets that may work for humans in a pinch, but it would be illegal to buy it for this purpose.

#5. Bottled Water. It is certainly not PC, but definitely a great thing to have in a short term emergency. My personal philosophy is to have at least a case of bottled water for every person in the house. Store them out of the sun and where it is not likely to freeze. Most bottled water will last for years in a cellar-type setting. Why not buy a case of cheap water bottles every two weeks and stack them in the basement or a closet or somewhere suitable? Costco sells a flat of 36 for around $4. There are similar deals elsewhere. Even in a short term emergency, clean water is an absolute necessity for drinking, preparing food and cleaning yourself. Just rotate them out and use them as they get old. Why not get enough for the neighbors, too? Just please recycle the empties.

Bonus #6. Body Wipes. Let’s face it, after a few months of a serious emergency, everyone is going to stink. In the mean time, body wipes like the type used for cleaning babies backsides will be a godsend. You may not have much water, so these will work to keep you relatively clean. One wipe a day on your underarms, nether regions and your bum will keep you smelling better the next guy. Another for your face, hands and feet will keep you relatively fresh and, even more importantly, keep you healthier. You can buy large packs or small travel size, but keep them stored in a cool place in your home because they can dry out over time. Of course, you can just add water to rehydrate them, but they are never the same.