Preparedness Tip Wednesday

Rehydration recipe:
3/8 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp salt substitute
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 2/3 tbls sugar
1 liter of water

Mix well. Drink 1 tsp every 5 minutes. If you have no vomiting or diarrhea for 1 hour increase their dose.

Read more...

May Orders: Dehydrated foods in Mylar Bags and heirloom seeds

Dehydrated foods in Mylar Bags and heirloom seeds

Order Forms are due June 3rd

Survival Seeds Order Form     Dehydrated Foods Order Form 

To see what is offered in the different variety packs go here: Survival Seeds Variety Pack

Read more...

DIY Solar Light

How to build a Solar light with water, a plastic bottle and house hold bleach

These only work when the sun is out but it could be very useful in the event of an emergency and there is no electricity. 
The physics of the concept are straightforward: the bottles are placed in roofs – half outside, half inside – and their lower portions refract light like 50-Watt light bulb but without the need for a power source. A few drops of bleach serve to keep the water clear, clean and germ-free for years to come.

Read more...

High Valued Barter Items

16 Things with High Barter Value that you might want to stockpile

We found this list online and wanted to share it with you along with some more of our own insights

Cigarettes. I hate smoking, and can’t stand being around anyone that smokes. Having said that, I recognize that in a SHTF situation many others will be cut off from their access to cigarettes, so there is plenty of barter potential.

Soap. Bars of soap, and even those little cleaning napkins/wipes that you get at the BBQ restaurants could be very valuable in a SHTF scenario. Ever see “The Book of Eli?”

Bullets. Obviously, it’s a good idea to have a decent store of ammo representing all calibers of the weapons you own. However, it is also a good idea to store extra ammo in common calibers (9mm, .22, .38, 12-guage shells, etc.) as a potential barter. After all, a gun without ammo is just an inacurate throwing object.

* I would also add although ammo will be a valuable bartering item be cautious who you barter this item with. You wouldn't want it to end up being used against you in order for the person to obtain the rest of your supplies. 

Alcohol. Alcohol could serve a variety of purposes in a SHTF situation. It is valuable as a potential bartering commodity, and it also has medicinal uses. Did you know Vodka is a great home remedy to counteract the reaction to poison ivy?

MREs. More portable and easier to barter than larger 5-gallon buckets, or even #10 cans of dried foods, MREs are great to have on hand for bartering. Keep a variety of flavors and different kinds of foods because you could be holding something that could complete a meal for a hungry person.
Our food bucket work great for this as well because they come packed in smaller serving packets.

Silver Coins. Keep in mind this doesn’t necessarily mean only silver dollars with a full ounce of silver, but even older, less expensive coins with a high silver component (the 1964 Kennedy half-dollar, for example).

Detergent. Don’t think people are interested in bartering detergent? Check out the story about the recent rash of detergent thefts across the country. Apparently, Tide detergent on the black market is now referred to as “liquid gold.” Interesting.

Water bottles. To someone in bad need of water, a water bottle could be worth its weight in gold. Remember the rule of threes: you can live three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Store accordingly.

Matches and lighters. A box of matches is relatively inexpensive, but for someone needing to build a fire a pack of matches or a lighter could be very valuable. Be sure these are stored safely, and if they are not waterproof make them so by storing in a watertight container.

Sugar. My grandfather used to tell stories of things that were in limited supply in the Great Depression. Sugar was something he often mentioned. Imagine how easily you could win over a sweet-tooth with the promise of a bag of sugar in exchange for something you are short on.

Toilet paper. This one is rather self-explanatory, isn’t it? Sure, there are substitutes for Charmin, but who wants to keep using leaves when paper feels so much better.

Water Filters/Purifiers. Water purification drops and filters could mean the difference in offering family members treated water or potentially harmful, bacteria-infested water. Who’d be willing to trade for that?

Bleach. May be used to disinfect water, or keep living quarters and soiled clothing sanitized.

Batteries. Can be used to power up flashlights, radios, and other electronic devices.

Candles. Emergency candles would be a great barter item for those in need of providing some light to their living quarters without electricity.

What other items would you add to your barter store?
Chocolate
Medical supplies (bandages, Iodine, antibacterial hand sanitizer)
Tools
Pain Medicine

Read more...

6 Food Items to Store Forever

1. Be prepared with rice
When storing food for a global food crisis, rice is perfect as it adheres to the essential principals of food storage. White, jasmine, wild, arborio, and basmati rice all have an almost indefinite shelf life. Rice is considered by many to be the ultimate survivalist food to stockpile in order to be prepared for a food crisis. Brown rice, while a healthier alternative to white, has a shorter lifespan. Due to the higher oil content of the food, it will go bad faster. 

2. Survive the food crisis with distilled white vinegar
White vinegar is a popular choice for salad dressings and marinades. With a long shelf life that makes it a perfect for food preparedness, distilled white vinegar will maintain its quality and taste for about as the entirety of its lifespan. Be prepared with distilled white vinegar. 

3. Enhance your survival skills with sea salt
Sea salt is the ‘real’ form of traditional table salt, sodium chloride. It is the ideal choice over its unhealthy counterpart, but in the event of a food crisis sodium chloride can also do the job. It is better to be prepared with sodium chloride than to not have anything at all. Salt is a powerful flavor enhancer that will never go bad. It can also be used to cure meats, which is a great way to maintain the integrity of stored meats. 

4. Honey
Honey has such a long shelf life that it has even been recovered from Egyptian tombs. While it can change color and crystallize over time, its edibility does not change. You can even restore crystallized honey by adding warm water and stirring. In its raw form, honey is also full of enzymes and essential nutrients. 

5. Cornstarch, the everlasting food ingredient for a food crisis
Cornstarch is a food substance that has a variety of uses. Helpful in thickening gravies, sauces, or soups, cornstarch is a food crisis necessity that will help you be prepared. It is important to note that while all of these ingredients will have an increased lifespan when kept in a cool, dry space, cornstarch will particularly be affected. 

6. Pure vanilla extract
Pure vanilla extract, different from its imitation counterpart vanilla extract, will last forever. The extra cost over its imitation is only minor compared to the elongated shelf life of pure vanilla extract.

Honing your survival skills will help you to be prepared if a food crisis is to ever strike the nation, or even the globe. Stocking up on these key foods will ensure that you and your family will not go hungry if such an event is to unfold. Even more impressive is the fact that these ingredients can be easily purchased at local grocery stores, making them convenient yet potent.

Storing food for a global food crisis may not be the first thing on your mind right now, but it is certainly great to know in the case of any food crisis. Although survival skills are not nearly as necessary in today’s society due to great advancements, having them could one day positively effect your life greatly.

Thanks Survival-Spot

Read more...

72 Hour Kits for Kids

I found this post over at How Does She and wanted to share it with our readers.
Here is a spreadsheet with all the items listed

All of these categories will have different items depending on your child's age this is just a general list

Clothing: long sleeve shirt, sweat pants, jacket, 3 underwear, 2 socks, warm hat, gloves, poncho, shoes (not pictured) "I used to stress about changing the clothes out for the different seasons but I read somewhere that you can just cut off the pants and the shirt if it is THAT hot and now you have summer clothes.  This same person recommended sweat pants because you can buy them a bit too big and they will still work, and then your kids can grow into them and you don’t have to replace them as often.  My boys are two years apart so I was able to just use all the stuff from my first boy and put it in my second kid’s pack.  My third is a girl and she will be wearing boy clothes in an emergency cause my second boy’s clothes were passed to her. I am thinking of tying the shoes to the outside of the pack because I am out of room inside."

Food: 3 water bottles, emergency energy food, snacks and goodies my kids like (z bars, dehydrated fruit, fruit snacks, beef jerky, jolly ranchers or other treats)

Emergency Supplies: small first aid kit, emergency blanket, 6 hot hands, whistle/compass, pocket knife (depending on the age), face masks
Hygiene: toothbrush, toothpaste, Chapstick, soap, washcloth, antibacterial gel, tissues, sunscreen, shampoo
Light: flashlight, batteries, matches, candle, glow sticks
Money: small bills and coins
Fun: post-it notes, notepad, crayons, pen, pencil, bean bag, dice, card game

One important thing not pictured is to have your child’s records, even if it is a copy.  Some things to include: current family picture, social security number, addresses and phone numbers, emergency contacts, emergency plan, and immunization records.

I would also like to add a tube tent and a rolled blanket tied to the bottom of the pack.

Thanks for the tips HOW DOES SHE

Read more...

Preparedness Tip Wednesday

Foil Packet Meals, they require no pots and pans, no plates and no clean up. All you need is a fork and some fire. And if you know what you are doing, they can be incredibly tasty and satisfying. So today thanks to Itstactical.com we are going to cover the basics of foil packet cooking. They also have some delicious recipes on their site to try next time you venture into the great outdoors or find yourself needing to cook your food over a fire.

Foil Packet Cooking Tips

• Use heavy duty foil. You don’t want the foil to rip and have ashes get in and your dinner leak out. If you use regular foil, double up on the sheets. If your food is heavy, and/or if you plan to eat directly from the pack, it’s a good idea to double up even on the heavy duty sheets.
• Spray the side of the foil on which you’re going to place the food with cooking spray before you add your ingredients and seal it up.
• When placing your ingredients on the sheet of foil, always put the meat on the bottom as it takes the longest to cook.
• Cook your foil packet on the fire’s coals, not in the fire itself. Ideally, you want to place the packet on a bed of coals about 2 inches thick.
• Hard, raw vegetables like carrots and potatoes take a long time to cook. If you don’t want to wait, use the canned variety.
• When cooking meat, throw in some high-moisture veggies like tomatoes and onions. This will keep the meat from drying out.
• Cooking times will depend on how hot the fire is and the kind of food in the packet. I generally err on the side of cooking it too long-this is the kind of food that you don’t need to be overly delicate with. Flip the packets over a few times during cooking, and open and check on how the food is progressing from time to time.
• When it’s finished cooking, open your foil packet carefully, as it’s full of hot steam!

Making Your Foil Packs

Making a good foil pack is essential to foil dinner cooking success. There are a couple of different kinds of foil packs you can make depending on what you’re cooking.

The Flat Pack

The flat pack is best for foods like meat where you’re looking for more browning than steaming.

1. Place the food in the middle of the sheet of foil. If you needed to mix the ingredients up, do so in a separate bowl before transferring it to the foil.

2. Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty foil that is about twice as long as the food you’ll be wrapping. It’s better to overestimate the length than place your food on it, start wrapping it up, and realize you don’t have enough foil to keep everything in and make your folds.

3. Bring the long sides together in the center and crease them together, making tight folds until the foil is flat next to the food.

4. Tightly roll up the shorter sides until they meet the food.

The Tent Pack

The tent pack provides a pocket of air that allows for greater steaming. Thus, it’s best for foods you want steamed more than browned like fruits, vegetables, and meat/vegetable combos.

1. Tear off a sheet of foil just as you would for the flat pack.

2. Place the food in the middle of the foil.

3. Bring the long sides together in the center and tightly fold them together towards the food. This time, stop folding a few inches before you get to the food, leaving a pocket of space and creating a “tent.”

4. Tightly roll up the shorter sides, again leaving an inch or so of space between the end of the fold and the food. 

Find 9 Easy and Delicious Foil Packet Recipes on their website

One of my personal favorite recipes for Foil Packet Dinners is

1/2 lb ground hamburger meat

1/2 yellow onion

1 cup of carrots (about 2 handfuls)

1 1/2 cups of red potatoes, cubed

1/2 packet of lipton onion soup mix 

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you put layer of onions under your meal (inside the foil), you will almost never burn your food. 

Thanks It's tactical 

Read more...