Marti’s Corner – 23

Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* I tried to post a video last week that was taken down because the person who created it was just besieged with people wanting to share it! Now, she has created a YouTube video. It is almost 45 minutes long. At the 7:53 mark, she begins to present her data. It is well worth the viewing. If you are on the fence, or not concerned, you will be after watching her video. Famine is coming.  Helena Kleinlein – Feast or Famine? The Coming Food Shortages.

* Garden update – My cucumbers are producing like crazy. I have too many tomatoes to eat, but not really enough to can. I think there are 12 ripening on my counter as I type this. Some kind of fungus has attacked all my potato plants and they are simply dying off. I’ve tried spraying with fungicide, and with hydrogen peroxide, and several other things. No go. Leaves keep turning yellow with brown spots. Ugh. I got little green worms in the lettuce and had to thin that out. (Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew to the rescue) I left the shade off the lettuce and it just about wilted to death. Plants do NOT like this extreme heat (106˚ the other day). Getting them in the ground early (February) has been a game-changer. Except for the potatoes, everything has produced some food already. Everything is covered with a shade cloth, and my sweet husband even took a fan out to the garden yesterday to cool off the plants. But, but, but!!! When you cut open that first ripe tomato, or fry up that first squash or eat that first crisp cucumber……THAT’S why I do it. Store-bought food cannot compare in deliciousness!

* It’s fire season in the Southwest.
A. Have an evacuation plan and talk about it with your family
B. Take pictures of EVERYTHING in your house!!! Put them on a flash drive. AND, when you pay bills this month, take a picture of each statement – especially your insurance statements and bank statements. They should be on the drive as well.
C. Have a plan for evacuating. You don’t want to be running around at the last minute wondering what to grab. 5 minutes. 15 minutes. 30 minutes.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Pasta

Okay, we’ve been working on this for three weeks.  Did you get any extra?  BTW, if you ever want to vacuum seal anything (this is how “I” store my pasta), just bring me some vacuum bags, or invest in a roll, and I’ll be glad to do it for you.  One roll will last quite a long time, and do pasta, flour, sugar, and a number of things!

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Pasta Sauces

Pick up a few when you go shopping this week.  Date them and stick them away.

72-HOUR KIT FOCUS: Emergency Ration Bars

Here is a recipe for DIY emergency ration bars. This guy made them, baked some and dehydrated some, tasted them, and explained exactly what he did. How to Make 3000+ Calorie DIY Survival Food Ration Bars  – reThinkSurvival.com  Each bar is NOT 3000 calories he explains. But each batch. Divided by 12 is about 260 per bar.
Keep in mind that the ration bars at Walmart are about $5 each, but they ARE 2,000 calories and will give you a day’s nutrients. Twelve purchased bars = about $70. I think these are considerably cheaper to make. Here is another recipe: Easy-Peasy High-Calorie Survival Bars: 6 Steps.

Keep in mind that a 72-hour kit should be able to sustain you for 72 hours. Whether you have to grab it and evacuate, or you get caught in a disaster away from home, you should have food!!! Plan accordingly.

MISC FOCUS: Cooking 72-hour kit meals

Here is what I have:
Folding Stove with 24 Fuel Tablets — Emergency Zone.  They are lightweight. They fold up small. And they only cost about $8. The heat tablets come with it and each one burns for about 15 minutes.
You can get them on Amazon or just at Walmart. I think you can get them at the Army-Navy Store as well.
Somewhere, I think at a local estate sale, we also bought one of these: Amazon.com: Coleman Gas Stove | Portable Bottletop Propane Camp Stove with Adjustable Burner: Sports & Outdoors.

I don’t carry this around in my pack. It’s too heavy. But I do have it in the garage, just in case I’m without power or gas or another way to cook.
I’m almost certain we didn’t pay full price. I think we got it for about $15. Frankly, we get a lot of stuff at estate sales. Every other week or so, we check this site, then head off to see what treasures we can find. Estate Sales in Temecula / Murrieta, CA

Just type in your zip code and it will find what is near you. We have purchased tents, sleeping bags, camp stoves (nice ones!!!), cast iron pans, even food storage. Another thing we like to look for are gardening pots. They are so expensive when they are new!!!

FOOD STORAGE RECIPES

Minestrone

1 c. macaroni
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 TB dry onions
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
2 TB parsley
1 c. water
1-pint ground beef
Simmer together.

Pasta Fagioli
(Fancy Italian name for Pasta and Beans)

1 lb. sausage (or use 1-pint ground beef)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
(You know, you can use regular tomatoes and add some Italian seasoning, right?)
2 cans cannellini beans (or 1 can of white beans and 1 can of red beans)
2 cloves diced garlic
1/2 c. fresh basil chopped
2 TB Italian seasoning – yes, in addition to what you added above
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
64 oz. chicken broth
1 lb. ditalini pasta
Add carrots and celery, or whatever veggies you want.
Simmer in a crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Chicken Pasta Salad
from eatwell101.com

2 medium cooked chicken breasts, shredded or chopped, or 1 pint canned chicken
(Did you know you can get shredded chicken in the deli section at Winco?)
2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
1 lb. cooked rotini pasta or similar
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. freshly chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste.
Toss it all together and drizzle the dressing over it.
Dressing:
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1 TB Italian seasoning
3/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Marti