Sweet Potato Plot Survival FoodIn this installment of our high-yield small-space gardening, we will look at two different types of containers and grow what will hopefully be copious amounts of sweet potatoes. This is the perfect blog if you have limited growing space, poor quality soil in your area, or if you are confined to just a balcony off an apartment. With the addition of a grow light or good placement by a window, you can bring a non-draining container inside, allowing you to grow even during the winter months. There’s lots to explore here, so let’s get digging…Download the Start Preparing Survival Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster. We’ll post a link below, or visit cityprepping.com/getstarted for a free guide to help you get started on your preparedness journey. WHAT YOU WILL NEEDThere are two types of containers we will be building and testing out here. The first has drainage holes in the bottom and may be problematic if your dirty water drains off a balcony, but it is no problem if you plan to simply set the pot outdoors. The second is a self-contained system that kind of marries hydroponics with traditional container gardening while recycling all those plastic bottles. This second method creates a reserve of water at the pot’s base and has been great at keeping the soil moist through our harsh summer heat waves.For the container with holes, westarted with a 40-gallon, Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) water trough from Tractor Supply Company. This container is 40 by 27 inches with a depth of 13 inches. These come in many sizes and shapes, but the 40-gallon version we felt best matched the space we would have available in an apartment setting. You will also need a drill, drill bits to make both small and medium-sized holes, rocks and pebbles or chunky bark-like material, and some quality soil.For the non-draining container, you may need a contractor-grade trash bag, and you will need a length of PVC pipe and multiple plastic bottles like gallon milk jugs and water bottles. You will also need the drill and soil, but you will require less soil with this method, as the bottles will displace the soil and result in a lighter and easier-to-move pot.CONSTRUCTING THE POTSFor the large trough, construction could not be more straightforward. We flip it over and drill several small holes in the bottom to allow water to drain properly. Some of these tanks and troughs come with a drain hole already built into them. If that’s the case for you, skip this drilling step, as you can simply keep that drain hole open to let the excess water flow out of it. This container will give me eight cubic feet of growing space. A bountiful harvest could be around 30 pounds of sweet potatoes. We could have gone larger, but this container would have worked on the smallest apartment balcony we have ever had, so we wanted to emulate that grow space. We will be using two here with two different types of sweet potatoes.We put about twenty across the bottom with a 1/8th or 3.18mm drill bit. The number of holes doesn’t really matter. You don’t want too many holes because you want to keep the container’s structural integrity. With your holes drilled, flip it over and add a thin layer of rocks, pebbles, or chunky materials. Here I am using some chunks of bark from a terrarium. The larger material will keep the finer potting soil from running out of the bottom. We have also seen people use window screening material for this purpose.With a thin layer of the chunkier material down, add the potting or garden soil you will be using. Fill it to around an inch or two from the top and pack it down with your hands. It will sink down and compact over time. That’s it. You are ready to plant your sweet potato slips in this container now.For the second pot, we will create a self-watering system. We’re using an old 17-gallon utility bucket that has started to crack and chip because of outdoor exposure. It’s still viable as a container, but we will line it with a construction-grade trash bag to keep it water-tight. With such a small container and the displaced area filled with the bottles, we will only get about two cubic feet of growing space. For sweet potatoes, we can plant a maximum of 2 shoots. However, there’s plenty of soil for other plants, so this method is excellent for tomatoes, peppers, and even amaranth or sunchokes.For the water bottles, place them around the bottom with the lids on them, and arrange them so you have no free space where they can tip over. For all the bottles but one, you will want caps. You will insert the PVC pipe in one bottle, making watering and fertilizing the roots easy. With the bottles placed, remove them and drill holes in them about 6 inches from the bottom. The uniformity of the height of the holes from the bottom does not need to be exactly correct, but you want them to be around the same height generally. For this, we are using a 5/8ths inch spade bit to give me a bigger hole, but you can really use any large bit. We will also drill a hole or two on the angled top to allow the water and roots a way into the water reservoir. We will also put a tiny hole in the lids. This will serve the same function.With the holes all drilled, we line the container with the contractor-grade trash bag. These are sturdier and slightly thicker than regular trash bags, but any trash bag will do since the walls of the container support it. We have seen some examples where people grow tubers just in trash bags loaded with dirt. That can work, so long as the plant enjoys wet and hot roots. In Southern California, we get too much harsh sun and too many critters trying to get to the wet soil for this method, in my opinion.With the container lined, place your water bottles upright into the bottom. In the one without a lid, you will insert your length of PVC pipe. Now place your soil on top. There’s no need for pebbles, rocks, or chunky filler because there’s no chance of your soil running off. Pack it down well and shake it to allow the soil to go all the way down between any air pockets between the plastic bottles. One real positive of this method is the ability to add fertilizer directly below the plant for the roots to take up, so we will just use one small packet. We drizzle the top with water to get it to compact a little more. Then we can add water directly to the PVC pipe. You don’t want to overwater or place this in an area that gets too much rain because your water doesn’t have an opportunity to run off. You can add up the total area of the bottles you use to get a rough idea of how much water to add to fill the space to around the halfway point.Your plants will find the water with this method. That’s what roots are for, but you don’t want your plant swimming in the water and constantly soaking. To this container, we will add just one shoot that we sprouted off an organic sweet potato we bought at the store. Before we go into that, we want to show you a similar pot where we didn’t use this plastic bottle method. You see, the plants are dry. The soil is dry. With the water source at the bottom in this water bottle method, the soil stays well hydrated.One huge advantage to this container method is the ability to move the plant to whatever piece of your yard has the right amount of sunlight and the best growing conditions.THE SHOOTSSweet potatoes are planted from offshoots, not seeds. Sweet potatoes are a viny plant. Wherever they touch the soil, they can take root and make more tubers at that location. Over this last year, we have tried several different sprouting methods. The method of burying them halfway in soil wasn’t very successful for us. The process of putting toothpicks in them and soaking them in water like you might an avocado pit was 50% successful. We used two sweet potatoes and got one to give me one shoot. We tried it with Tumeric as well, and that wasn’t successful. If you try to get your own shoots from store-bought sweet potatoes, ensure they are organic, as non-organic may be sprayed with a sprout-inhibiting chemical. If you buy them organic, you can sometimes get a spontaneous shoot to develop. If you moisten that or put it halfway in damp soil, it will likely grow for you.We wanted different varieties than at my local stores, so we ordered shoots from a well-known agricultural operation in Missouri. We will plant a Korean Gold variety in one container and a Myanmar Purple in the other. As an experiment, we placed them in two different sections of my yard, both with partial shade. We came to realize that the placement for these didn’t matter as much as they enjoy the full sun, so when they were hardened off well enough, we put all the containers together as if they were all huddled on a patio.Each shoot will yield between 3 and 6 root vegetables. If you wait long enough, 120 to 150 days, you will have massive sweet potatoes that are bigger than anything you will get in the stores. So, when you plant sweet potatoes, you want at least 90 days before your first frost. If you get hit with a frost, the plant above ground will die off, but the sweet potatoes underground will be fine. You can winter over the vines by gently turning them back into the soil and applying a thick layer of mulch. This will keep the plant from freezing and provide you with yearly harvests. Because these are above-ground containers, you may want to move them into a garage space over winter or heavily mulch the top to keep the vines from freezing, as they will lack the regular insulation of the protective ground. We will do a follow-up video to show you the harvest with this method, and these shoots we are planting here will be at the 120-day mark around Thanksgiving. Because we don’t fear frost here, we will only harvest some then and let the rest continue to grow in size for another 30-days.WHY SWEET POTATOESWe picked sweet potatoes for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not an actual potato, as it isn’t in the nightshade family. It’s actually in the morning glory family, so you may get some lovely flowering vines from them, though flowering is rare. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potato leaves are edible. They taste like mild spinach and can be sautéd, added to stir fry, soups, or salads. The leaves are an excellent source of antioxidants and contain high levels of vitamins A and C and riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, and niacin. Sweet potato leaves also provide impressive amounts of fiber, along with calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, potassium, and iron.The second reason we went with sweet potatoes is the high yield. We can get multiple pounds of food year after year. Finally, the sweet potato is super easy to grow and can come back yearly. Sweet potatoes can be grown in any fertile, moist, nutrient-rich soil. Pests are best managed with organics like diatomaceous earth and neem oil. Everywhere the vine touches the ground is a potential new sweet potato. The vines can be trellised or can be tended to and stacked upon themselves in an effort to contain it. This plant will take over a large area if the soil is good and the conditions are right, so if you plant them directly into the ground, ensure it’s far enough away from your other vegetables.This plant can also be grown very easily indoors, so long as the natural light from a window is sufficient. The vines will get long and can be laced around windows. The harvests will not be as impressive, but it can be done. We put this prepper plant up there with the sunflower, sun choke, purslane, and Amarnath. You will be glad you are growing it. At the very least, growing just one container like this will save you $100 or more yearly.Subscribe to this channel to be notified when we harvest these sweet potatoes. Perhaps the only drawback to sweet potatoes is that you must cure them by holding the temperature at around 80 to 85 degrees and with a humidity of approximately 85%. This sets them up for more extended storage by healing any cuts or bruises. Curing will also bring out the sweet potatoes’ sweeter flavors as it converts the starches to their smaller chain sugars. We will do that and walk you through that process in the follow-up blog to this one.
**Have you seen the empty shelves ahead of Hurricane Ian? Right BEFORE the disaster is NOT the time to prepare!!! Get prepared before so you will be ready. Here in So. Cal, we should be prepared for evacuation from a fire, or from effects of an earthquake. You can find ideas and help from dozens of websites. Here is one from Edison: Prepared for Emergency | Your Family’s Safety | Safety | Home – SCE
**In Riverside County, the office of Emergency Management has a new and spiffy website Riverside County VOAD | Emergency Management Department | Riverside County where you can find information about disaster preparedness, any active events happening, and about volunteering through VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters). In fact, if you scroll down, you’ll see MY NAME!!! (I’m part of the Board of Directors). WooHoo!!!!
All you who live out of state, get on your county website and see if you have anything comparable.
* Speaking of seeds, I bought a butternut squash the other day to make soup and I saved the seeds. They are on a paper towel, drying on the counter. After a few days, I’ll put them in an envelope and try planting them next year. Every time I make butternut squash soup, people who have never had it are hesitant to try it. But my family who was here last weekend pronounced it GOOD! “I’m pleasantly surprised,” my granddaughter said. Craig’s daughter, who is a vegetarian, wanted the recipe so she could take it to work for lunch. Look for the recipe below. The squash was under $2, and the cream cheese was about $1.50, so I fed the whole family for about $3.50. Okay, I did serve it with toast…. but still.
* Pretty sure there is a mouse/rat in the garden. Here is how I’m trying to protect my tomatoes:
* We are still in the 90’s here in the IE (Inland Empire). Hoping it will cool off soon.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Potatoes
I’m surprised at how often I cook potatoes. I love to fry them up for breakfast. I also include them when I make soup, or chicken pot pie. I like potatoes as a side dish when I’m making a main dish with a sauce (especially a cream sauce!)
You have so many options for potatoes.
* Instant potatoes. Aren’t these great??? I have some “just add water” potato pearls that I really like. The disadvantage is that they don’t store for a long time because the oils in the potatoes will go rancid. You can get instant potatoes that are JUST potatoes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has them for $48.65 a case. Each can is about 22 servings, so a case would be about 132 servings or $.37 per serving. If kept cool (or as cool as possible) they have a 30-year shelf life.
* Canned potatoes – This is what I like to fry up for breakfast. I “can” my own potatoes, but you can buy them of course. They will NOT store for more than 1-2 years, and the cans I had that were 5+ years old were black inside. It was disgusting!!!! Lesson learned. I also like to add these to soups and casseroles.
* Dehydrated potatoes – You can get dehydrated shredded potatoes in the bulk section at Winco. Augason Farms has both potato shreds and sliced potatoes. Amazon.com: Augason Farms Dehydrated Potato Shreds 1 lb 7 oz This #10 can is $13.37. It is 21 servings or about $.64 per serving. You CAN dehydrate your own potatoes, but it involves some work. You have to peel, slice or cube, and blanch (boil for 5-10 min) the potatoes before spreading them out to dry. Just prop up your phone in front of the sink and watch a good movie while you work. A 10-pound bag of potatoes is about $2.50, so it’s definitely worth it to do your own. Costco has these really cool little milk cartons of dehydrated potatoes. You fill them with boiling water, let sit, then dump them in the frying pan. I took some camping with us and they worked like a charm! I found these on Amazon, but this is exactly what they have at Costco. Idaho Spuds Real Potato, Gluten Free, Hashbrowns 4.2oz (24 Pack)
MISC PURCHASE: Drink Mix/Kool-Aid
If you have to drink water from your 55-gallon drums, you may want something to flavor that water!!! You SHOULD have a filter of some kind because it is difficult to rotate that water every 6-12 months. With the cost of water, I’m only rotating my water about every 5 years. I keep the water on the north side of my house (more shade), and I keep tarps over it as well. Still, I’m not looking forward to having to drink that water. I have 6-8 cases of bottled water, and we rotate that. BUT, I keep 6-8 of those large containers of fruit punch or lemonade. Pretty sure they will last for years!!! Is this a necessity? Well, not really. But something sweet will taste so good and be comforting in a bad situation. At Winco, you can get one for about $8, so get 2, and then pick up 1 each time you shop for the next few weeks.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash The hardest part of this whole recipe is peeling the squash. Ugh, it takes me about 45 min to do this. I probably just need new, sharper, potato peelers. Anyway, peel, scrape away the seeds (I saved them for planting), and cut into cubes. Put in a pot. Cover with water about 1 inch over the height of the squash.
You need 1/2 onion diced. If using fresh onion, then dice and sauté in some butter before adding it to the squash and water. I always use dehydrated onion, and I don’t sauté, I just put in 2-3 TB.
To the water add:
1/2 tsp dried marjoram 1/4 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper We are NOT spicy at this house, so I probably use 1/2 that amount – just a smidge Boil the squash until tender. This probably takes 20-30 min. Then get out the blender. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the squash and put it in the blender. Add 8 oz. of cream cheese a little at a time. Use the water from the squash to thin out the soup to the consistency you want. You can return the soup to the pot if you need to heat it up a little. Do NOT boil.
** You can use an immersion blender, but I’d drain off most of the water first. Otherwise, it will be real watery and you want it thick and creamy.
Chicken Barley Chili
1 can Italian diced tomatoes (you can use regular diced tomatoes and add 1 tsp Italian seasoning) 1 jar Salsa, or 16 oz can tomato sauce 2 c. chicken broth 1 c. barley 3 c. water 1 TB chili powder 1 tsp cumin Combine and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 20 min. 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and boiled. If you are using this option, go ahead and boil in the water with the Salsa. You can use canned chicken. This is what I would do in an emergency. Add it AFTER the barley is tender at 20 min. 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed 1 can corn, drained chicken Add to the soup and simmer for another 5-10 min. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Serve with cornbread.
Cook’s note: If you want a thicker “chili”, don’t add all the water. Wait and see how thick the chili is after everything is added. You can always add water to thin it out.
Honey Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal (or polenta) 1/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar) 1 teaspoon baking powder (optional, but it yields a fluffier cornbread) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring) 1/4 cup honey 2 large eggs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F and position a rack in the middle. Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9- inch square baking dish with butter and place skillet/dish into the oven to heat up. (Alternatively for cast iron skillets: heat 1/2 cup of unmelted butter in your cast iron over stove top on medium heat until melted, turn heat off then allow the butter to cool slightly before adding to the batter.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder(If using), baking soda and salt.
Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, honey and eggs. Mix together well to combine, then add in the slightly cooled melted butter. Mix Again until ‘just’ combined (don’t overmix).
Carefully remove your ‘hot’ pan or dish from the oven with oven mitts, and pour the batter into the hot skillet or dish. Listen to that sizzle! That’s what you want.
Bake until the cornbread begins to brown on top and atoothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20-23 min). Allow to cool for 10 min before slicing and serving.
NOTES: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own! Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or fresh squeezed lemon juice) to1 cup of room temperature milk (full cream,2% or skim can be used). Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes. Done! Prepare your buttermilk as step one of this recipe to ensure it has soured enough before adding to your mixture.
Things Anyone Can DoThis winter across America, heating oil will be an average of 43% higher, 47% higher for propane, and 20% higher for natural gas. This is on top of already significant increases. Many are already feeling the price increases of electricity. Additionally, Europe and the UK are looking at some very challenging times ahead in regards to their energy supply being reduced. It will be crucial, especially this winter, to keep costs down in this time of incredible inflationary pressure. This blog is as straightforward as it gets. We will outline nine hacks and fixes you can use right now to save money and stay warm this winter. With even one successful implementation, you are almost guaranteed to use less energy and save more money. Let’s take a look…Download the Start Preparing Survival Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster. I’ll post a link in the description and comment section below, or visit cityprepping.com/getstarted for a free guide to help you get started on your preparedness journey. 1) TUNE IT UP & TURN IT DOWNYou want to get your HVAC system inspected yearly or conduct an inspection of it yourself. Make sure any filters are changed out, ducting is cleaned out, and everything is operating at peak performance. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, ensure the flue and chimney are swept and flowing properly and close the damper when not in use. The heating system you have, however old or new, is what you will be working with in this blog. We will not recommend any space or portable heaters in this blog because they won’t save you money over simply optimizing what you already have.The easiest way to save through the winter is to turn your thermostat and water heater settings down. The Department of Energy estimates that you can save 1% for each degree of thermostat adjustment per 8 hours. Setting your thermostat 7-10 degrees lower in the winter for 8 hours per day will allow you to attain an annual savings of up to 10%. Turning down your water heater and insulating it, which we will cover later, will also save you money. Your hot water heater accounts for nearly 20% of your entire energy bill annually, so stop this blog right now and go turn that down. The optimal temperature for your hot water tank is 120 Fahrenheit or 48 Celsius. This is a comfortable, and sanitary temperature yet does not significantly increase your energy costs. You can measure the temperature of the water coming out of the faucet, adjust the temperature on the heater itself if you have a digital readout, or simply set it at a lower setting. If you find it is too cold after your initial adjustment, you can always turn it back up.We lead with this because making your systems perform optimally and setting them lower will guarantee you between 10 and 20% savings on your utility bills. The average person hasn’t ever looked at the current settings on their water heater.2) GET ENERGY EFFICIENTFrom bulbs to washers and dryers, you can keep energy costs lower by implementing more energy-efficient appliances and equipment. Switching all your bulbs to LED bulbs will make it so you don’t have to change bulbs for years, but they will also shave cents and dollars off your electricity bill each month. When you do your laundry, do it during off-peak hours. Bake bread or cookies in the morning and then crack the oven door to let the heat escape into the house.Switch to a smart thermostat. These have become so well integrated and easy to install yourself that some power companies will give you a discount for simply installing one. After we installed one in our home last year, the next winter, our electricity bill was significantly lower. Never again will you leave the house and forget to set your thermostat to a lower temperature when you leave home. Additionally, with a smart thermostat, you can just log in to it on your smartphone and set it to a temperature where only your furry pets will be comfortable.Put your holiday lights or lights you sometimes forget to turn off on a timer or a smart plug. This will allow you to turn them off even when you are not home. Trust us. We have Christmas lights that plug into an outside socket. It’s much easier to turn them off when it’s raining with a voice command from inside my warm and dry home than it is to venture out in the cold rain. Leverage technology to become more energy efficient in your daily life. These efficiencies may only save you a few cents or dollars here and there, but that can add up to huge savings over time.3) LAYER UPWe have been to people’s houses during the winter, where we thought it was freezing cold inside. It certainly was cold, but it was my fault for not dressing appropriately for the micro-climate of their home. Don’t just wear that ugly Christmas sweater for the party, but put it on like Mr. Rogers when you get home from work or wake up in the morning. Get that cozy bathrobe for the season and some long johns, thermal, or silk underwear. Layer your clothes when you go out, but also do it at home. Wear a nightcap or other comfortable hat in your home. Preserve your heat, even after you lower the thermostat. Socks with tread will keep your feet warm, even on hardwood floors. And, if you have hardwood floors, a throw rug is a layer of insulation for your room. If directly below your floor is the basement, insulate the basement ceiling, thereby protecting the floor from the chill of the space below.You can also wear a scarf and fingerless gloves when it comes to your clothing. Whatever is comfortable for you. We know some people cannot stand to wear layers indoors, but even a plush robe can make a world of difference.4) FIX YOUR LEAKSUsing an infrared temperature gauge, you can leverage technology to locate drafts and air leaks in your home. These non-contact digital thermometers are convenient when preparing for summer, winter, or just cooking in the kitchen, so you will be glad you got one. Point its laser around windows, doors, and walls to understand your cold spots and where they are coming from. Use it to figure out where the heat is flowing or why it isn’t getting to where you want it to be. Another way to determine drafts in the house is to light a candle. If the flame flickers and the smoke moves off in a specific direction near windows or doors, it is a good indicator of a draft. Sometimes just locking down and clasping down a window can create a tighter seal.Even small spaces under doors can bring a flood of cold air into a room or house. Indoor weather stripping, seal foam tape, and under-door draft stoppers can all be purchased for just a few dollars, but they will save you tens or hundreds of dollars over a whole winter if you can fix leaks and drafts with them. A hole the size of a one-inch door undercut will allow airflow of about 60 cubic feet per minute. By that calculation, a ten-foot square room could completely exchange the warm air inside with the cold air outside in just 13 minutes. It isn’t just the outside doors and windows that can make it challenging to keep your home warm. If you have colder and warmer areas of your house, they are constantly trying to exchange their air, and the temperature will drop. Your heater will work extra hard. Close off the HVAC vents and insulate under the doors of any rooms you rarely or never use. Make sure the vents you do rely upon are open and unobstructed. Having a draft stop under your bedroom door can keep the warm air in your bedroom while you sleep, even as the other rooms get very chilly.When it comes to windows, make sure you open the curtains and let the sun in during the day but keep them closed once the sun goes down. Even a few extra degrees can help. 5) INSULATEWhen you find a draft or note particular walls and cold areas, there are ways to insulate and heat them. If one of the walls receives a lot of sunlight, cutback bushes and trees that would prevent the sun’s warming rays from hitting the wall. Your home was built with insulation, but it can sometimes still be absent around window frames or in and around doors. Drilling a small hole in your cold locations and using a gap filler or spray foam can immediately impact your environment. Foam core insulation sheets can quickly insulate garage and basement walls or even add a layer more to attic spaces. It comes in various sizes, so you can get a size that is right for you, even to cover windows entirely. Insulation isn’t just for the winter, by the way. You can also save on your cooling bill if you use it right and use it strategically. When saving money, you will also want to ensure you have an insulation blanket wrapped around your water heater. They make these specific for water heaters of all sizes. The less your water heater has to work to maintain water temperature, the more money you will save. Finally, insulate your pipes. Pipe insulation looks like a pool noodle with a slit down the center. It’s easy to install. It will protect your pipes from freezing and, depending upon the insulative rating, will lock in the warm temperatures of your warm water pipes.6) CEILING FANSThe physics here are simple. Warm air rises. A ceiling fan operating in a clockwise direction at its lowest speed will push the warm air collected on the ceiling back into the room. Recirculating the warm air will help your heating unit run less often. It may seem counter-intuitive to install a ceiling fan in a room for winter, but circulating that collected warm air hanging out on your ceiling is proven to shave around 10% off of heating bills. If you can’t install a ceiling fan, placing a small fan on top of shelving units or cabinets pointed at 45 degrees towards the ceiling and on its lowest setting will circulate the warm air back into the room. Keep the air circulating; you will need to use your furnace less and keep warmer in the process. 7) ELECTRIC BLANKET OR HEATING PADAn electric blanket or heating pad can provide gentle warmth, making the surrounding temperature irrelevant. Whether you wrap yourself snuggly in the blanket or just sit on it, modern electric blankets come with multiple different heat settings and in many different materials. Modern electric blankets are also much safer than when they first came out, with automatic shutoff features and low voltage. The gentle heat of a heating blanket will make it so you don’t have to run your heater constantly because heated blankets concentrate their warmth around you. Because they are electric, though, they are going to have an impact on your electricity bill. The Department of Energy estimates the average electric blanket to use 400 watts, but various blankets on the market use just a quarter or less of that. When it comes to blankets, wool is one of the warmest, but there are many different plush blankets made from many other materials. When you don’t want to turn the thermostat up, put a blanket down. It’s one of the oldest and easiest methods to keep warm. You can also use a personal heating pad next to you and under a blanket to stay even warmer. Using a classic hot water bottle can accomplish the same thing without electricity.8) PUT A POT ONHumid air holds heat more efficiently than dry air. This means that an appropriate amount of humidity during the winter can make your home more comfortable and reduce the need for your furnace to replenish indoor heat continually. Putting a pot on the lowest setting on your stove with fragrant elements like cinnamon sticks, lemons, cloves, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, or other herbs and spices will create fragrant humidity in the air. It can also provide you with a steady supply of warming tea, and sipping warm liquids is a great way to keep your body’s thermostat running efficiently. If herbal teas aren’t your thing, consider it more of a potpourri, so you can still take advantage of the humidity to retain heat in your home.You can sip on hot cocoa, warm cinnamon and turmeric milk, or even a hot toddy at night. One alcohol drink can have a skin-flushing effect, making you feel warmer. Any more than that, and you are probably dehydrating yourself more than you are helping, and hydration is also critical to keeping your internal thermostat functioning at maximum efficiency.9) STOKE YOUR FURNACEIn addition to sipping warm liquids, what you eat can also warm your body. Food is digested in part by bringing it to core temperature. If you eat cold food, your body’s heat energy is focused inward, leaving your skin feeling cold. The exception to this is, oddly enough, ice cream. Eating foods like ice cream that have high fat, complex-carbohydrate, and protein content will also heat the body up. Your body puts more energy into digesting the fat, increasing your body’s temperature. Summer’s lean, all-vegetable diets should be set aside in the fall. Some people take daily fish oil, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil, or even an ounce of olive oil to get a dose of healthy fats that will keep their bodies warm.Putting on the stove a hearty beef stew and slow cooking it through the day will gently warm your home as well. Pull out a cookbook and make a stew, chicken soup, minestrone, or other easily digestible, warming food with good carbs and fat, and keep it warm throughout the day on your stovetop. Just thinking about it will probably keep you feeling warm. You can also start your day with slow-cooked cereal grains. Complex carbohydrates give your body just what it needs to regulate your internal temperature.ConclusionA few things are almost certain this winter. It’s going to be cold, and the cost of heating your home will be higher than it may have ever been before. Knowing these things to be true, you should be planning your winter prepping right now while it is still warm. These are just nine simple suggestions to keep costs down and the temperature up in your home. Some of these will also help you save money in the summer months. If you implement each of these suggestions, you will keep your costs down and still stay warm through the winter. If you have a power outage during winter, as has become a frequent occurrence for some in recent years, you will be glad you took these steps now.As always, stay safe and warm.LINKSElectric Blanket: https://amzn.to/3xU3VFyHeating Pad: https://amzn.to/3LQBCxyInfrared Temperature Gauge: https://amzn.to/3DYymhlIndoor Weather Stripping: https://amzn.to/3Ri84tESeal Foam Tape: https://amzn.to/3RjcsZhDoor Undercut Draft Stopper: https://amzn.to/3rdGdjASpray Insulation Foam: https://amzn.to/3fnIqq2Gap & Crack Insulation: https://amzn.to/3Siu8FRSmart Shield Insulation Rolls: https://amzn.to/3xWGNWPHot Water Heater Insulation: https://amzn.to/3xVNo3CPipe Insulation: https://amzn.to/3xWJoQBWarm Pipe Insulation: https://amzn.to/3rdKxzsThermal Clothes: https://amzn.to/3raMnkvSocks w/Tread: https://amzn.to/3RgGYmvSmart Plug: https://amzn.to/3BPV7l1Other tips:Another method is large pieces of cardboard painted black on the outer, sun-facing side. With a quarter size hole at the top and a dime-sized hole at the bottom, the sun will heat the black surface and the air between. Cold air will flow in the bottom and out the top. There are many options for do-it-yourself solar window heaters. These can save you on your heating bill during the winter and provide warmth even when the power is out. Even in freezing temperatures, we leave at least one window cracked a 1/4 inch to allow some air to exchange. This will also help keep fireplace smoke moving up and out of the chimney.
Here is a quote from the article. “As long as the can is in good shape, the contents should be safe to eat, although the taste, texture, and nutritional value of the food can diminish over time.”
bug-out-bag-prepping
* Putting together a 72-hour kit can be daunting! What do you put in it? What do you put it in? Like everything, you just start a little at a time. Use an old backpack. I opted to get a new pack that had LOTS of pockets!!! Then, little by little, I added to it. This site is pretty comprehensive and may look intimidating. Bug Out Bags – Bug Out Survival Kit If it looks like too much, do your own thing. But get one!!! I keep mine in the car and replace the food every 12-18 months. I do NOT have water in my pack, but the water is in the garage so I could grab some if I needed to. I DO have a Silcock key Sillcock Key: Counting Water Spigots In The City, and a water filter (both a straw and water bottle with filter included). ReadyWise Seychelle Water Filtration Bottle My backpack weighs 15 pounds. I figure even I can carry that much.
* If you do NOT want to use a backpack, get a small suitcase.
* We’re passing the Vernal Equinox. Days will start getting shorter (here in the Northern Hemisphere at least). I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the science of it and look forward to cooler temperatures. I will miss the sun and long summer days.
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
I got the best bean crop I’ve ever had this year. But, by July, my beans were all dying. I tried to keep them alive but to no avail. Then in August, I replanted. Frankly, they are NOT doing well either. Then a few days ago I saw this video: A Farmer’s Guide to Mastering Growing Green Beans – YouTube
Bottom line: I’m doing a bunch of things wrong. I did NOT feed my beans anything (he explains what and when to feed) AND beans want to be between 45 and 80 degrees. Out here in the desert, most of my summer was just too hot for the beans. He says to wait until day temps are in the mid-’80s before planting another crop. I just checked the 10-day and it’s still going to be warm. Maybe one more week.
* I’m SO disappointed in my little tomato starts. I looked at them this morning. I planted them on August 3 and they have barely grown in the last month and a half. Ugh. Literally, I have had better luck letting the suckers on the tomato plants generate new plants. I let those suckers grow as the old plant starts to die. My fingers are still crossed for a new crop.
* That week and a half of 80-degree weather have given me a few squashes and some green tomatoes. Finally!
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Fruit
We are nearing fall and the end of the growing season, so fruit is “in season”. While I was in Utah, my daughter bought a box of peaches. Oh my goodness, they were sooooo good. BUT, the boxes were only about 10 pounds and it was $26 per box. I thought that $2.60 a pound was kind of pricey for peaches. It’s a lot of money to pay if you want to can them. But they were REALLY good for eating. I haven’t been blown away by fruit prices here where I live. But you can still try to pick up some cans of fruit. Even applesauce is good. Fruit has to be rotated pretty often, so plan on eating it within the year. You can always get fruit roll-ups for about $.39 each that will last longer. Freeze-dried fruit can be expensive. Augason Farms Freeze Dried Sliced Strawberries 6.4 oz #10 This can of strawberries is $20 and says it contains 18 1/2-cup servings, so $1+ is not too bad. Even raisins are good for you and will last a long time if they are unopened. I’m not a big fan of raisin cookies, but I like raisins in granola. GORP is a good snacking food to put in your 72-hour kit (GORP=good old raisins and peanuts). Just remember all nuts have oils and will go rancid after about a year.
MISC PURCHASE: Baby Needs
Now is the time to get an extra can of baby formula, or some baby cereal, or an extra tube of Desitin, or whatever. If you have a child in diapers, you should invest in some cloth diapers. If you never have to use them, count yourself lucky. Otherwise, you will be SO thankful you have them. Just get 2 dozen diapers and put them in the back of a closet. Don’t have a baby, get pet supplies.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
How many of you have those cans of dried apples and don’t know what to do with them besides eat them? Here are two great recipes:
Apple Filled Cookies Filling: Chop or break 2 cups of dried apples into small pieces. DO NOT RECONSTITUTE. Place in a saucepan and add: 3/4 c. water 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. chopped nuts 1 TB flour Cook slowly, stirring constantly to prevent scorching until thick. Cool.
Cream together: 1 c. butter 1 3/4 c. brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 c. water 1 tsp vanilla Mix together and add to creamed mixture: 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 3 1/2 c. flour
Drop dough by teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Make a depression in the middle of the cookie and place filling in the depression. Then place 1/2 tsp of dough on top of filling. Bake at 350˚ about 12 hours.
Baked Apple Pie (without the crust). It will puff up while cooking. Serve hot with ice cream or as a snacking cake.
1 egg, beaten 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla pinch of salt 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 raw apples diced, or 1 c. dried apples reconstituted in 1/2 c. water 1/4 c. chopped nuts Mix ingredients and spread into a deep greased pie dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Oatmeal Kids Love 2 c. water 1/4 tsp salt Bring salted water to a boil. 1 c. regular oats (not quick) 1/3 c. chopped dried apples 1/3 c. dried cranberries 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 TB brown sugar Add oats and all the remaining ingredients. Turn off heat and leave on the burner to thicken to desired thickness. On a gas stove, reduce heat to very low and allow to thicken to desired thickness. Serve with milk. Serves 3-4
Tip: combine all but the water and store in a container or bag to make breakfast preparation faster. Make up multiple mixes to keep on the shelf.
Blueberry Scones I like this one because you can use fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries.
Preheat oven to 425˚ with the rack in the middle. Prepare and set aside a 12″ X 18″ baking sheet. 1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. sour cream (can substitute heavy cream) 1 tsp vanilla Whisk together until smooth and refrigerate 2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients
8 TB cold unsalted butter Grate the butter on large holds right into the flour mixture and toss together to coat the butter in flour. Add the cold, wet ingredients and stir just until barely holds together.
Dump the dough out onto your working surface and continue pressing the dough together until it holds shape, then fold several times to form a dough. Do NOT overwork it or the scones will be tough. Use the rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle 16″ X 12″, flouring the surface and the pin as needed. 2 c. blueberries 3 TB sugar Mix sugar and berries and spread them all across the surface of the dough. Press them in with the palms of your hands. Fold or roll rightly into a log. With a sharp knife, but the log into 12 triangle pieces for small pieces or 8 triangles for larger sizes. Transfer to a 12 X 18-inch baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with 2 TB melted butter and sprinkle with sugar Pro Tip: refrigerate or freeze the scones for 15-30 minutes so they retain their shape better when baking. Bake 15-20 min until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Optional lemon glaze 1 c. powdered sugar 1-2 TB of lemon juice Mix till smooth. Drizzle over the cooled scones.
Winter is around the corner.
Best time to prepare is now.
This blog will discuss items you’d want if the grid went down (including electrical and gas).
Assuming you live in a suburban home or apartment
Had friends that went through this last year in TX
At time of recording Nord Stream pipeline appears to be crippled. Europe is facing some challenging times ahead / winter will probably be difficult there.
At the end of blog, will also discuss steps to take if the grid is crippled.
We’ll break up the items by category.
If you’ve been preparing for awhile, you’ll probably have most of these items already.
We’ll post links to all of these items in the section below.ITEMS TO GETSafetyImportant to have since we’ll cover options such as generator and candles.
Have to factor in neighbors (if in apartment) as well.
1) Carbon monoxide sensor alarm
Battery operated
2) Fire extinguisher.
Don’t get the small kind, get a decent sized one.
Warmth3) Painter plastic sheeting + duct tapeUse these to cover windows to create a vapor lock.Most modern windows are double pane.Even if have doubled pane windows, some may not shut tightly and want to seal any leaks. We’ll cover more about this next week.If the room you retreat to doesn’t have a door, will want to isolate the room by hanging up plastic sheets or blankets.
Heat rises: if you have a two story house and you’re staying downstairs / block entrance to upstairs
4) Sleeping bags, quilts, wool blankets + ground pad
Do not sleep directly on floor: will suck your body’s warmth way. Have a pad or blankets under the sleeping bag.
5) Electric blanket or heating padWill need a solar or gas generator which can be expensive / will cover momentarily.6) Emergency foil blankets
Cheap
Can line clothing with these to reflect body heat back
7) Hot water bottles and thermoses
Put hot water in these
Can keep in your sleeping bag to keep you warm
Great to sip on to keep core body temperature up
8) Small tent (enough for your family, nothing more)
Set this up in your designated area
Get several people in one of these: will produce warmth that can be contained.
Also can line the inside with the survival blankets to reflect back the heat.
No tent? Use a table and throw blankets over it and get underneath.
9) Winter clothes (layered)
Be sure to move / calisthenics
10) Mr. Heater Buddy
Mr. Heater Buddy have a sensor to detect low oxygen levels and shut off. Probably safest option on the market.
Still, be sure to have ventilation and have carbon monoxide device next to it. 11) Small propane tanks + large tanks + hose for Mr. Heater and cooking stove We’ll cover these momentarily.Ideally get items that can use the same fuel source.Lighting12) Led headlamps, lanterns, flashlights13) Tea candles
Be very careful with open flames
14) UCO lantern
Heat and lighting
We prefer this over an open flame
15) Propane lantern
Not our first choice, but an option
Works with propane bottles
Cooking16) Camping stove17) Food
Eat the refrigerator (perishable) items first
Can place food outside at night
Put buckets of water outside to allow to freeze and then put them in the refrigerator in the daytime
Warming foods easy to cook: canned chili or soup, oatmeal. Easy to prepare and clean up.
Water18) Stored water
Bring water containers into your heated area as they can retain heat and slowly dissipate it over night
Plus helps them avoid freezing
Communication19) Emergency radioPower20) Small solar panel for charging electronics + battery (i.e. phones)21) Solar generator setup and lights that can be run off of this system22) Generator: Be careful with this where you run it23) Extension cords with splitter on the ends. Get quality options if powering a lot. Handle higher amperage.Damage prevention24) Faucet cover.
Let faucets inside house drip.
If extended cold weather / consider filling up containers / shut off water to house / drain pipes
WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT
Move to your designated room and begin preparing it.
Ideal room would be part of kitchen as cooking will add heat to the area.
Lock windows to keep tension.
Cover windows and doors with your plastic sheeting. This doesn’t need to be airtight. Simply slowing the exchange of warm and cold air is often sufficient enough.
We are hesitant to recommend the DIY heaters with candles.
We mentioned the UCO lantern which is safe, but beyond that, be careful with open flames.
Regarding sanitation
Keep trash to a minimum as
Check on your neighbors
We’ll do a follow up blog next week about ways to make your home more efficient for the coming winter.As always, stay safe out there.
How bad will it get for you?Our world’s food supply is increasingly under the strain of multiple factors: inflation, war, and drought just to name a few. But should we be panicking about food scarcity in the future? Will it impact you directly?If you follow the headlines and various social media channels, you might think the doom and gloom of famine are right around the corner, but is it really? Before every storm that impacts an area, we see empty store shelves. Every hint at a reason to panic or have a concern, and you see people stoking the fear by posting pictures of XYZ store’s one aisle with empty shelves.Food scarcity has become a popular talking point to whip up views, but is there any truth to it? This blog will examine this issue from a logical, evidence-based approach and not a fear-based perspective. We will tell you up front that, yes, there is room to be concerned. If you have followed my channel for any length of time, you know we are very level headed and not out to scare people, but you need to pay attention to what’s happening. We’ll cover the reasons for concern in this blog, but even more importantly, we’ll cover the solutions in the second half of this blog, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for that. So let’s jump in…Download the Start Preparing Survival Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster. We’ll post a link in the description and comment section below, or visit cityprepping.com/getstarted for a free guide to help you get started on your preparedness journey. YES, THERE IS A COMING FOOD SHORTAGEThe facts are out there. The cost to operate farm or ranches, or input costs, are way up because of low feed grain supplies, high fertilizer prices, and even fuel costs to operate all the heavy and light machinery. Many ranchers have taken advantage of the current high prices and sold off many of their herds. This will challenge supplies in fourteen to fifteen months. As we mentioned in other videos, natural gas is used to make fertilizer. The cost of natural gas has been way up since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and it will likely climb even higher still owing to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, even though they were offline, and the increased demands of winter. Fertilizer production takes a back seat to people’s essential heat. The grain production and exporting normally done by Russia and Ukraine have also been significantly reduced due to the conflict. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies alone. Add to this sunflower seeds and oil. Ukraine is the highest volume producer of this oil seed. Russia is the second largest. Beyond grain, these two countries are also significant exporters of iron, steel, and wood products, all of which are needed for a global economy to grow. Even this is related to food scarcity in some ways. If you can’t build an economy, it falls into a prolonged recession. This leads to massive inflationary pressures. That, in turn, leads to what the experts call a “Food Mirage,” where categories of food may be plentiful, but prices are beyond the means of low-income households. You might see this phenomenon now if you’ve cut back on your beef purchases or stocked up on flour.Finally, as we covered in another blog, grain hoarding activities of India and China make grain more expensive and global supplies tighter. The fact remains that most countries don’t produce everything they need to feed their population. Even countries with ample land and water for food production favor cheaper exports where they can. There are very few banana plantations in the contiguous United States, for instance, and though we grow plenty of fruits like grapes and avocados, we import even more. Though California produces 90% of the tomatoes in the United States, it is also 35% of world production. Likewise, while the United States accounts for less than 2 percent of global rice production, it ships almost 5 percent of global exports and is currently the fifth-largest exporter. So, you may pass by on your morning commute a crop of something thriving in the field, but there’s a solid chance that what is growing there will never reach your dinner table. A supply chain may see that food shipped off to cheaper manufacturers overseas before making its way back to the United States via supply chains that have, at least in the last year, proven incredibly fragile, at best.All of these human-made challenges aside, a natural crisis is occurring at a rate we haven’t seen in a while. We won’t put it anywhere on par with the dust bowl, as some would have you believe, but there is no denying similar conditions are fomenting. The whole western part of the United States is in a multi-decade drought. It’s drier and hotter than it has been in hundreds of years. Some heatwaves are so prolonged that they have disrupted fruit setting on the vine. This was the case with the California tomato harvests that are down to their lowest levels in decades. And, here we are talking hundreds of thousands of metric Tonnes lower. We don’t want to cherry-pick the fruits and vegetables here. If you do the research and talk to the farmers, you will know that challenges from weather, drought, heat, and other natural extremes have dropped production rates around the world for rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, sorghum, barley, and more. We will put links to some of these farm reports below, so you don’t have to just take my word for it. We will be the first to tell you that hurricane Ian literally went right across the citrus belt of Florida, some 375,000 acres. That state has produced 70% of all US citrus over the last decade. The citrus harvest began around the middle of September. While it is too early to tell how much of it will be a loss, it’s safe to say that citrus trees laden with fruit don’t fare well to sustained winds of around a hundred miles per hour. Right now, farmers can’t even get out to their crops to assess and report the damage, but it would be wise to brace for a citrus shortage and the high prices that will come with that. Ongoing problems like soil salinity will plague the most impacted areas for years.The manmade and natural challenges to our food supply combine to give the supply side of the equation a very dismal outlook. From economics to war, to input costs, to lower harvests, to drought in some places and floods in others, I’m not going to lie; the answer to the question of whether we are facing a food crisis is an emphatic “yes.” Still, do “you” face a food crisis?HERE’S WHY THE ANSWER MAY BE NOSome countries worldwide are heading right into famine in the next year and possibly through the rest of this decade. There’s no doubt about it. They have never produced the amount of food required to sustain their populations. The sale of other minerals, chemicals, and industrial commodities allowed them to purchase the needed food for their people. Those food resources are now highly priced and straining these countries’ economies to the point of collapse, or they aren’t available for purchase and importation anymore. Ukrainian grain exports are lower than they have ever been.Then some countries do produce enough of a type of food for their population but have long generated income by exporting. These countries are no longer exporting as much if any, grain. China and India are the best examples of this. China, in particular, is hoarding grain and suffering through some pretty extreme weather events right now. They’re not likely to up their exports to save the world when they need the food in their own country. Producing enough of a type of food to feed your population, however, is becoming more of a rarity these days. The food produced, however, needs new distribution channels. Establishing these new channels that turn to a country’s own population doesn’t happen overnight.There’s a severe lack of food diversity that leaves many throughout the world vulnerable. Our ancestors foraged and ate an abundance and diversity of different foods, but modern agricultural processes have specialized our food resources to a handful of staple options. These forgotten foods, edible but rarely commercially produced or harvested, compose around 200,000 plant species, but they have been put aside in favor of higher-yielding or better consumer-appealing crops. Hand a person a Sunchoke, Pumpkin or Sweet Potato leaves, Purslane, Moringa, Goose Berries, a bag of Buckwheat or Amaranth, or a handful of Chocolate Berries, and you will get some pretty odd looks. So, in assessing your and your area’s potential for food scarcity, you must ask yourself a couple of questions. First, how dependent upon external sources of food are you? If all your food comes from a grocery store, you will suffer worse than someone who grows even a little bit of what they eat. If all your food comes into your area on trucks, you will have a more challenging time with any shortage. So, how removed from the soil are you? If you live miles from where the food comes from, you are last on the list when shortages occur. Second, how dependent upon very specific staples are you? If your diet relies on one or two grains like wheat and oats, you probably aren’t in a position to pivot and pay up for quinoa, amaranth, or almond flour. Some alternate grains might not even be readily available where you live.Third, how close to the food are you? And by this, we mean, do you cook it yourself, or do you rely upon restaurants and food processors? It’s one thing to go to a store and buy an increasingly more expensive can of minestrone or french onion soup. If your economy holds up, and there isn’t another onion crop failure, or there’s wheat enough for the pasta in your minestrone, you might be okay. Otherwise, would you know how to cook either of these soups, where to source onions, or how to make your own pasta? If you answer that you can do that by sourcing locally and cooking on your own if you had to, you will suffer far less than someone who responded that they couldn’t.So, while we don’t think every living plant will wither and die like in some science fiction or fantasy movie, leaving a world’s population starving, we can’t deny that shortages will occur. In the next few years, you will hear more about shortages, supply chain failures, crop failures, and even famine. There won’t be any shortage of doom and gloomers posting pictures of their local grocery store shelves or lamenting about how they can’t get this or that food item. In some cases, this will lead to runs on stores which will further impede food supply issues. How dependent upon the very narrow fixed system of production, how specific your diet is, and what you know about food and food preparation and sourcing will be the factors that determine the extent that the coming global food scarcity will impact your life. It’s undeniable that there will be less food in the system. Therefore, there will be diminished options for most and challenges for everyone.Is the coming food shortage real? Yes. Will it impact you directly? Let’s answer that with a maybe. In a country like the United States where there is a food abundance, you may be able to pivot and change your diet, pay the higher prices and just have food as a more prominent line item in your budget. Most people in the world, however, aren’t in that situation. As they suffer, it will put upward pressure on prices and supply. So, you will feel the impact of the coming food shortage even if it doesn’t directly impact your daily caloric intake.WHAT CAN YOU DO?So, what can you do? Start by asking yourself those questions, then work to become more dependent. We think food independence and not just storing food is such a huge issue moving forward that we will be making it a significant topic on this channel. There is food scarcity coming, but there are things you can do to lessen or even negate the impact that will have on your life. First, turn to locally sourcing your resources. Shorten that supply line, so it doesn’t rely upon other countries. Where’s the closest small-scale farming operation to you? Second, buy bulk and set aside to keep your food reserves high. Buying a mega-size 2-pack of cereal might seem more than you need right now, but you’ll be glad to have the extra box set aside when the farm reports are made public. We know many people who form their own little family co-ops, buy in bulk and parse it amongst themselves. That’s a great solution. You might not be able to eat a bushel of apples, but you could certainly save money by buying extra and swapping them with others in your co-op. Apples, by the way, are one of the crops looking to do well this year. So, there’s a glimmer of good news. Third, grow something. Figure out a way, whether that is sprouts and herbs on a window sill, your own hydroponic system in your garage, or a container garden on your balcony. If it gets truly bad, that food production will be critical to you. Though you may be unable to eat all the sweet potatoes you grow in a 40-gallon container, the surplus harvest can be traded for other food resources. You might not eat from the fruit tree you planted today for several years still, but planting it now puts a long-term insurance policy on future food insecurity. Fourth, cook and preserve every morsel of food you buy. Dehydrate, freeze-dry, powder, stew, can, pickle, or whatever other method works best for you. This builds up your inventory and teaches you vital skills that can be applied to existing and future food resources. When the people suffering through the Dust Bowl ran low on food, they rendered some of the only vegetable matter still available to them, the tumbleweed, edible by pickling it.That brings up the final thing you can do here to lessen the impact of food scarcity–diversify your diet and cook for yourself. That’s really two things, but we put them together here because if you’ve never sprouted red amaranth, you can get 40,000 seeds for under $6.00. If you get a few sprouts sprinkled over your fish at your favorite restaurant, you will pay up for it. Still, you must know how to sprout this grain from seed. You have to know in what ways you can eat it, whether you actually like the taste of it, and whether it agrees with your digestive system. All of that has to come now, before the more extensive food crisis strikes, so there’s much you should be doing now.There is a looming food crisis, and it is barreling right down upon us. As a prepper, what you do now will determine whether that will impact you. As we mentioned earlier, we’re working on blogs to roll out over the next several months to teach you more food independence. We want to link to a couple of critical, must-read food blogs we have done in the past that will provide you with the minimal basics of what you should have in place. The first is How to Easily Build a 2-Week Food Supply. If you don’t have this in place, you will be a victim of whatever disaster comes your way. We guarantee that. So, please let this be your starting point and watch this video. The second blog we suggest here is 3 Months Is All You Need As A Prepper – Here’s Why. Specific preps can be extended and rationed to last even longer than you plan for them to. A food shortage may not require you to turn solely to your stored food. If it doesn’t, knowing how you can stretch your supply will be critical to your survival. Finally, watch 16 lbs of Food to Keep you Alive: Crucial Prepper Pantry Food Items. Understanding the low-cost, high-yield foods you could be eating now to offset shortages elsewhere might soon mean the difference between an empty bowl or food in your belly.Look, we are facing a food crisis for reasons of our own making and reasons far beyond our control. We will be honest with you; we may have reached the apex in the collective history of our food production and supply. That doesn’t mean it is all downhill from here, as some would want to scare you into believing. It does, however, mean that you will have to change your ways if you plan on thriving through this long, slow, disaster of global proportions. We hope you take this seriously, watch the other recommended videos, and get your food preps and security in better order.As always, stay safe out there.LINKS:Tomatoes: https://www.tomatonews.com/en/rain-impacts-california-tomato-harvest_2_1775.htmlRice: https://www.kcra.com/article/2022-california-rice-harvest-drought-supply/41200588Wheat: https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/wheat/world-now-watching-us-winter-wheat-harvest-yields-oklahoma-and-texas-reveal-someCorn & Soybeans: https://www.agriculture.com/news/crop-progress-report-92622Sorghum: https://www.farmprogress.com/crops/sorghum-harvest-beginsBarley: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/farm-life/article/2022/07/17/farmers-talk-barley-harvest-balingCitrus: https://www.chronicleonline.com/weeklies/levy_county_citizen/local_news/375-000-acres-of-citrus-in-ian-s-path/article_d7e96fe8-5c5e-54c1-86c2-02feb586c993.htmlUnderutilized Crops: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neglected_and_underutilized_cropVIDEOSHow to easily build a 2 week emergency food supply3 Months Is All You Need As A Prepper – Here’s Why16 lbs of Food to Keep you Alive: Crucial Prepper Pantry Food Items
* Just a reminder of why my church is doing this: Food Storage
* I saw this on FaceBook. This is EXACTLY how I did my barrels.
* Here is a handy chart for mixing powdered milk. Pretty sure they are talking about non-fat non-instant milk, NOT the instant milk. I’ve always mixed instant milk 1/3 c. milk plus water to make 1 cup. But the powdered milk I use 1/4 c. milk and water to make 1 cup. Just knowthat on this chart, 3 TB is ALMOST 1/4 c. One-fourth cup is actually 4 TB, but I think it makes the milk just a little richer – not so “see through”.
1/2 c. butter powder plus 1 1/2 TB of water is equivalent to 1/2 c. (1 stick) store bought butter
When using in recipes: Add butter powder to dry ingredients then add allocated water to the wet ingredients
To shape:
Mix 1 c. butter powder with 3 TB water (if necessary, adjust water for desired consistency).
Form into desired shape
Spreadable: Mix 1 c. butter powder with 6 TB water
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
* The broccoli harvest time is 71 days. I replanted on Sept 3. So, that means that somewhere about the first week of November, I should have broccoli. We’ll see. It’s a grand experiment. Actually, ALL of the gardening is a grand experiment every year.
* I’m so grateful for this rain!!! It is really helping with the local fire that is raging out of control. Also, it pulls nitrogen out of the air and onto the plants! Yay, Mother Nature! That’s why everything greens up after rain.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Canned Meat
This can be tuna, canned salmon, SPAM, canned chicken….whatever you are used to cooking with. Try to get at least 5 cans or $20 worth.
I DO have a lot of outdoor solar lights. But, then there are the days when the sun doesn’t shine, and the lights won’t work.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
Tuna Casserole If you have never had this 1950’s classic, here it is. Easy to store and make:
Cook pasta (1 pound macaroni or any other), Drain
2 cans of tuna drained 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Add. You can add a little milk to the soup to make it easier to mix. Some people like to add peas. Others think peas are gaggy!!! Some add crushed potato chips on top. But potato chips are not storage material. I like tuna casserole, but cook it only occasionally.
Minestrone 1 c. macaroni 1 can corn 1 can diced tomatoes 2 TB dehydrated onions 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp thyme 2 TB parsley 1 c. water (you may need to add more as macaroni cooks) 1 pint beef (OR chicken)
Combine and simmer
Taco Pot Pie 1 pint beef (or 1 pound beef-browned) 1 pkg taco seasoning 1/4 c. water 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes 3/4 c. corn 3/4 c. peas
Mix all ingredients and put in a casserole dish.
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese – sprinkle over meat mixture
Topping: cornbread (use a mix or a recipe and spoon on top)
Three a day, and you have 180 days (1/2 year) for 1 person. All individually wrapped. Just a thought!
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
** The tomato plant I bought at Lowes and planted about 6 weeks ago has tomatoes. Two. Two tomatoes. Yay! I’m not worried. Remember that when it is really hot, the plants don’t set fruit (put out flowers). So, now that the temps have dropped 20 degrees, we’ll see. I also see flowers on the beans and peppers. Having kept most of my garden alive during the summer, I’m hoping to get a second crop. Hoping.
* I planted broccoli inside. It died. I planted it again and took it out, and it died. Sigh. One more try, then I think it will be too late.
* I planted tomatoes from seed about 4 weeks ago. They are NOT ready to transplant, but they DO have their first grown-up leaves!
* THIS is what happens to lettuce when you don’t spray with Captain Jack’s on a regular basis as you SHOULD, and a GIANT grub comes along and eats everything down to the quick. Argh.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Wheat
** The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has wheat for sale online. Each case contains 6 #10 cans and is about 30 pounds for $40 Hard White Wheat or Hard Red Wheat
Don’t like wheat? Don’t want to mix the bread, shape the bread, or bake the bread? Or eat the bread? “All right,” said the Little Red Hen! But you need grains. Carbohydrates give you energy and are filling. Even if you don’t bake bread, you can make brownies, biscuits, pancakes, and cookies! If you are gluten-free (I have a grandson with Celiac’s disease), then stock up on almond flour, amaranth, buckwheat, cornmeal, chickpea flour, or millet. Also rice and potatoes!!!
The price of soup keeps rising! I inventoried my soup last week, and I only have about 6 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup left (that’s the one I use the most). At Winco, I bought a four-pack for about $4.50! Individually, it can be almost $2 a can. Yikes! You can make a homemade-type cream soup (like a copycat recipe), but frankly, it doesn’t taste the same and I like the ease of canned soup.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
How to Substitute Wheat in your Favorite Recipes:
Wheat flour is heavier than white flour and needs more leavening.
In bread, use more yeast OR let it rise longer.
In baking powder-leavened products, increase baking powder by 1 tsp for every 3 c. of whole wheat flour.
In baking soda recipes, you do NOT need to adjust amounts.
In baked products using eggs, separate the eggs and beat the whites till stiff. Then fold in just before baking. For extra lightness, an extra separated egg may be added. This works well for cakes and waffles.
Blender Wheat Pancakes: 1 c. wheat 1 c. uncooked whole wheat Put in a blender and blend on highest speed for four or five minutes or until batter is smooth. Add:
2 eggs 2 TB oil 2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 TB honey or sugar Add and blend. Bake on a hot griddle.
Graham Crackers 1 c. whole wheat flour 1/2 c. white flour 1/3 c. + 1 TB sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda Sift together into a mixing bowl.
In a saucepan heat: 1/3 c. butter 1 TB milk
1 TB honey Heat until melted.
Pour into dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Let chill 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Place on a cookie sheet, still on the parchment paper.
Bake 8 minutes and rotate pan. Bake until evenly golden-brown all over, 8-9 minutes more. The finished graham crackers should be a shade darker than the original dough, not shiny and dry when touched in the middle. Prick with a fork as they come out of the oven.
Wheat Muffins 2 c. whole wheat flour 1 c. brown sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda Mix in a medium sized bowl. If you are using powdered milk, add 1/3 c. powdered milk to the dry ingredients and 1 c. water to the wet ingredients.
In a large measuring cup: 1 c. milk (or 1 c. water if using powdered milk) 1/2 c. melted butter 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg Pour over dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tins or cupcake papers. Bake 350˚ for 15 minutes.
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I had an interesting conversation with a “buyer” for Whole Foods Markets up north. I asked her how often she orders items: Every day. How much do you order? A week’s worth? No. A day’s worth. Sometimes 2 days at the most. No wonder the shelves were emptied almost overnight. Just make sure YOU are prepared. We MUST be vigilant.
If you go to YouTube and search for Saratoga Jack, you’ll find other videos with additional recipes. It’s cheaper than a sun oven and can be used indoors.
You can DIY on these thermal cookers if you search on YouTube. But I didn’t want to take any chances and just got one when it went on sale.
* With all last week’s talk about earthquakes, I was reminded of this YouTube channel: Large Earthquake M6.4 (M6.8) strikes North of New Zealand – West Pacific He shows you the latest and largest earthquakes that have happened and predicts how it will affect the “plates”. He is not ALWAYS right, but with 533,000 subscribers, he is credible.
*Did you realize that the first Star Wars movie came out 45 years ago? 45 YEARS!!! (Okay, that had nothing to do with emergency preparation, but WHERE DID THAT TIME GO???)
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
* A new pest. See these little black dots on my tomato plant? This is caterpillar poop!
These tomato hornworms will strip your plant of all its leaves in just a day or two.
I searched that entire plant and could not find it/them. But if you see those black dots, they are there – I promise. Captain Jack’s spray will work on them. Don’t delay! If you go out at night and have a black light (I don’t have one), you can find them quickly. They glow in the dark!!! What do hornworms look like in the dark
Nasty-looking things, aren’t they?
* My baby tomato plants are about 3 inches high and are just getting their true leaves. The broccoli is also up. It WAS doing well…. until today. We didn’t get home until 2:00, and even though they were under the shade cloth all day a lot of the broccoli just withered and died. Just great. Before I replant them, I’ll have to check the number of days until harvest. We’re running out of time. For everything that is still alive, I’m going to put them into the containers where I’ve pulled out the beans and cucumbers.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Sweeteners: pancake syrup & jam
Probably once a week, I make pancakes, or french toast, or french pancakes. All these require maple syrup – at least at my house. I DO have a recipe for syrup, but I find that I don’t mind just storing an extra bottle or two.
This week, when you are at the store, just get an extra bottle of syrup, and pick up some jam. Even if you are NOT a jam eater, when you are hungry, bread and jam is delicious!!!
MISC PURCHASE: vitamins
I had a discussion the other day about food that was past its expiration date. I NEVER look at those dates. I open it and if it looks and smells good, then I figure it IS good. But her comment was that she had heard the nutrients decrease with time. That may be true. So, to combat that, and any other problems we may have with food supply, I store vitamins. That food I have may not be as nutritious, but it will still be filling, and the vitamins will supply the nutrients. (That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!)
We don’t want anyone dying from scurvy if we can’t get fresh fruit. Vitamins will fill that niche. Vitamins have an expiration date as well, but I’d rather throw away and repurchase a jar of vitamins than cans of food storage.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
Maple Syrup 1 c. corn syrup (see recipe below) 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. water few drops of maple flavor (maybe about 1/2 tsp)
1 TB butter Heat together, store in a mason jar.
Corn Syrup 3/4 c. water 2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp cream of tartar pinch salt Melt together until sugar is dissolved.
Maple Syrup #2 (no corn syrup) 1 c. water 1 c. sugar 1 c. brown sugar 1 TB maple flavoring
Substitutes for Cream of Tartar
White Vinegar. Like cream of tartar, white vinegar is acidic. …
Baking Powder. If your recipe contains both baking soda and cream of tartar, you can easily substitute with baking powder instead. …
Buttermilk. …
Yogurt. …
A good replacement for cream of tartar in baking is 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar.
In most cases, you can simply leave the cream of tartar out. The food may not be as fluffy or perfect as you hope, but it will still work out and taste good. There is a slight risk that your meringue will lose some of its height or collapse, especially when baking.
How to make green beans taste better.
I saw this recipe MANY years ago. Now I use it whether I’m cooking fresh green beans or frozen. Sometimes I use it with canned beans so they don’t taste so blah.
In a saucepan, add a little water, about 1/4 tsp garlic salt (or minced garlic if you want), 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon, and a few shakes of thyme. Then add your beans and cook as usual. It is so flavorful, that you don’t need butter and salt.
Chicken Barley Stew Previously shared from Betty Crocker on 11/8/2018
In a slow cooker 3 large carrots, peeled and diced (about 2 c.)
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (about 1 c.) 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 c.)
Place 2 bone-in chicken breasts on the vegetables Add 5 c. water 3/4 c. uncooked barley 2 tsp chicken bouillon 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 can diced tomatoes Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours. Remove chicken and place on cutting board. Remove meat from bones and chop into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Discard bones Stir chicken 2 TB fresh parsley or 1/2 TB dried 1 tsp dried thyme Into the stew. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook 10-15 min more until chicken is thoroughly heated. Tip: You can use tomatoes with Italian herbs or roasted garlic for more flavor.
* Did you have a summer goal? Mine was to use my sun oven and I’m so happy to say that I DID IT!!! Several times. Time for a new goal.
* I’m helping our local congregation get registered to participate in the Great California ShakeOut in October. I’m not sure, but I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages EVERY unit to participate in this because it’s a good time to remind ourselves what to do in the event that there is an actual earthquake.
Of course, here in California, we are all worried about the San Andreas Fault.
We are long overdue for a major earthquake on this fault line. If it is severe enough, it would cut freeway access, natural gas lines, and electricity to a major part of Southern California. And no, that narrow western strip of land is NOT going to fall into the sea! The fault is a lateral one. The land on the west continues to move north. Before you know it, LA will be right alongside Bakersfield!
What you may NOT know, is there is another major fault line in the United States that runs along the Mississippi River, and into Missouri and even Arkansas.
Now PRACTICE!!! Make it part of your earthquake drill. (Okay, don’t actually DO it, but pretend over and over!!!)
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
I was out in the garden this morning and thought it was time to look UNDER the leaves.
Broccoli looks good on top.Sneaky little aphids!!! And spraying UNDER the leaves is never easy. I used Neem oil this morning. A LOT of Neem oil. Grrrrr.
** I found a HUGE grasshopper in the garden. I can never catch those little pesks, so instead, I crept up and poured DE all over him. Hah!
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: pasta – 10 pounds
Time to increase your supply of spaghetti and macaroni. I used to watch for the pasta to go on sale for 2 lbs / $1. But those days are gone. Pasta at my local store is now $1.50 per package, but you must have a way to store them long-term. You can vacuum seal them (this is what I do), or store them in a plastic food-grade bucket. Pasta packages right from the store are very susceptible to pantry moths, so beware.
MISC PURCHASE: hydrogen peroxide
Peroxide is actually very versatile. 22 Hydrogen Peroxide Uses You Can Try TodayIt can be used in nearly every room of the house. In this article, it says that peroxide is no longer recommended to be used on open wounds. But, it also admits that doctors differ in their opinions, and in an emergency, do what the Spirit tells you to do. I will tell you that I had some mouth sores from dental work, and I swished some 50/50 peroxide and water a few times a day, and things were MUCH better after just one day.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
I did some research on Lysander soups. They are out out-of-stock everywhere. There is a FB page and it has been inactive since 2019 when there was some kind of disagreement within the company. But the list of ingredients says it includes garlic powder, onion powder and natural Hickory flavorings and spices. So, that’s not a lot of help is it? It does say to add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 diced carrot, 1-2 chopped potatoes, and 1 celery stalk chopped (along with ham if available).
** Here is an entire recipe bookSHELF-STABLE-RECIPE-BOOK sent in by readers of Food Storage Made Easy. Check it out!
** Southwest Egg Rolls
I like this recipe because nearly everything is on my shelf, except for the egg rolls.
In a large bowl mix: 1 jar chicken (or 2 cans) drained 2 c. frozen corn (I usually have frozen, but if not, use canned) 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
fresh spinach (last time I made this I didn’t have any spinach so I left it out and never noticed). Just use a big pile of it. 2 c. Mexican cheese grated 4 green onions chopped 1 can diced green chilis, drained (I’m not a huge fan of chilis, but I can’t taste them in this recipe, so I go ahead and add them) 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I barely use any)
Preheat oven to 425˚. Line a cookie sheet with foil, and then spray the foil with oil. Have a small dish with water handy for rolling the egg rolls.
For each egg roll, take one egg roll and put it in front of you with one of the pointed corners facing you. Put about 1/4 c. of chicken mix toward the bottom of the diamond. Fold the bottom up, then fold the sides in. Roll toward the top. Stop and dip your finger into the water and put water on the edges of the diamond toward the top. As you roll toward the top, the wet part of the egg roll will stick and make a nice little package. Place on the baking sheet. I can usually get about 15-18 egg rolls (whatever is in the package – maybe it’s only 12, I don’t remember). Then spray the Pam over the egg rolls. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn them all over (I use tongs) and back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes.
I like to use this dressing with them: 3/8 c. mayo (Just use a 1/4 c. measuring cup and fill it 1 1/2 times) 3/8 c. sour cream 3 TB buttermilk 1/2 TB lemon juice 1/2 green onion chopped 1/4 tsp salt 1 avocado Mash together and dip the egg rolls in before eating. SO DELICIOUS!!!
Chicken Barley Chili 1 can Italian diced tomatoes. If you just have regular tomatoes, add 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 16-oz jar Salsa OR tomato sauce 1 can chicken broth (or 2 cups) 1 c. barley 3 c. water 1 TB chili powder 1 tsp cumin Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 min, stirring occasionally.
Add: 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can corn, drained 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and boiled, or canned chicken Bring to a boil again, cover and reduce heat. Simmer another 5-10 minutes or until barley is tender. Optional: top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Makes 10 cups.
Jo Ann’s Rocky Road Fudge Okay, this is NOT a food storage recipe.
But, Jo Ann used to make this for various group parties, and the men devoured it!!! 1 c. chocolate chips 1 c. butterscotch chips 1 heaping teaspoon peanut butter Melt together in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each. Be careful not to burn. 3 c. miniature marshmallows 1 c. nuts (either walnuts or peanuts) Add and mix Pour into a foil-lined pan and refrigerate until set.
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Life is crazy out there. Everyone continue to prepare.
Marti
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In this installment of our high-yield small-space gardening, we will look at two different types of containers and grow what will hopefully be copious amounts of sweet potatoes. This is the perfect blog if you have limited growing space, poor quality soil in your area, or if you are confined to just a balcony off an apartment. With the addition of a grow light or good placement by a window, you can bring a non-draining container inside, allowing you to grow even during the winter months. There’s lots to explore here, so let’s get digging…
Download the Start Preparing Survival Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster. We’ll post a link below, or visit cityprepping.com/getstarted for a free guide to help you get started on your preparedness journey.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
There are two types of containers we will be building and testing out here. The first has drainage holes in the bottom and may be problematic if your dirty water drains off a balcony, but it is no problem if you plan to simply set the pot outdoors. The second is a self-contained system that kind of marries hydroponics with traditional container gardening while recycling all those plastic bottles. This second method creates a reserve of water at the pot’s base and has been great at keeping the soil moist through our harsh summer heat waves.
For the container with holes, westarted with a 40-gallon, Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) water trough from Tractor Supply Company. This container is 40 by 27 inches with a depth of 13 inches. These come in many sizes and shapes, but the 40-gallon version we felt best matched the space we would have available in an apartment setting. You will also need a drill, drill bits to make both small and medium-sized holes, rocks and pebbles or chunky bark-like material, and some quality soil.
For the non-draining container, you may need a contractor-grade trash bag, and you will need a length of PVC pipe and multiple plastic bottles like gallon milk jugs and water bottles. You will also need the drill and soil, but you will require less soil with this method, as the bottles will displace the soil and result in a lighter and easier-to-move pot.
CONSTRUCTING THE POTS
For the large trough, construction could not be more straightforward. We flip it over and drill several small holes in the bottom to allow water to drain properly. Some of these tanks and troughs come with a drain hole already built into them. If that’s the case for you, skip this drilling step, as you can simply keep that drain hole open to let the excess water flow out of it. This container will give me eight cubic feet of growing space. A bountiful harvest could be around 30 pounds of sweet potatoes. We could have gone larger, but this container would have worked on the smallest apartment balcony we have ever had, so we wanted to emulate that grow space. We will be using two here with two different types of sweet potatoes.
We put about twenty across the bottom with a 1/8th or 3.18mm drill bit. The number of holes doesn’t really matter. You don’t want too many holes because you want to keep the container’s structural integrity. With your holes drilled, flip it over and add a thin layer of rocks, pebbles, or chunky materials. Here I am using some chunks of bark from a terrarium. The larger material will keep the finer potting soil from running out of the bottom. We have also seen people use window screening material for this purpose.
With a thin layer of the chunkier material down, add the potting or garden soil you will be using. Fill it to around an inch or two from the top and pack it down with your hands. It will sink down and compact over time. That’s it. You are ready to plant your sweet potato slips in this container now.
For the second pot, we will create a self-watering system. We’re using an old 17-gallon utility bucket that has started to crack and chip because of outdoor exposure. It’s still viable as a container, but we will line it with a construction-grade trash bag to keep it water-tight. With such a small container and the displaced area filled with the bottles, we will only get about two cubic feet of growing space. For sweet potatoes, we can plant a maximum of 2 shoots. However, there’s plenty of soil for other plants, so this method is excellent for tomatoes, peppers, and even amaranth or sunchokes.
For the water bottles, place them around the bottom with the lids on them, and arrange them so you have no free space where they can tip over. For all the bottles but one, you will want caps. You will insert the PVC pipe in one bottle, making watering and fertilizing the roots easy. With the bottles placed, remove them and drill holes in them about 6 inches from the bottom. The uniformity of the height of the holes from the bottom does not need to be exactly correct, but you want them to be around the same height generally. For this, we are using a 5/8ths inch spade bit to give me a bigger hole, but you can really use any large bit. We will also drill a hole or two on the angled top to allow the water and roots a way into the water reservoir. We will also put a tiny hole in the lids. This will serve the same function.
With the holes all drilled, we line the container with the contractor-grade trash bag. These are sturdier and slightly thicker than regular trash bags, but any trash bag will do since the walls of the container support it. We have seen some examples where people grow tubers just in trash bags loaded with dirt. That can work, so long as the plant enjoys wet and hot roots. In Southern California, we get too much harsh sun and too many critters trying to get to the wet soil for this method, in my opinion.
With the container lined, place your water bottles upright into the bottom. In the one without a lid, you will insert your length of PVC pipe. Now place your soil on top. There’s no need for pebbles, rocks, or chunky filler because there’s no chance of your soil running off. Pack it down well and shake it to allow the soil to go all the way down between any air pockets between the plastic bottles. One real positive of this method is the ability to add fertilizer directly below the plant for the roots to take up, so we will just use one small packet. We drizzle the top with water to get it to compact a little more. Then we can add water directly to the PVC pipe. You don’t want to overwater or place this in an area that gets too much rain because your water doesn’t have an opportunity to run off. You can add up the total area of the bottles you use to get a rough idea of how much water to add to fill the space to around the halfway point.
Your plants will find the water with this method. That’s what roots are for, but you don’t want your plant swimming in the water and constantly soaking. To this container, we will add just one shoot that we sprouted off an organic sweet potato we bought at the store. Before we go into that, we want to show you a similar pot where we didn’t use this plastic bottle method. You see, the plants are dry. The soil is dry. With the water source at the bottom in this water bottle method, the soil stays well hydrated.
One huge advantage to this container method is the ability to move the plant to whatever piece of your yard has the right amount of sunlight and the best growing conditions.
THE SHOOTS
Sweet potatoes are planted from offshoots, not seeds. Sweet potatoes are a viny plant. Wherever they touch the soil, they can take root and make more tubers at that location. Over this last year, we have tried several different sprouting methods. The method of burying them halfway in soil wasn’t very successful for us. The process of putting toothpicks in them and soaking them in water like you might an avocado pit was 50% successful. We used two sweet potatoes and got one to give me one shoot. We tried it with Tumeric as well, and that wasn’t successful. If you try to get your own shoots from store-bought sweet potatoes, ensure they are organic, as non-organic may be sprayed with a sprout-inhibiting chemical. If you buy them organic, you can sometimes get a spontaneous shoot to develop. If you moisten that or put it halfway in damp soil, it will likely grow for you.
We wanted different varieties than at my local stores, so we ordered shoots from a well-known agricultural operation in Missouri. We will plant a Korean Gold variety in one container and a Myanmar Purple in the other. As an experiment, we placed them in two different sections of my yard, both with partial shade. We came to realize that the placement for these didn’t matter as much as they enjoy the full sun, so when they were hardened off well enough, we put all the containers together as if they were all huddled on a patio.
Each shoot will yield between 3 and 6 root vegetables. If you wait long enough, 120 to 150 days, you will have massive sweet potatoes that are bigger than anything you will get in the stores. So, when you plant sweet potatoes, you want at least 90 days before your first frost. If you get hit with a frost, the plant above ground will die off, but the sweet potatoes underground will be fine. You can winter over the vines by gently turning them back into the soil and applying a thick layer of mulch. This will keep the plant from freezing and provide you with yearly harvests. Because these are above-ground containers, you may want to move them into a garage space over winter or heavily mulch the top to keep the vines from freezing, as they will lack the regular insulation of the protective ground.
We will do a follow-up video to show you the harvest with this method, and these shoots we are planting here will be at the 120-day mark around Thanksgiving. Because we don’t fear frost here, we will only harvest some then and let the rest continue to grow in size for another 30-days.
WHY SWEET POTATOES
We picked sweet potatoes for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not an actual potato, as it isn’t in the nightshade family. It’s actually in the morning glory family, so you may get some lovely flowering vines from them, though flowering is rare. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potato leaves are edible. They taste like mild spinach and can be sautéd, added to stir fry, soups, or salads. The leaves are an excellent source of antioxidants and contain high levels of vitamins A and C and riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, and niacin. Sweet potato leaves also provide impressive amounts of fiber, along with calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, potassium, and iron.
The second reason we went with sweet potatoes is the high yield. We can get multiple pounds of food year after year. Finally, the sweet potato is super easy to grow and can come back yearly. Sweet potatoes can be grown in any fertile, moist, nutrient-rich soil. Pests are best managed with organics like diatomaceous earth and neem oil. Everywhere the vine touches the ground is a potential new sweet potato. The vines can be trellised or can be tended to and stacked upon themselves in an effort to contain it. This plant will take over a large area if the soil is good and the conditions are right, so if you plant them directly into the ground, ensure it’s far enough away from your other vegetables.
This plant can also be grown very easily indoors, so long as the natural light from a window is sufficient. The vines will get long and can be laced around windows. The harvests will not be as impressive, but it can be done. We put this prepper plant up there with the sunflower, sun choke, purslane, and Amarnath. You will be glad you are growing it. At the very least, growing just one container like this will save you $100 or more yearly.
Subscribe to this channel to be notified when we harvest these sweet potatoes. Perhaps the only drawback to sweet potatoes is that you must cure them by holding the temperature at around 80 to 85 degrees and with a humidity of approximately 85%. This sets them up for more extended storage by healing any cuts or bruises. Curing will also bring out the sweet potatoes’ sweeter flavors as it converts the starches to their smaller chain sugars. We will do that and walk you through that process in the follow-up blog to this one.
Hi Everyone,
Farms has both potato shreds and sliced potatoes. Amazon.com: 
You want to get your HVAC system inspected yearly or conduct an inspection of it yourself. Make sure any filters are changed out, ducting is cleaned out, and everything is operating at peak performance. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, ensure the flue and chimney are swept and flowing properly and close the damper when not in use. The heating system you have, however old or new, is what you will be working with in this blog. We will not recommend any space or portable heaters in this blog because they won’t save you money over simply optimizing what you already have.
From bulbs to washers and dryers, you can keep energy costs lower by implementing more energy-efficient appliances and equipment. Switching all your bulbs to LED bulbs will make it so you don’t have to change bulbs for years, but they will also shave cents and dollars off your electricity bill each month. When you do your laundry, do it during off-peak hours. Bake bread or cookies in the morning and then crack the oven door to let the heat escape into the house.
We have been to people’s houses during the winter, where we thought it was freezing cold inside. It certainly was cold, but it was my fault for not dressing appropriately for the micro-climate of their home. Don’t just wear that ugly Christmas sweater for the party, but put it on like Mr. Rogers when you get home from work or wake up in the morning. Get that cozy bathrobe for the season and some long johns, thermal, or silk underwear. Layer your clothes when you go out, but also do it at home. Wear a nightcap or other comfortable hat in your home. Preserve your heat, even after you lower the thermostat. Socks with tread will keep your feet warm, even on hardwood floors. And, if you have hardwood floors, a throw rug is a layer of insulation for your room. If directly below your floor is the basement, insulate the basement ceiling, thereby protecting the floor from the chill of the space below.
Using an infrared temperature gauge, you can leverage technology to locate drafts and air leaks in your home. These non-contact digital thermometers are convenient when preparing for summer, winter, or just cooking in the kitchen, so you will be glad you got one. Point its laser around windows, doors, and walls to understand your cold spots and where they are coming from. Use it to figure out where the heat is flowing or why it isn’t getting to where you want it to be. Another way to determine drafts in the house is to light a candle. If the flame flickers and the smoke moves off in a specific direction near windows or doors, it is a good indicator of a draft. Sometimes just locking down and clasping down a window can create a tighter seal.
When you find a draft or note particular walls and cold areas, there are ways to insulate and heat them. If one of the walls receives a lot of sunlight, cutback bushes and trees that would prevent the sun’s warming rays from hitting the wall. Your home was built with insulation, but it can sometimes still be absent around window frames or in and around doors. 
The physics here are simple. Warm air rises. A ceiling fan operating in a clockwise direction at its lowest speed will push the warm air collected on the ceiling back into the room. Recirculating the warm air will help your heating unit run less often. It may seem counter-intuitive to install a ceiling fan in a room for winter, but circulating that collected warm air hanging out on your ceiling is proven to shave around 10% off of heating bills. If you can’t install a ceiling fan, placing a small fan on top of shelving units or cabinets pointed at 45 degrees towards the ceiling and on its lowest setting will circulate the warm air back into the room. Keep the air circulating; you will need to use your furnace less and keep warmer in the process. 
An electric blanket or heating pad can provide gentle warmth, making the surrounding temperature irrelevant. Whether you wrap yourself snuggly in the blanket or just sit on it, modern electric blankets come with multiple different heat settings and in many different materials. Modern electric blankets are also much safer than when they first came out, with automatic shutoff features and low voltage. The gentle heat of a heating blanket will make it so you don’t have to run your heater constantly because heated blankets concentrate their warmth around you. Because they are electric, though, they are going to have an impact on your electricity bill. The Department of Energy estimates the average electric blanket to use 400 watts, but various blankets on the market use just a quarter or less of that. 
Humid air holds heat more efficiently than dry air. This means that an appropriate amount of humidity during the winter can make your home more comfortable and reduce the need for your furnace to replenish indoor heat continually. Putting a pot on the lowest setting on your stove with fragrant elements like cinnamon sticks, lemons, cloves, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, or other herbs and spices will create fragrant humidity in the air. It can also provide you with a steady supply of warming tea, and sipping warm liquids is a great way to keep your body’s thermostat running efficiently. If herbal teas aren’t your thing, consider it more of a potpourri, so you can still take advantage of the humidity to retain heat in your home.
In addition to sipping warm liquids, what you eat can also warm your body. Food is digested in part by bringing it to core temperature. If you eat cold food, your body’s heat energy is focused inward, leaving your skin feeling cold. The exception to this is, oddly enough, ice cream. Eating foods like ice cream that have high fat, complex-carbohydrate, and protein content will also heat the body up. Your body puts more energy into digesting the fat, increasing your body’s temperature. Summer’s lean, all-vegetable diets should be set aside in the fall. Some people take daily fish oil, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil, or even an ounce of olive oil to get a dose of healthy fats that will keep their bodies warm.
Hi Everyone,
a water filter (both a straw and water bottle with filter included). 
We are nearing fall and the end of the growing season, so fruit is “in season”. While I was in Utah, my daughter bought a box of peaches. Oh my goodness, they were sooooo good. BUT, the boxes were only about 10 pounds and it was $26 per box. I thought that $2.60 a pound was kind of pricey for peaches. It’s a lot of money to pay if you want to can them. But they were REALLY good for eating. I haven’t been blown away by fruit prices here where I live. But you can still try to pick up some cans of fruit. Even applesauce is good. Fruit has to be rotated pretty often, so plan on eating it within the year. You can always get fruit roll-ups for about $.39 each that will last longer. Freeze-dried fruit can be expensive. 
an extra tube of Desitin, or whatever. If you have a child in diapers, you should invest in some cloth diapers. If you never have to use them, count yourself lucky. Otherwise, you will be SO thankful you have them. Just get 2 dozen diapers and put them in the back of a closet. 
Have to factor in neighbors (if in apartment) as well.
Our world’s food supply is increasingly under the strain of multiple factors: inflation, war, and drought just to name a few. But should we be panicking about food scarcity in the future? Will it impact you directly?
The facts are out there. The cost to operate farm or ranches, or input costs, are way up because of low feed grain supplies, high fertilizer prices, and even fuel costs to operate all the heavy and light machinery. Many ranchers have taken advantage of the current high prices and sold off many of their herds. This will challenge supplies in fourteen to fifteen months. As we mentioned in other videos, natural gas is used to make fertilizer. The cost of natural gas has been way up since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and it will likely climb even higher still owing to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, even though they were offline, and the increased demands of winter. Fertilizer production takes a back seat to people’s essential heat. 
Some countries worldwide are heading right into famine in the next year and possibly through the rest of this decade. There’s no doubt about it. They have never produced the amount of food required to sustain their populations. The sale of other minerals, chemicals, and industrial commodities allowed them to purchase the needed food for their people. Those food resources are now highly priced and straining these countries’ economies to the point of collapse, or they aren’t available for purchase and importation anymore. Ukrainian grain exports are lower than they have ever been.
So, what can you do? Start by asking yourself those questions, then work to become more dependent. We think food independence and not just storing food is such a huge issue moving forward that we will be making it a significant topic on this channel. There is food scarcity coming, but there are things you can do to lessen or even negate the impact that will have on your life. 
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compressed wipes (for hands, face, or other needs) instead. There are 550 wipes in this purchase. You could toss 9-10 in your kit, and it would take up much less space! 
and a GIANT grub comes along and eats everything down to the quick. Argh.
Soup left (that’s the one I use the most). At Winco, I bought a four-pack for about $4.50! Individually, it can be almost $2 a can. Yikes! You can make a homemade-type cream soup (like a copycat recipe), but frankly, it doesn’t taste the same and I like the ease of canned soup.
Probably once a week, I make pancakes, or french toast, or french pancakes. All these require maple syrup – at least at my house. I DO have a recipe for syrup, but I find that I don’t mind just storing an extra bottle or two.
decrease with time. That may be true. So, to combat that, and any other problems we may have with food supply, I store vitamins. That food I have may not be as nutritious, but it will still be filling, and the vitamins will supply the nutrients. (That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it!)
I did some research on Lysander soups.