Over the last several years, we’ve gone through a lot when it comes to dealing with transmissable diseases. We’ve witnessed our entire world shut down which is pretty significant. As of late, there’s understandably been exhaustion over the discussion on viruses and other human infectious diseases in regards to what role they play in deciding how we live our lives. I suppose there’s 2 camps that have formed after we all had to deal with Covid in how we perceive such illnesses: either this is an overblown concern or we need to be very concerned. I think like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Recently in the media there’s been a lot of attention drawn to the H5N1 Bird Flu, aka Avian Influenza. In this video, we’re going to take a deeper look at the Avian Flu and discuss what you should be watching for, try to answer the question: “at what point you should we be concerned?”, and discuss what you should be doing to prepare for the potential spread of this virus if it does indeed make the jump to humans. We’ll finish the video by trying to address the issue of whether we will be ready if it does indeed become a zoonotic disease. There’s a lot to discuss here, so let’s jump in.EXPERTS ARE WARNINGAlright, so let’s just rip the bandaid off and start off by discussing the bad news first. Experts are warning that the bird flu virus is changing rapidly in the largest outbreak ever. Already tens of millions of poultry birds have been culled, wild birds are experiencing a massive die off, and an estimated 9,000 sea lions, penguins, otters, porpoises, and dolphins have all died from it along the Chilean coastline. Worldwide, experts say the potential for a “spillover” of the virus to humans is of “critical concern.” Their concern is justifiable. For some reason, the virus is mutating more rapidly than ever, and there have been a record number of cases in not just birds but mammals. This current outbreak is alarming, too, because H5N1 doesn’t seem to be contained to mostly seasonal outbreaks. It’s occurring year-round now. Rapid mutation, outbreaks in mammals, and is no longer contained seasonally are all significant red flags that a leap of this lethal strain of the zoonotic flu virus to humans may be about to happen.I say this “strain” of the virus because it isn’t new. I graduated with a degree in microbiology, so I have followed it with some interest since it first emerged in 1996 in southern China and Hong Kong. It is considered highly pathogenic because it kills a high proportion of the poultry it infects. This avian virus is an influenza-type virus. There are other strains of it, like the H7N9, considered a low pathogenic avian influenza A virus, but it’s H5N1 that is the real cause for concern right now. At this time, it remains poorly adapted to humans. Transmission from birds to humans is infrequent, but it has occurred, usually in instances where extensive human and bird interaction has occurred– like poultry workers.The leap to mammals like sea lions, otters, and dolphins is believed to be from the consumption of infected birds and not airborne transmission. There is some concern over how it spread through a Spanish mink farm and with the sea lions off the coast of South America. The rate of spread in these locations has scientists and epidemiologists studying whether mammal-to-mammal spread has occurred.To date, no sustained human-to-human transmission has been notably observed. For that to happen, some viral adaption has to occur. Avian viruses and human viruses utilize distinct receptors on host cells for binding. To acquire greater adaptability to humans, avian viruses would typically require only two or three slight modifications in a specific viral protein. The virus process is to attach, enter into host cells, replicate, and evade the host’s immune system. The current strain has a hard time attaching to human cells. It’s not impossible for it to do so, but it’s harder to do so in humans than it is in birds.That’s also why the scientists are so concerned with the spread in sea lions and the minks. They are trying to determine if this viral adaptation has occurred and whether we are facing a possible zoonotic spillover. Whereas the avian flu has, in years past, been primarily contained in the commercial poultry industries, this more extensive spread in the wild bird population provides more instances of the virus in more unregulated hosts. Therefore, there are also more opportunities for the viruses to mutate. When mammals are infected, the virus has the most significant chance of viral adaptation in mammalian hosts. We may be seeing that now. In one recent study, some of the viruses from mammals have markers in the PB2 protein associated with increased virulence and replication in mammals—very rarely seen before 2020. In layman’s terms, that’s scientist-speak for “buckle up. This could get bad quickly.” ARE WE ON THE CUSP OF ANOTHER PANDEMIC?OK, so let’s talk about the good news, at least good news for the moment. Even with the increased possibility of a spillover of the zoonotic virus in humans, it’s essential to put that into perspective and not panic. That is hopefully good news to many since we just made it through the COVID pandemic. Unlike the virus that caused that, SARS-CoV-2, H5N1 is a strain of influenza-type virus. Although there is no universal consensus regarding where the influenza virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919. Even before COVID, we did a whole video on that, which I will link to in the comments below. What we do know is that we humans have over 100 years of experience and built up immunity to the influenza virus. Because of this, most humans, even newborns, have some antibodies against the virus. That alone makes it significantly different from the coronavirus. When a person is infected with the influenza virus, their immune system can recognize the viral antigens as foreign. Our bodies start producing antibodies that can bind to and neutralize the virus. These antibodies help to eliminate the virus from the body and provide immunity against that specific strain of influenza. Even lacking the exact ability to identify a particular antigen, our immune systems can recognize other proteins in the virus.When humans do catch H5N1, when it does spill over and spread human-to-human, it likely won’t have the same lethality as a never before seen virus-like SARS-CoV-2. It will likely manifest as a nasty flu requiring the same attention as any other flu. Also, because we have some general immune defense against it, the rate of spread is reduced. This means that the chances of it becoming a wildfire-spreading pandemic are less probable, as the direct transmission line is broken by each person who can fight off the infection and contain and eradicate the viral load they received.So, are we on the cusp of another pandemic? Not really, at least not at the time of recording this video. So much would have to happen to the virus. First, it would have to mutate to adapt to human proteins. That would allow it to spread between humans via respiratory droplets. Second, it would have to mutate into a more virulent strain than it currently is to have the chance of sustaining its spread and pumping up its lethality. It would have to leapfrog over a century of our working immune systems. Can it leap to humans? Absolutely. Can it kill humans? Sure. Nature is tricky and clever, and everything, including viruses, wants to survive and thrive. There’s just so much that has to happen, though, that I’m not overly concerned at this point, and I don’t think you should be either.SICK PEOPLEAs of April 2023, there was only one potential case of H5N1 infection in the United States. However, it’s uncertain whether this was an actual infection or a misdiagnosis, as the individual had been involved in culling birds. It’s possible that highly sensitive tests detected the presence of the virus without an actual infection. A 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu province in eastern China tested positive for H5N1 after exposure to poultry. Her symptoms developed on January 31, and she tested positive sometime in February. Although she was last reported in serious condition, there have been no reports of human-to-human transmission in this case or any other H5N1 cases.Furthermore, the first recorded case of H5N1 in South America occurred in January, involving a 9-year-old girl from Ecuador. While she was initially hospitalized in critical condition, she has since recovered. Similarly to the previous cases, the girl had close contact with poultry, their feces, or their fluids. Although these cases raise concerns, the absence of human-to-human transmission suggests that the necessary genetic changes in the virus to bind with human protein receptors effectively have not yet taken place. That’s not to say that it won’t ever make this leap, nor that human-to-human transmission isn’t possible in the near future. It’s just not happening now or in our immediate foreseeable future based on the evidence we do have.WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOINGThe key to protect yourself is by minimizing your exposure risk. This can be a challenge as some of us in the preparedness community raise chickens. If you have a backyard flock of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, or Guinea Fowl, isolate them away from wild birds. Ensure your coop and its run are secure from wild animals and rodents. Use fencing or netting to create a physical barrier. Clean the coop, equipment, and surrounding areas on a regular basis. Monitor your flock for any signs of illness and isolate birds exhibiting symptoms. Practice a routine of good hygiene during and after interacting with them. Additionally, stay informed about avian flu outbreaks in your area through local veterinary services or agricultural agencies. A few years ago we couldn’t get chickens in our area for nearly a year as an illness was spreading through the chicken community. When it comes to wild birds, avoid handling them along with exposure to their droppings. If you do encounter a grounded wild bird that may be in distress, either keep your distance and let nature take its course or wear a mask and gloves and practice good sanitation when dealing with it. Keep your pets away from any possibly infected birds, and watch them for signs of illness if they interact with wild birds, especially birds expressing symptoms.The hardest-hitting impact, at least for now, will still be the poultry industry. Over 40 million egg-laying hens have been culled in the U.S. alone, making it the worst outbreak on record. Expect the price of poultry and eggs to continue to rise for more than just inflationary reasons. Higher prices and fluctuating supply will put pressure on all other meat industries.WILL WE BE READY FOR THE NEXT ONE?Here’s the rub. The potential for biological threats, whether natural or man-made are increasing on a daily basis. Since the early 1900’s, there’s been 11 outbreaks. Of those 11, 5 of them had a lethality equal to or greater than Covid. And as you can probably easily imagine, there’s been other new, more pathogenic viruses that emerged in the last several decades. I think there’s 4 current primary areas of concern:
When I graduated in 1999, one of the biggest concerns within the Microbiology community was the inevitable outbreak of an illness that could not be contained or treated. The medicine of that time was being outpaced by pathogens that were mutating fasterer than they could be stopped and the issue is still overshadowing the medial community to this day.
New infectious diseases have been showing up at a faster pace due to growing zoonotic transmission from animals. Add to that, we’re now able to travel quickly and increase our risk of spreading those diseases faster.
Laboratories around the world are testing and experimenting with increasingly dangerous pathogens. It’s not exactly a regulated industry and one simple slip up somewhere could lead to it quickly spreading. The origins of Covid are still uncertain and the potential for it having started in a Wuhan lab have not been ruled out.
What’s even more concerning are the unknown malicious actors around the world who could purposefully release a biological weapon, a highly contagious one at that.
All of these previous points are not conspiracy theories, but instead are very real possibilities that even our current administration has pointed out that we have to consider and factor in to how we prepare.So to try and answer the question of whether or not we’ll be prepared for the next virus, I guess I would only say, not really. Let’s be honest, most people got extremely upset and aggravated with the restrictions and lockdowns we all faced during Covid. You really think if another pathogen were to show up that people would go along with mandates? I don’t see that happening, at least not probably in many parts of the U.S. This is not my attempt to say that we shouldn’t take the next major outbreak as serious, but I really have a hard time believing people wouldn’t just throw up their hands and go on with their life regardless of the potential health implications. This is not a statement of judgement, but merely an observation. Maybe I’m a bit jaded, but I think if we see a run-away illness sweep through, I can’t imagine most will take it seriously, but hey, what do I know? It’s clear that H5N1 has numerous genetic hurdles to overcome before it can rise to a pandemic level in humans. It is picking up speed and lethality in animals worldwide, and that’s reason enough for us to keep a close eye on it and proceed with caution. Now would be a good time to review the video we did several years ago discussing practical steps you can take to prepare for pandemic. Let me finish by saying this.
When I do these videos, I realize the content is heavy.
I just spoke with the owner of another YT channel while writing this
We both were lamenting on the issues facing the world at present
Hate to pile another discussion, but it’s something we have to pay attention to
Keep doing what you’re doing, prepare, and take advantage of the time you have
How many of you belong to an organization that would be willing to volunteer during a disaster. Maybe you would like to help volunteer with clean-up, or in an emergency shelter, or with rescued animals.
If you know of a group willing to help, PLEASE contact your local VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active During Disasters). By registering with VOAD, they will be able to contact you and your organization if help is needed.
Summer is upon us. Have you set a goal for the summer? Don’t let this time get away from you. Want to learn how to can? Or dehydrate? Or cook with some of your stored food? Or make bread? Or sew? Or set up a tent? Or light a fire with flint and steel? Or make tin foil dinners? Or inventory your storage? Choose something and work on it this summer!!!
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
If your squash looks like this:
it is NOT your fault! This just means that the flower did not get pollinated very well. If it happens only occasionally, it’s normal. If it happens a lot, you could:
1) plant flowers to attract pollinators
2) trim back large leaves so they don’t hide the flowers
3) get a paintbrush and pollinate yourself. This is super easy to do, but you have to do it early in the morning because the flowers will close up later in the day.
The female flowers will have small squash beginning to form under them, as in the picture on the left. The male flowers have very thin stems.
If you look inside the flowers, you will see the difference there as well. The one on the left is the female flower. The one on the right is the male flower.
Look how huge the leaves are. It has lots of space!
I planted garlic this year. Evidently, you are SUPPOSED to plant garlic in the fall, which I did NOT do. I planted it in the spring, right next to the tomatoes, because I heard it would repel tomato hornworms. Well, now it is beginning to die, so I decided to dig them all up.
It’s pitiful, and they are NOT ready, but what’s done is done. I’ve got them hanging on a hanger in a dark closet to dry. I’ll give them a few weeks, then cut one open and see what I’ve got. NEXT YEAR, I’ll know better. That’s the thing about gardening…. you learn each year!!!
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE:onions and garlic
You can get onions from Augason Farms
This #10 can is $11.47 on Amazon. At our local Winco, we can get dehydrated chopped onion OR dehydrated minced onion in the bulk section. According to Google (and they know everything) 1 medium onion = 1/4 c. dehydrated onion. Having used dehydrated onions a lot, I seldom use this much. I usually use 2-3 TB of dried onions.
IF you are making soup, or sauce, just put the DH onion in dry and it will rehydrate as it cooks.
IF I am browning ground beef, I usually put the onion into a small cup of hot water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I drain off the water, and add to my meat and brown the onions as I would if they were fresh.
And, while you’re at it, get some DH garlic as well.
This 1.5 pound container is $12 on Amazon. But remember, you use A LOT less garlic when you cook. Only 1/4 tsp dehydrated garlic is one clove. So this 1 1/2 pounds will probably be a year’s supply!!!
If you have beans stored in #10 cans and ever have to LIVE off those beans, you will be most grateful for onions and garlic to add flavor.
MISC. PURCHASE: Can openers
Get several.
I have never used one of these. BUT, they are super cheap, and you could put one in each 72 hour backpack.
What I have is a 5 gallon bucket labeled “Kitchen”. It has matches and fire starters, hot pads, a few sharp knives, cheap plates and cups, kitchen towels, dish soap, etc. AND a can-opener. Even though I have an electric can opener, I seldom use it. I always use a manual. But it died a slow death and I just got a new one last week. Frankly, it wouldn’t hurt to have two or three.
Food Storage Recipes:
Chili Beans
Submitted by Linda Meziere for the Shelf-Stable Recipe Book
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn drained
1 TB chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Combine all ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over:
Cooked Rice or
Fritos
Top with cheese or
powdered and rehydrated sour cream
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Submitted by Debbie K. for Shelf Stable Recipe Book
1 can red kidney beans
1 can white beans
Rinse and drain beans and set aside
1/3 c. dry onion
1/3 c. dehydrated carrots
1/3 c. dehydrated celery
Rehydrate dried vegetables in 2 c. hot water for 15 minutes then drain.
Sauté onions, celery, carrots
2 tsp oregano
1 TB parsley flakes
1-2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Sauté in
2 TB oil for 3-5 minutes.
4 c. water – add
4 tsp beef bouillon
1 26-oz can spaghetti sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
pinch red pepper flakes
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
Add
1 pint ground beef OR
1 12-oz can chicken
1/2 c. dry small pasta
Bring back to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Easy Meat Pot Pie
Submitted by Allison Claridge from the Shelf Stable Recipe Book
Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 tsp salt — mix with flour
1 c. shortening – Cut in. I like to use a fork, but you could use a pastry cutter or 2 knies
1/2 c. water.
Stir in until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic and put in the fridge overnight. The next day, roll out dough on a floured board, slightly bigger than the pie pan you are using. Place rolled out dough in a greased and floured pie pan.
Filling:
2-3 cups canned meat (chicken or cubed beef)
2 cans Cream Soup (Cream of Chicken soup with chicken meat and Cream of Mushroom with beef)
1 can mixed vegetables drained
1 can new potatoes diced, drained
Stir meat, soup and veggies. Pour into pie pan. Top with the second rolled out dough circle. Pinch crusts together along the edges. Cut 2-3 slots in the top to vent. Bake 350˚ for 45-50 minutes.
Nearly 3,000 people die from house fires each year in the US, the majority of those deaths coming from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide. If a fire breaks out in your home or the carbon monoxide levels rise to a deadly level, will you be immediately alerted? Just as important, do you have a plan to escape safely? In this video and blog, we’ll cover ten simple things you can do now to make your home a safer place for you and your family. We’ll quickly run through each of these and provide you with practical actions you can take now. So let’s jump in.
KNOW WHEN THERE IS A FIRE
Your first line of protection is awareness. We often think of fires as being big and bright. But, they can actually smolder for days inside walls, hidden from sight, all the while burning up oxygen and releasing carbon monoxide that can kill you in your sleep.Make sure you have smoke detectors on every level of your home, and then test them every month, not just when they are chirping. Additionally, be sure to have carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home located within 10 feet of each bedroom door.Some devices can even alert your phone if you are away from home or sleeping. Smoke alarms last about ten years, so if it has been a while since you replaced them, consider this your chance for a complete fire safety overhaul of your home.
GET OUT
Fires spread fast. In mere seconds they can grow so large that they consume all the breathable air and kick up so much toxic smoke that surviving becomes difficult. Studies show that once a house fire starts, you have at most two to three minutes to leave. Know the basics of fire safety, like feeling a door to ensure it’s not hot before you open it and staying low to the ground.Also, have a plan for each person. Have them draw out a map so it’s implanted in their brain. Make sure each person has more than one means of escaping. That may require having a fire escape ladder from the second or higher floor. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year.
SAVE YOUR CRITTERS
Most people have no plan for their pets in a crisis. Remember your pets, but it’s not worth your life if they are too panicky or hiding in a burning house. Leaving a door open for them is usually enough for them. When they are scared enough, they’ll run out on their own. A well-trained animal should listen to your voice and come if called. Of course, not all animals will. Remember, getting away from a fire is your best chance of surviving.
FIRE EVACUATION MASK & BLANKET
I highly recommend a fire evacuation mask and a fire blanket. 80% of home-fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation. The mask will give you some breathable air if it’s a respirator type or filtered air if cloth. The cloak can protect you from heat and burns on your way out.Remember, fires pull oxygen from the air, which a mask can not address, but they can protect you from smoke inhalation.There are even some filters on the market, as shown here, that can scrub carbon monoxide from the air for a short enough period of time to allow you to escape safely.
FIREPROOF DOCUMENT BAG
If you have time to grab this on your way out of the house, great. If you don’t, at least your documents are likely to survive if the fire department arrives quickly enough. Birth certificates, IDs, passports, and even expired ones can help you rebuild after a devastating fire. Insurance documents and old utility bills will help you re-establish after a fire. An emergency cash envelope or a credit card tucked away can give you the funds you need to stay in a hotel until the fire damage can be assessed.These make great additions to the Bug out bags you already have established. If you also put in our FREE Disaster Plan Guide, you will have the information you need when you need it.
MEET-UP
Make sure you have a rallying point away from your home where you can do a quick headcount to ensure everyone got out safely. If this is a structure away from the house, like a tool shed or your vehicle, ensure there are shoes and basic clothes for everyone, as your family may have had to leave the house in a half-dressed hurry. This is why having an emergency bug-out bag or go bag is so important.Also, establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
Minimally, you should have an extinguisher and/or a fire blanket in the kitchen or next to a wood stove or a fireplace, as these are the most common places fires start in homes. Make sure your kitchen extinguisher can snuff out a grease fire. It must be a class B, BC, or ABC fire extinguisher. Check the gauge on the fire extinguishers on an annual basis to ensure it’s still at the correct levels. You may consider setting a reminder using a tool like Google Calendar to remind yourself.
UNPLUG & DISCONNECT
If it’s an electrical fire, you may be able to unplug the fire source. If the electrical fire is at the plug, don’t attempt this. You should also know how to turn the main power at your breaker box. If you can safely disconnect an electrical fire, it will reduce the risk of it growing.When the fire department does arrive, they will disconnect any utilities until the home is deemed enterable again.
KITCHEN FIRES
As mentioned in a prior point, most home fires start in the kitchen. In addition to a fire extinguisher under the sink, I always keep a large box of baking soda in the kitchen cabinet near the stove.Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food. A fire blanket that can be tossed over the fire is another option. In case of a fire outbreak in a pan, while cooking, it is advisable to immediately turn off the burner and cover the burning pan with a lid. Keeping the lid in place until the pan is completely cooled is crucial to avoid spreading the fire or causing any injuries by moving the pan.It’s important to note that pouring water on grease fires should be avoided at all times.
PUT IT OUT
If you are unsure of the average response time of your local fire department, you may want to ensure you have some means of fighting the fire from the exterior of your home. This is very important if you live in an area prone to wildfires. If you have a pool, hot tub, or pond, a water pump can let you fight the fire or wet down the roof and landscaping for protection from an approaching fire.Never enter a burning structure. Even if it looks safe, the air could be toxic and kill you in seconds. With a pump and hose setup, though, you could break a window and pump water on any fire in your home. Even with this fire-fighting measure, keep a safe distance from the fire and don’t attempt to fight the fire if there is any risk of explosions or smoke inhalation.A hurricane, tornado, flood, or civil unrest may never threaten your home, but fire is always possible. A burner left on the stove, a candle, faulty wiring, or a careless neighbor are all possibilities. Because of this, you must protect yourself from that genuine possibility. Develop and implement a plan and watch this video again, if you have to, to ensure you have covered all ten simple ways to protect yourself. After you have done that, share this video and blog with someone you care about. The life you save in those critical moments may be your own or someone you love. As always, stay safe out there.LINKS:FREE Disaster Plan Guide –https://courses.cityprepping.com/disaster-guide-opt-in-page/Firebag: https://amzn.to/3WyXmmOCarbon monoxide filter: https://cityprepping.tv/45OkEcw along with Gas Mask: https://cityprepping.tv/45Mpozo
After a sudden disaster, it’s not uncommon to have a prolonged interruption of utility services. Electricity, water, and natural gas flow to our homes, and sewage and trash get taken away. We take for granted how finely tuned and efficient these systems are. Just last week, I was running out of my house in my bathrobe to get my trashcans out to the curb when I heard the trash truck coming down the street. I’m sure you can relate. Have you ever considered your plans if the grid were down and there was no trash pickup? What happens, however, when one or more of these systems fail? How and why do they fail? What does that mean to us, and most importantly, how should we prepare for these potential issues? We’ll try to answer all of these questions in this video. Here, I’ll tell you how these vital services can fail, what items you should have in place, and I’ll finish with a couple of real-world examples, one, in particular, being a personal story. So let’s examine the utility systems and where they are susceptible to failure.
ELECTRICITY
It’s pretty incredible. You flip a switch, a circuit is activated, and you nearly instantly have a light, running fan, or stove. Even without our action, our refrigerators are kept cold, traffic lights change, and pumping stations move resources and waste. It’s so efficient that we often take it for granted, yet it’s one of the first systems to fail after a disaster.
On August 14, 2003, a high-voltage power line in northern Ohio caused a shutdown after brushing against overgrown trees. The failure to trigger an alarm led to three more lines sagging into trees within an hour and a half, resulting in a massive blackout that affected 50 million people across southeastern Canada and eight northeastern states. The outage caused at least 11 deaths and incurred an estimated cost of $6 billion. On February 15, 2021, the Texas electrical grid experienced a devastating breakdown due to cold and a snowstorm. The frigid conditions caused a series of events that plunged millions of Texans into darkness and freezing temperatures, leading to multiple fatalities, and exposing the vulnerability of equipment unprepared for extreme cold. In 2017 and 2018, equipment owned by another California utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, was blamed for causing a series of wildfires that killed more than 120 people and destroyed more than 27,000 homes and other buildings. Some communities were wiped out in mere minutes, and hundreds of thousands were left without power.
I could list hundreds of more examples. Many are natural disaster-related, some due to human error, some intentional attacks, and some cyberattacks. Most commonly, electrical outages are often due to failing equipment. After all, most of the U.S. electric grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s. Over 70% of the U.S. electricity grid is over 25 years old. It was designed for different weather that has increasingly changed in the last several years as we’ve witnessed more extreme highs and lows. It will absolutely fail at some point in your area. That’s a given. The question is, really, for how long and what will be affected?
Without any backup electrical power in your home, you will immediately note the lights don’t work. Though the clocks may have all stopped, there’s a timer that sort of started on your refrigerator and freezer. If the doors stay closed, general guidelines from the Center for Disease Control indicate food will remain safe for up to: 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half-full freezer. Depending on the food, it may have a longer, unrefrigerated life. I always suggest people put half-filled plastic bottles in their freezers. If the power goes out for more than 4 hours, this will buy you more time as the ice melts. In a heatwave, they will be extra beneficial to keep you cooler and hydrated. We just released a video recently discussing how to stay cool in the summer and we’ve done plenty of videos on staying warm in the winter without power. Still, you will need a plan to prepare, cook, and eat food before it goes bad. Much of that cooking and prep may rely on electricity, so you must factor this into your plans. You will also need a source of light and communication with the outside world, like a radio. You won’t be able to rely on the internet, cell towers, or cable television.
NATURAL GAS
I started with electricity in this analysis of service interruptions because so many of the other systems rely upon electricity, from pumping stations to traffic lights and switchers. Natural gas is one of those systems. Many natural gas lines have gas generators at major stations to keep the pipeline transmission system pressurized, but it isn’t ubiquitous. Many people erroneously assume that the natural gas system will still work after a disaster that robs everyone of electricity. I see this expressed repeatedly on several websites, but it is dangerously not true. It is a slightly more reliable system, but it’s far from guaranteed. Across the 220,000 miles of high-strength steel pipe, 20 inches to 42 inches in diameter, there are the large main stations, compressor stations every 75 to 100 miles to boost the pressure, and urban areas with additional gas distribution stations. Not all of those run pumps on natural gas. Most use electricity.
Then there are also the automatic shutoff valves triggered by either earthquakes or pressure irregularities like a massive spike or decrease in pressure. If there is a line break, as may occur after a natural disaster, gas is interrupted or shut down to prevent possible explosions. These valves are designed to automatically stop or restrict natural gas flow in an emergency, such as a pipeline rupture, excessive pressure, or a sudden drop in pressure. Automatic shutoff valves play a critical role in ensuring the safety and integrity of natural gas distribution systems by quickly isolating the affected section of the pipeline and minimizing the risk of accidents or further damage. Most of these safety sensors rely upon electric sensors to judge the safety of restoring the flow and may require a human to restart them manually.
If you live along a line solely powered by natural gas, barring any breaks in the lines, you should still have some pressure and flow. More than likely, you will not have natural gas. If your water heater, clothes dryer, heater, boiler, oven, stovetop, generator, firepit, or grill are connected to the natural gas lines, they likely aren’t going to be working anymore. There’s also a significant safety issue if pipes are broken after a disaster. Know how to shut off the natural gas line to your house and have the tool to do so near your gas meter. If you rely upon natural gas to cook or heat your home, the two most critical uses, you’ll need a different means. You won’t be able to switch to propane without a conversion kit installed because of differences in pressure, flow, and regulation between gasses.
WATER
The municipal water supply is slightly more reliable as far as flowing to your home. City water is typically stored in elevated water towers and distributed to homes through gravity. In the event of a power outage, only the water stored in the towers will be accessible, as water flow into homes relies on the pumping system feeding those towers, which requires electricity. That’s the good news, but only about an average day’s worth of water for a community is typically stored in towers. Many disasters can adversely impact the municipal water supply. Water treatment plants that render raw or reclaimed water drinkable or potable can’t operate efficiently without electricity. Floods and excessive rains can cause pollutants and sewage to flow into clean water pipes and supplies. After a flood, even well water can become tainted. Major disasters can break water lines and prevent water from flowing further down the line. And as many experienced in Texas during the snowmaggedon, lines will freeze and water won’t flow to their homes.
Immediately before disaster strikes or right after, filling all bathtubs, sinks, and extra containers is a good idea. An emergency bathtub bladder can be deployed in a bathtub to provide between 65-100 gallons of drinkable water before lines are tainted or stop flowing. After that, you must follow emergency announcements and your senses to monitor water safety. If the water looks or smells funny, you will want to treat it before use, even without official notice. Expect that water may be tainted after a major disaster or one that stretches into 6 hours or more.
In addition to at least one gallon of stored water per day for each person and pet in your home, you will need a means to filter, treat, and purify water, even if it flows well from your tap. When the water goes out in a community, it’s the first resource people truly realize they desperately need. That realization will come to them within the first 72 hours after a disaster. Without electricity or natural gas, many will be forced to drink unclean water, which could harbor harmful viruses, amoebas, or bacteria. You can probably get by without electricity or natural gas, but you will quickly find yourself in a desperate situation without water. Because of this, I have several videos on this subject, from proper storage to myths you sometimes here, that I will link to below. I’ll provide a link to those videos in the description and comment section below.
SEWER
Without flowing water, sewer systems will not operate well if at all. Liquid waste will still spill over into the system, but solid waste will need supplemental water to flush. With water as a precious resource, if it looks to be a prolonged aftermath of a disaster, I wouldn’t waste water by flushing it down the toilet. This is another area where I have a video or two on the topic, so I will link to one in the comments below. After a disaster, sewer lines can break, be flooded, or even backflow into clean systems or your home. It also quickly piles up because people don’t stop creating waste just because of a disaster. Less than a drop of human waste in your water supply can lead to disaster for many. Contaminated water and inadequate sanitation are connected to the spread of diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio.
Your sewer system is probably the most reliable of the infrastructure systems covered, but it’s far from guaranteed. Even if yours is operating fine, if it’s tied to other people’s systems, you could experience problems. If significant flooding is involved in your disaster, you will experience problems. Have a plan to safely remove or contain human waste for an extended period after any disaster. We did a video detailing how to handle human waste after a disaster which I’d recommend you watch if you haven’t put together a plan yet.
TRASH
You tend to notice very quickly when trash pickup services stop. Modern humans create a lot of waste materials. While cardboard and other packaging won’t attract rodents right away or stink or become toxic, remember that without electricity, food will be turning bad. People will dispose of this food in their trash cans. Municipal trash cans are only designed to hold a typical week’s garbage. Without electricity, drivers won’t be navigating the streets and traffic lights to get to your house to pick up your garbage. The trash will pile up everywhere. That’s just a minor problem in the first week, but in the second and third weeks and after, it becomes a significant community health problem. If you add high temperatures or heavy rain to the mix, the timeline to a health emergency rapidly accelerates. I always suggest trashbags as a necessary prep.
Beyond the typical kitchen trash bag, contractor-grade trash bags are your best bet because they are sturdier and less susceptible to breaking. Trash bags can also be repurposed to protect you from the rain or to transport items securely. Bag your trash as densely as possible, seal it, and remove it from your livable area. If it’s not safe to remove it from your home, burn it, bury it, or contain it in an outbuilding, you should store it in an unused area of your home until it can be removed safely.
HOW IT BREAKS DOWN
If you watch my video, How to Survive the First 90 Days After the Collapse, linked in the comments below, you’ll understand how these systems fail and in what order. The first to be noticed is electricity. You have to keep in mind what is required to generate electricity. Fossil fuel power plants utilize coal or oil as fuel sources, employing combustion to produce heat. This heat is subsequently used to create steam, which powers turbines that, in turn, produce electricity. After a disaster, the fossil fuels required to generate the steam may not be delivered. That means the plant must operate solely on its limited reserves. Also, understand that the three main parts of the electrical grid–generation, a high voltage transmission grid, and a distribution system– require large and small components that must be replaced if they are damaged or fail. A shockingly high number of these components are sourced from China. Any significant disruption in the supply chain, from impassable roads to global conflicts, could leave power plants operating at decreased efficiency or not at all for an unknown duration.
Not having electricity is just an inconvenience initially, but refrigerated foods can spoil in just a few hours. After 8 hours or more, people will begin to understand that traffic lights, emergency services, and police are all stymied. So electricity is a big one, but along with it, you may also experience, almost immediately, an interruption of natural gas and water.
The first day without these services is more of an inconvenience to many, and people tend to hole up in their homes. Some even have community barbecues as they use their propane and charcoal barbecues to cook up all that meat in their freezer, turning bad by the minute. That feeling of camaraderie and community can last into the second day and part of the third, but things begin to devolve rather quickly by the third day. The stench of trash and human waste piling up compounds the stress and anxiety many feel. How bad it gets from there directly correlates to people’s sense of relief efforts. If hope is on the horizon and bridges and roads are clear and flowing with fresh water and food being trucked in, then things will probably right themselves. If that isn’t happening, people will begin to take what they need to survive by whatever means necessary.
As early as the first day, grocery stores may be unable to transact and sell food, and trucks may not be able to deliver food. Grocery stores don’t hold enough food to feed an entire community for several days after a disaster, anyways. When the power goes out, restaurants will be closed. You must rely upon your stored food and cooking and food prep skills. Even if you have a good skill set with these and ample supplies, it isn’t likely all your neighbors are similarly skilled and supplied.
As a rule, one day is generally okay. After a few days, people come together. A week or more, and it will either be relief workers or someone else at your door. I don’t want to alarm you, but I must be honest. Even if you have plugged in a few solutions when these critical infrastructure utilities go offline, that doesn’t mean your neighbors have. I also don’t go into great detail about other infrastructure systems impacted by these outages, like hospitals, trucking, food supplies, etcetera. We really take for granted what happens when we flick a light switch or open a tap on our sink.
During the lockdowns, when we faced a huge unknown with COVID, I had a friend who worked at the desalination water plant in Carlsbad, California. He and his fellow employees were required to stay on the job and sleep at the plant at the start of the lockdowns because their jobs were too critical to allow them to come home and risk exposure to the illness. I sometimes think about that, but I also think about how essential one person’s job may be to an entire community. One person can be the linchpin to a whole infrastructure system, so what happens if that person can’t be found after a disaster? When one infrastructure system fails, it can cascade into a collapse of multiple systems. At the least, it puts a significant strain on those other systems.
In New Orleans, after Katrina, many police officers didn’t report to their jobs because they decided instead to stay home and protect their families. I often think of that, too, as a reminder not to be overly dependent on others to assist me after a disaster. When one of these primary utility infrastructure systems goes down, it will be up to you, and you alone, whether or not you will make it through. Sure, there will be repairmen deployed to fix the system. There will be police, fire, and medical personnel continuing to do their best in the face of the worst of it all. There may even be outside relief and support from the State and Federal levels. None of these are guaranteed, however, and the loss of what you take for granted now is measured in minutes and precious hours until it is hopefully restored.
Please take the time to create an actionable plan for losing each of these critical utility infrastructure systems. Again, I’ll post links below on practical videos to detail with these issues.
I belong to a FaceBook group called “Self Reliance in Davis County”. The administrator posts some really great articles. The one posted on May 17 was about Storing Food in 5-Gallon Buckets and 10 Myths you should know. I’ve linked it below.
I got Augason Farms Fettuccine Alfredo for $19.61 for 16 servings. That’s $1.23 per serving. Not bad. Keep an eye on this page, because the “deals” expire quickly.
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
I pulled up all the carrots that had been in the grow pots since November. They never really started growing until it warmed up. Growing carrots is really interesting. You never know what you’re going to get—-at least “I” don’t.
There’s the “Good”:
Then there’s the “Not As Good”
And…… “The Ugly”
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: pasta sauces
Time to stock up on pasta sauces. You can either buy spaghetti sauce, or make sure you have the ingredients to make it. I’ve shared MY spaghetti sauce recipe as recently as last January. If you’d like that recipe, just LMK. I have everything on the shelf needed, including jars of ground beef that I’ve canned. It has chopped carrots which you wouldn’t necessarily think would GO in spaghetti sauce, and also bell peppers, which I don’t like by themselves but add flavor to several recipes I make. Both of these I can add fresh, but usually I use dehydrated. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes are canned goods that I stock and have to rotate or they will turn brown.
I LOVE Alfredo sauce. Who doesn’t like all that creamy buttery, cheesy goodness? But, frankly, I’ve not found a brand that I really love. I did find a recipe for canning alfredo sauce, but the FDA frowns on canning cheese and butter. I have shared my “Food Storage” recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini that uses alfredo sauce several times. If you’d like THAT recipe, just LMK.
This week, I’ve shared a recipe for dried alfredo sauce which you can check out below.
Anyway, pick up 10 cans/jars of sauce this week.
MISC. PURCHASE: Fire Extinguisher
Everyone SHOULD have a fire extinguisher!!! I will admit that when my kids were small, we did NOT have one. I never THOUGHT about having one. But now that I’m married to a former police officer, we have FOUR. One under the kitchen sink, one upstairs in the laundry room, one as you go into the garage, and Mr. Shelley keeps one in the trunk of his car.
How to Use a Fire Extinguisher There are different sizes and prices, and you can order them online or get them at Lowe’s or Home Depot. AND, although my husband claims that they will last for years and years, this is only partially true. How long do fire extinguishers last?
Evidently, there are two types, disposable and rechargeable. Rechargeable extinguishers should be taken to a fire equipment service company and inspected every six years. Disposable extinguishers should be replaced every ten years. The last thing you need is to grab your fire extinguisher and have it NOT work!!!
I just googled “Where can I get my fire extinguisher recharged,” and 4-5 places popped up that were pretty close to me. Who knew???
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:
Palestine Stew
This comes from “Feasting on Food Storage”
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped, or 2 TB dry chopped onion
Brown in heavy pan.
1 c. whole wheat kernels
1 c. lentils
4 c. water
2 14-oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TB vinegar
1 TB brown sugar
1/2 c. ketchup
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
Add all the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer slowly for 2-3 hours. Thin with water or tomato juice if desired.
NOTE: At my store they do not sell 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes. I usually take a can of diced tomatoes and put my immersion blender right down into the can and blend away.
Also…… at my Winco store, you can get wheat kernels in the bulk section. That way you can get a cup or two and not have to open one of your #10 cans.
NOTE: Unopened grated Parmesan cheese that has been sold unrefrigerated will generally stay at best quality for about 12-18 months at normal room temperature. For this reason, after you have made your alfredo sauce, you should keep it in the refrigerator. OR, make the sauce, but add the Parmesan cheese just before you use it.
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo (using the dried sauce)
This recipe uses all freeze-dried and powdered foods. If you are wanting to rotate the #10 cans of freeze-dried broccoli that you purchased, or if you want to make and give away several of these meals, then open and use what you have. Otherwise, stick this recipe aside and plan to use it when you have no other options but to dig into your stored food!!!
Add
3/4 c. of dry Alfredo mix and
1/4 c. butter powder
1/2 c. water
Mix like a rue then slowly add approximately 2 c. water, allowing time for the sauce to thicken to desired consistency.
In a small saucepan add:
1 c. freeze-dried broccoli
1 c. freeze-dried chicken
2 c. penne pasta
4 c. water
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked. Add the sauce and enjoy.
I had a SHOCK at the grocery store last week. The price of eggs actually went DOWN— A LOT!!! I think they were about $1.95 for 18 eggs at Winco. Time for deviled eggs and potato salad!
Dried eggs should be rotated every three years, but under optimum conditions can still be good up to 10 years
Keep in a cool, dark area
Just add water to use in omelets, scrambled eggs. In recipes needing eggs, the dehydrated eggs can be used in powdered form, the eggs can be added dry with the water. No need to mix ahead of time.
1 TB egg powder + 2 TB water = 1 medium egg
2 TB egg powder + 1/4 c. water = extra large egg
It would be nice to have some powdered eggs stored, but they are not a LONG-TERM storage item. AND, right now, the price is super high: Augason Farms whole eggs are $72 for a #10 can!!! But if store eggs are coming down in price, maybe the dried eggs will as well. Fingers crossed.
I’ve been doing some canning this week. I’ve been canning “Dinner In a Jar” meals. I’ve made chicken thighs with tomato sauce, pot roast with carrots and potatoes, and some Hungarian Beef to serve over rice. Still on my list for the week are Hawaiian Chicken, chicken vegetables and gravy, and pulled pork. You can save money by buying on sale and preserving for later!!!
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
The garden is CRAZY!!! Tomato plants are taller than I am. Of course, there aren’t any ripe tomatoes yet, but lots of green ones, so I’m hoping!!! I have more lettuce than I can eat, and we’re giving bags of it away. Cucumbers are plugging along – and the funny thing is I don’t really like them, so I give them away to anyone who knocks on the door. Potatoes are supposed to flower and die. Well, mine are dying, and they never flowered. What does THAT mean??? I planted them in February, so they’ve been in the ground 90 days. I’ll wait until they are totally dead, then dig them up and see what I’ve got.
No squash yet. Celery is doing really well. I’ve already picked some and used it. The stalks aren’t very fat (I think they are too crowded) but they smell and taste celery-ish, so I’ve been using them. Beans are climbing up the poles. All is right with the world!!!!
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Sugar, honey
I just listened to a video that claimed the price of sugar will probably be going up soon. Of course! The price of EVERYTHING is going up! Basic storage should include 5 pounds of sugar per person per month. Right now, a 4-pound bag of sugar is climbing up to $3. The good news is that sugar lasts a LONG time! You can get #10 cans of sugar at the Bishop’s Storehouse 5.6 pounds for $9. You can buy 12 pounds of sugar at the store for that price. BUT, you’ll have to either repackage it or put it in buckets to store. Me??? I vacuum-seal the entire sugar package and stick it in the closet. When I open them, I just sift the sugar, and all the lumps come right out. It’s the moisture in the air that makes sugar go hard. AND, you’ll want to protect your sugar from ants and rodents!
If you decide to invest in some honey….. there are a lot of good reasons to do so!
It is rich in antioxidants, which can help lower blood pressure
It less “bad” for you than white sugar
It reduces “bad” cholesterol and raises “good” cholesterol
It can lower triglycerides
It can heal wounds and burns. It is also effective for diabetic foot ulcers.
It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. It can also treat psoriasis and herpes lesions.
Manuka honey is especially effective for wound care.
Honey water can help with coughs
DO NOT GIVE TO CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE.
You can substitute honey for sugar in recipes, and here is how:
After COVID, we are all a little more conscientious about washing hands, and clothes, and everything else.
In my 72-hour kit, I cut a washrag in half, wrapped it around a motel-sized bar of soap, and put them in a baggie. Soap is great for killing bacteria and germs. Being able to wash a wound with soap and water might sting, but it could prevent infection. It wouldn’t hurt to get 3-4 extra bottles of dish soap. If power goes out, we’ll be washing dishes by hand! They can go in the garage and be out of the way.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:
Garlic Infused Honey
(I posted this about two years ago)
Garlic is a staple found in just about every home. It is the foundation of many flavor combinations and has many health benefits as well. People have been using garlic medicinally since ancient times. It helps boost your immune system, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
There are many ways to incorporate the healing power of garlic. If you infuse garlic with honey, the garlic will ferment and add beneficial probiotics to the mixture. It is great for colds and the flu.
Place garlic in a glass jar, and cover it with honey. Make sure you leave plenty of headspace at the top of the jar for the additional liquid and bubbles that will be created in the process. Flip the jar daily to ensure the garlic stays coated in honey. This will help prevent mold from forming. After several days, you should see bubbles begin to form. This is a sign that fermentation has begun. Loosen the lid daily to release the gasses. Over time, the activity in the jar will decrease, and you can burp less frequently. When the bubbling stops, the fermentation is complete. This can take several months, but the end result is worth it. For best results, use organic garlic and raw honey.
Crock Pot Beefy Potato Taco Casserole
The nice thing about using potatoes in a casserole is that they are gluten-free and relatively cheap! I saw this recipe this week and added it to my menus to try.
1 lb. ground beef – brown (I’ll just use 1 jar of canned ground beef. Ask me how to do this, and I will help you put ground beef on your shelf)
2 cloves garlic – add at the end. Then drain the meat.
In the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot, put
4 c. sliced potatoes.
Spread the ground beef evenly on top of the potatoes.
1 packet of taco seasoning – sprinkle on top of everything
1 can cheddar cheese soup – spoon soup evenly on top
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese – sprinkle evenly across the top of everything.
1 c. beef broth – gently pour evenly around the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
If desired and using an oven-safe crock, place in broiler on high for approximately 90 seconds to brown cheese.
Let cook 10-15 minutes before serving.
Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole
Preheat oven to 300˚
1 c. long grain cooking rice (NOT minute rice!!)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. onion chopped
Mix above ingredients and spread evenly in a slightly greased 9X13 baking dish.
2 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Place chicken on the rice and push them down into the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese – Sprinkle evenly over everything
1/4 c. butter – Cut into pats and place evenly across the top. Cover with foil and cook for 1 hour.
Remove foil and cook for another 30-60 minutes until your chicken is cooked through and your rice is plump.
Note: I’ve made a similar chicken and rice dish in the oven and used chicken pieces WITH bones and skin. I think the bones add flavor and frankly, they are much cheaper. But it DOES take a long to bake!!!
I pulled up some carrots that I planted in November to see how they would do in the winter.
One thing about gardening is……. you realize HOW MUCH food you would need to grow to “live off of it”. You also realize how much cheaper it is to just buy it at the store!!!
I grew these in a small 4-gallon bucket. So, not too bad.
Oh, and BTW, these are pretty good compared to some of the others. LOL
GARDEN HAPPENINGS
This is the “Side of the House” garden. It gets about 5 hours of sun a day.
This is the garden that has expanded into part of the lawn. It was a hard sell, but there is much more sun here. It’s great today, but we’ll see what happens when the temperatures get to 100!!!
This week it’s time to feed the plants again. If you are not doing this on a regular basis, your plants will not thrive. Here is what I use.
See how it says mycorrhizae microbes on the front? Super good for your soil.
See how it says TruBiotic? Also, mycorrhizae inside. I got both of them at Lowes. I’m SURE they have them at Home Depot as well. See the numbers: This one is 4-6-3. The first number promotes green growth, like for lettuce or spinach, or leafy veggies. The second number promotes flowering for tomatoes, squash, peppers….anything that needs a flower to have fruit.
The last number promotes roots: carrots, beets, turnips, etc. Both of these have balanced numbers.
Do I use different fertilizers for each kind of plant? No, no, no. That’s WAY too much work. One size fits all, and I can add something else if I want to.
I usually add a little compost or worm castings as well for plants with lots of green. And… I may add some blood meal for root plants. EXCEPTION do NOT add nitrogen to peas and beans. They produce their own nitrogen!
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: dried beans
In an emergency, you may not have access to meat. If the power is out, your freezer meat will spoil within 2-3 days. Hopefully, you have some canned meat on hand. Otherwise, you need beans and grains to fill the protein deficiency that will arise.
If you have NEVER cooked dry beans, you have a few choices. ALL choices start with washing the beans and looking for small rocks or dirt clods that CAN and DO escape the cleaning process at the factory.
1) Short-soak method. Boil beans for only 3 minutes. Cover and set aside for an hour. Dry beans absorb as much water in one hour when soaking is started by first boiling for 3 minutes as they do in 15 hours of cold water!!!! This method reduces hard-to-digest complex sugars by 80%.
Proceed to cook (see below)
2) long soak method – Soak the beans overnight. Drain and discard water and rinse the beans. Cover with clean water and proceed with cooking. This method does NOT reduce complex sugars as effectively. Proceed to cook.
COOKING: After soaking, drain water and cover beans with clean water. Use 3-4 c. water for each cup of dry beans. Don’t add salt or any acidic flavoring like tomato sauce or lemon. Add these only AFTER the beans are cooked all the way through.
1 c. dry beans = 2 1/2 c. cooked beans
OLD BEANS????
As beans age, the skin becomes tough and the beans will not soak up the water. Instead of discarding them, just crack them. You can use a grinder with the burrs open, a sturdy blender on the coarsest grind possible. Use the pulse button on 1/4 c. beans at a time. And…… my favorite, put several cups of beans inside 2 grocery bags, lay the bag on a cement sidewalk or driveway, and smack it with the side of a hammer.
Do NOT mix old and new beans.
How much should you store: 2 1/2 pounds of dried beans per person per month, or 1 #10 can of beans. One pound bags of beans are about $1.25 at Winco. One pound = about 3 c. of dried beans = 7 1/2 c. cooked beans.
Okay, follow me here, don’t get lost in the math.
1 pound dried beans = 7 c. cooked beans………then
2 1/2 pounds dried beans = 17.5 c. cooked beans. This is only 1/2 c. per day of cooked beans. It’s not very much food. BUT can supplement other things like rice and pasta!!
You can store beans in food-grade buckets in their original packaging, or pour into clean and dry 2 liter bottles. You can also vacuum seal beans. Of course, you can buy #10 cans of pre packed beans.
This is the time of year that these go on sale. Just get a couple of each!
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:
Mixed Beans and More
Serves 10 so adjust accordingly!!
1 1/2 c. dried black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 c. dried pinto beans, rinsed
1 1/2 c. dried kidney beans, rinsed
(You can actually use any combination of these, including lima beans and butter beans)
Boil for 3 minutes, then let sit 1 hour. Drain soaking water and cover with clean water. Boil until beans are tender and cooked through about 30 minutes. Drain beans and set aside.
1 lb. andouille sausage, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cook and stir in a large skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbly, 5-10 minutes. Drain fat.
Place beans, sausage mix, and
1 c. corn
1 c. water
3/4 c. salsa
3/4 c. tomato-based chili sauce
2 TB white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Place in a slow cooker. Stir. Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Ham and Beans and More
1 lb. dried Great Northern beans, sorted and rinsed
4 c. water
Boil for 3 minutes, then let stand 1 hour. Drain
Combine the soaked beans, another 4 c. water
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1 mall onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
Combine into a slow cooker
1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
Melt the butter and oil in a skillet. Stir in the leeks until tender and the smaller pieces start to brown 8-10 min.
2 leeks (bulb onl), cut in half lengthwise
Add the leeks to the slow cooker. In the same pan, cook and stir:
1 lb. cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces until the edges start to brown, then stir into the soup. In the same pan fry up
5 slices bacon – until the bacon is crisp. Cut into bite-sized pieces and stir into the soup.
4 c. chicken stock – Pour into the hot skillet and stir to dissolve any flavor bits from the skillet, then pour into the soup.
1 pinch salt to taste
1 pinch pepper to taste
Set the cooker to low and cook 6-8 hours. Roughly mash about 1/2 the beans in a blender or with a potato masher to thicken the soup.
Split Pea Soup
1 pound of dried split peas, rinsed
2 quarts water
Combine in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer 45 minutes or until the peas are soft.
1 1/2 c. sliced carrots
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. diced cooked ham
1/2 tsp allspice
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
(I REALLY like to add 2 c. diced potatoes)!!!
Simmer for 30 min. Add a little boiling water if the soup is too thick. Remove bay leaves. Serve
Various weather agencies have been warning that this summer’s temperatures may very well break previous heat records. Higher than normal heat will result in increased consumer demand that will push an aging electrical infrastructure beyond its limits, leading to rolling blackouts. If your area is impacted by temperatures and grid problems this summer, will you be ready? In this video, I will cover ten ways to stay cool when the power goes out, so let’s jump in.
1 – SHADE
Hide away from the sunlight and seek shade. Keep your house’s windows closed and blinds shut during the day so long as the temperature outside is hotter than the temperature inside and while the sun is shining. After sunset, the temperature outside can drop rapidly depending on your environment, so you want to position fans to pull cool air inside. Find the coolest room in your house and set up camp there, closing off hotter rooms.
Hot air rises, so if you live in a 2 story house, stay downstairs. Typically, the side of the house that does not receive sunlight towards the end of the day will be the cooler side. Avoid opening and closing doors from your cool area to the outdoors. In fact, close the doors to hotter rooms that are next to the cooler areas of your home.
If you are outside, you will want to get shade and out of direct sunlight.If there is no shade, an umbrella or even a sun umbrella will be helpful.
2 – LIGHT
Even though heatwaves are most likely to occur in the summer months when the days are long, you will still need a source of light for safety. Candles or other heat-generating sources are not good options in these situations because you don’t want to add even one more degree to your environment. Glow sticks or LED lights work effectively as they put off little to no heat compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Lanterns are great for lighting up entire areas. Have options available and check your batteries periodically to make sure they’re ready. Even a simple handcrank radio with a light will give you the ability to produce light.
3 – AIR CIRCULATION
Air circulation can help to distribute the air more evenly and create a more comfortable environment by promoting the evaporation of sweat from the skin and creating a cooling sensation. Because of this, fans are essential in a heatwave. Consider small, personal fans and their energy requirements. Even a battery-operated, handheld mister fan connected to a pump water bottle can keep you cool. Consider adding ice to the bottle.
If you have portable power like a backup battery system or solar, you can run fans throughout the day without too much concern. Consider placing a bucket of ice or frozen water bottles in front of the fan to cool the air. Of course, if there is an outside breeze, and the temperatures are lower outside, open multiple windows to allow a breeze to move through your home.
4 – COOLING UNITS
If the power goes out, so will your AC unit. If you have a backup power source such as a gas or solar generator, there are a few cooling options worth considering. On the low end of cost, evaporative air cooler fans with icepacks like the one shown here pull little power, are cheap, and are surprisingly effective at cooling you if you’re directly next to the fan.
Of course, there are the portable AC’s you can purchase at your local hardware store like the one shown here. These do require a fair amount of power, but can effectively cool a small room. A bit more on the pricer end, but equally effective and require a reduced amount of power to operate them when comparing them to portable AC’s are units like the one shown here from Ecoflow. If you have solar panels or a portable battery system, these can be great options to set up for yourself or elderly neighbors or family members.
5 – LOOSE CLOTHING
The looser and fewer pieces of clothes you wear in a single layer, the better. Light-colored fabrics will reflect more of the sun’s rays than darker fabrics. Choose materials that move moisture away from the body. A microfiber cooling towel that can also be worn around your neck is a great option. Fabrics like these will pull moisture away from the body. Loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabrics like cotton or linen will allow air to circulate around your body.
6 – HYDROTHERAPY
Water is your best weapon against heat. When it comes to water, soaking in a cool bath or a cool shower will rapidly cool a body. If you have ice in your freezer (which will melt when the power goes out), why not use it in a bowl in front of a fan where you can soak your wrists or feet or in a bath?
Hydration is the key to survival. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. You can also try other hydrating fluids like coconut water, sports drinks or powders, or fruit juices. Start drinking water at regular intervals. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. When you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Additionally, you should avoid caffeine or alcoholic drinks, as these will dehydrate you. And don’t forget your pets. Soaking them may also help them to keep cool.
7 – ICE
Ice packs and frozen water bottles will provide cool temperatures long after the power goes out. You can place under armpits, on foreheads, necks, and wrists to cool off, and to drink as they melt.
Ice ingestion by crunching soft ice or sucking on ice cubes has been proven to lower body temperature, and rubbing ice cubes over pulse points like the wrist and neck can cool your body. Ice absorbs heat as it melts. Passing warm air from a fan over the ice will cause the ice to melt more rapidly, but it will also cool the air. Strategically use ice, fans, and water to create a cooling station in the coolest room of your house.
8 – KNOW YOUR AREA
Prior to heatwaves, know where your local government may be setting up cooling centers. Many cities and towns have designated cooling centers during heatwaves, such as libraries, community centers, and other public buildings. Check with your local government or emergency management office to find out if there are any cooling centers in your area.
Some public spaces may have massive air conditioning or open-air spaces. Shopping malls, movie theaters, and other public buildings often have air conditioning and backup power. These places can be an excellent place to keep cool during a heatwave. Parks with large mature trees, wooded areas, and bodies of water can provide natural shade and help to cool their surrounding area. We often get rigid in our thinking that our homes are the coolest places, but that’s not always the case when the power goes out. If going out in nature is part of your strategy, ensure you have a hat and sunscreen.
9 – OPEN UP
As soon as the sun goes down, start assessing the outside temperature. If it is cooler outside than inside, open every window and door and vent the hot air of your house. Attic fans are great for quickly exchanging the air. Place fans in windows to create cross ventilation, preferably on the east side of your house after sunset.
Before sunrise, start assessing the temperature outside again. As it begins to warm above the temperature you managed to cool your house down to, start shutting everything down again. Close windows and draw curtains.
10 – SLOW DOWN
Avoid exercise or exertion during periods of high heat. Permit yourself to do nothing and lay low. Unless you are cooking outside, you might want to avoid cooking too as it will heat up your home. If you have food that can be warmed up quickly with hot water, like freeze dried food or easily prepared meals like MRE’s, this may be your best to avoid cooking.
When it comes to cooking, favor fruits and vegetables that don’t need to be cooked. Many vegetables and fruits are mostly water. For instance, cucumbers are 95% water, so they can help you maintain hydration.
So much of surviving during an extreme heatwave in your home without electricity comes down to just one thing– providing our bodies the ability to regulate our core temperature. Hydration, evaporation, loose-fitting clothing, and air circulation give your body what it needs to keep cool. Because water is such a critical part of keeping cool, I will link to a video on 3 Mistakes Preppers Make When Storing Water. It may seem odd for some to talk about stored water during a heatwave because we are so used to simply turning a tap. However, prolonged and intense heat waves can degrade water quality, lower levels of available water, and create an environment where bacteria and pollutants are plentiful. If your heatwave will last for a week or more, you can’t rely solely on your municipal water supply. Most importantly, you should watch our video The World Isn’t Ready for What’s Coming This Summer, which I will also link to below. We tend to treat heatwaves as one-offs–they’re here for a few days, then they are gone, and we forget about them. This summer may be different, and the system can unravel in larger ways which you need to understand how to prepare, so please watch that video as well.
If there’s anything we didn’t cover, feel free to post your comments below as we can all learn from the community.
Our video earlier this month delved into what they aren’t telling you about World War III. As you can probably imagine, it’s in the best interest of your government to downplay your country’s involvement in an escalating conflict. Still, Ukraine isn’t the only front of this rapidly expanding World War. In this video, we will explore the six potential causes that could lead to an outright World War and six hot zones you should be paying attention to. You’ll want to watch to the end to understand the threat completely so you can understand your country’s role in a future potential conflict. These are the six likely sparks that could ignite a more significant global war and the six areas where the conflict could occur, and I’m barely even going to touch upon the South China Sea or Ukraine. Before we dive into those conflict zones, let’s start off by looking at what could be the causes behind WWIII kicking off.#1 – SANCTIONS DON’T WORKIn 2008, Russia engaged in a military conflict with Georgia, resulting in the imposition of some sanctions. This event served as a test to gauge international response, but no substantial actions were taken by the rest of the world. Russia is involved in a similar situation with Ukraine, leading to sanctions being issued by the UN, USA, NATO, and EU. However, despite these sanctions, they invaded Ukraine in 2014 and are currently engaged in a “special operation” that has now extended into year 2. The sanctions this time were even more extreme. However, Russia has circumnavigated many of them by selling to other nations through a shadowy fleet of vessels. Grain gifts to Africa, weapons deals with North Korea, oil and grain and contractor deals with China and India, the list goes on and on. When the sanctions lose effectiveness, it gives rise to other reserve currencies and creates a multi-polar world where new alliances are formed.Russia is already replenishing its foreign currency reserves with the Chinese Yuan. Already, Indian refineries are paying traders in the United Arab Emirates dirhams for Russian oil. When sanctions cease to work, new alliances and sides are established. Potential conflicts can escalate.#2 – MORE HOT ZONESAt any given time worldwide, there are numerous conflicts. Most don’t receive our attention. However, each of these minor conflicts is a pawn on a chessboard. They may not be growing into a global conflict, but they bring forces in global opposition to one another in close proximity. Russia and US forces are overtly and covertly present in Syria, Sudan, Libya, and several other countries worldwide. Wherever oppositionally aligned superpowers are mutually deployed as consultants or peacekeepers, the potential for armed interaction exists. This is probably the hottest at the moment in Syria, where Pro-Iranian and Russian forces are threatening and attacking US-supported positions. One sure sign of World War III is an explosion of hot zones and their escalation of conflict.#3 – PRIVATE MILITARY GROUPSBelieve it or not, wars have some generally accepted rules of engagement, like the Geneva Conventions. The way around these rules is by establishing a state-funded private military group. Academi, Wagner Group, Unity Resources Group, MVM Incorporated, and Asgaard are just a few of the many. These are militaries that function as loosely constructed corporations. Their profit comes from waging war, defending assets, or supporting other countries or rebel forces.The problem with these is that even though they can be tied back to the governments and espionage agencies that created and funded them, the countries have a layer of plausible deniability. So we see these PMGs murdering, torturing, and plundering worldwide. We are also seeing these competing forces coming into closer proximity with each other and conducting operations in the same geographical space. It’s just a matter of time before oppositionally aligned PMGs come into direct conflict with each other and force countries to respond militarily with their standing armies.#4 – NUCLEAR ANYTHINGNuclear warheads are still seen in the world as a line too far and not to be crossed. While we tend to see the only outcome of some countries using a nuclear warhead as a complete global nuclear exchange and the end of us all, there are other scenarios. If Russia uses a nuclear warhead not delivered via a missile, nuclear signatures must be established to trace it back to its source of origin. That takes time, while countries immediately go to their equivalent of Defcon-2. During that pressure cooker time, to prevent further launches by a hostile government, a high-altitude nuclear detonation from space, resulting in an EMP to wipe out electronics in a country, is possible. Such a counterattack is more challenging to pinpoint a country of origin, so the conflict can escalate rapidly from there and devolve into nuclear chaos. Whether it’s a leak from a nuclear power plant, a dirty bomb, or the detonation of a nuclear warhead, nuclear anything immediately pulls the entire world into World War III.#5 – BORDERS & BOUNDARIES VIOLATEDAny invasion in our modern world is sure to bring a global response. Whether that’s China attacking Taiwan or a contested island owned by the Japanese or Russia invading Ukraine, or an escalation of the border war between China and India, these violations of accepted international borders and boundaries can pull the whole world into a conflict. The traditional way is with armed forces like Germany sending 20,000 troops into the Rhineland in 1936, but modern border and boundary violations are far more complex. Japan, South Korea, and China are in dispute over air space. Russia is attacking US drones in the international air space of the Black Sea. Fighters and bombers are violating air space in the Bering Strait and Syria. There are continued maritime disputes between China and every other country sharing a shoreline with the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. We have even seen spy balloons flying over the soverign territory of other countries.Most of these incursions and infractions are testing response times, saber rattling, and posturing. Each of them, however, has the potential to draw forces into a conflict that could turn from a minor fire to a blazing wildfire in very little time. As forces realign themselves around the world, the potential for more significant conflict from their flexing of muscle increases. Watch for any major border or boundary violation as a potential catalyst for World War III.#6 – ECONOMICSThe only thing probably keeping the peace in the world right now boils down to simple economics. So long as China is dependent upon US consumers, so long as China and India both benefit from lucrative Russian grain, energy, and defense deals, so long as OPEC benefits from Russian oil, and so forth, relative peace is maintained. No country wants to rock the boat when it comes to their economies. That said, as BRICS develops and rolls out its own digital currency, as the Middle East continues to profit from Russian oil contributions, and as European countries continue to replace Russian energy with energy exported from the US, these power dynamics can swiftly change.As these power dynamics change, global policies and alliances change. A China-Russia alliance without “limits” will create a very different world what we are currently living in today. Trade wars, tariffs, and sanctions can all lead to violations of longstanding treaties and alliances. The first volley in a World War is often economic, so it’s something to keep an eye on.6 PLACES WHERE WORLD WAR III COULD HAPPENHere are some potential hot zone areas beyond Ukraine and the South China Sea where we could see a World War spin-up in a matter of weeks. I’m not going to cover Ukraine or the South China Sea because I cover both those areas quite extensively in other videos on this channel. The potential conflict between China and Japan is, at present, probably more concerning than China’s threat to Taiwan’s independence. I’m also not including potential areas that aren’t as hot right now, like Russia’s border with Finland or the Suwalki Corridor, which connects Belarus to Kaliningrad in Russia and would cut off Baltic States from NATO or the Bering Strait. These are all potential starting points for World War III, but they would require some build-up compared to the zones I am outlining here:#1 – STRAIT OF HORMUZThe Strait of Hormuz, known in Arabic as Madiq Bab Al Salam or the “door of peace,” is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the ocean. The countries bordering the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf include Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The strait is an important strategic location for international trade due to its significant role in facilitating the passage of approximately one-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and nearly 25% of the total global oil consumption. The U.S. and Iran have had several minor conflicts since Operation Praying Mantis, a one-day battle against Iranian forces in retaliation for a US frigate striking a mine. Even though conflicts are continually in these waters, Iran has recently begun seizing foreign vessels. On April 27, Iran seized the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet in the Gulf of Oman while it was in transit. Subsequently, six days later, another ship, the Panama-flagged tanker Niovi, was seized by Iran as it departed a dry dock in Dubai. In early December, an Iranian patrol boat attempted to temporarily blind US Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz by directing a spotlight towards them and crossing within a distance of 150 yards. Similarly, in August of last year, an Iranian vessel captured a crewless American military research vessel in the Gulf, but it was released after the deployment of a US Navy patrol boat and helicopter to the location. With Iran’s overt support of Russia in the Ukraine war and Russia’s warming up to Iran as an adversary to the United States, a sudden escalation of the conflict in this zone may be inevitable.#2 – GULF OF ADEN/RED SEAProbably the biggest threat in the past in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea area was perhaps poorly equipped Somali pirates. With the ocean to the South and the Suez Canal connecting the waterway to the North to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, one of the world’s ancient waterways, is gaining growing geopolitical significance. Positioned between two continents, it borders six African and four Middle Eastern countries, serving as a crucial passage for approximately 10% of global trade. It holds strategic importance for regional and international powers projecting their military strength or involvement in conflicts and presents the potential for both prosperity and peril. As economic and military competition intensifies in the Red Sea, it carries the prospect of robust economic growth while also signaling the likelihood of conflicts between rival powers.Most recently, the Wagner Group has established a presence to protect Russian gold interests in Sudan. Investigations are underway, uncovering a smuggling operation by Russia to take Sudanese gold directly to Russia. There has also been an effort on the Kremlin’s part to establish a naval base on Sudan’s coast with the Red Sea. As this would have required Sudanese parliamentary approval, which was perhaps too complex for Russia to obtain, is it any surprise that a civil war between two generals, both supported by Russia, has broken out?#3 – SUDANOver the past two decades, Sudan has been marked by significant conflicts that have profoundly impacted its society. The Darfur conflict began in 2003 and resulted in widespread violence and displacement as rebel groups clashed with the government over marginalization and resource control. The North-South Sudan civil war, lasting from 1983 to 2005, stemmed from ethnic and religious divisions, ultimately leading to the independence of South Sudan. Meanwhile, conflicts in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Abyei, and eastern Sudan have caused ongoing violence, displacement, and tensions over political status, resources, and ethnic grievances. These conflicts have brought immense human suffering and continue to pose challenges to achieving lasting peace and stability in Sudan. In this latest chapter, two military factions — once political allies, now battlefield adversaries — are wrestling for control over the city and the country’s lucrative mineral resource exports, especially gold.Several countries, including United Nations countries, Egypt, Russia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, and the United States, all have military assets in the country operating in close proximity to one another as the latest chapter of violence unfolds. Further escalation of the conflict would result in multiple warships tightly packed into the waters of the Red Sea– a recipe for disaster.#4 – SYRIASyria has been experiencing a complex and multifaceted conflict that began in 2011. The conflict involves multiple parties, including the Syrian government, rebel groups, extremist organizations, and international actors. It has resulted in significant humanitarian crises, including mass displacement, casualties, and destruction of infrastructure. Efforts for a political resolution and peace negotiations have been ongoing, but the situation remains highly volatile. The President of Syria is Bashar al-Assad. He assumed office in July 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had been in power since 1971. The ongoing Syrian conflict has marked Bashar al-Assad’s presidency. Without delving too deeply into the conflict, Bashar al-Assad is supported by Russia, and the US has troops in the country.Since the start of the Ukraine war, there has been an escalation of the conflict on Russia’s part. They have attempted to bait US jets into a dogfight and have repeatedly buzzed US defensive positions in neutral zones of the conflict. While Russia and the United States support forces on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict and are both allegedly fighting Islamic State militants. U.S. and Russian troops have not clashed directly, but that could change overnight. This dangerous hot zone would provide Russia with another front to distract the world from its invasion and war in Ukraine. #5 – KOREAN PENINSULANorth Korea continues to launch missiles in the direction and over the air space of their neighbors. North Korea reportedly fired 26 projectiles, including short-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 11 test launches in the first three months of this year. North Korea has a military nuclear weapons program and, as of early 2020, is estimated to have an arsenal of approximately 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of fissile material for six to seven nuclear weapons per year. Kim Jong-un desires to be taken seriously and feared. Traditionally, China has held some sway over the dictator, but that has changed since North Korea started focusing so heavily on its nuclear program. North Korea is also heavily supporting Moscow in its war with Ukraine. If relations between China and Russia become strained or China feels that its control is slipping away to Russia, North Korea will turn towards Moscow for more significant support. That doesn’t bode well for the world.#6 – CHINA/INDIAKind of like that Ace hid deep within the deck, and probably more in the category of a lukewarm conflict, the China-India border conflict remains one to watch as a potential World War III maker. The sporadic conflict between China and India in the mountainous region of the Roof of the World continues, with both countries showing no signs of backing down. Although the territorial stakes are small and the terrain inhospitable, the conflict persists due to the importance of national prestige. The leaders of both nations have been unable to find a resolution, leaving open the possibility of escalation, which could either achieve their objectives or lead to a more devastating conflict. So long as both India and China are profiting from lucrative deals and cheap oil and grain from Russia, the economics will prevent a larger escalation in this area. Both countries will ride the fence on many significant issues worldwide and close deals with the United States and Russia. Still, it’s a vital zone to monitor for changes, as they are nuclear-capable nations with 35% of the world’s population. There are so many conflict zones right now where proxy wars are being actively waged, and it’s almost like a dress rehearsal for the future. The war in Ukraine is the most apparent global proxy war, but there are several fronts from Sudan to Syria, which the mainstream media probably isn’t giving you too much information on right now. They could all, however, ignite more significant conflicts. Many, myself included, would argue that we are all already engaged in a world war. You are always best served to prep as if war is imminent as there are many hotspots around the world currently on the verge of turning into a fire. I’ll post links to some practical videos to get you moving in your preparedness journey to insulate yourself should these events ramp up.As always, stay safe out there.
Your stored food is only useful if you can cook it.
Here, we’ll show you 4 meals you can easily cook after a disaster. We’ll use simple techniques to help you conserve your fuel, reduce cleanup, conserve water which may be precious, and maximize nutrition, leaving you with a satisfied, full feeling. We’ll also assume your home’s utilities may have been cut, so we’ll utilize practical and proven cooking. At the bottom of this page, you will find the ingredients and cooking instructions we use in this video, so let’s jump in.
NO BOIL PASTA
You don’t need to boil pasta, but you do need boiling water. For boiling water, we can use something like a simple camp stove with a propane tank or an induction plate connected to either a gas or solar generator. It’s important to understand that pasta does not cook because of the boiling water. It cooks because of the temperature of the boiling water. So, if you bring your water to a boil, add a pinch of salt to help maintain temperature, add your pasta, stir it, and put your lid on the pot. You can now turn off your heat source, thus conserving the fuel. The pasta will be softened and ready to eat in about 12-14 minutes. This is valuable information if you are trying to conserve cooking fuel or minimize outdoor open fires. Also, when cooking pasta, scoop the pasta out but don’t dump the water. The water can be used as a thickener for cooking because of its flour content. Wheat flour is 70-75% starch, so some of that separates out into the water. You can reuse all the pasta water as a base for soup or stew. Simply drop a bouillon cube in the water for a rich broth to sip throughout the day and night. Once cooled, you can drink it as a carbohydrate-rich energy drink. Mixing in the appropriate amount of powdered milk or drink mix will give back a richness that is sometimes lost in the dehydration, powdering, and packaging process.
PASTA CON CARNE IN WHITE SAUCE
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt or one 3-finger pinch. Add 2 ounces of dry pasta per planned plate served. Stir pasta with a few swirls. Turn off the heat source and place the lid securely on top. It will be done in about 12-14 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups dry milk powder, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and one stick butter. Or, if you don’t have butter, you can use butter powder which is shelf stable. Mix together with a fork until thoroughly combined.
If you time this right, you will add the pasta to your mix, or you can scoop the pasta out and gently stir in a tablespoon of oil to keep it from sticking together. In a separate pan, warm 4 cups of water. You can use the already-warmed pasta water if your pasta is done cooking. With the water warm, turn up the heat source on the pan and slowly mix in your bowl of drier ingredients. Stir to prevent lumping. When smooth and slightly steaming, add seasoning to taste and any herbs, dried or foraged. The best herbs for this meal are basil, dill, or parsley. The herbs will freshen up the taste.
Finally, add 1 or 2 cans of canned meat with any of the canned liquid. Bring this to a strong simmer, then turn off the heat source, and add it to your cooked but strained pasta. Gently stir and serve.
The type of meat or additional additives will determine your end product. You have lots of latitude here. Add canned tuna, and you just made tuna with bechamel sauce, add canned chicken, and you have chicken alfredo, canned clams, and it is pasta in a white clam sauce. What we have created with this recipe is a basic white sauce. If you add dried parmesan, it leans towards an Alfredo sauce. Your white canned meats are going to be better in this sauce. Consider changing your herbs to more savory, like sage or rosemary, and beef bullion to your warm water before you mix in your dry ingredients.
It has been a common practice, at least as far back as medieval times and likely even longer, to have a pot of stew continually cooking. Your ancient ancestors survived on this. Pasteurization occurs if you keep the temperature above 145 degrees with the lid on for 30 minutes or more. If you use a can cooker or Dutch oven and keep that wrapped in blankets or a Wonderbag to slow the heat loss, you can easily store the food overnight and heat it up again in the morning with no health risks, so long as it stays above or relatively near while sealed that temperature point. If you have a campfire, you can simply set the pot in the proximity of the radiant heat of the fire in an area where you can hold your hand comfortably for around 10 seconds. Generally, when you can only hold your hand for a count of 6 to 8 seconds, the temperature is between 250 and 300 degrees.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a Dutch oven or a standard cooking pot with a lid. When the oil is heated, add 1/4 cup of dried minced onions, fresh green onions, or a bulb onion. Add a cube of beef bouillon, canned meat (such as roast beef along with the juices), or fesh meat–whatever you have. Once the meat is browned, add 2 or 3 canned vegetables or fresh vegetables or dehydrated vegetables that you have stored away: green beans, corn, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, or whatever else you enjoy eating. Anything goes here with the vegetables. The only consideration is that some vegetables, over time, will completely cook down and thicken your stew like potatoes and carrots. The solution is to just add more water at the start of the day, Add 4-6 cups water, bringing the dutch oven or pot to a near boil and add it to something like a Wonderbag to trap the heat and allow it to continue cooking. Or there are options on the market, such as the can cooker, which would allow you to get it up to a boiling temperature, then turn off the heat source and let it retain heat and cook. This minimizes fuel use and the scent of cooking food, attracting unwanted guests. You can transfer the entire contents of the pot to a thermal cooking container once it has been brought to a cooking temperature and allow it to cook for 4 or 5 hours slowly. Again, the advantage here is that we save fuel in the process. I cover 12 ways to safely cook after a disaster which explores all of these devices and methods in another video. I will link to that in the comments below.
I can add more water and seasonings, and ingredients the next morning and bring it back up to cooking temperature in a pot, put in a thermal cooker or Wonderbag, or next to an open flame, and repeat the process. If you add chunks of raw meat, you must go through the whole cooking process to ensure that the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees. Forty-five minutes on medium heat will accomplish this. Each day, you must add new vegetables, as these will cook down and thicken your stew. Over time, the flavors of your stew will gradually change, but you will have a consistent warm food source.
BEANS – UNCOOKED, COOKED, OR CANNED
Canned beans are the easiest to work with because they are presoftened. The canning process pasteurizes and pre-cooks them. Don’t throw out the liquid. It contains salt and carbohydrates that your body will need in a post-disaster environment. Consider diluting it in water and adding some powdered drink mix. That will give you the salts, electrolytes, and carbs to keep you going. If you start with dry beans, you must soak them in water with a pinch of salt or a tablespoon of vinegar for at least 12 hours. You can skip this and just boil them until soft, but that will take more water and cooking time, and you will lose the shape of some of the beans. Since you can just boil these to make them edible and add seasoning, we will take this a step further and use bean flour.
To make bean flour, you simply have to pulverize it down to a powder with the dry beans of your choice. You can do this the old-fashioned way with a mortar and pestle. Because you want a powder with a small granular flour-like consistency, I used my backup battery and a blender. You don’t have to wait until after a disaster before making flour.
BEAN FLOUR BROWNIES
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl: 1 3/4 cups bean flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. You will need to add an egg binder to this. If you have eggs, you will add 3 whole eggs. You can add the equivalent of 3 eggs in rehydrated whole egg powder. If you have no eggs, there are many egg substitutes, but many will give you a different texture in your brownie. For instance, you could use 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. To this, you can add just a pinch of powdered milk to give it a little more richness. I’m going to use rehydrated whole egg powder because that’s what is in my prepper pantry for after a disaster.
Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons oil, ghee, or butter. Add 1/4 cup water. Mix all to a pourable but thick consistency. Pour into an oiled or greased 9×9 pan. If you have an oven, you would place this in there at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. If you only have a campfire, you can place foil over the top and place it on some heated rocks about 8 inches from the fire. Rotate the pan by 1/4 every five minutes. I’m going to use my solar oven. It will take about 30 to 40 minutes with this method. You will know when it is done with any of the methods when a toothpick can be inserted in the center and it comes out clean. If it has batter on it when you pull it out, cook it longer.
Variations of this could include peanut butter powder, nuts, chopped mint leaves, or chocolate chips. If little girls can make this in their easy ovens heated only with a light bulb, you can too. Don’t be intimidated because you’re using bean flour.
SAVORY RICE PANCAKES
Rice has been found in archaeological sites dating to 8000 BC, so humans have some experience cooking and eating it. Rice is a grain belonging to the grass family and is consumed by nearly one-half of the entire world’s population. You may only be familiar with boiled rice. You may also only be aware of white and brown rice, though there are different varieties. White rice is preferred for long-term storage because it lacks the husk, which contains natural oils that can oxidize and cause spoilage.
Here are some things you might not know about rice. Like beans, they can be ground into flour and used in baking. It lacks the glutens of wheat, and glutens are what hold the food together in many cases. Because of this, many recipes will require an egg or binding agent to be added to get the correct consistency. Rice and beans together form a complete high-fiber vegetarian protein. The amino acids of each complement the other to create a complete protein– that is to say, it has all of the essential amino acids the body requires. If you want to add beans to rice, cook them separately, then add them together as they cook at different speeds.
I am going to assume you know how to cook rice, so I’ll take it a step further here and make rice pancakes. If you want to make pancakes similar to what you might have at a breakfast restaurant, there are recipes for that which use rice flour. Ours is more of a savory pancake that uses day-old rice and will taste much like fried rice. Leftover rice dries out a bit and makes it better to develop a bit of crunch. This recipe will add some type of allium like green onion, chives, wild onion, or ramps, depending on what you have to make it kind of a Korean version of what is called Panjeon. It’s savory and can be snacked on throughout the day. You could add some chopped spinach, kale, dandelion, or broad-leaf plantain for a less savory but just as flavorful version.
I’m going to create a one-egg version of this, and you can scale up depending on how many eggs you have. Double the ingredients for two eggs, triple them for three, and so on. Take 1 1/2 cups rice and give it a few chops on a cutting board. You don’t want to reduce it to a paste, but it will come together and cook better if the grains are at least halved in size. Add 1/2 cup chopped allium or other green. Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper or chili flakes. Add a pinch of salt. Add one egg or the equivalent egg substitute. When mixed, scoop about 1/4 cup onto a hot skillet with about a tablespoon of cooking oil on it and mash the mix down to a level 1/4 inch thickness.
After a few minutes, the bottom will begin to brown, and the eggs will firm up the pancake. When it is flippable, do so. Give it an equivalent amount of time on the other side. Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you cook the next one. As it cools, it will release more moisture and firm up even further. This will make about 6 small pancakes.
These are very tasty and can be cooked on an open campfire or any griddle or cast iron pan. It’s the simplicity and versatility of this savory rice pancake that makes it a winner. For a breakfast version of this, leave out the savory ingredients and try adding a pinch or two of cinnamon or nutmeg and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
COOKING METHODS
In this video, I have demonstrated thermal cooking because that’s one of your best “go-to” options after a disaster. All you need is a heat source and a means to retain the heat for as long as possible. One advantage of cooking in this method is that it contains much of the smells and minimizes the open flame period. From a security standpoint, this makes it less likely that anyone will come around looking to eat your meal.
With proper ventilation, you can accomplish thermal cooking with a small propane or butane camping stove indoors, a natural gas burning stove if the use of natural gas is safe and it is still flowing, chaffing dishes arranged under bricks, a bbq grill, open fire, or a solar oven. You could even use a hot plate if you have some type of backup power. The key is raising the temperature and then retaining the heat, as I showed with the pasta and with the can cooker. For safety reasons, if you cook with an open flame of any kind indoors, make sure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm and a means to extinguish a fire.
If you would like to see more recipes cooked in non-traditional ways, like this video and leave a comment or suggestion below. Knowing how to cook after a disaster could mean the difference between dying or thriving. In the aftermath of a disaster, you won’t last long if you are forced to crunch on dried beans or rice to survive. Approach cooking like any of your preps and have a few recipes for food you can bring to the table. You’ll be glad you took the time now.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt or one 3-finger pinch. Add 2 ounces of dry pasta per planned plate served. Stir pasta with a few swirls. Turn off the heat source and place the lid securely on top. It will be done in about 12-14 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine:
2 cups dry milk powder, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 stick of butter or equivalent substitute
If you time this right, you will add the pasta to your mix, or you can scoop the pasta out and gently stir in a tablespoon of oil to keep it from sticking together.
In a separate pan, warm 4 cups of water. You can use the already-warmed pasta water if your pasta is done cooking. With the water warm, turn up the heat source on the pan and slowly mix in your bowl of dry ingredients. Stir to prevent lumping. When smooth and slightly steaming, add seasoning to taste and any herbs, dried or foraged. The best herbs for this meal are basil, dill, or parsley. The herbs will freshen up the taste.
Finally, add 1 or 2 cans of canned meat with any of the canned liquid. Bring this to a strong simmer, then turn off the heat source, and add it to your cooked but strained pasta. Gently stir and serve.
PERPETUAL STEW
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a Dutch oven, can cooker, or cooking pot with a lid. When oil is heated, add at least 1 chopped onion or 1/4 cup of dried minced onions. Cook raw onions until semi-translucent, stirring to prevent burning. Add any raw or canned meat, cubed, and cook until browned. Add any or all chopped or rehydrated vegetables, including but not limited to celery, carrots, cubed potatoes, root vegetables, corn, cubed squash, mushrooms, kale, spinach, or foraged greens. Add 4-6 cups water and simmer pot for several hours. Add herbs or spices as desired. If you are unsure of the final taste by adding an ingredient, start by adding just a little at first.
Each night wrap pot in a blanket. In the morning, return to the heat source and add water and fresh ingredients. You could simply add a little water at night and leave it sealed near but not on your fire. You can eat it all up and start new each time. It doesn’t have to be perpetual. In that case, consider this a basic stew or soup.
Calories and nutrients will wildly vary depending upon your mix of ingredients, but it’s a good idea to keep track of the calories, protein, and carbs of new food you add to your pot.
BEAN FLOUR BROWNIES
1 3/4 cups black, pinto, or chickpea flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 eggs or equivalent 2 tablespoons oil, ghee or butter
Mix dry ingredients together. Add in wet ingredients and enough water tablespoon by tablespoon to get a thick but parable consistency. Pour into a lightly greased or buttered baking dish at least 9×9. Cook at around 325 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Estimated nutrition in the whole meal:1034 calories, 10 grams fiber, 75 grams protein, 200 grams carbohydrates.
SAVORY RICE PANCAKES
Take 1 1/2 cups rice and give it a few chops on a cutting board. Add 1/2 cup chopped allium or other green. Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper or chili flakes. Add a pinch of salt. Add one egg or the equivalent egg substitute.
When mixed, scoop about 1/4 cup onto a hot skillet with about a tablespoon of cooking oil on it and mash the mix down to a level 1/4 inch thickness. To keep the spatula from sticking to the top of your pancake, pull it slightly towards you as you release it from the top.
After a few minutes, the bottom will begin to brown, and the eggs will firm up the pancake. When it is flippable, do so. Give it an equivalent amount of time on the other side. Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you cook the next one. As it cools, it will release more moisture and firm up even further. This will make about 6 small pancakes.
Estimated nutrition in the whole meal: 13 grams protein, 69 grams carbohydrates
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OK, so let’s talk about the good news, at least good news for the moment. Even with the increased possibility of a spillover of the zoonotic virus in humans, it’s essential to put that into perspective and not panic. That is hopefully good news to many since we just made it through the COVID pandemic. Unlike the virus that caused that, SARS-CoV-2, H5N1 is a strain of influenza-type virus. Although there is no universal consensus regarding where the influenza virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919. Even before COVID, we did a whole video on that, which I will link to in the comments below.
What we do know is that we humans have over 100 years of experience and built up immunity to the influenza virus. Because of this, most humans, even newborns, have some antibodies against the virus. That alone makes it significantly different from the coronavirus. When a person is infected with the influenza virus, their immune system can recognize the viral antigens as foreign. Our bodies start producing antibodies that can bind to and neutralize the virus. These antibodies help to eliminate the virus from the body and provide immunity against that specific strain of influenza. Even lacking the exact ability to identify a particular antigen, our immune systems can recognize other proteins in the virus.
When humans do catch H5N1, when it does spill over and spread human-to-human, it likely won’t have the same lethality as a never before seen virus-like SARS-CoV-2. It will likely manifest as a nasty flu requiring the same attention as any other flu. Also, because we have some general immune defense against it, the rate of spread is reduced. This means that the chances of it becoming a wildfire-spreading pandemic are less probable, as the direct transmission line is broken by each person who can fight off the infection and contain and eradicate the viral load they received.
So, are we on the cusp of another pandemic? Not really, at least not at the time of recording this video. So much would have to happen to the virus. First, it would have to mutate to adapt to human proteins. That would allow it to spread between humans via respiratory droplets. Second, it would have to mutate into a more virulent strain than it currently is to have the chance of sustaining its spread and pumping up its lethality. It would have to leapfrog over a century of our working immune systems. Can it leap to humans? Absolutely. Can it kill humans? Sure. Nature is tricky and clever, and everything, including viruses, wants to survive and thrive. There’s just so much that has to happen, though, that I’m not overly concerned at this point, and I don’t think you should be either.
SICK PEOPLE
As of April 2023, there was only one potential case of H5N1 infection in the United States. However, it’s uncertain whether this was an actual infection or a misdiagnosis, as the individual had been involved in culling birds. It’s possible that highly sensitive tests detected the presence of the virus without an actual infection. A 53-year-old woman from Jiangsu province in eastern China tested positive for H5N1 after exposure to poultry. Her symptoms developed on January 31, and she tested positive sometime in February. Although she was last reported in serious condition, there have been no reports of human-to-human transmission in this case or any other H5N1 cases.
Furthermore, the first recorded case of H5N1 in South America occurred in January, involving a 9-year-old girl from Ecuador. While she was initially hospitalized in critical condition, she has since recovered. Similarly to the previous cases, the girl had close contact with poultry, their feces, or their fluids.
Although these cases raise concerns, the absence of human-to-human transmission suggests that the necessary genetic changes in the virus to bind with human protein receptors effectively have not yet taken place. That’s not to say that it won’t ever make this leap, nor that human-to-human transmission isn’t possible in the near future. It’s just not happening now or in our immediate foreseeable future based on the evidence we do have.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING
The key to protect yourself is by minimizing your exposure risk. This can be a challenge as some of us in the preparedness community raise chickens. If you have a backyard flock of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, or Guinea Fowl, isolate them away from wild birds. Ensure your coop and its run are secure from wild animals and rodents. Use fencing or netting to create a physical barrier. Clean the coop, equipment, and surrounding areas on a regular basis. Monitor your flock for any signs of illness and isolate birds exhibiting symptoms. Practice a routine of good hygiene during and after interacting with them. Additionally, stay informed about avian flu outbreaks in your area through local veterinary services or agricultural agencies. A few years ago we couldn’t get chickens in our area for nearly a year as an illness was spreading through the chicken community.
When it comes to wild birds, avoid handling them along with exposure to their droppings. If you do encounter a grounded wild bird that may be in distress, either keep your distance and let nature take its course or wear a mask and gloves and practice good sanitation when dealing with it. Keep your pets away from any possibly infected birds, and watch them for signs of illness if they interact with wild birds, especially birds expressing symptoms.
The hardest-hitting impact, at least for now, will still be the poultry industry. Over 40 million egg-laying hens have been culled in the U.S. alone, making it the worst outbreak on record. Expect the price of poultry and eggs to continue to rise for more than just inflationary reasons. Higher prices and fluctuating supply will put pressure on all other meat industries.
WILL WE BE READY FOR THE NEXT ONE?
Here’s the rub. The potential for biological threats, whether natural or man-made are increasing on a daily basis. Since the early 1900’s, there’s been 11 outbreaks. Of those 11, 5 of them had a lethality equal to or greater than Covid. And as you can probably easily imagine, there’s been other new, more pathogenic viruses that emerged in the last several decades.
I think there’s 4 current primary areas of concern:
Your first line of protection is awareness. We often think of fires as being big and bright. But, they can actually smolder for days inside walls, hidden from sight, all the while burning up oxygen and releasing carbon monoxide that can kill you in your sleep.
Fires spread fast. In mere seconds they can grow so large that they consume all the breathable air and kick up so much toxic smoke that surviving becomes difficult. Studies show that once a house fire starts, you have at most two to three minutes to leave. 
Most people have no plan for their pets in a crisis. Remember your pets, but it’s not worth your life if they are too panicky or hiding in a burning house. Leaving a door open for them is usually enough for them. When they are scared enough, they’ll run out on their own. A well-trained animal should listen to your voice and come if called. Of course, not all animals will. 
I highly recommend a fire evacuation mask and a fire blanket. 80% of home-fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation. The mask will give you some breathable air if it’s a respirator type or filtered air if cloth. The cloak can protect you from heat and burns on your way out.
If you have time to grab this on your way out of the house, great. If you don’t, at least your documents are likely to survive if the fire department arrives quickly enough. Birth certificates, IDs, passports, and even expired ones can help you rebuild after a devastating fire. Insurance documents and old utility bills will help you re-establish after a fire. An emergency cash envelope or a credit card tucked away can give you the funds you need to stay in a hotel until the fire damage can be assessed.
Make sure you have a rallying point away from your home where you can do a quick headcount to ensure everyone got out safely. If this is a structure away from the house, like a tool shed or your vehicle, 
Minimally, you should have an extinguisher and/or a fire blanket in the kitchen or next to a wood stove or a fireplace, as these are the most common places fires start in homes. Make sure your kitchen extinguisher can snuff out a grease fire. It must be a class B, BC, or ABC fire extinguisher. 
If it’s an electrical fire, you may be able to unplug the fire source. If the electrical fire is at the plug, don’t attempt this. 
As mentioned in a prior point, most home fires start in the kitchen. In addition to a fire extinguisher under the sink, I always keep a large box of baking soda in the kitchen cabinet near the stove.
If you are unsure of the average response time of your local fire department, you may want to ensure you have some means of fighting the fire from the exterior of your home. This is very important if you live in an area prone to wildfires. 
It’s pretty incredible. You flip a switch, a circuit is activated, and you nearly instantly have a light, running fan, or stove. Even without our action, our refrigerators are kept cold, traffic lights change, and pumping stations move resources and waste. It’s so efficient that we often take it for granted, yet it’s one of the first systems to fail after a disaster.
I started with electricity in this analysis of service interruptions because so many of the other systems rely upon electricity, from pumping stations to traffic lights and switchers. Natural gas is one of those systems. Many natural gas lines have gas generators at major stations to keep the pipeline transmission system pressurized, but it isn’t ubiquitous. Many people erroneously assume that the natural gas system will still work after a disaster that robs everyone of electricity. I see this expressed repeatedly on several websites, but it is dangerously not true. It is a slightly more reliable system, but it’s far from guaranteed. Across the 220,000 miles of high-strength steel pipe, 20 inches to 42 inches in diameter, there are the large main stations, compressor stations every 75 to 100 miles to boost the pressure, and urban areas with additional gas distribution stations. Not all of those run pumps on natural gas. Most use electricity. 
The municipal water supply is slightly more reliable as far as flowing to your home. City water is typically stored in elevated water towers and distributed to homes through gravity. In the event of a power outage, only the water stored in the towers will be accessible, as water flow into homes relies on the pumping system feeding those towers, which requires electricity. That’s the good news, but only about an average day’s worth of water for a community is typically stored in towers. Many disasters can adversely impact the municipal water supply. Water treatment plants that render raw or reclaimed water drinkable or potable can’t operate efficiently without electricity. Floods and excessive rains can cause pollutants and sewage to flow into clean water pipes and supplies. After a flood, even well water can become tainted. Major disasters can break water lines and prevent water from flowing further down the line. And as many experienced in Texas during the snowmaggedon, lines will freeze and water won’t flow to their homes.
Without flowing water, sewer systems will not operate well if at all. Liquid waste will still spill over into the system, but solid waste will need supplemental water to flush. With water as a precious resource, if it looks to be a prolonged aftermath of a disaster, I wouldn’t waste water by flushing it down the toilet. This is another area where I have a video or two on the topic, so I will link to one in the comments below. After a disaster, sewer lines can break, be flooded, or even backflow into clean systems or your home. It also quickly piles up because people don’t stop creating waste just because of a disaster. Less than a drop of human waste in your water supply can lead to disaster for many. Contaminated water and inadequate sanitation are connected to the spread of diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio.
You tend to notice very quickly when trash pickup services stop. Modern humans create a lot of waste materials. While cardboard and other packaging won’t attract rodents right away or stink or become toxic, remember that without electricity, food will be turning bad. People will dispose of this food in their trash cans. Municipal trash cans are only designed to hold a typical week’s garbage. Without electricity, drivers won’t be navigating the streets and traffic lights to get to your house to pick up your garbage. The trash will pile up everywhere. That’s just a minor problem in the first week, but in the second and third weeks and after, it becomes a significant community health problem. If you add high temperatures or heavy rain to the mix, the timeline to a health emergency rapidly accelerates. I always suggest trashbags as a necessary prep.
If you watch my video, 
you wouldn’t necessarily think would GO in spaghetti sauce, and also bell peppers, which I don’t like by themselves but add flavor to several recipes I make. Both of these I can add fresh, but usually I use dehydrated. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes are canned goods that I stock and have to rotate or they will turn brown. 
It would be nice to have some powdered eggs stored, but they are not a LONG-TERM storage item. AND, right now, the price is super high: Augason Farms whole eggs are $72 for a #10 can!!! But if store eggs are coming down in price, maybe the dried eggs will as well. Fingers crossed.
plugging along – and the funny thing is I don’t really like them, so I give them away to anyone who knocks on the door. Potatoes are supposed to flower and die. Well, mine are dying, and they never flowered. What does THAT mean??? I planted them in February, so they’ve been in the ground 90 days. I’ll wait until they are totally dead, then dig them up and see what I’ve got.
The good news is that sugar lasts a LONG time! You can get #10 cans of sugar at the Bishop’s Storehouse 5.6 pounds for $9. You can buy 12 pounds of sugar at the store for that price. BUT, you’ll have to either repackage it or put it in buckets to store. Me??? I vacuum-seal the entire sugar package and stick it in the closet. When I open them, I just sift the sugar, and all the lumps come right out. It’s the moisture in the air that makes sugar go hard. AND, you’ll want to protect your sugar from ants and rodents! 
Hide away from the sunlight and seek shade. Keep your house’s windows closed and blinds shut during the day so long as the temperature outside is hotter than the temperature inside and while the sun is shining. 
Even though heatwaves are most likely to occur in the summer months when the days are long, you will still need a source of light for safety. Candles or other heat-generating sources are not good options in these situations because you don’t want to add even one more degree to your environment.
Air circulation can help to distribute the air more evenly and create a more comfortable environment by promoting the evaporation of sweat from the skin and creating a cooling sensation. Because of this, fans are essential in a heatwave. Consider small, personal fans and their energy requirements. Even a battery-operated, handheld mister fan connected to a pump water bottle can keep you cool. Consider adding ice to the bottle.
If the power goes out, so will your AC unit.
The looser and fewer pieces of clothes you wear in a single layer, the better. Light-colored fabrics will reflect more of the sun’s rays than darker fabrics. Choose materials that move moisture away from the body. A microfiber cooling towel that can also be worn around your neck is a great option. Fabrics like these will pull moisture away from the body. Loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabrics like cotton or linen will allow air to circulate around your body. 
Water is your best weapon against heat. 
Ice packs and frozen water bottles will provide cool temperatures long after the power goes out. You can place under armpits, on foreheads, necks, and wrists to cool off, and to drink as they melt. 
Prior to heatwaves, know where your local government may be setting up cooling centers. Many cities and towns have designated cooling centers during heatwaves, such as libraries, community centers, and other public buildings. Check with your local government or emergency management office to find out if there are any cooling centers in your area.
As soon as the sun goes down, start assessing the outside temperature. If it is cooler outside than inside, open every window and door and vent the hot air of your house. Attic fans are great for quickly exchanging the air. Place fans in windows to create cross ventilation, preferably on the east side of your house after sunset. 
Avoid exercise or exertion during periods of high heat. Permit yourself to do nothing and lay low. 
In 2008, Russia engaged in a military conflict with Georgia, resulting in the imposition of some sanctions. This event served as a test to gauge international response, but no substantial actions were taken by the rest of the world. Russia is involved in a similar situation with Ukraine, leading to sanctions being issued by the UN, USA, NATO, and EU. However, despite these sanctions, they invaded Ukraine in 2014 and are currently engaged in a “special operation” that has now extended into year 2. The sanctions this time were even more extreme. However, Russia has circumnavigated many of them by selling to other nations through a shadowy fleet of vessels. Grain gifts to Africa, weapons deals with North Korea, oil and grain and contractor deals with China and India, the list goes on and on. When the sanctions lose effectiveness, it gives rise to other reserve currencies and creates a multi-polar world where new alliances are formed.
At any given time worldwide, there are numerous conflicts. Most don’t receive our attention. However, each of these minor conflicts is a pawn on a chessboard. They may not be growing into a global conflict, but they bring forces in global opposition to one another in close proximity. Russia and US forces are overtly and covertly present in Syria, Sudan, Libya, and several other countries worldwide. 
Believe it or not, wars have some generally accepted rules of engagement, like the Geneva Conventions. The way around these rules is by establishing a state-funded private military group. Academi, Wagner Group, Unity Resources Group, MVM Incorporated, and Asgaard are just a few of the many. These are militaries that function as loosely constructed corporations. Their profit comes from waging war, defending assets, or supporting other countries or rebel forces.
Nuclear warheads are still seen in the world as a line too far and not to be crossed. While we tend to see the only outcome of some countries using a nuclear warhead as a complete global nuclear exchange and the end of us all, there are other scenarios. If Russia uses a nuclear warhead not delivered via a missile, nuclear signatures must be established to trace it back to its source of origin. That takes time, while countries immediately go to their equivalent of Defcon-2. During that pressure cooker time, to prevent further launches by a hostile government, a high-altitude nuclear detonation from space, resulting in an EMP to wipe out electronics in a country, is possible. Such a counterattack is more challenging to pinpoint a country of origin, so the conflict can escalate rapidly from there and devolve into nuclear chaos. Whether it’s a leak from a nuclear power plant, a dirty bomb, or the detonation of a nuclear warhead, nuclear anything immediately pulls the entire world into World War III.
Any invasion in our modern world is sure to bring a global response. Whether that’s China attacking Taiwan or a contested island owned by the Japanese or Russia invading Ukraine, or an escalation of the border war between China and India, these violations of accepted international borders and boundaries can pull the whole world into a conflict. The traditional way is with armed forces like Germany sending 20,000 troops into the Rhineland in 1936, but modern border and boundary violations are far more complex. Japan, South Korea, and China are in dispute over air space. Russia is attacking US drones in the international air space of the Black Sea. Fighters and bombers are violating air space in the Bering Strait and Syria. There are continued maritime disputes between China and every other country sharing a shoreline with the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. We have even seen spy balloons flying over the soverign territory of other countries.
The only thing probably keeping the peace in the world right now boils down to simple economics. So long as China is dependent upon US consumers, so long as China and India both benefit from lucrative Russian grain, energy, and defense deals, so long as OPEC benefits from Russian oil, and so forth, relative peace is maintained. No country wants to rock the boat when it comes to their economies. That said, as BRICS develops and rolls out its own digital currency, as the Middle East continues to profit from Russian oil contributions, and as European countries continue to replace Russian energy with energy exported from the US, these power dynamics can swiftly change.
The Strait of Hormuz, known in Arabic as Madiq Bab Al Salam or the “door of peace,” is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the ocean. The countries bordering the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf include Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The strait is an important strategic location for international trade due to its significant role in facilitating the passage of approximately one-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and nearly 25% of the total global oil consumption. The U.S. and Iran have had several minor conflicts since Operation Praying Mantis, a one-day battle against Iranian forces in retaliation for a US frigate striking a mine. 
Probably the biggest threat in the past in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea area was perhaps poorly equipped Somali pirates. With the ocean to the South and the Suez Canal connecting the waterway to the North to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, one of the world’s ancient waterways, is gaining growing geopolitical significance. Positioned between two continents, it borders six African and four Middle Eastern countries, serving as a crucial passage for approximately 10% of global trade. It holds strategic importance for regional and international powers projecting their military strength or involvement in conflicts and presents the potential for both prosperity and peril. As economic and military competition intensifies in the Red Sea, it carries the prospect of robust economic growth while also signaling the likelihood of conflicts between rival powers.
Over the past two decades, Sudan has been marked by significant conflicts that have profoundly impacted its society. The Darfur conflict began in 2003 and resulted in widespread violence and displacement as rebel groups clashed with the government over marginalization and resource control. The North-South Sudan civil war, lasting from 1983 to 2005, stemmed from ethnic and religious divisions, ultimately leading to the independence of South Sudan. Meanwhile, conflicts in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Abyei, and eastern Sudan have caused ongoing violence, displacement, and tensions over political status, resources, and ethnic grievances. These conflicts have brought immense human suffering and continue to pose challenges to achieving lasting peace and stability in Sudan. In this latest chapter, two military factions — once political allies, now battlefield adversaries — are wrestling for control over the city and the country’s lucrative mineral resource exports, especially gold.
Syria has been experiencing a complex and multifaceted conflict that began in 2011. The conflict involves multiple parties, including the Syrian government, rebel groups, extremist organizations, and international actors. It has resulted in significant humanitarian crises, including mass displacement, casualties, and destruction of infrastructure. Efforts for a political resolution and peace negotiations have been ongoing, but the situation remains highly volatile. The President of Syria is Bashar al-Assad. He assumed office in July 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had been in power since 1971. The ongoing Syrian conflict has marked Bashar al-Assad’s presidency. Without delving too deeply into the conflict, Bashar al-Assad is supported by Russia, and the US has troops in the country.
North Korea continues to launch missiles in the direction and over the air space of their neighbors. North Korea reportedly fired 26 projectiles, including short-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 11 test launches in the first three months of this year. North Korea has a military nuclear weapons program and, as of early 2020, is estimated to have an arsenal of approximately 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of fissile material for six to seven nuclear weapons per year. 
Kind of like that Ace hid deep within the deck, and probably more in the category of a lukewarm conflict, the China-India border conflict remains one to watch as a potential World War III maker. The sporadic conflict between China and India in the mountainous region of the Roof of the World continues, with both countries showing no signs of backing down. Although the territorial stakes are small and the terrain inhospitable, the conflict persists due to the importance of national prestige. The leaders of both nations have been unable to find a resolution, leaving open the possibility of escalation, which could either achieve their objectives or lead to a more devastating conflict. 
You don’t need to boil pasta, but you do need boiling water. For boiling water, we can use something like a simple camp stove with a propane tank or an induction plate connected to either a gas or solar generator. It’s important to understand that pasta does not cook because of the boiling water. It cooks because of the temperature of the boiling water. So, if you bring your water to a boil, add a pinch of salt to help maintain temperature, add your pasta, stir it, and put your lid on the pot. You can now turn off your heat source, thus conserving the fuel. The pasta will be softened and ready to eat in about 12-14 minutes. This is valuable information if you are trying to conserve cooking fuel or minimize outdoor open fires. Also, when cooking pasta, scoop the pasta out but don’t dump the water. The water can be used as a thickener for cooking because of its flour content. Wheat flour is 70-75% starch, so some of that separates
out into the water. You can reuse all the pasta water as a base for soup or stew. Simply drop a bouillon cube in the water for a rich broth to sip throughout the day and night. Once cooled, you can drink it as a carbohydrate-rich energy drink. Mixing in the appropriate amount of powdered milk or drink mix will give back a richness that is sometimes lost in the dehydration, powdering, and packaging process. 
If you time this right, you will add the pasta to your mix, or you can scoop the pasta out and gently stir in a tablespoon of oil to keep it from sticking together. In a separate pan, warm 4 cups of water. You can use the already-warmed pasta water if your pasta is done cooking. With the water warm, turn up the heat source on the pan and slowly mix in your bowl of drier ingredients. Stir to prevent lumping. When smooth and slightly steaming, add seasoning to taste and any herbs, dried or foraged. The best herbs for this meal are basil, dill, or parsley. The herbs will freshen up the taste. 
continually cooking. Your ancient ancestors survived on this. Pasteurization occurs if you keep the temperature above 145 degrees with the lid on for 30 minutes or more. If you use a can cooker or Dutch oven and keep that wrapped in blankets or a Wonderbag to slow the heat loss, you can easily store the food overnight and heat it up again in the morning with no health risks, so long as it stays above or relatively near while sealed that temperature point. If you have a campfire, you can simply set the pot in the proximity of the radiant heat of the fire in an area where you can hold your hand comfortably for around 10 seconds. Generally, when you can only hold your hand for a count of 6 to 8 seconds, the temperature is between 250 and 300 degrees. 
oven or pot to a near boil and add it to something like a Wonderbag to trap the heat and allow it to continue cooking. Or there are options on the market, such as the can cooker, which would allow you to get it up to a boiling temperature, then turn off the heat source and let it retain heat and cook. This minimizes fuel use and the scent of cooking food, attracting unwanted guests. You can transfer the entire contents of the pot to a thermal cooking container once it has been brought to a cooking temperature and allow it to cook for 4 or 5 hours slowly. Again, the advantage here is that we save fuel in the process. I cover 12 ways to safely cook after a disaster which explores all of these devices and methods in another video. I will link to that in the comments below.
Canned beans are the easiest to work with because they are presoftened. The canning process pasteurizes and pre-cooks them. Don’t throw out the liquid. It contains salt and carbohydrates that your body will need in a post-disaster environment. Consider diluting it in water and adding some powdered drink mix. That will give you the salts, electrolytes, and carbs to keep you going. If you start with dry beans, you must soak them in water with a pinch of salt or a tablespoon of vinegar for at least 12 hours. You can skip this and just boil them until soft, but that will take more water and cooking time, and you will lose the shape of some of the beans. Since you can just boil these to make them edible and add seasoning, we will take this a step further and use bean flour.
the equivalent of 3 eggs in rehydrated whole egg powder. If you have no eggs, there are many egg substitutes, but many will give you a different texture in your brownie. For instance, you could use 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. To this, you can add just a pinch of powdered milk to give it a little more richness. I’m going to use rehydrated whole egg powder because that’s what is in my prepper pantry for after a disaster.
Rice has been found in archaeological sites dating to 8000 BC, so humans have some experience cooking and eating it. Rice is a grain belonging to the grass family and is consumed by nearly one-half of the entire world’s population. You may only be familiar with boiled rice. You may also only be aware of white and brown rice, though there are different varieties. White rice is preferred for long-term storage because it lacks the husk, which contains natural oils that can oxidize and cause spoilage.
the ingredients for two eggs, triple them for three, and so on. Take 1 1/2 cups rice and give it a few chops on a cutting board. You don’t want to reduce it to a paste, but it will come together and cook better if the grains are at least halved in size. Add 1/2 cup chopped allium or other green. Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper or chili flakes. Add a pinch of salt. Add one egg or the equivalent egg substitute. When mixed, scoop about 1/4 cup onto a hot skillet with about a tablespoon of cooking oil on it and mash the mix down to a level 1/4 inch thickness. 
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt or one 3-finger pinch. Add 2 ounces of dry pasta per planned plate served. Stir pasta with a few swirls. Turn off the heat source and place the lid securely on top. It will be done in about 12-14 minutes.