You will never meet a dull arborist. With their peculiar blend of strength, agility, endurance, and problem solving skills Cirque du Soleil has nothing on these guys. They’re also a bargain compared to what can happen if you try to do the job yourself. On a fine clear morning after […]
Yearly Archives: 2023
37 posts
For many of us, water bath canning is the first step up the ladder of food self-sufficiency. Let’s start with a shout-out to the prepper’s bible, the University of Georgia’s “So Easy to Preserve.” This practical resource covers everything you need to know about water bath canning, pressure canning, pickling, […]
“Woodshed, noun: a place to store firewood.” “Woodshedding, verb: To practice musical skills. It’s time once again to answer the musical question, “How many hours can we stay awake?” Yup. It’s folk festival, a week of music powered entirely by volunteers. During the 1960’s and ‘70’s a folk revival […]
Pressure Canning on a Camp Stove If you’ve got a freezer full of food, and the power goes out for a longer time than you’ve got fuel for the generator, a camp stove is one way to save your food. Even if the power’s on, you’re not supposed to pressure […]
That blessed moment at the end of a canner’s long day. You’ve done all of it right. Filled the jars with good food. You allowed the recommended amount of head space in the jars. Jar rings finger tight. You got your canning racks in place. Loaded the the jars carefully […]
Prepping for Strange Times The Grog Locker: Bulking up for ‘The Big One’ Part 1: The Grog ‘And it’s all for my grog. My jolly, jolly grog. All for my beer and tobacco. for I’ve spent all me tin, with the lassies drinking gin, now across the Western ocean I […]
Prepping for strange times Learning about alcohol: It’s a fascinating subject. You couldn’t cover it in a lifetime. There are thousands of tasting videos on the internet, most not worth your time. For insights on evaluating whiskey, a Scotsman named Ralfy in the link below is your man. He’s brilliant. If […]
The Grog Locker: Tobacco ‘Now where are me boots, me noggin, noggin boots, all sold for beer and tobacco. for the soles they were thin, and the tops were letting in, and the heels were lookin’ out for better weather.’ Putting up rope tobacco for trading: Long-term storage. Tobacco has […]
Prepping for Strange Times: Freeze Dryer If you don’t want to read the whole article, and are on the fence asking yourself, ‘Is a freeze dryer worth the money?’ The answer is yes—as long as you use it. Otherwise, it’s not. That’s all. Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer in Five […]
Part 2. What the Freeze dryer does and choosing the right size for your home Remember when they tried to teach us about sublimation in high school science class? Water goes from a solid to a vapor without becoming liquid. Then it recondenses back to a solid. That’s what happens […]
Part 3. Freeze Dryer: Taking the leap: Ordering: Shipping: Set-up “But… it’s expensive…” Yes and no. Whatever you spend on putting up food today is nothing compared to how much the food will be worth when there’s none available in the stores. *If you don’t have $2,900 up front, Harvest […]
Part 4. Best mylar bags (my opinion) and oxygen absorbers (As always, I take no commissions, kick backs, or free stuff for reviews, none.) The enemies of stored food are heat, light and oxygen. Mylar bags block light. Store jarred food where it’s dark. Generally between 50 and 70 degrees […]