‘Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too. Unconscious of a less propitious clime, There blooms exotic beauty, warm and snug, While the winds whistle and the snows descend. William Cooper, The Garden Got a Greenhouse in this year. Before I start I should point out that a lot of […]
Prepping for Strange Times
30 posts
The humble Cooler, or ‘the Chilly Box’ as our friends from New Zealand call it, doesn’t cost much, lasts decades, and is worth its weight in gold when the fish are running. Size: We have two. Both are low-end cost. High end coolers can run hundreds of dollars but for […]
For easy long-term storage of bulk perishables, for leftovers, or to hold food until you’re able to get around to canning it, or to pre-freeze what you’ll be sticking in the freeze dryer next day, your chest freezer is the way. Here are some thoughts on buying and using […]
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, […]
It’s spring and spruce tips are out. You can use them in jelly, spring tonics, gin and tonics, spruce salt, spruce sugar, spruce bud infused vinegar and pickled spruce buds. Captain Cook, the original maritime health blogger, had his men brew spruce beer to prevent scurvy. Charlie Papazian gives a […]
“I’d like to know how my meat became cooked, how it was processed, who cut it up.” Kotzebue middle school student, from ‘Eating Alaska’ Sitka film maker Ellen Frankenstein’s documentary Eating Alaska* cuts right to the core of how we think, and don’t think, about where our food comes from; […]
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 […]
“I saw a wino eating grapes. I was like, “Dude! You got to wait.”” Mitch Hedberg In the official world of disaster planning getting a buzz on just doesn’t show up on the agenda. In the most hammered country in the history of the world you’d think it would be […]
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 […]