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Like Hunt And Fish TV Shows? This Gig Might Be For You…

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$1,000 For Binge-Watching MeatEater

If you’ve ever wanted to be a “professional” TV watcher, your ship might’ve just come in.

Especially if you like hunting, fishing, and all things outdoors.

The outdoor website GearLobo.com recently shared that they are recruiting somebody to binge-watch all 8 seasons of the popular hunting show “MeatEater”, and post about it on social media.

The reward?

$1,000 in cash and a slew of other giveaways–a year’s subscription to MyOutdoorTV, shirts, knives, the MeatEater cookbook and more.

Plus…. you can add “professional TV watcher” to your resume! ;-)

Check out the full details here: https://gearlobo.com/hunting/shows/

Money or no money, if you haven’t seen MeatEater yet, you should definitely check it out. From a prepper point of view, MeatEater does a great job of showing the loop between hunting game, and then how to actually prepare, eat, and appreciate the food that comes from it.

Food Storage Shopping at Your Regular Grocery Store

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How To Do Food Storage Shopping At Your Regular Grocery Store

(Skip to the complete list below)

There are many common sense reasons to store extra food. Sudden unemployment can certainly throw a financial hardship onto any family. Other unplanned financial issues can come up, such as automobile repairs, medical bills, inflation, increasing fuel prices and home repair.

During a financial crisis, it would be extremely valuable if you could find a way to reduce the costs required to feed your family..

Getting started in food storage does not have to be an overwhelming task. By taking just a few simple steps you can increase your food stores dramatically as well as increase your level of preparedness.

Food Storage Philosophy

For those just beginning to look to have extra food on hand, consider the following saying “Store what you eat and eat what you store.” This basic philosophy involves putting back quantities of common foods that already sit in your pantry and are found at your local grocery store.

The idea is to stock up and keep on hand much greater quantities of many of the very same foods that you already consume on a daily and weekly basis. These foods within the new storage system are rotated on a first-in, first-out basis, to make sure that nothing goes to waste.

What Is The Shelf Life of Food Storage?

Foods have varying degrees of storability. Shelf life varies tremendously between different categories of food and sometimes even between brands. Throughout the following “virtual tour”, of a typical grocery store, shelf life ranges are provided.

Please keep in mind that the typical shelf life range, provided is based on observations seen on the packaging. The reality is that most products true expiration date is substantially greater than that which is found on the package.

Now For The Food Storage Grocery Store Tour

OK, we have entered the grocery store, grabbed our shopping cart along with a sale paper and headed to the right side of the store. We are here to supplement our regular grocery shopping with foods that will be good additions to a food storage program.

Let’s go aisle by aisle, and cover some of the most basic, “staple” food storage items that we find:

1. Soup & Stew

Overview: Turning down into aisle #1 brings us to shelves of soup and stews. Canned soup has been a common food found in most homes for decades. Flavorful and nutritious, canned soup is inexpensive and has an excellent shelf life.

There are over 100 varieties of soups to choose from in some grocery stores. Maintaining variety of diet in a survival situation will assist in boosting morale and maintaining mental awareness. Soups are an excellent addition that adds variety to a food storage system.

Many soups can be purchased for as low as .40 cents a can when on sale. Using coupons can also reduce prices.

Shelf Life: Canned soups and stews generally have expiration dates that are two+ years from the date of purchase. In reality the true shelf life has been shown to be many years beyond that which is listed on the can. It is important that you do not dent the can as the protective liner inside can become damaged.

Shopping Cart Notes: This is a great place to start your food storage shopping. Select 3-4 varieties and buy 10 cans each. Beef stew is an excellent addition, mainly due to the higher protein content.

2. Canned Vegetables

Overview: Aisle #2 brings us to an important part of any food storage program – vegetables.

Vegetables provide valuable nutrients needed to maintain health and are an integral part of any diet.

Here we find a huge variety of vegetables to choose from. Although all these vegetables can be eaten by themselves, they can also be mixed and added to other foods to provide more variety to the diet.

Shelf Life: Canned vegetables generally have expiration dates that are 2+ years from date of purchase. In reality the true shelf life has been shown to be many years beyond that which is listed on the can. It is important that you do not dent the can as the protective liner inside can become damaged.

Shopping Cart Notes: Canned vegetables should be a major part of your food storage shopping. Select 2-3 varieties, and buy 10 cans each. Recommended examples are canned potatoes, corn, and green beans.

3. Pasta and Pasta Sauce

Overview: Some of the most inexpensive and easiest to prepare meals are made from the pasta found down on aisle #3.

Pasta can be used to make more than just spaghetti. Available in all different shapes and sizes, pasta can be combined with many other foods to create very flavorful and calorie dense meals. Pasta is high in carbohydrates which provide energy for the human body.

Pasta sauce comes in glass and plastic jars as well as cans.

Shelf Life: Dry pasta generally comes in boxes and has a listed expiration date of approximately 1 year from date of purchase. In reality the true shelf life has been shown to be many years beyond that which is listed on the can. It is important that you do not dent the can as the protective liner inside can become damaged. If the pasta is stored in a cool dry location away from insects, it can be stored for several years.

Pasta sauce in all containers often has expiration dates 2-3 years from date of purchase. Like all canned foods, true shelf life is longer.

Shopping Cart Notes: Pasta is very inexpensive and easy to prepare. Grab 10-20 boxes of what you like and half the quantity of sauce.

4. Canned Fruit

Overview: Aisle #4 brings another food storage basic component – fruit.

Canned fruit is nutritious and full of valuable vitamins. It is also very sweet. During a survival situation your diet will have a direct impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. Having some “sweetness” will be very welcome.

Shelf Life: Canned fruit generally has expiration dates that are 2+ years from date of purchase. High acid varieties tend to have a lower shelf life. In reality the true shelf life has been shown to be many years beyond that which is listed on the can. It is important that you do not dent the can as the protective liner inside can become damaged.

Shopping Cart Notes: Canned fruit tastes great and can be easily rotated using FIFO (first in, first out) as a part of your family’s regular diet. Look to purchase items on sale, select 2-3 varieties, and buy 10 cans each. Recommended examples are: canned peaches, pears and pineapple.

On The Grocery Store End Cap We Find…. boxes of saltine crackers on sale. These crackers go great with the soup found in Aisle #1. They are inexpensive and have a shelf life of at least 1 year. Grab three boxes. They are great with peanut butter, as well.

4. 1 Sugar

Overview: Sugar is a staple in any food storage program and widely used in many recipes.

Shelf Life: Sugar can be stored indefinitely if kept in a cool, dry, place away from insects and rodents. It is recommended that sugar be placed in a secondary airtight container for added protection.

Shopping Cart Notes: Sugar prices have increased over the past few years, so you should try to take advantage of sales when you see them. I recommend having at least six bags in your storage.

5. Baking Goods – Flour, Oils

Overview: Continuing down Aisle #5, you will find a variety of baking and cooking supplies, including a variety of flours and oils.

Flour is needed for making bread. Cooking oils are a common ingredient in recipes and also used for used for coating pans. You should review your typical recipes to determine which kind should be stored in extra supply.

Shelf Life: Flour comes in many different types. Consult the packaging for realistic expiration dates. Flour such as All Purpose and Bread varieties that are stored in air tight containers along with special oxygen absorbers can be stored for five years of more.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw an extra 5 bags of All-Purpose and/or Bread Flour in the cart along with 3 bottles of vegetable or canola oil.

6. Powered Milk

Overview: Powdered milk can be found down aisle #6.

This is another excellent addition to any food storage program. It can be consumed itself after proper mixing and also can be used in the completion of many recipes. Due to its versatility powered milk can be looked at as a “boost” to any food storage program.

Shelf Life: Powered milk generally does not store well past one or two years. The packaging is often just a cardboard box with some type of liner. If repackaged into an airtight container, the shelf life can be lengthened.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw a couple boxes in the shopping cart for now.

6.1 Pancake Mix & Syrup

Overview: Pancake mix is located a little further down Aisle #6. There are several varieties of pancake mix which require only water to make. This is super simple and easy.

Shelf Life: Similar to powered milk, the shelf life is one to two years. If repackaged into an airtight container, the shelf life can be lengthened.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw several bags or boxes in the shopping cart. Practice FIFO.

Grab a couple bottles of pancake syrup while you’re at it.

7. Ramen Noodles

Overview: Aisle #7 brings a food item that many people who put themselves through college lived on – ramen noodles.

They are super inexpensive and store well. Easy to prepare, they require only water. They are also very high in sodium so they should be part of a food storage program, but not consumed too often.

Shelf Life: Stored in a cool, dry, location the shelf life can be in excess of two years.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw a few cases of beef and chicken varieties in the cart.

8. Peanut Butter

Overview: Aisle #8 contains one of the best survival foods – peanut butter. Peanut butter is dense in calories and high in protein. It can be eaten straight out of the container, as well as spread on bread and crackers. Peanut butter can be easily included in a food storage program, as at it is often part of most people’s regular diets already.

Shelf Life: Expiration dates vary greatly from brand to brand so check around. Peanut butter generally carries a shelf life in excess of 2 years. Remember first in, first out.

Shopping Cart Notes: Find a variety with a longer shelf life that is on sale and add six jars to your cart.

9. Instant Potatoes

Overview: Aisle #9 has an invaluable food storage item – instant potatoes.  These are simple to prepare (you will need that powered milk from Aisle #6) .

Shelf Life: Expiration dates on packages generally run about a year from date of purchase. If stored in an airtight container, it is possible to keep them much, much longer.

Shopping Cart Notes: Grab a couple boxes for home and an extra six boxes to put back as part of your food stores. Use and replace as needed using FIFO.

9.1 Canned Ham, Chicken & Tuna

Overview: Aisle #9 offers canned ham, chicken, and tuna. Meat is one of the more difficult items to find in a storable form. Canned ham can be delicious, and is an excellent source of protein. Canned chicken is great to combine with other food items to make complete meals. Tuna is another source of protein. Also found in this aisle is SPAM. SPAM is considered a “meat”, and is high in protein as well as salt.

Shelf Life: Expiration dates on packages generally run two or more years from date of purchase. True shelf life is known to be much longer.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw five to six canned hams in the cart along with the same of chicken ad tuna. Also, go ahead and pick up a few cans of SPAM. Use and replace as needed using FIFO.

10. Water

Overview: You cannot live for more than three days without water. Aisle 11 provides a basic solution to your water needs.

Shelf Life: Bottled water will last for years although the taste may change due to the plastic container. It is best to store it where light cannot reach, as ultraviolet light can break down the polymer container over time.

Shopping Cart Notes: Grab a second shopping cart and add 20 gallons of spring water  along with 6 cases of 24 bottles of purified drinking water. It’s a start and that shopping cart is heavy!

11. Canned Beans

Overview: Canned beans come in a variety of flavors and companies. Beans contain high level of nutrients, like fiber and protein. Dump some in a pot, heat and serve. Prices have risen over the past few years, however canned beans are still a good value.

Shelf Life: Expiration dates on packages generally run two or more years from date of purchase. As with other canned products, the true shelf life is much longer.

Shopping Cart Notes: Look for what is on sale and stock up now. Buy 10-20 cans depending on what you can afford.

12. Rice and Dry Beans

Overview: Rice and dry beans can be found down the last aisle. Typically found and purchased in bags, rice and beans are VERY inexpensive. When combined with each other and other food, it is very easy to put together nutritious and complete meals.

Shelf Life: If stored in a dry, cool place, the shelf life is just about forever. Many people will store large quantities of these components in special Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

Shopping Cart Notes: Throw 20 pounds of rice in the cart along, with 25 pounds of various beans. Read up on how to prepare.

That completes our tour.  

Summary Of The Best Food Storage Staples At A Grocery Store

The carts are checked out, order paid for, and the food transported home to be organized. What has been put together is a good beginning food storage program.

Let’s review what has been “put back” so far (some of this stuff is just as cheap, and way more convenient to grab on Amazon–links provided here):

This is a decent start, but a far cry from what is ideal. Again – the philosophy is to store what you eat and eat what you store. You should make lists for future shopping trips and purchase more items to add to your stores..

Here are examples of additional items to consider:

Starting a food storage program is not a sign of being paranoid. It is just being a responsible person. Take care all and prepare now, while you still can. Here’s a few final thoughts to consider:

  • Develop a routine to make sure you are using a “first in, first out” usage system. This will reduce waste and costs involve in replacing expired food.
  • Keep in mind that whatever food is stored may have to be prepared without power. Do you have an alternate means of cooking (like this simple DIY solar oven) to last the duration of the situation?
  • “Comfort foods” will be great morale boosters, especially for kids should a survival situation occur. Having some candy, hot cocoa, or fruity drink on hand will help provide some sense of normalcy depending on what is going on.
  • A water purification system is an excellent addition to any food storage system, as stored water supplies will only last so long. The Berkey line of filtration systems carried by are excellent.
  • When shopping in grocery stores, pay attention to expiration dates. The closest expiration dated products are supposed to be at the front of the shelf. It is worth it to take a few moments and reach to the back and compare to the front to get the freshest product possible.

DIY Frozen French Fries [Recipe]

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Who doesn’t love “french fries”? But, have you noticed how expensive the good ones have become? Well, why not make your own? It’s easy!

You’ll need:

  • Potatoes
  • Seasonings
  • Working Oven
  • Cookie Sheet(s)
  • Sharp knife or French fry maker
  • Cold Water
  • Salt
  • Parchment paper (optional)
  • Freezer bags
  • Freezer
  • Marker

You’ll need potatoes; good, fresh, firm potatoes. Grow your own and you’ll always have them, but in the meantime, you can buy them – just make sure they’re firm. Variety is up to you: Idaho are always a favorite, but red potatoes are great, as are Yukon Gold, and a whole array. Hey, why not mix them? I haven’t tried this yet, but, that could be the next kitchen experiment!

Wash your potatoes well. Unless the skins are green, don’t peel them – the peelings are food, and very nutritious food, at that. But green skins indicate exposure to light during growing, producing “solanine”, which is toxic. Peel the potatoes if the skins are green; otherwise, eat the yummy skins! Do not throw green potato skins in your compost – dispose of them.

Cut the fries to suit you; some people like thick wedges, some prefer thin, so, cut them into the shape you like. A good, sharp knife will do (I like my cleaver!); but, I have vintage hand-operated devices that will push a potato through (using hand power to push, of course) and give uniform french fries; you can buy new french fry cutters, as well. They’ll work well and not poison you in the process with toxic paint, or break from defective metals, etc. Of course, there are always electric-powered food processors, and they will give very uniform results, but I prefer off-the-grid methods as often as possible.

Soak the cut potatoes (french fries) in cold, salted water (about 1 gallon cold water with 1/4 cup salt per 5 lb. potatoes should do it) for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. This removes a lot of the unwanted starch and produces a better product. Allow fries to drain on a cookie cooling rack or clean cotton towel.

While draining, preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Arrange fries on cookie sheets, single layers only. Parchment paper comes in very handy here. Spray (I bought a small, cheap hand-held spray bottle in the travel section at Walmart, and it works great), or drizzle with your favorite oil – mine is olive oil (first cold press, extra virgin) for this project.

Season with your favorite seasonings: we like sea salt or kosher salt, cracked peppers, lemon pepper, Cajun seasonings, etc. Bake @ 425 deg. F until “done” – how long will depend on the way you cut your fries, the size and calibration of your oven, etc. Just watch them, and keep a note on how long it took to get them where you want them.

When done, remove from oven, and allow fries to stand to cool a bit (try not to eat too many along the way here). When cooled just enough to be safe to pop in your freezer – still on cookie sheets, do this! Freeze completely (how long this will take depends on how you cut them, but a few hours should do it for any cut).

When frozen stiff, bag your fries up according to the portion size you want per bag, date the bags. You could also use your FoodSaver here (I use mine!) and they will, of course, stay fresher longer than in a regular freezer bag (won’t ice up in the freezer!).

To reheat: Oven @ 425 deg. F; bake until thoroughly heated through to suit your personal tastes.

Chemical free french fries when you want them!

Why You Need to Get Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, and Non-GMO Seeds NOW!

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Growing food does not require an acre of garden. In fact, most veggies and fruits grow perfectly well in containers, but you have to have the containers and the soil mix. It’s amazing how much food can be grown on an apartment patio, or even indoors. With a little careful thought, you can create a garden plan that can fit a lot of food in a modest footprint.

Veggie plants can clean the air in your house just like any other plant.

Get your heirloom, open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds and everything you need to grow them NOW, no matter what else you have to forgo to do it. Seriously. Skip Disney World (you didn’t want to support them, anyway!); take a local staycation instead.  Make sure you can grow food and feed your family; you’re going to need the seeds, tools, soil, and knowledge. Count on it.

I was watching a couple of youtube posts  from Marjorie Wildcraft (herbalists and naturalists know this name) recently, in which she interviewed both a man and a woman who survived the Cuban “Special Time” (translation: they nearly starved to death). One of the things mentioned by both that contributed greatly to the near-starvation was that NO ONE HAD PREPARED FOR TOTAL LACK OF FOOD SUPPLY with a well thought out survival food list.

The Cuban government had promised to “take care of the people”, but, hey! guess what?! they couldn’t. They didn’t. Children were given balls of brown sugar (sugar and molasses both DO grow in Cuba) as “snacks” to take to school.  It was all they had.

The government provided ample culture, arts, and entertainment (all home grown, of course), but could not supply food, or seeds, or garden supplies…or, anything else. They could not and did not live up to the promise to “feed their people”. Our government can not and will not either.

Get your seeds and supplies, your garden books for knowledge, or whatever you think you’ll need…and store them properly, so they remain “viable”. If you can afford it, also pick up a book on “permaculture” When you look it over, you’ll know why. Aquaponics would be good, too, but, at least gardening and permaculture (growing food without tilling the land!). Soon, these books will become difficult, if not impossible, to even find.  Buy them now. Heirloom seeds will not always be available, either. Get them now.

You CAN NOT save seed and grow future food supply from hybrid seeds or hybrid plants. DON’T just go to the stuff mart and buy cheap packets of seeds, or plant and grow hybrids, thinking you can save the seed and get future crops. You MIGHT actually be able to grow SOMETHING from hybrid plants or seeds, but it may not be what you had in mind.

Not only that, but Monsanto and DuPont now chemically treat their seeds so they WILL NOT grow future crops, beyond the first growth (and you have to buy those seeds, enriching, guess who?!).

Buy only seeds that will produce food you know you like and will eat; long-term food supply is not the time or the place for “experimentation”. Experiment now. Save to eat later.

So, let’s make this easy:  try —

Seed Savers Exchange

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Heirloom Seed Company

Ohio Heirloom Seed Company

Simple Pallet Garden Ideas (Plus Growing in Buckets)

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That’s my shadow waving at you! Shadow is such a showoff!
We’ve had so much rain in the Deep South. Our back yard is “stepped”; the upper level does fine, as it drains well –right into the lower level! The bottom part of the back yard, the lower level, has stayed wet since January, and, it is still wet. Yep. You guessed it. More rain coming. Woo. Hoo.
I was sinking in two inches of muck every time I walked across the lower level of the back yard. It was very difficult, and very frustrating, to try to work my gardens. Guess what? The solution was FREE! Yep. Free. Sturdy wooden crates from the garden center and some given to me by the guys replacing roofs from that awful hail storm last month.  But, hey! It works. And it was free. It doesn’t get any better than that!

How To Build a DIY Pallet Compost Bin

Here’s my compost bin, made from FREE oak pallets. They’ve been in use for three (3) years now, and still going strong. Simply lashed them together, 4 to make a “box”. We always have a good assortment of “critters”, including big, juicy earth worms. We keep it moist, but not wet; we feed it with kitchen scraps (all but raw eggs, any meat, or dairy foods) and yard cuttings (chemical free), plus leaves every Fall. Yes, some of the compost material “escapes”; I just pitchfork it back in every now and then. The screens help hold it in place, and the cover on top is held in place by an old tire because the raccoons were able to lift the 3’ long 2×6 board we were using to hold the cover in place! Tires were “free” in the sense that we took them off a car when we had new ones put on. Fiberglas cover was leftover from a greenhouse build project in another part of the yard. The black plastic box above is our first compost bin; it did not hold up well ($50), especially as it filled up; we have plugged the openings from the inside with more of our window screens picked up in a yard sale for seventy cents each, and we keep twigs and starter wood in it now. EVERYTHING can be repurposed. There is rarely any reason to put anything in the land fill, y’all. But our wood pallet system? It works well; it holds tons of compost, and it was free! So then I used the contents to mulch my newly-planted raised gardens; it makes beautiful mulch. The gray grid-like things (back – hard to see) are refrigerator parts I “rescued” from the dump; my cucumbers like to grow across the tops. The DS brought home something from work the other day that will work great for our melons to climb up and then rest across the top as the melons ripen; and it was FREE! (My favorite 4-letter word!). It’s in place in the garden, though you can’t see it here – a two-story, very sturdy powder-coated metal “cage” display thing that, otherwise, would be in the landfill now.

Planting and Growing Potatoes in Buckets

Potato Bucket with Screen And then there’s my potato bucket. I bought this container at Lowe’s last year for $5.00; DH drilled holes in the bottom; I put in a layer of stones for drainage, and I can’t keep a fresh layer of growing soil on these ‘taters fast enough! They are popping up like crazy. I bought SMALL red seed potatoes, because I did not have time to cut and cure the seed potatoes for two weeks, so I planted them whole. Man, are they growing! And, another one of my seventy cent yard sale screens at work here. So, this is my garden, such as it is. Cucumbers, squash, tomatoes (4 varieties!), and concord grapes (out front). The lower level contains brassicas and beans, but, not showing them off just yet. I will be filling in all those “holes” in cinder blocks and growing companion plants; I have done this before and it worked out very well; so, these small raised gardens CAN produce a tremendous amount, if we utilize every available space for growing in them. I am so very happy when gardening! After a few days of sun, I’m finally able to walk in my lower yard without walking across the sturdy oak pallets, my “free wooden walkway”. The sun warmed us to over 90 deg. F yesterday, and the skies were blue, but with it comes the heavy humidity that is the bane of the Deep South. Container plants and young seedlings are in need of watering twice a day, very carefully, of course. I have dozens of “volunteer” tomato plants that popped up after using my compost for mulch; normally, I wouldn’t try to grow from compost volunteers, but, I know a family much in need of food supply who likes tomatoes, so, we will be growing them. I originally had about 50 green bean babies; the slugs and snails devoured all but about 20, some of them down to nothing but stalks. By setting the beer traps AND covering them at dusk with glass or plastic jars, they’ve grown new leaves and they are going to make it! I also added a tiny bit of veggie fertilizer, which helped them recover, I do believe. I save every glass jar and plastic jar I can; I love to recycle things and keep things out of the landfill; I’m grateful that I had plenty of glass/plastic jars from peanuts, fruits, pickles, etc. I have plenty of canning jars I could use, but, I save those for canning – they’re precious to me. But I just cover my green bean babies in the evening with a jar, gently twisting it into the soil a bit to hold it in place, and remove them early the next morning; as hot as it is getting now, leaving these on for long would result in a cooked green bean baby, so, do keep that in mind. The potatoes in a container are beautiful! This is the first time I’ve tried this method, and I could not be happier. Here are two pics of my potato bin on day 1 and another pic on day 25: Starting Potatoes in a Bucket Potatoes Growing in Buckets

How To Grow Potatoes in Buckets

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Well, several different people have encouraged me to try potatoes in a bucket. I researched Gardening By The Square Foot and found some information, but it really wasn’t detailed enough from my perspective. So I’m going to show you what I’m doing and maybe you can help! :) potatoe bucket

Square buckets were recommended. I bought these off of Craigslist for $1 each. They originally held strawberry syrup. Then I drilled a hole on each side and one in the middle of the bottom.

potatoe seeds Here are the seed potatoes. Cut and dried for 24 hours (that is how we do it in the North Country). I use russets because they are an indeterminate and will continue to set potatoes as they grow up.

SFG said to put an inch of pure compost in the bottom and set the potatoes in each corner. Did that and covered with the equivalent of “Mel’s Mix”.

 

potato buckets in row

I set the buckets along a fence line, so that I can tie the foliage against the fence as it grows.

So, this is my latest grand experiment! Wish me luck!