SCP Survival

Best Survival Gear and Supplies

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

Did You Know You Can Use Bananas for Skin Irritants and First Aid?

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Who doesn’t love bananas? I always try to have some bananas around, as the whole family seems to like them as a snack, enhancement for otherwise boring cereals, etc. And what Southerner doesn’t enjoy an occasional treat of banana pudding? Or a strawberry-banana slushy for breakfast on a hot, humid summer’s morning. Or an angel food cake slice with fresh strawberries, bananas, and freshly-whipped real cream…I’m salivating.

I read somewhere on a natural blog site that banana peels could be used to help heal wounds and “boo-boos”. You use the inside part of a freshly-peeled banana peel and hold it against the wounds or boo-boo for a few minutes – how long is entirely up to you, but I found that just 4-5 minutes was useful. Like a lot of things, when I read it, I thought, “well, that’s nice; though I’m skeptical”.

Well, I had opportunity recently to test this out, and, to my great surprise, I believe it actually was noticeably beneficial!

You see, we were at our bug out location, and the black flies (a.k.a., “buffalo gnats”) ate me alive. The DH pretty much escaped this torture; he claims it is because he was willing to spray his “outerwear” with Sawyer insecticidal spray, which I was not. I think it’ because he has vinegar running through his veins, but, hey! I love him, anyway! ; )

Well, for whatever explanation, the black flies feasted on me. Now, it wasn’t enough that they were all over the place OUTSIDE, but the DH decided he needed to leave the door of our travel trailer hanging wide open, screen door and all. Not once, but several times. Yelling, “close the dang door!” had little effect, other than to be met with, “I’m comin’ in” yelled back, and then the perfunctory, “well, come in faster then…”…you know how it is. A few decades together and you learn how to talk to one another…well, anyway…

I had never heard of black flies before this incident, and did not know they are locally known as “buffalo gnats“. But they are flies, and very nasty ones, at that. We’re just getting to know the differences between critters on the BOL, on top of a mountain in another state, and the critters we are familiar with in our “city location”. Don’t worry – we’ll figure it out – if they don’t totally devour us first, but, then, it won’t matter, will it?!

Well, after I killed all the black flies he let in, and having been already  half-eaten by the little beasties because I had no clue, I ate a banana and applied the inside of the freshly-peeled banana to several places of bites; it was weird, sitting on banana peels, tucking them into the backs of my knees and holding them there. You know how bananas get brown and black spots if left lying around, uneaten for a few days? Well, when you hold them against your flesh, they do this in a matter of minutes!

But, here’s the thing – the itching, swelling, burning from the bites was actually RELIEVED rather quickly as these peels were held against the bites! Now, the relief lasted just a few hours, but, the point is, banana peel actually gave relief, if only temporarily. Did it help heal any more quickly? I have no idea. I’ve never been bitten by black flies before.

I still treated them with antibiotic ointments later, alcohol swabs, etc. , so I don’t have a point of reference on healing. I can tell you that two weeks later, the bumps are still quite visible, though the flesh is healed.

Even so, I will commit to this statement: I am now convinced that fresh banana peel held to a wound or boo-boo does, in fact, help relieve pain, discomfort, and may even be beneficial in reducing swelling of an insect bite.  At least, it did for me with black fly bites.

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!

A Prepper’s Guide to Storage Units

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Prepping can quickly and easily become a way of life, but it requires a lot of thought and a lot of space. It can also be expensive. If you rent self storage you can add space and save money while creating a secure avenue for supplies in the event of an emergency whether you are in Denver, Colorado, Cincinnati, Ohio, or anywhere else.

In this economy many people are lacking two things that would allow them to better prep; money and space. From the probability of solar flares to the questions of coming economic collapse and chaos, being prepared is the only way to be.

Secure & Accessible

Preppers understand the importance of putting together a good plan and every good plan includes a bug-out scenario. Unfortunately not every prepper has a specific location outside of their home for stockpiling in order to diversify their bug-out options. For those who keep everything at home, if you have no way to get your preps to another location much of your prepping may be for naught if or when you need to boogie out of Dodge.

So what can we do to gain needed square footage without having to move to a bigger place? Get a storage unit!

They’re Everywhere

Storage units can be found in nearly every city or town across the country, even most small towns have them. When planning your bug-out decide where would be the best place to secure yourself (and your family) when things go south. Be sure it’s somewhere you will be able to get to, there are no telling what obstacles will be in your way.

Renting a storage facility in a town near your bug-out location allows for a few things. You get to learn the lay of the land you will have to travel; you will also have a place for all of your supplies that’s secure (keeping your preps safe is important).

You Can Afford It

It doesn’t cost much to rent storage units. Equally important, you can get them in many sizes and in multiples if needed. You can often find coupons on-line or in your local papers that make great first time customer deals.

Depending on the deal and availability, you may want to get two that are back to back with an adjoining door between them. This is great for a couple of reasons; you can open both ends and allow for airflow when loading and unloading or taking inventory and you can have enough room to be organized so that when a situation arises you can easily get in to find what you need.

On Being Stealth

In general it makes sense to help educate other people by showing them what you’re doing, but there could be danger in that. People will come unglued in a short matter of time after a life changing catastrophe, especially once desperation brought on by hunger and thirst comes in. You do not want to be your “good” neighbor’s target.

It’s best to keep your activities to yourself and closest family. You can cherry pick who else should be in the know. Having a strong network of trustworthy fellow preppers is not a bad thing, you just need to choose wisely.

Check Out These Holiday Survival Gift Ideas

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Holiday Survival Gifts for Preppers

The Holiday Season is Officially Here!

Are you shopping for any preppers this season? (or looking for yourself ;-)

If so, then check out this incredible gift guide for preppers.

In it, you’ll find 160+ gift suggestions for preparedness-minded people. Some of the best tools, supplies, courses, books, gags, and more.

Best of all, they start at $20, so they won’t break the bank!

Although there are a lot of blogs and websites that put out similar guides, one of the coolest things about this one is that it has gift recommendations from 7 different “subsets” of the prepper space, either with their own visuals and curated recommendations, so you can see curated gifts, especially selected for:

Here’s an example:

survival gifts

Here’s another one of the visuals from the section on EDC gifts:

EDC Survival Gifts

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the gift guide, and have a terrific Holiday season.

-Dan

Browse all 160+ prepper gifts here.

p.s. Not sure what to buy for a fellow prepper who is limited on space or too far to ship something to? Check out this digital library of survival PDFs. It includes 667 survival guides, manuals, and downloadable PDFs, and costs just $18. Not too shabby!

How To Prepare Your Business for a Hurricane

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How To Prepare Your Business For a Hurricane

We like to pretend we are masters of our environment, but the simple truth is, even in this day of mechanical marvels and technological wonders, we are still at the whim of Mother Nature. Natural disasters of varying degrees can happen anywhere on the planet, but if you happen to live and work on the coast, hurricanes are most likely your biggest concern. Just like you have a plan for your home, business owners should devise a plan that potentially can save you countless hours and dollars should a hurricane hit.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

The Boy Scouts got it right when they coined the motto “Be Prepared.” Knowledge and preparation ahead of time can make the difference between a difficult situation and a total loss.

First and foremost, know when the hurricane season starts and stops where you are. The National Hurricane Center states that hurricane season in the Atlantic is approximately June 1st through November 30th, and is approximately May 15th through November 30th in the Pacific. Check the news and weather updates frequently during this season to keep yourself from getting caught off guard.

Devise a Plan

Make sure you have contingency plans in place for your business. If you are making use of local providers or distributors, their business and transportation capabilities will most likely be affected as well, so have backup resources available to keep your business running. It may cost a little more, but the long term payoffs of keeping your customers happy will win out in the end.

Don’t skimp on the equipment and security you need. Things like hurricane insurance or flood coverage can help you save your business if there is damage. Off-site data management and cloud storage also can be invaluable. There are a lot of options available depending on your size and data needs that provide data backup, recovery and security, which is especially important if you equipment is damaged.

Do your best to prepare. Invest in quality storm shutters to protect your building from damage like flying debris. Secure products and equipment in bags or off the floor to prevent water damage if there is flooding. Unfortunately, some people might take advantage of the confusion to commit crimes, so make sure you have a complete inventory of your assets and products including pictures.

This also is a good tactic for insurance claims.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The decision on whether or not to evacuate can be tough. Many people think that staying will be easier and that they can weather the storm. However, most professionals will recommend leaving if you have the ability. Not only is it safer during the actual storm, but often times the aftermath can leave you without common services like electricity or water for extended periods.

Know your area’s evacuation plan. If you live in a high frequency area, odds are the local government has a system in place. If not, the national government has developed guidelines that will help you should the need arise.

If you go, go early. Waiting until the last minute can be disastrous and could leave you stranded, says Ready.gov. Should you choose to stay, make sure you have plenty of provisions. Again, don’t wait until the last minute to buy these. First aid, food and water will be the first things to go when word of an impending storm hits.

Hurricanes are easily one of Mother Nature’s most destructive forces, but with a little planning and preparation, they don’t have to destroy your life or your business.