For some time now, we have been working on preparedness. As part of that preparedness, we have been trying to become more self-reliant and resilient. We grow fruits and vegetables. We have had our own chickens and plan to acquire more this summer.
Now, we are introducing something new to our farm - the honeybee. For the past couple of months, we have been caring for a split that we received. It is a very small and weak colony, without a queen, but they made their own queen from brood.
Our first hive.
Putting sugar water in the hives.
Since our colony is so small, we have been feeding them to help them. We place a super on the box and place sugar water in upside down containers.
We don't recommend the containers with pop off lids.
We learned a valuable lesson feeding in this manner. Don't use containers with pop off lids. The honeybees will seal the lids to the frames. If there is sugar water in the container when you lift it up to check it, it will come open and spill everywhere. Use only containers with screw on lids.
The Bee Whisperer petting a swarm.
A swarm.
My husband is very comfortable working with bees. He has memories of his grandfather working his hives. His grandfather didn't fear the bees. He would work without any protective gear. That isn't always the best idea, but I call my husband the bee whisperer because he can do the same. He has no fear.
Recently, we started helping capture swarms. The first time I saw this done, it was terrifying. Watching how the bees swarm violently around.
Brother and hubby capturing a swarm in a tree.
After helping a few times, we caught two ourselves and it wasn't bad. I actually enjoyed it. The first swarm we caught was very large. Since it was our first to capture alone, it was a learning experience. We tried knocking it off into a box. Then we cut the limb and placed it in the box. Much more successful at getting more honeybees.
Placing the honeybee laden branch in the box.
We taped up the boxes and headed to their final destination...the backyard. Where we placed them in the hive and hoped for the best.
This is a small portion of the colony on the limb.
Honeybees on the edge with their tails fanning out.
When we placed the bees in the hive, they really were upset and buzzing around. They were not happy. So hubby stuffed the entrance with grass. Soon, bees began to gather on the side of the box and settle down. When hubby opened the lid, the bees began to crawl up the box and inside. Some of the bees stood on the side and fanned their tails. This meant that the queen had accepted the hive as their new home and they were letting all the bees know to come on in. So, hubby removed the grass and put the frames in.
Home sweet home.
Spraying with vanilla water.
The next day, we were called back to the same home. A small swarm was
gathered in the same tree. We caught them and after determining they
were the remnants of the colony we had captured the day before and had
no queen, we sprayed them with vanilla water and introduced them into
our weak hive.
The vanilla water seems to calm the bees and made them easier to catch, but it also helps introduce them into the hive. They all start licking the vanilla water off each other and by the time the cleaning is done, everyone smells the same.
The bee whisperer removing the branch from the box of bees.
The honeybees are an exciting addition to our Prepared Household. They low buzzing is a happy sound and while I realize there will be stings, I think it will be worth it.
The snowfall began here on the homestead just after dawn. It was an odd snow, more pellet-like than anything. The snow continued throughout the day and night until we accumulated several inches. As I write, the total accumulation is 6.5 inches here. Nearby counties are reporting upwards of 13 inches and more. According to predictions, this storm has the chance to be historical and set records. We haven't seen the likes of this since the 1990s. Temperatures are supposed to drop in the negatives.
Snowfall in Fayette County, KY.
Photo courtesy of Jayme G, Facebook.
While we are safe and cozy here in our home, there may be some who are not so lucky. My heart goes out to them. Temperatures are supposed to get as low as -14 degrees and I know there are those who are not prepared even in the best of circumstances, let alone should the power go out. That is the reason I started this blog. I want to give others the opportunity to be better prepared for situations before they arise.
Apple tree on the homestead
Long before this storm was forecast, we have been preparing. We have built up a small food storage and made plans for what we would do in various scenarios. Having recently been laid off my job, I am currently experiencing a personal disaster. However, it is one that we have prepared for as best we could under the circumstances. Little by little, we have purchased food ahead to last a while. And, we garden, can, dehydrate and store. Granted, our food supply isn't made up of luxury foods, it consists of canned vegetables, wheat, rice, etc.
When we heard that the storm was a certainty, we discussed our options, developed a plan and put it in action.
We asked ourselves a few questions:
1. Do we have sufficient food to carry us over for a week? As I stated above, we have a small food storage, so we determined that we would have sufficient food, that would not have to be cooked, to last at least a week.
2. What will we do if the power goes out? We have oil lamps and extra oil. We have emergency candles. We also have a small generator that we pulled out and started it to make sure it was still running. We took our gas jugs and stocked up on gasoline. We had been out of town for the past year working, so gas was not available in our immediate storage. This will be used to run a small heater to fend off the cold until power can be restored.
Since temperatures are supposed to be in the negatives, we made sure every crack and crevice is sealed and has plastic or a blanket over it. We needed to conserve as much heat as possible. It is going to be cold.
3. What happens in a illness? We have some minor medical supplies and medications. If something outside our control happens, we may well have to rely on emergency services to make it out.
Roads here in Kentucky tonight.
Photo courtesy of Laurel Co. Ky Sheriff's Office.
If nothing extraordinary happens, we should be able to hunker down and stay warm. Since I have been laid off, we don't have to be out on the roads for anything. Most places are closing down right now anyway. Local sheriff's office has requested we stay off the roads. As you can see by the photo to the left, that is sound advice.
The importance of being prepared for life's storms is becoming more and more obvious. Lately, we have seen a lot of terrible storms that are overwhelming to local emergency services. We have to learn to be more resilient and not be victims and add to the problem.
Ambulance overturned due to slick roads in Hazard, Kentucky.
Photo courtesy or Cindy C, Facebook.
When this week is over and we have dug out of the snow and hopefully, life goes back to normal. I hope that we will learn that we need to be prepared for whatever storms come our way in life. Whether they be personal storms, such being jobless or whether they are widespread, such as huge snowstorms or other natural disasters, we need to be prepared. We can't rely on others to help us through all the time, we need to be self-sufficient.
Hopefully, we can take this journey together here and learn to navigate these storms. Stay safe and warm.
More and more I feel strongly that we need to become self-sufficient. I know that becoming self-sufficient is impossible for some, but we can have different levels of self-sufficiency. It is important to clean up our food. As most are aware, the closer we can get to nature's way of doing things, the better off we will be.
So, instead of purchasing my usual box of whole wheat crackers at the store, I decided to try making them. And, it was surprisingly easy.
The end result was a good tasting cracker. Not a "Ritz" mind you, but a good, nutty, whole wheat cracker that my body loves to use for fuel. No preservatives or additives. Just what nature packed into that whole grain. With a few simple ingredients, I have taken another step closer to self-sufficiency and another step away from dependency on a grocery store for what I eat.
In the end, I didn't even need the mixer, it is something I could have mixed up in a bowl. So simple. Next time you want a wholesome snack, I hope you will follow this simple recipe and tweek it to suit you.
Hello my Prepared Household. I had to take a necessary leave, but I am back. During my absence, I have grown so much as I stepped outside my comfort zone. I have spent the last seven months living and working in another state, while my family stayed behind. Not an ideal situation, but necessary. While away from my spouse, I became a more independent person and I learned a lot.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut. Doing the same routine over and over again leaves us no room for growth. So, I want to take this time to advise you to think outside the box and stretch yourself by stepping outside your normal comfort zone. You will be surprised at what you learn and how you grow.
So, what did I learn? I continued my journey on becoming healthy. Good health is probably one of the most important things we need in order to be prepared. In order to be an asset, instead of a liability, we need to become as healthy as we can possibly be. We all have different levels of health, mobility, etc., but we need to stretch and strive to be the healthiest we can be.
During my time away, I had a lot of "me" time. I had the ability to focus on my health. I learned a lot more about nutrition. I think I have been very successful. I lost 42 pounds so far and I have decreased the need for medication. As a matter of fact, I used to be an insulin dependent diabetic. (Notice I said used to?) I went away taking 90 units of insulin a day and I came back this past week no longer on insulin. Now remember, I am not a physician and I am not telling you to go off insulin. I didn't make this leap overnight. With my doctor's assistance, while eating clean, healthy, unprocessed foods and being active, I achieved this goal.
Not everyone can do this. But I had to. My health was deteriorating and I had to make a change. If you are able to make this change, if your health permits it, go to your doctor without delay. DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR OWN...IT IS DANGEROUS AND YOU COULD DIE. But with your doctor's assistance, and your desire to get better, you could be healthier tomorrow than you were today.
I will be doing a series of videos to document my journey to being healthy. Just remember that this is my weight loss journey and this is what I did and what is working or not working for me. I am not a physician and can't give you advice on what to do to lose weight. But maybe this will inspire you to seek help and get healthy.
My first gut reaction to that question was, "No! Why would we need Big Brother sticking his nose in yet another facet of my life?" It's not as if we aren't being told more and more what we can do and what we can't. I don't want a man in a trench coat coming in and taking my stash of chocolate, along with anything else he wants. Okay, okay maybe that's getting a little over the top, but it happens. Just ask Rawsome Foods who was raided because of regs on raw milk. Check out this article.
But when I read the articles regarding sugar, it was enlightening.
Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco advise that "Sugar poses enough health risks that it should be considered a controlled substance just like alcohol and tobacco."
I won't copy the articles here verbatim, but I highly recommend that you read them. The research is eye opening and explains a lot.
Scientists contend: "But there are also other areas of impact that researchers have investigated: the effect of sugar on the brain and how liquid calories are interpreted differently by the body than solids. Research has suggested that sugar activates the same reward pathways in the brain as traditional drugs of abuse like morphine or heroin. No one is claiming the effect of sugar is quite that potent, but, says Brownell, 'it helps confirm what people tell you anecdotally, that they crave sugar and have withdrawal symptoms when they stop eating it.'"
I know some people do not crave sugar. My husband doesn't. Personally I can tell you that the effect on me is strong because I do crave sugar. When I don't get it, I am almost frantic. Very similar to someone wanting their next "fix" or an alcoholic needing his next drink. When I finally get my "sweet", it is a feeling of relief and I sigh contentedly as I eat it.
I have successfully stopped eating sugar in the past by "tricking" my brain into thinking I was eating sugar. I used alternative sweeteners and was satisfied. Therefore, I think a lot of it may be in the brain and senses, not a body chemistry reaction. Once the sugar is out of the system for a couple days, the cravings go away. And should I even take a taste of something with refined sugar in it, I am hooked once again. I have problems with artificial sweeteners though, because they cause my heart to beat sluggishly. So I have stopped using them. I just need to try to go cold turkey on the refined sugars for a couple of days to get the cravings to stop. I would welcome any suggestions. As you know, we recently started to walk for our health and I believe the next step is healthy eating.
As I read these articles, I wondered about how sugar is made and discovered that in both sugar cane and sugar beets chemicals are added to refine them into sugar. The process is explained at length here, but doesn't enlighten us on exactly what chemicals are used. However, in my (humble) opinion, the addition of chemicals to your food and ultimately to your body cannot be good, no matter what the chemical.
Also, I checked some foods in the house and realized sugar is hidden in a lot of foods we eat that we may not realize.
So, in response to the question, "Should sugar be regulated like alcohol and tobacco?", I would have to say...Maybe. Yes, manufacturers should be held accountable for what they pack into processed foods. Then again, we are talking about processed foods. We need to get back to basics and take processed foods and refined sugars out of our diets, but that is probably another blog entry all together.
Put a tax on it if you want. I don't care. Ultimately, it's personal responsibility and I need to step up and eat healthy.
As far as sugar in my food storage, I plan on focusing on natural sugars like honey, molasses and natural sugars in fruits. So, tell me your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Our health is important and being physically prepared or as fit as possible is extremely important. Others rely on us and we need to do everything we can to not only be there for them, but to not be a burden. I realize that there comes a time in ones life when despite all they do, they are just not as fit as they once were and rely on others. There's no shame in that. However, I am not as physically fit as I could be and I plan to change that.
I have struggled with health issues recently, and one of them being diabetes. Diabetes is not easily controlled and the medications can be expensive. While I have stocked up on my necessary medicines (always a prepper), I know that there may come a time when I can't get it. Insulin is very expensive, not to mention you need a syringe to inject it. So, I need to decrease my dependence on insulin, and hopefully remove it all together. I don't know if it is possible, but I am going to try.
So hubby and I decided to start walking every day and for the last three days we have walked approximately a mile.
My blood glucose was 368 (normal is 70-100) at 9:00 a.m. this morning. I took my meds, ate breakfast and we began our walk around 10:00 a.m. It took us two hours and we had a great time. We made videos and worked around in the yard. I started feeling like my blood glucose levels were dropping, so around 1:00 I checked it again. It was 86! Exercise can do wonders for your glucose levels!
Since, I hate to waste time and I get bored so easily, we decided to multi-task on our walks. Make a game out of it. Watch this video for details:
So, we are going to walk daily, pick up aluminum cans and scrap metal to make a few pennies, while we clean up the environment a little. Also, we are learning the native plants that grow beside the road. Can you identify these plants?
Believe it or not, while walking and keeping yourself entertained, you can find useful objects like reels, coal and golf balls. LOL. See the video below.
So get out there and make a little bit of money, have fun and exercise. Hubby says we are losing a few pounds while we find a few pounds (of cans and metal that is.) Enjoy yourself and happy prepping!
I don't like making New Years Resolutions. They are by their very nature made to be broken. I want to set goals. Goals can be achieved! I have many goals this year and I make mini goals to achieve those larger goals.
Photo courtesy of integracore.com
So, what are my goals you may ask? I want to live a more self-sufficient life on this planet. I don't want to be dependent on anyone for my next meal or my next breath for that matter.
So the steps:
1. Become healthy and strong;
2. Garden;
3. Use less electricity;
a. grow accustom to cooler temps in winter and warmer temps in summer;
b. line dry clothes
c. weatherize and use various strategies to help keep home warm in winter and cooler in summer
4. Use less. Period.
5. Make my own
a. Pizza dough, foods, detergent, furniture, clothes, quilts, soap, cream of chicken soup, soup base, butter, etc.
6. Perfect a bartering system locally.
7. Soooooo much more!
Are all these goals attainable right now? No, but some of them are. I can’t make butter, I don’t have a cow or goats. But I might be able to trade for some. I am sure there are many things I can learn to do. But I need someone to teach me.
So, our path to self-sufficiency has been a struggle and we have been on this journey for nearly three years now. We have had some successes and some miserable fails! But we have learned lessons. I know that there are those out there that have learned lessons too and we can learn from each other.
So whether your goal is total self-sufficiency, a homestead or just getting prepared for life’s storms this is the place to be. I believe that being prepared involves self sufficiency. For years, our fore fathers were self-sufficient and supplied their own needs. Granted, I can’t grow a pineapple here, but there will be sacrifices and we all know it. I believe we are headed toward disaster and we better prepare ourselves for it now.
Since we are all on different levels of preparedness and we are all in different financial situations, I hope to cover things that are affordable to everyone. I love to learn how to do things for myself, but I am often discouraged when people talk about things that above my means. I want to include everyone I can.
Share your tricks:
1. How you save money to buy preps or other things you need?
2. What are your short cuts?
3. Where do you get items cheap?
Don’t be shy! Share! If you want to share something, but don’t want to post it yourself, let me know and I will post it without your information attached. This is how we learn, from each other.
One of my readers said one of the things that stands in the way of them being fully prepared is alternate methods of cooking. I have to say, I really am not prepared in that area, except for my backyard grill and a lighter. Granted we have grill gas and wood, so we could get by.
But one thing that always bothered me about cooking outside in a dire "poo hit the fan" situation was depicted on an episode of "Dark Angel". Dark Angel was a television series where an electromagnetic pulse weapon was used in the atmosphere over the United States. One episode told the story of a family who was prepared for such emergencies. They had a generator that kept their power going after "the pulse" had turned a nearby town into darkened chaos. The townspeople thought that the prepared family had somehow done this to them because they still had power and attacked the family, killing them and burning their home.
Of course, I know this is Hollywood, but have you ever heard the expression, "life imitating art"? We are talking of mob mentality here. So, if I am prepared and start cooking my food outside and others don't have means or food, that could leave me and my family vulnerable. What might I be getting at? Well, two things. One, discretion in preparedness and two, pre-cooked food.
So, while we want to help others learn to be more self-sustaining, we need to be discreet and not publish what we have all over the Internet and TV.
Also, after a stint of ice storms that took out our electricity and we lost a lot of food in a huge freezer, we decided we didn't want to rely on electricity to preserve our food. And, if we pre-cook our food, we can just open a jar and eat it cold in a real "poo hit the fan situation". Not the most ideal, but definitely doable. So, we learned to preserve meat by canning.
Let me say that you need to follow ALL safety precautions and check with your local extension office for the correct way to can food in your area. Here is a video my husband and I did on canning ground beef. Remember, do not do this at home unless you contact your extension office for the proper procedures. Canning meat can be deadly if done improperly. In fact, your local extension agent may not recommend canning ground beef, but you can use the same method for canning beef chunks or roast. BE SURE TO FOLLOW YOUR AGENT'S INSTRUCTIONS OR YOU CAN END UP POISONED.
We also did a series on home butchered and canned chicken. You can view it on my channel here.
The extension office recommends that you heat the canned jar contents for 15 minutes after you open them and before you consume them. In a normal situation, you would do so. I am speaking of using this in times when you don't have an alternate method of cooking.
My friend, Marianna Bailey has uploaded a wonderful document to her Facebook page about alternate means of cooking. I don't think anyone can access the page unless they are part of the group, so I will post her document here. It is vital information and I thank Marianna for sharing it. She has a great group called "Prepare with Me". I love it. You should join it.
Here is the document, if you can access it: Cooking Without Electric. If not, I have posted it below, in it's entirety. It is more information than I have ever seen compiled on the subject.
COOKING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY HANDOUT: (also see Fuel Handout)
From: www.YourFamilyArk.org
Kylene Jones said there are a few basic principles that apply to cooking without electricity.
• Conserve fuel so you don't need a lot
• Plan to be able to cook indoors and out, in the home or evacuated, in cold and hot weather
• Remember, any flame can produce carbon monoxide — the cooking area must be well ventilated
Different emergencies will require different things.
Kylene Jones said she likes canned heat for basic cooking because it lights easily, burns hot and she can simply take away a can to lower the cooking temperature.
She said Coleman fuel or white gas is very effective but also very dangerous and must be stored out of the house.
Kerosene must be used with great caution but requires very little oxygen.
Propane has an indefinite shelf life but homeowners may only keep up to five of the 20-lb. containers. If the propane leaks, it lingers and will explode at a spark or flame.
Butane stoves are lightweight but won't work well in cold weather.
Charcoal briquettes are easy to use and inexpensive but should never be burned indoors.
Observe Fire Safety Rules (from Survivalinsight.com)
• Do not bring a gas grill or stove inside, as this can cause toxic fumes and vapors to build up in your home, and is also a fire hazard.
• Do not build a fire or light a grill close to your home or garage.
• Leave plenty of space so sparks don’t fly off and ignite something you want to keep.
• If you cook on a wood stove, keep small children clear of it at all times.
• Never use gasoline to start a wood or charcoal fire; it can explode and burn anyone nearby severely.
(the following info. taken from government site: www.fpl.fs.fed.us)
There are 91,200 BTUs in a gallon of propane - times a 4 gallon bottle = 364,800 BTUs in a 20 lb tank. Take 364,800 and divide it by your burner’s BTU rating to figure how many hours you can run your burner on High. If you turn the burners down, you can extend that time a bit. Normally you won't be cooking with it on full heat.
Under normal usage, one can (16.4 oz. Coleman Propane Cylinder) will burn about one hour. When using the one burner “Perfect Flow Stove” from Coleman, which attaches to the top of the cylinder, one can will last 2 hours on high or 4.5 hours on low. This type of stove works well for heating small pans of food or water only. Heavier pans must be hooked up to a larger camping stove or a single burner stove that rests on a flat surface.
Charcoal goes on sale for the best prices of the year around Memorial Day and Labor Day. The last two years sales prices have been about $4 per bag (16 lbs - 20 lbs). Kingsford Original Brand (not matchlight) burn hotter, longer.
-Search “Best Rocket Stove Design Ever”
-Over 100 Preparedness Videos posted by our own Bro. Gillmore
Alternative Cooking Methods
Dutch Oven Cooking: Cooking techniques such as roasting, baking simmering, stewing, frying, boiling, steaming, and many others are easily done on the campfire with only a single utensil, the dutch oven. Think of the possibilities, delicious fresh baked bread that will rise up and lift the lid, cobblers made from berries picked fresh at the campsite, incredible deep-dish pizzas, stews, quiches that melt in your mouth, Cornish game hens roasted to perfection, and imagine a chocolate cake a foot in diameter. These and many, many more are very possible and sometimes easier than they are at home. With very few exceptions, I have been able to duplicate my home recipes on the campfire using the dutch oven. Check out this website for a complete book about Dutch Oven cooking, with recipes included: http://usscouts.org/cooking/cook_05.asp
Volcano Stove: Volcano II Collapsible Stove. You will love the versatility of this stove. The Volcano II Collapsible Stove works great with many different methods of cooking and three different fuels. Use this collapsible stove for your cookouts, camping, or emergency cooking.
• Tri-fuel Stove: The Volcano II Collapsible Stove uses Charcoal, Wood, or Propane*. Changes easily between each of the fuel sources.
• Versatile Cooking Options: Grill right on the stove, or use a skillet, griddle, pot, or wok. Also great for 10-12” Dutch ovens!
• Patented Heat Chamber: Cook a meal with as few as 12 briquettes. 15-20 lb bags of charcoal can be enough for 1 hot meal a day for a year (we recommend storing the charcoal in sealed plastic buckets to protect from moisture). • Double Wall Construction: The Volcano II Collapsible Stove minimizes heat transfer. Much safer for small children.
• Collapsible: Collapses to only 5.5” tall for easy storage. Comes with a storage bag.
Solar Ovens: Solar cooking requires only your oven and a sunny day. Brightness of the day, and not outside air temperature is the most important factor. Solar cooking entails a few basic principles; reflection, concentration, the green house effect and absorption. Solar ovens have properly arranged reflective inner walls to direct and concentrate the sun's energy on the dark pot or dark bottom tray. A clear covering lets in solar heat, but prevents most of it from escaping, producing a green house effect. You know how hot the inside of your car gets in the summer sun, your black pot is similar to the dark upholstery that gets too hot to touch by the process of heat absorption.
Fuel: Insta-Fire is a safe, simple, and versatile new fire starting product. It has water-repellent properties, a fiffteen minute burn time and a thirty year shelf life. Use it to light campfires, prepare charcoal briquettes, or as a safe and reliable fuel source for cooking or heating in emergency situations. http://www.instafire.com/home.htm
Magnesium Fire Starter: In survival situations, you'll want this simple, compact magnesium fire starter with you at all times to get a fire going even in damp weather. The magnesium fire starter is a small block of magnesium that is waterproof and fireproof in its solid form. Scrape some shavings and then strike the firesteel built into the starter to ignite the shavings. The fire generated is extremely hot and will ignite even damp kindling. Compact size – fits in a pocket - Comes with a striker -
I attended a workshop this past weekend that taught us the art of making lye soap and laundry detergent at home for pennies. There are many times where we can make our own cleaning supplies and save money. These processes are also green. So our children and the Earth will thank us too.
Making Lye Soap
The biggest problem with making lye soap is finding the lye to make it with. Other than that, the process seemed relatively straight forward and easy. Just be sure to wear protective clothing. Here are the instructions for making lye soap:
Jennifer's Lard Soap
1 4lb bucket of lard
8.4 oz lye
20 oz water
2 oz of fragrance oil (optional)
Vinegar (This is precautionary. Should you get the lye on you at any point, simply use the vinegar to neutralize the burn.)
You will need a scale, pans, measuring cups, stick blender, plastic stirring spoons, two thermometers, molds, goggles, apron, gloves and white vinegar. Use these items only in your soap making and should never be used in cooking again. Be sure to wear long sleeves, pants, apron, goggles and gloves. You should have a healthy respect for this process as you can get burned. Lye is extremely caustic. Carefully pour your lye into your water. NEVER, let me repeat that, NEVER pour water in the lye. You will get a volcanic eruption. This is dangerous.) If possible, do this mixing outside. The fumes are unpleasant and not safe to breathe. As you add the lye to the water, stir constantly until the water clears. At this point, you can take the temperature and it will be extremely hot.
Measure the lard and add it to a pot. Place on direct heat and melt on low. Prepare any molds you may have. Jennifer uses Pringles potato chip cans. Lay newspapers on the counter. Check the temps of the lye and lard. Sometimes you can cool the lye faster by placing the container in a tub of ice water. When both the lard and the lye are 110 degrees, using your gloves and goggles, slowly pour the lye into the lard while you stir with a plastic spoon. When it has been completely added, begin using the stick blender to stir.
(I have to add that at this point, we can smell the soap. It has a naturally good "soap" smell. I don't know how, as it is lard and lye, but it smells like a plain soap being mixed. The end result has a good clean smell too. I wish I could let you smell it.)
Stir the soap until it traces. At first, your soap will look like a think pudding, As you stir, it will thicken. Be sure to continue to stir, but rest your stick blender motor so it will cool and not burn up. When the mixture looks creamy and mixed together and just starts to lightly trace, you can add fragrances and additives such as honey or oatmeal. Continue to stir. If you just want plain soap, continue to stir until you see the drizzled soap stay on top the mixture for a few seconds before folding in. This is tracing. It is now time to pour into the molds. Jennifer pours it into three Pringles cans. This recipe makes two completely full and one partial. Place the cans in an area where they will not be disturbed for at least 24 hours. Wrap them with old towels. This is a necessary step for the soap making process. Your molds will get very hot due to the chemical reaction that is taking place. This chemical reaction is called saponification and it is turning the lye and lard into soap.
After 24 hours check on your soap. If it is very soft, let it set for another day or so. When it is ready, remove it from the molds. If you use pringles cans, you can just peel the can off carefully, so as not to damage the soap. Let it sit another day and then cut into bars. Put the cut bars of soap on a cooling rack or lined shelf. It needs to cure. At this point, the lye content is only 90%, but will need to cure for 4 - 6 weeks for the last 10% to evaporate. You need to turn the soap halfway through the drying process-probably at about 2 - 4 weeks, or it will discolor.
Jennifer's Lard Soap. Feels so creamy and smells so good.
Jennifer sells her lye soap. If anyone is interested in purchasing, please let me know and I will get you her contact information.
Make Your Own Laundry Soap
Photo courtesy of 20MuleTeamLaundry.com
Liquid recipe
1 small bucket with a lid (2 - 5 gallon buckets will work)
1/3 bar of Fels Naptha Soap or 1 bar of Ivory soap
1/2 Cup Borax powder
1/2 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
2 gallons water
Grate the soap and put it in a saucepan. Add 6 cups of water and heat until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. Now add the soap mixture and stir. Add another gallon of water plus six cups into the bucket with the soap mixture and stir. Let the soap sit overnight and it will gel. Use 1/2 cup per wash load for a normal wash.
Just remember that this will have the consistency of egg drop soup. It is also low sudsing, so you won't see a lot of suds. But don't worry, it is the ingredients that cleans the clothes, not the suds.
Jennifer told us that she adds Purex 2 color safe bleach when washing dirty work clothes to boost the cleaning power. It is only $1.97 a box at the big box stores, which is cheaper than Clorox 2.
So how do the numbers add up? Is it really cheaper to make your own? Jennifer says it is. Here, the cost of making the above recipe is .68 cents or about .02 cents per load. Two gallons will give you enough to wash 64 loads. Liquid Tide 64 load is $12.47 or .19 per load. Gain 63 load is $11.97 or .18 cents per load.
Powdered recipe
Rebecca, who knows the chemical processes in these ingredients, showed us a powdered version.
1 bar of Ivory soap or 1/3 bar Fels Naptha
1 Cup Borax powder
1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
Finely grate the soap. Add the borax and washing soda. Mix in a canister with a lid and use approximately a teaspoon per load. Double that amount for hard or iron water.
Photo courtesy of WhiteHouseFoods.com
Other cleaning
Use vinegar as a fabric softener. It will take away those off smells and soften your clothes.
Use baking soda and vinegar for your drains. Put baking soda in all your drains and toilet. Add white vinegar. Follow with boiling hot water to clean out your drains. I haven't tried this yet, but plan to soon.
There are tons of other recipes for making your own cleaning products. What do you use to clean? What are your secrets? Please share.
September 11, 2001 is a day that will forever live in my memory. As the song echoes in my mind asking the question “Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?” I say a resounding "No!" I will never forget.
Surreal images flicker in my mind of the first plane that hit the tower. And then, when the second plane hit the second tower, I awoke from the naive place I had always lived to the truth of the world we live in. I was at home sick that day. So, I saw the images live on TV. Shocked, I watched as a woman from another country danced, shouted and praised those cowardly, evil deeds and subsequently my perception of the world and the people in it, was forever changed. I realized I did not live in a world that was safe and secure, but one that held dark secrets. Before that time, I had no idea how hated I was because I was an American. And it would take years before I realized the true implications.
Our President declared "War on Terrorism". A few short years later, he declared war on Iraq. My first thoughts had been to just leave Iraq alone. We should take care of things at home. I still believe things need addressed at home. But there is an indelible image engraved in my mind as I watched footage of a war-torn Iraq. A man running down the debris littered street suddenly turned to the camera and waved. In broken English he gleefully shouted “Thank you Mr. Bush.” And then turned and ran away. Again, I was awakened…if but just a little more.
I won’t pretend that I am the most politically correct or most politically minded person on the planet, probably the farthest from it. However, I realized that day that our brothers and sisters in this world who are citizens of Iraq and other countries needed a hero too. Someone to save them from the tyranny and evil that gripped their world. How lucky we are to call America home. We have so many freedoms; even the freedom to complain about and ridicule our leaders without fear of any real repercussions.
Our world has drastically changed since that time. Gas prices have more than trippled. Food prices are so high, some are going without food. More and more people are losing their homes and becoming "homeless". We have greater need to prepare today than we have ever. I feel an urgency to prepare for life's storms now! But in a calm and orderly manner.
So, let's honor our lost, our heroes and our Country. God Bless America!
If you get the chance to do so, please enter your comments below. Share with me your thoughts on 911 and our lives since then.
Okay, I admit it. I have pantry envy. You go online and google food storage or pantry, you will see image after image of neatly placed rows of foods on shelves. So many ideas, it makes one envious and wish they had that organized and fully stocked food and emergency supplies storage. Wouldn't it be "the bomb" if we could grab one of those hand held shopping baskets and "shop" for items in our own basement to stock the kitchen pantry. Like photos on Google Images, I wish I had a basement grocery store, with aisle after aisle of foods, water and other emergency supplies. Ahhhh.
Okaaaayyy. Back to reality. And the reality of it is that to some of us, one of the obstacles in the path of food storage is space. No place to store food or other emergency items. Do you feel like you are a prime candidate for an episode of Hoarders? Is every room in your house crowded with bags, boxes and piles of food towering over you to the point that you wonder if one day it will all implode and you will be lost in the debris?
Have no fear, I have a few suggestions. Not having had time to take actual photos, I checked the Internet for photos to illustrate my points.
Photo courtesy of Walmart.com
I purchased a set of bed risers from Walmart. (But you can find them anywhere.) It lifts up the bed about six inches and gives you room for storage underneath. Some food storage items have a long shelf life. Simply tuck them under the bed and be sure to record what you have under there in your food storage inventory book with expiration dates. That way, you will know what is there and when it expires.
Photo courtesy of A Matter of Preparedness
In my Internet search, I ran across a great blog called A Matter of Preparedness. She has a couple of entries on storage in small places, as well as other preparedness ideas. In her entry, she says that she stores 104 #10 cans under a queen size bed. You could get more under a king size, but you would require a couple of extra risers. Please visit her site and enjoy.
Another idea in creative food storage storage is to utilize underneath coffee tables, end tables, sewing machines, etc. Store your boxes under the tables and drape a coordinating cloth over it. There you have it, easily disguised storage. Another cool blog, Prepared NOT Scaredgoes one step further to create an entire nightstand table out of food storage. See the image below and read about it here.
Photo courtesy of Prepared NOT Scared
One of my favorite ideas on water storage is a Youtube video from LowBuckPrepper where he displays his wall of water.
Using 2-liter bottles as storage is simple. As you empty one, fill it up with water and stack it on the wall. You should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. Two 2-liter bottles is approximately equal to one gallon. If my calculations are correct, that is twenty-eight bottles per person for two weeks. LowBuckPrepper has enough water stored for nearly four people for two weeks. Storing it against a wall, makes it a lot easier than stacking boxes. I think this idea is ingenious.
Here is another great idea. A self-rotating can rack that doubles as a buffet-style table behind your couch.
I once stored things behind the curve of a sectional couch. There was a ton of room between the wall and the couch.
Now, get your creative juices stirring and see where you can reclaim precious space to store the items you need. Under or behind a couch? What are your creative food storage storage solutions? Share!
One of my readers suggested using a camper to evacuate in an emergency. This is something that we have considered and we uploaded this video on our Youtube channel a couple of months ago. This is our bug out camper.
We have used it to camp and would suggest that if anyone plans to use a camper for a bug out vehicle that you camp in it so you can be familiar with it, how it works, how to set it up and what you will need. A test run will let you know if this is the route you want to go.
I will tell you that a pop up is a bit of hard work to put up, so this option, while compact, may not be the best option. So, research and choose your camper wisely. We have had this one for ten years and the older we get, the more difficult it becomes to set up. However, it still suits us fine.
Please share your thoughts, suggestions and experiences.
