Are there any preppers here on the mag?

[WelderDan]

Welder Dan makes great points. Knowledge is key. I've done lots of reading on wild edibles but don't think I will be getting into mushroom hunting anytime soon. Too risky unless you have an expert teaching you.

Wild game is a great resource but there's something called "rabbit starvation" or "protein poisoning". It's basically a form of malnutrition caused from lack or fat. Wild game is extremely lean. You'd be best to supplement it with wild fish if you can. Anyone know of any wild animals with high fat content? Duck and geese maybe?

You are 100% correct regarding eating rabbit exclusively. Your body needs fat. Squirrel is fattier than rabbit. Duck would be ideal with it's high fat content, and it's yummy. Fish is a good source of good fat. Possum is extremely fatty, and they are stupid and easy to catch. Beaver is also fatty. Nuts are probably the easiest to get and they keep well. Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and chestnuts are widespread. Hell, pot seeds have fat! Avocado is a also a good fat source.

Then there is wild hog. They are literally everywhere, but they can be extremely dangerous. Best to have a rifle. And in drier colder climates, you can air cure the meat with salt and it keeps for months.

Which leads me to another good subject. Curing and smoking to preserve larger game. Those are very old methods of preservation and well worth learning.

This kind of knowledge is slowly being lost. Humans did this as a way of life for thousands of years. Now most people would starve.

 

[coldcanna]

Two points to consider:

Those respirators are useless if in a chemical attack, you also need the accompaying shots and be able to dose yourself if need be with the mask on...I gave mine away to a panicked neighbor back in 2014, I really don't give a flying f#*k if we get chemically attacked or nuked to be completely honest, won't have work next day lol....

I looked into this more and I stand corrected, thanks for the info. So the respirator I showed is known as a particulate filter and it is good against things such as mold, dust, or even many biological agents which is why they use them in hospitals. In the case of a chemical weapon attack you really need a gas mask and full body suit as many of the chemical agents can absorb through your skin. Even gas masks aren't rated to stop 100% of agents so you really must have an idea of what your up against. Only a SCBA would completely isolate you from breathing in bad shit but that is WAYYY expensive unless your a scuba diver on the weekends

I found this on the CDC website about choosing your breathing device.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/factsheets/respfact.html

 

[coldcanna]

Hey Dan it seems like you know a lot of outdoor knowledge. Would you mind posting links or some personal experience, maybe start with curing game meat? I know a lot of people can shoot an animal but beyond that they'd be lost.

 

[vta]

A little pricy on that link. 4 people one year supply = $ 6897.00
Same amount HERE for $ 3299.00

Wow! Great deal.

I have a couple months worth of food...good for 25 years. Cost me about $250.

 

[Brother Bear]

My mother saves a lot of money by buying in bulk.

She watches the sales and jumps on them when she can.

In the long run it's a great way to stock up on everything.

I've got 5 children to feed. Everything is bought in bulk lol. Even meat, as in a whole side of beef, or hog. I have the biggest freezer I could find.

 

[WelderDan]

Hey Dan it seems like you know a lot of outdoor knowledge. Would you mind posting links or some personal experience, maybe start with curing game meat? I know a lot of people can shoot an animal but beyond that they'd be lost.

I'm a country boy, so I picked up a lot of stuff just by growing up that way. Also, my grandparents survived the depression and they kept those practices alive even after they didn't need them.

Curing meat is tricky. You need to be in the right climate to do it safely. Meat cures best when temps are in the 40's and the humidity is low. So if you're in Florida, it isn't practical.

But if you want to learn, this is a good place to start:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/curing/cut-cure-pork-zmaz72ndztak

Actually, Mother Earth News is a great place to learn a lot of things, like canning. That is a fantastic skill that my grandparents used for everything from jelly to meat. My uncle was canning everything from dried peppers, pecans and veggies to pork, turkey and fish up until he died in 2010. I'm still using dried chilies he canned before he died.

Dehydration and smoking are great ways to extend the shelf life of game and not as complicated. But dehydration, like salt curing requires a cooler, dryer climate

 

[sadpanda]

if i was crazy like all you people living in fear () id stock up on some honey, as it doesn't go off (might solidify a bit but still edible, see pharoahs tombs!) plus you can use the bees wax for making cannabinoid enriched lip balm

 

[Lrus007]

ok a few things.
extra shoes/boots. good thermal clothes.
also needles thread and shoe repair glue.
i have a pro pure water filter works well.
poppys i know a few things about them.
to smoke opium you would need acres.
that land is better to grow food. but a nice size
poppy patch would be enough. you make poppy tea
so say you weigh 200 lbs. 5 grams of ground poppys
for medium pain. 10 grams ground for serious pain.
made into tea.
tobacco, coffee and booze are great barter items.
i have at least a years worth of food. i have lot's of
salt if i need to cure meat that's in freezer.
spices, wild game will taste better with spices.
vit. C stock up you do not want scurvy.
a good med kit at home cut's burns ect. can get bad.
eye wash and eye cup. also dental tools.
traps, less noise then a gun and only need to check
them every 2 days. food seeds.. lot of leaf lettuce
radish ect. that grows fast, 30 days to grow. then normal
garden seeds. a acre of potato's will feed you almost a year.
canning jars,lids and pressure cooker to store food with.
guess that is enough for this posting.
Lrus007

 

[Jellyfish]

Okay, for those of you that think it's worth it to live cockroach-style after 'they' take over, here's a legitimate tip- put sea salt on your list of stuff you're squirreling away. It contains a lot of trace elements you're not gonna get out of a can or some powdered mix you bought from Jim Bakker.
If you find my stash after I'm dead, have a smoke on me, stoners.

 

[Green Squall]

Okay, for those of you that think it's worth it to live cockroach-style after 'they' take over, here's a legitimate tip- put sea salt on your list of stuff you're squirreling away. It contains a lot of trace elements you're not gonna get out of a can or some powdered mix you bought from Jim Bakker.
If you find my stash after I'm dead, have a smoke on me, stoners.

Sea salt has a lot minerals which are good for you but it's not iodized. Iodine is necessary to maintain a healthy thyroid. I store iodized salt but in the real world I eat sea salt because I like it better.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

My wife just told me that her brother (who is caretaking my land in the PI's) is now beekeeping, and has two active hives that are making some nice honey there...

Bees are not only good for honey, which can be stored easily for a very long time, they are also necessary for pollination of flowers/crops.....so beehives would be good to have too.

 

[corky1968]

I wish I could keep bees. It's actually a fancinating thing to do so.
Fresh honey buries that store bought stuff any day.

About the sea salt Green Squall, if it comes from the sea it has iodine in it as is.
Iodine is present in the oceans and kelp is very rich in that element.

 

[Stoner4Life]

canned SPAM lasts forever, a bunch of different flavors; even long past its expiration date its still okay to eat, the only thing that happens is that SPAM (or any other canned meat) will start to slowly lose its flavor.......

 

[junior_grower]

I hunt and cure, jerky, sausage, and can all my wild game. A typical season is 3-4 animals. Enough food to feed me and the missus, and friends and family.

The ultimate plan is to shot and eat the looters. I wont even have to hike the 10k to my hunting grounds.

 

[Lrus007]

gypsy speaking of bee's.
i do not have much land but have a nice
orchard. there is not enough for honey bees.
so years ago i got some mason bee's.
now there are 100's of them. i also see some
honey bee's so there is a hive somewhere in the woods.
i also plant a plant called borrage around. all bee's love it
and it flowers until winter.

have lot's of salt it is needed for so many things.
curing meat, for the beans and rice and oh so much more.
Lrus007

 

[ronbo51]

About 3 weeks after shtf a dozen people will converge on the last deer and kill each other for it. At the end of the depression there was not so much as a sparrow left east of the Mississippi. Everything had been hunted, trapped, fished out. Smoky Mountain National Park was established as an ark to try and get some wildlife reestablished in the Appalachians. That was when the population was markedly less than now. Close the stores and within days it will be like Venezuela is today: zoo animals killed. Cats and dogs for dinner. Prison inmates eating each other. Sorry. Mountain men won't survive either. Best hope is small farm with fertile soil, surface water and firewood and lots of ammo to keep the hoards away.

 

[geneva_sativa]

you may want to check into origin of your kelp to ensure it not radioactive

 

[igrowone]

end of the world is good conversation, some interesting ideas
it got me searching on storage, i.e. what vegetable oil stores the best?
one near and dear to our hearts, it's coconut
2+ years on average and longer in good conditions

 

[Robrites]

I have a couple of buckets from Augason Farms. Each has a 30 day supply of food that stores for 25 years. Think I got them from Walmart online. Pro-tip: wait for a sale.

 

[coldcanna]

About 3 weeks after shtf a dozen people will converge on the last deer and kill each other for it. At the end of the depression there was not so much as a sparrow left east of the Mississippi. Everything had been hunted, trapped, fished out.

That's a very legitimate problem to consider... My rebuttle back at you is; In those days everyone including their kids knew how to hunt and track, today only a small portion of the population knows these skills. Sure, I would imagine that deer would be flushed out pretty quick but all the nocturnal small game and various birds theres a little bit more skill involved. I'm sure the rivers will be fished out though, to your point. It will prob be a good idea to keep an aluminum boat around to for getting to those hard to reach spots in swamps, rivers and lakes