I couldn't agree more, everything in moderation. I've met people that were so obsessed with saving money that they forgot to live. Money, and everything else, is just part of a balance in life. I'm really lucky in the aspect of most of the prepping projects I undertake are actually fun to me. I love to work with my own two hands and then stand back and see the results. It's cool to know you created something from scraps and recycled junk that would have been wasted.
It amazes me how many 20 somethings don't cook at all. Fast food is fine every once in a while, just not everyday....I echo what a lot have said, if your situation allows, start growing your own fruit and vegetables. If not then start with the simple things, the staples that you use every day. Flour, oil, protein foods, vegetables.
A good store of herbs amd spices can make a very boring diet edible.
USU probably have the best resource for online for preppers. I follow a lot of their advice and it has made a huge difference to my food storage programme. I only wish I'd found the resource years ago.
http://extension.usu.edu/homeandfamily
This is a link to their food storage guide PDF. I'd say it's probably the best advice out there.
https://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/book
I don't know what kind of climate you live in, but I would look on utube and find some videos on home dehydrating you could probably use air drying, If not the best bit of kit you could probably start off with is a simple Nesco dehydrator. There are literally hundreds of videos about dehydrating and if you are unable to access a decent farmers market, I have a lot of frozen veg from the store dehydrated and stored in canning jars.
I don't think there is anything wrong with the buckets, but you are limiting your diet both in flavour and texture.
Finlly and to me this is this is the most imprtant skill you can have; if you can't already, learn to cook from scratch. If you have that skill, you can make a meal with anything.
Good luck with your endevours.
Thanks for the linksI echo what a lot have said, if your situation allows, start growing your own fruit and vegetables. If not then start with the simple things, the staples that you use every day. Flour, oil, protein foods, vegetables.
A good store of herbs amd spices can make a very boring diet edible.
USU probably have the best resource for online for preppers. I follow a lot of their advice and it has made a huge difference to my food storage programme. I only wish I'd found the resource years ago.
http://extension.usu.edu/homeandfamily
This is a link to their food storage guide PDF. I'd say it's probably the best advice out there.
https://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/book
I don't know what kind of climate you live in, but I would look on utube and find some videos on home dehydrating you could probably use air drying, If not the best bit of kit you could probably start off with is a simple Nesco dehydrator. There are literally hundreds of videos about dehydrating and if you are unable to access a decent farmers market, I have a lot of frozen veg from the store dehydrated and stored in canning jars.
I don't think there is anything wrong with the buckets, but you are limiting your diet both in flavour and texture.
Finlly and to me this is this is the most imprtant skill you can have; if you can't already, learn to cook from scratch. If you have that skill, you can make a meal with anything.
Good luck with your endevours.
That is interesting, you live very close to where I do, just a mountain away. I can and enjoy it. This week I will be canning greasy beans, pickled beans, and freezing cream style corn. Our garden is expansive but the severe drought has taken its toll this year on production. I take mason jars to school to drink water from, because unlike plastic, no chemicals, and you can sterilize them. The kids give me funny looks though and accuse me of drinking moonshine, which I have of never done. Add a packet of herbal tea and a few marigold flowers for arthritis pain and you really get some funny looks. We have some costly antique mason jars in our basement, really hate when those get accidentally broke. Best cheap food source in my opinion is knowing what readily grows in your area, and for the winter, home canned vegetable soup mixed with a can of campbell's tomato soup is a lunch staple my kids love to eat.
This really is one of the most beautiful places to live in the country. I live just a couple miles from panther creek, it's really a beautiful hike back to a great rock faced waterfall. It's cool to be away from civilization just down the road.
Are you in the Panther Creek area down past Bryson headed towards Fontana? I teach in Bryson but live next to WCU. It is a bit of a commute to work but where we live on family farm land is beautiful. The family inherited away our painted saws and oxen yokes. Most of what we eat we grow, but still I spend so much on groceries it is unreal. My husband hunts up wayah and that usually helps a lot. We have gone camping a couple of times up Panther Creek campground, it is a beautiful area and my kids love the trout pond there.
My kids are competing against each other for who can grow the biggest candy roasters and watermelons.
I'm just south of talluha falls, so in NE Ga., not NW. I grew up near the beach, but the first time I saw the mountains I fell in love. I got up at 4:30 to peel tomatoes, which I'll can tonight. I've been busy working outside so much for a week that I'm having a hard time getting to the things I like, and need to do. I don't hunt, but would like to learn. Does your husband ever get any elk? I remember when they reintroduced them over in cataloochee. They took off without any natural predators around. One day I'd love to try the meat.
I have been to talluha falls, it is a beautiful place. Candy Roasters are sort of heirloom pumpkins, which grow either long and oval, or flat, both really big with sweet flesh that is super cooked and mashed with butter and sugar. Makes a great baby food. We grow corn, bodacious and silver king this year, tomatoes, greasy beans and roma beans, beats, spinach, strawberries, apples, potatoes, canteloupe, watermelon, giant pumpkins and candyroasters, blueberries, hot peppers (carolina reapers?) lettuce, herbs, squash, zucchinni, raspberries, asparagus, and there are a ton of good wild blackberries this year, but my favorite find has been discovering lamb's quarters on the edge of the pumpkin patch. After I served them one time at dinner my nine year old went and hoed them all down. I was pretty sad about that but found more. Our apple trees are old, arkansas black, cooking apples. It is a good time of year for food. As for Elk, I have eaten it from Alaska, and it was very good. There has been some talk of opening the Elk here to hunting on a lottery system, not sure when it will actually happen.
Apple cider vinegar is supposed to be 5 years because of all the acid added, but I have never had enough to keep it that long yet. Distilled vinegar, your lifetime. . .
I did anwer you on shoutbox. Destilled vinegar will last longer than you will, apple cider vinegar about 1-2 years opened, 5+ years sealed. Can still be useful much longer than that for cleaning.
By saying peeling I was meaning blanching. I think trying to peel one with a knife would probably just make a juicy mess!
We were close but no, never met. It really would be great to have someone with the same homesteading and prepping views to talk with in person.
