Preserving Foods After SHTF

[Brent S]

I guess preserving for long term would be pretty tough without power and or supplies. Here are a couple ways I plan to keep eating post shtf. The rabbits and chickens can provide fresh meat year round, and the greenhouse can provide some kind of veggies at least 3/4 of the year.

Someone once told me he wanted goats so he wouldn't have to mow the lawn. Goats don't eat grass. They eat weeds and leaves from trees if they can reach them. Thought I'd mention that since you mentioned "grazing." If you have a kindle, or a kindle app on your computer (which you can get for free from Amazon) there is a book called "How To Raise Goats" by Steve Fiermo for 1.49 right now. I have the one on Nigerian Dwarf Goats, got it for free awhile back - now it's 3.99. I've found a lot of information about them on the internet for free, too.

I'll check out the amazon site! I actually knew about the grass thing, but have heard they will eat it if bored or have nothing else. What it really sad is I've thinned most of the brush out from two and a half acres by hand over the last six yrs or so. If I had it to do over I would have started with goats. I've read they can even eat poison ivy, which I've had way too many run ins with. I still have some areas I could fence off to let them clear, but most was done the old fashioned way, by hand. I've read that if you don't mow and let grass grow two feet or more that they are pretty happy to eat it. Good point though, they are not cows or sheep.

 

[QuietH3art]

Your greenhouse is about to explode, Brent! I plan on greenhouse planting in the fall through the winter. I just have to build the greenhouse. I have 11 windows leaning up against my shed that should provide most of the heat and light for it. I'd rather have fresh food than preserved any day, as long as it's available.
The worry that I have is this: If you live in a rural area, a couple of goats, chickens, rabbits and a greenhouse may be easy to "hide" from general view. But I live in an area where anything I do outside of my house is clearly visible to many. On top of which, I am within a half mile of one military base with 4 others close by as well. I don't have a location to bug out to because if I did, I'd actually be living there now. I do think that things are going to get a lot worse before/if it gets better. I'm watching the news right now and right in a row there's a shooting in Georgia, a stabbing at Portsmouth Naval Base and recap of the shooting at the Christian University in Seattle. Can you see the president declaring Martial Law soon? And once Martial Law is declared, there will be no elections.

 

[psalm 7]

Would plexi glass be good for a green house ? I remember reading in a old book that after the Civil War photogaphers sold their plates for scrap to people to build green houses and in VA folks would stop buy one families yard to wait for the sun to reach the right direction and it would cast Gen Lee's image on the Wall of thier house .

 

[QuietH3art]

Would plexi glass be good for a green house ? I remember reading in a old book that after the Civil War photogaphers sold their plates for scrap to people to build green houses and in VA folks would stop buy one families yard to wait for the sun to reach the right direction and it would cast Gen Lee's image on the Wall of thier house .

Plastic is cheaper. I've never heard of anyone using plexi-glass so I don't know, but maybe? I know that there will be times I'll have to cover my windows with tarps in the winter so it doesn't get too hot in there, whereas opening the windows would allow too much cold air in there. It's always a balance to keep it warm enough and humid enough without burning your plants. I still haven't figured out yet how I'm going to build mine. But I have a free eBook on building greenhouses that I'm going to read through again before I start building.

 

[Brent S]

Your greenhouse is about to explode, Brent! I plan on greenhouse planting in the fall through the winter. I just have to build the greenhouse. I have 11 windows leaning up against my shed that should provide most of the heat and light for it. I'd rather have fresh food than preserved any day, as long as it's available.
The worry that I have is this: If you live in a rural area, a couple of goats, chickens, rabbits and a greenhouse may be easy to "hide" from general view. But I live in an area where anything I do outside of my house is clearly visible to many. On top of which, I am within a half mile of one military base with 4 others close by as well. I don't have a location to bug out to because if I did, I'd actually be living there now. I do think that things are going to get a lot worse before/if it gets better. I'm watching the news right now and right in a row there's a shooting in Georgia, a stabbing at Portsmouth Naval Base and recap of the shooting at the Christian University in Seattle. Can you see the president declaring Martial Law soon? And once Martial Law is declared, there will be no elections.

Look at the windows and try to see if they are low e or clear. The low e is a metallic coating and reflects a lot of the good light from getting thru. You can tell pretty easily if you compare a piece of clear glass side by side. The low e one will be a little darker, but it's kind of hard to tell. Most windows sold up north don't have it, and none of the older windows did, but it's mandated by the EPA now anywhere in the south. I have about ten windows that would have been great for the front of the greenhouse but they were all coated. I'll find another project for them down the road. If your windows are single pane they won't have the coating, but if there double paned the coating is on the inside between the glass panels.
I keep up with the news as well, and it's downright depressing most of the time! What worries me is with all the shootings I feel it's just a matter of time before they outlaw guns. As we all know, criminals don't follow the law anyways, so then they will be able to loot and pillage at will. I read that the average response time for the police in Detroit is over an hour. Having honest citizens disarmed isn't going to solve our problems. I think having some severe punishments for violent criminals will solve a lot though. Locking them up is as stupid as can be, as it dosent change them and is way too expensive. Actually it probably does change them, it makes them worse! I don't think martial law will be declared over crime and violence, at least not from these isolated incidents. I do think we will see it though when we have an economic crisis. One of these days before too long our govt. Is going to be forced to realize they can't just keep borrowing more money, probably when no one is willing to lend it to them anymore. Well, when they can't give out food stamps and welfare and social security, it will get ugly really quickly, especially in the large urban areas. When people get hungry they can be dangerous. Remember the Rodney king riots? Just imagine that in every large city across the country. Even smaller towns will have people killing each other over cans of beans. That's when I think the govt will try to rule by force. I think it will take a major disturbance for them to declare martial law. The problem is once it's been declared and in place for a while. The people in charge will not like to give up their power and position very easily. Another scenario I think could easily bring about martial law is some kind of pandemic. Make no mistake, any new deadly outbreak in an area of the US and they will have troops shooting to kill anyone trying to leave a quarantined area. My best advice I can give anyone is don't worry too much about these kinds of things. I do think it's wise to prepare as much as you can for the very real possibility of not having electricity, fuel or a corner grocery store to run down to when your low on food. So arm yourself, have some supplies stored up, learn to supplement your food by growing and or raising some of it, but don't worry about what may or may not happen all the time. I try to keep informed of things going on in the world, but I try to make my little part of it as pleasant and peaceful as I possibly can. I thing it was teddy Roosevelt that said speak softly but carry a big stick. Not the best analogy, but you get the point.
I hope the greenhouse project goes well, I'm having fun learning to grow things, and eating a lot better. I have seen first hand that you can produce way more in a controlled environment. I am still trying to catch the voles in mine, the little pests are intelligent! I caught a black snake this morning in the yard and put him in there. I hope he likes voles!
Hope you have a good weekend.

 

[Brent S]

Plastic is cheaper. I've never heard of anyone using plexi-glass so I don't know, but maybe? I know that there will be times I'll have to cover my windows with tarps in the winter so it doesn't get too hot in there, whereas opening the windows would allow too much cold air in there. It's always a balance to keep it warm enough and humid enough without burning your plants. I still haven't figured out yet how I'm going to build mine. But I have a free eBook on building greenhouses that I'm going to read through again before I start building.

I was about to use plexiglass but found the plastic sheeting that was way cheaper, although probably not as durable. I figure if I get three years out of the plastic it was worth while, anything over would be great. The hardest thing is regulating the temperature. You have to have an automatic system, unless you're home all the time and feel like checking it hourly. I bought an attic exhaust fan, with a thermastat that was about 75.00. So far it's working pretty well. Even in the winter when the sun comes out it can get too hot in there. I'll eventually put in some strip fluorescent lights and an automatic sprinkler system, but I do a little at a time as I can afford it. As far as how you're going to build it, I made mine out of recycled stuff almost completely. I say work with whatever you have, find a deal on, or can scavenge for cheap! You can upgrade as you go.

 

[QuietH3art]

[quWindowsote="Brent S, post: 50566, member: 1767"]I was about to use plexiglass but found the plastic sheeting that was way cheaper, although probably not as durable. I figure if I get three years out of the plastic it was worth while, anything over would be great. The hardest thing is regulating the temperature. You have to have an automatic system, unless you're home all the time and feel like checking it hourly. I bought an attic exhaust fan, with a thermastat that was about 75.00. So far it's working pretty well. Even in the winter when the sun comes out it can get too hot in there. I'll eventually put in some strip fluorescent lights and an automatic sprinkler system, but I do a little at a time as I can afford it. As far as how you're going to build it, I made mine out of recycled stuff almost completely. I say work with whatever you have, find a deal on, or can scavenge for cheap! You can upgrade as you go.[/quote]
My windows were the inside storm windows from am old mobile home. Very thin single pane

 

[QuietH3art]

Okay that was no fun. Accessing the internetfrom my phone for a couple of days. The Wwindows that I have are from an old mobile home. They aren't tinted. I may not do a greenhouse at all. I've had a lot of luck just setting pots in my living room window sill. I actually don't even know where I'll be living soon so all plans are tentative.

 

[Brent S]

[quWindowsote="Brent S, post: 50566, member: 1767"]I was about to use plexiglass but found the plastic sheeting that was way cheaper, although probably not as durable. I figure if I get three years out of the plastic it was worth while, anything over would be great. The hardest thing is regulating the temperature. You have to have an automatic system, unless you're home all the time and feel like checking it hourly. I bought an attic exhaust fan, with a thermastat that was about 75.00. So far it's working pretty well. Even in the winter when the sun comes out it can get too hot in there. I'll eventually put in some strip fluorescent lights and an automatic sprinkler system, but I do a little at a time as I can afford it. As far as how you're going to build it, I made mine out of recycled stuff almost completely. I say work with whatever you have, find a deal on, or can scavenge for cheap! You can upgrade as you go.

My windows were the inside storm windows from am old mobile home. Very thin single pane[/quote]
Perfect! Do they slide up ands down? I've learned that having as many openings as possible is a good thing during the summer. I saw a setup on some hoop houses that they roll the fabric up on the sides during the warm weather and seal it back up in the winter.

 

[Graynomad]

I see a lot of comments about needing electricity to do X so that's no good after SHTF, I would have thought going solar was one of the first things to do for a prepper although I admit you can't eat a solar panel Also I guess if you live in an apartment there's nowhere to put the panels so that's a problem.

I've been living on solar for 15 years and I do just about everything people on-grid do, that said I am starting to collect manual tools because like any modern tech my solar may fail and I may not be able to fix it, but I do have redundant systems and for low power use you could easily have 2-3 spare inverters and chargers to cover failures. I guess long term (say 10 years) the batteries will fail and then you are stuck so if things haven't been restored you had better have weaned yourself off power by then.

I'm also interested in aquaponics, but AFAIK that requires measuring of Ph etc and pumps to circulate water, how will that be done with no power and no supply of Ph measuring strips? And what sustainable source of fish food is there? Not trying to be smart, I want to know this.

Anyway just wonderin', I agree that aiming to live without power at all is a worthy goal, so maybe it's really a matter of how long you think STHF will last and taking a gamble on that.

 

[jimLE]

good points there gray.but there's also been talk of steam power as well..so if a person had the needed tools and matrials for that.and the resource for getting more metal.then they may have power of some kind

 

[Graynomad]

Ah yes, also things like Stirling engines can be made with relatively low tech tools I think. Once you have a rotary power source you can generate electricity with an alternator or some such. Now you've got me thinking, the panels and electronics in solar systems are almost bomb proof (well not EMP ) and they will last for ever. Throw in some spare units and the high-tech side should be covered, it's the storage of the power that's a problem as batteries don't last very long relatively speaking. So you either just use power during the day (if it's sunny) or rig up a rotary power source.

Heck, now I have another thing to figure out.

 

[Brent S]

Okay that was no fun. Accessing the internetfrom my phone for a couple of days. The Wwindows that I have are from an old mobile home. They aren't tinted. I may not do a greenhouse at all. I've had a lot of luck just setting pots in my living room window sill. I actually don't even know where I'll be living soon so all plans are tentative.

Why the move? You sounded like you had pretty good plans there.

 

[Brent S]

I see a lot of comments about needing electricity to do X so that's no good after SHTF, I would have thought going solar was one of the first things to do for a prepper although I admit you can't eat a solar panel Also I guess if you live in an apartment there's nowhere to put the panels so that's a problem.

I've been living on solar for 15 years and I do just about everything people on-grid do, that said I am starting to collect manual tools because like any modern tech my solar may fail and I may not be able to fix it, but I do have redundant systems and for low power use you could easily have 2-3 spare inverters and chargers to cover failures. I guess long term (say 10 years) the batteries will fail and then you are stuck so if things haven't been restored you had better have weaned yourself off power by then.

I'm also interested in aquaponics, but AFAIK that requires measuring of Ph etc and pumps to circulate water, how will that be done with no power and no supply of Ph measuring strips? And what sustainable source of fish food is there? Not trying to be smart, I want to know this.

Anyway just wonderin', I agree that aiming to live without power at all is a worthy goal, so maybe it's really a matter of how long you think STHF will last and taking a gamble on that.

Solar is a great setup, just really expensive! As far as the batteries, I had equipment that ran off 6volt deep cells, 'golf cart' batteries. I was lucky to get three years out of them. In all honesty though, life is full of unexpected things and you can only prepare so much. If you got three extra years of power, and then had to go straight solar with no storage system, you're still way ahead of the game. (And a lot more comfortable!)
I have a friend that started an aquaponics setup. They went to school in Tennessee for a week and bought a bunch of stuff for the system from the school. He built about a forty foot house with plexiglass and pools lining both sides, two tanks for the fish and pumps, etc. I didn't ask exactly how much he spent, but I'd guess at 15 thousand. It's a really great setup, but you're right, is dependent on electricity. I am really jealous as I spent a couple hrs weeding in the garden yesterday, and his is weed free. His plants grew really fast as well. I haven't seen it in several weeks, so I'll try to go by soon and get a couple pictures. I have a small stream in the front of my property that has three ponds with spillways between them. The largest pond is in the center and I stocked it a while back. We had a bad storm and that small stream became a river, and now my neighbors pond has all my fish! I just dug out a small area that's off to the side of the stream and am going to try again before long. This time I'm going to fence it with welded wire and try brim in it. My friend with the aquaponics setup has the plants growing in sheets of three inch thick styrofoam with holes drilled thru it and a mesh bag that the plant sits in. I may try to float a piece and see how it turns out. The fish get some stuff that flows downstream to eat, but if you have too many for a small area they will need to be supplemented. Brim is a good choice as they will eat bugs, grass, algae, and just about any veggie scraps you throw in there. It you have a flowing water source, or a large pond I think it's likely you could get a setup working without power. Another disadvantage is in his setup it's like a greenhouse, and gets really hot in the summer, requiring power ventilation. Well as I've said before, you can only prepare so much, and unexpected things tend to happen in life. I really enjoy these projects, and love learning new things, so I'm content 'playing around' with some of these prepping ideas. Hopefully I'll never have to use them, but would rather be prepared just in case. The pict at top is of the middle pond, the new one is downstream on the other side of the driveway. All the dirt is from digging them out deeper and some from the new area, I'll be spreading that out for a while to come! It's normally pretty clear, but I had just weed wacked. The ducks seem to like eating the grass though.

 

[Brent S]

Your greenhouse is about to explode, Brent! I plan on greenhouse planting in the fall through the winter. I just have to build the greenhouse. I have 11 windows leaning up against my shed that should provide most of the heat and light for it. I'd rather have fresh food than preserved any day, as long as it's available.
The worry that I have is this: If you live in a rural area, a couple of goats, chickens, rabbits and a greenhouse may be easy to "hide" from general view. But I live in an area where anything I do outside of my house is clearly visible to many. On top of which, I am within a half mile of one military base with 4 others close by as well. I don't have a location to bug out to because if I did, I'd actually be living there now. I do think that things are going to get a lot worse before/if it gets better. I'm watching the news right now and right in a row there's a shooting in Georgia, a stabbing at Portsmouth Naval Base and recap of the shooting at the Christian University in Seattle. Can you see the president declaring Martial Law soon? And once Martial Law is declared, there will be no elections.

You're right about the exploding thing! I'm still working on my 'space management' issues! I may need to seek counseling.

 

[Brent S]

Thought this may give a laugh! These were some funky carrots from the greenhouse.

 

[Graynomad]

Are they the ones that John West rejected? (If you guys had those ads in the US)

 

[QuietH3art]

You have a great setup there Brent. Greenhouse, pond, ducks, chickens, I'm kind of jealous.
My plans are tentative at the moment for several reasons. The most important being my physical capabilities. I am pretty much on my own and working at my other property this weekend has really high lighted my limitations. I have always been self-sufficient, able to do whatever needed doing by myself. Now I am finding it difficult to even mow the lawn.
I have COPD, asthma and a couple of other health issues that have really taken their toll on me the last few years. So it really is about trying to live as healthy and simple as I can now.
I don't think I'm as interested in aquaponics as your neighbor. Using what I have learned from reading about it I think it would be fun to put in one of those black form pools from Lowe's, grow some fish in it and maybe float some veggies on top. I have a lot of success growing my veggies in the ground with the exception of the leafy varieties. Five years ago I could have dug the hole for the pool myself. Today, I don't think I could do it.
And I have another option that I am seriously considering: going permanently mobile. Selling everything I have and buying a motor home. There's still a lot of traveling I'd love to do. Imagine trying to grow your own veggies in a motor home!

 

[Graynomad]

And I have another option that I am seriously considering: going permanently mobile. Selling everything I have and buying a motor home.

Exactly what I did in 2001, sold almost everything in a yard sale, threw the rest in a rubbish skip, and hit the road. It was very liberating I have to say, although a bit scary as well. Our story starts here http://robgray.com/graynomad/index.php if you're interested.

I always thought I would continue on the road forever, however we have dropped anchor on some land of late. I plan to do a little homesteading for a while but the road still beckons and we'll continue travelling in a year or two.

I'm content 'playing around' with some of these prepping ideas. Hopefully I'll never have to use them, but would rather be prepared just in case.

Me to, and it just make sense to be as independent of the system as much as possible, even if SHTF never happens.

I envy your running water, where I live a creek is just a blue line on a map that may see water briefly after a storm.

 

[QuietH3art]

I'm not seeing the scary side of it yet. Except maybe in the price of gas. That could keep me less mobile than I'd really like to be. A couple of years ago, my SO and I went to Sturgis. We stayed at a KOA hotel there. One night I couldn't sleep and wandered out to the lobby. The woman at the desk and I were talking. She and her husband were retired and lived in a motor home. In the summers they worked at KOAs in the north, their home setup was free and they made just above minimum wage, no bennies. In the winters, they'd go south and work at KOAs down there, same deal. I've always been a minimalist myself so that kind of lifestyle is very appealing to me.