Cheap Survival Food

[rachaelk]

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.
What is a candy roaster? I had no luck with the watermelons this year. It just got too hot too fast. I'd like to hear what crops you've had success with. So far I've had great yield with tomatoes, okra, beets, carrots, onions, kale, turnips, cukes, potatoes, beans, and peppers. I'm always looking for new things to try. I used to get a lot of squash and zucchini but the last two years were too hot for them. I planted a lot of peach, apple, plum and fig trees too. The apples do great, but the others are so much work that I don't think I would plant them again. I am looking fowards to the first apple pie of the season! Oh, I planted a bunch of blueberries and thornless blackberries too that thrive here in Ga. I have wild ones too, but the cultivated ones produce so much better.

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.

 

[user 7704]

This is an old thread, but no one answered my question on Shoutbox. Not that you are ignoring me.....

How long does vinegar last if sealed in a gallon plastic jug?

 

[user 7704]

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.
What is a candy roaster? I had no luck with the watermelons this year. It just got too hot too fast. I'd like to hear what crops you've had success with. So far I've had great yield with tomatoes, okra, beets, carrots, onions, kale, turnips, cukes, potatoes, beans, and peppers. I'm always looking for new things to try. I used to get a lot of squash and zucchini but the last two years were too hot for them. I planted a lot of peach, apple, plum and fig trees too. The apples do great, but the others are so much work that I don't think I would plant them again. I am looking fowards to the first apple pie of the season! Oh, I planted a bunch of blueberries and thornless blackberries too that thrive here in Ga. I have wild ones too, but the cultivated ones produce so much better.

Just saw this. If you blanch tomatoes for a few minutes, the peels just roll off. I never peel.

 

[Dani]

This is an old thread, but no one answered my question on Shoutbox. Not that you are ignoring me.....

How long does vinegar last if sealed in a gallon plastic jug?

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 don't peel my tomatoes either. Guess I'm too lazy.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Just saw this. If you blanch tomatoes for a few minutes, the peels just roll off. I never peel.

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.

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

Did Brent and rachaelk ever meet? A mountain away....

 

[Brent S]

Just saw this. If you blanch tomatoes for a few minutes, the peels just roll off. I never peel.

By saying peeling I was meaning blanching. I think trying to peel one with a knife would probably just make a juicy mess!

 

[Brent S]

Did Brent and rachaelk ever meet? A mountain away....

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.

 

[Kevin L]

Cheap survival food are bulk grains and beans.

Dried beans can be stored with oxygen eaters in mylar bags in buckets. Some folks suggest gamma seal lids (see other threads), but I use 5 gallon restaurant buckets with lids sealed with clear silicone caulking.

If you complement your vegetable proteins by mixing a variety of rice and beans, you'll have a complete protein that your body can utilize.

However...if all you have is rice and beans, things will get tiresome very quickly and morale (and motivation) may suffer.

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

No doubt. I ate the same thing on the boat, everyday, for years. It was good, but man did I pig out when we hit port. Just for anything different.

 

[Maverick]

Cheap survival food are bulk grains and beans.

Dried beans can be stored with oxygen eaters in mylar bags in buckets. Some folks suggest gamma seal lids (see other threads), but I use 5 gallon restaurant buckets with lids sealed with clear silicone caulking.

If you complement your vegetable proteins by mixing a variety of rice and beans, you'll have a complete protein that your body can utilize.

However...if all you have is rice and beans, things will get tiresome very quickly and morale (and motivation) may suffer.

Forage for some wild greens and mushroom and spice up the rice, stir fry the greens and mushroom, take day old (cold) rice stir fry till golden then add egg or two or three stir fry eggs in the rice then add your already stir fried greens and mushrooms topped off with wild onions... rice can be used for a lot of things. With pinto beans you can make refried bean, with flour/cornmeal you can make tortillas, spread with the refried beans, add some rice and some chicken or pork. Rice and beans are only as boring as one makes it?

 

[Kevin L]

Forage for some wild greens and mushroom and spice up the rice, stir fry the greens and mushroom, take day old (cold) rice stir fry till golden then add egg or two or three stir fry eggs in the rice then add your already stir fried greens and mushrooms topped off with wild onions... rice can be used for a lot of things. With pinto beans you can make refried bean, with flour/cornmeal you can make tortillas, spread with the refried beans, add some rice and some chicken or pork. Rice and beans are only as boring as one makes it?

I agree 100%.

It takes work and imagination to get variety out of rice and beans, but it's worth doing.

I was thinking post SHTF with something awful and only boiling water to work with.

 

[Brent S]

I agree 100%.

It takes work and imagination to get variety out of rice and beans, but it's worth doing.

I was thinking post SHTF with something awful and only boiling water to work with.

I have accumulated lots of supplies over time to help get me and my family through an emergency, which is great. For long term SHTF though, knowledge of gardening, hunting and raising animals will be needed. The supplies, no matter how well stocked will run out or worse, be stolen or damaged, but being able to sustain yourself long term is the knowledge we all should be gathering and storing now. One perk too, it is free to accumulate.

 

[user 7704]

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.

Sorry didn't see it. My bad... thanks. I found 5 gallons. 3 apple cider and 2 red wine vinegar

 

[user 7704]

By saying peeling I was meaning blanching. I think trying to peel one with a knife would probably just make a juicy mess!

Plus take lots of unnecessary time.

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

We sit and watch deer at sunset, small herd on the corner of the neighbors field. Two does, 2 fawns, definitely a family. I wouldn't hunt them, they will attract bucks.

I can just walk a little way and get fish and mushrooms, in season.

But it's pretty sobering to think how fast I would eat everything if I had to hunt and forage. How long would those deer last me? Assuming I'm adding in eggs, and some wild grains and greens.

2 months? That's not long. My hunting and foraging circle would get big, quick.

 

[Brent S]

We sit and watch deer at sunset, small herd on the corner of the neighbors field. Two does, 2 fawns, definitely a family. I wouldn't hunt them, they will attract bucks.

I can just walk a little way and get fish and mushrooms, in season.

But it's pretty sobering to think how fast I would eat everything if I had to hunt and forage. How long would those deer last me? Assuming I'm adding in eggs, and some wild grains and greens.

2 months? That's not long. My hunting and foraging circle would get big, quick.

Honestly, hunting would be eahausted really quickly. If the food deliveries suddenly stopped you would be hard pressed to find a squirrel or rodent within weeks, forget about deer. Every one with a gun would wipe out animal populations really quickly. Pets would need to be safeguarded shortly too.

 

[Maverick]

We have around 365 million people in this country, over half wouldn’t know how to hunt.

In 2017 government study we had 103 million hunters and fisherman’s (active) out of the 103, we have 33 million fisherman’s leaving 70 million that hunt, if one distributes the 70 million between the lower 48 that’s 1.46 million hunters per state, at 1 million hunters per state the wildlife can be devastated in very short order. Think of the American Bison and devastation that was done to them in less than a ten year span, it won’t take long for famine to become the norm

Without farms and ranches supplying the food to people it going to get rough putting it lightly especially for the 200 million people that have no skills (hunting fishing gardening etc..) they are the ones that’s going to be an Immediate threat. The numbers can be played with but what doesn’t change is the 365 million people.

Of course this all worse case and I don’t see it getting to this point.

 

[brandx]

No doubt. I ate the same thing on the boat, everyday, for years. It was good, but man did I pig out when we hit port. Just for anything different.

Like cheeseburger in paradise.

 

[Brent S]

We have around 365 million people in this country, over half wouldn’t know how to hunt.

In 2017 government study we had 103 million hunters and fisherman’s (active) out of the 103, we have 33 million fisherman’s leaving 70 million that hunt, if one distributes the 70 million between the lower 48 that’s 1.46 million hunters per state, at 1 million hunters per state the wildlife can be devastated in very short order. Think of the American Bison and devastation that was done to them in less than a ten year span, it won’t take long for famine to become the norm

Without farms and ranches supplying the food to people it going to get rough putting it lightly especially for the 200 million people that have no skills (hunting fishing gardening etc..) they are the ones that’s going to be an Immediate threat. The numbers can be played with but what doesn’t change is the 365 million people.

Of course this all worse case and I don’t see it getting to this point.

I certainly hope I never see the day when 365 million people are really hungry.

 

[Kevin L]

We have around 365 million people in this country, over half wouldn’t know how to hunt.

In 2017 government study we had 103 million hunters and fisherman’s (active) out of the 103, we have 33 million fisherman’s leaving 70 million that hunt, if one distributes the 70 million between the lower 48 that’s 1.46 million hunters per state, at 1 million hunters per state the wildlife can be devastated in very short order. Think of the American Bison and devastation that was done to them in less than a ten year span, it won’t take long for famine to become the norm

Without farms and ranches supplying the food to people it going to get rough putting it lightly especially for the 200 million people that have no skills (hunting fishing gardening etc..) they are the ones that’s going to be an Immediate threat. The numbers can be played with but what doesn’t change is the 365 million people.

Of course this all worse case and I don’t see it getting to this point.

It is my understanding (and perhaps I'm wrong or misinformed) that common whitetail deer became endangered (and actually extinct in many areas) during the Great Depression because of people hunting out of hunger.

 

[Maverick]

It is my understanding (and perhaps I'm wrong or misinformed) that common whitetail deer became endangered (and actually extinct in many areas) during the Great Depression because of people hunting out of hunger.

That could be, but it wasn't rural folks that would have done that, the great depression wasn't felt in much of the US, the cities are the one's that truly felt the affects, the problem in the mid-west wasn't from the depression per say, it had more to do with the dust bowl just that it happen at the same time given the impression the depression has affected every part of the country, it was the folks leaving the dust bowl area that may have felt it when they gone out searching for jobs, perhaps they were the one's hunting them to extinction, during the depression here in Washington, Seattle was hit hard but the folks didn't go out and did much hunting so wildlife wasn't much affected. Lot of folks ate possum and didn't hunt dear or any big game during the depression.

 

[user 7704]

I've been purchasing the Kraft Italian Spaghetti dinners in the green box. Add I can of tomato paste. My son loves it so that's a bit by. During SHTF I don't think sodium intake will be a biggie. ($1)

Also, I found Lipton Cup of Soup. We live at the lake so I should have water.

 

[Gazrok]

For long term SHTF though, knowledge of gardening, hunting and raising animals will be needed. The supplies, no matter how well stocked will run out or worse, be stolen or damaged, but being able to sustain yourself long term is the knowledge we all should be gathering and storing now. One perk too, it is free to accumulate.

This should be a placard on this site.

 

[Gazrok]

Also, I found Lipton Cup of Soup. We live at the lake so I should have water.

Not recommended for survival, but add a packet of the chicken Cup A Soup to a pack of cooked chicken flavored Ramen noodles (leave more water than you would normally). Really elevates this college kid standby. (I also used to sprinkle in some parsley and diced green onion.)

I was a college kid, not a Philistine.... lol.

 

[Gazrok]

Honestly, hunting would be eahausted really quickly

True enough.

I'd just be breeding my rabbits and chickens.

 

[Psalm7]

You need to be prepared to survive the initial year in a TEOTWAWKI event then watch the Farmers , Ranchers , Homesteader Folks start a life that Someone born in late 1800's early 1900's would recognize . Add the addition of solar and other technologies and things would stabilize quickly . The first few months would be very bad for the unprepared .

 

[user 7704]

Have home canned, dehydrated , frozen (to be eaten first)