Hello from COLD Mississippi

[David Smith]

Just kidding, its always warm here.....except for the winter month of Febuary. The thing that concerns me most is water and how to get it. rain water catchment is to bulky to store in my small house 900sq ft, small yard in town. I wont even start on building codes, permits and all the other stuff. I want water but I will need it on demand more or less, I have looked at water from air tech and lets just say I can't afford what they offer or the DIY I have found so far doesn't make enough water for one person. Any pointers in this area would be helpful, I have water stored for 90 days and tablets and lifestraws but know I will need more. Thank you for your time.

 

[jimLE]

howdy from a Texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quiet a few knowledgeable folks here that'll gladly tell ya what you need to know,or at least point ya in the right direction and/or give ya a good idea or 2..and by all means jump right on in with any replies you have on a topic.and start new topics if/when needed..

P.S. edit..how about a small home made still? maybe one with a 5-10 gallon vat to put the water into..then still,Di-still it..main issues there.figuring best location to use it.and ppl will smell wood smoke.

 

[David Smith]

thank you jimLE, i am off on a tangent of finding the perfect sweet pickle recipe...LOL, I love this time of year, storing and canning.

 

[Brent S]

Just kidding, its always warm here.....except for the winter month of Febuary. The thing that concerns me most is water and how to get it. rain water catchment is to bulky to store in my small house 900sq ft, small yard in town. I wont even start on building codes, permits and all the other stuff. I want water but I will need it on demand more or less, I have looked at water from air tech and lets just say I can't afford what they offer or the DIY I have found so far doesn't make enough water for one person. Any pointers in this area would be helpful, I have water stored for 90 days and tablets and lifestraws but know I will need more. Thank you for your time.

Life straws are great, but only as a convience when traveling. Work on getting some good filters. Yes I said filters, plural. Always have a backup for your backup. The straws are only for small amounts of water, you need something that can filter large amounts for an extended time. Rain barrels shouldn't take a permit, or even be noticed. I'd also scout around your neighborhood for natural water sources. Another thing is to make a pre filter for your filters so they don't get clogged up as fast. Any container filled with a fine sand should work well. I can't stress enough that having plenty of safe drinkable water is one of the most important things you can prep for. Oh, and welcome to the site!

 

[WGregMiller]

Welcome to the group.

I second the call for rain barrels - I put in 2 last spring (next door in Alabama) and I'm putting a couple more in soon. Easy and cheap - I used olive barrels.

 

[Roninsensei]

Welcome

 

[Rob Painless]

Howdy from out in west Texas.
You can also set up a tarp, in your small yard, 4 or 5 feet above the ground and catch rain in that fashion. It would be a temporary set-up, so, no building codes to worry about. Plus, you can disguise your rain barrel as a trash can. Bonus, (and not everyone's gonna agree with this....but I guarantee, from experience) ....when you catch rain water, you don't even HAVE TO filter it. But, it's still not a bad idea.
Welcome to the site!

Oh..BTW....one of my favorite sweet pickle recipes (from my wife's grandma, in central Tn.) is just to slice the cukes & cover them with sugar then let them sit for a few weeks, in a crock or gallon glass jar, covered, till they are ready to eat. They make their own juice, do their thing & soften up very nicely.

 

[Dani]

Welcome David! I got a really good Sweet & Spicy pickle recipe if you like a little kick or you could just leave the red pepper and flakes out.

 

[Brent S]

Welcome David! I got a really good Sweet & Spicy pickle recipe if you like a little kick or you could just leave the red pepper and flakes out.

Post the recipe! (Please)

 

[Dani]

Post the recipe! (Please)

I could have sworn I had posted it before but couldn't find it when searched so here it is. . .

Lyn's Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Makes @ 7 quarts)

Step 1:
8 lbs. cucumbers, sliced and soaked in pickling lime overnight (I use Mrs. Wages.
1 cup lime to 1 gallon water til cucumbers are covered)

Step 2:
Important - Rinse cucumbers several times until the water runs clean/clear.

Step 3:
Drain cucumbers - let dry for 30 minutes.

Step 4:
Bring the following ingredients to a boil, then add cucumbers and cook 30 minutes or until the cucumbers turn clear (time will vary depending on the thickness of the cucumber - I have made cucumber 'chunks' or spears that require a little more processing time. Caution - do not confuse the tablespoon ingredients with the tsp. ones!

15 cups sugar
3 quarts white vinegar
5 Tbsp. salt
5 Tbsp. onion flakes
5 Tbsp. parsley
5 tsp. red pepper
5 tsp. garlic powder
5 tsp. turmeric
5 tsp. mustard seed
5 tsp. crushed red pepper
5 tsp. celery seed

Pack cucumbers and syrup into sterilized jars leaving about 1/2" head space. Seal & process for 10 minutes (pints) or 15 minutes (quarts).

This recipe came from my Aunt who got it from her neighbor. It has won multiple years at the county fair. I'll also post it in the canning section just in case others may want it too.

 

[Joe SA]

Hello from SA.

 

[jontte]

welcome from this side of the pond!

 

[Gazrok]

Welcome, I'm just going to echo Brent's comments, as he basically said the same thing. With little storage, and no well, those are pretty much the options.

I will add this though, something we got for emergency prep. There's a huge water bag made to fit the tub, that you can fill when a storm is approaching, etc. that holds about 60 gallons.
http://beprepared.com/aquapodkit-emergency-water-storage.html

We basically do a few things, we have a well (though without power, back to the bucket idea...until we get a solar pump), we do rain catchment, and we have water storage barrels (we have a lot of animals to water too, even in an emergency).