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Kexessa

Kexessa

Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Messages
19
Location
Central Florida
Hi! I found these forums and am hoping to learn some new ideas. Live in central Florida so we already prep for hurricanes. We are also semi rural so when our electric goes out it can be a week before it's restored. Unfortunately that is as far as Husband will go so I have to stealth prep under the guise of "hurricane preparedness". He doesn't really think anything will happen that would remove access to groceries, electricity, gas etc. for longer than a few weeks.

I've been vegetable gardening for years and I know how to (and do) can most things like soups, sauces, meats & jams. Looking forward to learning from everyone!
 
welcome from this side of the pond :)
don't worry,you are not alone,97 % of poeple living here thinks nothing will never ever happen ;)
 
welcome from Arkansas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sooie pig!!!!!!!!!!!

I lived in J-ville for a very long time,I was lucky enough to never get a direct hit from a hurricane when I lived there,,I don't miss that one bit
 
Welcome. I escaped from central fla several years ago but still think of it as home. Miss the St. John's river and beaches.
 
Welcome from N.E. Ohio!

We have a home in S.W. Fla.

Well it's her home and she can have it. Great for a few weeks visit but the
wildfires sent up packing a few months ago.

My son and I were night fishing in an 8 foot skiff in a canal.

(yeah, I know, 8 ft, is really small)

A manatee rested it's chin on the side of the skiff.

Worth the whole trip! It was awesome and I gently touched it's whiskered
nose.

HUGE critter it was.

By the way. I garden a lot and have since I was a small kid. Parents made me help and
I hated it.

THANKS mom and dad!
I preserve a lot of what I grow also.
 
You were lucky to get to see a manatee so close! They come in during winter at the springs but we aren't allowed to touch them.

I think all kids hate helping in the garden. Then they grow up and what is the first thing they do? Plant their own garden! Even if it's just pots on a balcony. :)
 
Arcticdude said:
Are they good eating? Just joking. I'd like to see one up close some day.
Click to expand...

I hope no one alive knows! Manatees are federally protected when in US waters. Conservation is working & preventing extinction, they have been moved from 'endangered' to 'threatened' which is a step up. They are also called sea cows because they munch on sea grass growing at the bottom just like land cows graze.

That is all in a stable society. I read an article this morning where residents in Venezuela are hunting flamingoes and breaking into zoos to get to the animals because there isn't enough food. Manatees are slow moving and & for the lazy or impatient, easier than fishing. In a societal collapse and absence of food, they would be hunted.
 
howdy from a Texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quite 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.
 
Good to have you in the forum.

I also live in Florida (south Florida).

I look forward to hearing the ideas that you bring to the table.

Welcome.
 
Do nds like you have a good start! Welcome from TX, another 'hurricane prepper'. . . that's how I got started too. ;) We've come a long way since then and now hunny even hooked up a house generator which we have recently had to use.
 
ThePoorPrepper said:
Also live in the sunshine state. (South Florida). Welcome
Click to expand...

Do you find you have prepping problems specific to our climate? I've never seen a home in FL with a root cellar or other 'cool' area for food storage. Maybe in the panhandle, but not the peninsula. Even basements are far more rare than in northern areas.

I really struggle with long term food storage in the event there is no electricity with the year around heat & humidity factor.
 
Canning, drying, & pickling are your new friends in a no power situation. Welcome to the great south! ;)
 
Danil54grl said:
Canning, drying, & pickling are your new friends in a no power situation. Welcome to the great south! ;)
Click to expand...

I haven't tried drying yet. But I do can and do limited pickling because pickled items aren't something we normally eat. No matter what the source, the advice is always to store your jars in a "cool, dark place". Dark I can do! But cool I can't and I worry about seal failure if the jars were in 80's-90's temperatures + high humidity for an extended period. Also dry goods are fine as long as they are sealed but high humidity & heat encourages mold spore growth. Maybe I'm just overthinking the heat issue.
 
My can goods have been in temp fluctuation during hurricanes Rita & Ike. No electricity in house for 2 plus weeks and our weather here is much like you have in FL. I didn't experience any lid failures at the time. Both of these hurricanes were mid to late Sept so not the hottest times of the year, but we were still in the 90's. It is best to keep them in a basement, but we don't have that option at sea level. I store majority of mine in a "stockroom", which when the boys moved out I threw up wall to wall shelving in the old bedroom. I do know some old timers here that store their in a shed out back or their garage. I haven't ever heard of them losing a seal due to the temps.
 
For the things I dry, I vacuum seal in 1 meal sizes, then toss in a bucket with tight fitting lid. I did learn the hard way, don't try drying your Bea s outside when humid . . . they will sprout!
 
Danil54grl said:
My can goods have been in temp fluctuation during hurricanes Rita & Ike. No electricity in house for 2 plus weeks and our weather here is much like you have in FL. I didn't experience any lid failures at the time. Both of these hurricanes were mid to late Sept so not the hottest times of the year, but we were still in the 90's. It is best to keep them in a basement, but we don't have that option at sea level. I store majority of mine in a "stockroom", which when the boys moved out I threw up wall to wall shelving in the old bedroom. I do know some old timers here that store their in a shed out back or their garage. I haven't ever heard of them losing a seal due to the temps.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, an outside shed! Ok, obviously I'm worrying for nothing. Thanks!
 
My recommendations would be trying to find somewhere in the house. You can get inventive like someone I know. He ran out of room in his pantry so started putting boxes under the beds, in closets, stacked them to make tables throwing a tablecloth over them and then topping with a piece of glass. I haven't gotten to the point of making tables yet. . . but I maybe getting g close. :)
 
Kexessa said:
Do you find you have prepping problems specific to our climate? I've never seen a home in FL with a root cellar or other 'cool' area for food storage. Maybe in the panhandle, but not the peninsula. Even basements are far more rare than in northern areas.

I really struggle with long term food storage in the event there is no electricity with the year around heat & humidity factor.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem, as I live in south florida.

Maybe you can get a kerosene refrigerator.

They are used on RV's and in solar homes. They not only run on kerosene, but you can use vegetable oil, diesel fuel, etc..

This kind of refrigerator was invented by none other than Albert Einstein and his student Leo Szilard.

You can get them second hand on Craig's List. They are mechanically simple, have no electrical circuits, and are very reliable.

You can fix them yourself with a minimun of tools. Look up dometic refrigerator. Kerosene and diesel fuel last a lot longer in storage than gasoline. If you use a diesel car or truck, a kerosene refrigerator, and a diesel backup generator (a slow speed Lister model), you could be set up for everything.

Biodiesel would even be relatively non toxic if it leaked, but biodesel doesn't store well. Most biodesel goes bad within two months in a hot climate. Regular diesel, however, can last more than five years if it's treated with sta-bil, antibacterial stuff, and algicides.
 
Last edited:
Kexessa said:
Hi! I found these forums and am hoping to learn some new ideas. Live in central Florida so we already prep for hurricanes. We are also semi rural so when our electric goes out it can be a week before it's restored. Unfortunately that is as far as Husband will go so I have to stealth prep under the guise of "hurricane preparedness". He doesn't really think anything will happen that would remove access to groceries, electricity, gas etc. for longer than a few weeks.

I've been vegetable gardening for years and I know how to (and do) can most things like soups, sauces, meats & jams. Looking forward to learning from everyone!
Click to expand...
Welcome, you have a great start by canning. FYI it will only take 3 days for the food chain (stores) to be totally disrupted during a large catastrophe. Might I suggest checking out canning groups such as Canning Rebels.
 
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