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3,525 Posts
Dilemma, try and put a metal roof on as the wind kicks up today, or not and hope the tar paper holds off 5 days of rain... going to be a long day, I may call in a few favors with this one.
What was your "Prep" for today?
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8,615 Posts
Our potato crop was poor this year so I parted all of our share out to my in-laws and gambled that the 90# I bought at Sams Clud was sprayed with growth inhibitors. I was wrong. I have two bushels of sprouted seed potatoes.
Besides my in-laws farm garden, those will be in pots on our cement pad this Spring, garden #2. Our oldest and her family moved into our emptynester bedrooms and he is a local guy with local family, several generations, with properties along the northern county line, including a Mom whose farm garden he actually tends, garden #3.
Then there are the chickens......thanks to Slo Joe, egg prices spiked and she got a flock of Cochens, bantams and something else, but invited me to start a flock too, provided he and I mIntain the coop and the birds. That would give us 18-24 birds, with predator losses, maybe none but maybe half that by the Fall. Every grown rooster but the alpha goes to Buckeye's winter freezer camp for wayward, yummy chicken meals, along with any slow egg producers or broody hens.
3 seperated locations.
Its going to be busy. I'm thinking Amish market garden techniques, pin point watering, black plastic between rows, mulching just on the rows on the plants....weed control.
Besides my in-laws farm garden, those will be in pots on our cement pad this Spring, garden #2. Our oldest and her family moved into our emptynester bedrooms and he is a local guy with local family, several generations, with properties along the northern county line, including a Mom whose farm garden he actually tends, garden #3.
Then there are the chickens......thanks to Slo Joe, egg prices spiked and she got a flock of Cochens, bantams and something else, but invited me to start a flock too, provided he and I mIntain the coop and the birds. That would give us 18-24 birds, with predator losses, maybe none but maybe half that by the Fall. Every grown rooster but the alpha goes to Buckeye's winter freezer camp for wayward, yummy chicken meals, along with any slow egg producers or broody hens.
3 seperated locations.
Its going to be busy. I'm thinking Amish market garden techniques, pin point watering, black plastic between rows, mulching just on the rows on the plants....weed control.
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8,752 Posts
Don't forget to dehydrate and grind your peels.
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3,243 Posts
??? why broody hens ??? I would encourage them , a few hens that hatch could be a big advantage if chickens long term are part of the plans ,i understand that now you loose the egg production ,but if its a good mother to them it becomes a replicating food supply.
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167 Posts
Since a couple of peoples threads ruined my lazy day off work 
, by reminding me what a mess my medical supply situation is, I will be pulling everything out and making a list of what I am lacking, to pick up when I go to the big town tomorrow. Then I will get it organized.
, by reminding me what a mess my medical supply situation is, I will be pulling everything out and making a list of what I am lacking, to pick up when I go to the big town tomorrow. Then I will get it organized.
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5,081 Posts
….and on the heels of my preaching I ordered another 2 cases of TP, just because it’s my favorite paper asset
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857 Posts
Continued on my shopping spree.
I bought an emergency radio, hand crank and solar.
Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk
I bought an emergency radio, hand crank and solar.
Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk
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752 Posts
Thats the problem! There isn't anywhere else, because all those other places either don't want to take SNAP or the Feds think they are evil and should not be bought with SNAP. They aren't considered a real grocery store, plus they still have to be preapproved for SNAP.
This is why I went with rice and lentils first for preps. Cheap and quick. I'm hyper focused on carrots now. I react to legumes, in that I itch badly. I can't get broccoli in a can, otherwise I'd buy it! And beets in a can, I buy when I can, but I can't do pickled beets, the only kind that is stocked for the most part. What I'd do if I were you, is lower the heat or ac in the home by as much as you can without bursting the pipes, and take that savings and use it to buy cheaper LTS preps on line. Plus Basil plants can be bought on SNAP. Incidentally, so can those goofy $5 pancake mix with pan that they sold for Christmas. I didn't buy it, because I can't eat a pan and I'm getting enough pans from my dad. Plus, I'm gluten free! I couldn't see it as a legal barter item either.
I'd also buy some keystone protein in a can. These last for 5 years and can be bought on SNAP. It is harder to buy half a cow or whatever, but if you can eat deer, you could ask to see how you might snare a deer from someone. They do get hit on the road, but don't know who to ask here. I can't eat deer meat either. lol
The other thing I'd do if I was you, is go to whatever local food shelves you can legally go to, and get what you can get that is in cans. I'd avoid any frozen veggies that came from Target (the red bags). They bloated me and made me sick. I swear they weren't put in the freezer properly. I also avoid their "fresh" produce as its usually not fresh. However, where you live, maybe this is different. I'm in Snowville. I try to eat less, but still get my full amount of calories I need every day. I try to eat less than what I get for free, so that I can have that stuff for preps. This is also where Rice and lentils come in. Cheap meals, but always add those veggies.
Learn to container garden if you can. Its 1 plant per pot I found out. Plus they need good drainage or you get root rot. Some one told me what I did wrong. However, we had monsoon rains that just refused to quit. I couldn't keep rain out of my plants, or get sun to the plants. I was doomed from the get go. This is why having land that you own is brilliant. I don't have that!
Stupid Father is the reason why! Being on disability, I had no choice. Something about 'disability = stupid in the head and brain dead - I'm not! I'm here, right? He's gone and I'm stuck for now. Some insurance companies have this Healthy Savers card. See if your health insurance does this. You can get 50% off free veggies this way! The benefit is only so much per quarter though. Worth it! Best wishes!
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8,752 Posts
That's crazy! Here the beets are canned and pickled beets are jarred. I can't recall ever seeing them switched. What's funny is that can our own beets in the form of beet relish, but we buy our sliced and whole canned beets from the store. Don't ask me why that is because I have no clue.
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6,026 Posts
And I can pickled beets but buy regular sliced beets in cans. We did not like home canned unpickled beets - too mushy, too salty, all of the color pulled out of them. But the pickled beets make for super quick and easy pickled eggs.
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752 Posts
Its because where I live, they only eat beets if its pickled. The non-pickled just don't sell well. And Great Value non-pickled beets are not necessarily that great of a value. I can't trust the quality for LTS for any short term Shtf situation.
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3,525 Posts
Amazon takes it, I thinkThats the problem! There isn't anywhere else, because all those other places either don't want to take SNAP or the Feds think they are evil and should not be bought with SNAP. They aren't considered a real grocery store, plus they still have to be preapproved for SNAP.
What I'd do if I were you, is lower the heat or ac in the home by as much as you can without bursting the pipes, and take that savings and use it to buy cheaper LTS preps on line. Plus Basil plants can be bought on SNAP. Incidentally, so can those goofy $5 pancake mix with pan that they sold for Christmas. I didn't buy it, because I can't eat a pan and I'm getting enough pans from my dad. Plus, I'm gluten free! I couldn't see it as a legal barter item either.
I'd also buy some keystone protein in a can. These last for 5 years and can be bought on SNAP. It is harder to buy half a cow or whatever, but if you can eat deer, you could ask to see how you might snare a deer from someone. They do get hit on the road, but don't know who to ask here. I can't eat deer meat either. lol
The other thing I'd do if I was you, is go to whatever local food shelves you can legally go to, and get what you can get that is in cans. I'd avoid any frozen veggies that came from Target (the red bags). They bloated me and made me sick. I swear they weren't put in the freezer properly. I also avoid their "fresh" produce as its usually not fresh. However, where you live, maybe this is different. I'm in Snowville. I try to eat less, but still get my full amount of calories I need every day. I try to eat less than what I get for free, so that I can have that stuff for preps. This is also where Rice and lentils come in. Cheap meals, but always add those veggies.
Learn to container garden if you can. Its 1 plant per pot I found out. Plus they need good drainage or you get root rot. Some one told me what I did wrong. However, we had monsoon rains that just refused to quit. I couldn't keep rain out of my plants, or get sun to the plants. I was doomed from the get go. This is why having land that you own is brilliant. I don't have that!
Some insurance companies have this Healthy Savers card. See if your health insurance does this. You can get 50% off free veggies this way! The benefit is only so much per quarter though. Worth it! Best wishes!
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5,100 Posts
Sometimes the air situation can be resolved with small tubes which take in outside air to the flames, You don't need a lot. The device I made for the oven is simply 1/2" hose from the outside with a small 12vdc fan to pressurize to the inside. The fan I chose was the type out of a PC. 50-75 CFM is more that is needed. Note: this approach is only good where you have a fixed location for the flame device, such as oven or fireplace. A portable device would be more problematic for fresh air.
This past Friday's buy was ketchup, for myself and two other families.
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5,100 Posts
What is amazing is that when you talk to the loggers and the companies processing timber, they have no increases forced on them. AFAIK they are not asking more for the product.
Have got lots of pasta stored up and been thinking about getting cheese powder but did not want it #10 cans. Found several different cheese powders at Firehouse Flavors and am trying the white cheddar cheese with a touch of the garlic butter powder. Everything is better with garlic !! Found out is makes really good mac & cheese. Going to order larger 1 lb bags for short to mid term storage, as they say 2-3 years. Putting in canning jars with desiccant packs.
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1,698 Posts
Taking a deeper look at potential move locations. I'm still 50/50 on it and don't really know which way to go on it as both sides are pretty equal pro/con, but this talk of potential war makes me nervous to stay here - I cannot deny that this city is a massive target with the multiple bases and critical cyber military stuff. We've narrowed the potential areas down to Western UP of MI / WI Border, Northern lower MI, NW IL / WI Border area or potentially rural WI. Long shots include eastern MN as well. Would appreciate thoughts on any of those areas as far as risk levels.
I wanted appalachia and SWVA, but it's just not going to work for us no matter how much I love the mountains. But I worry about the short growing seasons in the places I am looking - can I realistically grow enough in 150 days to provide for us for a year?
I wanted appalachia and SWVA, but it's just not going to work for us no matter how much I love the mountains. But I worry about the short growing seasons in the places I am looking - can I realistically grow enough in 150 days to provide for us for a year?
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8,752 Posts
Good to know. My wife and I have looked at their cheese powders but haven't bought any yet. Right now we're using some that she bought at an Amish store a while back.
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8,752 Posts
Just remember with Northern Michigan that there is a large National Guard base smack dab in the middle in Grayling. Prevailing winds are from the south west to the north east so any plume from a nuke would carry the heaviest stuff toward Alpena. If you avoid that path and don't mind limited career opportunities it's a great area to live.
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3,243 Posts
I do not see any reason you can not grow enough ,I am in northern Minnesota and do good with growing plenty of crops to live off of ,you might not be able to grow several crops in same areas but you can grow bigger areas to make up for it
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