Writing Contest – Sticky

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

We would like to announce a new writing contest.  The  writer of the best  article submitted between now and June 15 2012, will receive a copy of my book Emergency Preparedness and More, a Manual on food storage and Survival as well as a copy of Nuclear War Survival Skills.  This book written by Cresson Kearny is the finest book ever written on the subject.  In addition, I will throw in a small surprise of my own choosing.

Rules will be held to a minimum, no foul language, pornography, religion or politics.  Keep to the subject of preparedness.  My wife and I are the judges.  Submitted articles may be published at our sole discretion.   Send articles to Preparednessadvice@gmail.com

Howard

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Adventure Medical Suture Syringe Kits

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

I like the medical kits from Adventure Medical; they contain excellent high quality supplies.  Whenever I get the opportunity, I add to my collection.  I have purchased their kits, found them in garage sales and have been given them. Recently I came across one of their Suture/Syringe kits.  The listed sales price is $80, but you can find them on the internet for less.

Adventure Medical makes a small and a large kit containing sutures.  The one I am talking about today is the large kit.  This field surgical kit contains hospital-quality field surgical instruments for closing wounds, injecting medication and starting I.V.’s.  This kit is designed for Third World travel or where sterile components are not always available

Supply List

Bandaging

  • 1 Bandage,  Conforming Gauze, 3″
  • 1 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
  • 1 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 4″ x 4″, Pkg./2
  • 2 Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3″ x 4″
  • 2 Trauma Pad, 5″ x 9″
  • 1 Scissors, Stainless Steel, 5″
    Suture / Syringe
  • 1 Angiocatheter, 18G x 1 1/4″
  • 1 Gloves, Surgical Sterile, Size 7.5 (pair)
  • 1 Gloves, Surgical Sterile, Size 8 (pair)
  • 1 IV Start Kit,
  • Sterile 1 Mayo Heger Needle Holder, 5″
  • 2 Needle, Disposable, Sterile, 18G x 1 1/2″
  • 2 Needle, Disposable, Sterile, 21G x 1 1/2″
  • 2 Needle, Disposable, Sterile, 25G x 5/8″
  • 1 Scalpel, Sterile, Disposable, #11 Blade
  • 1 Suture, Nylon, 3-0
  • 1 Suture, Nylon, 5-0
  • 2 Syringe, Luer Lok, 3ml
  • 1 Syringe, Luer Lok, 5ml
  • 1 Thumb Tissue Forceps, Mouse-Tooth, 4.5″
  • 1 Towel Drape, Sterile
    Wound Care
  • 5 After Cuts & Scrapes Antiseptic Wipe
  • 1 Povidone Iodine, 3/4 oz
  • 1 Syringe, Irrigation, 20 cc, 18 Gauge Tip
  • 1 Tape, 1/2″ x 10 Yards
  • 2 Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive
  • 4 Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use
  • 1 Wound Closure Strips, 1/4″ x 4″, Pkg./10

As you can see from the supply list this is a very useful selection of hard to find items.  To make this kit meet its full potential you need to have experienced well-trained medical personnel available.  But under some circumstances, I think they will be more available than sterile supplies.  One of these kits or its equivalent would be a good addition to your supplies

Howard

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Cooking with the Global Sun Solar Oven

Posted on May 16, 2012 by
Cakes cooking in the Global Sun Oven

Cakes cooking in the Global Sun Oven

Yesterday my wife decided to bake a cake in the Global Sun Solar Oven.  Because of time, she started with a cake mix which is very unusual for her, she normal makes everything from scratch.  The mix was for a simple bund cake.  She put the mix in two loaf pans.  The recipe on the box called for cooking the cake for 38-43 minutes at 325 degrees.

The weather was partly overcast, not the best day for solar cooking.  She set the oven out at 0955 hours to warm up.  By 1025 hours, the temperature was up to slightly below 300 degrees.  At 1110 hours, she repositioned the oven to align with the sun.  She removed the cake from the oven at 1150 hours, perfectly cooked with one exception.  During the cooking time the temperature varied between 275 and 300 degrees.

Make sure the cakes are level, but they tasted fine

Make sure the cakes are level, but they tasted fine

The Sun oven has a self-leveling rack that normally works well.  It swings and levels the pans from front to back.  However with uneven ground you can defeat this device.  The ground she set the oven on was tilted at a odd angle and the cakes cooked lopsided.  This was operator error and part of the learning curve.

She is very pleased with the Sun oven.  This summer we will post more on using solar ovens,  we intent to cook regularly with one.

Howard

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Solar Cooking Tips

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

Sorry for the late post the power has been off and the server was down.  Here is some good information on cooking with solar ovens.

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Candlewicks

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Every time I burn a candle, I have a bit of wax left over.  If I saved the left over wax, I could soon have enough to make a new candle.  This got me to thinking about candlewicks.  So a quick internet search revealed that candlewicks are very available and inexpensive.  You can buy 300 or 400 hundred feet for well under twenty dollars.

There are many types of wicks on the market, so it gets a little confusing as to which to buy.  But consider the following.  Large diameter wicks typically result in a larger flame, a larger pool of melted wax, and the candle burning faster.  Small wicks burn slower, but give less light.  Candlewicks are normally made out of braided cotton, and may contain a stiff core.  Zinc is often used for this core, since lead has been banned. Other core stiffeners are paper and synthetic fibers.

Most candlewicks are impregnated or coated with wax to provide the initial fuel source when the candle is lit.  As the wick is consumed during the process of burning a candle, the real fuel for the flame is the melted wax.

Some wicks are braided flat, so that they curl back into the flame as they burn, thus making them self-consuming.  Many wicks require regular trimming with scissors (or a specialized wick trimmer), usually to about one-quarter inch this promotes slower, steady burning, and also prevents smoking.  Our ancestors had special scissors that were used to trim the excess wick without extinguishing the flame.  .

Candles can be made of paraffin, beeswax (this makes the finest candles), gel (a mixture of resin and mineral oil), some plant waxes (generally palm, carnauba, bayberry, or soybean wax), and tallow.  Tallow candles were one of the earliest types, but are very smoky and don’t burn clean.

The good thing about having stocked candlewick is that it can be used for many different types of homemade lights, from tallow candles to vegetable oil lamps.  I will write a post on how to make your own wicks, but as cheap as they are, I recommend you buy some now.

Howard

Posted in lighting, Self sufficiency | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Many Uses of Bamboo

Posted on May 13, 2012 by

Today I visited a bamboo farm and was quite impressed with variety and usefulness of this plant.  It is a very useful crop and can product income.  The website bamboofarmingusa.com says the following

“Bamboo is a versatile, income producing crop.  You can harvest and sell bamboo shoots in spring and early summer.  You can cut and sell poles in summer or fall.  When you cut the poles, you can feed the tops to livestock.  They will strip the poles of leaves.  You can run poultry under the bamboo canopy.  These birds will eat weeds and the small bamboo “grass” that comes up.  Meanwhile their droppings fertilize the grove. Move them to a new section as they clear the ground. “

“Bamboo is a useful plant in addition to its income producing capabilities.  It is a perennial.  You don’t have to replant it each year.  It is evergreen and therefore photosynthesizes year around.  It screens the farm from roads.  It catches runoff from fields.  It reduces erosion.  It protects fields from wind.  Plant bamboo along swales to prevent gully washes.  It is 10 degrees cooler in a bamboo grove than out in the summer sun.  Bamboo thrives on summer moisture and is greedy for nutrients so it is an excellent crop on which to empty a manure lagoon in summer.  As you thin out leaning canes or broken canes, run them through a shredder.  The resulting mulch is excellent.  It can be an additional farm product to sell by the truck load or bagged.”

Bamboo can be grown in a large part of the US.  The easiest area is in USDA Zones 7 and 8, but it has been grown as far north as zone 4.  Bamboo is a forest grass and as such likes humidity.  Bamboo grows best with lots of rain in summer, less in winter.  Most bamboos do not like saturated soils.  They are not swamp plants.  Bamboo grows best where winters are mild and summers warm and moist.  If your soil can grow corn, it can grow bamboo.

After saying this, the farm I saw today is in Northern Calif. with wet winters and dry summers.  Bamboo plants come in many varieties, but the big thing you have to be aware of is the clumping and the running varieties.  The clumping stays in one area and do not expand rapidly.  The running varieties send out runners and will rapidly cover large areas.

Bamboo plants have many uses, one for area denial or to make a thick impenetrable barrier.  Some varieties are extremely fast growing.  I saw one today that grows two feet a day.  Uses include using the cut and dried stalks to build fences, furniture, fishing poles, frog spears, and musical instruments.  I even saw a bike frame made from bamboo, and yes, the bike could be ridden. So use your imagination.

If you live in the right area, it is a plant that bears investigation; it has many possibilities.

Howard

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Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables

Posted on May 12, 2012 by

Yesterday I had the opportunity to pick up some packages of frozen corn.  The price was right so I got 36 packages. Now what do you do with all this frozen food, not enough room in the freezer to fit it all in.  I just got our nine tray Excalibur Dehydrator out.  All the corn that wouldn’t fit in the freezer went right into the dehydrator.  I sent it to 125 degrees and by morning, I will have a nice batch of dehydrated corn.

We have been doing this for years with various fruits and vegetables.  It seems like our dehydrator is always running.  The day before my wife was drying mango.  She just cuts them up into slices and spreads them out on the shelves.  A few hours later, she has nice dried fruit.

She packs the dried food in mason jars and seals them with the vacuum attachment on her Food Saver.  We have had some stored for several years now and have not had anything go bad.  This is a good way to preserve the excess from your garden.   The finished product should be dried until all the moisture is gone.  It will be brittle and will break not bend.

Howard

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Food Storage Inventory:

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

It’s very important to keep track of your food storage and all equipment that you have for emergencies.  One big reason is if you have a fire in your home or area.  All of your storage items and equipment may be gone.

First, keep a detailed record and pictures for your insurance company.  We know someone this has happened to and because of their inventory records they were able to show the insurance company what was lost.  This resulted in the insurance company paying them the money to replace their preps.

My husband has worked around fire insurance for years and he says, “If you haven’t already taken pictures of everything you have, it’s time that you did.”  Not only your food storage but also your house, garage and any out buildings you may have.  Keep a copy with family or friends.  If you have a fire, you have to list everything that you have lost on the proof of loss.  This makes it much easier.

Second for your own piece of mind, an inventory is necessary.  One good example is me, yes me!  I have told you about my discovery in sealing jars with the Food Saver Mason jar attachments.  See my post at http://bit.ly/Jhhu2G .  It is great for foods that you just can’t use fast enough before they go stale.  Well I was so excited about sealing everything in-sight that I forgot to mark the boxes and take an inventory of the items that I did seal.

Now my job is to take out the boxes and check each one and write it on the box and in my inventory list.  I will be saving money too.  Because of my searching and getting frustrated in looking for the item, I went out and just bought it.  Of course, in doing that I wasn’t rotating my products either.

How many of us buy an item and just throw it in the closet, I for one used too, especially if it was on sale and I was in a hurry to just stuff it some place.

One thing I have learned to do better is taking inventory.  My pantry was the big problem.  Things are shoved to the back sometimes or a family member is looking for something and put things out of the way.  I am short, so high shelves are a big problem.  If I can see what I have, I tend to use it faster.

Preparedness Mom

 

Posted in food storage, Preparedness Mom | 4 Comments

Long Term Storage Foods From China

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Today I am going to cover a subject that has been on my mind for some time.  It is a bit hard to cover because I can’t reveal my sources.  That is the subject of Chinese freeze-dried and dehydrated foods.  A number of the long-term food suppliers are selling products from China, particularly fruits and vegetables.  I understand that it is hard to avoid Chinese Products in today’s market, but I try as much as possible.

I suggest that prior to purchasing foods, you inquire as to where the food was grown.  Many of the cans do not reflect the source of the contents.

In the future, I think that I will be able to name some companies that use the Chinese products.  Be particularly careful of fruits and vegetables because of the pesticides that are used.  Because of the increased interest in preparedness there have been many new companies pop up out of nowhere.  This is not to say they are bad, but know whom you are dealing with.

If you do a search for Chinese freeze dried foods, you will see how many importers are shipping to the US.  Start looking at the information on cans and packaging in your local super markets there are many Chinese foods showing up.  Get the best information you can before buying.

Howard

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Comparison Test of Solar Ovens

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

The other day it was about 70 degrees warm and sunny out so I thought this would be a good time to test some solar ovens.  I had three for the test.  The first, a homemade one made with cardboard boxes and an old piece of glass.  The inside of this one was silver in color.  The second was a metal box lined with 11/2 inch Styrofoam insulation.  The inside of this box was painted black and the lid was covered in aluminum foil.  The third was a Global Sun Oven.

I place all three in the sun with a oven thermometer inside each. Over the next few hours I kept a record of the interior temperatures.

The test was started at 0945 hours with all three ovens about 70 degrees.

Time cardboard oven Metal box oven Global Sun Oven
1015 hours 150 degrees 180 degrees 240 degrees
1045 hours 175 degrees 220 degrees 280 degrees
1130 hours 180 degrees 245 degrees 325 degrees
1400 hours 180 degrees * 260 degrees 345 degrees
1500 hours 220 degrees 270 degrees 354 degrees
1600 hours ** 205 degrees 240 degrees 290 degrees

 

* I painted the inside of the cardboard oven black.

**A wind of about 10-12 miles an hour came up.

As you can see all three ovens were capable of cooking food successfully.  The Global Sun Oven was the most efficient and showed the fastest temperature increase.  This would be my preferred choice for cooking.  The oven in the metal box functioned fairly well but took longer to heat up.  More reflectors would help it.

The cardboard oven test was very interesting because it showed the dramatic change in temperature, when I painted the interior black.  Prior to this the interior had been reflective silver.  I am sure that adding reflectors to this oven would help.

Late in the day even though the temperature had risen to low eighties, the wind caused a  drop in temperature inside the ovens.

While the Global Sun Oven is a bit pricey if you can afford it I would recommend this oven over the homemade for several reasons.  It is definitely well made and I feel would outlast the others.  The rapid increase in temperature at the beginning would speed up your cooking time considerably.  This may be important during questionable weather.  It reaches higher overall cooking temperatures.

This said, I intend to keep working to improve my homemade ovens and will post more on any new developments.

The oven made from cardboard boxes prior to the interior being painted black.

This oven is 11/2 inch Styrofoam inside a metal box, The interior is painted black. The cover is plexiglass.

Global Sun Oven

Global Sun Oven

Howard

Posted in cooking, Self sufficiency, solar | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Rethinking Generators

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

If you have read many of my past writing, you will see that I have not encourage people to rush out and buy generators.  This was for several reasons, first, for the thousand or so you spend to buy a good generator you can buy a ton of food.  Second, most people are not in a position to store much fuel.  So here, they are with a good generator and 10 to 20 gallons of fuel.  Two or three weeks after the disaster, the generator is out of fuel and useless. Third, having lights and noisy generators can attract too much attention.  I have always thought that a generator was for the people with money who could afford to store large amounts of fuel and lived in remote areas.

Well my position is softening.  Where I live, I am seeing major signs of infrastructure failure.  Cut backs in fire, police and other services.  Employees of the local gas company are blowing the whistle on the gas company for ignoring small leaks and not performing proper maintenance.  I now think that SHTF may very well come in increments not a massive event.  If this occurs, you will have intermittent power outages and fuel shortages.  Services will continue, but there will be reoccurring failures of all services.

This is a time when generators even if you can only store 10 – 20 gallons of fuel will be useful.  Because services will be intermittent for some time, you will be able to obtain additional fuel.  So you may want to consider purchasing a generator capable of running your refrigerator and freezer several hours a day. However, I still suggest that you make food and water a higher priority and don’t forget if you are the only one running a generator you will be a target.

Howard

Posted in equipment, food storage, lighting | Tagged , , | 10 Comments