What have done towards your prep?

[Bolt]

That’s a really good point about chemicals leeching from the plastic bottles into the water. I think I’ll rotate bottles out at three monthly intervals and filter the water before use.

I’ve not heard of Berkey filters before, are they similar to Brita filters? I use Brita filters for all my drinking water anyway so would they be as good as the Berkey stuff?

[bigpaul]

never used Berkey filters myself, we did use Brita filters for awhile as there was a minor problem with mains water having too much chlorine in it, but its okay now and we have gone back to using it straight.

[LAC]

Brita filters only reduce some chemicals in tap water such as chlorine, berkey filters are actually classed as water purifiers and take out bacteria and other pathogens. To be put it bluntly, there is absolutely no comparison.

[Mortblanc]

It really is not relevant whether the water falls from the sky, is from the local river, is collected from low area pools or ponds or flows from the utility pipes, ALL water is a SHTF situation should be considered suspect.

89% of the deaths from disease world wide are due to a water related issue, either parasites or microscopic agents or chemicals. It does not have to be a nuclear war, tsunami, fire or flood, it only takes a few days for diphtheria, typhoid, cholera or dysentery to start breeding in polluted water.

I know you don't think those things are relevant in a first world nation but in GB you are only meters away from someone that just got off the plane from Ziare yesterday, or some equally strange place like Brighton.

It took Omicron variant about 8 days to get from South Africa to London.

Brita filters are yuppie fridge water containers and not efficient "water filters". You get about the same filtration from a coffee filter as a Brita.

Berky filters were designed for use in remote regions of the world where the water will kill you on sight. No kidding, over most of Africa you can die from just wading in the water in your bare feet!

You can collect muddy river water from a cattle pond in the Congo, run it through a Berky, and drink it safely.

Thanks to the kidney dialysis technology we now have, (the tech is the same) there are fine filter cartridges available such as the Berky and the small Sawyer, and the Life Straw.

The Sawyer filter is the standard of adventurers world wide these days. Here in the States long distance hikers use them universally and no longer feel the need to carry reserve water in their packs. They just top off their supply from any available source and drink directly through the filter. We used to have to carry several liters of safe water and it was a load!

The Sawyer and life straw cost less than a carton of cigarettes or a case of good beer, or even a bit of that exotic coffee you insist on, and they will give you 100,000 liters of safe water, and they can be carried in a jacket pocket.

My Berky is good for several hundred thousand liters. I forget how many but it was a 10 year supply for me. The two filter cartridges were about $40, US money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gx2nDtEDXo

[bigpaul]

I have several Sawyer filters and also a LifeSaver bottle.
we are nowhere near an airport or Brighton (whats wrong with Brighton?-except for being the "gay" capital of the UK), no chemical works here the only run off we get is from farms.

[Straight Shooter]

It’s time to start sowing some chillies and peppers ! .....they will need heat and light ....it’s always warm and steady at the homestead 22 c all day and night ....the window cill faces south but if needed I will extend the light with led light ...oh and some aubergines !

There’s plenty of other seeds to sow and I will post to let you know when and what I’m sowing .

Added some fish blood and bone to all the fruit trees and bushes this morning along with the rhubarb and mulched up . The three onion beds (sets) I planted back in late November are all doing well , I have covered them with polythene to give a bit more protection ......the garlic I planted is doing well in the open ground and to be honest garlic in the poly tunnel is not fairing much better .....the turnips are slow in there too ....the lettuce is slow on the hydroponics test rig ....I put this down to no heat .....but it’s enough to eat all the same .

The stored potatoes are all good , last of the onions were finished last week ......the stored apples are all good and firm .

I finished checking all the preps in store 2 and no further stuff was thrown out ......going to take the corned beef and tinned potatoes out the tins tomorrow ( the suspect ones I set aside ) and test them....if good I will turn them into pasties ! .

With all the systems set up last year we are looking forward to having a good crop this year ....on we go .

[Mortblanc]

(16 January 2022, 08:56)bigpaul Wrote: I have several Sawyer filters and also a LifeSaver bottle.
we are nowhere near an airport or Brighton (whats wrong with Brighton?-except for being the "gay" capital of the UK), no chemical works here the only run off we get is from farms.

OK Paul, here is a flash. When the people get off the airplanes they leave the airport and go out into the big, bad world. Some of them ride in cars and choo-choo trains and come to a place near you! Yes, people from Devon are allowed to go places, and for some reason some of them return. Others from the outside world sometimes get lost and wind up there.

I just used Brighton as an example of a typical British town. It could have been Exerter, Oxford, Cambridge or any place that draws people from all over the world. Even Devon and Cornwall get tourists, or the poor lost folk I mentioned earlier.

As for what runs off of farmers' fields,,, I do believe that pesticides, herbicides, Fertilizers and even sheep, pig and cow poo qualify as some of the worlds' best pollutants. Highly efficient and the reason health officials tell us that there is no longer a source of pure surface water in most of the northern hemisphere.

[bigpaul]

Depends where people are going and what they are doing when they get off the airplane, its usually one of 2 reasons, business or personal.
I thought maybe you had a reason for mentioning Brighton, not just an example.
as for people visiting my location its not a tourist area, too far inland and nothing for them too do.
as for water that is why I said unless it comes out of a tap treat all water sources as suspicious, yes it is said all rivers in the UK are polluted in one way or another.

[Straight Shooter]

Back to the suspect tins ........first up potatoes opened two tins bbd 2017 emptied them into a glass bowl had a sniff ....ok. The a good visual check then rinsed .....into the pot ....checked inside of the tins all fine removed the wrappers prior to opening .....then two tins of carrots bbd 2018 gave them the same inspection ....rinsed and into the pot ......chopped up 5 small onions (fresh) added to pot ....added water and 2 oxo cubes salt n pepper and gave it a stir and onto the stove to simmer away .....meanwhile wild child made the pastry .....I opened the tin of corned beef , removing the wrapper bbd dec 2017 ....same routine smell and visual I sliced it up and looked at every bit of it .....I was happy to use it ....after draining the pot , I added the corned beef and mashed up , I had a taste .......all good ! I baked off 11 big pasties ! I will have one for supper later .

Just go’s to show that carrying out this test was well worth the time it took and proves that BBD is just a guide but not set in stone .....food is to expensive to throw away at the best of times and getting worse by the day in these inflationary times ....I would recommend you all try the testing of your tinned food , however any hint of anything not being right be it smell or visual ...call a halt there and then ! Why take the risk ? ....so long as we use common sense and proper care and attention we should be fine .

[Straight Shooter]

I forgot to mention , there was some surface rust on the potato tins and a bit on the top of the corned beef tin but surface only ! That’s why I always check the inside of any tin ....as well as the outside .