How far are you going with prepping?

[NorthernRaider]

Thanks for contributing DZ I personally believe prepping can be very difficult to get established and to make noticeable headway when we are short of storage, growing space, work space etc or are overlooked by neighbours ( esp the nosey buggers I have), we can only keep trying to improve our lot.

[Midnitemo]

My aim is to survive....each month that goes by I improve how well and how long we survive , drawback is location as a divorcee I had to start again with nada 11 years ago so my house isn't where I'd like it to be or how big I'd like it to be but short of a lottery win that's the cards I'm dealt, my other difficulty is I'm prepping for potentially a group of 9+ who don't participate(surrogate family)got the baic's squared away waterbob/butt's/drum's/filtration.....large stock of food,rice 56kg/48kg dried pasta/120 tin's processed cheese(vegetarian's in the group)40 tin's tuna/40 processed meat plus other assortment of tin's/dried food.....working on medical at the mo.....candles coming out my ears/bottled/canned gas.....this is all short term survival....phase two is long term,that starts when I'm comfortable with my level of prep's for phase one.

[Devonian]

(11 December 2014, 13:52)Danzord Wrote: Currently im not happy with my levels of anything. I want to relocate to somewhere as currently have no garden or outside space, only have about 5 months of food and am lacking in medical supplies and pretty much everything else. My knowledge is growing but still nowhere near happy with what ive done, hopefully ive got enough time to get to a level im happy with but we shall see.

But you already have a massive advantage over the sheeple just by being here and interacting with others. And even small changes soon add up to put you in an even better position that give you that extra edge or over non-preppers.

Also as you have mentioned, knowledge is very important, and for example having knowledge of how to find/scavenge/forage/hunt food, is far more beneficial than having a ton of rice which you could lose overnight as a result of many different things....

So just keep doing what you are doing

---

(11 December 2014, 12:03)NorthernRaider Wrote: On the subject of FREEZE DRIED food, yes its expensive and commercially made have you folks considered investing in a food dehydrator or pressure canner to make your own long life foods instead it looks to me as it could be much cheaper than bulk buying US made FD foods?

Yes I've thought about it, but time rather than money is my biggest restraint, so it's not something that I would look to do at this time, as the preparation, dehydration and storage etc is too time consuming for 'me' at the moment. Also the MH FD tubs are just convenient and with a 25year shelf life they'd last until I'm way into my 60's, probably a lot longer.

But you are right and for the long term a dehydrator is the way to go.

[bigpaul]

like Devonian says just being aware gives us all a huge advantage over the sheeple, just being on a prepping/survival site(not just here, other forums are available) is a step in the right direction.

[NorthernRaider]

MO what an impressive effort even in the face such upheaval and adversity, you certainly are a trier, 9 plus depenendents as well.

[Lightspeed]

Intention here is to have the capability to go completely off grid, while continuing to live day to day with advantages of on-grid living.

Yes, we’ve reached the point where we can already go 100% off grid. Its not at all comfortable living, its awkward and hard work, but its doable and sustainable.

To the future we are looking at ways to improve off-grid living conditions.

Sacrifices? Well the biggest has been to pull my family into a prepping mindset, and make them comfortable with what we are doing. Cost has been considerable in terms of both time and money.

Regrets? None at all….. maybe one, that we should have done this long, long ago.

[NorthernRaider]

Oh I like this thread, I like it a lot.

[River Song]

On Dehydration. I had a dehydrator. Roung thingy which took 13 hours to dehydrate a can of cooked beans.

This is not the same as Freeze Drying. Would LOVE a freeze dryer. I feel a new business coming on of "The Prepper Gourmet".
Vension Stew with Mash and Blueberries anyone?

[MaryN]

We did actually have a good look in Wales before we bought this place. I do like Wales, but it does have quite a few disadvantages. On all points, I prefer East Anglia where we are now.

I'm trying really hard to establish this place in as self-sufficient a way as possible Birthday and Christmas presents have been gleefully converted to fruit trees and soft fruit bushes, and things there are looking good. The veggie patch is doing well - although I could use a bit more space. The poultry pen is full of chickens (laying well), and I reckon as long as you have chickens you have food or the potential for it. I have water butts everywhere, and a large fishpond (11000 litres) that at a pinch could be converted to storage facility. East Anglia is a pretty wet place, and there are a lot of canals and rivers that seem to be always potentially overflowing, so I don't think water would be a problem. We have pasture that could be used for sheep and goats and possibly pigs at a pinch, although at the moment I have horses - things could change if circumstances do.

My house larder is nicely stocked, and I'm getting to grips with rotation. I could do with more stored food. What does let me down a bit is a potential alternative source of power. While we have heating and cooking facilities if power goes down, I would be punished for having too much food stored in freezers. I'm circling generators at the moment (OH is not yet completely convinced).

So, thanks to the ideas and opinions of the folk on this Forum I am feeling a lot happier and more secure in our situation........ hope I can keep it going.

[Devonian]

(11 December 2014, 20:48)River Song Wrote: On Dehydration. I had a dehydrator. Roung thingy which took 13 hours to dehydrate a can of cooked beans.

This is not the same as Freeze Drying. Would LOVE a freeze dryer. I feel a new business coming on of "The Prepper Gourmet".
Vension Stew with Mash and Blueberries anyone?

I understand that dehydrating and freeze drying are different, but I didn't know you could freeze dry at home??