There is no good time to slow down on the preps. With all that's going on in the world now, we need to be as prepared as possible. The cold, hard fact is, when disaster strikes, we are on our own. Take a look at China. Millions of people are locked in their homes under quarantine from the virus that has spread all across China, with no way to get food when theirs runs out. If you think that can't possibly happen here, I envy your ability to happily live in a land of fairy dust and unicorns. But most of us here live in the real world. We take precautions. We prepare. And because we do, our chances of survival are better than most. But if you think you can start preparing tomorrow, you will find that once the crisis hits, supplies will be gone from the store shelves within a couple of days.
Earlier this week I canned 12 quarts of Great Northern beans. The reasoning behind doing this is that in a situation where I would need to cook on my camp stove, it takes much less fuel to heat beans than it does to cook them from scratch. And cooking dry beans from scratch takes more water which also might be at a premium. I used the easy method which is putting 1 cup of dry beans in each quart jar and then filling the jar with water. I also dropped one chicken bouillon cube in each jar to add a little bit of flavor, and processed the beans for 90 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure for my altitude. When I can dry beans in pint jars, a half cup of dry beans go in each jar and the time is 75 minutes. They came out perfect.
My grocery order arrived yesterday. Included were 8 lbs. of fresh carrots. I have lots of sliced or diced carrots on the shelf, but I like larger chunks of carrots for making candied carrots or stew. So I peeled the carrots to get rid of any chemicals that commercially grown carrots were probably sprayed with to prevent them from sprouting. Garden fresh carrots would only need to be well scrubbed. The carrots were cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces and they filled 14 pint jars, which are happily bubbling away in my pressure canner. If I were canning quarts they would need 30 minutes in the pressure canner.
I have a couple of items on the canning 'to do' list to work on over the weekend before deciding what to include in the next grocery order for my food storage. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to can up some kidney beans. It is cheaper to can them myself than to buy them already canned and I know what's in them. I could use more dehydrated potato slices so I will order potatoes as well. It's all good.
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Indeed, Vicki; it's as if God is saying "Anything can happen and eventually it will! BE READY!"
ReplyDeleteThere's talk about the Coronavirus' low mortality rate. That might be true, but quarantine is quarantine! The crisis isn't due to the disease, but the government RESPONSE to it. If you can't get food, either is just as deadly. The key is to be prepared... for WHATEVER...
Would your "dry" canning method work with pinto beans?
When you do them that way, how much headspace should I leave?
Pete...I just watched a press conference from the 'Coronavirus Task Force,' meaning officials from several government agencies. Basically they said 'Nothing to see here. Move along.' I don't believe them for one little bitty minute.
DeleteYou are spot on. We need to be ready for whatever comes along to wreck our world. And government officials telling us everything is just fine is not helping. I don't know about anyone ese, but I deal with crisis situations better if I know the truth.
I am not sure if the dry canning of beans would work, having never tried it. I wonder if the oven heat involved might damage the product. I would be more inclined to vacuum pack dry beans.
When pressure canning the dry beans, I leave a 1-inch headspace. During the canning process the beans cooked and absorbed the water leaving them completely cooked but not at all mushy. I am going with storing nearly all dry beans by pressure canning, due to the fact that if I am forced to use my camp stove for all cooking, it is difficult at best for me to store propane in my small apartment. Canning beans ahead of time solves that problem.
Yeah; that's what I meant by "dry," Vicki; putting the dry beans in the water and then canning, as you described. We make use of a lot of pinto beans out here in the ol' West. My wife cooks them up by the pot, and there always seems to be a portion that goes bad before they're all used. I'm thinking this might be a win-win; we'll be putting up food and avoiding waste at the same time. Thanks.
DeletePete...One reason I like having home canned beans on the shelf is that there rarely is any waste and the long cooking process is eliminated. I just open whatever size jar I need and there are so any ways to use all sorts of beans. I forgot to mention earlier that the only time I have had a bug infestation was from dry beans I had stored in a bucket. I had just tossed them in the bucket in their original packaging from the store and after a while I had all sorts of little black bugs that went away after I tossed out the beans. Bugs don't seem to show up in home canned beans. :)
DeleteVicki~ My Husband asked what came in the box that showed up on our doorstep. I said it might be cat treats. Turns out it was the 25 pounds of Navy beans I located. He gave me the "looks over the glasses" look. I said these are going to become baked beans and go into soup. Then he spied the 25 pound sacked of Pintos. I got the same look. Then he commented you're canning pintos to make into refried beans. Yessirre I gave the man a kiss.Then he said, where are the red beans hiding. I showed him. More peas, mixed veggies, minus the green beans and white corn are in the dehydrator. Broccoli will be going outside tomorrow. So many unprepared expecting someone else to pick up the tab and take care of them. It will not end well for many. Watch your surroundings.
ReplyDeleteIn God's Safekeeping. Red
Red...I just love the give and take between you and your husband over the beans!! Classic! I need to order kidney beans and possibly others to can. And more vegetables for dehydrating.
DeleteYou are absolutely right about those who are unprepared. What I am finding astounding is that some within the medical community are totally clueless about the Coronavirus. Never heard of it. One of the nurses who comes here couldn't understand why I insisted she wash her hands before treating me instead of dabbing on hand sanitizer and why I insisted she keep her gloves on while wrapping my legs and why I gave her a baggie for her gloves so she could take them out with her. Didn't want them in my trash basket. I do not believe what we are hearing from government sources so I take every precaution possible. I like my life and I intend to keep living it as long as possible.
I keep as close track of what is going on around us as possible. We really need to keep on prepping and praying. Stay safe!
Vicki, you are so right. Those that have been preparing need to continue. Those who have little to no food put away or knowledge of how to grow their own might be behind the eight ball. I guess something would be better than nothing but they are going to need to kick their efforts into high gear. I also think you are onto something with regards to China's virus. They have starved millions before, and they are not above doing it again.
ReplyDeleteFriends, we are in this mess together so be strong and hang together. Remember, Ol'Remus says stay away from crowds, and Frank and Fern suggest not getting on the bus...great to keep in mind.
Take care All, CW
CW...I think those of us who have been prepping for quite a while are in much better shape than those who haven't. It just makes sense to get your stuff before the bad thing happens, for after it does, what a person needs probably will not be available. Part of my grocery order this time included things like peroxide and rubbing alcohol. The next order will include other items like extra bleach and over the counter flu remedies. I'm not saying we will be under quarantine like China, but What if we are! Then it is too late. I agree with what you say about China. Saving face is important in that part of the world and admitting that this virus is out of control and is worse than they say is not beyond the realm of possibility. Thing is, an epidemic of vast proportions would cripple our economy, what with sick people not going to work or quarantined, and I highly doubt our government would be honest enough to tell us if that were true. Money seems to rank higher than human lives these days, sadly. Take good care.
DeleteAs someone who's never canned food before - how long do your home canned goods last/store for?
ReplyDeleteOne Family...I really can't tell you for sure. There are home extension and government websites that will tell you how long to store foods, and their recommendations fall way short of the times for me. Just last week I opened a jar of pork that I canned in 2013 and it looked, smelled and tasted just like it did the day I canned it. On the other hand, I have found that home canned peaches tend to turn dark in color and are a bit mushy after two or three years. I always rotate jars, bringing the older ones to the front and putting the new ones in back. I am not suggesting that anyone use food past the recommended expire dates, but as long as the seals on the jar lids remain intact, I have had no problems with home canned food going bad.
DeleteI've also been checking my support medicines because going to the hospital might be useless at that point (even if it's an emergency). And caring for family members can be stressful when one realizes you're out of something because you forgot to check to make sure you had enough. How much is enough? Whatever number you come up with for the number of people in your family double it for "just in case".
ReplyDeleteGatorade, tylenol, asprin, advil, since I don't know which can be tolerated for fever with this thing, broth, pepto. I had a norovirus that went through my family once and trust me Gatorade saved me a trip to the er. When you're losing fluids fast it will make a difference. The orange/fruit punch was palatable. And it comes in powdered form for storage as well. (Those cups with the lids and a hole for a straw came in handy too). Heating pads or those things filled with rice that you heat in the microwave for the aches/cramps (enough for each person in the family). Chicken soup with saltines for later when you're on the mend. Jello packs. Coke Cola or ginger ale. Vicks for congestion. A vaporizer if needed. Wool socks because for some reason the feet would be so cold feeling the person would cramp up. A trash bucket with lots of plastic garbage bags positioned close to the bed (tie off the bags to toss the, uh, contents and replace as needed). Latex gloves and masks. Bed pads or lots of bed linens for just in case they didn't make it to the bathroom *it can hit that quickly*. A bucket to put the soiled clothes and linens in to soak with a soap/alcohol solution until you have time to launder them.
I've read different accounts trying to guess at the mortality rate and it's scary not knowing since, yeah, it's starting to feel like a cover up.
Thank you so much for your list of suggestions on what to have on hand for treating the flu or virus. I have some of the items on hand, but not all. I have copied your suggestions to an index card to use as a reference for my next grocery order and would urge my readers to do the same. If this or any other flu-like diseases hit, a hospital or clinic full of sick people is pretty much the last place we want to be. We will be on our own.
DeleteI understand that I am one of those people who believes little or less of what the government is trying to sell us. That being said, I find it confusing that the President would appoint a 'Coronavirus Task Force' who then holds a news conference, telling us they really know very little about this virus but basically, 'Nothing to see here. Move along.' I'm just not buying it, considering that China has quarantined over 50 million people and their case rate and death rate continues to rise. And we know the Chinese are less than truthful because of their need to 'save face.' If I'm going to err, it will be on the side of caution.
I picked up powdered Pedialyte to keep on hand. There have been a few times Gatorade did not help, but the Pedialyte kept me from needing an I.V. Red
DeleteThanks for the tip, Red...Anything at all that we can stock to help get us through a health crisis is a definite plus. I have added Pedialyte to my list of 'need to buy very soon.'
DeleteWhile anytime is a good time to prep for storage. If everyone believes the government about nothing to see here, move along. They are doing the rest of us a big favor. No panic buying, if the sheep don't panic, shelves stay full prices don't rise, and us smart ones keep going about our business.
ReplyDeleteWhen folks see us smart folks buying up supplies, we can say. "Oh big family party", "Buying for my large family" "only shop once a month". Others just smile and go about their business. a see and be seen, low panic mode.
Great comment, Rob...I no longer feel sorry for those who refuse to see what is going on around them or are too lazy to prep, believing someone else will take care of them. Ain't gonna be me.
DeleteUsing the same strategy, sometimes, living in an apartment, I have to let repairmen in for one thing or another. If anyone remarks on my shelves full of home canned food, I just tell them that canning is my hobby.
I had a chance to catch up with a friend yesterday. She made a passing comment about the lack of beans and lentils locally. I sent her links to sites for her to stock up though I had no idea what was available. I heard one of her dogs in the background. I said while you are getting what you need for food storage, make sure all of your animals are taken care of for at least 2 years including food, treats, flea stuff and meds. Ah Ha moments are enlightening. Red
ReplyDeleteRed...Isn't it fun when we see someone come to an understanding about food storage! So many times it doesn't happen until the thing we have been talking about happens, like the shortages of beans. Good for you on the reminder about taking care of the animals. Often they are forgotten. I sure would love to see more Ah Ha moments.
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