Survival Tactics and Methods

[truthsupplier]

Truthsupplier here, mayhaps you will read and discover needed info, maybe not. Still, I made the effort, and am not into copyright, so I will attempt to pass this vital information in the next few posts (I find the Mgmt tends to frown on big articles and folks are Leary of attachments), so here goes, all the way back pre Y2K...

You NEVER know what you might need or when...



The Seven Major Mistakes in Food Storage
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A month or two ago I met a cute little gal who was talking to me
about her newly begun food storage. "You know," she began, "I've
dreaded doing my food storage for years, its seems so blah, but the
way national events are going my husband and I decided we couldn't
put it off anymore. And, do you know, it really hasn't been hard. We
just bought 20 bags of wheat, my husband found a place to get 60
pound cans of honey, and now all we have to do is get a couple of
cases of powdered milk. Could you tell me where to get the milk?"
After I suggested several distributors, I asked, "Do you know how to
cook with your wheat?" "Oh," she laughed, "if we ever need it I'll
learn how. My kids only like white bread and I don't have a wheat
grinder." She had just made every major mistake in storing food
(other than not storing anything at all.) But she's not alone.

(Through 12+ years of helping people prepare, I found most people's
storage starts out looking just like hers. So what's wrong with this
storage plan?

There are seven serious problems that may occur trying
to live on these basics:

1.) VARIETY - Most people don't have enough variety in their storage.
95% of the people I've worked with only stored the 4 basic items I
mentioned earlier: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statistics show most
of us won't survive on such a diet for several reasons.

a.) Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they
are eating it meal after meal.
b.) Wheat is too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their main
staple.
c.) We get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer not to eat than to sample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible to it. Store less wheat than is generally suggest and put the difference into a variety of other grains, particularly ones your family likes to eat. Also store a
variety of beans. This will add variety of color, texture and flavor.
Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential
that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion.

Also, include a good supply of the spices you like to cook with.
These flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with
your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited. One of
the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage
cookbook. Go through it and see what your family would really eat.
Notice the ingredients as you do it. This will help you more than
anything else to know what items to store.

2.) EXTENDED STAPLES - Few people get beyond storing the four basic
items, but it is extremely important that you do so. Never put all
your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze-dried foods
as well as home canned and store bought canned goods. Make sure you
add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast and powdered
eggs. You can't cook even the most basic recipes without these
items. Because of limited space I won't list all the items that
should be included in a well-balanced storage program. They are all
included in the The New Cooking With Home Storage cookbook, as well as
information on how much to store, and where to purchase it.

3.) VITAMINS - Vitamins are important, especially if you have
children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as
adults do. A good quality multi-vitamin and vitamin C are the most
vital. Others may be added as your budget permits.

4.) QUICK AND EASY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FOODS - Quick and easy foods
help you through times when you are psychologically or physically
unable to prepare your basic storage items. No cook foods such as
freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation.
Mre (Meals Ready to Eat), such as many preparedness outlets carry,
canned goods, etc. are also very good. Psychological Foods are the
goodies - Jello, pudding, candy, etc. - you should add to your storage.

These may sound frivolous, but through the years I've talked with
many people who have lived entirely on their storage for extended
periods of time. Nearly all of them say these were the most helpful
items in their storage to normalize their situations and make it more
bearable. These are especially important if you have children.

5.) BALANCE - Time and time again I've seen families buy all of their
wheat, then buy all of another item, and so on. Don't do that. It's
important to keep well-balanced as you build your storage. Buy
several items, rather than a large quantity of one item. If something
happens and you have to live on your present storage, you''ll fare
much better having a one-month supply of a variety of items than a
year's supply of two to three items.

6.) CONTAINERS - Always store your bulk foods in food storage
containers. I have seen literally tons and tons of food thrown away
because they were left in sacks, where they became highly susceptible
to moisture, insects and rodents. If you are using plastic buckets
make sure they are lined with a food grade plastic liner available
from companies that carry packaging supplies (mylar), also oxygen absorbers. Never use trash can liners as these are treated with pesticides. Don't stack them too high. In an earthquake they may topple, the lids pop open, or they
may crack. A better container is the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods.

7.) USE YOUR STORAGE - In all the years I've worked with preparedness
one of the biggest problems I've seen is people storing food and not
knowing what to do with it. It's vital that you and your family
become familiar with the things you are storing. You need to know how
to prepare these foods. This is not something you want to learn under
stress. Your family needs to be used to eating these foods. A stressful period is not a good time to totally change your diet. Get a food storage cookbook and learn to use these foods!

It's easy to solve these food storage problems once you know what
they are. The lady I talked about at the first of the article left
realizing what she had stored was a good beginning, but not enough.
As she said, "It's better to find out the mistakes I've made now
while there's still time to make corrections." This makes a lot more
sense.

If you're one who needs to make some adjustments, that's okay. Look
at these suggestions and add the things you're missing. It's easy to
take a basic storage and add the essentials to make it livable, but
it needs to be done. As I did the research for my cookbook I wanted
to include recipes that gave help to families no matter what they
had stored. As I put the material together it was fascinating to
discover what the pioneers ate is the type of things we store. But if
you have stored only the 4 basics, there's very, very little you can
do with it. By adding even just a few things it greatly increases
your options, and the prospect of your family surviving on it. As I
studied how the pioneers lived and ate, my whole feeling for food
changed. I realized our storage is what most of the world has always
lived on. If it's put together the right way we'll be returning to
good basic living with a few goodies thrown in.

I am not chicken little, I was however a Scout, and student of Grandparents who knew the depression first hand... waste? I cannot afford it.

[truthsupplier]

Selecting and Buying Grains
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One of the most important decisions in planning your long term food
storage is the kind of grains that you are going to store. Too many
people do not give this adequate thought, and just buy however much
wheat they think is necessary to meet their needs and leave it at
that. Others rely upon pre-packaged decisions made for them by the
storage food retailer that put together the food package that they've
purchased. For many, either decision could be a major mistake.

There are any number of food storage plans to be found by those who
take the time to look. Many of them are based on the so called "Basic
Four" of wheat, milk, honey and salt with whatever additional foods
as the planner found to be desirable. Back in the thirties (I believe
this is when that plan first got its start) that may have been okay,
but we've learned a great deal since then. An unfortunate number of
people in our society have developed allergies to one kind of food or
another. One of the common food allergies is to wheat. Even more
unfortunate is the fact that of those with an allergy to this most
common of grains many of them are not even aware of it. They won't
become aware of it until they try to live off wheat for a large part
of their diet. This is a major reason to store what you eat and eat
what you store so that unpleasant surprises such as this don't come
up when it's too late to easily avoid them.

A second reason to think about providing a variety of grains in your
food storage is appetite fatigue. There are many people who think
that providing variety in the diet is relatively unimportant and that
if and when the time comes they'll eat what they've got and that will
be that. For healthy, well adjusted adults under ordinary
circumstances this might be possible without too much difficulty.
However, the entire reason for having a long term food storage
program is for when circumstances aren't ordinary. Times of crisis
produce stress, possibly physical, but always mental. If you are
suddenly forced to eat a diet that is both alien and monotonous, it
is going to add just that much more stress on top of what you are
already dealing with. If your planning includes the elderly, young
children and infants they might just quit eating and become unable to
survive.

In his book, Making the Best of Basics, James Stevens mentions a
study by Dr. Norman Wright, of the British Food Ministry, done after
the Second World War in England and Europe, found that people were
more likely to reject unfamiliar or distasteful foods during times of
stress than under normal conditions. When it's wheat day in and day
out, then it's going to start becoming distasteful pretty fast. Far
better to have a variety of foods on hand to forestall appetite
fatigue and, more importantly, to use those grains in your everyday
diet so that you'll be accustomed to them.

Below is a list of some common and uncommon grains presently
available in the marketplace. Because it is by far the most commonly
consumed grain in the United States I've put wheat at the head of the
list.

Wheat


Wheat comes in a number of different varieties each with different
characteristics that makes a particular one more suited for a given
purpose than another one. The most common classifications for wheat
varieties are spring or winter, hard or soft, red or white.

The hard wheats have kernels that tend to be small, very hard and
have a high gluten content. Gluten is the protein in grains that
enables the dough made from them to trap the gasses produced by yeast
fermentation and raise the bread. Low gluten wheat does not produce
as good a loaf as high gluten wheat, though they can still be used
for yeast breads if necessary. As a general rule, the hard varieties
have more protein than the soft varieties.

The soft varieties have kernels that tend to be larger, plumper and
softer in texture than the hard wheats. Their gluten content is less
and these are used in pastries, quick breads, pastas, and breakfast
cereals.

Winter wheats are planted in the fall, over winter in the field and
are harvested the next summer. Spring wheats are planted in the early
spring and are harvested in the fall. Red wheats comprise most of the
hard varieties while white wheats comprise most of the soft.
Recently, hard white wheats have been developed that are suitable for
raised bread making. Some feel that the hard white varieties make a
better tasting whole wheat bread than the hard red.

The hard red varieties, either spring or winter, are the most
commonly stored wheats. They should have a protein content of no less
than 12%, with higher being desirable. The hard white spring wheats
are still relatively new and are not yet widespread. They have
excellent storage characteristics the same as the hard red wheats.

Amaranth


Amaranth is not a true cereal at all, but is a relative of pigweeds
and the ornamental flowers we know as cockscomb. It's grown not only
for its seeds, but for its leaves that can be cooked and eaten as
greens. The grain is high in protein particularly the amino acid
lysine which is limited in the true cereal grains. The grains can be
milled as is or the seeds can be toasted to provide more flavor. The
flour lacks gluten so it's not suited for raised breads, but can be
made into any of a number of flat breads. Some varieties can be
popped much like popcorn, or it can be boiled and eaten as a cereal,
used in soups, granolas, etc. Toasted or untoasted, it blends well
with other grain flours.

Barley


Barley is thought by some to be the first grain ever grown by man. It
has short, stubby kernels with a hull that is difficult to remove.
Excluding barley intended for malting or animal feed, most of this
grain is consumed by humans in two forms. The most common is the
white, highly processed "pearl" barley that has had most of its bran
and germ milled off along with its hull. It is the least nutritious
form of barley. The second form that it's found in is called "pot"
or "hulled" barley and it has been subjected to the same milling
process as pearled, but with few trips through the polisher. Because
of this, it retains more of the nutritious germ and bran. Unless you
are prepared to try to get the hulls off I don't recommend buying
barley still in the hull. Barley can be milled into flour, but it's
low gluten content will not make a good loaf of yeast bread. It can
be combined with other flours that have sufficient gluten to make
good raised bread or used in flat breads. Barley flour and flakes
have a light nutty flavor that is enhanced by toasting. Whole barley
is commonly used to add thickness to soups and stews.

Buckwheat


Buckwheat is another of those foods commonly considered to be
a "grain", but that is not a true cereal. It is a close relative to
the docks and sorrels. The "grain" itself is a dark, three cornered
seed that resembles a tiny beechnut. It has a hard, fibrous hull that
requires a special buckwheat huller to remove it. Here in the U.S.,
it is most often used in pancakes, biscuits and muffins. In eastern
Europe and Russia it is known in its toasted form as kasha. In the
Far East, it's often made into soba or noodles. It's also a good bee
plant, producing a dark, strongly flavored honey. The flour is light
or dark depending on how much of the hull has been removed before
grinding. Dark flour is far superior nutritionally as you might
expect, but it also much more strongly flavored. Buckwheat is one of
those foods that has no middle ground in peoples opinions -- they
either love it or they hate it. Like amaranth, it's high in lysine,
an amino acid commonly lacking in the true cereal grains.

Corn


Corn is the most commonly grown grain in the U.S., but it is mostly
consumed indirectly as animal feed or even industrial feedstock
rather than directly as food. Nevertheless, it comes in an amazing
variety of forms and, like wheat, some of them are better suited for
a particular purpose than others. The varieties intended to be eaten
as fresh, sweet corn are very high in sugar content and do not dry or
store well. The other varieties are the flint, dent, and popcorns.
All of them keep well when they have been properly dried. To a
certain extent, they're all interchangeable for purposes of grinding
into meal or flour, but some make better meal than flour and vice
versa. As a general rule of thumb, the flint varieties make better
meal as they have a grittier texture than the dent corns which make
better flour. If meal, hominy and grits are what you are most
interested in, use the flint type. If you intend to make corn masa
for tortillas and tamales, then the dent type is what you want.
Popcorn is what you need if you want to pop it for snacks and it can
also be ground into meal or flour. It seems to me that it makes a
very good meal, but it's just a bit gritty for flour. Your mileage
may vary.

Popcorn is one form of whole grain that is available to nearly
everyone if they know where to look. Since it's so popular as a
snackfood, particularly in movie theaters and events like fairs and
ball games, even the smallest of towns will generally have at least
one business that sells it in twenty five or fifty pound bags. Since
it's meant to be eaten it's safe for food. In order to have it pop
well it must have a moisture level of approximately 10% meaning that
it's not likely to have to be dried before it can be put into
storage.

Once you've decided between flint, dent or popcorn, you now have to
decide upon it's color: there are yellow, white, blue, & red dried
varieties. The yellow and white types are the most common by far with
the blues and reds mostly being relegated to curiosities, though blue
corn has been gaining in popularity these last few years. It should
be kept in mind that white corn does not have the vitamin A content
of yellow. Since vitamin A is one of the major limiting vitamins in
long term food storage, any possible source of it should be utilized
so for this reason I suggest storing yellow rather than white corn.
Additionally, it should be kept in mind that much of the niacin
content of corn is chemically bound up in a form that is not
available for human nutrition unless it has been treated with an
alkali. If grits, hominy or corn masa is not a part of your diet and
you're storing corn, it is a very good idea to begin to develop a
taste for some or all of these alkali treated forms of corn foods.

Millet

Millet is an important staple grain in North China, and India, but it
is little known as a food in the U.S, mostly being used as a bird
feed. The grain kernels are very small, round, and usually ivory
colored or yellow, though some varieties are darker. The lack of
gluten and rather bland flavor may account for the anonymity of this
grain here, but it's alkaline content is higher than other grains and
makes it very easy to digest. It also has a higher iron content than
any other grain, but amaranth. It swells a great deal when cooked and
supplies more serving per pound than any other grains. When cooked
like rice it makes an excellent breakfast cereal. Though it has
little gluten of its own, it mixes well with other flours.

Oats

Though the Scots and the Irish have made an entire cuisine from oats,
they are still mostly thought of in this country as a bland breakfast
food. They are seldom found as a whole grain, usually being sold
processed in one form or another. Much like barley, oats are a
difficult grain to get the hulls off of. Besides being eaten for
breakfast, where they can be made very flavorful with a little
creative thought, oats make an excellent thickener of soups and stews
and as a filler of in meat loafs and casseroles. Probably the second
most common use for oats in this country are in cookies and granolas.

Listed below in order of desirability are the forms of oats most
often found in this country. Rolled and cut oats retain both their
bran and their germ.


Whole Oats
This is with the hulls still on. They are sold in seed stores and
sometimes straight from the farmer that grew them. Unless you have
some means of getting the hulls off, I don't recommend buying oats in
this form. If you do buy from a seed supplier, make certain that they
have not been treated with any chemicals that are toxic to humans.

Oat Groats
They are whole oats with the hulls removed. They are not often found
in this form, but can sometimes be had from natural food stores and
some storage food dealers. Oats are not the easiest thing to get a
consistent grind from so producing your own oat flour takes a bit of
experience.

Steel Cut Oats
These are oat groats that have been cut into chunks with steel
blades. They're not rolled and look like coarse bits of grain. This
form can be found in both natural food stores and many supermarkets.

Rolled Oats
These are also commonly called "old fashioned" or "thick cut" oats.
To produce them, oat groats are steamed and then rolled to flatten.
They can generally be found wherever oats are sold. They take longer
to cook to suit than do the quick cooking oats, but they retain more
flavor and nutrition. This is what most people will call to mind when
oatmeal is discussed.

Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
These are just steamed oat groats that are rolled thinner than the
regular or old fashioned kind so that they will cook faster. They can
usually be found right next to the thicker rolled oats.

Instant Rolled Oats
These are the "just add hot water" or microwave type of oat cereals
and are not at all suited for a long term food storage program. They
do, however, have uses in "bug out" and 72 hour food kits for short
term crises.
Rices

Rice is the single most commonly consumed food grain in the world and
the U.S. is the leading exporter of it though we actually only
produce about 1% of the global supply.

Much like wheat and corn, rice comes in a number of varieties, each
with different characteristics. They are typically divided into
classes by the length of the kernel grains; short, medium and long.
Each of those can be processed to one extent or another and be found
as brown, white, parboiled or converted and instant rices. Below is a
short discussion of these various types and their relative
differences.


Short Grain Rice
Short grain rice is a little softer and bit moister when it cooks and
tends to stick together more than the longer rices. It has a sweeter,
somewhat stronger flavor than that of long grain rice.

Medium Grain Rice
Medium grain rice is not very common in this country. It has flavor
like that of short grain rice, but with a texture more of long grain
rice.

Long Grain Rice
Long grain rice cooks up into a dryer, flakier dish than the shorter
grains and the flavor tends to be blander.

The processing that the rice receives further classifies it and the
below is a list of them.

Brown Rice
This is whole grain rice with only the hull removed. It retains all
of the nutrition to be found in rice and has a pleasant nutty flavor
when boiled. From a nutrition standpoint it is by far the best of the
rices to put into storage, but it has one flaw. The essential oil in
the germ of the rice is very susceptible to oxidation and soon goes
rancid. As a result, brown rice has a shelf life of only about six
months from the date of purchase unless given special packaging or
storage processing. Freezing or refrigeration will greatly extend its
storage life. It's also possible to purchase brown rice from long
term food suppliers specially packaged in air tight containers with
an inert nitrogen atmosphere. Under that kind of packaging, if
properly done, the storage life of brown rice can be extended for
years. If you are not using special storage or packaging for your
brown rice then it is important that you rotate your storage rice
regularly to avoid spoilage.

Converted Rice
Converted rice starts as brown rice that undergoes a process that
soaks and steams it until it is partially cooked. It is then dried
and then polished to remove the bran and germ. The steaming process
drives some of the vitamins and minerals from the outer layers into
the white inner layers. This makes it more nutritious than polished
white rice, but also makes it more expensive.

White Rice
This is raw rice that has had its outer layers milled off, taking
with it about 10% of its protein, 85% of its fat and 70% of its
mineral content. Because so much of the nutrition of the rice is
lost, white rice sold in this country has to be enriched with
vitamins to replace what was removed.

Quinoa
Quinoa is yet another of the "grains" that is not a true cereal. It's
botanical name is Chenopodium quinoa (Quinoa, pronounced "keen-wah"),
and is a relative of the common weed Lambsquarter. The individual
kernels are about 1.5-2 mm in size and are shaped rather like small
flattened spheres, yellow in color. When quinoa is cooked, the germ
of the grain coils into a small "tail" that lends a pleasant crunch.
The sources that I've found on this exotic grain indicates that it
should be thoroughly washed before cooking in order to prevent the
cooked product from tasting bitter. There are several varieties of
quinoa that have color ranging from near white to a dark brown. The
larger white varieties are considered superior and are the most
common found.

Rye

Rye is a well known bread grain in this country, though not as
popular as the various wheat breads. It has dark brown kernels that
are longer and thinner than wheat, but it has less gluten. Bread made
from this grain tends to be somewhat dense unless gluten is added
(often in the form of a lot of wheat flour) with color that ranges
from pale to dark brown. German pumpernickel that is made of
unrefined rye flour and molasses is the blackest, densest form. It
makes for excellent variety in the diet.

What I am about to say in the following is for those who may be
interested in buying field run rye straight from the producer or
distributor before it has been cleaned. If you purchase your rye from
a foodstore after it has been cleaned, it is not much of a concern.

There is a fungal infection of grain that is called "ergot". It is
attracted to rye more so than other grains, particularly if the
growing conditions were damp where the rye was grown. This fungus
causes a nervous disorder known as St. Anthony's fire. When eaten in
large quantities the ergot alkaloids can cause constriction of the
blood vessels, particularly in the extremities. The effects of ergot
poisoning are cumulative and lead to numbness of the limbs and other,
frequently serious symptoms.

The fungal disease affects only the flowering parts of many members
of the grass family. The fungus bodies are hard, spur like, purplish-
black structures that replace the kernel in the grain head. The ergot
bodies can vary in size from the length of the kernel to as much as
several times as long. They don't crush as easily as smut bodies of
other funguses. When they are cracked open, the inner broken faces
can be off-white, yellow, or tan. The infected grain looks very
different from ordinary, healthy rye grains and can be spotted
easily. Ergot only rarely affects other grains. If you purchase field
run rye, you should closely examine it first for the presence of
ergot bodies. If you find more than a very few, pass up that grain
and look elsewhere.

Sorghum

Sorghum is probably more widely known in this country for the syrup
that is made from the juice squeezed from the canes of one of its
many varieties. Also widely called "milo", it is one of the principle
cereal grains grown in Africa. Its seeds are somewhat round, a little
smaller than peppercorns, with an overall brown color with a bit of
red and yellow mixed in. There are varieties called "yellow endosperm
sorghum" that have a better taste. Sorghum is a major feed grain in
the southwestern part of the country and that is where the vast
majority of the national milo production goes to. Like most of the
other grains, sorghum is low in gluten, but the seeds can be milled
into flour and mixed with higher gluten flours or made into flat
breads, pancakes or cookies. In the Far East, it is cooked and eaten
like rice while in Africa it is ground in meal for porridge.

Triticale

Triticale is a cross or hybrid (NOT Genetically Engineered) between wheat and rye. This youngest grain combines the productivity of wheat with the ruggedness of rye and has a high nutrition value. Triticale kernels are gray brown, and oval shaped larger than wheat kernels and plumper than rye kernels.

It will make a raised bread like wheat flour will, but the gluten is
a bit weak so wheat flour is frequently added to strengthen it.
Because of the delicate nature of its gluten, excessive kneading must
be avoided. This grain can be used in much the same way that either
wheat or rye is. Although it is the youngest of the grains, it's been
around for some years now. For reasons that I've never understood,
triticale has never achieved much popularity. Whether this is for
reasons of agricultural production or public acceptance I don't know.

Spelt is the "original wheat" and totally digestable with low carbs. It was discovered in Tut`s Tomb, and the miracle showed itself. (The spelt "grains" were thousands of years old, yet 38 of 40 sprouted when planted)

[truthsupplier]

Selecting and Buying Legumes

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Unless a person is willing to spend a very great deal of money on
various forms of preserved meats, a food storage program that does
not include a quantity of legumes is simply incomplete. There are few
non-animal foods that contain the amount of protein that is to be
found in dried beans, peas, and lentils. The varieties commonly
available in this country have protein contents that range from 20%-
35%. As with most non-animal proteins, they are not complete in
themselves for purposes of human nutrition, but become so when they
are combined with the incomplete proteins found in grains. It is for
this reason that grains and legumes are so often mentioned together.
In cultures all over the world, it is common to find the two served
together at a meal, making a complete protein, even when those doing
the serving have no understanding of nutrition at all.

The legume family which all beans, peas, lentils,and peanuts are a
part of is one of the largest in the plant kingdom. Because of this
and the many thousands of years of development and cultivation that
man has given them, the variety of edible legumes available to us is
huge. Both the appearance and the names of legume varieties are
colorful and varied. The names range from "adzuki" beans, a type of
soybean from the Orient, to "zipper" peas, a commonly found field pea
in the South. The color of the beans can range from a clean white, to
deep red, dull green to flat black with thousands of mixtures and
patterns of colors.

In spite of this incredible variety of names and colors, legumes are
largely interchangeable in cooking usage, though some dishes just
wouldn't be the same if a different type was used. Below is a partial
list of some of the more commonly eaten bean varieties here in the
U.S.

Black Beans

Also known as turtle beans, these small, dark brownish black, oval
shaped beans are probably best known to us in Cuban black bean soup.
They are very commonly used in Central and South America and in
China. They tend to bleed very darkly when cooked so they are not
well suited to being combined with other beans, lest they give the
entire pot a muddy appearance.

Black-Eyed Peas

Although there is tremendous variation in color and among the many
varieties of field peas eaten throughout the Southern United States,
it is black-eyed peas that are the most commonly known nationwide.
The coloring of field peas is as varied as the rest of the legume
family, with black-eyed peas being small and oval shaped with an
overall creamy color and, of course, their distinctive black-eye.
Dried field peas cook very quickly and combine very tastily with with
either rice or cornbread.

Chickpeas

Also known as the garbanzo bean, it tends to be a creamy or tan
color, rather lumpily roundish and larger than dried garden peas.
Many have eaten chickpeas, even if they've never seen a whole one.
They are the prime ingredient in hummus and falafel. They are one of
the oldest cultivated legume species known, going back as far as 5400
B.C. in the Near East.

Kidney Beans

Just like the rest of the family, kidney beans can be found in wide
variety. They come in both light and dark red color in their
distinctive kidney shape. Probably best known here in the U.S. for
their use in chili, they figure prominently in Mexican, Brazilian and
Chinese cuisine.

Lentils

Lentils are an odd lot. They don't fit in with either the beans or
the peas and occupy a place by themselves. Their shape is different
from the other legumes being roundish little discs with colors
ranging from muddy brown, to green to a rather bright orangish-red.
They cook very quickly compared to beans and have a distinctive
flavor. They are much used in Far Eastern cuisine from Indian to
Chinese.

Lima Beans

In the South, they are also commonly called butter beans. They are
one of the most common beans found in this country in all manner of
preservation from the young small beans to the large fully mature
type. Their flavor is pleasant, but a little bland. Their shape is
rather flat and broad with colors ranging from pale green to speckled
cream and purple.

Peanuts

Although many folks do not know it, the peanut is not actually a nut
at all, but a legume. Peanuts are another odd species not much like
the more familiar beans and peas. Whatever the confusion about their
classification and growth, they are certainly not unfamiliar to U.S.
eaters. Peanuts have a good protein percentage and even more fat.
They are one of the two legume species commonly grown for oilseed in
this country. They are also used for peanut butter, and boiled and
roasted peanuts. Many Central and South American, African and Chinese
dishes incorporate peanuts, so they are useful for much more than
just a snack food or cooking oil.

Pinto Beans

The pinto bean is one of the most commonly eaten beans in the U.S.,
particularly in the southwestern portion of the country. It is
stereotypically bean shaped with a dappled pattern of tans and browns
on its shell. Pintos have a flavor that blends well with many foods.

Soybeans

An entire university could be founded on the cuisine and industrial
uses of the soybean. It is by far the highest protein legume in
commercial production as well as being the other legume oilseed
producer alongside the peanut. The beans themselves are small, and
round with a multitude of different shades. Although the U.S. grows a
very large of the global supply of these beans, we actually consume
virtually none of them directly. Most of them go into cattle feed and
for industrial uses. What does get eaten directly has usually been
processed in some form or fashion with soybean products ranging from
tofu, to tempeh, to textured vegetable protein and hundreds of other
uses. Although they are very high in protein, they don't lend
themselves well to just being boiled until done and eaten the way
other beans and peas do. For this reason, if you plan on keeping some
as a part of your storage program, and you should, you would be very
well served to begin to learn how to process and prepare them now
when you're not under pressure to produce. That way mistakes can be
thrown out rather than having to be eaten regardless.

"Beans, beans, their good for your heart..."

[truthsupplier]

Storing Grains and Legumes

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Moisture and Desiccants

The key to storing grains (and legumes) for the long term is dry,
dry, dry. Available oxygen and storage temperature also play roles,
but it is moisture content that will determine whether you get usable
food out in five years or not.

Therefore, the idea here is to have the food that you want to put
into storage as dry as possible before it goes in and then take steps
to deal with any moisture that may be trapped, generated or leaked
into your storage containers.

Ideally, the clean grains and legumes that you have in hand will be
no more than 10% moisture. If this is the case then you can go ahead
and seal them into your storage containers using the packaging method
of your choice and have a reasonable expectation of your food staying
in good condition.

If your storage grains aren't sufficiently low in moisture content
then you'll need to reduce the water that they contain. Wheat has
been taken out of Egyptian pyramids where it had lain for several
thousand years. It was the bone dry desert air and the cool interior
temperature of the pyramids that kept it from rotting away. We can
approximate that Egyptian climate by several methods.

The least involved method is to wait until the driest time of year
for your location. I typically wait until January here in Florida. If
this doesn't suit, then turn your air conditioning on a little high.
Bring in your buckets, lids, and the storage food. Let everything sit
in a well-ventilated place where it's going to get plenty of cool
from the a/c. I'd avoid anywhere near the kitchen or bathroom areas,
as they put out a lot of moisture. About three days of cool, constant
air flow and low humidity ought to dry things out a bit.

If this won't do, you can place a large quantity of desiccant in your
storage containers. Fill the remaining space with your food product
and seal on the lid. After about a week, unseal and check the
desiccant. If it's saturated, change it out with dry and reseal.
Continue to do this until the contents are sufficiently dry. If it
doesn't become saturated the first time, change it anyway before
sealing the bucket permanently. You'd hate to find later that it
saturated in storage.

I use silica gel for practically everything. Keep in mind that it is
not edible and you don't want it getting mixed into your food. My
usual procedure is to save or scrounge clear plastic pill bottles
such as 500ct aspirin bottles. Fill the bottle with the desiccant
(remember to dry the gel first) and then use a double thickness of
coffee filter paper carefully and securely tied around the neck of
the bottle to keep any of it from leaking out. This way whatever
moisture does inadvertently get trapped inside can be safely
absorbed. It won't dry out a lot of moisture -- you still need to
take steps to get everything as dry as possible before you pack it --
but it will take care of what little is left.

Once you've dealt with the moisture problem, then you can decide
whether you want to displace and/or absorb the oxygen out of your
storage container. There are three common methods of doing this. The
first two use relatively inert gasses, carbon dioxide and nitrogen,
to displace the oxygen. The third uses an oxygen-absorbing chemical
to remove very nearly all of the gas from the container's atmosphere.
Some folks even go so far as to use inert gas displacement and oxygen
absorption together.

Dry Ice

Now go ahead and pack your buckets. If you're using dry ice be sure
to wipe off any accumulated frost and wrap the ice in a paper towel
or something similar so that you don't burn anything that comes into
contact with it. Put the dry ice at the bottom and fill the
container. Shake or vibrate it to get as much density in the packing
as possible and to exclude as much air as you can. Put the lid on,
but do not fully seal it. You want air to be able to escape. Ideally,
the dry ice should slowly evaporate and the cool CO2 should fill the
bottom of the bucket, displacing the warmer, lighter atmosphere and
pushing it out the top of the container. About four ounces of dry ice
per five gallon bucket is plenty. Do not move or shake the bucket
while the dry ice is sublimating. You want to keep mixing and
turbulence to a minimum. After about three hours go ahead and seal
the lids, but check on them every fifteen minutes or so for an hour
to be certain that you're not getting a pressure build up. If you
don't have to let any gas off, then put them away. A little positive
pressure inside the bucket is a good thing, but don't allow it to
bulge.

Compressed CO2 or Nitrogen

Using compressed gasses calls for a slightly different technique.
Bring everything inside just like above and let it dry out. You'll
need some plastic bags that are a bit larger in internal volume than
the bucket. Additionally, you'll need a tank of the compressed gas
that you've chosen, a hose to attach to it and a length of straight
copper tubing just longer than the bucket to attach to the end of the
hose. Last you'll need a pack of matches, a cigarette or similar.

Line the interior of the container with the plastic bag. Fill the
bucket with grain, shaking to get it as full as possible. You don't
want any pockets left between the bag and the container. Once you
have gotten it full to just short of not being able to put on the
lid, gather the top of the bag together. Take the hose with the
copper tubing on the end and insert it to the bottom taking care not
to tear the bag. Close the top of the bag around it. Turn on the
valve and begin to fill the bag with gas. You want to fill it slowly
so that you can minimize turbulence and mixing as much as you can. I
generally will just crack the valve until I can hear it begin to hiss
out and then put my hand over the end of the probe to feel how fast
it's coming. It'll take a little while to fill each bucket -- about
five to ten minutes per. Just as with the dry ice above, the idea
here is for the cool gas to displace the warmer atmosphere from the
container. The bag should puff just a bit. When I think it's full
I'll hold a lit match just above the bag in the air that is escaping
from it. If it snuffs right out then I figure the oxygen has been
displaced, I let it run for a minute longer and remove the probe. Tie
the bag off and seal the bucket. Again, you want to have the bucket
as full as possible so that there'll be only minimal air space.

I want to insert a caution here about packing foods with nitrogen or
CO2. Either gas will do very well for oxygen displacement inside the
bucket, but the technique that you use here is very important. Dry
ice is extremely cold and if there is much moisture in the air that
is trapped in the container with it, and your food, then it will
condense. If there's enough of it, it's going to cause you problems.
If you are going to put the dry ice in the bucket, you'll really want
to do this on a day when the humidity is very low. The temperature of
the gas coming out of the tank has concerned me, also, since it is
rather cold. I like to use as long a hose as I can get to allow the
gas to expand and warm as much as possible before it goes into the
bucket. An idea that I've had, but have not yet tried is to hook the
hose to a copper coil (a la a moonshine still) and have the gas go
through that to warm it before putting it into the container. The
next time we do any experimentation with this stuff I think I will.
Whether you use dry ice or compressed gas, I would add about four
ounces of desiccant to a five gallon bucket of stored food.

Oxygen Absorption Packets

If all of this messing about with gasses sounds like too much
trouble, you can try using the oxygen absorption packets that have
come onto the market in the last ten years or so. The only brand that
I am aware of is the Mitsubishi Ageless 300 (mine are the 300E type).
Each unexposed tablet is supposed to absorb 300 ml of oxygen per
packet, though the paper in the specific equipment section seems to
suggest that they'll do much better than that. As a general rule of
thumb, one packet per gallon of volume in the storage container is
what is called for. Follow the directions concerning moisture and
when things are dry enough then fill the containers, place one packet
per gallon of container volume inside and seal it up. Be certain that
you do, in fact, have an air tight seal or you'll just deplete your
packets over time to no positive effect.

For those belt and suspender types who like to have as much certainty
as they can get, you can use either of the above atmospheric
displacement techniques and an O2 absorber packet together to
eliminate all of the oxygen that you can.

Once I started using the method above with the drying out of the
containers and foodstuffs, the careful atmospheric displacement with
inert gasses and the desiccant, I've never lost a container of
storage goods due to mold or mildew. If you've done a proper job with
the gasses, you'll kill any insects or insect eggs as well. After
that, it's just age and average storage temperatures that degrade the
nutritional contents of the foods and you should have a rotation plan
to deal with that before it becomes a problem. Take care in your
technique, use only quality goods and you'll have food that you can
eat when you open those containers.
=============================================

truthsupplier here, a post script...

Your local Department/Utility store (KMart) carries an inexpensive disiccant called "DampRid" cheap and effective, also don`t forget the benefits of diatomaceous earth, won`t hurt you, critters can`t handle it...

[truthsupplier]

Sugar, Honey and Other Sweeteners

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------

There are a wide number of sugars to be found for purposes of
sweetening foods. Fructose is the primary sugar in fruit; maltose is
one of the sugars in malted grains; pimentose is found in olives, and
sucrose is what we know as granulated or table sugar. Sucrose is a
highly refined product made mostly from sugar cane and sugar beets.
Modern table sugar is now so highly refined as to be 100% pure and
nearly indestructible if protected from moisture. Powdered sugar and
brown sugar are simple variations on granulated sugar and share its
long life.

Liquid sweeteners do not have quite the long lives of dry sugars.
Honey, molasses, corn syrup and maple syrup may crystallize or mold
during long storage. These syrups are chemically not as simple as
table sugar and therefore lose flavor and otherwise break down over a
long period of time.

Buying and Storing Granulated, Powdered, Brown and Raw Sugar

Buying granulated sugar and its close cousins is really a very simple
matter. Buy a brand that you know you can trust and be certain that
the package is clean, dry and has no insect infestation. There's very
little that can go wrong with it.


Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar does not spoil, but if it gets damp it will likely
cake up or get lumpy. If it does, it can simply be pulverized again
until it regains its granulated texture.

Powedered Sugar and Confectioner's Sugar
Both names refer to the same kind of sugar, that is white granulated
sugar that has been very finely ground. For commercial use there is a
range of textures from coarse to ultra-fine. For home consumption,
what is generally found is either Very Fine (6X) or Ultra-Fine (10X).
Not all manufacturers will indicate the grind on the package though.
Sugar refiners usually add a small amount of corn starch to prevent
caking.

Powdered sugar is as inert as granulated sugar, but it is even more
hygroscopic and will absorb the least amount of moisture present. If
it absorbs more than a little it may cake up and get hard. It's
difficult to reclaim hardened powdered sugar, but it can still be
used like granulated sugar.


Brown Sugar

In the United States brown sugar is basically just refined white
sugar that has had a bit of molasses added to it. Dark brown sugar
has more molasses which gives it a stronger flavor, a darker color
and makes it damp. Light brown sugar has less molasses which gives it
a milder flavor, a blonder color and is slightly dryer than the dark
variety.

Both varieties need to be protected from drying out, or they will
become very hard and difficult to deal with. Nor do you want to allow
them to become damper than what they already are.

There are granulated and liquid brown sugars available, but they
don't have the same cooking qualities as ordinary brown sugars. They
also don't dry out and harden quite so readily either.


Raw, Natural or Turnibado Sugar

In recent years, sugar refiners have realized that there is a market
for less refined forms of cane sugar here in the U.S. and have begun
to sell this kind of sugar under various names and packagings. None
of it is really "raw" sugar since it is illegal to sell it in this
country due to the high impurities level in truly raw sugar. All of
it has been processed in some form or fashion to clean it, but it has
not been subjected to the full refining and whitening processes of
ordinary white table sugar. This leaves some of the natural color and
a mild flavor in the sweetener. All of these less refined sugars
should be stored and handled like brown sugar.

All granulated sugars have basically the same storage requirements.
They need to be kept in air tight, insect and moisture proof
containers. For powdered, granulated and raw sugar you might want to
consider using some desiccant in the storage container if your local
climate is damp. Since brown sugars are supposed to be moist, they do
not need desiccants. Shelf life is indefinite if kept dry, but
anything that you intend to eat really should be rotated over time.
Time has a way of affecting even the most durable of foods.

I've used brown sugar that was six years old at the time it was
removed from storage and other than the molasses settling somewhat
towards the bottom it was just fine.

Selecting and Buying Honey

Honey is probably the oldest sweetener known to man, predating
recorded history and has been found in the Egyptian pyramids. It's
typically sweeter than granulated sugar by a factor of 25%-40%
depending upon the specific flowers from which the bees gathered
nectar. This means that a smaller amount of honey can give the same
amount of sweetening as sugar. Those flowers also dictate the flavor
and the color of the sweetener as well. Honey color can range from
very dark (nearly black) to almost colorless. As a general rule, the
lighter the color and the more delicate the flavor, the greater the
price the honey will bring. As you might expect, since honey is
sweeter than table sugar, it also has more calories as well -- 22 per
teaspoon compared to granulated sugar's 16 per teaspoon. There are
also trivial amounts of minerals and vitamins in the bee product
while sugar has virtually none. It may also contain minute quantities
of botulinum spores and should not be fed to children under one year
of age. Raw honey is generally considered to be OK for older children
and adults. Honey is not a direct substitute for table sugar however,
it's use in recipes may call for a bit of alteration to get it to
turn out right.

Honey comes in a number of forms in the retail market and they all
have different storage characteristics:


Whole-Comb

This is the bee product straight from the hive. This is the most
unprocessed form in which honey comes, being found as large pieces of
waxy comb floating in honey. The comb itself will contain many
unopened honey cells.

Raw

This is unheated honey that has been removed from the comb. It may
contain bits of wax, insect parts and other small detritus.

Filtered

This is raw honey that has been warmed slightly to make it more easy
to filter out small particles and impurities. Other than being
somewhat cleaner than raw honey it is essentially the same. Most of
nutrients remain intact.

Liquid

This is honey that has been heated to higher temperatures to allow
for easier filtering and to kill any microorganisms. Usually lighter
in color, this form is milder in flavor, resists crystallization and
generally clearer. It stores the best of the various forms of honey.
Much of the trace amounts of vitamins, however, are lost.

Crystallized or Spun

This honey has had some of its moisture content removed to make a
creamy, spread. It is the most processed form of honey.
Much of the honey sold in supermarkets has been blended from a
variety of different honeys and some may have even had other
sweeteners added as well. Like anything involving humans, buying
honey can be a tricky business. It pays to deal with individuals and
brands that you know you can trust. You should buy and store honey
labeled U.S. GRADE A or U.S. FANCY if buying in retail outlets.
However, be aware that there are no federal labeling laws governing
the sale of honey, so only honey labeled "pure" is entirely honey and
not blended with other sweeteners. Honey grading is a matter of
voluntary compliance which means that some producers may be lax and
sloppy about it. This can be a real nuisance when producers use words
like "organic", "raw", "uncooked" and "unfiltered" on their labels,
possibly to mislead. However, most honey producers are quite honest
in their product labeling so if you're not certain of who to deal
with, it is worthwhile to ask around to find out who produces a good
product.

Honey may also contain trace amounts of drugs used in treating
various bee ailments, including antibiotics. If this is a concern to
you, then it would be wise to investigate with your local honey
producer what has been used.

Honey Storage

Honey is much easier to store than to select and buy. Pure honey
won't mold, but may crystallize over time. Exposure to air and
moisture can cause color to darken and flavor to intensify and may
speed crystallization as well. Comb honey doesn't store as well
liquid honey so you should not expect it to last as long.

Storage temperature is not as important for honey, but it should be
kept from freezing and not exposed to high temperatures if possible.
Either extreme can cause crystallization and heat may cause flavor to
strengthen.

Filtered liquid honey will last the longest in storage. Storage
containers should be opaque, airtight, moisture and odor proof. Like
any other stored food, honey should be rotated through the storage
cycle and replaced with fresh product.

If crystallization does occur, honey can be reliquified by placing
the container in a larger container of hot water until it has melted.

Avoid storing honey near heat sources and if using plastic pails then
don't keep them near petroleum products (including gasoline engines),
chemicals or any other odor-producing products.


Molasses, Cane, Sorghum and Table Syrups

Molasses and cane syrup are not precisely the same thing. Molasses is
a by product of sugar refining and cane syrup is simply cane juice
that has been boiled down to a syrup, much like maple syrup is
produced. Non-southerners may know it better as "unsulphured
molasses" even if that is not completely correct. Sorghum syrup is
produced in the same manner, but sorghum cane rather than sugar cane
is used. Sorghum tends to have a thinner, slightly sourer taste than
cane syrup. All of these syrups tend to be dark with a rich, heavy
flavor. There are many "table syrups" sold in supermarkets, but close
examination of the ingredient lists will reveal mixtures of cane
syrup, cane sugar syrup and corn syrup. They tend to have a much less
pronounced flavor.

All of the above syrups, except for those having corn syrup in their
makeup, have the same storage characteristics. They can be stored on
the shelf for about two years and up to a year after opening. Once
they are opened, they are best kept in the refrigerator to retard
mold growth. If mold growth does occur, the syrup should be
discarded. The outside of the bottle should be cleaned of drips after
each use. Some pure cane and sorghum syrups may crystallize in
storage, but this causes no harm and can be reliquified using the
same method as with honey.

Corn Syrup

Corn syrup is a liquid sweetener made by an enzyme reaction with corn
starch. Available in both a light and a dark form, the darker variety
has a flavor similar to molasses and contains refiners syrups (a
byproduct of sugar refining). Both types often contain flavorings and
preservatives. They are commonly used in baking and candy making
because they do not crystallize when heated.

Corn syrup is a poor storer compared to the other common sweeteners
and because of this they often have a "best if sold by" dating code
on the bottle. It should be stored in its original bottle, tightly
capped, in a cool, dry place. New unopened bottles keep about six
months from the date on the label. After opening, keep the corn syrup
four to six months. These syrups are very prone to mold and to
fermentation so be on the lookout for bubbling or a mold haze. If
these present themselves then throw the syrup out. You should always
be certain to wipe off any drips from the bottle with every use.

I don't recommend corn syrup as a storage food since it stores so
poorly.

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is probably the only sweetener that has developed a cult-
like following. Produced by boiling down maple sap until it reaches a
syrup consistency, it is slightly sweeter than table sugar. Maple
syrup is judged by much the same criteria as honey: lightness of
color, clarity and taste. Pure maple is generally expensive and most
pancake syrups are corn and cane sugar syrups with either natural or
artificial flavorings.

New unopened bottles of maple syrup may be kept on a cool, dark,
shelf for up to two years. (The sweetener may darken and the flavor
get stronger, but it is still usable.)

After the bottle has been opened, it should be refrigerated. It will
last about a year. Be careful to look out for mold growth. If it
does, discard the syrup.

Flavored pancake syrups should be kept and stored as corn syrups.

[truthsupplier]

Storage of Dry Milk
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by Utah State University Extension
Charlotte P. Brennand, Food Science Specialist
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Types of Nonfat Dry Milk

Regular and instant nonfat dry milk are made from skim milk that has
been dried by spraying into hot air. Instant milk is regular milk
which has been further processed causing it to clump together which
results in a product that is easier to reconstitute with water than
is regular nonfat dry milk. They both have the same nutrient
composition. Regular nonfat dry milk is more compact and will require
less storage space, however, it is harder to reconstitute. The most
common type of dried milk to be found in grocery stores is instant
nonfat dry milk.

Dried whole milk may also be available, however because of the fat
present, it will not store as well as nonfat dry milk.

Dried buttermilk is available to be used in recipes calling for
buttermilk. It will not keep quite as long as nonfat dried milk since
is has a slightly higher fat level.


Things to consider when buying dried milk:


1. It is best to buy dry milk fortified with vitamins A and D.

2. A claim of "No Preservatives" may be on the label to reassure
customers, however, added preservatives are not legal therefore no
dried milk processed in the U.S. will contain preservatives.

3. The label may say Grade A to indicate the quality of the milk used
in the drying process. Essentially all processing plants producing
dried milk use Grade A milk today.

4. "Extra Grade" on the label indicates that the processing plant has
met certain criteria and the milk is slightly lower in butterfat and
moisture content, more soluble, contains fewer bacteria, and contains
fewer scorched particles.

5. The size of the container holding the dried milk should fit
storage space considerations and family need. Once a container is
opened, the milk will not keep as long, therefore, a very large
container is not desirable for a household that consumes a small
amount of milk per week.

6. Type of package becomes important if the dried milk is to be
stored for long periods of time. The package should be water proof
and impermeable to air. Plastic films are good protection against
oxygen over short periods of time, but not if the dried milk is to be
stored for more than a year.

7. Do not buy more dried milk than you would normally use in a
reasonable time period.

8. Date the milk when you buy it.

Ideal Storage Conditions
Temperature * The storage temperature is the most important factor
in determining the length of time that dried milk can be stored and
should be as cool as possible.

Oxygen - Exclude oxygen as much as possible to decrease the speed
of undesirable chemical changes. Dried milk canned with nitrogen or
carbon dioxide to replace air (which contains oxygen) will keep
longer than dried milk that is exposed to air. Vacuum canning also
decreases the available oxygen.

Packaging * The packaging for milk which will be held for extended
periods of time should not permit air nor water vapor into the
package. Cardboard and polyfilm packages do not provide as good of a
barrier to air as do metal cans.

Moisture * Moisture will cause caking and accelerate undesirable
changes in flavor, therefore, if the milk is not packaged in cans,
store it in a dry location.

Light * Most types of packaging will block out light. If dried
milk is to be stored in a package type (ex. glass jars, plastic bags)
which does not do so, store it in a dark place. Light will accelerate the
undesirable chemical changes in flavor and odor.

The following storage times and temperatures are based on nonfat dry
milk (instant or regular) stored at different temperatures and in
unopened packages with either nitrogen or carbon dioxide to replace
the air in the package. Storage times will be shorter for products
stored in paper or cardboard packages.

50°F 48 months

70°F 24 months

90°F 3 months

Use of Nonfat Dry Milk

Reconstitute instant nonfat dry milk by mixing or shaking the dried
milk with enough water for the desired yield (see below). To disperse
regular nonfat dry milk, beat dried milk with about half the water
until uniform, then add enough water to reach the desired yield.

Yield Instant Regular

For 1 quart mix 1 1/3 cups powder in 3 3/4 cup water
(or)
For 2 quarts mix 2 2/3 cups powder in 7 1/2 cups water.


After reconstitution, the dry milk should be stored in the
refrigerator. Many individuals find it desirable to mix equal amounts
of reconstituted dry milk and fresh milk for drinking purposes. The
resulting drink is highly acceptable as well as economical.

It is much more desirable to rotate your supply of dried milk by
using the oldest first than to have milk with off-flavors. However,
if you do have milk which has been stored too long and has developed
some off-flavor, it can best be covered up by using in baked products
like quick breads or in mashed potatoes. Off-flavors are more obvious
in products which use more milk such as yogurt, puddings, and gravy.

[daij]

I've found these videos to be informative on the subject of wilderness survival.

SURVIVAL: Episode 1 through 4
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=SURVIVAL%3A+Episode&hl=en

Heres a good site on primitive survival skills.
http://www.primitiveways.com/

[truthsupplier]

hau,

It is good to know Red Roads extend to the wildest places. My thanks for the sharing, it was well worth the investigation. Blessings abound for this old hollow bone. Another Lodge would address this with Sgi Wa?Do.

truthsupplier aka wayinktelo (come to raise a voice) from 23rd Pipe Song

[them]

Some good stuff here;

http://btjunkie.org/search?q=wild+food

http://www.raymears.com/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0e/Raymears.jpg/180px-Raymears.jpg

and here;

http://btjunkie.org/search?q=river+cottage

http://www.rivercottage.net/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/660000/images/_660952_hug.jpg

[h1s_l0rdsh1p]

Learn urban running aswell.

If all out civil war was t break out, those guy that can jump between buildings, and run up walls and shit have a better chance of surviving than my fat ass :p

[truthsupplier]

Food Safety Fact Sheet

FOOD STORAGE, RODENTS AND HANTAVIRUS
Dr. Charlotte P. Brennand,
USU Extension Food Safety Specialist
October 1999 FN-FS-250.9

One of the problems in storing food is that it can attract rodents. Rodents have been identified as carriers of hantavirus; therefore, care needs to be taken when working in an area that shows signs of rodent infestation. Considering how long man and rodents have been living in close proximity, the number of cases is surprisingly low. However, hantavirus has a high fatality rate, and it is logical to take precautions. It is relatively easy to kill the virus.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
In 1993, hantavirus was diagnosed in the Four Corner Area. This virus had not
been identified in the United States prior that outbreak, however similar
viruses were known in other parts of the world, primarily the Eastern
Hemisphere. Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents and each type of
hantavirus has a preferred rodent. Sin Nombre, the type of hantavirus identified in the Four Corner Area outbreak, is associated with deer mice. A study by the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) on animals in the areas where hantavirus had been identified found that 30% of the deer mice, 1% of pinon mice and 1% of chipmunks carried the virus. Recent studies in Montana and Colorado have found that 30-40% of deer mouse populations are infected. Additional types of hantaviruses have been identified in the USA since 1993. These are associated with the cotton rat (Southeastern US), rice rat (Southeastern US) and the white-footed mouse (New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern states, Midwest and into the western states). Deer mice are found almost everywhere in North America. Hantavirus cases are not common. Between 1993 and July 1999 there were 217 cases reported in 30 states and another 11 cases pending confirmation.

Hantaviruses do not adapt readily to new hosts and are believed to have
co-existed with mice for thousands of years. Infected mice do not show any
symptoms.

DEER MOUSE
The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is a deceptively cute animal, with big eyes and big ears. Its head and body are normally about 2 - 3 inches long, and the tail adds another 2 - 3 inches in length. You may see it in a variety of
colors, from gray to reddish brown, depending on its age. The underbelly is
always white and the tail has sharply defined white sides. The deer mouse is
found most everywhere in North America. Usually, the deer mouse likes woodlands, but also turns up in desert areas.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ILLNESS
The illness begins with raging flu-like symptoms; fever, muscle aches and
chills. Other common symptoms are a cough, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and vomiting. Less common are: dizziness, lightheadedness, joint pain, back, chest or abdominal pain, and sweats. It is lethal in approximately 45% of the cases (MMWR 7/12/98).

HOW DOES THE DISEASE SPREAD?
Hantavirus infection is usually spread by inhaling the virus. The virus is
carried in the saliva, feces and urine of deer mice. The danger is in breathing
in contaminated dust while working in or cleaning the problem area. It is not
passed from person to person nor in food cooked from raw ingredients that may have had contact with rodents. There is a greater potential problem in years when mice populations increase. Wet years result in increased vegetation that can support a larger rodent population. In the fall or winter, mice may try to move indoors. They are especially attracted to garbage and food stores. The virus is easy to destroy and dies by itself in 3-4 days. The problem in dust comes from relatively fresh mouse droppings.

HOW TO CLEAN AREAS THAT SHOW SIGNS OF MICE DROPPINGS OR NESTS
Wear protective clothing including latex or rubber gloves. Masks are desirable
but inexpensive painters' masks are not effective and may give a false feeling
of security. Masks need to have a HEPA or N-100 filter.

• If a closed area, let it air out for 30 minutes before beginning cleaning.

• DON'T SWEEP OR VACUUM DROPPINGS. This may spread the virus through the air.

• Thoroughly spray or soak any dead mice, traps, dropping or nests with a
commercial disinfectant solution or a 10% solution of chlorine bleach. To make a 10% chlorine solution: mix 1 1/2 c. chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.

Rodent Proof Containers

• Wipe down shelves, counters and cabinets with disposable rags or paper towels soaked in the disinfectant. Mop floors using disinfectant solution.

• Double bag wastes and discard.

• Disinfect gloves or discard.

• Wash hands or shower.

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

Avoiding the problem is always the preferred method. This is not easy since the cartilage in rodent's heads allow them to go though very small holes. A mouse can get through a hole as small as 1/4 inch. This is the size of a shirt button or a pencil eraser. Rats can go through a 1/2 inch-size hole. Begin by
critically evaluating the storage area for possible mouse entry. See if the end
of a pencil will fit into cracks or gaps. Don't forget to check for areas in
cupboards, walls and floors where there are electric, gas or water pipes running through them. Is there a gap under the door? Seal cracks and holes with materials that will be resistant to gnawing. These include concrete mortar, metal pieces, steel wool, and screening. Package food defensively. Metal containers, glass bottles, and heavy plastic containers with tight fitting lids are resistant to rodents. Paper boxes, plastic bags, and cellophane packages or packages that do not close thoroughly are easily accessible to rodents. Sacks of flour and bags of grains need a better barrier. For simplicity, pasta products, rice, dry soup mixes, pudding mixes, etc., still in their original packages can be placed in a rodent-proof package. This maintains the labels and cooking instructions with the products. If products such as rice, barley or other grains are transferred to plastic or glass containers, cut the cooking instructions from the label and place in the container with the food for future reference. Cracker boxes and large cereal packages also need protection and can be placed intact in larger safe packages.

If food is to be transferred from the original container, be sure that the new
container is safe for food storage. For example, don't use an old gasoline drum
or container that has held chemicals. Any container that originally held food
can be reused for food if it has a tight fitting lid. Empty coffee cans,
mayonnaise jars, even plastic milk jugs can be cleaned and reused for products like grains.

IF RODENTS HAVE ALREADY MOVED IN

Spring traps, sticky traps and poison can be used to eliminate existing
problems. For information on using these, see USU Extension publication
NR-WD-010 Commensal Rodents.

OTHER DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH RODENTS
Rodents are well know as a source of disease whether it is by direct
contamination of food or water with the rodent's feces or urine, from a rodent
bite, or carried by a flea, tick or mite on the rodent. Bubonic plague, the most
common form of plague, results from the bite of a flea carried on rats.

REFERENCES

Commensal Rodents. B. C. West and T. A. Messmer. NR-WD-010 Utah State Univ. Extension.

http://www.ext.usu.edu/pulica/natrpubs/rodent.pdf

Hantavirus: What is it and what can be done about it. Montana 9404 Human
Resource Development. Compiled by Kathy Winters.

http://www.montana.edu:801//wwwpb/pubs/mt9404.html

CDC: All about Hantavirus.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/index.htm

Hantavirus Diagnosis and Treatment Update. D. W. Keller and F. T. Koster. Apr. 1998.

Epidemiology Report. State of New Mexico Department of Health.
MMWR 7/12/98 Morbidity and Mortality. Weekly Reports, Center for Disease
Control.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome fact sheet. Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology. Feb. 1997.

[truthsupplier]

Woods Skills, Do you have what you need?
By John Elden

A group of us were talking about survival. The topic took a turn for
the worse when Rob scoffed at the notion of survival skill. "All that
stuff is great but within a few hours you will end up on a road, in
this area," He was right.

The problem, as I pointed out to my learned friend, is that some
people tend to walk in circles. How many times have you been near a
road and not realized it because you were lower then the road and the
vegetation on both sides camouflaged it. In that case, you need the
skill to travel in a strait line. I had him. Rob is tough

He just shrugged it off. "So you use your compass or the sun', he
said. "That is my point, skill", I said. The fact is knowing which
way to go doesn't mean you are taking the best route or shortest
direction. What if it gets dark? What if you get snow? What if you
get hurt?

The Challenge

The challenge is simple. Spend a night in the woods alone: using
only a knife, metal match, and water bottle with purifier, Cup,
Poncho, map and compass. Dress in layers for the weather. Only try
this if you are medically fit! If you need a bee sting kit, or some
other medication bring it. Start in the summer. As your skill grows
try earlier and later seasons.

Always Act Safe – Set up a tent and have a sleeping bag with you.
In short, every thing you would use for camping. This is your backup,
when needed. My guess is you won't need them.

You should take one of these trips every so often. Each time use
one less Item on the list

Always be sure that you are providing:

1) Potable Water

2) Fire

3) Shelter

4) Food

5) Direction (know North, South, East, West)

Relation to home.

Alone doesn't require you to travel alone, just camp alone. Stay
several hundred yards away from another person. But always Act Safe.



Do you have these Skills?
Can you:

Use a Map and Compass

Travel from one point to another

(Several miles)

Triangulate

Pick the best rout by map

Find Cardinal directions without a compass (Both night and day)

Make a fire:

With metal match

With wet wood (using matches, or metal match)

With friction

Cook with a campfire

Build a long fire

Build a reflector fire

Build a Shelter, Bed and Insulation : Use only natural materials.

Make water potable using no chemicals.

Cook food and boil water using only natural materials.

Positively identify [ know what parts to use and how to prepare]
three to five wild plants in your area. Do this for all four seasons.

Know basic camping skills, with gear.

Basic first aid, CPR, and Swimming

[truthsupplier]

The Survival kit
Don't leave home without it!
by John Elden

We were walking up the trail, for about a minute, when we saw him.
He asked if we had seen his friend. I turned to my hunting partner
thinking it was a joke, and said, " I think he's lost." It hit me;
the young man asking us about his friend was the one who was lost.

We gave him a ride back to camp, but it was two late. Several
people were out looking for him. About three hours later, two hours
after dark, the search crew came back. Everyone was relived that he
was all right, this time.

No Need

I asked him if he had any fire starter. He did have matches, but no
fire starter. If it had been wet out, odds are pretty good that he
would not have been able to get a fire going. He also didn't have a
map or compass.

His reason," I was with my friend and he knew were we were going".
The problem was they got separated. His general attitude was, I have
no need for those things.

I started to wonder what he would have done had he been injured or
night had fallen. Would he have just stumbled around?

4" of safety

I have always carried some form of survival gear. The simplest is the
whistle match safe. It has a built in man made flint glued to it and
a compass with signal mirror built into its top, about 4". Add a
knife and your going to cover most of your needs.

The little mirror is almost useless, but a nice touch.
The fact you have it could be of help. I always like to carry a
folding serrated knife.

I love my clip knife. I cannot count the number of times I have
looked back to see it clipped to a branch or some other obstacle.
The clip is made for a quick draw. It's great for work, when you
need your knife every few minutes.

If you take nothing else with you, take this: Leave it in your
pocket. Clip it to your front pocket when you really need it, and
then put it back. The front pocket is good because you can check it a
lot easier and it catches on less. But it dose catch. The knife I use
is a Gerber E-Z out®. It has a bent pin, because the knife kept
catching on things.

I have just replaced it with an Schrade Cliphanger System® I like the
fact it has a leash. This should be a great help.

I have not used it much. (Clip broke after two weeks. Im hard on
equipment.)

The price is great, about $20.00. It also comes with a sharpening
kit.

The Class System

A knife, fire starter and compass with a map, are all
You really need. If you get right down to it: a knife may be it. The
rest is skill.

What and how much you bring depends a lot on:

You're skill, the area you are traveling in, the type of weather you encounter and the length of your trip.

Break it into class 1-3.

Class 1 – low need

Class 2 – Greater need

Class 3 – Extreme need

If your woods skills are poor increase your class requirements until you
feel comfortable. Remember The old timers rule, "you usually need less then you think." Each class builds on the other, all of class one is added to class 2. All of class 1 and 2 are added to a class 3 list.

Class 1

1) A good Knife (folder is my choice, with semi-serrated blade).
2) Map and compass.
3) Metal match.
4) Matches and / or lighter.
5) Correct layered clothing for the time of year and elevation.
6) Water bottle and water purification method.

This will cover the average walk in the wilds. You have all you need
to spend the night. If you need first aid you will have to improvise.
But the most important needs can be met. Staying warm and finding
your way out.

However, if you run into bad luck you may wish you had a few items
found in class 2.

Class 2
Add to class one items the fallowing:
All this fits into a 2" or 3" square plastic box.

1) 15' of No.32 soft wire (wind around cardboard)
2) 15' of monofilament line (wind around cardboard).
3) 2 fish hooks
4) 2 split shot sinkers
5) One sided razor blade
6) 2"x 2" gauze pad (fold it up).
7) 2 band-aids (role and tape)
8) 1 large safety pin
9) Cotton balls dipped in Vaseline (2)
10) 2 Bullion cubes
11) 1 square of Aluminum foil
12) Water proof matches (Book type)

Water proof kit with plastic or watertight box. I usually rap in a
plastic bag and tape shut. That should fill up your box. I add a few other items to be carried in cargo pants or butt pack.

The little box can be put in your pocket for security or added to
the butt pack. Most of the items are standard. Some are not. Wire can
be used for snares or as shoe laces if yours break. The aluminum
foil can be used to form a cup. Wrap it around your fist and make a
wire handle by folding foil over a loop of wire.

Add to this: a power bar, 15' of Para cord and a small folding saw. (Gerber gets my vote.) Its small light and works great.

In this class the toilet paper in a plastic bag and one or two fire starters round it out.

What would I add as optional?

1) Space blanket.
2) 1-2 Plastic garbage bags.
3) A small first aid kit
4) A small Chemical stick (light)
5) A poncho
6) Metal Cup.

Clothing should include a hat. Gloves if needed.

When it comes to cups, I like something in-between a sierra cup and
a Canteen cup. Mine is a large metal cup with a wire handle, my "sport
bottle" even fits in it. The only draw back is the handle doesn't fold down.

Class 3

This is used for very broad travel. It is basically all your camping
gear and or other provisions for 72 hrs or longer.

Back pack, tent, stove, fuel, pots, food, water, clothing, Sleeping
bag and Extra compass. Some may laugh at this, but a light pack using
bivwak gear for a tent is the ultimate survival gear.

Nothing replaces knowledge. Learning how to get to class 1,
Is the true goal of self-sufficiency.

If you are on a long expedition far from help in extreme conditions
you will need more medical equipment and some dental equipment.

Look for an article on, The Hudson's bay company survival list, in
a future issue.

A final thought

The one piece of gear I have purposely left out is a two-way radio
or cell-phone (were range permits). I also, did Not mention a GPS.

I will mention this in Closing. The GPS is great to keep you on
your path. However, it is of no use when the batteries are dead. The
same can be said for a two-way radio.

I think they have their place, especially for someone with medical
concerns or for any one concerned with their skill level. 2 meter Ham radios get my vote.

Equipment cannot replace skill, It can only aid it. The ultimate kit
is your brain. Skill and knowledge will allow you to make due. Work
toward living with only the aid of a knife, then learn to make the
knife.

[daij]

hau,

It is good to know Red Roads extend to the wildest places. My thanks for the sharing, it was well worth the investigation. Blessings abound for this old hollow bone. Another Lodge would address this with Sgi Wa?Do.

truthsupplier aka wayinktelo (come to raise a voice) from 23rd Pipe Song
Greetings.:)

A few more worthwhile sites.
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com
http://www.survivaltopics.com

[truthsupplier]

Here is a worthwhile bump since there has been interest shown...

[neutrino]

I'm just going to stock up on shit loads of tinned foods and bags of pasta. I'll simply buy the cheapest supermarket versions I can buy to make sure I get more for my money.
I'll probably get tins of Carrots, peas, green beans, new potatoes, lentil/tomato/vegetable/minestrone soups, baked beans and casserole and whatever else I see.

oh and tons of toilet rolls.

[ronisron]

This is a great thread with a lot of useful information. I'm confident in my instincts, and know that I'll be able to do right for me and mine when the time comes, but all of this is very practical, sensible info that people need.

[ghostdogg]

mister truthsupplier ...
dear friend ...
you have done a lot of work helping on getting trough rough times ...
a big big thank you ...
i would like to say a little thing about rodents ...
rodents are usually always around ...
by attracting them to another place away from your foodstore with bait ... they can be trapped and eaten in times of need ...
when they are well cooked until the meet falls of the bones ...
as i understood , rodents carry virusses with them but not in there body 's as they are known for clean animals , like cats ...
urine and feases are the most dangerous things from rodents to deal with ... please correct me if i am wrong ...

peace :) :) :)

[tracker]

this thread is invaluable .

well done .

full of info
well detailed

thankyou for this .

:cool:

[starstuff]

Bumping this one as well. :p

[tracker]

Bumping this one as well. :p

yep , good stuff .

its on this link in the home section .

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98931

[morethanatheory]

Definately one of the best threads i've seen on Survival. Very detailed, and well written. I guess I should start stocking up now, as I have put it off for a while. I lack the storage space during this time though.

But lets say I sure wouldn't mind having you round the day we need to start using our storage!

[tracker]

Definately one of the best threads i've seen on Survival. Very detailed, and well written. I guess I should start stocking up now, as I have put it off for a while. I lack the storage space during this time though.

But lets say I sure wouldn't mind having you round the day we need to start using our storage!

yep , it doesnt need to be done all in one day and can be done over a period of a year or so .

if you wish to know more you can always visit the link here .



:cool:

[tracker]

Definately one of the best threads i've seen on Survival. Very detailed, and well written. I guess I should start stocking up now, as I have put it off for a while. I lack the storage space during this time though.

But lets say I sure wouldn't mind having you round the day we need to start using our storage!

yep , it doesnt need to be done all in one day and can be done over a period of a year or so . nd yes this thread is quite brilliant IMO too , very detailed and nicely put .

if you wish to know more you can always visit the link here .


http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98931



:cool: