Tag Archives: surviving

Feed Family Of 4 For 1 Year at $300 Cost

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by Woodsbum

My aunt forwarded this link to me about putting enough food back for an entire family. I thought that some might like to see this recipe and article.

Before I start, as I always do, I put out there that I don’t think of myself as a “prepper.” In my life I have seen enough hard times to know that everyone should put things back to cover themselves and their family in case of hard times. Times such as a job loss, downturn in the economy that makes meeting bills almost impossible, weather issues where resupply of food isn’t timely, etc. There are just too many instances where having food and supplies put back is necessary. I guess if you are waiting for the end of times, this article would be good for you too.

I would also like to point out that I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST AND DID NOT WRITE THIS ARTICLE. If you have any comments against the veracity of this article then follow the link that it come from and argue it out with them. It is important to mention that even if you only do this for supplemental purposes, you can use the dried beans for a multitude of other purposes. Dried beans can be ground into flour and uses as such or even ground up with water to become a butter or oil substitute.

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This plan is THE fastest, cheapest and easiest way to start a food storage program.  You are done in a weekend. AND there are no hassles with rotating.  Pack it and forget.  It’s space efficient – everything is consolidated into a few 5-gallon buckets.  You’ll sleep content in knowing that you have a one-year food supply on hand for your family should you ever need.

 

With the exception of dairy and Vitamin B12, this bean soup recipe will fulfill all your basic nutritional needs.  It won’t fill all of your wants, but using this as your starting point, you can add the stuff that you want. 

 

All of the food and storing supplies listed below plus 2 55-gallon recycled barrels to be used for rain catchment cost me $296, including taxes.  I purchased rice, bouillon and salt from SAM’s Club.  You can buy small bags of barley at the grocery, but if you don’t mind waiting a few days, special ordering a bulk bag from Whole Foods was cheaper.  All of the beans I purchased from Kroger’s in 1-lb bags.  Buckets, lids, Mylar bags and rain barrels were from the Lexington Container Company.  Their prices are so good, with such a great selection that it’s worth a drive even if you are not in the local area.   I went on a second-Saturday of the month because that’s when they host free food storage courses taught by Suzanne, an energetic, delight of prepping wisdom.  http://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/

 

What you need:

8 5-gallon buckets

8 large Mylar bags

8 2,000 cc oxygen absorbers

8 gamma lids

A handful of bay leaves 

90 lbs. of white rice

22 lbs. of kidney beans

22 lbs. of barley

22 lbs. of yellow lentils

5.5 lbs. of split green peas

5.5 lbs. of garbanzo beans

1 lb. of salt

A big box of beef and chicken bouillon. 

A measuring cup

 

 

What you’ll do

Install the gamma lids on the bucket and insert Mylar bags.  Place 2 or 3 bay leaves in the bottom and fill the buckets, adding more bay leaves after each 1/3 to full.  Place an oxygen absorber in the top.  Label buckets with the contents and date. 

 

Fill

  • 3 buckets with rice (shake it down good.  Get it all in there!)
  • 1 bucket each of kidney beans, barley, and yellow lentils
  • In 1 bucket store the split green peas, garbanzo beans, salt, measuring cup and bouillon.  (I removed the bouillon from the box and vacuum sealed it as bouillon contains a small amount of oil.)
  • Yep, that’s a total of 7 buckets, so far. 

 

I place a broom handle across the bucket and wrap the ends of the Mylar bag over the broom handle to give me some support.  Then slowly and smoothly run a hot iron over the Mylar bag to seal all except the last 2 inches.  Then I press out as much air as possible before sealing the remaining 2 inches.  Make sure your Mylar is completely sealed from end to end.  Now, stuff the bag into the bucket and rotate the gamma lid into place.    This will protect your food for about 25 years.   You’ll have excess Mylar bag at the top.  Don’t cut it off, that way if you have to cut it open to get into it, you have enough bag remaining to reseal.

 

Where you’ll put it

It’s pretty easy to find a place for 7 to 8 5-gallon buckets even in the smallest of apartments.  Discard the box springs and lay the kid’s mattress on top of the buckets, line the back of a large closet with the buckets.  I made a couch-table by stacking buckets two high between the couch and the wall.  The buckets are about 6” taller than the back of the couch.  Add a shelf and drape and it looks fine; a convenient place for a lamp and books.  Get creative.

 

Making your bean soup

Measure out
·        8 oz of rice
·        2 oz of red kidney beans
·        2 oz of pearl barley
·        2 oz of lintels
·        1 oz of split green peas
·        1 oz of chick peas/garbanzo’s

 

Add 6-7 quarts of water.  Add bouillon or salt to taste.  Then add any other meats, vegetables, potatoes or seasonings you have on hand. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for two hours.  You should have enough to feed 4 people for two days.  This is thick and hearty.  You will be warm on the inside and full with one large bowl.  Kids usually eat half a bowl.  

 

When the emergency is over

This system allows you to open the Mylar bags, retrieve as much of the ingredients as is needed and then reseal everything after the emergency has passed.  Just be sure to replace the ingredients used so that you always have a one-year supply.

 

The 8th bucket – other stuff I would want

This list isn’t included in the $300.  This falls into the “what I want” category.  As money and resources became available, I’d just go crazy adding all of my indulgences, starting with coffee!  You can add what you want, but I’d fill it with:

  • Dry onion.  Let’s face it, what’s bean soup without onion! Sprinkle on the onions just before serving.
  • “Just add water” cornbread mix packets.  I just can’t eat bean soup without cornbread.
  • Beef jerky and Vienna sausages.  Add protein and zest to the bean soup
  • Instant oatmeal.  Do you really want bean soup for breakfast?  Freeze the oatmeal for 3 days before packing to kill any bugs.
  • 10 lbs of jellybeans.  Now, don’t laugh – it’s a bean.  Jellybeans don’t melt like chocolate might.  The high sugar content is quick energy, and a morale booster – with just enough of a high to help you over the really bad days. Easter is about here – stock up!

 

 

Before you fill the 8th bucket

Buy small bags of the ingredients and fix a big pot of bean soup for dinner.  Eat the leftovers the second night, and 3rd night, until it’s all gone.  Find out now – rather than later – what your family might like to add to it.  Anything tastes great the first meal, but quickly becomes boring after the 3rd or 4th repeat.  Don’t wait until the emergency happens to discover what you SHOULD have stored in your 8th bucket. … Maybe some Beano!

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Again, I am not saying that I believe there will be some “End of the World as We Know It” type event. I am saying that everyone has a responsibility to take care of themselves and theirs in case of a disaster so planning ahead is a very responsible thing to do.

I will be putting this pile of chow together in the next few months to enhance my current food supplies. One doesn’t know what may or may not happen so having the extra food on hand if uninvited guests show up, things go bad for a long time, or you just want to outfit your camper with a food cache this recipe is a good way to do that inexpensively.

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Australian Dad Survives the Bush – Why I say you should always be prepared

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by Woodsbum

I stumbled across an article that discusses how a father and his two young sons survived 10 days in the Australian Outback. Apparently he was taking back roads as a scenic route with his sons and they somehow missed a turn and got stuck. They then spent 10 days surviving until someone came by and saved them.

Here is the article:

SYDNEY –  A 5-year-old boy and his 7-year-old brother were recovering in a hospital Monday after surviving with their father for 10 days in the Australian wilderness with little food and in weather conditions that ranged from stormy to scorching.

Their ordeal began Dec. 11 when dad Steven Van Lonkhuyzen took a wrong turn during a family road trip and then got his four-wheel-drive vehicle bogged in mud. The family was rescued Sunday after farmer Tom Wagner went searching and found them in the remote Expedition National Park.

“They were pretty hungry by the time I got to them, and pretty happy to see me,” Wagner said.

He said the younger boy, Timothy, kept asking him if he had any eggs, while the older one, Ethan, appeared dehydrated. He said the father had given the limited food he had to his sons, who themselves had gone with little or nothing to eat for a week.

“Luckily it rained,” he said. “Otherwise they would have perished.”

Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Mick Bianchi says Van Lonkhuyzen had planned to drive from his home in Brisbane to Cairns using an inland route.

“Quite simply, he took a wrong turn,” Bianchi said.

He said the boys were getting their strength back after their ordeal, during which temperatures rose to about 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). The boys were both listed as being in a stable condition at the Taroom Hospital.

Bianchi said the family had limited provisions but luckily it was stormy at times and they were able to collect rainwater in a plastic container. He said the father had tried to attract attention by laying out high-visibility items around his vehicle and lighting fires. He said Van Lonkhuyzen made the right choice by staying with his vehicle.

“They were very trying conditions, and it would have tested the family’s relationship,” Bianchi said.

He said the father attempted to establish routines with his children and keep them occupied.

He said there was little or no cellphone reception in the park and so the trio hadn’t been able to contact anybody. Bianchi said the boys’ mother had raised the alarm when the trio didn’t arrive at a friend’s home in Cairns.

He said the national park is not usually visited at this time of year because of the extreme weather conditions.

One of the first things I would like to point out is that the father put his sons first and gave them what food that they had brought with them. This was very noble and I am always happy to see parents who behave in such a selfless fashion. Kudos to this guy for his sacrifice and how much he loves his kids, especially since this didn’t kill him and leave his sons to fend for themselves. In the bush water is life, but calories are king. If you intake food without enough water you will not be able to digest the calories. If you don’t have enough calories for your body to function, you might not be able to do the work required to gather and purify the water needed to survive. It is a slippery slope. You have to eat enough to be able to do the work needed to keep alive so giving all your calories to someone else might have actually killed them all…..

Second thing I would like to point out is that you should ALWAYS have several days of rations on you when you travel. I don’t care if you are going via Interstate or down the Pacific Coast Trail. You should always have several days of food with you. Foraging/hunting can and will extend those meals if you get stuck, but having those calories available to give you the energy to: build shelters, gather firewood, create some sort of signaling system for rescue, finding and purifying water, etc. If you don’t have the energy to do those things, you may not pull through.

Last thing I will mention is the fact that they did not have enough water with them. If it had not rained, they might not have survived. Depending upon the weather or ground water to keep you hydrated is not a good idea unless you live some place like Western Washington where even the slugs wear rain coats. Most places do not have enough fresh water that you can purify within 1 mile of every place you could ever imagine like Western Washington does. This being said, also keep a way to purify or distill your water. If you live near the ocean distilling sea water will provide you will drinkable water so learn how and bring the supplies. If you live other places you should bring a water filtration system as a way to make any water you find drinkable.

These things are really second nature to those of us who spend as much time in the woods as we can. Knowing how to live in the woods versus surviving an outdoors mishap is really the difference between bushcrafting and being a survivalist. Like Mors Kochanski says, “The more you know, the less you carry.” Learn as much as possible and carry the right equipment.

Again, I am really glad that they made it through and did so well. It really is awesome and I bet the kids learned a TON due to this extended camping trip.

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