What I/we/you did/bought/built this week/month to improve my/your survivability.

[TnAndy]

Ordered a range of Conibear critter traps today, from the size 110 to the 220 range.....for squirrel, rabbit, etc....along with a bunch of cable snares.

[Brio]

Canned 100 lbs of tomatoes.

[needler]

I used my brain this week to acquire one of the most important commodities known to man knowledge and information.

[goldie40]

we harvested our winter squash and pumpkin crop. I had never had pumpkin soup until a couple weeks ago, now that we have learned how to season it about ten different ways and how good it is for us, we'll have irt at least once a week. We had never bothered with squashes because they take so much room and because when I was a kid over 2 life times ago, it was one of my never eat foods.We made puree out of the pumpkins and will store the Hubbards and the Butternuts in the basement for the next 4-8 months until we use them.Next yr if I'm still around, I'll be planting more and different kinds.Actually they make a good plant for the edge of the lawn because as they grow out, the lawn don't have to be mowed.

[Nickelless]

I just ordered another 30 5-gallon mylar bags from Sorbent Systems, which will hold a total of about 450 pounds of rice and 300 pounds of beans. I'll have to order more bags in about another six weeks!

[Hystckndle]

Had appointment today with the locally owned health food store dude.
I bought 150 lbs of staples in 50 lb and 25 lb bags with another 150 lbs coming
on Tuesday or so.
I am going to do this until I run out of buckets or room.
After many trips to WallyWorld and Costco ( which is cutting out some of the larger packages here )
I am over it and went local with my $.
The organic items are still 15 to 20 points cheaper than Amazon or Fleabay because of the high freight costs
so I am happy.
No longer concerned with .05 here and .10 there.
Ya either can say you have it.....or you cannot.
Regards to all.
Haystackneedle

[Brio]

we harvested our winter squash and pumpkin crop. I had never had pumpkin soup until a couple weeks ago, now that we have learned how to season it about ten different ways and how good it is for us, we'll have irt at least once a week.

Mind sharing a recipe for that? I'd really like to try it.

[Treasure Searcher]

I picked up my generator from the repair shop. Had carburator problems. Fixed now.

[goldie40]

Mind sharing a recipe for that? I'd really like to try it.

here's where we got the recipes, the only difference is, we didn't boil the onions as we like to taste them, we satueed them in a very little olive oil and added them after we pureed the pumpkin in a food processor. We also used 2% milk instead of cream. there's no limit to the different seasonings a person can use to change the taste a little.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReNqmujbtx0

[Merkin]

My wife and I just sent a long e-mail to our children, who live in Seattle, London, and Newport Beach, a long letter with our concerns for their survivability along with suggestions for food, water and protection. They put together a conference call to us to determine whether we were losing our faculties. This is a "I'm not joking" post.

[Merkin]

Merkin, what brand of dehydrator did you buy? I've got 10 Nescos that still work, and I'd like to get an Excalibur at some point.


My survivability stash this week has been increased by 8 ozs. Ag, 100 pounds of rice, 25 pounds of small red kidney beans and beaucoup steel shelving for my bunker pantry.

Nickelless; Apologies for taking so long with this. We bought a Harvest Maid FD200 from my wife's cousin. It is a "like new" old timer. We have since used it for apples, bananas and jerky. The jerky is using goat meat and it took a couple tries to get that one to be anything like jerky. There is one on eBay for $125 that includes the manual. Search harvest maid fd200 dehydrator if interested. I would recommend it but I've not used anything other. Good luck.

[northfarmer]

100 pounds of various beef cuts.
1000 gallons diesel
200 pounds propane
500$ canned stuff

Had the electrician out working on something and told him i would also love to have a transfer switch.

I was unaware those things are their own breaker box?said he could do a 60 amp but i needed to choose circuits i wanted.

Need to figure out if he is wrong or right,any suggestions?

I got a horrible feeling in my belly that "it" is very,very close

[SilverJeep]

I got a horrible feeling in my belly that "it" is very,very close

Me too, like when the birds know to fly south. They just know.

[SilverJeep]

Vacuum sealed (12) 5-gallon buckets of food. That was my first experience setting up food for the long term. Been using 5 gallon buckets and gamma seals for a few years and using and re-supplying.

Also have a generator transfer switch on the way.

Got set up again for raising more rabbits. Will go loook at getting more chickens tonight.

Got my Berkey in!! Love it!!!!!

[Nickelless]

At first thought this might not sound like a survival-oriented activity, but I think most of us here realize that entertainment will be extremely important in a post-grid environment. I just got a shipment of 88 humor-oriented books that I bought as a bulk lot for about $60 on eBay. I'm in the process of building shelves on one entire wall of my home office to make room for more books.

[Hystckndle]

F--- these guys and their entire f- ing system.
They can all bite my arse.
Will be better off without the whole lot of them,
And so would we all.
Parasites and sucker fish, the whole lot.
Might as well add a large part of the attorneys
skimming off all of us and the insurance industry to my thought process while I am
at it.....
ohhhh and not to mention the " growth menagement " offices I have been visiting the last few weeks in various municipalities as well...
A whole class of non producers with negative overall effects to the output of the economy we have left.
FUBAR.
( Duh )
Note: Above not meant in negative manner.
It is ALL good, just depends on how ya look at it.

Gonna be outside today...feels like the Admin Bear here finally sent me some cooler weather.
Big freakin hug your way dude.

[CiscoKid]

Aquired a metal detector. One that is capable of detecting silver and gold (among other things). Thinking of trying my hand at some prospecting for fun and relaxation. Back in the day there were 18 productive gold mines within walking distance of my farm.

[needler]

Aquired a metal detector. One that is capable of detecting silver and gold (among other things). Thinking of trying my hand at some prospecting for fun and relaxation. Back in the day there were 18 productive gold mines within walking distance of my farm.

What kind of metal detector did you get?


I found all this Canada silver in 1 month time


I found 11 silvers so far gave up though because of the heat but have all winter to detect. Still waiting for some gold.

Never mind forget you got the Minelab X-Terra 705 I smoked too much.

[Hystckndle]

Aquired a metal detector. One that is capable of detecting silver and gold (among other things). Thinking of trying my hand at some prospecting for fun and relaxation. Back in the day there were 18 productive gold mines within walking distance of my farm.

Hey Cisco.
Cousin of mine lived for years near Rapidan, Va.
You can get north of 2 or 3 K for some CSA belt buckles found with a good detector like that.

Further, I used to get a Garret newsletter from time to time.
They had some letter to editor posted once.
Said the guy was from a town near me.
I kept it for a few years in the " some day ' file.
One day I dialed 411 and called him up explaining how I came about him..
After talking to him in a few more conversations he said that near where he was stationed in the service
which was in Norfolk he had found thousands of dollars of jewelry etc etc .
He simply said persistence is key. I have always remembered that.
Regards Cisco. Haystack

[Unca Walt]

Aquired a metal detector. One that is capable of detecting silver and gold (among other things). Thinking of trying my hand at some prospecting for fun and relaxation. Back in the day there were 18 productive gold mines within walking distance of my farm.

<< *** jealousy ***>>

<< ***envy *** >>

[CiscoKid]

....After talking to him in a few more conversations he said that near where he was stationed in the service
which was in Norfolk he had found thousands of dollars of jewelry etc etc.. .

Now that I have a detector, I would give my left *** to be back near a beach. I hear those beachcombers do very well after a holiday weekend and after a hurricane. A lot of those rings they turn up have stones in them too for a nice extra bonus.

[Hystckndle]

Nah, the beach is over rated friend.

I have noticed the guys that DO find something use good equipment as well.

[AU+AG=Bacon]

I picked up a 100 gallon fuel tank with a manual pump off Craigslist today. It was $350. I'm now able to store 5 refills for my truck with this added capacity. Needs some light paint on the edges, but the inside was in excellent shape.

Bacon

[Merlin]

Canned 100 lbs of tomatoes.

Brio, I am insanely jealous of the wide open space you see from your home. I'm also duly impressed with your freshly painted deck. But the image of 36 quarts of homecanned tomatoes raises an issue for me. I know for a fact that those quarts will be good for years (5, 6, or more, who knows??!!) However, you are faced with the prospect of rotating all those quarts through your own diet sometime in the near future, or selling/gifting others in your life. How do you see those 36 quarts of homecanned tomatoes being used?

Way to go, Girl. I'm eating homecanned stewed tomatoes dated September 8, 2005. Absolutely nothing wrong with the taste or the texture. And they blend into so many other things (chili, tomato sauce, rice and bean recipes too numerous to mention, etc.) That's a nice food reserve asset, Brio.

[Brio]

Thanks Merlin!! We really lucked out getting this place for sure. Nothing makes better salsa than home canned tomatoes. I do a lot of that and seem to be good at it. I canned another 15 or so jars of tomatoes but threw in some garlic, onions, zuchinni and a pickled jalapeno, is a great easy way to make spaghetti sauce. Or open a can of just tomatoes over some fried ground beef and throw in whatever you like, lots of people don't like the jalapenos. Fresh mushrooms, i have cilantro growing on my back deck, it's really nice with pasta. I give some away but not so much anymore 'cause I never get the jars back :grr: lol.

[Sampson]

I gotta say WoooooHoooo! for just changing the number one thing to improve my long term survivability. After trying for almost a year i finally sold my house and am moving away from the city to a beautiful remote location. I just got back a couple hours ago from hauling my camper trailer loaded with the first load of stuff and i am already twitching to get back out there. It is in central B.C. at about 2000ft elevation and surrounded by crown land and miles and miles of hills and trees. The house itself is nothing fancy but it is on 2 acres and shares the valley with one neighbor on an 800 acre ranch, almost 10 miles from the highway with a wooded ridge seperating the valley from the highway, has a good wood stove, metal roof, covered workshop area attached, only 20 minutes from a village of 750 people but hours away from any large cities. It is only just over an hour drive to get to my nearest claims to go goldpanning.

It was getting dark before i left but i saw about 50 mule deer (almost all does) browsing in the hay field out front as the sun was going down. The neighbor says there are nice full curl bighorns that hang out on the cliffs behind the house as well as moose that love the swamp near the end of the valley, and to top it off a few good herds of elk tour up and down the valley each year. There is a small creek that seperates the property from the road and about 600 yards down it runs into a gorgeous river that has trout and steelhead as well as numerous lakes on the map that i will soon be exploring and fishing.

I was able to snap a few pics when there was still enough light but i had to get unloaded and on the road before it got dark.

Here is the view off the front deck. I can't wait for my first official morning there sitting on the deck, sipping a hot coffee and watching the sun rise. Slightly south east view.



And straight east.



Heres the creek and the front gate.



And it gets the seal of appeal from my hound.



It definitely needs some work but overall it is solid. It is gonna take me a long time to move all my storage and stuff but once i get settled in i'm sure it is gonna be the best decision i have made in a long time. I'll be sure to get some more pics when i haul the next load out there.

Sampson

[WhyKnow]

I gotta say WoooooHoooo! for just changing the number one thing to improve my long term survivability. After trying for almost a year i finally sold my house and am moving away from the city to a beautiful remote location. I just got back a couple hours ago from hauling my camper trailer loaded with the first load of stuff and i am already twitching to get back out there. It is in central B.C. at about 2000ft elevation and surrounded by crown land and miles and miles of hills and trees. The house itself is nothing fancy but it is on 2 acres and shares the valley with one neighbor on an 800 acre ranch, almost 10 miles from the highway with a wooded ridge seperating the valley from the highway, has a good wood stove, metal roof, covered workshop area attached, only 20 minutes from a village of 750 people but hours away from any large cities. It is only just over an hour drive to get to my nearest claims to go goldpanning.

It was getting dark before i left but i saw about 50 mule deer (almost all does) browsing in the hay field out front as the sun was going down. The neighbor says there are nice full curl bighorns that hang out on the cliffs behind the house as well as moose that love the swamp near the end of the valley, and to top it off a few good herds of elk tour up and down the valley each year. There is a small creek that seperates the property from the road and about 600 yards down it runs into a gorgeous river that has trout and steelhead as well as numerous lakes on the map that i will soon be exploring and fishing.


I'll be sure to get some more pics when i haul the next load out there.

Sampson

Beautiful. If there is a pond in that valley, you should get some migratory waterfowl also. Make good friends with the neighbor

[Fatboy]

Congrats! With the flow of that "creek", think hydropower!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_turbine

[argentos]

I gotta say WoooooHoooo! for just changing the number one thing to improve my long term survivability. After trying for almost a year i finally sold my house and am moving away from the city to a beautiful remote location.

Sampson

Wonderful place, wonderful hound, wonderful life!

[Treasure Searcher]

A friend of mine sold me ten rolls of 5' high metal mesh fence. I bought these used rolls for $20.00 each. They will come in handy when planting a garden and/or fruit trees. Deer like to eat everything here.

[WhyKnow]

A friend of mine sold me ten rolls of 5' high metal mesh fence. I bought these used rolls for $20.00 each. They will come in handy when planting a garden and/or fruit trees. Deer like to eat everything here.

Good buy. Extend your fence poles beyond the five feet to run some wire around the top. I don't think five feet is high enough for deer.

[CiscoKid]

It is only just over an hour drive to get to my nearest claims to go goldpanning.

There you go.

There is a small creek that seperates the property from the road and about 600 yards down it runs into a gorgeous river that has trout and steelhead as well as numerous lakes on the map that i will soon be exploring and fishing.

Nice!

Here is the view off the front deck. I can't wait for my first official morning there sitting on the deck, sipping a hot coffee and watching the sun rise.

I looks very peaceful. You are very fortunate.

[voodoo1951]

Sampson...I'm jealous! That looks like a little slice of paradise. (Actually, a BIG slice)

[Hystckndle]

Good stuff Sampson !!

[Treasure Searcher]

Good buy. Extend your fence poles beyond the five feet to run some wire around the top. I don't think five feet is high enough for deer.

I was contemplating running barbed wire around the top, like "constatina" wire. I also have some chicken wire fence that I can put around the bottom to keep out burrowing animals. The coyotes around here are plentiful, so I do not see any rabbit problems in the immediate future.

[Sampson]

Thanks for the comments guys, i can hardly wait to get settled in and get everything organized. Moving is a bitch, especially when you have as much stuff as i do but once i am in there i don't plan on going anywhere for a while. There is very little wood stacked up right now, so i hope it doesn't snow too much before i get a chance to gather up all the dead standing i can and get a good pile going.

I wish i could find a deal on some fencing like that Treasure Searcher, i have a post and rail fence but i want to close it in better so the dog doesn't get out and no skunks or porcupines get in. I'm not too worried about the deer getting in but the last thing i want is to be pulling porky quills out of my dogs nose again.

[Nickelless]

As of today I now have a gun for each room of the house--I just picked up a Glock 27 with two extra magazines for $400 in a face-to-face sale with a local resident. I'm a little light on .40-cal ammo at the moment, so that will be my next purchase.

[Treasure Searcher]

Thanks for the comments guys, i can hardly wait to get settled in and get everything organized. Moving is a bitch, especially when you have as much stuff as i do but once i am in there i don't plan on going anywhere for a while. There is very little wood stacked up right now, so i hope it doesn't snow too much before i get a chance to gather up all the dead standing i can and get a good pile going.

I wish i could find a deal on some fencing like that Treasure Searcher, i have a post and rail fence but i want to close it in better so the dog doesn't get out and no skunks or porcupines get in. I'm not too worried about the deer getting in but the last thing i want is to be pulling porky quills out of my dogs nose again.

If you are looking for used fence, here may be three options:
1) Any retired farmers/ranchers in your area that quit farming? They may have used
fence and/or used metal fence posts.
2) If someone (yuppies, etc.) buys a farmstead and wants to clean the place up, ask
them if there is any old fence and/or fence posts for sale.
3) Auction sales for farms and/or ranches. You get a chance to look at any fencing before the sale, but the price may be higher, depending on the crowd there bidding.

[Nickelless]

I just bought 10 Faraday flashlights to put at more places around the homestead:

http://www.outletpc.com/we8974.html?...#axzz1bViWGf3b

[CiscoKid]

I'm a little light on .40-cal ammo at the moment, so that will be my next purchase.

Local range had a limit on two boxes per calender day so I made it a point to stop every day on my way home. After a few weeks I had a nice stash. May I suggest spreading the ammo around the house as well? I realized that while I had sufficient ammunition I had very little extra upstairs where our bedroom is. I have now remedied that situation.

[Nickelless]

Local range had a limit on two boxes per calender day so I made it a point to stop every day on my way home. After a few weeks I had a nice stash. May I suggest spreading the ammo around the house as well? I realized that while I had sufficient ammunition I had very little extra upstairs where our bedroom is. I have now remedied that situation.

Not just ammo, but spare magazines as well.

[Merlin]

A few days ago, after too much libation, I opened a #10 can of Germade from Rainy Day Foods, just to find out what it was. Imagine my surprise when I saw I had 52 servings of "cream of wheat" to eat. What to do? What to do??!!

http://www.acumenofmaturingman.com/creamwheat.htm

I already have my onions and Serbian bacon sauteed and ready to add to my breakfast cereal tomorrow morning.

Now I need to order another #10 can to rotate into my reserves. But, just look at what I've learned!! Farina with nuts. Farina with peanut butter or butterscotch. Farina with onions and bacon. Farina with greens and cheese. Good grief! Farina is bland and goes with everything. And now I know. Learning to cook with my food pantry has been a journey.

[hoarder]

I put in some concrete cisterns uphill from the homesite which will be filled by the well pump and gravity feed back to the house.

[Treasure Searcher]

A local discount store had a sale on antifreeze and toilet paper. Replenished my stock pile for those.

[Nickelless]

My fiancee and I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and I remembered that I needed a new toothbrush. So I went to the personal-care area and saw multipacks of four toothbrushes for about $2.50 each. So I bought all eight packages. I don't think it's possible to have too many toothbrushes, given the impact on health that teeth can have.

[Sampson]

Spent the morning cutting and hauling my first load of wood for the new place. It is all dead standing beetle killed pine so it is nice and dry and should burn real hot and clean. I found a nice old maul head in the shed and put a quick edge on it and gave it a workout. I was able to get about half of it split before the ol' herniated disk reminded me to slow down and take a break. I took the top ends of the logs that were too small to split and whipped together a quick compost bin. A layer of grass on the bottom, 2gal's of kitchen scraps and covered with wood chips and shavings from the sawing made for a nice start to the pile. I hope the weather stays nice for another week or two so i can get a few more loads of wood put up. It was about 10 below this morning and it is gonna feel real nice to sit beside the fire in the stove tonight. Might have to set a coushin on the floor and sit by the stove with my back to it and let the heat sink in, there is just something about the warmth given off by a wood stove that feels sooooo good.








Sampson

[TimoneX]

Nice! Love my wood stove! I also love chopping wood, great exercise.

What's that bottom picture...corralled poop? Quarantined sawdust?

Oops...a compost bin. Sorry bout your back, that smarts.

[Lt Dan]

Got my winter wood all cut, split, and stacked in the shed. Finished up this morning.

[Brio]

Finally got my woodshed sided in there's a log home construction place just up the road and for the price of a case of beer I got the loader man to drop a bundle of slabs in my yard. Used those to side in the shed. Use what you've got!!

This is a month ago, I've added another 3 cords since then

[CiscoKid]

Took advantage of it being November to purchase a new finish mower. Might not increase my survivability but it will help to keep the compound looking like a golf course. Unit is a Woods 7 footer. Guy on the phone quoted me $3195. I got there and there was a faded tag on it that said $2895. He said, "Yeah, that was the price before they raised it". I gave him 'the look' and he said, "But I can let you have it for $2895". I thought about it and said that I would give him $2695 cash for it right now. He said he would have to call his manager so we walked inside. While he's talking to his manager I pulled out the cash and set it on his desk. I expect their business is a bit slow right now because they're delivering it next week. I hear Woods makes a good mower and if you are going to by a new mower or barbecue grill, November is the time to do it. Here's my old one in action.