Prep of The Day Thread

Out of curiosity I was perusing NES's Survival Forum>Survival PDF Motherload>Prepper Library>>Prepping for a Global Pandemic (this was penned at least as early as 2015)

Prepping For a Global Pandemic

A Global Pandemic is the stuff prepper nightmares are made of. Barring a meteor ending all life on earth, a global pandemic has the highest mortality rate and the most likelihood of actually happening in our lifetime. As preppers, is there REALLY anything we can do to prep for a pandemic?

1918 flu pandemic
The 1918 flu pandemic, otherwise known as the Spanish flu, went down in history as being one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history, killing 5% of the worlds population. The 1918 flu pandemic was a wakeup call for health professionals all over the world and has shaped the way the world looks at influenza, it’s causes and prevention techniques.
What can you do to stay alive in a global pandemic?
During a global pandemic, which is most likely to be an influenza outbreak, there are various precautions that you should take in order to keep your chances of contracting the virus as low as possible.
Be Aware – The biggest step the average prepper can take to be prepared for a influenza outbreak is to be aware of an increased risk of wide-spread infection. One of the best ways to do this is to set up a Google Alert with the term “pandemic” or “influenza outbreak” – this will ensure that you receive daily emails about global news stories related to any pandemics, allowing you to get prepared before anyone else even knows the disaster is coming.

Cleanliness is the bane of all pandemics – stock up on hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and any other medical supplies that can effectively keep your Bug In Location sanitized.

Voluntary Quarantine – Everyone has a certain threshold for risks. If you feel that a global pandemic is imminent or has already started, there is no law preventing you from hunkering down and initiating a voluntary quarantine until you feel safe to be around others.

Stay away from sick people – This may seem like a no-brainer, but it would surpise you just how many people do not take communicable diseases seriously. Stay away from people showing symptoms of any viruses. Refrain from shaking hands during the flu season, and always keep hand sanitizer or sanitation wipes on hand. Wiping off a door handle or drinking fountain can go a long way in keeping you infection-free.

Stay Grey-Man – A global pandemic or influenza outbreak with a high mortality rate would be the worst disaster in modern history. With so many people going unprepared for this and other disasters, diligent preppers may be targeted for their supplies. Do not attract unwanted attention to yourself before or during any disaster. Building a community is one thing, telling all your neighbors how much food you have and where your medical supplies are is simply inviting more problems in a real disaster scenario.
A global pandemic or influenza outbreak is not a matter of “if”…but “When”. History shows us that this disaster can and will present itself I the future. Prepare today, and give your family the very best chance of survival.
 
Sauer Grapes said:
My old Foodsaver is still great. These are from my garden, last summers peak. Still so fresh....I'd go for your new toy, but I guess mine is old enough to still be quality.
View attachment 351162
I'd post meat porn, but I already had this pic handy....
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I had a good one for a number of years. Put a lot of miles on it. They certainly get the job done.

ETA: I did a bunch of bagging today. Maybe 35-40 bags of assorted stuff. After a little more experience with the VacMaster unit I will elaborating a bit for folks on the fence about upgrading.

I am comparing this to one of the ‘higher end’ foodsavers as that is what I had most recently. I spent right around 200 on that foodsaver iirc. It served me well and bagged a LOT of stuff before giving up. Well worth the money.

The VacMaster I have now is the 380 pro.

It is all stainless, and built heavy. Clearly well made. Lots of bricks inside. Everything fits tight and operates smoothly.

It is hard to gauge this exactly of course, but the new unit clearly pulls significantly more vacuum. This is not always a good thing, but it is adjustable. It seems “low” on this machine is equivalent to what the foodsaver did. You can cut vac short of course and seal at whatever level you want.

The seal is where she really stands out. You should do all the same stuff as you do with the foodsaver for best results, don’t be a lazy douche nozzle. Try to get all the wrinkles out at the ‘neck’ and support the bag when sealing. However, you do need to f up pretty bad I think to achieve failure. It doesn’t seem to care.

If you’ve run the foodsaver a lot, you know that ‘wet’ stuff can be a problem. Blood from meats, water from seafood, oils, etc, all can interfere with the foodsaver creating a good seal. So far, none of that at all with this rig. Before I realized I should just turn down the vac to a more reasonable level, I put her to the test with this. Good seal every time.

I was genuinely surprised a couple of times. “$!@!, I’m going to need to do that one over.” Nope. Perfect seal. I even managed to get a couple of corse pepper grains in the seal area on one bag, it just sealed around them. WTF?

Just the sealing performance alone is worth the $ in my opinion. Less screwing around, and more bagging getting done. If you are thinking of upgrading to a better machine, that is where your money is going IMO.

While we are on the subject of my opinion, it probably isn’t worth jack squat, so take that into consideration when you read the above and make your own damn decision. Don’t come crying to me when your wife leaves you and your dog dies because you bought a shitty vac-sealer. I warned you after all.
 
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Prepped another of my gardens this morning with the tractor bucket teeth, dragging the weeds into one area. It's been raining here for a couple of days and it's a little wet so it has to dry out before it can be tilled. It will be planted with green beans, corn, and a patch of beets and another with pickling cukes.
 
Choctaw said:
I am trying beets for the first time this year. Just going to plant some in containers to see how well it goes.
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They need steady water.....not a lot but regularly. They also like loose soil so amend your container soil accordingly.

When I plant beets I till in a couple of bales of peatmoss into the rows and till as deep as the tiller will go. Seed spacing is also important. I over seed and thin when 4-5 inches high using the thinned greens for salad.
 
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It snowed at my house last night. Been frosting still when not raining/sleeting/snowing. We got the potato towers up becuase they are hay insulated for now.

Every year in March I think "This is the year spring will come early." I'm wrong everytime.
 
I think I'm keeping the economy going all on my own with 'preps' a day over the last couple months.
- Doin my part. hahaha

...awaiting delivery on
-chamber vac sealer
-inordinate amounts of flour

Had my knees the dirt making a new garden from a section of lawn for almost 3 weeks - i smell manure everywhere - cold crops planted/sprouting
 
jpk said:
One of those or its baby brother is on my list.......

Going thru a a closet I have a tendency to incrementally put preps in over time....little stuff....box of this at a good price, box of that......found 2 cases #10 cans of long term food thats good for another 20 years....its amazing how much you put away when you buy slow but steady over years as prices/avail allow

In other news.....my brussell sprouts and peas are breaking surface of the starter containers.....grow light going to be put over them this evening to see if we cant get a little turbo growth action going

No sign of life in the beans, tomatoes and other stuff yet.....

Gotta get raised beds squared away along with odd ball containers for potatoes....you can grow quite a volume of potatoes in 50 gallon containers cut in half

Got to look into whether its too late for garlic....loooove garlic
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Can you raise brussel sprouts and garlic completely in containers? I love both of those!
 
McReef said:
Is it really worth surviving without the prospect of some nice ribeyes in your future?

Got a new toy to play with. Is on sale on their site for a decent discount. It’s not quite a chamber, but having owned a couple foodsavers, this thing is seriously on another level.
View attachment 351154View attachment 351155View attachment 351156
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Is that butter in with your ribeyes? That's a pretty good idea. Then you know you will always have some butter when you defrost them.
 
PennyPincher said:
Can you raise brussel sprouts and garlic completely in containers? I love both of those!
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Yes you can. Bressuel sprouts require a large container ( 5gal bucket per 1 plant ). Garlic can be container grown also but keeping up with the watering ( as with most container grown plants ) can be a chore.

Nothing to lose by trying them both.

I like brussel sprouts too but haven't grown them since the early 80's. Garlic I just buy but might put some this fall just to see how it does here.
 
PennyPincher said:
Is that butter in with your ribeyes? That's a pretty good idea. Then you know you will always have some butter when you defrost them.
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I sous-vide my steaks whenever possible. These are all set to cook right out of the freezer. Normally I put a little olive oil in there, but this time I instead put butter in half of them to test out.
 
Uzi2 said:
Yes you can. Bressuel sprouts require a large container ( 5gal bucket per 1 plant ). Garlic can be container grown also but keeping up with the watering ( as with most container grown plants ) can be a chore.

Nothing to lose by trying them both.

I like brussel sprouts too but haven't grown them since the early 80's. Garlic I just buy but might put some this fall just to see how it does here.
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I've been planting garlic every fall for the past 4 years. Before that I would buy bulbs in the spring and plant it but it never turned out well. I buy elephant garlic since I prefer the large cloves to the smaller ones.

Yesterday's prep was getting 2 of the rain barrels scrubbed out and ready to collect some rain. But now I'm watching the rain and hope I remembered to turn the spigots off. I'll have to check that when I check on the chickens.
 
Transplanted 12 tomato plants into the ground, thinned out some Romaine plants and put the thinnings into another pot, planted basil and more cucumber seeds.
Using a clear tote bin as a mini greenhouse for the cuke seeds.
This afternoon the fence goes up around the main garden.
 
Uzi2 said:
Transplanted 12 tomato plants into the ground....
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mr uzi2, may i ask... will tomato plants continue to produce through out the growing season? if the tomatoes ripen and are harvested from the plant, will there be a second crop...and possibly a third? or are they done after the first harvest.
 
It depends on which type of tomato plants you grow. Basically bush or vine choice. I grow vine, or indeterminate, in containers on my deck. I'll be picking until the frost or the squirrels kill them.

What's the difference between "indeterminate" and "determinate" tomatoes?
Determinate tomatoes, or "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height (generally 3 - 4'). Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. All the tomatoes from the plant ripen at approximately the same time (usually over period of 1- 2 weeks). They require a limited amount of staking for support and are perfectly suited for container planting.

Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12 feet although 6 feet is normal. Indeterminates will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the season. They require substantial staking for support.
 
McReef said:
I sous-vide my steaks whenever possible. These are all set to cook right out of the freezer. Normally I put a little olive oil in there, but this time I instead put butter in half of them to test out.
Click to expand...

I tried butter in Sous Vide steak and was disappointed. At least it didn't gum up the vac like when I added olive oil. Now just salt and pepper, vac seal and 130 deg for 2.5- hours for a 1-2" steak and 6 hours for a 6" slab of prime rib. I have one of the propane torch adapters for the sear if I don't want the hassle of cast iron pans. Sous Vide converted a hack like me to a quality chef.
 
greencobra said:
mr uzi2, may i ask... will tomato plants continue to produce through out the growing season? if the tomatoes ripen and are harvested from the plant, will there be a second crop...and possibly a third? or are they done after the first harvest.
Click to expand...
Sauer Grapes said:
It depends on which type of tomato plants you grow. Basically bush or vine choice. I grow vine, or indeterminate, in containers on my deck. I'll be picking until the frost or the squirrels kill them.

What's the difference between "indeterminate" and "determinate" tomatoes?
Determinate tomatoes, or "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height (generally 3 - 4'). Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. All the tomatoes from the plant ripen at approximately the same time (usually over period of 1- 2 weeks). They require a limited amount of staking for support and are perfectly suited for container planting.

Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12 feet although 6 feet is normal. Indeterminates will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the season. They require substantial staking for support.
Click to expand...

What he said^^^^^^^^^

I've planted indeterminate tomatoes before and had flowers and small tomatoes right up until late October. The vines grow
up to 9-10 feet long on the main leader although they can be snipped off to concentrate more energy into the lower and lesser vines and fruit.
I'm a ways south of New England and my growing season is almost double the length.
 
Sauer Grapes said:
It depends on which type of tomato plants you grow. Basically bush or vine choice. I grow vine, or indeterminate, in containers on my deck. I'll be picking until the frost or the squirrels kill them.

What's the difference between "indeterminate" and "determinate" tomatoes?
Determinate tomatoes, or "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height (generally 3 - 4'). Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. All the tomatoes from the plant ripen at approximately the same time (usually over period of 1- 2 weeks). They require a limited amount of staking for support and are perfectly suited for container planting.

Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12 feet although 6 feet is normal. Indeterminates will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the season. They require substantial staking for support.
Click to expand...
Also depends on heat. Tomato plants need certain temp range to set flower and to ripen. Here in TX indeterminates will go dormant in the middle of the summer as it gets too hot. If you can care for them and they survive all the critters and bugs they will set flower again when the temps start dropping.
 
PennyPincher said:
Also depends on heat. Tomato plants need certain temp range to set flower and to ripen. Here in TX indeterminates will go dormant in the middle of the summer as it gets too hot. If you can care for them and they survive all the critters and bugs they will set flower again when the temps start dropping.
Click to expand...

Yes, I noticed that summer slow down here too, but they are resilient buggers. [smile] Once most of the ripe fruit is picked they start back up producing flowers and little tomatoes. If there are green tomatoes at the end of the season, I make green tomato relish with them.
 
Planted two more 50' rows of Roma beans, four hills of pumpkins with 5 seed spots in each.
Transplanted 8 kale plants and a dozen Romaine lettuce plants. Tomorrow the tomato plants go in the ground along with more cukes and a few zucchini plants.
 
xtry51 said:
Our potatoe towers started sprouting. Have a half bag in basement I might also plant this weekend.
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Can you post a pic of those? I've grown some in tubs but they don't turn out that great. I just started some since the rest of the bushel I bought in the fall is getting sprout.
 
Here are pics of the potato towers. We followed the video at bottom. For our soil we used a 3 part 1:1:1 mix of cheap HD top soil (the $2 bags), local manure and coconut husk (for water retention, comes in compressed bricks). We still used hay between each layer to easy settling. 4" soil per layer, just enough to bury each potato half in each layer.

Our potatoes had already started to sprout in the bags with roughly 2-3" shoots. When doing each layer I simply poked one shoot outward, so the tip barely poked outside of the soil to encourage leaf growth. Temps need to be at least 50F during day and above 45F at night for growth. It will take at least a full warm week for the sprouts to segregate themselves in leaves or roots. The tower will be 100% covered in green in 4-6 weeks.

We planted a bit early in May but they survived a cold snap and a small snow.

20200527_144731.jpg 20200527_144750.jpg 20200527_144758.jpg 20200527_144811.jpg

Video:

View: https://youtu.be/R833pkaDBSY


HD top soil:
www.homedepot.com

40 lb. Top Soil 71140180 - The Home Depot

N/A
www.homedepot.com

Amazon coconut fiber 5kg (makes a big wheel barrel full when wet):

Amazon.com : Mother Earth HGC714728 Coco Bale 5 kg 100% Coconut Coir Fibers, Brown : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Mother Earth HGC714728 Coco Bale 5 kg 100% Coconut Coir Fibers, Brown : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com


Composted cow manure from HD if you dont have a local farm:
www.homedepot.com

Black Kow 50 lb. Organic Composted Manure 50150006

Black Kow 50 lb. Composted Cow Manure is an organic soil amendment for vegetable gardens, flower beds, lawns and landscapes. It is a natural organic product that is aerobically composted and adds millions
www.homedepot.com
 
Yazz said:
Can you do that with sweet potato's?
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I am not sure about sweet potatoes but I did read recently that you need to use long season (indeterminate) potatoes in towers. I wanted to try towers this year but I got a late start and the only local seed potatoes I could find were Chieftan. (short season, determinate). Those are doing really well so far. I am not sure how often to water them. They are in raised containers and have good drainage.
 

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