Prep of The Day Thread

CrossFaced said:
You can also learn how to collect yeast. I make wine, beer and ultimately whiskey from wild yeast collection. Not sure how bread would come out though but it’s a thought.
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Are there any special type of tools required to collect and incubate yeast? I think that was my only concern with trying to just keep cultures on hand, but if they can be procured without special equipment, then I'd go that route instead. Like can I just use common household items to collect and incubate?
 
You can make sourdough bread with just yeast collected naturally from the air. Save a small piece of that dough for a starter for the next batch. I like this guys youtube channel. He does a lot of 18th century cooking.
jas. townsend

headednorth said:
Looking for self contained heartburn relief.
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Baking soda is an inexpensive prep for heartburn and indigestion and has several other uses. We joined BJ's recently to stock up on some prep items. They have a 13.5 lb bag of Arm & Hammer baking soda for $6.99.
 
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I bought a big ol bag of rice that a plan on packaging for long term. I wanted to buy an equally large bag of lentils or beans but did not see one at Wally world or stop and shop. Is that thing? Where do you buy it?
 
Baby Billy said:
I bought a big ol bag of rice that a plan on packaging for long term. I wanted to buy an equally large bag of lentils or beans but did not see one at Wally world or stop and shop. Is that thing? Where do you buy it?
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Order bulk lentils online, there's lots of places that carry them, shipping charges vary, do some comparing.
 
Picked up some buckets and lids. Plan on dry packing some pasta later.

Question on vac packing dry goods in Mason jars. If I have a bag of rice or dry beans in their original packaging purchased anywhere from a month or two to a year or more ago, is it ok to vacuum pack these in jars or should I let them be and stick to packing freshly bought stuff from now on? Or does it make a difference?

Also am I better off storing these type of foods in regular food saver bags rather than jars?
 
headednorth said:
Picked up some buckets and lids. Plan on dry packing some pasta later.

Question on vac packing dry goods in Mason jars. If I have a bag of rice or dry beans in their original packaging purchased anywhere from a month or two to a year or more ago, is it ok to vacuum pack these in jars or should I let them be and stick to packing freshly bought stuff from now on? Or does it make a difference?

Also am I better off storing these type of foods in regular food saver bags rather than jars?
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The dry stuff should be good to repack regardless of their age. ( within reason, 1-2 years, I'd repack in vacuum bags)
Most any dried grains are least last year's crop or older so its not like you'll be buying things right off the combine.

I'd use the jars for other things that need to be processed, either water bath or pressure canned. Vacuum bags are for dry goods and if you had to "grab and go" the dry goods are lighter, won't break with rough handling and you can carry more.
 
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Not sure if regular Foodsaver bags are the way to go, if that’s what you’re asking. I was told 5mil (minimum) Mylar bags, with appropriate sized oxygen absorbers, in a protective container i.e. 5gal buckets.

If using Mylar bags, avoid sharp pasta. And, you’re going to have to rig your food saver to use my Mylar bags. Also, you’re going to have to use your oxygen absorbers pretty quickly. Be prepared to move at a quick pace. They start working immediately. Have a plan to store the ones you aren’t using, Such as a mason jar or sealing them in a FoodSaver bag, quickly! I had to seal twice on the mylar bags just to get a temporary seal and then put a final seal on the tops of the bags with a flat iron because I wasn’t convinced the food saver did the job.

I wouldn’t be afraid to throw pasta in qt. sized mason jars, or larger, with an OA. Just use your lid attachment. Especially if you’re tight on storage space. They’re easier to arrange, store, than 5gal. buckets. I did this with beans and lentils. Easy Peasy!

One step at a time. If you’re like me, you haven’t dared venture into water bathing and pressure canning. Baby steps.

I’m new at this too. But this is my take. FWIW
 
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ReluctantDecoy said:
Does the packaging say how long it lasts? I think prescription amoxicillin only lasts a couple years for full potency, but maybe the lower grade stuff lasts longer. Would be an interesting prep find if you could get more life cycle out of it, not to mention not requiring a prescription.
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I keep them in the fridge. You can buy these from Chewy. Made by Thomas Labs.
 
ReluctantDecoy said:
Does the packaging say how long it lasts? I think prescription amoxicillin only lasts a couple years for full potency, but maybe the lower grade stuff lasts longer. Would be an interesting prep find if you could get more life cycle out of it, not to mention not requiring a prescription.
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I had some fish amoxicillin from 6 years ago that I opened this Dec to wipe out some bronchitis ( that my fish had of course ), two 500mg daily and wiped it out in a few days. Seemed to be just as potent as the new stuff. The old expression with meds are, yes as they get old they loss there strength but you just use more of them.
My Epi pens I got when I could afford them date back to 2017, but the liquid is still clear and I would use it if I had to.

I don't think there is such a thing called "lower grade" meds when it comes to these "fish grade". I did a lot of investigating and from what I came up with ( years ago ) is the pills drop onto one assemble line, then that line splits. One way goes get FDA approved the other goes to the fish store.
How accurate is that, I can't say but I will say if I put both pills in front of you I can guarantee you wont tell the difference. They work and are crazy cheap for what you get, stock up now cause sooner or later big Gov will catch on and put a stop to it.
 
Another prep item to put on the long list is iodide pills for radiation, the iosat or other pills are not to bad price wise. A few survival sites talk about tincture of iodine as a just as good remedy and that can be found at CVS.
We in the northeast have few power plants in the area, a grid down or a slow down could force something to happen to these sites. Yes its a long shot but the funny thing about radiation poisoning is you don't feel or know till its to late.
 
Canndo said:
How did you store the amoxicillin?
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After I open them and so far I only had to use a one bottle, I package them into packs of 20 and vacuum seal them. Then we label them and pack them in the freezer. Same way when the kids used to not finish a script or if the Doc would just let us refill one, just vacuum seal them and pack them away for a rainy day.
Wife and I cleaned out the fridge one day and we found a hole bunch from 2011 when my kids where young. Still got them and still will use them if need be, plus I can barter them off.
They may not be a strong but you can just use more of them.
 
Jason m said:
After I open them and so far I only had to use a one bottle, I package them into packs of 20 and vacuum seal them. Then we label them and pack them in the freezer. Same way when the kids used to not finish a script or if the Doc would just let us refill one, just vacuum seal them and pack them away for a rainy day.
Wife and I cleaned out the fridge one day and we found a hole bunch from 2011 when my kids where young. Still got them and still will use them if need be, plus I can barter them off.
They may not be a strong but you can just use more of them.
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I've used 11 year old Cephalexin that was stored at room temp and it was fine. I keep it and others on hand with no special packaging.
 
This is my DIY prep of 2020.
IMG_20200206_083532.jpg


2600 Watts of Solar, 2 parallel 2400 watt inverters and 4 lithium iron phosphate batteries. Inverters feed a 10 breaker reliance transfer switch to power critical loads as a see fit.

I also fixed my pool heater last summer and added two propane tanks and a Genny hookup. I then added a US carburation motor snorkel to my gas generator so now it's tri fuel and I can run it off those propane tanks.

My current plan is to offset my electric bill by powering several critical loads via solar then have it cut over to the battery overnight. If batteries get low or if it's cloudy it will automatically cover cut over to pull power from grid. If the grid is down in that scenario I can then power the entire transfer switch and charge my batteries with the gas / propane generator.
 
Uzi2 said:
NO, it is not a passable solution. Chlorine vapors are heavy and will settle and stay in your basement and build up. You may not notice them for a while but they will be there.

Find some way, somewhere, to camo that bucket and keep it outside. The stuff doesn't need to be temperature stable.

Trust me.....I had about 6lbs start to outgas in a plastic bucket inside and as light as the fumes were, they were terrible. Luckilly I caught the issue in time and was able to change locations to an outside spot.

For heartburn relief......1/2 tsp baking soda in 6 oz water. Sweetest burp you'll ever have.😆
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The chlorine vapors will also promote rust. I had some tablets stored in the garage over the winter and noticed all my tools had a fine rust all over them.
 
Artie said:
The chlorine vapors will also promote rust. I had some tablets stored in the garage over the winter and noticed all my tools had a fine rust all over them.
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Yes chlorine is a powerful oxidizer and corrosive.
 
Jason m said:
After I open them and so far I only had to use a one bottle, I package them into packs of 20 and vacuum seal them. Then we label them and pack them in the freezer. Same way when the kids used to not finish a script or if the Doc would just let us refill one, just vacuum seal them and pack them away for a rainy day.
Wife and I cleaned out the fridge one day and we found a hole bunch from 2011 when my kids where young. Still got them and still will use them if need be, plus I can barter them off.
They may not be a strong but you can just use more of them.
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From my Lyme doc, most ABX are OK past the expiration date. The exception is Doxycycline which can become toxic if it's too far past the expiration date. Not sure If that also applies to any of the other "cycline" type ABX.
 
ReluctantDecoy said:
Are there any special type of tools required to collect and incubate yeast? I think that was my only concern with trying to just keep cultures on hand, but if they can be procured without special equipment, then I'd go that route instead. Like can I just use common household items to collect and incubate?
Click to expand...
Choctaws info is very good. The kit I started with was called the backyard yeast wrangling kit. I now pretty much do my own with mason jars but the kit is good because it gives you the info to get started.
 
I was thinking about anything we might need that is usually made in China. I did a search on the main imports. Shoes, especially tennis shoes are a big import item. Also clothing. I'm good on shoes and clothes. And, even though I don't really need them I ordered extra undies on Amazon. Cause I checked the label and yep, made in China. I wouldn't want to be caught dead in the Coronapocalypse in old undies. Go ahead and laugh. Then go check your undie drawer and make sure you're stocked. Unless you're going Covid Comando in the coming months you'll thank me later.

LOL 😁 \

If I had kids I'd probably see if they are close to out growing anything and plan ahead.

yeah yeah baseless lies blah blah blah
 
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Jason m said:
Wear items like socks and underwear I always keep stocked up, but yes thats something that is over looked. Another overlooked item is boots, I keep an extra pair new in the box and normally keep my old ones till they are no longer good for even cutting grass.
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Put those new boots on and break them in for a few months THEN put them in your SHTF stash. You don't want to chance sore feet with a catastrophe going on.
 
Uzi2 said:
Put those new boots on and break them in for a few months THEN put them in your SHTF stash. You don't want to chance sore feet with a catastrophe going on.
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That is a great idea, I have been buying the same style boot for the last 8 years. I know what it takes to wear them in so yes that a good idea to break these in and then right back into storage after a quick break in.
 
Jason m said:
That is a great idea, I have been buying the same style boot for the last 8 years. I know what it takes to wear them in so yes that a good idea to break these in and then right back into storage after a quick break in.
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Diesel get you anywhere! image.jpeg

Those aren't mine pictured, but I had a couple of pairs like them......they fit and felt like buckskin gloves. I have good arches, but had custom molded supports made in the army and could wear the boots forever. No hot spots, no pinch spots.
I need to find a couple of pairs again.
 
headednorth said:
If we're preppin and then telling people what we're preppin, arent we doing it wrong? Or is it ok to tell internet strangers rather than the lazy dude across the street?//
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We consider the most likely threat to us (living near the ocean) is a Hurricane Sandy-like storm, with extensive flooding, plus cold temps and deep snow.

We consider having neighbors as prepared as possible to be substantially in our interest. Why, our neighbor even uses StaBil in his gas now!
 
Picked up a few things at BJ’s. My wife goes shopping for weekly necessities , I tag along to help carry stuff. I pretty much just throw my shit in the carriage, along the way, and she rolls her eyes. [rofl]
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