Prep of The Day Thread

Wow, where do you live that you close down your garden this early? I’m still planting and will harvest root crops until New Years.

Southeast Kentucky. The garden goes in early and is retired early.

I could still plant some things but there's other stuff to do.....have to divide up time among many things.
 
image.jpegOrdered X5

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Had fourteen pouches, ordered 20 more.
They do not snap secure with Pmags or Troy battlemags they are too long, but do fit standard 30rd aluminum or steel AR mags and will snap closed. The pouches are grade 1 brand new. Will be painting a few to green them up for local environment match.

The vests I ordered were OD green, grade 2....a little wear is ok with me.....fully functional.

Midway surplus for both.
 
Ok first yes I know the Magpul ones are cheap and still somewhat abundant, but I have a bunch of 20 round AR mags I'm going to add these too and some 30 round plastic mags.

This was an old dirt bike inner tube cut and cleaned up ( baby powder on the tube ) and just slipped over the mag and I used some 2" wide electrical tape to lock it in place.

They actually work very well aside from looking a little odd they work like I want.
 

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I'm committed to these specific ones because of how many I already have. Plus its a 25+ min drive for me to any TS or home depot. Easier to have them delivered to my house. So the extra cost is minimal to me.
 
We harvested the two potatoes towers today. I let all the plants die completely (they were yellow last week). We got a reasonable amount of potatoes for how small a volume we were using. The russet did far better than the purple my wife wanted to plant. We won't be doing purple next year, just russet.

The collection time was only about 30min start to finish. I really like how easy it was.

With this experience I'm going to plant a lot more next year and stick with the 3 ft diameter. I'll fill them taller next year. These were filled about 3.5ft, but settled in to 2.5 ft by the end. I'll stack them to the top next year and maybe use 5ft fence instead of 4ft.

Also the worms in the soil WERE HUGE!!

We have sweet potatoes planted in a small bin, but they are still green so I'm not pulling those until they die or first frost.

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How much of a difference is there rely between snap,screw and gamma lids? If I do the mylar bags inside do I really need the gamma? Or if I use gamma do I really need mylar?
 
How much of a difference is there rely between snap,screw and gamma lids? If I do the mylar bags inside do I really need the gamma? Or if I use gamma do I really need mylar?
I haven't a clue as to the differences, I just went with the screw on lid so I wouldn't have to worry about losing the lid tool and for those who have access to my supplies that don't have the strength to open a lid even with the tool.
Amazon product ASIN B004MN0YTSView: https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-161908-KZ000240-Bucket-Opener/dp/B004MN0YTS/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=5+gallon+bucket+lid+tool&qid=1600639893&s=home-garden&sr=1-13

Edit: I should have added the bulk stuff is either in mylar(with O2 absorbers) or vacuum sealed into smaller, more manageable amounts. There are a few extra items that remain in the regular packaging but they're only in there to keep pests away if they somehow manage to find a way into the house. I've got a fair amount of stuff that's used on the reg in Ball jars to resupply the kitchen counter jars like these.
Amazon product ASIN B07QXC72NKView: https://amazon.com/ComSaf-Airtight-Canister-Storage-Square/dp/B07QXC72NK/ref=sr_1_4?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Food+Jars+%26+Canisters&qid=1600662004&sr=8-4&ts_id=9833720011
 
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How much of a difference is there rely between snap,screw and gamma lids? If I do the mylar bags inside do I really need the gamma? Or if I use gamma do I really need mylar?

The differences in buckets is the quality of the plastic used. Lowe's blue buckets suck and their snap on lids are flimsy. They are inexpensive for a reason.......lack of quality is that reason.

If you use a quality bucket with a good gasketed lid for loose grain, pasta or beans, no mylar is needed but it is advised. ( with O2 absorbers)

I've used many types over 20 years and found Uline buckets and lids to be the best yet....they are my "go to" bucket of choice for the past fifteen or so years.

You are storing food that could mean the difference between starving or eating in hard times......why cheap out on a couple of bucks?
 
Thanks for the potato update @xtry51 I harvested mine a few weeks ago and wasn't sure how well I did. It was better than my other methods, partly because I didn't realize how much water they needed. I put my tower in what I thought was a good place but the ground was unstable and started to lean downhill. I had to tie it off with a rope attached to a garden fence post. That also made the watering a problem because the water would run off if I watered too fast. But I got a decent amount of potatoes of various sizes and they look just like yours so I'm counting it as a win. I had a few red potatoes in the mix and they also did not do as well.

Because it was leaning downhill the harvesting was a bitch. If I knocked it over everything would end up in the stream. So I had to dig them out until I was halfway down and then I had space to dump them out. Next year will be better!
 
On buckets, I prefer the Uline screw tops because you can stack them 4 high and the next bucket fits IN the lid of the one below it. This makes them very stable even when stacked. I had young kids when I started, but space was a premium so it made sense to buy the more expensive buckets and stack them 3 high at that time.. If youre on a tight budget, buy cheaper buckets.

Back on the garden, sweet potatoes were a bust, but it appears this was my fault. I grew them in a wooden bin that had a wood bottom. This meant worms couldn't get up into the soil. It packed in hard and I got a ton of "string bean" sweet potatoes that looked like carrots as thry tried to expand and couldn't. Lol. Im gonna try again next year because it seems they did ok growth wise and would have done well had i done my part. I'm gonna do a sweet potatoe tower next spring.

Carrots. Man I should have grown more! We did a tiny test batch and they grew awesome. I'm gonna plant a ton of them next year.
 
Although I have never watched Fight Club I heard that they had a rule. Never prepped other than to stockpile ammo here and there for a day at the range or some time reloading. Since all this Covid crap started I have been reading abit in this section and doing my part. I work in Auburn on Thursdays and that is one of two days that the Bishops Storehouse is open in Worcester, I have been a regular visitor, good place and good people, no questions and no judgement.
I bought a pressure canner on Craigs list (somewhere back in this thread) and bought some Ball jars when I could find them. I have canned 64 pints of beef/chicken and pork and just finished 14 quarts of chicken and a little hamburger. I have learned a bit this year and feel like my family is better prepared for round two and whatever is coming down the road. I have explained to my family we spend a small fortune on insurance every year and rarely use it, this is just another insurance that could have real payback. I don't know what is enough and what is too much, when you are naive and when you are a nut but I would like to once again thank the NES family for the collective knowledge and experience.
 
I'm a Food Saver fan. I've only gone about 2+ years out due to freezer capacity. Everything has been perfectly preserved.
Things like tater tots or other packaged items will fare much if you unpackage them and vac in new bags. Honestly, I wouldn't freeze in grocery store packages for more than a few weeks.
 
Although I have never watched Fight Club I heard that they had a rule. Never prepped other than to stockpile ammo here and there for a day at the range or some time reloading. Since all this Covid crap started I have been reading abit in this section and doing my part. I work in Auburn on Thursdays and that is one of two days that the Bishops Storehouse is open in Worcester, I have been a regular visitor, good place and good people, no questions and no judgement.
I bought a pressure canner on Craigs list (somewhere back in this thread) and bought some Ball jars when I could find them. I have canned 64 pints of beef/chicken and pork and just finished 14 quarts of chicken and a little hamburger. I have learned a bit this year and feel like my family is better prepared for round two and whatever is coming down the road. I have explained to my family we spend a small fortune on insurance every year and rarely use it, this is just another insurance that could have real payback. I don't know what is enough and what is too much, when you are naive and when you are a nut but I would like to once again thank the NES family for the collective knowledge and experience.

That's quite a canning spree for a beginner ....congratulations and welcome to the world of "prepping". [thumbsup]

The question of "what is enough and what is too much" is one that will vary greatly according to personal situations.

I'm always adding to my supplies as they get used. When things go on sale ( meats especially ) I buy in quantity and either freeze or can. In 25+ years of "prepping" I have yet to throw out a piece of meat because it spoiled.

Dry goods are fairly cheap, last a long time and store easily. Beans ( pinto, navy, great northern, black beans, light and dark kidney beans, lima beans, butter beans, home canned green beans, , rice, grains( like pearled barley, hulled millet, hard red wheat, quinoa, rolled oats, flax seed) , lentils, salt, sugar, coffee, tea, spices, pastas, bullion, peanut butter, honey, cooking oil/ lard.
 
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How long are hamburg and boneless chicken breast good in the freezer? Sausage? Kielbasa? Tater tots?

I'm just getting to a few last chicken breasts I got back in the april/may time frame. It was before I had a sealer so, they were in ziplock freezer bag. Stored in upright freezer at coldest setting. They had a little freezer burn around the edges. So, that's ~5mo in a zippy
Smoked 6 of 'em - froze 'em again.
:)

Also, on the bucket/dry goods topic. I've been experimenting with a 3 gal food grade bucket of white rice from 2011. Gasketed snap on lid. Just the bucket/rice. No 02 adsorption. Never opened.
It's staring at me. I think I'm gunna crack it soon....will take pics.

and, also, also...
Someone mentioned carrots. I did them for the first time this year. I did a 15' strip, 2 rows ~5" apart. Thinned the crap out of 'em early on. Thinned for snacking as summer went on. At harvest - Carried arm fulls to three neighbors, gave other smaller amounts away, and still have ~10 lbs worth for me. -be careful how many you plant.
:)
I tried to make a deep bed for them but the garden was rushed - loosened ~8" of soil and mixed with peat. They still came all crookedey.
 
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I just emptied this little guy for probably the 2,000th time. I've had this Haier dehumidifier for about 9 years and I'll be damned if its not possibly the most reliable appliance I've ever owned. Its has for all of its life run in the basement of each house we've lived in. Chugging away keeping dampness out and our preps dry. I have always left it at the max setting.

Just figured I throw it up here in case anyone was thinking about buying one. I have not done a single thing to it since first unpacking it. I dump the bin when its full and maybe once a quarter I put a bit of bleach in the bin to keep crap from growing in it.

In the summer I empty it about once every 2-3 days. In the winter it probably takes 5-7 to fill up.

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I’ve an older high risk family member for Illness. Likes to have Lysol wipes or Clorox etc. I have recently been finding Lysol wipes for 4.99 at pride gas stations. Well specifically the one near my girlfriends house, but it might be worth a look for anyone looking. They had the large like 80 count last week and only the smaller 35 (I believe) count the past couple times I went in. But they had a decent supply of them. Best of luck to you and yours out there. Cheers
 
Stacked the last cord (5th) of wood on the porch for easy access yesterday. Glad we did because it poured all day today and the wood is nice and dry under the tarp. Have 4 in the woodshed. Next year we're going to build a another 4-5 cord shed to split and season our own.

The chickens were very happy today that we roofed the last section of the coup with corrugated plastic. Nice and dry all day in there for them as they scampered out only when the rain lightend a few times to a drizzle.
 
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