Preparing an Emergency Food Supply

Every family should have an emergency food supply; do you have yours? When planning your food supply there are a few things you will have to consider. You will have to take into account how many people are in your family and what kind of special needs they might have. You will also have to decide how much food to stock. Other considerations are what kind of food to stock up and how long you will want your supply to last are.  Some people have enough food stocked up to last five years. There are basically two types of foods that have a long shelf life. There are canned foods and there are dried foods. There are also a few foods that have an indefinite shelf life. Water is another item that should be on everyone’s food supply list.  

Canned goods are a great emergency food. Test conducted by the military showed that canned food was still good to eat 46 years after the expiration date. There is a wide variety of canned foods you can choose from. Another benefit of canned food is that it is already cooked. While it may taste better warmed up, there is no need to cook it. Food that does not require cooking or water makes for an excellent emergency food.

Dried foods are another great emergency food. I recommend that all dry foods be stored in mylar bags. Mylar bags have a barrier that keeps moisture and oxygen out of the food keeping the food fresh and free of microorganisms. Mylar bags also come in a variety of sizes. Rice, beans, and pasta are all great dry foods to stock up on. Powdered milk and instant potatoes are also another great dry food item. Spices are a great food item to stock up on. A long time ago spices were used as a form of currency. Dry foods have a long shelf life if they are stored properly. Powdered milk if stored in a Mylar bag in a cool, dry, and dark place has a shelf life of 20 years.  The down side with dry foods is that some of them require water and cooking.

Here is a list of some foods that can be stored indefinitely:

·         Honey

·         Vinegar

·         Hard liquor

·         Sugar

·         Salt

·         Corn starch

·         White rice

·         Pasta

·         Vanilla extract

·         Corn syrup

As long as these foods are stored properly they can be stored indefinitely.

Water is extremely important to have in your emergency food supply. The average person consumes almost a gallon of water a day. I recommend purchasing 1 to 5 gallon jugs of distilled water. If you collect your own water make sure you filter and treat the water before drinking. There are two main ways to treat water. Boiling water is by far the easiest way to treat water. Boil your water for at least one minute. If you live in a high altitude area you should boil you water for five minutes. You can also treat your water by using non scented bleach. Use 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water. Do not drink the water for at least 30 minutes. The water should have a slight smell of bleach.

Having an emergency food supply can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. Remember to also store your food supply properly.

How to Stockpile Antibiotics

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for what you do with this information. This information is strictly educational. You should always consult your doctor before taking any medications.

What good is five years worth of food supply if you get sick and die because you didn’t have antibiotics? Every person serious about prepping for disaster will eventually run across this problem. Luckily there are a few ways that you can stockpile antibiotics. We will be talking about four ways you can get antibiotics in the U.S. without a prescription.

Fish supply stores carry antibiotics. Fish suffer from infection and disease just like we do.  The antibiotics used to treat fish are the same antibiotics used to treat humans. You might be limited on what your local fish supply store carries but over the internet you can find a wide variety of antibiotics in capsule form.  The greatest part about buying from a fish supply store is that it is perfectly legal and you do not need a prescription.

 Another way to obtain antibiotics is to take a drive to Mexico. In Mexico you can buy prescription antibiotics over the counter no questions asked. Make sure you check all state and federal laws before bringing antibiotics back from Mexico. While it is legal to purchase the antibiotics, there are still restrictions to bringing them back in to the country. Never attempt to bring narcotics over the border.

The internet is a great way to get antibiotics without a prescription. Any country that does not require a prescription for antibiotics will gladly sell them to you and ship them right to your door. Custom officials tend to look the other way when it comes to antibiotics. I have never heard of anyone going to jail because they purchased antibiotics illegally. When buying antibiotics from a foreign country verify that the company is a reputable distributor of antibiotics.

Ethnic stores are another place in the U.S. that you can buy antibiotics without a prescription.  Immigrants purchase prescription antibiotics from ethnic markets all the time. Immigrants are used to purchasing antibiotics over the counter at local stores. If you live within driving distance of a bodega, you know where to get your antibiotics.

Remember stockpiling food, and guns are not enough. If you get sick or a family member gets sick you will need antibiotics. If you haven’t gotten antibiotics yet, you’re not fully prepared.

Make your own bullion

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for what you do with this information. This information is strictly educational. Use extreme caution when dealing with molten metal.

Have you ever thought about investing in gold or silver just in case of economic collapse? Well you are not alone; many people are doing just that. You might be thinking there is no way that you can afford to invest in gold or silver bars or any other metal for that matter. Well that's fine, because you can make your own.

Everyday materials contain a wealth of metals that can be melted down and formed. Collecting old soda pop cans is a great way to stock up on aluminum. Copper is used in many electrical devices, especially the power cords, making it easy to come by. Once you acquire the scraps, the next step is to melt the metals down.

You will need to make a furnace. You will also need a crucible to hold the molten metal and tongs to pick up the crucible. Once the metal is molten you will need a mold to cast your ingots.

When making a furnace you will have to decide what kind of fuel source you will be using. There are three common types of fuels used in backyard casting. The three fuels are charcoal, propane, and waste oil. Using charcoal is by far the simplest and cheapest way to go. Although in my opinion the simplest and cheapest way is not always the most efficient. A propane furnace is very efficient but propane can get expensive. A propane furnace design is also a little more complex compared to a simple charcoal furnace. A waste oil furnace is by far the most complicated furnace to build. This type of furnace is great for someone that has a lot of ingenuity. There are not many plans on the internet for this type of furnace so expect to have to do a lot of experimentation. The plus side to a waste oil furnace is that the fuel is free. You will find that friends, neighbors, and restaurants will be more than happy to get rid of their old oil. The efficiency of a waste oil furnace will depend upon your design. I do not recommend a waste oil furnace for the beginner.

Crucibles are used to hold the molten metal inside of the furnace. Crucibles come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on your application. Commonly backyard metal casters will use a crucible made out of iron. More expensive crucibles made of graphite or silicon carbide can be purchased through a foundry supply store. You can even make your own ceramic crucibles.

Molds come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can find molds made out of graphite and iron on ebay. You can also make your own. Another way to make a mold is by using casting sand. There is a variety of casting sand available. Green sand is common sand used in sand molded casting.  Green sand is a mixture of silica sand, bentonite clay, and water. The great thing about sand casting is not only can you make ingots but you can cast just about anything you like.

Well I hope this information sets you on your way to making your very own bullion. Remember always wear proper safety gear when working with molten metal.