Urban Garden - Update #2

In the category of trying to learn something new, here is the latest installment of garden update. With drought and having to water the garden by hand since I can not run the sprinklers the harvest is not what it might be. I've still had fun trying to figure out how to grow stuff and it is weirdly satisfying to eat stuff I grew myself!!

We started this round off looking something like this in my little Urban Garden.

Then we ended up with some stuff growing!!! The broccoli never really did anything. The Hippie came by the house and said the broccoli 'went to seed'? Guess that means we ain't getting none right now. Hahahahaha. The soccer ball was not harmed during the growing of the crops!

The harvest has been going on for a few weeks now. Surprisingly all the food does not get done at the same time!! You know like the grocery store!! hehehe Have had a few issues with one of our little friends around here eating the tomatoes before I can pick them. Not a big deal, ok it was a big deal but I got over it!

Ended up with enough potatoes I did not need to buy any for a few weeks now. Also found out the red ones grow more than the white ones. Had planted less red ones but got just as much as the others.

The celery grew! Had no idea what I was doing with it!

And the most exciting thing for me was I grew some decent onions!!! I know it sounds silly but I have not been able to get the onions to grow to any size worth talking about!!

Next step is to get the dirt ready to try and plant some more stuff. It has really been fun trying to figure out how to grow food. Makes me realize how hard it is to fill those shelves at the grocery store. Also makes me realize how delicate the food supply is.

Waiting for the grapes to ripen. Not sure my second vine is going to grow that much this year, Kids decided to pull the leaves off of it. When they are ready I am going to practice making jam this year. Another skill set I am trying to gain knowledge in. Of course that means I will also get some practice in on treating burns!

Remember learn something new this month! There is always something out there to learn!

As Always,

Stay Safe!  

Urban Garden - update #1

Not my garden!

I was reading up on gardening, trying to learn something new, when I came across a term I liked. The writer was describing how sometimes you do not find all of the potatoes growing under ground and if you leave them they become "volunteers" which will grown on their own. Knowing I probably missed a few and having some littles ones left which I randomly buried I wanted to see if this worked.

With almost no watering, I kind of on purpose forgot to water them most weeks and relied on the limited rain we have had I wanted to see what would happen. After a few weeks I was surprised to see leaves poking out of the ground!!!

Only after there was signs of life did I water the ground a little more often. Even then I was purposely seeing how little water, besides what fell from the sky, I could use. (of course the water falling from the sky is a scary thing for those of us in Southern California!) One thing I have learned since trying to be an urban farmer is when to pull the potatoes from the ground. The plant starts to die and you know it is time to dig. Of course digging is always the fun part, kind of like a grown up easter egg hunt!

Trying to grow even the little garden I have really gives you an appreciation for how much work goes into growing our food. Knowing how many plants I have put into the ground which did nothing and realizing there is a lot to learn about I appreciate the full grocery stores I can walk into a lot more. Growing enough food by yourself to feed your family is a full time job!!!

The harvest of my volunteers is not very large. Even the harvest from before was not very much and only lasted about a week or two. What you see in these pictures would last a meal. Which is why I am amazed when you start to think about how much food someone has to grow in order to feed us all. Someone has to work all day at producing enough food for the rest of us to eat. If we had to grow our own food we would not have time to do whatever it is we do for a living. You could not spend all day in an office if you had to worry about the fields you tried to feed your family from.  

I plan on trying to work the soil a little, turn it over stuff like that, and then use these to see what I can grown in a couple of weeks. If I come across any 'Seed Potatoes' at Home Depot I will pick some up. The next time I plant will be to see how much food I can grow. Which means I will water them, cover them with wire to keep the cats and raccoons at bay and really see how much I can get out of my little spot.

We all have something we are good at. Why not learn something new? Take some time to learn something you know nothing about. I promise it will be rewarding, just as I have found my little garden to be fun and rewarding!!!

As Always,

Stay Safe!

Thoughts on Black Friday

“Is Black Friday an emergency?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you writing about it?”

Because this yearly event is a “teachable moment” which just seems to pass by each year with everyone chuckling at the event and the behavior of people. If we take our observation of the event a little further, people are giving us a glimpse into the way they will or do react during an emergency. We also get a reminder of why we should plan ahead for incidents and not find ourselves in a situation where we have to interact with people when the “crazy” comes out.

Think about it; think about all the people tussling, arguing and out right fighting for sale items! Most of these items they do not really need. No one is standing in line for two days to buy bread or milk for their family. Nobody is fighting in the store for the last bag of rice or flour. Nothing they are going crazy over is need by them to survive………….. No really you do not need a flat screen TV or the latest pair of shoes to make it through the night!!

If we were to ask some of the people we see doing bizarre things for sale items why they are acting as if they have lost their minds they could come up with a justification for their actions. They could justify slapping another person in front of their children over a handbag. They could justify taking items from a child. They could justify rushing headlong through a doorway, while others are being trampled. Each of these people in the heat of the moment could find reasons they believe are valid for their actions.

Now you take that same person, a nice person, with three kids and a decent job. Who wants her children to have better life than she has had, as all of us do, and ask her this;

“Do you teach your children hitting others is a good thing? Do you teach your children to be selfish? Do you teach your children to show love toward their fellow man? Do you teach your children to use violence to get what they want?” Of course her answers will be “No. No. Yes. OF COURSE I DO NOT TEACH MY CHILDREN TO USE VIOLANCE TO GET THINGS THEY WANT!”

“But ma’am you just did the opposite of everything you said to get the TV in your basket?”

“WELL THAT IS DIFFERENT! I DID THAT BECAUSE (fill in a reason)”

The point is people will justify their actions. If they will justify these types of actions during a freaking sale what will they justify if their world was turned upside down by an emergency? What would that mother do if she was running into a store to buy food for her children who have not eaten in four days? What would she justify to give her children water, food and shelter? Now think of ten parents trying to feed their children? Maybe now think of a hundred people trying to feed their children? Black Friday is a lesson for us into the way the mind works. This yearly ritual allows us to catch a glimpse into the mind of our fellow man in a way which should be a bit frightening to you!

Some of us understand the idea. Some of us have seen the “crazy” come out of our fellow man. This behavior has to be taken into account any time we are planning for an emergency especially if the emergency is of a large nature. Losing a tire on the freeway, power going out for a few hours, odds are the situation will not sink to a level where people start making up reasons for their actions. Hurricane Katrina, L.A. riots, large natural disaster or a manmade disaster are times when people will start finding reasons.

The option to avoid a situation is a great option to have. A natural disaster happens and you are at the store to pick a few things up. People begin pushing, shoving and the situation deteriorates from there. People quickly find reasons to justify their actions. Actions they would not have taken or professed they would never take just a day or two ago. With some planning on your part you can walk away from the scene.

Those other people were at the store because they have nothing to fall back on. Now you are at home with your family, they are dealing with Law Enforcement, tending to their injuries or their family is wondering why they have not come home yet. You had the option to walk away where others did not.

Being able to be self-sufficient for a few days is a goal all of us should have. This is a good goal so we never find ourselves in a position where we must come up with ‘reasons’ to justify our actions. We do not have to steal, beg or use violence to get what we need. We do not need to worry about Law Enforcement showing up at our door after the emergency and we can lay our heads down at night with a clear conscious.

Take a moment and think about what Black Friday shows you about your neighbors. Then take a moment and plan towards giving yourself the option of standing in line or “NEEDING TO STAND IN LINE” to get items for your family during an emergency.

As Always,

Stay Safe!

Financial planning - Cover as much as you can

This post will have different meaning to different people. Depending on what you already have or where you are at in life. Some of us might have a lot of money, some of us might not have any. Most of us are somewhere in between. When we talk about preparedness remember we are not talking about one subject here. We are not focused on the Zombie apocalypse or a meteor slamming into the planet. We are talking about covering your bases and making sure you and yours make it through whatever life throws at you! While we can talk about making fire, sawing through cement with dental floss and ajax, this has little use for most of us! Most of us are going to be faced with the loss of a job, broke down car, sick dog, localized natural disaster or an accident which puts us in a situation we need to make it through.

When we think about financial considerations and emergency preparedness we need to stick to "Keep It Simple Stupid". there is no way most of us can go out and buy everything we would need. Instead we need to focus on what we can do with what we got. All of us can improve our situation with whatever resources we have access to. Focus and self discipline are needed here to do this. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes or a third keg of beer put the resources you would use for these things towards your planning. In a simplistic model we need the following things;

Cash - to purchase what we need
Consumables - to keep from having to use the cash
Shelter - to store our cash, consumables and to keep us out of the elements

We need to make sure we have enough of each of these things. What is enough? Depends on where you are in your planning. For most of us having enough cash to pay our bills at the end of the week is all we have. If this is the case we need to work toward saving enough to pay our bills for a week even if the check does not come in as planned for some reason. Ideally we need to cut or spending down and live within our means! There is a strange sense of freedom when you have paid your bills off and owe no one! For this post let's say we save enough to cover our bills for a week.

Once we have money for week and have become used to saving, we can focus some of these resources toward the next item. Having the latest night vision/thermal/x-ray vision scope means nothing if you can not wipe your back side! Take the money you are saving by living within your means and focus this on buying extra amounts of things you use every week. Be it pasta, toothpaste, toilet paper or laundry soap. Focus toward having a weeks worth of these items in the home. Some of these might be simple, buying a large pack of toilet paper takes care of that item for a week... hopefully! Buy what you use and give yourself the cushion of a week's worth. This might get done faster than you think!

When you have a week's worth of items focus the resources toward providing cover or shelter for your family for a week. How much is your rent or mortgage payment for a week? Set aside this amount separate from the money you have set aside under the cash category. (yes the money can be in the same bank account! One earning you interest hopefully!) Once you have weeks worth of rent set aside you also have an emergency shelter fund if your family had to leave! The amount of a hotel room is hopefully less than what you pay for a weeks rent and now you have the money to afford a hotel room if you had to.

Now that weeks have passed with you focusing your resources, not spending needlessly and saving everywhere you can...... go out to eat or watch a movie or something your family enjoys! Do not go all crazy and spend everything you have saved!!! Just make sure you go out and do something to celebrate your accomplishment. You now have enough to help your family for week and odds are they, along with you, had to change spending habits to make this happen.

After the celebration start the process over again. Save cash to now give you two weeks. Buy consumables for two weeks. Save money to pay for shelter for two weeks.

Repeat this process until you have a month's worth of resources. Just think of all the issues you could deal with if you had a month's worth of money, food and rent! Once you have a months worth keep utilizing your resources to better your position. Put money away in a savings account, let it start making money you do not need to work for.

Of course there is more to making your money work for instead of you working just to make money. The subject is to much to cover here on this post. The point here being to utilize your financial resources to better your family's ability to deal with emergencies which will come up in life. Remember the new dress or UFC fight you do not buy gives you resources which you can utilize for other purposes.

As Always,

Stay Safe.

Suburban garden - mine

Skills and abilities are something you take with you everywhere; no tools are needed to retain knowledge and learning a new skill is fun. This is where my little garden comes into play. My particular skill set, “Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.” extra points if you know what movie the quote is from, does not make me a farmer or even a gardener. Which is one of the reasons I have tried my hand at gardening or as the joke goes around here ‘working the farm’!

I have to admit it is not easy to grow things but is exciting when you see things grow and really exciting when you dig in the ground and find food you have grown!!! If you have never tended a garden or even tried to grow something in the windowsill I would strongly suggest you give it a try!!!
For some of us there is very limited room, we live in the city, in an apartment or our cookie cutter houses seem to close together. Almost all of us can find a window or strip of dirt we can transform into our own private farm!!! Start with just some herbs in the windowsill and work your way up from there. Using whatever space you can find.

I started in the windowsill with herbs, moved on to pots along the side of the house and now have my ‘farm’ along a strip of dirt which had an ornamental bush taking up space. For me starting small got me in the habit of watering something. Trust me the death toll was high when I first tried to grow anything!!! I’ve been trying to turn all of the plants in the backyard into food producers while not interfering with the back yard still being a backyard. Meaning I have not dug up the whole yard and put in rows of crops, the yard still functions as a place the kids can play and we can hang out in.

"The Farm"

As in learning any skill I spent a lot of time researching how to grow things and really just learning what I did wrong the last time. I also had to learn to can what I was growing but that is a post for another day! This week I decided to harvest my bounty off the farm!! Some of the plants were wilting and the bugs had found them. I also couldn’t wait any more to see how I had done!!! Drum roll……..

We managed to grow about five pounds of potatoes, some onions (still not sure how to grow them), a bunch of sage for cooking and even some blackberries!!!

We still have to see how the peppers are going to do and the strawberry plant I thought was dead was just hiding under the potato leaves!!! Tomato plant is growing, the grape vine has several bundles of grapes, we have to wait to see what the apricot tree and apple tree are going to do this year. I'm reading up on how to start another grape vine from scratch, trying to figure out what else to plant and today I will be drying some of the booty from the farm for storage!!! I also have to rework the rain collection system. I put it together in a hurry awhile back and have been using the water to water the plants, we are still in a drought here in California.

As you can probably figure out I have fun learning how to grow food, store food and it is exciting to get out my 'element' to learn new skills!!! If you have skill in the garden step out your comfort zone and learn something new, if you have no skill in the garden step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at something new! As an added bonus get the kids involved as much as they are able to. Nothing beats the look in a child's eye when they dig in the dirt and find a potato!!!

As Always,

Stay Safe!!!

Do it yourself food storage

The best food you can eat is the freshest food, the best food you can store is the food you will eat and the cheapest way to do both is to grow and store the food yourself.

We’ve been looking at food storage as a step by step process or in a tier format. This would be the last tier but does not have to be done last. You can start this portion of your planning at any stage. Heck you can start today!

In addition to adding to your pantry or emergency supplies you should add to your skills and knowledge base. Some of us might already know how to plant a garden, know how to ‘can’ our own foods or other such skills. I for one had no idea how to do any of these things!!!! In our modern times few of us know how to grow our own food or utilize the resources around us. We go to the market and food is just there…….. With this in mind; having the ability to grow (learned when your family does not ‘need’ the food) your own food is a skill few of us know how to do anymore!!!

“I do not know how to grow anything; I have nowhere to grow anything!”

This is the idea, learn how to grow something and find somewhere to grow something. The internet is full of information on how to grow food stuff!!! You can find literal hundreds of ideas on how, what and where to grow things. Does not matter if you live on the twentieth floor of an apartment building or in the suburbs, there is something you can grow!! Start small, find a window which has sunlight for most the day. Maybe you can put a pot or two in the window or maybe on the roof of the apartment building? Maybe there is that unused strip of dirt along the side of your house? If you start looking there will be a spot you can find.

Start small maybe just some parsley or other herbs in the window sill. Just to get in the habit of watering something every day. Then once you have grown these, a pot with tomatoes or onions or peppers? Find out what grows in your local area and try to grow what you know will grow. You want to give yourself the best chance at success! Do not try to grow too much too soon or you will become discouraged when all your plants die!!! I know this from firsthand knowledge!!!!

Bring the kids in on the growing of food, make it a fun time digging in the dirt, let them help water the plants and watch how excited they get when you harvest!!! Of course how much they can ‘help’ depends on their age. What you want to do is try to give them a skill set you might be learning from scratch but might just be what they need later in their lives!!! Plus it is fun to get dirty with the kids!!!

Look around your home. What plants are growing you can use? Our home came with an apple and apricot trees. I had no idea how to grow either, the internet helped me out! Now we have apples we do not have to buy at the store and I figured out how to make jam with the apricots!!! We had a neighbor who would bring oranges over and we would give them apricots. They would make apricot brandy??? We give away the apricot jam to friends and family.

Lemon trees, orange trees and others can be grown in pots and everything you grow on your own does not have to be bought at the store. Money you can use elsewhere. Of course most of us do not want to turn our yards into farms but there are things you can grow which do not take away from the beauty of your space and give you something you can use. We have apples, apricots, blackberries, onions, sage, potatoes and grapes growing in our yard!!! Grapes for making jelly not wine; although I’m sure someone in the house rather we grow wine grapes!!!!

This may sound generic but there really is something to be said for growing your own food and using the food to cook with. A certain joy in knowing you grew what you are using. It is hard to explain but once you do it you will understand!!

Remember we are trying to have enough food available for just ‘one more meal’ and the food you can grow in your own space might make the difference for your family and you!!! Go out and try it, learn a new skill set and have some fun!!!!!

As Always,

Stay Safe

Long Term Food Storage

Once we have a cupboard full of food and some prepackaged food to take on the move, then we can move on to long term storage planning. This would be food which is packaged and able to store for twenty or more years.

Why would we need food to last this long? Think of it as ‘buy and forget’. Hopefully you can build a stockpile of these types of foods and forget about it until you need it. This way no matter what comes you have something to turn to. Maybe you lose a job and are completely broke, you still can put something on the table for the children to eat. Even if you have burned through all the other food you have. Remember we are planning for all kinds of emergencies not just the end of the world!

These types of stored food are expensive so be prepared for the sticker shock before you start looking for items to buy! Unless you package the food yourself, which is a post for a different day, you are going to pay in order to have food which last so long. To counter the shock of seeing the price start small, buy just one can a month focus on what is on sale. After twelve months hopefully you are in a better position to spend a bit more.

Start with items on sale. Most of the sales you will find are hit and miss. Try to focus on things you need for an extended situation, things high in protein, fruits, vegetables and staples. If you are to a point where you have to use your long term storage, things are bad. You are going to want to keep people full and healthy till the situation changes.

Focus on sales of items which “put meat on your bones” and items you cannot get in the local area. Canned meats are the most expensive but you are going to want your children to eat protein to stay healthy. Fruits and vegetables you cannot find locally will give you diversity in your meals and go a long way in keeping people healthy. Almost anything you eat regularly can be found in large #10 cans.

Why #10 cans? Because most have at least a pound or more of food stuff inside, the cans are sturdy and if stored properly will last the 30 years or whatever the length of time the company claims. They also let you adjust the amounts used to your needs.
These cans take up space and you need somewhere to store them. If you are thinking you will simply buy a year supply and been done with it you will have to have the space for all the cans. When you look for a space the same rules apply to these cans as apply to the smaller ones; a cool, dry, dark place, a place rodents and other pest cannot get to. If you are storing the cans in a garage or other area, place them off the floor and away from the side of the area which gets the most sunlight. This would be the north side of buildings for those of us in the northern hemisphere. By keeping them off the floor you cut down on flooding or moisture collecting on the can. Moisture brings rust and rust ruins food. The side away from the sun stays cooler and the temperature does not fluctuate as much as the sun exposed side.

The longest lasting types of #10 cans are the ones packed with dehydrated food. You can also buy none dehydrated food in #10 cans at most big box stores and at some grocery stores. These might not last as long as the dehydrated types. What they will do is allow you to increase your food storage and give you more selection of items. If you have a big family this might be something you want to put into practice every day and not just during a bad day.

Again, try starting off with items on sale. Start with items you cannot easily get in the local area. Move onto staples which will allow you to make different things. After these you might be surprised in what you can find packaged in cans!!!! (I have found the company Auguason Farms to have the best deals. No I do not get anything for promoting them!)

When you start on this project do not forget the most important item you will need........ a can opener!!!!

As Always,
Stay Safe

Prepackaged Emergency Foods

As we gather and stockpile food stuffs in our home we will get to a level of preparedness where we are ready to add another layer to our abilities. Each of us will reach this at a different pace and for this reason no set “must have” mile marker is suggested. Maybe you live in a very small flat; you have stocked up on what you eat every day, along with staple food items and have reached your goal of food stuff. This could be three days’ worth of food, one week or even a months’ worth of food. Each of our situations is different and we are customizing to each of our situations.

The next layer or tier to your food preparedness is suggested to be mobile food sources. These are items you can quickly pack, already have packed, grab and go. This gives you the ability to move quickly, save space and still have food with you if the situation you find yourself in causes you to leave your home. Fire, floods, earthquakes and other issues are reasons you might have to leave your home and cannot carry with you all the food items you have stored away. With these items you can move when needed; although not the ideal situation, your family will not go hungry.

Of course if you have to move weight becomes a major issue. You can only carry so much food. Your husband, wife, children and pets can only carry so much. Especially if you consider all the other items you need if you are forced to become a refugee! Are you going to carry ten pounds of rice or ten gallons of water, change of clothing for you and the children or fifteen cans of green beans, taking a tent to shelter in or meat for the children to eat? All of these can become life changing decisions if you are in this situation. Having prepackaged foods can go a long way in this situation. Any of the items we are going to discuss here are expensive and this needs to be factored in when planning for this level of readiness.

MREs are always brought into the conversation when mobile food sources are brought up. They are a quick solution to the issue. Having eaten these for days on end……. MREs get old really fast! There are only so many types and everyone is not going to like every type of meal. The upside to them is one meal has enough calories to keep you alive for one day, the have a variety of food items and if you buy the right type you can have a hot meal at a time you probably really need one. The military and civilian versions are not that different and there are types for every food preference.

Prepackaged containers or ‘buckets’ are another option. Most of these come in some kind of container for easy of carrying. The majority of these containers are not designed for carrying the food any great distance by hand. If you choose to purchase these types of portable food make sure you read the packaging carefully. Unlike an MRE some of these meals require water to be added in order to prepare the food for eating. Serving sizes also very greatly from one company to the next with most hovering around a 1 cup serving size. This could be far less than you might think the serving should be.

Along with these types of meals backpacking meals are also an option. Some of these can be eaten right out of the bag without water. Most have the same concerns as the prepackaged “emergency” meals, serving size and the need for water. On the plus side when using backpacking meals; they come in a wide variety of meal types and they lack the weight of MREs. You can even find ice cream and other desserts if you shop around!!!!

Another option is emergency ration bars. These are ‘bricks’ of food used aboard life boats. If you decide to buy these try and find ones approved by the Coast Guard because they have the most nutrient value in almost every case. You will often see these as items in survival kits which state they will keep you and others alive for days at a time…………….. yes these can keep you alive. One word of caution, they taste like cardboard and in most cases are not pleasing to the pallet!!!! You can live off of these food rations but you will not enjoy eating them for days at a time. A suggestion would be to have these rations as a last resort, the finally line between your family and starvation.

One thing we can do with all of these items which is seldom discussed is to give them away. If you are in a situation where you are at home, have other food stuff and are not in fear of starving or going without having these items on hand can solve a problem. “What do you do when the neighbors ask for food? What do you do when you see other people’s children going without? One answer can be to give them any of these items. I know some people say they will never give anything to anyone during an emergency and I would say you have never seen a child really going hungry!!!

If you do not want to be charitable, what about using these items for trade? During an emergency people are not going to want to be paid in money, checks or by credit card not if they are hungry right now and do not have access to food. Food will be a far greater priority then the check they might be able to put in the bank later. What if you need something done or an item you do not have and you can pay for the service or item by trading someone a prepackaged meal?

Think of this tier as giving you more options. If you can, buy some of each type of prepackaged food to give you more flexibility in your response to situations. Should you have to leave do not think you can only bring these sorts of food items with you. If you have the ability bring ALL your food with you!!

As Always,
Stay Safe