Preparedness

[anart]

It's my understanding that the food preparedness is to be able to make it through the period where food becomes incredibly scarce or expensive, for a time. Quite frankly, if it comes down to neighbor attacking neighbor to survive, I'm not sure who would want to survive in that situation anyway. I think it is vitally important to keep things in perspective and not get carried away by fear. It's only life after all, and the soul is what matters.

 

[ocean59]

I live in an average suburban street, and i remember reading a post by a lady earlier in this thread who made a great point, which basically said- what was the point of storing food, if your hungry neighbours will only break down your door and take it anyway?

Maybe it is time to introduce one's self, or get to know your neighbors by any means possible? Especially if planning to stay in that area...There are endlessly creative ways to accomplish this...

So, to me the only logical solution is this:

why not forget extensive canning etc.
continue calmy living your life while it is still good, help people, and, if all hell breaks loose and everyone turns into lord of the flies
why not just have some type of lethal but quick exit pill stored away in a safe place?
Then you can quickly get out of this place and back to the 5th.

Why not get to know your neighbors now, see if anyone else has an interest in canning/preparation, and maybe work to get to the point that should the spit hit the fan, some of you would come together to share resources. You know, rather than defaulting right away to the 'kill your neighbor' philosophy. Maybe come up with some reasons now why that wouldn't be in anyone's best interest, if you are positive that's how it's going to go down (and I don't see how anyone could be).

Or go ahead and extensively can, and freely share what you have when the time comes, if you are convinced people are going to steal it anyways.

These outcomes are not set in stone - there is no way to determine the concrete future with these thoughts. But rather than relying on a suicide pill to 'make it all go away,' maybe steps could be taken now to create more a more mutually beneficial environment, even in what may not be the best of circumstances.

I respect what people are trying to do with canning, but this is the only plan that gives complete peace of mind.

I respectfully disagree. That is definitely NOT the only plan that gives complete peace of mind. It IS however the only plan I see that will guarantee your early death, and totally remove your ability to help others still here. If the point of this life is to just kill one's self when the going gets rough, what was the point of incarnating here at all? Just seems like a cop out option to me, but I may be projecting my own issues here having dealt with a friend's unexpected suicide earlier this year.

 

[kenlee]

If we're going to live in constant fear of the worst, we may find that we project those same fears onto others even when it's unwarranted and find ourselves in a self fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps if we seek to live with an open mind and heart, we may find that we are pleasantly surprised and that everyone is not out to get us.

I think this is an excellent point. No matter how bad things can get outwardly there will still be open possibilities, probably even more so, to transform inwardly and be inwardly free. This reminds me of this excerpt in Tales Of Power when Don Juan was talking about the tonal and the nagual and how possibilities for inward transformation were actually opened for "men of knowledge" when the Spanish conquistadors were decimating the Native American population.

Just speculating here but this inward change of the few in these conditions might even be a factor in actually opening and maintaining some inward possibilities for the many as outward possibilities continue to close if things should go from bad to worse.

Excerpts from 'Tales Of Power' by Carlos Castaneda:

Quote

'The tonal is everything we know ... and that includes not only us persons but everything in our world. The moment we breathe the first gasp of air we also breathe in the power of the tonal. So, it is proper to say the the tonal of a human being is intimately tied to his birth. ... The tonal begins at birth and ends at death'. '... the tonal makes up the rules by which it apprehends the world. So in a manner of speaking, it creates the world' although it 'doesn't create a thing'. The tonal is an island. There is a personal tonal for every one of us and there is the collective tonal of the times which unites us.

'The nagual is the part of us which we do not deal with at all. The nagual is the part of us for which there is no description - no words, no names, no feelings, no knowledge'. 'The mind, the soul, even god are all items of the tonal. The nagual on the other hand is at the service of the warrior. It can be witnessed but it cannot be talked about'. The nagual is there ... surrounding the island, there where power hovers' (Castaneda 1979 124).

Quote

[...] 'Indians are the losers of our time. Their downfall began with the Spaniards and now under the reign of the descendants of the Indians have lost everything. It is not an exaggeration to say Indians have lost their tonal." (Castaneda 1979 138)

'Is this a metaphor, don Juan'?

'No, it is a fact. The tonal is very vulnerable. It cannot withstand mistreatment. The white man, from the day he set foot on this land has systematically destroyed not only the Indian tonal of the time, but also the personal tonal of every Indian. One can easily surmise that for the poor average Indian the reign of the white man has been sheer hell. And yet the irony is that for another kind of Indian it has been sheer bliss'.

'Who are you talking about, don Juan? What kind of Indian is that'?

'For the sorcerer the Conquest was the challenge of a lifetime. They were the only ones who were not destroyed by it, but adapted to it and used it to their ultimate advantage. After the tonal of the time and the personal tonal of every Indian was obliterated, the sorcerers found themselves holding on to the only thing left uncontested, the nagual. In other words their tonal took refuge in their nagual. The men of knowledge of today are a product of those conditions'. (Castaneda 1979 139)

 

[herondancer]

I respectfully disagree. That is definitely NOT the only plan that gives complete peace of mind. It IS however the only plan I see that will guarantee your early death, and totally remove your ability to help others still here. If the point of this life is to just kill one's self when the going gets rough, what was the point of incarnating here at all? Just seems like a cop out option to me, but I may be projecting my own issues here having dealt with a friend's unexpected suicide earlier this year.

Precisely Jason. The chance to incarnate, and especially at this time is a gift. If nothing else, it would be completely disrespectful to the DCM, imo to reject it out of fear for the body. I've known since thirteen that terrible things were coming to the planet, and though I didn't have a clear idea of what they would be, it caused a lot of sleepless nights growing up. But it seemed that if I was here, there was something I needed to do to help. Finding out what that is is part of the adventure. What would be the point of not seeing it through?

My condolences on your friend Jason.

 

[TOTEM36]

It's my understanding that the food preparedness is to be able to make it through the period where food becomes incredibly scarce or expensive, for a time. Quite frankly, if it comes down to neighbor attacking neighbor to survive, I'm not sure who would want to survive in that situation anyway. I think it is vitally important to keep things in perspective and not get carried away by fear. It's only life after all, and the soul is what matters.

well said, totally agree anart.


Thanks for all the responses. Good points about 'open possibilities', and 'fear for the body'. I hear you Jason (ocean59), two friends of mine died by the exact same method of hanging, one in 1993 and one in 1999. Its sad.
-'Our' individual interactions with the wave. The big hope.

 

[3DStudent]

I want to modify my experience with the Tattler canning lids. Last weekend I recanned the tallow that had failed to seal. It was 8 jars, and all of them sealed. It has been three days and they are still sealed.

The company actually just modified their instructions last month. Where originally they said tighten finger tight, then loosen 1/4 an inch; now it's just finger tight. You still have to quickly tighten all the way (but not "gorilla grip") while they're still hot and you remove them from the canner. I think that my "finger tight" was too loose, and when I backed up the quarter inch, it was really loose.

So I'm glad I did a little research and was able to regain the confidence to try one more time. Hope this is helpful for anyone considering the reusable BPA free lids. Happy Canning!

 

[stellar]

It's my understanding that the food preparedness is to be able to make it through the period where food becomes incredibly scarce or expensive, for a time. Quite frankly, if it comes down to neighbor attacking neighbor to survive, I'm not sure who would want to survive in that situation anyway. I think it is vitally important to keep things in perspective and not get carried away by fear. It's only life after all, and the soul is what matters.

My sentiments exactly. I always have a stocked freezer and when that goes... well, que sera sera. I don't want to be here to watch any more suffering; enough is enough.

 

[MnSportsman]

Preparedness, regarding food.

Just a thought, or two/three...

Why should anyone have a refrigerator/icebox/freezer, or even a pantry/pantry shelf? Since you need not prepare for more than 1-3 meals/ per person to suffice for most for one day. Is it the food packaging? Many things are packaged for more than one serving? Why not give the extra serving to your neighbors each day & only use what you need for that day?

No need to prepare for any new meals tomorrow... You can just go get more of what you need & share the excess. Or perhaps wait for your neighbors who you shared with..... rather than to prepare for the next day meals... just wait for them to bring you some of their foodstuffs that they do not need to store.... Then there is no need for a refrigerator/icebox/freezer, or even a pantry. You can use that extra space that used to be used for food in so many other ways.....

Another thought... Since you already have a freezer full of food. You need not concern yourself until that food runs out. No matter that every time you open the door, regardless of whether it is an upright or chest freezer.... that you help to defrost the food remaining in the freezer that you do not use... You may as well hand it out to your neighbors & then they can utilize that frozen food so you do not defrost more than you can utilize yourself for yourself & your families' needs....Again, don't forget those servings... You may as well just use only part of what you have frozen & pass the rest along. Hopefully your neighbors have a full freezer too. You can take turns.... Unless the electricity is not there to help the compressor keep the food frozen..... Ooops. did you forget about that? What do ya do now? Electricity gone... Now, every time you open the freezer & defrost. there s no re-freezing effect. You may have about 4 days before the entire freezer contents have gone bad or can possibly make you sick. & don't forget the neighbors... Their freezer is in the same shape... Oh... but what say you have exhausted your food.... that what didn't go bad. & the neighbors did too... Doggone PTB.. should have got the electricity goin faster.... Hey.... What about canning some of that food? If ya had some canned that would probably get ya through a lttle longer...Well.... both you & the neighbors thought there was no need to prepare.....Why even think of that now????

You'd have been better off emptying your freezers the first day & filling them with potable water to drink. It is said that you can last approx. 3 weeks without food, but on average, only 3 days without adequate potable water.....

Why prepare for more than 3 days?

Waaalllll. Ya might want to think on it.

Dyin of thirst is not an easy way ta go, from what I understand. Starving isn't much easier... & watching the weaker ones go first.. Well that might just torment ya a lil bit.... since ya didn't even prepare at all....When you could have....

Just some thoughts. ( albeit , perhaps harsher than some would like.)
Respects,
JB/MnSportsman

 

[TOTEM36]

.............perhaps harsher than some would like.)
Respects,
JB/MnSportsman

No, I liked your harshness, you were explaining the cold reality of what it would be like -if ? food shortage does occur. Good 'food' for thought.

 

[stellar]

I remember back in the 60's my grandparents used to smoke pork in various cuts and sausages once a year and that lasted them and our family a full year until the next cull. Times were hard then where I'm from and every morsel counted and wasn't wasted. Chickens and ducks (freerange) were kept for eggs and only occasionally killed for food when the yungens were of laying age.

These days people are too used to packaged food and don't want to put in the hard work to prepare in advance. Certainly not everyone is able to keep animals but smoking meet, I think, is still a practical and effective way to prepare and if done properly does not require refrigeration. Smoked bacon and eggs is awesome. ;D

 

[MnSportsman]

May I suggest that some, if not all, that are reading this thread, take the time to look at this informative webpage:

EMERGENCY DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES

If nothing else , at least reading the following sections:

How should I treat the water for storage? , Hidden Water Sources in Your Home, & the Summary at the end/bottom of the page.

Even if you choose not to do any preparation in regard to food stuffs, it would at least be a good idea to be able to help those that you care about, even if you do not include yourself, in some basic preparations for times that are tough. By knowing how to at least have a drink of potable/safe drinking water.

I might mention that just having a 5 gallon bucket with lid such as the type used by restaurants( food grade) with some tins of Spam/potted meats, sardines, tuna in it. ( a min of 10) Include a teaspoon, & a means of opening the tins(manual can opener/et al), if they are not the "pull open type".

You have now just made a "minimalist type preparation kit". & it does not take up a lot of space. Also it is portable if you have to move to another location. If there is a possible time where you feel that you may be wthout food & water for 5-10 days. The items in your kit will last you for that time & keep you alive for at least 5-10 days in regard to food & water. All you need to do is fill the bucket with potable/safe drinking water right away before it is needed, & there is now about 5-10 days worth of water to keep one person alive, depending on their needs( hot climate/work load/etc). Keeping a lid on the bucket will help reduce evaporation. The food stuffs, although not a lot, should at least provide you with a means of keeping away "hunger pangs" & the weakness that lack of food can create. The teaspoon is for eating the food in this minimal kit, & the openers use was already mentioned above.

Now if you add the following( & they will fit inside this bucket kit):
(1)small(12 0z/.354 liter) soda pop/water bottle & /or a 8 oz/.237 liter measuring cup. Along with a small quart/.95 liter sized, (or equivalent) bottle of bleach, that contains no soap or scented additives.
The small bottle can be used as a drinking device,canteen, & a measuring system. The cup can do the same without the canteen use. The bleach is to be used to help purify any water you feel the need to purify.
Using the teaspoon & the appropriate amount of bleach, you can purify water found in other locations, such as the hidden ones mentioned in the link. The amounts of bleach to use are there also & would be worth writing down on the side of the bucket for reference.
The bottle or cup can be used to transfer the new water into your bucket & measure how much bleach you need to purify the particular amount of water you gathered. The bleach then becomes self -explanatory as the purifying agent.

I could add more right now , but this short list may help satisfy some who wish to possibly prepare, minimally, for situations that occur unexpectedly regarding food/water shortages.

If you take the time to "prepare" your food( cleaning/cooking/etc.); "preparing"to go to work(dressing appropriately, having subway or bus tokens, cab fare, etc), To relieve yourself( having toilet paper); I could go on & on, since people "prepare" all the time, in many ways, if ya think on it.

Why not prepare for unforeseen circumstances that you , in a small /inexpensive way, can "prepare" for ???
Although I repeat myself...., if you don't want to prepare for yourself, it would be the responsible thing to do to at least "prepare", for those that you love/wish to help.( or help them to prepare).

I hope this is of some help to others.

Respects,
JB/MnSportsman

 

[Gwenllian]

Maybe dehydrating meat is not a bad idea either Laura. We purchased a dehydrator some time ago and you can practically dehydrate any thing. Dehydrated meat can last for quit some time too. I remember eating dehydrated meat in Nepal in the mountain, they didn't have electricity at the time so, they will hang the meat from yack close to the fire place and let it dry for a few day. When they served it, they just cut some into piece and add some water and spice, heated it and served it on rice and it was delicious.

In Niger (West-Africa, country of the Sahel) people eat lots of meat. It is part of their diet, as veggies and fruits are difficult to grow because of little rainfall (although that is changing). They cut up the meat in VERY thin slices (they must have a steady hand) and then fry it and then dry it. It will keep for a year I was told. The taste is wonderful. I had some last Summer.
When I was in Niger a while back I bought these slices in the street where they are prepared. I did not eat lots of meat then, but that is something which I truly loved. And I did not fall ill either.
No water was added, you just chew on them. :D

 

[Gwenllian]

I remember back in the 60's my grandparents used to smoke pork in various cuts and sausages once a year and that lasted them and our family a full year until the next cull. Times were hard then where I'm from and every morsel counted and wasn't wasted. Chickens and ducks (freerange) were kept for eggs and only occasionally killed for food when the yungens were of laying age.

These days people are too used to packaged food and don't want to put in the hard work to prepare in advance. Certainly not everyone is able to keep animals but smoking meet, I think, is still a practical and effective way to prepare and if done properly does not require refrigeration. Smoked bacon and eggs is awesome. ;D

So how did they go about smoking the meat, Stellar? Above an open fire in the garden?
I must sound ignorant (a typical product of a fridge generation).

 

[ginebra]

So how did they go about smoking the meat, Stellar? Above an open fire in the garden?
I must sound ignorant (a typical product of a fridge generation).

In my early teens in the village I grow up, my elders used to smoke pork parts( after spending some days cover in a thick layer of sea salt ) hanging on
the roof. My old house had a stone base in the floor,where the fire was set. For several days, there always was fire until the parts were smoked.

Mod's note; Edited to fix the quotation boxes

 

[Mikey]

Certainly not everyone is able to keep animals but smoking meet, I think, is still a practical and effective way to prepare and if done properly does not require refrigeration. Smoked bacon and eggs is awesome. ;D

This article says about smoking meat:

Meat drying after presalting, as described above, is the simplest and most efficient method of meat dehydration. Additional treatments used for some special dried meat products are curing, smoking and the utilization of spices and food additives.

[...]

Smoking of meat is a technique in which meat is exposed directly to wood smoke which may be generated by a variety of methods. In smoke produced from wood there are various substances which contribute to the flavour and the appearance of the smoked meat product and which have a certain preserving effect on the product.

However, the preserving effect of common smoking is not very significant when storing the product without a cold chain. On the other hand, intensive or prolonged smoking may considerably increase the shelf-life of the product, but it also has an unfavourable effect on flavour. Whereas a light smoke aroma generally enhances the organoleptic properties of the product, intensive smoking has a negative influence on the quality, especially in the case of prolonged storage in which concentrated smoke compounds develop increasingly unpleasant tarry flavours.

In view of the above, smoking in order to preserve meat can only be considered as an emergency measure when no other preservation methods can be carried out. This may be the case during wet weather or generally under a humid climate, or when the preservation has to be completed as fast as possible because of the need of immediate transport, for instance after game-hunting.