Preparedness

[Ollie]

Hi Mrs Tigersoap

… We don't have the space for a big freezer, so our place is very limited for frozen food. We are currently considering buying a dehydrator. Apparently, the best are the ones with a thermostat and no central system (but one that works everywhere in the trays), like the Excalibur (love the name!).

I can recommend the Excalibur, I have a 5 tray version, and it has served me well so far. (meat vegetables and some fruit)

Hi RedFox

I think I'll look into the dehydrated food, as space is a real issue for me.
From what I've read if you have a fan assisted over you may not need a dehydrator to dry the food.

I tried that before getting a dehydrator. Using a fan-assisted oven is ineffective, and expensive (takes twice as long) compared with a purpose–made dehydrator. Well worth the investment.

On a related note I find the timing of the post funny due to laying awake last night wondering what to do about food in the coming years. One thought that did cross my mind was the use of food rationing (like the ration books from WW2).....except with a twist (as always).....they get to prescribe what everyone can/can't eat through the use of this system (everyone gets their daily dose of gluten/dairy/GMO/msg!).

That is what happened in WW2! And, there was only a small amount each week - less than you’d probably have in a day – for a family!

 

[Gimpy]

I think as long as you can afford (or have access to) electricity, freezing meats is probably the way to go. Grass-fed beef is not hard to find around here and I've had pretty good luck freezing it over the years. I usually keep a few chickens frozen along with some random assortment of pork too. This came in handy this past year when I was in a financial pinch for a couple months and had trouble getting enough food.

But, given the possibility that the lights could go out, it might not be a bad idea to learn how to can meats too. I've often thought that if that happened, I would probably have to have a canning marathon to save whatever meat I could from the freezer. I have a pressure cooker and have had variable success canning meats. In the winter time this wouldn't be hard. Heck, I could probably just keep the meat in the freezer for at least a few months without electricity (I keep the freezer in an unheated garage). But in the summer months this would be a real problem.

I think if it came down to a survival situation, I would look into raising rabbits for meat and canning those. They eat mostly grass, which you could grow in trays indoors or in a small greenhouse. An old-timer in my neighborhood talks about how his family used to can rabbits some 50 odd years ago. According to him, rabbit meat is very tasty.

Be careful eating too much rabbit. I remember my Grandma telling me that you can't eat it too long because it lacks some kind of vitamin. She used to raise rabbits for food. Its anecdotal, but might be worth checking out.

 

[RyanX]

Be careful eating too much rabbit. I remember my Grandma telling me that you can't eat it too long because it lacks some kind of vitamin. She used to raise rabbits for food. Its anecdotal, but might be worth checking out.

Gimpy,

Interesting. Thanks for the tip! I don't plan on eating any rabbit at this point, but if push came to shove, it sounds like a semi-easy way to get some protein. Hopefully there would be some wild game to contribute to my diet as well.

Of course, who knows what the winds of change might bring. I might be buried under four stories of snow and ice before I have time to do anything.

 

[RedFox]

I think I'll look into the dehydrated food, as space is a real issue for me.
From what I've read if you have a fan assisted over you may not need a dehydrator to dry the food.

I tried that before getting a dehydrator. Using a fan-assisted oven is ineffective, and expensive (takes twice as long) compared with a purpose–made dehydrator. Well worth the investment.

Will be investing in a dehydrator soon, thanks for the info.
I've also looked into vacuum sealing food. It seems that the right combination of properly dehydrated and vacuum sealed food should last a year (if not more) at room temperature. Given limited storage space (no extra room in the fridge/freezer and no cellar) I figure this may be the best option to explore.
Does anyone have experience with dehydrating and vacuum sealing food?

 

[Ollie]

Be careful eating too much rabbit. I remember my Grandma telling me that you can't eat it too long because it lacks some kind of vitamin. She used to raise rabbits for food. Its anecdotal, but might be worth checking out.

Survival handbooks confirm the same – rabbit does not provide sufficient nutrition to survive on if it is your only food. Rabbit meat lacks fat and vitamins essential to man. Apparently the Hudson Bay Company recorded cases of trappers dying of starvation through eating well only on rabbit. The body uses its own vitamins to digest rabbit, and then they are excreted. If rabbit is your only food, the effect becomes cumulative –leading to starvation. Something else is required to replace the vitamins and minerals used up in digesting rabbit.

I might be buried under four stories of snow and ice before I have time to do anything.

Vegetation buried under snow was apparently the reason the trappers went for rabbit!

 

[Drea]

I've canned a couple batches of chicken and beef so far, but I would really like to can some bacon. This is when having a dehydrator would come in handy.
Apparently there are a couple ways to do this that I found on the internet including wrapping it in paper with no liquid. I might experiment with this a bit.
Hmm maybe parchment paper would work. Link is here: http://livintheoffgriddream.blogspot.com/2010/06/canning-bacon.html

Since the food does not come in contact with the cooker because it is in sealed jars, it doesn't matter that it is aluminum.

I take it that aluminum leeches into your food if you use the pot for cooking?

 

[Echo Blue]

We don't have the space for a big freezer, so our place is very limited for frozen food. We are currently considering buying a dehydrator. Apparently, the best are the ones with a thermostat and no central system (but one that works everywhere in the trays), like the Excalibur (love the name!). Here is a website with some interesting info:


_http://www.dehydrate2store.com (lots of great tips and info about storing food)

I have two Ronco food dryers and have used them mainly for drying apples, which I have always had an abundance of - and they turn out great. Lately I've been drying winter and summer squash and zucchini and they have turned out very well. Easy to store in glass jars and I 'think' you can also put dried foods (fruits/veggies) in paper bags for storage. I don't have lots of freezer room, so drying has to be the way to go for me.

I also purchased a book this summer that has directions for drying meats. Will have to dig it out and try that also.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

It replace bread, ideal to make wrap for lunch and they last a long time more than regular bread.

That seems lovely. Not only would a dehydrator help us be prepared for upcoming food shortages, it might even give us right now new possibilities as far as cooking is concerned: chips, fruit or vegetable wraps, etc.

I also purchased a book this summer that has directions for drying meats. Will have to dig it out and try that also.

I'd be interested to know how it turns out.

I've also looked into vacuum sealing food. It seems that the right combination of properly dehydrated and vacuum sealed food should last a year (if not more) at room temperature.

Is vacuum always in plastic containers and bags? Isn't that bad for the food inside?

 

[Jacques]

Hi Mrs Tigersoap

… We don't have the space for a big freezer, so our place is very limited for frozen food. We are currently considering buying a dehydrator. Apparently, the best are the ones with a thermostat and no central system (but one that works everywhere in the trays), like the Excalibur (love the name!).

I can recommend the Excalibur, I have a 5 tray version, and it has served me well so far. (meat vegetables and some fruit)

Indeed, the Excalibur is a good one. If you think to buy one, go with the one that has 9 trays.

Using the dehydrator, you do not lose the vitamins and the enzymes.

 

[LQB]

Hi Mrs Tigersoap

… We don't have the space for a big freezer, so our place is very limited for frozen food. We are currently considering buying a dehydrator. Apparently, the best are the ones with a thermostat and no central system (but one that works everywhere in the trays), like the Excalibur (love the name!).

I can recommend the Excalibur, I have a 5 tray version, and it has served me well so far. (meat vegetables and some fruit)

Indeed, the Excalibur is a good one. If you think to buy one, go with the one that has 9 trays.

Using the dehydrator, you do not lose the vitamins and the enzymes.

I'll throw in 2 cents on the Excaliber - we have the 9-tray. Very good heat control for living foods like Gandalf says. We've used it for drying soaked nuts and drying sprouted buckwheat. Have yet to try it on meat.

 

[Bluestar]

While researching dehydrators, I am finding that each company advocates their product as the best. Of course. Looking into the difference between stainless steel and the Excaliber.

The Excaliber site has this to say:

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/article.php?action=view&article_id=38&return_url=YXJ0aWNsZS5waHA/X3JlcXVlc3Q9WVRvd09udDk=

As stainless steel appliances have come into fashion one question remains- is stainless steel better than plastic for food dehydration? Well it depends- Not all stainless steel is created equal just like not all plastics are the same. Some people are under the misconception that stainless steel is healthier and of higher quality than plastic. However, it all depends on the grade of stainless steel. Lower grades of stainless steel can be mixed with other metals which can change in color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.

Makes sense. So they go on to state that their materials used in their dehydrators are FDA safe. Now knowing something about the FDA, I ask myself can I trust this info?

Excalibur's Tray Screen Material is made from FDA Approved Polypropylene #5 which is one of the safest plastics for direct food contact. We use polycarbonate as the Case material because it is virtually indestructible however; we use polypropylene #5 for the parts that your food sets on because it is the safest plastics for food contact available. ** Please note that food does not come into contact with polycarbonate- the plastic that your food sets on in the Excalibur is polypropylene NOT polycarbonate**
FDA Approved polycarbonate is safe when used at low temperature under 160 degrees F and will not give off harmful fumes like low-quality plastic dehydrators. The use of polycarbonate plastic for food contact applications has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide. Important--make sure that you have FDA Approved for Food Contact polycarbonate as there are different types of polycarbonates
Polycarbonate is a natural heat insulator so it works well in dehydration, better than single walled stainless steel which can heat up and cook your foods.

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene

This material is often chosen for its resistance to corrosion and chemical leaching, its resilience against most forms of physical damage, including impact and freezing, its environmental benefits, and its ability to be joined by heat fusion rather than gluing.[11

With the recommenations here Excaliber is the way to go.

 

[rrraven]

I found this --http://www.jrwhipple.com/sr/soldehydrate.html
a solar dehydrator so we can keep drying stuff the power goes out

solar panels to keep the freezers going may be a good move too

 

[Chu]

Is vacuum always in plastic containers and bags? Isn't that bad for the food inside?

As far as I know, the biggest problem with plastic being in touch with food is when there is heat involved, like when you unfreeze something in the microwave, hot water, etc. that is wrapped in plastic.
See here: http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12458.msg89088#msg89088

Also with liquids, as the molecules move faster and some plastic gets in it (like with bottled drinks, that taste like plastic after a while)
and here: http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=10573.msg77446#msg77446

I don't know all the details, but I don't think that using plastic for vacuum sealing solids is that bad if you can't avoid it.

 

[Laura]

We canned 33 liters of stew beef yesterday. I was able to get it at 3.50 per kilo which is about 1.50 per pound. (Euros) So it's pretty cheap. But the butcher prepared me a nice batch of it and even if it was probably tough, it was good looking. Being canned will make it very tender, too.

So, I'm going to be doing this once a week as long as I can get it at that reasonable price. With all the weather going nuts, I'm expecting some serious food shortages and that is going to drive the prices out of reach for most people. Also, if some kind of martial law comes along here or there, they will likely start issuing food coupons and from what I've heard, that means practically starvation. I talked to an old farmer down the road one day and he told me that during WW II, the government sent troops around to take the food from all the farms to feed the army. They took everything. Then they issued food coupons that were for barely enough to keep a person alive. The farmer said his father went from being a strong, 200 pound man to practically a skeleton and almost died from malnutrition because he gave much of the food that was alotted to himself to his wife and kids. So, anyway, the guy said that it wasn't just enough to preserve food, it was a good idea to have a place to store it that wasn't too obvious.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

I talked to an old farmer down the road one day and he told me that during WW II, the government sent troops around to take the food from all the farms to feed the army. They took everything.

I was just thinking of that. The thing is, we for example live in an apartment building, with little possibility of hiding food (I actually store some of it in my wardrobe) and our basement, which is located at the far end of our building's underground parking lot and is basically a big room divided in small 3X5 m cubicles (one for each apartment) is only good for storage as long as there are no food shortages. That's probably the first place people would search, not to mention that it is accessible directly from the outside when the parking lot door opens to let cars in.