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When planning and storing food for emergencies or survival situations, we have long advocated incorporating foods that will last forever (or at least longer than you will). By doing so, this does double duty by boosting your emergency supplies, pantries, and your bartering power, as well as ensuring you are purchasing foods as frugally as possible.

In The Prepper’s Cookbook, 25 must-have foods were explored in this best-selling book. These 25 foods are the foundation of your prepper pantry and used to make an array of foods. 11 of those 25 foods were what is considered “forever foods.”

Today, we are going to explore five more foods to add to your forever food pantries, and if stored properly, they will last forever. Best of all, many of them will serve multiple purposes beyond human consumption and this could give you a hand up should the SHTF!

5 (More) Forever Foods for Your Prepper Pantry

1. Distilled White Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is actually not made by distillation at all, but made by the fermentation of the natural sugars found in either grains or fruit. Those sugars are converted to alcohol and the alcohol is then fermented a second time and it turns into vinegar by the production of acetic acid after the fermentation of ethanol, sugars, or acetic acid bacteria. Vinegar typically contains anywhere between 5 and 20% acetic acid by volume and is currently mainly used as a cooking ingredient, or in pickling. The mainstays of the category include white distilled, cider, wine, and malt have now been joined by balsamic, rice, rice wine, raspberry, pineapple, Chardonnay, flavored and seasoned vinegar and more.

Vinegar will slowly lose its concentration of acidity over time. The vinegar will absorb water from the air diluting its concentration of acetic acid. And over time, the acetic acid will break down or decompose leaving behind a less acidic product. Distilled white vinegar is perfect for marinades, sauces, and dressings, but because it will decompose and dilute itself, try to use fresh distilled white vinegar when pickling or making dressings, but those older gallon jugs of vinegar will work great as a cleaning solution. Distilled white vinegar is great to use to clean your house or add it to your laundry as a fabric softener! It is actually just as good at killing germs as bleach, according to a Colorado State University publication. Once 5% distilled white vinegar is heated to at least 150 degrees Fahrenheit it is as effective as bleach in treating Listeria Monocytogenes, E. Coli, and Salmonella.

You can also use distilled white vinegar as a fruit and vegetable wash! Try using 2 tablespoons of the vinegar to 1 pint of water. It is also great at removing lime stains from bathroom faucets. Every few weeks or so, I use distilled white vinegar to run through my essential oils diffuser. It acts as a cleaner and keeps my diffuser running great.

Its shelf life is almost indefinite. Its acidic nature makes it self-preserving. To keep distilled white vinegar virtually forever, store in a cool dry area and keep a lid on tight.

2. Cornstarch

Cornstarch is powder made from the starch in corn kernels and generally used as a thickener for sauces and gravies in the kitchen. But it can be used for so much more, including cleaning and medicinal uses.

Cornstarch can be used to help cool off a sunburn. A simple paste of cornstarch and water spread over a sunburn soothes inflamed skin. This paste on insect bites and stings. Use aloe vera gel instead of water to ramp up the soothing properties as well! Cornstarch will also help prevent chaffing. If you have sensitive skin and a tendency to chafe, simply dust a little cornstarch on your problem areas before dressing.

If you have a creaky spot in your hardwood flooring, try adding a sprinkle of cornstarch and then sweep. The superfine starch works itself into nooks and crannies, effectively stopping the noise. It is also great at cleaning up greasy carpet stains! If you have a greasy mess on your carpet, simply pour cornstarch over it and let it sit for 20 minutes. The cornstarch absorbs the grease and freshens the carpet. Just vacuum the powder away! Cornstarch is also an amazing window cleaner. Since its a super fine to the touch but naturally abrasive at a microscopic level, adding a tablespoon of cornstarch to your favorite window cleaner will make cleaning easier and leave a streak-free shine.

While cornstarch can go bad, that can only happen in very specific circumstances, so if you are willing to make sure it is stored properly, it will be perfectly fine for years. If the powder gets wet, it will go bad. It’s important to store cornstarch in a cool and dry place. If cornstarch cannot absorb water, it will stay good indefinitely.

3. Distilled Liquor

Distilled liquor is also not only useful by can be stored forever. It also has the added benefit of being a bartering tool, which comes in handy in the event of a societal collapse. The base liquors, such as brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey, are typically the most stable distilled spirits because they do not contain any sugars. The more sugar a liquor has, the faster it will deteriorate. Bottles of base liquors can be stored for a very long time opened, although they may lose some flavor, they will keep indefinitely if they remain unopened.

When it comes to prepping, it is always important to keep in mind your trading and bartering power. Distilled liquors can definitely give you an edge when it comes to bartering. Other than perhaps ammunition, there may not be a better item to store to ensure you’ve got something others will want than some extra liquor. Whiskey is a great option to store for bartering while vodka can be used as in first aid.

Liquor can be used not only as a way of keeping wounds free from infection but for keeping nausea at bay and or for making dental work more bearable for the patient. Any liquor above 60% can be used as surgical alcohol and anything above 40% can be used to disinfect wounds for first aid purposes, not to mention medicinal tinctures.

4. Bouillon

Bouillon cubes generally contain enough salt to preserve them from spoilage, but the flavor (which, after all, is why you’re using them) may weaken, dull, and change over the years. But the bottom line is that they will last forever if they remain stored in a cool dry place! Bouillon cubes are used to add flavor to foods and can be invaluable in your prepping supply. Since they contain a high salt content, they will basically preserve themselves.

5. Maple Syrup

Maple syrup will also last forever if the bottle remains unopened and its kept in the cold. If you open the maple syrup, it can get moldy and its incredibly unpleasant to eat at that point. It will only last about a year after you crack open that bottle, so if you want to save it, put it in your freezer. It will retain its flavor best and keep indefinitely when it’s stored in the freezer and don’t worry, it won’t freeze solid.

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When planning and storing food for emergencies or survival situations, we have long advocated incorporating foods that will last forever (or at least longer than you will). By doing so,

Planning for medical emergencies is one of the biggest challenges one faces. This is especially true if the situation will occur with limited outside resources on which to rely. There are several things you can do to improve the odds for yourself and your loved ones, including solid medical knowledge, the leadership skills necessary to create a makeshift hospital, and a comprehensive medical stockpile.

Education

Many people underestimate the immense value an education in a practical field like medicine will have in emergency situations. These types of skills can be bartered for goods and services in addition to being beneficial for yourself and those in your party. Training as a nurse or doctor is obviously going to be at the top of any resident wish list. However, any medical training will include basic skills that could be valuable.

Any career in the medical field will pay well and allow you to make interpersonal connections, receive continuing education, and give you access to information earlier than the general public. All of these are important considerations when preparing for an uncertain future. Be sure to keep any textbooks and potentially useful class materials with your supplies to use for reference.

Medicinal foraging and herbalism are other medical skill sets that will be indispensable for the long-term maintenance of medical supplies. There are local courses in most regions that will teach participants to identify plants native to the area and the best places to find those plants with medicinal and nutritional value.

Herbalism studies will teach people to prepare those plants as effective treatments and remedies for a variety of medical concerns. While many natural remedies are not as effective as their modern-day counterparts, they are far more effective than no care at all. The ingredients to prepare them will also be more readily available if modern amenities are unavailable.

Makeshift Hospital

One’s leadership style will play a significant role in how well any makeshift hospital is organized and run, as well as the type of patient outcomes it produces. In times of disaster, everyone looks for one person to take control and make them feel safe. That person will wield substantial power within the community, and knowing how to competently care for others is an excellent starting point.

The list of supplies needed, and the organizational effort required to run a field hospital are immense.  Start with basic supplies and build as your training and budget allow. The most important component of successful adaptation will be in the training and implementation of any plans you make. Make an effort to have quarterly or annual preparedness training for everyone who will be working together in the event of a disaster. If everyone knows their role, where supplies are located, and how to handle specific scenarios the real event will go much more smoothly.

Medical Stockpile

It is important to have a portable medical kit as well as a more comprehensive stockpile for larger emergencies. The portable kit should contain everything necessary for basic survival. The American Red Cross is a great place to find resources on a personal kit with basic components. The CDC and the WHO have excellent resources for planning on a much larger scale.

Don’t let the larger preparedness options overwhelm you initially. They are only appropriate after personal planning has reached maximum capacity. However, it is a good idea to begin looking ahead to create a plan for those who think they will want to take the initiative for their personal or local communities.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

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Planning for medical emergencies is one of the biggest challenges one faces. This is especially true if the situation will occur with limited outside resources on which to rely. There

As much as you maybe want to believe your email is safe, it’s not… Prying eyes are watching you… Anyone who walks by your computer as you’re checking your email is privy to its contents; moreover, you could accidentally forget to log out of a public computer, malware could be recording screenshots and keystrokes, and (if unencrypted) your emails could be intercepted by unauthorized parties.

Data loss is a common issue, especially in regards to email. Accidental deletion is an example of email data loss, but all is not always lost in these situations. Email data recovery professionals can perform diagnostics and services in order to recover the lost data. And superior security software can ensure that your emails are encrypted and protected from malware attempts.

How to Keep Your Email Safe

Despite the fact that what’s lost can be recovered, it’s important to be proactive about email data protection. Take note of the Hillary Clinton email controversy? Presidential candidate Clinton used her family’s private email server to send official communications, including more than 2,000 emails which (once discovered) had to be retroactively marked as classified information.

Clinton’s use of her private servers has been widely debated because some members of congress believe that her actions violated State Department protocols, as well as some federal record-keeping laws. Although it’s debatable whether or not she was in compliance (she insists she was in compliance with federal laws), what’s not debatable is the security risks email poses.

Clinton was criticized for using her BlackBerry while appointed as Secretary of State. An unsecured BlackBerry poses a threat to security, and it’s just one example of how not secure email can be and how Clinton herself is fairly computer illiterate. She could have avoided the issue by not using personal email accounts for official business and ensuring that she was only corresponding about matters of national security from a federally sanctioned and secured computer.

You can avoid the issue of data hacking by avoiding transmitting sensitive emails on unsecured servers and unprotected mobile devices.

email

You can do everything on your end to protect your email, but if your recipient isn’t following a security protocol, you’re still at risk.

No matter what, it’s essential to encrypt your email. Especially in situations where your email correspondences include sensitive information, an encryption is vital to ensuring your emails aren’t intercepted by unauthorized third parties. As your email travels from the email server to its intended destination, if unencrypted it can be stolen by hackers. Only sign up for email with SSL-encrypted websites, which can be recognized by their link which begins with “https” instead of the unencrypted “http”.

Email Safety after Sending

You can do everything on your end to protect your email, but if your recipient isn’t following a security protocol, you’re still at risk. If your email account is on a private server, then you can manage your rights. Ask your IT team to include security features, such as a Do Not Forward option. This option ensures the email cannot be forwarded to others, nor can it be printed or copied from. You could also include something in the address bar that warns the user to read the email privately, such as “This email contains sensitive information,” or another type of warning that stops the recipient from reading it around prying eyes.

Also, and this is a big one, never ever transmit private information using a social media account. Facebook and other social media networks collect data on you, and they use it for their purposes… You don’t need that level of data breach in your life, and especially shouldn’t open your business up to it.

The rule of thumb here is to always assume the worst: nothing you email is truly private. Take proactive steps to ensure as much privacy as possible, but avoid transmitting anything that could damage your business or reputation. Change your password often, encrypt your data, and avoid opening your emails around lurkers and you should sufficiently minimize your security risk.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

0 Comments

As much as you maybe want to believe your email is safe, it’s not… Prying eyes are watching you… Anyone who walks by your computer as you’re checking your email

Silver in all forms has been employed by mankind for its antiseptic qualities over millennia. The Greeks and Romans used a silver coin to purify bad water and to preserve milk and wine. In later times, a silver coin was taped to the umbilical wound of a newborn child to prevent infection. A silver solution is placed into the eyes of every newborn to kill any infection that was picked up from the birth canal during delivery and silver is used in every burn center the world over to prevent infection. Surgical bandages are now silver thread impregnated for speedy healing.

Most Doctors know the antiseptic properties of silver. Just ask your MD.

The history of nutrition shows that humans have utilized natural foods and remedies for many thousands of years. The earliest physicians turned to Mother Nature for virtually all their health aids. The effectiveness of herbs and botanicals is well documented and enjoys increasingly wide use by the general public. But, today, with the advent of corporate entities and the influence of Big Pharma and her allies in the FDA, along with their innate financial pursuits and considerations, all this has seen a wide-spread attack.

Natural remedies and holistic treatments are denigrated by corporate America and many MDs as a rule. After all, if natural remedies cost very little and modern pharmaceuticals are very profitable for corporate America, which do you think will get the nod from the moneyed class? Not too much of a brain twister here!

The ancients had to rely on natural means of preservation and storage for foodstuffs. Lacking refrigeration, they had to find natural means for keeping a safe supply for long journeys and hot summers. Not surprisingly, they employed the anti-microbial qualities of silver for the preservation of drinking water, milk and wine. By either utilizing silver vessels for storage and transportation or simply dropping a silver coin into a container or a wineskin, they successfully kept their foods in good order until consumed. Archaeological investigations in the domains of Ancient Rome, Greece, and Mesopotamia are the sites for this information. Cisterns dating from 600 BCE bare the evidence that silver coins were placed in them for water purification and storage. Wine vats from ancient vintners are silent testimony to the same practice. The ancients were pretty darn smart!

In Medieval times, royalty ate and drank from silver vessels, plates and utensils not to be stylist and for pomp, but for health preservation. Acidic foods would tarnish the silver utensils and create toxic silver salts that had a tendency to turn the skin grey or blue. Argyria was common in the upper classes and they were referred to as “Blue Bloods” by the common folk. They were healthy, lived long lives and were immune to the plagues that wiped out a large percentage of European populations in that period. The products that turned people blue (a condition clinically known as argyria) are not true colloidal silvers and nutritionists don’t use or recommend the use of cheap and toxic silver salts in the modern age of health care.

Many folks who go to the Internet in search of information on Colloidal Silver (and many other subjects for that matter) find quite a bit of hype, misleading and just plain disinformation that is placed there by pitifully ignorant postings. And, having found negative claims for Colloidal Silver, they terminate their research and remain ignorant of the facts. You simply can’t trust much of the info you get through the Internet, so be careful of the sources you find there. One of the common claims I see quite often is that argyria is caused by Colloidal Silver and that is simply not true. Colloidal Silver is eliminated from the body quite speedily, but silver salts are not. Argyria is the result of ingestion of improper chemical forms and silver salts that are concentrated in the skin. No practicing nutritionist would ever recommend the ingestion of silver salts, and the use of sodium chloride as an aid to generation is not a good idea.

True Colloidal Silver is safe and effective and is easy to manufacture right in your own home. Claims that it will “turn you blue” are simply the result of gross ignorance or some other agenda. The author has been generating Colloidal Silver at home and has ingested 2 oz. per day for the past 22 years without even the slightest tinge of blue skin. Additionally, being a college professor, I was exposed to the flu every winter and I always came down with a full-blown case plus 2 to 3 common colds. I have not had either of those ailments since beginning Colloidal Silver in 1992, and I DON’T take the flu shot.

I don’t know the motives (or hidden agendas) of anyone who writes this kind of “colloidal silver causes blue skin” tripe, but these folks are out there. The condition of argyria that turned the famous “Blue Man”, Mr. Paul Karason’s skin blue came as an intentional result. He ingested on a daily basis high doses of high-strength homemade silver chloride he made in his garage. He even bathed in the stuff and then “fixed” the silver by using a tanning bed in an attempt to make it into the Guinness World Records book. Deceased now of a cardiac condition, Mr. Karason never had any infections.

Recent Research

The clinical use and medical applications for colloidal silver were recognized as legitimate and approved by the FDA as early as 1910. Many research articles were published by the 1930s. Then came the discovery of penicillin and all that changed. The cheap and readily available colloidal silver products were suddenly abandoned and the pharmaceutical industry began pushing the very expensive and profitable antibiotics. Penicillin saved many lives during the World War II years and thereafter. However, antibiotic resistance has raised its ugly head with the emergence of MRSA and a host of several other resistant bacteria. In addition, modern medicine has practically no effective treatments for viral infections. The common cold, influenza, herpes, HIV, HPV, and hepatitis (A,B,C,D,E,F &G) and now Ebola are all viral infections.

C. Silver may be our only hope when it comes to these. And C. Silver is experiencing a re-emergence in holistic medicine over the past several years. HIV and even some forms of cancer are now treatable. Specialists in wound care are turning to the use and application of C. Silver in increasing numbers because of its immediate effectiveness.

Emergency disinfection of water is a continuing concern among those individuals who anticipate the eventual need for self-protection in these uncertain times in which we live. Public water supplies are vulnerable to unexpected disruptions and even the private water well depends on a reliable source of electrical power from which to operate. Hunting and camping away from normally dependable water supplies carry its own concerns as well. Water taken from streams and lakes carries its own hazards and the taste of Halazone is far from pleasant. C. Silver is well known for its ability to render these questionable water sources safe to drink, and without any undue taste or flavor to offend the Mrs. A test of C. Silver was run in Nebraska some years ago on a swimming pool that had been contaminated by raw sewage. The plate counts for E. coli ran upwards of 7000 CFU/ml. Addition of silver brought the counts to non-detect within 3 hours of inoculation.   C. Silver should be a part of everyone’s survival kit.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

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Silver in all forms has been employed by mankind for its antiseptic qualities over millennia. The Greeks and Romans used a silver coin to purify bad water and to preserve

Oatmeal – Jazzing Up the Ubiquitous Prepper Cereal

Being inexpensive, rolled oats can help us save money now, and it’s a good one to stock up on for the same reasons – cheap, filling and full of endurance-granting slow-release energy. I’m not a big fan of “just” oatmeal as a hot cereal. It’s just … well, boring. Too, I anticipate plenty enough spoon-and-bowl meals from beans and rice, boiled wheat or barley, or soups in a crisis, whether it’s a personal crisis or a widespread disaster. I’d rather avoid more as much as possible. The humble rolled oats tub actually helps me there in a big way.

Using mostly things that are also already in my storage or that are easy and inexpensive to obtain, I can churn out desserts, snacks, sides, dinners and breakfasts that are interesting and varied, and don’t really taste like oatmeal. Oatmeal also has a lot of soothing and absorption properties that gives it some handy topical uses.

Using Oatmeal to Extend Meats & Meals

Mix in flakes of oatmeal and-or lentils and ground beans to extend things like meatloaf, meatballs and the hamburger in stews. Oats also make a fabulous replacement for breadcrumbs that would be used as binding or for coating meats.

Add it into Stovetop or homemade bread dressing or stuffing to increase the healthy fibers and calories, and the feelings of satiety from meals.

 

Grind coarsely or finely and add to flours for bannock, breads, muffins, and biscuits. Zucchini bread, carrot cake and other sweets can take as much as a quarter of the flour in oats without a significant change in texture or flavor. Pancakes, pie crusts, dumplings, cookies and cobblers can all have part of the flour replaced, especially with oats processed to a fine powder.

Fifty-fifty mixes or greater will be far more noticeable and may require additional liquids, but it also increases the heartiness of foods, helps us feel fuller and keep that satisfaction longer over stripped bleached flours especially, gives us healthier, natural arcs of energy, and lowers the glycemic index of foods while helping stomachs process.

Ground oatmeal can also be used to thicken soups, stews and gravy, just like ground beans or lentils that are too old to soak up water efficiently.

Easy Non-Cereal Recipes

Oatmeal has a lot of applications for cooking, without resorting to a bowl of hot cereal. Most of them can be done with a Dutch oven, campfire, rocket stove, or a solar oven or Wonderbag cooker if we don’t have access to our stoves and ovens.

Ash cakes can be made out of pretty much any flour. Using some salt, milk, egg or fats will improve flavor, but the bare-bones way of doing it is to mix just a little water at a time with flour or meal – or in this case, oats – until we can form a patty, then flopping it onto a cooler section of ash. Rolled oats will do best if they’re ground to a flour or if they’re allowed to soak a bit first. As a plain, just-salted version, they make a bread we can have with soups or meats. A little sugar or fruits, and we’re getting closer to a cookie. Alternatively, we can top them with honey or jams, fruits, sweetened cream, or something like a chili or bean medley.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins – A basic recipe with add-in’s for interest and variety is here https://brendid.com/healthy-oatmeal-muffins-no-flour-no-sugar-no-oil/ along with additional links. You can also find dozens of recipes as simple or complicated as you like, with and without other flours and oils, with just about any search. They turn oats into a fast, easy finger food that’s readily portable.

No-Bake Cookies are a staple in some lives. With just a few ingredients and few utensils dirtied, we can use up our oats to satisfy cravings for a fork or finger food as well as a sweet treat. Given the speed with which they disappear as either drop clusters or sliced squares at BSA and adult gatherings these days, during a disaster they’ll be a for-sure hit.

Oatmeal bars can be found as Amish Baked Oatmeal or other standard baked oatmeal, such as this one http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-oatmeal. Oatmeal can also be turned into homemade granola bars. They’re out there in the internet world as soft chewy bars or crunchy options. All of them are adaptable to the fruits, nuts and seeds we have on hand or prefer. There are also homemade granola bars that make use of cereals that store well such as Rice Krispies, Cheerios, or Chex, which can increase the variety even more.

Crunchy granola clusters like this one that has healthier ingredients and a few extra steps and this one that uses lower-cost and easy-to-source ingredients with fewer steps in the process have a lot of versatility. There’s a lot to be said for the ability to turn out a nice snacking portion while using up inexpensive oats, today and later. And, if you’re giddy for it, making mini clusters to throw in as a homemade cold cereal can help provide a different breakfast meal even with a spoon.

Fruit crisps – A basic oatmeal crisp recipe such as this one has a lot of versatility, both now and during a personal crisis or a widespread disaster. We can use it with any pie filling we have, or regular canned fruits we strain or thicken the syrups. We can also use it to make stuffed apples, pears or peaches. It can go over cubed, mashed or pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes as well, or can be used as a topper for a baked sweet potato. Oatmeal crisp is pretty versatile and forgiving, so we can add a quarter to a half extra oats to our recipe if we want a somewhat heartier and healthier version, or just to help us use up a few more of our rolled oats.

 

Cookies, Pizzas & Pie Crusts – Cookies are pretty cool as they are. Made thick and gooey, they can be a pretty hearty dessert by topping with dried or canned fruit or pie filling, with or without heavy or whipped cream. We can spread them out in a pie pan to make a quickie crust, use a crisp recipe for a pie crust, or we can bake them as a big, wide cookie to then slice up as a dessert pizza topped with cream cheese, frosting or glaze and then whatever fruit, nuts or morsels floats our boat.

Southern Oatmeal Cake – There are numerous versions of oatmeal cakes, although they’re pretty similar. It’s not the prettiest dish in the lineup, but it’s gooey happiness that can satisfy our sweet tooth without enormous expense. For an easier version that’s more storage friendly or to create some variety, we can alternate the topping with tubs of German chocolate cake frosting, reduced sweetened condensed milk, or just honey if coconut isn’t available. It’s also pretty darn nummy just with some heavy cream, whole milk, whipped cream, or clotted cream on top.

Fried Oatmeal is like fried grits. It starts with the cereal we all know, then it gets packed in a glass or a lined bowl, chilled so it sets up, and later, gets turned out and sliced, then fried in grease, butter or oil. The amount or depth of oil in the pan can change the texture some. The size of the slice both in thickness and width-by-height can affect whether it’s a plate meal like pancakes or if it can be picked up like happy French toast fingers for a non-spoon meal. As with pancakes, waffles and French toast, the topping options become endless – fried “dippy” eggs, sweetened syrups or fruits, chocolate or strawberry milk syrup, cinnamon sugar, and sausage bits and honey are favorites in our house. Chopped nuts can be included in the cereal or added on top for a little bit more texture yet.

For additional ideas about using oatmeal, do a search for savory recipes. Even when it’s served as a bowl of hot cereal, inclusions like grated radish, sprouts, fish, and tomatoes and peppers can increase the variety we’re seeing with our rolled oats and help prevent fatigue from them.

Oats Outside the Kitchen

We can really feel our oats sometimes. Probably most of us have already seen or use – possibly regularly – a product that makes use of some of oats’ best qualities. Just as oatmeal is a pretty soothing and mild option for breakfast, it has a lot of uses externally, too.

Oats can be added to bathwater or used as a paste to relieve:

  • Dry, itchy skin (for animals, too)
  • Bug bites
  • Burns & sunburn

It can also be added to soaps for its soothing qualities, or turned into an exfoliating scrub.

Combined with baking soda, we can use ground oatmeal flour as a dry shampoo, scrubbing it in with our fingers, then brushing it out. The two absorb oils and relieve any itching, which can be an excellent low-weight and inexpensive option during sweaty garden seasons should water be in limited supply.

That dry shampoo can also safely be used on cats and dogs, to save money on no-rinse shampoos, to avoid stressing a pet with a shower bath, to treat flea or grass allergies, or to avoid getting them wet in cold weather.

Satchels & Sachets

When we don’t really want to turn a bath into an oatmeal pot to scrub, or don’t have a tub available, we can make little balls of rolled oats, with or without additives like baking soda or herbs and oils to gain relief from skin irritations. We can use them in showers, baths, creeks, or just dampened and dabbed on affected areas.

Those, too, can be used on our pets to treat hot spots, bites, and irritated skin.

Satchels of rolled oats can also be used to:

  • Absorb odors in shoes, closets, bags, coolers
  • Absorb moisture from containers before sealing, or sealed with important items

Heat relieves some of the discomfort from cramps, headaches and muscle pains. Pouches can also be filled with warmed dry oatmeal to create in-the-glove or pocket hand-warmers.

Using Up Oats

Oats are a major part of prepper food storage kits because they’re inexpensive. They store well, last well past supermarket best-by dates, have a lot of health benefits for the gut and cardiovascular system, and the fiber and whole grains of rolled oats help us feel full for longer as well as provide slow-release energy that can keep us moving through long days of work or travel.

Happily, they’re also pretty versatile, and with a little creativity we can use them to stretch our budgets now as well as increase our food storage.

There are probably fifty million more recipes out there for making oats without a steaming bowl and spoon, from breads to desserts. There are probably another dozen helpful ways to use it up outside the kitchen. These are just a few of my favorites, due to the ease or the effectiveness of them. Feel free to tag on your additional favorite non-cereal-bowl recipes and uses outside the kitchen.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

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Oatmeal – Jazzing Up the Ubiquitous Prepper Cereal Being inexpensive, rolled oats can help us save money now, and it’s a good one to stock up on for the same reasons

From simple sunburns to touching that hot item on the stove, or reaching into the over too quickly most of us have been burned to varying degrees. In their most minor form, burns seldom require much attention, the pain is brief and we go on with our lives.

Everything changes if we have a survival situation or disaster for two main reasons. First is that the likelihood you could receive a more serious burn is increased. If we have a total loss of power, you may be forced to cook over open flames. In most disasters, we have some element of fire that you may need to contend with. In a real grid-down scenario you could easily get scalded when you are trying to boil your water to make sure it is safe for consumption or any one of hundreds of different possibilities. There could be accidents dealing with using fuel such as gas to power your emergency generator.

The second factor is that access to medical attention might be slow or even impossible. When you can’t run to the Emergency Room or the neighborhood clinic, the responsibility for medical care may rest on your shoulders. Knowing how to recognize and treat burns is a medical skill that everyone in your family should have.

Burns and Treatments based on their severity

1st-degree burn

A first-degree burn is the least serious of the type of burns you can receive and it affects only the top layer of the skin, called epidermis. Signs of a first-degree burn include: redness of the skin, slight swelling, pain.

These burns can be treated at home and they heal in a week.

How to treat them:

  • First, you need to run the burn under cool water for 10 minutes
  • Then, pat the burn dry with a clean cloth or a paper towel
  • At the end, cover the burn with a sterile (non-sticking) bandage

!!!DO NOT:

  • Place ice on the burn because it reduces the circulation to the area
  • Use fats or food products because this will only trap the heat inside the burn
  • Apply cotton wool as it will stick to the wound and can cause an infection

 

2nd -degree burns

2nd-degree burn

A second-degree burn is more serious than the first as it affects both the top layer (epidermis) but also the second layer of the skin, called the dermis. They can range from mild to severe and can be treated at home or by a medical doctor depending on the severity of it. The 2nd-degree burns have an intense redness, develop blisters and there is a severe pain and swelling.

How to treat them:

  • Apply the steps from the 1st-degree burns
  • If the blister breaks, clean the area with warm water and a mild soap
  • Also, protect the burned area from the sunlight because the burned skin is more sensitive to direct sunlight
  • Take an over-the-counter pain reliever when needed

!!!DO NOT:

  • All the don’t from 1st-degree burns
  • Burst or pop the blister because this increases the risk of infection. (the blister forms as a protective mechanism for the burned skin)

3rd-degree burns

Are the most serious as they can damage both layers of the skin but also the tissue, hair follicles or sweat glands that can be found under the skin. These can appear white, black or brown, charred and there can be no pain as a result of the nerve being damaged. These wounds heal with severe scarring and contracture.

How to treat them:

  • First, stop the burning process
  • Never attempt to self-treat a third-degree burn
  • Call 911
  • While waiting for medical help
    • raise the burnt area above heart level if possible
    • apply a damp, cool, clean cloth to the burnt area
    • lie flat, raise the feet, and keep the rest of the body warm to prevent shock
    • extra fluids are needed to maintain blood pressure and prevent shock

People with third-degree burns need urgent medical attention!!!

!!!DO NOT:

  • try to treat 3rd-degree burns by yourself

4th, 5th, and 6th-degree burns

These are very severe because the damages go deep into the body. They can reach fat, muscles, joints, and bones. People with these higher-level burns need immediate medical attention. An injury of this degree may result in the loss of the burnt body part.

Major Burns

How to treat them:

  • Never attempt to self-treat a third-degree burn. Call 911 and wait for professional help!!!!
  • First, stop the fire
  • Remove the clothes. if they can’t be removed then make sure the victim is not in contact with smoldering material
  • If the victim has stopped breathing or his/her airway is blocked, open the airway and perform rescue breathing and CPR as needed.
  • Cover the burn area with a moist, cool sterile bandage or clean cloth. Be careful not to break burn blisters.
  • Separate the victim’s fingers and toes with dry, sterile, non-adhesive bandages.
  • Until medical help arrives, continue to monitor victims’ pulse, rate of breathing and blood pressure if possible.

!!!DO NOT:

  • try to treat 3rd-degree burns by yourself
  • do not put ice on the burn
  • all the steps from 1st-degree burn also apply here

I hope you will never have to use this, but you never know so please read this more than once.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

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0 Comments

From simple sunburns to touching that hot item on the stove, or reaching into the over too quickly most of us have been burned to varying degrees. In their most

A perennial problem faced by suburban and rural dwellers is obtaining water in the absence of utility provided electric power. Standby generators require fuel of some type, which will eventually run out, and deep drilled wells are poorly suited for use with hand pumps of most types.

As a prepper, this has always been a concern for me as I live in a rural setting, but in a house constructed with the modern “central-everything” design concepts. I do have a gasoline-powered generator, and maintain supplies enough for a few weeks of continuous running. After that, it’s carrying buckets to the stream.

This has led to my experimenting with some alternatives for my survival homestead, and based upon my current deployment I may just go off-grid for water completely. Most of the components I had lying around with the exception of the pump, and the batteries: those items set me back around $450.

Read more: The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

The basics of my survival homestead:

  • Frame house with a huge, unfinished second story, currently just storage.
  • Drilled well: 270 finished depth, water table at approximately 50 feet down
  • Standard 220 VAC submerged pump at 100 feet depth
  • The usual captive air pressure tank with associated plumbing and pump pressure relay

So the conundrum is: how to extract perfectly clean water from this well at minimum cost, and without completely changing the plumbing. (I may want to sell and move further out, so any new owner will probably want things as standard as possible)

What I have come up with to date, experimental at this point is a solar/battery-powered pump that stores water in an elevated container, allowing gravity to supply the pressure. Keep in mind though: water is heavy! Be sure to reinforce your structure as needed! I’d consider this a relatively high level overview as opposed to a design doc, so tailor as needed for your own situation.

Stuff.

  • A 12/24 VDC submersible pump with 230 foot lift:
  • 100 feet of 1/2 “ pex tubing
  • Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit (Amazon. Harbor Freight, etc)
  • 2 – 12VDC marine deep cycle batteries, connected in parallel
  • A second pitless adapter installed on the well casing
  • 2 – ½” Pex to brass adapter sized for the pitless adapter being used, (1/2 <> 1” in my case)
  • Pitless adapter top plug
  • A second strain relief for the well cap wiring pass through.
  • SharkBite check valve ½”
  • SharkBite Tee for ½” PEX
  • A used but good queen water-bed mattress (for experimenting only! Gets brittle when cold)
  • I will probably use plastic 55 gal drums for anything permanent.
  • 100 feet #8, 2 conductor, jacketed, direct burial stranded wire
  • 2 – reducing adapters – ½” pex > 1” brass
  • Zurn pressure reducer (had on hand – Zurn 1-NR3DU Wilkins 1-Inch Pressure Reducer Valve 15-75-75PSI)
  • 2 – SharkBite ½” gate valve
  • Limit switches (Amazon Model: a14061600ux0543)
  • Assorted connectors, plumbing bits, and crimpers

Read more: Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

Installing the new pump

welldetails

Drawing 1 – Well details:

The first thing is to install the new pitless adapter in the well casing, just follow the instruction that came with it, In my case, I needed a 1-3/4” hole saw.

Using a string with a weight on it find the depth of the torque arrestor above the standard pump.

Using the same string with a float find the water level in the well casing.

Cut a piece of PEX approximately three feet shorter than the depth of the torque arrestor but be sure it’s still well below the water height. If it very close you may have to re-examine the well suitability.

Connect the two-conductor wire to the new pump following the instructions meticulously: you do NOT want the fitting to leak.

Connect the piece of pex to the new pump. Use stainless clamps or crimp collers.

Connect the PEX to the pitless adapter using suitable adapter hardware.

Run a piece of paracord through the lifting eye on the pump, either use twice the needed length so you can pull it free later or a bowline if you want to keep it in place.

Secure the line to something sturdy, it’s there in case the pump slips out of your hands.

Drop the pump and attached wire down the well. Be very sure it doesn’t come to rest on the torque arrestor! If it does, pull it and adjust the length of the PEX.

Install the solar array where ever you want: mine are on a south-facing roof with a 45 degree pitch.

Install the solar panel charge converter somewhere out of the weather; connect the wiring as described in the instructions.

Run #8 stranded wires from the charge converter to the battery bank.

Turn the charge converter on and make sure the batteries are charging. A voltmeter is sufficient. Mine reads 13.8VDC across the battery terminals in bright sun.

Connect the new well wires to the batteries to ensure the pump works correctly.

If yes, disconnect the pump for now.

water-flow-detail

Drawing 4 – Water Flow Detail:

Connect the remaining PEX to the pitless adapter outlet, tape the pump wire to the PEX, and bury the entire run below the frost line for the area.

Run it into your basement or crawlspace using whatever critter-proof method you wish.

Install a large water container in a location above your typical faucet height. The higher the location the greater the water pressure.

I’ve been experimenting with a water-bed mattress because, 1 – I had it already, 2 – it distributes weight well.

storagedetails

Drawing 2 – Storage Details:

Run the PEX and wiring up to whatever storage container you are using, install the check valve, (flow toward the storage tank!), then the PEX Tee after the check valve, and then from the check valve outlet side into the tank, using suitable fittings to provide for a secure, leak free connection. Inside the container, if it’s not flexible like the mattress, install an addition piece of tubing that just barely reaches the bottom of the container.

Install the limit switch with a float or similar to open the pump circuit when the water level reaches the maximum desired height in the container. Typically you would use the normally closed contacts that will open when the float is lifted. There is a multitude of ways to do this, I happened to have the switches already.

chargedetails

Drawing 3 – Charge Details:

Now run the wiring to the batteries, and connect, observing the correct polarity as during the initial test.

On the original house water supply plumbing cut and insert a tee in the line from the pressure tank going to the house plumbing. Install one of the gate valves in the Tee side going to the new storage. The object is to connect the new storage container outlet Tee to the standard supply plumbing after the pressure tank check valve, see drawing 4.

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The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

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Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

0 Comments

A perennial problem faced by suburban and rural dwellers is obtaining water in the absence of utility provided electric power. Standby generators require fuel of some type, which will eventually

I believe that each of us has an inner voice. Call it what you will; instinct, hunch, feeling, foresight, or intuition they are all the same. It is a compelling force within us that we feel on an almost imperceptible level when you are quiet and your mind starts to ponder things you normally don’t give a second thought. This inner voice or instinct might be ignored or blamed away on bad tacos but for me and a lot of other people out there, our inner voice is telling us that we need to start getting prepared.

For me, my inner voice or ‘gut feeling’ as I typically call it started acting up around 2007. I don’t know why exactly and I haven’t over-analyzed it, to be honest. For me, I simply started feeling like I needed to take steps to prepare my family. There wasn’t a specific event I was worried about, just a general feeling, perhaps brought on by some realization of how fragile our society is. It was around this time that I really began to research how to start prepping and the journey I started back in 2007 continues to this day.

It’s official. This is now the prepper’s “go to book” saving them time and money on costly doctor visits. Details and how to get your copy here

If you are new to prepping, you must have millions of questions. I know I did and in the beginning, I scoured the internet for prepping websites, survival books and information from a wide array of sources that led me to a lot of insights and some great recommendations. I try to share what I have learned on the Final Prepper every day but even for me, there is no finish line. I am still working on prepping just like millions of other people. Today I want to share some advice for the person who is beginning their own journey and has questions on how to start prepping.

Do you know why you want to start prepping?

Prepping is a word that has only fairly recently become known around the world and it is usually associated with a negative connotation. TV shows like Doomsday Preppers and Doomsday Castle have both helped and hurt the idea of prepping in various degrees but I believe overall most people see the benefits of Prepping and can separate the bizarre actions of some from the common-sense process of prepping itself. Prepping to me is simply taking steps to prepare yourself and your family to better weather disasters. Why do we need to do anything in the first place? Isn’t that what the police and the fire department and government are for?

If you are here on this website, I am sure the answer to that question is obvious. If you have paid any attention to the events of just the last few years there are numerous examples of disasters that caught people off guard where neither the police, nor the National Guard, nor FEMA were able to help in a way that was fast and effective enough to save everyone or to end suffering. The cold hard truth is that in a disaster situation, you are better off relying on yourself than anyone else. Police can become overwhelmed, bureaucracies always have more important things to worry about and the needs of the individual (you) are not first on the priority list. In short, when something bad happens, you need a plan to deal with events if help doesn’t arrive. Relying on anyone in a professional capacity to save you is foolish and it can get you killed. You know that its time for you to get started prepping.

This book offers real-life solutions for the average person. That’s where the power lies. Get you copy of The Doomsday Book Of Medicine here

Start with the basics of getting prepared

There are many types of disasters that can strike. You only have to look at the news to see earthquakes, fires, riots, mudslides, hurricanes, wars, drought and the list goes on and on. Some people want to prepare for a specific event like a tornado and at first, that may seem like the most logical place to start, but what if you are prepared for a tornado and a flood comes instead? What if you are worried about a forest fire, but there is an earthquake? What if you are all set for a hurricane, but an EMP wipes out the electric grid?

There are things you can do to prepare for any event and I recommend you start with these 4 basic necessities. These 4 things are needed for life no matter what happens and if you take care of the four essentials, you will be ahead of 98% of the population.

Food – It’s very simple to know what you need. You need to store as much food as your family needs to eat for the duration of any disaster. Ideally, this would be food that doesn’t require refrigeration like canned or dehydrated food. If your budget allows you to purchase freeze-dried food, this is the simplest option and you can easily store several months’ worth of food under your bed in nice plastic containers. Even though it is the easiest, it isn’t the cheapest and a wiser strategy is to slowly just buy more of what your family already eats. This way, with a good rotation system you always have an abundance of fresh food your family likes. The freeze-dried food is pretty decent, but nothing like fresh food.

This Book Is The Noah’s Ark Of Prepping And It’s Making Americans Healthier by The Day. Details Here

Water – Another easy one. Water is necessary for life and you need a gallon per day for each family member. If you have 4 people in your house you would need 120 gallons of water to last a month. Ideally, you would back this up with a good filtration system like a Big Berkey water filter. Don’t believe you need that much water? Just look at the residents of Charleston WV a few months back or more recently Toledo who were told not to drink their water for weeks. Could you wait that out? Store water now while you have it and it’s plentiful.

Shelter – This is simply a way to keep out of the elements. If you have a home and it isn’t blown away you have shelter, but what if the power is off in the summer or the heat is out in the winter. Make sure you have plans to keep warm and cool. Sleeping bags work great in the winter, but summer there are fewer options. Unless you want to build your own swamp cooler.

Security – Disasters bring out the worst in people, but it doesn’t take a disaster to bring violence to your town. Just recently riots broke out over the shooting death of a teen. Riots break out all the time over sports games. Imagine if the power is out and the grocery store shelves are bare and people are hungry. Make sure you have a way to protect your family from people who either want what you have or simply want to burn and destroy things. I recommend legal firearms for responsible adults.

Research additional topics

What is your learning style? I guess more accurately, what can you use for motivation or ideas? I have been able to pull ideas out of a lot of different places. At the beginning as I was learning how to start prepping, I frequented numerous prepping websites and we have a great list of prepper sites on our resources page. Let me know if you’re interested.

I also bought books. The Doomsday Book of Medicine is the most complete medical guide ever written for non-medical people, it is also a manual that you can use to keep your body vigorously healthy and disease-free. No other book on the market today will teach you all of this, as well as how to make your own wound care solutions, saline solutions, eye irrigant, natural insect repellent, sunscreen, hydrating fluids, and even toothpaste. There has never been a book like this, so easy to read and so full of life saving medical information that cannot be found anywhere else.

Movies are another source of ideas and inspiration although you do have to have a certain tolerance or affection for the end of the world movies. I love them but my wife isn’t a big fan so I have to judiciously watch these. If you are looking for a good prepper movie, you can try the Best Prepper movie list and see if you can find something you haven’t seen before. I have even found movies do a better job of convincing people to prepare in some cases than all the factual arguments you can muster.

What Next?

Once you have the basics under control, there are tons of other areas where you can specialize for lack of a better word. The pages of the Final Prepper are filled with information around various threats, methods and strategies and all the pages are searchable and downloadable.  You can learn about how to pack your bug out bags, vehicle survival kits and even prepper gear reviews. If you have any questions, just comment in the articles and I am sure someone will help you out with ideas and share their experience. Good luck on your journey and keep listening to that inner voice.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

0 Comments

I believe that each of us has an inner voice. Call it what you will; instinct, hunch, feeling, foresight, or intuition they are all the same. It is a compelling

Why compost or throw out those old brown bananas when you can have the smell of delicious banana oat bread wafting through your house in about an hour?  The prep time on this recipe is less than ten minutes and utilizes stuff you likely have in your pantry right now.  The use of quick oats is a healthy, satisfying addition that I love.

If you don’t have an hour to wait for the baking, your overripe bananas will freeze perfectly, allowing you to use them whenever you’re ready.  You can use whatever kind of flour and oil you prefer, and even sweeten with honey instead of white or brown sugar.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. quick oats
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/2 c. oil
  • 3/4 c. sugar or honey
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 overripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 c. raisins or nuts (optional)

First off, preheat your oven to 350° and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.

Mix your flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mash your bananas and add your sugar or honey, oil, and eggs and stir until well blended.

Finally, add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and blend thoroughly.  If you want raisins or nuts, now is the time to add them.

Pour into your greased and floured pan and bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

That’s it… just let it cool for ten minutes or so and dig in!  Mmmmm… banana bread.

 

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

Healthy Soil + Healthy Plants = Healthy You

The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us

Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation

Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns

Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need

4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis

Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps

0 Comments

Why compost or throw out those old brown bananas when you can have the smell of delicious banana oat bread wafting through your house in about an hour?  The prep

A Medical Chest: Is it important?

OF COURSE.

Whether your bugging out with a group or bugging out alone it is extremely important to have someone with some degree of medical knowledge and/or skill. If you’re bugging out with a group and you’ve got a plan in place, but no designated “medic”, you have a problem. If you’re bugging out alone and you don’t have any basic medical knowledge, again, you have a problem.

It’s easy enough to say “I never get sick” or “Ill tough it out” when it comes to an illness or injury in everyday life, but if you’re bugging out, everyday living will cease to exist. Whether you’re hunkering down in a bunker or climbing up foothills or mountains, sh*t is bound to happen. Maybe someone in your family brought in a simple cold. It doesn’t take long for that simple cold to turn into a sinus infection, which once your immune system is beat down enough, can turn into pneumonia. Consider you’re climbing in the foothills or hunkering down in a forest and you drink some bad water…maybe your Lifestraw has already filtered its limits, or maybe your water wasn’t heated for long enough. Bacteria can take hold of your body’s systems within days, sometimes hours, and cause unfortunate and inconvenient effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and eventually, death. You get my point.

So what can you do to prevent this? Well, stay healthy, take your vitamins, and boil your water. Stating the obvious, right? Prevention is great, but like I said, and I’ll say it again, sh*t happens. A contingency plan for those SHTF moments is the key to efficiency and more importantly, survival. You can create a top-notch medical kit addition to any bugout bag or kit easily and cheaply. All it takes is basic medical knowledge and a small pack to potentially save you, your family or your friends in a SHTF situation.

The Doomsday Book Of Medicine: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way

I wish that there was a six star option

“I’m a dentist, and I have just enough medical knowledge to be dangerous. This marvellous book has so far exceeded my expectations that I am amazed that so much useful knowledge can be packed into one book! Hats off to Dr. La Guardia! The information in this book can be used immediately to improve your health, and expand your treatment options in many areas even if there is never a crisis event for you and your loved ones. The panorama of medical, herbal, and traditional treatments in one easy reference makes this one a MUST HAVE! for everyone interested in healthy options and preppers/survivalists in particular. Cannot recommend it more highly. If you can only buy one medical reference book, this is IT!

 
Absolutely THE BEST prepper medicine book!”
DR. DALE W HUDSON

The Basics of a Medical Chest:

Ibuprofen: So Underrated. It’ll help with mild pain, but more importantly, it can help take down and break a fever. How fun is it trying to function at your day job with a fever that turns into a massive headache that turns into hot flashes and cold sweats? Now imagine dealing with that while you’re lumbering through the wilderness. Not fun.

Pepto Bismol: Once again, underrated. Not only will this reduce your burning desire to throw up those repulsive MRES, but it has the potential to get diarrhea under control. Having to stop every 5 minutes to see a bush about a horse? Inconvenient AND unpleasant.

Benadryl: Works for both people and dogs, making it a vital part of my personal bag. Hiking through the woods and your dog steps on or eats a wasp? I know I don’t want to carry my almost 50 pound dog for very long, how about you? 1 MG per pound of body-weight will take care of that problem. It can also be used to ease a dog’s anxiety, just lower the dose a bit. If you’re traveling or hunkering down with someone who has an allergy whether it be to a food or animal, a quick response with a dose of Benadryl can make a bigger difference then you would expect. I carry a bottle of Benadryl and a tube of Benadryl Cream for topical use.

Medi-Lyte: Uncommon, but not unimportant. I used to work in the oil fields during the big boom, and this was something I always kept stocked for my guys. It is used to replace electrolytes from excessive loss of liquids. I’m talking sweat, vomit, whatever. You can purchase 500 tablets on Amazon for twenty bucks. 100% WORTH IT. Oh, and try two tabs for a hangover, it’ll do wonders ????

Hydrocortisone Cream: Once again, suitable for both you and your dog. Hiking out in the woods comes with a price. While an occasional bug bite is not something that will really bother you, being covered in them probably will. The same goes for your dog. Mosquito bites, tick bites, flea bites, poison ivy, weird rashes; it covers it all. Literally.

Triple Antibiotic: This one is basically the jack of all trades. Use it on burns, cuts, scrapes, and anything else you’re worried about getting infected. I would suggest only using it the first 1-2 days after the injury is sustained. After scabs are formed it won’t do much and there is no point in wasting precious supplies.

Everyday Allergy Meds: Sudafed, Zyrtec, Claritin, because there is nothing worse than trying to walk long distance or climb bluffs or mountains with a runny nose.

CPR Rescue Mask, Adult/Child Pocket Resuscitator

CPR Mask and Sterile or Nitrile Gloves: I don’t care how well you know someone; do you really want to take a bath in their bodily fluids? I didn’t think so. Carry a CPR mask with you in your medic bag and remember the basics from CPR Class, compressions and breaths, 30:2. Compressions should be done by finding the middle spot between the nipples and pumping your overlapped hands down onto their body. They won’t tell you in your average CPR class, but I will; you will hear ribs cracking, if they survive they will be in pain from it, and it is not easy on the body to lean over and perform compressions on someone. You will be sore. Saving someone’s life though- 100% worth it. If you haven’t taken a basic CPR class yet, don’t be a dummy. It’s 50$ on average and takes only a few hours of your time.

Hot Hands: There is nothing worse than being sweaty, cold, and out in the wilderness. Once you’re cold it is very hard to get warm, but a hot hands pad can make the world of difference. Toss one onto the top of your head and cover it up with a hat. My dad has told me since I was little; heat rises. Keep your head warm and your body will be warm.

Various sized Band-Aids, bandages, ace wraps and anti-bacterial wipes: Obvious, but easily overlooked. I was on a mountain climbing trip in Montana this fall, and I got stuck coming down at night. Not smart, and not fun. I tripped on a tiny rock and my ankle bent and twisted. The next morning I had a 7 mile hike to a primitive forest service cabin across two mountain ranges and I could barely walk without my ankle giving in. An ace wrap and some duct tape made the world of difference.

The Not-So-Basics:

I don’t expect you guys to have giant stockpiles of these things lying around, but I can guarantee you if you dig through your cabinets and junk drawers you’re bound to find one or two of these things lying around. Please also remember I am not a doctor, and I’m not god, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Having these things does not guarantee a life saved.

Elite First Aid Fully Stocked GI Issue Medic Kit Bag, Large

Epi-Pens: Unfortunately, these have gotten harder to come by recently, on account of obnoxiously high prices, but if you or your family member has an allergy that requires you to carry one of these, don’t leave it behind when you bug out. Not only could it save your life for what it was intended, but it could save someone in your groups life should they encounter an unexpected allergy source.

Muscle Relaxers: If you’ve done any hiking, walking or running long distances you know how exhausting it can be on your body. Imagine doing it for days at a time while trying to find the perfect camp location. These come in handy to both relax your body and your mind, making it much easier to carry on hiking or even sleep. Personally I can take one of these and continue on with my day, but I’ve heard stories of people taking them and falling asleep within the hour, so remember that everyone responds differently.

Antibiotics: I know I can’t be the only one that’s been prescribed antibiotics and not taken all of them. Do you have a stockpile of half taken antibiotics? In everyday life it’s not a good idea to take half of a dose and leave the rest behind, as it puts you at risk for antibiotic resistance, but if you’re in the wilderness or an emergency situation and you need antibiotics, I think you can afford to take that risk. The same goes for your basic antifungals.

Higher Dose Pain Relievers: If you have left over pain killers from a surgery or injury, pack them up and take them along. I will let you imagine all the possible injuries that may require their use.

Israeli Pressure Bandages: These bandages have been carried by the Israeli Army for ages for a good reason. They compress, clot, and cover a wound. The instructions are on the packaging, and they are fairly simple, lightweight, and about 10$ a piece on Amazon. Worth it.

Suture Kits: Also available on Amazon, although they are usually labeled “for veterinary use only.” They will work in time of need. It’s basically a needle and thread. Buy a few and practice stitching up an orange, or if you’re looking for a little more “real world” (and gross) experience, a pigs foot. It’s pretty much what you see on TV. Unless you went to medical school, you will not be an expert, but if it’s absolutely and undeniably necessary, you’re better than nothing.

I have all of these things in my bugout bag, and it only takes up a very small portion of it. Scrounge up what you can from what you already have, and buy the rest when it’s convenient or on sale to keep costs low. If you’re low on space, take the pills out of the bottles and package them in plastic instead, but remember that the bottles can have other uses in your bag.

I have no doubts that with even 1/2 of these items in your bag you will be better off than your average prepper. Never underestimate the power of basic medical knowledge and preparation. Good luck out there!

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

The Lost Ways (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation)

Backyard Liberty (Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns…)

Alive After the Fall (Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need)

The Lost ways II (4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis)

The Patriot Privacy Kit (Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps)

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A Medical Chest: Is it important? OF COURSE. Whether your bugging out with a group or bugging out alone it is extremely important to have someone with some degree of medical knowledge

In a previous article, I might have mentioned something about cowboys and bandanas. Apart from the fact that they looked awfully cool and would help them conceal their faces during a bank robbery, those wild rags, as they were called, had more uses beyond fashion or crime. And since bandanas will never go out of fashion, I’ve decided to do this little follow-up to show you how this painted rag can save your can in a shit hits the fan situation. So, without further ado, here are 17 survival uses of a bandana.

Water collection

Water’s essential in field survival. Still, if you get lost or anything, you won’t be able to rely on your emergency water supply. If there are no streams or rivers nearby, it’s possible to use your bandana to soak up water. Tie to your ankles and walk through tall grass during the wee hours of the morning to collect dew. Tree holes usually harbor a small amount of water. Get that bandana in there and soak as much water as possible. It may sound disgusting, but you can also squeeze some water from that rag after a long day’s walk (yup, drinking your own perspiration).

Crafting a simple pouch

Don’t have any pockets left to carry out your gear? No problem! You can whip up a simple pouch which can be attached to your belt or backpack. Just place your items in the center of the pouch, bring all folds into the middle, and tie it with a piece of dental floss or whatever cordage you have available.

Head protection

It’s obvious that a bandana cannot replace a safety help, but you can also use these thingies to keep your head dry when it’s raining, or the sun’s up in the sky.

Makeshift bandage

In case you’ve lost your med kit or had to use that gauze as tinder, you can use your bandana to bandage a wound.  If you have to deal with a large arterial bleeder, you may also use that wild rag as a tourniquet.

Setting up the table

Sorry if there are no roses nor lit candles – all I can offer you is a bandana used as a tablecloth.

Getting your keister clean

Well, you know that they say – when shit hits the fan, there’s nothing more to do than wipe your behind and move on. In case you run out of TP or paper tissue, take out your bandana and improvise. Just be sure to wash it before using it as a headcover or tablecloth.

Marking a trail

If you feel like you’re walking in circles, get the bandana out of your bug out bag and place on the ground right where the trail starts. Keep going. If you still see the bandana, it means you have to change your approach.

Repair broken backpacks

One of the most frustrating things that can happen in the field is a broken backpack strap. If you don’t have a sewing kit in your B.O.B, just use your bandana to replace that strap.

Starting a fire

No need to tear your clothes for tinder if you have nothing left in your box. Just place the bandana on the ground and set it on fire using your method of choice.

Using it as a mask

If you need to cross an area filled with dust or debris of any kind, you can always wrap the bandana around your head. Don’t forget to soak it in water to increase its filtration efficiency.

More grip on tools

Knees are weak? Hands are sweaty and cannot get a decent grip on the tools you’re using? Wrap the bandana around your hand and give it another go.

Instant sleeping bag warmer

What’s the purpose of including an electric blanket in your bug out bag if there’s no electricity around for miles? Still, you’ve got to do something about getting some warmth inside your sleeping bag. Making an indoor fire is the obvious approach, but not the only one. Before making a fire, wall your pit with whatever rock you find. When it’s sack time, take a couple of hot rocks, place them inside the bandana, tie the pouch with some rope or string, and place under the sleeping bag.

Making ice packs

Bruises? Fever? Headaches? Use an icepack. Get your bandana out of your B.O.B, put a couple of ice shards inside, wrap, and profit.

Gas Cap

In case something happens to your gas cap, don’t run around the city with that intake exposed. Until you reach the next auto shop, you can stuff a bandana inside to protect the gas pipes. You can do the same for gas canisters if you’ve lost the metal cap.

Diapers

As a father of two, I’ve always had to make supply runs to the store for diapers. You know you’re in deep shit when two boxes per day are not enough. In case the local store runs out of diapers, or there’s no one else around the house to take care of your kid while you’re away, use your bandana as a diaper.

Naptime cover

Do you know what I hate most about having to nap during the day? The sunlight is getting in my eyes. Ever since my kids came along, I was forced to rethink my napping habit. Well, long story short, if you’re in the situation, you can sleep like a boss even during the day by using that bandana as an eye cover. Try it yourself! It works like a charm.

Picnic protection

Too many insects around the campsite? Well, if you don’t have any repellant on hand, cover the food basket with your bandana to prevent those pesky termites from making away with your food.

This about covers it for my funky ways of using a bandana in a shit hits the fan situation. What’s your take on this? Hit the comments section and let me know.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

The Lost Ways (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation)

Backyard Liberty (Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns…)

Alive After the Fall (Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need)

The Lost ways II (4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis)

The Patriot Privacy Kit (Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps)

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In a previous article, I might have mentioned something about cowboys and bandanas. Apart from the fact that they looked awfully cool and would help them conceal their faces during

How do you like having POWER?

Electric power. The one we all have access to.

Most people in the US aren’t ready for life without electricity and what it really means to be without essentials like a functioning toilet or clean running water. Or were you just thnking that your Netflix account will be the only thing affected by this?

Those living off the grid are living proof it is possible that you can live without electricity, it just takes a few adjustments.

Now, you don’t have to leave town to prove you have hero material. Not without the proper knowledge to do so. Ready for a quick question? Try to be honest. With yourself. I’m not really there with you.

How long do you think would it take for commerce, food supply, and societal order to collapse?

This is not my way of ruining your day. This is also no fear mongering. This is just a very interesting and possible scenario since it shows how fragile modern society is. Without a single resource the infrastructure falls to pieces. Electricity is the lifeblood of modern civilization. Without it, your cars, TV’s, phones, and radios can’t work. And just as your house would be suddenly quiet, so will the city be. And the shops. And the doctor’s office. And yes, you name it. It’s not even an exercise of imagination. It’s simple math.

We all know America’s electrical grid is our Achilles heel.

The good news? It serves us all.

The bad news? If it goes down, we all do.

Not convinced you can only count on yourself if there were no more electricity?

Let’s see the aftermath of a grid down scenario for the first week. It should be enough for you to realize you need all the help you can get.

Here we go.

  • Anything with a transistor would be fried.
  • The power and telecommunications infrastructure would completely be compromised.
  • The general public would be confused at first, but some would realize what happened right away and start looting and stockpiling supplies.
  • Urban areas would completely break down.
  • The suburbs would be spared for as much as a week in certain places before disorder came there too.
  • Agricultural areas would fair the best as they are fairly self sufficient, chances are they would be fine or at least better off than the rest of the country.
  • the death toll would rise significantly due to starvation, violence, and disease.
  • Urban areas would become split up between factions and gangs bent on controlling the last resources in the city.
  • The suburbs would most likely form into small groups focused primarily on resource gathering.
  • Agricultural areas would probably focus on deals between starving survivors and their selling their own food crops to affected areas.
  • Depending on the scenario, after a month foreign military intervention would come from Mexico and possibly Canada.
  • Cities like Los Angeles and Houston could fall under military occupation as the US military would be unable to do anything.
  • Canada would most likely occupy Washington and New England.
  • Most urban areas would be destroyed and unlivable.
  • The people from the suburbs depending on where they live, might attempt to emigrate to Canada or Mexico.
  • People in the agricultural areas may do the same.
  • Attempts would be made to restore parts of the electrical grid, these efforts could be made by foreign powers or citizens.
  • If they are successful, agricultural areas as well as some suburban areas would be serviced again.
  • The process would take many years though.

It’s pretty clear. But where to start preparing for such an event?

In order to survive tomorrow, we need to prepare today! Get this book now.

Everywhere you go on the internet you are bombarded with endless videos and boring presentations that do not reveal anything worthy in the end.

Welcome to my world, before i finally found what I was looking for. What if I just want a good book that will teach me how be self-sufficient? Is that too much to ask? Isn’t it weird that we are surrounded by so much informations and still, it’s becoming harder and harder to spot the real valuable ones?

Anyone facing a ton of incorrect or incomplete information about prepping OR sick and tired to watch another 45 min video about “The End Of The World” just to buy a worthless product? You NEED to pay close attention to this.

Because this Prepper’s Ark of a book will allow you to never search for another book on how to able to provide food, water, medicine and shelter to keep your family alive.

Not if you’re armed with what you’re about to learn:

  • There’s no doomsdayism here.
  • The key to leading a healthy and disease-free life
  • What to do you do when there are no doctors or medicine
  • Master the forgotten practice called “healthy nutrition,”
  • Everything you need to know to grow your own nutritious food,
  • The essentials of survival nutrition and gardening
  • How to build good soil and how that in turn leads to healthy plants that will nourish you and your family, keeping you robustly healthy and impervious to infections and chronic diseases.
  • All about vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and trace elements and why they are so essential to maintaining good health.

And this is just the first part of this book.

If you wish to finally get complete information on what to expect and to do when emergency medical system will be overwhelmed during a disaster, give this book your whole attention.  The EMTs are unable to reach patients stranded in remote or extremely hazardous locations. There is never enough medicine to treat all cases, lack of manpower, loss of electricity…

Are you willing to stay at the mercy of someone else, even if it is the establishment itself, when your life and your family’s life is at stake? I wasn’t. And I have a hunch no one is.

Study this book like it’s the bible and start using it to slowly replace your prescription pills with natural remedies tested by a doctor who wanted to save lives, not Big Pharma.

Check the facts. For example, a study published by Mayo Clinic a few years back reveals that 70% of Americans take at least one prescription medication. The same study shows that 20% of Americans are on five or more medications.

What will all these people do when there will be no more medical supplies? Because you cannot stockpile prescription drugs. The system won’t allow it. So? What then? You really need to learn and adopt a natural alternative to your drugs. And guess what? It will be way, way, way cheaper.

What’s keeping you?

Your book is HERE!

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Use The Doomsday Book Of Medicine as a tool to replace current drugs and you'll end up saving a lot more..