Three links for you today on how to plan for resilience outside your home or car. The more stable our workplaces, schools, and communities, the more secure we and ours are. These three links will help point you toward possible Winter projects aimed at improving the strength of the social environment you find yourself in. All links are, of course, highlighted from body text below.
The first link is to a good article from that fount of survivalist knowledge, James W Rawles SurvivalBlog.com. Not only is the site one of the best sources for solid information on best practices survival methodologies, it also has contests for writers on prepper subjects with nice prizes. This article covers how to prepare in the workplace and the school. Both places where our vast home stores will be unavailable come a disaster. There is good information for employers and employees both on how to make the workplace an oasis of safety and sustenance in disaster situations. The advice for school age kids is good, albeit focused on high school aged kids.
The second link is to a very good Italian site that deals with the "big picture" conceptual approaches to disaster mitigation and response. Not much in the way of lists for food storage and the like, a great deal in the way of rethinking our responses to disasters and their prevention. This site is worth a look every few months to get the mind moving in new directions in re: disaster preparedness. His latest post on the Haiti quake is thought provoking.
Third link is worth a look every month or so. It is a networking site for Montana bound, or considering moving to Big Sky, preppers. This site can allow us to encourage the "right people" to immigrate here to our great state. It is also another way to network.
We need more prepper types, and people of intelligence and good values, moving here and less of the NIMBY "aristocrats". Or big city families bringing the same amorality, personal isolation, and nanny state ideologies which spurred them to leave their dying rat warren cities for Montana's beauty and healthy culture in the first place.
I hate to sound like a Balkan villager here, but we do need to do our part to keep Montana's zeitgeist healthy. We need to diplomatically let the "aristocrats" know that they are ultimately humans, just like us, who need to cooperate with their new community, not just carry on as if they are boyars of Vlad Tepes' time. They need to realize that having been a yuppie in a cosmopolitan city, living the metaphorical life of a medieval noble, matters little in [their term] "flyover country" where the traditions are of neighborliness, self sufficiency, and faith.
We must help them realize that humans come in many forms, not just "aristocrats", darling "noble savages", and bubbas/peasants. Taking people as we find them is part of the Montana culture. If a person is a fool, we treat them one way. If a person can effectively engage with us in Life's quest, then we treat them another way.
We need to gently help the big city refugee family realize that their impatience with our pace of life and schools that do not tolerate aping of "keepin' it real" rejection of academics by their kids is not within our norms, our culture, the culture that they need to accept to integrate into our state.
Sure, we Montanans need to be flexible. But we must be true to our ideals. Trying to recreate California or Kosovo here is insane, but many of the immigrants try. We must reach out to these families and inform them through good example and caring instruction. Else, they will add to the problem come the collapse or other disaster.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Montana Weather Alert
.MAJOR WINTER STORM EXPECTED TO DUMP SUBSTANTIAL SNOW THROUGH
THE WEEKEND.WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SAT AFTERNOON
INTO SUNDAY.
.THE MAJOR STORM THAT IS CURRENTLY IMPACTING CA WILL MOVE
TO THE NO. & EAST.BRINGING SUBSTANTIAL SNOWFALL TO EASTERN
MT OVER THE WEEKEND STARTING LATE FRI AFTERNOON. HEAVY SNOW WILL
GIVE WAY TO BLOWING & DRIFTING SNOW.& POSSIBLY BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS LATE SAT AFTERNOON INTO SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS
PICK UP.
MTZ016>027-059>062-211100-
/O.NEW.KGGW.WS.A.0002.100122T1900Z-100125T0700Z/
CNTL & SE PHILLIPS-CNTL & S. VALLEY-
DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-
RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-
SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF.MALTA.SACO.GLASGOW.FORT PECK.
HINSDALE.FRAZER.SCOBEY.PLENTYWOOD.MEDICINE LAKE.
WOLF POINT.POPLAR.WINNETT.JORDAN.CIRCLE.SIDNEY.
FAIRVIEW.GLENDIVE.RICHEY.TERRY.WIBAUX.WHITEWATER.
ZORTMAN.OPHEIM.CULBERTSON
154 PM MST WED JAN 20 2010
.WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH
SUNDAY EVENING.
THE NATL WEATHER SVC IN GLASGOW HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH.WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY
EVENING.
* MAIN IMPACT: TRAVEL CONCERNS AS HEAVY SNOW INITIALLY ACCUMULATES
ON ROADS.
MAJOR TRAVEL IMPACTS WILL BE POSSIBLE SAT AFTERNOON INTO
SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS PICK UP AT AROUND 35 MPH.CAUSING
BLOWING & DRIFTING SNOW. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE A POSSIBILITY
SAT AFTERNOON INTO SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS INCREASE TO
AROUND 35 MPH.
* TIMING: FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH SUN EVENING.
* OTHER IMPACTS: PERSONS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS MAY BECOME SNOWED
IN.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS.
THE WEEKEND.WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SAT AFTERNOON
INTO SUNDAY.
.THE MAJOR STORM THAT IS CURRENTLY IMPACTING CA WILL MOVE
TO THE NO. & EAST.BRINGING SUBSTANTIAL SNOWFALL TO EASTERN
MT OVER THE WEEKEND STARTING LATE FRI AFTERNOON. HEAVY SNOW WILL
GIVE WAY TO BLOWING & DRIFTING SNOW.& POSSIBLY BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS LATE SAT AFTERNOON INTO SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS
PICK UP.
MTZ016>027-059>062-211100-
/O.NEW.KGGW.WS.A.0002.100122T1900Z-100125T0700Z/
CNTL & SE PHILLIPS-CNTL & S. VALLEY-
DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-
RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-
SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF.MALTA.SACO.GLASGOW.FORT PECK.
HINSDALE.FRAZER.SCOBEY.PLENTYWOOD.MEDICINE LAKE.
WOLF POINT.POPLAR.WINNETT.JORDAN.CIRCLE.SIDNEY.
FAIRVIEW.GLENDIVE.RICHEY.TERRY.WIBAUX.WHITEWATER.
ZORTMAN.OPHEIM.CULBERTSON
154 PM MST WED JAN 20 2010
.WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH
SUNDAY EVENING.
THE NATL WEATHER SVC IN GLASGOW HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH.WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY
EVENING.
* MAIN IMPACT: TRAVEL CONCERNS AS HEAVY SNOW INITIALLY ACCUMULATES
ON ROADS.
MAJOR TRAVEL IMPACTS WILL BE POSSIBLE SAT AFTERNOON INTO
SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS PICK UP AT AROUND 35 MPH.CAUSING
BLOWING & DRIFTING SNOW. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE A POSSIBILITY
SAT AFTERNOON INTO SUN AS NORTHERLY WINDS INCREASE TO
AROUND 35 MPH.
* TIMING: FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH SUN EVENING.
* OTHER IMPACTS: PERSONS LIVING IN RURAL AREAS MAY BECOME SNOWED
IN.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Montana Weather Could Be Bad
The APN-National Disaster Reporting Service would like to thank MTJoe for this info
I just got an email from a pal at the National Weather Service, here is what she said;
"By now, your ears are probably buzzing about the talk of the winter storm coming in this Friday through Sunday. The good news, there is no arctic air associated with this storm that will be coming from the southwest (not Canada!). The bad news is that warmer temperatures mean that the atmosphere can hold more precipitation, and the snow that does fall tends to be heavy, wet snow.
Right now, it looks like we'll see some snow starting Friday afternoon continuing through Sunday. The winds will pick up from the northwest at around 15 to 30 mph by Saturday evening and continue into Sunday. Blowing and drifting snow will be a problem on area roads. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches are possible with this storm."
Be ready for it!
I just got an email from a pal at the National Weather Service, here is what she said;
"By now, your ears are probably buzzing about the talk of the winter storm coming in this Friday through Sunday. The good news, there is no arctic air associated with this storm that will be coming from the southwest (not Canada!). The bad news is that warmer temperatures mean that the atmosphere can hold more precipitation, and the snow that does fall tends to be heavy, wet snow.
Right now, it looks like we'll see some snow starting Friday afternoon continuing through Sunday. The winds will pick up from the northwest at around 15 to 30 mph by Saturday evening and continue into Sunday. Blowing and drifting snow will be a problem on area roads. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches are possible with this storm."
Be ready for it!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Ba le Partie Politique
A quick 2010 election note today. Again, part of prepping is doing our part as citizens to ensure a good political landscape for our kids and grandchildren. With that in mind, I write to you today about a vital,upcoming, election that I have heard about. The election is next Tuesday, the 19th, in Massachusetts. It is of grave importance for we Montanans also.
The grave election will be the special election to fill the US Senate seat of Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy. The election pits a complacent Party apparatchik, Comrade [Attorney General] Martha Coakley, against State Senator Scott Brown. Coakley cannot be bothered to actually meet with voters. Instead, she works tirelessly with Party officials, and their pack of special interest dogs, to spin a stream of lies against her opponent. I lived under a Party regime for years. This is what the party substitutes for actual work on solutions, ad hominem attacks on those who challenge the right of the Party's "philosopher kings" to rule we peasants as they please.
Comrade Coakley's campaign has been characterized by violence against opponents that is reminiscent of faschistii violence of the 20s. Dear Leader is even campaigning for her. No doubt here, the Party wants to maintain their stranglehold on the Legislative Branch. If Brown were to be elected, the Peoples' Party would lose their "majority" in the Senate and there is a chance that the Senate might become a Senate again, rather than a rubber stamp for Beloved Leader's drive to destroy our nation in the name of "progressive ideals".
Brown, and his supporters, realize how vital this election is. So they are soliciting help, and donations, from anywhere in the USA (before it becomes the USSA). I am going to see about volunteering to call voters. Brown has stated that one of his first acts in office, if elected, would be to oppose the "health care reform bill" and work for genuine health care reforms. He has been a National Guard member for over twenty years and advocates policies which are based on common sense, not Party agitprop.
Our US Senators have done much good for the citizens of Montana. But they now serve only the Party; supporting "hate crimes" legislation that effectively says that military members or White folks cannot have "hate crimes" committed against them. How reminiscent of South Africa, post-1994.
Plus both Baucus and Tester support the grotesque, socialist, "health care reform bill" that would force all Americans to buy a product or be fined, cut the quality of health care generally, set Party hacks up as health care "gatekeepers", and give lavish exemptions and benefits to Party minions such as unions, "kommunity o'ganizahs", and porkulus for states which joined the Dark Side to vote for this odious "legislation".
We need another real American in the US Senate, not another sycophant. Please consider supporting damage control for our sinking nation by aiding Brown in defeating the Dark Lord's, Sauron/Obama, candidate for the new Peoples' Senate.
Welcome to the Second American Revolution.
The grave election will be the special election to fill the US Senate seat of Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy. The election pits a complacent Party apparatchik, Comrade [Attorney General] Martha Coakley, against State Senator Scott Brown. Coakley cannot be bothered to actually meet with voters. Instead, she works tirelessly with Party officials, and their pack of special interest dogs, to spin a stream of lies against her opponent. I lived under a Party regime for years. This is what the party substitutes for actual work on solutions, ad hominem attacks on those who challenge the right of the Party's "philosopher kings" to rule we peasants as they please.
Comrade Coakley's campaign has been characterized by violence against opponents that is reminiscent of faschistii violence of the 20s. Dear Leader is even campaigning for her. No doubt here, the Party wants to maintain their stranglehold on the Legislative Branch. If Brown were to be elected, the Peoples' Party would lose their "majority" in the Senate and there is a chance that the Senate might become a Senate again, rather than a rubber stamp for Beloved Leader's drive to destroy our nation in the name of "progressive ideals".
Brown, and his supporters, realize how vital this election is. So they are soliciting help, and donations, from anywhere in the USA (before it becomes the USSA). I am going to see about volunteering to call voters. Brown has stated that one of his first acts in office, if elected, would be to oppose the "health care reform bill" and work for genuine health care reforms. He has been a National Guard member for over twenty years and advocates policies which are based on common sense, not Party agitprop.
Our US Senators have done much good for the citizens of Montana. But they now serve only the Party; supporting "hate crimes" legislation that effectively says that military members or White folks cannot have "hate crimes" committed against them. How reminiscent of South Africa, post-1994.
Plus both Baucus and Tester support the grotesque, socialist, "health care reform bill" that would force all Americans to buy a product or be fined, cut the quality of health care generally, set Party hacks up as health care "gatekeepers", and give lavish exemptions and benefits to Party minions such as unions, "kommunity o'ganizahs", and porkulus for states which joined the Dark Side to vote for this odious "legislation".
We need another real American in the US Senate, not another sycophant. Please consider supporting damage control for our sinking nation by aiding Brown in defeating the Dark Lord's, Sauron/Obama, candidate for the new Peoples' Senate.
Welcome to the Second American Revolution.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Grains: Omission
Yesterday's article on grains did not cover one important bit of information on quinoa. Quinoa is nearly "birdproof" when grown as grain because the grain is coated with a bitter saponin. So it is necessary to rinse the grain thoroughly before cooking. Note that even when the grain is rinsed enough to remove the coating, it still tends to give off a slightly "bitter smell" in the first few minutes of cooking, though this does not impact the final wonderful texture and taste of the finished product.
Wikipedia recommends soaking in water for a few hours, draining, resoaking and draining, then cooking; or rinsing in a strainer or chesecloth with running water. All the quinoa I have bought in a store has only required some rinsing under running water, warm is best, for about 1 minute.
This includes bagged quinoa from Costco which was labeled as being prewashed. The Costco quinoa had a bitter odor while cooking and tasted mildly bitter when cooked. The Costco quinoa required about 20 seconds of rinsing to render the finished product palatable. So always rinse before cooking as modern business practice is generally to do the minimum required to make an ad claim.
Obviously quinoa that you grow yourself for the grain will require more rinsing than store bought grain.
The leaves of both quinoa and amaranth contain small amounts of oxalic acid, as does spinach. So do not eat a steady diet of these greens as it does interfere somewhat with the absorption of calcium by the body.
Wikipedia recommends soaking in water for a few hours, draining, resoaking and draining, then cooking; or rinsing in a strainer or chesecloth with running water. All the quinoa I have bought in a store has only required some rinsing under running water, warm is best, for about 1 minute.
This includes bagged quinoa from Costco which was labeled as being prewashed. The Costco quinoa had a bitter odor while cooking and tasted mildly bitter when cooked. The Costco quinoa required about 20 seconds of rinsing to render the finished product palatable. So always rinse before cooking as modern business practice is generally to do the minimum required to make an ad claim.
Obviously quinoa that you grow yourself for the grain will require more rinsing than store bought grain.
The leaves of both quinoa and amaranth contain small amounts of oxalic acid, as does spinach. So do not eat a steady diet of these greens as it does interfere somewhat with the absorption of calcium by the body.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Grains and Prepping
When squirreling away our food supplies, it is easy to make two major errors. The first is storing
"survival foods" which we would not normally eat. The end results of this error are: upset GI tract when you must rely on the stored foods, subtly lowered morale as you must suddenly subsist on food you don't like, and (probably) finding that these foods are past expiration dates because you subconsciously didn't want to buy them in the first place.
The second error is not including variety in your stored foods. This article deals with a classic example of this, the sole reliance on storing rice and wheat for the grain component. Both are useful grains and certainly belong in our food store programs. But both can quickly lower group morale as one or the other is served, day after day. Variety in stored foods will help keep the diet balanced nutritionally and palatable throughout the time of need.
This article is a brief overview of a few alternatives to wheat and rice for food stores. Quinoa is one of the few grains which is a complete protein source and has a unique taste and texture which I find wins people's taste vote time and time again. Buckwheat is a "psuedograin" which can provide both grain and greens for cooking. But see the cautions below re: buckwheat greens. Amaranth is an ancient grain which is very high in, complete, protein and very useful and versatile, easily substituting for cous cous or farina in recipes. Spelt is a great alternative to wheat for cooking as it has a yummy taste and cooks quicker than wheat. Millet is a tasty grain which is about as nutritious as brown rice, though with more minerals.
Quinoa and amaranth are ancient grains from South America and Mexico respectively that not only are delicious grains,they also produce good salad greens as well. They are members of the same family as beets and spinach so they are not technically grains.They are higher in protein than wheat and, unlike most grains, are composed of complete protein so there is no need to serve with beans or nuts to get a decent amount of protein per serving. Quinoa cooks up to over
three times its dry volume, so it is a good value for its dry volume.
Quinoa and amaranth can be grown in a rich soil. They are related to pigweed so control of this weed, and general weeds, in your quinoa or amaranth patch is important. Plants grow to about 4-6 feet in height in the garden and are relatively pest and disease resistant. Expect to pay around $3.00/pound for quinoa and around $2.70/pound for amaranth. Several heirloom seed companies sell seeds for planting.
Buckwheat is another "pseudograin" that is actually related to rhubarb. When cooked, it has a coarse texture and a nutty taste. It is ideal for complementing the protein in beans and seeds as well as being "soul food" for Slavs when served as a kasha ;-) The grain itself is rich in minerals, B vitamins, and iron. In addition, buckwheat sprouts and greens are edible and very nutritious. To me, buckwheat greens taste like a cross between spinach and cabbage.
But,buckwheat sprouts and greens can only safely be eaten about once a week as the plant contains a toxin called fagopyrin which, when enough has built up in the body at a time, causes moderate to severe skin reactions when the consumer is exposed to sunlight. The seeds contain only trace amounts of the toxin, so pose no threat. The toxin also affects livestock so keep your stock out of your buckwheat patch/field to avoid serious skin problems. Consume buckwheat sprouts/greens sparingly or else you will find out how those vampires in countless movies feel when they are exposed to sunlight by the film's protagonist!
Buckwheat is very easy to grow. It grows well in poor soil, indeed, planting buckwheat as a green manure is one of the best ways to regenerate poor soils. It grows about 3-4 feet tall here in Western Montana, with tiny white flowers that are very attractive to bees. It matures within about 9 weeks when grown for grain. When grown as a green manure, turn it under before it flowers. When used for sprouts, the sprouts form quickly; in about 1-2 days.
Spelt is an excellent alternative to wheat for your stores. It can be tolerated fairly well by those with wheat allergies or candidia overgrowth. It stores nearly as well as hard wheat and cooks up with little or no need for presoaking. Its taste is unlike wheat so it makes for a good change in diet taste if your survival group/family needs a little break from wheat.
Millet is an African grain, best known in the USSA as birdseed and treat for chickens and guinea fowl. It cooks up well, expanding to about twice its dry volume and with a cooking time similar to white rice. It has a nutty taste and is very attractive with its pale, yellow color. Cost is a bit more than for brown rice.
Sources for these grains in Western Montana: Good Foods (Missoula; all the above), Dancing Rainbow Natural Grocery (Butte, all the above in small packages, though bulk is available), Montana Harvest Natural Foods (Bozeman, all the above from well-stored supplies), Community Food Co-op (Bozeman, most of the above), Real Foods (Helena, all the above, but not stored as well bulk as elsewhere), 2Jays (Great Falls, all but amaranth). Wheat Montana stores, statewide, can supply spelt in #50 bags or #45 pail (nitrogen packed). I assume there are good sources for these grains in Billings, but I don't know as I have not been to Billings.
New grains to taste. New recipes to try. Enjoy. Here is a millet recipe to get you started. Recipe is a South African one that I modified to use millet.
Gheel Rhys
1c. millet
2.25c. water
bouillon powder, chicken is best
1-2 tsp. curry powder
0.5 tsp. ground cardamon
raisins
salt
Cook up the millet with the bouillon powder. Takes about 30 minutes to cook. Add the seasonings during the last ten minutes and correct to taste; the cardamon adds a "sweet, aromatic heat". Depending on the curry powder, it adds a full, complex warmth or a blazing blast of flavour. Add the raisins a few minutes before serving. Add some ground flax seed if desired. Enjoy.
"survival foods" which we would not normally eat. The end results of this error are: upset GI tract when you must rely on the stored foods, subtly lowered morale as you must suddenly subsist on food you don't like, and (probably) finding that these foods are past expiration dates because you subconsciously didn't want to buy them in the first place.
The second error is not including variety in your stored foods. This article deals with a classic example of this, the sole reliance on storing rice and wheat for the grain component. Both are useful grains and certainly belong in our food store programs. But both can quickly lower group morale as one or the other is served, day after day. Variety in stored foods will help keep the diet balanced nutritionally and palatable throughout the time of need.
This article is a brief overview of a few alternatives to wheat and rice for food stores. Quinoa is one of the few grains which is a complete protein source and has a unique taste and texture which I find wins people's taste vote time and time again. Buckwheat is a "psuedograin" which can provide both grain and greens for cooking. But see the cautions below re: buckwheat greens. Amaranth is an ancient grain which is very high in, complete, protein and very useful and versatile, easily substituting for cous cous or farina in recipes. Spelt is a great alternative to wheat for cooking as it has a yummy taste and cooks quicker than wheat. Millet is a tasty grain which is about as nutritious as brown rice, though with more minerals.
Quinoa and amaranth are ancient grains from South America and Mexico respectively that not only are delicious grains,they also produce good salad greens as well. They are members of the same family as beets and spinach so they are not technically grains.They are higher in protein than wheat and, unlike most grains, are composed of complete protein so there is no need to serve with beans or nuts to get a decent amount of protein per serving. Quinoa cooks up to over
three times its dry volume, so it is a good value for its dry volume.
Quinoa and amaranth can be grown in a rich soil. They are related to pigweed so control of this weed, and general weeds, in your quinoa or amaranth patch is important. Plants grow to about 4-6 feet in height in the garden and are relatively pest and disease resistant. Expect to pay around $3.00/pound for quinoa and around $2.70/pound for amaranth. Several heirloom seed companies sell seeds for planting.
Buckwheat is another "pseudograin" that is actually related to rhubarb. When cooked, it has a coarse texture and a nutty taste. It is ideal for complementing the protein in beans and seeds as well as being "soul food" for Slavs when served as a kasha ;-) The grain itself is rich in minerals, B vitamins, and iron. In addition, buckwheat sprouts and greens are edible and very nutritious. To me, buckwheat greens taste like a cross between spinach and cabbage.
But,buckwheat sprouts and greens can only safely be eaten about once a week as the plant contains a toxin called fagopyrin which, when enough has built up in the body at a time, causes moderate to severe skin reactions when the consumer is exposed to sunlight. The seeds contain only trace amounts of the toxin, so pose no threat. The toxin also affects livestock so keep your stock out of your buckwheat patch/field to avoid serious skin problems. Consume buckwheat sprouts/greens sparingly or else you will find out how those vampires in countless movies feel when they are exposed to sunlight by the film's protagonist!
Buckwheat is very easy to grow. It grows well in poor soil, indeed, planting buckwheat as a green manure is one of the best ways to regenerate poor soils. It grows about 3-4 feet tall here in Western Montana, with tiny white flowers that are very attractive to bees. It matures within about 9 weeks when grown for grain. When grown as a green manure, turn it under before it flowers. When used for sprouts, the sprouts form quickly; in about 1-2 days.
Spelt is an excellent alternative to wheat for your stores. It can be tolerated fairly well by those with wheat allergies or candidia overgrowth. It stores nearly as well as hard wheat and cooks up with little or no need for presoaking. Its taste is unlike wheat so it makes for a good change in diet taste if your survival group/family needs a little break from wheat.
Millet is an African grain, best known in the USSA as birdseed and treat for chickens and guinea fowl. It cooks up well, expanding to about twice its dry volume and with a cooking time similar to white rice. It has a nutty taste and is very attractive with its pale, yellow color. Cost is a bit more than for brown rice.
Sources for these grains in Western Montana: Good Foods (Missoula; all the above), Dancing Rainbow Natural Grocery (Butte, all the above in small packages, though bulk is available), Montana Harvest Natural Foods (Bozeman, all the above from well-stored supplies), Community Food Co-op (Bozeman, most of the above), Real Foods (Helena, all the above, but not stored as well bulk as elsewhere), 2Jays (Great Falls, all but amaranth). Wheat Montana stores, statewide, can supply spelt in #50 bags or #45 pail (nitrogen packed). I assume there are good sources for these grains in Billings, but I don't know as I have not been to Billings.
New grains to taste. New recipes to try. Enjoy. Here is a millet recipe to get you started. Recipe is a South African one that I modified to use millet.
Gheel Rhys
1c. millet
2.25c. water
bouillon powder, chicken is best
1-2 tsp. curry powder
0.5 tsp. ground cardamon
raisins
salt
Cook up the millet with the bouillon powder. Takes about 30 minutes to cook. Add the seasonings during the last ten minutes and correct to taste; the cardamon adds a "sweet, aromatic heat". Depending on the curry powder, it adds a full, complex warmth or a blazing blast of flavour. Add the raisins a few minutes before serving. Add some ground flax seed if desired. Enjoy.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Survival New Year Movies
Back again after the Holiday Season with a couple of prepper movie recommendations for you. In both films, ordinary people must make terrible moral choices in a disaster environment. In both, those who survive are those who can adapt quickly, whether they have stocked up or not. Let's start the New Year off with planning for supplies, new skills, and pre planning what we will do morally in a sudden situation.
First up, a classic from the '60s, Panic in Year Zero. This one deals with off-the-cuff survival where the brain is shown to be the best survival tool. A family on holiday sees L.A taken out by a nuke, and they hear on the radio that several other U.S. cities have been hit. The family must cope with panicked refugees, profiteers, and roving human predators. A good, thought-provoking movie for the whole family. But for parents, best for older kids as film has several dead bodies, one [off-camera] rape scene, and several people [bloodlessly] shot.
The second movie was one that got very very limited release when it came out in the Fall of 2009, Carriers. The film follows two brothers and their girlfriends as they flee a pandemic of a hemorrhagic fever. The movie focuses more on the psychological stresses of survival than on tactics, though the elder brother blindly trusts in a few "rules" to help them pull through. Some of the errors in infection control are laughable but all in all, this is a movie that is worth watching and discussing with family or your survival group. This film is valuable for the moral questions it raises. For parents: this one is rated PG13 for violent shootings, some gore, and language.
What disaster films do you recommend?
First up, a classic from the '60s, Panic in Year Zero. This one deals with off-the-cuff survival where the brain is shown to be the best survival tool. A family on holiday sees L.A taken out by a nuke, and they hear on the radio that several other U.S. cities have been hit. The family must cope with panicked refugees, profiteers, and roving human predators. A good, thought-provoking movie for the whole family. But for parents, best for older kids as film has several dead bodies, one [off-camera] rape scene, and several people [bloodlessly] shot.
The second movie was one that got very very limited release when it came out in the Fall of 2009, Carriers. The film follows two brothers and their girlfriends as they flee a pandemic of a hemorrhagic fever. The movie focuses more on the psychological stresses of survival than on tactics, though the elder brother blindly trusts in a few "rules" to help them pull through. Some of the errors in infection control are laughable but all in all, this is a movie that is worth watching and discussing with family or your survival group. This film is valuable for the moral questions it raises. For parents: this one is rated PG13 for violent shootings, some gore, and language.
What disaster films do you recommend?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
