prepardness | Northwoods Homesteader

Water, H2O, Agua

MerrieJanuary 26, 2016Leave a comment

No matter what you call it you cannot live without it.

We have a well and therefore an electric well pump that gets the water from the well to the pressure tank, which is also electric. When there is no electricity the biggest thing for us is that we have no water. That, to me, is even worse than being a little cold. Now if you know there is a storm coming you can get ready for the possibility of the electricity going out. I do fill the bathtub that we have in the second bathroom. They even make bathtub water storage containers. These are large bladders that will hold 65-100 gallons of water and fit right in the bathtub. Some even come with a pump to easily move the water into smaller containers for use. So far I haven't invested in one although they run around $20-$40. I like the idea because it keeps the water clean and drinkable. The water that I fill my tub with when we are expecting a storm is only used to flush the toilets with because no matter how clean your bathtub is I still don't want to drink that.

That brings me to water filters. Some folks who are on municipal water systems have filters on their faucets or use something like a Brita to filter your water on a daily basis. Fortunately we don't need to do that with our well water. I have had it tested several times and it is more than safe to drink right from the tap. My son lives in the Dallas, TX area and is on municipal water. He has a Brita type pitcher in his refrigerator that he keeps his drinking water in. These are fine for filtering out things like chlorine and other bad tastes but they really won't take out the things that make you sick like bacteria, viruses and heavy metals. For that you would need a filter system with more than just charcoal filters. Although we have not invested in one of these yet either, I'm looking at a Berkey Water Filter. It is a significant investment running between $200 and $300 depending on the size you get and if you buy additional filters. I would recommend always having at least one set of back up filters on hand. The Berkey uses two filters with room to expand to 4. Water is filtered at a faster pace if you have 4 filters in your Berkey.

So, there is no storm but the power suddenly goes out. It is always a good idea to keep a few bottles of drinking water stored for just such events. I have a few gallon Poland Springs water jugs that I keep water in. I try to change it out every six months or so. These are not the milk jug type bottles but stronger plastic. Milk jugs actually are not good to store water in. They are made to eventually break down and will leak. Not good if you have them stored in the bottom of your closet when this happens. Soda bottles are actually good for water storage. They are made to hold the pressure of carbonation so they are pretty strong. If you drink soda wash the bottles out after use and fill with water. If you don't drink soda, I bet you know someone who does, just ask if they will save some bottle for you. Right now I don't have a good place to put filled soda bottles so I have just been saving them. We drink very little soda so I save all that I get. I'm working on some ideas and hope to have a spot to fill and store about 20 two liter bottles of water very soon. It is helpful if you can store your bottles in a dark place such as the bottom of your closet. Stored water can sometimes taste a little flat. To rejuvenate it just take two glasses and pour the water between them a couple of times. This puts a little air into it and helps with the taste.

We also have a pond and a couple of 3 season streams on our property but surface water is never safe to drink without filtering it. There are many kinds of portable water filters made for camping and hiking and these are effective. Each of my family members carry a LifeStraw with them at all times in case of emergencies. You never know where you might be when there is a water emergency.

Although not hooked up yet we have the supplies, including the hand pump, to insert into the well if it looks like it would be a very long term power outage. Barring any strange thing happening that would contaminate our well we know that the water is safe to drink. You might want to consider getting something like this. The pump we have was not very expensive and the pipe is just several lengths of PVC pipe and joints. Don't forget the joint cleaner and sealant. Eventually we will put this on the top of the well and build a small house around it so it will not be exposed to the weather. We will replace the inexpensive hand pump with a Bison Hand Water Pump which are made right here in Maine and are very high quality stainless steel.

Take some time to review what you would do if you were unable to use your tap water. It is okay to start small but please do something.

Blessings,

Merrie

Are You Prepared For Winter? Keeping Warm

MerrieJanuary 16, 2016January 16, 2016Leave a comment

I know some of you around the country have been experiencing winter already but here in the northeast we had a very mild December. It was a little disappointing to not have any snow on the ground for Christmas but it has finally arrived. In the last couple of weeks we have had probably a foot and a half between a couple of storms and it is snowing again today. Part of why my husband and I live in Maine is we love the change of the seasons, even winter. I admit that fall is my favorite but I do look forward to the first snow of winter. There are some years, like last, that winter seems like it will never end but it always does.

So, are you ready for winter? Around here there is always a chance that the power will go out during a storm, well actually, anytime. In the summer it is not such a big deal because it is not cold but it is still an inconvenience. However during the cold months keeping warm during a power outage can be a challenge.

We use wood as our primary heat source anyway so that is simple for us, just keep feeding the wood stove. Some homes have fireplaces that can be used for heat in an emergency. It is important that maintenance be done regularly on a fireplace. The chimney, flue and damper need to be clean and in good working order for use. If that is not a option for you I encourage you to look into alternate sources that do not require electricity. There are kerosene and propane heaters available but make sure that you follow the instructions to the letter. It is important that there is sufficient ventilation when using an alternate heat source. I would also recommend that you have a carbon monoxide detector in the space.

Any heat source is only as good as the fuel it uses. No matter if you are using a wood stove, fireplace, kerosene heater or a candle heater without fuel they all are useless. We have a wood shed that is filled each summer for the following winter but if you don't use wood regularly but have a wood burning back up obviously you need to have some wood stored. Likewise for a propane or kerosene heater. Propane will store pretty much indefinitely. You can store the small camping size propane fuel all the way up to 100 pound tanks. It depends on what you are trying to run with the propane. We have propane plumbed to the house but that is not accessible to hook to something else. I have a couple of 100# tanks and the hook up hardware that we could connect them to either a grill or a heating device if needed. We also have several of the grill sized tanks that we keep filled and rotate on a regular basis through the grill mostly.

Kerosene needs to be stored in containers just like those that gasoline are stored in. They make ones that are blue to indicate that they contain kerosene. If you go to the section where gas cans can be found at the store there would be blue ones for kerosene and yellow ones that are meant for diesel. As we have talked about before on fuel storage be sure to rotate your storage regularly so that it will not get old. How much you store is up to you. Our third source of heat for our home is a heater that runs on kerosene that came with the house so we have a fairly large tank with kerosene in it. We also have back up lighting in the form of Aladdin kerosene lamps.

Now on to the candle heaters. I am intrigued by the idea of using a few clay pots, some bolts, washers, nuts and candles to make a room heater. The link above takes you to several pictures of different versions of this idea. I have not yet made or tested one of these but it looks like fun. My son actually has a fireplace in his apartment but no source for wood so putting one of these on the hearth might work well for him. So if you are going to go with something like this you of course would have needed to put together one or two of these and have the candles needed to produce the heat. I buy jar candles at AC Moore. They have good sales if you keep an eye out. I usually just get vanilla since other scents seem to be a little overwhelming. These burn for a long time as opposed so some of these designs that call for tea lights that burn out in a few hours. It is always a good idea to have some candles on hand anyway. Not only do they provide light and a bit of heat when the power is out it adds a bit of romance and fun to the situation. Just make sure that you have safe places to put them so that children and pets can't disturb them and get hurt or cause a fire.

Speaking of fire. Everyone should have a fire extinguisher and smoke dectors in their home too. Hopefully you will never need it but if you do, you do. However with that said, never try to fight a fire alone. It is much better to get your family and pets out of the house and call the professionals.

Have flashlights and know where they are. Store them in a easy to reach place and check their batteries on a regular basis.

Keep extra sweaters, blankets and warm socks on hand too. I helps to layer up. If you have a way to heat water drinking warm beverages also helps you to keep warm. I keep a full kettle on my wood stove all the time. Get out the board games and sit by the fire and play games by the light of the kerosene lamp. It can be rather fun.

Let's talk about water next time.

Blessings,

Merrie

Let’s Get Practical About Prepardness

MerrieSeptember 4, 2014Leave a comment

I am here to tell you that if something has been pulling at you to put a little, or even a lot, by for a rainy day you are not alone. I was raised with a preparedness lifestyle but is wasn't called that back then. My mom didn't work outside the home and my dad didn't make a huge amount of money so when something went on sale my mother stocked up on enough to last the family until the next time that item went on sale.

Today this kind of practicality is called the "prepper movement" and sometimes folks that feel they should be prepared for changes in their lives are thought of as being a bit strange. Well, we are not and I think the movement is getting to be more mainstream by the minute. There are various factors leading to this. You only need to turn on the TV or radio and listen to what is happening around the world with disasters, the economy and the declining quality of our food to know that things are changing fast and probably not for the better.

I don't want to get political here, that is not my focus. I just want more folks to see that being prepared for these changes is a practical thing. That doesn't mean that you should go out tomorrow and buy two dozen cases of MREs (meals ready to eat) and store them in the bunker that you are building. Now if you live in tornado alley a bunker might fall into the practical category but you know what I mean.

Becoming "prepared" is not something that happens overnight unless you just won the lottery. Most of us have to take it slow, buying a few extra canned goods each week as we build up our pantry. Keeping a eye out in the local bargain hunter or Craig's List to find a generator or a pressure canner or any number of things that are considered prepper items for a price we can afford. The funny thing is that it is far more practical to buy things that you would probably use occasionally even if there wasn't an emergency. A portable generator comes in really handy if you go camping or need to use power tools away from the reach of a grid tied outlet. We use our food stores everyday when we eat and it is replaced the next time we go shopping. I pressure can the vegetables from my garden every year.

Don't get carried away, make a plan, make a list, revise the list, take baby steps. Taking baby steps is a good way to move into anything new. Make sure you talk to your family about getting prepared and hopefully they will be on board too. If not it is a little harder but when something happens and what you have stored or put away for just such a need saves the day you may well get a few converts. Just don't say "I told you so", they already know that!!

Beans and Rice for Food Storage

MerrieAugust 24, 2014August 24, 2014Leave a comment

Well if you are going to store extra food you need someplace to put it. Here is my additional pantry. As I have said before I do not have a basement so when our son left home I took over his bedroom. Since the regular closet was already repurposed as storage for things other than foodstuffs I had to come up with a different idea. What I did was build a additional storage space in the room. As you can see by the photo on the right there is a heavy duty shelf and on the left is a corner shelf. I have described this to you in a previous post but I thought I would share some pictures since we were talking about food storage again.

We talked last time about how you can build up your storage a little at and time and that you should store what your family will eat. Now that you have kept your list for a week or two I'm sure you realize that there are many things your family eats that can be made a part of your food storage. So how about those staples that you hear about all the time: beans and rice? Should you store them if your family does not eat them? Well, yes and no. Beans and rice are really cost effective for what you get and they will fill you up if you are hungry. However, if your family does not normally eat beans and rice and you do not know how to cook with them there is not much point to having a five gallon bucket of each in your storage.

But wait, now may be the time to introduce your family to beans and rice and experiment with cooking both. Rice is fairly simple to cook it is just two time the water as rice with a little fat, either oil or butter, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Cooked just like this rice is fairly bland but goes really well if you have a meat and veggie mix with a little sauce to go on top. It is really easy to flavor plain white rice with just some herbs and spices. Try some different combinations and flavors that you know your family likes. I add garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper for a little southwest flavor. Curry can also be added for a Thai flavor. Just adding a can of tomatoes with basil and garlic or chilies will make the rice delicious. Rice can also be substituted for Don't be afraid to try different things.

Beans on the other hand are a little more involved to prepare. They have to be soaked then simmered in order to get them soft enough to eat. It is not complicated, just time consuming. I would suggest that you pick up a bag of dry beans at the grocery store and read the directions on the back. Some packages may also have a recipe to use your beans in. Some of the most popular are baked beans usually made with navy or pea beans. Black beans are really popular right now in many southwest recipes. They have a great flavor and I use them in my tortilla soup recipe. Pinto beans are the basis of refried beans just smash them up add some bacon grease, garlic powder, salt, pepper and a dash of cumin and there you have it.

It may take a little more convincing to get your family to eat beans than rice but it is worth the effort. Beans are a good protein source if meat is not available or if you want to have one meatless dinner per week. This will not only be delicious but it will also help with the grocery budget.

The one thing that was mentioned for both beans and rice was some of the herbs and spices used to flavor them. We haven't mentioned it to this point but storing these items in your pantry makes meal preparations so much easier not to mention more flavorful. Next time let's talk about what and how to store these great items.