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Real Prepping for Real Preppers

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A year from now you will wish you had started to prep today

A couple of years ago my pal George Ure posted this piece on “Real Prepping” on his website.  At the time, he gave me permission to share it here, but for one reason or another, I did not.

Given the world and domestic situations at the moment, I believe it is a good idea for all of us to inventory our preps and make plans to bolster our supplies, skills, and most importantly, attitudes.

These are scary crazy times and many of us can sense an imminent attack on our way of life.  Wait. Hasn’t this already happened? 

Indeed, the Stuff has already Hit the Fan.

Filed Under: Preparedness 7 Comments

Packaging Food for Long Term Storage Using Mylar Bags and O2 Absorbers

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I have always taken food storage seriously, doing my best to preserve the quality of my stored food using a combination of good packaging and proper temperature control.  Over the years I have learned a few things. 

First of all, packing dried foods in huge, 5-gallon buckets or bags is a non-starter.  Second, storing food in a moderate climate such as Washington State is a whole lot different than storing food in super hot Arizona.  That means that if food is not carefully packaged, it will go bad rather quickly.  And by bad I mean inedible.

I have also learned over the years that practices for storing bulk foods vary widely, with some methods being both cumbersome and confusing.  After all, with only two hands and two arms, there is just so much juggling of potentially heavy bags, buckets, and beans that a person can do without struggling and making a big mess.  Been there, done that.

Today I am going to show you how I currently package bulk foods using dog food, a highly perishable item, as an example.

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Eating Old and Expired Food

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Is it safe to eat old, expired food | Strategic Living Blog

Is the outdated food in my cupboard safe to eat?  Do I really need to throw away food that is past it’s “best buy” date?  These are age-old questions that are further aggravated by the fact the most food pantries and food banks will not accept outdated canned and packaged goods. 

I first wrote about this dilemma back in 2015 (link below) and to the best of my knowledge, nothing much has changed.  I still stand by my premise that best-buy and sell-by dates are mostly a CYA imposed by food producers. 

There are some exceptions of course:  meats, deli products, certain dairy products, and tomato-based canned goods to name just a few.  I also know from personal experience that packaged dry goods such as cereals and crackers can easily become rancid and inedible over time.  All the more reason why proper food storage conditions and proper re-packaging are necessary if you want your food to be viable for years if not decades.

All of this and more is covered in my eBook, Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage which, for a limited time, you can get for free on Amazon. 

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Bread for Survival & Comfort: Five Recipes You Can Make Today

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Over the years, I have been a bread maker and bread eater.  I have ground my own flour and hand-kneaded bread.  I have also used an automatic bread machine where dump and go made homemade bread easy and quick.  In between, I mastered creating a sourdough starter and making a no-knead dough in large buckets that could provide fresh bread for a two week period.

Making bread was something I did because I enjoyed the process and enjoyed the comfort it brought in knowing I was learning a powerful survival skill that could come in handy down the road.

So here we are today, in a SHTF situation that is putting us in survival mode. Bakers and non-bakers alike are starting to make bread while most of our country is in lock-down and we are advised to stay at home. 

If you are like me, you have a lot of flour, wheat, salt and sugar in your survival pantry.  In addition, you have a few pounds of yeast stashed away in your freezer so that it stays fresh and viable.  We are the lucky ones because I have heard about major shortages that are frustrating some would-be bakers.

True confession:  I have been making two loaves of low-carb bread a week since earlier this year.  My bread has its beginnings in a mix from Bob’s Red Mill but to my consternation, the mix has been discontinued and I am seriously bummed.  With low carb and Keto diets being so popular, I was hoping to share my recipe with you this week.  Instead, I am going back to the kitchen so I can come up with a recipe that is not reliant on a commercial mix. Stay tuned for that.

So, for now, my pal Ron Brown (author of the Non-Electric Lighting Series) is stepping in with five simple bread recipes that are super good, super easy and tried and true.  The best part is that two of the five do not require yeast. 

Let’s get started.

Filed Under: Preparedness, Strategic Living 8 Comments

Prepare Your Home and Protect Yourself from Coronavirus

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How to prepare and protect your home and yourself from Coronavirus

I have sat down at my computer and written an article addressing Coronavirus at least three times in as many weeks and yet nothing has been posted publicly. Why?  It is my opinion that there is too much that is unknown.  How is it spread?  What is the contagion period? How many have been affected?  How long does it stay dormant in an unaffected individual that is a carrier? What does the scientific community really know?  And perhaps most significant, is it a biological mutant or manmade?

We can speculate and make some educated guesses but let’s be real.  COVID-19 (the official name for this strain of novel coronavirus) is still a mystery.  Just when the experts think that contagion is spread by person to person contact via droplets emitted from the mouth or nose, a case emerges where there has been no contact with an individual from an affected area.  The bottom line is we don’t know for sure and I, for one, do not care to speculate.

That leaves me with something I can do which is to share what I have done to prepare for this virus and a pandemic in general.

Before I start, I must fully disclose that I have been pandemic ready for years.  I have extensive sick room supplies, including protective clothing and hazardous waste disposal supplies.  I have stockpiles of food, water, medicine, and a myriad of other items that will be useful in the unlikely but possible need for a self-imposed quarantine.  That being said, I am getting a ton of questions from preppers and non-preppers alike asking for guidance. 

All I can do is share what I have done and am doing and leave it up to you to come to your own decision as to what you should or should not do.

Filed Under: Current Events, Preparedness 12 Comments

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Meet Gaye Levy

I’m Gaye, just an ordinary gal trying to make sense of our changing world. I am addicted to DIY projects, essential oils, grown-up coloring, prepping, and ballroom dancing.

I live what I call a Strategic Life and believe you should too. Everyone needs to live a joyful life that includes wellness, happiness, and comfort.  Won’t you join me?

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