Hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and had enough energy to brave Black Friday. We were able to get our solar radio - an American Red Cross Eton, from Radio Shack for half price. That was our major preparedness buy for the week.

I picked up some things at Walmart that you might want to consider. I bought 2 metal whistles and a couple of compasses. In the garden department I found N95 face masks on sale.

In our local sporting goods store, I found a Sawyer bite and sting kit. The extractor is the only product I've found that people recommend for snake bites. It has a good instruction book that explains all the different size cups -- wasps, bees, mosquitoes, spiders, scorpions and snakes all seem to have requirements. Unfortunately the kit doesn't tell you which one goes with which bite. There is even a razor for shaving the bite area to insure a good suction.

I also bought a chemical cold pack for a dollar. I am looking for more of the bargain packs.  I've heard straight Chlorox is good for red ant bites so I'm pouring a bit into a small bottle. Since we keep bees, I have Benedryl on hand and really want an epi-pen at the house.

I am learning about healing herbs so expect to be able to brew up something that will work for stings and the itch we can get from poison ivy around here. If we are involved in cleaning up after a bad storm, we  need to be prepared to deal with spider bites. I read about a poultice that would help with a serious bite -- unfortunately, forgot to mark the site. So if anyone knows what will draw the poison, please let us know. Most of the time, we aren't even aware of the bite until the venom has been absorbed into our bodies. The Sawyer might help some, but it might take a poultice to draw it out. Obviously I have some more studying to do on the subject. The mundane assaults on our body are not covered in an EMT class.

I found another item at Sam's that is going in my Go-Kits. Proforce makes commercial products and has a package of 24 microfiber towels that are ultra absorbent. They are only 16 inches square and take up little room.  I am using some for the Kits, some for hubby's shop and some for the kitchen to deal with messy spills. They were only 11.95 - a bargain for 50 cents each. They are washable and should last forever. They don't scratch and will make good dust clothes too. I found them in the section with all the industrial cleaners.

If you found great preparedness deals this Black Frida or Cyper Monday, please let us know.

REHYDRATION EXPERIMENT

Good news and Bad. Instant potatoes – white and sweet hydrated immediately. The Betty Crocker Sweet potatoes were so good, I just cleaned out the little bowl with my finger. They tasted great even cold. The plain white instant potatoes tasted awful! I discovered you definitely want to include some condiments in your Go-Kits and pick up one of those picnic sets of salt and pepper. I also know why some preppers advise having cans of gravy in their storage supplies. Try the Idahoan mash potato packets with flavorings added. I personally like them all and use them for regular meals for the two of us. I don’t add anything but the called-for water. They are well seasoned and not too heavy on the salt.

You will be happy to know that the packets of instant oatmeal and grits (with flavorings added) also do fine.  I tried the oatmeal with peaches and it was good. It takes two packets to make up a normal breakfast serving though. The Red-eyed, Country Ham Grits are rather salty, but they tasted OK. Both were better after they warmed to room temperature. Unfortunately the quick grits remained gritty without being boiled.

I also tried some quick barley with dismal results – they didn’t puff up. However, I spread them out to dry and seasoned them. They could be eaten like peanuts. I also liked orange lentils. They didn’t turn to mush and were quite tasty dried with a little salt. So we can add a strainer to our kits! These are two good additions because of their nutritional value and they seem like snacks.

Instant rice also softens and swells slightly. It would be fine with gravy or squeeze margarine which does fine without refrigeration for a short period (week or so at least.) Stove Top dressing also hydrated quickly and could be mixed with canned chicken and gravy.  

Ramon noodles hydrated well in a short while. I didn’t add the seasoning packet because I just pinched off a bit to try. My grandson often eats the chicken flavored ones as an after-school snack so I just short-changed him a bit. One major disaster is the 3-minute noodles. I let them sit overnight like the rest. Ugg! They were mushy and pretty awful. So, they would have done well with a much shorter hydration period. I imagine you could dump a can of Hunts spaghetti sauce over them and wait about 20 minutes and they would make a good family meal.

That leads to yet another item needed for the Go-Kit. We need a pot or bowl large enough to mix things together for an entrée. I would want a metal spoon and fork to mix with. Plastic utensils and paper products will do fine for individual use, but something sturdier is needed for the actual “cooking” process. I think anti-bacterial wipes would clean them well enough and a quick rinse with water would remove the ick taste.

I am going to attempt to make instant pudding with dry non-fat milk and water tomorrow.  It should work because they make the school pack kind that just sits on the shelf. You would just have to eat it right away.  I’ve also seen jello in those packs. I wonder how they get it to gel. I once took a pack of jello with me to a Girl Scout week-end camp. Everyone laughed because I didn’t think about the lack of refrigeration. But I fooled them. I stuck it in the leaders’ ice chest for a little while and flaunted my cherry jello dessert. I didn’t let on it was pretty runny. It probably would have set-up if I had left it in longer. Anyway I am going to mix some up and just leave it out on the counter to see what it will do tonight.

I hope you will share some of your experiments with us prudent preparers.

The list below contains some suggestions that will help you gather the food necessary for your family to survive at least three days if you must leave your home to escape a disaster situation. Please remember that 3 days is a bare minimum that the government suggest you prepare for. In a serious, unexpected and widespread situation, it will take at least that long for response agencies to get in place to begin providing relief. If time permits and you don't have to grab and run, expand the amount of food you take to a week. This could take the form of quickly gathering from your pantry shelves enough supplies to keep your family safe. The food for the initial first 3 days should be already in your Go-Kit or backpacks.

FOOD FOR 72-HOUR EMERGENCY KITS

If your family is sheltering in a building or evacuating out of a danger zone, you won’t be able to cook anything. Food must be ready to eat. If you are sheltering outside in tents or under tarps, cooking possibilities increase. Camp stoves or camp fires will allow you to prepare hot family-style meals. Consider food preferences or allergies and pick items that are familiar and will provide adequate calorie counts. If you are able, increase food to cover 5 – 7 days.

SUGGESTIONS:

Meal replacement bars, protein bars, breakfast bars, powdered protein mixes & jar with lid
Meat: Vienna sausage, potted meat, tuna fish, canned sandwich spreads, dried beef in a jar, cheese in a jar, chili, canned stews or barbeque meat, Spam, canned ham and chicken, Beanie Weenies, Spaghetti-O’s, jerky. Look for pop-top lids.

Soups: ready-to-eat and condensed, dried soup packets, cup of soup varieties, Ramen Noodles (There are many products designed for lunch box meals – pasta, rice, etc.)

Fruit and Vegetables:  dried fruit, trail mixes, nuts, lunchbox packs of fruit or pudding, instant potato packs, canned or dehydrated fruit and vegetables

Drinks: juice boxes, 2-liter bottles of 100% fruit juice, boxes of shelf-life milk, dried milk, canned milk,  jar or packet of stir-in milk flavoring, hot chocolate or apple cider packets, water bottle add-ins, tea, coffee (powdered cream and sweeteners if you use them), bouillon cubes

Peanut butter or Nutella, jelly, crackers (at least a sleeve per person)

Snacks: hard candy, gum, graham or animal crackers, etc.

Infant and toddler: ready-to-use formula, food, juice, biscuits (Because of fast-changing requirements, add this before departing along with their diapers and clothes.)

MRE’s and dehydrated meals: These are good add-ins. They are more costly than items off the grocery store shelf, but are worth considering.

 
Remember you are planning for 3 meals per day per person plus snacks and comfort food. Prowl the grocery store shelves looking for items you can try. Depending on what you include, a can opener may also be necessary per backpack.  Save plastic bottles, you may need to refill them with water. A funnel and coffee filter will collect any debris. Then treat using a filtration system, Clorox, purification tablets. If you have a source of fire, boil rapidly for one minute

Hopefully, you have read the first post and decided maybe getting prepared for the unexpected would be a good idea. Every family needs to put together a 72-hour Go-Kit. This kit will provide the basic necessities if you must evacuate your home.

72-hour Emergency Kits

Store your kit close to the front door if possible. You can use sturdy backpacks (mark with each person’s name) or a lock-tight plastic bin (one with wheels would be great) or both. Lay all supplies out, divide among backpacks if those are your containers, type up inventories, print out, put in plastic clear baggies, and tape to the lid or put in backpack pockets. On the outside with a marker, write the date you packed the kit. On your calendar write a check and recycle date 6 months in the future that coincides with a season change.

Clothing: 1 change of clothes, shoes, extra socks, appropriate outerwear, sturdy rain poncho

Hygiene: hand towel, wet-wipes, hand sanitizer, tooth brush and paste, comb or brush, insect repellant, sun screen, feminine supplies, diapers for toddlers and infants, extra underwear for pre-schoolers, 1 roll of toilet paper

Water: 3 gallons each (more is better), some should be individual bottles, water purification tablets, Clorox, or filtration equipment.

Food: 3 to 5 days ready-to-eat food with pop-tops. Mess kit or disposable bowls, cups, utensils

Light: flashlight (2 sets of batteries kept separate), 2 light sticks, water-proof matches or lighter

Warmth and Shelter: a silver foil emergency blanket, 2 hand warmers, a heavy plastic drop cloth, several black trash bags, a few gallon and quart Zip-lock bags

First Aid: small kits for each backpack, well-stocked family kit, medicines, assorted safety pins

Contact list: Identification and contact lists for each person (put in baggie, pin inside a pocket)

Documents and cash: $100 in small bills per person, copies of important documents like birth certificates, SS cards, wills, insurance cards, vehicle information (color, make, license), flash drive with important business, personal, medical information, household inventories or photos

Communication: solar, hand-crank, or battery radio (extra batteries), phone charger

Tools: Swiss army knife or multi-tool, hatchet or ax, mattock, folding shovel,  2 pairs leather-palmed work gloves, good duct tape, utility knife. In winter add a bag of sand, de-Icer

Cooking: camp stove and fuel, nesting pots, metal cooking utensils, good folding knife, can opener, heavy-duty aluminum foil, bucket, lantern, dish soap, steel wool soap pads, fire starter

Shelter: Tarp, ground cover, rope, tent if you have it, bedrolls or blankets

Pet supplies: food and water, bowls, harnesses and leashes, vet records