Prepper Pupil Focuses on Renewable Food Preps

Prepper Pupil Focuses on Renewable Food Preps

It has been a while and though I am not about to abandon the idea of stocking up on preserved food preps for renewable sources of food, I am now more focused on renewable food preps as a prepper pupil. Simply put I have become a farmer. I get protein from animals that can be grown in the backyard like chickens, rabbits, tilapia, golden snails and pigeons. Plant food like eggplants, chili, garlic, ginger, moringa, sweet potato, beans, okra, tomato, onion and many others have replaced ornamentals in the garden. The next on my priorities now would be some citrus and banana trees, plus, I am now planning on bigger animals like goats or pigs. This approach is not only cool for the environment but also sustainable if taken cared of properly.

Moringa - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

If you have the resources it would be wise to get this underway alongside the other preps you are making and even if you don’t it does not need to be done in one big go. For me it took a while, I started with one moringa tree and initially it looked like it was a sickened tree because it was almost devoid of leaves (i kept taking too much while it was growing) - my bad. It did survive on to grow bigger and it was able to withstand the constant harvest and now there are 4 of them in the backyard with 3 of them grown from cuttings from the first one. I harvest the leaves as a good source of needed vitamins daily and some of which I dry and ground to a powder and I can add it to almost anything. Much of the harvested leaves have now become feed for the animals and they are healthier for it. In the beginning, the snails and the family shared in the harvest and it grew and grew until I cut and planted the second and third. After the fourth, there was just too much to go around, hence the plan for goats and pigs.

Maintenance of such a large backyard farm now takes me 5 hours on a good day to manage. Watering, feeding, harvesting these renewable food preps take a lot of work but one thing I have noticed is that I am healthier for it. I used to live a rather sedentary life before this and now I have lost weight and I feel healthier than ever before. My smoking, although I have not stopped yet, has also become considerably less, a pack a day has now become a couple or a few daily and that is something my family is thrilled about.

The wife is quite pleased because she now has fresh ingredients when she needs them. The thing here is she is still unable to do the butchering and that is still something we need to work on. A prepper, his prepper wife and their prepper children can’t be squeamish about things like this or else their survival might be compromised. I will let you know how its going - next time.

Prepper Pupil’s 3-day Food Prep (Solo)

Prepper Pupil’s 3-day Food Prep (Solo)

This is the Prepper Pupil’s 3-day Food Prep, this bit is only the food part of what forms a 3-day survival cache but I will detail the rest in follow-up posts. A cache for 3 days would certainly depend on your favored foods but I urge you to set aside nutritional meals that do not need cooking. I, for one, like tuna and it is a dominant part of the protein that I would eat as part of my 3-day food preps. You can select the protein that you like and may even go vegetarian on it by storing tofu. Fresh fruits or veggies are not practical so preserved fruits and veggies are the only option. You can have canned, dehydrated, pickled or jammed variations and that should be a good source of much needed vitamins and minerals. The antioxidant and phytochemicals they contain can also be very helpful to the body as well. In times of a crisis, the body and mind need all the help they can get to function at its best condition to keep pushing on to survive. 

Nine meals or perhaps a bit more, just in case there is a need for extra strenuous or mentally taxing work that needs to be done. There may be a horrible disaster that you need to overcome after all. Here is the Prepper Pupil’s list of food for a solo 3-day prep:

6 cans of (150 grams) canned tuna
3 cans of (533 grams) canned soup (meat and veggie kind)
2 cans of (425 grams) canned mixed vegetables
1 can of (240 grams) canned corn
1 can of (227 grams) canned pineapple slices
1 can of (425 grams) canned fruit cocktail
1 can of (425 grams) canned peaches
1 can of (340 grams) canned butter

These are all canned products that anyone can pick up at the local supermarket but like I said these are the choice items that I like to eat so they reflect my preferences for food. In the same idea you should pick food you like and pick the type of storage medium you prefer. For example, some of these items can be found in mylar pouches which are lighter to carry just in case you need to keep on moving when you unearth your cache.

For the short term, I think a 3-day cache is something every family should consider having. It is a security blanket that should keep you well fed for a while until the crisis is over. The items are also ideal for a buried cache which should fit well enough in a small plastic drum. Keep one in your very own backyard or for those without a place to bury their cache they could just keep it in a secure or perhaps even secret place in the premises. 

This cache contains ample amounts of water to survive on but do include some water, about 3 gallons should cover it. Like I mentioned on Prepper Pupil Learns the Rule of Threes, we can live for about 3 weeks without food but only live long enough for 3 days without water. All this food would fall short of a good prep if water is not there too.

Keep this cache for 6 months or a year and replace with a new batch. You can then feed yourself with the canned goodies you dug up for the next 3 days. If you plan on storing the cache for a year or longer make sure the stuff does not go past the expiry dates or else you would have wasted some precious preps. Make sure to keep the cached food expiry dates fall on the same year and ideally on the same month and replace the cache 3 months or so before it reaches the expiry dates.

There are other things that I have included, as I mentioned earlier and the follow-ups should detail them all but this prepper pupil will give you one particular item that you may need - a can opener.

Prepper Pupil Becomes Conscious of Ancient Preppers

Prepper Pupil Becomes Conscious of Ancient Preppers

This prepper pupil becomes conscious of ancient preppers in his quest for preparedness. It is apparent that some people today are still totally in the dark about prepping. Some think preppers are something new. Some also believe the origins are in the latter half of the previous century (sometime in the 1960’s) but if you look back further in time you will find that humans have been preppers prior to even attaining the scientific classification as the species homo sapiens. 

In essence, one could think prepping is surviving and homo sapiens have certainly survived. Homo sapiens faced various dangers when they started out about 200,000 years ago. They have gone through natural disasters and battled the forces of nature but perhaps through prepping we are now here as their legacy.

Imagine if you will, our ancestors living in the harsh environment of the paleolithic period, they must have been reactionary beings who ate when they were hungry, sought natural shelter from the heat or cold and survived on instinct alone but that was eventually replaced with a proactive approach as they learned to stockpile food, build shelters and start to be masters of the environment they lived in.

We homo sapiens live by trial and error and often our thick skulls have made our evolution into enlightened beings a bit of a problem. 200.000 years on and we are finally here in the 21st century, the 3rd millenium of human existence may just be the century we evolve to the next level of humanity. The prepared will survive on and bring about the change. As a prepper pupil, I hope to learn even from ancient preppers, Certainly, their knowledge reaches us here in this century with the valuable information they have left us, a thoughtful gift to their children that this prepper pupil will incorporate in his preps.

Prepper Pupil Learns the Rule of Threes

Prepper Pupil Learns the Rule of Threes 

To survive what nature has in store for us one must remember the Rule of Threes. There may be more rules like these but I would like to go with these four rules for now. These are not meant to be exact but rather they form the idea for one to realize their level of importance when it comes to prepping and being able to survive in adverse conditions. Here are the Prepper Pupil’s Rule of Threes: 

Rule 1 - Breathe Air. One cannot live for more than 3 minutes without air. The air we breathe contains oxygen that sustains our lives and without it we die. Though some of us can go farther than 3 minutes without air, many of us could not even go as far as 3 minutes and that is how important breathing is. It only takes precious minutes for one to expire if deprived of air. It is paramount, breathe good, clean and life sustaining air. 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6050/5883566857_e9a704f32f_z.jpg

Rule 2 - Have Shelter. One is at the mercy of the elements if one is without shelter. Without any form of shelter one’s chances of surviving for more than 3 hours would be either lucky or miraculous. Hypothermia or hyperthermia can quickly set in without the insulating protection of any kind shelter. The cold or the heat will negate your body’s ability to thermoregulate and death creeps in fast. Stay clear of the heat and cold and stay alive with a shelter. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Rock_shelter_Papula.jpg

Rule 3 - Drink Water. Not many have survived for 3 days without water. The human body needs about 1-7 liters of water each day or 8 glasses a day like the doctors of old used to say. The exact requirements vary from person to person and it also depends on various environmental factors but one thing is certain, without it and without the right amounts, dehydration may set in and if is is severe enough a person can die. Keep hydrating with clean water, drink and drink enough to survive longer. 

http://www.lloydminsterwaterworld.com/images/dehydration_clip_image005.jpg

Rule 4 - Eat Food. It takes about 3 weeks for one to succumb to the lack of food. It may be more or less depending on how much fat or protein you have stored in your body prior to living without food but the point is, without food - you got about 3 weeks of life left. In a survival situation every bit counts, so pick up anything and everything you can that is edible. The strength you require to better survive depends on you consuming enough food daily to keep fighting on to live and survive. Eat, you don’t even have to like it, if its edible, just eat it. 

http://thehomesteadsurvival.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/LesTema.jpg

As a Prepper Pupil, I have learned these by heart and I do hope that a situation does not ever present itself for me to have to use what I have learned.

Prepper Pupil Version of the Mighty Spicy Meatloaf

Prepper Pupil Version of the Mighty Spicy Meatloaf

This is a prepper version of the Mighty Spicy Meatloaf from My Recipe Repository. This new recipe is perfect for a prepper with a free energy solar cooker. This can also be cooked in an old-fashioned Dutch oven outdoors (fire below and coals on top). While the s&$% has not hit the fan yet and the modern slow cooker or the trusty oven at home still work, perhaps you can use them but, really, nothing beats free energy from the sun to cook this Mighty Spicy Meatloaf.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 2 tbsp dried egg or 1 tsp egg powder
• 1 cup dried onions or 2 oz onion powder
• 10 dried red chilies or 2 oz powdered red chilies
• 1 dried red bell pepper or 2 oz powdered red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp dried garlic chips or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large dill pickle
• 4 oz pickle juice
• 2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
• 4 oz catsup
• 4 oz hot sauce
• salt
• ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Get the solar cooker heated up by placing it in an area where it will get plenty of sun for a few hours. 
2. Mince the dill pickle and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the egg, onion, red chilies, red bell pepper, garlic, minced pickles, pickle juice, whole wheat bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper and the ground beef.
4. Form the meat mix into a loaf, place it in a bread pan lined with foil and into the solar cooker it goes.
5. Mix together the catsup and the hot sauce.
6. Dump the catsup and the hot sauce mix on top of the loaf.
7. Wait for the sun to do its work for about 4 hours, serve it hot out of the solar cooker or wait 5 minutes for it to chill a bit.

Make sure there is plenty of sun exposure to get a good 175 degrees of heat to work on cooking the meat. Before attempting to cook with your solar cooker, test the solar cooker’s temperatures on a sunny day and if it goes to 175 and over, holds steady from 9 am to 3 pm, your solar cooker will do just fine. 

The Mighty Spicy Meatloaf cooks much faster in a Dutch oven but it requires considerable amounts of energy from you and from your wood pile. In a situation where there is a limited amount of sunlight this may be an option but do keep in mind the resources you have, fuel in the form of wood may be a hard commodity to come by in some parts. 

If you are cooking for one then cut the recipe in half, cook it at half the time and you should have a lunch and dinner meal. Keep it in the solar cooker to keep it from going bad, don’t worry about it getting overcooked or burning, it just does not happen in a solar cooker. If using the Dutch oven method, a re-heat is due in 4 hours to keep nasty bacteria from forming and it should be ready for dinner. By the way, you can cut the recipe even more to just a quarter if you eat like a bird. Try to eat everything and not waste it.

Resourceful Prepper Pupil

Resourceful Prepper Pupil

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/gfcentralliteracy/8278385364/

In a SHTF situation, being a resourceful prepper pupil can mean the difference between life and death. A person who can look into a problem and find a way of overcoming it (some even find several ways) is lucky to have such a skill and is ahead of the curve when it comes to prepping. Sometimes this resourcefulness is not an innate quality and sometimes it falls short of what is required for one to survive disaster. Whichever case it is, getting better at being resourceful is a step in the right direction for anyone who preps. 

In my view, one way of improving on one’s resourcefulness is learning from those who have that innate quality and are kind enough to share their knowledge with others. Doing so is an act of being resourceful in itself. I am sure some of the ones who have this natural talent also look to others and improve on themselves as well and they are better for it.

The resourceful prepper pupil learns from others and improves his own mind to overcome any obstacle, constantly training and maintaining a sharp edge to face the challenges of an uncertain future. Prepping is not something you do on the weekend, it is a mindset where you are proactively engaging life instead of reacting to events that happen in your midst. It’s like chess, trying to stay ahead of the game by thinking of moves the opponent is going to make and preparing counter moves to advance your side to win the game.

In life, the game is survival, we try to win against not just one opponent coming in from one direction but rather a number of directions, many of which are unknown. Such is life, filled with uncertainty and all we can do is be prepared to oppose these forces and survive. Being a resourceful prepper pupil increases our chances of making it to another day.

Prepping is a Natural Obligation

Prepping is a Natural Obligation

Photo from http://marinraica.blogspot.com/2012/09/natural-health.html

As a prepper pupil I am often faced with ignorant people who think that prepping is something that crazy people do. For a few preppers this might be true and they are certainly bonkers, not because of the preparedness they do but because of the reasons they do it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared and for that these wackos are to be praised. It is in my view that no one should be exempt from prepping. Those who do nothing are simply lazy, freeloaders who, instead of being self-reliant, choose to sit idly by and wait for aid that perhaps may never come. Prepping is a natural obligation and anyone with even the tiniest of brains is capable of comprehending the logic of being prepared. 

The way I see it, prepping is not something only reserved for the crazy few and the sensible majority but it is a task for all of us to take part in as a member of the human race. In life, we face constant dangers and a catastrophe is always looming. With us unaware of when and where it will strike, we have always tried to avoid and mitigate the effects of such disasters with some sort of preparedness.

I consider prepping to be an innate characteristic, not only of humans but all life on Earth, with some being more successful at it than others of course. All who inhabit the Earth are survivors, throughout time each and every living thing on this planet has fought to survive - all survivalists in this giant blue marble we call home.

It is safe to assume that close to 100% of humans are prepping in some way. The tiny percentage that do not are simply incapable, mentally they have no concept of the threat and ruin that awaits them. The rest are spread across grades of preparedness from a person consciously breathing to stay alive and going up to almost perfect pepping. I say “almost perfect” as the top level of preparedness because no one can really be perfectly prepared. Avoiding all sorts of cataclysms is simply impossible.

My mindset is tuned to allowing all information and dissecting said information for the purposes of possibly applying it to my prepping. I am eager to learn and as I learn I will share my knowledge in the hopes of educating others to be better at prepping.

Prepper Pupil Preparations

Prepper Pupil Preparations

There were many things to consider for getting this new blog off the ground, other projects are in motion and there may not be time in the future for timely updates. For now, in the advent of a cessation of tasks from clients, I am lucky to have time and make some posts but I do hope it will be at a balanced setup in the days to come. I need work that pays and really this is just something to occupy my time and practice on my writing. Writing other people's blog posts, among other things, is really what I do. 

Photo from http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/11-important-skills-for-preppers/

Prepper Pupil is something I had always wanted to work on but when one is engaged in other people's web content things get put in the back burner. I consider myself to be a boy scout and the term "prepper" was never really something I knew about until the TV show "Doomsday Preppers" came up. I hate getting caught with my pants down and I have always made sure I have a plan on top of a backup plan. That said, I still consider myself a novice when it comes to prepping and I wish to learn a whole lot more with the little time I have outside of family and work hours. 

The blog is all set, the layout is similar to other blogs I have created and thematically alike with their blog siblings. It is hoped that in time I will be able to fill in some quality content that may provide interesting reading material for visitors. I have not planned all the pages yet but a rough outline is already in mind and that should be finalized in a couple of days. 

I plan on featuring gadgets, recipes, techniques and much more. I hope even as a green horn survivalist or prepper, I would be able to educate others and have them become preppers too.