Survivalists and preppers alike know how having a properly stocked pantry and surviving perilous times go hand in hand. Regardless of your reason for preparedness, every prepared home has a well-stocked food pantry. For generations, storing food has long been an important factor in preparing families for survival. Throughout history, there can always be found
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I’d canned vegetables, fruits and jams for years, but I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about canning meat. How could that possibly be safe, I wondered, and what would the quality of the finished product be? Then, my friend Janice, a registered dietician and canning diva, came to my house and spent an afternoon teaching me how. I was surprised and pleased with the results. The meat was perfectly preserved, tender, and flavorful. Since it was already cooked, I could use it for spur of the moment, quick meals. Canning meat is
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Whether you have your own herb garden, a generous friend who will share their herbs with you, wildcraft as a hobby or way of life, or are a member of a CSA and get a hefty share of certain herbs you aren’t sure what to do with, you may have wondered what on earth people
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Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only. Please follow all safe food handling processes and proper food preparation methods. You’ve stashed away wheat, sugar, and oil, and you’ve canned more quarts of beans, peaches, tomatoes, and pears than you care to remember. If you’re like me, though, one item you might have overlooked is eggs. We often take this inexpensive, widely available staple food for granted, but what would happen if you didn’t have access to a store or a chicken coop? Eggs are an essential ingredient in most baked goods, adding moisture,
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Grandmother’s jellies and jams made use of the various fruits available to her and were the perfect addition to add flavor to a cold-weather meal.  I don’t know if all grandmas serve homemade jams and jellies and bread with their dinners, but I do know that it was a welcome experience when I was growing up. When making jams and jellies, pectin is often called for. How much is needed depends on the nature of the fruit being processed.  These days, it’s very easy to reach for the store-bought pectin (regular old Sure-Jell or Ball
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While it is certainly great to enjoy your garden’s bounty fresh every day, it can also be nice to enjoy a lot of those same vegetables when they are not in season. Preserving your garden’s bounty can help you to ensure that your pantry and freezer are well stocked so that you are never short
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It doesn’t matter if you’re storing supplies away for winter or for a power outage—knowing how long meat will keep under certain circumstances could be the difference between a balanced or unbalanced diet in uncertain times. Knowing a wide variety of ways to keep meat from spoiling will greatly boost your chances of maintaining your
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Storing food supplies for the cold winter months or to preserve those garden veggies can be both cost-effective and efficient. From bulk ingredients to pre-made frozen meals, breads to canned fruits and veggies, your food storage should be organized in a way that is easily accessible. From my personal experience, your love or hate for food storage relies heavily upon the way you go about organizing yourself, but if done correctly, it doesn’t have to be burdensome or tedious! Freezer Storage Extra freezer space is always helpful for winter food storage. Having an extra chest
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Previously we looked at ways to dry and store seeds. This time, we’ll be exploring the specifics involved in harvesting and saving seeds from your favorite fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes I have personally had good luck with leaving tomato plants with tomatoes in the garden at the end of the season and through the winter and having little tomatoes come up the following year (sometimes to my chagrin).  I wouldn’t, however, rely on this completely from year to year without having access to alternative plants if for some reason the “volunteer” tomatoes didn’t come up.
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As you become more self-sufficient in your prepping journey, you will probably find yourself dabbling a bit in the art of growing your own food.  You may also find yourself wanting to rely more on yourself than on seed catalogs for your gardening needs, in case these commercial seeds are somehow no longer available, too expensive, or are tainted with GMO genes you might not want to be feeding your family. Whatever the reason, it is a good idea to learn how to save your own seeds. Following are a few guidelines to follow to
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