Be Prepared

[VanFan]

Crofter:  Yes, I live on the technical edge of Tornado Alley.  No basements here, probably because of expansive soil.  Our shelter is a 3/8" steel bullet bolted to the foundation in the garage.

 

[becida]

 Napa Gold brand of filters these are rebranded Wix filters and are top of the line. 

Yep, Wix and Napa Gold filters, as good as you're going to get.

 

[crofter]

There are a couple of everything-is-a-dollar stores in Quartzsite. They sell overstocked, past-best-if-used-by-date stuff. I get canned beef, pork, tuna, soups, sauces, veggies, nutrition bars, jerky and shelf-stable milk from them.

That sounds like a find. Can you give us any details on the locations? I find Quartzsite to be a maze when it comes to finding what you are looking for. 
-crofter

 

[desert_sailing]

As I have a small 12v fridge and not enough power to run it as a freezer I have been trying to figure out a suitable pantry.

My s&b life I went to grocery store about once a month.  Having a large deep freeze made going to  the local butcher to stock up made life sooo easy. I abhor going to the grocery store on the regular but since I have such limited space I hope to get by with every2 weeks  maximum on going to resupply... hopefully once every 3 weeks would be ideal.

I would prefer to have a freezer over a fridge.. I just don't see what I will use it for outside of storing condiments and left overs. Fresh meats are not going to last for 2 weeks in that thing let alone 3 as desired.

So I have many cans of salmon.. some of tuna and mackerel.. corn beef hash... powder milk, powder eggs, pasta and rice.

Was wondering how many of you have whole chicken in a can?
https://www.seriouseats.com/2009/04/whole-chicken-in-a-can-taste-test.html

looks soo disgusting but I figure it may be good to have a couple of these on back up at around 8 bux each and no need to use up  all my fridge space... seems like a good item.. provided I can choke it down.

 

[crofter]

As I have a small 12v fridge and not enough power to run it as a freezer I have been trying to figure out a suitable pantry.

...looks soo disgusting but I figure it may be good to have a couple of these on back up at around 8 bux each and no need to use up  all my fridge space... seems like a good item.. provided I can choke it down.

I am sure it will be great in soup. The smaller cans of chicken do not have the bones you need to make good chicken soup. Good find DS.
-crofter

 

[bullfrog]

In times before Covid 19 we would share fresh food with neighbors a few days after going to town one week and they would share with us the next week when they went. Being where you can fish or hunt makes a huge difference as well as growing some vegetables in a watered tote. We use canned chicken breasts and with proper seasonings it can be made to taste good but not the same as fresh, you wouldn’t want to eat it straight out of the can like tuna. I’ve been spoiled by fresh fish and have a hard time liking store bought.

 

[mpruet]

Canned Chicken mixed with Mayonnaise, raisins, apple slices, and Greek dressing power is pretty good. And none of that really requires refrigeration.  (You can order packets of mayo...). You can make unappetizing food taste good with spices, etc.

 

[crofter]

... growing some vegetables in a watered tote....

Good idea, and some veg are quick to grow like salad leaves and radishes. Currently we are in the 6 week lettuce season in southern AZ.  You would need a topper for the bin for when you are going down the road, sounds like another back porch project like the worm bins. Here is a link to growing times for veg.
-crofter

https://www.growveg.com/guides/quick-maturing-plants-5-fast-growing-vegetables-to-try/

Link to courtney's site
https://yourhomesteadjourney.com/gardening-harvest-times/

 

[MrNoodly]

That sounds like a find. Can you give us any details on the locations? I find Quartzsite to be a maze when it comes to finding what you are looking for. 
-crofter

One is in a large tent in the temporary vendor area on Kuehn Road, next to The Big Tent (when it's up). There are vendors along the south side of the road and this is behind them.

The other, Ken's Market, is on the north side of Main, east of Highway 95, in a building behind temporary vendors. There's also a K&B Hardware next to it. They have a big sign by the road you can use as a landmark.

 

[MrNoodly]

...Currently we are in the 6 week lettuce season in southern AZ....

Around Yuma you can probably glean the post-harvest remains of leafy vegetables from the fields along the highway. 

 

[becida]

I would prefer to have a freezer over a fridge.. I just don't see what I will use it for outside of storing condiments and left overs. Fresh meats are not going to last for 2 weeks in that thing let alone 3 as desired.

If you had a freezer you could freeze bottles of water & use the ice in an ice chest for any refrigerator needs when & if you had them.

I've used canned chicken meat with great results when I want meat to mix into something, I'm talking about the cans that are the size/shape of larger tuna fish cans.

 

[highdesertranger]

desert_sailing I don't know what brand of refrigerator/freezer you have but this is what I do,

after shopping place all the stuff I want frozen in the freezer.
turn it down all the way.
when everything becomes rock hard(12-24 hours) turn it back up to just over half way.
this keeps everything frozen solid. temperature range is between 9-11°
except for the initial cool down this uses less power then my refrigerators.

highdesertranger

 

[VanFan]

Here's an article re pasteurizing water with solar.  At the bottom, there are instructions for using a windshield shade.  At a glance, they looked more complicated than necessary to me, but you get the idea:  https://survivalblog.com/solar-water-disinfection-and-p/  Here's more:  https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Windshield_Shade_Solar_Cooker I just use a binder clip to hold it together.

I got a kick out of this one, too (haven't tried it).  Thing is, where would I sit?  https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/s...5-31-17.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170531222144

You can absolutely use regular Reflectix to make a funnel cooker.  One of my favorite (but no longer the one) is a Copenhagen style cooker I made with four 14" square and one 8" square pieces of Reflectix.  It maxes out at around 250F, but that's plenty good enough to pasteurize water.

(Besides emergencies, solar water pasteurization is a great option in parts of the world where potable water and fuel are scarce and the sun relentless.  It's a simple concept that can save lives.)

 

[highdesertranger]

yes you can pasteurize water and there is a simple indicator that tells you when the water is safe,

https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Water_Pasteurization_Indicator

I included this link because it explains how it works, but these are widely available.

highdesertranger

 

[LERCA]

Am I the only one who loves oatmeal and cream of wheat? You can doctor them up with all kinds of things and they taste much better than cold cereal. They sell Cream of wheat in packets now which they’ve probably done since the 1940’s but I just discovered them. I usually buy a box.

 

[MrNoodly]

Am I the only one who loves oatmeal and cream of wheat? You can doctor them up with all kinds of things and they taste much better than cold cereal...

Oh yeah. I have oatmeal about every other day. Never got into cream of wheat, though. I even use oatmeal in savory dishes, substituting it for rice, pasta, polenta, etc. Looks kind of weird, but tastes great.

 

[desert_sailing]

Am I the only one who loves oatmeal and cream of wheat? 

I prefer cream of wheat but really like oatmeal as well. I'm not much of a fan on the microwave version of either... Tends to come out too dry fit me.

My granny used to put leftover cream of wheat in the fridge and then as a snack she would cut it into strips... Pan fry in butter till golden and drizzle with honey.... So good!

 

[GntlStone]

A cup or two of oatmeal works great in meatloaf. It absorbs all the yummy juices and flavors and makes a lb of meat go much further and be much less dense. Just add about 1/2 again as much seasoning or it may end up a bit bland.

 

[crofter]

Canned Chicken mixed with Mayonnaise, raisins, apple slices, and Greek dressing power is pretty good. And none of that really requires refrigeration.  (You can order packets of mayo...). You can make unappetizing food taste good with spices, etc.

Sounds yummy mpruet. I found condiment packets at wm site.  -crofter
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Ma...cSwPZq6evScsQsURPfpakfCHFAVsF2tBoCisoQAvD_BwE

 

[Sofisintown]

Here is great samitch:

Lay some thin onion slices well mixed with mayonnaise on both sides of a half loaf cut in two.
Add one tomato sliced thin to cover said mayonnaised onions.
Fold several thin cut smoked ham slices on top .
Salt and pepper.

Close the bread and enjoy.