Foodstorage | Being prepared today

November 2, 2021

How to prepare for the looming supply chain crisis

Empty store shelves, Worker shortages, lack of truck drivers and mountainous unemployment rates are all symptoms and causes of a supply chain crisis.

We’ve all seen some things become scarce in the past few weeks. Being prepared for a supply chain crisis doesn’t have to be the end of the world.

I know that a food storage will be a good start and help many people come out on the other side of the situation in decent shape. However, there are other things to take into consideration for you and your family as well .

We will be covering areas of concern so to best prepare for a supply chain crisis.

Causes of a supply chain crisis

At the present time the covid-19 pandemic caused disruptive shut downs of businesses and stores as well as the trucking and transport industries but coupled with a boom in demand and overregulation as we reopen, it is causing a huge bottleneck in the supply chain. Low labor participation and clogged ports are also to blame.

An article from Nationalreview.com gives, in depth, some facts about the crunch we may all be experiencing soon.

An extremely high unemployment rate mean less workers, in other words a worker shortage. If you don’t have enough workers to stock shelves or fill orders then you will wind up with bare shelves at the grocery store.

Factories will have a hard time producing their product. Even the medical field will be shorthanded which means they will end up over-capacity or lacking proper PPE.

It is said that if the trucking industry were to come to a complete stop for just 24 hours, It would take two months to get back on track. Essentials like bottled water and canned as well as fresh goods disappear fast. ATM’s run out of cash. Banks unable to process transactions.

Service stations will completely run out of fuel and garbage will pile up in urban and suburban areas.

Ports of entry on the coast are being over regulated due to quarantine requirements and so it is causing a major slow down of distribution.

Thinking ahead of a supply chain crisis

Be up to date on current events and economics. You should be able to make your own educated assumptions. By doing so you are being well prepared for a crunch on the economy. Government policies and banking policies will play a part in economic performance.

Figure out what essentials might disappear from the shelves first. Buy a few extra items when you shop and store them away with your food storage.

If you have the skills and are already fairly self sufficient it will be a huge determining factor on how bad a financial or supply crisis will hurt you.

Adapting to an ever changing world may mean that we need to return in part to old world skills like gardening and canning. These skills will not only save you money but generate the peace of mind and comfort of knowing you have a backup plan.

Our dependency on the system and how to minimize it

The world as a whole is evolving into a society that depends almost wholly on technology. It seems that a major part of the world doesn’t know how to do or make a lot of things for themselves and so a majority of us are vastly dependent on just in time delivery and social media.

Old world skills like making clothing as well as other skills that provide independence are being forgotten. They are known as The Lost Ways because we are forgetting these skills and also not teaching them to our children.

Simple solutions call for us to Learn some of these skills. Produce some of your own goods or skills and learn to trade with our neighbors for example. Do it yourselfers not only have but also teach some of these skills and also are learning new skills everyday. YouTube has some really good channels that have do it yourself videos.’

Resulting economic damage

The result has created shortages of key manufacturing components, order backlogs, delivery delays and a spike in transportation costs and consumer prices. Unless the situation is resolved soon, the consequences for the global

economy may be dire.

Inflation of a different sorts is taking place where too many dollars are chasing too few goods. The US GDP is down to scary levels of 2.0 in the second and third quarter of 2021 and is also dropping rapidly.

This supply chain crisis is effecting not just the US but also the rest of the world. Many will either adapt to the changes or find alternatives in their lifestyles, for example, changing the way they budget or conserving energy at a higher rate. Many will possibly just go without certain items or learn to ration as we fight against our country descending into the third world.

Our government needs to relax restrictions and regulations. It’s killing the trucking and transport industries which is ultimately leading to this dire situation. Our government is treating American businesses and the American worker like an enemy of the state. It is suppressing the ability of small businesses and independent contractors.

Hope for any relief only comes from the people and the drive to keep going! Here in America is the pride of hard work and the joy of success so we should not settle for anything less.

I hope this article is helpful and informative. If you have any questions, comments or input please feel free to do so in the box below.

Thanks

October 18, 2021

The art of water glassing for storage

So you ask what is water glassing??

Well, water glassing is a way to preserve and store your fresh eggs for a year or longer! Some people say that you can keep them up to 2 years under the correct conditions.

These eggs need to be fresh from the chicken within the day. You cannot preserve store bought eggs as the bloom (the membrane coating that protects the eggs) is rinsed off.

Just prior to laying an egg, a hen’s body will deposit a protein-like mucous coating on the outside of an egg. This protective coating is called the bloom or cuticle. This protective coating seals the pores of the eggshell, thereby prohibiting the transfer of bacteria from the exterior to the interior of the egg.

Why should I water glass?

Water glassing would be done if you desire to keep eggs fresh for as long as possible. Usually around 18 months.

It will keep them as if they were laid that same day.

The only reason for water glassing eggs is if you intend to sell them or keep them for a food storage or a root cellar.

Hens will lay eggs all year long if allowed to molt roughly every 2 weeks and fed properly. They are born with the capacity for thousands of eggs so they really only stop laying eggs from old age.

Ingredients used are quite simple

Water and two other types of material can be used to water glass eggs: sodium silicate or lime (calcium hydroxide). The type of lime to use is known as pickling lime, , and slaked lime.

Calcium hydroxide is a white chemical powder used in older pickling recipes to add a crispness to the finished product. It works by adding calcium into the pectin of the food that is to be pickled.

Here is a link to get a 5 lb. bag of pickling lime.

Lime is also harvested from limestone by a specific heating process shown here.

The glassing process

Use a container with a lid. If you don’t have a lid, use olive oil to coat the top of the exposed water in the container. Be sure and cover with a cloth to keep pests out and prevent evaporation.

You will need approximately 1oz hydrated lime per 1 quart of water. In a 5 gallon bucket you should only need 8 quarts of water as the eggs will take up most of the rest of the space you will be using. The size of your container will depend on the amount of eggs you want to preserve.

Mix the specified amounts of lime to water with a whisk or spoon. It should be almost a milky white. Now you can add your eggs.

When you add your eggs be sure that the point is down. The reason we point eggs down is that there’s an air pocket in each egg, so if you have it going toward the largest size, it’s not touching as much of the egg white and you’ll end up with a better quality egg.

Enjoying your eggs months later

Because you worked hard to preserve your eggs for the winter when hens begin to slow down their egg production, you will be able to enjoy fresh eggs as if you collected them that morning! Be sure to let your hens lay as they please and don’t force them in the winter months. It’s just how their biological clock works and you will get better quality eggs as a result.

I hope this article was helpful and informative.
If you have any questions, comments or input please feel free to do so in the box below.

Thanks

September 11, 2021September 26, 2021

How to be water independent by rainwater harvesting

Water is the most abundant resource on this planet but only a small percentage is actually drinkable. What’s more frustrating to most is that municipalities will charge you for this precious resource. What a lot of people don’t understand is what goes on behind the scenes: where that water comes from and what has to be done to it to make it usable or drinkable. It goes through chemical treatments and a couple different filtration processes and that’s what you’re really paying for. Not the water itself. Fortunately, there are a couple different ways to make yourself water independent and a big one is a technique called rainwater harvesting.

Here are some ideas to pull from to collect as much water as you can .

Roof runoff rainwater harvesting

Probably the best and most efficient way to collect rainwater is from the runoff from your roof. When it rains it will run off your roof into your rain gutters and down the spout. By directing your downspout to a barrel/barrels or even a tank that has a large enough opening, you could fill a 250 gallon tank or larger depending on location and climate.

It is efficient in the way it covers such a large area for rainfall and requires very little effort on your part besides redirecting your rain gutters and keeping algae or mosquitoes from growing. Piping the water system to your home or desired use is completely up to you just be sure of permitting and local laws concerning this subject.

rainwater harvesting with rain barrel funnels

The rain barrel funnel method, as I call it, is a technique that requires food grade barrels and a tarp or other high coverage, rain collecting surface. Using rope or string you can tie the corners of the tarp to a structure or build supports for your high coverage idea. Now you can funnel the water into the barrel using the tarp or other high coverage surface of your choice.

It’s a pretty simple concept but requires quite a bit of space and some ingenuity so try to be inventive.

Storing rainwater in the ground

By understanding how rainwater acts and moves you will be able to redirect water for the convenient use of you and your family. Obviously water flows downhill because of gravity so building the appropriate channels, guides or gutters will accomplish this. A cistern is an underground water storage that can be made of concrete, metal or even plastic. But, again this is also subject to permitting and local laws.

Trees help keep water in the ground by the shade they provide and in their root systems. By the shade they provide it prevents the moisture from being evaporated in to the air. Gardening near trees will provide extra moisture for your garden and conserve your collected water usage.

Well water

In the old days a well would be dug by hand where groundwater would pool up in the bottom of the hole. Sometimes these holes would be dug to depths of twenty feet or more and a rope would be needed to pull the digger out. A pulley structure would be built over top of the hole to lower a bucket to collect water.

In present times a well is drilled by machinery to depths of around 100 or more feet to collect water from aquifers which are basically underground reserves of water and occasionally an underground river. Electric or motor driven pumps will pull the water up to surface level and store it in a tank for use.

Purifying for potable water

There are several ways to purify water and it is my belief that only two of them are really that efficient and cost effective. One way is to boil water and the other is through a gravity filtration device. There is also the potential to send your rainwater directly into filtration devices or even to direct greywater (water from sinks, showers and laundry) into garden systems to effectively deal with and distribute the water.

Here is an article on water purification methods and efficiencies,

Here is a link to a PDF of a Plan of Action for water purification for you to check out!

Start collecting

However you go about being water conscious and self-sufficient be sure to keep you and your family safe and healthy by reading into water purification and hazards. Collecting rainwater could save you quite a bit of money on municipal or even help you on your journey to becoming a great gardener. Whatever your path is, start collecting and good luck!

I hope this article was helpful and informative. If you have any questions comments or input please feel free to do it in the comments box below.

Thanks

Resources used:

Ready.gov

Theprovidentprepper.org

Category: Foodstorage

How to prepare for the looming supply chain crisis

The art of water glassing for storage

How to be water independent by rainwater harvesting

Roof runoff rainwater harvesting

rainwater harvesting with rain barrel funnels

Storing rainwater in the ground

Well water

Purifying for potable water

Start collecting

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