life skills | Being prepared today

August 31, 2021August 31, 2021

Ways to avoid exposure to the elements

Have you ever been so cold that it stops hurting? How about a heat stroke? Have you ever been in a flood or even a hurricane or windstorm? Hot or cold. Soaked or dehydrated. Wind or altitude. Insects or disease. After a flood comes the bugs and bacterial diseases. Believe it or not, wind can make you chapped and dehydrated but can also cut through your clothes leaving you frozen. These are obviously the worst case scenarios but on this semi-unforgiving planet, ignorance and complacency can catch you off guard and you would be wise to learn to avoid exposure.

Wind and Altitude

Wind can vary from a light breeze to a hurricane. A light breeze at even 40 degrees Fahrenheit can be bitter cold and cause hypothermia if exposed for a long period. Obviously, extra clothing can help insulate you from the cold and keep body heat in. Hot, dry winds can dry your skin and cause chapping, even dehydrate you. Other than a windbreaker or other clothing that has wind protection technology, finding stable shelter or going indoors is the only other option.

Building a shelter in the wilderness is a handy skill to have. If you would like more info on that subject head on over to these links:

Wilderness survival skills

Building suitable shelter

AMS is the acronym for Acute Mountain Syndrome. AMS can happen to anyone and it’s not really known exactly what causes it. People who have climbed or hiked for years at high altitudes can suddenly experience it without warning. Early warning signs of AMS can include nausea, headaches, feelings of fatigue, dizziness and disorientation. If not addressed, they can get worse and effect your motor skills and even walking. The only surefire way to address AMS is to descend to lower altitudes as quickly as possible.

Heat and Cold

Frigid temperatures are quite uncomfortable to most people and if not properly prepared for are quite dangerous. Proper, warm clothing is your best bet for staying warm. However, constant movement of body and limbs causes friction which creates heat. Try to keep moving, even pacing in place or flexing your fingers when needed, it will keep the blood circulating and the heat flowing. A small fire can warm the extremities and keep frostbite at bay.

The Heat is just as dangerous. Exposure to the sun can cause dehydration or sunburn and with physical exertion can cause heat exhaustion and even heat stroke. Drink plenty of water with electrolytes. When the body sweats, you lose precious sodium and other hydrating minerals that must be replenished. The body needs them for proper muscle function, blood circulation and brain function as well. However, finding a nice shady spot to beat the heat, like under a tree, can be the simplest yet best idea.

Precipitation and Dehydration

A fair amount of people believe that getting caught in the rain can lead to the common cold. The combination of wetness and cold temperatures can indeed make you sick. Snow included. Rain jackets, poncho or even a large trash bag if your in a pinch, will keep you dry and slick away the moisture. Avoid letting your feet get wet or if they do, dry them as soon as you can to ward off Trench Foot. It is a rotting of the flesh cause by being cold and absorbing too much moisture. The body stops flow of blood to the cold, wet limbs in an attempt to conserve energy and it’s quite nasty, possibly leading to amputation.

On the opposite side of that storm is dehydration. Not drinking enough water or simply not having the electrolytes needed to maintain proper physical and mental operation can be deadly. First you will start to chap up or ‘parch’ as some people call it. You may seem very thirsty and that’s because you are and it may be accompanied by delirium or hallucinations. Next you will lose consciousness then organ damage followed by death. Keeping an amount of salt will keep up on the electrolytes and sodium that your body needs. If you don’t have any water with you, find shade immediately if you start to feel overheated or extra thirsty. Sometimes it is possible to dig down into the earth a couple feet and find ground water.

Insects and Disease

Flying and biting insects of the wild, especially mosquitoes, carry diseases like malaria (in some countries), Dengue, Yellow fever, blood borne pathogens and now even West Nile virus. Precautions like a bug spray or even essential oils that are effective at repelling pesky biting bugs are highly suggested. If you get caught in the wild without repellent of any sort then rubbing mud on your exposed skin will help protect you from biting insects. While it doesn’t deter them from trying they cannot bite through the mud. It is a method of protection the Native American Indians have used for centuries.

Staying safe and healthy

Take proper precautions to stay safe while on a hike, out in the wilderness camping or for any reason you might be at risk of exposure. Exercise, vitamins and eating healthy can help mitigate some of the more severe symptoms of certain exposures. The tips and suggestions in this article will also keep you from extreme exposure to the elements. This world can be harsh and Humans have evolved to a point where we have the luxuries of air conditioning, solid shelters we call houses and vehicles that can travel 10 times faster than any horse or covered wagon. So, next time you’re out and about you will now have the knowledge to keep yourself safe from the extremes.

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

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Other resources:

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June 11, 2021June 11, 2021

The importance of being Self Sufficient

Being Self Sufficient can feel daunting and quite difficult. It doesn’t have to be though. For some people it is a lifestyle, passed down to them though their family for generations, In the form of recipes and processes but most of all – a way of thinking. Some people think of it as a lifestyle long-forgotten but in reality there are still people that live that way, and prefer it! They enjoy the “unplugged” way of living and highly enjoy doing things for themselves. Believe it or not, it can be quite rewarding.

Learning and being Self Sufficient

Learning to be Self Sufficient can be a life long process of developing skills and knowledge. It should be fun. Pick a direction, a subject to learn about or try out for yourself, something that is interesting to you and branch out from there. Something as simple as learning to bake bread from scratch can be a good start and will lead to other subjects like jarring food or even growing a

garden and building a root cellar. Doing things off-grid without electricity can be a good way to learn the “official” way of being self-sufficient.

Many reasons for being Self Sufficient

Enjoying the connection with nature or to look at it from a different angle, “disconnecting” from technology for a bit is a huge reason why many people try to be or are self-sufficient. Others live this way for reasons of preparing for hard times and for them it won’t be a major shock when those times come around. There are folks that were raised in that lifestyle and it is second nature to them as they were taught some of these skills from birth.

The American way of life promotes Self Sufficiency and rejects the idea that the government should take care of and provide for all the needs of people. The saying rings true as anything: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

The deeper meaning to Self Sufficiency

The idea being discussed in this blog article is one that many people find that they may not “have the time” or “have the money” but I find that trying to be Self Sufficient doesn’t really come with a high price tag. It could even become an important skill in the coming years. It means to be independent and capable of providing most things you need by yourself or your community.

Indigenous and native American people have, still to this day, a connection with the land and a sense of self-sufficiency that is almost unrivaled. Being able to provide for yourself, everything that you could need to stay alive and be healthy enough to continue that lifestyle, gives the sense of independence and self-worth or self confidence. Being a part of a community that grows food, jars or cans food, makes their own clothing and has a knowledge of building both furniture and structures is the most ideal for a self-sufficient setting. That sense of community and independence is a pillar of early American life and still continues in some parts of the country.

Google defines “Self Sufficient” as:

-Needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic needs, especially with regard to the production of food. “I don’t think Botswana, due to the climate, could ever be self-sufficient in food”.

-Emotionally and intellectually independent. “Their son was a little bit of a loner and very self-sufficient”.

Location and ideas

In Alaska, A lot of people live “off the grid”. That means that they live on either their own electricity and gas supplies or they have no permanent link to society. When and if needed to completely “unplug” they would not have a hard time doing so. It would be a minor adjustment to their current lifestyle. The climate there can be harsh but its not impossible to live off the land, as the natives did so for thousands of years.

In Pennsylvania, we also have the Amish. They are a prime example of self-sufficiency! They live without electricity or fuel gases of any sort really, make their own clothing and build their own homes. The Amish grow and store their own food and even churn their own butter! They truly have held onto and passed down the old-world skills of independence and self-sufficiency.

Personally, I have been trying new recipes with my Dutch oven in the coals of a dying fire and finding it to be a really tasty way to cook. In Mexico and even in the southern states here in America, a whole pig is slow roasted on a spit over an open fire pit, not wasting any part of the animal. If you have a fire pit you can make your own spit fairly easily or purchase one pre fabricated only needing to install it. Smoking and curing meats is almost self explanatory and keeps meats for quite a while. That is a skill that has been around for a really long time.

Root cellars and dry cold storage should be separate. Dry cold storage for canned, jarred and dry/dehydrated foods as well as any other dry storable items you can think of and here is a link to an article on food storage. A root cellar is kind of self explanatory again, it is technically a garden storage room for roots, fruits or anything that needs to stay damp and here is an article on root cellars.

Making your own clothes is a skill that is dying out. Give it a try sometime and you might be surprised. You could even save a butt-load of money!

Rising costs

Rising costs and inflation of everything is pushing people to be a little more frugal with their money and even to seek alternatives to some things to try to mitigate or counter that cost increase. Those alternatives include learning skills that teach them to be self-sufficient like growing some of their own food and composting. Tomatoes are a good start and easy to grow. Melons, garlic,

potatoes and even turnips are hardy staples that be grown in a lot of climates.

Whatever the reason is for you to become more Self Sufficient, my opinion is that these skills are important and can be very fun and rewarding. Do some google searches to familiarize yourself and get some ideas then give it a try.

I hope that this Blog article was informative and that you enjoyed reading. If you have any questions, comments or input of your own please feel free to do so in the comment section below. It helps me to bring you the best information possible.

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March 26, 2021March 26, 2021

The best Survival Food that lasts forever

Are there foods that last a very very long time? Is there something I can use as a Survival Food? You may ask yourself this and other questions like ‘Isn’t there a way to make storable food last longer than they do already?’

There are ways to do just that and there are specific types of food that are made in certain ways to enable the food to last years and sometimes decades. These kinds of foods are usually the ones handed down through the centuries, through recipes and procedures kept in families for a very long time.

The Native American Indians had a super food they made for centuries. It’s called Pemmican and if prepared properly can be stored for up to 10 years safely and reportedly be stored for 20 years or even longer.

Pemmican, the ultimate Survival Food

Pemmican is a mixture of tallow, dried meat and dried berries that is used as a nutritious food. Historically, it was an important part of indigenous cuisine in certain parts of North America and it is still prepared today.

Traditionally, pemmican was prepared from the lean meat of large game such as bison, elk, deer or moose. The meat was cut in thin slices and then dried, either over a slow fire or in the hot sun until the meat was dry and brittle.

Pemmican is an amazing super food that is nutritious and lasts a very long time. You can make some up for a hike, a camping trip or even your food storage!

Survival Food ingredient choices

Ingredient choices determine the longevity of the Pemmican. Today, people in many indigenous communities across North America continue to make pemmican for personal, community, and ceremonial consumption. Some contemporary pemmican recipes incorporate ingredients that have been introduced to the Americas in the past 500 years, including beef. Beef can be used but be cautious that it doesn’t burn during the preparation phase. Elk, Deer and Moose are the usual and traditional choices however there are other meats that can be used depending on their risk of disease by sitting for so long despite being prepared properly.

The melted fat is a necessity. A staple of Pemmican. The melted fat is made from suet. Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef or mutton found around the loins and kidneys. Suet has a melting point of between 45 °C(113f) and 50 °C(122f) and congelation between 37 °C(98.6f) and 40 °C(104f).

Berries of various kinds are used in the making of pemmican and most are readily available even in the wild. Blueberries, Chokecherries, Cranberries, Saskatoon berries or even Elderberries can be used. These dried berries will make the best candidates for grinding into a semi powdery substance or even all out powder. The berries are highly nutritious which is one of the reasons why Pemmican is considered a super food.

You can also put oats, nuts or other dried fruits into it!

Rendering fat to preserve

The rendered fat is the main reason why Pemmican lasts so long. The fat seals out the air so no oxygen can get to it and oxidize the meat and break it down or spoil it. The really long-lasting stuff is fat and meat only.

Put your suet (fat from lamb) into a pot and leave on low heat to begin rendering the fat. The goal here is to melt it down and strain out any impurities which turns the suet into tallow. Using low heat will ensure that you don’t burn the suet which will ruin your Pemmican.

You can possibly use Ghee oil which will make some slight differences in the Pemmican. The end product will not be as solid as using the rendered fat from suet but will be suitable and will still last quite a while.

The finished product

In his notes of 1874, North-west Mounted police Seargent-Major Sam Steele recorded three ways of serving Pemmican. Raw, boiled in a stew called ‘Rubaboo’, or fried, known in the west as ‘rechaud’.

–The pemmican was cooked in two ways in the west; one a stew of pemmican, water, flour and, if they could be secured, wild onions or preserved potatoes. This was called “rubaboo”; the other was called by the plains hunters a “rechaud”. It was cooked in a frying pan with onions and potatoes or alone. Some persons ate pemmican raw, but I must say I never had a taste for it that way.–

Finished pemmican will be very firm and keep almost forever. Pure, dried protein and rendered (mostly saturated) fat is highly stable so don’t worry about it going bad. If it does, You’ll know. Flavoring will depend on the spices you desire to try in your pemmican.

Storing your pemmican

Pemmican, again, is a highly stable and storable super food that can last nearly forever when stored properly. Exact recipes can be found online in preppers forums and survivalist websites. Plastic containers that are mostly airtight or a vacuum seal packaging are the ideal way to store your pemmican. A cool, dry and dark room will increase the longevity and preserve any taste you have processed into it. It’s perfect for your Emergency Food Storage!

Making pemmican can be fun and comforting to those that take peace of mind knowing they have food rations stored up for an emergency.

I hope you found this blog to be interesting and informative. If you have any questions, comments or input of your own please feel free to leave them in the comment box below. All input is welcome and helps me bring you quality topics.

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Tag: life skills