Chickens in the Backyard

The Cost Of Fresh Eggs

Please, check with your local ordinances before purchasing your chicks. The neighborhood I live in allows up to three in the yard without a rooster.

Free Range Egg Prices

I talked about raising chickens a couple of years ago in an article and last season I bought and raised three fine hens. Unfortunately, they slipped through my fence and disappeared on me. I never did track them down. My current set of birds is under lock and key and an ever watchful eye. There are things you need to really understand about raising chickens and I will try to list the most important ideas here.

Raising these birds were challenging, but rewarding. They needed me to feed them twice a day, provide fresh water, and clean cage droppings on a regular basis. You must be ready to spend a few minutes several times a day to keep your flock healthy.

The times I check the prices on a dozen eggs at the store tells me I am doing the right thing. Free range, brown eggs are up to $4.62 a dozen. That is pricey protein and ridiculous when you realize you have space and dedication for raising your own egg laying birds.

When you figure the cost of eggs, it becomes clear that homegrown eggs are cost effective if you account for the cost of the eggs, the cost of storing them, the time it takes to shop, and the unknown factor of how these birds were raised.

The initial price of the chicks is under $3 for a basic laying hen. The feed runs around $17 and will last about a month. They take a twice a day routine to feed, water, and maintain. I feed mine when I wake and when I get home from work. Generally, 5 pm and 5 am are good times to tend the coop.

Build Your Own Coop

The birds are going to need a safe, comfortable environment. The floor needs to be secure and so do the walls and roof. The unit I built has a top that secures with a hook and eye catch so that my cats cannot lift it easily. They are up off the ground so that creepy things cannot easily enter the coop area. This chicken coop hutch cost me around $60 in materials to build. It took one afternoon and bit of cursing and elbow grease to build it.

Not that it makes a difference, but I should point out that I am a small female with no knowledge of wood working skills and I was able to build this easily. Moving it was the biggest issue I faced. Determination says a lot about getting things done. A screw gun, skill saw, and a few ideas on paper made this idea a reality. This is light enough that two people may move it easily for clean up under the coop occasionally. I will eventually share the plans for this coop. See my author site for occasional updates: www.mariaburgess.com

 Chickens Produce: Eggs, Fertilizer, Calcium 

The bird's droppings are high in nitrogen and can be used to feed your garden plants a necessary nutrient. I would let the waste compost for a week before adding to the garden bed. I do dump the water dish in different areas of the yard as I clean the feeding area for the birds. What is the cost of fertilizer and soil amendment? I pay $9.99 at the local nursery for a bag of dirt that contains 15% chicken manure. Chemical fertilizers can be cheap or very expensive depending on the brand and purpose.

Back to the real cost of eggs. Three hens yield an egg a day early in their laying career. That's a dozen eggs every four days. Tag that with the current cost of eggs and this is a $4.62 return on your investment. The feed is minimal and a bag lasts about a month with three birds.

I love animals so the idea of having these birds in my critter family made sense. The notion of fresh eggs also hit home for me. It is a deliberate plan of action for my preparedness lifestyle. Having necessary protein at ready access is worth all the effort. The sweet faces on the birds sealed the deal.

Raising Backyard Chickens - Exactly How to Use All Those Fresh Eggs

Fresh eggs can pile up quickly with a set of chickens in your backyard. How will you consume them? Exactly how do I store eggs? How Do I know the egg is fresh? What can I do with the shells? 

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Collecting eggs each day from hens that are actively laying creates a pleasant dilemma. The pile of eggs grows unless they are consumed within a few days or weeks or given away. Do you wash them when they are brought into the home for storage? 

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Eggs are already coated with a substance created by the chicken called a bloom. It is a sealer the hen's body makes. It covers the egg shell when the egg is dropped into the nesting area. There is nothing else to do but set it aside for later. Washing the egg would make it vulnerable to spoiling quickly. 

Egg Dispensers

Friends from outside the US tell me that eggs are stored on the counter in other countries such as Europe and the Islands. Here, they are placed in handy containers meant to distribute the eggs in a first in first out pattern. Placing the freshest eggs in the back insures that the eggs are rotated properly. Egg dispensers are handy items and a great conversation piece. 

Egg Dispenser

I, personally, keep my eggs in the refrigerator. I saved and collected egg cartons previous to the hens laying performance to keep up with the growing pile of hard shelled gems. The cartons are rotated in the cooler so that I can maintain fresh stock and quickly give a dozen to family or friends when the occasion arises. 

Try to gather at least four dozen egg cartons so that storing the eggs is easy.

I keep a plastic egg container handy to pack eggs for camping trips. There is nothing like a fresh fried or scrambled egg cooked over an open fire in a cast iron dutch oven or frying pan. It is simply something that must be done when rising in the morning on a nature outing. Knowing that these were collected in my own yard makes them even more tasty!

Egg Holder

How To Tell If An Egg Is Fresh

I mark my eggs with a permanent ink marker so that I can track its freshness. The eggs I give away are alway less than ten days old. 

Drop an egg into a deep bowl of water and if it floats it is to be discarded. Eggs build up a space of oxygen as they age. A fresh egg will sink right to the bottom of the container. Dry the shell before cracking so as not to drop the exterior matter into your cooking project. 

Should You Sell The Extra Eggs? 

That question is explored in this very entertaining video. There are quite a few things to know about fresh farm eggs. The condition of the yolk is generally brighter than store bought eggs. The shells are slightly different and of course, there may be details present in a fresh egg that are not found in eggs produced in high quantity farms. 

People that are used to the bleached white shells and light-yellow yolks may not be comfortable with a fresh, grass fed chicken egg. 

Egg Recipes

Eggs are fairly easy to prepare, A list of ways to use up your egg stock is a great way to rotated the gathered goods and keep the menu fresh, too. This might read like the shrimp list from Bubba's dialog in the movie Forest Gump. If you find there is something left out of the list, be sure to add it in the comments area below.

• Fried 
• Scrambled 
• Boiled 
• Poached 
• Egg Sandwiches
• Breakfast Burritos
• Omelets
• Quiche
• Stir Fry
• Egg Pancakes
• French Toast
• Baked Goods
• Egg Drop Soup

While I am sure there are more recipes for eggs, this is a hefty list and should help with the egg rotation. 

What To Do With All Those Egg Shells

Egg shells are high in calcium and are easily ground into a meal that can be placed in the backyard garden area for soil additive. The shells can be processed through a grinder or hand crushed for easy distribution. It is a great way to add this vital mineral when planting new tomatoes or peppers and various other plants. Just add a few sprinklings of the shells when setting the roots. 

Word has it that they can also be given back to the chickens for assistance in their egg production. I have been told this by several chicken farmers. Simply sprinkle the small pieces around their scratch area. While I do not care for this use, I can see the reasoning. To me it is like eating one's own fingernails. Its kinda gross, but some things about keeping chickens are a bit distasteful.

Set the shells aside so that they may dry completely. I do not rinse them out. When they are set, I bag them up and wait for a day when I have the time to do the crushing and then add them to a glass jar to keep them for later use. 

Survival Recovery / Preparedness 123

Starter Survival Food Storage

Starting a food storage inventory for survival is not a difficult task. 

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Staple foods for your survival food storage pantry.

Tonight I stopped by the market and added to my reserves.
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When I looked at the goods I selected I thought this would be a great starter list for anyone who has yet to begin with planning food storage.

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This list are your basic staples. With these simple  items you have a base to build on and a few things that will be used for baking bread and other essentials. 

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Yes, there are rice and beans here, but they are a great source of protein and carbohydrates. This can be a good way to begin stocking up and for about $75 at your local Walmart. I chose the most economically priced items for the dollar. You can add to this list week by week at about $25 dollars per pass at the grocers and have what you need for a month or more in just a few weeks time. Let me share some ideas with you. 

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Basic List for Storage - Dry Goods

• 1 - 25 pound bag of flour
• 1 - 10 pound bag of sugar
• 1 - 20 pound bag of pinto beans
• 1 - 20 pound bag of rice
• 5 - pounds of elbow macaroni
• 2 - Boxes w/ 10 packets of Instant Oatmeal
• 2 - 1 pound bag of lentils
• 3 -  pounds of rotini 
• 3 - pounds of egg noodles
• 3 - small honey containers
• 2 - peanut butter
• 2 - Packets of Yeast

Carbohydrates are important energy sources

The reason I bought the pasta is I needed to add more goods to my grain group as I have depleted my stash and on a good week I supplement some of the categories I need to replenish. I use this food in my cooking weekly so it can stay rotated. I do not store anything I will not eat. 

These pasta items can be made into pasta salad with just oil and vinegar and dehydrated veggies in them or made into a goulash. They can be added to soups or mixed with a powdered cheese sauce and complimented with canned ham or chicken. There is a variety of meals you can make from these items. They can be prepared over a sterno can burner or a wood fire if needs me. 

Once prepared they can keep for several days if kept cool.

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Flour And Sugar In Bulk

The flour and sugar are a must have. These items will constitute a bulk of your staple items. The flour is for baking bread and tortillas and other bread like items like banana bread! It can be used for gravy and biscuits.

Sugar is a main ingredient in most baking or treat recipes so I like to have a lot of it on hand. I generally don't use it a lot for drink mixes but it helps make that sweet tea we all love. Kept in bulk and in stock we always have a source of quick energy.

Beans and Lentils

The lentils I add to my bean soups. With the beans and lentils alone, and about 4 tablespoons of onion flakes all I need is water and slow cooking for a great tasting soup. A batch of that gets picked at for a day or two then turned into chili. You wouldn't believe there isn't any meat in it! The lentils add almost a beefy flavor to the mix. Served over rice you have a filling meal item. 

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What Other Foods Can I Store?

I would recommend adding powdered milk, gallons upon gallons of water, and a few cases of tomato sauce and canned veggies, fruits, and meats to the above list. Building the menu comes next. What meals can yo make quickly and easily from these food items? Add a few tidbits for flavoring -- your favorite herbs, spices, and condiments that will keep on the shelf well while sealed.

There is so much more I could tell you about food storage and I have a few articles published about it. If you would like to know more about how to store these foods when you get them home, read more here 

Survival Food Storage and: Survival Food Requirements 

For more about the food groups and recipes, tips, and other facts see the site:

Survival Recovery.com

If you look at what is happening in the news, the potential for disasters or crisis is always close at hand. Insure your family has a decent supply of food available if something does happen. Emergency food storage planning covers your family's nutritional needs in a crisis. It is also a way to keep the food budget in check. Oh, and hey, it also is a way to have everything you need on hand to make the family's favorite baked items!

Stock, rotate, use, enjoy!

What item would you add to a beginner food storage list?

Preparedness And Preserves - Canning Foods

Gathering is a small part of your emergency preparedness and survival planning. 

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Learning how to preserve and process your own foods be it out of your garden or the market are also important strategies to your family's survival plan. 

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The more you learn about being self-sufficient the better. Canning is a great way to get that accomplished. Not only are you producing your own food stock, you have the ability to control the ingredients. A simple exercise in jam making can be the doorway to foods that are a bit more complex to preserve. 

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Pressure Canners

Recently I purchased a pressure canner / cooker and will eventually put it to use in preparing my own vegetables, fruits, meats, and sauces. There are tons of foods you can store by having this very handy piece of equipment. It can be a lifesaver if you invest in the time and effort put into making your own preserved foods. 

Your foods are healthier because the contents of the foods can be controlled by you. I am planning on putting up stews and chili and preserving things like grapefruit in jars. With the pressure canner the higher acid foods are stabilized and sealed.

Making Strawberry Jam

This past week I took the time out to put up some strawberry jam. I used the canner for my water bath. This is a simple process but it does take up a little bit of time. Jam is probably the easiest way to get started with the canning process. And it is a very tasty lesson! When you are fully educated on making jam you will be able to understand how to move onto more complex food items like pickles.

The simple strawberry jam recipe is 1 package of pectin, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 5 Quarts of mashed berries, and 7 cups of sugar. Oh, don't forget a pat of butter! The pectin will have a guide in it that will help you along in the processing. To preserve it you will need a dozen jars and a very large kettle for a water bath so that when you pack the jam into the sterilized jars you can submerge them in water and simmer them in the boiling liquid for 10 minutes. This process eliminates bacteria growth and seals the jars. Jam has a shelf life of about a year. See the steps I took in this article: Making Delicious Strawberry Jam 

This video is from my jam project -- It is under 14 minutes and will show you the steps you need to take to preserve your own strawberry jam!

Strawberry Jammin'!

(bear with me it is my first food video!)

My favorite canning project is jam but I am looking forward to trying out my new equipment on other foods like bottle pears in syrup! 

What foods do you like to preserve?

Prepare Food Storage For Homemade Bread

Home made bread - Image: MorgueFile

Home made bread is the cornerstone of your emergency food storage. 

Whether you make the dough by hand or use a  bread machinethe ingredients for home made bread should make up a large part of what you keep in your emergency food storage stock.

Flour, honey, oil, salt, and yeast are your basic ingredients. Keep these items in your food storage pantry and you will ALWAYS have makings for home made bread!

A simple recipe for a loaf of bread made in a bread machine can be used for mixing and baking your own bread at home. In the standard bread machine the bread takes 4 hours or so to bake from start to finish. It will take about the same amount of time when making bread by hand.

Always proof your yeast when making bread. You will need to make sure the water is not too cold or too hot. Either extreme will either kill your yeast culture or cause it not to activate. For making the bread by hand you will need to add the yeast to warm water with the honey added to it. Let it sit for awhile and you will see if the yeast is active.

A bread machine recipe can be made by hand as well. Convert it into home made bread by kneading it by hand and adding time for letting it rise. 

Basic Bread Recipe

From: The Bread Machine Cookbook II - By Donna Rathmell German

This recipe for white bread is low in fat, sugar, and sodium.

Large Loaf:

1 C milk or water

2 T cooking oil

2 T honey

2/3 t salt

3 C bread flour

2 1/2 t yeast

Put the flour in a bowl and add the proofed yeast mixture to it and blend together. Add the oil and salt and knead the dough on a floured surface until it is soft, about 15 minutes. Place it in a oiled bowl  and cover it. Let it rise until tripled in size. When the dough has risen, punch it down again and let it rise again for 40 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bread pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Let it cool.


Do You Make Homemade Bread? Share your tips on making bread at home! Thanks for visiting!

Related Articles:
Baking Basics On Survival-Recovery.com
Survival Food Storage - My Favorite Tips And Tricks

Emergency Power Outage - Is my food still good?

Is this food still good? ~ Image: MorgueFiles

In an emergency power outage questioning your refrigerated food items and wondering whether that food is still good may be an issue.


Food storage in emergencies doesn't have to be problematic. Events where the power is not available for refrigeration need to be addressed with foods that require no power to be preserved.


Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods are ideal in these times. Food stored in cans or sealed in glass bottles, too, keep better because they require little more than space in your pantry. Use up quickly any foods that may turn unhealthy is your first line of defense in protecting what you have on hand and your health. Food borne illnesses are an element of a crisis for some folks but that doesn't mean it has to be a part of your survival preparedness 


Consider storing bottles of water in the freezer. Ready to go refrigeration is at your disposal and all it takes is a simple transfer from freezer to ice chest and your foods are protected.


Knowing how to tell if your food is still safe and usable in emergencies only takes a few applied pieces of good information.


Here are some guidelines and useful tips from the Health Department in West Virginia.


From: The Charleston Gazette
July 1, 2012 By Mackenzie Mays
Health department advises safe food storage during storm recovery

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As thousands of West Virginians remain without power following Friday's storm and rush to available stores to stock up on ice and other supplies, the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department is advising people to be careful when preparing and storing food.

Any illness caused by incorrectly prepared food is even more dangerous during the state of emergency, as many are struggling to find resources amid record high temperatures, said Sean Carver, sanitarian for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department. "Food safety during this time is especially important to people who may already have illnesses or low immune systems such as small children and senior citizens. Right now, people need to stay hydrated with clean water and make sure they're storing their food the right way," Carver said. "At a time like this, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Friday's storm caused one of the biggest power outages in recent history, with 53 of West Virginia's 55 counties experiencing power loss. Kanawha, Putnam, Cabell, McDowell, Mercer, Summers and Wayne counties may not see full restoration until the weekend, according to Appalachian Power officials.

The health department is working with the Kanawha County Emergency Operations Center to provide the public with storm recovery guidelines, such as what to do with perishable food and how to store emergency water supplies.

Food in the freezer will only remain frozen up to 24 hours if the freezer door remains closed. If frozen foods have thawed and been stored at temperatures above 41 degrees for less than four hours, they are safe to eat if used immediately, Carver said.

If the temperature of perishable foods rises above 41 degrees for more than four hours, it should be discarded. Usually, foods with ice crystals in their centers are safe to eat for at least three days, according to a news release.

"Just because food gets cold again after it's gotten warm doesn't mean it's OK to eat," Carver said. "People have to be alert and careful." Other storm recovery guidelines provided by the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department include:

• Cover the freezer with blankets to insulate food. Do not cover the air vent openings. This will help keep foods cold for a longer period of time.
• Use dry ice to help keep frozen food safe for an extended period of time.
• Only use fireplaces, charcoal grills, camp stoves and other alternate cooking sources outdoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.(more...)

Food borne illnesses can be prevented and loss of foods can be, too. Store it right the first time and prepare refrigerator items before hand for when a condition arises that may effect it's quality. Temperatures can be maintained with a few simple tips preserving food quality and keeping your family safe from food borne illnesses in times of emergency. 

Related Articles:

• Survival.Outdoorlife.Com -No Power Part 1 Cooking And Food Storage-Without Utilities

For Dry Storage Suggestions See: Food Storage My Favorite Tips and tricks - On Squidoo

When the SHTF ~ A Rant

This is about as harsh as I am going to get.. Let other preppers set the doom and gloom tone.

Thinking about all the ways that the SHTF events can impact our lives and what some of us are doing about it makes me think. What about dear friends and family members who are too busy, too caught up, and perhaps not serious about where their lives may be if a situation should occur in their lives that they could have prepared for. Come knocking on my door when it's too late and I am going to want to tell 'em I told ya so, but I won't because I am really not that mean, or can I be???

Fires, storms, riots, unemployment, floods, medical problems, and loss of homes are the SHTF events of today. Preparing for any or all of these crisis can help you to better understand what it takes to prep for a larger event. Starting small and moving onto major survival levels pushes you and your family into a better readiness state and closer to being a family that is ready to survive  and not a family ready to starve, die, or be victimized. 

The emergency teams that are associated with natural disasters do not have time to hold your hand because you neglected to address these issues before these events happened. They need to to find victims who need medical care, locate and prepare the dead, tend to hazards, and organize rescue operations, and deliver emergency first aid to those who need it.

Facing the destruction of all you held dear being gone isn't the time to say I could have done more. It's the time to roll a preparedness plan into action and sustain your family until circumstances turn around and you can be guided back to a reasonable living situation. With the essentials of food, water, shelter, and emergency energy covered you can be ok no matter what you have lost. Your life, your health, and your family with you is more important than the pile of stuff that is no longer there.

Where does one begin?

Gather your emergency 72 hour kit together, now. Arrange a set of emergency supplies that can be stored in the trunk of your car. Sit down with your family and review what measures you need to take for your particular needs. Set aside a stock of food storage. Collect drinking water and energy sources such as batteries, charcoal, sterno, and similar items. Make bed rolls to go with each emergency kit as well as a change of clothes.

Ask anyone in a hurricane zone what's the first things to disappear in the markets? They will all tell you: Bread, Water, Batteries.

Having these life sustaining items in store long before a disaster is on your front step is wonderful insurance for your family.

Preparing to support your family in times of trouble is as important as planning to pay your bills every months and planning to go to work to tend to their needs. Why leave preparedness out of your planning? You plan a family vacation, do you not? Plan a survival team family meeting and implement a contingency plan in your lives.

The more you talk over the needs of emergency preparedness and gather against the SHTF crisis the better off you are going to be, no matter what happens!

More by this author @

www.survival-recovery.com

and 

Home and Family Preparedness

Links For Related Survival Topics - Site Map

Links for related Survival Topics here on Preparedness 1 2 3 are listed by topic.

The links below are articles on this blog Preparedness 1 2 3 (or Prep123 for short!)

I wanted to sort them into categories as sometimes the blog posts get jumbled and you may not be able to see some great tips and writing because it's buried in the back of of the blog.

Thanks for dropping in and don't forget to book mark this page! It will be updated from time to time when new links are added!

Communication:

• Preparedness - Communication Devices

Disaster Preparedness:

• Plan ahead - Prepping For Natural Disasters 
• Preventative Measures - Wildfires

Emergency Kits:

• Highway Accident - How Many Had An Emergency Kit?
• Food Ideas For 72 hour Kits
• 72 Hour Kit and Bug Out Bags
• First Aid Kits and Supplies
• Survival Handbag

Emergency Preparedness (general preparedness posts):

• Readiness and Mental Preparedness
• Power Out - Is My Food Still Edible?
• Children And Emergency Preparedness
• Emergency Preparedness Specialist
• When the SHTF - Rant
• Surprise! The Moment You Were Preparing For Wasn't Disaster!
• What If's We Don't Think About
• Why Store The Basics?

Food Storage:

• Vitamins In Emergencies
• Food Storage Companies
• Home Production
• Budgeting For Food Storage
• Storing Foods
• Fussy Families - My Family Has Different Diet Needs
• Inventory And Food Storage Planning

Frugal Living:

• Frugal Lifestyle IS Emergency Planning
• Crisis Planning - Frugal Living
• Frugal Living Storage Tips

Gardening:

• Container Gardening Ideas
• Container Gardening How To

H2O and Water:

• Quest For Clean Water In Emergencies
• Water Main Break - Store Some H2O
• Stay Hydrated Party Animals!
• H2O

Home Defense:

• The Spirit Of Preparedness - Self Defense

Preparedness In Action:

• Barely Making It
• Move In Employment Has Me Relying On My Preparedness

Survival Skills:

• Red Cross And FEMA Emergency Skills

Other Great Links Here:

Almanac
Butter for food storage

See more on Squidoo: Preparedness Keys

Survival Recovery on Wordpress:

Survival Recovery (Site)

Surprise! The moment you prepared for...

Image Credit: http://www.morguefile.com  taliesin

It wasn't the big one. It wasn't a biological threat. It wasn't Armageddon or the Apocalypse. It wasn't Zombies or anarchy or any of the above.

It may have been a personal crisis in the home.

In our case the emergency was a job change. This entailed weeks of laying aside foods and home goods for the routine changes we were to endure. By setting up the right supplies, we can get through the financial switch. We have had to adjust to a new schedule and a new set of policies and an adjustment in the paycheck temporarily .


By having foods and goods in the home and fortifying our sudden extreme swing in budgeting we are able to make ends meet and supply our family's nutritional needs without much of a sacrifice.

We will be able to have 3 square meals a day through the food supplies already here in the home. This is a good thing, too, for rotating out product that waits for times like this. We prefer to use our stock on a regular basis. This insures our food is always good quality. We can then use the cash we would have spent on fancy meals on other things more pressing.

Other scenarios for preparedness that isn't a global disaster is having the family bread winner take ill or need a hospitalization. There may have been a death in the family or maybe a major expense has arisen that needs to be tended to like a vehicle that needs major repair. In these situations having a few weeks to a few months of supplies in your home eases the tensions and can help facilitate the healing that needs to take place for the finances to get back to normal. Eating right and eating well supplies much needed physical as well as mental strengthening.

Things don't always have to be a civil disaster to be a crisis. Preparedness and survival are a day to day thing for some families. Think ahead. Live frugal. Store extra nutritional support for your family when ever possible. By adding a few extras to the pantry and pinching pennies in this manner you are not only saving for peace of mind, you are spending less on fuel to and from the market and you are spending less time there as well something we could all use a little more of! We know we get a little spoiled with the fast food convenience in our society and that's ok sometimes. 

Plan a frugal month or two. Set a goal to exist off of your food storage supply and test out your abilities to make this as balanced an experience as possible. When you involve the family in an experiment like this use the money you saved for an activity at the end of the month. This conditions you and your family to the foods you have set aside. By consuming these products you can better plan for a future when you really need to have this supply and stock accordingly.

The best reason to do this is to know what your family will REALLY eat!

Make it fun. It doesn't have to be all beans and gruel!

For more info see:

Site: www.Survival-Recovery.com

Nutritional Food Storage Gathering: http://www.squidoo.com/survival-foods-requirements

Adjusting

Food Storage and Emergency Planning Helps in Small Crisis

What incidents would require a need for using food storage or survival skills? 

Employment Change

A change in employment has me relying on my emergency planning skills, food storage, and supplies. My budget has played out by the skin of its teeth as I switch jobs and have to reinvest some of that income for the transition. This is not a crisis in which I have to go without power, water, shelter. I will not need an alternative source for cooking or leave my home. It is one that has seriously disrupted my routines and taken me out of my comfort zone. The adjustments to new work, surroundings, and people have me circling my resource wagon so to speak. 

I will have to allocate funds for my change in employment status and keep a tight rein for the next few weeks.  I have to adapt to my new surroundings, adjust to a new time schedule, and reroute my meal planning for a bit. Conserving monies is important until the first paycheck arrives. 

Image Credit: www.morguefile.com earl53

I rely on the back up I placed in my food pantry so that I can be prepared for any financial output. The money coming in has to be sliced thin at this moment until it is actively replenished. My attitude has to remain positive even though this isn't a tornado or hurricane or earthquake, it is still a scary situation that has left me a bit unnerved. The comfort is there knowing I have something to fall back on until life returns to a normal pace once more.

Medical Crisis

I think back to the time I faced a major surgery. I was in a frightening situation. I would be unable to work for at least two months. My income came to a screeching halt. The certainty of laying in a recovery bed for weeks was a daunting thought. I was very sick. I scarcely wrapped my head around the fact that a  hysterectomy was necessary to help me get better. I would have to rely on my food storage to recuperate and support my nutritional needs because I would be bed bound for at least ten days. I would be in severe pain from the surgery and the medication would make it difficult for me to drive. It would be an unwise decision to leave the comfort of my room for anything other than a short trip to bathroom or kitchen.

The supplies in my pantry allowed me to eat, tend to my incision and medical needs, and be comfortable in the few weeks I was down and recuperating. The buffer a bit of food storage and supplies offered was a worry I did not have to feed. I had small applesauce cups, crackers, soups, and cereals to eat. I could crack open a can of beef stew or make a quick noodle dish for nourishment. 

Be Ready, Be Stocked Up

The pantry should contain at least two months of supplies. Ideally, a food storage plan should cover one and a half to two years of supply for the individual and family members. Store the things you will eat. Explore ways to dry store, freeze, can, and bottle edible goods. Set aside a budget for this monthly. A good food storage can be built off of $50 a month. Take inventory at least every six months to see what needs to be rotated and what supplies are running thin. Make it a habit to store personal items, hygiene products, and a bulk of first aid supplies. The more you set aside, the more comfortable the recovery. 

More by this author:

www.suvival-recovery.com

Survival Foods Requirements

Vitamins for Emergencies

Vitamin's Benefit in High Stress Crisis

Disasters and crisis deplete our bodies of necessary nutrients. Stress can rob us of the building blocks we need to recover quickly and the stores we gain energy from. Vitamin and supplement items added to a bug out kit and emergency food stock makes great sense.

Tablets and powders that contain high nutrients take up very little space. The nutritional supplements help replace needed vitamins and minerals burned by stress. Common vitamins such as Vit C and D reward the body with defence against colds and support the immune system. With the nutritional needs packed into tiny tablets and helpful powders space is conserved and our daily required amounts (RDA) are helped to be met.

Multi-vitamins and other convenient supplements can aid our body's energy stores and carry us through events that could deplete our systems nutrients through stresses and physical effort. Choose wisely and match your family's particular health needs to the right supplement.

Additional Links:

USDA's site for vitamin nutrition
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/food-composition/vitamins-and-minerals

Survival Recovery.com

Home Production

Survival and Home Production

Our society is so microwave and go. Pull into a fast food joint and eat. A lot of us don't even know how to cook anymore. Home production is cooking, canning, baking, creating a freezer stock of ready to thaw and eat meals. Yes, left overs. But good ones. You know what you like to eat! Learn how to make and preserve them! Learn what survival foods you can use to recreate it in survival mode.

Working in your kitchen is a survival skill!

Practice using your survival goods. Make at least one meal a week using the foods you have stored. Putting away food for just in case isn't what food storage is about. It's about self-sufficiency. That means using what you have so it stays fresh for when you truly do need it.

Start by  making something simple from scratch when you have time. For example: make a couple of banana bread loaves and use one, freeze one. Do some crock pot meals and freeze half of the meal. Set up a basic recipe file. Meal planners are good, too. Stick to the recipes you like and build around your basic meals.

One of my favorite suvival meals is mac and tomato sauce. It's 2 c elbow mac, 1 small can tomato sauce, green beans, and some seasonings. I have the mac in bulk now and have a couple cases of the sauce and a few bottles of the seasonings. Frozen ground beef is kept on hand for days I want to add meat to it. Though this isn't a 5 star restaurant meal it's something I can make quickly and something I can create out of my survival goods just in case.  It fill the belly and that's important. You can't think straight on an empty stomach especially stressed out in a crisis.

Home production starts with a simple recipe. Survival preparedness starts the same way. One simple recipe....

Additional Information See:

Survival Foods Requirements

Frugal Living Storage Tips

Frugal Living

Rotation Ideas

A great idea for storage items is using basic items to substitute for name brand fancy cleaning products. Salt makes a great scouring agent. Baking soda has always been a useful tool for cleaning. Bleach has many uses from whitening to sanitizing. Used in small quantities it can purify water and sanitize surfaces. Spearmint Rubbing alcohol and water makes a great window and surface cleaner.

The more ways you find a use for your storage in your household needs the easier it will be to keep the fresh items up front. Set routines for regular use so things don't go bad. This helps with the budget, too, frugal living is one of the keys to successful storage planning.

See Full Article: How To Properly Store Survival Foods

Budgeting For Food Storage

Budgeting for Preparedness

Looking at what you already spend on take out food and other junk food snacks can be your storage allowance. All it takes to set aside preparedness foods is about $15 a week to get started for an individual. How are you going to spend that $60 a month? Cut out all that junk food with these healthier choices and you have 2 new motives. Eating healthier and survival preparedness storage. Good Plan!




See Full Article: Preparedness Keys Successful Survival

Storing Foods

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Storing Foods At Home and In Emergency Kits

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Assure your food supply at home and in emergency kits is stored in the right container and at the right temperatures. 

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This makes a big difference in what you choose to store and how you go about storing foods. Use these foods! Rotating your home food stock is necessary to preserve it's freshness and quality. Plan regular meals around your food storage items and replenish products every now and then.



Preventing the infestation of food destroying bugs and preserving the quality of the food stored should be considered when selecting containers or when you are making the initial purchase.


Make a note of the expiration dates. Some foods keep for a couple years. Some only keep for a few months.


Whether you are using dry storage or a freezer, small pantry or a large bulk preparedness storage room, keeping the product usable is as important as what to store.

Pantry Emergency Food Store:

Canned goods keep for about 2 years where a freeze-dried food choice will keep at the right temperature for over 5 in a mylar bag and up to 20+ in specially lined cans. Store foods in cool dark places. Ideally temperatures should be between 60 and 72 degrees.

Storing Foods - The 72 Hour Kit

Collect foods for 3 days to set aside in a bug out bag or 72 hour kit. Food that can tolerate temperatures up to 140 like the Mayday High Calorie Emergency Bar will fit nicely in an emergency kit. They taste like Oatmeal, Apple Spice cookies and will store well up to around 5 years. They come in 1200, 2400, and 3200 calorie portions. 
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MRE's For Emergency Kits

MRE's are a great addition to emergency bags. They come in packages with a complete meal or just the entree itself. A complete meal has the MRE heater included and a few goodies such as a powdered drink mix and other items to make a balanced meal. The complete MRE Meals are normally sealed in mylar bags so the shelf life on these is recommended at around 5 years. A camping trip is a good time to be creative when using one of these meals. Test out the ones you like and set them aside for your pantry or emergency kit.

A Foodie Tries His First MRE:

for a serious MRE review check this video:

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EXTREMELY SILLY MRE VIDEO:

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That's the silly side of MRE's 

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Other Food Storage Ideas:

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Protein powders keep long as well. Items such as crackers and small canned meats shouldn't be stored in a car but should be stored in an emergency bag ready to go at home.


There are a variety of great emergency food companies in our market place and the value of these foods in an emergency is without question. No matter which company you chose to supply your food storage be assured that to have a balanced meal on hand in times where there is no other option protects our health, insures our comfort. and feeds our strength.
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What are your favorite storage foods?
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Related Articles: 
How To Properly Store Foods - How to properly store survival foods: Survival Food Storage ~ what's the best way to properly store your survival food for long term? Below you will find my favorite tips and tricks! There are some great ways to keep your goodies fresh and (more...)


Survival Foods Requirements  - No, we are not talking about Grandpa's MRE's!Requirements for food in survival are the same as your regular foods. Think about the nutritional guidelines already set forth in our daily requirements. How can I add this to my survival storage? (more...)

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Images: Morguefile; M Burgess