|
|
News
|
Written by Zami
|
|
Have you wondered how you can effectively store foods? The following factors is a basic guideline to effectively storing your foods so that you can achieve maximum quality and freshness. Facts that Effect Food Storage: Temperature In order to have long lasting food storage you must set your temperature to a perfect degree. Please take note that the food storage life GREATLY depends on the temperature set. With that being said, the following numbers are to set you on track to successfully preserving your food. Food Storage Life in Years 39.76 degrees 40 years49.84 degrees 30 years59.92 degrees 20 years70.00 degrees 10 years80.08 degrees 5 years90.16 degrees 2.5 years100.24 degrees 1.25 years Some people may not have a cool place for their food storage. Don’t worry, you can always rotate your food on a regular basis. However, you must remember to rotate your food or you will end up with sour food! The best temperature for optimal food life storage is at 60 degress F or lower. Another great temperature would be at 40 degrees F or less. Once again, please keep in mind that the most important thing is that the temperature is constant and does not fluctuate. Moisture Content According to the USDA nutritional table grains, beans, and flour contain anaverage of 10% moisture. Dry food is the ultimate goal in effectively storing foods. In fact, the more moisture you can remove, the better. Although it is quite impossible to remove all the moisture, you can try to dry foods as much as possible. The process of dehyrdration is commercial food drying with special equipment to remove the water from food at temperatures below cooking level. Most people do not know or even understand that dehydrated foods dry quicker, easier, and they retain a larger amount of vitamins and minerals. People will be more apt to dehydrated foods once they understand the process. Storage Containers Hermetic (air tight) seals are the most successful way to storing your foods. Here are a few well know types of foodstorage containers. * #10 (1 gal.) or #2.5 cans* Sealable food storage buckets* Sealable food quality metal (lined) or plastic drums. Container Atmosphere Light, moisture, heat, and oxygen are the 4 ways that will and can deteriorate your foods. Most food storage companies can control the light,moisture and oxygen, however the heat is up to the consumer and where they choose to store their foods. Air packed foods do not store as well as in oxygen free gasses due to the air that contains oxygen which oxidizes many of the compounds infoods. Bacteria is one of the several agents which make food go rancid which also needs oxygen to grow. A couple different processes which food storage companies go throughin removing the oxygen: * Displacing the oxygen: the act of purging out all the air in the product with an inert gas, also known as “Nitrogen flushed.”Nitrogen is almost always used because it is the most inert gas known.* Absorb the oxygen: Oxygen absorbers do just that, they absorb the oxygen. Air contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, cutting 1% for the othergases. If the oxygen is absorbed, what remains is 99% pure nitrogen in apartial vacuum.* Moisture Absorbers: Moisture absorbers will absorb any moisture that was inthe air while the product was being canned. The main purpose of the moistureabsorber is to keep the moisture content of the product at the desired level. Storage Life for Fruits and Vegetables Fruits Dehydrated fruits typically do not keep as many of the other dehydrated items. They are hermetically sealed with oxygen absorbers. They typically plan on a storage life of 10-15 years at a stable temp of 70 degrees. Vegetables Dehydrated vegetables store well and long if they are kept in a cool drystorage area. They should be hermetically sealed with an oxygen absorber plan on a storage lifeof 10-15 years at a stable temp of 70 degrees. Storage Life for Dairy Products Non Fat Milk / Whole Milk Powder / Whole Egg Powder / Cheddar Cheese Powder /American Cheese Powder / Butter and Margarine Powder The best way to store dehydrated dairy products is to store them in a dry cool area. Dairy products (if stored properly) can store for up to 5 years.After opened, dairy products require no refrigeration and comewith re-sealable lids. They will last up to 2 years if stored in a cool, dry area. Storage Life For Proteins Total Vegetable Proteins’, Chicken, Ham, Sausage & Bacon Total vegetable proteins, (TVP), are made from soy beans and have a surprisingly long storage life. If they are hermetically sealed with oxygen absorbers, you can plan on a storage life of 15-20 years at a constant temp of 70 degrees. They will store longer if kept in a cooler controlled environment. Storage Life for Grains/Pasta’s & Beans Pinto, Black Eyed Beans, Baby Lima, Large Lima, Lentils, Rice, Elbow Macaroni,Spaghetti Noodles, Egg Noodles, Red Hard Wheat, Wheat, Wheat Flour, CrackedWheat Cereal, White Enriched Flour, Rolled Oats As beans age they lose their oils, resist water absorption and won’tswell. In the absolute worst case, they need to be ground to be used. Nitrogen is a wonderful technique in storing beans. It assists in prolonging the loss of these oils. Another wonderful way is placing these items in a cool temperature. Hermetically sealed with oxygen absorbers, plan on a storage life of 8-15 years at a constant room temp of 70 degrees. If rice is hermetically sealed with oxygen absorbers, plan on a storage life of 15-20 years at a constant room temp of 70 degrees. Pasta will store longer than flour if kept dry. Hermetically sealedwith oxygen absorbers, plan on a storage life of 15-20 years. After flour seeds are broken, you may open their outer shell and no longer protect the seed contents and the seed nutrients. Therefore, the seed starts to loose their nutrienial value. Hermitically sealed with oxygen absorbers, plan on a storage life of 5 years at constant room temperature of 70 degrees. Oats being hermitically sealed with oxygen absorbers will have a shelf life of 8 years. |
|
|
Written by Survival Guy
|
|
Recently, we were contact by a frequent visitor to this site informing us that they just went hunting for the first time. What an exciting time! It got us thinking about our first hunts and how it can save a ton of time having a checklist to make sure you have all the hunting gear that you need before you head out. It is never a fun experience driving for a few hours to the middle of a field, only to remember that you forgot your safety harness for the tree stand, or another crucial piece of equipment.
So, in remembrance of our first hunt, and for assisting those who are about to go on their first, we compiled this list of hunting gear...
Hunting Equipment Checklist
Identification and Documentation
Passport (if hunting in another country)
Drivers License
Firearms Declaration (if hunting in another country) or Gun License
Hunting Licenses and Animal Tags (if required in your area)
Navigation
Compass or GPS device
Reflective Thumb Tacks or Trail Ribbon
Topo / Aerial Map
Scents / Calls
Calls for whatever game / season you are hunting
Scent free clothing and hunting equipment spray
Bug Spray (unscented or dirt scent)
Scent wicks or spray scents / attractants
Clothing
Boots (depending on the terrain and weather you are hunting in, you may need rubber / winter/ or leather)
Warm socks (good to double up with thin socks to avoid blisters)
Gloves
- Pair of leather camp / work gloves
- at least 2 pair of hunting camo gloves (they can get wet and take a while to dry out)
- waterproof insulated gloves
Rain Gear
Camo Clothing (depending on your area, you may also need to wear blaze orange gear...check your local laws)
Day Pack or back pack
Hand and Toe warmers
Hunting Equipment
Gun / Bow
Ammo (It's kind of hard to hunt without it!)
Gun Sling, bi-pods or shooting sticks (for stability)
Gun Cleaning Kit
Trail Camera
Stand / Blind
Tree Stand or Ground Blind
Tree pegs (if your tree isn't already pegged)
Climbing sticks
Safety Straps and harness
Tow line (to get your equipment into the tree)
Harvesting
Skinning knife
Trail Mark Tape (in case you need to track your animal)
Drag strap / winch
String / Zip Tie to tag carcass
Cheese cloth bags
garbage bags
Utility Saw for Bone
Back Pack with a frame to carry out the meat
Safety
Matches
Heat / emergency blanket
Whistle
Sun Screen
High Energy Bars (great for protein and easy to carry around)
First Aid Kit
Now, this list is by no means exhaustive, but it will definitely give you a good handle on things to bring for your trip. If you have something that you would like to add to this list, feel free to contact us and we will add it to this page. It is a great idea to go with someone who has hunted previously as they will no doubt have insight to the area you are hunting, as well as the gear required for the region. Go out, enjoy your beautiful surroundings, and have fun!
|
|
Survival Tips For When The Power Goes Out |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Zami
|
|
When it comes to survival techniques, in our modern age of cell phones and continuous communication, very few people consider the possibility of being trapped somewhere in their car for an extended period of time. Most of us, when encountering car trouble, simply call up the nearest tow truck or roadside assistance organization. While it is true that many highways have adequate cellular coverage, there are still parts of the country that are too mountainous or remote for a guaranteed cellular signal. Unfortunately, these remote areas are often the same ones that are hit by the kind of inclement weather that can leave you stranded. In the case of a regional weather catastrophe, such as a heavy snowstorm or flooding, even if you can get in contact with rescue services, it could be hours or days before they can get to you with any help. For these reasons, it is important to make sure that your car is outfitted with a survival kit that can help keep you comfortable and safe during these situations. Let’s start with some good points. Your car will most likely provide you with excellent shelter against snow, wind and rain. It is water tight and provides a decent amount of insulation against the cold. Even still, over the course of a night or even a couple of nights, you will need a way to stay warm without running the car. Your vehicle will only have a limited amount of fuel, and you can’t leave it idling continuously. A good survival technique is to run the car for a few minutes every half hour or hour, depending on the temperature – enough to keep the cabin warm and not have the engine ice up. In addition, you should keep a couple of blankets in your trunk – one for each person you normally have as a passenger. Some people bring a can of Sterno as an emergency heat source. This is an effective solution for camping, but in a car it can be dangerous, as there is often no place for the noxious fumes to escape. If you do burn Sterno in your car, make sure to leave the windows down enough for ventilation. Many people find that this requirement is enough to negate the heating factor of the fuel, and so they opt for chemical heat packs. These heat packs can be placed in your boots, gloves and pockets to help keep your body warm. They are a vital part of your car’s survival kit. Once you have taken care of keeping warm, there are a few other basic needs you should attend to. The first is food. Keep a small supply of energy bars, trail mix and nuts in the car with you. Since you won’t be able to cook in your car, you will want enough calories to keep you warm and alert. Storing water in your car in the winter is a bit tricky – you may very well have to defrost it with your car heater, or break off chunks of ice and suck on them. Remember that ice contains more water than snow, pound for pound, so if you have to venture out to seek water, prioritize ice. In addition to food and water, your kit should ideally contain a small LED flashlight, an extra pack of batteries, and road flares so your car can remain visible even if it gets buried in a ditch or a snow bank. You will also want to keep a small folding shovel, a first aid kit to deal with any scratches or headaches, road salt for getting unstuck and a pocket knife. Survival equipment doesn’t have to be elaborate to be useful. All of these items will fit in the trunk of your car, and can go a long way towards helping you deal with an emergency situation while out on the road. |
|
|
Survival Techniques Building A Fire |
|
|
|
|
Written by Zami
|
|
Knowing how to make a fire is one of the fundamental skills of survival. Regardless of whether you are lost in the woods, camping with friends or trying to keep warm after a storm has destroyed your home, knowing how to start and maintain a fire is an important part of the survival equation. You will need three things to get a fire going and keeping it at a healthy burn level. The first of these is an ignition source. The most portable fire starters are waterproof matches and butane lighters. Both of these items should be present in each and every survival kit you put together. If for some reason you find yourself separated from your kit, or have reached the end of your butane or match supply, then you can use alternative fire starters made from common materials such as batteries and steel wool. By taping together the positive and negative terminals of two double A batteries, and then connecting the exposed terminals together with fine grade steel wool, you can superheat the steel to the point where it will readily ignite dry tinder. It is an important survival technique to have more than one method of fire ignition available to you in your kit, in case something happens to your primary fire starter. The next step is to provide tinder and kindling to help your fire catch. Tinder is the term for small, dry flammable objects that will readily catch fire. Some good examples of tinder are lint or fluff from clothing, dry pine needles, paper or dry grass and plants. Tinder doesn’t burn very long, which is why you need to combine it with kindling. Kindling is the term for the small, thin pieces of wood that you can use to get your main fire fuel to catch. Kindling has a large surface area and a low internal volume, making it burn hot enough to set the main fuel on fire. The fire’s fuel is the final component of the fire pyramid. The most frequent fuels used are wood or coal, but thick books and upholstery such as seat cushions will also serve the purpose. Make sure that you have gathered enough fuel to keep the fire burning as long as you need it to – it will be difficult to venture out into the dark to search for more fuel by the dying light of your fire if you run out. It is better to gather and stockpile too much wood than to not have enough. You will need to protect your fire from water and wind, both of which can put an early end to combustion, especially if it is just beginning to catch. Wind can also blow embers out of the fire and onto other flammable materials such as tents, clothes and dried grass, so be wary of the weather and your choice of fire location. Once a fire has died down to just glowing coals, it can still provide a good source of warmth over the course of the night. |
|
Survival Cooking Techniques |
|
|
|
|
Written by Zami
|
|
When someone brings up the words ‘survivalism’ and ‘cooking’ in the same sentence, for many the image that springs to mind is of a group of people eating out of cold cans by candlelight. I’ve always chuckled a little at the thought of survivalists living completely off of MRE’s and cans of tuna and peas. The reality is, there are many different methods of cooking food, both canned and fresh. It is easy to forget that our ancestors managed to make hearty, healthy meals without electricity or half of the advantages that a well-prepared survivalist will have in an emergency. Let’s take a look at some of the options that are available to would-be survival gourmets. Of course, the simplest method to use for cooking is an open flame. Cooking over the campfire is a tradition that goes back a lot farther than the Boy Scouts – the early settlers and Native Americans both roasted meat and vegetables over a burning pit of wood. There are quite a few ways to harness the heat of a cooking fire. The most basic is to suspend the meat you are cooking over the flame with a stake or a spit. A more controlled option is to use a metal skillet, which will give you better control over the amount of heat you are exposing your food too, and will also allow to boil and cook vegetalbes in water. If you have access to a steel drum, you can use it to create a makeshift oven. By cutting a ‘door’ in the side of the drum, as well as air holes at the bottom and a few more at the top, you can cook on the top of the stove and benefit from the warmth that radiates from the sides. Fires are not always practical, but if you live in a sunny climate, you have another option for cooking without electricity or gas. Using a simple box oven, you can harness the power of the sun to cook even a large amount of food. Solar ovens can be built out of materials as simple as cardboard boxes, aluminum foil, an oven bag or piece of glass and glue. The way the oven works is by concentrating the heat of the sun so as to focus it on the food you are attempting to cook with. The greenhouse effect helps to trap the heat inside the boxes under the glass or plastic, and the double layer of box walls helps insulate the oven. Using a basic solar oven you can cook at temperatures of around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more than enough to cook almost anything thoroughly over a period of 5 hours or so. There are many different plans for solar oven designs available on the internet, and they are inexpensive to experiment with until you find the one that works best for you. Whether you choose to use fire or the sun to cook your food, make sure to first verify that your preferred method is practical given the climate you expect to find yourself in. It is almost impossible to cook with a fire in the rain unless you have a steel covering to protect the flames – so if you find yourself in a wet environment, fire might not be the best answer. Likewise, if it is wintertime, or if you are in an area with constant heavy cloud cover, a solar oven is probably not going to work for you. Be ready to adapt to the situations that present themselves to you and be willing to consider more than one cooking option. |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 7 |
|
|
