While I enjoy these luxuries and will continue to enjoy them for as long as I can (hopefully forever), in the back of my mind I am preparing for the worse. Everyday I turn on the news and listen to reports drone back and forth over the current worsening state of our economy. I worry about the lack of fiscal responsibility in our government, defaulting on our debit, and what that really means for everyone in the United States as we plunge further into a third world economy.

That said I want to have my normal cooking supplies I keep at home but, I want to add to that. Here are questions to ask yourself and family:

1. If I didn’t have power how would I cook and bake?

2. The water supplies is contaminated or no longer suitable for drinking and cooking?

3. Where would I get water?

4. How would I store foods that need to be fresh likes eggs without power?

5. Everything was destroyed in your home how would you eat?

The answers sound easy enough and full of common sense right? Shocked rolled in as I scoured the web for 1 year food storage plans. Only to see many of them only have quickly made food, little nutritional value, and need a microwave or refrigerator to be cooked and stored. What good will this do anyone if there is no power? Its like driving a cross a bridge that says you need a full tank to cross the bridge but you only have half a tank and you hope that you make it all the way across. If that is the case you will surely fail, and may really learn how to enjoy uncooked stove top!

Lets start with the basics: Power & Stove/Oven:

This could happen in storm, natural disaster, or economic depression. I feel that we are blessed with time to prepare, and advanced technology. There are many options available today, that were not available during the great depression. If you still have a home your options will be different than if you don’t have a home.

You still have your home:

Keep in mind right now you have power, and can afford your bill. We often take for granted that we have power to cook with our oven and do dishes after wards. If you still have your home but no power then you may still be able to use your home (depending if you have a single family home, or trailer).

Generator ($139 and up avg. $499):

A generator can be converted to the power source on your house. They will allow you took cook and operate your stove. They are dangerous and can’t be operated inside, and you need to know what your doing when you rewire your houses power source. (Generators will be covered in Power and Fuel Sources).

Solar Power ($50 and up avg. $199):

This will allow you to power your home without costing you anything to operate. If you live in an area with out a lot of Sun or Ambient light than this may not be an option. Panels aren’t as expansive as they use to be and many of them can be installed yourself. Additionally, there

Grill ($20 and up):

A propane grill or charcoal grill for cooking food when you no longer have power. This is great and makes the most sense because grills are portable. If you loose your home you could take your grill (assuming you have a portable one). I recently bought a grill. I’ve always had one because I love to BBQ, nothing taste better than food cooked on the grill. I choose a propane weber grill and  kept my small charcoal grill. I did this for two reason 1. I may not always be able to afford propane. I keep two large fuel tanks, and many smaller propane tanks. While these are good for now and will get me through a year + without power. There may come a time when I can no longer afford propane. If that is the case then I have my portable charcoal grill.  2. I’ve stocked up on charcoal. During the great depression many people would go to railroad tracks looking for pieces of left over charcoal. Luckily, for me there are still train tracks where I live that transfer coal.

Sun Oven ($239)

Yes, I wrote that correctly: Sun Oven. I just recently discovered this nifty invention. I am sure you could make it yourself for far less than what it cost to buy it. I would have to ask my dad. He is great at DIY green projects. If are mechanically inclined of course, I am sure you could prepare now and buy for around $300.00. They can reach temperatures between 300 and 400 degrees. I am not sure if you could cook meat in them, I assume you would be able. I would also invest in a meat thermometer if you don’t already have one to make sure everything is fully cooked.

Matches & Wood (Free & Up)

If your family is completely off the grid, no power, fuel, charcoal, propane, etc… One has to eat. You will either learn how to enjoy cold food, or raw food. However, there are just sometimes when that won’t do, and that is when we have to go back to the barebone basics. This has to be done outside, in a wood burning oven, or a over a camp fire. You can collect dry wood, or anything dry that will burn. Remember that trash can have chemicals that are released into the air, and green or wet stuff won’t burn until it is dry. If you have a home and the space then I would invest in an out door wood burning oven, and stockpile the firewood. I would also keep a supply of Waterproof matches, sealed so they can’t get wet.

Pressure Canner / Cooker ($39 – 299)

I’ll be honest, I do not own a pressure canner/cooker. I have found one that I like, and plan on purchasing that for my family. Summers in Mississippi are hot and humid, basically just miserable but great for growing peanuts. I can remember walking into my great grandmothers kitchen on one of my first visits to Mississippi as a young child. She was always cooking something yummy and new. This particular visit I walked in and remember seeing a huge silver pot on the stove blowing steam out. I had to warn Myrtle that her kitchen was going to blow up. She chuckled and explained to me that she was cooking peanuts. I looked at her and told her she was silly, you don’t cook peanuts. She smiled and said they were almost done and when they were she pulled them out of the huge silver pot and I had the yummiest peanuts I had ever had soft and salty.  Remembering back on that experience was my first introduction to the pressure canner and a good one.

Pressure canners are great for a number of reason. First you can use it to sterilize glass jar and bottles. With the canners you can also cook tough meats so they are falling off the bone, which is great when you can’t afford the tender cuts of meat that we can now, and when we can’t afford to cook for a long period of time because of a shortage of electricity. You can use a canner to can meat. Yes, you can can meat! I am sure there are many other valuable uses I have not found out yet. I do plan on calling my grandmother and quizzing her.

Manual Can Opener ($.50 -$9.99)

There is no need to explain what this does! Obviously, if the power goes out you won’t be able to use your electric can opener and would need a manual. Also if you can’t afford a high electric bill and need to cut down on use all together here is just one small way you can save some.  I would actually keep a couple on hand because I know mine gets dual after about a year, and I have to replace it.  I like the cheaper ones better than the expensive ones. Sure they rust, and but they always seem to out last the nice fancy ones. I have no clue why!!

Wheat Grinder

I don’t own one but, I need one! I made the decision to include wheat in my food storage plan so that when I run out of flour, or this or that. I will be able to make my own so that I can still continue to cook and bake for my family. There are many wheat grinders are the market. If your can afford it I would buy an electric one and a manual one. Learn how to use both of them and if your in the position where you have to use it then not only do you know how to use it. Why manual and electric…. I’m spoiled if I have power I want something that is going to make it easy on me to do the work (and I have MS so sometimes manual work is hard). I would keep the manual one on hand because, lets be honest if you don’t have power the electric one won’t do us any good (unless we use our generator).  I would say this is a required item sooner rather than later because wheat is one of the easiest plants to grow so even if you didn’t have some in your food storage doesn’t mean you can’t grow, and harvest your own wheat.

The Dutch Oven & Cast Iron Skillet ($34.99 and up):

This is great for wood burning ovens, camp fires, etc.. That way if you don’t have power you can still cook. If your not familiar with a dutch oven they start at $34.99 and go up. I own a cast iron skillet and dutch oven. I love them both. In my skillet I’ve made potatoes eggs, etc… The Dutch oven I’ve made meat loaf, bread, cobblers, chili, stew, and veggies. Basically everything you would need to live off the grid (we use it when we go camping).

Manual Pasta Maker & Drying Rack

Yes, pasta is cheap and to buy now and start stocking up. Not to mention the added bonus of having a unlimited shelf life. However, there is only so much pasta we can and even want to store. Eventually you will run out, and then one day you will be craving spaghetti, and pasta may not be available or it may be very very expensive. I recommend a manual pasta maker, drying rack, and pasta recipes. I got one two years ago and I love it. I’ve made tons of pasta from and dried it and saved it. I like it better plus I can add yummy herbs and spices to it. Which you can’t do when you buy store bought pasta unless that is the kind your buying which is more expensive. This is much cheaper than store bought.

Bread Pans

Bread is a staple in the American house hold, filling, and it goes a long way. You can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If your cut off then you will want to be able to make your own bread. I own several bread pans in all shapes and sizes. My favorite one is a sandwhich loaf pan. It has a lid on it so that you cook the bread perfectly square just like you buy in the store. To make a loaf of bread it cost about .75 cents. Which is much cheaper then what you buy in the store. So, if your currently having a hard time this is a great way to start saving a few dollars a month (it all adds up!).

Water Filter

Normally we forget about one basic necessity: Water. If your cut off from civilization then you may not be able to get clean water, and if things get truly bad here then the water that comes from the tap may no longer be suitable for drinking. There are a few things you can do such as boiling your water, using aqua tablets, but it is best to get a water filter. The one I want to get is: Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter you can get water from any source and filter via a reserve osmosis process. That way you can have fresh water for you and your family to drink, bath in, and cook with.

All of these are great to buy now while your family can still afford them. I would also recommend looking on craigslist or backpack people are always giving things away for free you never know what you may get. That way if and when an economic crisis occurs then you will be able to keep your family protected and well feed. If your currently struggling, know you will soon face a lay off, or other major financial changes then it is good to start incorporating this now so you can stretch your dollar out. A recession happens when your neighbor loses his job and a depression happens when you lose your job. Keep this in mind when preparing even if we are only in a recession right now.

“When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny.”
-Thomas Jefferson

I wouldn’t be concerned with preparing for the worse if I didn’t think that something dramatic and devastating may happen to OUR Country. Hopefully, I am wrong. I would love to be wrong on this one, but if I am not I want to be prepared and I want my family and loved ones to be prepared as well. I’ve read alot about people who are into extreme couponing, and preparedness. I am truly shocked to see what people think they will need for a 1 year food supply. They have microwave popcorn, ritz crackers, BBQ sauce, mac and cheese, etc.. At first I was like okay I want to live how I am living now and hopefully 1 year is all we will struggle. However, if the worse case senerio does happen we are going to be struggling for more than a year. Then what happens after your one year supply is gone if we have not learned the basics for ourselves?

Awesome you have a lot of BBQ sauce, and microwave popcorn. These are store bought, processed, filled with sugar, fat, and NO nutritional value. Additionally, power is needed to cook microwave popcorn, and what good will BBQ sauce do you if there is no meat? Let’s say your able to find meat and want BBQ what happens when all of that sauce is gone? Do you even know how to make BBQ sauce and what about all the additional ingredients you will need? Do you have them in your 1 year food storage? Would you even been able to afford them? When times change, our attitudes, and perceptions need to change as well. If we fall into an Economic Collapse the likes of what Greece, and Spain are currently seeing then life as we know it will change dramatically. No longer are the days where you go to the store and buy everything easily processed, and preserved.

I’ve kept this in mind as I began to search and ponder what should be in a real 1 year food storage plan.

1. Cooking Supplies (Pressure Canner/Cooker, Wheat Grinder, Cast Iron Skillet, Dutch Oven, etc…)

2. Recipes, Cook Books, etc. (Printed from the internet, and saved on computer)

3. Books on living off the grid covering everything from making your personal hygiene products, sewing, gardening, seed storage, food preservation, solar power, solar cooking.

4. Food Supplies

5. Safety Supplies

6. Fuel & Alternative Fuel Sources

7. Shelter

8. Hunting & Fishing Supplies

9. Medical Supplies

10. Cleaning & Storage Supplies

11. Personal Hygiene products

12. Gardening Supplies

I feel like this covers the bare bone basics of what you would need to survive, and be fully self-reliant. If you were truly cut off from electricity, running water, shelter, etc… Our concerns will not be the luxuries we were once accustomed to but rather if we were cut off from civilization as we know it then we will be grateful for what we have and are able to make. I can’t see how continuing to live in the processed world and being self-reliant are compatible. This should be common sense!!

I will be covering each category in detail over the next few weeks. In addition I am going to try include homemade recipes for popular purchased food like gold fish . Many of the principals that I will outline in the coming weeks and months hopefully it will teach my readers how to change the way they are currently thinking and be prepared for the worse. Power is knowledge, so prepare yourself with the best tools possible!

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time.”- Lao Tzu

With all of this in my mind, I battle to come up with a plan of how to survive until America can get back on its feet. How would I be prepared when chaos breaks loose. Many Americans are already living pay check to pay check and barely making ends meet. I can remember times even when I had to spend my money wisely and I would go to 3 to 4 stores just so I could have good food within my very small budget. We have forgotten the lessons of the great depression. Many often say that the Great Depression was different than this because they were already poor and self-reliant. While that maybe true I feel this is very much the same. Yes, there were poor people, but they also had a middle class, and upper class. I think that is what people forget because the those classes were small. Now we have a large upper class, and middle class. The same thing will happen. Just now we have credit cards, cars, loans, rents, mortgages, etc… to pay. Now we don’t even know how to farm, sew, or repair stuff. When something gets old we toss it. We have changed so dramatically the way we live that we no longer remember how we made it before we could go to the store and chose from 600 pairs of shoes. I work with people teenagers and adults a like. I am always shocked to find out how people view the world. For example, I once had a roommate and she never cooked, and if she got a stain on her shirt, her solution was to buy a new one on her credit card. She was living with me to save money so that she could pay down her credit cards. Couple of facts are my roommate was teacher and worked for the coast guard. One day I was talking to her and I asked her what she would do if she couldn’t just run to trader joes for food, take hot yoga, shopping daily, and dinner out and she was at lost. She had no clue how she would survive. She told me she would probably starve because she has no clue how to cook, and burns everything. She doesn’t have a green thumb. I then had to ask what she would do about clothing when she could no longer afford Gucci? She confessed to me she didn’t even know how to sew a button back on her shirt. I was shocked being that she worked for the coast guard and did life or death missions. Also the fact that she was teacher … teaching our youth. I thought she would of at least known a few things. So, I asked her if she wanted to learn and she simply told me no. She had no interest in learning those things because doesn’t believe that anything will ever happen to this country and that she will always have a job, and be able to pay her bills. She like so many people I know are clueless, and they don’t care. I am so saddened by that. We have it so good that we can’t even acknowledge that it might all be taken away from us one day. We take our lives for granted.

I don’t want to be one of those people that takes life for granted. I have lived through bad times growing up, and as an adult. I’ve also been blessed enough to enjoy good times growing up and as an adult. I am so grateful for that because it has left this spark of survival in me. I grew up with a family from the South. Our family made our money by starting a successful business during the great depression. I’ve always been taught the value of hard work, and ambition. My family has lived by the motto that we can survive anything and be better for it. Growing up my great grandmother who lived during the great depression would tell me how they made it, the farming, etc… They saved their money, and taught their children the same lessons, and even though my family was blessed financially they never forgot their roots. My great grandmother cooked her own food from scratch. She would sew clothes, and baby doll clothes. She was always teaching us to do “odd jobs” for money. Like picking up pine cones in her backyard for $5.00. I only knew her when she was older so I don’t know if she ever farmed. I know my grandparents do extensively. They have my entire life. I’ve learned alot from watching them garden, and even though we could go to the store and buy bushels of blueberries. They preferred to grow their own. My dad has been the same way. He has even pushed to the extreme of homesteading. While I never understood them wanting to do this I am grateful I watched and learned. Now, I know how to sew, quilt, can, farm, make cheese, and cook from scratch. My friends often see me cook and I make everything from scratch because that is how I was taught. The were shocked to find out can make a cake with out a box! Knowing how to do this I believe has given me a competitive edge. Watching over the past several years the economy slowly crumbling away I’ve wanted to become prepared just incase. I’ve always had a 72-hour survival kit as I’ve had multiple natural disasters happen to me and now I live in California. I never thought I would need to be prepared for an economic crisis.

What steps have you taken to prepare? The last two years I’ve been getting my fiscal house in order. Eliminating ALL of my debit. I’ve been working buying a home instead of renting (its hard to do in Cali!). To be honest this all I’ve done to prepare. In the last year I bought some hobby interest like a sewing machine, quilting supplies, fabrics, and patterns. Now I believe its time to take it to the next level because things are getting worse not better. So, this year for the first time ever I got over my feelings on growing on my own food and started a small garden. I’m shocked that everything I planted is still growing, and actually producing. This has taught me the lesson that I will be able to grow my own food. I’ve just had to learn how to keep pest off. I’ve done this using organic pest-control like blue paper with something sticky and some motor oil to attract bugs. I’m also growing all of my herbs. I’ve printed off tons of pages on self-pollinating and what I can grow where. I’ve also planned that if I weren’t able to stay here I would go home south because my family has a paid for home there. We could farm and make it. I’ve bought supplies that would help me for later if things do become bad. One thing I’ve bought because I love are books (plus if we don’t have the internet or electricity). Books on growing vegetables, homesteading, urban homesteading, container growing, cleaning and storing seeds, canning, pickling, and preserving. I’ve bought some manual equipment (assuming I won’t be able to afford electricity – worse case scenario) – like a pasta machine that you turn by hand.

Which leads me to were I am at now. I believe it is important to have a 1 year supply of food on hand that you eat normally. I agree with this fully heartily. Especially after reading what I have about the economy and I want my family to be prepared.

This is where I am currently at in my preparedness list:
1. 72 Hour Emergency Supply (Water, food, tents, camping equipment, propane, etc..)

Now I am on to 1 year survival kit. (I’ll cover this in my next post!)

This has been the most enthralling “wake up call” in my life. If my life were cut short, what legend of me would I leave behind? I can answer this bitterly, and honestly. I’m not living a life that I would be proud of, I have  grown complacent. I’ve let to many projects fall to the way side, and beliefs I use to hold dear I’ve let wavered. I could be honest and tell the reasons, but they are for me to know and change. The first change needs to come with this blog. I love writing, and believe writing is critical to a persons well being. That is why this blog was originally started.  Writing about my life, friends, lovers, family, cooking/baking, and hobbies. So, that I could use the healing properties of writing through out my life.

I’m complex, with a variety of interest, and I love to learn. So, I want to make a  commitment to myself and my blog readers that I stop coasting through life, and that I commit to it! It’s weird to type but true. I was thinking about last week when I sat to write this blog, and writers block set in. What do I write about? I didn’t take pictures of anything I cooked. My thoughts progressed I could share my travels, or a quilt that is in progress etc….. It then dawned on me that I am just letting my life pass me by without enjoying it. Often times we focus on all the negative in life we don’t have room to enjoy all of the positives we have. I have all of these memories but I didn’t take the time to write them down.  It would have been an exciting week to blog. I got a new grill, made some burgers, and then I had a couple of terrific Latin inspired dishes I made this week. I was extremely proud of myself, and even more proud when my friends got 2nd and 3rd helpings (I brought the left overs to school!).  So, now I am left with this post. Thinking and pondering what will my next post hold? I am going to try to blog once per week maybe more depending on how I feel. This may be touch and go at first but, I am making lots of changes in my life so bare with me. This blog will eventually become the blog I’ve always wanted  it to be. Additionally, one of my friends just gave birth to twin boys; and she is still maintaining her blog, and project 365! If, she can do that then I can commit to blog 1x per week on a regular basis! No excuses!!

Enjoy, and look for more post to come.

I can’t wait until I have the time to start some baking projects. I am going to use the cupcake holders for muffins, and cupcakes. I also pulled out my Sugar Cookie Recipe, and Royal Icing recipe. I can’t wait to start decorating cookies. Its one of my favorite things to do. Look for pictures and recipes to come!

Maggie turned 1 on December, 16 2010. She is the most remarkable dog ever. Maggie and I have an unbelievable bond, and she is a princess just like her mommy. Her favorite colors are pink and purple, but she will wear other colors too. She picks out what she wants to wear. She even has her own Etsy shop called Maggies Closet. I make her outfits for her, and I sell new outfits in her shop.

I’ve gained many new interest and ignited old interest in 2010. With my desire, to have the cutest, and best-dressed dog ever, I started sewing again. I’ve been sewing ever since I was a little girl. I forgot how much I love it. Plus, I love all of the fabrics they have out right now. In December of 2010, I went home to Mississippi to see my family for Christmas. During that visit, I went to Mobile, Al and hung out with my cousin. We wrapped presents and chatted. Over the visit, I saw many of the quilts that she has made over the past year. I never actually liked quilts because they were “country”, and I am a “city” girl. However, her quilts were new, fresh, and modern. I was instantly hooked. I am currently finishing up my first quilt, I have one in progress, and 3 in the works. I also joined my first quilting bee. I am extremely excited to be part of a quilting bee, and I look forward to making friends with a wonderful bunch of women.

In the past, I have worked extensively on my blog talking about my travels, photography, and geocaching. I will be changing things up. I intend to write this year blogs about: sewing, dog clothes, cooking, photography, scrapbooking, quilting, and traveling.

Happy Reading

Yes! two days in a row of post go me! Today I decided to see what I could find that was close to home. I ended up in Redwood City, California. Where I found this gorgeous flower. I also took a few shots of some daisies, and the near by salt marshes. To see my daily shots: Click Here.

If you join flickr.com, and add me as a contact flickr will send you an email everytime I update my photos.  Please leave comments and stayed tune for more photos.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I am not great at blogging daily. However, I have founds something I do like doing all the time. Taking Photos!!! So, starting today I am going to post a new picture daily.

To my blog audience: If you have photo request let me know and I will try to make it happen. Enjoy todays photo!

To see all of my photos check out my flickr page:  Click Here

I hope enjoy these. Rochester, really is such a gorgeous area. With so many great photo opportunities. I am glad I got to take advantage of it!