The problem with getting prepared and becoming self reliant during relatively good times is that you can forget or minimize the need for some basics. Fuel is available to us everywhere. It comes to our homes through natural gas lines. It is trucked to our homes in large propane tanks. We pull up to the local gas station to fill up with gasoline or diesel without much thought. But what happens when all of those sources for fuel are gone? You are left with wood that you can gather or the sun.
I have a wheat grinder, some oil and yeast and wheat set aside if conditions warrant. I know many others that do as well. But what perplexes me is how many people don't have a way to cook in a disaster.
The simple solution is a solar oven. There are plans for them everywhere on internet. You can make them out of cardboard and aluminum foil or you can purchase one of several pre-fabricated ovens.
My favorite is the Sun Oven by Global Sun Oven International. It is made from good quality plastic, sheet metal, glass, and highly polished aircraft aluminum. On average, I can easily get the oven up to 350 degrees. It will cook two healthy pans of bread, boil water, and cook a plate of brownies in no time.
I made a video to help people understand how the Sun Oven works. You can check out the Global Sun oven video here. Happy cooking!
Where to run?
A common conversation with customers.
August 20, 2010
I've been thinking about a conversation I had with a customer the other day. It wasn't the first time I have spent more than 30 minutes on the phone talking with someone about this subject, and it seems to be coming up a lot more. The topic was where to run when things get "really bad". The dynamics of this topic are interesting.
The conversation usually begins because someone is looking for a way to become their own water company. Our Berkey water filters take care of this, and if you just add a few things to your preparedness items, you can go for a long time processing compromised water to make it safe for drinking and cooking. Once we solve the problem of clean water, the conversation usually moves quickly to changes in the country and the probability of a social collapse, financial collapse, or some other crisis that leads to everyday dangers in once calm neighborhoods. There seems to be a general feeling that our normal daily lives are going to change soon and if we are in the wrong place our safety could be in serious jeopardy. So the question is, when things get "really bad" where will you run.
The interesting thing is I talk to people all over the country, in every state. I'll talk to someone in Kansas and they say they want to move to Kentucky when things get bad. Then I talk to someone in Kentucky and they say they are moving to Idaho or Wyoming when things get bad. The names of the states and cities change, but what I started to realize is that people are doing what they always have. They are under the impression that the grass is always greener on the other side.
But is the grass greener? Every state has it's problems right now. Every city has it's good people and not so good people. The problems that face our country are everywhere. The grass is not greener somewhere else. Sure, there are a few places in the middle of nowhere that you may be able to hold up for a while, but you better be well armed, well trained, and well stocked. The bad guys will find you and you will have to deal with them. Many people cannot afford to "get out of Dodge". So what is the solution? Friends of like mind.
The bottom line is that most of us are not able to fund a remote retreat in the mountains stocked with five years of food, clothing, shelter, fuel and weapons. And even if we could, we may never be able to get there in a collapse because most of us need to stay were the jobs are. So the next solution is to find a group of like minded individuals with similar beliefs, similar self-reliance habits, and similar religious beliefs. Become familiar with each other by spending time together. Learn together. Worship together. Develop a "command structure" or "lines of authority" so that when things do get bad, the group is unified.
For me, this happens to be my church. For others it may be a militia group, a social club, or just a group of friends that decide to get more specific about what they would do to help each other if things get "really bad".
I will leave the topic of what "really bad" really means to another entry.
The bottom line is, from time to time, we need take a look at what our situation is and adjust within the resources we have. For most of us this will mean sheltering in place and contributing to the support of a group. So don't get down on yourself if you can't afford that retreat in the high country right now. Do what you can where you are and make some friends. Grow a garden on your porch in buckets if you have to. Put square food gardening boxes on your lawn in the back yard and become more self reliant. Get three weeks of normal food and water in your house so that if something breaks out you can sit on your couch and watch people fight for food on CNN instead of being the one on TV. Once you have your three months of regular food, start putting some wheat, salt, oil, yeast, and honey away for long term storage with some kind of grinder. Find a way to make clean water. Step by step you will become more self-reliant and your confidence will increase in your ability to stay where you are until you absolutely have to leave.
