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By Kellene Bishop

Gotta Love That Pressure Cooker!

Two weeks ago I had to make a meal, pronto, for my husband and I.  Since I had been writing most of the day, I hadn’t exactly planned anything. So at 4:30 p.m., I finally decided to rummage in my freezer to see what was available. I saw a freezer-burned ham bone. While that may not sound very appetizing to most of you, I assure you that freezer-burned meat is no problem when you have a pressure cooker.  So I placed the ham bone in some water and a couple tablespoons of Shirley J’s Slow Cooker Pork Seasoning in my pressure cooker. I stabilized the pressure at high heat for about 30 minutes while embarking on a kitchen cleaning frenzy. As I was doing so I spied about 3 cups of pinto beans that I had purchased in the bulk foods section of Winco which I had forgotten to seal in a Mason jar. So I decided that ham and beans sounded like a good option for dinner before I dried my beans out too much.

All I did was rinse the beans off and then added them to the pressure cooker with the ham bone. Thanks to a pressure cooker, by 5:30 p.m. my husband and I were enjoying a very tasty ham and beans meal with only these three ingredients. Pretty impressive when you consider that most dishes of this nature call for soaking the beans overnight and slow cooking the entire meal most of the day.  Instead, we enjoyed a convenient, comfortable meal with all of the nutrients intact. I like having a meal in a jiffy without nuking it or compromising the texture and taste. And thanks to this invaluable technology, I got every drop of bone marrow from my ham bone. Yum-Mee!

Now some of you may be surprised that I didn’t have to soak the beans or simmer the ham and beans for hours. But that’s simply one of the great things about having a pressure cooker. I easily use my pressure cookers every week to make meals that would usually take an exorbitant amount of time.  Whole grain white or brown rice only takes 10 minutes on high pressure—and turns out perfectly every time.  Irish cut oats, wheat berries, any type of grain or legumes turn out wonderful with a minimal amount of effort. Even better, when I use a pressure cooker, I don’t have to heat up my house by cooking all day AND I am able to continue cooking on high heat even though I have my stove top turned all the way down to the lowest setting. From a preparedness standpoint, this is especially handy in the event that you have to live off of a limited supply of precious fuel such as propane, butane, or kerosene.

So, for this weeks article to aid you in using your long-term pantry items, I hope that I’ve sufficiently encouraged you to check out this marvelous tool of everyday preparedness. If you already have a pressure cooker, I hope you won’t hesitate to constantly try new things and see just how much of a great impact it can have on your busy schedule and sophisticated palate.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

For the past 10 years I’ve been teaching others how to easily use a pressure cooker in their modern-day kitchens. It’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE mine and simply could not live with as much peace of mind without it.  Amidst my classes I frequently encounter persons who have horror stories of how the pressure cooker blew up in their grandmother’s kitchen spraying tomatoes all over the ceiling. I always assure them that such horror stories have a logical reason and need not be the norm. In fact, I believe that pressure cookers are very, very safe to use in the homes. Think of me as the Pressure Cooker Dragonslayer. *grin*  Pressure cookers are harmless—unless of course, you encounter an “ID-10-T” error.  Yes, the” I.D. one zero tee error”, as espoused by the IT tech geeks with a sense of humor, otherwise known as an “idiot” error, does indeed have the power to ruin a good day. But you never know. There just might be a useful lesson in there for your preparedness efforts. I know I got a wake up call.

Let’s just cut to the chase. I was stupid. I was trying to film a short instructional video on my Flip, which I held in my right hand.  I had released all of the pressure in the cooker, and was attempting to lift off the lid with my left hand—my weak hand. As such, I foolishly got distracted with the camera angle and didn’t pay attention to the fact that I was placing my left hand right in the middle of the stream of hot steam that was escaping from the pan.  Immediately my left hand seared with pain and I dropped the lid.  I went to the sink to run water over it, but it became quickly apparent by the intensity of pain that this wasn’t a simple burn.

I’ll go ahead and admit that while I (surprisingly) did not utter a single swear word, I was scared and really, really hurting. I was the only one at home at the time and since the running water was the only thing giving me any semblance of comfort I felt slightly handcuffed to the sink. Oh…I have never been in such pain—ever! I suspect I panicked a bit and didn’t think clearly. Then I made myself breathe, say a quick prayer, and then tried to think of what in the world I could do to solve this serious problem.  Should I call 9-1-1? No. Too expensive. Should I drive myself to the ER? Nope. I simply could not leave the running water that long as the pain was simply too intense—and besides, what would I do if I couldn’t get to a hospital and this happened? (Yes, in my warped mind I DID indeed still think like this) The hospital would have given me a good shot, cleaned the wound, and sent me on my way along with a hefty bill.

So, I escaped the water long enough to make a sound decision on which essential oil to use. I instinctively went with the Lavender oil. But taking my hand out of the water and letting the oil soothe me wasn’t an option. Again—it was simply too painful. So I grabbed a nearby bowl, filled it with water, and then dropped the essential oil in there. I found some comfort this way. I won’t continue with this mess except to say that I have never been so happy to hear my dogs bark to tell me that my husband was home. Although he was shocked a bit to see me so distressed and crying, he simply knew what to do and went about it in a very matter of fact manner. He applied Burn Free, wrapped the hand, and wanted me to keep it elevated. Sorry Honey. I know you just did this pretty wrapping job on my hand, but I SO want to plunge it back into the water for some relief.  So he endured my water ritual for the next 6 hours until I could finally bear the pain long enough for it to crest and he could rewrap it.

So why in the world am I sharing this somewhat embarrassing story with all of you? Because I got hit with a taste of reality that has an affect on my preparedness efforts. I know I have learned a few things, so I hope you can too.

1)      I need a heck of a lot more gauze, medical tape, and bandages.  So I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes out more  for those kinds of items. But I’ll also get back to crocheting my own bandages. They are a lot thicker than the commercial gauze and more durable and thus can get cleaned, sanitized and reused. The stitching is easy and mindless, so it can be done while you’re watching the kids soccer practice or your favorite TV show.

2)      Essential oils are great for care, but perhaps not the best for emergency care in the event of a laceration, broken bone, or immediately after a severe burn such as this.  While using them instead of chemical drugs is a good idea, I certainly wouldn’t advise relying on them solely for true emergency scenarios. I sure wouldn’t postpone the resetting of a bone or stopping the bleeding while you go and try to figure out which essential oil is best. (Although my instincts did NOT lead me astray in this case—thank heavens.) They definitely help in the healing process and the lavender water felt a heck of a lot better than the just plain water. I’m positive that I would have had more blistering and burning had I not taken this treatment to task early on. But the essential oils simply cannot replace the learning of other key medicines and procedures.

3)      I need more Burn Free! If we had a half dozen people affected by a severe burn, I would have run out of that stuff faster than a toilet flushes. It’s also more likely the burn accidents can occur if you’re living amidst your non-traditional methods of cooking such as a butane stove, fire pit, etc.

4)      Aspirin is an analgesic and the only one of the traditional pain relievers that can be claimed as such.  While I actually had on hand some more robust pain relievers, all they did was mask it whereas the aspirin really did relieve the pain and the source thereof.  So I’ll give it a bit more credit in my preparedness repertoire in the future.  My girlfriend who’s a long-time nurse told me to go ahead and take 4, even 6 aspirin if I needed to. While it may make my ears ring, it will do a great job at diffusing the pain—and she was right on both counts. However, be sure that you drink PLENTY of water if you consume any kind of medicine like this. It’s hard on your poor liver, stomach lining, and kidneys, so they need a little extra boost.

I’m sure that I have more to share on this matter (such as the Frankincense essential oil is doing a great job at making my hand appear a little less “raw”) including other methods that I have on hand that I could have used instead. But it sure did open my eyes at how vulnerable we could be without immediate access to medical care. So boning up on my emergency medical skills is definitely in it’s rightful place as the second more important aspect of Preparedness—Mental Preparedness.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

Chicken Little Soup

By Kellene Bishop

Whether it’s a summer day or a hibernating winter one, I still enjoy this quick soup because it tastes so yummy and satisfies. It’s even more memorable when I am trying to ward off an oncoming cold. I call this Chicken Little Soup because I don’t use the traditional big noodles for this one, rather I use either Acini de Pepe or Orzo instead. Either way, it’s easy and tasty. In a pressure cooker all of the cooking is over in about 5 minutes once you bring it to a boil and set the pressure lid on it. Plus you can use all your yummy freeze-dried ingredients from your preparedness pantry!

1/3 cup of freeze dried onions (or dehydrated)

1/3 cup of freeze dried celery  (or dehydrated)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

¼ cup of butter or 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

½ cup of freeze-dried carrots (or dehydrated)

¼ cup of freeze-dried peas (or dehydrated)

2-3 cups of canned/bottled shredded or chunk chicken

2 teaspoons of Shirley J Chicken Bouillon

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of parsley

12 cups of water

1 cup of Acini de Pepe pasta

In a large pot, sauté the onions, celery, and garlic in the butter until toasty brown.

Add all other ingredients except the pasta and stir well. Bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook at a simmer for 7 to 11 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Today’s article is brought to us by one of my favorites in the world of practical preparedness, Wendy Dewitt. I am posting her tutorial information on rocket stoves with her permission.

Admittedly, I haven’t jumped on the rocket stove band wagon primarily because I really do have plenty of options already. I have the butane stove that I use with my pressure cooker.  I have charcoals and a three-tiered Dutch oven cooking system. I have two solar ovens which I love to use.  And I also have a Volcano Stove that has some similarities to the rocket stove. But having researched more on the rocket stove, I believe it does have merit for those of you who are just starting out or who would like some more alternatives.  So here you go today, courtesy of Wendy. Thanks, Wendy!

Rocket stoves, because of their design, allow you to use 75% less fuel (wood) than a normal fire and will be invaluable in your food storage. I was able to boil 2 cups of water for 20 minutes using just a handful of small sticks and a match. Rocket stoves come in all sizes but the idea is the same. You can buy them or make your own. Making your own will cost under $20. A version of the one pictured in the center can be made for almost nothing. (Notice the large flame being created with just a few sticks.)

You will need:

• A number 10 can (#10 can)
• 4 (10 ounce) soup cans…like chicken noodle or tomato soup
• Ashes or vermiculite for insulation
• A small grate or rack
• Tin snips and gloves

Using a can opener, open the #10 can and empty the contents, keeping the lid you cut off. Cut a hole the exact size of the soup can into the side of your #10 can near the bottom. (This is where the elbow will come out.) Make all of these holes as exact as you can.

To make the elbow, take a soup can and cut off the top. Take a 2nd soup can and cut off the top and bottom. Carefully cut a hole in the side of the 1st can (at the bottom) and slip the 2nd can into the hole. Put your elbow inside the #10 can and bring the end of the elbow (2nd can) out of the hole you have cut into the side.

To extend the elbow upwards, take a 3rd soup can, remove the top and bottom, cut it completely up the side and squeeze it together to fit it into the top of the 1st can. Adjust it so it comes to an inch from the top of the #10 can.

Fill the can around the elbow with your insulation to about 2 inches from the top.

Take the lid that you cut from the #10 can and cut a hole in the center just large enough for your soup can to come through. Push this lid over the soup can and onto the insulation.

To make the “shelf” for your wood, take your 4th soup can and cut off the top and the bottom.

Cut it up the side, flatten it out and cut it into a 3” x 3 3/4” piece. Shape this piece into a small “T”, making the top of the T 3” wide and the bottom 2 ¼” inch wide so it can just fit inside your 2nd soup can. Making it into a “T” keeps the shelf from going all the way into the soup can.

The small grate or rack goes on top of your #10 can to hold your pots or pans as you cook.

To start your fire, push a small amount of paper under the shelf and place twigs on top of the shelf. Light the paper with a match. When the twigs start to burn, put your larger sticks on top of the twigs. Push them through as they burn and add more wood as necessary. You may want to make a larger rocket stove or more than one so you can cook several things at once. Unlimited ideas can be found online if you Google rocket stove.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Solar Oven Chicken. Yum

As all of our regular readers know, I LOVE to cook!  You may also know that I fully expect to love to cook even in the midst of a full day, camping out, or in the event the power company experiences a breakdown. Yup. The last thing I fear about an apocalyptic event is eating garbage. But I realize that many of you don’t feel quite so enthusiastic about preparing your favorite dishes under challenging circumstances.  So, I’d like to help you out.  What I’d like to do is help you adapt your favorite dishes to more Everyday Preparedness methods.  I’d like you to be able to make them in record time, utilizing items from your shelf-instead of your freezer or refrigerator, and without the help of the local power company. Heck, for some of you this may simply serve as a weekly “Cooking 101” class—so you may want to double or triple the recipe so you don’t starve the other 6 days of the week—hee hee. So, in order for me to help you out with this, I need you all to post your favorites dishes here.  Each week I’ll select one of your posted dishes and do my darndest to adapt it into an Everyday Preparedness—easy peezy fare.  I may end up using freeze-dried, bottled, canned, powdered, or otherwise preserved ingredients each week to reinvent your favored fare and I’ll also be using the grill, a butane stove, or a solar oven to make these delicious plates happen as well.  In doing so, I hope that I’ll arm all of you with the same cooking enthusiasm and confidence that I get to enjoy in my kitchen in spite of using shelf-stable foods and non-electric methods of cooking. 

Pulled pork in the pressure cooker. Yum.

I’d like to help you adapt recipes in this manner for three reasons.  For starters, I’ve discovered that cooking with my pressure cooker and solar oven is actually MORE tasty than any other conventional methods.  The other day I was watching The Food Network (I know, shocker, eh?) and watching the great Chef Ann, share some great recipes for a slow roasted pork accompanied by an even slower cooked chickpea soup. I decided to take her recipes and adapt them, but knowing how flavors are compounded when using the pressure cooker or solar oven I decided to cut down on some of the more expensive flavors and spices. The results were FAB-U-LOUS!  I’d love to invite you all over for a backyard picnic so that you could see the results for yourself.

The second reason why I’d like to do this for you all is because I know that you all don’t have any more time in your day than I do. (If you actually do, then you should stop holding out on me with the secret and fork over the time machine.)  Since I can’t be your close by friend to help out once in a while, I’d love to shave off some stress and effort from your day instead.  If I can’t cook for you, the least I could do is share with you some of the super weapons that I use to “get ‘er done.” I use my pressure cooker and solar oven often because it makes my life so easy and turns dinner into an easy part of my day rather than a red carpet Hollywood event. When I was making the recipes I observed during the Food Network episode, I was doing a little jig as I realized that I had reduced the slow-roasted pork recipe from 6 hours (with lots of babysitting and fussing) down to a carefree, hands-off,  4- hour treat in my solar oven.  I was also able to convert a 4-hour chickpea soup into a 40-minute amazing gourmet with my pressure cooker. I felt like I had struck gold.  I would love to envision cooks all over the world doing the Everyday Preparedness Jig too. *grin*

Another reason why I’d love for the rest of you to discover some of these methods is because I’d love to help you stabilize your grocery budget by incorporating the use of shelf-stable foods in your everyday fare. Even the wealthiest persons in the world love to get a good deal and save money.  I assure you that one does not get wealthy solely by spending money. I also believe that due to the countless gaps in our food safety system, prices rising as much as 700% in one year of various foods, politically motivated abuse of our nutrition sources, as well as the tenable supply sources of our food, we are all far too vulnerable nowadays when it comes to what we feed our families. Personally, I don’t do vulnerable very well. I’m sure we could all use a little more confidence in the world around us.  So if I can help any of you to have some peace of mind by being able to take more control over the food supply in your home, then I will have yet another reason to do a Preparedness Jig.

So, post your favorite meals here and each week I’ll work on revising them for you to help you with an increased confidence, satisfying taste, delicious comfort, time and cost-cutting meals!

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Filling your preparedness pantry doesn't have to cost a bucket load of money. photo c/o www.mcdowelltech.edu

While perusing advertisements for “emergency preparedness” supplies, I saw some pretty hefty price tags just for a year’s worth of food. This doesn’t count the bucket loads of money that one could spend on other gadgets like a solar oven, pressure cooker, first aid supplies, etc. So, let’s get real.  What can a person with only a few hundred bucks a year do to increase their state of preparedness?  Well, here are a few of my suggestions.

First and foremost, spend your money in order of prioritization.  Stick to the priorities. If you’re starting from scratch, review the 10 Areas of Preparedness. Remember that such a list is a prioritized one.  The higher up an area is on the list, the sooner you’ll be confronted with it in need or crisis scenario.  This also means that areas of preparedness further down the list will essentially be at the mercy of your preparedness level on areas of higher prioritization.

The first area is Spiritual preparedness. Fortunately, that area doesn’t require much in the form of funds to implement.

The next area is Mental Preparedness. You could spend a bit of money in that area in the form of books and classes, but a great deal of knowledge, thus mental preparedness, can be provided to you via the library and the internet. 

Physical preparedness is a must in completing the Ten Areas of Preparedness

The next area is Physical preparedness.  Again, this is an area that does not necessarily require money but rather a consciousness effort to get your body in better health. This does not need to come at the cost of expensive supplements and gym memberships.

The next area is Medical Preparedness.  Remember, that this are may require you some preliminary funds in terms of first aid supplies for you and your family and then for others. But keep in mind that providing medical care for you and your family is the first priority. So only spend enough money to take care of that first and foremost.  I have found that with coupons I have been able to acquire a boatload of medical supplies for free or very cheap. Also, in the vein of Medical Preparedness I have taken advantage of whatever free community classes I can that teach CPR, and other areas of commonly necessary medical knowledge. As I review my medical supplies, including medication alternatives, I know that I’ve spent very little by making use of coupons and alternative medical options.

Be sure your 72 hour kit is packed and ready to go. photo c/o coolshadesails.com

The next area is Clothing/Shelter Preparedness.  Most of you are already starting out with some kind of shelter complete with bedding and clothing. So you can usually check that off the list. However, I also recommend folks having a weather-appropriate change of clothes that they can grab and go in a hurry if necessary.  I can assure you that when I created such outfits, I didn’t take them from my existing wardrobe. Instead, I went to the thrift stores and purchased complete outfits for very, very cheap. I then store those outfits in my “get up and go quickly” supplies. That way I’m never stuck with “just the clothes on my back.”  Along with that though is alternative shelter such as blankets and a pup tent for a “get up and go quickly” scenario. Again, these were obtained very cheaply thanks to army surplus and thrift stores.

cheap sources for fuel, such as butane and alcohol complete your preparedness pantry.

Fuel comes next. This is an area in which you can’t cut corners on. As such I would recommend focusing the majority of your available funds in this particular area.  While you will be able to get much of the equipment at an army surplus store, you will need to purchase your fuel via mainstream venues like the rest of us. However, there are less expensive forms of fuel than others such as butane and isopropyl alcohol. I’ve been able to stock up on my cans of butane as cheaply as $1.27 each.  And I’ve been able to get my butane stoves as cheaply as $12 each.  We also have recently purchased lanterns for only $1.97 each!  The key is to keep your eyes open for the equipment you need. Compare prices. If you have the appropriate heating and light equipment, getting a 55 gallon barrel of isopropyl alcohol delivered to your home is very economical and you can keep it outside since it won’t freeze.  See? This is why mental preparedness comes before these other areas-so that you can use these kinds of ideas.

After fuel finally comes your Water Preparedness.  Water is obviously an affordable commodity. There are plenty of corners you can cut. You don’t have to be a purchaser of 2 liter bottles of soda pop to obtain plenty of those kinds of containers from neighbors and friends.  Simply get the used containers from others, wash them out well, and fill them up and store them.  No money necessary.

Then there’s the Food Preparedness.  The most affordable way to have a sufficient amount of food cheaply is to simply utilize coupons in your regular shopping so that you can purchase more of it—at least this is definitely what I’ve discovered to be the case. If you’re one of those people who read this, though, and say that couponing takes too much time, or that you can’t get all that you want with coupons, I recommend that you search on the articles that I’ve

Freeze-Dried Foods are tasty, nutritious, have a long shelf life, and are a real asset to your preparedness pantry.

previously written about couponing. I assure you that there’s very little food stuffs that I haven’t been able to purchase free or cheap. Also keep in mind that freeze-dried produce is actually less expensive than fresh produce, not to mention cleaner, more convenient, lasts longer, etc.  If all you want to do though is to buy some food items and forget it, then I would recommend purchasing whole wheat, sprouts, a quality powdered milk, salt, and a quality honey. None of these items should break the bank if you are prudent in your selections of them. If you spend money on no other food, I would recommend that you at least have these five.

After the Food Preparedness area then you have the areas of Financial Preparedness and Communication. These areas aren’t so much a cost to you as they are disciplines, and perhaps a Ham Radio license.  What I’m trying to get at is that preparedness doesn’t need to cost you much more money than you are already spending living your days. See? Everyday preparedness not only works better, but it costs a heck of a lot less money.

(By the way, Five Star Preparedness has a Group Buy on Raw Honey this month. Just go to www.fivestarpreparedness.com/GroupBuy).

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

The fact of the matter is, no law enforcement, government, or rescuer group can prepare a community. It all starts with you—the true first responders.

Just in the last 5 years alone, nearly a billion dollars has been spent throughout our nation upgrading and retrofitting buildings and structures so that previous disasters are not repeated.  And yet not a single dime is being spent on preparing the people in order to avoid defeating responses to disasters.

Case in point: Many of you may not know, or may have forgotten that the World Trade Center was attacked in 1993. All kinds of studies were done afterwards as to how to make the buildings and the perimeter safer—ten thousand pound planters placed strategically around the outside, pictures of truck drivers taken for all deliveries and bomb-sniffing dogs were employed—yet NOTHING was done to make the people safer. In spite of many fire marshals expressing grave concerns about their lack of training after the 1993 WTC attack, nothing changed in training the people. Two-thirds of the on site fire marshals didn’t even know where the stairwells were at the WTC in 1993. That statistic did not change prior to 9/11 either. In fact 45 percent of the workers at the WTC did not even know the buildings had stairwells! Many of the critical human decisions that cost lives as a result of the 1993 attack were repeated verbatim during the 9/11 attacks. Hundreds more people would have survived 9/11 had they been trained WHERE the stairwells were, how to use the connecting hallways, and to actually take an immediate response in evacuating the building instead of doing nothing.  Yes, I realize in hindsight that the thought of someone doing nothing after the first plane hit is unthinkable; but indeed, hundreds of individuals did absolutely that–nothing. Equipment and structures have been altered all over the U.S. as a result of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the I-35W bridge collapsing, but there have been absolutely NO concerted efforts to educate people.

So, what can you do about this? Get yourself educated on the 10 Areas of Preparedness—particularly the first three areas, Spiritual, Mental, and Physical. I have been studying human responses to natural disasters nearly at a PhD level lately. Just in the last two weeks alone I’ve feasted on three hefty books on the subject. If I could summarize the most significant reoccurring theme in everything I’ve read, it is that human beings need to better mentally prepare for these kinds of events. (Of course there aren’t a lot of lay mans books that discuss spiritual preparedness, but that’s simply an indicator of a whole ‘nother issue.)

If the community won’t open their doors to educate you, don’t just sit there and complain—invite the community to come to you! Hold parties in your home in which you discuss what needs to be done as a group in the event of major disasters. I have frequently held “Preparedness Parties” in which I prepared yummy meals made right out of the pantry, handed out recipes, and we discuss specific preparedness topics. And yes, I’ve even created some games that help hit a point home that are entertaining, funny, and memorable.  They are evenings of fun and socializing, not gloom and doom. As such, the things discussed are more memorable and more likely to be acted upon. I once even had a Ladies Night Pampered Preparedness Party in which we played games, got paraffin wax treatments on our hands and lots of yummy food to eat.  (The house was full of women who wanted the hand treatments. Hee hee. Don’t you just love how bribery works?)

Here’s an idea for a game. Do you remember ever playing the game Pit? Well, I created a similar game. I created a bunch of cards with various supplies on them, including spiritual strength and physical strength. I also included some luxury items such as a generator, heated shower, etc.; then as the guests arrive, I had them select 10 cards blindly.  During the course of the first hour of the party they traded what they had in excess in order to try and get what they needed to be perfectly prepared.  It’s a real eye opener. So many people actually gota tad bit stressed out because they aren’t able to trade enough for food or water. And they found the generator or shower was useless without some of the more critical items. They also discovered that they’d rather not have to trade for items because they have no way of knowing what items others will have. So they’d just assume be proactive in having the item on hand initially for peace of mind.

I also did another game in which they are given a recipe which they have no doubt ever made before. And they are given only a few short minutes in which they have to create the recipe and make it edible. They are also given a pressure cooker in which they have to make the meal.  (Most folks have never used a pressure cooker before)  And lastly, they are only given a few other tools to use such as only a quarter cup measuring cup, one spoon, one fork, and a pitcher. So here they have a foreign recipe, foreign ingredients, and alien tools.   Once the timer starts, chaos ensues. Food is flying. Folks are even panicking.  It’d be quite funny if it wasn’t such a real representation of what can happen if people don’t better prepare with their tools and what they intend to eat in a survival scenario. Oh, yeah. And they learn a lot about “panicked communication.”

Push your community to offer realistic training for all community members and especially push your community leaders to TRAIN the so-called “rescuers” for major disasters. I was appalled to hear of a fireman in my community who completely dismissed a question raised by one of his students during CERT training. The student asked the question “What about during an EMP?”  The cocky fireman quipped back “That’s not a life threatening event.”  Can I just tell you that when I heard that my blood boiled?  An EMP is NOT a life-threatening event–REALLY?  Exactly how is the elimination of life lines, refrigeration, oxygen machines, surgical machines, automobiles (including emergency vehicles) classified, then??  A carnival??

Another way you can better prepare is to watch movies and read books that actively engage your mind in which you play a part in–such “what-if” scenarios. All of the successful Olympians will tell you that they run the race mentally before they run it physically.  That’s important for all of us to do in being suitable prepared. I recommend “Red Dawn”, the “Jericho” television series (you’ll have to rent it), “2012” (it gives great perspective, but very little “story”), “Twister” (in surround sound is awesome!) and “The Day After Tomorrow” for some movies to learn from.

When it comes to better preparing your community, it’s important that you understand that you can’t ride out a disaster alone. There are all kinds of logistical problems with that. Even the most brutal gangs of today know that lesson. Whether you like it or not, the community you end up in during a disaster is going to be the community you fully rely on.  Thus it does you no good to isolate yourself from them.  You’re better off trying to improve the people around you through education and interaction one step at a time.  You don’t need to start with the whole community at first. Start with your neighbors; then a larger block, etc. etc. until you’ve created a nice, strong nucleus of educated, like-minded people.  You don’t need to be the brains behind the education either. You can call on expert resources. And you don’t need to spend any money or meeting rooms and supplies.  Libraries usually offer their facilities for free and your community center sure as heck should be able to handle that as well. What you CAN do though is be the fuel behind the push for the community to get educated. So, no more excuses. Do it. And do it now.

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Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop

by Kellene Bishop

A great deal of my articles attempt to be a conversation between myself and those who haven’t quite got on the preparedness bandwagon.  However, today I’d like to address those of you who have begun your preparedness efforts in earnest in hopes that I might add just a bit of redirection for you (If it’s necessary, of course).

Consider your picky eaters, allergies, and recipes when filling your preparedness pantry photo c/o digitallydelicious.files.wordpress.com

I hope that those of you who are actually going through the time, effort, and expense to be more independent are not doing so only to find yourself miserable when the time comes to rely on your efforts. What I mean by that is that many of you, by your own choice—more so than by financial circumstances—have set aside items that are intended to assist you during a crisis that you already know you’re going to despise when the time comes where you’ll have to use them.  As an over-the-top example, I actually had a woman come up to me and tell me she has a year’s supply of wheat, but that she is severely allergic to wheat.  I asked her, “how long have you had your wheat?  How long have you had these allergies?”  She informed me that the wheat was about 8 years old and her allergies are about 10 years old.  I will spare you the details of the rest of that conversation. Yes, this is a bit in the extreme offense against common sense, but I use this example because for some of you it’s more appropriate than you think.

Let’s say that you have a great varied supply of food, fuel, and other essentials on hand.  Let’s look closer at them.  So, you’ve got 3 cases of Ramen noodles.  Does the thought of eating Ramen noodles make you happy?  I mean really, happy?  Or does the anticipation of having to live off of what you’ve got stored in your basement make you cringe?  How about that solar oven you have stored away that you’ve never used yet?  Does the anticipation of having to use that thing make your cringe?

Are you cringing at the thought of actually having to USE your food storage? photo c/o blog.jdubrecords.org/

Here’s my point, if you aren’t emotionally satisfied with the tools and supplies that you are intending to use when things get tough, then you are certainly not going to be your same-old competent self in the midst of turmoil.  Your mental strength is too powerful and too important to be at the mercy of some prelude shortsightedness.  If doing “just enough” to cross something off of your list doesn’t work for your emotional peace of mind today, it’s NOT going to provide you with some much needed emotional strength when things are tough.

Here’s an alternative example. Power’s out. Pipes are frozen. Eight feet of snow on the ground. No problem.  Grab the remote controlled long-life battery lamps, pull out the butane stove, make a scrumptious Thai Coconut Curry chicken in your pressure cooker with rice, have everyone settle down in front of the Lil Buddy Heater which doesn’t require any ventilation, and play a rallying game of “Shoots and Ladders.” Afterwards pull out the graham crackers and peanut butter, with a little bit of milk that your family enjoys, read a

Have an enjoyable evening with your family--even during an emergency scenario. photo c/o wonderfuloldgames.com/

bedtime story by lamplight. Make sure everyone goes to the bathroom using your biodegradable Chemsan bags rigged on your toilet, and tuck everyone in to their beds which have comfortably been made on cots and blow up mattresses. Diffuse a little bit of lavender oil to help everyone rest peacefully. Then you go and enjoy a hot eucalyptus shower with your propane heated shower in your portable “privacy hut”—positioned just outside the back door. Afterwards, you snuggle down in your flannel PJ’s and read that fictional book you’ve been hoping to get to all of this time. Enjoy the comfortable family respite.

No, I haven’t been sniffing the fairy dust.  Sure not every moment can be this great amidst a serious challenge. But it would sure stink if you didn’t even have the capability of making it that way simply because you prepared to be miserable. You need to PLAN for great moments. You need to plan for comfort food. You need to plan for happiness.  If the thought of using your preparedness supplies makes you more stressed and strung out with worry, then you are going about it all wrong. I’m telling you, the opposite is very real. You can actually look forward to such a time of challenge knowing that all will be well. Such knowledge will bring peace and comfort and sanity to you and your loved ones. You literally have a choice. Prepare to be miserable or prepare to be comfortable.

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Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop.

By Kellene Bishop

Hand-held beater by Propert

I have to admit, I love gadgets that make my life easier. I’m always on the lookout for preparedness type gadgets that will make my life easier even in a “survival mode.” I figure you might as well make use of the technological advances we have now to survive without traditional technology later. So here’s a list of some of my favorite “gadgets.” You can do an internet search to find any of these items.

A Hand-Held Beater: This is one like your mom used to use before the electric beaters came along. Storing eggs is great, but you won’t want to exert the energy necessary to beat them with a whisk. So invest in a quality hand beater or two now.

Bosch Hand-Held Crank: This is a handy dandy gadget that I simply put on the top of my Bosch bowl and then hand crank the bowl in the event I don’t have power. It allows me to still benefit with the kneading attachments of the Bosch and knead my bread without having to exert tons of energy. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, but I knew I had to have one when I did!

This is alfalfa, broccoli, and mixed sprouts in the Kitchen Sprouter

3 Tray Kitchen Crop Sprouter

Tray Kitchen Sprouter: This is made by Victorio. It is AWESOME from sprouting. Instead of having to rinse and drain carefully, all I do is spread the sprouts out evenly on one of the three trays, fill the very top of the gidget/gadget with water and then the proprietary system trickles the waters down through each of the tray levels, ending at the bottom one where it pools all of the excess water far away from the sprouts. I simply repeat this twice a day. As you may know, properly draining your sprouts is important to their proper growth. The watering in this case is gravity fed, so I’m always in “drain mode” every time I use it.  I can grow three different sprouts at a time or a lot of one. I LOVE this thing!

Solar Oven: Duh! Like you didn’t expect me to mention this? You all know how in love I am with a solar oven. No fuel, no hassle, perfect tasting food every time and it replaces my need for a canner and a dehydrator. Invest in a commercial quality one so that it can handle cooking multiple meals a day for the long term.

A Mason Jar FoodSaver attachment: This attachment allows me to save dried foods for 3 to 5 years in a Mason jar. I store foods like chocolate chips, brown rice, Snickers bars, almonds, coconut, etc. with this type of item and I presume that I will still want to do so in the future as well. While I use it with my Foodsaver now while the electricity is aplenty, I can still use it with a tire pump without the electricity in the future. Simply reverse the direction that you’re pumping the air so that it sucks the air instead of pumps it.

A Hand Grinder/Flaker: When making a choice as to which hand-grinder you want to have be sure that you find out how many cranks it will take you to make a full cup. I prefer the ones that have a “stone grinder” on them. I’ve compared these to others and it “only” takes 100 cranks for a cup of flour, whereas the smaller ones grinding mechanism, such as those found on the Grain Mill model, requires over 7 minutes of cranking just for a cup of flour. That’s a lot of exerted physical energy. Getting a model that will also act as a flaker is great for making flour or flaked pieces out of dried sprouts, beans, and groats.

Bucket Wrench

Bucket Lid Wrench: This isn’t about preserving fingernails. It’s about making a job a hundred times easier. Spend the $5 bucks to get yourself the green or red plastic wrench that allows you to simply pop off the lids on your round or square buckets. I use mine all the time!

Solar Powered Battery Recharger: Obviously the success of this gadget is in purchasing rechargeable batteries. But it’s worth the cost difference to me since I can let the sun continually recharge them. It’s virtually impossible in my mind to store enough batteries that I would use for a full year otherwise. 

Pressure Cooker: Kuhn Rikon all the way baby. This is the ONLY brand I recommend. I can buy cheap cuts of meat and cook them in the pressure cooker and you would have thought I slaved away all day after a small fraction of that time. Also it rehydrates freezer burned meats. Taking advantage of it’s inherent heat retention, all I have to do is bring it up to full pressure, then remove it from the heat, wrap it up in towels and it will retain it’s heat for a full hour…cooking all along the way. As a result, cooking on the weekdays when I’m swamped is SO easy, and cooking in a survival mode won’t require me to store oodles and oodles of fuel. (By the way, I have three of these and have used them all at one time on several occasions when I’m making a “big fancy meal” that’s intended to impress but I don’t’ want it to zap my energy.)

Asian Cook Stove: These little puppies run on a simple can of butane. There are tons of them out there with different names, but I just call them the little Asian cook stoves. (The brand I have is called “Joy Cook”  You can get them $15-$20 bucks. They fold up in their own little black case and they are super light. I have a few of them on hand in the event I’m using all three of my pressure cookers.

Indoor Safe Propane Heater: This is a great option to heat your home without having to ventilate your home. (kind of defeats the purpose of heating your home while having to let cold air come inside, eh?) It’s specially made for that purpose and is called the Big Buddy or The Little Buddy. Bottom line it uses a special canister of propane and it’s indoors safe.

4 Gallon Buckets photo c/o Five Star Preparedness

Square Buckets: It’s not secret that I LOVE these. And while they may be simplistic, I still consider them a “gadget.” I not only store my items in them, but I also keep a few on hand in case I need to send someone on their way with some provisions.

Berkey Water Filter: Ok. I’ll admit, this isn’t the cheapest water filter out there, but it’s my favorite. This is my kind of “bling.” folks. (Thank heavens my hubby knows it too!) They are gravity fed. And they can be used to literally purify water—including non-potable and otherwise unhealthy water. It reduces chemicals, nitrates, and heavy metals as well. They use carbon to filter which is highly effective without the need of electricity etc. I recommend using it INSTEAD of your typical water cooler. It may be a bit more pricey, but imagine the money you’ll save instead of buying bottled water all the time. There are quite a few models to choose from. I like the big stainless steel one so that I don’t have to constantly be concerned with making drinking water.

BlastMatch Fire Starter: This is kind of a cool gizmo. All you do is forcibly pound this against cement or a rock. Strike it near whatever it is you want to light.  It sends sparks out from the friction of the tool and the surface and you can easily light your fire

Magnesium: I know this may be a lot like the previous mentioned gadget, but I just can’t control myself sometimes. Hee hee  I have this uncanny fear that I won’t be able to start a fire when I need one. A few flecks of magnesium will light up and burn even in a wet environment. My husband keeps one on him regularly. You simply use a pocket knife to strip off a few flecks and then light it. Voila. You’ve got what you need.

So, here’s my list that I can think of right off the top of my head.  At least it will give you a few things to ask Santa for this year…that is assuming that you’ve been behaving yourself.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky at preparednesspro.com 

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit! 

Copyright Protected 2009, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.