by Kellene Bishop

Bribes Let Tomato Vendor Sell Tainted Food photo c/o nytimes.com

When I read articles like these, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/business/25tomatoes.html?em I am reminded exactly why it is that I believe in having a well-stocked pantry that has long shelf-life.  I am also reminded as to why I do not invest heavily in canned goods if I can get away with it. That doesn’t mean that I don’t indulge in canned goods. They certainly have their place, but I definitely have reliable, clean, and safe substitutes on hand specifically to guard myself from the corruption, greed, deviant ethics, and just plain incompetence that plagues our food industry.   It doesn’t take a famine or heavy rains to give us cause to be more independent in our own food supplies.  There is plenty of cause every single day.

A statistic recently caught my eye on a health food site claiming that in the last 2 years there have been more food recalls than in the last 15 years put together? After watching movies such as “King Corn”, “Super-Size Me” and “Food Inc.”, I feel sufficiently informed to the point that I know that there are ample reasons for me to take my food and nutrition matters into my own hands.  As I shared in a previous article, the USDA, FDA, and grocery store names (i.e. “Whole Foods”) simply can’t be trusted to sustain a healthy life for my family.

Don’t get me wrong. I have my Dr. Pepper/Krispy Kreme kind of days.  As indicated by my physique. I’m not the epitome of a health food junkie. (Oh how I wish it were true, though—working on it.) But I do definitely rely more heavily on alternatives to so-called fresh produce, “Grade A” meat, and questionable processed foods. What are they?  

Top of my list is WHEAT.  I use it in my breads, rolls, cookies, and I use it as a meat alternative. (See articles with “wheat meat” information by searching “wheat meat” in our search bar) Does anyone remember the scandal of when Home Pride Bread had used saw dust to sprinkle the top of their bread with to make it look more “whole grain?” Or how about the recall of pet food that was poisoned?  How about the shortage of rice? Remember when spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and beef were recalled as the result of e-coli poisoning?  Well, fortunately, wheat isn’t yet processed that questionably. I can replace a lot of vegetables with wheat by sprouting it. I can make a delicious meat substitute. And I can have safe and wholesome bread as well.  Even better, I get to store the wheat with diatomaceous earth that takes care of any weevil problem but is actually GOOD for me.  What a miraculous bargain there, eh?

Freeze-Dried produce ends up being cheaper than fresh!

Next, I’m a big fan of freeze-dried produce.  Notice I said PRODUCE, not entrees.  The produce HAS to be clean in order for it to vaporize properly. If it still has the pesticides, herbicides, etc. in it, then it won’t take the correct form during the freeze-drying process.  (This is yet another reason why I like to double check the color, shape, and integrity of my freeze-dried produce before I invest heavily in it.) The good news is though, when I find a good freeze-dried product, I’m in heaven. No slicing, dicing, cleaning, picking, wasting, or bruising. I just pick up the handful and throw it in my soup. Or sometimes I cover it with water to reconstitute it and then use the now flavored water in some kind of delicious dish in addition to the fruit or vegetable. In fact, the other night I reconstituted some pineapple for a Polynesian Chicken dish. Instead of reconstituting it in water, I did so in chicken broth because the regular recipe I was adapting called for chicken broth in addition to the pineapple. So hey, why not multipurpose that broth? I do the same when I’m reconstituting fruit for a fruit mousse or Jell-O salad. Instead of just using plain old water, I use the water from the reconstituted fruit.  It adds an additional depth of flavor that way. While you can’t label freeze-dried foods as “organic” per se, they certainly are clean and safe and MUCH less expensive than mysteriously labeled “organic” foods are today.

Heirloom seeds are critical to my well-being in my opinion as well.  I’m not a master gardener yet by any stretch of the imagination. But I am working on it simply so that I can have more independence from the mistakes of others.  I don’t want DNA manipulated, chemical treated seeds. I want the good old fashioned kind that yield great foods that I can grow again and again and again.

Shirley J products add variety to your preparedness pantry

If I can find a dry equivalent to a food product and have it taste great too, then I’m all over it. For example, it’s no secret that I’m in love with the Shirley J Universal Sauce? Why? Because I don’t have to use butter or milk to make a perfect roux or béchamel sauce. I also don’t have to expose myself to added MSG or hydrogenated oils that are so abundant in cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soups that I used to use regularly, and it’s absolutely idiot-proof to make. I even buck the instructions and use hot broths to mix it up and it thickens in seconds. None of this babysitting and stirring stuff for me.  Thanks to the lack of the oils, it won’t go rancid on me. It’s got a shelf-life of 20-30 years so long as I store it in a cool, dry place. I can make a large batch ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator and it still won’t separate or turn into anything other than perfect and creamy when I cook it.  Dry products usually cost MUCH less than the canned food and they store longer and take up less space. I love the tomato powder I get. I can make ketchup, tomato paste, and tomato sauce out of it, or use it to add just a hint of tomato flavor to a soup or sauce.  There are quite a few perfect dry products on the market that are great for everyday use AND have a long shelf-life. (Shirley J products in general, powdered lemon and lime juice, powdered milk, etc.)

Essential oils and other homeopathic remedies are a must photo c/o herbmentor.com

Next, I take wellness and sick care into my own hands as much as possible as well.  Even if it isn’t tainted, a great deal of acetaminophen or aspirin can kill a person or at least tax their liver substantially. So, in the spirit of independence from the manufacturing dead beats, I have pursued the learning of essential oils, herbs, vitamins, and other “good for you” concoctions. Rather than just have them for “emergencies” I use them now so that I can peacefully rely on them in a pinch. (This is yet another reason why I vehemently do not believe in “emergency” preparedness.)

Remember, to me preparedness is all about being independent of vulnerabilities. When stories like I’ve shared with you above make it into the mainstream media, I know that they are just the tip of the iceberg. So I stay vigilant in protecting myself and my loved ones and I sure hope you do too.

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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

Determining Fact from Fiction

A beautiful warm day in May, 1985. It was the day after my graduation ceremony and I was on my way up to a little town I had never heard of called Lakeside, Ohio. It nestled right along Lake Erie and attracted lots of tourists in the summer months. My best friend, MaryAnn had got me a job as a waitress with her at a little restaurant, The Patio. Funny thing. When I was little I actually wanted to grow up and be a waitress. So here I was, freshly graduated, 18 years old, and embarking on an adventure with my best friend for the summer at a little resort town. We were going to be roommates together for the whole summer. I was so excited to be living on my own, with a dear friend that I had known for years and had come to love and respect deeply.

Waitressing...those were the days photo c/o www.insidesocal.com

Summer days in Ohio near that large body of water were so hot and very humid.  Even an early morning walk at 6:30 a.m. would still leave you feeling hot and sticky. During these months, the air conditioning was our saving grace since we were renting an attic room in an old home. Though the electricity was included in our rent, our landlady was quite manipulative in controlling how much we used the air conditioning. She would simply flip a switch and not allow us to turn it on at all sometimes. Thus we appropriately called her the AC Nazi.  Most nights we slept in comfortable exhaustion as we ran around all day serving tables and then crashed into our beds at night in the midst of the cool lake air. But on our days off, it was nearly unbearable to stay in our rooms during the daylight hours.  In fact, it was so miserable; we’d try to avoid staying in our rooms as much as possible even if it meant working an extra shift at the restaurant.

After about 1 month of work my dear friend had developed a serious bronchial infection.  MaryAnn was actually quite sickly while we went to high school together and had had some “close calls” with her health.  I was particularly concerned because we both had been working some very long hours at the restaurant for almost the entire month we were there. This infection seemed to have zapped the color right out of her. She told me that the only relief she got as she rested was when the air conditioning was on. Otherwise she looked pitiful and helpless lying in her bed, sweating like she had just run a marathon.  We were told that she had to really rest and take her medications until she got over it. She didn’t want to go home; after all, how would that look to have to go home your first summer as an independent woman?  So, I worked to cover her shifts in addition to mine at the restaurant while she got better. Some days I would have enough time to walk home in-between shifts and check on her. But frankly, there was nothing I could do but get her some more water and maybe bring her some toast and soup from the restaurant. We explained to the landlady that MaryAnn was sick and would need to run the AC in the room while she was recovering. The landlady assured us that she would permit it. But when MaryAnn would attempt to run the air conditioner, the AC Nazi would trip the breaker whenever she felt it had been on long enough. Between seeing my friend miserable and knowing that we were paying for access to the AC, I was a bit angry.

To make matters worse, MaryAnn was one of the mildest mannered people I knew.  Yes this made this particular matter much worse. She would be as sweet as pie to the landlady whenever the landlady checked in on her. She never once uttered anything about her great discomfort. She never spoke a harsh word to anyone. I never heard her complain about her parents, other kids at school, or her brothers who would pick on her as brothers are want to do.  But she seemed to be at her wits end when it came to dealing with this landlady and the air conditioning issue.  I think it was the only time I ever heard her speak ill of someone—but she only shared her feelings with me. She even avoided calling home so that her parents wouldn’t know that she was ill. Needless to say, it would anger me a great deal when I would come home to check on her and see her so miserable, trying to rest in that high heat and humidity. I kept encouraging her—even begging her—to say something to the landlady. MaryAnn assured me that she would, but then nothing would get said.

One day I had come home in-between shifts to check on her. As I climbed the narrow old stairs up to our room I could hear MaryAnn hacking her lungs out. It sounded so awful.  I found her in tears and miserable. She told me that she hadn’t been permitted to have the AC on at all that day.  The landlady had left to go into town earlier and had left strict instructions with her nephew that the AC was not to be allowed on.  I was furious—and probably really worried too (that always seems to be the real fuel behind my anger). Just then the landlady walked into our room without even so much as a knock.  I looked at MaryAnn expecting her to say something, but she didn’t. She just looked at me as if she was helpless to stand up for herself. So, I found myself emphatically communicating with the landlady about how I insisted that she allow the air conditioning to be turned on without any obstruction until MaryAnn regained her health. Well, this old lady was clearly not used to someone speaking to her this way.  And frankly, I was raised to be very respectful of adults. I’m not the swearing kind usually. And I didn’t holler. But as the daughter of an attorney I was very specific in my demands for what I believed were my rights under our rental agreement.  When I was through, the landlady was aghast that I would say such things to her. She immediately informed me that under the confines of our rental agreement she had the right to evict me immediately. Which she did. MaryAnn was welcome to stay, but the AC Nazi did not want a “horrible person like me living under her roof.”  I looked at MaryAnn in disbelief. She was absolutely silent and averted my gaze.   In my mind I was confident that MaryAnn wouldn’t stand for this kind of treatment and move out with me—after all, I was getting evicted because I had stuck up for her.  But she didn’t. She only said one thing that night as I packed my things that night and left—“I was fine without the AC.”

I’ll never forget the day that I had to face the music and admit that my best friend wasn’t truly my best friend.  I tried to deny it. I tried to understand.  But instead, I just hurt inside, and felt very much alone and betrayed. I knew nobody else up in this little resort.  I was able to find another room for the summer, but it cost 4 times as much as I was paying for the room I shared with MaryAnn. I didn’t know how I was going to make it financially. I didn’t have any other friends there except for MaryAnn.  I wouldn’t even have known that this little resort of a town existed if it hadn’t been for her. Yup. I felt some kind of alone, that’s for sure.  In a couple of weeks, MaryAnn returned to work and never said a word to me. In fact, I don’t recall her saying anything to me since then.

Hurt and pain can lead to dispair, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. photo c/o aaahomebuyers.com

It hurt so badly to discover that she would betray my love, my trust, my belief in her goodness, and so much else. My mind whirled through our history of love and friendship together as I looked at every memorable conversation we had in a new light.  Feeling alone, far from home, and stressed with my new reality, I was pretty emotional. “When did she ‘go bad’? What did I do to deserve this? What more could I have done to avoid this? How could I have been so naïve and gullible?” 

I’m sure that most of us can relate on some level or another to this instance of betrayal mixed with disbelief and pain.  It may be delivered at the hands of a friend, a trusted medical advisor, our attorney who’s supposed to protect us from horrific financial exposures, our parents or guardians who are supposed to protect us from abuse, our teachers who are supposed to teach us truths, or our community leaders who we trust to make decisions in our best interests. Yet everywhere we turn we are disappointed in these areas of trust. At such a time we may find ourselves resolving that we will never trust again, never be hurt again, and never open ourselves to such vulnerabilities again. We’ll never do something good for someone else and we’ll never trust someone else with any part of our lives again. Some may decide that they want to completely “get off of the grid” and not be a part of society whatsoever. There’s only one problem with this resolve though. It’s simply not how we’re made up. It goes against everything good inside of us. If we build up a wall so that love, trust and friendship don’t get in, then we can’t let any of those needs get out either.  No one is really happy being a Scrooge, right? We are social, community beings.  Our hard-drives mysteriously push even the most committed hermit to reach out to someone for interaction and relationships—even if it’s a soccer ball. (Just ask my husband who swore he’d never get married again) But those interdependent relationships will always be accompanied by disappointment at some level so long as imperfect men and women are given any position of trust in our lives.  When it comes to creating an environment of independence, aka preparedness, how can we remain true to our good natures without constantly exposing ourselves to potentially deadly mistakes of misplaced trust? How can we interact and still be protected and peaceful? Is there a way to have both without compromising the good inside of us or our emotional and spiritual strength?

Yes. There is.

photo c/o x6f.xanga.com

First strategy: The best foundation for a healthy interdependence is an acceptance that it isn’t perfect.  I tell myself that the number one rule about friendship is that I will get hurt. But I have to decide if I’m willing to love them in spite of that.  The same goes for the other things that we rely on—the everyday things: i.e. our government, our banking system, the weather man, our education system, etc.  All of these aspects that we rely on so heavily and yet unconsciously, in many cases, are imperfect. The biggest danger we can put ourselves in is to deny that such is the case. Did the Great Depression last longer than it needed to as a result of the desires of the rich and powerful? Yes, yes, it did.  Is our public education system a contrived maneuver for tax collection? Yup. Sorry. It is.  Can we trust the Federal Reserve to act in our own best interested morally and ethically? Nope. Sorry.  You can’t expect men/women who are surrounded by unlimited amounts of cash and unchecked power to be virtuous any more than you can expect a room full of men not to look at a naked woman (if only for a second).  But you will be far better off to deal with these systems, ideas, and people in general if you do so with the understanding that it is susceptible to flaws—even catastrophic ones. If you understand that, then you eliminate the power that any of these things have to break you down and catch you by surprise.  Even terrorists know that their true power lies not in the wielding of the knife or the gun or the bomb. It lies in the fear of the unknown. I assure you that those who helped take down the terrorists on plane on 9/11 (knowing it still meant death to them) vs. those who let it be thrust upon them, went out of this world with much greater peace and joy.   So instead of making the world around you an unknown set of disappointments and breaches of trust, simply presume that flaws exist and you will find yourself much better prepared mentally and otherwise. This doesn’t require a pessimistic view on life and the world around you. It simply requires a healthy, matter of fact acceptance that things around us aren’t perfect.  In a final attempt at making my point clearer, allow me to share this.  I have a sister-in-law who is the mother of 6 boys, ranging in ages from 5 to 13. They are indeed a handful. But she accepts that as a part of who they are and doesn’t freak out when dead animals are brought into the house. This doesn’t make her a pessimist. This doesn’t require her to surrender any sort of order, decorum, or obedience in her home.  But it sure does help her sanity. Trying to change these growing boys into pictures of perfection would be just about as easy as my trying to get the jeepnies in the Philippines to forsake all of their counterintuitive behaviors.

Second Strategy: Do your homework.  If the issue is important enough for you to argue, then it should be important enough for you to research. Before I began using Shirley J, I went and interviewed the owners of the company. Before I began shooting primarily with a Glock I shot countless other handguns. Before I settled on particular brands of freeze-dried foods, I tested and used over 15 different kinds and even went to work temporarily with two of the companies as a consultant. I’m not talking about a PhD level of homework here. But I am talking about making informed decisions.  I don’t mind it if someone disagrees with me, even on issues that I consider to be vital to morality and ethics. But I do take exception if they make such decisions without any more than a bar room discussion drowned in liquor as their

Study before making any decision or relying on anyone else's say so. photo c/o i.ehow.com

classroom. We have far too much freedom for us to settle for ignorance.  Who to vote for, where to live, where to shop, how to take care of our children, how to get our dogs to stop barking, etc. etc. Our classroom learning simply can’t stop at the borders of brick and mortar. So long as we have decisions to make, we must take responsibility for backing up our opinions about those decisions. This isn’t about winning a debate. This is about the peace of mind that comes when you have thoroughly studied a topic and can take comfort in the foundation of your actions even in the midst of scorn or ridicule.  We are responsible in forming the courage of our convictions. Such courage comes only when our convictions have a clearly defined backbone.

May I also suggest when doing this homework that you apply the first strategy to your homework.  We simply cannot afford to sanction one person or entity as the source of all truth—with one exception which I’ll discuss in a moment.  The USDA, FDA, CIA, FBI, and all of those initial entities will not be right in everything. The only power they have is the power we give to them; literally and with our minds accepting their information.  They are not the almighty wizard. They are comprised of flawed human beings—most of which I like to believe are trying to do the right thing.  But perfectly executed actions based on faulty information never result in the perfect ending.  So research, yes, but with the first strategy in mind. Computers for example are a great tool. But only as great as the information they are fed.

Last Strategy: Debunk the debunkers.  Somebody has to do it.  We’ve given far too much credit and faith in Snopes, Wikipedia, CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times. As much as I may enjoy a dose of Glenn Beck here and there, I simply cannot afford to buy into everything that he says. He’s simply not a perfectly informed man.  So, if your favorite news source can’t be relied upon to debunk the debunkers, then who can?  How can we know the truth from the well-crafted lies without having a PhD ourselves in international finance, political science, medicine, world history, security, and social studies? It’s got to feel a bit overwhelming to those of us who are trying to find peace and security.  The good news—no, the great news is that there is a reliable source to assuage our minds from the stress of all of the uncertainties.

The Spirit bears witness of the truth of all things.  According to the scriptures, we have all been

Christ is the ultimate debunker. He is the one you should turn to whenever you have a question. photo c/o myspace.com

given the gift of the Light of Christ. (John 1:9) So ultimately, when you’re in doubt on something, listen to the inside.  Does it feel right? Does it sound true? Does it bring peace to your mind?  Pray about it. Listen. Pray about it some more if need be. If there is fear, trepidation, doubt, then it’s not right. If there is joy, peace, a clear mind, then it is right. This is yet another reason why I teach that Spiritual Preparedness is the most important part of preparedness. Sometimes it may be the only way you can sift through the truth and the lies until you’ve had the time to do more research or even get access to the truth. In fact, you may find out the truth of something long before science or government entities join you. But at least you won’t have wasted time wallowing in falsehoods in the meantime, right?

In closing, I also want to assure you that there is nothing too trivial.  If you’re deliberating over which solar oven is the best, do your homework and then listen. Listen for the Spirit to affirm your answer. The Lord doesn’t take our peace and security as a trivial matter. (James 1:5)  A wise man once told me “Information is the source of inspiration in many cases.” I have to agree with him on this as I’ve experienced it many times. 

Isn’t it great that we don’t have to stop trusting people just to be safe and secure? The reality and existence of evil should not be able to hold our hope and belief in our fellowmen hostage. I refuse to give that up and I hope you do too. I’m convinced that we can have both hope and security and thus be peacefully prepared.

In light of the length of this article, I’ll be giving you all a break on Wednesday. Tune in on Thursday for some more great information on Diatomaceous Earth!

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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 last year as I’ve been writing and teaching preparedness full-time, I have received on a rather regular basis, e-mail messages or blog comments questioning the veracity of my information because the reader has found somewhere else where such information was frowned upon, “debunked”, or disputed in some way. I don’t claim to perfect in my knowledge, but I do claim to be perfect in my intention to always provide my readers with information that I have researched, tried, and believed in.  Today’s article is for all of those who have already (or who may in the future) come across “debunkings” of my statements.

Philippines Jeppnies--what a wild ride! photo c/o www.pcreusere.com

For those of you don’t know, I lived in the Philippines for nearly a year and a half. In spite of all of my mental preparedness, it was definitely a culture shock for me. I didn’t get to dwell in the more “city-fide” areas.  I lived, traveled, ate, and communicated out in the boonies. While I was there I was constantly running into counterintuitive “policies.”  For example, when the jeepnies, which are the primary source of public transportation, would travel at night, they would leave their bright lights off until they came upon an oncoming jeepnie. Then they would turn their brights on until the other vehicle had passed them.  Another “tradition” was that it was considered a poor health decision for a woman to take a shower or bathe during her menses each month. These ridiculous notions come from somewhere. Someone in a position of authority started them. Needless to say, I bathed every day of every month and I probably rolled my eyes and chuckled a bit every time I saw the brights go on towards oncoming cars—and then said a silent prayer for safety.

I suspect that most of you are familiar with the tale of the emperor who is convinced that he’s wearing beautiful clothes which only wise men can see. He bought into this story, in part, because of his pride and the fact that he paid an exorbitant amount of money for these “new clothes.”  Not wanting to admit that he couldn’t see the clothes, the emperor paraded around butt naked in his imaginary attire. Only upon hearing a great deal of laughter and scorn from the villagers was he brought to his senses.

Today, we are surrounded with a great many counterintuitive and “emperor’s new clothes” scenarios. For the purpose of today’s article I want to explore the dangers of drinking the Kool-aid and how we can soundly determine fact from fiction.

So, for the first part of this article, today, I’m simply going to point out the dangers that we’re exposed to when we simply follow along as sheep. Tomorrow I’ll address how we can prepare and protect ourselves from being deceived.

While the lucky ones were escaping the death trap of The World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, the NY Port Authority (a state agency) was broadcasting over their loudspeakers for everyone to simply stay put! This is just a small example as to why I firmly believe that the existence of our freedom and safety are seriously vulnerable to what authoritative presentations we buy in to.  Call it drinking the Kool-aid, questioning reality; or whatever you will.  We must take the time to research for ourselves. And then we must condition our brain to respond to THAT input rather than the input which may come from the masses.

For every Mother Theresa through the ages, there are countless Hitlers photo c/o chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com

Our country, and even our world, is ultimately run by individuals. Yes, humans come with amazing talents, wisdom, mental fortitude, and compassion.  Unfortunately though, for every Mother Theresa through the ages, there are countless Hitlers. Now lest you think I’m pessimistic, understand that I am confident in how things turn out. I’ve read the book. I know how it ends. The good guys win, but not without a great deal of trial and travail brought about by the Hitlers of the world.  I believe firmly that in order to ensure your safety and true freedom, I can’t afford to simply take some “authority’s” word that something IS, simply because they say it IS.  Throughout history there have been far too many mistakes which have affected countless lives which prevent me from believing otherwise.

The USDA, which strongly advises against bottling butter, waxing your own cheese, or preserving your eggs in mineral oil And yet this same agency refuses to consider how such products were preserved BEFORE we entered the days of refrigeration.  This is the same government entity that refuses to shut down beef manufacturing plants which repeatedly offend safety guidelines.  The USDA also allows the beef manufacturing industry to label the ammonia which is put in the beef as an e-coli inhibitor as a “processing agent.”  The USDA is also the one that puts out the “food pyramid” as a guide to how much a person should be eating daily and of what types of food. It hasn’t been updated for decades. And yet there are numerous doctors who believe that if you were to stick to eating according to the food pyramid then more disease and sickness would be prevalent in our society because our foods no longer have the same base of nutrients that they did when the food pyramid was first created. Our soil has been sorely depleted in nutrients. The rampant use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and other chemicals have a direct affect on our bodies.  One doctor has written three bestselling books on the theory that regardless of what you eat, you won’t receive any nutrients if your body isn’t properly hydrated, and yet the USDA doesn’t say any such thing. (See books by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj) The USDA also has no quantified regulations as to what qualifies as “organic” and thus many products are mislabeled as such. Were you aware that Whole Foods purchases a great deal of their fruits and vegetables from China? China doesn’t have ANY organic checks and balances. (see http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2008/06/inside-scoop-organics-from-china/)

Let’s look at our U.S. military authorities. They should be trusted and believed to be protecting the lives of every soldier, right?   There is a high quality body armor available that the U.S military, as a whole, refuses to purchase for their soldiers, in spite of a greater value and evidence of a greater protection of life and vital organs. From what I’ve researched, it’s the very best body armor available to the masses and it’s the only body armor that’s available for civilians. It’s also the only body armor that’s customized to fit a woman and all of her curves.  Yet Dragon Skin has received nothing but criticism from the National Institute of Justice and many military leaders. Why? The truth is that there is a serious financial consequence to retired military officials if they endorse Dragon Skin, as they have accepted cushy retirement jobs from the existing body armor manufactures.  As such, with as much cut throat maneuvers as you would expect from a government conspiracy movie, the NIJ has managed to “debunk” the benefit of Dragon Skin. Well, the NIJ  “debunking” was counter-debunked by a special episode presented by The Discovery Channel’s hit show, Future Weapons. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYaSRIbPWkM  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_HRQNd84ZA&feature=related) NIJ had so little to go on that they actually refused in court “for reasons of national security” to not reveal what they felt was wrong with Dragon Skin.  Well, in my opinion, a multi-million dollar television show isn’t going to put their neck out “debunking” the NIJ unless they had the legal and physical strength to do so. The videos don’t lie in my opinion.  Neither do the testimonies of countless professionals who have had their life or physical functions saved as a result of Dragon Skin Body Armor. Fortunately, in spite of this brouhaha about the veracity of Dragon Skin, US Presidents and Vice Presidents, Secret Service Agents, Navy Seals, Blackwater contractors, celebrities, Middle East Contractors, members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Corps as well as diplomatic visitors have all benefitted from the use of Dragon Skin. But hey, the NIJ has “debunked” it—so it must be garbage, right?  Last, but not least, Dragon Skin puts their money where their mouth is by offering a $15,000,000 liability coverage on their product for each owner. (yes, that’s 15 million!) 

Smoking used to be hailed as healthy for you--DEBUNKED! photo c/o healthyliving.freedomblogging.com

In the early 1950’s Dr. Ian MacDonald and Dr. Henry Garland were contracted by the FDA to conduct a study on the effects of cigarette smoking. These two doctors came to the conclusion that smoking was a “harmless pastime” which was “unrelated to lung cancer.” Dr. MacDonald was later quoted as saying “A pack a day keeps the doctor away.”  Over a million people have died as a result of that lie.  So, I ask you, were their conclusions accurate “debunking” of the concerns medical researchers had with cigarettes, or was it just plain genocide?

Now, let’s follow these same two doctors on another matter.  The FDA contracted with these same two “professionals” to debunk an alternative treatment for cancer in 1953.  The two doctors paired up to call the treatment of Laetrile as “unconvincing” and “wasteful.”  Thus the FDA has refused to conduct any additional research on this topic and the American Cancer Society treats the topic with scorn. Both entities have refused any further investigation in spite of the obvious scientific errors these two doctors have committed in the past. Well apparently the standings of the FDA, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Cancer Society have been demoted by hundreds of American cancer patients per year. Instead of having cancer patients flee to our shores for the best treatments for cancer, we have hundreds fleeing from our shores to other nations in order to receive effective cancer treatments and even cures. Yet somehow these authorities stick with their commitment to our cancer treatment as it is now, even though the effectiveness of cancer treated through radiation and chemotherapy yields only a 5-10% effectiveness after 30 years of application. The bottom line for this butt-naked charade is all about money. The American Cancer Society MUST claim that their current methods are effective otherwise billions of dollars of funding would dry up.

I could go on and on here with several other examples.  But suffice it to say, “debunking” is usually motivated by money and power in one way or another.  Government and powerful corporate entities have repeatedly shown themselves to be more interested in cover-ups than they are in good ole’ honest coming clean.  So, without becoming hardened pessimists who don’t believe in mankind anymore, what can we do? I’ll address that tomorrow. Till then…don’t drink the Kool-aid just yet.

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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

Conspiracies--Fact or Fiction? photo c/o www.corrupt.org/

I’ve probably said this before, but one of my favorite bumper stickers of all time says “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after me.”

I find that there is a dangerous and debilitating stigma in our international society.  If a proposed theory has anything to do with the fact that a person or group of persons has actually conspired, plotted, and planned to bring about the demise of another person, then the proposal is discounted as audacious and mentally deficient. “Conspiracy!” they cry—as if calling something a conspiracy eliminates the validity of any proposed belief of supposition.  Can I just ask a perfectly blunt question?  Why is that?  Why, when we have such an abundance of proven conspiracies is it considered a social and mental faux pas to propose that something is a conspiracy to do harm to others? I firmly believe that in doing so we are discounting the reality of danger. We are exposing ourselves as vulnerable as a fresh animal wound at night in the land of South Africa.  We are playing into the designs of bloodthirsty predators as their willing prey. To be naïve of the scope and determination of conspiracies, we make ourselves far too vulnerable and dependent, thus negating the maximum effects of our preparedness efforts.  Let me share with you why such a negative stigma against the reality of conspiracy is so illogical.

Al Qaida is an admitted conspiracy group.  I doubt that most of us would dispute that. But can I just say that the reason why we don’t dispute it is because it’s socially and politically acceptable for us to view them as crafty conspirators? Whether you look into their conspiratorial designs on the surface or in depth, they make no secret of the fact that they have truly conspired to do irreparable harm to all Christian nations.  Fortunately for us, the mainstream media feels that painting them as the bad guy is beneficial for their own designs of conspiracy and as such we are able to easily see them as “the bad guys.” As such, we are better able to swallow that they regularly engage in “conspiracy.”  But what if the conspirators are those who we otherwise rely on or trust?

USDA--can we trust what they say? photo c/o www.fns.usda.gov

Now, let’s talk about the USDA.  No upstanding American would portray them as conspirators, right? Oh, how I hope that we’re not really that naïve.  The USDA told us for months and months that we could expect a bumper crop this year. (Bumper crop, as in at least a 20% excess of what we need.) The USDA continued to post such information on their official website even well after the abysmal destruction of crops such as corn and soy beans commenced.  If you look hard for it, you will also find a report which concurs (finally) with the fact that as early as November of last year, the USDA granted special emergency fund approvals to various Midwestern and Eastern states due to “widespread crop damage.”  Just so you know, “widespread crop damage” is defined by the USDA as at LEAST 30 percent damage to a particular group of crops. 30 percent damage to our corn, soybean, and even wheat crops.  This, when we already have exported ALL of our wheat reserves from our nation.  In spite of this, the “bumper crop prediction” still stands front and center on the USDA website.

So the question is, WHY would the USDA and the mainstream media not be forthright in bringing this information to its proper light? Let’s continue to explore this.

Are you aware of all of the food items which rely on corn, soy and wheat?  If you ever eat out or if you ever purchase something prepackaged, then you have most likely ingested ALL of the above.  Every cake mix, loaf of bread, syrup, peanut butter, pasta mix, etc. is affected by these ingredients in some way or another. As such, we can expect the kind of financial increase in such goods as we shortly experienced in wheat and rice in 2007. The problem is also that since wheat, corn and soybeans are affected, we can also expect the price of rice to go up, as demand for it as a substitution will rise as well. We are currently looking at rising fuel prices, a diminishing dollar, tanking residential and commercial markets and oh, by the way, your food bill is about to double or quadruple.  Yup. We’re not hearing that.  Why?

Impact on Wall Street--HUGE photo c/o www.diversityjobs.com

Well, to put it plainly, it’s because the Wall Street markets can’t handle a hit like that right now and if there is a run on the grocery stores of only a 20% increase, then such a run and panic would trigger a domino effect that would impact Wall Street. Regardless of what end Wall Street is at on such a panic, they would crash.  Our administration can’t take the heat of such a crash right now.  The USDA is a government run entity. Our wheat, rice, corn, and soy commodities are some of the main backbones of the Market right now.

Let’s put the 20% run on the grocery stores in perspective for a moment. When a coupon comes out for a particular product, that product is cleared off of the shelves within the first day by eager couponers, in spite of the store attempting to anticipate higher demand for the product. Just so you know, couponing accounts for only 14% of all sales in a grocery store.  Whereas if you perpetuated the idea that there would  be an astronomical increase in wheat, soy, or corn based products, that could also trigger a demand…not a coupon euphoria either. A bona fide panic demand.  Even at only 14%, it would clear off of the shelves, and the panic would lead to a domino effect of most other products carried by the grocers as well.  The domino effect of a panic on food would be just as fast to disrupt and destroy your way of life as a police car simply pulled over to the side of the highway—complete stand still.

The bottom line is that the prevalent antagonistic programming that so successfully skewers anyone who has the audacity to claim “conspiracy” is effective. Many normal persons have hung their head in shame and embarrassment simply for asking a simple question. But keep in mind that it’s counter-intuitive to believe that conspiracies aren’t rampant and real in our everyday world.  Where there is virtue, there is selfishness. Where there is charity, there is thievery.  We simply can’t believe in people who have beautiful motivations and not believe that there are also people who are motivated strictly by greed and control.  Yes, I agree that conspiracy theories can be taken to the extreme. I’m just not sure we are fully aware of what that “extreme” is. After all, the private banking industry taking over our nation’s entire currency flow was pretty extreme if you ask me. Yet nearly a hundred years later, many still are in the dark about it, ashamed of being labeled as a crazy conspiracy theorist.

A smart move is to start paying attention to what goes on around you photo c/o www.usfirst.org

The point of me writing my article is to attempt to have more people shed the stigma of questioning what is going on around us so that they can see the real state of things–so they can be properly prepared.  The use of the word “conspiracy” has been, by design, altered to portray a stigma of the mentally deranged, paranoid, or irresponsible.  When in fact, the reality of those who would conspire to harm or destroy is truly abundant.  I think that questioning and researching and verifying the research is one of the smartest things one can do to properly protect their family.  I think newly discovering such conspirators is alarming, whereas understanding their presence and motives and planning on how I’m going to counter such plans gives me a great deal of peace.

As a parting, but somewhat disjointed comment, I just wanted to express the following. Forgive my somewhat ornery rant. What I don’t understand is this: why is it ok for the mainstream media to pummel us with a litany of meaningless murder, rape and robbery statistics, 95% incorrect weather predictions, the “five year anniversary of the floods in St. George”, Islamic New Year celebrations, and the latest string of lies and insincerity from political officials and yet they can’t share with us the kind of critical information that would actually HELP us to wake up and better prepare?  I don’t really like being manipulated.  And I loathe selfish panic control.  Et tu?

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.

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Surprised? Probably not. photo c/o polyvore.com

Hey folks. This article from Info Wars echoes what I’ve been saying in previous articles regarding a food shortage. It also gets into specifics as to what might be the USDA’s motivation for not declaring the shortage earlier–instead they claimed that we were going to have a bumper crop. (coughing, choking, gasping)

I hope that you all are ready for this. Don’t panic. Get organized. Make an accounting of what you really have. And fill in your gaps. But please stop delaying it.

http://www.infowars.com/2010-food-crisis-means-financial-armageddon/

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

By Kellene Bishop

While I was teaching classes in Vegas this weekend, I had a gal come up to me and share some of her personal stories. One of which was about her daughter who lives in “tornado territory.” The woman shared with me that she was happy her daughter had finally started being mindful about being better prepared. She says that her daughter realized how often they hear tornado warnings and decided to “get on the stick.” The thought that came to my mind after hearing her story was how we ALL have tornado warnings going off all of the time. It’s my hope that we’ll learn to pay attention to them. Keep in mind that a tornado warning isn’t an indicator of death and destruction. It is a warning that now is the time for you to put your preparedness into practice. Thus the fact that we’re hearing the tornado warnings all around us in virtually every aspect of our environment, we are essentially being provided with “dress rehearsals” to help us be ready for the “live performance.” 

Throughout the weekend I was also surprised to have been asked by several people “how much longer” I thought we really had. Let’s be clear, I am not a prophet. I have no more access to information regarding what’s taking place on our world stage than you do. We all have access to the scriptures. The real question is, are we paying attention to all of the indicators that we have available to us? Here are the tornado warnings I see looming in the wings at present.

Unemployment photo c/o homelessness.change.org

Unemployment rate has finally been admitted by the Obama administration to be over 10%. In actuality it’s over 22%.  But hey, at least they were willing to admit their dreaded number of over 10%. Just to give you a frame of reference, unemployment was at 33% during the Great Depression during which time the standard of living was less, the dollar was worth more, etc.

Our nation is at the most horrific sized national deficit than all of our history put together.

Our enemies are becoming more bold in their hatred of us.

Our U.S. Constitution barely remains intact.

I expect there to be a great war between Iraq and Israel by the end of the year.

We have an unprecedented excess of money in circulation with no accounting thereof, and no gold or silver to back it up. It’s all just paper.

We are being primed for a medical challenge. Whether it be a factual pandemic, or a contrived one, it will still have a serious effect if any portion of our population is put under a quarantine order.

We are looking at a genuine food shortage throughout the world. The bumper crop that USDA predicted this year will NOT happening, thus not only will our own flour, soy, corn, and sugar goods rise in price dramatically, but the United States will be unable to aid foreign nations since our own surplus supplies have been exhausted.

The work ethic of the young generation is seriously compromised today. This means that there is a lack of innovation, problem solving, and initiative which is critical to aiding in any in long term financial or political problems.

The value of our dollar has dropped sharply, by 50%, just in the last week.

Fort Hood Shooting Memorial photo c/o nydailynews.com

A terrorist act has recently been carried out on our own soil against our servicemen, indicating that we are sorely unaware of the hatred and conspiracies which lurk among us.

Take all these tornado warnings along with the scriptures that will be fulfilled quite literally, and you can decide for yourself whether or not you think you’re going to get many more “dress rehearsals.”

Now, clearly I could go on, but sharing with you the gloom and doom of the day is not my goal. My point is that none of this is news to any of you. And yet it should all act as tornado warnings to all of us. We’d be foolish to wait until we actually saw the tornado itself prior to being better prepared, when the smell is clearly in the air that something is amiss.

May we be aware and be prepared that this country—in all of its greatness—may continue to be carried on the backs of solid, sound, and resolved citizens. Remember that only a prepared and sober people can accomplish such a task.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

2007 and 2008 were the two biggest years in history for food recalls. Meat, peanut butter, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and even dog food were among the few that were deemed dangerous or downright deadly for consumption. In my view, this is just another reason for the case in favor of having a year’s supply of food and water provisions.

When our country was made up largely of farmers, it was not unheard of for farmers to have one to two years of grain and other food stuffs stored for the future. They knew from experience that one never could rely on the goodness of Mother Nature, the economy, or world peace to guarantee a profitable harvest each year. Thus having a year’s supply of provisions and surviving on an annual paycheck was a necessary way of life. In this same vein of wisdom, our own government stored several year’s worth of grains, fuel, and other reserves to shore up against a “rainy day.” 

Today there our government granaries are completely empty. There are simply NO government owned stores of grains or seeds left. All that remains is false claims by the USDA that this year’s farms will yield “bumper crops” in direct contrast to everything reported from the farmers themselves. As such, the cost of items with sugar, corn, soybeans, or wheat is expected to skyrocket in price this year. Ironically we will have to pay for such items with currency that is no longer backed by anything more than a man behind a curtain saying “all is well.” (Even Fort Knox is empty of its “rainy day” gold stores, folks.)  

In addition to prudent planning that our government used to engage in, the safety of our foods was reliable, the ingredients were easily read, and the process used to bring them to the masses was simply a commercialized version of what a housewife could do for herself on a smaller scale. Today, however, we have meat that’s sold by the pound, infused with water (making it heavier) and coloring chemicals; vegetables that are coated in chemicals that require a PhD just to pronounce, and packaged meals and beverages which brag that they contain a whopping “10% of real” food ingredients which are actually recognizable. Environmental groups have more say about your supply than does does any seasoned medical professional. What gets put on our children’s plate in school is influenced by revenues instead of nutrition. While there is one soda pop machine available for every 97 persons in the U.S., fresh, unadulterated food stands are becoming as rare as an honest politician.

Hopefully, by realizing the veracity of this scene I’ve painted for you, you realize that having stores of food on hand in your home isn’t just about being ready for an Armageddon-like scenario. It’s not about being some kind of a paranoid survivalist. It has everything to do with being self-reliant and taking responsibility for the preservation, health, and survival of you and your family.  As such, we need to be more aware and vigilant in being self-reliant in the storing of our most vital everyday needs.

I’ve provided “food for thought” when it comes to reasons for food stores. But please do not dismiss the need for safe drinking water. Only a few days without water will bring catastrophic consequences. During the Great Hungarian War, the soldiers would have literally given their right arm for water. They had food. They had clothing. They had safety in their shelters. They had fuel to keep them warm and dry. But when they had to venture out to get water—that is when the Hungarian soldiers were shot and killed. And yet the water was vital to the health of their organs, sanitation, and thirst. Remember, to be safe, have at least ONE gallon of water per person per day. That may sound like a ridiculous amount of water to you right now, but it will go far too quickly if you find yourself without it.

Ask yourself what you can do to have more self-reliant stores on hand to better protect and provide you with safety and survival.

Tomorrow I’ll be writing about how you can better guarantee the quality, safety and nutrition of your foods through sprouting—No, it’s not just for hippies. So tune in.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

It's a wet year for crops, folks. Photo c/o MPR photo/Dan Gunderson

Ok folks. Here’s some more info on food shortage—it’s going to be a wet year for crops. I keep getting flack for putting food shortage information out there and have been called a fear monger and irresponsible journalist. But the fact of the matter is, we do need to be aware of these kinds of things so that we can knowledgably address our preparedness needs.

In an effort to allay fears of citizens, the USDA has issued several statements this year celebrating a “bumper crop” outlook among farmers. In some key farming areas, a late crop was planted due to weather complications. However, due to heavy rains nationwide, early frosts and snow, many farmers are reporting a very different scenario.

Moldy corn in Indiana Photo c/o A. Robertson

Corn and bean crops all over the farming regions of the U.S. are soaked. It’s a wet year for crops. I’ve read over 30 accounts from farmers who can’t even get a combine out in the field due to the rain or snow.  Those who are able to harvest are having a tough time drying the corn and a great deal of the corn is moldy. Some beans have begun to pop weeks early. There have been bumper crops grown, but no way to harvest them with all of the moisture and subsequent freezing weather.

Wheat farmers are conveying the same message as well. “It’s as if the harvest time came and went like a thief in the night,” says one farmer from South Dakota. Some farmers have resorted to chisel plowing, but it’s slow going and with additional threats of moisture and freezing temperatures, it doesn’t look good. Some of the hot September days helped late planted crops to mature, but the harvesting of such crops is still a challenge.

• According to Texas AgriLife Personnel, Texas wheat crops were subjected to heavy rains followed by army worms. As such the crop yields are diminishing greatly.
• South Central Kansas is concerned about even getting their winter wheat planted due to the excessive moisture in the ground at present.
• North Texas claims that there has been over 2 feet of rain in the last 2 months and as a result, the cotton will never be harvested.
• Redwood County, MN reports that only 50% of the soybeans were harvested and has now “ground to a halt.” Their growing season has ended with 5 nights in a row in the mid 20’s.
• 

  Iowa farm with seven inches of snow in October

  Wright County, IA awoke to an inch of snow on the ground earlier this month. One farmer claimed “Harvest at a standstill after this snow. I think the speculators are in for a big surprise by the time harvest ever gets on the way or done.”

• A Northern Indiana farmer says “We have not been able to even get into a field to harvest and weather has only let us plant 20 acres of wheat, the corn is running 28% and bean stems are still green. I think they should rethink the harvest outlooks, can’t see it being a bumper anything…with a chance of early snow.”
• A Brown County, SD farmer had this to report, “Haven’t turned a wheel yet for harvest. Approaching 13 inches of rain for September and early October and now it is snowing. Gonna be an interesting harvest if we even are able to get in the field.”

Start storing, folks. Pantry photo c/o Creativemonkey721

My point? Because of this wet year for crops, don’t plan on our reserves being filled again any time soon folks. You should also plan on steep price increases beginning the first part of November due to the low yields. These price increases will be most evident on items which contain corn or corn derivatives. And keep an eye out for anything which contains soy increasing dramatically as well. With the problem being on such a national level, it’s bound to affect the market dramatically as opposed to a little “blip” that would occur if the lack of crops were isolated to one area. During this wet year for crops, my advice to you is to store up, folks, so that you can afford your other necessities.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

It’s interesting what a seemingly innocuous sounding sentence can do.  Apparently the phrase “you can wax your own cheese and store it” is a vile enough claim to cause some to turn on their evil buttons. Oh the controversy. But the problem is that the misinformed cheese wax controversy is causing some to not have their favorite food group in stock in the event of an emergency. No cheese? That’s practically against my religion. I’d rather be hung by my toes and pummeled with an organic carrot than be forced to survive without chocolate and cheese. So, I consider it my duty to share the sound reasons as to why I’m completely comfortable waxing and storing my own cheese.

Sure as shootin’, if you e-mail or question someone at your local extension office or the USDA they will give you the canned statement that the preservation of dairy products without refrigeration is not recommend and may be harmful to your health. However, as in all government and bureaucratic agencies, if you ask enough people, you’ll find conflicting information. The sanctity of storing cheese without refrigeration is no exception. Not only have I found several government and educational entities which agree that hard cheeses do not require refrigeration, but the history books are replete with examples of cheesemakers, restaurateurs, and homemakers doing without the refrigeration of their cheeses long before and after the 1940’s when refrigeration became more widely accepted.

Before union health inspectors swept through the streets of New York City, no self-respecting Italian would ever refrigerate their freshly made mozzarella cheese. In fact, there are still a handful of devout artists who refuse to do so. In spite of today’s advanced technologies, the shop windows in Poland and France are still dotted with a beautiful range of cheeses hanging from the ceiling, tied with cotton string, and snugly wrapped in cheesecloth and wax. Cheese artists will tell you that the masterpiece taste of cheese lies in the aging process, the quality of molds, starters, fermentation, and brining. Refrigeration merely inhibits these agents from developing—without which the taste buds of any cheese aficionado are offended. But alas, mass production has caused the health departments to step in and ensure that no consumer contracts a deadly foodborne illness—specifically botulism poisoning. Yup. Every year the USDA spends hundreds of million of tax dollars so that they can prevent those 160 cases of botulism which occur about every 10 years—103 of them in Alaska, due to the fermented meat eating habits of the Alaska Natives there.   

It’s interesting to note that after a solid week of research on the internet and in the library, I only found one case in which any persons contacted botulism from “cheese.” And in this particular instance (1951) it was actually a commercially canned cheese sauce that was the perpetrator. Yet for some reason, we are still strongly cautioned against waxing cheese and preserving it. Adding insult to injury, (literally) I get to tolerate the ridiculous e-mails from some, accusing me of being some kind of a fascist because I’m advocating that folks wax and store their own cheese. Such accusations are ostensibly based on scientific research. But my research begs the question, “What kind of science is this?” If I tried to use one case in 1951 as the basis of a 6^th grade report on “the dangers of waxing your own cheese” I’d surely get an F grade. We’ve had thousands of individuals who’ve been able to reverse their cancer symptoms with vitamin B-12, and yet that’s not considered to be enough scientific evidence to promote such a valuable and non-invasive treatment for our American citizens. So, I’m thinking that one 11-ounce can of tainted commercially processed cheese sauce is certainly not sufficient scientific evidence to say that waxing my own cheese is bad for me—especially in light of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have joyfully indulged in cheese preserved this way for generations, in all types of weather, all over the world.

Now, making it perfectly clear that I don’t put much stock in something that the USDA says, common sense and an understanding of botulism should cause any cheese waxer to take certain precautions. So I’m going to give you some additional guidelines in order to prevent you from getting sick. (Cowardly useless disclaimer: Wax and consume waxed cheese at your own risk. There. Now my attorney will be happy.)

Only Wax Hard Cheeses

Fresh Parmesan Cheese on Pasta. Photo c/o foodwinelove.com

The less moisture you have in your cheeses, the better they are for waxing. The cheese wax controversy is fed by individuals attempting to wax any kind of cheese. But the hard cheeses are the only kind that should be stored this way. The cheeses that I wax are Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheddar, Swiss, Romano, Gruyere, and Colby. In order to eliminate a problem of moisture coming from the inside of your cheese and causing bacteria, select cheeses to wax that aren’t more than 40% moisture. These cheeses will typically continue to age and get sharper in taste, but I think these kinds of cheeses taste better the sharper they get. I LOVE Gruyere on potatoes, Colby paired with chicken, and Swiss paired with pork, Romano paired with risotto, and Parmesan paired with pasta. The sharper the better. Yum. In my extensive research I found several extension services and university instructions which specifically stated that hard cheeses did NOT require refrigeration such as Purdue, Mississippi State University, and the FDA. The key to this being the case is the hardness of the cheese—meaning the lack of moisture. 

I also interviewed 3 professional cheesemakers over this past week. All of them were of the same opinion and experience that they regularly store the hard cheeses waxed for 2 years or more. Even the cheese aging process requires that cheese be stored at cool room temperatures—not refrigeration.

Waxing Considerations

• Part of the cheese wax controversy comes with the problem of using the wrong kind of wax. When it comes to the science of waxing your cheese, I can’t say it strongly enough. The only wax you should use is cheese wax. Please do not use paraffin wax. While the cheese wax actually melts at lower temperatures than paraffin, it can ultimately (and safely) reach a higher temperature than paraffin. You want this in order to prevent any bacteria from growing on the outside. So be sure your wax is hot enough. Germs are killed at 180 degrees, so heat up your wax to 200 degrees so that when the temperature is dropped when you put it on the cheese, you still are applying wax that is 180 degrees or more. (Don’t heat the wax hotter than 210 degrees F. After heating my wax sufficiently, I turn off the heat source completely.)
• Cheese wax is also more pliable than paraffin. Whatever position you put your cheese in when you store it, gravity will come into play and readjust it a bit. Thus you want a wax that will move with it. Paraffin wax will not do that. Cheese wax also dries faster than paraffin, making your task less time consuming and giving less opportunity for moisture to develop during the waxing process. 
• In view of the gravity issue I’ve already mentioned, it’s also smart to wax smaller sections of cheese instead of heavy ones in which the weight will cause a greater shift in the position of the cheese. (Since most of my recipes call for 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese, I like to wax nothing bigger than 16 ounces of cheese.)
• Use food handling gloves on your hands when you wax the cheese. The oils from your hands will affect how the wax adheres to the cheese. With your bare hands it’s also easy to add germs to your cheese.
• 

  Red Cheese Wax

  Next, the color of wax doesn’t matter. (Some crazy visually impaired person must have started that particular cheese wax controversy ) The color of the wax is really only symbolic to the commercial cheese industry in terms of how long a cheese has aged. However, I prefer to always use the red or the black wax since it will allow less light into the cheese.

• Prior to putting your cheese in the wax, or brushing it, be sure to pat the cheese completely dry. You don’t want to see any moisture on it at all. This is part of the reason why I’m adamantly against folks freezing their cheese before or after waxing it. If you freeze it and then put hot wax on it, you are forcing an expansion and condensation process. The same happens if you freeze it after waxing it. You don’t want any expansion going on. Let it sit out to get to room temperature prior to waxing it.
• If you have trouble getting your wax to adhere to the cheese, then consider wrapping the cheese first in real cheesecloth material. I apply just a little bit of wax with the brush in order to keep the cheesecloth in place prior to dipping it. (For applying wax on your cheese, I don’t recommend using cheap cheesecloth from the grocery store. It barely qualifies as cheesecloth. What you want is a bit thicker, more muslin type. I recommend getting the cheesecloth from a dairy farmer, or a cheesemaking supply retailer on the internet.)
• Use several thin coats of wax instead of a couple of thick ones. I have adapted to dipping my cheese in the wax 3 separate times and then I brush on the last coat, for a total of 4 coats. It’s key to use the boar’s hair brush, because that will give you the most even and smooth coat of wax. You can brush all of your coats of wax on if you’d like, but it takes longer and it requires more wax. (The good news is though that you can reuse your cheese wax. Just peel it, clean it with soap and water, and then you can re-melt it and use it again. I even save my “Bonne Bell” cheese wax and use it.)
• When you dip the cheese in the wax, hold the piece above the wax for a full 90 seconds to dry after you’ve dipped it; before dipping in another portion of the cheese. If you lay it down to cool/dry, then you run the risk of a crack or crevice to be created while the wax is cooling. So yes, my arms get tired sometimes, but I’d rather be sure that I’ve done the waxing process right. Also, don’t allow the cheese to sit in the wax when you dip it for longer than 5 seconds. You will run the risk of melting the cheese if you expose it to that heat for that long. (Yes, this is a bit of a tricky dance sometimes.)

Storing Considerations

The whole point of waxing your cheese is so you don’t have to take up valuable refrigeration space, and so you can still have REAL cheese in the event of a prolonged power outage scenario. It’s no secret that cheese has been around a LONG time—a lot longer than refrigeration. I assure you cheese was not discovered during the Ice Age. In the Roman Empire, cheese had become a major import/export business by 400 B.C. It doesn’t take a paleontologist to confirm that there wasn’t any refrigeration available back then. The Dutch actually created waxing and brining (salting) in order to extend the shelf-life of hard cheeses. I always picture Caesar indulging in cheese whenever he got stressed. :) http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/food/documents/cheese.pdf

Nothing much has changed since then when it comes to storing cheese safely. The key lies in the light permeation and the temperature of your cheese. A non-clear wax used on your cheese can take care of the light issue. Storing your cheese out of direct sunlight, away from heat, and in a cool area takes care of the temperature issue. In fact, when cheese is aged by professional cheesemakers, it’s kept in temperatures ranging between 55-70 degrees F. In the Balkans, for instance, where the climate is warmer, the cheese is stored regularly at 70 degrees F. The storing of cheese at these temperatures occurs for several weeks or months during the aging process, depending on the type of cheese being made. If you don’t have a home which permits you to store your cheese regularly at this temperature range, then I don’t recommend that you try this route of cheese preservation.  

Store, Air, and Rotate

Cheesecloth photo c/o surlatable.com

Pick the coolest area of your home to store your cheese in. I recommend either putting the cheese in a cheesecloth (the cheap stuff is OK for this purpose) and then hang it on the ceiling, or to place your waxed cheese in a multi-tiered hanging wire basket trio (like the ones people store their fruits/vegetables in their kitchens.) Cheese is made with an active culture. Thus you want it to be able to “breathe.” I don’t have problems with rodents getting into mine this way. But if you do have a rodent problem, I recommend to keep the waxed cheese in large Mason jars with some holes punched on the top lid for breathing. It’s also recommended to change the position of your cheese every 4 weeks. As I said before, cheese will be affected by gravity. So, change the position so that it doesn’t “move” so much that it cracks the wax and to prevent the moisture from settling in your cheese. And as with EVERY other thing that you store in your food storage, be sure to rotate your cheese and use it as well. 

Some good news for you to know, is that if your cheese does start to crack for some reason, you can simply rewax that area. If you see some mold developing, simply cut off the mold, about an inch deeper than you see it, and rewax that area. The good news is that no, you have not ruined an entire block of cheese.

Wisconsin Cheese photo c/o explorewisconsin.com

On a final note, I think it’s interesting to note that if you were to go to the grocery aisles in the UK, you would not find your cheese in a refrigerated section. (The same goes for eggs and butter as well.) Believe it or not, here in the U.S. I’ve even found guidelines for retailers from the Public Health Dept. of Wisconsin—a state that definitely knows its cheese in which they share a similar sentiment. In their materials for grocers they specifically say that hard cheeses do NOT require refrigeration when on display. Ironically, my research also benefited from one of the very sources which one of my nemesis referred to when accusing me of the high crimes of cheese waxing. Even the local Utah Valley University Extension offices shared this with me in an e-mail:

A few cheeses based on their dryness, fermentation, and a few other factors are safe to store at room temperature. When these cheeses are stored that way, they can develop mold on the surface. Waxing the surface inhibits that mold.

Naturally, he wouldn’t tell me which cheeses he believed would benefit from waxing. But then again, I doubt he intended to help my research in this case either.

All in all, I hope that sharing some of this research on the cheese wax controversy and more specific tips will help you satisfy your desire for cheese in any circumstance.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

June 12, 2007.  That was a day I experienced a moment of euphoria as a concern of mine had just been satisfied completely.  That was the day I discovered you could bottle butter.  It was a very, very happy day for me, until I began doing research on it.  There were an abundance of comments surfacing on the internet stating that bottling butter simply wasn’t safe because it was “impossible” to get rid of any botulism.  My joy was squashed.  But after speaking to many lifetime emergency preparedness folks who swore that bottling butter was just fine, I decided to do more research on the matter.  The good news is I’ve decided to fully embrace bottling butter.  The thought of butter on my homemade wheat bread, even in the midst of a crisis, is just too enticing to pass up.  So here’s how I’ve come up with my rationale for bottling butter in spite of what some information on the internet has said.

1)      History: I interviewed no less than TWENTY individuals who have been bottling butter and using it without any instances of illness or food poisoning.  Most of these individuals have been bottling butter for longer than a decade.  The key is to use clean and sanitized jars and lids as well as to bring the butter up to the boiling point. (Instructions follow)

2)      The Source of the Bottled Butter Controversy: The bottom line is that oxygen and bacteria are the primary culprits in the deterioration of foods.  Just as fire can’t live without oxygen, bacteria doesn’t do so well without it either.  The bottling butter process eliminates oxygen from the butter.  However, nothing—not the canning of any item—can  be certain to  “kill” botulism.  You simply need to make sure that you do not provide a source for botulism in the first place.

Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium, Clostridium botulinum.  Such bacteria are commonly found in soil.  Butter is not a substance harvested from soil.  Additionally, instances of botulism have been mostly eradicated in the U.S.  Each year, the CDC records roughly 25 cases of food borne botulism poisoning.  Most of the findings originate in some fermented whale and other traditional foods prepared by Alaska natives.  There has not been a case of commercially prepared foods containing botulism since the early 1970s.  (Click here for a link of warning)

Photo c/o http://onlinepastrychef.wordpress.com

I have found that the majority of those who state that bottling butter is dangerous are relying primarily on a report issued by the USDA as linked for you above.  In other words, the primary entity stating NOT to bottle your own butter is the Department of Agriculture.  While I may sound a bit like a rebel, I don’t give that much stock.  After all, the FDA, Surgeons General, etc., have made a whole lot of big mistakes over the years such as “smoking IS NOT hazardous”, “Laetrile will not help with cancer”, “Ephedrine is perfectly safe”, just to name a few.  I’ve found that a great deal of “government studies” always tend to benefit the person who’s paying for the study.  Clearly it would not be financially beneficial to the commercial dairy manufacturers if folks were bottling their own butter. 

While you’ll have to make this decision for yourself, I for one will be bottling my own butter and stocking up on it any time I can get it for less than $1.50 a pound.  After all, does the USDA tell you that you can store cheese on your own for 25 years, or that you can store “fresh” eggs for 9 months?  I think not.  And yet I KNOW that these methods work.  I’ve also seen several “butter storing” canisters for sale on the shelves at kitchens supply stores.  Again, the concept is that you can store the butter on your counter by eliminating the oxygen that gets into it.

I have a confession to make.  I keep my butter on the counter by the toaster for when I have toast.  I don’t refrigerate it.  I’ve done it ever since I was a little kid, ’cause that’s just what Mom and Grandma did.  I’ve NEVER gotten food poisoning—ever.

When it comes to using your bottled butter, I have a recommendation.  In an emergency situation where you’re having to make your supplies last for “who knows how long” I don’t recommend using your bottled butter for anything other than buttering.  Applesauce, pie fillings, oils, and so many other items will suffice as substitues in your other baking and cooking endeavors.  So don’t think that you have to bottle enough butter to use in everything to last you for a year.  Save the butter moments for when it really counts.

Here are the bottled butter instructions.  You’ll see that they are VERY easy.

• As an extra precaution, I place all of my jars, rings (no seals), utensils, pots, funnel, etc., that I am going to use for this project out in my solar oven for about 30 minutes at 200 to 250 degrees so that they are all sanitized.
• You can use any butter available, but I don’t recommend bottling margarine.   The less quality of butter that you buy will take a little bit more “shaking’ but I’ll get to that later.  The results are the same regardless of how much you spend on the butter.
• (One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars.  A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.)
• Heat up your clean, pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals.
• While the jars are heating in your oven, melt your unwrapped butter slowly in a pot on your stove until it comes to a slow boil.  DO NOT DO THIS IN THE MICROWAVE.  Be sure that the pot you are using is EXTRA clean and sanitized.  (I always like to make sure the pot I use has gone through the sanitize cycle of my dishwasher or the sanitation recommendation above.)  Boil the butter for 5 minutes like this.  Using a clean utensil, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching.  When you rest the utensil, be certain that it is NOT placed on any area that may have germs.  Being sure to do a slow boil will make the necessary shaking time shorter.
• Place the rings and lids in a pot boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until needed.  Use tongs to pull them out of the water to avoid burning your hands.
• Once the butter is finished boiling, remove it from the heat.  Using a ladle or small measuring cup, scoop the butter from the pan and pour it into the jars.  I like using a funnel to ensure I don’t leave a mess.   Fill the jars leaving a ¾ inch of head space in the jar.  This allows room for the shaking process.

Bottled butter photo c/o http://selfrelianceadventures.blogspot.com

• Wipe off the top of the jars with a clean, sanitized towel or wash cloth. Place a hot lid and ring on the jar.  Secure lids.  The lids will seal as they cool.  Once a few lids “ping,” shake the entire jar while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle safely.  You are doing this because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom.  You want to blend it as much as possible while it cools.  Repeat this every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes.  You will begin to see a the same consistency in the entire jar.
• Now place your jars into the refrigerator.  While they are cooling and hardening, shake again every 5 to 10 minutes for a half hour.  The butter will begin to look like firm butter.  Be sure that you don’t skip this step as the final shaking is very important!  Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar.  Leave the jars in the fridge for a total of one hour.

Canned butter will store for 3 to 5 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf.  I’ve had butter as “old as 7 years” with no problems or compromise in taste.  Know that your bottled butter will not re-melt after you’ve bottled it so you won’t need to refrigerate it after opening (yet another plus, in my book), though you should still plan on using it up within a reasonable amount of time.

Ultimately, if you don’t want to bottle butter, you can store it in your freezer and then use it up if your electricity dies.  If you decide that THEN would be a good time to try to bottle the butter after all, you can do so with a solar oven or simply by the power of the sun in your backyard.  But that’s another story.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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