Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

8 Things To Do with Your Leftover Pumpkins

Oct 26, 2012 · 15 Comments

Every year after Halloween, we see hundreds of neighbors just throwing their pumpkins away! They have made their jack-o-lantern, and now they don’t know what to do with it.

It’s important to know what to do with leftovers – such as pumpkins. Instead of wastefully throwing them away, you could use pumpkins to create butter, heal your skin, make biscuits, create air fresheners and more!

Keep these uses of pumpkins in mind for this year’s holiday season. Share the knowledge too so we don’t see people just throwing away their pumpkins!

Pumpkin puree

One of the most helpful thing to know about re-using our pumpkin is knowing how to make pumpkin puree. The puree can then be used for cooking all types of dishes including pies, cakes, muffins, smoothies, etc. This could save you from buying all those cans of pumpkin during the Fall season.

Start by cutting the pumpkin down the middle, cut out the extra seeds and cuts and set them aside. Place the pumpkin cut-side down on a baking dish along with a cup of water and bake for about 90 minutes. The flesh will become very tender. After baking, scoop the flesh and blend it in a food processor.

Donate them to a farmer
Instead of throwing out the pumpkins, make use of them by feeding them to animals. You can donate them to a local farmer so they can feed their animals. You can also use them to attract wildlife in hunting areas. Animals love the sweet taste of the harvest pumpkin!

Pumpkin Butter
Everyone knows that fresh bread is better with butter. Make some festive butter with your old jack-o-lantern. Add 2 cups of pumpkin puree into a saucepan along with a cup of brown sugar and a cup of water or apple cider. You can then add a pinch of salt along with some pumpkin pie spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Stir all the ingredients together and bring it to a boil. After it reaches a boil, lower the temperature and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Once the butter has cooled, store in a glass jar and refrigerator.

Heal your skin

You can even use your old pumpkins to create a refreshing exfoliating face mask.

You’ll need:
• 1 teaspoon green tea, brewed
• 2 teaspoon Saratoga Farms Pineapple, diced
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 2 teaspoons aloe vera gel
• 1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil
• 4 teaspoons Saratoga Farms Cornmeal

Directions:
1. Steep green tea in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
2. In blender or food processor, puree pineapple and place in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, honey and aloe. Mix well.
3. Stir in jojoba oil, green tea and cornmeal.
4. Reserve remaining green tea for another use. Apply small amount of pumpkin mask to cheeks, forehead, chin and neck. Massage in circular motions gently buffing skin. Repeat. Apply more product as needed. Leave a thin layer of pumpkin mask on face and neck for 15-20 minutes.
5. Rinse with tepid or cool water and pat dry with soft towel. Follow with appropriate moisturizer.
6. Store remaining mask covered in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Floating candle
A little-known fact about pumpkins is that they are very good at floating – particularly the small pumpkins. Remove the pumpkin’s stem. Place a tea candle on top of the small pumpkin and trace its outline. Carefully cut out the tracing to a depth that will fit the depth of the candle. You can then place the candle snuggly in the pumpkin and then float them in a bowl of water as a fun Thanksgiving decoration.

Pumpkin biscuits
Add some (pumpkin) spice to your Thanksgiving dinner table with some unique and tasty biscuits! You can use your old pumpkin to create a delicious side that will make your guests pester you for the recipe. This recipe will create about 20 biscuits.

You’ll need:
• 2 cups Saratoga Farms Flour
• 1 tablespoon Saratoga Farms Baking Powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Saratoga Farms Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup regular milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Directions:
1. Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Gently mix the flour, baking powder, salt and allspice in a large bowl and allow to sit.
3. Combine the pumpkin, milk, butter, and maple syrup in a medium bowl and stir until it is smooth.
4. Combine the two bowls of mixture and stir until the mixture holds together. If you overmix the biscuits will be rough.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly-floured work surface and roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place the dough pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Air freshener

People love the smell of pumpkins and they bring a festive smell to your home. Simply rub your favorite spice on the inside of the jack-o-lantern and light it with a tea candle. You might have to turn the pumpkin so the Halloween face isn’t obvious but the scent will still be great!

Flower pot
In order to create a pumpkin flower pot, find a medium-sized narrow pumpkin. Cut a hole in the top that is the width of a mason jar. Carefully remove all the innards of the pumpkin. Place your flowers inside of a mason jar of water. Lower the mason jar into the pumpkin along with the flowers and you’re done! Show off your beautiful pumpkin flowers around your home or give them away as a gift!

How are you using your old pumpkin?
Comment below to tell us what you use your old pumpkin for. Share the wealth and let us know what you think.

8 Things To Do with Your Leftover Pumpkins

What is the best gun for emergency preparedness?

Oct 20, 2012 · 78 Comments

We often get the question about what type of gun we would recommend for emergency preparedness.

The answer is a bit complicated. It depends on what you’re going to use the gun for. Is it for hunting food that you’d need in an emergency? Is it for self-defense? Each gun has it’s different strengths and weaknesses and the gun you choose should be tailored to your specific needs.

Points to consider before you add a gun
Before you choose a gun for your preparedness needs, you’ll want to consider a few points:
What Needs Will You Have? Will you be using this gun for protection? For hunting? Just an intimidation factor?

Whatever gun you choose will depend on what you’re going to use it for. For example, a rifle would be better for hunting during an emergency while a shotgun would be better for self-defense.

Popularity/Availability of Ammo. You might not be able to buy more ammo in an emergency. As a rare commodity, you’d need ammo that would be popular enough to fit in your gun. You’d also need a gun that takes a very popular type of ammunition.

How Much Ammunition the Gun Holds. How many rounds does the gun hold? This might affect your decision of gun because of the needs that you have.

Interchangeable Choke and Barrel. For shotguns, the choke of the gun is the tapered build of the gun that helps determine how much the shot will spread. The choke will determine the accuracy and range of the gun. An interchangeable choke will allow you to change the use of your gun from a longer range to a shorter range weapon. The barrel length also makes an impact on the range but more importantly makes it easier or more difficult to handle in close quarter like turning around corners in your home. Handling a 4-foot gun for self-defense to protect yourself from a perpetrator in your home will be impractical.

Safe Storage. How are you going to store the weapon? Is it going to fit inside of your 72-hour kit or would it be something you keep under your bed or in the top of your closet? Will the gun break apart and store in a different space? Depending on what you’re using the gun for and how readily available you need the gun, the answers might change. But always keep your gun in a safe place away from children. If you are going to own a gun, treat it with the respect it deserves & get proper gun safety training.

Understand Your Weapon. No matter how many guns or how much ammunition you have, if you don’t understand how to use your gun and don’t have practice shooting it, it will be worthless. Or worse, your ignorance could cause injury or death for yourself, loved ones, or innocent people.
Which Gun Should I Own? Below we’ve listed the different types of guns you could consider acquiring for use in an emergency with some helpful details for each type of weapon.

Please keep in mind a couple things:
• Prices for ammunition can change. The prices listed below are on the cheaper end. High-grade ammunition can be much more expensive than the prices listed below.

• *Range has many variables including: weather, specific ammo, specific gun, gun condition, visibility, and shooting experience to name a few. The best way to know the range of your gun is to use it.

High-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $300 – $6,000 | Average Price = $800)

These weapons are designed for use in hunting large game like deer or elk from a longer distance. The ammunition is large, heavy, and travels very fast in order to take down larger game from far away with a high level of precision and accuracy.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
.30-30	400 yards*	Common	$1.00
.30-06	900 yards*	Common	$1.00
.308 Win/7.62x51mm	900 yards*	Very Common	$0.90

Assault Rifle (Price Range = $400 – $4,000 | Average Price = $1,000)

These weapons are designed for self-defense and are typically semi-automatic (you can just keep pulling the trigger to fire without cocking or reloading). Usually these weapons will hold more rounds of ammunition than a typical hunting rifle and are commonly used with a high-capacity magazine. They are usually shorter than a hunting rifle and have a pistol grip and stock combo for easier handling in close quarters.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
7.62x39mm	800 yards*	Very Common	$0.25
.223/5.56	400 yards*	Very Common	$0.25

Low-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $150 – $1,000 | Average Price = $300)
These weapons are designed for hunting smaller animals like rabbits. They have a much shorter range, but the ammunition is significantly less expensive than other weapons. With a little digging you can find rounds for close to a penny each.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
.17 HMR	300 yards*	Uncommon	$0.20
.22 LR (Long Rifle)	100 yards*	Very Common	$0.05

Click on the image to compare different kinds of rifle ammo:




Tactical Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)

Tactical shotguns like assault rifles are intended for short-range self-defense. They usually have a shorter barrel and a choke designed to spread the shot as much as possible. Typically these are pump action or semi-automatic weapons. Barrels shorter than 18” or weapons shorter than 26” are illegal in the USA without proper registration. Another thing to consider is shotguns are the easiest ammunition to load yourself.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” #1	30 yards*	Common	$0.80
20 Gauge 3” #2	30 yards*	Common	$0.50

Hunting Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)

Hunting shotguns are designed for shooting small game (especially birds). These weapons typically have a barrel 28” – 33” long. There are many choices for ammunition depending on your intended use.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” Slug	75 yards*	Uncommon	$0.50
12 Gauge 3” 00 Buckshot	50 yards*	Common	$0.80
12 Gauge 3” #7 Birdshot	35 yards*	Very Common	$0.50

Click on the image to compare different kinds of shotgun ammo:






Pistol/Handgun (Price Range = $150 – $3,000 | Average Price = $500)

Pistols, like shotguns and assault rifles are design for close-quarter self-defense. Handguns have the advantage that they can be legally concealed with a proper permit. Ammunition is cheaper than other weapons but still not as cheap as a low-caliber rifle.

Common Ammunition	Practical Range	Availability	Price/Round
9mm	50 yards*	Very Common	$0.35
.40 S&W	50 yards*	Common	$0.40
.45 ACP	50 yards*	Common	$0.45

Click on the image to compare different kinds of handgun ammo:




What are you packing?

So, what gun do you prefer? Comment below to tell us what kind of gun you prefer for emergency situations.

What is the best gun for emergency preparedness?

15 Do-It-Yourself Natural Remedies

Oct 17, 2012 · 26 Comments

If a disaster occurred and the medical industry was strained, how would you get medicine? Or even closer to home, what if you were lost in the woods while camping this weekend and needed to relieve your pain?

There are dozens of items that you’re very familiar with that you’ve probably never used for healing. They can be found in your yard, in your food storage or flying around your home. Things like baking soda, salts, honey and ginger can be used for healing in case of an emergency.

Part of being prepared is knowing how to use items for multiple purposes. These ideas are perfect to help you stay ready for an emergency situation and be prepared while you’re enjoying the outdoors. Comment below to let us know what you’ve used to stay healthy and well!

Epsom Salt
You would have never thought that simple magnesium sulphate – also known as epsom salt – could do so much.

This mineral is great for skin-softening, stress-reducing and aching sore muscles.

Splinters. Add some water to a handful of epsom salt and apply it to the skin’s surface. Let it go to work for about 10 minutes. It will help to draw out the splinter and save your from digging around.

Sprains. Epsom salt will reduce the swelling of a sprained ankle or bruised muscle. Add 2 cups Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak the sprain.

Muscle pains. Epsom salt helps draw fluid out of the body and helps shrink swollen tissues. As it draws out fluid through the skin, it draws out lactic acid – which can contribute to muscle pain. Add a cup or two of salt to a hot bath and soak the affected muscle.

Baking Soda

Entire books have been written about the benefits of baking soda. We’ve even written a whole article on what you can do with the stuff. It comes at no surprise that baking soda is a natural healer too!

Stings. You can use baking soda to soothe mosquito bites and other insect stings. Apply a little water and make a baking soda paste. Apply this to the itchy areas. The paste can also be used against poison ivy and chicken pox.

Sunburns. Add baking soda to warm water and apply to your skin. This will soften the water and make a soothing remedy.

Bladder infections. Bacteria thrives inside acidic environments inside your bladder. Make a cocktail of baking soda and water to down after dinner. This will soothe your bladder infection problems.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the most used kitchen cures. It’s closely related to other spices like turmeric and cardamom and has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Ginger is used to ease nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems.

Migraines. Danish researchers have found that taking a teaspoon of fresh or powdered ginger at the first sign of a migraine, may reduce symptoms by blocking prostaglandins – the chemical that causes inflamed blood vessels in the brain.

Unlike aspirin, ginger blocks only prostaglandins that cause inflammation, the the beneficial ones such as ones that strengthen the stomach lining.

Menstrual cramps. The chemical compounds in ginger act as antispasmodics. They inhibit painful contractions not only in the digestive tract but also in the uterus.

Honey

Honey is great for healing because it lasts for so long. Stored in the right conditions, honey can have an indefinite storage life. It’s good for soothing allergies, coughs and ulcers. Check out other uses of honey here.

Ulcers. Honey may reduce ulcer symptoms and speed the healing time. Honey reduces inflammation, stimulates blood flow and enhances the growth of epithelial cells on the inside of the stomach. Honey also kills H. pylori – the bacteria responsible for most ulcers.

Cuts. The sweet goo is great for taking care of cuts or scrapes that could end up getting infected. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide and propolis – a compound that kills bacteria. Applying honey to cuts or scrapes locks out other contaminants and denies bacterial growth.

Lavender

If you’re out in the wild and spot a lavender plant, be sure to grab some. It will probably come in handy! Lavender is great for treating headaches, insect bites, ear infections and athlete’s foot.

Skin infection. Lavender is a great way to fight infections in cuts and scrapes. Soak a clean cloth in a lavender infusion and apply and compress to the wound.

Ear infection. The same chemical compounds that fight infection in scrapes and cuts, also help sooth swimmer’s ear.
Pain reliever. Lavender has some minor pain killing properties. It appears to reduce the transmission of nerve impulses that carry pain signals. Mix a few drops of the oil in a tablespoon of carrier oil (an oil derived from nuts or fruits of a plant) and rub it in. It’s also great for relieving itching.

Goldenseal

This herb can heal just as well as man-made medicines and drugs. In studies, goldenseal has proven just as effective against certain infections as prescriptions.

Infectious diarrhea. The berberine in goldenseal helps prevent diarrhea-causing organisms from clinging to the lining of the intestines. Fighting the spread of infection during a disaster is an important preparation.

Eye infections. Goldenseal is too bitter to enjoy as a tea or drink but you can strain the beverage, let it cool and use it as an eyewash to speed the healing of eye infections such as pinkeye. You’ll have to continue to apply goldenseal to your eyes to continue to fight the infection.

Your recommendations

So, what do you think? Have you found something that works really well as medicine in the wild? Share your knowledge below and help the community!

15 Do-It-Yourself Natural Remedies

Wonderful Ways to Woo Your Wife with Wheat

Oct 12, 2012 · 6 Comments »


Wheat has been used for millennia as a dependable staple, proving itself as a great food storage item. But did you know that you can use wheat to show your wife that you love her?

Now, we’re not just talking about using wheat to bake your wife a loaf bread or something. Instead, you can use wheat to keep her warm, pamper her or even keep the kids entertained while she relaxes.

Comment below to tell us what you’ve used wheat for and share your knowledge. Women, feel free to forward this to your significant other to spark some ideas.

Homemade Facials

What better way to pamper your wife than with a relaxing night and a cost-efficient facial? Instead of buying expensive oils and mixtures, you can use wheat to create a facial mask for your wife’s relaxing night.

You’ll need:
• 1 quart of water
• 4 tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 6 tbsp. milk
• Peels from 1 orange
• 8 dried rose petals

1. Bring the water to a boil
2. Add the rose petals and orange peels. Reduce heat and cover.
3. In a separate pan, heat the milk, rose water and honey and mix. Then remove from heat.
4. Add the flour to the mixture of milk, rose water and honey. Whisk into a paste.
5. Apply the warm paste to your face and neck. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.
6. Carefully, wash the dried mask off with the rose and orange water.

Keep Her Warm with a Microwave Heating Pad

The ladies in my house get cold at night during the middle of summer. Now that it’s starting to get cold outside, a cost-efficient heater that she can keep in her blanket would be awesome! Well, let wheat help you out!

You’ll need:
• Thick cotton fabric of your choice
• Wheat

1. Use scissors to cut the fabric into square or rectangle. Fold the material in half with the front of the material on the inside so that fabric is inside-out.
2. Use a very small stitch to close two sides of the fabric. Leave one small side open.
3. Turn the fabric rightside-out so that the sewn sides don’t show on the outside.
4. Fill the fabric with wheat but don’t overfill it.
5. Sew the remaining side shut.

These instructions are for a regular rectangular pad but you can make them into any shape that you want. After you’ve prepared your microwave heating pad, you can microwave it for 1-2 minutes and it should keep you warm and cozy.

Hardtack

Hardtack is a very hard flat cracker that was often used by soldiers during the Civil War. When kept dry, these crackers can last for over 50 years. If you’re planning on taking your wife on a camping trip soon, you’ve got to keep her happy.

While you’re hiking along, you’ll be able to pull out this energizing snack to keep her satisfied and happy.

In order to create hardtack you’ll need:
• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the water and salt in a bowl. Slowly add in bits of flour while stirring constantly. Continue until the mixture is too thick to stir.
3. Knead the dough and roll until it’s ½ inch thick.
4. Use a pizza cutter to 3×3 inch squares
5. Use a skewer stick and poke 16 holes (4×4) into the squares
6. Lay the squares on an ungreased cookie sheet
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the squares, flip over and bake for another 30 minutes.
8. Take the crackers out when they are golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes.

To make a softer hardtack (yes, we realize how weird that sounds), you can add 2 tablespoons of cold butter or shortening crumbles. Instead, place flour in the bowl first with butter then add water and salt and stir a few times. Then continue with step 4.

Make Glue for Projects

Back in the day, the circus would travel from town to town promoting their show. In order to get the word out about their bearded women, they would create posters and hang them throughout the town. They would actually cook their own glue – wheatpaste- to paste these signs across the town.

Now-a-days, you can use wheatpaste for paper mache projects with the kids. Just be sure to not make too big of a mess and clean up after you’re done.

In order to make your own wheatpaste, you’ll need:
• Flour
• Water
• Sugar

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
2. In a separate bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 10 tablespoons of water. Stir until it’s a runny mixture.
3. Once the 1 cup of water has boiled, add the runny mixture. Stir the mixture well and continue to heat.
4. Keep boiling for about 2 minutes. The mixture will foam.
5. Take the boiling mixture off the heat and add 4 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until desolved completely.
6. Pour into a container and allow to cool. The wheatpaste should stay for about a week.

Create Your Own Meat Substitute

Is your wife a vegetarian or happen to be allergic to certain kinds of meats? Luckily, you can create a meat substitute with wheat gluten!

To obtain gluten from wheat:
1. Measure out 1 cup of flour
2. Slowly add about ½ to ¾ cup of water into the flour and knead the mixture. Once formed into a dough, allow to sit for 10 minutes.
3. In the sink, run cold water over the dough balls. Cup the dough balls in your hand and squeezing gently. Be careful not to allow the dough balls to disintegrate.
4. You’ll notice a lot of water turning milky colors – this is the starches washing off. As you continue to wash off the starches, the dough ball will become a series of gummy strands.
5. When the water is no longer milky, you know you’re done. You should have a ball of gluten strands in your hands.

In order to create meat substitute, you’ll need:
• 2 cups Water
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Molasses
• 2 cups Wheat Gluten
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped garlic, ginger, onion (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, pour water until about half full
2. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of molasses
3. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat
4. In a separate bowl, mix w cups wheat gluten with 2 cups water. Add optional seasonings as desired. Mix with fork until sticky.
5. Knead the dough on a board for about a half minute or so. Flatten the slab to about a ½ inch thick.
6. Work the dough into foot long strips and cut into ½ inch bits
7. Place the bits into the sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower temperature and simmer for about 1 hour.
8. After cooking, drain and place the gluten chunks in a sealable container until ready to use.
9. When you’re ready to use the gluten chunks, prepare them by frying them in vegetable oil

What Wheat Wonders!

So what have you used wheat for? Comment below to tell us what the staple of life has done for you lately!

Wonderful Ways to Woo Your Wife with Wheat

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Survival Cross Training – It’s Not Just For The Gym: 17 Skills Everyone In Your Family Should Learn

Tess Pennington October 30th, 2012 Ready Nutrition Comments (54) Read by 4,551 people

This article has been generously contributed by Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition. After joining the Dallas chapter of the American Red Cross in 1999 Tess worked as an Armed Forces Emergency Services Center specialist and is well versed in emergency and disaster management & response. You can follow her regular updates on Preparedness, Homesteading, and a host of other topics at www.readynutrition.com.

Possessing crucial skill sets are a must have when forming a survival group. Individuals bringing a variety of skills binds the group further to create a solid, well-functioning team. That said, like anything regarding preparedness, you do not want to become complacent and believe that just one person should perform a certain set of tasks.

Remember, what one man can do, another can do. Your group is only as strong as its weakest link, and training members to perform multiple tasks will make for a more fluid unit, especially during highly stressful situations.

We have seen this type of group training with many emergency organizations who have cross-trained their employees in case one employee has to compensate for the other during a disaster. This helps cut down on dependency on one or two of the stronger members, because each member can pick up where the other has left off in the event the primary responder is incapacitated or has to perform other tasks. This type of training is both efficient and can easily be incorporated into your preparedness plan.

Don’t Fall into Gender Stereotypes
It’s so easy to fall into gender stereotypical jobs. After all, we do what makes us feel most comfortable. However, one of the most dangerous things we can do when learning skills for SHTF-time is to allow ourselves to be tied into stereotypes, for both gender and age. “Why is that so bad?” you may be asking. “I take care of the cooking and the laundry and my husband chops the wood and defends the homestead. And we don’t want the kids to have to worry about these things now.”

That could be a fatal mistake.

What happens if Mom is bedridden for several months with a risky pregnancy? What if Dad breaks his leg and the wood is not chopped, with winter fast approaching? What if Mom and Dad both were stricken with an illness, or even worse, died, leaving the kids on their own?

The fact is, family or group members all need to possess the minimum skills needed to run and protect the homestead. Especially in a post-disaster world, life will be full of risks and danger. Your survival could one day depend on your 12 year-old’s ability to build a fire in the wood stove and keep it going. Mom might have to be able to shoot an intruder bent on robbing the homestead when dad is away hunting.

We must remember to stretch ourselves in order to become better at prepping and living a preparedness lifestyle. It is paramount that we remove those gender and age defined roles and stereotypes so that more than one person has the ability to perform the self-reliant skills that are vital for a family’s survival.

Some essential skills all members of your team must know:

• Acquiring water and making it potable
• Building a fire
• Canning and preserving food
• Chopping wood / Splitting kindling
• Cleaning fish or game
• Climate control (operating the off-grid heating system)
• Cooking off grid
• Doing laundry by hand
• First aid
• Foraging and identifying edible plants
• Gardening/farming
• Home repair (basics like patching a leaking roof or repairing an entry)
• Hunting
• Communications (includes acquisition of news, as well as secure two-way communications between members)
• Sewing / Mending
• Shooting (defense)
• Wilderness survival skills

Familiarity with tools can also help you avoid injury. Becoming comfortable and proficient with things like a crank wringer, an axe or hatchet, a filet knife, or a weapon not only allows you to use them more easily and efficiently, it keeps you safer while you’re using them.

Don’t underestimate your kids either. Give them age-appropriate responsibilities and allow them to help you when you perform the necessary tasks for survival. The more familiar a child is with a certain task, the more confident they will be if ever a day comes when it is necessary for them to perform that task without your supervision. One of the things I’ve recently been working on with my daughter is keeping the fire going in the wood stove. Initially she was very leery of adding a log to the fire, but after a few weeks of it, she is becoming a pro. Teaching children to build a fire is one of the most basic survival skills that everyone must know.

Likewise, kids need to learn to be comfortable and respectful of firearms and other weapons, and this can only come through practice. Take for example the recent case of a 12 year old girl who shot an intruder through her bathroom door when she was home alone and forced to defend herself. One day you may have to depend on your child to save your life by providing backup in the event of an emergency where law enforcement doesn’t exist. Or, perhaps it will be your young adult who will be out hunting for wild game to put food on the table while you engage in other tasks.

Cross-training – it’s not just for the gym! Ensure that your family doesn’t rely too much on any one person by having everyone pitch in to learn the different tasks necessary for survival.
This article has been contributed by Tess Pennington of Ready Nutrition. Subscribe to Tess’ Get Prepped Weekly Newsletter for more emergency preparedness tips, homesteading ideas, and insights. As a subscriber to her free newsletter you’ll receive the latest updates from her 52 Weeks to Preparedness Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Planning Series. It’s well worth your time, and oh, did we mention it’s totally free?

Survival Cross-Training - It's Not Just For The Gym: 17 Skills Everyone In Your Family and Group Should Learn

How To Install Vinyl Siding On Your House



Uploaded by HouseImprovements on Oct 13, 2011

Shannon from http://www.house-improvements.com shows you how to install vinyl siding on your house.

Not All House Wraps are Created Equal | DuPont™ Tyvek®

http://www.youtube.com/user/DuPontCompany?v=9t_dMsA7QvA

Published on Sep 25, 2012 by DuPontCompany

DuPont™ Tyvek® housewrap is engineered to seal out air and water and allow the structure to breathe. The DuPont™ Building Knowledge Center aids in the important process of selecting a continuous weather barrier focused on mold prevention.

How To Install House Wrap [Typar]



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Shannon from http://www.house-improvements.com shows you how to install Typar HouseWrap on the outside of your house to help protect the house from moisture.

How To Install Soffit And Fascia



Uploaded by HouseImprovements on Sep 25, 2011

Shannon from http://www.house-improvements.com shows you how to install soffit and fascia on your next home improvement DIY project