Ask 10 Preppers their food storage plans (how rude….) and you will get 11 answers.
I know that besides what is the best prepper firearm, what is the best way to store food is probably the hottest topic.
Well, today I am going to talk about my Cheap Food Storage Plan and why it is best for my family’s situation.
I needed something that was shelf stable long term as I am not panic buying because I believe a disaster will come next week – but rather I am hedging my bets just in case.
Additionally, I needed something easy to store so it did not get overly confusing to my wife
Also, I needed something cheap – because in a fight between might need later and need diapers now – diapers win…
I did not need to worry about:
Food that was particularly easy to cook
Compact size
Food allergies
Low water/pre-cooked
This narrowed down my search, and once I determined my food storage strategy, I was able to spend some time finding cheaper sources of supply.
Here is the basal metabolic calculator as mentioned in the podcast:
You can find several articles on my www.tngun.com website discussing how to prepare the foods mentioned for long-term storage – just use the search function, or click the food and water link under “Categories”.
The show is scheduled for Monday at 10pm central time at this link.
If you cannot listen on Monday, you can always download the podcast for listening at your own leisure.
The Mosin–Nagant M91/30 is a bolt-action, internal magazine military rifle, developed by the Imperial Russian Army in the late 1800s, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations.
I bought it because it is on the ATF’s Curio and Relic list, so I can buy them direct from the wholesaler. When I bought mine, it was $110 including shipping. (due to the current politics it has increased some). The Mosin is one, if not the, least expensive military caliber rifle available.
This is a Great Budget Gun
Not only is the gun inexpensive, military surplus ammunition is also commonly available. You can normally purchase it in either 440 round cases on stripper clips, or 880 round cases without stripper clips. I find both costs nearly the same. My strategy is to buy the first case with clips, and then reuse the clips.
Sometimes the rifle comes with a bayonet, but then nearly always come with a small tool kit and magazine pouch. The tools are essential, as the triangular screwdriver is used to measure the protrusion of the bolt (that is the subject of a whole separate post).
This Rifle Holds the Sniper Kill Record
Some may think themselves poorly armed if you hand them a WWII bolt action designed back in 1892, but during WWII a Finnish soldier named Simo Häyhä earned more confirmed sniper kills than any other combatant in any major war (he killed 505 enemies with his Mosin and 200 more with his 9mm submachine gun = all in under 100 days). I think any gun will do if you have the will and the skill, but I digress.
There are several different variants of the rifle, but the most common is the 91/30. It is possible to buy the 91/30 in case quantities of 20 in a large wooden shipping crate for less than a single AR-15.
You can also buy a spam can of 880 rounds of military surplus ball ammunition for less than the cost of a couple bricks of .22long at a gun show (around 80 dollars).
Due to the fact that you can buy a rifle and close to a thousand rounds in a battle proven combination for around $200, it is my intent to buy one every couple months so that if the poo ever is flung I can outfit all those latecomers that “come to my house” – at least the ones that bring food and have sense enough not to complain…
First Time Shooting a Mosin Nagant M91/30
This is my first experience shooting this rifle, I had heard horror stories about how much it kicked, and how loud it was, and it WAS louder than other 30 caliber guns I have shot, but it did not recoil that much – especially since it is a heavy rifle.
I did get the impression that it is capable of much more accurate fire than my offhanded quick test demonstrated. I hope to have some time to really test this gun out.
The only thing I have to say as a warning to others thinking about this gun as part of a disaster armory, or just looking to get a cheap plinking gun – ALL surplus ammunition for this is corrosive. That is not a big deal as long as you clean the gun well after each range session. If you take it home and forget about it after shooting corrosive ammo, you can (and probably will) ruin the gun.
Bundt Chicken makes a juicy chicken that’s crispy all the way around. Like the names says just use a bundt pan as a vertical roaster.
This is extremely simple to do, simply upend the bird on the center of the pan, season and add vegetables per your normal recipe, and then roast.
Bunt chicken is a nice way to roast chicken, as it is easy and looks pretty cool.
I like to start the oven hot at 450, let the chicken cook for 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 350 for about an hour, and then back to 450 for another 15 minutes. If you put in a lot of vegetables, the chicken is large, or the internal temp is not 160, you may need to increase the time at 350.
The great thing about this process is that it is scalable – the pan can hold anything from a game hen to a small turkey. – and if you use a pot instead of a cookie sheet to collect the juices, you can fill it with your favorite beverage for the bundt pan version of drunk chicken…
Tell me that the chicken in the video above did not look awesome. I will tell you that not only did it look great, it tasted out of this world.
Have you wondered how Glocks are Numbered? I have. However, I constantly get asked what I think about the Glock 324B* or some other obscure number
I never bothered to memorize the Glock numbering scheme. I just ask for a specific size and caliber. Since, I prefer a compact 9mm. Therefore, I typically buy a Glock 19.
The reason I don’t keep up with the numbering system is that it does not make sense for the user. They are not numbered in order of caliber or size.
Glocks are numbered by the order Gaston Glock gets patent number. I would prefer them listed by caliber and size.
Why not put all the 9mm guns in a row, then number by size. Glock 1, 2, and 3 could be the standard, compact, subcompact. Then the 4,5, and 6 could be the .40 S&W guns. Next could come the .45 ACP in the 7, 8, and 9 models.
That would be much easier for me to remember. In contrast, the reason Glock pistols start at 17 is that Gaston Glock had 16 patents before guns. He originally made polymer kitchen utensils before he decided to go after an Austrian military contract for a new pistol.
(* I made that number up. There is not a Glock 324 but I expect some day Glock may make one)
Here is a Basic Breakdown
Glock 17 is a 9mm full size
The 18 is the select fire version
Nest, the Glock 19 is the 9mm compact
20, 21, 22 are all full size, with the 20 chambered in 10mm, the 21 in .45 acp, and the 22 in .40 S&W
22, 23, and 24 are all .40 with the difference being size. The 23 is compact, the 24 is sized for competition.
Glock 25 is a compact .380
26-30 are all sub compacts. In order of caliber, they are: 9mm, .40, .380, 10mm. Lastly the 30 is a .45acp
31, 32, and 33 are all chambered in .357 sig. the 31 is fill sized, the 32 compact, and the 33 is subcompact. This is the series the TN Highway patrol carries.
34 and 35 are competition guns. the 34 is 9mm. the 35 is .40 S&W
The Glock 36 is a slimline .45 acp
Lastly, the 37, 38, and 39 are chambered in .45GAP. the 37 is the standard full size, the 38 compact, and the 39 the sub compact.
When I was younger I could not tolerate hot food, but as I age, I find myself enjoying spicy food.
Couple that with my DIY gene, I really enjoy making my own hot sauce; it is not hard and makes a quality sauce for little expense.
This recipe works with any hot pepper, and I usually use a blend of jalapeno and habanero.
Making a pepper mash is different than making hot sauce – you make the sauce from the mash.
The pepper mash is fermented to mellow the flavor of the peppers and really ads to the quality. Tabasco sauce, for instance, is fermented for three years, but I find after 6 months you really don’t get that much more quality.
Since we are letting the peppers ferment, we are going to be adding salt to suppress bad bacteria and mold.
What You Need
The first thing you are going to need is a glass jar or pottery crock, size matters as you only can fill it about ¾ full so it won’t overflow as it ferments. You want a straight sided container so you can use a weighted plate to keep the peppers under the liquid (this prevents mold).
Since I am only making sauce for myself, I actually us a glass juice carafe and a large rubber bung and airlock instead.
As you size your jug, realize that 1 pound of peppers will produce a little less than a pint of pepper mash.
As you pick your peppers, get the largest, plumpest fully ripe peppers from the garden or market. Fully ripe peppers have a more sugar content, so that will help with fermentation.
I remove the seeds from my peppers, but that is a personal choice. Contrary to popular opinion, the seeds don’t add much heat. The real heat comes from the connecting veins that attach the seeds to the pepper walls.
If you are dislike getting burned by peppers, I have a great tip to help wash off the oleo-resin capsicum inside the hot pepper.
How to Make the Pepper Mash
Wash the peppers and dry them with a towel or paper towel before processing them.
Remove and discard the stems.
Add 1 Tablespoon of salt per pint of mash
Process the peppers in a blender.
Pour one Tablespoon sea salt per pound of peppers in a blender and process them on high speed till they become puree (mash), no more than a minute at the absolute most, typically only 15 to 30 seconds
You may add other vegetables, herbs, and spices into the blender and puree it along with the peppers mash, so long as you maintain the salt ratio to weight of vegetable matter. Anything you add will dramatically affect the taste of the finished product, (I add sweet peppers)
Pour the mash into the fermentation jar or crock. You need to keep air away from the mash, but if you seal it airtight it will explode. If you are using a straight sided crock, set an upside down plate inside the crock so that it can move up and down the crock, weigh it down with a ziplock bag full of water. Since I use a large juice carafe, I simply stick in a large rubber bung fitted with a airlock for making wine.
In one week, the pepper mash will start bubbling vigorously as a result of fermentation in which the bacteria will produce acetic acid and any sugars will produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The gas bubbles will cause the pulp in the mash to rise, leaving the liquid and some solids on the bottom.
In another week or two, the fermentation should stop producing bubbles.
You may use the mash as soon as fermentation has finished. I let it age in a dark closet for about 6 months though.
You can use this mash directly on food. However it’s a simple process to turn it into a sauce. I will save that for another post….
The Mosin–Nagant M91/30 is a bolt-action, internal magazine military rifle, developed by the Imperial Russian Army in the late 1800s, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations.
Bundt Chicken makes a juicy chicken that’s crispy all the way around. Like the names says just use a bundt pan as a vertical roaster.
