[moonwolf]

They talk about preping for emergencies, stocking the
pantries and freezers,etc.
As a single homesteader, and you basically are the only one
full time, what do you consider keeping enough for 'ahead'?
In these categories:
Canned food vegetables
Canned fruit
Canned or dried meats or mushrooms
Freezer meat
Wild game
Home raised processed fowl or other animal product
Livestock kept over for breeding stock
Eggs, cheese, and dairy product (and how you keep it)
Firearms for homestead purposes....hunting or defense
Ammunition
Any other emergency foraging or hunting/fishing equipment such as crossbow, etc.?

Tall order isn't it?

 

[ad in wnc]

The first real question is what are you prepping for? I used to live on the coast and I prepped for hurricanes and ice storms. Now I live in the mountains and I prep for snow, power outages and possible forced quarantines. So I have 30 days of food for me, the dogs, the chickens and the rabbits. I have several drums of water and a pump to pull the water out plus a generator to operate the pump. Don't have the fuel for the generator but I do have a siphon to remove gas from the cars. Have propane heat for when power goes out.
The portion size per individual are three four ounce servings of protein per day and three to five six ounce servings each of fruits and veges per day plus potatoes, rice and bread - I plan one serving each per day. Now the tricky part is packaging. Store packages serve more than one person. So a can of peaches is two servings of fruit.
I don't count on being able to hunt because the game will be gone in a very short time and the noise would bring unwanted attention. I have processed chicken and rabbit. Next year I will add fish (aquaponics). Cheese can be frozen. Eggs keep for a long time if they are rubbed in vege oil. Remember to use and replace your stockpile so that you get you max nutrition from any canned food. Plant fruit bushes for a backup plan. Practice living off of your stockpile for four days with all of your electricity turned off. That will really show you where you are missing something.

 

[Terri]

Like Ad in wnc said, don't forget animal food, for both pets and livestock!

 

[viggie]

My goal for perishables has been a years worth for myself. My frozen meat is a farm share designed to a years worth for one, my toiletries are enough to get through a year, my canning pantry was meant to be a year but I got a bit carried away

LTS I planned enough for 4 for a year, so if hard times came up I'd be able to help my parents and brother as well. That could be extended quite a bit with what I currently have on hand and what I'm set up to raise and preserve garden/rabbit-wise.

I began by thinking about what I do/need in a year. And started living it to some extent, to allow me to adjust that to reality. I reconsidered some of the things I did and went to more sustainable options...reusable canning lids, feminine hygiene, etc. Then began switchin over to food/items I'd produced as much as possible, phasing out tinned goods for home canned/home grown foods, starting to raise rabbits, really learning to cook and eat from all these fresh foods and dry goods. Then explored skills to contribute further...got my hunting license, took a little foraging class, picked up additional supplies like wire for snares. Next I'm helping a co-worker butcher their deer and nagged my meat CSA just today about joining them for a work day so I can learn to process chickens, hunting. And there will always be more!

I guess what that point of that rambling was that prepping is a good first step, but it's not really being prepared. A lifestyle of learning, growing, and striving towards greater self-sufficiency is the crucial element a lot of preppers miss (although that may happen less often on a homesteading forum, I guess lol).

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

We called it stocking up for Winter when I was growing up, and that's what I still call it. Having a full pantry is just a wise thing to do, regardless of the motivation.

 

[elkhound]

well...to be honest...i can go awhile in various levels as i adjust to the circumstances as they unfold.

i think one of the most important is a flock or flocks of small birds like you have.you can have a few chickens...say 6 hens and a rooster and in a few days of laying have a decent amount of eggs to toss in incubator and dothis every 21 days as they hatch you will expand fast and fill freezer and jars...my current flock is 4 hens but i will bring it up to 6 as soon as i find a pair of barred rocks or something similar.

slowed up on my canning as i just cant eat all i produce and as i adjust and extend garden seasons on both ends i have cut down on canned goods for that time.

expanding on various levels..orchard,vineyard,shrooms etc. i have a pair of olive trees in orchard now and a fig tree.

 

[FarmboyBill]

Cant say it isn't wise, but ive never done it. AT Least for household goods. I keep plenty extra bolts, nuts, washers, rivits, and that sort of thing, oils, and the like, so that I don't have to stop a project, or work to either quit it till I go to town, OR make a trip to town for a bolt, ect, cause I cant afford to quit.

 

[FarmboyBill]

mines 4 too elkie. id like to have a doz, so that I could have 4 to 6 eggs fried on the morning, and occasionally scrambled eggs in the MW in the evening, plus eggs to give to the kids whenever I go over to visit them once or so a month.

 

[elkhound]

bill i inherited a large hardware collection of jarred bolts and screws etc. family said jars of junk...i said i want it then...it saves me often fixing stuff and building and repairing.with prices of these items now i couldnt afford to keep it on hand like i currently do.a nail factory threw out spilled nails once....i got 2- 5 gallon buckets for free....lol

i keep at least 10 gallons of bar oil for saw...at one time i kept it by multiple cases not anylonger.

 

[moonwolf]

Like RW, my so called 'prep' is like stocking up. I try to buy
basic goods like flour, sugar, coffee on sale in some quantity.

From my stead I probably have more of one thing and not
enough of something else. Right now I have more live birds
than I really need. My groups of laying hens number a couple
dozen. Eggs that I have to sell helps to offset feed costs.
For breeders I keep its simply an expense.

I don't raise much veggies. I have some canned beans grown
last year. I buy local produced stuff like potatoes, carrots,
onions and such. At harvest it's cheaper than I can grow, if
I take into consideration my paying job time rather than
poking the ground. I chose spending more oh my homestead
time growing birds, foraging and hunting the bounties that
eat on my pastures, semi-wild as they are.

As for the rest, I keep the basics for firearms and a couple
years ammo ahead. As long as I'm employed where I work
There is a large hardware and auto parts I get a discount
saving me from overstocking that stuff .

I don't fish as much, though have plenty gear left over from
a previous business. I could stock up going ice fishing at
nearby waters.
I guess I'm about as 'prepped' as I want having in freezer
camp variety of fowl.... Bout 150 lbs. and pantry stock of
famous turkey jerky. Deer season just started and I like to
hunt occasionally on snowshoes for winter hare.
I took to heart advice I got from a local native lady
Elder. Rabbit stew is the healthiest food. So, part of
prepping I figure is hanging on to your health.

 

[moonwolf]

i think one of the most important is a flock or flocks of small birds like you have.you can have a few chickens...say 6 hens and a rooster and in a few days of laying have a decent amount of eggs to toss in incubator and dothis every 21 days as they hatch you will expand fast and fill freezer and jars...my current flock is 4 hens but i will bring it up to 6 as soon as i find a pair of barred rocks or something similar.

This summer I started raising a few chukar partridge. Sweet
little birds and easy to keep. I keep one group in a smaller
Coup and another group in a bigger flight pen with chickens
and a few pheasants. So far, I'm seeing some potential in
being able to have a small indoor pen in the basement....1
male/4 or 5 females. You could raise them for hatching eggs
and eventual meat production for the stead. The fertile
Eggs I had 100 % hatches. Better and easier to raise than
those nervous Nellie pheasants .

 

[Tommyice]

I'm more of a weather preparer too. I stock up when things are on sale and in season because I'm a cheapskate.

I'm suburban, so there's no livestock. Unless you count my dog (there was a thread about eating dog not too long ago) and I don't see him as dinner. And I'm in NJ, so guns/ammo is not a consideration. However I'm not defenseless

The most important tool in the box is adaptability.

 

[COSunflower]

I came from a family that went thru the Great Depression plus lived on remote farms in Wyo. and Colorado so learned to always be prepared from the time I was born. It's just 2nd nature to me now (at age 60). I live by myself but always have grandkids, family or friends visiting so not only stock up for myself but a few extra also. My pantry has gotten myself, family member's families and friends thru many hard times over the years. I just had my eldest son's family live with me for 4 months so all the extra came in handy!!! Now I am replenishing my pantry - AGAIN. I praise God that I am able to do this.

I can garden veggies and fruits, dehydrate and store alot of things that I use alot and can get cheaply from the grocery outlet. I don't eat alot of meat but my youngest son is a hunter so always have venison if I want it. I have half a dozen chickens (had more but lost 4 this summer to racoons) which provide me with plenty of eggs for myself, family and friends. Have egg laying ducks also. Alot of my friends provide me with their excess fruit in the summer so I can it, make juice (grape) and jam. Whatever someone shares with me - I find a way to preserve it for later needs.

I have a wood stove and my boys and boyfriend keep me stocked in wood. I have water storage and always keep extra food for the chickens, ducks, dogs and cats on hand. Am used to winter power outages so have candles and flashlights always ready. I could stay here at home for an extended time and be just fine. I think it is just wise to always be prepared for emergencies. I don't want to be the one in line for gas, water or food when something happens. I'll just stay home where its comfortable!!!!

 

[Laura Zone 5]

I don't think I will ever just prep for 1.
I have three kids.....and hopefully one day, 3 more will be added!!
So when I prep, it's always with more in mind.
I want them to always have that "safe" place where they can come.

My prepping has hit a brick wall....but once I get settled, I will fire that baby back up full steam ahead!!

 

[TxMex]

In a SHTF scenario a single person is much better off to join up with like minded individuals. Actually that is probably true for every day things as well.

Heirloom seeds are a huge prep item! A perpetual prep as they reproduce themselves. The ability to successfully grow a garden is the most important resource you can have. I'll be adding a greenhouse soon and I'm thinking of making a pit greenhouse as well.

My problem with prepping food for one person is that I have a Sam's Club card I need to find someone to give Maseca(prepared corn flour for tortillas) to. Sam's sells it in 50 pound bags. No way I'll use it before it spoils.

A small flock of laying hens is priceless. A hive of bees is also priceless.

Bees provide the most easily obtainable source of sugar....and likely the healthiest. Beeswax can be used for lots of stuff including making candles. Your garden yields will be tremendously better with abundant bees for pollination. I have only had 1 garden when I didn't have any beehives. I seriously thought there was something wrong with the seed!

I won't go into calibers. Choose a caliber that you can find ammo for. Stock up on ammo.....it just isn't going to get any cheaper than it is today and it keeps for a very long time if it is kept dry. The most important thing is to become proficient and comfortable with your firearm. Learn how to properly maintain your firearm. LOL....every time I mention my Grandpa cleaning his guns with WD-40 my gunsmith ex-husband winces.

 

[ad in wnc]

Well said TxMx. You can freeze flour or oven can it in quart jars.

 

[elkhound]

totally agree txmex about the bees upping harvest...i see it in my own gardens and orchard.a recent study in u.k. showed mono crops that left swaths around field perimeters for bee sanctuaries had a 3x increase in crop per acre increase over their normal yield..despite fields being a bit smaller due to swaths.

 

[whiterock]

Wondering if the maseca will oven can well? I know regular cornmeal will as will flour. Any thoughts on that?

For myself, I'll just say I got plenty laid back. I also try to be able to care for my DD and her kids as well. She has said her favorite place to shop is Daddy's house.
Ed

 

[Vickie44]

I prep for weather and possible unemployment ( you never know ) and because it just makes sense. Have back ups to the back ups and only buy on sale. When nature provides abundance I take advantage and preserve.

Last year I noticed a lack of fruit in my winter stock so this year I have remedied that by planting more trees and canning more from local orchards.

I have cows and chickens here , a creek for water , and old well should I chose to resurrect it and lots of hardware, tools and gas. Lots of jars and lids

I have a small generator to keep the freezer going until I can preserve whats in there if need be.

I heat with wood anyway and keep a year + ahead , and I have oil lamps.

Most of all I work on skills and the mindset needed to get through tough times

 

[ad in wnc]

From what I have found, Maseca is a brand of lye treated corn meal. I would try canning one qt and see if it was still good after one year.