Preparedness for when

[Deleted User] · 22 September 2013 at 8:33AM

CTC no I don't other than waiting for it to come back on again, which is why I've decided to try to store the bulk of our home grown produce by methods that don't entail using an ongoing electricity supply for storage. I know the dehydrator uses electricity but once it's dried the food is passively stored in airtight sealed jars. Canning fruit and veg, perhaps even meat and other cooked food also uses a power source to facilitate the actual processing of the jars and also pickling if you make chutneys etc or jams and jellys they all need that power source initially to make the product. BUT from there on in they all sit happily on a shelf, requiring no more fuel input and to me, that's probably a safer and more sustainable way of ensuring we're fed than relying permanently on the freezers, Cheers Lyn xxx.

COOLTRIKERCHICK · 22 September 2013 at 8:39AM

thanks Lynne

What the problem is most of the freezer is filled with meat, Over the next 2 - 3 months we have 4 pigs going to slaughter, so the freezer will be full to the brim with pork...

[Deleted User] · 22 September 2013 at 8:48AM

CTC wonderful to have the home produced meat in the first place, would it be even an option to research canning in sealed kilner type jars and putting some of the pork into storage by that method? It would mean getting a pressure canner and the jars, which would mean an outlay but, should the power be out for a considerable time it would mean you didn't lose all of your home reared meat. The other way of preserving that none of us have thrown into the debate is canning in tins, I know lots of produce was packaged in tins in WW2 usually by the WI ladies, and again there would be the need for a pressure canner to process it but it is an alternative to canning in jars, The downside is I suspect lack of availablilty of the machinery needed to seal the tins and indeed the empty tins and lids themselves, I'll think on and see if anything else pops out from under a pigeon, if it does I'll post it (the thought, NOT the pigeon!!!) Cheers Lyn xxx.

jk0 · 22 September 2013 at 8:58AM

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Thieving barstewards

'Rise could take average annual bill to £1,500, with companies likely to blame environmental levies'

I still haven't put up solar panels, even though my roof is ideal, mainly because I do not see that I should profit at everyone else's expense.

I think these subsidies are unreasonable. It seems the intention is for this to be a positive feedback loop:

1.) A few people adopt solar, and this starts to put up electricity bills.

2.) More people find their bills hard to pay, so they take solar also.

3.) Ultimately the only people without solar panels are those whose properties are unsuitable. For the sake of argument let's say 25% of properties. They are the only people paying for electricity, so have to pay four times as much as they otherwise would. Their properties become unsellable, so they have to stay in place paying astronomical bills.

westcoastscot · 22 September 2013 at 9:21AM

CTC it's an age old problem for crofters - we used the traditional methods of living seasonably. So, when we slaughtered we share among friends to give just enought for 6 - 8 weeks, which lasted fine at certain times of year without the freezer (although we had one, we were very prone to long power cuts and didn't "rely" on it). Then we'd manage for meat with ducks/chucks dispatched as and when, with rabbit etc to make the change until someone else slaughtered.

With veggies/fruit we lived as seasonably as possible, with some put by as preserves, chutney and salted. Again we had the freezer but didn't rely on it. We did have cold outside storage which kept stuff like marrows, fruit etc well into winter.

The hungry gap was never hungry, but choices were limited - although that made the first crop of peas all the sweeter.

Oh, we had access to fish too, which helped. Topping all this was a comprehensive supply of pulses and dried veggies purchased wholesale a couple of times a year.

It was a lot of hard work, but a fantastic way of life by and large. We baked a lot also, and made sweeties in the autumn for bonfire night and christmas.

It just requires a different mind-set, which will need to return post SHTF. Do we "need" access to every type of food year around? I would argue that one of the reasons people spend money on air-travelled foods is that they've lost the joy of fresh peas in the spring, after a winter of kale, turnip and salted beans

WCS

ragz_2 · 22 September 2013 at 9:22AM

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thanks Lynne

What the problem is most of the freezer is filled with meat, Over the next 2 - 3 months we have 4 pigs going to slaughter, so the freezer will be full to the brim with pork...

We have the same worry, Hubby has a diesel genny and some stored fuel for ours, as have a pig and sheep in, soon to be joined by another piggy (so, actually a few hundred quid worth of meat, eek!). He hopes he could run that a few hours a day on high to keep stuff frozen, but not sure how hopeful that is in the long term. I would aim to eat as much as we can, cook and store once cooked, trade with neighbours maybe...

Off to our archery session now, really hope I come home with a new toy

Hubby is picking up a job lot of surplus today, he reckons he will sell a lot of it, I think we will get it home and want to keep it all! Not 100% sure what's included but I know there are a few rucksacks and I certainly want one for my BOB. Also I quite fancy myself in camo...

[Deleted User] · 22 September 2013 at 9:23AM

Oh well said WCS, so much the truth. A different mindset is just what is needed, thank you, Lyn xxx.

COOLTRIKERCHICK · 22 September 2013 at 9:42AM

We are fairly new to pig keeping ( just over a year) Our friends used to salt their pork, so think I seriously need to find a good book on this, and pick out friends brains on it...

I know we went a bit made this time, and bought 8 piiglets... 3 sows and 5 boars.. so we need to slaughter a few of the boars before they get to boarhood, we could take some to market, for the Christmas meat market, BUT I like everyone on this thread is looking to be prepared for when SHTF ...

WCS... what you described was/is my ideal life... we bought a smallholding last year,( not living there yet) which needs mega amount of work.. but money and time is very lacking, due to the need to work all hours just to pay every day living costs...Would love it, if we could totally be able to afford to leave the rat race... and stick 2 fingers up to consumerism and the big companies/government/local authorities who have us by theshort and curlies

Butterfly_Brain · 22 September 2013 at 10:00AM

There is something about solar powered freezers here
http://www.uk-preppers.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3695

http://www.solenttech.co.uk/114.html

nuatha · 22 September 2013 at 10:07AM

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

We are fairly new to pig keeping ( just over a year) Our friends used to salt their pork, so think I seriously need to find a good book on this, and pick out friends brains on it...

CTC even as recently as the '70s various of my aunts and uncles had flitches of bacon hanging from beams in their kitchens, from memory it was a fair bit saltier than modern bacon but still really tasty and left none of that white crud in the pan that you get from supermarket bacon.
May I suggest you also look at how the Italians and Spanish air dry hams, or check out the River Cottage method
This blog details preserving pork in lard.
I've dry cured bacon, but using modern recipes that I suspect would fail without refrigeration - I'll have to dig out my Dad's old butchery texts and try a more traditional approach
HTH

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