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Marti’s Corner – 70

June 23, 2022

Marti’s Corner – 70

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

** You should be familiar with the website: Alert RivCo | Emergency Management Department | Riverside County Most communities now have a similar alert system to Riverside’s. It’s always an advantage to get a heads-up. From this page, you can sign up to have alerts sent to your phone in case of emergencies. Scroll down until you see “registration portal” and click on that.

** You can also go to Find Your Home’s Climate Risks | Risk Factor. You type in your address and they tell you what dangers you should be aware of. My house is “unlikely” to flood in the next 30 years. Whew. And I have an 11.8% chance of being in a fire. So……. now I can sleep at night.

You can get risk information about your community and lists of providers that offer insurance.

GARDEN HAPPENINGS:

**Pest of the week.

So, I was in the garden and decided it was time to start inspecting the “underside” of the plant leaves. I’m not always good about it because there are just SOOOOO many leaves and it’s tiresome to look under them all. But at the bottom of the cucumbers, I found this on the backside of a leaf:

It was totally invisible from the top.

Not EXACTLY sure what they are, but they don’t belong there and I think they are aphids. I sprayed them with safer soap. It seemed to do the trick.

I also found them on this new baby cuke:

I sprayed those too. I found a few leaves with leaf miner damage and pulled those off. As the weather gets warmer, the life cycle of the bugs speeds up. You have to be a good detective! Spray, spray, spray. Do NOT let it go.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 55

March 7, 2022

Marti’s Corner – 55

NOTES:

* I thought I’d share some gardening adventures. I planted tomatoes on Jan 5, and have been babying them along. They are still small. But the tips of the leaves are turning yellow. Sometimes that means they need to be fed. So I thought I would “pot-up” and feed at the same time.

By contrast, here are the tomatoes I bought at Lowe’s last week. Makes ME wish I had a greenhouse! Lowe's Tomato plants

Again, why bother with planting your own? For one reason, you have access to better variety. For another reason, the Lowe’s plants are about $5 each, which can be pricey if you are doing several plants (my goal is 12 tomato plants this year). By the first of April, you won’t be able to tell the difference.

We still have cold nights ahead. In fact, we are expecting freezing temps this week. So, don’t plant “warm” plants outside yet, unless you are prepared to cover them on cold nights.

* What’s the difference between storing something in a #10 can, or a Mylar bag, or in a jar? They all have advantages. The #10 cans are easy to stack and store. Most items you buy online will come this way. We “used” to be able to do this canning at home, but unfortunately, you can no longer get the empty cans and lids. Especially now. Even the church is having trouble getting the raw materials for the cans, or so I heard. Plus, there are some things I don’t like to store in the cans. I don’t like how the flour or the oats smell after being in the cans for long periods. Some say you can get rid of that smell, but I was never able to do that.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 51

February 3, 2022

Marti’s Corner – 51

NOTES:

eggs-in-a-basket

* Egg substitutions. I have some dehydrated eggs stored, and have even used them to make scrambled eggs once (they were pretty good actually). But in this article by “I Am Baker” she experiments with 4 types of egg substitutions: {4 OPTIONS!} Egg Substitutes – i am baker I was surprised to see seltzer water on that list. Seems like that would be an easy and cheap alternative.

* Every December, I buy new baking soda and baking powder. When I checked the “use by” dates on the old baking powder, it was “use by Oct, 2021”. It was only about 1/2 empty. I don’t always go by those dates, but baking powder and baking soda DO lose their effectiveness over time – usually about a year. Luckily they are inexpensive, so I don’t mind tossing the old one and paying $.89 for a new one. My daughter and I were talking about it once, and she never even buys baking powder. But I’m always thinking WHAT IF. Baking powder is a must for homemade pancakes, waffles, and quick breads.

So, this is a good time to repurchase and start the new year fresh.

* Besides, baking soda has a lot of other uses: 21 Clever Uses For Baking Soda Around The House | HuffPost Life

* I got an advertisement for a “Healing Garden” today in the mail. Healing Herbs Garden Kit

Many of these herbs I’ve bought online, usually dried. Some of them I’ve tried growing myself, although I’m still not very good at it. Growing herbs and flowers is different from growing vegetables. It’s a good variety, however, and includes echinacea, calendula, marshmallow, mint, chamomile, lavender, and yarrow (among other things). I grew yarrow once and even used it to make a Lavender for soap making salve.

It’s surprising how many of these flower seeds suggest planting them in the winter, then waiting for them to come up in the spring.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 49

January 17, 2022

Marti’s Corner – 49

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* And…….just like that…….it’s cold. Okay, it’s not Indiana cold, just California cold. Even though we’ve had frost on the lawn, my tomatoes have not died yet. I have maybe 2 dozen green tomatoes and I’m just hoping they will ripen (at least blush so I can bring them inside). I got ONE zucchini, and ONE yellow squash, so we are having them for dinner in a recipe I made up. I call it Andrew-ala-Toni because it was my son’s favorite dish when he was little. The recipe is below.

* My peaches that I canned back in 2016 are looking sad. But I didn’t want to just throw them away. So into the blender, they went (after I drained most of the water). I didn’t need to add any sweetener because I used a medium syrup when I canned them. I blended them up, spread them on sheets for the dehydrator, and in they went. This is my second batch. The fruit leather from the first batch is really good!!! I’m including it in all my Christmas boxes for my kids. What child doesn’t like fruit leather? Now the jars are freed up for other things.

* I want to share that I finally made a successful batch of almond Roca! I’ve tried several times and could never get it right. This year, I found the winning recipe (see below). I’ve made three batches so far. Chocolate chips are on sale at Winco for less than $2

* My lettuce is flourishing! In fact, it’s time for me to pull out the lettuce that is bolting and plant 2 new tubs. It takes 4-5 weeks before you can harvest the lettuce.

* Thank you to Paul Diffley for sending me this link: 5 Imported Foods From China You Should Avoid

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 42

November 15, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 42

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* If you want to store some food for emergencies and are looking for some low-carb ideas, check out this site: 30 Low-Carb And Keto Emergency Food list – get the printable lists NOW

* Want to try dehydrating but don’t want to buy a dehydrator? Try the oven. How to Dehydrate Food Without a Dehydrator « Food Hacks Dehydrator jerky

This site shows you how to use an oven, a toaster oven, a microwave, and the sun. The author even shows you how to make your own dehydrator.

* Garden Notes – Even though the weather is still warm here in So. Cal., the days are gradually getting shorter, which also means that the sun does rise as high in the sky, which means that the plants don’t get as much sunlight even during the day. Last year I gardened all winter long, and frankly, the plants did NOT do very well, except for the lettuce. So this year, I’m not going to do that. I will take the plants out as production decreases and just let the garden rest, except for the lettuce. My zucchini and yellow squash that I planted in the spring is just about done. But the zucchini and squash that I planted about two months ago are now starting to produce. Somehow the aphids got away from me and seemed to be everywhere—spray, spray, spray. I’m using BT, an organic spray for the aphids.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Fruit

Last week to gather cans of fruit, fruit roll-ups, dehydrated fruits, jams, powdered fruit drinks, and other types of fruit. Cans of fruit, although bulky and heavy, have sweet syrup that will give Fruit needed calories in an emergency.

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Raisins, Craisins

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 40

October 30, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 40

* So I decided to follow my own advice and can some vegetables this week. I bought 20 pounds of potatoes for $6 and then went here: Canning Potatoes Last time I canned potatoes, I did NOT soak them first to get the starch out. When I opened them, I had to rinse them really well to use them. PLUS, after about 6 years, they have “grayed” somewhat. I have to kind of sort them and discard the gray pieces. This week’s final tally: 20 pounds of potatoes = 33-pint jars.

* AND I dehydrated some corn. It was $1.39 at Winco. (prices are climbing!!) This was all sparked by a recipe I found for Wild Rice and Vegetable soup. I’ve included the recipe below. Add meat if you want. But I’m thinking I’ll make some “Mylar Meals” and give them to my kids for Christmas. The recipe says it serves 6-8 (that will work for all my kids) and it only uses 1 TB of corn, carrots, etc. So the 5 pounds of corn that I dehydrated should work. LOL

* My garden is still producing. The cooler temps are allowing the plants to set fruit again. My lettuce is growing again. Here is an October guide for zones 9-10. October Garden Checklist Zones 9-10 | Kellogg Garden Organics™

* THIS week is the Great California ShakeOut. The official event will happen on Thursday, October 21, at 10:21. Your church or school may choose to have their drill on another day, but it will be sometime around then. Be SURE to talk to your family members about what to do when there is a real emergency.

* Paul Diffley shared this link with me. He says they still have stock. He asked for a discount and they gave him 10% off his second order…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 38

October 17, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 38

NOTES:

* Here is a great article about storing water: Drinking Water Guidelines.

* I came across a FaceBook group called, “Simply Prepared With CFD Publications.” From there I found this website: CFD Publications You will find a lot of good information in both places. You will also find a book called Pantry Cooking by Cheryl Driggs, which offers over 350 shelf-stable recipes.

* Beginning in late 2020, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints began to publish “Local Area Preparedness Guides.” Go here to find YOUR area: Local Area Prepare Here is the one for So. Cal: Temporal-Preparedness-Guide-North-America-Southwest-Area-Guide-May-2021

* I apologize if I’ve offered this before, but it’s really great: Houston Emergency Preparedness Cookbook You can download it now and look at it later.

** Garden Update. For several weeks, something has been eating my lettuce – AS SOON AS IT SPROUTS!!! I tried sprays and diatomaceous earth. I finally dug up all the lettuce and started over in new tubs. Same thing. I took pictures and sent them to a master gardener. She suggested mice, rabbits, or squirrels. I bought some sticky mouse traps and laid them right in the tubs. BUT, then I decided to move the tables away from next to the house. If it’s a mouse, I thought, it won’t be able to climb up the table if it’s away from the wall. Soooo… I did not catch a mouse, only a bunch of flies in the sticky goo. BUT, moving the tables has seemed to work, and I’m now harvesting lettuce again. In addition, I have also gotten zucchini and yellow squash from plants that I sprouted only a few weeks ago. Yay!!! I feel that the plants are finally starting to bloom again after the summer heat.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Milk

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 37

October 8, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 37

* Here is the email I got from USU Extension this week:

PLAN

Meet with your family or household and discuss the disasters that are most likely to occur.
Review basic actions for each situation and decide on a family meeting place.
Decide how you’ll contact each other if separated.

PREPARE

Make an inventory of your home.
Show all family members where to shut off the utilities.
Assemble an emergency preparedness kit. Instructions can be found here.
Compile a list of emergency contacts.
Identify the best evacuation routes from the house.

PRACTICE

Choose a regular time to practice your plan.
Conduct a practice run of evacuation routes, and evaluate any changes that need to be made.
Examine your emergency preparedness kit and replace items that have expired or are no longer viable.
Practice cooking a meal using electricity-free methods.

This list is not comprehensive, but it is a good place to begin. Check out more emergency preparedness tips here.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Milk
Milk - Powdered Milk

Milk is available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints here: Nonfat Dry Milk | United States Store. You do NOT have to be a member of the church to purchase any of the food they offer. Each pouch makes 32 servings. 12 pouches = $66. Or about $11 per pouch. $11 for 2 gallons of milk is NOT cheaper than fresh. But the shelf life is listed at 20 years! I checked with Emergency Essentials. They have a #10 can for $19.99. It makes about 36 servings (slightly more). That’s an $8 difference in the price PER POUCH! Plus, I don’t think the Church charges shipping. (I could be wrong about that). You MUST buy by the case.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 35

September 25, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 35

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* More reasons to stock up. And Now It’s Oats
* Time to feed your garden again. I use a vegetable fertilizer with mycorrhizae fungi. I just buy it at Lowe’s. I like Kellogg’s brand, NOT this one, but similar. Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato Fertilizer. In addition to the fertilizer, I give them some nitrogen (DO NOT feed the beans). Either compost or worm castings. I usually do the worm castings. You should be feeding at least once a month.
* If you’ve kept your plants alive through the heat, they should start to produce again. Some things like the beets, beans, and cucumbers, I just started over. It’s like a “do-over”.
* EVERY week, as you shop, you should be thinking, “If I have to hunker down again for a month, can I do it?”

LONG TERM FOCUS: Milk
Milk - Powdered Milk

There are two types of powdered milk. There is instant powdered milk, and non-instant. She mixes her milk in a blender. 2 c. hot water + 1 heaping cup of powdered milk. Mix in blender. Pour into a milk jug, then add an additional 8 cups of water. Mixing Powdered Milk – YouTube

Instant milk is more expensive. But you can just stir it into cold water with a spoon, no heavy mixing is needed. Also, it takes more.

Here is a blind taste test: 8 Best Powdered Milk Brands: Taste Test RESULTS! But remember he does not include Emergency Essentials, or Honeyville or any other large Emergency Food Company.

I have always mixed my non-instant milk in a blender. It creates a ton of foam on top. Just let it sit and it will calm down. Best results come from letting it sit overnight in the fridge. It is NOT cost efficient. It is cheaper to buy fresh milk. And you should try to rotate it, or just be prepared to buy new milk every 3-5 years.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 25

July 17, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 25

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* Last year I posted about a remedy for bites: mosquito bites, bee stings, ant bites, tick bites. It uses charcoal to “draw out” the poison. I kept it in the refrigerator and used it all last year. I finally threw it away a few weeks ago. And wouldn’t you know it, I got a half dozen bites just last week and have suffered this whole time. Ugh. My granddaughter who is staying with us got a huge bite yesterday and I decided it was time to make more.

Bite Remedy: Psyllium Husk Powder 1 part psyllium, 3 parts charcoal, and just enough water to make a soft jelly. Roll it out or press it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Keep it in the fridge. When you need some, just cut off a little square with the scissors, and cover it with a bandaid. The charcoal draws out the poison, the coolness calms the itch.

* As you rotate your food, eventually you will probably have to throw something away. It’s okay. Think of it as insurance. You “re-buy” insurance every month even though you don’t get to use it. So, you throw something away. Buy more and try to get it rotated this time.

Along those lines, I found this great article about what to do with rancid oil. I’ve copied the text and have included it below.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Onions

I just don’t buy fresh onions anymore. I exclusively use dehydrated onions. You can buy dehydrated onions at the grocery store and try them out. This jar has onions I purchased from the Church of Jesus Christ store. Anyone is welcome to purchase from that site, but you have to buy food in cases, which is 6 #10 cans at a time, which is A LOT of onions.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 23

July 3, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 23

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* I tried to post a video last week that was taken down because the person who created it was just besieged with people wanting to share it! Now, she has created a YouTube video. It is almost 45 minutes long. At the 7:53 mark, she begins to present her data. It is well worth the viewing. If you are on the fence, or not concerned, you will be after watching her video. Famine is coming. Helena Kleinlein – Feast or Famine? The Coming Food Shortages.

* Garden update – My cucumbers are producing like crazy. I have too many tomatoes to eat, but not really enough to can. I think there are 12 ripening on my counter as I type this. Some kind of fungus has attacked all my potato plants and they are simply dying off. I’ve tried spraying with fungicide, and with hydrogen peroxide, and several other things. No go. Leaves keep turning yellow with brown spots. Ugh. I got little green worms in the lettuce and had to thin that out. (Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew to the rescue) I left the shade off the lettuce and it just about wilted to death. Plants do NOT like this extreme heat (106˚ the other day). Getting them in the ground early (February) has been a game-changer. Except for the potatoes, everything has produced some food already. Everything is covered with a shade cloth, and my sweet husband even took a fan out to the garden yesterday to cool off the plants. But, but, but!!! When you cut open that first ripe tomato, or fry up that first squash or eat that first crisp cucumber……THAT’S why I do it. Store-bought food cannot compare in deliciousness!

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 15

April 30, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 15

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,

NOTES:

* All of my vegetables are planted in containers. Here is a good article about planting in 5-gallon buckets. Bucket Container Planting Vegetables – Using Buckets For Growing Vegetables These buckets are under $3 at Lowes and Home Depot. Considering the cost of planting containers, and if you don’t mind having buckets in your yard, it might be worth it. We’ve collected a lot of our containers at estate sales and such. I’ve also used those fabric bags. I like the 7-gallon size. They are deeper and seem to give the plants more room to grow.
* I also found this FaceBook page: Tomato Bible. It is NOT just about tomatoes. There are a lot of interesting facts about insects, nutrition, etc. of your garden
* I found this website where you can download a guide explaining 5 steps for getting prepared Listos California | IECF

Get official alerts
Make a plan
Pack a GO bag
Build a STAY box
Help friends and neighbors

There is information explaining each of these things in more detail.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Eggs

eggs-in-a-basket

So, let’s assume you have run out of eggs, you are allergic to eggs, or you are now vegan and won’t eat eggs. How do you make your favorite foods? There are substitutes. Check out this article, 13 Effective Substitutes for Eggs. Eight of these substitutes are listed here: applesauce 1/4 c. = 1 egg; mashed bananas 1/4 c. = 1 egg; ground flaxseeds or chia seeds 1 TB seeds _ 3 TB water until fully absorbed; silken tofu 1/4 c. = 1 egg; vinegar and baking soda 1 tsp soda + 1 TB vinegar; yogurt or buttermilk 1/4 c. = 1 egg; Arrowroot powder (it resembles corn starch. 2 TB + 3 TB water = 1 egg

You can buy dehydrated eggs here: Amazon.com: Augason Farms Dried Whole Egg Product 2 lbs 1 oz No. 10 Can: Sports & Outdoors.

SHORT TERM FOCUS: Peanut Butter

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Marti’s Corner – 11

March 28, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 11

NOTES:

* Here is a packet of seeds like the one I mentioned last week. There are 40 different varieties of seeds. They are 100% heirloom. This means that you can save the seeds from year to year. There is a 5-year shelf life if kept in a cool, dark place. There is a 30-year shelf life if kept in the freezer. AND there are a gardening book that comes with it—16,500 Heirloom Vegetable Seeds 40 Variety Kit. The cost is $35. You cannot buy 40 seed packets for that price. But, in some of the varieties, you only get a few seeds. For example, bush beans only have 12 seeds included. Zucchini has only 8 seeds. Anyway, check it out. Even though you only have 8 zucchini plants, just 1 or 2 zucchini, let go to seed will give you dozens of seeds for future use.

* Here is another choice Spring Garden Bundle. The number of seeds is not listed but probably similar.

Picture of lots of seeds

* One last choice from Seed Armory.

* I wanted to share this video by my friend, Kris. He has been getting his family prepared for a while now, as you can see from this site. He just finished this video: How to Build 1 Year of Food Storage – Ultimate Guide – YouTube. Everything you need to know and all the “how to’s” included!

* I just found this website. Mary’s Nest: Mary’s Nest – YouTube She has videos on EVERYTHING: sourdough starters, stocking a pantry, how to preserve crisp pickles, homemade yogurt, natural remedies for colds and flu. It’s a treasure trove of information. Check it out!

LONG TERM FOCUS: Rice

Rice

If you are still unsure about packing rice, here is a YouTube video to show you how. How to Store Bulk Rice – YouTube

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

COOKING, FIRST AID, FOOD, GARDENING, MARTI’S CORNER, SKILL, city prepping, prepping, preparations, food preparations, food storage

Marti’s Corner – 07

February 25, 2021

Marti’s Corner – 07

Marti's Corner at City Prepping Hi Everyone,
Being prepared means trying to plan for a variety of contingencies. Having no power is one of those possibilities. I’m sure that most Texans could NEVER have foreseen having no power in the middle of freezing weather. In Texas!!!! Now is a good time to ask, “What if that happened here?” My Indiana peeps are saying, “And your point is….????” California peeps—– could you stay warm? Could you cook dinner? As our hearts reach out to friends and family who are experiencing these extreme difficulties, just keep in mind that you could be next, whatever the disaster may be. THAT’S why we prepare. This woman’s wet hair froze as soon as she stepped outside | Your Morning – YouTube

NOTES:

* Garden Update. I have planted some of my broccoli seedlings and cauliflower seedlings into the ground. My other plants are just hanging out, waiting for March 1. I’ve been leaving them outside at night unless the temps are in the low 40’s, then I bring them in. They are actually okay as long as it doesn’t freeze. But I’m still babying them along.

* Facebook Page: Our Prepared Community also has a ton of information. If you click on the videos button, you will see about 25 videos covering everything from natural remedies to evacuation plans. It’s a great resource! Here is a link to the Water Sanitation Class.

LONG TERM FOCUS: Lentils

Lentils are legumes – cousins to beans. Lentils can be green, red, yellow, black or brown. They are full of nutrients with no fat and lots of fiber and protein. Lentils cook much faster than dry beans and don’t need to be soaked. To cook, just rinse and boil 3 cups of water to 1 cup of lentils. They are tender in 15-20 minutes.

SHORT TERM FOCUS

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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