Natural Disasters Are Still Disasters
Hello Everyone. It seems to me like we spend a lot of time preparing for disaster–nuclear war, biological warfare, epidemics, governmental collapse, “end of times” disasters, etc. I am unsure, however, if we spend enough time preparing for natural disasters–disasters this planet has experienced since its beginning–and disasters that we too, as a race, have experienced. Things like tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, and other such natural disasters.
I fear that oftentimes we are too focused on what might happen and not what has happened in the past and will most definitely happen again in the future.
The reason I bring this all up is because the area where I live, the greater Raleigh, NC area, experienced severe weather this past Saturday–66 separate tornadoes were counted just in our area in the span of a few hours. Some people lost their lives, many more experienced injuries and property damage. The Lowes Home Improvement Store in Sanford, NC was leveled…I mean LEVELED. Driving around the next day and looking at photos online, I realize just how lucky I was.
I think it’s important for us to remember that disasters come in all shapes and sizes. It’s just as important to prepare for disasters Mother Nature dishes out to us on a pretty routine basis as it is to prepare for chemical or biological warfare. I know, I know, the thought of a hurricane or blizzard is not as exciting as the thought of chemical warfare of governmental collapse, but survival is survival, and death is death, and death by natural disaster is just as permanent as death by man-made disaster.
Categories: Emergency Food Tags: Emergency, Food, Pail, week
Cheap DIY Solar Energy.
These aren't at all mere fancy items that only reinforce the great thing about a home. You have to have spotted the sparkling, color-filled roofs that many buildings have nowadays, haven’t you? These roofs appear to stun with colours of different shades as quickly as the daylight falls on them. Over ten thousand dwellings in the U. S. An are found to own domestic solar energy systems, according to a survey that was held lately. Though you are starting rather tiny with your solar energy house plans, the option is available for you to contribute to the present system to form a bigger solar energy system for house. Solar solar power cells are found to be present in more than two hundred thousand blocks of homes ( in the major American towns ).
You are able to add more to the system later on if it is required. A bigger system will be wanted to power bigger solar electricity houses nonetheless, this smaller starter system is straightforward to afford and will help you start. The plans will spell out everything you have got to do to build your very own photovoltaic solar energy panel. With some work you'll be in a position to convert your house to solar energy for a fair deal. It's really a particularly rewarding experience to create your own photovoltaic power cells and install them on your house and it is a great project to share with your buddies and relatives if you're so inclined. There are even some busy souls that have made a side business of creating solar energy panels.
Essentially the way a solar power system for the home works is that the first panel you install will save you a proportion of your electricity bill relying on how many photovoltaic cells are in the panel and how much sun you receive. A good DIY installation manual will give the opportunity to build your solar energy system simply and for only 200 dollars. The materials you will likely need are solar power cells, a battery to store the energy you generated, and an inverter to convert the stored energy into serviceable electricity for your house. To offer you a fast overview here are the six steps you want to take to build a solar energy system. Following a trusty DIY manual, you want to order the solar power cells in rows. You must also discover the source from where you can get the parts. Building your own DIY solar energy system is possible with only one or two steps. Dependent on your energy usage each month, you need to build your solar power source. You should purchase a DIY solar electricity kit, which won't only supply you with the step by step guide but will also provide with the obligatory parts.
Categories: Survival Skills Tags: diy solar panels, energy, power, solar, system
Knowledge Is Food!
Hey Everybody! Hope you’ve all been well since my last guest blog. I know I’ve been busy preparing for Spring gardening—figuring out exactly what I’m going to plant this year. Each year I try to plant something new that I’ve never grown before or something I haven’t grown in a while. As a survival gardener, I think it’s important to know how to successfully grow many different varieties of fruits and vegetables.
I always say that the best skill a person can have when it comes to survival is knowledge. Yes, you can stock pile cans of food, you can have the latest survival gear, you can have a plan of action as to whether you’ll “bug-out” or stay right where you are, but when it comes down to it, a full head of survival knowledge is the best tool a person can have.
Therefore, when it comes to growing my own food, I take advantage of the time I have now to learn how to successfully grow all different kinds of foods so that if I am ever in a “SHTF” situation, I am prepared to grow all kinds of foods in order to survive. They always say “practice makes perfect”. I guess I would say “practice makes you prepared”.
So, by trying new things in my survival garden each year, I feel I am preparing myself as best I can when it comes to growing my own foods. Each different kind of plant needs different attention, if you will, when it comes to growing it and harvesting it. You can’t just throw some seeds in the ground, water, and hope for sunny days. Learning all the little idiosyncrasies of each different plant will come in handy when you’re growing and relying on these fruits and vegetables for survival and not just growing them as a hobby or because you’d rather grow your own foods.
I encourage all of you gardeners out there to challenge your selves to try new things. Don’t get stuck in a repeated routine of only growing a handful of different foods—what if none of those foods grow well in a post “SHTF” scenario? You need to be able to grow many different kinds of fruits and vegetables and the time to start learning how to be successful at this is NOW!
And this doesn’t just go for people gardening now, it goes for anyone interested in survival skills. If you don’t currently garden and grow your own foods, you better start now, because I don’t think any of us are going to be willing to share if you come knocking on our doors!
-Jerry Greenfield
Categories: Emergency Food, green lifestyle, Survival Skills Tags: Emergency, Food, food sources, food supply, Gardening, growing food, knowledge, natural gardening, Preparedness, survival, survival gardening
Salutations From a New Guest Blogger!
Hi Everybody! My name is Jerry Greenfield and I’m a new guest blogger for Survival College. I am an avid survival gardener and I practice (and preach!) many other survivalist and sustainable ways. I think it’s extremely important to be as well prepared as you possibly can for any type of situation. Part of being prepared means being educated.
I have been gardening all my life (I am 57) and know quite a bit about it. Most of my knowledge has to do with relying on what nature provides for us—rather than depending on chemicals and modern means to grow foods. In fact, it probably wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I realized I was in the minority when it came to how I garden. Growing up and learning to grow from my grandmother and mother, the only way we ever gardened was organically. I think it’s strange that we now find ourselves in a situation where many of us need to re-learn how to work with nature.
Luckily for me, I don’t have to re-learn anything. But as an organic gardener and a survivalist, I feel it’s my duty to educate others and share my knowledge and expertise with my fellow man. So, once or twice a month you’ll be seeing a guest post from me, providing a little bit of my knowledge with you, and hopefully helping you learn to be a successful gardener and a prepared individual.
When I’m not gardening or doing something to do with survival preparedness, I enjoy reading, doing a bit of woodworking, and eating my wife’s cooking! I have a blog, Grow Like Crazy, which I try to keep up on, but am not very good about! I am also the “main guy” for My Garden Walk: Protect your Perimeters. I write all the blogs for that site and also keep up with the Tips and Prepper Resources. In addition, I enjoy writing Ezine articles. You can read all my articles by clicking here. And of course, who are you if you don’t have a Facebook account? My personal page is here and my page for Protogrow, an organic fertilizer I promote, is here.
I hope you enjoy my posts, and I’d really like to say thank you to Dwayne and everyone else at Survival College for this opportunity!
Categories: Emergency Food, green lifestyle, Survival Skills Tags: food supply, growing food, natural gardening, organic gardening, survival gardening
Companion Planting Really Does Make a Difference!
Hundreds of years ago, gardeners started putting the pieces together and realizing that certain plants grew better with other plants and that other plants could impair or harm the growth of some plants. Basically, these gardeners started to see that certain plants should be grown together, while other plants should be kept separate.
Gardeners began writing their observations down and discussing them with other gardeners. Eventually, this collective knowledge began to be referred to as companion planting. And knowing something about companion planting can make or break you as a gardener. Just because two different vegetables or fruits might taste good together doesn’t mean they will play well together in the dirt!
Here is a short list of fruits and vegetables and the best companions to plant along with them:
· Corn and sunflowers grow well alongside cantaloupes
· Tomatoes grow well with asparagus and parsley
· Carrots do well with other salad veggies such as lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and radishes
· Pole beans will thrive next to marigolds and radishes
· Bush beans like potatoes and beets
· Pumpkins, like cantaloupes, also grow well with corn
Some combinations to avoid:
· Bush beans and onions-onions can be too potent and can inhibit growth
· Eggplant and potatoes-eggplants are extremely susceptible to the pests potatoes attract
· Garlic and tomatoes-the garlic is too overpowering for the tomato
· And although sunflower does well with corn and cantaloupe, keep it away from potatoes
Companion planting is much like any other gardening technique-there is certainly no specific science to it and it’s not for everyone. However, rather than giving up and throwing your hands in the air if you find your gardening skills are lacking, research companion planting a bit and give it a try-it’s worth a shot!
For more information on companion planting, click here!
Categories: do it yourself, Emergency Food, green lifestyle, Survival Skills Tags: companion planting, fruits and vegetables, gardeners, growing food, organic, survival gardening
I Think I CAN, I Think I CAN!
So you have a garden, and it is doing fantastically, but you can’t help wondering, “What in the world am I going to do with all this food?” There’s the pretty obvious answer: Give it away. But after thinking of this solution, your survival instincts may kick in and you may end up saying to yourself, “But this is my food. I don’t want to just give it away.” I don’t blame you; I wouldn’t want to just give it all away either. So what can you do with all this food? Can it, of course!
Canning has been around for quite some time. The process was originally thought-up by the French baker and brewer, Nicolas Appert, in the early 1800′s as a way to preserve food supplies for Napoleon’s army. Originally, preserved foods were stored in glass jars, but fairly quickly tin cans became the most widely used storage container. However, for the home gardeners needs, glass jars, such as Mason jars, are perfect for storing your extra food!
Each vegetable (or fruit) requires different techniques for canning, so it’s important for “the canner” to do their research and know exactly how to can different varieties. However, once canned (or jarred) the containers can all be stored the same way-in a cool, dry place. Back in the day, cellars were perfect. Nowadays, basements, pantries, and even garages will do the trick! As long as your jars are sealed tightly, most of these preserved foods can last years!
By canning and preserving your extra food, you now have access to this food throughout the colder months of the year. If you are eating seasonally, then you know how sad it is to not be able to taste raspberries in the middle of the winter, for example. By making jam or jelly out of your summer raspberries, and then canning the preserve, you can crack open a jar of homemade raspberry jam/jelly on Christmas morning to have with your toast! How great would that be?
It’s very important to do your research and know exactly what you’re doing. Many communities offer classes or workshops on how to can. If your community does not, then here is a book I would recommend reading and keeping close by as you learn how to can your own foods!
-Jerry Greenfield
Categories: do it yourself, Emergency Food, food dehydration, green lifestyle, Survival Skills Tags: canned foods, canning, food security, food supply, survival food
