It's easy to grow weary of prepping if you're constantly trying to out think the what-ifs in life or if you allow the things you hear and see cause you to believe that there's no point in preparing. What began as wisdom can easily turn to worry and then fear and lack of trust. However, if you make being prepared as a part of your lifestyle then hopefully you won't burn out trying to store away so many things that you think your going to go crazy or paranoid! Instead, develop a way of living, saving, storing, rotating, growing, and learning that fits into your every day routine. Live with what you prepare on a daily basis, incorporating it into your life now so that it isn't something that will expire or spoil. (Obviously there are exceptions to that last statement, but generally speaking, this is doable.)
That's what I hope to do.
Some of my goals are to learn about the native plants on my property that are edible, gain skills where I am able to be more resourceful, and build relationships with people around me so that we know each other before a crisis befalls us. I want to consistently grow our own food, hunt and fish for some of it, and know who I can trade with for what I can't produce.
How I Prepared This Week
This week, for the Preparedness Challenge, I got my hive up and running, received 25 meat chicks, and started preparing the garden for planting. I also worked on a large area next to my house (separate from the garden) where I intend to create a garden for medicinal plants and culinary herbs.
I also received some DVDs on Making Herbs Simple and checked out a book from the library on Better Basics for the Home in order to learn how to make my own products. (I make a few things already, but I'd like to learn even more!). I also started assessing some of the native plants on my property and researched their uses.
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Right now, there's a ton of Nettle around the creek out back. Normally, I would have considered the Nettle a weed that needed to be eradicated as quickly as possible, but since it wasn't in an area that we walk through often I left it there, then showed my girls the plant and discussed it with them so they wouldn't accidentally get in it and start stinging. I need to learn if I can harvest and dry the leaves.
Please share what you did this week to be prepared for a crisis situation. Either leave a comment or write a blog post with the Preparedness Challenge picture, link back here, and then come back and add your post to the Linky below. I always get so many wonderful ideas from the things you all share! It's encouraging and holds us all accountable to get it done!
Thanks so much for your wonderful recommendations for the Better Basics book...have just reserved it online!! I also checked out the Home Dairy book that you recommended not long ago and am really enjoying it!! I have already made simple cheeses such as soft cheese and ricotta with my raw milk but would like to have a crack at the mozzarella now! There is a fantastic book here that I think you would love called "A Home Companion" by Wendyl Nissen. All old recipes which has changed my life as I now make most of my cleaning products (love making the laundry liquid, very therapeutic!!). I can send it from NZ for you if you like? Check out my neighbors at my place making the laundry liquid in bulk...was great fun!! http://sweetnektar.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/one-step-closer-to-freedom/
ReplyDeleteLast weekend I went to a local Mennonite village and stocked up on spices and herbs, as well as honey, maple syrup and sorghum.
ReplyDeleteAdded clothes to the kids' winter wardrobes.
Learned to identify wild mushrooms (grey/yellow sponges, blacks) and gathered 5 lbs for dinner tonight!
Getting ready to plant a couple cranberry bushes.
I never thought I would have to prepare for a tornado in Central Pa. I'm prepared for flooding, fire, and power outage. I have food and water stored. But how do you prepare for a tornado? After this week I wanted Hubby to build a safe room in the basement. We have a 100+house with a dirt basement, he's not building me a room. He told me that you can't prepare for everything and sometimes you just have to trust God.
ReplyDeleteHopefully today, after baseball,it will be dry enough for me to start plowing the garden. We had already spread the manure over it a few weeks ago and now it just needs to be turned over. I am also working on an herb garden and was just reading about the DVD you mentioned. I picked up a few plants at the Amish Market. Lavender, lemon thyme, peppermint and spearmint. I'm actually going to plant the mints in the field and let them go crazy. I love when the wind blows and the scent of mint drifts through the air. As I sell my eggs, I'll pick up a few more plants. 3doz eggs= 4herb plants! I also have a trade going on with a church member. 1 gallon of goats milk for him 2bales of hay for me! It's nice when the critters help pay for themselves!
Hi Amy
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the nettles, you can indeed eat them both cooked fresh and in tons of uses once dried and crumbled.
I did a post on a book I got from England a couple years ago on Nettles, its got so many different uses for nettles, I would highly recommend it. (I am not in anyway connected to it) I just really like it.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/book-review101-uses-for-stinging-nettles-by-peirs-warren/
I made a dozen jars of jam this week for my boys. Continuing to clear a field for my in-laws. My mother-in-law wants to start raising chickens for eggs and meat. That probably will not happen until next year. Also, we need more gardening space thus, my oldest son and I have been working on clearing this field. We are also starting a vegetable garden plot in our backyard. My seedlings are doing well and hopefully will be large enough to plant outside after the last frost in our area in about a month. We have also been gathering and stocking up on additonal supplies and ingredients for our summer/fall canning.
ReplyDeleteNettle is also a great blood purifyer. Drink like a tea or use in your garden as fertilizer. Just stuff a bin, fill with water, stir daily (it will stink) and after a week or so mix one part to 20 parts water.
ReplyDeleteI'm not linking up a post today! Just too weary to think about it. I did can pinto beans, dehydrate more mushrooms, and purchased a dozen bars of Zote soap for laundry detergent. We will hopefully be able to add more to the garden this next week. Our main focus this week is helping our married daughter sort through and clean up from the tornado that destroyed their home. We are extremely blessed that God preserved my daughter's little family. http://busyhandsbusyminds.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-daughters-house-after-tornado.html
ReplyDeleteAnita, I certainly understand how tired and worn out you all must be! My comment about not growing weary was directed more at the idea of giving up and quitting altogether, but we all grow tired and yes, even weary now and then when life seems just too hard. I believe this is one of God's ways to prepare us for heaven and remind us that this is not our home.
ReplyDeleteThis week I finally talked with the lady who runs the small childcare that my daughter goes to 2 days a week about what her plans are in an emergency where heading to their 'evacuation spot' isn't wise or possible. When my daughter is at daycare, I am at work in a small town about 10 minutes drive away. My husband and I talked also this past week, and if we are both away from the home (which is typically the case the 2 days a week when our daughter is at daycare), his priority will be getting home to get the dogs and things ready, and mine will be getting to daycare to get Madison and then getting home. By talking to our daycare provider, I hoped to ensure that we wouldn't be crossing paths without realizing it, her heading into town to their 'evacuation spot', me heading to their place.
ReplyDeleteObviously, if cell phones and vehicles are working and usable, we wouldn't need to worry about these things. It was good to talk with her about preparedness, since as a close neighbor and friend, she could be one of our community here if things go bad.
We also ordered 25 meat chickens & laying hens to come this summer, and started thinking about the building we need to build for the piglet we will be hopefully getting this fall.
Thanks for the encouraging words Amy!
This week I was tired and pessimistic. The garden is not going well, finances are not going well, etc. etc. Then, the tornado hit. We also get tornados in the Texas hill country and I realized that we were not prepared for one, nor my elderly parents. That will be my focus for right now. But, I will get myself back in the garden and persevere which, I read this week, is the hard work you do after all the hard work you have already done!
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to the midwest. With loss of family, home, neighborhoods, and even whole towns just gone after a twister went through how to you prepare for that. Only God would be able to be the provision at that point.
ReplyDeleteHere in my little bit of the world my seedlings are starting to sprout, the garden is waiting for the water hoses to go back down today and hopefully I'll have time to plant a few climbing peas and root veggies. Puppies have taken a LOT of time this last month, but the wet fuzzy kisses are worth the work. I'll be both sad and happy as they start going to their new homes in the next couple of months.
Prepping..........sigh..........something ate my entire second garden after the goats ate my first garden. Spring garden season is just about finished here in Texas. So, we continue to work on reinforcing the garden house we've been building around the 4 garden beds we have. I bought 4'x150' of chicken wire to put on the hog panels that are around the garden house. Next we need to get the roof enclosed in shade cloth and plastic. Maybe then my garden will be safe from thieves..........
ReplyDeleteMy second prepping feat this week was to post and get the word out about those in Alabama that we know that lost their homes and one father. We can prep as much as possible and sometimes it is not our prepping that feeds and clothes and houses us but instead it is the Body of Christ who ends up being the one who aids us in our time of need, not our prepping. Not that we don't need to prep. All the more so.
By prepping ourselves, we might just be the ones who are able to give to those who have been stripped of all of their belongings.
Sometimes God tells us to give. Other times God tells us to receive.
So, doing what I can to help those in Alabama this week has been a big priority.
Sara ~ We live in the Texas Hill Country too. We, also, are not prepared for a tornado as we live in a 5th wheel and a cabin. We live 17 miles from the tornado alley in our area but the old timers here say there has never been a tornado hit anywhere near our property so there's no worries. Their proof is that the original farmhouses in our area are still standing ; )
ReplyDeleteAll the same, it would be nice to have a storm shelter. That would mean digging a cave in the limestone rock, which isn't easy! Something to ponder and see if we can make that happen.
The usual weather to consider here is flooding rains and the results of the effect of the hurricanes as they move inland. We had a storm system stall over us a couple of years ago and give us numerous inches of rain in a couple of hours. I thought we were going to wash away, literally. It was a scary and unusual day but the Lord got us through it with few major damages.
It is daunting to try to be prepared for everything, rather impossible. But we can prepare one step at a time and trust the Lord to provide for us exactly what we need when we need it.
This week road restrictions were lifted and work began on the barn and the driveway got widened and graveled. I had started seeds a few weeks back and transplanted some of them. Rest of my things from back east got picked up by the moving van yesterday and will be here in a week to 10 days so now I need to get room made for all that stuff too. Chicks come on Wednesday. Attending classes at the community college on incubation and soil. Next week is food preservation I. Can't work the garden until the building is done cause they are driving all over the place.
ReplyDeleteAdele
This week has been very hectic...but I added another 10 chicks to the brooder as replacement layers, planted all of my peppers, ordered another 10 dozen Tattler canning lids, harvested and froze 4 heads of my garden broccoli, captured and hived another 2 bee swarms (this is 4 for this season)and planted another 5# of potatoes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a hoot! I'm also readind my library's copy of Better Basics for the Home. It's just about as complex as I can handle at this early stage of home preps. I also checked out a book on using fruit plants as landscape elements around the yard. And I'm working in our local community garden to design and plant a mostly-herb garden potager. Best regards!
ReplyDeleteHi. This is the first time Ive joined in here. Im wanting to start a garden. I guess my prepping I did this week was plant pumpkin seeds with my daughter, which are starting to show shoots already.
ReplyDeleteThis week I posted my response to the Preparedness Challenge on my new blog: http://ishallknowwhy.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/weather-and-preparedness/
ReplyDeleteI was going to post obout the nettle in our garden...absolutely use it! I just saw a segment on a cooking channel in which they used nettle...I was surprised to see it actually...this is a link to the recipe....http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-chicken-breast-with-foraged-vegetables-nettle-pesto-and-grilled-lightning-tree-farm-flatbread-recipe/index.html
ReplyDeleteThey have a strong flavor something like a kale or mustard green and should be prepared properly but once cooked do not sting anymore...the variety in your picture is Slender nettle (Urtica gracilis) there are several varieties...they are extremely high in minerals and amino acid and protein. You can also add them to home made cough medicine as an expectorant...
I live in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I always felt safe here....tornadoes didn't come our way. Wednesday night changed all that for us (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.199617173409520.51849.100000837168523)
ReplyDeleteAs we were huddled in the basement while the storm was raging, all I could think about was your post about the 72 hour Emergency Kit. I hadn't made one......but now we're prepping that. Thanks for helping me get started.....thanks for helping me get through that scary night. My "safety" has been taken from me, so now I have to be proactive.
Laura-Lisa, thanks for the excellent information! I'm now excited I have nettle!
ReplyDeleteStacy, so glad to know your family made it through alright! I need to finish my own 72 hour kit!
I have friends that grow stinging nettles for a company called FLORA. They use it for medicinal purposes, but I'm not sure exactly how. Anyway, now you know it can be used!!!
ReplyDeleteone more thing, only use the nettle leaves before it flowers...
ReplyDeleteYou can use the nettle in soup! You dry it upside down, and then you can cook with it :) Check it out online!! My mother in law makes it all they time.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are learning to can. We do not have alot of land, but try to grow all we can. I have worked with a Produce Manager at our local store to purchase organic produce in bulk at a lower price. So, today we are finishing up canning organic carrots. We will have 20 quarts finished so we can get to bed in a just a few minutes. I have been dehydrating food like crazy and vaccum sealing it with the food saver jar accessory. So, we have been busy at our house.
ReplyDeleteWe live in northeast Georgia, and we are so very thankful that the closest tornado touched down about 30 minutes from our home. The long hours of Wednesday night gave us an opportunity to recognize the steps we need to take to be more prepared. Our current home is entirely above ground, and we were not much better protected in the mud room than we would have been somewhere else in the house. We have begun plans to build a canning house/emergency shelter into the side of the hill on our new property. My husband is going to research how to build the shelter so that the roof is covered by and will not rot from dirt.
ReplyDeleteIn an effort to have food for ourselves and extra food to give others, I planted 368 Christmas lima beans and 360 sweet corn seeds yesterday, along with zucchini and watermelon. My husband constructed half of the fence around the garden. I will hopefully get most of the rest of the summer garden planted next weekend. I preserved some onions this week (I love Vidalia onion season!), and will preserve more this next week.
Thanks for all the great information. Now I have to go and get this book.
ReplyDeleteIronically I have also been reading all week about using wild herbs. Nettle is a plant that I'm very interested in and can't wait until it starts to grow.
ReplyDeleteI was away from home all day yesterday and missed your post! I'm a little late, but I see the linky is still live, so I added a link to my post on Emergency Preparedness for Summer Storms, Tornadoes and Hurricanes. The weather has been cold and wet here, but the seedlings are still plugging along in the greenhouse, waiting for better days ahead.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the nettle, There was a comment about not using them after they flower, and I have to say that having eaten them as a fresh green, dried herb, and growing large patches for a wonderful dried protien that I collect, dry and crumble for extra use in my milking goats or sheep as well as for chicken feed, I have had NO issues using plants for any of the above that have flowered or not.
ReplyDeleteFor fresh eating, I like to take the top fresh growth, but for the rest, I often take the whole Plant, and have never noticed any different in taste or quality.
I know that you were taking lessions on making cheese products, and I like to make nettle cheese, it really good.
Not a whole lot happened this week for the preparedness challenge, but a little is better than none! I taught myself to use the pressure canner and canned 7 quarts of chicken stock. I also added to our stockpile by buying more body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and sanitary items. (I had some awesome coupons to help with this!) I added to our first aid kit with Kmarts buy one, get one free on their first aids items. I got some butterfly bandages, regular bandaid, cotton swabs, gauze rolls, and first aid tape.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get our garden started, but the weather has been so icky in north Iowa - rainy, cool, and miserable. Hopefully this week will be better so I can get my potatoes, peas and lettuce in!