A Storm Approaches - Be Prepared!

Back in August 2014, I wrote a post "Always Be Prepared" after my hometown and surrounding areas were flooded out to the point that major highways were impassible, and hospitals were even closed. What we saw back in the fall in Missouri, and again tonight in Maryland is enough reason for any family, especially living in an urban/suburban area, to consider creating an emergency and evacuation plan...

A storm approaches... Summer 2014

I've said it before, shows like "Doomsday Preppers", in my opinion, has cast a negative light on emergency preparedness within the general population. After all, most people today are accustomed to walking or driving a short distance to the nearest convenience or grocery store for bread, milk, snacks and toiletry items on demand. They can't imagine a time when they won't be able to do so. While being preoccupied with laughing at Joe Smith hoarding gas masks and building a fall out shelter under his garage, or Pete Jones building an arsenal fit for any 3rd World Army, they are forgetting about possible every day negative occurrences like natural disasters and localized pockets of civil unrest, or even a personal period of illness or unemployment when funds to purchase food may be scarce!

An obvious consideration many disregard is possible disruption in flow of overland transportation. If trucks cannot pick up in and pass through major cities, it may affect you indirectly when supermarkets, who themselves usually only stock 3 days worth of goods, stop receiving shipments. When Toledo's water was disrupted, less than 12 hours later overnight, stores all the way out here (35 miles from the city) were already sold out of bottled water! There were reports of scalpers selling $5 cases of bottled water for as much as $25 each! We've seen in the past how quickly civility erodes when water, food and other necessities are depleted...

As I stated previously, a good place to start preparing in case of emergency is the American Red Cross. They provide lists of supplies to have on hand, and tips for specific types of emergencies. While they concentrate on natural disasters, your basic human needs are the same regardless of the situation. Agencies across the board recommend AT LEAST a 72 hour stash of supplies, preferably mobile in case of evacuation. 72 hours is a great place to start, and from there, in my opinion, keep going until you reach at least 30 days.

Pinterest offers a plethora of links to sources with thorough supply lists and tips for specific scenarios, too. Here's a link to our Emergency Preparedness Board. As you can discern from the pins, our biggest threats out here are tornadoes (all these open fields!), and most especially impassible roads and power outage due to blizzard conditions. Winter 2013, there were 3 separate times we were snowed in for more than 24 hours. It was a blessing knowing we had plenty of food and water, and warm clothes, blankets and an alternate cooking method if the power went out, too!

There are many companies out there offering pre-packed mobile 72 hour bucket and backpack kits. A quick Amazon search will yield hundreds of results. Though convenient, these pre-packed kits can be rather pricey. If you have a dehydrator and the time to do so, you can easily make your own dry mix meals and package them in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long term storage, and invest in some water treatment tablets or a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter for your mobile kits.

Besides the obvious Amazon, a great place to find non-food supplies, like alternate cooking sources and solar crank radios at affordable prices is Sportsman's Guide. While, as their name suggests, they sell hunting and fishing gear, they also have an excellent selection of military issue surplus and camping goods that could be helpful in an emergency situation.

I could go on about this topic for pages, however, my intention here is to simply encourage you all to start concocting a contingency plan for yourselves and your families, and guide you to some resources, if God forbid, things ever go south for you, regardless of the actual situation that may cause the emergency.

DEHYDRATING: Tomatoes

Continuing on with "Tomato Week", we present another method of preserving your harvest! Dehydrating is probably the simplest way to preserve tomatoes. Dehydrated tomatoes are surprisingly versatile, too!

Preserving tomatoes through dehydration is extremely simple. They take up less storage space per pound, and are excellent for outdoorsmen who wish to make their own dry mix meals.

RAW TOMATOES:

Paste tomatoes are recommended, but any variety can be used. The juicier, the longer they will take to dehydrate. You may wish to use screen inserts for easier removal and clean up.

1. Thoroughly wash tomatoes before processing. 
2. Slice tomatoes 1/8" thick. Too thin, and they will be near impossible to remove from trays, too thick and they will not dehydrate evenly.
3. Arrange slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays leaving a sliver of space between each slice to allow for air flow.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for approximately 16-20 hours, depending on type of tomato.
5. They are done when they feel dry to the touch, and just slightly pliable. It is imperative all moisture is removed, or they are liable to mold.

Dehydrated tomatoes can be stored in jars in a cool, dark, dry place. Recycled pickle jars are just fine. They may be stored for a longer period of time by adding a food safe Oxygen Absorber into the jar. Mylar bags or vacuum sealed packets will work as well.

To reconstitute dried tomatoes, simply submerge the slices in warm water for about 10-15 minutes. Use as you would fresh tomatoes in recipes. Not recommended for topping sandwiches and burgers.

TOMATO SAUCE:

Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce can also be dehydrated. In order to dehydrate sauce, you will need "Fruit Roll Sheets" or parchment paper.

1. If you are dehydrating chunky spaghetti sauce, process in a blender until smooth.
2. Place Fruit Roll Sheets or parchment paper into dehydrator trays.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce upon each sheet as evenly as possible. Roughly 1/16" thick.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for about 10-12 hours. About halfway through, turn the tomato leathers over to facilitate even drying. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable. 
5. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable (much like "Fruit Roll-Ups snacks"). Peel leathers from sheets and process in a blender until powdered. 

Dehydrated sauce is stored in the same manner as raw dehydrated tomatoes (see above).

To reconstitute sauce, pour 1/2 c. hot water over 3 Tbsp. powdered sauce. Use reconstituted tomato sauce as you would canned sauce in recipes. Tomato powder can also be used as-is in homemade soups and sauces.

If you're an outdoorsmen looking for recipes for DIY dry mix meals, there are 83 pages worth in "The Dehydrator Bible " by MacKenzie, Nutt and Mercer. Some examples include: various pancakes and oatmeals, soups, chili, pasta and rice dishes. 

We use the Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A. When purchasing a dehydrator, be sure it has an adjustable thermostat.  

Always Be Prepared!

Nearly 6" of rain fell on parts of the Metro Detroit area this afternoon, causing multiple freeway closures and prompting a flood (pun intended) of reports of waterlogged basements on social media.

Flooding in Woodhaven, MI. Courtesy Miranda Seal.

After several weeks of absolutely no rain, it was made up for in spades all over southeastern Michigan with a torrential downpour that lasted several hours. While us out here in the rural cornfields of Lenawee County had plenty of thirsty plants to quickly soak it up, friends and family living back in my suburban hometown near Detroit did not have the same luck. Reports of completely gutted basements are coming in from friends and family all over the downriver area. State Police were strongly urging motorists to stay off the highways, stranding some folks at their workplaces. It sounds like utter chaos! (EDIT: 11:55P Two local Hospitals, Oakwood and Wyandotte, have closed their Emergency Rooms due to flooding as well!)

Which brings me to my topic, Emergency Preparedness. With the rise in popularity of the overzealous "Doomsday Preppers" show and conspiracy theory websites, comes a certain amount of potentially dangerous backlash. That is, the thought that only "crazies" waiting on a a ridiculously improbably catastrophe of epic proportion "hoard supplies". While throwing out the baby with the bathwater, some folks set themselves up for personal crisis should a localized event like a natural disaster occur.

There are an untold number of "preparedness" websites out there boasting that their (insanely overpriced) products will get you through hell or high water, but really, a good place to start planning is the good old American Red Cross. They suggest a 72 hour mobile evacuation kit for each member of the family, as well as a 2 week supply of food on-hand in the case you are home bound, and give a detailed list of items to have on hand. There are individual instructions and suggestions for specific events such as hurricanes, blizzards, and other area specific natural activity. It's very important to know what potential problems may arise in your own local area. Obviously, blizzards aren't a concern in San Francisco, but earthquakes certainly are!

As for ourselves, for example, we know that in our immediate area we may be snowed in at any time during the winter due to drifting. So, we tailored our Emergency Kit to include warming items such as a kerosene heater with several containers of fuel, extra blankets, socks, hats, mittens and hand warmers in case of power outage during blizzard conditions. We also extend our food and water storage to 30 days over the winter months. We have to be especially vigilant with our water supply, as we've not yet installed a manual pump for our well. This includes extra bags of feed and hay bales for the animals.  Our animals use roughly 4-6 gallons of drinking water a day alone! Don't forget your pets and livestock!

It is imperative to be ready to care for yourself and your family in the case of an unexpected event, as we've seen in recent years in the aftermaths of hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. My grandma (who I learned my gardening, cooking, and food preservation skills from), lived through the Great Depression and has held onto their WWII ration cards all these years. She has often spoken of making due with what you have, and the importance of self-sufficiency. Some advice is truly timeless...