The Plant Room

Today I got up w/ to the kids screaming about the kitties you see , we have a plant room that is built on to our house , so we have an odd wall with windows that looks straight from the living room into the plant-room. Yes , its odd , but it works. Well , I went to go look at what the kdis were screaming about excitedly (as toddlers are prone to being excitable as is). There was a Coon , rather small one but definitely and adult , curled up against on of the plant room heaters. You see the plant room has 3 heaters because I have a nice collection of tropical plants that need to be a bit warmer than our house is normally heated. It seems one of the cats opened the door and it did not latch back securely , and Mr.Coon just let himself right in.

I chased him out with a broom , and will let my husband know he can be rid of him .

The plantroom is showing signs of life which brings joy to me for sure.

I have started a bit of seed. Lacking chain to regulate how far the light is , I have substituted Styrofoam , as they get taller I will remove a layer of foam. I have a few of my main crop seeds starting early , I also have decided to start all my celery and a handful of salad and herbs as well.

I am so happy My Salad tin has started to grow full of sprouts , its been a month since the last of my chicon was used up. I am overjoyed to see these little sprouts for sure.

My poor Overwintered Cabbage , My husband says that we will plant it out and let it go for seed when it warms again. That Pan is full of tulips I overwintered. I got them on sale just before fall , 2 Cents a Dozen.

My Lemon Balm seems to have been sparked to life in the last week as well , and I dream of its full return. I love the way it smells and tastes.

My Foundation Seed

This is Year 2 @ The Farm , so I decided to look around to see what I could find in a survival seed (Aka Heirloom Seed Kit ) , I went out with a couple of reasonable requirements , high variety , reasonable price. While this is not a cheap kit @ 99$ it IS high in variety , including pollinators. I also did not want to focus on a a grain based packaged since I am probably most of my descendants will not find wheat an acceptable food source. With 63 Varieties and 4 separate gardens (Vegetable , Herb , Floral , Herbal) It was pretty extensive. I also liked this because it came with a winter squash extravaganza for sure , have you ever really thought of all the uses of gourds ? I have.

I did however supplement a few uncommon things such as luffa , parsnip , nasturtium etc.
I used a local supplier and RH Shumway (Nasturtiums). I invested a bit in this foundation stock , but If I am top of things I shoudl never have to buy seed again. Hows That for Self sufficiency ?



I was well pleased with the Heirloom Master Gardener Pack from Abceeds.com .




I was well pleased with the Heirloom Master Gardener Pack from Abceeds.com .

Examples of My MRE Alternatives

The other Day I blogged about MRE Alternatives , Now for my family These MRE Alternatives will not be a a full time food source , but more of a supplement , and for traveling , or a last minuet addition. We focus more on dehydrated and canned goods for long term storage and in our daily usage.

These MRE alternatives also wound up being taste tested against my will , with my husband stealing a couple for work , and my children finding the box and jumping up and down in excitement over their contents. SO they are family approved. The only change I will make is having sardines in sauce VS soybean oil (apparently my husband picked up the wrong ones).

I packed each in a Plain brown paper bag , with a drink pack mix of some sort , and many had mini tissue packs as well. I stapled the Bags shut (after the entire child discovery incident). I wrote the calories on the bottom of each bag for future reference.

A Real Person , Not Just an Avatar

Spring 08

MRE Alternatives

I was over @ The American Prepper Network Forum when i saw this wonderful Topic

MRE's for $120 a case??????? Screw That!!

It really go me thinking , MRE's are created with High Calorie for an active Warrior , not exactly what may be needed by everyone. While I personally enjoy MRE's I am not so sure that MY children would eat them , and as a prepared mom it is my responsibility to know I have stocked something my children would eat with no problem.

D_Loki was kind enough to lend me his spreadsheet , so I went in and fiddled around with some other ingredients in an attempt to create MRE Replacement that would work for MY family.

You can see a copy of D_Loki's Spreadsheet with My modifications in a shaded green @ Google Docs Here : MRE Alternative @ D_Loki (Open in a New Tab to stay on this page)

I shaded my changed in green , and I also added a column for price as well.

I know that the items I purchased for these are not the most price effective ,but they are shelf stable.

Those with more proficient skills may be able to make their own mini packed items , but I made this so simple even my unskilled father & his wife could make their own.

I spent about 20 $ in total , I sought out high calorie , eat to eat , easy to open , shelf stable goods.

Instead of going with a high energy caloric needs I calculate the caloric needs of my family. Average activity for adults , adjusted calorics for toddlers.

Family Calorics :

Adult Active Male - 3000 (A day)

Adult Female - 2000 (A day)

Toddlers - 1300 (A day)

Tween - 2,200(A day)

Go Check out My Version of the Spreadsheet to See what I came up with.

No matter how I tried I could not easily find shelf stable HIGH caloric foods.

Each Kit I came out with was around 1200 Calories , My husband need close to 3 a day to work , and I 2 a day , my children would be fine with 1 each day , but my sister would probaly have to go for 2 a day as well.

Simple enough. I would love to see what others can come up with to use the Linky below

Where it Says Tittle add your username the @ Symbol and Your Blog Title

PrepperMom@ Prepared Mom

My Username @My Blog Name

For the URL You will want to Enter URL of your Blog Page or The URL to YOUR worksheet.

This makes it easier to find in the future. This Linky Will Quit Collecting in 7 Days , if you desire to continue do not hesitate to comment and let me know and I will restart another.

The Forgotten Investment

In Todays Society somethings have gone forgotten , when I think about being prepared I look around my house and I wonder what I could not live without. Before the advent of the internet where did people go to learn about new things ? The Library.

What would you do in an emergency , or in a long term seclusion ? Well , I would go to my Encyclopedia.

I am by no means saying go out and buy a brand new encyclopedia , personally I actually prefer older encyclopedias from the 60's and 70's they tend to have better illustrations of how things work , and of what plants look like.

I found that if you cruise through craigslist of book shops you can find them at more than reasonably affordable prices , and at times you can even get them free.

Please dont forget to invest in you future , and quite possibly your children's future. Even if you dont have children , are you sure you will never have any under your care ? Do you have a sufficient amount of information for basic as well as advanced teaching in your home.

Things you can do with an encyclopedia :

• Look up Edible Plants
• Look Up Medicinal Herbs
• Look up How things Work
• Look up basic Medical Procedures
• How to Butcher an Animal
• How things are made

Image provided Courtesy blaize @ http://www.sxc.hu

Child Related Items in Your Kits

When I was young , very much pregnant with my first child I started to freak out about the things I might need in an kits. Some of those things are as follows :

• Lactation Tea - In an emergency Try to keep / and dry out and use again if needed
• Hand Powered Breast Pump - Make sure you know how to use it
• Emergency Formula - Keep Regular & Soy on Hand
• Barley - For Mother or Child
• Nappies - Clothe Diapers
• A Sling - Know how to use it
• Extra Clothing / Sleep Sack / Shoes / Socks
• Bottle / Bottle Brush / Nipples
• Cheese Cloth
• Zip Storage Bags for all , including one for soiled clothing / Nappies
• Rags Marked for Specific Uses - Diaper , Burp , Bath kept sealed in completely different bags. Keeping them marked keeps people from using them inappropriately and spreading germs / disease.

Latter when I had my second child I my first had grown quite a bit I found the following Just as useful.

• Child Leash - For Toddlers on a Walk
• Stash of Toys - To keep em Occupied
• A Stuffed Animal - Comfort Objects
• Board Books - Entertainment , Calming Ritual with Parents
• Children Ban-Aides - Kissing Boos make it heal better.
• A Second Sling - In Case you need to Carry you older child.

Even if you do not have children I think that these are things you might want to look into , because sooner or later you are bound to interact with others who Do have children , or maybe even have some of your own.

I also recommend keeping the following herbs / Oils around or in pack in for use by nursing mothers and children.

• Lavender Oil - Relaxes Small children
• Fenugreek - For lactation stimulation
• Anise - (NOT star Anise , please look it up ) - for gassiness
• Ground Cloves - for teething issues

As with all emergency kits you should keep checking in and keep items up to date. I have found the formula needs to be changed out often if you hand measure it , Similac Carries a Type in Convenient bottle size doses that I highly recommend and used with my own children , these , left sealed can be stored for up to a year . Always make sure that you have proper accommodations in clothing and sleeping gear for littles. Children Grow Fast and Their Clothing becomes too small quickly so you should also keep their clothing in kits up to date or larger than they might really need. I also recommend Nappie Pins , even if you use velcro , because velcro can wear our . You should make sure you know how to use these things in an emergency , not just have them around and have no idea how to use them.