Thanks for sharing the info about preparing for our pets. I found a couple of good websites that might be helpful for your readers re storing pet food for dogs and cats over longer periods of time. The first website I’ve included is a free PDF download from the American Veterinary Medicine Association:

https://ebusiness.avma.org/EBusiness50/files/productdownloads/2011%20STWF%20English.pdf

For dogs:

http://www.greyhoundfriendsnj.org/info/display?PageID=849
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/be-dog-prepared-for-disaster/page1.aspx
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/plan-now-to-protect-your-pet-in-a-natural-disaster/page1.aspx

For cats:

http://www.petsitters.org/cfincludes/MemberCenter/ResourceLibrary/cfincludes/animalbehavior/cats/Safe_Food_Storage.pdf

Thanks again, Rudy. You’re doing a great job and providing a wonderful service to us all!

About 85 percent of the grain grown in the world is used to feed livestock of one form or another. In other words we feed about 15 kilograms of grain (protein) to an animal to get about one kilogram of protein in return. As well as the grain there is a great amount of water and energy used, particularly in transportation.

Being just the two of us we grow poultry for eggs as well as the table which eliminates the need to store so much meat.

A point often overlooked. We need about two pieces of red meat about the size of the palm of our hands per week to give us the necessary vitamins and minerals. Any more than this is overkill in relation to our needs in most cases.

We live in a situation where we can grow beans for drying and these supply is with protein throughout the year and can be stored in glass jars without the use of energy. Beans can be added to soups, stews, casseroles etc. and in some cases can be ground for flour.

As I said earlier I understand the point about the freezer as we once lived on the grid where electricity was there for the taking but once off the grid ideas change. There are also some very good gas refrigerators and freezers on the market, a few more dollars but gas bottles can be stored until they rust out, petrol for a relatively short period and diesel about five years at the most with due care and attention.

Just a thought about alternatives.

My feeling on this is that I’m not preparing just for the end of the world, but for anything that could remove our systems of support (like the electrical grid)

For example, one of the reasons I have a generator is because as part of daily life there are things I use that depend on electricity. A freezer, for example. We have a fair amount of frozen beef in the freezer because we buy it buy the cow. Now while it doesn’t take us too long to plow through one with a family our size, there’s still quite a bit of cash tied up in that meat.

And the last thing I want is to have a wind storm cause a power outage and for us to lose that meat. It’s not uncommon to have a week long power outage in this area. Having a generator is basically mandatory at that point.

In your off grid situation, you’re set up to live differently, and a generator probably doesn’t make sense. But for those of us who do have a grid tie, it is a good backup plan to have just in case.

I have participated in survival meetings where a lot of time has been spent on discussing electricity generation in times of crises, the best generator and fuel storage.

I have yet to find a good enough reason why anyone without a generator would spend a sizable lump of cash on a generator and a supply of fuel when in no way shape or form is one required to supply any of the three basics as listed in my opening sentence.

If a crisis were pending most people would be hard pressed to find available cash to purchase enough food to last for an indeterminate period of time without considering a generator.

Bottled gas for cooking and heating water would be a better purchase as it can be used as part of your daily life. It is safe to presume that if you used bottled gas as part of your daily life you would have the necessary appliances to go with it and the storage of bottles gas would not bet a problem. Gas is one item that cannot be heard outside of the room/area where it is being used which is an added bonus.

We live totally off the grid and run power tools and battery operated radios that are charged via solar panels. This is the way to go if you are serious about surviving for any length of time without outside help.

In the main, electricity is a convenience, and a costly one, to run a lot of unnecessary items that would not help us survive if the going got tough.

PS – don’t believe the “all-vegetable oil” hype. Lard, actually, makes the best quality soap… it just doesn’t have much label appeal!

Tex