Have you considered?

[LadyLocust]

Yea, I'm me so here goes:
Many here have put a lot of time, effort, and money into solar set-ups. No problem with them in particular, but have any of you considered not having power at all?
Up the mountain, I had our power usage down to skeletal use: the fridge and freezers and well pump and minimal use otherwise. We were right on the river so when power was out had often hauled buckets for flushing etc. (Later added the flip switch to go to generator). My goal was to have very little disruption if power became extinct. I could go without a fridge (Hubby can't/won't). The freezers were my hang-up. If I had to can/dry/smoke all of our meat, I could but prefer steak on the grill so until that day, we will have the freezers. Anyways, am I the only one who thinks like this?

 

[Weedygarden]

One thing I have thought about is solar lights, the rechargeable ones. I have some in windows. They charge when the sun is shining, and light up when it is dark. They do not stay on all night, but do help out in the evening.

 

[Cascadian]

We have a back up generator big enough for essentials and a big propane tank. We should have plenty of time to get canning.

 

[Amish Heart]

I like freezers, too. We have three medium sized ones. Our whole house generator will keep them going till we run out of propane. I know I can live without electricity because so many do around me and I am comfortable in their homes. They do have hacks, though, that I would use. The biggest problem with the lack of electricity is that the systems in the US would stop. Most everyone lives on the systems.

 

[Tootsie]

I am thinking of losing the freezer. We got along fine for many years without one. I could get by with canned goods and just use the smaller freezer with the fridge. Less electric. No power? Wouldn’t like it, but could do it, no problem.

 

[Morgan101]

I would be the first to admit Energy is a gaping hole in our preps. We have talked about getting a generator, but have never pulled the trigger.

 

[The Lazy L]

I am thinking of losing the freezer. We got along fine for many years without one. I could get by with canned goods and just use the smaller freezer with the fridge. Less electric. No power? Wouldn’t like it, but could do it, no problem.

Mother wanted to buy a second freezer. She thought as the world (as she knew it) declined it would be beneficial for her to have a second freezer full of meat. I asked her want was she going to do with the meat when the power failed?

Then she decided she would need a portable generator. Someone could dragged it the 200 feet from storage to the house, connect it and start it for her. But she wanted it a secret from the neighbors. I bought her a whole house natural gas generator more for my peace of mind then hers. She never did buy the second freezer.

Then mom died. Oldest sister is living in the house and isn't maintaining the generator. I'm toying with the idea of moving it to my house.

 

[angie_nrs]

Anyways, am I the only one who thinks like this?

You're not the only one. We have a few generators for a short term backup with fuel stored, but it likely wouldn't last very long. If it looked like it would be a long term outage, we would drag out the propane stoves and start canning the meat, even though we've never done that before. I have books and I have the canners and jars, so it would (sadly) be an experiment. I really should do a practice run on ground beef and see how it turns out. I'm just afraid that I'd screw it up, but the alternative of having to do it in an emergency could be far worse. I really have no clue how to can the other stuff like bacon, fish, pork loin, and steaks? I guess I'd have to figure it out fast. I need to get my books organized. Some suggesions from you all would be appreciated. I guess I could can it chunked up?

A long term outage would be awful. No matter how much we think we are prpared for such an event, I know there will be lots of pain and discomfort involved. We'd likely survive it, but it wouldn't be fun or pretty.

They do have hacks, though, that I would use.

Care to share?

 

[LadyLocust]

You're not the only one. We have a few generators for a short term backup with fuel stored, but it likely wouldn't last very long. If it looked like it would be a long term outage, we would drag out the propane stoves and start canning the meat, even though we've never done that before. I have books and I have the canners and jars, so it would (sadly) be an experiment. I really should do a practice run on ground beef and see how it turns out. I'm just afraid that I'd screw it up, but the alternative of having to do it in an emergency could be far worse. I really have no clue how to can the other stuff like bacon, fish, pork loin, and steaks? I guess I'd have to figure it out fast. I need to get my books organized. Some suggesions from you all would be appreciated. I guess I could can it chunked up?

A long term outage would be awful. No matter how much we think we are prpared for such an event, I know there will be lots of pain and discomfort involved. We'd likely survive it, but it wouldn't be fun or pretty.

Care to share?

You wouldn't screw it up. HB texture changes a bit - softer. As far as the other stuff, chunks like stew meat. I've never canned bacon. Fish is easy: fish, 1 tsp salt/quart & fill with water, then PC according to your elevation. I've never cured such things as a ham so that would be new. Hubby is wanting to play around with that which I'm thankful for except he hasn't yet.

 

[TeeJ]

This is a very interesting question! I know when we started prepping eons ago one of our rules was that any tools we bought should work off-grid. So we bought a hand-cranked grain grinder, built a solar dehydrator, etc. We were lucky that we lived close to Lehman's for a while and were able to get all sorts of great electricity-free items there. I know they had a few freezers that ran off of electricity and could failover to LP gas. I know a home-sized tank would run one of those for a good long time. I also remember hearing one of my great grandmas talk about how when she was a kid how they would butcher a couple of cows for Christmas and would have it all eaten or canned by Lent in the spring when their outdoor winter storage wouldn't work anymore & ice supply ran out - I guess they had some little hut where they had vents that kept the critters out but let the freezing cold in? They lived in northern Wisconsin, so that season was probably a lot longer that it would be in warmer climates.

 

[Tootsie]

Mother wanted to buy a second freezer. She thought as the world (as she knew it) declined it would be beneficial for her to have a second freezer full of meat. I asked her want was she going to do with the meat when the power failed?

Then she decided she would need a portable generator. Someone could dragged it the 200 feet from storage to the house, connect it and start it for her. But she wanted it a secret from the neighbors. I bought her a whole house natural gas generator more for my peace of mind then hers. She never did buy the second freezer.

Then mom died. Oldest sister is living in the house and isn't maintaining the generator. I'm toying with the idea of moving it to my house.

Take it. The sooner the better. And as quietly as possible.

 

[Tootsie]

You're not the only one. We have a few generators for a short term backup with fuel stored, but it likely wouldn't last very long. If it looked like it would be a long term outage, we would drag out the propane stoves and start canning the meat, even though we've never done that before. I have books and I have the canners and jars, so it would (sadly) be an experiment. I really should do a practice run on ground beef and see how it turns out. I'm just afraid that I'd screw it up, but the alternative of having to do it in an emergency could be far worse. I really have no clue how to can the other stuff like bacon, fish, pork loin, and steaks? I guess I'd have to figure it out fast. I need to get my books organized. Some suggesions from you all would be appreciated. I guess I could can it chunked up?

A long term outage would be awful. No matter how much we think we are prpared for such an event, I know there will be lots of pain and discomfort involved. We'd likely survive it, but it wouldn't be fun or pretty.

Care to share?

look for materials by Jackie Clay, Backwoods Home magazine. She has a blog and has written monthly articles. She did lose her freezer and had to can like mad, saving some. Some folks can on camp stoves. It can be done. I have canned bacon and all kinds of meats. No freezer burn, and meals almost ready to eat.
Look around. Older sources seem to be more cut and dried, and reliable. If you’d like, I can post pictures of relevant pages.

 

[angie_nrs]

I guess they had some little hut where they had vents that kept the critters out but let the freezing cold in? They lived in northern Wisconsin, so that season was probably a lot longer that it would be in warmer climates.

Winter in the northern climates would be relatively easy to keep meat frozen until spring. There's typically lots of lakes and ponds around that you could get ice blocks from. Or you could create your own ice blocks by putting water in conatiners and letting it freeze. All you'd have to do is create a ice house (dig a hole or use a root cellar) and cover the ice and food with straw or dried grass like they did in the old days. Actually in the winer, if you had an old freezer or frig on your property that's outdoors, you could use that to keep the critters out. We have a couple on our property that I'd utilize so I wouldn't have to can everything in the freezers in very short order.

The winter would be the easiest time to keep food, but it would create a whole other mess to deal with, such as staying warm and processing wood the old fashioned way without the luxury of chainsaws and equipment in a very extended grid down situation. Then there's the problem of trying to stay out of sight and mind of the masses. Although, by then, there may not be a lot of 'masses' to worry about.....especially in the wintertime. If we get to the point that we no longer have gas for chainsaws, then we are in a dire state. We wouldn't be bored, but we'd be fit.

If you’d like, I can post pictures of relevant pages.

Sure. I think that would fit nicely here.

 

[Tootsie]

Here’s a start. Jackie Clay has written several books. All are good additions to your library. She’s a wealth of information, and books and heirloom seeds are her income.

 

[Amish Heart]

I was just visiting my favorite cousin and her daughter today and we were talking about how difficult it will be for city people when the economy collapses and the power goes out. We decided a number one important thing in our area in the summer is a fan. Most amish homes here have a few fans and they are run on car batteries. The batteries are solar charged. Fridges and freezers and ovens are all propane here, so that would take awhile to run out, but the ladies were thinking no one could get along without a fan. Some summers, I would tend to agree with this. It's pretty miserable. Millertech is the favored brand, sold at our little hardware store. So a car battery operated fan is one amish hack.

 

[Biggkidd]

Personally I hope we never have to do without power as I have backups for the backups for our solar power system. It was kind of the place I started and I still seem to add a little more each year. Batteries are the weak link IMO!

 

[jazzy]

i have 10 solar panels but im grid tied. i figured id get the batteries at some point and go off grid. never got the funds scraped up. but yes, its been in my mind and planning to be able to live witohut electric. i think we will be facing that, but just my opinion.

 

[Peanut]

I've always seen our freezers as first up when they turn off the power. I have enough fuel for the generator to keep them cold for about 2 weeks, giving us enough time to consume the contents.

Since I just had to get a new freezer I no longer need to keep them cold longer than a week. (I threw out a lot of garden veggies past their prime but saved the meats.)

Still, if power is off a month, I'll have bigger problems than what's in a freezer. So I view freezers are a temporary measure, just like fuel.

Cooling other times? Lack of it would kill millions if the power switch turned off. I grew up working in cotton fields here in Bama. I can stay cool with out power. Sadly millions won't have a clue.

 

[Supervisor42]

Cooling other times? Lack of it would kill millions if the power switch turned off. I grew up working in cotton fields here in Bama. I can stay cool with out power. Sadly millions won't have a clue.

I love hot! Grew up slinging haybales in the scorching hot sun for hours on end in Bama in 100° heat, wearing a long-sleeve shirt (you had to).
Give me plenty of ice-water, and I could do that until the cows came home (hay pun).
If they have beer in hell, I will be just fine!

Now the cold, totally different! If it was 40°, I looked like the Sta-Puffed Marshmallow man wearing 5 layers.
Any colder than that, and I could show you just exactly what a hibernating animal looks like.
If it's hot and you have a fan, ice-water, and shade, you will be just fine.
(and you just may find out how we got the clothes off all those "Hot Chicks" and how they got that name)
Sorry, I wandered a bit there.

 

[Magus]

I would have oil lamps and condensation/evaporation food preservation, no fan in the summer would be a pain though.

 

[Plainflatlander]

Our weak link is our freezer and our fridge. Genny would keep us ok for a while, has anyone looked into solar generators? Been doing some research on them, would like to find someone who has used one and if it powers a fridge and freezer.

 

[Amish Heart]

My next door farm neighbor has a solar freezer. I know he paid big bucks for it

 

[Solar Geek]

@Tootsie LOVE JACKIE CLAY! When I met her at the MREA in WI a few years ago, I had her autograph all her books (inc. the one you posted) and then I HUGGED HER! She loved the hug. Her simple confidence, and picking herself up and starting over and over really inspired us city folks (by birth) to bite the bullet.

Took us 15 years to really get to where we are now but fully solar with battery back-ups, woodstove can carry the house and be cooked on (although it is messy!), tons of off-grid lighting tucked away and checked often. I would never have started to learn canning back in 2003 but for her books, articles, Mother Earth News (then not now) and Countryside. Have a variety of important 40V outdoor equipment to help us when the grid goes.

But as much as you prepare, we may be ground 0 when the SHTF. So, we prepare for as much as we can but really trust that God's plan includes us.
And I pray for all my 'buds' and your families on this and other forums EACH day. SG

 

[Curmudgeon]

Some suggesions from you all would be appreciated. I guess I could can it chunked up?

I like this gal's videos.

 

[JustMe]

Nope, you're not the only one to think like that. I have always thought I was born in the wrong generation as I've always wanted to live like the pioneers did. I'm just not too fond of having to haul water, but you do what you have to in order to survive.

Yes, winters are the best way to keep things cold without a freezer.......but other options could include digging a cave into the hillside, or a hole in the ground though I don't think it would keep anything frozen once temps rose, but it would give you a little more time.

 

[JustMe]

You're not the only one. We have a few generators for a short term backup with fuel stored, but it likely wouldn't last very long. If it looked like it would be a long term outage, we would drag out the propane stoves and start canning the meat, even though we've never done that before. I have books and I have the canners and jars, so it would (sadly) be an experiment. I really should do a practice run on ground beef and see how it turns out. I'm just afraid that I'd screw it up, but the alternative of having to do it in an emergency could be far worse. I really have no clue how to can the other stuff like bacon, fish, pork loin, and steaks? I guess I'd have to figure it out fast. I need to get my books organized. Some suggesions from you all would be appreciated. I guess I could can it chunked up?

A long term outage would be awful. No matter how much we think we are prpared for such an event, I know there will be lots of pain and discomfort involved. We'd likely survive it, but it wouldn't be fun or pretty.

Care to share?

I have not tried canning fish YET. Haven't had enough to do it with. Though I did can some shrimp to save it from the freezer. But canning meat is easy.


Burger, ground pork, breakfast or Italian sausage is usually cooked first, then canned. The procedure is usually called 'dry' canning because you don't add any kind of liquid to the jars. It works just fine.

Other meats such as steaks, roasts, chicken, pork can be canned either as raw pack or hot pack where the meat is precooked. Difference is with raw pack you cram the jar full of raw meat pieces, put on the lid and process. It creates it's own broth in the jars. Easy peasy. Hot pack is with cooked meat and you add water or broth to it, then the lid and process. I have done both and both works just fine.

Ham, like I'll be doing today will be jarred up with the leftover broth juices.


Bacon......many of the videos I watched said to use parchment paper. Lay out the bacon in strips side by side or slightly overlapping, lay out a strip of parchment paper to cover half the slices, then fold the slices over the paper, then roll it all up and stuff in the jars, then process, no liquid added. Check Brexar Prepper's video on this if it's still up for the visual. When I canned some bacon, I didn't use the parchment paper, just stuffed it in the jars, which they all clumped up together and can be difficult to get them apart as slices. If using for a recipe it doesn't matter so much when you need bits & pieces anyway. So if you want bacon slices use the parchment paper and if you don't care either way then just stuff the jars.

The trickiest part of canning meat, is that it's all cooked during the canning process and especially with bacon, it's difficult to get it to crisp up when using from the jars. But also there's all that fat in there to add to your 'bacon grease' supply.



Ultimately, canning meat is really no different than canning anything else.

 

[JustMe]

One of my biggest concerns, well 2 really, if/when the freezers go out is cheese and bread. The rest can be canned or dehydrated. Bread will have to be used within a few days or maybe toasted & dried for croutons, stuffing or panko crumbs........but cheese may be another story. Much of what I have is pre-shredded. I know some people have canned or dehydrated it for powder, but of the canning videos the results don't look too promising. Which would leave dehydrating it and I wouldn't have a problem with that. I just don't know how well it works in recipes once you go to use it. Has anyone here tried it??? What were your results?? And what did you use it for? I guess a casserole or mac & cheese would be pretty straightforward and doable, but what about making a sauce for like nachos, enchiladas, etc???

I know blocks of cheese can be preserved by waxing them, but over time the flavor gets stronger(?) I don't know that in a year or two I'd want to break into one and have the taste knock me over or be unpalatable.

 

[Amish Heart]

You can can the fake cheese sauce. I buy the orange powder from the amish store to use in a pinch (like what is in the mac cheese boxes) and it is shelf stable. I have some powdered cheese cans from Emergency Essentials. You're right, though, fresh cheese and fresh bread need to be eaten up in a few days. An easy farmer's cheese spread can be made each day without much trouble

 

[Tirediron]

I say it all the time, that electricity is not a necessity, nice to have yes very, my concern about running a generator for very long is that it becomes a homing beacon for scavengers, yes you can take them out, but why draw them in. Funny how when replying to a thread about electricity, the electricity dropped out for a few minutes.
There are a lot of things that we can do to make life go along nicely without electricity, but they take some work and preparation, plus practice.

 

[Magus]

Behold! If you have a gas well on your property, you're gold!
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Unique-...p.ds&msclkid=df70725519c314544cda100a584a6bf5
https://www.americanfreight.com/br/...&utm_content=SC Shopping - LIA - HA - NoPrice
https://www.conns.com/danby-21-cu-f...p.ds&msclkid=dc191d663765122c75c17f3974bf9c13
I'm betting you could run them on Methane, I mean you and the critters are going to poop eventually.