GETTING CORNHOLED
Most blogs are just people telling you what they did. Kind of like an elementary school report, What I Did On My Summer Vacation. Went to the gun show today, bought a case of ammo. My blog is different. I tell you what I did on my summer vacation, and then I over analyse my actions to give you a lengthy and impressive sounding report. I could just admit that I'm on my second week of not having much to say, tell you I started buying corn at the feed store, and let you get on with your life. But that's not how I roll, Dawg. First you have to sit through a intolerable rant about politics and special interest groups before I tell you about my trip to the feed store.
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Nixon was a lot of things ( thanks for globalization and Made In China, bastard ), but at least he had the smarts to give people the illusion of what they wanted. When housewives went to the streets in protest over high grocery prices ( this was back before housewives were replaced by microwave ovens and the TV became the new babysitter ), Nixon wasted no time ordering action. Get those prices down! He probably included some off color description of said females, like, perhaps, those crazy bitches are giving me a headache or something of that nature. I mean, come on, the guy didn't really have much nice to say about anyone. The result was tax policies to reward centralization of farming and the use of oil as fertilizers to give a big boost to output. That was when the animal feedlots were encouraged. Well, we all know how that worked out. Corporations shouldered out small independent farmers.
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That was bad enough. Decentralized farms that were self supporting ( for instance, with the animals on the farm providing manure for fertilizer ) was one of our nations strong points. Just as you can't disarm millions of individuals as easy as you could central controlled official militias, one disaster didn't endanger all of the farms as long as they stayed decentralized. The good thing that came about because of all that was at least grain was historically very inexpensive. Literally, you could buy a years supply of grain with one days wages. So, while as a nation we became much more vulnerable, at least you could cheaply stockpile your own grain supply. Now, thanks very much you carpetbagging asshat Bush, a years supply of grain is rising in tune with inflation as wages have been pushed down. It is three times as expensive to buy grains as it was ten years ago. Wages haven't even doubled.
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Now, it really doesn't matter if we are facing a global drought or not. It matters, but not as far as preparing with a food supply. You need to be putting in a supply of grain now. It doesn't matter why. Peak Oil, inflation, drought. Whatever. The trend is towards higher prices, and that should be reason enough to bite the bullet, buy the grain, store it and stop worrying about it. Once it's done, you can relax and worry about other things such as getting laid off. Corn is now an insane $26 for a hundred pounds. Do you really want to wait for it to get any higher? Or its supply to dwindle? Wheat is $30, and provides a much better bang for your buck ( lasts indefinitely, higher protein, more varied menu ). I only started buying the corn because I have so much wheat. A little something different. It used to be that corn was half the price of wheat so it went a long way stretching out your prep dollar. Now, we feel all special and warm and fuzzy when there is even any corn for sale rather than being sent on its way to the ethanol plant.
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Now we have vulnerable centralized farming tied to oil, and grain is no longer inexpensive. Things keep getting worse, but why hurry up and prep, right? All the time in the world, since Obammy will save us all. I'm getting nervous, so I'm buying more grain. I got nervous enough last summer that I moved. That turned out to be the right decision, looking at our economy. I hope I'm wrong about the food supply.
END
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29 comments:
I have noticed that Rice seems plentiful and not tooooooooo expensive. But Cereal is outrageous and in seeming abundant supply if you have the money.
OLD Fart
O.K. I'll go and buy $ 260.00 worth of corn and the I'll go and buy 500 pounds of wheat and then go buy 500 pounds of rice and then and then and then.....where will I put all these products ??
I dont own a warehouse, my house is only 800 sqare feet , even if I had 2000 sq. ft. mac mansion there will be no place to fit all that food.
If I was living in a trailer it would require anothe biiiig trailer to keep all that food.
I would be taking chances to get them spioled
The real OLD Fart
@anon 1:22
Bury it !
here's an interesting piece by an argentinian who lived thru it.
http://www.thetruthnews.info/lessons_from_argentinas_economic_collapse_full.pdf
store as much food of the stuff you eat that you can afford or have space for, before worrying about corn and wheat...most people refuse to eat REAL whole wheat bread....
but anyway, porridge can be made (like oatmeal) from virtually any seed/grain, it use to be a staple and still is in most of the rest of the world...boring as hell, but filling and nurishing.
I STAND WITH ISRAEL!
Once again Ryan flaunts his ignorance for all to see!
On June 8, 1967, 34 American sailors of the USS Liberty lost their lives serving their country. These Americans died when Israel, America's "ally," launched a murderous attack on the virtually unarmed American intelligence ship. To this day, many Americans are unaware that this attack even took place. Recently, PRAVDA.Ru had the opportunity to interview Mr. Hrankowski, a survivor and crew member of the USS Liberty.
Here Ryan, go here:
http://www.rense.com/general26/ally.htm
To anon 1:44 P.M.
Yo soy Argentino y te digo:
VOS NO SABES LO QUE ESTAS HABLANDO!
I'm Argentinian And categorately tell you " go get your facts straight before you make a comment wich you dont know what the hell you talking about it "
Poeple believe propaganda. whether is real or made up.
Those kinds of films are very popular in So. America. "scare tactics". Nothing NEW...
Interesting stuff. Soon I need to start stocking grain.
I see there are 5 posts form that "ANONYMOUS" GUY. In some of the posts he seems well spoken and can spell and use the english language quite well. In a few of his posts I have to picture him and his sister and theeir chillens all crampped up wif nuffin ta do cept buly fokes on da net.ya unastan? Mom an unkle dad shuld uf teached em bettea manners. G.C.
There's really no excuse for not having a good supply of grain. A 20 lb bag of rice from Wal-Mart costs around $15. Spring for a Costco membership and you can get a 50 lb bag for $20. That's a LOT of rice and will keep a family fed for weeks. The feed store near my house sells wheat for $15 per 50 lbs. It's attached to a recycling center so whenever I cash in my cans I just buy a bag of it with whatever I make from the cans. The rest goes towards my next trip to the recycling center. Dried beans are pretty cheap, too. Get a pressure cooker and you can cook up a big batch in no time. They really don't take up that much space.
okay! i'm not going to post anonomously anymore and will use my regular handle, so if anyone wants to jump down my throat and set me strait or whatever, go ahead.
anyway, THE ARGENTINO: defecar cunada boca...
first off that's a link to a pdf file and not some film. so you really are some jerkass moron...but if you would like to prove otherwise, why don't you tell us about Argentina.
have you ever been there ? do you know anything about the death squads? the glue sniffing throwawy children living and dying in the streets ? the cocaine gangs ?
hey! it's not that different than certain parts of all the american cities...gee, it's just that we have electric, running water and TV almost all the time...
DEMENTED in NH
Why knock Ryan anonymously? That's cowardice.
Yes, the Liberty was a tragedy. As a USN veteran, I understand your point of view. Whatever the facts are regarding the events surrounding the attack on the Liberty and there are two sides to everything, Israel remains our ally. That does NOT mean that everything they do benefits the United States. That is not the way it works. We have had conflicts, misunderstandings and even violence with many of our allies, yet we overcome those problems based on shared interests and goals.
Do you propose that based on the events of one day in 1967, we abandon Israel and throw our support behind the Arabs, despite their apparent willingness to kill any non-believers? That is incredibly short-sighted. Do we not have relations with Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and on and on?
If you lost a close personal friend or family member in the Liberty tragedy, I would understand that nothing may satisfy your anger. If not, the reality of global relations is that s**t happens and we don't have to like it or accept it, but all this anger based on one event when Israel has been a friend smells an awful lot like anti-semitism.
"But that's not how I roll, Dawg."
True dat
That's why I check your blog often boyo!
"and throw our support behind the Arabs, despite their apparent willingness to kill any non-believers? That is incredibly short-sighted."
first off, most muslims and many middle eastern nations aren't ARABS.
and i don't think they particuarly care what non-believers do, especially if they would go home and mind their own business...
Let's see, wasn't Saddam's problem that he asked the allies to pay up for his fight with Iran ?
Gee, come to think of it, wasn't that Bin Laden's problem too ? wanted the money he was promised for the proxy war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union.
don't expect the elite in DC to treat you any different when their finished using you.
Sure as shit, you know when the mumbo jumble magical incantation of either "create jobs", "the children", or "Israel" come up in politics, it's just means the fix is in and something dirty is in the works.
look, you haters, flakes, know it alls, and yuppie scum just have to accept that AMERICA is DEFUNCT and essentially ancient history now. The next chapter is going to be written by those who perserve thru the shift...
Well I'll take a stab at the storage & space. My qualifications are living in 780 sq feet home (which is including the poorly insulated front porch remodel that the previous owners did) with six children, two adults and a cat. We are still married.
50 pounds is one sack of feed. Two sacks can fit into a small shopping cart with room for other items. 10 will fit underneath a twin bed if they 5 long, two high and placed carefully. 10 x 50 lbs = 500 lbs. Set your adult sized bed on bed risers, bricks or cement blocks to store twice as much. 20 x 50 = 1000 lbs. Or frame in a bed like the waterbeds are, fill with grains sacks, lay plywood across to support the mattress. A bit of a pain but can be as high & hold as much as you like. Raised beds are easier on the back. Tell the nosy neighbors you are into the Victorian look.
Pull the couch out from the wall less than six inches and stand some bags up back behind the couch. It will keep the couch from rubbing against the wall too. The wooden framed couches (with six cushions already have a vast amount of space behind them, just use it) Build a "built in coffee table" similiar to the idea of using a cedar chest. Won't be able to move easily but should be large enough to hold at least two sacks of grain stacked on each other - more if you like long coffee tables.
Layer bags in the bottom of the closet, cover with a heavy cloth and you won't have to bend as far to reach other items. How many depends on how large your closet is. Look at the shelf above the clothes rod (you do have a shelf there don't you?) Measure its width and get a board that is half as wide to make another shelf above the first. Do this for all your closets. Don't store grains there.
Anywhere with built in cabinets - pull out the bottom drawers - look down to see all the wasted space. Repackage items to fit, store and replace the drawers. Put *decorative* shelves around the tops of your rooms. Place them doorframe high (as though the shelf where sitting on the top of the doorframe). Store away. Put items in decorated canisters (if you are rich), decorate your own recycled jars & boxes.
Can you fit a shelf or two above the waterheater area (most trailers have one) Don't store food or flamables but there is room for something even if it is out of season footwear. Shelves over the commode, washer & dryer (if you have one). This can all be as ugly or as decorative as you choose.
Under the trailer storage - common in trailer courts. A small storage shed could hold all your grains leaving the inside space for other supplies. Don't believe me? Go into a feed store like Tractor supply and start counting how much is in each pile.
Need more ideas? Check out some Mormon sites - it'll jump start the old brain cells. Like the old timers say - "where there is a will there is a way."
Well I should correct that to be *was* as we eventually moved and the square feet should be square foot. Shouldn't try to cook and type at the same time.
"But that's not how I roll, Dawg."
now that was funny considering the source.
for additional storage, I recently saw someone that had drawers in their steps. maybe that is useful to some retreats that have a basement or upstairs.
something like this:
http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/home-reno-and-design/indoor/staircase-drawers/a/19342
maybe if it could open up storage for food stockpiles elsewhere.
Props to Stephanie in AR for the storage ideas that are good for any situation ;D
To ask a stupid question, where the heck to you go to buy a hundred pounds of wheat or corn for $30.00?
I live in the burbs, any suggestions?
Anon 10:22. Get out of the city and find a Farmers Coop or Feed store. Tell them you want Recleaned Wheat in 50 pound Bags. Make sure you tell them that it is for Human consumption, otherwise you may get chemicallty treated product for planting not eating
anon
The fifty pound bags at the feed store sell for well under $15 dollars each aroun here - with tax two bags would be between $22-25 dollars & that is at the big name farm store. This store also sells steamed crimped oats which is what grocery store oats are BUT I'd have to do more checking about how much of the hull has been removed. It might take some getting used to if most of the hull were still there kwim.
And I wouldn't buy all the wheat, then all the corn, then all the rice - buy in balance so you have some variety & choices.
For the suburban annon - two big names in farm stores are Tractor Supply and Orscheln Farm & Home check to see if there are any in your area. They sell a lot of supplies that urbanites would need for pets: feeds, meds, hard supplies, books so there might be one near by.
If you are real adventurous this is chick time. Two or three regular sized hens can be raised in the average sized doghouse & kennel set up. If you keep things clean it smells better than a kenneled dog. Call them pets and start talking about poultry shows.
Thanks for the reference to Argentina:
http://www.thetruth.mysite.com/less
ons_from_argentinas_economic_colla
pse_full.pdf
I feel the writings of Estaban Morales are compelling and sobering. His comments about what happens during a real collapse as opposed to what US survivalists often think what a collapse will be like, in city or country, are very important.
One thing we need to wake up to is that "collapse" is very possible and surviving a collapse is not an armchair activity. Survival is indeed a very serious business and woe to those who are not prepared. Deny it all you want at your own peril.
Also, yes, Argentina is not the United States and things might happen differently, here. However, I would suggest looking for the possible similarites rather than the differences.
"WSJ: Wal-Mart's net income fell 7.4% in its fiscal fourth quarter."
I think the collapse is here, near, and oh! so dear....
DEMENTED in NH
My local northern Arizona feed store chain (Olsen’s Grain) sells 50 pound bags of recleaned wheat and corn, for something like $12 each. It’s intended as chicken feed, but other than the fact that it’s not as well cleaned as human-grade wheat or corn (there’s lots of chaff) it’s perfectly fine. And I can feed it to my chickens, too. :-)
I store the 50 lb. bags outside in big, galvanized steel trashcans I buy at Home Depot. I rest them on wood pallets (to keep them off the ground) and then drop in some dry ice, let them sit overnight with the lid loosely attached, and then I seal up the trashcan with duct tape the next morning. I also throw one of those blue tarps over the cans when I'm done - probably not necessary, but it does help keep them from getting too hot in the summer sun.
Two 50 lb. bags fit easily into one steel trashcan, and two trashcans fit on one wood pallet. Altogether, that's 200 lbs. of wheat or corn - a lot of food in a fairly small space! Those stupid steel trashcans ($18 each) are a bigger expense than the wheat or corn - but they do last more-or-less forever.
I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and so far it’s worked fine for me. Whenever I open up a sealed can (to get more feed for the chickens) the corn or wheat inside always looks just fine.
BTW, I tried it before with plastic trashcans, and mice chewed right through the plastic bottom and got to the wheat. So, don’t use plastic - galvanized steel is rodent-proof.
galvanized steel is coated with zinc which is POISONOUS, and should not be used for food storage. You shouldn't drink water that has come into contact either. Try to find food grade plastic or aluminum containers.
Ummm, "Anonymous" . . . that’s why I said to put the BAGS of wheat or corn into the trashcan.
There’s no direct contact between the foodstuffs (inside the bags) and the metallic can.
plastic bags are PERMEABLE
Recleaned Wheat at the feed store. OK, I feel stupid. I never even thought of looking for wheat at the Feed Store.
Whole corn, yes. Duh.
I remove the grain from the original bag and put it in 1 gallon freezer bags, add a few Bay Leaves and freeze them for 4-5 days. Helps kill off the bugs. I store them in metal garbage cans or 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Seal lids. No mice so far in them.
I have a spare bedroom now that the kids are gone and a lot of shit goes in there or the unheated garage.
Thanks for the tip on the Wheat.
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