Your Ideal Doomsday Survival Situation/Prepper Thread

[Skybird]

Now being carnivore, prepping in a meat-eaters way is difficult - and not the focus of emergency prepping anyway. Therefore I still stockpile plenty of millet, my secret tip for prepping. Plus plenty of bagged chicken-based meals in outdoor capable plastic bags like that Uncle Bens rice - which actually taste delicously good. And have a printed shelf life of ten years. From the Czech Republic.



I could slam the hatch and go on a dive and not surface again for 2-3 months, without early warning or preparation. Water, food, energy, warmth, hygiene - its all there. Would need to stretch myself a bit, but in case of emergency I could last that long.


Interesting it becomes after that. But I own no land, no farming ground or anything like that, so self-farming and such is illusory.



Also, violence will take over after already a couple of days, if the briown stuff hits the fan. Lets be realistic, I live not in isolated wilderness but an urban, densely populated area full of hungry, big apes and I am very limited in my long distance mobility (practically non-existent), so its absolutely uncertain I would survive my self-defence long enough to eat through all those reserves myself. Because, no doubt on that, the biggest issue in such a scenario would be my loving contemporaries.

[ET2SN]

Well, it was something I hinted at in my last post. Dried (hard) rice keeps forever BUT turning it into something edible can be a challenge.

Boiling a gallon of water in the great outdoors is a pain in the ###.

Try this experiment: Go to your kitchen and grab a pan. Fill it with water from the tap. Set it on the stove and turn on the burner. Stay there and watch what happens.

Are you getting bored or impatient yet? It takes a while, doesn't it?

Now, we're dealing with an ideal situation. Let's move it outdoors..

First, you'll need to build a fire unless you have a cricket stove. Gather some stuff to burn. You'll need enough fuel to build a fire that will last long enough to boil that same pot of water. Now, clear out a fire pit and start looking for rocks to build the walls. Has the lightbulb switched on yet? This is a VERY in-efficient process. We haven't even added in the time it will take to cook your food.

Speaking of water, how did you bring enough of it? A five gallon Jerry Can strapped to your back? Maybe you carried it with your arms? Ever pick up a five gallon can of water? Its freaking HEAVY. A canteen isn't going to cut it, that's just for sipping during the day. Maybe you set up your camp site near a spring of flowing water? Maybe that explains why your fire keeps going out. Oh, did you bring chlorine tablets to sanitize that spring water? Boiling it may not be enough.

OK, what about if you brought along some of those flameless (chemical) ration heaters? Make sure you bring some extra table salt. Flameless heaters are notorious for being duds. This is very true once they get old (anything after two years after they were produced). Sometimes you can add some extra salt to the water that's going to power the heater.

One other thing to consider if we're talking about a "prepper" situation and cooking on an open fire, did you bring enough food for everyone? Cooking on that fire is going to call in EVERY survivor within two to three acres of your location.

[Skybird]

Both rice and millet swell on their own, even if the water has not been heated to cooking temperature.

Millet is much healthier than white or whole grain rice, is more versatile (for my taste) and contains more micronutrients. As the grains are smaller, it swells more quickly. Even before I turned carnivore, millet had completely (!) replaced rice in my kitchen.

One other thing to consider if we're talking about a "prepper" situation and cooking on an open fire, did you bring enough food for everyone? Cooking on that fire is going to call in EVERY survivor within two to three acres of your location.

You dont make an open fore in these kind of scenarios while being unsheltered, but outdoors. Cold cans only. It snot about taste, its not about healthy nutrients - its about pure calory intake: fast, efficient, and inconspicuous. Not getting seen, not getting heard - not getting smelled. No open fires. No tobacco stuff.



Heck, no eau de toilette!

[Armistead]

I keep a large supply of those lil cans of Vienna Weenies

[ET2SN]

This is why I keep thumping on Hormel Compleats.



I'm not sure if you have anything like this in the UK or Europe, but these things stay room temp. shelf stable for 3-5 years, should be microwaved but are already pre-cooked so they can be choked down with nothing more than a plastic spork, the containers are VERY tough and portable, and you can pack out a dozen of them without too much of a hassle. There's a wide variety of different meals and one of them is enough to keep you going for 12-18 hours.

Definitely not what you would eat at Grandma's house (unless Grandma spent a lot of time in prison) and also not very healthy due to high levels of sodium, but they will keep you going, even if you're stuck eating them at room temperature.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

I'm not sure if you have anything like this in the UK or Europe,

Well, its a couple of years now that we have risen above the level of third world countries, you know!

Anyway, a dedicated shop with dependencies in Switzerland and Germany:

https://sichersatt.de/en/

And years ago I orderd a few dozens of these, have tested each variation since then, and some of it was restaurant quality, no comparison to canned food):

https://www.expresmenu.uk/jednoporcova-jidla/

Its a Czech company.


https://www.expresmenu.uk/beef-meat/

Now we talk!

[Skybird]

And of course the world-famous canned Tomato cream soup by Heinz, one of the two pillars the company founded its fame on. Very very unhealthy. Very very lecker. Ideal with noodles, rice, millet, anything. Best tomato soup I ever tasted. I never eat it, but I would kill for it.

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Well, its a couple of years now that we have risen above the level of third world countries, you know!

Anyway, a dedicated shop with dependencies in Switzerland and Germany:

https://sichersatt.de/en/

And years ago I orderd a few dozens of these, have tested each variation since then, and some of it was restaurant quality, no comparison to canned food):

https://www.expresmenu.uk/jednoporcova-jidla/

Its a Czech company.


https://www.expresmenu.uk/beef-meat/

Now we talk!

Oh good lord!
Expressmenu is PEOPLE!

Those are bags of "long pork".

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

This is why I keep thumping on Hormel Compleats.

They're BOGO at Winn Dixie this week, might try one or two.

After being to Asia, I might argue that the entire West is now composed of third world countries. We just don't know it.

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by em2nought

They're BOGO at Winn Dixie this week, might try one or two.

After being to Asia, I might argue that the entire West is now composed of third world countries. We just don't know it.

Going into a 7-11 in Hong Kong was one the worst decisions I ever made.

Remember, I'm thumping the Compleats as a "stay alive" ration. The chili is GOOD, the Beefy Mac is also good hangover food as long as you can heat it. The rest tend to be an "adventure" but they'll keep you alive. Avoid the mashed taters at all costs, something REALLY un-natural is going on.

[Skybird]

As I've been snacking on my supplies over the last few years and testing what it tastes like, it was time to fill the gaps left by the stolen bags. I have enough of these for 5 weeks, so just over 3 dozen. Plus several kilos of millet, then lots of tinned fish, other tinned food with rations of less flavorful quality than these bagged meals. A few kilos of rice and oats are probably also lying around canned somewhere. Normally rationed, I can last a quarter of a year with one warm main meal a day, and something secondary per day. Stretched out, even longer.

The bags that were delivered today contain 600 grams, or 300 grams as pure meat only. Shelf life until summer and fall 2033! Can be eaten cold or heated, in the microwave, in a pot, in a water bath. No water is added, these are meals ready to eat. Also good for trekking, hiking, day trips, camping.

As for the price, that's just the way it is these days, and certain ideologues want to use the price as a means of conditioning people to not eat meat or eggs or butter at all. But by way of comparison, if I buy a 300-330g Entrecote steak pre-packed in the supermarket, I currently pay around ten euros for it. A ribeye steak of Argentinian beef from the Maredo brand also costs 10 euros - per 200 grams - in the local supermarket - and there is only one source for both in the whole city, I must launch an expedition once a week to get there, its on the other side of the town. I do it, to keep costs "affordable". At the butcher's counter in the supermarket, the fillet steak and rump steak, which are more common in this country, both cost far too much. When I ask for RibEye or Entrecote, they just stare at me. We only have meat counters in supermarkets left, as well as meat from the fridge (more and more supermarkets over here sort out frozen meats, too) all butchers we once had have shut down years ago.

At the meat counter in the supermarket, the more common fillet steak and rump steak in this country, both much too lean for my taste, cost considerably more, and I would even pay up to three times as much for organic quality (I don't do that, the costs are insane). I used to buy locally here (from a farmer who raises lifestock and butchers himself) when I didn't eat it regularly every day - but that meat was even more expensive.

However, Expresmenü offers, among other things, 300g beef, pre-cooked and only sautéed, with a pure meat weight of 300g, also for 10 euros, which corresponds to the entrecote. It's just not quite the same fatty meat quality (for those who don't know, entrecote is the same as ribeye, only cut according to French instead of American cutting pattern. The meat contains no tendons or gristle, but a juicy fat content, which is desirable. I avoid fillet steak, it's far too lean - and then it's also more expensive). Many think its best meat. To me, its quite inferior meat.

For Gulasch - simply take the cheapest beef meat you can get! No peppers - onions only.

From this point of view, since we are talking about stockpiling for emergencies, these pure canned meats are highly recommended for carnivores' needs and are no more expensive than meat consumption is anyway. Note that the proportion of meat in the complete menus of 600 g is one third to one half, the remainder being vegetables, side dishes and sauces. The pure canned meat is only beef, pork or chicken, unflavored, only salted, pre-cooked. Put them in the Dutch oven or cast iron pan on the rocket stove, add some ketjap manis and sherry and roasted sesame oil, some pre-cooked millet - et voila. But you can also use a pot.
image host

My golden recipe: a perennial favorite: cut meat of any kind into thin slices and sear. Mix separately in a small bowl or cup: a few shot glasses of ketjap manis, a few tablespoons of sherry, a little extra sweetness, chili powder to taste, a tablespoon of caraway seeds (yes you read that right: Kümmel, Caraway seeds, no mistake from my side), a few dashes of roasted sesame oil, mix with sauce thickener, then add to the pan, let it thicken and enjoy! Every child can do it, and it's quick. Also works with minced meat, very well in fact. If you like, add a few mushroom halves, some Chinese cabbage and a chopped pepper to the meat.



BTW, I am serious about the caraway seeds. Its that "secret ingredient".


It's a shame that ketjap manis has so much sugar, I always have to hold back on it.


Sesame oil only from Yeoh's (Singapore), because it's the best.Quality of Ketjap Manis can vary dramatically, only accept Conimex (Dutch) or Wan Kwai (German)

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by Skybird

For Gulasch - simply take the cheapest beef meat you can get!

Is that a euphemism for human flesh?

[Skybird]

Some people think they must buy only the best ingredients for a good Gulasch, since it is so delicous, and they spend a lot of money on it. Superb meat, only peppers, some five star high class sauce fond... I only giggle, its all nonsense. In fact it was a poor-people's meat dish. Its simple, its easy, and - for a dish with meat - ridiculously cheap. Cheapest meat, and onions only - no peppers.



Okay, with prices of today it is not reall cheap anymore... Damn vegan sectarians in politics.


I gave my full recipe for it in this forum in some cooking thread. Nobody needs to tells me how to make Gulasch! Again, a good dose of caraway seeds.



The irony here is: usually I do not like caraway seeds. Except in that sauce. This Gulasch. And maybe certain kinds of bread they do in Bavaria (best bread in the world they have down there).

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

Remember, I'm thumping the Compleats as a "stay alive" ration.

Understood, but I want to know how they taste because part of staying alive is the desire to stay alive. Don't want to stock anything that would make me want to die when I ate it.

My prepping runs less end of days, more snow storm, stuck in the middle of nowhere waiting for a windmill to get assembled.

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by em2nought

Understood, but I want to know how they taste because part of staying alive is the desire to stay alive. Don't want to stock anything that would make me want to die when I ate it.

My prepping runs less end of days, more snow storm, stuck in the middle of nowhere waiting for a windmill to get assembled.

I know. My Prepping follows the same guide lines. I'm out on "the prairie", so all of my stuff assumes a long-term loss of electricity due to a storm or a tornado.

Short answer, they all* taste nasty if you have to eat them cold. The key is that they won't kill you, they'll just taste nasty. All you need beside the meal itself is some kind of Spork or silver ware. The fat and sodium content also tends to be a bit high, which is good in a survival situation.

My other "go to's" for cheap survival food are canned. Sardines and kippers are designed to be eaten cold. You also get the benefit of some healthy fish oils. Likewise, good old canned baked beans. I try to find the smaller (8 oz) cans with the pull top. Pretty cheap so they don't make a dent in your wallet when you're stocking up. The pull top just makes life easier and the small can works great for a single meal so you don't have to worry about storing left-overs. Small (8 oz) cans of veggies with a pull top are also good.


*- This winds up being about taste and what appeals to you. For me, the tomato-sauce-based Compleats (pasta, chili, beefy mac, etc.) have a good taste, hot or cold. Their beef stew is also really good cold. The rest fall into the "luck of the draw" category and some of them are down-right vile, hot or cold. The key is that they will fill you up without wiping you out, they are small packages and are easy to store or transport.