SEAWEED!!!!! Natures Power Bar

Back in my post about plants with protein Click Here I listed Seaweed...which is a plant, kinda. But it has 64.37 grams of protein!!!!


Here in New England we have a lot of Kelp (very high in iodine so never eat to much or it will mess with your thyroid). And kelp has a lower level of  mercury and arsenic toxicity than other sea plants and fish so I would say it is in the category of a power food.

 Here is a great site about Seaweeds and Kelp descriptions Clicks Here to know more about the different kinds.

It's shelf life is a few years when dried and it a great light weight protein to put in soups. And you can eat it dry like chips because it is salty.


 




Harvesting seaweed/kelp You can collect it along the shore line. Or you can find the inlets were it grows and harvest it from there. If you choose to collect it were it grows....then cut it of the roots..leaving a few inches...so that more can grow.

How to dry seaweed/kelp. Well in it a no brainier. more or less clean it in the ocean water so you have no sand on it and and put it on a drying rack. The drying rack should be built in such a way, keeping in mind that air should easily circulate through the seaweed to assure good ventilation and quick drying. Basiclly this is how to dehydrate seaweed.

Best to place it in a sunny place, If in a sunny place it will take 3 to 5 days to dry.

Other uses that make this such a great food

-You can make salt from it .  How to make kelp salt Click Here
- or even better you can just grate it and use it as a salt high protein spice.

Kelp can be a fantastic barter. So if you are along the shores take a walk on the beach and learn were your kelp and seaweed are growing and gathering up. Grab some to add to your stockpile.


Song for this post has to  be  "Octopus's Garden," The Beatles 

Fantastic Friday - Could the Survival Bike be your Bug Out Vehicle of Choice?

Every Friday I will be sharing a post that I came across on my journey's for the week.

One's that impress me with  information, ideas, or just a great read. 

This weeks has to be a post written by:  The Prepper Journal 

Because this is the coolest thing EVER!!!!

 I was casually strolling around the internet today as most of us do at some point in time, looking for article ideas for the Prepper Journal. I do this whenever I don’t have something pushing into my thoughts as readily as I hope and it happens occasionally when writer’s block hits me. I was lucky enough to stumble on something that many of you, myself included might not have seen yet, but that could be an excellent bug out vehicle option in the right circumstances.

Click Here to Read the rest!!!!  

The song for this post has to be Pink Floyd - Bike

 

Herb of the week - Bittersweet

First herbs of the week post...I will be posting an herb of the week every Tuesday. I find it is easy to remember things like this when you get them in small doses,

AMARA DULCIS or Bittersweet

Description - Amara Dulcis, or Bitter Sweet is also call Mortal, Woody Nightshade, Felon wart. Its Woody stalks grow to the height of a man. The leaves fall at the approach of winter, and spring out again from the same stalk in the spring.

Click Here for its uses 

songs for this post is Dr. Yang - Ben Folds

Frostbite- prevent and heal

 

 

 

I am re-posting this because we have 5o mile per hour winds and the temp is feeling below 0  and I look out my window and my neighbor was in PJ pants a t shirt and a towel over his shoulders......shoveling 2 feet of snow???? 

 

Dang it is freak'n cold out were I am...I am talking below 0!! 

On that note ... is is good to know how to deal with frostbite. I can here some of you saying it never gets that cold were I am at.... we are preppers and remember you never know were you may end up in times of crisis. It is good practice to have some knowledge of it.

Frostbite is when the skin cells become damaged. Sometimes it can be restored sometimes not.

It can take only minutes to get frostbite!! Minutes! When the temp goes below 20 degrees and you have a good wind blowing you need to make sure your feet, toes ears and hands a covered properly! These are the parts of the body that many forget about and end up getting in trouble with.

We all remember the scene in Mr Deeds....well that is what frostbite looks like!

   

Warning signs: If you start to feel number or even the area starts to feel hard and frozen. You may even have a white or grayish color (see pic above) then you need to get warm NOW!

PDF Facts about frostbite    Click Here

Check every half hour or so for signs of frost bite!! It can sneek up on you!

How to dress:

• Light, loose, layered clothing provides both ventilation and insulation. Top your outfit with a water-repellent fabric. Remember water repellent not water proof...because water proof can make you sweat and that sweat in you clothing is not a good thing!!

• Mittens are warmer than gloves, and two pair of socks (wool over lightweight cotton) will help keep your feet warm.

• If you get wet, get inside and remove the wet clothing as quickly as possible.

OMG you have frostbite  now what???

• Get to a warm room as soon as possible and call for help if you can. 
• Drink teas and chick or beef broth.
• Take off any wet or restrictive clothing.
• remove all your jewelry, helps with get the circulation going again.  
• Rest the effected areas, do not walk on frostbitten feet, and elevate them slightly.
• Warm the area by immersing it in warm (NOT HOT) water  30 to 45 minutes, or until it feels warm and sensation returns. During warming, you may feel severe pain and the injured area may swell and change color.
•  Leave blisters intact, and cover them with a sterile or clean cloth until you are seen by a physician.

Do not!!!!.....        

• do not do anything that will further injure the frostbitten tissue. 
•  No Alcohol- that is a myth it DOES NOT HELP IT MAKE IT WORSE!
• no rubbing the area with your hands, with snow, or with anything else.
•  do not start to warm the affected area if there is any chance that it will be exposed to the cold again. 
• NO!  dry heat, such as from a heating pad, sunlamp, fire, or radiator, to try to warm the area.    Because the skin is numb and will not feel the heat, it can easily be burned.   

 

A few herbal remedies to help treat it.  

Keep in mind there are two different things that would need to be treated, stopping infection from setting in and the frostbite it self..(olden day amputation may have been the only option and still is)


-Aloe is an antiseptic, antibacterial, anti inflammatory and has been known to have reqenerative properties. Just apply to the area and cover with sterile cloth.

- Simple witch hazel helps with both as well, same thing apply to the area and cover

- Potato ...ou can squeeze the juice of the potato right on the area or you can boil it water and pour that into a tub to soak in

- Massage the affected area with camphor oil if the frostbite is not severe.

- Cucumber help restore the skin blend and spread the pulp as you would a cream.

- Apply a cold mashed onion poultice. 

-Horsetail can help rebuilding skin tissues because of its silica content. Silicic acids form collogen. 

- Cayenne pepper pour a cup of boiling water onto a half to one teaspoon of cayenne and infuse for 10 minutes. A tablespoon of this infusion should be mixed with hot water and taken when needed to improve circulation.

You can also use ginger or radishes 


A few other things

-Soda Bottle: Warm frozen toes by filling up a 1- to 2-liter soda bottle with hot water and rolling it back and forth underneath your feet

- Hot and Cold Compresses: Alternate between a hot compress (as hot as you can stand it) and ice cold compress to treat frostbitten skin. Apply a hot compress for three minutes followed by a cold compress for 30 seconds. Repeat three times each – ending with the cold compress.

 -After the initial treatment of frostbite, bathe affected body parts in warm water to increase circulation and aid the healing process.

 

 

 

I am so feeling this song right now!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Movie - The Big Freeze

Big blizzard coming our way on the East Coast and in the North sooo this has to be my Monday Movie this week. Click here for some songs to shovel to

The Big Freeze

Imagine our world in the not too distant future? In parts of the northern hemisphere, the temperature plummets to -90 F. At 130 below, public transportation fails. Those caught outside freeze to death.

Buildings collapse under the weight of snow and ice. The power goes out, society collapses, and anarchy takes its place. Could this be a vision of our future? In this documentary, Naked Science examines what may cause temperatures to plummet and how this could spell disaster for our planet.

.....

Totally Digging

  

 Sunday January 25

I am back and I have so many people to thank for sharing my posts. Such a hard task to pick out who should be on this page.  I am going to have to do it the only fair way at this point. This first sites I see in search will be posted. And you can also message me on FB and I will post it here that following Sunday.

Totally digging is my way of saying thanks for linking back to my page. Check them out!

So today's totally digging goes out to..... (And show some love and click on an ad or two on their sites.)
__________________________________

My favorite go to site The Prepper Website  Click Here And take time to read some of his stuff he is a true common sense prepper. 

Papa Prepping Report Click Here 

PrepKnowledge  Click here

Doomsday Preppers Click Here

Suburban Survival Blog Daily Click Here

The Prepper Times Click Here



Song for this post is going to be Beastie Boys – Gratitude
Never got to see the Besasie Boys
but  I did get to see DJ Mix Master Mike Click Here  If you look close you can see me in the crowd shots right up front  :) This show went on till 4AM!! It was crazy!!

City Squirrels the meat you can eat.

The Other, other white meat

In many parts of the US eating squirrel is not uncommon...but to us city folk it is a stand off-ish kinda thing. We call them rats with fluffy tails . But in a survival situation squirrel is actually a viable meat to eat.

When I think of eating squirrel the first thing that comes to mind is rabies, diseases and parasites.  But it seems that we should be fine for the most part.  The USGS states "...parasite is of no public health significance and properly cooked meat from infected animals is safe to eat".
 But I personally would avoid any animal that appears to be sick to play it on the safe side.

 This is a great PDF  Click Here  written by the National Wildlife Health Center - USGS on "What meat you can eat"

Once you get that bad boy, then what......well here is a fantastic PDF on how to skin and gut them for eating.

How to butcher a squirrel PDF Click Here (PG13)

When reading all the info on them....I do not see that it taste like chicken anywhere...but if you marinade it well with some wild edibles you can have a tasty meal.

Song for this post has to be Primus -  Eyes of the Squirrel (love primus seen them half dozen times)

And now this song is stuck in my head!!!!  The Eyes of the Squirrel are watching!!!!!!! Sing along time!

Fantastic Friday! -A Preparedness Use for Old Hard Drives. Expand Your Digital Library & Resources!

Every Friday I will be sharing a post that I came across on my journey's for the week.

One's that impress me with  information, ideas, or just a great read. 

(This will not replace my Thank you page of links to people that have shared one of my posts. ) 

This weeks has to be this post wrtten by: Ed That Matters 

A Preparedness Use for Old Hard Drives. Expand Your Digital Library & Resources!

If you have an old computer, desktop or laptop, that is not working and just sitting gathering dust, then this article is for you!
Preppers believe in redundancy.  Most usually have backups to their backups.  At least, this is true when we are talking about water, food, medical supplies and ways to defend ourselves.  But do you have redundancy with your digital files?..........

Click Here to Learn more! and read the rest.  Excellent Post

Song for this post is going to be a classic Styx -- Mr. Roboto

Plants with high protien for Preppers

What no cows, no chicken, ran out of peanut butter....you need proteins! You can do bugs and trap small animals. But remember plants have proteins to.

The US Department of Agriculture recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound). That means a woman who is 130 pounds should get at least 48 grams of protein.

So this is just a reminder to have these in your garden or at the least have these in your seed bank.


- Soybeans the wonder plant for preppers  1 cup  =  65 grams of protein! not to mention its other uses!

- Seaweed    1 cup of seaweed = 64.37 grams of protein!!!! ( I live near the shore so this will be an easy on for me to get) and to dry and use as a barter if traveling)

- Lima Beans   1 cup of Lima Beans = 14.66 grams of protein

- Pumpkin Seeds      1 ounce of pumpkin seeds contains 9.35 grams of protein

- Peas    1 cup of peas = 8.58 grams of protein

- Potato   1 medium potato  = 4.33 grams of protein

- Spinach YUMMY!! with a ton of garlic! ( Actually got these GREAT spinach vine, they are  perennial in tropical areas. I am hope they live through a North East winter, will let ya know in the spring.        One cup cooked = 5.35 grams of protein.

- Corn    1 ear of corn = 4.02  grams of protein

- Asparagus      Eight spears of this delectable veggie has 3.08 grams of protein

- Broccoli       1 cup of chopped broccoli = 5.7 grams of protein

- Brussel Sprouts    1 cup of brussel sprouts = 3.98  grams of protein

- Swiss Chard    1 cup  = 3.29 grams of protein

- Peanuts     1 ounce (approximately 28 peanuts dry roasted without salt) = 6.71 grams of protein.

- Kale    1 cup of Kale = 2.47  grams of protein

- Cauliflower     1 cup cooked = 2.28 grams of protein

- Fennel     1 cup of fennel = 1.08  grams of protein

- Any  bean   1 cup cooked = between 40-45 grams of protein, I think beans are the best and easiest crop to grow, make sure you have a large variety of seeds in your stockpile.

Bean comparison chart Click Here

I personally asked my neighbor what he was not stockpiling, so that if something happens I have something to barter with for a pair of rabbits. He said coffee and penicillin...I have a major quantity of both. And the rabbit thyroid glands will also replace my thyroid medicine if need be (I have a pdf on how to process that).
  I also know all the people in the city that do have back yard chickens....If something happened these are the people who would leave fast and leave the chicks.
As you can tell I have thought about the what if. Remember We have MILLIONS of people and deer, squirrel and even pigeon will be killed off fast.

And fish you say??? You do know that a lot of the fish you eat are raised in fish farms right? And even our rivers and lake are stocked by the parks every year. And even ocean fish have goverment agencys that help keep the fish coming by stocking it.

We may as a society get it together if something happens, but in the mean time know where you can get your protein! 





Song for this post must must be  - Reverend Horton Heat - Eat Steak