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Monday, July 20, 2009

Prepper Giveaway!

I have loved the idea of a prepper giveaway- and many prepper sites have been giving prep items away! The New Mexico Preppers is now having a giveaway too! I am offering three books that are wonderful for novice preppers and those who are old hands.
Book 1- Fighting Radiation & Chemical Pollutants with Foods, Herbs, & Vitamins- Steven R. Schnechter(this is a bit worn, but a good book to have on hand)

Book 2- Ball Blue Book The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. This book is a neat surprise because it is both metric and not(US)...so our prep friends around the world can benefit from this book without the hassle of converting.

Book 3- The Country Doctor Handbook- Old Fashioned Cures That Prevent and Reverse Pain, Obesity, Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, and More...(too much great stuff in here to mention!!)

In addition I will be adding a few prep items that will benefit any prepper worldwide. The rules are simple- you can enter every day until August 3, 2009!

Once again I thank all my friends on the prepper circuit...you have no idea how much you have done for my family and we will always be grateful!
Jennifer

Monday, July 13, 2009

Food Challenge: Simple Savings

Probably most readers have had breakfast for dinner. On the farm, we have breakfast for dinner at least twice a month because I have plenty of eggs to do so.Canned cinnamon applesauce-free apples I canned. Scrambled eggs- free. Stack of pancakes-15 cents. Sausage- 59 cents(on sale). Canned apple syrup-free. Homemade syrup- 6 cents.
total-80 cents to feed a family of five

This is such an easy meal to make and it is so delicious. When I canned applesauce this past spring, I had leftover syrup from the canning, and decided to can it too. This was such an incredible idea, as we love how tasty it is on the pancakes.

Meals from scratch are less costly and less preservative filled. With the economy being sabotaged the way it is, I wholeheartedly suggest getting back to basics.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Keeping Sane in Times Like These

Do you ever get to the point where you are ready to leave for the hills? Nearly every time I turn on the TV I am overwhelmed with the insanity of how bad the economy is, yet we are hearing about green shoots~ considering the fact that yet another stimulus is being mentioned and the health package...it is crazy. I wrote that sentence as a run-on to give the out of breath-ness I feel.

The incredible speed that things are changing is shocking to say the least. How can we keep level headed in such fast paced times? The television and movie industry are biased beyond belief with the likes of Jeanine Garafalo calling those who are against more taxes as ignorant folks "hating on the black man."

So what can you do? As a person who has loved history and the incredible gifts that man has gave us over the past few thousand years, I can offer a wonderful relaxing solution to calm you and your family at the close of each day. Turn off the TVs the computers and all that is connected to the insanity and pick up a good book.

My first suggestion is endearingly called the good book, and that is the Bible. Even if you are not religious or a Christian, the Bible is written so amazing that the prose will lift you. Even our most liberal universities the bible is studied for its literature value. Reading Revelation is like following the evening news...you will not miss the prophecies that are unfolding.

In school the required reading of classics were often met by disgruntled noises, but now as most of us are older, and have experienced life, reading the classics will be eye-opening. You see they are real now, and the stories written long ago by people long dead, show us that man is unchanging and the passions, dreams, angst, and battles we still wish for.

I strongly urge to fellow preppers to take a few moments each evening to break and read.

During your prepping, if you are like me, you venture to thrift stores to find items for your storage, so swing over and browse the books and collect a few classics. I have not paid more than 30 cents per book.

Here is my short list of books to have around and review. If times get truly bad and many preppers begin pulling their children out of public schools, these books will come in handy to homeschool the kids.

1) the Bible
2) the works of Shakespeare- Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing...
3) the works of Charles Dickens- A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations...
4) the works of Mark Twain- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Thirty Thousand Dollar Bequest, the Complete Book of Short Stories...
5) the works of Edgar Allan Poe- The Tell- Tale Heart, The Gold Bug, The Pit and The Pendulum...
6) the works of Arthur Conan Doyle-The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes...
7) the works of H.G. Wells- The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds...
8) the works of Herman Melville- Moby Dick...
9)the poetry of Robert Frost, Walt Whitman
10) Johann Wyss-Swiss Family Robinson
11)the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder- these are wonderful pioneering books- good for the whole family.
12) the works of Louis Lamour- these are really good as they are all about self reliance, honor, and the code of the west which used to be values we held as a nation.
13) the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta...


As a prepper we must never forget that mental well being is important. Adding a few books to your prepping lifestyle will make all the difference. Unlike most of the prep items we accumulate, this can be utilized today, and every day thereafter. Turn off everything, and bring the family together around the table and read to each other.

One of the bookshelves on we have on Double Nickel Farm.
(c) Double Nickel Farm
Jennifer

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Monsoon Season Skies

We are nearing the close of monsoon season and as bad as it has been this year for the farm, it also has been magnificent .



Impressive puff or plume of clouds behind the mountain.

Storm racing to the farm darkens the skies.

The arrival of the storm...

The beauty in the fury of the upcoming storm.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Update on the Farm and Many Thanks

~A quick update about my farm and the flooding that happened:
We have hauled off much that probably needed to be hauled off anyway, and have begun in earnest repairing what needs repaired. All is going well, except that the humidity is unusual and overbearing for the desert! You preppers that deal with humidity daily- well YOU are very tough!!

I am offering a heart felt thanks to American Prepper and all preppers as your kindness and friendship has been humbling. I knew that being a part of this movement was something, but I now confess to you that it is really more. It is a micro community among the larger community, and instead of locale or family that binds us, it is our directive of preparing for any and all that may come our way.

Our farm, although humble, is a beacon for those of you that may head this way. As we have no idea as a collective group of what will happen we all are hunkered down where we are- so remember this, each one of us may have the knowledge and skills that will bring the rest of us through. As I homeschool my kids, I thought of a book we read a few years ago, about Harriet Tubman. She was a runaway slave who repeatedly put herself in harms way to lead others to freedom. I think that this prepper network is in fact on that same scale. We are leading others to the freedom of relying on self and taking care of our own.(I learned that it is ok to receive- although this was emotional) We are there positioned in strategic places all over the US and Canada. We are on board to the awareness that times are indeed changing so quickly that what we call home today may not be tomorrow.

As frightening as that thought may become, I am comforted that I have so many rail stops along the way(to borrow from the Underground Railroad). I also wish to reiterate that the farm is a stopping place too!!

Thanks so much from the Double Nickel Farm family
Bill and Jennifer(and our children)

Saturday, July 4, 2009

A Prepper's Gift to America

I wrote a post on my farm blog about America. I decided that it is time for me to give something back to her. I have enjoyed so much in my life and it is time to stand, so here is a bit of what I wrote:
"So for this birthday, I wish to give you something back. I wish to give you a promise..."
To read my post click here.

Happy Independence Day!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Using Your Food Storage: Challenge #3

This is a post that I wrote for my farm blog. I am posting it here as it falls under my category of Using Your Food Storage: Challenge. Using canned veggies and fruits are not ideal for the best nutritional and taste value, but they have a good shelf life. Now I live on a tight budget so I shop for sales and end up with the store brand foods, which need a little zip to enhance the flavor. Trust me it is easy to make foods from your storage tasty. Below is a meal I made last week and I tried to detail every expense and I tried to use many items from storage.

Brampton Burger Dinner
List #1
carrots $. 07 ---1/4 lb frozen(I used 1/4 can)
green beans $. 07--- 1/4 lb(I used 1/4 can)
olive oil under $.10---2 tbsp
vinegar $.05 --- 1 tsp
chicken bouillon $.05---2 cubes( I used bulk 2 tsp)
tomato paste $. 10---2 tbsp
pineapple tidbits $ .50---1/2 can(I only used the juice and reserved the tidbits for the dessert)
onion $. 15---1/2 cup(I used 1 cup)
hamburger patties $2.66--- 4(I do not eat hamburgers so we only needed four)
Total= $3.70

Recipe: Brampton Burgers
Broil or fry the hamburgers the way you regularly do, and keep them hot...Heat the oil in a small saucepan and fry the onion without browning for two minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook over low to moderate heat for several minutes until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve the burgers topped with the vegetable sauce.




List #2
sea salt--- $.02 season to taste as mixing together
pepper--- $.02
paprika--- $.02
2 potatoes(I realized that 2 were enough)--- $.24 slice in thin slices
onion--- $.15
olive oil(not pictured) 2 tbsp--- $.10
2 cloves garlic mince---$.02
total= $.57

Recipe:Fried Onions and Potatoes
Mix all ingredients together and cook on a medium to low heat until potatoes are done.


List #3
ham slices(with coupon pack was $1.00 and I used 6 slices( 1/3)--- $.33
asparagus 15 oz can---$1.00
cornstarch 1/4 cup---$.12
instant milk 1 cup---$.14
cream of chicken soup---$.33
butter $.10---2 tbsp
homemade breadcrumbs $.02--- 1 cup
total= $2.04

Recipe: Ham and Asparagus Rolls
Roll 4 or 5 pieces of asparagus in each slice of ham and place in ovenproof dish. Heat the soup in a saucepan: blend the cornstarch with the milk and stir in the soup. Stir until boiling, simmer for one minute, and pour over the ham rolls. Melt the butter, mix with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top of the soup sauce. Bake in 350 F oven for 25 minutes.


List #4 No picture until final photo
1 pint of canned applesauce(I canned in early spring)
apples free
sugar---$.15
plum---free
total=$.15

put applesauce in dish and place sliced plum wedges around the edge(great way to use up ripening fruit to garnish another dish)



List #5
condensed milk(bought at Thanksgiving--- $.50)
sugar 1/4 cup---$.10
egg---farm fresh
lemon jello---$.33
pineapple tidbits---factored price in above(juice for List #1)
water 1 cup
total =$.93

Recipe: Pineapple Delight
Beat the egg and sugar together in a mixing bowl and add the evaporated milk and crushed pineapple. Dissolve the jello in the water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately add the beaten egg ad milk in the hot jello. Stir until combined and pour into a serving dish or individual serving dishes. Place in refrigerator to chill.

Grand total= $ 7.39
This is all from food storage minus the ham, which I had a coupon for(coupons.com), and the potatoes, onions, garlic, plum, and egg which are in what I refer to immediate food usage(foods that are perishable)

Why am I sharing this post? Well many people stockpile foods and have no idea how to create something in a pinch that is lovely and tastes amazing. This meal took less than an hour to prepare...cleanup has taken a bit longer as I am typing this post!

Here is the how the meal looks all put together on our well used pine table. I painted each state that a member of our family was born in(or country as the case is for some) and bordered the table with all the places we have lived(we were a military family for several years. I have two scriptures running down the center of the table to remind us of where we should really place our focus-- and the scriptures deal with food...can you guess what they are?
Pictured left to right: Fried Onions and Potatoes, Applesauce and plum, Brampton Burger sauce(one son did not want it on his burger), Ham and Asparagus Rolls, Hamburgers garnished with fresh tomatoes and spinach. I noticed that I do not have the glasses on the table( we had tea as our beverage).

In this challenge I should note that I have not purchased paper products for over two years. The cloth napkins and placemats were the first thing I made even before we moved to the farm. I am in NO WAY supporting the green movement. I made these products to reduce costs in my home. I have around 48 cloth napkins for regular use, and holiday napkins too.

Here is the finished dessert
The totals for this meal were a bit higher than we spend on an average meal. Our monthly grocery budget is usually around $250.00. Some months we spend nothing if we are saving for a need etc. Food storage is a way we can do this, along with our garden and animals. I buy everything I can in bulk and make many things from scratch. Our meat expenses will be reduced dramatically in a week or so when we butcher the cow.

I challenge my readers to put some foods up in storage and to be creative to preparing meals. As you can see I am no Martha Stewart...but I am a wife and mother who desires to create tasty meals for my family regardless of budget.
~~
My challenge of stockpiling foods was for readers of my farm blog, I know readers of the prepper circuit have food storage!
(c) Double Nickel Farm
Jennifer
New Mexico Preppers Network Est. Jan 17, 2009 All contributed articles owned and protected by their respective authors and protected by their copyright. New Mexico Preppers Network is a trademark protected by American Preppers Network Inc. All rights reserved. No content or articles may be reproduced without explicit written permission.