Egg-citing Prepper Breakfast...

I am working hard on using more of my stored food for cooking. One evening this week, I decided to to have a big "breakfast" of fried eggs, bacon and biscuits.
While I have a lot of cereal and oatmeal stored, I think a lot about the increase of work output in the case of TEOTWAWKI and the need for a hearty breakfast.
Let's see, everything I used was 100% from storage: bacon, eggs, bisquick, milk and butter. 
I got everything out from storage. Opened the pressure canned bacon carefully, laid it in a baking dish and baked it at 350 degrees until crispy. I have baked my bacon for years now.

 

I used milk to make the Bisquick biscuits. The eggs I am storing with coconut oil now, which I fried with bacon fat. It's been a long time since I actually fried eggs in bacon fat & I forgot how good they taste.

Then the left over bacon grease went into my percolator. I have three, so I am able to spare one strictly for bacon fat. It's works really well, with the basket to strain out the pieces and the spout to pour from.

Items I have used this week:

   

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

How to Store Eggs With Coconut Oil...

In the beginning when I began preparing, storing eggs was one of the first things I tried. That was October, 2012. Look how far I have come. I wanted chickens from the very beginning. Now I have my own chickens and they are laying up a storm. Close to 70 eggs a week. I have had eggs that I have stored for at least 10 months (in the fridge) that are still top notch eggs. 

When you are working with fresh eggs; you want to wipe off the "schmutz", but don't wash the "bloom" off. This bloom actually provides a natural barrier for the egg. With fresh eggs, you are able to wipe them off and they will keep for a long time without refrigeration. Wash them when you use them. Now I have 10 chickens and i get approximately 70 eggs a week & I sell them. So I do wash my eggs and cover them with organic coconut oil. It's amazing.

You may also use eggs from the store. It still works well. The consideration is with store bought eggs is they are already fairly old & the pores on the eggshells have been opened up when they were washed. Those eggs could easily be over a month old before you even get them.

My recommendation if you are using it on store bought eggs is to immediately use the coconut oil on them when you get them home.

How to Store Eggs with Coconut Oil:

1. Ensure you are using only fresh eggs at room temperature. Check your eggs against light for cracks and just use those first, don't store.

2. Take the eggs out of the little cups in the carton. Trust me you will appreciate that later. Otherwise things get a little slippery and it's harder to grasp them.

3. Get out your coconut oil, get a smidge on your hands and rub your hands together to warm up the oil or you may warm the coconut oil up until it is liquid. Several people have asked about using other food grade oils. Sadly, other oils will eventually go rancid.

4. Slather the eggs with a little the coconut oil on your hands. You want to coat the egg evenly and entirely.

5. Place them small tip down in the carton.

6. Afterwards you may want to date the box with the month/year the eggs were prepped. If stored properly in a cool, dry, dark location the eggs should last about 9 months. I used to write 9 months, just in case I forget. But I don't do that any more. Then put it away.

7. Once a month I turn the eggs over (upside down) to keep the yolks from settling.

This is a process for long term storage of eggs on the shelf. As with any long term storage, the shelf life is dependent on keeping things in a dark, dry cool location. The cooler the location, the longer it lasts.  I haven't actually kept them on a shelf yet. I choose to keep them in the fridge, since I have the space. BUT, if we lose power (short term or permanently), I have eggs stored for many meals.

_______________________________________________________

When you are testing freshness of your eggs there is always the float test. Place the egg in a bowl of water, if it sinks it is really fresh. If the egg is still on the bottom, but is starting to stand up it is still good to use. If the egg floats to the top...do not use it, it isn't fresh.
But, the best test I have found is simply sniffing the egg as you open it. There will be no doubt if your eggs isn't fresh. 

There is one drawback of storing eggs with coconut oil, those egg white may not whip up well because of traces of the oil when cracking the eggs.

Items I have used this week:

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. We would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook.

Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Finding Storage Space...

This last week Mr. Perky was off work and we have been getting more things settled at the new home.

Basically we have thrown or donated half the stuff we owned. Now, I am going through each box and everything is being washed and either I find a storage space for the item or it goes in the “yard sale” pile or trashed. We have about 1/3 the space in our new home, so I am still purging and trying to be creative with storage space. I thought I'd share as I go along.

First, we don't have a linen closet in our new home. I had managed to store a lot of prep toiletries in our old linen closet. This is what I have come up with so far...I am storing most of that stuff in the bathroom itself. Thankfully this stuff isn't heat sensitive.

I purchased two of these drawer units. Honestly I was pretty amazed how much fit in these units. Basically we have everything that we use on a daily basis, plus our prep storage of about two years worth of shampoo, conditioner, cotton swabs, razors, band-aids and much more.

Then under the sink is the toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps & deodorants. I have found these black boxes at Ikea. They work like a dream for me. You will see as I share more, that I have these boxes everywhere. They are made of black fabric with a mesh front so you are able to see what is inside.
I label them with a red paint pen. I seriously like these boxes. I am not even sure how many I am using currently for storage, but it's quite a few.

I arbitrarily wound up with storing about 2 years of items in my preps, with the plan of being able to then start making these items myself.

That is when I started focusing on learning skills like making toothpaste, shampoo and more.

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month and The Prepared Bloggers are at it again!

It's safe to say that our ultimate goal is to help you have an emergency kit, a family plan, and the knowledge to garden, preserve your harvest and use useful herbs every day – without spending a ton of money to do it. Luckily that’s obtainable for every family and a journey we would love to help you with. This year we have posts about food storage, 72-hour Kits & Bug Out Bags, and every aspect of preparedness, from water storage to cooking off grid. You’ll also find many ideas to help you be more self-reliant. Look for information on the big giveaway we've put together for later in the month. Be sure to visit our sites and learn as much as you can about being prepared. We'll be using the hashtag #30DaysOfPrep for these and many other ideas throughout the month of September, so join in the conversation and make 2015 the year you become prepared.

Food Storage

The Prepared Pantry: A 3 Month Food Supply | PreparednessMama
How to Make Your Own Vinegar (it's easier than you think) | Perky Prepping Gramma

How to Make Naan Bread - A No-Yeast Bread Alternative | Mom With a PREP

How to Wax Cheese for Long Term Storage | Perky Prepping Gramma

Dispelling the Canned Food Expiration Date Myth | Self Sufficient Man

6 Canning Myths You Must Know | Melissa K. Norris

How to Dehydrate Cherries | Mom With a PREP

How to Dehydrate Milk for Long Term Storage | Perky Prepping Gramma

Self-Reliance

Survival Tips from the Great Depression | Self Sufficient Man

The 5 best crops for Self Sufficient Gardeners | Our Stoney Acres

Butchering a chicken | The Homesteading Hippy

Self-Sufficiency Simplified | Blue Jean Mama

3 Small Livestock Preparedness Tips | Timber Creek Farm

Essential Oils for Preparedness | Mama Kautz

Farm First Aid Preparedness | Timber Creek Farm

72-Hour Kits or Bug Out Bags

How to Build a 72-hour Go Bag | Blue Yonder Urban Farm

Build Your Dollar Store B.O.B. for your Car in minutes! |    Simply Living Simply

10 Essential Oils You Need in Your B.O.B. and at Home | Blue Jean Mama

10 Must-Have Herbs for Your B.O.B | Simply Living Simply

Preparedness

Hard Core Truths About Prepping | Perky Prepping Gramma 
5 Things New Moms Can Do to Prepare for Disasters | PreparednessMama

Trauma Essentials for the Prepper | The Prepared Ninja

Emergency Preparation for Those Who Are Disabled or Elderly | A Matter of Preparedness

10 Most Important Items a Female Prepper Should Have | Living Life in Rural Iowa

How to Prepare Your Car for Winter | Frugal Mama and the Sprout

How to Prepare For a Power Outage | Blue Yonder Urban Farm

Why Natural Health, Exercise and Whole Foods Play a Role in Survival | Trayer Wilderness

Getting Started With Water Storage | The Backyard Pioneer

10 Totally Free Prepping Things to Do | Living Life in Rural Iowa

‎21 Prepper Tips I Wish I'd Heard Before I Started Prepping | Urban Survival Site

Is Homesteading Like Prepping? | The Homesteading Hippy

What You Should Consider When Fire Is A Threat | Trayer Wilderness

11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid | Melissa K. Norris

How To Begin Prepping: A True Story

I vowed from when I started sharing, that I would always be dedicated to helping the newbie prepper & just sharing what you and I were doing. You see I remember when I started that there were questions I didn't even know I had. Trying to read and glean information on what to store, how to store it...
I love to read and enjoy a good apocalyptic fiction story. You can usually pick up a prepper tip or two in the midst of the story. Recently I have been reading a couple prepper series where the story started with the main character winning the lottery for 211 million dollars or was a rich business man who began prepping...
The only problem with that is it isn't realistic. I gather you and I are not rich, but are just hard working people who are trying to prep on a budget.
With that in mind, today I am sharing a newbie prepper from our community today and how they are getting started. 
Meet Roben, a real person like you and me who is beginning her journey:
"Let's start with the why! I grew up in a house that was owned out-right there were no payments we had to make, yet we didn't have a lot of money. Turns out my father is a penny pincher and a pack rat, my grandma was a canner and talked about what it was like to live in the great depression. I see how hard my hubby works and how much it hurts him when we cant pay a bill. I want less bills, less strain, less stress. I know at some point the American dollar is not going to be worth anything. I worry how we will afford to feed and cloth my family. How we will pay for medical. I see a major crash coming. now I know that right now I don't have much, but I have a small garden and I have a pressure canner and a dehydrator, I am learning. The world will not be the same after, but most of all...I want this because I worry about not having a place to live or food to eat or water to drink and when shtf where I am will not be safe.
Hey I posted something on my wall I would like you to look at and comment about but I couldn't figure out how to tag you in it. Thanks for looking know your very busy. But thought it was worth a look am I doing it good enough or is there a better way? Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day for me it makes me feel special. Thank you!"
Well I took a look and I am sharing her progress. Here are pictures of what Roben is currently doing for her storage. I like the ingenuity, particularly in keeping within her very tight budget.

 

Roben remembered her grandmother wrapping her canned items in newspaper and storing them in a dark place. She is getting storage buckets free from work, wrapping up her jars and then storing them. Great!

 

I think Roben, you might benefit from reading this article on how I started and things I learned including making a list of what you use everyday, store water, store what you use and use what you store: 6 Simple Tips for the Beginning Prepper 

Top Three Picks:

                                    

I participate in the Amazon Associates program, where I receive a small percentage of purchase made from my recommendations. I only recommend items that I personally use (or something similar) and like. Anything you purchase though my affiliate link helps support me being to continue to stay home & write & I appreciate it a lot! 

EMP: Myths or Facts

I am far from an expert on electromagnetic pulses or HEMP (high altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulses). 
From the concept of an EMP to just a complete break down of society that would leave sources of power unavailable from the very beginning I have prepared for an event that involves total lack of electricity. We even practice days without power as a lifestyle, which I recommend you try. It is amazing to learn how dependent you are as you automatically turn on lights or the stove. The phone is powered down and the laptop is hidden. 
Our preps have involved alternate sources of fuels and basically living without electronics completely which saved our "ash" a year and a half ago when our heat pump went out over a New Years Eve holiday. (Pardon our ashes...) The only exception is planning one of our next steps of getting a much older car, in the vent we need to travel and pick up various family members to bring them safely to the farm.
Probably the number one fiction book on an EMP event would have to be "One Second After", by New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen.  While I had this book in an electronic version, I recently purchased the paper back book. Mostly in preparation for the release of his sequel "One Year After" (which I already have purchased, just waiting for it to be released).
I read this book early on in my prepping and this latest reading has surprised me in how much it has influenced how I currently prep. Just reading the forward reemphasized the reality of this possible event occurring. Bill has an excellent grasp of what is a real possible scenario. The government has plans, do you? I prefer the fiction that just allows the event to happen and the aftermath that occurs.
The irony wasn't lost on me yesterday I was reading "One Second After", while waiting for a service tech to set up our internet connection and satellite t.v. at the farm. I had boldly proclaimed to Mr. Perky, I wouldn't completely move out to the farm without an internet connection.
There are over 500 fiction books listed on Amazon involving EMP events. I would be remiss if I didn't include the highly recommend classic "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank. One of the first books that examined the effects of a nuclear blast.
The reality is we don't know if or when a life changing event will occur. Or even what type of scenario we are preparing for. We prepare based on our own understanding and beliefs. The possibility of a grid down situation occurring is in my top two.
How do you prepare? Exactly how self-sufficient are you really?

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. We would love it if your joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook. I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

  

P.S. I don't know about the validity of this man's science, but I am sharing his post on EMP Myths for your review: EMP Myths by Jerry Emanuelson

Water Storage 101

Water Storage has probably been one of my highest priorities, really simple to store, but often one of the last things preppers store.
I am a wee bit concerned as we are draining our Augason water storage barrels this week, if TEOTWAWKI should occur ALL our water storage is now at the farm. 
My recommendations to beginner preppers is to list what you use each day and start stocking up in that order. My guess is that most people use water in some form or another within the first 5 minutes of waking up. Do you use the restroom, make coffee or like me grab a glass of water?
We have had 250 gallons of water stored in the house for some time now. Roughly three months of water. 

The general estimate is to store 1 gallon per person, 

per day and that is barely enough to cover very basic needs.

I personally store three gallons a day for two people and three dogs who drink about 32 oz. a day combined, just in case.

As you have seen before I have several water storage containers, but for my money I like the Augason Farms Water Storage Kit which contains a 55-gallon water barrel that is durable and designed for water storage. It safely pumps water, fuels, paints, and solvents and includes a lid opener and water treatment drops to treat 60 gallons of water.
Now I have to find a place to store my barrels & get them filled. I have a good idea where I am putting them.