Abigail

Me too!! I'm really not a picky eater, but beans have never been my favorites. Finally, a couple of years back, I figured out that I liked cold, firm beans much better than "creamy" type beans.

Sam's club has big gallon glass jars of four bean salad that I like chilled. It has red kidney beans, green beans, garbanzo beans, and wax beans. There is white onion in there too, as well as spices, which obviously include vinegar.

I've seen canned bean salad in the groceries as well for smaller servings, but the big jars are cheaper...

When I get settled, I was thinking of trying this as one of my first adventures in canning. The texture of the beans is so firm that I'll bet anything that the beans are not pre-cooked prior to canning, but that's just my very UNeducated guess...

Any more recipes??? I'm all ears...

Pre-boiled eggs.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing...how hard is it to boil water???

Thanks Darlene...good to know. Thanks for the price info on the Red Feather brand. Wonder how THEY get it processed safely?? I guess it has to do with pricey commercial equipment...oh, well...one less thing to have to do is OK by me!

I know it's been said here that you can't can butter, but what about GHEE? I just saw a video online somewhere that said it could be stored room temp, but I've seen it in a grocery in the refrigerator case, so I'm confused.

With what's been said in this thread about not canning OILY things, I'm even less sure...but it would be nice to be able to flavor canned items with the buttery flavor of Ghee...

What do y'all think?

Thanks for bumping this up again; I'd like to learn this skill too... both "just for fun" and "just in case."

I've gotten a couple dozen scented candles in 1/2 pint mason jars from Dollar General for a dollar apiece; I figured that they won't tip over and they're easily re-fillable as candles or for other canning needs.

Your bringing up the topic got me interested, so I did some quick googling and found that we may have to check out some safety issues (fumes) with all of this...particularly for candles that we are using for preps, since these will get a lot more than just occasional use.

I came across this

http://www.disasternecessities.com/product/CL%20C700

It's a "100 hour emergency candle" that is made of paraffin. I found it interesting because if we're gonna go to the trouble of candlemaking, we should do so in a way that maximizes the "burn time" of the candle, as well as making it as safe as we can as well. However, I found some negatives in using paraffin that got me a little concerned, along with positives and negatives for the use of other types of materials.

I didn't realize there were so many kinds of wax; I haven't actually tried any of this out but I thought I'd just post what came up on my quick search; hopefully it will add to the discussion of different methods and materials for candlemaking...maybe we can come up with a winner.

Here's an unusual one using NAIL POLISH REMOVER. Not too sure of its safety, but here it is:

This looks like a good summary of supplies needed using different types of waxes...

http://www.e-candlemakingsupplies.com/

http://www.e-candlemakingsupplies.com/Soy_...g_Supplies.html

http://www.e-candlemakingsupplies.com/Bees...g_Supplies.html

http://www.e-candlemakingsupplies.com/Gel_...g_Supplies.html

Just in skimming over these, it appears the Gel candles can be really hot, the paraffin can give off some mercury and lead, so that's not a good trade-off for the long burn time...seems like the soy wax is a lot less expensive than bees wax, but I'm not sure about the burn times...this is getting complicated!!

Here's one opinion about how to save money on supplies and how to look for cheaper sources...

http://www.e-candlemakingsupplies.com/Disc...g_Supplies.html

Personally, I like the idea of using the canning jars or different sizes...they're made to be heat-resistant, they don't tip over or spill over, they're re-useable...not "fancy" but if we're talking emergency prep here, and not gifts... that's not important.

What do you all think about the nail polish remover idea?? I don't know about the fumes, heat generated, etc. but I thought it was interesting for an "alternative" if need be.

About soy wax:

http://www.soya.be/soy-wax-production.php

and soy candle making:

http://www.soya.be/soy-candle-making.php

It seems that there's a concern with the fumes some candles give off that can be harmful that I never fully realized before...not sure what's in my Dollar General bargain!!! One more reason to make our own...

BUMP!! Just came across this; sounds great...with all that pepper it HAS TO clear out any sinus problems FOR SURE, LOL!!!

Cant wait to try this; thanks for posting it.

Thanks! I couldn't tell from the forum whether the project was ongoing or not! Good to know; let me know if there's anything I can do to contribute.

OK so I don't know what all everyone has actually done on this or how far along the project has gotten.

It's a marvelous idea. Just my .02, mind you, but I've had a lot of trouble focusing my own thoughts on this. Yes, I can talk about a topic in isolation, but the thing is one area of preparation (or the lack threof) has consequencesthat come to bear on other areas. Inadequate fuel can impact ability to cook, heat, travel, and so on. That kind of thing.

I have tried to gather my own "notes" and "research" into a notebook and/or file on my computer to be able to access it quickly when needed. Yes, there are things that are permanently burned into (what little is left) of my mind after having been through several experiences of within the last few years.

With that said, there are several topics that are COMPLEX and TECHNICAL that I cannot commit to memory. A few that come to mind:

FIREARMS

HAM RADIOS

GARDENING

Your list is no doubt different, due to the path your life has taken up to this point.

I think we're ALL interdependent and that's the reason why this manual is such a great idea. Please from the newbie here, can we try to find out why this has "stalled out?" There is such a NEED out here for this that it's not even funny. Also, a lot of the dismissal of the whole idea that a lot of friends and family are giving us is probably due to the fact that the whole subject is so huge that people deal with it by...not dealing with it. Dangerous, IMHO.

Another .02 from the change jar...maybe BECAUSE it's so big and interrelated is the thing. I know I'm having that problem with my own personal "files." I'm personally trying a ring binder thing by subject to be able to add/delete easier. I notice that's one suggestion that's been made here that I "liberated" for personal use.

I've found that's fine when dealing with an actual notebook. But when each "section" is a "thread" it's a lot harder to bring it all together without some kind of "search" or "index" feature to help with "compiling" it.

Hope this helps in focusing on why the project is stalled. It's so big and time-consuming too. The ideas about one "department head" for each topic was a good one. Maybe breaking it down further into sub-topics would help it be more manageable if there's enough people interested in contributing. That may help with the "time" issues.

I'd certainly be willing to help although I'm relatively new to this whole prepping lifestyle. Let me know where help's needed.

OK, I think I will, if you don't think it's dangerous to keep them in an attached garage. I do have sta-bil, too, so they'll keep. I have propane and charcoal in there, too. Seems I'm probably violating several dozen fire codes, doesn't it? My water heater is in the attic, so no problems with pilot lights; I've got too much cr** in there to park in there, either. So perhaps it's not so dangerous... So be it. At least I won't be stuck here...or stuck with higher prices.

8 cans; That's only two spare tanks when you think about it. It's not so much I can't take it along in an evac. Just rather explosive...

Abigail

Yes, the pictures Darlene posted sure prove that the stores don't have any kind of advance supply. It IS scary. She's right about the knee jerk response being prevalent too. It's not just in the grocery stores, either.

Saw a little knee jerking today at the gas pumps...went out today and filled up my car and four five gallon cans; cost me $90. I'd have filled another 4, but I'm a little skittish about storing too many in my garage; too many combustion sources stored there too. Don't own a shed.

I felt kinda conspicuous about pulling up my hatch with all the red cans lined up until the guy who pulled up in back of me did the same thing!!! I don't care what they're saying about Dean going to Mexico...at least I'll insulate myself from prices going up next week when they pull everyone off the oil rigs in the gulf. That's a given. Maybe I should fill my other 4 cans...

Abigail