windmorn

:bighug2:Good to see you on here! Keep an eye one the Kmarts going out. They may not reduce much. The one where my mom and dad live said they were boxing a lot of stuff up and shipping it to other stores. When their Staples went out a couple of months ago didn't reduce anything except perishables. They boxed everything to send to other stores. They gave me a lame excuse for not clearancing things of it being because you can use their online store. I'd always heard in the past that it was cheaper to reduce and sell out than to pay extra help to box and then ship it. I guess times are changing.

Definitely need to start canning some meat. Thanks for the article.

Thanks for the post. They're getting bad in da swamp.

I think dd and I can make it. Will there be any other teens? She's 13.

I had the same problem as wormguy this morning.

Happy Birthday!!!!

We might be in this year depending on when and if dd can come.

Thanks for the welcome back.

I'm finally in a place where I can start thinking about prepping again. I'll post my journey back to here when I get a little quiet time so I can make it make sense.

Just saw this thread. Hugs and prayers drummrunner! and thank you for the cd offering.

I guess because of my backpack planning when I read just add water, I expect recipes that you just add boiling water to. I've put a lot of time into converting recipes and found I love it and would like to do more. If you have any requests for true just add water recipes let me know and I'll work on it.

Pizza toppings for pizza rice for a short backpack trip this weekend.

Sounds good. I always worry if they're going to be prepared to go, but sounds like they leaders and moms have it together. Just make sure to get the boots in time for her to break them in. For carrying water, you can get water systems (platypus is the most known brand) that fit in the pack if it's got the hole for the tube to come out of. 32 ounce gatorade bottles work well. They are lightweight and durable. If the pack doesn't have the built in place for the platypus, it may have pouches for the water bottles. If it has neither, there are clips to attach a regular size water bottle to your belt or you can go on instructables or pintrest and find patterns to make water bottle carries from paracord that can be worn crossbody our around your neck. I haven't looked to much at them, but I'm sure you can find ways to make them to carry other ways.

It's amazing how God works. It's been a few days since I checked in, because I've been really busy. I'm preparing for a short backpacking with ds's Boy Scout troop in a couple of weeks and have my notebook beside me because I was just emailing the menu options to one of the new dad's I'm helping out. For those wondering why I'm going hiking with the boys, dd's best friend's brother was ds's best friend and is in the troop and their dad takes the girls. Since the girls are at that age when things start happening to their bodies I decided having a mom around would probably be best. I've been working on backpack food for going on 2 years now. As a matter of fact, that's how I found Mrs. Sruvival. I'll share things I've found. Introduce freeze dried/dehydrated foods to her system now. Use some in meals you normally prepare. If she goes out and the first time she eats the rehydrated foods is on the trails, she runs the risk of diarrhea on the trail. Diarrhea happens sometimes to people when their system all of a sudden has a large amount of rehydrated foods. Baggie cooking - Same concept as thermos cooking, but no clean up. You'll need plastic baggies, a cozy (This can be made with the bubble wrap with foil on it. They sell it at hardware stores in the heat/ac vent section. It can be a cozy you make around a 4C ziploc or rubbermaid tall round container with the screw top or just use duct tape and make an evelope a little bigger in the size of your ziplock. I use qt bags for 1 person and gallon bags for up to 4 people. ) Prepare you meal before you leave in an appropriate size baggie and mark with how much water you need. When it's time to eat, put the bag in cozy, boil the water, pour it in and let set about 20 minutes. Perfect to do if you get to your camping spot in the evening right before you set up camp - you're dinner will be done by the time you're set up. It will also stay warm for several hours, depending on outside temps. If your daughter is going in an area with bears this isn't a good option. She should cook/rehydrate all the food you'd normally baggie cook in a pot so it can be cleaned. Amazon has a stove similiar to the pocket rocket for less than $9. I like it so far and haven't had problems with it, but I haven't used it much. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LUZCQM/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I really like the jet boil flash system. It is lighter than the other jetboil systems because it doesn't have an igniter and you need matches or a lighter, but should be carrying this anyway in case the igniter quits working and for firebuilding. Make sure to send an extra can of fuel. They are usually a lot higher at the stores near trails. Make sure she practices her meals and using the stove before she leaves. Fresh fruit is nice, but tends to bruise/smush easily in packs. Freeze dried or dehydrated weighs less and are less susceptible to damage. Canned food if you don't have to carry it far or in large amounts is ok, but freezed dried/dehydrated is much lighter and you're able to pack more nutrition/calories/food for the same about of weight and space. Have they told them their pack weight total should only weigh about 20-25% of their body weight? Get some trash compactor bags and put one in the main part of the pack like a trash bag in a trash can and pack in to it. Twist the top and fold down and do the same with the sleeping bag compartment. It's a cheap/lightweight way of keeping pack contents dry. Since they are packing in a tote, I assume they are being met along the trail somewhere for resupply from the tote? I didn't see you mention water purification. What are their plans for water? I love this system. It's the cheapest, lightest weight, smallest and easiest to clean. You can also fix the filter on to other water storage bags and most 20 oz and 2 liter pop bottles. There is another configuration of accessories that you can order with water storage pouches in 3 sizes instead of the adapters. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TZ86M6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The individual size freeze dried food meals I find are high, sometimes don't taste good, aren't enough food and expensive. uThey would be good to get a group together to taste test, then you could go together with some other parents and split the cost of 10# cans and divy them out in portions that would satisfy the kids. Breakfast Oatmeal and mutligrain cereals work well. You can add a variety of dried/freeze dried fruits, spices and/or nuts to customize it. I add a tablespoon of chia seeds for extra staying power and to aid in dehydration prevention (chia absorbs water). Most of the multiserving kinds that say cook on stovetop for several minutes will cook using the baggie system. Pancakes don't cook well on backpack stoves. The ones I've tested have hot spots, even the adjustable flame ones, and they don't cook even and tend to burn in the middle. Protein bars are heavy, but a good option if you can spare the weight. Freeze dried scrambled eggs are much better than powdered. Eggs may be too heavy of a meal if they are hiking very far. DH and DS said they did better with the oatmeal/multigrain cereal breakfasts. Powdered milk measured out in snack size baggies is much lighter than shelf stable milk. Nido in the Mexican section is a good option. Then kinder variety of Nido tastes better and also has a lot of vitamins. Belvita are good, but we found they crumbled easily. Chewy granola bars seemed to fair better than any of the hard bar/cookie options. Lunch Most trail books recommend eat on the go foods such as foil packs of tuna, tuna salad, chicken, sardines, spam, pepperoni, summer sausage,etc.; protein bars; snickers; shelf stable cheeses, crackers, powdered peanut butter (might want to add a small bottle of peanut oil to help the calories since the powdered peanutbutter is fat free), small packs of peanutbutter, nutella, other nut butters. World Market has 2oz size summer sausage and shelf stable cheeses. Most of the laughing cow cheeses are shelf stable as are most waxed cheeses for a short time and as long as the temp isn't too high. The smart size Ritz packages travel fairly well. Dinner Bear Creek freeze dried soups do well with baggie cooking. The other brands don't. Same for the Knorr noodles and rice. Hamburger Helper HAS to be cooked. It's noodles are too thick to rehydrate without cooking. With the Bear Creek and Knorr packets, I dehydrated hamburger rocks, imitation crab and canned chicken to add to them, as well as mixed veggies and broccoli. Small/Tiny pasta like you find in the Mexican section and ramen noodles cook well and can be added to thicken up the meals, Bear Creek Soups all need something extra added. Stove Top dressing works well. I added dehydrated chicken and a couple of tablespoons of turkey gravy mix. In another baggie, instant mashed potatoes and in a 3rd baggie you could do another veggie. If you stock freeze dried or dehydrated foods and powdered seasonings like tomato powder, teriyaki powder, Worcestershire powder, etc you can adapt almost any recipe. The local outdoor store said when they go hiking they do a 3 course meal. They do instant mashed potatoes when they stop for the night because they are done as soon as they cool off enough to eat. Then they boil the water to rehydrate dinner and set up camp. As a dessert they do instant pudding - add enough powdered milk for what it calls for and then add water to make it. I've got to go get ready to go to town, but I'll check in later.

Has anyone used the Thrive brand freeze dried food? I know I had found an old post about someone selling it, but there wasn't any follow up on how good it was or how well it sold. I'm thinking about selling it and was looking for some imput. I've got some ordered to try, but it won't be here for a few days.

See if your library has Herbal Antibiotics: natural Alternatives for Treating Drug Resistant Bacteria by Stephen Harrod Buhner. If not you can get it at Amazon. There's 2 versions of it. The 2012 is much more detailed. It lists remedies for most common ailments (9 remedies for strep depending on the strain) and how to prepare them for use. Onion, garlic and ginger are 3 of the big foods for immunity and healing.

Definitely oscillococcinum. A few years back dd had the flu and the dr prescribed tamiflu for all of us. It was $50 a pop and the pharmacist told me it MIGHT not work. I got the oscillococcinum instead and she felt better the next day. We've used it ever since with no side effects. I think I'm getting the flu right now. I was cold and my stomach hurt last night. My friend that definitely has it said that's how he started. I took the oscillococcinum last night and went to bed. Today I'm just cold and achy. He took the tamiflu and it took a couple of days for him to feel better. Ginger tea helps too. I posted on it the other day in the flu box post. To make it with ground ginger add 1/4 teaspoon to 8oz water and some honey to cut the bite (dark local is best).

Thank you everyone! Got word a few minutes ago that all is well. We can pick him up in the morning.

DD's kitty on Christmas night was in the closet meowing when we went to bed. I thought he was locked in. She let him out and the next morning he was limping. I gave him until today to see if he had maybe just stepped on something and had a sore foot. He was still limping so we dropped him off at the vet. When she called, he had broken his elbow and she recommended amputation. DD didn't take the news well. She's afraid that tomorrow when they operate, that something will go wrong. I'll be glad when this year is over.

So sorry.

Herbal Anitiotics: Naturazl Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria by Stephen Harrod Buhner Oscillococcinum ginger drink from the Asian store or crystallized ginger - from Buhner's book - effective as codeine for cough, thins mucus, reduces fever by inducing sweating, reduces, cold chills, reduces inflammation in the lungs, calms nausea, reduces diarrhea, equal to or better than ibuprofen as an analgesic Homemade chicken soup

Sorry I disappeared and got behind on the ornaments!!! I'm heading to the post office in a little bit. I had trouble with the first ornaments I was trying to make and had to regear and in the process hit a bit of a rough spot and couldn't get motivated to get anything done. Thank God for happy pills! Again sorry I disappeared for a little while!!! BTW I did get everyone's ornaments and can't wait to get my homemade ornament tree up!