(Natural News)—When disaster strikes, it pays to know how to make foods that do not need many ingredients, are very nutritious and can last a long time when properly stored. Here are five recipes for easy-to-make survival foods you should know by heart.
Hardtack
Also called hard bread, this tough biscuit is a survival food with a history going back as far as Ancient Rome.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups wheat flour
- 2 quarts water
- 3 teaspoons of salt
Combine all of these ingredients in a large mixing bowl. When the flour, salt and water have formed a dry bread dough, roll it out flat with a rolling pin or pat it out by hand. If the dough still has sticky spots, add more flour.
Make a 12-inch-thick dough sheet, cut it into three-inch squares and poke holes in both sides of each dough square. Bake these squares for 30 minutes per side at 375 F on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Keep your hardtack in a cool, dry and dark place away from pests. Once hardtack has fully dried, it can last for years if stored properly.
Pemmican
Pemmican is a very ancient forerunner to modern survival rations, known as a very weird meatball made of dried meat and rendered fat. It is filled to the brim with calories and its invention its popularity is traditionally credited to Native Americans.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of lard
- 8 ounces of packed powdered jerky chopped in a blender
- 8 ounces of dried fruit, ideally berries
Warm the lard in a pot to a temperature below 100 F until it turns into a soft, pasty texture. Keep stirring while it heats up. Stir your other ingredients into the softened fat until they have thoroughly combined with the lard, which usually takes about two minutes of continuous stirring.
If you have the ingredients, feel free to add small amounts of flour or other starch sources for additional carbohydrates. You can even add different spices to add some flavor.
Turn off the heat and, once the mixture is cool enough to touch, scoop it out by hand and compress it into round balls or flat cakes. Be sure to let the pemmican completely cook before you store it.
Traditionally, pemmican would usually be stored in rawhide containers. Instead of this, you can wrap up the pemmican in wax paper and keep it stored in a cool place. If kept relatively cool, pemmican can last for months. However, as the weather warms, it would be wise to eat the pemmican before the fat begins to smell rancid.
Bannock
Sometimes called skillet bread, bannock is a round, flat, unleavened bread that is associated with Scotland and northern England. Although you can adapt a bannock recipe for the oven, it is meant to be cooked in a skillet over a campfire or in a fireplace.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¾ cups dried fruit (e.g., cherries)
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk or sour milk
Preheat your oven to 300 F.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients except for the dried fruit and rosemary. Thoroughly mix them. Chop your dried fruit and rosemary into very fine pieces and set aside.
Now that you have a bowl full of dry ingredients, make a well in the center for your buttermilk. Add the buttermilk to the well and begin to slowly incorporate flour from the sides – this will allow you to control the dough consistency. Do not collapse the sides of the well. You will have leftover flour to coat your table and to use while you knead the dough.
Once the batter becomes stodgy and pasty, you can add your finely chopped dried fruit and rosemary. At this point, you are going to dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Work the dough and add flour until it becomes less sticky and the dried fruit and rosemary are fully incorporated.
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At this point, you are ready to begin baking the bannock. Bake the bannock for 20 minutes until it has started to brown a bit. Remove the bannock and allow it to rest and cool. After the bannock has completely cooled, it can be sliced and served or sliced and stored.
The best storage method is to keep it whole until you need it. If you leave it uncovered, it will get very hard in a couple of days. Freezing would be the best way to keep it for a really long time. But if you don’t have that option, keep it hard and dry. (Related: 8 survival bread recipes for preppers.)
Biltong
Biltong is a traditional South African food that consists of dried and marinated meat. Whereas jerky is often smoked, biltong is cured with vinegar, salt and spices and then air-dried. Also, you can make biltong from a large variety of meat cuts.
Ingredients:
- 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of lean meat
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 cups plump sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ground black peppercorns
- 100 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 5 cups vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of ground coriander seeds
To prepare the meat, always cut to the length of the grain, never against it. Prepare 1 cm thick slices of meat and then put those slices into the vinegar-Worcestershire sauce mix for half an hour. Store the remaining vinegar in the fridge because it will be used later in the recipe.
Crush all the spices and then mix in the salt, baking soda and sugar. Make sure that all the meat is perfectly coated with this and then layer those slices on a clean plate. Place the thickest slice at the base and the other chucks above it. Sprinkle your remaining spice mixture on top of the upper layer. Refrigerate for at least eight hours.
Take out the refrigerated chunks of meat and then soak them again in the vinegar mix for at least 15 minutes. Remove the meat slices and then rinse out the salt residue from every piece. Squeeze the moisture out of the meat pieces.
You can then dry the biltong in two different ways in the oven or in the traditional way by hanging the strips up on racks in a room with good circulation. Alternatively, the strips can be refrigerated and, if frozen, they can last for up to a year.
Trail biscuit
This is a stick-to-your-ribs food that will help stretch rations or fill bellies. The egg and lard are optional, but if you’re not using lard, substitute the baking powder for a couple of teaspoons of baking soda.
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 egg (optional, if available)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup lard (or butter)
- 1 ½ cups milk
Preheat oven to 370 F or stoke your coals so they’re hot enough to cook on.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder (or baking soda) in a bowl, then cut the cold lard (or butter) into the flour mixture until you have pea-sized pieces. Add milk until the dough is barely sticky. Don’t overmix or your biscuits will be tough.
Drop about ¼ cup of the batter into a greased pan or Dutch oven. Cook for 20 minutes or so until the biscuits are brown. If using a Dutch oven, put the biscuits in.
There are many, many more survival foods you can make to keep you well-fed with necessary nutrients during survival situations, such as parched corn, trench cake, jerky, dried fruit, beans and rice and peasant’s bread. What’s important is you are aware of the kinds of foods you can make that can keep you sustained during emergencies.
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Watch the following video to learn how to make survival chocolate.
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This video is from the Cahlen channel on Brighteon.com.
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More related stories:
- Prepper recipes: How to make pinole, a tasty survival superfood.
- How to make matzoh, a survival food from biblical times.
- How to make hominy, an ancient survival food.
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Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.