Some of What's In The Emergency Bag

My emergency pack is loaded with things to survive beyond the 3 day emergency kits that FEMA and other Government agencies recommend. What I have pictured here does not include my larger tools that I featured earlier.

Something unique that I have included in my pack is dishpans. Fully loaded they fit in 2 separate compartments, fairly easy to put in and zip up. There is room around the outsides of the dishpans for clothing.

All these items make a fairly heavy pack so some things will eventually be broken down into 3 packs for my family to share.

This list keeps getting longer as time goes by, as it should.

Some of these items I purchased over the years through Emergency Essentials, others from thrift stores and discount/drug stores. The Frontier Emergency Water Filter System, I won from "Survival Solutions" (Friend them on Facebook!).

Yes, this is a long list.

Emergency stove and 2 cans of Sterno/Cell heat

Mess kit = 2 sauce pans with lids, 1 fry pan, 2 cups (which have measuring lines).

Salt and pepper shaker, spice packets

Utensils

Coffee samples courtesy of Taster's Choice

Cutting board

Water purifier and purification tables

Camp towel, hand towel, scrubber and one of my wash cloths

1 three day Emergency Food Ration Bar for each person

Oven Bags and ties.

Pre-moistened towelettes

Condiment packets and Bullion seasoning

Bar Soap and Camping Suds

Roll of Toilet Paper and wash wipes

Matches, all kinds of matches and a lighter

Stainless Steel Camp Cup

Sewing kit and Knitting needles

Tape measures

Laundry Soap sample

Hand lotions

Female pads - these should be included in all first aid kits as a way to help stop bleeding from a massive wound.

Bug nets

Bobby pins, hair binders, shower caps - to keep hair contained when cooking or dealing with a wound.

Black trash bags

Rope

Safety glasses

Fishing line and tackle

Binoculars

Bug lotion

Hand sanitizers

Mouth wash

Razors

Dental floss and filling kit

Q-tips and cotton balls

Toothbrushes

Magnifier

Elastic Bandage

Stethoscope

American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook

Travel First Aid Kit

Wilderness Book

Emergency Space Blankets - I recommend having the thin ones and a few good real ones.

Bulb syringe

Burn gel

EMT shears

Scissors

IOSAT tablets.

Honing Stone and Oil and a few knives

and new to the pack is some garden seeds.

This is not complete by any measure so I will add more as I go. If you do not have a pack, you should really think about putting one together. If we have tornadoes in the area I will bring my packs down to the basement with me. That way I don't have to go to a shelter and be a burden to others if I come out of it without a house. Also, try to keep important documents in a firesafe that you can bring with you.

I worked hard to get my pack put together and to log it all down here for you just to repack it. If you appreciate this please share with others and check out some of the ads.

I thank you so much for stopping by and remember, if you have to leave home try to make it feel like a camping trip! Be cozy around that campfire!

Dee Dee

The Dandelion Dilemma

Do you remember going out into the yard and picking a handful of these to give them to the most beautiful woman in the world?

I used to bring my mom a dandelion bouquet all the time, and when I became a mom it was my turn. If I had known then what I know now, I would have made fritters out of them!

Now, as my yard has been turning into a weed bed (I don't like chemical weed killers) the dreaded dandelion is gaining ground on me.

I have tried using sugar prevent them, which seemed to work for a while, but sugar is not a practical solution.

I am not going to make a long post about this because there are so many other blogs that have gone into such detail that I feel if you don't search out more information you may miss out on a lot. So please seek knowledge on this little wonder of a plant.

The main highlights I want to share with you is that, yes the leaves tend to be a bit too bitter for most people, but mixed with milder greens it is a bit nicer. You can make fritters or wine with the flowers. The roots can be used for a coffee substitute and for other uses. That said there are also great health benefits from the entire plant, from root to blossom.

Dandelions may be used for a wide range of conditions needing a mild diuretic treatment such as poor digestion, liver disorders and high blood pressure.

The white milky sap is said to be effective in treating warts and to heal other skin afflictions.

Be aware that there has been drug interactions with dandelion consumption and there is the possibility of other reactions. Don't be afraid of them. Just do some research before you proceed.

The following link is to a friend's page which has some interesting recipes. Please visit her site. I will be throwing caution to the wind and frying up some of those flower fritters!

Thank you Brenda!

Dandelions | thesustainablehome

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Plastic Bags to Beach Bag

This is a project in progress.

I need more grocery bags to finish this.

I used 2 plastic grocery bags of the same color for th bottom chain of the bag, you can use more for a wider bag. For the next row I used a single crochet stitch and put 2 extra stitches at each end for form an oval. Slip stitch to join and then worked in straight rounds of single crochet stitches as I went around.

I really don't know what I will do with this bag when I am done since I really never go to a beach. Maybe I will give it to someone that really likes it.

One plastic grocery bag make 4 loops to crochet with. Please refer to my past post of Getting Loopy for Recycling to see more details. If you have questions let me know and I will gladly help you.

I am also working on a camping/beach mat. I will let you know how that goes.

Take care and be cozy (I am really starting to dislike the word cozy right now).

Thanks for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Pine Tea

There are many people that know so much more about foraging for wild foods then I do and I have so much respect for them. What I am bringing to you is just a small sampling of what I have learned as I have been trying to be as well rounded as possible.

This is a pine needle tea and it is the first time I have tried it.

I also made my 15 year old daughter and my husband try it.

I have heard that you can use any of the green needles year round, but then I have also heard that spring to earlier summer new buds are the best so that is what I have used.

I boiled a cup of water and put a small handful of buds into the water to steep for 5 minutes. Then strained it into my favorite holiday mug, because it smelled quite festive, an took a sip. I couldn't really taste the pine very much so I would say that this is something that you could add to other herbs such as mint or lemon balm and have a nice warming tea on a cold day.

Pine needles are said to be high in vitamin C so that is something that you should keep in mind if you are not near citrus trees.

It is important that you try new foods in small amounts so that if you react to it it will have a smaller impact on you and so that you can get used to it.

I really didn't mind the taste, my daughter said she didn't like it, but she is 15, and my husband said he couldn't really taste the pine. Like I said, if you add a few of your favorite herbs you really might enjoy this. Find your cozy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Lambs Quarters=Spinach with cooking suggestion.

If the thistles intimidated you, I have the perfect solution!

Lamb's Quarters.

These are quite common in my area and I really don't mind.

They are mostly green but can have a purple tint to them as well.

Pick the tender newer leaves and stay away from plants with damage to them.

I should have cautioned in my thistle post that when you forage for food you should know that food source and know that it is not in an area that has been chemically treated. Since this patch is in my own yard I know it is safe.

So now that you have gathered a big bucket full of these leaves, what to do...

Rinse them well in cold water. If you have a metal colander you can rinse them in there and then place the colander with your Lamb's Quarters over a pot of boiling water and let them steam until all the leaves are cooked tender. If you don't have a metal colander just steam them with what you can.

Put the hot cooked leaves in a serving bowl with softened Butter and Salt over top and the sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese over it all and mix so the butter melts completely and the cheese melts slightly.

When I have made spinach this way, even die hard spinach haters took a new look at spinach. Lamb's Quarters are so very close in taste you may not notice a difference.

You can also use these leaves in a fresh salad. Throw in some violet flowers and your salad will really be something cozy.

Thank you for stopping by!

Dee Dee

Pizza Crust

This has been updated on 6/3/2011.

This recipe has gone through many sources and changes over the last 17 years. I have a versions of this from 1994 and the recipe here is one that came off a website and now I can not find which one it was, however the recipe is so close to the original one that I had that I can not give anyone credit for it and I don't take credit for it myself. However, it is a really good pizza dough!

Makes 2 crusts.

Put one package (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast in 1/4 Cup warm water with 1 teaspoon honey and let rise.

Sift 2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour into mixing bowl and mix in 1 teaspoon of salt.

Mix in yeast mixture, 3/4 cup warm water, 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and mix together well. Add more flour if dough is too sticky. Remember, some stickiness is okay. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. During this time think about all the difficulties and crabby people that you have had to deal with.

In a lightly greased bowl place the ball of dough and cover with a clean cloth. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes.

Turn dough out on your kneading board again and divide in half. Reform each part into 2 new balls (during this time think about all the wonderful things in your life) and cover and let rise for 15 to 20 more minutes..

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread dough on lightly greased baking sheets and put on the toppings.

Pepperoni pizzas cooks faster because the oil in the meat gets hot faster and speeds the cooking. Leaner meats will take longer to cook.

Set your timer for 10 minutes and check the bottom edges. You can slide the pizza off the baking sheet to crisp up the crust a little more for 1 to 2 minutes before you take it out of the oven.

Thank you for stopping by.

Curl up with a slice of pizza and enjoy the evening and the compliments!

Dee Dee

Thistle=celery

My garden has been neglected for the past couple of years due to an injury and now I am faced with more pain in trying to clean it up.

So I decided to use some of those nasty thistles for a treat.

You will need work gloves and some of those thorns will go through leather so be prepared to suffer a little.

I used a combat knife to chop the thistle and remove most of the outer thorns. I am at war with these weeds so the combat knife just felt appropriate.

You need to peel as much of the fibrous outer skin off that you can leaving the tender and soft inside core.

This is very much like celery and can be eaten raw or cooked in a stew.

All in all, this was not an enjoyable task. I found that I did not get enough of the fiber off when I cleaned it. The taste is very close to celery and when mixed with ranch salad dressing it was good. But it was a lot of squeeze for the juice.

Thistle is something that I would add to a wild stew to add fiber to the diet. In a survival situation or just when you don't have much money for groceries, this can help you stretch your pantry supplies.

I really have to say at this point that I am glad I planted asparagus though. I picked some tonight and had a plate of steamed asparagus with salt and butter.

Now THAT was cozy!

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee