Daily Survival

Saturday, July 25, 2026

How To Freeze Corn On The Cob

Today, I want to demonstrate how to prepare corn on the cob for freezing. Or should I say, prepare our corn off the cob for the freezer? I prefer to blanch and scrape the kernels off the cob itself, and then use a FoodSaver to remove the air from the storage bags before freezing the corn. Mark and I went out to a small community called Enterprise, Utah, for the city’s CornFest festival.

I originally posted this in September 2016, then again in 2025. I felt it needed an update, so here we go. Here’s to preserving fresh corn.

It was so fun, and the corn is the best in the state of Utah, or at least in Southern Utah, according to the folks from Enterprise! Gotta love it!! Do you love the white and yellow corn on the cob as much as I do?

When it comes to eating corn on the cob, we put a cube of butter on a plate and insert the corn holders into the cob, then roll the corn in the sweet butter. Be sure to have the salt and pepper ready to sprinkle over the melted butter. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine sure is!

History of Corn

Corn, also known as maize, has been cultivated for roughly 9,000 years, with its origins traced back to a wild grass called teosinte in what is now southern Mexico. Indigenous peoples across the Americas developed corn into a staple crop long before European contact, breeding it into hundreds of varieties suited to different climates. Corn was so central to many Native American cultures that it was often referred to as one of the “Three Sisters,” grown alongside beans and squash in a mutually beneficial planting system.

When European explorers arrived in the Americas, corn quickly spread across the world, becoming a dietary staple in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In the United States, sweet corn, the variety most of us grow in our gardens and freeze for winter use, was developed from field corn varieties and became popular in the 1700s and 1800s. Preserving corn for the colder months has a long history too, with early methods including drying kernels on the cob or grinding them into meal. Freezing corn became a widely used method once home freezers became common in the mid 1900s, giving families a way to enjoy that fresh picked taste all year long.

Nutritional Value of Corn

Corn is a good source of energy and offers several nutrients that make it a valuable addition to a self reliant pantry. A typical serving of corn provides:

Carbohydrates for energy, primarily in the form of starch
Fiber, which supports healthy digestion
Vitamin C, an antioxidant that supports the immune system
Thiamin and other B vitamins, important for energy metabolism
Folate, which is especially important for cell growth and function
Magnesium and potassium, minerals that support muscle and nerve function
Small amounts of protein

Corn also contains antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are associated with eye health. Freezing corn shortly after harvest helps lock in these nutrients, since fresh produce naturally loses some vitamin content the longer it sits before preservation. This is one of the reasons freezing corn at peak ripeness is such a smart practice for families who want to stretch the harvest season and still get good nutrition out of their stored food.

Here’s the deal: I am a big-time canning safety person. I use the Ball Blue Book Guide or the USDA Canning Guide to preserve food, ensuring I have the preparation and cooking times spot on for safety. Let’s get started with my suggestions, which are based on the times mentioned in the book stated above.

Kitchen Items You May Need:

How To Freeze Corn On The Cob

Step One: Cut the Ends Off of the Corn Cobs

When you cut the ends off each cob, it makes the next step, “shuck” the husk (outer covering) from the cobs, easier.

Step Two: Shuck the Corn From the Cobs

I have this huge chopping board that I have had forever. If you keep it oiled with mineral oil, it should last a lifetime, literally. I have one similar to this one, a sturdy cutting board.I learned a trick from my son-in-law, Nate, on how to shuck corn on the cob. You take a very sharp knife and cut the hard ends off.

Step Three: Remove the Silk

Next, you grab the top of the corn and pull off the outer green leaves (husk) with the silk attached. Now, you will still have a few strings of silk as shown below, but I have a solution for that as well.

Step Four: Scrub the Silk Off

As I wash the corn, I use a small vegetable scrubber that my daughter, Heidi, gave me for my birthday one year ago. It is awesome for almost every vegetable. As you scrub the bristles across the corn, it removes about 99.9% of the silk. That works for me. OXO Good Grips Flexible Vegetable Brush

Step Five: Scrubber

I prefer freezer corn over canned corn because, to me, the canned corn in a jar is too mushy. But if your power or your freezer goes out, those jars of corn will taste mighty good, right? We’re now ready to start the cooking process.

Step Six: Blanch the Corn

This is really a good little scrubber. Now get a large pot or pan of water and get it to a rolling boil. Once you see that the water is boiling, gently place as many of the cobs of corn as you have in the boiling water. Set the timer for 5-6 minutes.

This is what we call “blanching” the corn. Use a pair of good tongs to remove the hot ears of corn, so you don’t burn your hands. You could drain the hot water before using the tongs if you want to be extra careful.

Step Seven: Prepare to Ice the Corn

Grab a large bowl and fill it with ice water and ice cubes.

Step Eight: Put the Blanched Corn in the Ice Water

After blanching, quickly submerge the hot ears of corn in ice-cold water for the same amount of time you blanched them (5 to 6 minutes). Some cooks would refer to this as an ice bath. After the cooling time, remove the cobs and pat them dry on a clean towel.

Step Nine: FoodSaver – Package the Corn

I’ve tried just about every corn-on-the-cob scraper, and they don’t work as well for me as a sharp knife. The bag holders shown above are the ones I have used for other purposes, but they didn’t work as well for filling the bag with corn kernels. I ended up using my hands (they were clean) and filled the funnel with corn as shown above. Here are the Bag Holders.

I use my FoodSaver for so many things, so I tend to keep it right where I can use it at the drop of a hat, so to speak. This is similar to the one I have: FoodSaver. Besides removing air from the bags, the unit provides an airtight seal, ensuring the corn stays as fresh as possible. Fresh produce means a great flavor when you add the corn to a meal.

Now we’re ready to store the corn in some free space in your freezer. I make a bunch of medium-sized bags so they’re ready to pull out of the freezer and use as part of a meal. I usually label the bag with the date I processed the corn, so I know how long it has been stored.

The cream cheese corn recipe outlined below is one of my favorites.

Allison’s Cream Cheese Corn

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 45

Servings 8

Author Linda Loosli

Ingredients

2 pounds frozen white super sweet corn
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup of butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Combine the ingredients in order in a slow cooker and cook on low for 3-1/2 hours or until cooked through. Serve warm. This is so yummy!!

How long will the frozen corn be good in the freezer?

I have had my corn in the freezer for about six months, unless we eat it before that timeline expires. Keep in mind, I use a FoodSaver, and I believe that makes all the difference in helping the corn last longer. Years ago, before I had a FoodSaver, I used freezer bags; they work, but not for as long because they still contain air.

Will it get freezer burn?

Well, it could get freezer burn, but when I use my FoodSaver, it’s as fresh as the day I bagged it before placing it in the freezer.

Can I freeze the whole cob?

I know you can, but I have never liked the texture outcome. It always seems too squishy. So, I’ve been freezing it off the cob for over 50 years.

Can I make corn chowder with this corn?

Yes, you can. In fact, I have the best recipe for corn chowder. In case you missed this post, The Best Corn Chowder Recipe

Can I use this corn in soups?

Yes, it’s perfect for soups or stews. Actually, any corn recipe can benefit from using this frozen corn, including homemade salsas.

Final Word

Let me know if you have frozen or canned any corn this year. I love hearing your stories! Please stock up; we must. There’s a chance that we may experience a shortage of many vegetables this year, based on the adverse effects of both drought and flood conditions on various areas. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Creamed Corn Depositphotos_168772654_s-2019

The post How To Freeze Corn On The Cob appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

How to Catch and Repel Mosquitoes — Indoors and Outdoors

Homemade mosquito traps – is it possible to make one that’s effective and actually works? Such a trap is easier to make than you might think, and the beauty of it is that there are many solutions for keeping mosquitoes at bay, some for outside and some for inside. This article focuses on much more ... Read more

How to Catch and Repel Mosquitoes — Indoors and Outdoors can be read in full at New Life On A Homestead- Be sure to check it out!

from New Life On A Homestead

Jiffy™ Cornbread Mexican Casserole

There’s something about a Jiffy™ Cornbread Mexican Casserole that makes a house feel like home the minute it comes out of the oven. The smell of ground beef and taco seasoning mingling with sweet, golden cornbread is one of those aromas that pulls everyone to the kitchen table without you even having to call them. This is one of those recipes I keep coming back to because it’s simple, it feeds a crowd, and it uses ingredients most of us already have tucked away in the pantry and freezer.

I wish you could smell this yummy casserole. I love making dinner for Mark and me, then freezing the encore meals. This recipe freezes well and reheats in the microwave. This would have been a great recipe for Cinco De Mayo! You can substitute the box of cornbread with Janet’s homemade cornbread recipe. Homemade Cornbread Mix-A Pantry Staple.

Kitchen Items You May Need

9 by 13-inch Casserole Dish
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Colander
Large Fry Pan or Dutch Oven
Mixing Bowls
Spatula

Jiffy™ Cornbread Mexican Casserole

Let me walk you through why each ingredient in this casserole earns its place, and then I’ll share a little bit about how this beloved dish became such a fixture at family gatherings.

The Ingredients That Make It Work

Every good casserole starts with a solid base, and here that means olive oil and ground beef. The olive oil keeps the beef from sticking to the pan and adds a touch of richness while it browns. Ground beef is the heart of this dish. It’s affordable, it stretches well, and it soaks up every bit of seasoning you give it.

Speaking of seasoning, taco seasoning is what gives this casserole its signature Tex-Mex flavor. A packet of taco seasoning is a wonderful shortcut for busy moms, though many of us also keep a jar of homemade seasoning on the shelf for when we run out at the worst possible moment.

One chopped onion and minced garlic go in next, and together they build the savory foundation that every good Mexican-inspired dish needs. Onion and garlic are two of those humble ingredients that never get enough credit for how much flavor they bring to a meal.

Rotel tomatoes with green chilis add a little kick and a lot of moisture to the meat mixture, and diced green chiles do double duty by adding even more of that mild, smoky heat throughout the dish. If your family likes things milder, you can always adjust the amount, but I find the combination gives the casserole just the right amount of warmth without being too spicy for the kids. I stock 12 cans of green chilies at all times! Rotel is something I must have on my pantry shelves all the time.

Then comes the fun part, the cornbread topping. Jiffy cornbread mix is the not-so-secret ingredient that so many of us grew up with in our pantries. It’s quick, inexpensive, and bakes up into a slightly sweet, tender crust that contrasts so nicely with the savory beef underneath. Eggs and sour cream are mixed into the cornbread batter to make it extra moist and a little richer than the box directions alone would give you. A can of corn folded into the batter adds sweetness and texture, giving every bite a little pop.

Finally, shredded cheddar cheese is layered in and sprinkled on top, because let’s be honest, no Mexican casserole is complete without melted, bubbly cheese pulling the whole dish together.

A Little History Behind This Vintage Recipe

Recipes like this one were not born in a test kitchen. They were born in real kitchens, passed from one hand to another at family reunions, church potlucks, and Sunday suppers, which is exactly where a dish like this earns its reputation. Someone brings a casserole dish to a reunion, it disappears before the pie table even gets touched, and by the end of the day three cousins are asking for the recipe on the back of a napkin.

This casserole became a favorite at these kinds of gatherings because it checks every box a potluck dish needs. It travels well in one dish; it stays warm and moist under foil; it stretches to feed a big table of relatives or a fellowship hall full of neighbors; and it uses ingredients that are easy to pick up on the way to the store without a special trip. A box of Jiffy cornbread mix, a pound or two of ground beef, and two cans of Rotel were often already sitting in the pantry, which meant a mom could throw this together the night before a reunion without any fuss.

Recipes like this one also tend to change hands more than they change form. One grandmother might add a little extra cheese, another might swap in corn from her own garden, and someone’s aunt always seems to have her own version of the taco seasoning blend. That is part of what makes a dish like this so special. It’s not really one recipe at all; it’s a whole family tree of recipes, each one shaped a little differently by the cook who made it and the table it was carried to.

By the time this casserole makes its way into your own recipe box, chances are it’s already fed a few generations of families at reunions, church dinners, and everyday Sunday suppers. That’s the real history of a dish like this. It’s written in stained recipe cards and passed down phone calls, not in cookbooks, and that’s exactly why it still shows up on tables today.

Jiffy™ Cornbread Mexican Casserole

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings 8 people

Author Linda Loosli

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 pounds Ground Beef
1 Onion, chopped ( I used 1/2 bag of frozen onions)
4 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
3 minced Garlic cloves
2 10-ounce cans of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies
1/4 cup Shredded cheese (I used Mozzarella)
1 8.5 Ounce Box Jiffy™ Cornbread Mix
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 can 15.25-ounce canned corn, drained
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

Meat Mixture

Grab a large frying pan or a Dutch oven (less mess), add the olive oil, then the ground beef, onions, taco seasoning, and cook on medium heat until browned.
Now add the minced garlic and heat through.
Next, add the two cans of Rotel Tomatoes (do not drain) and sauté for about 7 minutes until some of the Rotel liquid has evaporated.
Blend 1/4 cup cheese (I used Mozzarella, or cheese of choice) into the fry pan or Dutch oven.
Grease a large 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Scoop the meat mixture into the baking pan.
Dollop the green chilies over the meat mixture. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of this mixture.

Corn Bread Topping

In a mixing bowl, combine the cornbread mix, eggs, and sour cream and mix until combined. Add the drained canned corn to this mixture and set it aside.
Add dollops of the cornbread topping to the meat mixture. Bake at 350°F =(176°C) for 55 to 60 minutes or until the cornbread topping is golden brown.

How To Make Cornbread From Scratch

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

Final Word

This casserole is a wonderful reminder that some of the best meals don’t come from a test kitchen; they come from real family tables. It’s budget-friendly, it feeds a crowd well, and it carries the warmth of every reunion and church supper it’s ever traveled to. May God bless this world, Linda

The post Jiffy™ Cornbread Mexican Casserole appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

Friday, July 24, 2026

How to Turn Food into Powder

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Most fruits and vegetables have a short shelf-life after harvest. They will wilt and brown and lose their nutritional value even under the best conditions.

Fortunately, you can prolong the life of your produce through dehydration. Then you can powder them which is even better. Foods that are converted into powder are easy to store, transport, and use as ingredients in meals. And the best part is you can retain important nutrients during the process.

This article will explain the powdering process, what foods lend themselves to this method, and how you can store your food powder.

What is Food Dehydration?

Turning food into powder begins with dehydration. As its name implies, dehydration is the process of reducing the moisture content in food. Removing it inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold, allowing it to last longer. Dehydration also takes away much of the weight of a food.

People all over the world have dehydrated foods for many centuries, and there are both traditional and modern ways to go about it. To dry foods, you need a combination of the following factors:

Low humidity to allow moisture to move from the food to the air.
Low heat to allow the moisture to evaporate.
Air circulation to speed up the drying process.

Here are the most common methods:

Sun-Drying

If you live in a place that has many hours of hot sun, you can use the same technique that the Ancient Romans used to dry their figs or grapes. For effective sun drying, you’ll want an air temperature of at least 86 F and about 60% relative humidity. Slice your fruit and vegetables and place them in single layers on a mesh screen before covering them with a second screen to keep away insects.

Air Drying

Another ancient dehydration method is air drying. This method takes place indoors in a well-ventilated attic or screened-in porch and works well for delicate greens, herbs, and mushrooms. You can enclose your veggies in paper bags to protect them from dust or other air pollutants.

Oven Drying

You can use your oven to slowly dry your food at temperatures of about 140 F. If the temperature is any higher, your food will cook instead of dry. It’s a good idea to prop the oven door open a few inches to improve air circulation.

Electric Dehydrator

The most convenient and efficient method to dry food is with a food dehydrator. These appliances come in a wide range of sizes and with different features. In addition to an electric element for heat, most dehydrators have an adjustable temperature gauge and vents and a fan for air circulation.

What Dehydrated Foods Are Easy to Turn Into Powder?

Because of their high natural sugar content, some fruits can be challenging to turn into powder. The foods that you’ll have the most success turning into powders include the following:

Berries
Eggs
Herbs
Leafy greens
Meats and poultry
Milk
Mushrooms
Vegetables

How Do You Powder Dehydrated Foods?

Depending on the size of the dehydrated food and its natural sugar content, the amount of time involved in powdering can vary, but the steps are basically the same. For example, here is a brief overview of how to make dehydrated vegetable powder.

Pour dehydrated vegetables into a food processor or a high-powered blender. You can do them one at a time or can create a mixed veggie powder.
Grind the veggies. Pulse and grind the pieces to break them up the pieces. Then use a sustained mode to pulverize the pieces into a powder.
Strain the powder. You may find that some pieces are more difficult to grind than others. Using a fine mesh strainer, separate out these larger bits from what has turned into powder and place them back into the blender to grind again. (Note: Some people have success with a coffee grinder for this step.)

How Can You Use Powdered Vegetables?

The basic conversion ratio of fresh vegetables to dehydrated vegetables to dehydrated vegetable powder is:

2 cups of fresh vegetables to 1 cup of dehydrated vegetables to 1/2 cup vegetable powder.

Your ratio will depend on the cut of your vegetables. You can add vegetable powder to boost the nutritional content of anything that you are making, including salads, soups, stews, egg dishes, casseroles, and smoothies. You can even add them to baked goods such as bread, cookies, and brownies.

Store your vegetable powder in an airtight container such as a mason jar or a Mylar storage bag and place it in a cool, dry, dark place.

As with regular dehydrated food, you can add oxygen absorbers to your powdered food to make it last even longer. For 1-quart bags, add a 100cc oxygen absorber. For 1-gallon bags, add a 500cc oxygen absorber. And for 5-gallon bags, add 2 or 3 1000cc oxygen absorbers.

If you keep your powdered food in a jar that you're going to open the jar frequently, you may want to use a moisture absorber to cut down on clumping.

How Long Will Powdered Food Last?

It’s a good idea to divide your powders into small containers for long-term storage. Keep in mind that the more you open the container, the more air enters the container, shortening its shelf life.

Powdered greens. If stored properly, powdered greens will stay at their best for six to nine months. After then, you’ll see some fading, which signifies that the flavor and nutrition are waning. They are still safe to eat, however.
Powdered meats and poultry. Dehydrated meat powder can last six months or more. When stored properly in an unopened vacuum-sealed container, meat powder can last for up to five years.
Powdered vegetables. Powdered veggies can maintain their freshness and nutrients for up to a year.
Powdered mushrooms. Powdered mushrooms will last in a cool, dry area for up to a year.

Here are some additional tips for turning your foods into powder:

Avoid over blending dehydrated greens. They can quickly turn into mush.
Experiment with using your oven before buying a dehydrator.
If you cannot set a low enough temperature on your oven, try the “keep warm” level.
Date your powdered foods and rotate their use on a first-in, first-out basis.
Dehydrate your foods at their peak level of ripeness for best results.

If you learn better by watching videos, here are links to some helpful videos we’ve found for turning food into powders:

Dehydrating fruit is a wonderful way to extend your harvest, cut down on food waste, and build up your emergency food pantry at the same time.

Like any of the skills you’ve been learning as a prepper, dehydrating and making powders takes some experimenting until you find the best method for you. However, you’ll find that the results are worth it.

Originally published on Urban Survival Site.

You May Also Like:

The post How to Turn Food into Powder appeared first on Homestead Survival Site.

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How to Defend Your Bug Out Location from Raiders

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Bugging out of the city and into the country during an SHTF scenario would be very stressful, to put it mildly. Hopefully, you and your family would be able to bug out quickly, but the trip to your bug out location would probably take a while. Once you finally got there, everyone would be eager to relax and get some rest. That would be a mistake.

I'm not saying no one can sleep at a bug out location, but I am saying that you'll want to take turns standing guard. During certain scenarios, desperate people could pour out of the cities and into the country, looking for food and water. Even more likely, marauders could invade remote homes, knowing the police are too busy to respond and the neighbors are too far away to help.

This is why, if you do have a bug out location (or are searching for one), you need to make sure you can defend it. Here are the top factors you need to take into consideration when it comes to defending a bug out location.

1. Make Sure the BOL is Worth Defending

If your bug out location is not worth defending, then what’s the point of defending it? Your BOL will only be worth defending if it meets several of the qualities that any bug location needs to have, and that includes:

Naturally defensible terrain (more on this later.)
Natural source of water (lake, pond, river, stream, well, etc.)
Adequate shelter for you and your family.
Abundance of natural resources (timber, wildlife, wild edibles, fish).
Suitable farming/agricultural land and good soil.
Outside the area of immediate danger.
Outside of any urbanized areas

If your bug out location does not meet these qualities, then it’s not going to be a suitable place to stay over the long term, and subsequently, it’s not going to be worth risking your life to defend.

2. Make Sure the BOL is Naturally Defensible

One of the key qualities to look for in a BOL in the first place is for it to be naturally defensible. If it’s not, then you’re going to have an extremely tough time defending it and you may actually be giving a major advantage to the enemy/attacking force.

Here are the qualities to look for to make sure your bug out location is naturally defensible:

Away from major roads (so it can’t be easily discovered in the first place).
On high ground (it doesn't have to be on top of a mountain, but make sure it's not deep in a valley or at the bottom of a hill).
Natural elements that make an enemy attack more difficult (thorny brush, rough/rocky terrain, steep uphill slopes, etc.)
Clear view of the land before you (so you can spot enemy movements).
A natural choke point, a narrow path, bridge, or gap between two obstacles that forces anyone approaching to funnel through a single, predictable route.

There are additional modifications you can make to your bug out location to make it even easier to defend, which we will discuss later.

3. Remember There is Safety in Numbers

The old saying goes that there is safety in numbers, and this adage certainly holds true for this scenario. Defending your bug out location will always be easier the larger your group is.

This is why it’s smart to make your bug out location a rendezvous point for both your immediate family and your close (and trusted) friends and relatives who live in the area.

Yes, this means you’re going to need to stock up on more provisions, have a larger area, and have an even greater abundance of natural resources than you would need for a typical family of four or five. But the tradeoff is you will have more manpower, and thus safety in numbers.

4. Keep Your Bug Out Location a Secret

Your bug out location will always be easier to defend if you don’t have anyone attacking it in the first place, and this is why you must do everything in your power to make your bug out location a secret at all costs.

The only people who should know about your bug out location are the people rendezvousing there, and you must make absolutely clear to them that they are to tell no one else about the location, and to not invite anyone else to the location unless if you all unanimously agree.

5. Add Defenses To Your Bug Out Location

You'll need to begin modifying your bug out location to make it more easily defensible. Yes, you should have pre-selected an area with naturally defensible terrain, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make additional modifications as needed.

Defending your bug out location comes down to three primary principles:

Maximizing places of cover and firing positions for the defenders.
Minimizing places of cover and firing positions for the attackers.
Inhibiting the enemy advance as much as possible.

The best defensive structures/firing positions for you and the defenders will be to build bunkers and trenches into the ground, and to enhance these bunkers and trenches with the aid of sandbags. You should also dig tunnels or windy ditches leading between bunkers and firing positions so you can always stay on the move (movement will be key to your defense).

Meanwhile, you need to minimize places of cover for your attackers, and you need to inhibit their attack as much as possible.

Here are some defensive modifications you can use to make the enemy attack as difficult as possible:

Install layers of barbed wire fences and nail boards in a perimeter around your bug out location.
Grow thorny brushes around your bug out location.
Create fake cover for the enemy that bullets can pass through but that they will move to instinctively (brush, logs, etc.)
Make the attacking ground as rough and steep as possible with the aid of sharp rocks.
Consider turning the attacking ground into mud to slow the enemy advance.
Build traps for the enemy (i.e. pits with sharp spears pointed upwards and covered with foliage).

6. Set Up an Early Warning System

No matter how well-defended your BOL is, none of it matters if the enemy gets the drop on you. This is why an early warning system should be considered just as important as your physical defenses. Some simple, low-tech options include:

Tripwires connected to tin cans filled with rocks (cheap, silent to set up, and loud enough to wake a sleeping guard).
Motion-activated solar lights aimed outward at likely approach routes.
A trained dog, which can pick up on a stranger's scent or footsteps long before a human would notice.
Fishing line strung ankle-height across trails, tied to a small bell or noisemaker.

The goal isn't to stop the enemy with these devices, it's to buy your group precious seconds (or minutes) to get to your firing positions before the attack actually reaches you.

7. Get Some Suitable Defensive Weapons

Mounting a defense is going to require suitable defensive weapons and a healthy supply of ammunition and magazines.

At a minimum, you will need the following firearms in your defensive arsenal:

Sidearm (at least one per person).
Pump or Semi-Auto Shotgun (for close quarters defense).
Defensive Semi-Automatic Rifle (AR-15, AK-47, Ruger Mini-14, etc.)
Long Range Rifle (in .308 or .30-06, for picking off enemy targets at longer distances).

You will need at least one thousand rounds of ammunition per weapon (not per caliber, but per weapon) and at least five magazines for every pistol and at least ten magazines for every semi-automatic rifle.

Every person in your group should ideally carry a sidearm with them at all times so they will always be armed in the event of an immediate and unexpected attack, and you should keep your shotguns and defensive rifles within easy reach.

Every person capable of holding a firearm should also be comfortable using it under stress, which means regular range time now, while ammo and practice are still easy to come by. It's also worth designating roles ahead of time, such as who takes the long-range rifle if someone spots movement at a distance, and who holds the choke point with the shotgun. Deciding this in advance means there's no confusion (or arguing) once the adrenaline kicks in.

8. Have A Healthy Stockpile of Provisions

One strategy the enemy may use to take your bug out location is to starve you out, but you can mitigate this by:

Having a healthy stockpile of provisions.
Having a self-sustaining source of food.
Choosing an area with an abundance of food/water sources.

The enemy probably won't try to poison your water source (as that would mean they would poisoning their water source should they win), but nonetheless, you should still have a healthy stockpile of clean drinking water (one gallon of water per person per day is the rule).

You should also have more than one way to purify water on hand. A gravity-fed filter is great for daily use, but boiling and chemical treatment (like water purification tablets) should be your backups in case your primary filter breaks or wears out.

You will also need a healthy stockpile of long-lasting, non-perishable, and nutritious food. White rice, beans, canned meats and vegetables, flour, and potatoes work best.

You are also going to need plenty of medications and first aid equipment should anybody in your group be wounded or injured in the defense of your location.

9. Establish a Guard Rotation

Even the best defenses are useless if no one is watching them. This is why you need a guard rotation in place from the moment you arrive at your BOL, not after the first scare.

A few things to keep in mind when setting up your rotation:

Shifts of 2-4 hours work best. Any longer and fatigue sets in, causing guards to lose focus.
Always post at least two guards at once if you have the manpower, one to watch and one to run for help if something happens.
Rotate guard positions, not just guard shifts, so no one becomes overly familiar (and complacent) with a single vantage point.
Set up a simple challenge-and-password system so guards can identify friend from foe in the dark without hesitation.

A tired, distracted guard is almost as dangerous as having no guard at all, so treat your rotation schedule with the same seriousness as your physical defenses.

10. Have An Escape Route

Finally, you must have an emergency escape route should things become dire and defeat be imminent.

Your escape route can be a road that leads out of the bug out location that you can take via vehicle, it can be a tunnel that leads you out, or it can be both of those things.

What’s important is that you have a way out of your bug out location should you be forced to evacuate, because the last thing you want is to become trapped and have no way out.

Conclusion

Defending your bug out location, especially if manpower is limited to just you and your family, will be no easy feat.

Nonetheless, defending your bug out location from marauders can be done with knowledge and application of the principles in this article.

Have plenty of provisions to outlast a siege, make sure your bug out location is worth defending, and maximizing your defensive positions while hindering the enemy advance is what it all comes down to.

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